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OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE 


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Descriptive  and  Biographical  Record  of 


Madison  County 


NEW  YORK 


JOHN   E.    SMITH 


The  Boston  History  Company,  Publishers 

iSqcj 


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INTRODUCTORY. 


It  is  not  thought  by  the  editor  or  the  publishers  of  this  work  that 
apology  is  demanded  for  either  its  production  or  its  character.  While 
attempts  have  been  made  in  past  years  towards  placing  in  permanent 
form  the  interesting  history  of  Madison  county  and  its  immediate  vi- 
cinity, it  is  generally  conceded  that  such  attempts,  although  quite 
worthy  in  some  of  their  features,  have  not  as  a  whole  resulted  satisfac- 
torily. In  undertaking  the  preparation  of  a  work  bearing  the  title, 
"Our  County  and  Its  People,"  as  a  successor  to  such  books  of  local 
history  as  previously  have  been  issued,  the  editor  and  his  assistants 
clearly  realized  their  position  and  the  burden  of  responsibility  they 
were  assuming.  It  was  fully  comprehended  that  if  a  favorable  verdict 
was  expected  from  readers  it  could  be  secured  with  nothing  less  than  a 
publication  that  would  stand  as  the  best  of  its  kind,  containing  a  com- 
plete, comprehensive  and  reasonably  correct  historical  and  biographical 
record  of  the  county.  An  earnest  and  painstaking  effort  has  been  made 
by  all  who  have  shared  in  this  task  to  reach  that  high  standard.  It 
remains  with  the  public  to  determine  how  fat  the  effort  has  been  suc- 
cessful. 

To  those  whose  ancestors  settled  and  have  long  dwelt  in  this  locality; 
who  have  figured  in  its  memorable  historical  incidents  or  shared  in  its 
important  events;  who  have  watched  the  growth  and  contributed  to 
the  welfare  of  the  community;  who  have  aided  in  developing  its  insti- 
tutions, in  clearing  and  making  productive  its  lands,  and  in  founding 
its  institutions,  the  skillfully  told  history  of  the  region  will  have  a  pe- 
culiar interest  and  charm.  Events  and  objects  long  familiar,  perhaps, 
gain  a  new  and  more  vivid  fascination  when  the  story  of  their  creation 
or  occurrence  is  placed  upon  the  printed  page,  possibly  linking  them 
closely  with  vastly  more  momentous  events  of  early  times.  The  often 
rehearsed  story  of  a  local  battle  ground  is  read  with  renewed  interest 
by  one  who  learns  that  his  neighbor's  sire  or  grandsire  there  shed  his 


iv  INTRODUCTORY. 

blood.  A  road  so  often  traveled  that  its  every  feature  is  permanently 
pictured  in  the  mind,  becomes  more  than  a  familiar  highway  when  the 
reader  learns  its  history  as  an  Indian  trail,  or  that  his  immediate  an- 
cestors laid  it  out  through  the  primeval  forest.  The  very  hills  and 
valleys  and  streams  assume  a  new  and  more  interesting  aspect  when 
the  historical  record  peoples  them  with  the  men  and  women  of  long 
ago.  These  are  facts  which  enhance  the  value  of  all  properly  prepared 
local  history  and  biography,  through  which  the  reader  is  made  ac- 
quainted with  the  past  of  his  dwelling  place,  and  in  which  are  preserved 
records  that  no  community  can  afford  to  lose. 

Local  history  bears  to  general  history  a  similar  relation  to  that  of  a 
microscopical  examination  and  one  made  with  the  naked  eye.  The 
former  must  take  cognizance  of  a  multitude  of  minute  details  which  of 
necessity  must  be  passed  over  in  the  latter.  Minor  facts  of  little  value 
in  themselves  often  assume  great  importance  when  considered  with 
their  attendant  circumstances  and  surroundings.  It  is  the  gathering, 
compilation  and  arrangement  of  these  many  minor  details  that  de- 
mand patience,  time  and  skill.  Descriptions  of  local  events,  unless  of 
paramount  importance,  frequently  went  unrecorded  in  early  years, 
thus  doubling  the  task  of  obtaining  them  at  the  present  time.  The 
[■lacing  on  record  of  hundreds  of  dates  and  thousands  of  names  is  alone 
an  arduous  task  and  one  demanding  the  utmost  watchfulness  and  care 
to  avoid  error.  Harsh  criticism  will,  therefore,  be  tempered  with  mild- 
ness by  the  fair-minded  reader  who  may  find  a  single  error  among  a 
myriad  of  correct  statements. 

While  the  history  of  Madison  county  as  a  civil  division  of  the  State 
of  New  York  extends  less  than  a  century  into  the  past,  it  is  replete 
with  interest,  and  events  of  great  importance  took  place  within  its  lim- 
its, or  near  at  hand,  before  the  county  itself  was  organized.  On  the 
other  hand,  it  largely  escaped  the  horrors  of  Indian  warfare  that  char- 
acterized the  greater  part  of  the  Mohawk  valley.  This  was  due  to  a 
great  extent  to  the  friendliness  of  the  Oneida  nation  of  the  Iroquois, 
who  inhabited  its  territory.  Their  nature  was  less  savage  than  that  of 
the  other  Five  Nations  and  they  remained  to  a  great  extent  loyal  to  the 
white  settlers.  For  this  reason,  and  also  because  the  subject  was  long 
ago  exhausted  in  many  interesting  volumes,  only  brief  space  has  been 
devoted  to  that  subject.  The  same  is  true  of  the  Revolutionary  war 
and  the  war  of  1812,  the  immediate  consequences  of  which,  as  far  as 
actual  hostilities   were  concerned,    affected   the   territory  of    Madison 


INTRODUCTORY.  v 

county  but  little.  It  was  thought  that  the  space  that  might  have  been 
given  to  these  memorable  struggles  was  more  valuable  for  history 
more  deeply  imbued  with  local  color. 

In  the  preparation  of  this  volume  it  was  not  expected  that  very  much 
new  material  would  be  discovered.  The  historical  field  has  been  many 
times  worked  over,  though  frequently  in  a  fraginentary  or  disconnected 
manner,  or  in  parts  of  other  volumes.  The  dominant  purpose  has  been 
to  so  complete  and  arrange  the  story  of  the  settlement  and  the  later 
development  of  the  locality  as  to  give  the  reader  a  continuous  narration, 
as  far  as  consistent,  and  save  him  the  task  of  searching  through  many 
incomplete  volumes  in  scattered  libraries  for  what  he  may  here  find  in 
more  concise  form.  Chronological  sequence  has  been  preserved  in 
preference  to  a  general  classification  of  subjects,  in  the  belief  that 
through  this  method  the  reader  will  be  better  enabled  to  follow  the 
course  of  events  as  a  whole.  This  plan  has  been  followed  even  to  the 
insertion  in  the  body  of  the  work  of  records  of  most  of  the  settlements 
and  early  events  in  the  various  towns  and  villages  of  the  county,  leav- 
ing for  treatment  in  the  final  gazetteer  of  towns  only  some  of  the  fea- 
tures of  modern  development  and  present  conditions.  Separate  chap- 
ters have  been  given  to  only  those  broader  and  more  important  subjects 
of  the  professions — legal,  medical,  educational,  etc. 

It  is  impossible  to  perform  the  otherwise  pleasant  task  of  expressing 
gratitude  to  the  many  persons  who  have  given  substantial  aid  during 
the  preparation  of  this  work.  Especially  is  this  true  of  the  many  hun- 
dreds of  heads  of  families  who  have  made  it  possible  to  gather  the  mul- 
titude of  biographical  records  included  in  the  third  part  of  the  volume, 
which  constitutes  a  valuable  and  interesting  part  of  the  work.  In 
these  records  no  effort  has  been  spared  to  preserve  to  posterity  a  mass 
of  biographical  material  m  which  is  told  the  story  of  the  heroic  and 
unselfish  efforts  of  the  fathers  and  the  sons  and  daughters  for  the  de- 
velopment of  Madison  county  in  every  direction.  The  reader  will  find 
it  profitable  to  read  these  sketches  in  connection  with  the  general 
history,  thus  being  enabled  to  arrive  at  a  just  estimate  of  the  work  as  a 
whole. 

In  relation  to  these  sketches  it  is  proper  to  say  that  the  majority  of 
them  are  devoted  to  families  who  have  supported  the  work.  To  have 
attempted  the  gathering  of  records  of  every  family  in  the  county  would 
clearly  have  been  impossible,  while  any  effort  to  discriminate  by  arbi- 
trarily selecting  from  among  living  residents  those  who  might  be  con- 


vi  INTRODUCTORY. 

sidered  "  prominent,"  would  have  been  still  more  impossible  and  prob- 
ably would  have  led  to  much  ill  feeling.  Thus,  those  who  are  paying 
for  and  will  read  this  work  are  afforded  an  opportunity  to  preserve  in 
a  permanent  manner  some  form  of  personal  sketch.  The  data  for  the 
preparation  of  these  sketches  has  been  largely  gathered  by  agents  of 
the  publishers  and  a  type-written  copy  of  every  one  has  been  sent  to 
subscribers  for  correction. 

In  expressing  gratitude  for  aid  to  editor  and  publishers,  it  will  not 
be  considered  invidious  to  especially  mention  Prof.  Ralph  W.  Thomas 
for  his  carefully  prepared  history  of  Colgate  University.  A  few  of  the 
many  others  who  have  shown  a  personal  interest  in  the  work  are  Paul 
S.  Maine,  county  clerk;  Prof.  I.N.  Clements,  of  Cazenovia;  Hiram  L. 
Rockwell,  of  Oneida;  Alexander  M.  Holmes,  of  Morrisville;  Peter 
Walrath,  Milton  De  Lano,  of  Canastota  (town  of  Lenox),  and  Luke 
McHenry  of  the  town  of  Sullivan;  H.  T.  Spooner  and  O.  S.  Gorton, 
of  Brookfield;  James  Kennedy,  of  Stockbridge;  M.  N.  Campbell,  of 
Lebanon;  Merritt  Lyon,  of  Nelson;  G.  C.White,  of  Madison;  M.  L. 
Dennison,  of  Smithfield;  Warren  W.  Ames,  of  De  Ruyter;  Warren 
Brown,  of  Hamilton,  and  others. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I. 
DESCRIPTIVE  OF  THE  SUBJECT 1-14 

CHAPTER    n. 
INDIAN  OCCUPATION  AND  EARLY  WARS 14-35 

CHAPTER  III. 
FIRST  SETTLEMENT— TRAILS  AND  ROADS 35-30 

CHAPTER  IV. 

ERECTION  OF  THE  COUNTY,  TOWN  FORMATION   AND    EARLY 

SETTLEMENTS ..-- 31-50 

CHAPTER  V. 

FURTHER  TOWN  SETTLEMENT  AND  IMPROVEMENT 50-64 

CHAPTER  VI. 
TOWN  FORMATION  AND  SETTLEMENT  CONTINUED 65-88 

CHAPTER  VII. 
FURTHER  TOWN  FORMATION  AND  SETTLEMENT.... 88-105 

CHAPTER  VIII 
FURTHER  TOWN  FORMATION  AND  SETTLEMENT 105-135 

CHAPTER  IX. 

SETTLEMENT  AND  ORGANIZATION  OF  LENOX,    FENNER    AND 

GEORGETOWN - 136-157 


.yiii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  X. 
GENERAL  PROGRESS  IN  THE  COUNTY 158-173 

CHAPTER  XI. 
THE  CANAL  AND  RAILROAD  ERA .173-190 

CHAPTER  XII. 
POLITICAL  CHANGES— THE  CIVIL  WAR  PERIOD 190-206 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
PROGRESS  OF  IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— EATON 207-323 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

PROGRESS   OF   IMPROVEMENT    IN  TOWNS  CONTINUED— CAZE- 

NOVIA 223-245 

CHAPTER  XV. 

PROGRESS    OF    IMPROVEMENT    IN  TOWNS    CONTINUED— HAM- 
ILTON   ..- 246-270 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
PROGRESS  OF  IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS  CONTINUED— LENOX. 270-316 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

PROGRESS   OF    IMPROVEMENT    IN    TOWNS    CONTINUED— SUL- 
LIVAN...  .317-337 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

PROGRESS    OF    IMPROVEMENT    IN    TOWNS    CONTINUED  —  DE 

RUYTER  AND  GEORGETOWN 338-355 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

PROGRESS  OF  IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS  CONTINUED— BROOK- 
FIELD  AND   LEBANON 3.5.5-374 

CHAPTER  XX. 

PROGRESS    OF    IMPROVEMENT    IN   TOWNS    CONTINUED— MAD- 
ISON AND  NELSON 374-389 


CONTENTS.  ix 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

PROGRESS  OF  IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS  CONTINUED— SMITH- 
FIELD  AND  FENNER 389-401 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

PROGRESS  OF  IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS  CONTINUED— STOCK- 
BRIDGE  .403-409 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
GENERAL  COUNTY  HISTORY  FROM  1865  TO  1899  __. ..410-421 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS  OF  MADISON   COUNTY ...433^67 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
THE  JUDICIARY  AND  BAR  OF  MADISON  COUNTY. '467-530 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 
THE  MEDICAL  SOCIETIES  AND  PROFESSION .530-538 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 
GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS 539-633 

PART  II. 

BIOGRAPHICAL .633-649 

PART  III. 

PERSONAL  REFERENCES - 1-208 


INDEXES: 

General 209-284 

BlOGRAl'HlCAL - 234 

Personal  References -■ ..234-338 

Portraits  and  Illustrations _. - 339 


CONTENTS. 


PORTRAITS  AND  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Chapman,  Benjamin  Franklin  facing  632 

Chappell,  C.  Will facing  302 

Childs,  Perry  G., facing  003 

Coolidg,  James, .facing  380 

Ensign,  George  H., facing  639 

Farnam,   Stephen    H., facing  644 

Forbes,  Gerrit  A., ..  .facing  501 

Hickox,  W.  Jerome, .facing  641 

Hubbard,  Calvin, ..facing  268 

Miller,  Edgar  Lake,  Dr., facing  642 

Payne,  Elisha, facing  .'5.56 

Smith,  Gerrit, facing  392 

Smith.  John  E. , facing  646 


Ten  Eyck,  Henry facing  648 

Map,  Outline,  showmg  Madison 
County  and  The  Gore, facing      3 

Map  of  Fortification  at  Wood  Creek     17 

Map,  Old,  of  Central  New  York,... 
.facing     26 

Map,  Outline,  of  Madison  County, 
previous  to  the  division  of  Lenox 
in  189G facing     32 

Map,  showing  Subdivision  of  Lenox 
in  1896 facing  286 

Muller  Mansion.  The, 147 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


CHAPTER  I. 
DESCRIPTIVE  OF  THE  SUBJECT. 

The  State  of  New  York  was  originally  divided  into  ten  counties, 
named  as  follows:  Albany,  Dutchess,  Kings,  New  York,  Orange, 
Queens,  Richmond,  Suffolk,  Ulster,  and  Westchester.  These  counties 
were  erected  November  1,  1683.  On  the  12th  of  March,  1772,  Mont- 
gomery count}^  was  created  from  Albany  county  under  the  name  of 
"Tryon,"  and  included  nearly  the  whole  of  the  central  and  western 
parts  of  the  State.  The  name  of  Tryon  county  was  changed  to  Mont- 
gomery in  1784,  in  honor  of  the  American  hero  who  fell  at  Quebec. 
From  Montgomery  county  on  February  16,  1791,  was  erected  Herkimer 
county,  and  on  the  same  date  Tioga  county  was  created.  From  these 
two  civil  divisions,  which  then  included  a  vast  extent  of  territory,  was 
erected  Chenango  county  on  the  loth  of  March,  1798.  From  Chenango 
county,  Madison  was  set  off  on  the  21st  of  March,  1806.  The  bound- 
aries of  the  county  remained  substantially  as  originally  defined  until 
1836,  when  that  part  of  Stockbridge  lying  east  of  Oneida  Creek  was 
annexed  to  Oneida  county.  Madison  county  was  named  in  honor  of 
James  Madison,  fourth  president  of  the  United  States. 

In  the  course  of  the  events  that  led  to  the  acquirement  of  New  York 
State  lands  from  the  Indians  a  treaty  was  held  at  Fort  Stanwix  (Rome), 
November  5,  1768,  at  which  the  east  boundary  of  the  Indian  domain 
was  fixed  on  a  line  extending  from  a  point  on  Wood  Creek,  near  the 
mouth  of  Canada  Creek,  to  the  headwaters  of  the  Unadilla,  down  that 
stream  to  its  mouth,  and  thence  south  to  the  Pennsylvania  line.  This 
boundary  was  known  as  the  Line  of  Property.  Until  after  the  close  of 
the  Revolutionary  war,  in  1783,  the  territory  of  Madison  county  was  a 
part  of  the  Indian  domain  lying  west  of  this  line.     Another  treaty  was 


2  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

held  at  Fort  Stanwix  October  23,  1784,  at  which  the  Iroquois  ceded  to 
the  Federal  government  a  large  portion  of  the  lands  lying  west  of  the 
line  of  property;  but  with  this  we  have  little  to  do  in  this  volume.  By 
treaties  made  by  the  State  of  New  York  in  1785  and  1788,  the  Indian 
title  to  the  major  part  of  the  two  counties  of  Madison  and  Chenango 
(the  latter  then  including  the  territory  set  off  later  for  the  former 
county)  was  extinguished;  in  1795  other  portions  of  the  Oneida  Reser- 
vation in  Madison  county  were  ceded  to  the  State. 

On  June  28,  1785,  Gov.  George  Clinton,  in  behalf  of  the  State,  made 
a  treaty  with  the  Oneidas  and  Tuscaroras  by  which  the  State  was  to 
pay  those  Indians  $11,500  in  goods  and  money,  for  the  cession  of  terri- 
tory bounded  as  follows: 

Beginning  at  the  mouth  of  the  Uuadijla  or  Tianaderha  river,  where  the  same 
empties  into  the  Susquehanna;  thence  up  the  said  Unadilla  or  Tianaderha  river  ten 
miles,  measured  on  a  straight  line;  thence  due  west  to  the  Chenango  river;  thence 
southerly  down  the  Chenango  river  to  where  it  empties  into  the  Sustiuehanna  river, 
and  to  the  line  commonly  called  the  line  of  property,  established  at  a  treaty  held  at 
Fort  Stanwi.x  in  the  year  1768;  thence  along  the  said  line  to  the  place  of  beginning. 

By  this  treaty  the  State  acquired  the  territory  in  Chenango  county 
lying  south  of  the  south  line  of  the  town  of  Norwich  and  east  of  the 
Chenango  River,  which  was  soon  after  sold  to  patentees  and  is  without 
further  special  interest  here.  At  the  great  treaty  held  by  Governor 
Clinton  on  September  22,  1788,  at  Fort  Schuyler  (Utica),  all  of  the 
lands  then  owned  by  the  Indian  nations  taking  part  in  the  treaty,  ex- 
cepting certain  reservations,  were  ceded  to  the  State.  Under  an  act  of 
the  State  Legislature,  passed  February  25,  1789,  the  surveyor-general, 
Simeon  Dewitt,  directed  the  survey  in  the  lands  acquired  by  the  last 
named  treaty  and  lying  just  north  of  those  acquired '"by  the  treaty  of 
1785,  of  twenty  townships,  each  of  which  was  to  be  five  hundred  chains 
square  as  nearly  as  circumstances  would  permit  and  subdivided  into 
four  equal  sections  and  into  lots  of  250  acres  each.  These  townships 
were  to  be  numbered  consecutively  from  one  to  twenty,  and  the  lots 
from  one  to  one  hundred.  In  each  township  two  lots  were  to  be  re- 
served lying  near  to  the  center  of  the  town,  one  of  which  was  to  be 
designated  as  the  gospel  lot  and  the  other  the  school  lot ;  these  were  to 
be  used  for  the  advancement  of  religion  and  education. 

This  survey  was  finished  in  1790,  and  the  Commissioners  of  the  Land 
Office  were  then  empowered  to  select  five  of  the  choicest  of  these 
twenty  townships  which  were  to  be  sold  only  for  gold  or  silver,  or  to 


Outline  Map  showing  Madison  County  and  The  Gore, 


DESCRIPTIVE  OF  THE  SUBJECT.  3 

redeem  certain  bonds  which  the  State  had  issued  in  the  form  of  bills  of 
credit.  The  commissioners  were  to  fix  the  price  of  these  five  town- 
ships at  such  figures  as  would  effect  a  ready  sale  and  secure  as  large  a 
revenue  as  possible  to  the  State.  The  minimum  price  which  could  be 
accepted  by  them  was  three  shillings  per  acre.  After  proper  public 
notice  of  the  sale  was  made  as  directed  in  the  newspapers  of  Albany 
and  New  York,  it  took  place  in  the  latter  city.  Not  many  purchasers 
were  in  attendance  and  the  valuable  lands  fell  mainly  into  the  hands  of 
speculators  'at  low  prices,  who  immediately  advanced  the  price  to 
twenty  shillings  an  acre.  This  tract  has  ever  since  been  most  famil. 
iarly  known  as  the  Chenango  Twenty  Townships,  and  sometimes  as  the 
Governor's  Purchase.  It  extends  in  general  terms  from  the  Unadilla 
on  the  east  to  the  Gore  (described  a  little  further  on)  on  the  west,  and 
from  the  north  lines  of  Smithville,  Oxford  and  Guilford  (Chenango 
county),  to  the  south  lines  of  Fenner,  Smithfield  and  Stockbridge 
(Madison  county),  and  Augusta  and  Marshall  (Oneida  county).  In  the 
effort  to  make  the  township  lines  straight,  several  small  angular  pieces 
of  land  were  left  bordering  the  Unadilla. 

The  origin  of  the  Gore  was  as  follows:  It  was  at  first  believed  that 
the  Twenty  Townships  extended  west  to  the  east  line  of  the  Military 
Tract '  (now  the  east  line  of  Onondaga  county),  but  owing  to  error  in 
fixing  the  point  of  departure  and  to  variation  in  the  compass,  there  was 
left  between  the  west  line  of  the  Twenty  Townships  and  the  Military 
Tract  a  long  strip  of  land  extending  north  and  south  the  entire  length 
of  the  Twenty  Townships,  and  slightly  wider  at  the  north  than  at  the 
south  end.  The  accompanying  outline  diagram  shows  clearly  the  terri- 
tory of  the  Twenty  Townships  and  of  the  Gore  enclosed  in  the  black 
lines,  with  the  territory  of  Madison,  Chenango  and  other  counties  in 
the  dotted  lines.  For  a  number  of  years  the  Twenty  Townships  were 
spoken  of  by  their  numbers  more  frequently  than  by  the  names  of  towns ; 
but  this  custom  has  largely  fallen  into  disuse.  For  convenience  of  ref- 
erence the  following  list  gives  the  names  by  which  the  towns  are  now 
known,  with  the  numbers  by  which  they  were  originally  designated: 

Township  No.  1  is  now  known  as  Nelson,  in  Madison  county. 
"     2         "         "  Eaton,    " 

"  "     3         "         "  Madison,  "  " 

'  The  Military  Tract  included  the  territory  of  Onondaga,  Cayuga,  Seneca,  Cortland,  and 
parts  of  Wayne,  Steuben  and  Oswego  counties.  It  was  set  apart  for  the  payment  of  land  boun- 
ties to  Revolutionary  soldiers,  under  State  and  United  States  laws. 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


Township  No,  4  is  now  knc 


6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 


wn  as  Hamilton,  Madison  county. 
Lebanon,  " 

Georgetown,    " 
Otselic,     Chenango 
Smyrna,  " 

Sherburne,  " 
N.Norwich,  " 
Plymouth,  " 
Pharsalia,  " 
McDonough,  " 
Preston,  " 

Norwich,  " 

New  Berlin,  " 
Columbus,  " 
Brookfield,  Madison 


Sangerfield,  Oneida 
From  this  list  it  is  seen  that  eight  of  the  original  townships  were  in 
what  became  Madison  county;  but  as  Brookfield  included  two  of  the 
numbers  of  townships,  only  seven  of  the  present  towns  of  Madison 
county  were  included  in  the  original  twenty.  In  that  part  of  the  Gore 
which  is  included  in  Madison  county  are  the  towns  of  De  Ruyter  and 
the  southern  and  larger  part  of  Cazenovia.  The  number  of  acres  in 
each  of  the  eight  townships  that  became  a  part  of  Madison  county,  as 
shown  in  the  patents,  was  as  follows: 

No.  1,  Nelson 27,187  acres. 

No.  2,  Eaton__ 2S,24S 

No.  3,  Madison : 24,024 

No.  4,  Hamilton 24,400 

No.  5,  Lebanon _ 26,200 

No.  0,  Georgetown 24,384 

No.  18,  Brookfield 22,565 

No.  19,  " 20,750 

That  part  of  Madison  county  lying  north  of  the  Twenty  Townships 
and  the  Gore  was  reserved  to  the  Oneida  Indians  in  the  cession  of  1788, 
but  a  large  part  of  it  was  acquired  by  the  State  in  1795.  Later  pur- 
chases, the  last  of  which  was  made  in  1840,  reduced  the  once  princely 
domain  of  the  Oneidas  to  a  pitifully  small  tract,  according  to  the  per- 
sistent custom  of  the  State  and  Federal  authorities  in  dealing  with  the 


DESCRIPTIVE  OF  THE  SUBJECT.  5 

natives.  In  18-10  the  Oneidas  ceded  all  of  their  lands  held  in  common, 
and  received  individual  portions. 

This  ceded  territory  was  divided  into  large  tracts,  the  principal  one 
of  which  was  the  New  Petersburgh  Tract,  which  was  leased  of  the  In- 
dians in  1794,  for  a  term  of  999  years,  by  Peter  Smith,  from  whom  the 
tract  took  its  name.  The  lease  covered  50,000  acres  and  included 
nearly  all  of  the  territory  of  Smithfield  and  Fenner,  that  part  of  Caze- 
novia  lying  north  of  the  Gore,  a  part  of  Stockbridge,  and  a  large  part 
of  Augusta  in  Oneida  county.  This  tract  was  included  in  the  cession 
of  1795.  Considerable  of  the  eastern  part  of  the  tract  had  been  leased 
to  settlers  by  Mr.  Smith  previous  to  the  extinguishment  of  the  Indian 
title,  the  leases  being  for  twenty-one  years.  In  1797  the  Legislature 
made  provision  to  grant  patents  to  persons  holding  these  leases,  on 
their  payment  of  $3.53^  per  acre.  In  consideration  of  Mr.  Smith's 
holding  his  lease  from  the  Indians,  he  was  allowed  a  reduction  on  the 
32,290>^  acres  not  leased  by  him,  which  made  it  cost  him  about  $3 
per  acre.  The  Petersburgh  Tract  was  divided  into  four  allotments,  the 
first  of  which  contained  seventy-four  lots,  fifty-five  of  which  were  in 
Augusta  (Oneida  county),  fourteen  in  Stockbridge,  and  five  in  Smith- 
field.  The  patents  to  lessees  covered  parts  of  this  allotment,  which 
thereafter  ceased  to  be  considered  as  part  of  the  New  Petersburgh 
Tract. 

The  Canastota  Tract  included  ninety-one  lots  in  the  town  of  Lenox 
and  extended  from  Oneida  Lake  on  the  north  to  within  half  a  mile  of 
the  Seneca  Turnpike  on  the  south.  In  1805,  while  it  was  still  a  part  of 
Chenango  county,  10,000  acres,  the  major  part  of  the  tract,  was  appro- 
priated as  a  substitute  for  the  gospel  and  school  lands  in  the  Chenango 
Twenty  Towns,  the  proceeds  of  which  had  been  without  authority  ap- 
propriated to  the  State  funds. 

The  Cowasselon  Tract  was  purchased  from  the  State  in  1797  by  Dr. 
Enoch  Leonard.  It  comprises  twenty-five  lots  lying  in  two  tiers  in  the 
north  part  of  Fenner  between  the  Chittenango  and  the  Cowasselon 
Creeks.  From  the  fact  that  the  tract  is  a  mile  wide  it  has  been  called, 
also,  the  Mile  Strip.     This  was  a  cession  from  the  Oneida  Reservation. 

Various  other  tracts  have  been  ceded  from  time  to  time  in  the  towns 
of  Lenox,  Stockbridge  and  Sullivan.  Among  them  are  the  East  Hill 
Tract  and  the  West  Hill  Tract  in  Stockbridge,  the  former  including 
fifty  and  the  latter  forty-two  lots.  Also  the  Mile  Strip,  the  Oneida 
Creek  Tract,  and  the  New  Guinea  Tract  in  the  same  town,  all  ceded  on 


6  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

different  dates  between  1822  and  1830.  The  Two-Mile  Strip  of  twenty- 
four  lots,  in  four  tiers,  two  of  which  are  in  the  west  part  of  Lenox  and 
two  in  the  east  part  of  Sullivan,  the  south  line  being  the  same  as  the 
south  line  of  those  towns.  To  the  west  of  this  tract  are  six  lots  com- 
monly known  as  West-of-Two-Mile  Strip;  also  a  tract  of  eight  lots 
north  of  Two-Mile  Strip;  the  Bell  Tract  of  fourteen  lots,  purchased  by 
an  Englishman  named  Bell,  extending  along  both  sides  of  the  Central 
Railroad  from  Canaseraga  Creek  to  Chittenango  Creek;  the  Forty  Rod 
Strip,  lying  north  of  the  Bell  Tract,  bought  of  the  State  by  Jonas  Fay; 
and  the  Varrick  Location,  purchased  of  the  State  by  Richard  Varrick 
of  New  York.  The  last  three  tracts  are  in  the  town  of  Sullivan.  As 
settlement  in  the  various  parts  of  the  county  progressed  these  tracts 
were  subdivided  and  sold  to  purchasers  for  homestead  improvement. 

An  act  was  passed  by  the  Legislature  relative  to  the  sale  of  State 
lands,  which  was  amended  by  another  passed  March  22,  1?91,  under 
which  the  following  applications  were  recorded  and  endorsed  as  ac- 
cepted, which  bear  relation  to  these  townships: 

Leonard  M.  Cutting  applied  for  No.  15,  containing  25,000  acres,  at 
the  rate  of  three  shillings  and  one  farthing  per  acre,  the  first  payment 
of  600  pounds  to  be  made  before  October  1,  1791,  and  the  remainder  in 
two  equal  payments,  the  last  one  by  the  1st  of  February,  1794.  He 
further  applied  for  Nos.  11  and  14,  containing  50,000  acres,  at  three 
shillings  and  three  pence  per  acre,  one-sixth  to  be  paid  October  1,  1791, 
and  the  remainder  in  two  equal  payments,  made  April  1,  1792,  and 
January  1,  1793. 

James  Tallmadge  and  Ezra  Thompson  applied  for  No.  10,  containing 
25,000  acres,  at  the  rate  of  three  shillings  per  acre,  payments  to  be 
made  the  same  as  on  Nos.  11  and  14,  above  noticed. 

Michael  Myers,  Jedediah  Sanger  and  John  J.  Morgan  applied  for 
Nos.  18  and  20,  and  the  unsold  portions  of  19,  containing  67,130  acres, 
the  first  two  at  three  shillings  and  three  pence  per  acre,  and  the  last 
at  three  shillings  and  one  penny,  payable  as  above. 

John  Taylor  applied  for  the  unsold  portions  of  Nos.  16  and  17,  con- 
taining 43,377  acres,  at  the  rate  of  three  shillings  and  three  pence  per 
acre,  one-sixth  payable  in  six  months,  one-half  of  the  remainder  in  one 
year,  and  the  other  half  in  eighteen  months. 

Col.  William  S.  Smith  applied  for  Nos.  2,  3,  4,  5,  8,  and  9,  contain- 
ing 150,000  acres,  at  the  rate  of  three  shillings  and  three  pence  per 
acre,  one-sixth  to  be  paid  October  1,  1791,  one-half  of  the  remainder  on 
January  1,1792,  and  the  other  half  January  1,  1793. 


DESCRIPTIVE  OF  THE  SUBJECT.  7 

Alexander  Webster,  Edward  Savage  and  John  Williams  applied  for 
No.  1,  containing  25,000  acres,  at  three  shillings  and  three  pence  per 
acre,  payments  the  same  as  in  the  last  foregoing  application. 

White  Matlack  and  Jacob  Hallet  applied  for  Nos.  12  and  13,  at  three 
shillings  and  five  pence  per  acre,  payments  same  as  the  last  foregoing 
application. 

Robert  C.  Livingston  applied  for  No.  7,  containing  25,000  acres,  at 
three  shillings  and  six  pence  per  acre,  payments  same  as  in  last  forego- 
ing application. 

An  application  was  made  by  Thomas  Ludlow  and  Joseph  Shippey 
for  two  townships  (numbers  not  given)  at  three  shillings  and  five  pence 
per  acre,  payments  same  as  those  last  above  given.  No.  G  was  then 
the  only  township  not  covered  by  previous  applications. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  applications  of  Smith  for  six  townships ;  of 
Myers,  Sanger  and  Morgan  for  two  and  part  of  another;  of  Webster, 
Savage  and  Williams  for  one,  were  all  for  territory  that  became  part  of 
Madison  county;  the  other  applications  are  here  given  for  usefulness 
in  reference.  Some  of  those  who  applied  did  not,  however,  consum- 
mate their  purchases.  Those  who  did  so,  as  far  as  relates  to  Madison 
county  territory,  were  William  S.  Smith,  six  townships;  patent  dated 
April  16,  1794;  Alexander  Webster,  Edward  Savage  and  John  Williams, 
one  township;  Michael  Myers,  Jedediah  Sanger  and  John  J.  Morgan, 
two  and  part  of  another  townships,  the  patent  for  No.  1  dated  June  4, 
1793,  and  Nos.  18,  19  and  20,  to  Morgan,  May  3,  1793;  Thomas  Lud- 
low and  Josiah  Shippey,  one  township,  patent  dated  March  2,  1793,  for 
No.  G,  to  Thomas  Ludlow,  jr.  Upon  the  erection  of  Chenango  county, 
the  whole  of  the  Twenty  Townships  was  included  in  its  territory. 
When  Oneida  county  was  erected,  April  4,  1804,  No.  20  was  set  off 
with  it;  and  when  Madison  county  was  erected  in  180G,  Nos.  1,  2,  3,  4, 
5,  6,  18,  and  19  were  included  in  its  territory. 

Madison  county,  according  to  the  census  reports,  contains  an  area  of 
392,390  acres.  Its  surface,  like  most  of  New  York  State,  is  widely  di- 
versified. The  northern  part  is  low  and  level,  with  large  swampy 
tracts  bordering  upon  Oneida  Lake.  The  central  part  of  the  county 
forms  the  water-shed  between  the  streams  flowing  north  to  the  lake  and 
south  to  the  Susquehanna  River,  and  is  broken  and  hilly.  The  south- 
ern portion,  though  less  elevated,  is  also  hilly  and  constitutes  a  part  of 
the  rolling  highlands  of  Central  New  York.  The  highest  summits  of 
the  hills  range  from  500  to  800  feet  above  the  valleys,  and  from  900  to 
1,200  above  tide. 


8  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  Chenango,  the  Tioughnioga  and  the  Unadilla  Rivers  affect  this 
county  to  a  considerable  extent,  the  two  former  finding  their  sources 
here,  and  the  latter  constituting  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  town  of 
Brookfield  in  the  southeastern  part.  There  are  many  smaller  streams 
which  are  of  greater  importance  in  watering  and  draining  the  territory. 
Chittenango  Creek  rises  in  the  highlands  of  Fenner,  Nelson  and  Smith - 
field,  and  flows  in  a  circuitous  course  through  Cazenovia  and  Sullivan, 
forming  for  a  few  miles  the  west  boundary  of  the  latter  town  and  emp- 
tying into  Oneida  Lake.  Much  of  the  scenery  along  this  stream  is 
beautifully  picturesque,  and  it  is  far  the  most  important  water  course 
in  the  county  in  respect  of  hydraulic  power.  Between  Cazenovia  and 
Chittenango,  a  distance  of  about  eight  miles,  the  descent  is  740  feet, 
with  one  fall  of  134  feet,  affording  valuable  manufacturing  sites  at 
many  points. 

Oneida  Creek  forms  a  portion  of  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  county, 
has  its  rise  in  Eaton  and  Smithfield  and  in  its  upper  courses  furnishes 
some  excellent  mill  sites.  Its  valley  is  rich,  fertile,  and  beautiful,  and 
was  a  favorite  resort  of  the  Oneida  Indians,  The  southern  half  of  the 
county  is  drained  by  the  many  small  tributaries  of  the  Unadilla, 
Tioughnioga  and  Chenango  Rivers;  the  principal  ones  of  these  are 
Beaver  Creek  in  Brookfield,  and  the  headwaters  of  Otselic  Creek  in 
Georgetown.  Canaseraga,'  Canastota,"  and  Cowasselon  Creeks  are 
mostly  .confined  to  the  two  northern  towns  of  the  county,  have  little 
fall  and  all  empty  into  Oneida  Lake. 

Cazenovia  Lake"  is  the  principal  inland  body  of  water  in  Madison 
county.  It  occupies  an  elevated  basin,  900  feet  above  tide  water  and  is 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  minor  sheets  of  water  in  the  State.  It  is  sit- 
uated near  Cazenovia  village,  is  four  and  a  half  miles  long  from  north 
to  south,  and  its  pure  waters  and  picturesque  surroimdings  have  at- 
tracted to  its  shores  many  families  who  have  built  summer  homes.  In 
the  southern  part  of  the  county  are  several  ponds,  which  were  formerly 
utilized  as  reservoirs  for  the  Chenango  Canal.  The  shore  of  Oneida 
Lake  forms  the  entire  northern  boundary  of  the  county.     This  lake  is 

*  This  name  is  given  by  Seaver  as  Ka-na-so-wa-ga,  signifying  "  several  strings  of  beads  with 
a  string  lying  across."    Hough's  Gazetteer  of  New  York  gives  its  meaning  as  "  Big  Elkshorn." 

2 In  French's  Gazetteer  the  name  Canastota  is  given  as  Ka-ne-to-ta,  signifying  Big  Pine. 
Hough's  Gazetteer  gives  its  meaning  as  "Pine  tree  standing  alone."  The  name  Cowasselon 
signifies  "  Weeping  Squaw." 

3  This  beautiful  lake  bears  the  Indian  name,  Owahgena,  written  by  some  authorities,  Haw- 
gena.    According  to  the  Spaftord  Gazetteer  of  1834,  it  was  formerly  called  Lincklaen  Lake. 


DESCRIPTIVE  OF  THE  SUBJECT.  9 

about  twenty  miles  long  and  discharges  its  waters  at  the  west  end 
through  Oneida  River  to  Oswego  River  and  thence  into  Lake  Ontario. 

Hatch's  Lake  is  a  beautiful  minor  body  of  water  in  the  southwest 
corner  of  the  town  of  Eaton.  Once  the  headwaters  of  the  Otselic,  the 
construction  of  the  Chenango  Canal  closed  the  outlet  and  took  the  water 
through  Bradley  Brook  reservoir  to  the  canal.  The  lake  covers  about 
136  acres  and  has  no  surface  inlet,  being  fed  with  pure  springs,  and  the 
scenery  thereabouts  is  charming. 

Leland's  Lake  is  picturesquely  situated  in  the  town  of  Eaton  at  the 
point  of  divergence  of  the  Oriskany  and  the  Chenango  valleys.  The 
water  of  this  lake  was  also  formerly  taken  for  the  canal. 

Madison  Lake  (or  Pond)  is  situated  in  the  southern  part  of  the  town 
of  that  name  and  is  a  charming  small  body  of  water,  the  picturesque 
scenery  around  which  has  made  it  attractive  as  a  summer  resort  in  re- 
cent years. 

The  geology  of  Madison  county,  though  possessing  few  of  the  im- 
portant characteristics  that  give  some  localities  an  almost  startling  in- 
terest, is  still  worthy  of  the  reader's  attention.  The  rocks  of  the  Clin- 
ton group  are  the  lowest  in  the  county  and  border  Oneida  Lake.  The 
Niagara  and  Onondaga  groups  are  next  above  this  and  the  three  occupy 
the  low  lands  of  the  northern  part  of  the  county.  The  surface  rock 
south  of  the  swamp  is  composed  of  the  red  shales  of  the  Onondaga 
group,  while  along  the  base  of  the  hills  are  beds  of  gypsum.  On  the 
northern  slope  of  the  hills  successively  appear  the  water  limestone, 
Pentamerous  limestone,  Oriskany  limestone,  and  Onondaga  limestone. 
Next  above  these  appear  the  Marcellus  and  Hamilton  shales,  covering 
more  than  half  the  surface  of  the  county.  The  Tully  limestone,  Gen- 
esee slate,  and  the  Ithaca  group  are  found  in  a  limited  extent  on  the 
tops  of  the  southern  hills. 

The  Clinton  group,  as  found  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county,  fre- 
quently comes  within  plowing  distance  of  the  surface,  or  lies  loose  on 
the  ground.  The  soil  is  occasionally  colored  red  with  the  iron  ore  that 
characterizes  this  group  and  is  found  to  a  limited  extent  in  this  locality, 
but  not,  as  far  as  known,  in  sufficient  quantity  and  purity  to  make  its 
working  profitable.  The  Clinton  group  in  this  region  is  covered  with 
alluvion. 

The  Niagara  limestone  increases  in  thickness  from  east  to  west  and 
in  the  eastern  part  of  this  county  is  not  sufficiently  pure  for  water  lime, 
but  in  the  western  part  of  Sullivan  has  been  successfully  burned.  It  is 
also  quarried  in  the  western  part  for  building  purposes. 


10  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  Onondaga  Salt  group  makes  its  first  appearance  in  this  county 
near  the  Erie  Canal  in  the  eastern  part.  From  that  point  westward  the 
canal  was  cut  through  the  red  shale  of  the  group.  It  increases  in 
breadth  on  both  sides  of  the  canal  proceeding  westward  and  on  the 
north  side  becomes  as  wide  after  a  few  miles  as  it  is  on  the  south  side. 
The  second  deposit  of  this  group  consists  of  shales  and  calcareous  slate, 
green  or  drab  in  color,  and  is  seen  at  favorable  points  in  Lenox.  The 
third,  or  gypsum,  deposit  is  the  most  interesting  and  valuable  of  the 
group,  both  because  of  its  being  the  source  of  the  brine  of  the  Onon- 
daga and  other  salt  springs  in  this  section,  and  for  its  value  as  plaster. 
In  Madison  county  it  commences  in  association  with  a  few  other  rocks 
not  observed  to  the  east  and  is  found  in  masses,  rather  than  in  layers 
or  beds.  Next  in  importance  to  the  gypsum,  from  the  geological  point 
of  view,  is  the  Vermicular  limestone,  which  is  essentially  calcareous. 
It  is  porous,  or  cellular,  perforated  with  curvilinear  holes,  and  very 
compact  between  the  holes;  these  cells  vary  widely  in  size  and  gener- 
ally communicate  with  each  other.  In  the  plaster  quarries  of  Lenox 
the  structure  of  the  cells  confirms  the  theory  of  their  mineral  origin. 
There  are  two  masses  of  this  rock,  an  upper  and  a  lower  one.  The 
former  commences  at  the  ridge  west  of  Oneida  Creek  and  extends  on 
westward ;  its  thickness  is  about  four  feet  and  the  cavities  are  commonly 
large  The  lower  mass  is  limited,  its  greatest  thickness  being  about 
twenty  feet.  Fossils  are  rare  in  the  entire  group.  The  whole  of  the 
gypsum  in  Madison  county  is  confined  to  the  towns  of  Lenox  and  Sul- 
livan, excepting  a  small  section  of  the  northeast  part  of  Smithfield,  and 
o'  the  northwest  part  of  Stockbridge.  Of  the  quarries  that  have  been 
opened  (which  are  noticed  in  later  town  history)  some  are  covered  with 
masses  of  such  thickness  as  to  considerably  diminish  their  profits.  The 
first  discovered  was  known  as  the  old  vSuUivan  bed,  near  the  turnpike 
gate.  The  plaster  hills  range  from  east  to  west  through  the  county 
and  extend  south  from  the  turnpike  from  two  to  four  miles. 

The  water  lime  group  is  named  from  the  drab-colored  limestone 
from  which  nearly  all  the  water  lime  south  of  the  canal  in  this  section 
is  made.  To  the  west  of  Oneida  Creek  the  stone  burned  consists  of 
two  layers,  the  upper  one  shelly,  breaking  into  thin  pieces;  this  burns 
with  less  heat  than  the  lower  layer.  This  rock  forms  the  great  mass 
of  the  gulf  at  the  falls  on  Chittenango  Creek,  showing  a  thickness  of 
over  one  hundred  feet;  there,  and  at  other  points  in  the  county,  it  is 
quarried  and  burned.     One  of  the  most  important  localities  and  one  of 


DESCRIPTIVE  OF  THE  SUBJECT.  11 

the  very  earliest,  if  not  the  first,  discovered  in  the  State,  is  about  one 
and  a  half  miles  southwest  of  Chittenango  village. 

The  Pentamerous  limestone,  which  takes  its  name  from  a  fossil  found 
in  it,  diminishes  in  thickness  as  it  extends  westward  and  terminates  in 
Madison  county.     It  is  rarely  pure  and  is  not  valuable. 

The  Oriskany  sandstone  is  clearly  traceable  from  east  to  wett  by  its 
characteristic  fossils.  The  edge  of  this  rock  is  exposed  at  a  point  a 
little  northeast  of  Perryville,  lying  immediately  below  the  Onondaga 
limestone  and  forming  a  terrace  extending  to  the  village.  At  the  falls 
at  Perryville  it  is  only  a  few  inches  in  thickness.  Boulders  of  it  are 
common  on  the  hillsides  and  tops  in  the  towns  of  Madison,  Eaton, 
Hamilton  and  Lebanon. 

The  well  known  and  valuable  Onondaga  limestone  extends  across 
the  State,  is  extensively  quarried  for  building  purposes  and  to  burn  in 
many  localities,  and  contains  many  interesting  fossils.  It  is  usually 
nearly  pure  and  is  one  of  the  most  valuable  of  building  stones.  It  is 
the  rock  over  which,  as  a  rule,  the  waters  flow  north,  forming  the  falls, 
great  and  small,  at  the  western  end  of  its  range,  the  most  noted  of 
which  in  a  local  sense,  are  the  one  at  Perryville  and  the  one  at  Chit- 
tenango Falls.  At  Van  Epps,  near  Perryville,  the  top  of  this  stone 
forms  a  broad  and  extensive  terrace,  the  mass  being  about  ten  feet 
thick.  At  Perryville  the  waters  of  Canaseraga  Creek  fall  from  the 
rock  into  a  gulf  excavated  to  a  depth  of  more  than  one  hundred  feet  in 
the  water  lime  group;  similar  conditions  exist  at  Chittenango  Falls. 
The  Corniferous  limestone  rests  invariably  upon  the  Onondaga  lime- 
stone and  is  covered  by  the  Marcellus  shales.  It  is  seldom  pure,  con- 
tains many  characteristic  fossils,  but  has  little  practical  importance. 

The  Marcellus  shales  are  geographically  divided  into  two  masses,  one 
of  which  contains  limestone  and  characteristic  fossils,  while  they  are 
absent  in  the  other.  The  limestone  is  very  impure  and  dark  in  color. 
It  diminishes  in  thickness  east  and  west  from  Marcellus,  and  the  pres 
ence  of  coal  in  small  quantities  along  its  out- crop  has  led  to  many  exca- 
vations for  that  very  useful  mineral  in  Madison  county  and  elsewhere. 
These  shales  are  well  exposed  at  the  falls  on-  Oneida  Creek,  and  are 
seen  at. other  points  along  its  line. 

The  Hamilton  group  takes  its  name  from  the  town  of  Hamilton  in 
this  county,  which  contains  no  other  rock.  The  group  includes  all  the 
masses  between  the  upper  shales  or  Marcellus  and  the  Tully  limestone. 
It  is  of  great  thickness,  ranging  from  300  to  700  feet  and  extends  from 


12  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Hudson  River  to  Lake  Erie.  It  consists  of  shale,  slate,  and  sandstone, 
and  their  mixtures,  and  abounds  in  fossils,  but  is  generally  deficient  in 
building  material.  It  covers  the  whole  of  Brookfield,  excepting  a  tri- 
angular projection  towards  the  southwest  end  where  the  Ithaca  group 
appears;  the  whole  of  Hamilton  and  Madison,  the  eastern  half  of  Leb- 
anon, three-fourths  of  Eaton,  the  extreme  south  part  of  Stockbridge, 
the  southern  half  of  Smithfield,  all  of  Fenner  excepting  the  north  and 
northwestern  parts,  the  greater  part  of  Cazenovia,  and  extends  into 
De  Ruyter.  The  most  important  exposition  of  this  rock  in  this  county 
is  near  Hamilton  village,  where  various  openings  have  been  made. 
Quarries  have  also  been  opened  and  worked  in  many  other  places  in  the 
county,  as  elsewhere  described.  The  hills  around  Cazenovia  village 
are  largely  composed  of  the  coarse  shales  of  the  group  which,  in  min- 
eral character,  constitute  the  greater  part  of  the  whole  group;  they 
turn  brownish  in  color  with  exposure,  decompose  slowly,  and  are  the 
common  building  material  of  their  range.  The  hillside  southeast  of 
New  Woodstock  shows  the  same  sandstone  as  at  Hamilton,  and  the 
stone  is  quarried  to  some  extent.  The  valley  through  which  the  Che- 
nango Canal  passed  drains  a  large  part  of  this  group,  and  the  valle}^  of 
New  Woodstock  is  excavated  in  the  same  part  of  the  group. 

The  Tully  limestone  is  not  seen  in  this  county,  but  it  doubtless  exists, 
as  it  appears  a  little  to  the  northwest  of  De  Ruyter  village,  with  the 
shales  of  the  Hamilton  group  below  it,  and  the  Genesee  slate  above. 
This  Genesee  slate  is  seen  along  the  road  from  Smyrna  to  De  Ruyter, 
and  in  its  range  through  Lebanon.  The  Ithaca  group,  while  a  more 
useful  rock  than  the  group  below  it,  bears  little  interest  in  this  county. 
The  most  northerly  point  where  it  is  seen  is  near  Nelson  Flats,  where 
a  mass  of  about  eight  feet  is  exposed. 

Of  the  Quarternary  Deposits  there  are  but  few  points  in  this  section 
where  any  striking  superposition  of  layers  is  seen,  owing  chiefly  to  the 
comparatively  few  excavations.  The  best  locality  for  observation  is  at 
Chittenango,  where  three  distinct  deposits  are  seen.  The  lowest  mass 
is  a  yellow  sand  in  layers;  the  second  consists  of  round  stones  and 
blackish  sand,  and  the  third  of  red  earth,  apparently  derived  from  the 
destruction  of  red  shale.  The  height  of  the  three  deposits  is  about 
thirty-five  feet.  The  same  alluvial  exists  between  Peterboro  and  Ham- 
ilton and  in  other  places. 

Lake  marl,  as  a  product  of  calcareous  rocks,  exists  in  great  quanti- 
ties in  the  towns  of   Lenox  and  Sullivan,  and   there  is  a  large  deposit 


DESCRIPTIVE  OF  THE  SUBJECT.  13 

south  of  Canastota.  The  largest  quanity  is  in  Cowasselon  swamp,  which 
covers  more  than  10,000  acres.  A  second  source  of  marl  is  the  calcar- 
eous alluvion,  the  product  of  which,  in  this  county,  is  found  on  the 
high  ground  northwest  of  Peterboro. 

The  well  known  Chittenango  sulphur  springs  are  the  most  important 
in  Madison  county;  they  are  situated  in  the  valley  of  Chittenango 
Creek,  issuing  from  a  hill  of  calciferous  slate.  The  analysis  of  the  water 
is  as  follows : 

Carbonate  of  lime  _ 0.88  grains. 

'     Sulphate  of  soda 1.66 

Sulphate  of  lime  and  magnesia _ 12.75        " 

Chloride  of  .sodium 0.14        " 

Organic  matter _  _     trace. 

Besides  sulphuretted  hydrogen  the  water  contains  a  small  portion  of 
carbonic  acid  gas.  It  has  been  beneficially  used  in  the  treatment  of 
sickness. 

There  is  an  interesting  spring  about  two  miles  south  of  the  village  in 
the  same  valley,  from  which  the  water  comes  with  a  milky  cast  which  is 
retained  for  many  hours,  becoming  clear  when  boiled;  it  has  a  sulphur- 
ous odor.  As  the  other  sulphur  springs  of  the  vicinity  give  limpid 
water,  this  one  has  been  given  the  name  of  Chittenango  white  sulphur 
spring. 

There  is  a  salt  spring  a  short  distance  west  of  Canastota  in  a  marsh 
thirty  rods  north  of  the  canal.  A  boring  was  made  here  nearly  forty 
years  ago  developing  water  with  a  strength  of  nine  degrees  salometer; 
but  there  was  little  encouragement  in  the  undertaking  and  it  was  aban- 
doned. 

The  four  northern  towns  of  this  county,  vSuUivan,  old  Lenox,  Fenner, 
and  Smithfield,  have  loamy  soils  in  predominance,  compounded  with 
clay  and  sand,  in  which  in  the  swampy  regions  are  great  quantities  oi 
muck  and  marl  and  calcareous  gravel  on  the  northern  hill  slopes.  These 
soils  are  well  adapted  to  the  growing  of  wheat,  which  has  in  the  past  been 
one  of  the  principal  products.  The  soil  of  the  southern  towns  in  which 
clay  predotninates,  intermixed  with  gravel  and  shale  upon  the  hills  and 
gravel  and  alluvion  in  the  valleys,  is  better  adapted  for  the  production 
of  grass.  Hops  were  for  many  years  the  large  staple  agricultural  pro- 
duct of  this  county;  but  in  more  recent  years,  since  prices  have  been 
low  and  uncertain,  the  dairying  interest  has  increased  in  magnitude 
and  is  now  a  very  important  industry.     The  county  long  stood  second 


14  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

only  to  Oneida  in  the  quantity  of  hops  produced.  The  fruit  growing 
industry  of  the  county  is  somewhat  limited  in  variety,  but  the  apple 
crop  has  always  been  large  and  the  quality  excellent.  Pears,  grapes, 
and  other  common  fruits  are  grown,  but  not  in  large  quantities. 


CHAPTER  II. 
INDIAN  OCCUPATION   AND  EARLY  WARS. 

When  the  white  European  adventurers  made  their  first  advent  into 
territory  now  constituting  the  State  of  New  York  they  found  it  in  pos- 
session of  the  Five  Nations  of  Indians,  to  whom  the  French  gave  the 
name,  Iroquois.  These  nations  were  collectively  and  commonly  called 
by  the  English,  the  Iroquois  Confederacy.  They  were  located  across 
the  State,  beginning  with  the  Mohawks  on  the  east,  the  Oneidas  next, 
the  Onondagas  in  the  central  part,  the  Cayugas  next,  and  the  Senecas 
in  the  western  part.  The  central  council  fire  of  the  Confederacy  was 
kept  with  the  Onondagas,  and  there  were  held  most  of  their  important 
gatherings  and  deliberations.  Of  these  uncivilized,  war-loving  savages 
the  Oneidas  were  the  least  barbarous,  revengeful  and  blood-thirsty;  this 
peculiarity  was  demonstrated  in  the  early  wars  and  especially  in  the  war 
of  the  Revolution,  when  they  remained  either  neutral  or  loyal  to  the 
colonists.  The  territory  of  Madison  county  was  part  of  the  domain  of 
this  nation,  who  followed  the  chase  through  its  primeval  forests  and  rip- 
pled the  clear  waters  of  its  lakes  and  streams  with  their  silently-moving 
paddles  during  unknown  years  before  the  white  man  came. 

The  early  discoveries  in  America  and  the  recognized  theory  of  Euro- 
pean nations  that  such  discoveries  gave  valid  title  to  lands  found  in  pos- 
session of  barbarians  and  savages,  led  to  bloody  conflict  in  the  western 
world.  England  claimed  supremacy  here  through  the  discoveries  and 
explorations  of  Cabot,  who  sailed  in  1697;  France,  under  those  of 
Champlain  and  others,  and  Holland  by  virtue  of  the  coincident  voyage 
of  Hudson  and  the  founding  of  a  settlement  on  Manhattan  Island. 
For  many  years  the  French  were  in  the  ascendant  and  it  was  only 
through  prolonged  and  sanguinary  wars  that  the  western  hemisphere 
was  wrested  from   the  impending  domination   of  that  nation.     In  all 


INDIAN  OCCUPATION  AND  EARLY  WARS.  15 

the  wars  for  conquest  in  this  country,  the  records  of  which  the  reader 
may  find  in  many  volumes  of  general  history,  the  Iroquois  Indians  were 
a  most  potent  and  influential  factor.  Roaming  at  will,  in  pride  and 
power,  over  the  greater  part  of  the  continent,  wherein  they  had  con- 
quered one  after  another  of  their  rival  nations;  brave  and  shrewd  and 
savage  in  their  futile  attempts  to  check  the  encroachments  of  the  white 
men,  they  had  to  be  taken  into  account  in  every  movement  for  territo- 
rial acquisition  by  the  three  great  powers  across  the  Atlantic.  It  was 
clearly  seen  by  English,  French,  and  Dutch  alike  that  if  either  could  gain 
the  entire  and  unfailing  fealty  of  the  Iroquois,  that  power  would  speedily 
conquer  the  others.  But  in  their  ignorance  of  Indian  character,  their 
unthinking  greed  and  selfishness,  their  dishonesty  and  treachery, 
neither  of  the  European  powers  ever  succeeded  in  wholly  gaining  the 
confidence  and  loyalty  of  the  Five  Nations — a  fact  that  greatly  prolonged 
the  conflict. 

As  settlement  progressed,  by  the  French  at  the  north,  the  Dutch  in 
New  York,  and  the  English  in  New  England,  the  rich  fur  trade  with 
the  Indians  sent  golden  harvests  across  the  Atlantic,  for  which  the 
powers  were  ready  to  battle,  and  the  struggle  began.  With  the  details 
of  those  wars,  except  so  far  as  the  Oneida  Indians  were  directly  involved, 
we  are  not  interested  in  these  pages.  The  early  attempts  by  the  French 
to  conquer  the  Iroquois  were  even  more  futile  than  their  later  efforts  to 
secure  an  alliance  with  them,  and  when  James  the  II.  of  England  was 
driven  from  his  throne  in  the  revolution  of  1688,  open  war  speedily 
followed  between  that  countr)'  and  France.  This  struggle  closed  with 
the  treaty  of  Ryswick  in  1697,  the  English  having  to  a  great  extent 
retained  the  friendship  of  the  Indians  during  its  progress,  and  securing 
decided  advantages  under  the  treaty,  if  its  provisions  had  been  heeded 
by  the  French.  They  were  not.  Queen  Anne's  war  followed  in  1703 
and  was  ended  only  after  eleven  years  of  conflict  by  the  treaty  of 
Utrecht,  April  11,  1713. 

Meanwhile,  the  Tuscarora  Indians,  a  powerful  nation  of  the  South, 
had  resisted  the  encroachments  of  the  Carolina  proprietors,  who  had 
assigned  their  lands  to  the  German  Palatines,  and  the  Indians  were 
almost  destroyed  in  their  fort  on  the  River  Taw  on  the  26th  of  March, 
1713,  800  of  them  having  been  taken  prisoners  and  sold  as  slaves  to  the 
English  allies.  In  the  year  just  named  the  Iroquois  made  an  expedi- 
tion to  the  South,  during  which   they  adopted   the  remainder  of  the 


is  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Tuscaroras,  making  them  the  Sixth  Nation,  and  assigning  them  terri- 
tory to  the  west  of  and  in  close  proximity  to  that  of  the  Oneidas. ' 

Under  the  treaty  of  Utrecht  the  French  agreed  not  to  attack  the  Iro- 
quois, who  were  acknowledged  to  be  subjects  of  Great  Britain,  and 
both  the  English  and  the  French  were  guaranteed  free  trade  with 
them.  After  a  period  of  nominal  peace  of  about  thirty  years  the  Eng- 
lish and  French  were  again  at  war  in  1744,  which  continued  until  1748, 
when,  on  April  30,  it  was  concluded  by  the  treaty  of  Aix-la  Chapelle, 
which  substantially  renewed  the  former  treaty.  At  that  time,  such 
progress  in  settlement  had  been  made  that  the  French,  stimulated  by 
the  zealous  and  active  Jesuits,  numbered  about  60,000,  while  the  Eng- 
lish colonists  reached  over  a  million  in  number.  In  this  latter  conflict 
the  Iroquois  did  not  engage  until  1746.  The  last  named  treaty  was 
very  imperfect;  the  old  causes  of  dissen.sion  and  rivalry  remained,  and 
the  two  countries  were  again  in  conflict  in  1755,  and  for  a  time  France 
gained  the  supremacy  and  drew  over  to  her  side  half  or  more  of  the 
Iroquois.  They  established  a  line  of  forts  from  Montreal  to  French 
Creek  in  Pennsylvania,  and  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  found  the  Eng- 
lish unprepared  to  meet  the  vigorous  measures  inaugurated  by  their 
enemy.  Battles  were  fought  in  Nova  Scotia,  in  the  Ohio  valley,  at 
Crown  Point,  and  at  Niagara.  Daring  this  period  Sir  William  Johnson 
was  active  in  the  English  interest  and  acquired  an  influence  over  the 
Indians  that  was  potent  in  achieving  the  final  triumph.  Johnson  was 
wounded  in  the  engagement  at  Crown  Point  in  1754  and  from  that  time 
to  the  end  of  the  struggle  a  fierce  border  warfare  was  carried  on,  the 
details  of  which  form  many  chapters  of  the  deepest  and  most  terrible 
interest  in  American  history. 

In  1756  forts  were  built  at  Onawaroghhare^  (Oneida  Castle  in  the 
town  of  Vernon)  and  at  Onondaga,  and  a  block  house  at  Canaseraga. 
The  fort  at  Oneida  was  130  feet  square,  built  of  sixteen  feet  logs  set 
four  feet  in  the  ground.  It  had  two  block  houses  at  opposite  corners, 
each  of  which  was  twenty  four  feet  square  below,  while  the  upper  part 
projected  to  allow  its  occupants  to  fire  down  upon  an  enemy.  The 
block  house  at  Canaseraga  was  similar  to  this. 

It  was  during  this  conflict  also   and   on  May  18,  1759,  that   General 

'In  1T63  Iheir  principal  village  was  at  Canaseraga.  in  the  town  of  Sullivan,  Madison  county. 
They  had  "  several  others  about  the  Susquehanna,"  and  numbered  140.— Sir  William  Johnson's 
enumeration  of  Indians,  Col.  Hist. 

-  Colonial  History. 


INDIAN  OCCUPATION  AND  EARLY  WARS.  17 

Amherst  issued  orders  for  the  construction  of  "3  Posts  to  be  made  as 
follows:  At  the  northeast  end  of  Oneyda  Lake — 50  men;  at  the  west 
end  of  Oneyda  Lake,  50  do;  at  Oswego  Falls,  100  do.  The  above 
Posts  to  be  retrenched  with  a  ditch,  and  a  block-house  in  the  center, 
with  flankers  at  each  opposite  angle  on  which  swivel  guns  are  mounted." 
These  orders  resulted  in  the  construction  of  what  was  called  the 
Royal  Block  House,  which  was  on  the  south  side  of  Wood  Creek,  near 
its  junction  with  Fish  Creek,  and  the  fort  at  Brewerton,  the  sites  of 
both  of  which  are  still  recognizable.  The  location  and  form  of  these 
works  is  shown  on  the  accompanying  diagram. 


0/VO/VOAflA      /?/VEK 


At  a  council  held  by  Sir  William  Johnson  at  Onondaga,  June  19,  1756, 
where  permission  was  given  Johnsop  to  build  a  fort  or  magazine  at 
Oswego  Falls,  an  Onondaga  sachem  promised  him  the  aid  of  the  Tus- 
caroras  and  Oneidas  in  building  a  road  from  the  German  Flats  to 
"  Canaghsaragy,"  and  of  the  Onondagas  in  building  one  thence  to  Os- 
wego. ' 

The  war  which  for  many  years  threatened  to  overthrow  the   English 


18  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

finally  resulted  in  their  favor,  and  the  treaty  of  Paris  was  signed  in 
1763,  leaving  England  in  possession  of  Canada  and  the  trans  Missis- 
sippi territory.  It  was  to  settle  the  territorial  disputes  arising  after 
this  peace  between  the  various  Indian  tribes  and  the  colonies,  that  the 
so  called  Line  of  Property  was  established  in  1768  and  ratified  by  Sir 
William  Johnson  in  1770.  But  the  fixing  of  this  line  did  not  perma- 
nently protect  the  Indians  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  territory  set  apart 
for  them.  As  settlement  increased,  the  greed  of  traders  led  to  en- 
croachments that  soon  created  trouble  and  prepared  the  way  for  hostil- 
ity by  the  natives  towards  the  colonists  in  the  approaching  revolution. 
The  Indians  made  bitter  complaint  of  their  treatment  at  a  congress  of 
the  Six  Nations  held  at  Johnson  Hall  (Johnstown)  in  the  summer  of 
1774.  At  the  same  time  the  Six  Nations  agreed  to  a  proposition  made 
by  the  Montauk  Indians  to  settle  on  their  lands  at  Conawaroghere,  which 
Johnson  speaks  of  in  November,  1762,  as  being  "a  new  village  of  the 
Oneidas. " 

As  the  time  approached  when  the  fires  of  the  Revolution  were  to  be 
lighted,  it  was  clearly  seen  that  the  colonists  could  hope  for  little  aid 
from  the  Iroquois  as  a  whole;  indeed  they  had  every  reason  to  fear  their 
enmity,  with  the  exception  of  the  Oneidas  and  Tuscaroras.  Upon  the 
outbreak  of  the  conflict,  about  1,800  allied  themselves  with  the  British, 
leaving  only  about  200  who  were  friendly  to  the  colonists.  The  terri- 
ble atrocities  of  the  former,  under  the  leadership  of  Brant  and  stimu- 
lated by  many  tories,  whose  deeds  were  scarcely  less  barbarous  than 
those  of  their  red  friends,  can  never  be  forgotten.  At  a  council  held  at 
Onondaga  the  whole  Six  Nations  at  first  resolved  to  remain  neutral, 
but  the  inducements  offered  by  the  mother  country  were  too  strong  to 
be  resisted.  Joseph  Brant,  then  one  of  the  most  prominent  of  the 
young  men  of  the  Confederacy,  was  sent  to  England,  where  he  was  set 
up  as  a  hero  and  made  the  recipient  of  many  honors  and  gifts.  He 
was  closely  affiliated  with  the  Johnsons  also,  and  when  he  returned  in 
the  winter  of  1776  he  at  once  began  organizing  a  force  of  Indians  to 
aid  the  English.  In  the  spring  of  1777  he  appeared  at  Oquaga  (now 
AVindsor,  Broome  county)  with  a  large  body  of  warriors,  and  in  June 
he  ascended  the  Susquehanna  to  Unadilla.  There  he  demanded  food 
for  his  followers,  drove  off  cattle,  sheep  and  swine,  and  so  frightened 
the  inhabitants  that  they  retired  to  Cherry  Valley  and  other  settled 
points. 

The  attitude  of  the  Indians  under  Brant  was  clearly  exposed  by  that 


INDIAN  OCCUPATION  AND  EARLY  WARS.  19 

chief  in  an  interview  which  was  sought  by  General  Herkimer  at  Una- 
dilla.  He  was  told  that  "the  Indians  were  in  concert  with  the  King, 
as  their  fathers  had  been;  that  the  King's  belts  were  yet  lodged  with 
them,  and  they  could  not  violate  their  pledge;  "  and,  finally,  that  they 
had  "  made  war  on  the  white  people  when  they  were  all  united,  and  as 
they  were  now  divided  the  Indians  were  not  frightened."  The  Indians 
were  simply  sharing  the  universal  belief  that  the  war  would  end  with 
the  defeat  of  the  colonists.  A  few  days  after  this  interview  Brant 
withdrew  his  forces  from  the  Susquehanna  and  joined  Sir  John  John- 
son and  Col.  John  Butler,  who  had  gathered  at  Oswego  a  body  of  tories 
and  refugees  preparatory  to  an  attack  on  the  Mohawk  and  Schoharie 
settlements.  This  motley  army  joined  the  troops  of  St.  Leger,  who 
were  co-operating  with  Burgoyne,  and  attacked  Fort  Schuyler  in  Au- 
gust, 1777;  the  bloody  battle  of  Oriskany  was  fought,  in  which  General 
Herkimer  fell,  and  the  colonists  under  Colonel  Gansevoort  snatched 
victory  from  defeat  and  put  the  enemy  to  a  disgraceful  flight. 

After  that  battle  Brant  chastised  the  Oneidas  for  their  neucrality  by 
destroying  their  upper  and  lower  castles,  their  crops  and  their  wig- 
wams, and  driving  off  their  cattle;  but  the  Oneidas  retaliated  by  aiding 
in  the  subsequent  destruction  of  the  castles  and  villages  of  the  Mo- 
hawks, which  preceded  the  final  extinction  of  the  power  of  the  great 
Confederacy.  The  siege  of  Fort  Schuyler  was  raised  on  the  32d  of 
August,  1777. 

A  long  series  of  Indian  and  tory  atrocities  on  the  New  York  and 
Pennsylvania  borders  followed  these  events,  including  the  terrible  mas- 
sacres at  Cherry  Valley,  Wyoming  and  Minnisink,  at  length  impelling 
Congress  to  strike  a  blow  for  the  prompt  and  permanent  overthrow  of 
the  Indian  power.  To  this  end  was  organized  the  historical  expedition 
of  General  Sullivan  in  1779  against  the  Senecas,  in  which  he  was  or- 
dered "to  cut  off  their  settlements,  destroy  their  crops,  and  inflict  upon 
them  every  other  injury  which  time  and  circumstances  would  permit." 
One  of  the  three  divisions  composing  Sullivan's  army  was  commanded 
by  Gen.  James  Clinton  and  was  collected  at  Canajoharie.  He  endeav- 
ored to  induce  the  Oneidas  and  Tuscaroras  to  join  him,  and  would 
doubtless  have  been  successful,  but  for  an  address  sent  them  by  the 
British  general,  Haldimand,  governor  of  Canada;  it  was  written  in  the 
Iroquois  language  and  was  so  effective  that  with  few  exceptions  those 
Indians  remained  at  their  homes.  Before  departing  on  this  expedition 
Clinton  and  his  forces  ravaged  the  Mohawk  country,  burning  villages 


20  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

and  crops  and  sparing  only  those  of  the  Oneidas  and  Tuscaroras.  Sul- 
livan's forces  met  near  Athens,  Pa.,  started  promptly  on  their  mission 
and  fought  their  first  battle  on  or  near  the  site  of  Elmira.  Proceeding 
northward  the  victorious  army  swept  over  the  rich  Genesee  country, 
where  the  powerful  Senecas  had  made  extensive  improvements,  leaving 
desolation  and  ruin  in  their  track.  The  other  hostile  nations  shared 
the  same  fate.  Catharinestown,  the  home  of  Catharine  Montour,  the 
inhuman  figure  in  the  Wyoming  massacre;  Kendaia,  Kanadaseagea,  the 
capital  of  the  Senecas  at  the  head  of  Seneca  Lake,  with  its  sixty  well- 
built  houses  and  fine  orchards;  Kanandaigua,  with  its  "twenty-three 
very  elegant  houses,  mostly  framed,  and,  in  general,  large ;  "  and  its 
fields  of  corn  and  orchards  of  fruit;  Genesee  Castle,  "with  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-eight  houses,  mostly  large  and  elegant,"  all  were  de- 
stroyed. Forty  Indian  towns  were  burned,  thousands  of  bushels  of 
grain  in  fields  and  buildings,  large  and  fruitful  orchards,  gardens  filled 
with  vegetables,  and  much  other  property  were  wiped  out  of  existence. 
The  purposes  of  the  expedition  were  amply  effected.  The  Iroquois 
power  was  broken;  but  before  their  final  and  complete  submission  they 
made  one  more  effort  to  gratify  their  revenge.  Crippled  and  humil- 
iated, they  still  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  the  pleas  of  Red  Jacket,  the  great 
Seneca  chief,  to  yield  to  their  white  conquerors,  and  in  the  ensuing 
winter  organized  an  expedition  under  Cornplanter,  fell  upon  the  Onei- 
das and  Tuscaroras,  burned  their  castle,  church  and  village,  and  drove 
them  to  seek  safety  among  the  white  settlements  farther  east,  where 
they  remained  until  the  close  of  the  war,  in  active  alliance  with  the 
colonists. 

In  further  retaliation  for  Sullivan's  invasion  of  the  Iroquois  country. 
Sir  John  Johnson  in  the  fall  of  1780,  gathered  at  La  Chine  Island  in  the 
St.  Lawrence,  a  body  of  tories,  Canadians  and  Indians,  the  latter  under 
Brant,  and  on  the  15th  of  October  descended  upon  the  Schojiarie  valley, 
burned  buildings,  destroyed  other  property,  took  many  prisoners  and 
laid  the  whole  region  waste.  Gen.  Robert  Van  Rensselaer  hastily 
gathered  the  militia  and  pursued  the  invaders,  who  fled  to  their  boats, 
which  had  been  left  with  their  stores  under  a  strong  guard  in  a  stock- 
ade fort  previously  built  by  the  French  on  the  east  bank  of  Chittenango 
Creek,  about  a  mile  above  the  mouth  of  Black  Creek.  Van  Rensselaer 
followed  his  enemy  to  Herkimer  and  from  there  sent  a  messenger  to 
Fort  Stanwix  with  orders  for  Capt.  Walter  Vrooman  to  take  a  strong 
detachment  and  proceed  to  Chittenango  Creek  and  destroy  the  boats 


INDIAN  OCCUPATION  AND  EARLY  WARS.  21 

and  stores  of  the  enemy.  This  mission  the  young  captain  accomplished, 
but  his  command  of  fifty  men  was  surprised  on  the  23d  of  October  by  a 
body  of  Butler's  Rangers,  sent  by  Johnson  to  intercept  them.  All  but 
two  or  three  of  the  party  were  killed  or  captured,  some  of  the  captives 
being  mercilessly  tortured  by  the  exasperated  Indians.  Captain  Vroo- 
man  and  the  other  survivors  were  taken  to  Montreal  and  held  prisoners 
two  years.  These  captives,  or  a  part  of  them,  returned  to  the  scene  of 
this  event  in  1790  and  squatted  on  lands  of  the  Oneida  Reservation  and 
later  became  the   pioneers  of  the  town  of  Sullivan. 

In  the  succeeding  operations  in  the  Mohawk  valley  and  vicinity,  the 
Oneidas  performed  valuable  services  for  the  colonial  cause.  In  the 
battle  at  Fort  Plain  they  were  opposed  to  the  forces  of  Brant  and  John- 
son and  aided  in  their  defeat.  In  the  ranks  with  Col.  Marinus  Willett, 
for  the  defense  of  the  valley  in  1781,  were  many  Oneidas  battling  faith- 
fully for  their  friends.  Indeed,  on  every  occasion  where  they  could 
serve  the  colonists,  this  friendly  nation  of  Indians  never  failed  in  loy- 
alty or  bravery. 

With  the  declaration  of  peace  in  1783,  the  New  York  authorities 
showed  a  disposition  to  drive  from  the  State  all  the  Indians  of  the  Six 
Nations,  the  larger  part  of  whom  had  been  foremost  in  the  bloody 
border  wais;  but  the  Federal  government  took  a  different  view  of  the 
matter.  Oliver  Wolcott,  Richard  Butler  and  Arthur  Lee  were  appointed 
commissioners  to  adjust  their  claims  and  rights,  and  at  a  council  held 
at  Fort  Stanwix  in  1784,  reservations  were  assigned  to  each  of  the 
nations  e.Kcepting  the  Mohawks.  Special  legislation  had  previously 
been  enacted  for  the  Oneidas  and  Tuscaroras.  On  the  15th  of  October, 
1783,  a  series  of  resolutions  was  adopted  by  Congress  relating  to  the 
Indians,  one  of  which  was  as  follows: 

Whereas,  the  Oneida  and  Tuscarora  tribes  have  adhered  to  the  cause  of  Amer- 
ica, and  joined  her  armies  in  the  course  of  the  late  war,  and  Congress  has  repeatedly 
assured  them  of  peculiar  marks  of  favor  and  friendship,  the  said  Commissioners  are 
therefore  instructed  to  reassure  the  said  tribes  of  the  friendship  of  the  United  States^ 
and  that  they  may  rely  that  the  land  which  they  claim  as  their  inheritance  will  be 
reserved  for  their  sole  use  and  benefit,  until  they  may  think  it  for  their  advantage  to 
dispose  of  the  same. 

The  first  known  place  of  dwelling  of  the  Oneidas  was  on  an  eminence 
in  the  present  town  of  Stockbridge.'  The  time  when  this  village  was 
abandoned  for  the   later  Oneida  Castle  is  unknown.     The  latter  was 


32  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

spoken  of  in  1762  as  "a  new  village  of  the  Oneidas."  When  the  Tus- 
caroras  became  the  Sixth  Nation  of  the  Confederacy,  a  portion  of  them 
were  settled  at  the  old  village  in  Stockbridge,  and  others  at  Canaseraga. 
At  the  close  of  the  war  the  Senecas  gave  them  lands  in  the  present 
county  of  Niagara,  where  they  still  remain.  Their  removal  thither 
was  made  in  1784,  in  which  year  the  Stockbridge  tribe  took  possession 
of  their  village,  which  was  called  the  "Upper  Oneida  Castle. "  When 
the  first  white  settlers  came  their  cabins  dotted  the  whole  valley  of  the 
Oneida.  In  1792  the  Oneidas  numbered  about  550  and  were  described 
as  being  "  very  friendly."  In  1875  they  numbered  150,  all  excepting 
eleven  living  on  the  reservation.  Several  removals  of  portions  of  the 
nation  to  Green  Bay,  Wisconsin,  have  been  made,  the  last  of  which  took 
place  in  1844.  There  are  now  not  more  than  a  score  left  at  their  old 
home. 

The  long  and  arduous  efforts  made  to  civilize  and  educate  the 
Indians,  as  described  in  the  "Relations"  of  the  Jesuits  and  the  jour- 
nals of  missionaries,  are  well  known  to  all  intelligent  persons.  As  a 
whole  those  efforts  were  unsuccessful,  though  much  good  was  accom- 
plished in  certain  localities.  Among  the  most  distinguished  Indian 
missionaries,  and  one  whose  work  was  most  productive  of  good  results, 
was  Rev.  Samuel  Kirkland,'  who  labored  long  among  the  Oneidas  and 
acquired  almost  unbounded  influence,  which  he  exercised  to  the  great 
benefit  of  the  colonists  during  the  Revolutionary  war. 

In  July,  1751,  David  Zeisberger  and  Gottfried  Rundt  held  a  council 

'  Rev.  Samuel  Kirkland  was  born  in  Norwich,  Conn.,  December  1,  1741,  and  received  his  edu- 
cation in  Dr.  Wheelock's  Indian  school.  In  1761  he  was  sent  among  the  Mohawks  to  learn  their 
language.  He  entered  Princeton  College  in  1702,  and  in  1764  returned  to  the  Mohawk  Indians  to 
teach  school  and  further  study  their  language  and  customs.  He  received  his  collegiate  degree  in 
1765,  and  in  that  and  the  following  year  labored  among  the  Senecas.  On  July  19, 1766,  he  was 
ordained  at  Lebanon  as  an  Indian  missionary,  and  in  the  following  July  took  up  his  residence  at 
Oneida  Castle.  For  forty  years  thereafter  he  labored  among  that  nation  of  Indians,  acquiring 
almost  unbounded  influence  over  them,  and  exerting  it  successfully  in  preventing  them  from 
joining  the  enemies  of  the  colonists  during  the  Revolutionary  war.  During  that  struggle  he  acted 
as  chaplain  in  the  United  States  service,  and  was  brigade  chaplain  in  Sullivan's  campaign  against 
the  Senecas  in  1779.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  remained  with  the  Oneidas,  and  in  1788  assisted  at 
the  great  Council  for  the  extinction  of  the  Indian  title  to  the  Genesee  country  The  Oneidas  gave 
him  a  tract  of  land,  and  the  State  regarded  the  value  of  his  services  so  highly  that  it  granted  him 
in  1789  a  section  of  land  m  the  town  of  Kirkland,  Oneida  county,  two  miles  square,  to  which  he 
removed.  In  1792  he  made  a  liberal  endowment  of  land  for  the  founding  of  a  school  which  was 
originally  called  the  Hamilton  Oneida  Academy,  and  in  1812  became  Hamilton  College  by  incor- 
poration. Mr.  Kirkland  married  in  the  summer  of  1799,  Jerusha  Bingham,  in  Connecticut,  an 
excellent  woman,  who  returned  westward  with  her  husband  and  shared  in  his  after  labors.  Mr. 
Kirkland  died  February  28,  1808.  He  was  a  man  of  the  noblest  qualities  of  mind  and  heart,  a  true 
friend  of  both  the  red  man  and  the  white,  and  one  of  the  few  missionaries  whose  labors  among 
the  Indians  resulted  in,  to  some  extent,  Christianizing  and  educating  them. 


INDIAN  OCCUPATION  AND  EARLY  WARS.  23 

with  the  Oneidas,  who  had  stopped  them  on  their  way  to  theOnondagas 
and  opposed  their  proceeding  further.  In  the  council  Brother  Zeis- 
berger  addressed  them  with  Guch  effect  that  the  Indians  relinquished 
their  opposition,  saying,  "  We  are  convinced  that  your  business  is  not 
a  bad  one,  and  that  your  words  are  true." 

A  mission  was  established  at  Oneida  Castle  in  1816  by  Bishop  Hobart, 
and  Rev.  Eleazer  Williams,  the  putative  son  of  Thomas  Williams,  a 
distinguished  chief  of  the  St.  Regis  Indians,  was  placed  in  charge. 
He  was  well  educated  and  officiated  as  lay  reader,  catechist  and  school 
teacher.  His  labors  resulted  in  converting  a  large  number  of  the 
Oneidas  to  Christianity  who  had  before  belonged  to  the  so-called  Pagan 
party.  These  converts  in  January,  1817,  sent  to  Gov.  De  Witt  Clinton 
an  address,  signed  by  eleven  of  the  head  men  of  the  nation,  express- 
ing their  desire  to  be  known  as  the  "Second  Christian  Party  of  the 
Oneida  Nation."  In  1818  this  party  sold  a  piece  of  land  for  the  erec- 
tion of  a  chapel,  which  was  dedicated  as  St.  Peter's  Church  on  Septem- 
ber 21,  1819,  by  Bishop  Hobart,  who  confirmed  in  all  500  persons  con- 
nected with  this  mission.  Mr.  Williams  removed  to  Green  Bay,  Wis., 
with  a  part  of  the  Oneidas  and  was  succeeded  in  the  mission  by  Solomon 
Davis,  who  removed  to  the  same  place  with  another  portion  of  the 
nation.     The  chapel  was  removed  to  Vernon  in  1840. 

A  Methodist  mission  was  established  among  the  Oneidas  in  1829  by 
Rev.  Dan  Barnes,  who  remained  three  years  and  labored  very  effect- 
ually for  the  conversion  and  moral  improvement  of  the  natives.  A 
chapel  was  built  in  the  southwest  corner  of  the  town  of  Vernon;  it  was 
sold  with  its  site  in  1833  by  the  body  of  Indians  that  left  in  that  year 
for  Green  Bay.  Another  house  was  soon  afterward  built  in  the  same 
locality. 

A  Methodist  Indian  church  and  school  building  is  still  standing  on 
the  west  road  from  Oneida  near  the  Lawrence  farm,  which  was  used 
for  services  many  years,  but  has  not  been  occupied,  excepting  on  occa- 
sional Sabbaths  for  some  ten  years. 

The  Stockbridge  Indians,  who  took  their  name  from  their  native 
place  in  Massachusetts,  were  ministered  to  by  Rev.  John  Sergeant,  who 
came  with  them  and  founded  a  church  immediately  after  their  settle- 
ment at  Stockbridge.  The  tribe  then  comprised  420  members,  sixteen 
of  whom  constituted  the  original  church.  Mr.  Sergeant  served  as 
missionary  there  for  thirty-six  years,  and  received  from  the  Legislature 
a  patent  for  a  mile  square  of  land  adjoining  Stockbridge,  which  was 


24  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

presented  to  him  b}-  the  Indians.  Mr.  Sergeant  died  September  7,  1834. 
In  1822  a  large  part  of  this  tribe  removed  to  Wisconsin  and  there  made 
considerable  advancement  in  civilized  customs. 

The  Brotherton  Indians  were  adopted  by  the  Oneidas  in  the  latter 
half  of  the  eighteenth  century.  They  were  made  up  of  a  union  of 
several  tribes,  or  brothers,  whence  their  name.  They  located  mostly 
in  the  town  of  Marshall,  Oneida  county,  and  adopted  the  English 
language. 

As  before  intimated,  the  (Jneida  Indians  remained  friendly  to  the 
white  settlers  during  the  greater  part  of  the  early  wars.  Their  great 
chieftain,  Slcenandoah,  was  then  in  power ;  he  was  a  man  possessed  of 
a  vigorous  mind,  sagacious,  wise  and  persevering,  noble  and  command- 
ing in  person  and  manner.  He  was  at  all  times  the  white  man's  friend. 
His  watchfulness  once  prevented  the  massacre  of  the  inhabitants  of 
German  Flats,  and  in  the  Revolution  it  was  his  influence  that  induced 
the  Oneidas  to  take  up  arms  for  the  colonists.  Soon  after  Rev.  Mr. 
Kirkland  established  his  mission,  Skenandoah  became  a  Christian  and 
lived  in  that  faith  to  the  close  of  his  life.  He  died  March  11,  1816,  and 
was  believed  to  have  been  about  110  years  old.  His  remains  were 
buried  in  the  garden  of  Mr.  Kirkland  and  a  monument  to  liis  memory 
has  been  erected  by  the  Northern  Missionary  Society. 

Whatever  may  be  our  preconceived  theories  of  the  right  of  conquest, 
the  onward  march  of  civilization,  etc.,  with  which  we  Anglo-Saxons 
are  prone  to  minister  to  our  own  self-esteem,  it  is  still  pitiful  to  con- 
template the  present  condition  and  circumstances  of  the  once  numerous 
and  powerful  Indian  nations  of  New  York  State.  Their  immense 
domain  shorn  down  to  a  few  insignificant  reservations,  their  numbers 
reduced  to  a  fraction  of  what  they  once  were,  their  haughty  and 
aggressive  spirit  subdued,  the  American  Indians  form  an  interesting, 
if  saddening,  example  of  the  passing  of  a  great  nation. 

Of  the  Oneidas  there  are  now  living  in  this  State  about  250;  there 
are  about  400  of  the  Tuscaroras,  while  at  Green  Bay  there  is  a  remnant 
of  the  Stockbridges.  Of  the  other  New  York  Indians  there  are  accord- 
ing to  a  late  census  about  3,800  remaining. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  here  that  these  Indians  and  others  of  the 
same  nations  on  the  western  reservations  have  recently  gained  a  claim 
against  the  government  of  about  $2,000,000,  largely  through  the  long 
continued  efforts  of  James  B.  Jenkins,  of  Oneida  Castle.  This  claim 
arose  through   the   exchange  by  the  government  of  lands  in   Indian 


FIRST  SETTLEMENT— TRAILS  AND  ROADS.  25 

Territory  for  other  and  more  valuable  lands  now  lying  within  the  State 
of  Kansas,  and  a  promise  to  pay  to  the  Indians  a  large  sum  of  money 
representing  the  difference  in  value  of  the  two  tracts.  After  about 
forty  years  of  contest  the  Court  of  Claims  found  in  December,  1890, 
that  about  $2,000,000  was  due  the  New  York  Indians.  Further  delays 
carried  the  case  along  to  the  latter  part  of  189S  when  judgment  was 
entered  by  the  Court  of  Claims;  this  was  subsequently  affirmed  by  the 
United  States  Supreme  Court. 


CHAPTER  III. 
FIRST  SETTLEMENT— TRAILS  AND  ROADS. 

At  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war  the  territory  of  Chenango 
county,  which  then  included  the  present  Madison  county,  was  without 
a  permanent  white  settler.  It  was  a  beautiful,  forest-covered  region, 
trackless  and  unmarked  by  man,  except  for  the  devious  Indian  trails 
and  the  red  men's  rude  improvements.  Chenango  county  was  erected 
on  March  15,  1798,  with  eight  towns,  of  which  Brookfield,  Cazenovia 
and  Hamilton,  now  all  in  Madison  county,  were  three.  Brookfield  then 
included  what  is  now  Columbus,  Chenango  county;  Cazenovia  included 
the  present  towns  of  De  Ruyter,  Georgetown,  Nelson,  Fenner,  Smith- 
field,  Lenox,  and  Sullivan;  Hamilton  included  the  present  towns  of 
Lebanon,  Eaton,  and  Madison. 

The  first  permanent  settlement  in  Chenango  county  was  not  made 
until  1784,  the  year  following  the  close  of  the  war,  when  Elnathan  Bush 
came  in  a  canoe  down  the  Susquehanna  from  Cooperstown  and  located 
in  what  is  now  Afton,  in  the  extreme  southeast  part  of  the  county.  It 
was  two  years  later  before  further  settlement  was  made  by  the  pioneers 
of  Bainbridge.  A  few  squatters  had  lived  transiently  on  the  Oneida 
Reservation  earlier  than  this.  Settlement  in  this  favored  region,  how- 
ever, was  rapid  when  once  begun.  In  1800,  two  years  after  Chenango 
county  was  organized  and  six  years  after  the  first  arrival,  the  county 
had  a  population  of  16,087.  By  that  time  the  pioneers  of  Madison 
county  had  penetrated  almost  to  its  remotest  parts  and  were  striking 
sturdy  blows  around  their  rude   hearthstones.     There  was  not  a  road 


26  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

across  the  territory  of  either  Chenango  or  Madison  county  when  the 
first  white  settler  arrived  in  1784,  with  the  exception  of  one  in  the  south- 
ern part  extending  from  Bainbridge  to  the  mouth  of  Page  Brook,  sev- 
eral miles  south  of  Chenango  Forks  in  Broome  county.  This  was 
called  the  Chenango  Road  and  many  of  the  pioneers  settled  along  its 
course.  It  was  probably  constructed  by  some  part  of  Sullivan's  army 
attached  to  Clinton's  command  in  1789. 

There  were  two  principal  routes  by  which  the  early  settlers  came  in, 
known  as  the  north  and  south  water  routes;  the  north  by  the  Hudson 
and  Mohawk  Rivers,  and  the  south  by  the  Susquehanna.  Many,  how- 
ever, came  over  the  long  distance  from  New  England  on  foot,  carrying 
almost  nothing  but  an  ax.  Others  came  with  their  families  and  small 
belongings  on  an  ox  sled  or  in  covered  wagons.  The  majority  made 
the  journey  in  winter,  as  it  was  easier  in  that  season  to  reach  remote 
points  in  the  wilderness.  Many  who  came  in  by  the  northern  route, 
made  their  way  from  Whitestown  through  an  almost  unbroken  wilder- 
ness, following  such  Indian  trails  as  led  them  towards  their  destination. 
Clark's  map  of  the  Five  Nations  and  mission  sites,  Sauthier's  map  of 
1779,  and  Guy  Johnson's  map  of  1771,  indicate  a  number  of  the  Indian 
trails,  a  few  of  which  had  direct  bearing  upon  the  settlement  of  this 
immediate  region.  One  of  these  left  the  Mohawk  near  the  site  of  Utica 
and  passed  southwest  through  Oneida  and  on  westward  through  Onon- 
daga. This  crossed  two  trails  within  the  limits  of  Madison  county — 
one  extending  from  the  south  of  Salmon  River  along  the  westerly 
branch  of  Fish  Creek,  passing  the  east  end  of  Oneida  Lake  and  thence 
in  a  southwesterly  direction  to  a  point  about  midway  between  Ithaca 
and  Elmira;  the  other  passed  in  a  northwesterly  direction  acrots  the 
northern  part  of  the  county,  passing  near  the  point  where  Chittenango 
Creek  becomes  the  west  boundary  of  the  county  and  thence  to  the  foot 
of  Oneida  Lake,  where  it  intersected  another  trail  starting  from  the 
one  above  described.  A  trail  also  started  from  about  the  site  of  Utica, 
as  shown  on  Sauthier's  map,  extended  through  "Old  Oneyda  Castle,"  ' 

'  Referring  to  the  present  Oneida  Castle.  A  village  situated  near  Oneida  Lake  is  designated 
the  "  New  Oneida  Castle."  The  Documentary  History,  I,  626,  alludes  to  the  line  of  this  trail  in 
17.57,  which  had  then  become  a  passable  road,  as  follows:  "  The  road  goes  to  the  Great  Oneida 
Village,  about  two  leagues  from  the  Lake.  A  picket  Fort  with  four  bastions,  had  been  con- 
structed in  this  village  by  the  English.  It  was  destroyed  by  the  Oneidas  in  observance  of  their 
promise  given  at  a  council  held  between  them  and  the  Marquis  De  Vaudreuil.  Each  of  its  sides 
might  have  been  one  hundred  paces.  There  is  a  second  Oneida  Village,  called  the  little  village, 
situated  on  the  bank  of  the  Lake  There  is  no  fort  in  the  latter  "  In  this  connection  the  accom- 
panying ancient  map  is  of  great  interest  and  is  self-explanatory. 


Old    Map   of   Central    New    York. 


EARLY  SETTLEMENT— TRAILS  AND  ROADS.  37 

called  on  the  map  "Canowaroghare,"  and  "  Canadasseoa  "  (correspond- 
ing apparently  with  the  position  of  East  Boston)  and  Canaseraga  Castle 
to  Three  Rivers.  From  a  little  southwest  of  Canaseraga  a  branch  ex- 
tended to  Onondaga.  Another  map  indicates  a  trail  extending  from 
the  site  of  Oneida  village  in  a  general  westerly  direction,  passing 
through  Canaseraga  and  on  through  Onondaga  to  Niagara.  This  and 
the  last  preceding  described  trail  correspond,  doubtless,  with  the  trail 
which  is  well  known  to  have  crossed  the  northern  part  of  Madison 
county,  passing  through  Oneida  Castle,  Wampsville,  Quality  Hill  and 
Canaseraga,  leaving  the  county  at  Deep  Spring.  This  road  was  im- 
proved in  1790,  just  as  the  first  settlers  were  coming  into  the  territory 
of  Madison  county,  by  William  and  James  Wadsworth,  who  passed 
over  it  with  oxen  and  cart  on  their  way  to  the  Genesee  country.  These 
narrow  and  winding  trails  could  not  long  suffice  for  the  travel  of  the 
pioneers,  and  local  roads  were  opened  and  somewhat  improved  so  rap- 
idly after  settlement  began,  that  in  1800  there  were  forty-seven  laid 
out  in  the  territory  of  Chenango  and  Madison  counties;  this  was  only 
six  years  after  the  first  settler  came  in. 

The  Mohawk  River  was  of  vast  importance  to  the  incoming  early 
settlers  for  a  number  of  years.  It  wa.s  navigated  by  many  so-called 
Durham  boats,  a  flat-bottomed  oblong  scow,  propelled  by  poles  thrust 
against  the  bottom  of  the  river.  The  crews  consisted  of  five  or  six 
men  and  ten  miles  up  the  current  was  considered  a  good  daj^'s  journey. 
A  Schenectady  paper  of  1803  gives  the  dimensions  of  one  of  these  boats 
as  follows:.  "She  is  sixty-three  feet  keel,  eleven  feet  wide,  and  two 
feet  three  inches  deep.  When  loaded  she  draws  two  feet  of  water  and 
carries  twenty-four  tons.  She  now  brought  down  350  bushels  of  wheat 
and  will  next  trip  bring  800."  Many  of  the  Durham  boats  were 
smaller  than  this  one. 

The  importance  of  the  Mohawk  as  a  navigable  stream  led  to  earl)' 
measures  for  its  improvement.  In  1791  Gov.  George  Clinton  urged 
upon  the  Legislature  the  importance  of  improving  the  natural  water- 
ways of  the  State,  and  in  that  year  one  hundred  pounds  was  appropri- 
ated for  a  survey  of  the  portage  at  Rome  and  of  the  river  eastward  to 
the  Hudson,  with  a  view  of  constructing  locks  where  needed  and  a 
canal  around  Little  Falls.  In  the  following  year  the  Western  Inland 
Lock  Navigation  Company  was  incorporated,  with  a  capital  of  $25,000, 
which  was  afterwards  increased  to  $300,000.  The  improvements  were 
made  and  for  a  number  of  years  the  region  along  this  route  was  con- 


28  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

siderably  benefited;  but  the  tolls  were  high,'  forcing  the  settlers  to  still 
use  the  roads  that  were  frequently  almost  impassable.  This  fact  and 
the  great  cost  of  maintaining  the  locks  and  other  improvements  ulti- 
mately, and  notwithstanding  several  loans  made  by  the  State,  caused 
the  company  to  fail  and  its  rights  reverted  to  the  commonwealth.  In 
1791  it  cost  from  $75  to  $100  per  ton  for  transportation  from  Seneca 
Lake  to  Albany;  in  179(5  the  cost  was  reduced  to  $32  per  ton  and  to $10 
on  return  cargoes.  These  rates  were  almost  prohibitive  to  very  many 
pioneers,  who  toiled  over  the  roads  and  at  the  same  time  made  their 
influence  felt  for  highway  improvement. 

The  road  over  which  the  Wadsworths  had  passed  in  1790,  as  before 
noted,  and  which  crossed  Madison  county,  was  improved  by  the  State 
in  1793,  when  $2,700  was  appropriated  for  roads  on  the  Military  Tract 
(which  included  Onondaga  county) ;  the  principal  road  thus  improved 
extended  westward  from  Deep  Spring  and  was  the  extension  of  the 
Wadsworth  road.  In  1794  an  act  was  passed  by  the  Legislature  ap- 
pointing Israel  Chapin,  Michael  Myers  and  Othniel  Taylor,  commis- 
sioners for  laying  out  a  highway  from  "Old  Fort  Schuyler,"  to  the 
Cayuga  ferry,  "  as  nearly  straight  as  the  situation  of  the  country  will 
allow.''  This  road  was  to  be  six  rods  wide.  In  the  several  acts  relat- 
ing to  this  highway  it  is  called  the  "Great  Genesee  Road."  It  gener- 
ally followed  the  line  of  the  road  before  mentioned,  which  was  called 
the  State  Road.  In  1797  the  Legislature  authorized  three  lotteries  for 
the  purpose  of  raising  $43,000  for  the  furthur  improvement  of  roads. 
Of  this  sum  $13,900  was  expended  on  the  Great  Genesee  road  through- 
out its  length  from  Utica  to  Geneva.  The  inhabitants  along  the  route 
made  a  voluntary  subscription  of  4,000  days'  work  in  aid  of  the  im- 
provement. In  writing  to  England  on  this  subject,  Capt.  Charles 
Williamson,  said: 

By  this  generous  and  uncotmion  exertion,  and  by  some  other  contributions,  the 
State  Commissioner  was  enabled  to  complete  this  road  of  nearly  one  hundred  miles, 
opening  it  si.\ty-four  feet  wide,  and  paving  with  logs  and  gravel  the  moist  parts  of 
the  low  country.  Hence  the  road  from  Fort  Schuyler,  on  the  Mohawk  river,  to 
Genesee,  from  being  in  the  month  of  June,  1797,  little  better  than  an  Indian  path, 
was  so  far  improved,  that  a  stage  started  from  Fort  Schuyler  on  the  30th  of  Septem- 
ber, and  arrived  at  the  hotel  in  Geneva,  in  the  afternoon  of  the  third  day,  with  four 
passengers. 

'  In  his  Origin  and  History  of  the  Erie  Canal,  George  Geddes,  wrote;  "The  higli  tolls  and 
other  expenses  of  this  navigation  were  so  onerous  that  land  carriage  on  the  poor  roads  of  that 
day  still  continued  to  be  the  usual  mode  of  communication  between  the  interior  and  the  sea- 
board." 


FIRST  SETTLEMENT— TRAILS  AND  ROADS.  29 

For  the  further  improvement  of  this  highway  by  private  capital  the 
Seneca  Turnpike  Company  was  granted  a  charter  in  1800,  authorizing 
$110,000  capital,  and  appointing  as  commissioners,  Jedediah  Sanger, 
Benjamin  Walker,  Charles  Williamson  and  Israel  Chapin.  An  amend- 
ment to  the  charter  of  1801  gave  the  commissioners  discretion  to  de- 
viate from  the  line  of  the  old  road.  When  it  became  known  that  they 
intended  to  straighten  the  line  and  avoid  the  Canaseraga  Hill  and 
Onondaga  Hill  there  was  active  opposition  to  the  westward  of  Chit- 
tenango,  the  inhabitants  of  Manlius  and  Onondaga  fearing  the  selection 
of  a  northern  route  that  would  be  to  their  great  disadvantage.  They 
sent  a  delegation  to  meet  the  commissioners  at  Chittenango.  The 
clever  citizens  led  the  commissioners  up  the  ravine  to  the  northwest  of 
Chittenango,  which  was  practically  impassable,  and  then  along  other 
equally  unfavorable  routes  until  the  officials  were  weary  and  ready  to 
return  to  Chittenango  and  allow  the  road  to  follow  its  own  course. 
Eventually  learning  that  they  had  been  imposed  upon,  the  company 
in  1806  secured  a  further  amendment  to  their  charter,  authorizing 
them  to  "build  a  new  road  from  Sullivan  [Madison  county]  to  the 
Onondaga  Reservation  near  the  Salt  Springs  to  Cayuga  Bridge,"  and 
$50,000  was  added  to  the  capital  stock.  This  road  was  finished  in  1813. 
The  great  Genesee  Turnpike  was  completed  to  Buffalo  in  1809. 

Mail  was  first  carried  through  Madison  county  territory  in  1797  or  1798, 
by  a  Mr.  Langdon,  who  traveled  on  horseback  from  Whitestown  to  Gene- 
see. He  was  succeeded  by  a  Mr.  Lucas,  and  by  1800  the  mail  had  become 
so  large  as  to  require  a  wagon  for  its  transportation.  The  first  four- 
horse  coach  with  mail  was  driven  through  by  Jason  Parker,  who  re- 
moved in  1794  from  Adams,  Mass.,  to  Utica  and  found  employment  as 
a  post  rider  between  Canajoharie  and  Whitestown.  He  began  running 
a  stage  between  those  places  in  1795  and  thus  announced  his  enter- 
prise : 

The  mail  leaves  Whitestown  every  MDnday  and  Thursday  at  2  o'clock  p.  m.. 
and  proceeds  to  Old  Fort  Schuyler  the  same  evening ;  next  morning  starts  at  4 
o'clock  and  arrives  in  Canajoharie  in  the  evening,  exchanges  passengers  with  the 
Albany  and  Cooperstown  stages,  and  the  next  day  returns  to  Old  Fort  Schuyler. 
Fare  for  passengers,  $2.00;  way  pa.ssengers,  four  cents  a  mile,  fourteen  pounds  of 
baggage  gratis.  Seats  may  be  had  by  applying  at  the  post-office,  Whitestown,  at 
the  house  of  the  subscriber,  Old  Fort  Schuyler,  or  at  Captain  Root's,  Canajoharie. 

On  the  3 1st  of  March,  1801,  the  Oneida  Turnpike  Company  was  in- 
corporated by  the  Legislature,  with  the  purpose  of  constructing  a  turn- 


30  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

pike  road  from  the  "dwelling  house  of  Jonathan  Dean,  in  the  town  of 
Augusta,"  through  the  Oneida  and  Stockbridge  Reservations  to  the 
"dwelling  house  of  John  Lincklaen  in  the  village  of  Cazenovia." 

By  1810  daily  stages  were  running  over  the  Genesee  turnpike  line 
and  travel  was  extensive.  In  1804  Parker  and  Levi  Stephens  were 
granted  by  the  Legislature  the  exclusive  privilege  for  seven  years  of 
running  stages  for  the  conveyance  of  passengers  between  Utica  and 
Canandaigua.  The  fare  was  five  cents  per  mile.  In  1803  the  Cherry 
Valley  Turnpike  Company  was  chartered  and  a  road  was  constructed 
from  Cherry  Valley  to  Manlius,  passing  through  the  towns  of  Madison, 
Eaton,  Nelson  and  Cazenovia.  Prior  to  180-4  the  so  called  Peterboro 
Turnpike  was  constructed,  which  extended  from  Vernon  through 
Peterboro  to  Cazenovia.  The  Hamilton  and  Skaneateles  Turnpike  was 
laid  out  in  1806,  but  was  not  completed  until  a  few  years  later.  It  ex- 
tended from  Richfield  through  Brookfield,  Hamilton,  Eaton,  Erieville, 
and  New  Woodstock,  and  on  westward  to  Skaneateles.  Joseph  Morse, 
a  resident  of  Eaton,  was  largely  interested  in  this  road  and  had  at  one 
time  $30,000  of  the  stock.  To  these  various  avenues  of  travel  and 
transportation,  which  were  of  immense  importance  in  the  early  times, 
was  soon  to  be  added  the  Erie  Canal,  which  crossed  the  northern  part 
of  Madison  county  and  gave  the  inhabitants  greatly  improved  facilities 
for  reaching  the  markets  and  for  travel. 

By  this  time  (1806)  Chenango  county  had  a  population  of  not  far 
from  30,000,  the  census  of  1810  giving  it  and  Madison  county  nearly 
47,000,  and  the  annual  influx  of  settlers  was  large.  The  local  highways 
and  bridges  were  being  rapidly  improved  and  extended ;  saw  and  grist 
mills  had  been  built  on  many  of  the  turbulent  streams,  and  the  homes 
of  the  pioneers  were  risin*  on  every  hand.  Chenango  county  was  a 
large  one,  more  than  fifty  miles  in  length  from  north  to  south,  and  the 
time  had  arrived  when  the  convenience  of  the  inhabitants  in  reaching 
the  courts  demanded  a  division. 


ERECTION  OF  THE  COUNTY  AND  TOWNS. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

ERECTION   OF   THE   COUNTY,  TOWN   FORMATION  AND  EARLY  SET- 
TLEMENTS. 

The  act  of  the  Legislature  erecting  Madison  county  was  passed 
March  21,  1806.      Its  first  section  is  as  follows: 

Be  it  Enacted,  That  all  that  part  of  the  county  of  Chenango  lying  north  of  the 
following  described  bounds,  to  wit:  beginning  at  the  southeast  corner  of  the  town 
of  Brooktield,  on  the  Unadilla  river,  and  thence  rvmning  west  on  the  south  line  of 
said  town  of  Brookfield,  to  the  east  line  of  the  town  of  Sherburne;  thence  north  to 
the  southeast  corner  of  the  town  of  Hamilton ;  thence  west  on  the  south  line  of  said 
town  of  Hamilton  to  the  east  line  of  the  town  of  De  Ruyter;  thence  west  on  the 
division  line  between  the  sixth  and  seventh  townships  in  the  said  town  of  De  Ruyter 
to  the  east  line  of  the  county  of  Onondaga;  shall  be  and  hereafter  is  erected  into  a 
separate  county,  and  shall  be  called  and  known  by  the  name  of  Madison,  and  that 
all  the  remaining  part  of  the  said  county  of  Chenango,  shall  be  and  remain  a  county 
by  the  name  of  Chenango. 

The  act  further  provided  for  the  proper  division  of  the  town  of 
De  Ruyter,  through  which  the  new  county  dividing-line  passed.  Also, 
for  holding  a  Court  of  Common  Pleas  and  General  Sessions  of  the 
Peace,  three  terms  a  year,  in  the  new  county.  The  two  counties, 
Chenango  and  Madison,  were  given  each  two  members  of  assembly, 
and  were  made  a  part  of  the  Western  district  of  New  York  and  of  the 
Sixteenth  congressional  district.  A  section  provided  for  the  confine- 
ment of  prisoners  in  the  Oneida  county  jail  until  one  should  be  pro- 
vided. 

The  following  tabulated  statement  shows  the  genesis  of  the  several 
towns  of  Madison  county,  and  indicates  which  were  in  existence  when 
the  county  was  erected : 
Brookfield,  formed  from  Paris  (Oneida  county),  March  5,  1795. 

De  Ruyter,  March  15,  1798. 


Cazenovia,  from  Paris  and  Whites- 
town,  March  5,  1795. 


Sullivan,  February  33,  1803. 
Nelson,  March  13,  1807. 
Smithfield,  March  13,  1807. 
J   Fenner  (part  of),  April  32,  1833. 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


Hamilton,  from  Paris,  March 
5,  1795. 

Sullivan,  from  Cazenovia,  Febru-      ; 

ary  32,  1803.  \ 
De  Ruyter,  from  Cazenovia,  March   / 

15,  1798.  1 

Cazenovia,  March  5,  1795;  / 

Smithfield,  March  13,  1807.  )' 

Smithfield,  March  13,  1807.  ] 

Lenox,  March  3,  1809.  I           ,,    ., 

„          '                  '  .  Stockbridge,  May  20,  183G. 

Vernon.  j                     &  >        ^       > 

Augusta. 


Eaton,  February  6,  1807. 
Lebanon,  February  6,  1807. 
Madison,  February  6,  1807. 

Lenox,  March  3,  1809. 
Georgetown,  April  7,  1815. 
Fenner,  April  33,  1823. 


Lenox,  March  3,  1809. 


I    Oneida,  1896.- 
f   Lincoln,  1896. 

As  will  be  seen  by  this  diagram,  there  were  only  five  towns  in  the 
county  when  it  was  erected — Brookfield,  Cazenovia,  De  Ruyter,  Hamil- 
ton and  Sullivan.  But  five  more  were  formed  in  the  year  following  the 
county  organization;  since  that  date  five  others  have  been  erected, 
making  the  present  number  sixteen.  Coincident  with  the  erection  of 
the  county,  Sullivan  was  constituted  a  half-shire  town  in  the  new 
county,  with  Hamilton,  which  had  formerly  been  a  half-shire  town  of 
Chenango  county,  as  the  other.  The  early  courts  were  held  alternately 
in  the  school  houSein  Hamilton  village  and  the  school  house  near  David 
Barnard's  in  Sullivan  in  the  part  set  off  for  the  town  of  Lenox. 

As  a  result  of  the  first  general  election  for  Madison  county,  Erastus 
Cleveland,  of  Madison,  and  Sylvanus  Smalley,  of  Sullivan,  were  elected 
members  of  assembly;  their  opponents  were  Jonathan  Morgan,  of 
Brookfield,  and  John  W.  Bulkley,  of  Hamilton.  The  first  county  offi- 
cers and  justices  of  the  peace  were  appointed  by  the  then  existing 
Council  of  Appointment  and  were  as  follows: 

First  Judge,  Peter  Smith,  of  Peterboro. 

Associate  Judges,  Sylvanus  Smalley  and  David  Cook,  of  Sullivan; 
Edward  Green,  of  Brookfield;  Elisha  Payne,  of  Hamilton. 

County  Clerk,  Dr.  Asa  B.  Sizer,  of  Hamilton. 

Sheriff,  Jeremiah  .Whipple,  of  Cazenovia. 

Surrogate,  Thomas  H.  Hubbard,  of  Hamilton. 

Coroner,  Jabish  N.  M.  Hurd,  of  Cazenovia. 


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Outline  map  of  Madison  County,  previous  to  the  division  of  Lenox  in  1896. 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  33 

Justices  of  the  Peace — Brookfield,  Oliver  Brown,  Daniel  Maine, 
Henry  Clark,  jr.,  Jonathan  Morgan,  Samuel  Marsh  and  Edward  Green. 

Cazenovia — David  Tuthill,  Samuel  S.  Breese,  Phineas  Southwell, 
Perry  G.  Childs,  Elisha  Williams,  Daniel  Petrie,  William  Powers  and 
Joshua  Hamlin. 

De  Ruyter — Eli  Gage,  Hubbard  Smith  and  Eleazer  Hunt. 

Hamilton — Joseph  Morse,  Simeon  Gillett,  Benjamin  Pierce,  Gen. 
Erastus  Cleveland,  Elisha  Payne,  Amos  Maynard,  Russell  Barker, 
George  Crane  and  Winsor  Coman. 

Sullivan — Gilbert  Caswell,  Samuel  Foster,  Walter  Beecher,  Joseph 
Frost,  vSylvanus  Smalley,  Peter  Smith,  David  Cook,  William  Hallock, 
James  Campton  and  Joseph  Yaw. 

The  first  board  of  supervisors  of  the  county  was  composed  as  follows: 
Brookfield,  Stephen  Hoxie;  CaKcnovia,  Lemuel  Kingsbury;  De  Ruyter, 
Jeremiah  Gage;  Hamilton,  Erastus  Cleveland;  Sullivan,  Jacob  Patrick. 
Complete  lists  of  the  supervisors  of  the  various  towns  down  to  the 
present  time,  as  far  as  they  are  accessible,  will  be  found  in  the  later 
Gazetteer  of  Towns. 

In  1810  Cazenovia  was  made  the  county  seat  by  act  of  Legislature 
passed  April  2,  and  Col.  John  Lincklaen  and  Capt.  Eliphalet  Jackson 
were  appointed  commissioners  to  superintend  the  erection  of  a  court 
house  and  jail.     (See  Chapter  XXV.) 

Settlement  in  Madison  county  territory  began  almost  simultaneously 
in  the  northern  and  southern  parts,  in  what  became  the  towns  of  Brook- 
field and  Sullivan.  The  town  of  Brookfield  is  the  extreme  southeast 
town  in  the  county  and  the  largest  in  area.  It  was  formed  from  Paris, 
Oneida  county,  March  5,  1795,  and  originally  included  numbers  17,  18 
and  19  of  the  Chenango  Twenty  Townships.  The  former  was  set  off 
in  the  formation  of  Columbus  in  1805.  Settlemeat  began  in  the  terri- 
tory of  Brookfield  in  the  spring  of  1791,  when  Captain  Daniel  Brown, 
a  Quaker  from  Stonington,  Conn.,  came  on  with  a  few  friends  whom  he 
had  persuaded  to  accompany  him,  but  who  returned  in  the  fall. 
Stephen  Hoxie  and  Phineas  Babcock  came  in  at  about  the  same  time  as 
agents  of  a  company  from  Rhode  Island  and  Connecticut.  Captain 
Brown  was  sixty-six  years  old  at  the  time  of  his  migration  and  started 
westward  with  the  intention  of  locating  in  the  productive  Genesee  val- 
ley; but  taking  a  southern  route  he  and  his  companions  toiled  on  with 
an  ox  team  for  twenty-one  days,  when  in  the  latter  part  of  June  they 
arrived  at  the  dwelling  of  Percifer  Carr,  who  had  settled   on  the  east 


34  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

bank  of  the  Unadilla  in  the  town  of  Edmeston.  They  were  hospitably 
received,  and  the  charm  of  the  season,  the  beauty  of  the  surroundings 
and  the  character  of  the  land  prompted  them  to  remain;  Mr.  Brown 
selected  for  his  homestead  land  on  the  west  side  of  the  Unadilla,  a  short 
distance  above  Mr.  Carr's  residence,  on  lot  83  of  the  19th  township,  and 
there  he  built  his  dwelling  on  a  hill  a  mile  west  of  the  site  of  Leonards- 
ville.  He  passed  the  remainder  of  his  life  there  and  died  December  14, 
1814.  Others  of  the  little  party  of  immigrants  settled  near  by,  among 
them  David  Maine,  Samuel  H.  Burdick,  Samuel  Billings  and  Stephen 
Collins.  All  returned  east  in  the  fall  excepting  Mr.  Brown.  In  the  fol- 
lowing spring  Captain  Brown's  family  moved  in  and  in  that  year  he 
built  a  saw  mill  on  Mill  Creek,  which  was  the  first  one  in  the  town  and 
one  of  the  first  in  the  county.  The  first  town  meeting  was  held  in 
Brown's  dwelling  on  the  7th  of  April,  1795.  Captain  Brown  had  two 
children  by  his  first  wife  and  twelve  by  his  second,  all  but  four  of  whom 
were  daughters.  One  of  them,  Anna,  married  Nathan  Steward,  who 
came  on  from  Stonington  in  1794  and  settled  about  two  and  one-half 
miles  northeast  of  Clarkville.  Another  daughter,  Fanny,  married 
George  Palmer,  who  settled  in  1792  between  Leonardsville  and  Clark- 
ville, near  the  river;  there  in  1793  he  built  the  first  frame  house  in  the 
town.  He  removed  to  the  Genesee  country  about  the  close  of  the  war 
of  1812.  Jabish'  Brown,  son  of  Daniel,  left  Stonington,  June  12,  1794, 
and  after  a  journey  of  seventeen  days  arrived  in  Brookfield  with  an  ox 
cart  and  his  family;  he  built  a  log  house  near  his  father's,  but  two  years 
later  removed  a  half  mile  south  and  erected  a  frame  house.  Both  he 
and  his  wife  died  on  that  farm,  he  on  July  18,  1843.  Their  descendants 
still  live  in  the  county.  Nathan  Brown  settled  on  a  part  of  the  home- 
stead. Isaac  married  and  lived  on  the  homestead  until  near  his  death, 
when  he  removed  to  Leonardsville,  where  he  died  May  3,  1840.  He 
has  descendants  in  the  county. 
/'  Stephen  Collins,  before  mentioned,  settled  in  1791  about  one  and  one 
half  miles  south  of  Clarkville,  on  Beaver  Creek;  there  he  soon  built  a 
grist  mill,  which  he  sold  to  Daniel  White,  by  whose  name  it  was  long 
known.  It  passed  to  his  son,  Daniel  D.  White,  who  operated  it  until 
the  dam  was  destroyed  about  1861,  and  it  was  not  rebuilt. 

Samuel  H.  Burdick  settled  on  the  farm  occupied  until  recent  years 
by  a  descendant  of  his,  where  he  died  February  14,  1813.  He  had  only 
one  son.     Samuel  Billings,  who  came  in  1791,  kept  a  public  house  sev- 

*  Spelled  in  later  years  "Jabez." 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  35 

eral  years  in  the  dwelling  now  occupied  by  William  Whitford.  He 
sold  his  property  about  1S17  to  William  Brown  and  removed  to  the 
West. 

When  Stephen  Hoxie  and  Phineas  Babcock,  the  agents  before  men- 
tioned, came  on  they  stopped  in  Albany  and  purchased  lots  79  to  86 
inclusive,  and  92  to  96  inclusive,  thirteen  in  all,  in  the  southeast  corner 
of  the  19th  township,  for  which  they  paid  fifty  cents  an  acre.  In  that 
year  Mr.  Hoxie  built  a  log  house.  The  patent  for  lot  96,  which  Mr. 
Hoxie  selected  for  himself,  is  dated  May  3,  1791,  and  is  still  in  posses- 
sion of  his  descendants  in  this  county. 

In  1792  vStephen  Hoxie,  John  and  Elias  Button,  Lawton  Palmer, 
Thomas  and  James  Rogers,  Paul  and  Perry  Maxson,  Eleazer  and  Sim- 
eon Brown,  Samuel  Langworthy,  Elder  Henry  Clark  and  Phineas  Bab- 
cock, all  members  of  the  company  before  mentioned,  came  and  settled 
on  their  lands — Hoxie  on  lot  96,  the  two  Buttons  on  lot  83,  Palmer  on 
lot  95,  the  two  Rogers  on  lot  83,  the  Maxsons  on  lots  93  and  94,  Eleazer 
Brown  on  lot  84  and  Simeon  on  lot  81,  Langworthy  on  lot  80,  Clark  on 
lot  92,  and  Babcock  on  lot  79.  John  Button  was  the  only  one  who  brought 
in  his  family  that  year.  He  settled  on  the  farm  occupied  in  recent 
years  by  David  Judge,  where  they  resided  until  their  death.  In  1792 
he  bought  land  on  Mill  Creek,  with  the  site  since  known  as  Button's 
Falls,  and  there  built  the  first  grist  mill  in  the  town.  This  was  a  great 
convenience  and  was  highly  appreciated  by  the  early  settlers.  This 
mill,  together  with  the  saw  mill  built  by  Daniel  Brown,  and  one  built  a 
little  later  oii  the  same  stream  by  Jabish  Brown,  were  carried  away  by 
a  freshet  early  in  the  century.  A  saw  mill  was  built  on  the  site  of  the 
Button  grist  mill,  in  1848,  by  Hosea  and  David  Welch,  grandsons  of 
John  Button ;  it  was  operated  tmtil  about  1865.  Elias  Button  was  a 
bachelor  and  lived  with  his  brother  until  he  reached  the  great  age  of 
105  years.  He  taught  school  about  sixty  years  of  his  life  and  by  some 
authorities  is  credited  with  being  the  first  teacher  in  Brookfield.  Asa 
Carrier  is  said,  by  French's  Gazetteer,  to  have  taught  the  first  school  in 
the  winter  of  1796,  but  it  is  certain  that  Mr.  Button  taught  a  school 
half  a  mile  north  of  Button's  Falls  in  the  winter  of  1796-7. 

Stephen  Hoxie  returned  to  Rhode  Island  again  in  1792,  leaving  here 
his  son  John,  then  seventeen  years  old.  He  returned  in  1793  with  his 
family,  horse  and  ox  teams,  the  journey  occupying  six  weeks.  His 
grandsons,  Stephen  and  Thomas,  have  in  recent  years  lived  on  the 
homestead,  half  a  mile  above  Leonardsville,  where  the  pioneer  died 
October  6,  1839,  at  the  age  of  101  years. 


36  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Lawton  Palmer  was  a  Rhode  Island  man  and  married  a  daughter  of 
John  Button,  settling  a  little  northeast  of  Five  Corners  and  there  died 
December  3,  1825.  He  donated  from  his  farm  the  site  of  the  old  First 
Baptist  church.  His  son  Elias  succeeded  to  the  homestead  and  died 
there  March  10,  1866.  Lawton  Palmer,  son  of  the  pioneer,  was  the 
first  white  child  born  in  the  town;  born  April  27,  1792. 

Thomas,  James  and  John  Rogers  were  also  from  Rhode  Island,  the 
former  settling  a  mile  west  from  Leonardsville  on  a  farm  now  owned 
by  his  great-grandson,  Deloss  Rogers.  He  died  there  January  17,  1815. 
James  settled  on  Button  Hill  and  John  at  Leonardsville  and  died  there. 
His  son  Thomas  occupied  the  homestead. 

Elder  Simeon  Brown,  one  of  whose  daughters  married  James  Rogers, 
was  from  iStonington,  Conn.,  and  settled  two  and  one-half  miles  east  of 
Clarkville,  where  his  grandson,  Justus  R.  Brown,  subsequently  resided, 
and  now  occupied  by  Clay  Brown.  He  was  influential  in  organizing 
the  First  Baptist  church  and  was  its  pastor  for  thirty  years.  He  was 
father  of  seven  children.  Eleazer  Brown  settled  on  land  a  part  of 
which  went  into  the  John  Searls  farm. 

Paul,  Perry,  Ray  and  John  Maxson  were  brothers.  Paul  and  Perry 
settled  at  De  Lancy's  Corners  and  there  resided  until  their  death. 
Paul  operated  a  distillery  many  years.      Ray  settled  in  Columbus. 

Elder  Henry  Clark  settled  near  the  Unadilla  Forks;  he  was  a  Seventh 
Day  Baptist  preacher  and  organized  at  Leonardsville  the  first  church  of 
that  sect  in  the  town  and  was  pastor  many  years.  His  farm  was  after- 
wards occupied  by  Dr.  Henry  Clark,  who  lived  and  died  there.  George 
Hall  is  the  present  occupant  of  the  place. 

Robert  Randall  was  a  pioneer  of  1792,  coming  from  Stonington  with 
his  wife  and  nine  children  to  Brookfield,  where  descendants  still  live. 
William  and  Roswell  Randall  were  his  sons  and  carried  on  mercantile 
business  in  South  Brookfield,  removing  thence  to  Cortland,  where  they 
became  prominent  and  wealthy. 

Ethan  Babcock  and  David  Gates  left  Leyden,  Mass.,  in  the  latter 
part  of  April,  1793,  and  arrived  in  the  Beaver  Creek  valley  on  the  25th 
of  May,  where  Oliver  Babcock  had  previously  purchased  the  mill  site 
h\  the  north  part  of  Clarkville,  with  two  lots  including  the  east  half  of 
the  village  site.  Oliver  Babcock  was  Ethan's  father.  They  were  the 
first  to  locate  on  the  site  of  Clarkville  and  at  once  began  clearing  land. 
Having  accumulated  a  quantity  of  ashes  from  the  burning  logs,  they 
began  making  potash;  it  was  the  first  made  in  this  town      In  the  fall 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  37 

Mr.  Gates  went  to  West  Winfield,  Herkimer  county,  and  Mr.  Babcock 
returned  to  his  Massachusetts  home,  where  he  married.  He  came 
back  the  next  spring  bringing  his  wife  and  his  brother  Oliver  and  his 
wife.  He  now  finished  his  uncompleted  log  house,  which  was  the  first 
one  built  in  the  Beaver  Creek  valley;  it  stood  east  of  the  academy  lot. 
Oliver  built  one  the  same  year,  and  there  both  resided  until  their  death 
Ethan  died  April  4,  1859,  and  Oliver  September  1,  1856.  Oliver  Bab- 
cock, sr.,  father  of  Ethan  and  Oliver,  came  in  1795  and  built  the  first 
saw  mill  on  the  site  of  the  Elijah  Clark  mill;  the  property  passed  to 
Elijah  Clark  in  1857,  who  built  the  grist  mill.  Hezekiah  and  Phineas 
Babcock,  sons  of  Oliver  sr.,  settled  in  the  town,  the  former  on  the 
north  line;  descendants  of  these  families  still  live  in  the  town 

David  Gates's  settlement  was  made  on  fifty  acres  of  lot  65,  which 
was  afterwards  owned  by  his  son  Darius.  He  had  eleven  children, 
seven  of  whom  lived  to  maturity  and  were  somewhat  prominent  in  the 
town. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  John  J.  Morgan  and  Jedediah  Sanger  be- 
gan to  open  the  lands  they  had  purchased  in  1791  in  townships  18  and 
30  and  part  of  19,  to  tenants  on  perpetual  leases,  a  system  that  had  a 
tendency  to  retard  settlement,  as  it  did  in  many  other  parts  of  this 
State.  Mr.  Morgan  built  a  dwelling,  which  is  still  standing,  in  a  beau- 
tiful spot  on  the  west  side  of  Beaver  Creek  about  two  and  one-half 
miles  south  of  Clarkville,  where  he  passed  his  summers  during  many 
years.  At  his  death,  Morgan  Dix  became  heir  to  these  lands,  which 
were,  however,  left  under  supervision  to  Gov.  John  A.  Dix,  who 
adopted  the  policy  of  selling  them  to  actual  settlers  on  easy  terms. 
Wait  Clarke,  whose  father,  John  Clarke,  settled  in  the  town  in  1810, 
was  agent  for  Governor  Dix,  in  the  sale  of  much  of  this  property. 

Among  the  settlers  of  1794  was  Zadoc  Beebe,  who  came  with  his  son 
of  the  same  name,  up  the  Mohawk  to  Herkimer  and  thence  on  foot. 
After  selecting  lands  they  returned  to  Massachusetts  and  in  1796 
brought  in  their  families  with  ox  teams.  The  elder  Beebe  took  up  lot 
27,  and  the  son  and  his  brother-in-law,  James  Beebe,  took  up  lot  28, 
both  lots  in  the  19th  township.  Zadoc  Beebe's  children  were  six,  all  of 
whom  settled  near  the  homestead. 

Joshua  Whitford  also  became  a  settler  in  1794,  taking  up   half  of  lot 
76,  near  the  center  of  the  town,  where  his  grandson,  Silas  Whitford 
subsequently  lived.     One  of  his  children  was  Deacon  William  Whitford 
who  settled  on  lot  71,  but  after  his   father's  death  he  removed  to  the 


38  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

home  farm  and  there  died  January  26,  1850,  leaving  four  children  all 
living  in  this  town.  Other  settlers  of  that  year  were  Wiot  Hinckley 
(this  family  now  spell  the  name  Wait)  and  John  York;  the  latter  set- 
tled on  the  east  side  of  Beaver  Creek  midway  between  Clarkville  and 
Brookfield.      He  had  eight  children. 

Samuel  Gorton  came  to  Brookfield  in  1795,  selected  two  lots  and  re- 
turned to  his  native  place,  Greenwich,  R.  I.  In  the  following  spring 
his  sons,  Varnum  and  Benjamin,  came  in  on  foot  to  prepare  for  the  re- 
ception of  the  rest  of  the  family.  They  made  a  clearing  and  built  a 
cabin  about  three  miles  east  of  North  Brookfield,  at  what  is  called  Gor- 
ton Hill.  The  remainder  of  the  family  came  in  the  fall,  consisting  of 
the  parents  ard  ten  more  children.  In  the  year  1796,  also,  Asa  Frink, 
Nathaniel,  Joseph,  and  George  Denison,  and  Thompson  Burdick  came 
in  company  from  Stonington  with  ox  teams  and  all  settled  in  the  Bea- 
ver Creek  valley — Frink  at  Clarkville,  Nathaniel  Denison  on  the  west 
side  of  the  creek,  Joseph  on  lot  65  in  the  18th  township,  and  George  on 
the  same  lot  three-fourths  of  a  mile  southeast  of  Clarkville.  Thomp- 
son Burdick  settled  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  south  of  Clarkville ;  he 
sold  in  1809  to  Eli  S.  Bailey. 

Thomas  Keith  and  Alexander  Brewster  came  in  on  foot  in  1797;  the 
former  took  up  350  acres  and  sold  forty  to  Brewster.  They  built  a 
cabin  that  summer,  returned  to  Massachusetts  in  the  fall  and  came 
back  with  their  families  in  the  next  spring.  Brewster  sold  his  land 
many  years  ago  to  John  Keith,  who  resided  there  until  his  death.  The 
Thomas  Keith  homestead  was  owned  in  recent  years  by  his  son  Henry. 

Elisha  Burdick,  from  Westerly,  R.  I.,  came  about  1796  and  settled 
a  mile  north  of  South  Brookfield.  He  had  a  numerous  family,  most  of 
whom  settled  in  that  vicinity. 

Augustus  Saunders,  of  Westerly,  R.  I.,  came  as  early  as  1800  and 
settled  three  miles  north  of  Clarkville,  on  100  acres,  owned  in  recent 
years  by  Dr.  L.  N.  Griswold.  He  died  in  Clarkville  March  33,  1868. 
Elisha  Johnson  settled  in  the  town  as  early  as  1800  and  Harris  Chese- 
brough  about  the  same  time.  Johnson  located  half  a  mile  south  of 
North  Brookfield,  where  his  son.  Col.  Eli  Johnson,  afterwards  resided. 
Chesebrough  settled  near  West  Edmeston. 

The  following  persons  came  into  the  town  before  and  including  the 
year  1800,  locating  in  either  what  is  now  Brookfield,  or  in  Columbus, 
which  Vi^as  then  part  of  this  town;  most  of  these  names  appear  in  the 
records  in  connection  with  town  ofiSces  : 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  39 

1796. — Asa  Brown,  Peter  German,  Eleazer  Goodwin,  Jonathan  Kings- 
bury, John  Noyes,  Jabez  Brown,  Moses  Ward,  John  Wilbur,  Nathaniel 
Haskel,  Josiah  Rathbun,  Roswell  Haskin,  Gurden  Thompson,  Peter 
Mclntire,  Eliakim  Palmer,  Benedict  Babcock,  Powell  Hall,  Eliab 
Underwood. 

1797.— Charles  Welch,  Edward  Works,  James  Satterlee,  Nath.  Calk- 
ins, Peter  W.  Delancy,  Joel  Cutler,  Nathan  W.  Brown,  Thomas  Giles, 
Denison  Palmer,  Jesse  Palmeter,  David  Smith,  Jesse  Palmer,  Richard 
Butler,  Isaac  Brown,  George  Palmer,  Absalom  Miner,  jr.,  John  Payne, 
Gilbert  Strong,  Samuel  Billings,  David  Dickey,  Ezekiel  Scott,  Joseph 
Garner,  Amos  Scott,  Augustus  Crandall,  John  York,  Samuel  Hall, 
Amos  C.  Palmer,  Jared  Clark,  Ebenezer  Kelsey,  Eld.  Marsh,  Jonah 
Slocum,  Simon  Brown. 

1798. — John  Hoxsie,  Capt.  Samuel  Berry,  John  Follet. 

1799. — Thomas  Kenyon,  Edward  Green,  Peleg  Palmer,  David  Cole, 
Edmond  Scott,  Clark  Maxson,  Joshua  Breed,  David  Whitford,  Stephen 
Clark,  John  Whitmore,  Jonathan  Morgan,  Weaden  Witter,  Jonathan 
Hubby,  Elias  Underwood,  Joshua  Morgan,  Charles  Lee  Usher,  Nathan 
Clark,  Clark  Barber,  Nath.  Mane  (Maine),  Benjamin  Brown,  James 
Marsh,  Nath.  Marsh,  Samuel  Mosher,  Charles  Babcock,  Nathan  Stew- 
ard, Luther  Brown,  Thomas  Bowman. 

1800. — Samuel  Marsh,  William  Davis,  Thomas  Mills,  Roswell  Brand, 
Nehemiah  Palmer,  Samuel  Langworthy,  Caleb  Miller,  Amos  Wheeler, 
William  G.  Greenman,  Daniel  Barber,  Zebulon  Brown,  Gad  Sutleaf. 

Josiah  Livermore,  from  Brimfield,  Mass.,  settled  about  1804  on  the 
site  of  North  Brookfield,  about  where  his  grandson,  Charles  O.  Liver- 
more,  kept  store  in  recent  years,  which  is  now  conducted  by  Hibbard 
&  York,  and  operated  a  tannery.  He  moved  about  1824  to  a  farm 
about  a  mile  east  of  North  Brookfield.  Capt.  Nathan  Baldwin  was  an- 
other early  settler  on  the  farm  occupied  in  recent  years  by  Asa  B. 
Baldwin.     He  died  April  13,  1807. 

There  was  a  considerable  early  settlement  of  Quakers  in  the  western 
part  of  the  town.  Among  them  were  Joseph  Collins,  1st,  Solomon 
and  Hezekiah  Collins,  a  Mr.  Sheffield,  Gideon  and  Thomas  Kenyon, 
and  James  Larkin.  The  place  formerly  called  "  Moscow  "  was  largely 
built  up  by  the  three  sons  of  Joseph  Collins — Job,  Peter,  and  Joshua — 
who  were  harness  makers ;  in  later  years  the  place  was  given  its  pres- 
ent name  of  De  Lancy,  in  honor  of  John  De  Lancy.  Peter  Collins 
built  a  tavern,  Albert  Button  a  store,  and  Job  and  Joshua  Collins  had 


40  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

other  shops  usually  found  in  a  small  village.  The  Quakers  had  a  large 
society  and  were  connected  with  one  in  Madison.  They  held  meetings 
in  Thomas  Kenyon's  house  until  their  old  church  was  built  about  1820. 

On  the  1st  of  March,  1797,  according  to  the  records,  tavern  permits 
were  granted  to  George  Palmer,  Samuel  Billings,  Henry  B.  Morgan, 
Rodolphus  Edward,  Peter  German,  Jonathan  Brovvnell,  and  Amos  C. 
Palmer,  each  paying  $5. 

During  the  progress  of  these  settlements,  made  by  the  pioneers 
whose  posterity  have  been  instrumental  in  building  up  and  improving 
the  town,  considerable  advancement  was  made  in  the  establishment  of 
schools  and  churches,  and  various  institutions  of  a  business  character. 

The  First  Seventh  Day  Baptist  Church  of  Brookfield  was  organized 
as  the  result  of  a  meeting  held  in  July,  1797,  by  the  many  persons  of 
this  faith  who  had  settled  in  the  town  from  Rhode  Island,  Connecticut, 
and  Petersburg,  Rensselaer  Co.,  N.  Y.  A  committee  was  appointed  to 
prepare  articles  of  faith  and  covenant,  and  on  October  3,  1797,  there 
met  according  to  arrangement  ministers,  deacons,  and  brethren  from 
the  church  of  Hopkinton,  R.  I.,  and  Petersburg,  and  after  consultation 
they  organized  under  the  title.  First  Sabbatarian  Baptist  Church  of 
Christ  in  Brookfield,  the  following  persons:  Henry  Clarke,  William 
Davis,  Luke  Saunders,  Joshua  Ma.xson,  Paul  Maxson,  James  Crandall, 
Benjamin  Davis,  Samuel  Greenman,  Elisha  Burdick,  Clark  Maxson, 
John  Davis,  James  Wamsly,  Weden  Witter,  Anna  Davis,  Elizabeth 
Burdick,  Hannah  Maxson,  Judith  Maxson,  Hannah  Maxson  (wife  of 
Paul),  Nancy  Maxson,  and  Caty  Clarke.  Henry  Clarke  was  chosen 
pastor  and  William  Davis,  deacon.  This  was  the  first  church  in  this 
town,  and  the  third  one  in  the  county.  The  records  show  that  there 
were  sixty-eight  members  in  1803,  and  the  growth  of  the  society  was 
continuous,  about  100  being  baptized  in  1821,  at  which  time  it  is  be- 
lieved there  were  nearly  400  members.  In  January,  1823,  the  north- 
west settlement  was  set  off  in  a  separate  church,  and  later  in  the  same 
year  the  southwest  settlement  was  also  set  off.  The  first  pastor  served 
twenty- four  years  and  was  succeeded  by  William  B.  Maxson,  who  served 
ten  years. 

Almost  coincident  with  the  formation  of  this  church,  another  was  or- 
ganized at  Clarkville  by  a  number  of  persons  who  met  June  28,  1798, 
and  agreed  on  July  7  as  the  date  when  they  would  enter  into  covenant 
and  sign  articles  of  faith.  The  name  of  the  society,  adopted  January  2G, 
1799,  was  the  First  First-Day  Baptist  Church  in  Brookfield.     There  were 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  41 

many  of  this  faith  in  that  vicinity.  Following  is  a  list  of  the  persons 
who  signed  the  covenant:  Simeon  Brown,  John  Button,  jr.,  Thomas 
Dye,  Thomas  Griffin,  Thomas  York,  Simeon  Brown,  jr.,  Jerusha  Grif- 
fin, Tabitha  Burdick,  Theda  Frink,  Polly  Griffin,  Ruth  Brown,  Thank- 
ful Rogers,  Lucretia  Breed,  Amy  Breed,  Amy  Brown,  all  of  whom 
were  from  the  Second  Baptist  church  of  Stonington,  Conn. ;  Denison 
Palmer  and  Delight  Palmer,  from  the  Second  Baptist  church  of  Col- 
chester; Eleazer  Brown  from  the  Sidney  and  Guilford  church;  Edith 
Brown  from  the  First  Baptist  church  of  Stonington;  Lois  Rogers  from 
Richmondtown  church;  and  Lucy  Dey  from  the  First  Baptist  church  of 
Westerly.  On  June  7,  1800,  Simeon  Brown  was  called  to  the  ministry 
and  he  was  ordained  October  15,  1800,  serving  until  his  death  about 
1826.  For  several  years  meetings  were  held  in  the  house  of  Elder 
Brown,  until  a  meeting  house  was  built,  which  was  occupied  until  1837. 
A  new  church  was  then  erected  in  connection  with  the  Seventh  Day 
Baptists  at  Clarkville,  which  is  still  occupied  by  the  two  societies.  In 
1817  twenty  five  members  were  dismissed  from  this  church  to  form  the 
Plainfield  society.' 

The  first  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Brookfield,  at  Clarkville, 
was  organized  early  in  the  present  century,  but  there  are  no  records  to 
give  the  exact  year.  The  town  was  visited  as  early  as  1800  by  Rev. 
William  Vredenburg,  one  of  the  preachers  in  the  Chenango  Circuit 
which  was  formed  in  1798.     A  quarterly  meeting  was  held  in  the  town 

'  The  Second  Brookfield  Seventh  Day  Baptist  church  was  organized  January  33,  1823,  by  per- 
sons who  withdrew  from  the  First  church  above  described.  Rev.  William  B.  Maxwell  was 
chosen  moderator  of  the  council  and  John  Davis,  clerk.  The  number  of  members  was  seventy. 
Eli  S.  Bailey  was  the  first  pastor  and  served  to  ISIO. 

The  First  Sabbatarian  Baptist  Church  and  .Society  in  Brookfield  was  organized  February  8, 
1802.  The  first  trustees  were  Joshua  Maxson  and  Ethan  Clarke,  for  three  years;  Joshua  Coon  and 
Clark  Maxson,  for  two  years;  Joshua  Whitford  and  Abel  Burdick,  for  one  year.  A  meeting  house 
was  soon  erected  30  by  46  feet,  with  a  gallery.  The  trustees  purchased  of  Nathan  and  Isaac 
Brown  one  acre  of  land  for  $72.50,  which  was  a  lot  on  the  southwest  corner  of  the  original  four 
corners  at  Leonardsville.  The  first  edifice  was  occupied  forty-seven  years  when  it  was  burned, 
on  the  anniversary  of  the  day  the  frame  was  raised,  October  7, 1849.  A  new  church  was  built  the 
next  year  on  the  same  site. 

The  Second  Baptist  Church  in  Brookfield  is  situated  at  North  Brookfield  and  was  organized 
June  4,  1800,  at  the  house  of  Thomas  Leech,  with  the  following  members:  Absalom  Miner,  Ruth 
Miner.  Joy  and  Polly  Handy,  Jason  and  Sarah  Mille'.-.  Zadock  and  Lucy  Beebe,  and  James  and 
Anna  Leech.  Absalom  Miner  was  subsequently  educated  for  the  ministry  and  preached  his  first 
sermon  in  this  church.  He  afterwards  settled  in  Wisconsin.  The  records  of  the  society  down  to 
1806  are  not  in  existence.  At  a  meeting  held  June  3  of  that  year,  Elder  Joy  Handy  was  the  pas- 
tor. On  January  14,  1809,  the  Second  and  Third  churches  met  and  agreed  to  unite  into  one  body. 
In  the  spring  of  that  year  Elder  Nathaniel  Marsh  was  appointed  to  the  pastorate.  The  church 
was  incorporated  December  12,  1816,  under  the  name,  The  Second  First-Day  Baptist  Church  and 
Society.  The  first  meeting  house  was  built  in  1815.  The  frame  of  this  building  was  used  in  the 
construction  of  the  second  edifice,  which  was  erected  in  1848,  and  still  stands. 


42  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

January  7,  1804.  The  present  church  edifice  was  built  in  1850,  but 
there  was  a  meeting  house  certainly  as  early  as  1827.'  The  society  is 
still  prosperous  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  I.  J.  Nourse. 

The  first  mill  built  in  this  town  in  1795  by  Oliver  Babcock  has  been 
mentioned  a  little  further  back.  Others  soon  came  into  existence  to 
meet  the  needs  of  the  pioneers  in  different  parts  of  the  town,  in  some 
instances  forming  the  nucleus  of  the  later  hamlets  and  villages.  Joseph 
Crumb  and  Stephen  Clark  built  a  grist  mill  in  1801  or  1802  about  a 
mile  above  the  site  of  the  present  one  in  Leonardsville;  but  the  dam 
caused  the  water  to  set  back  and  interfere  with  operating  the  mill  at 
Unadilla  Forks,  and  it  was  removed  the  same  year  to  the  site  of  the 
present  mill.  This  mill  was  rebuilt  about  ]  839  by  Samuel  Brand  and 
in  1858  by  Thomas  W.  Stearns,  the  second  having  burned  in  1856;  it 
has  had  various  proprietors  since.  Mr.  Stearns  also  built  in  1856  the 
saw  mill  adjacent  to  the  grist  mill,  which  he  sold  in  1869  to  Hamilton 
J.  Whitford,  Myron  Anthony  and  Charles  H.  Williamson.  It  is  now 
operated  by  Albert  Whitford.  The  first  mill  in  the  vicinity  of  North 
Brookfield  was  built  about  1807  by  a  Mr.  Balcom;  it  stood  a  few  rods 
directly  west  of  the  latter  one  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  road.  The 
first  mill  on  the  site  of  the  present  one  was  built  in  1845  and  was  burned 
in  the  fall  preceding  the  erection  of  the  present  one.  Later  manu- 
factures are  noticed  further  on. 

The  first  merchant  in  Leonardsville  and  in  this  town  was  Reuben 
Leonard,  from  which  family  the  village  took  its  name;  he  began  trad- 
ing in  1801  and  long  conducted  a  large  business  for  the  time.  He  also 
kept  a  tavern  in  early  years,  managed  a  distillery,  a  tannery  and  a  large 
ashery;  he  was  also  the  first  postmaster.  He  failed  about  1820.  Ethan 
Burdick  was  a  merchant  a  little  later  than  Mr.  Leonard,  and  failed  a 
little  earlier  and  was  succeeded  by  David  and  Charles  O.  Munson  in  the 
same  store,  continuing  until  the  death  of  Charles  O.  in  July,  1831. 
David  then  sold  to  Otis  Eddy  and  he  three  or  four  years  later  to  James 
Van  Valen.  He  sold  about  1846  to  William  H.  Brand  and  two  years 
later  N.  V.  Brand  came  into  the  business,  buying  out  his  brother  six 
years  later.      Dennis  Hardin  began  trading  there  about  1820  and  con- 

'  The  Second  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Brookfield,  at  Leonardsville,  was  organized  in 
March,  1875,  under  ministerial  direction  of  Rev.  Samuel  Salsbury,  who  was  then  stationed  at 
Clarkville;  he  continued  his  labor  with  this  church  until  April,  187T.  The  church  was  incorpo- 
rated March  23,  1876,  and  Luke  Hoxie,  E.  A.  Green,  F.  W.  .Mclntyre,  William  R.  Gardner,  and 
William  S.  Risley  were  elected  trustees.  The  meeting  at  which  the  legal  organization  was  ef- 
fected was  held  in  Palmer's  Hall,  where  the  meetings  had  previously  been  held  and  where  they 
were  continued  until  the  church  edifice  was  erected  in  1876. 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  43, 

tinued  many  years,  associated  at  different  periods  with  his  brother  Dan- 
iel. Charles  R.  Ma.KSon  was  a  successful  merchant  for  a  time  and  James 
H.  Brand  and  Edwin  Clark  carried  on  the  clothing  business  in  a  store 
built  by  them  about  1853,  and  afterwards  occupied  by  F.  P.  King;  it 
was  burned  about  1862.  Samuel  Collins,  William  H.  Brown,  A.  M. 
Griffin,  and  H.  W.  North  successively  traded  in  a  building  erected  by 
the  former. 

Samuel  Marsh  opened  a  store  about  a  mile  and  a  half  southeast  of  the 
village  of  North  Brookfield  in  1804  on  a  road  which  was  abandoned 
many  years  ago;  he  failed  after  about  five  years  and  was  imprisoned  for 
debt  and  died  in  jail  at  Whitestown.  Samuel  Livermore  was  the  first 
merchant  in  the  village,  his  store  being  on  the  site  of  Park's  hotel.  He 
traded  there  several  years  from  about  1809.  Laban  Olby,  a  colored 
man,  kept  a  grocery  from  1815  to  about  1844,  on  the  site  of  Livermore's 
store.  He  was  also  a  blacksmith,  aided  in  building  the  Park's  hotel  in 
1844  and  kept  it  five  or  six  years.  He  had  previously  entertained 
guests  as  well  as  he  could  in  an  old  log  building.  He  removed  to  Nor- 
wich in  1863  or  1864.  After  Mr.  Livermore  left  a  Mr.  Mills  kept  a 
store  about  five  )'ears,  after  which  there  was  no  store  in  the  place  for  a 
period.  Isaac  Marsh  traded  there  from  about  1834  to  1860,  his  part- 
ners at  different  times  having  been  Solomon  Gorton,  Albert  Beebe, 
David  Fisk,  and  Daniel  Bennett  2d.  Asahel  P.  Treat  opened  a  store 
about  1855  in  the  building  afterwards  occupied  by  S.  A.  Fitch,  which 
he  built.  J.  V.  R.  Livermore  began  business  about  1850  in  company 
with  Lucius  E.  Beebe,  and  ten  years  later  bought  his  partner's  interest, 
and  was  later  associated  with  D.  S.  Bennett,  and  his  own  son,  D.  D. 
Livermore.  About  five  years  later  another  son,  Charles  O.  Livermore, 
joined  him  and  eventually  purchased  the  business. 

The  first  physician  in  Clarkville,  if  not  in  the  town,  was  Dr.  Eli  S. 
Bailey,  who  was  born  in  West  Greenwich,  R.  I.,  September  23,  1783. 
In  the  fall  of  1809  he  removed  to  Beaver  Creek  valley  with  his  brothers- 
in-law  and  a  little  later  to  Clarkville.  As  before  stated,  he  was  called  to 
the  ministry  of  the  First  Seventh  Day  Baptist  church.  He  retired  from 
practice  in  1841.  Dr.  Farrell  was  practicing  in  Brookfield  about  the 
beginning  of  the  century.  In  1806  he  built  the  house  occupied  in  recent 
years  by  Russell  Maxson.  Welcome  Clark  was  an  early  practitioner 
and  continued  until  about  1826,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  his  brother, 
Ray.  Pliny  Roberts  succeeded  the  later.  The  first  physician  at  North 
Brookfield  was  Rufus  Holton,  who  settled  there  about  1806,  a  half  mile 


44  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

south  of  the  village.  Dr.  John  Antes  settled  about  1838  and  Dr.  Elam 
Root  was  an  early  practitioner.  There  was  no  lawyer  in  this  town  until 
long  after  the  erection  of  the  county. 

While  these  settlements  and  other  evidences  of  advancement  were  in 
progress  in  the  southeast  part  of  the  county,  similar  conditions  were 
developing  in  the  opposite  northwest  part,  in  the  town  of  Sullivan, 
which  was  set  off  from  Cazenovia  on  February  22,  1803,  three  years 
before  the  county  was  formed,  and  received  its  name  in  honor  of  Gen. 
John  Sullivan,  the  distinguished  Revolutionary  officer.  The  town  was 
reduced  in  area  more  than  one-half  on  March  3,  1809,  by  the  erection 
of  Lenox  from  the  eastern  part.  It  is  the  northwest  corner  town  of 
the  county  and  is  bordered  on  the  north  by  Oneida  Lake.  It  is  level 
in  the  northern  part,  hilly  in  the  south,  and  includes  across  its  north 
side  the  great  Cowasselon  swamp  ;  this  is  bordered  on  the  southern 
side  by  the  so-called  Vlaie,  or  natural  meadow,  which  is  covered  with 
a  thick  deposit  of  muck,  underlaid  with  marl,  and  supporting  a  heavy 
growth  of  vegetation,  without  trees  The  remains  of  stumps  indicate 
that  this  swamp  has  been  covered  with  two  growths  of  forest  in  past 
years.  The  channel  in  the  Cowasselon  and  Canaseraga  Creeks  is  now 
an  artificial  ditch,  the  cutting  of  which  diverted  those  streams  from 
their  natural  course  and  reclaimed  several  thousand  acres  of  land.  The 
value  of  the  mineral  products  of  this  town  has  had  an  important  bear- 
ing upon  its  settlement  and  growth.  Marl  and  peat  abound  in  the 
swampy  regions  and  gypsum  was  discovered  about  the  beginning  of 
the  present  century  by  Jacob  Patrick,  on  the  farm  owned  in  recent 
years  by  John  Lillie,  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  east  of  Chittenango, 
and  was  brought  into  commercial  importance  during  the  war  of  1812 
and  the  embargo  preceding  it,  when  Nova  Scotia  plaster  was  excluded 
from  the  markets  of  the  country.  A  plaster  bed  was  opened  here, 
probably  as  early  as  1810.  Thousands  of  tons  of  gypsum  were  quarried 
here,  most  extensivelj'  on  the  farm  of  Capt.  Timothy  Brown,  at  Can- 
aseraga. The  discovery  of  water  lime  in  this  town  is  said  to  have  been 
accidental,  and  it  was  probably  the  first  discovered  in  the  State,  though 
there  is  a  claim  that  Onondaga  county  preceded  it  in  this  respect. 
Both  date  from  the  construction  of  the  Erie  Canal,  the  masonry  on 
which  was  contracted  to  be  laid  with  common  lime,  on  account  of  the 
cost  of  hydraulic  cement.  Mason  Harris  and  Thomas  Livingston,  of 
this  town,  were  to  supply  a  quantity  of  lime  for  the  middle  section  of 
the  canal,  and  it  was  then  discovered  that  the  product  of  these  quarries 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  46 

would  not  slack  when  burned.  Examinations  and  tests  were  made  by 
men  of  scientific  attainments,  resulting  in  the  discovery  that  it  was 
equal  to  the  best  cements  from  other  sources.  The  first  discovery  of 
the  limestone  was  on  what  was  known  as  the  old  Moyer  farm,  now 
owned  by  Charles  Button  and  Franklin  Walrath,  about  a  mile  south- 
west of  Chittenango. 

Large  quantities  of  quick  and  water  limestone  were  subsequently 
quarried  in  that  vicinity,  but  in  recent  years  little  has  been  done  chiefly 
on  account  of  the  easier  accessibility  of  the  Manlius  quarries. 

The  White  Sulphur  Springs,  noticed  on  an  earlier  page,  are  in  this 
town  ;  they  are  situated  about  four  miles  south  of  Chittenango  Station 
and  two  miles  south  of  Chittenango  village. 

The  settlement  of  the  town  of  Sullivan  at  the  time  it  took  place  and 
by  the  persons  who  made  it  was  due  chiefly  to  the  Revolutionary  event 
that  occurred  within  its  limits,  described  in  Chapter  II  of  this  volume. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  at  that  time  (the  fall  of  1780)  Captain 
Vrooman  and  fifty  men  were  surprised  and  captured  by  Butler's  Rang- 
ers and  those  of  the  prisoners  who  survived  were  taken  to  Canada  and 
held  two  years.  Those  captives  had  seen  the  fertile  lands  in  northern 
Sullivan  and  in  1790  ten  of  their  number  with  their  families  squatted 
on  the  Canaseraga  flats  on  adjoining  tracts  of  land.  They  were  ejected 
in  the  following  year  as  trespassers  on  the  lands  of  the  Oneidas,  who 
complained  to  Governor  Clinton.  The  dwellings  of  the  squatters, 
after  having  been  emptied  of  their  contents,  were  burned.  Settlement 
in  this  town,  although  it  began  early,  was  not  as  rapid  as  in  other  parts 
of  the  county  on  account  of  the  Indian  title  to  the  lands,  which  was  not 
wholly  extinguished  until  1830.  As  a  consequence  much  of  the  town 
was  an  unbroken  wilderness  until  long  after  a  considerable  part  was 
fully  settled  and  improved.  The  names  of  the  ten  squatters  mentioned 
were  James  and  Joseph  Pickard,  Jacob,  David  and  Hon  Yost  Schuyler, 
Jacob  Seeber,  Garrett  and  George  Van  Slycke,  John  Paisley  and  John 
Freemyer,  most  of  whom  became  early  and  permament  settlers.  The 
Pickards  settled  in  the  east  part  of  the  town.  Jacob  Schuyler  settled 
about  a  mile  above  the  site  of  Chittenango  where  he  remained  until  his 
death.  He  kept  the  first  tavern  in  the  town  excepting  one  presided 
over  by  an  Indian  named  John  Denny,  at  Canaseraga,  and  there  built 
also  the  first  frame  house  in  1800.  He  had  sons,  John  J.,  David,  Philip, 
James  and  Barney.  Jacob  Seeber,  who  was  a  captain  and  later  a  gen- 
eral in  the  militia,  removed  to  Clockville.     Garrett  Van  Slycke  lived 


46  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

near  Pool's  Brook,  near  the  Manlius  line.  In  that  locality  John  and 
Peter  Christman,  George  Chawgo,  and  the  Herrings,  all  Dutchmen 
from  the  Mohawk  country,  also  settled  early,  and  the  region  became 
known  as  Kinderhook. 

These  pioneers  were  soon  joined  by  many  others,  among  whom  were 
John  G.  Moyer,  Capt  Timothy  Brown,  Col.  Zebulon  Douglass,  John 
Matthews,  Philip  Daharsh,  Peter  Dygart,  Timothy  Freeman,  Martin 
Vrooman,  Capt.  Rosel  Barnes,  a  Mr.  Rector,  Robert  Carter,  Mr.  Owens, 
Joseph  and  Benjamin  Hosley,  Jacob  Patrick,  Judge  John  Knowles, 
John  Adams,  Robert  Riddell,  John  Smith,  John  Walrath,  the  Beebe 
families,  John  Lower,  Peter  Ehle,  David  Burton,  William  Miles,  John 
Keller,  Ovid  Weldon,  Nicholas  Pickard,  John  Owen  French,  Rev.  Aus- 
tin Briggs,  and  Reuben  Haight.  Descendants  of  many  of  these  are 
now  residents  of  the  town. 

The  pioneers  needed  mills  early  and  John  G.  Moyer  built  both  grist 
and  saw  mills  on  the  site  of  the  paper  mill  a  mile  and  a  half  above  Chit- 
tenango.  These  were  the  first  in  the  town;  the  grist  mill  was  con- 
verted into  a  plaster  mill  as  early  as  1814,  and  later  was  in  part  fitted 
up  for  cloth  works  by  John  Knowles,  jr.  ;  it  was  burned  about  1826  and 
rebuilt  by  Mr.  Knowles  as  a  cloth  and  clothing  works. 

The  parents  of  Capt.  Timothy  Brown,  who  were  on  their  way  farther 
west,  left  him  with  a  family  who  had  settled  in  Sullivan.  In  1819  he 
purchased  the  farm  at  Canaseraga  subsequently  owned  by  his  grand- 
sons, Timothy  S.,  John,  Barton  and  Albert  Brown.  At  the  time  of  the 
purchase  the  farm  was  owned  by  Albert  Queenall,  a  Hollander  from 
the  Mohawk  country.  Captain  Brown  became  a  leading  citizen ;  was  a 
stockholder  in  the  Seneca  Turnpike,  a  contractor  on  the  Erie  Canal, 
and  a  prominent  farmer,  becoming  before  his  death  a  large  landowner. 
■  Col.  Zebulon  Douglass  settled  in  1796,  on  the  turnpike  two  and  a 
half  miles  east  of  Chittenango,  where  his  grandson,  Douglass  Lewis, 
subsequently  lived.  He  brought  in  his  family  in  1797  and  became  a 
well  known  and  respected  citizen.  His  later  purchases  made  him  a 
large  land  owner.     A  sketch  of  his  life  is  given  in  Part  II. 

John  Matthews  came  from  Massachusetts,  settled  half  a  mile  south 
of  Bolivar,  and  about  1810  purchased  the  grist  and  saw  mills  long 
known  as  Matthews's  Mills,  a  little  north  of  the  center  of  the  town ;  he 
sold  them  about  1822  to  his  brother  Samuel;  they  were  subsequently 
burned  and  not  rebuilt.  He  had  six  children  by  his  first  wife  and 
one,  Joseph,  by  his  second;  they  married  and  settled  in  that  vicinity. 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  47 

Philip  Daharsh  settled  at  Bolivar  and  there  died.  He  had  a  large 
family,  but  all  left  the  town.  Peter  Dygart  settled  in  the  same  local- 
ity with  Jacob  Schuyler  and  married  his  daughter;  some  members  of 
this  family  left  this  vicinity  and  others  are  dead.  Timothy  Freeman 
and  Martin  Vrooman,  settled  on  the  turnpike,  Freeman  two  miles 
southwest  of  Chittenango,  and  Vrooman  between  two  and  three  miles 
east  of  that  village.  Bradford  and  Charles  Freeman  were  sons  of 
Timothy. 

Capt.  Rosel  Barnes  was  the  first  settler  near  Bridgeport  and  built 
the  first  frame  house  there,  having  previously  kept  a  tavern  in  a  log 
building;  he  subsequently  removed  to  Illinois.  The  homestead  passed 
to  Leverett  Barnes,  his  son,  who  also  removed  west.  Other  early  set- 
tlers in  that  locality  were  a  Captain  Rector,  a  militia  officer,  who  re- 
sided at  Bridgeport  until  his  death;  Robert  Carter  and  his  sons,  Robert 
and  John ;  Joseph  and  Benjamin  Hosley,  brothers,  and  others. 

Gideon  Owens  was  the  pioneer  on  the  point  of  the  lake  shore  a  little 
east  of  Bridgeport,  which  perpetuates  his  name.  Jacob  Patrick  settled 
before  1800  on  the  turnpike  three-fourths  of  a  mile  east  of  Chittenango, 
on  what  was  long  known  as  the  Patrick  farm  ;  it  was  there  that  the  first 
gypsum  was  found  in  the  county.  John  Knowles  came  from  Troy  in 
1805  and  settled  on  the  plains  two  miles  north  of  Bridgeport.  He  be- 
came a  prominent  citizen,  holding  the  offices  of  associate  judge,  mem- 
ber of  assembly,  etc.  John  Adams  was  also  from  Tro)',  coming  a  little 
earlier  than  Judge  Knowles,  and  settled  two  miles  south  of  Bridgeport, 
and  later  resided  at  Matthews's  Mills,  where  he  died.  He  was  one  of 
the  early  surveyors  of  this  region. 

John  Smith  came  from  Massachusetts  and  settled  at  Chittenango 
about  1800,  where  he  kept  a  tavern  on  the  turnpike,  just  south  of  the 
creek.  The  tavern  stood  a  little  in  rear  of  the  site  of  the  house  occu- 
pied in  recent  years  by  George  Walrath,  and  is  still  in  existence,  but 
unoccupied.  Mr.  Smith  first  took  up  the  200  acres  in  Chittenango  vil- 
lage, which  included  the  water  power  which  ultimately  operated  the 
grist  mill  and  cotton  factory.  About  1812  he  arranged  with  Judge 
Jedediah  Sanger  and  Judge  Youngs,  of  Oneida  county,  to  give  them 
one-half  of  this  land  upon  their  paying  for  the  whole.  Smith  was 
bankrupt  and  the  deed  was  made  in  the  name  of  his  brother  Jonathan, 
of  New  Woodstock.  Soon  after  this  arrangement  was  carried  out  the 
mills  were  built. 

Reuben  Haight  settled  a  mile  north  of  Chittenango  about  1800;  later 


48  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

he  removed  to  Michigan.  Robert  Riddell,  from  Sherburne,  Mass.,  set- 
tled on  the  Chittenango  about  a  mile  below  Bolivar,  in  1805,  and  died 
there  in  1808.  There  was  a  large  family,  who  remained  on  the  home 
stead  until  1811,  when  they  separated,  the  sons,  Robert  and  David, 
remaining  here;  they  were  many  years  engaged  in  tanning  and  curry- 
ing, as  noticed  further  on.     Thompson,  another  son,  died  in  this  town. 

John  Owen  French,  from  Williamsburg,  Mass.,  settled  in  1805 
between  Canaseraga  and  Chittenango,  and  there  died  in  1808,  leaving 
sons  Horatio,  Jairus,  Samuel  and  Thomas,  all  born  in  Williamsburg,  and 
all  becoming  prominent  citizens;  they  had  farms  near  the  homestead, 
and  vSamuel  was  elected  sheriff  in  1843.  David- Burton  settled  in  Can- 
aseraga in  1806. 

John  H.  Walrath  was  a  native  of  Minden,  Montgomery  county,  and 
came  to  this  town  in  1808  from  Rome,  having  a  contract  to  construct  a 
section  of  the  Seneca  Turnpike.  In  the  following  spring  he  settled  on 
a  farm  on  the  west  bank  of  Chittenango  Creek,  on  the  site  of  the  foun- 
dry and  machine  shop,  and  there  resided  until  his  death,  September  Ifi, 
1816.  He  was  only  forty  seven  years  old  at  the  time,  but  had  already 
attained  a  prominent  place  in  the  community,  and  his  family  have 
always  been  conspicuous  for  their  good  citizenship.  His  sons  were 
Henry  I.,  John  I.,  Abraham,  and  Daniel;  the  latter  was  father  of  Peter 
Walrath,  now  of  Chittenango. 

David  and  Joseph  Beebe  settled  at  Canaseraga  and  the  family  became 
prominent  in  that  locality.  John  Lower  settled  about  a  mile  west  of 
Chittenango  and  died  there  at  an  early  day.  His  son  Richard  was  the 
first  blacksmith  at  Chittenango,  where  he  was  succeeded  by  his  son, 
Jacob. 

Peter  Ehle  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier  from  Montgomery  county,  and 
settled  in  the  southwest  part  of  the  town,  where  his  great-grandson 
lived  in  late  years.  He  died  on  that  farm  and  was  succeeded  by  his 
son  Henry,  born  April  13,  1787,  and  afterwards  removed  to  Chittenango 
and  died  there  in  1870.  Oliver  Ehle,  son  of  Henry,  succeeded  to  the 
farm  and  died  there  in  1863.  John  P.,  eldest  son  of  Peter  Ehle,  settled 
and  died  on  a  farm  adjoining  his  father's,  and  Peter  P.,  another  son, 
settled  in  that  locality,  but  later  removed  to  Fenner,  where  he  died  in 
1847.  George,  another  son,  long  kept  the  Dixon  House  in  Chittenango, 
and  removed  later  to  Cazenovia,  where  he  kept  the   Lincklaen  House. 

Rev.  Austin  Briggs,  a  Methodist  preacher  from  Connecticut,  settled 
at  about  the  beginning  of  the  war  of  1813,  on  a  soldier's  right  in  Man- 


SETTLEMKNT  OF  TOWNS.  49 

lius,  but  his  title  was  not  good  and  he  soon  removed  to  tlie  lake  shore 
in  this  town.  Other  families  among-  early  settlers  were  named  White, 
Eastwood,  Crownhart,  Dunham,  and  others. 

These  and  other  settlers  in  Sullivan  mentioned  in  Part  II  and  else 
where  in  these  pages,  devoted  their  energies  to  the  development  of  the 
town  and  the  establishment  of  its  institutions.  Religious  services  in  the 
Presbyterian  faith  were  held  here  at  about  the  beginning  of  the  century 
and  on  the  11th  of  Septembsr,  1802,  records  show  that  the  Bethzura 
Presbyterian  Society  met  at  the  "house  or  barn  "  of  Conrad  Lower  in 
Canaseraga,  pursuant  to  a  call  of  "  Phineas  Cadwell,  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  congregation  on  the  Genesee  road  (there  being  no  minis- 
ter, elders,  deacons,  church  warden  or  vestrymen  belonging  to  the  said 
society  or  congregation"),  made  August  31,  1803,  and  there  elected 
Ebenezer  Caulking  and  Oliver  Clark,  returning  officers,  and  Walter 
Brasher,  Oliver  Clark,  Phineas  Cadwell,  Harmanus  Van  Antwerp,  Eb- 
enezer Caulking,  and  William  Sternbergh,  trustees.  The  first  pastor 
of  this  church,  as  far  as  records  show,  was  Rev.  Ira  M.  Olds,  who  was 
ordained  as  minister  over  this  society  and  also  the  church  of  Lenox, 
where  he  continued  his  labor  until  1833.  The  remnant  of  this  church 
residing  in  this  locality  formed  the  nucleus  of  a  new  society,  which  was 
organized  soon  afterward,  and  after  a  few  years  of  feeble  existence  sub- 
stantially lost  its  identity  by  a  partial  union  with  the  Reformed  Dutch. 
Other  early  pastors  of  the  church  were  Rev.  Mr.  Adams,  who  removed 
from  the  lake  shore  to  the  village  about  1818;  Charles  Johnson  and 
Revs.  Huntington  and  Gazelee.  The  meetings  were  held  in  the  so- 
called  "  Bethel,"  which  was  built  about  1816  and  used  for  both  religious 
and  school  purposes  and  occupied  a  small  park  in  Chittenango  village. 
At  a  later  date  services  were  held  on  the  second  floor  of  the  woolen 
mill,  where  Rev.  Dr.  Yates  of  the  Polytechny,  fitted  up  an  apartment. 
This  arrangement  continued  until  the  erection  of  the  stone  Dutch  Re- 
formed church  in  1828,  which  is  still  in  use.  The  Dutch  Reformed 
organization  was  effected  January  12,  1838,  the  Presbyterians  uniting, 
as  before  stated,  for  the  building  of  an  edifice.  Baptists,  Methodists, 
and  Universalists  also  held  meetings  in  the  "Bethel"  a  number  of 
years.  Rev.  Hutchins  Taylor  was  employed  for  about  a  year  after  the 
organization,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Dr.  Andrew  Yates;  other 
early  pastors  were  Revs.  William  H.  Campbell,  John  C.  F.  Hoes,  James 
Able,  S.  P.  M.  Hastings,  James  R.  Talmadge  and  C.  O.  Thatcher.  The 
Presbyterians  withdrew  from  the  Reformed  church  soon  after  its  organ- 


60  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ization  and  about  1831  built  the  church  in  the  village  that  was  subse- 
quently sold  to  the  Baptist  society  and  later  to  the  Catholics;  it  was 
finally  burned.  This  society  had  dissension  with  the  Presbytery  and  in 
1836  was  struck  from  the  roll,  services  were  intermittent  and  the  organ- 
ization passed  out  of  existence. 

In  the  very  early  years  of  the  century  Canaseraga  was  the  most  im- 
portant point  in  town.  In  1805  two  stores  were  maintained  there,  one 
kept  by  Reuben  Hawley  (the  latter  the  father  of  Gen.  J.  Dean  Hawley, 
long  a  prominent  merchant  in  Syracuse  and  now  employed  in  the  post- 
office  in  that  city),  and  the  other  by  William  Malcolm;  they  were 
probably  the  first  merchants  in  that  place.  At  Chittenango  there  were 
only  two  taverns,  one  kept  by  John  Smith,  and  the  other,  which  be- 
came the  Yates  House,  by  Ball  &  Gary,  with  two  or  three  dwellings. 
There  was  not  a  store  in  that  village  until  1813.  The  mills  at  Cana- 
seraga were  built  previous  to  1805  in  their  original  form;  the  present 
mills  were  not  erected  until  1855.  All  this  indicates  that  the  principal 
village  growth  in  the  town  of  Sullivan  did  not  take  place  until  after  the 
organization  of  the  county  and,  therefore,  will  be  taken  up  in  later 
chapters. 


CHAPTER  V. 

FURTHER  TOWN  SETTLEMENT  AND  IMPROVEMENT. 

The  territory  of  the  town  of  Stockbridge  was  first  settled  by  white 
men  almost  simultaneously  with  that  of  the  two  towns  described  in  the 
preceding  chapter,  or  about  ten  years  before  the  opening  of  the  present 
century.  The  town  itself  was  not  erected  until  May  20,  1836,  when  it 
was  constituted  of  parts  of  Vernon  and  Augusta  in  Oneida  county,  and 
Smithfield  and  Lenox  in  Madison  county.  Its  name  perpetuates  that 
of  the  Stockbridge  Indians  who  formerly  occupied  its  territory.  The 
town  is  situated  on  the  eastern  border  of  the  county  just  north  of  the 
center  and  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Lenox  and  Vernon,  on  the  east 
by  Vernon  and  Augusta,  on  the  south  by  Eaton  and  Madison,  and  on 
the  west  by  Lenox  and  Smithfield.  Its  surface  is  a  rolling  upland, 
through  which  extends   the   deep,  fertile  and   picturesque  valley  of 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  51 

Oneida  Creek,  extending  north  and  south.  The  creek  is  bordered  by 
two  ranges  of  hills  which  rise  from  500  to  800  feet  above  the  stream, 
which  have  gradual  slopes  and  are  tillable  to  their  summits.  The 
course  of  the  valley  through  this  town  has  an  average  width  of  nearly  a 
mile,  but  expands  in  the  north  part  into  the  broad  plain  extending 
away  to  the  north  section  of  Lenox.  Oneida  Creek  has  its  rise  in  the 
town  of  Smithfield,  flows  across  that  town  from  northwest  to  southeast 
and  enters  Stockbridge  in  the  southwest  part,  joining  the  other  branch 
of  the  creek  south  of  the  center  of  the  town.  The  main  branch  is 
characterized  by  a  succession  of  rapids  and  falls  and  furnishes  numer- 
ous mill  sites,  as  well  as  contributing  to  create  scenery  that  is  unsur- 
passed for  quiet  beauty. 

This  town  has  extensive  deposits  of  limestone  and  gypsum,  both  of 
which  are  quarried  and  burned  or  used  in  building.  The  gypsum  is 
situated  in  the  eastern  hill  range  in  the  north  part  of  the  town,  in  the 
vicinity  of  Valley  Mills,  while  the  limestene  is  found  in  both  hill  ranges 
in  the  central  and  southern  parts.  The  limestone  rock  contains  a  num- 
ber of  somewhat  remarkable  caves,  some  of  which  have  not  been  fully 
explored.  Many  statements  have  been  published  regarding  the  dis- 
covery of  footprints  of  men  and  animals  in  the  rock  which  forms  the 
bed  of  a  small  stream  which  finds  its  waj'  down  the  east  hill  a  little  way 
northeast  of  Munnsville.  They  are  in  fact  due  to  the  action  of  water, 
according  to  excellent  authority,  as  proven  by  the  existence  near  by  of 
some  of  the  characteristic  fossils  of  the  limestone  formation. 

The  soil  of  Stockbridge  is  generally  a  gravelly  and  cla3'ey  loam,  well 
adapted  to  hop-growing  and  mixed  crops,  and  to  grazing.  The  tract 
of  land  which  constituted  the  home  of  the  Stockbridge  Indians  was  six 
miles  square  and  laj'  partly  in  this  town  and  partly  in  Vernon ;  it  was 
purchased  by  them  in  1784  and  subsequently  passed  in  parcels  to  the 
State.  The  last  of  these  Indians  left  here  in  1834,  previous  to  which 
time  they  had  adopted  many  civilized  customs,  both  in  their  material 
and  social  practices.  They  learned  enough  of  agriculture  to  success- 
fully till  the  ground,  so  that  although  most  of  the  town  was  not  open 
to  settlement  until  a  comparatively  late  date,  much  of  it  had  been  re- 
claimed from  its  primeval  condition.  The  work  of  Rev.  John  Sergeant 
among  these  Indians  was  prolific  of  good,  and  as  early  as  1800  he  had 
established  and  built  a  church  which  stood  at  Valley  Mills  for  nearly  a 
century.  Many  relics  of  the  three  Indian  nations  who  inhabited  this 
region,  the  Oneidas,  the  Tuscaroras,  and  the  Stockbridges,  have  been 


53  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

found  in  this  vicinity,  some  of  which  are  of  deep  interest  through  the 
probability  that  they  belonged  to  a  race  that  preceded  the  Indians. 
The  remains  of  what  was  supposed  to  have  been  a  fort  were  early  found 
on  the  west  hill  in  the  southwest  part  of  the  town,  and  several  supposed 
Indian  burial  grounds  have  been  discovered,  all  of  which  were  once 
rich  in  relics. 

The  whole  of  this  town,  excepting  a  strip  about  a  mile  wide  on  the 
south  side,  was  included  in  the  original  Indian  Reservation,  and  the 
first  permanent  white  settlements  were  confined  to  lots  in  this  strip  and 
east  of  Oneida  Creek.  The  remainder  of  the  town  was  not  settled 
until  a  much  later  date  and  the  lots  in  the  reservation  were  first  occu- 
pied under  leases  from  the  Indians. 

The  first  settlement  was  made  in  1791  and  is  credited  to  Nathan 
Edson,  who  came  from  New  Hampshire  with  his  sons,  John,  Barney 
and  Calvin,  and  daughters  Nancy,  Sarah,  Polly  and  Olive,  the  first 
named  daughter  being  the  wife  of  Robert  Seaver,  who  also  came  in  at 
that  time.  Nathan  Edson  took  up  the  lot  next  north  of  the  south- 
east corner  lot  of  the  town.  In  1820  he  removed  to  a  small  farm 
which  he  leased  from  the  Indians  in  the  north  part  and  there  re- 
sided until  his  death.  All  of  his  children  married  and  settled  on 
the  lot  first  taken  up  by  him;  John  in  the  northeast  corner,  and 
in  1806  removed  to  near  Batavia,  Whither  he  was  soon  followed  by 
Barney.  Alford,  another  son  of  Nathan's,  came  in  soon  after  his  father 
and  located  on  the  same  lot,  subsequently  removing  to  the  south  part 
of  the  town  and  still  later  to  another  farm  which  he  leased  from  the 
Indians;  this  was  the  former  homestead  of  John  True.  Robert  vSeaver 
removed  to  Genesee  county.  Sarah  married  William  Divine,  and  Polly 
married  his  brother  John.  William  Divine  kept  a  tavern  a  short  time 
on  that  lot,  and  afterwards  moved  to  the  western  part  of  the  State. 
John  Divine,  whose  marriage  was  the  first  one  in  the  town,  died  a  few 
years  later  of  consumption  ;  his  widow  married  Daniel  Thurston  who 
succeeded  to  the  same  farm.  Olive  Edson  married  Zenas  Cole  who 
bought  Calvin  Edson's  farm,  and  afterwards  removed  to  Cincinnati. 
Willard  Edson,  a  resident  of  Munnsville  in  recent  years  was  a  son  of 
Alford  and  the  last  one  of  the  family  left  in  the  town. 

Oliver  Stewart  moved  into  Stockbridge  about  1796  and  settled  on  the 
lot  west  of  Edson,  where  William  Howard  lived  in  recent  years,  and 
resided  there  until  his  death.  His  daughter  Lydia  married  as  the  sec- 
ond wife  of  Alford  Edson,  and  he  had  sons,  Charles,  Samuel,  Ezra  J., 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  53 

Enos,  and  four  daughters  besides  Lydia.  All  of  the  children  first 
settled  in  this  town,  but  none  of  the  family  is  now  left.  The  home- 
stead passed  to  a  daughter  of  Charles  Stewart  who  married  William 
Babcock.     Charles  Stewart  held  several  town  offices. 

Jonathan  Snow  was  a  pioneer  from  the  same  neighborhood  as  Edson 
and  came  in  soon  after  him,  settling  on  the  southeast  corner  lot  of  the 
town.  His  children  were  Oliver,  and  a  daughter  who  married  her 
cousin,  Seth  Snow,  and  lived  near  the  homestead.  None  of  the  family 
remains  in  this  vicinity. 

William  Sloan,  George  Bridge  and  James  Taft  were  from  Washing- 
ton county,  this  State.  .Sloan  located  on  the  south  part  of  the  Edson 
lot,  which  he  purchased  from  a  Mr.  Gillett  who  bought  it  of  Edson ;  it 
was  occupied  in  recent  years  by  Andrew  Hollenbeck.  Sloan  subse- 
quently went  to  live  with  his  son  Lyman  in  the  edge  of  Smithfield  and 
there  died.  His  son  William  was  a  prominent  citizen  of  Smithfield  and 
held  a  number  of  town  offices.  Other  children  of  the  elder  William 
Sloan  were  Josephus,  the  eldest,  Abigail,  Olive,  John,  Orange  and 
Betsey.  Abigail  married  Amos  Bridge  and  Olive  married  William 
Farrington. 

George  Bridge  bought  of  Daniel  Dickey  the  farm  of  Alford  Edson, 
who  had  sold  it  to  Dickey  about  1797.  Bridge  resided  there  until  his 
death  and  had  five  sons  and  two  daughters.  Two  of  his  sons,  Amos 
and  Jonas,  settled  early  in  the  north  part  of  Eaton,  and  Jesse  succeeded 
to  the  homestead,  but  subsequently  removed  to  Bouckville.  William 
Bridge  remained  a  resident  of  Stockbridge  and  died  January  37,  1877. 

James  Taft  purchased  a  small  farm  of  Oliver  Stewart,  but  soon  left 
the  town. 

Benjamin  House  was  a  pioneer  from  Connecticut  and  settled  in  the 
south  part  of  the  town  where  James  Marshall  subsequently  lived.  He 
was  succeeded  there  by  his  son,  Almyron.  His  daughter.  Temperance, 
married  Joseph  Crosby,  son  of  Stephen  Crosby,  and  they  resided  on  a 
part  of  the  Crosby  farm.     None  of  the  family  remains  in  the  town. 

Matthew  Rankin  settled  early  on  a  part  of  the  Jonathan  Snow  lot, 
before  mentioned,  and  there  died.  His  sons,  Aaron  and  Jairus,  settled 
on  the  same  lot  west  of  Snow.  Aaron  subsequently  went  west.  Jairus 
was  a  physician  and  the  first  to  settle  permanently  in  the  town.  He 
practiced  in  his  profession  at  Munnsville  until  his  death,  which  took  place 
November  2,  1832,  at  the  age  of  fifty  years.  He  was  a  skillful  phy- 
sician and  much  respected  in  every  way.  He  also  built  the  first  saw  mill 
at  Munnsville  in  1824. 


54  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Among  other  early  settlers,  the  date  of  whose  arrival  is  not  at  hand, 
were  Benjamin  House,  John  Gasten,  Waterman  Simonds,  Austin  Car- 
ver, David  Wood,  on  West  Hill ;  James  Cook  at  Knoxville ;  Anson  Stone, 
William  Powers,  Philander  Powers,  Chauncey  Beach,  Isaac  Richmond, 
Thaddeus  and  Lebbeus  Camp,  Philip  Freeman,  and  others.  Owing  to 
causes  before  mentioned  a  large  part  of  this  town  was  not  permanently 
settled  until  after  the  erection  of  the  county,  and  will,  therefore,  be 
left  for  notice  in  a  later  chapter. 

The  first  town  meeting  was  held  at  Munnsville,  June  7,  1836,  and  the 
following  officers  elected:  Henry  T.  Sumner,  supervisor;  Hiram  Whe- 
don,  clerk;  Orin  Wright,  justice;  Elisha  A.  Clark,  William  Page  and 
James  Cowen,  assessors ;  John  Hadcock  and  Thomas  Wilson,  poormas- 
ters;  Jesse  Bridge,  Luther  Hathaway  and  John  Potter,  commissioners 
of  highways;  Orange  R.  Cook,  Danforth  Armour  and  Albert  G.  Bar- 
tholomew, school  commissioners;  William  Temple,  collector;  William 
Temple,  Levi  Johnson  and  Jonathan  Carter,  constables;  Aaron  Rankin, 
Ores  Ranney  and  Ephraim  C.  Brown,  school  inspectors;  Clark  Buck, 
sealer  of  weights  and  measures. 

Next  in  the  order  of  settlement  of  the  towns  that  were  in  existence 
at  the  date  of  the  formation  of  Madison  county  was  Hamilton,  which 
was  elected  from  Paris  March  5,  1795,  and  named  in  honor  of  Alexan- 
der Hamilton,  the  distinguished  statesman.  The  town  originally  in- 
cluded what  are  now  the  towns  of  Eaton,  Lebanon  and  Madison,  or 
their  equivalent,  lots  Nos.  2,  3,  4  and  5  of  the  Twenty  Townships.  It 
was  reduced  to  its  present  area  in  February,  1807,  by  the  formation  of 
the  three  towns  above  named.  It  is  situated  on  the  southern  boundary 
of  the  county,  east  of  the  center.  Its  surface  is  a  rolling  upland, 
broken  by  the  valleys  of  the  Chenango  River  and  its  eastern  branch. 
The  former  flows  southerly  near  the  west  boundary  of  the  town,  and 
the  latter  crosses  the  town  from  northeast  to  southwest  and  unites  with 
the  main  stream  at  Earlville.  Numerous  small  tributaries  of  these 
streams  water  and  drain  the  town.  The  existence  throughout  this 
town  of  the  Hamilton  group  of  rocks  has  been  elsewhere  described. 
This  stone  has  been  extensively  quarried  in  the  past  years,  and  nearly 
all  of  the  University  buildings  and  many  other  structures  in  Hamilton 
village  were  erected  from  it.  The  soil  of  the  town  is  rich  and  produc- 
tive in  the  valleys,  and  composed  of  sandy  and  gravelly  loam ;  on  the 
hills  a  clayey  loam  prevails  which  is  admirably  adapted  for  grazing  and 
the  production  of  hay. 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  55 

The  Oneida  and  Stockbridge  Indians  found  the  territory  of  this  town 
a  favorite  resort  and  regularly  visited  it  as  late  as  the  close  of  the  war 
of  1812,  their  southern  trail  extending  through  the  western  part.  Many 
interesting  and  valuable  Indian  relics  have  been  found  in  the  town. 

Hamilton  was  one  of  the  six  townships  patented  to  Col.  William  S. 
Smith,  as  described  in  an  earlier  chapter,  on  April  16,  1794.  Town- 
ships 3,  3,  4  and  5  which  formed  the  original  great  town  of  Hamilton, 
were  soon  transferred  to  Sir  William  Pultney,  from  whom  Dominick 
Lynch,  a  New  York  merchant,  who  became  a  large  land  owner  in  and 
around  Rome  village,  purchased  the  greater  part  of  the  4th  township, 
which  included  the  territory  of  the  present  town  of  Hamilton,  and  it 
was  surveyed  for  purchasers. 

The  first  settlement  in  this  town  was  made  in  the  spring  of  1792,  on 
the  east  branch  of  the  Chenango,  near  the  site  of  Earlville,  by  John 
Wells,  Abner  Nash,  Patrick  W.  Shields  and  John  Muir,  who  came  to- 
gether from  Paris,  Oneida  county,  driving  a  yoke  of  oxen,  two  cows 
and  two  hogs.  Wells  and  Nash  had  made  a  snow-shoe  trip  to  that  lo- 
cality earlier  in  the  year,  selected  a  location  and  built  a  log  cabin. 
These  two  were  originally  from  Amherst,  Mass.,  while  Shields  and 
Muir  were  native  Scotchmen.  Mr.  Wells  brought  in  his  wife  and  in- 
fant son  and  their  route  was  defined  only  by  marked  trees.  The  cross- 
ing of  the  stream  was  made  at  the  site  of  Hubbardsville  with  great 
difficulty,  as  it  was  swollen  with  recent  rains.  Mr.  Wells  settled  on  the 
east  side  of  the  river  about  midway  between  the  sites  of  Poolville  and 
Earlville.  He  immediately  began  keeping  a  tavern  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  the  numerous  persons  who  were  passing  by  in  quest  of  new 
homes ;  it  was  on  his  land  also  that  the  first  store  was  kept  by  Israel 
Church.  Mr.  Wells  died  on  his  farm  December  26,  1831.  Their  son 
William,  the  infant  brought  in  with  them,  died  in  September,  1830. 
Henry,  another  son,  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  town — 1793 — and 
died  in  1837.  The  other  children  were  Jerry,  Daniel,  Alonzo,  Horatio, 
Betsey  and  Caroline. 

Abner  Nash,  who  with  Shields  and  Muir,  settled  on  farms  near  that 
of  Mr.  Wells,  died  in  Earlville  in  1837.  His  son,  Horace,  born  in 
Hamilton  in  1794,  was  the  second  white  child  born  in  the  town.  Shields 
was  a  British  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Muir  died  in  Hamil- 
ton in  1823,  and  had  children,  James,  father  of  Harriet  and  John;  and 
David,  father  of  Mrs.  Albert  Plumb. 

Reuben  Ransom  became  a  settler  in  1793,  and  died  April  12,  1818. 


56  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

One  of  the  most  prominent  of  the  pioneer  families  of  this  town  was 
that  of  Samuel  Payne  and  his  descendants.  He  was  a  native  of  Leb- 
anon, Conn.,  born  in  1760,  and  descended  from  Elisha  who,  with  his 
brother,  landed  at  Plymouth  in  1631.  It  was  probably  in  1794:  that 
Samuel  Payne,  with  his  father  Abram,  settled  on  lot  19,  his  farm  includ- 
ing the  site  of  the  University.  His  home  was  half  a  mile  south  of  the 
village  and  there  he  resided  until  his  death,  August  19,  1843,  aged 
eighty-three  years.  He  married  Betsey  Slower,  daughter  of  a  Con- 
necticut physician,  and  a  woman  of  superior  education  and  refinement. 
She  died  in  Hamilton  January  1,  1859;  they  had  no  children.  Samuel 
Payne  was  a  man  of  exceptional  mental  endowments  and  of  the  highest 
character.  He  was  the  founder  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Hamil- 
ton, as  noticed  further  on.  He  represented  Chenango  county  in  the 
Assembly  in  1806 ;  was  a  presidential  elector  in  1832,  and  received  the 
appointment  of  judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas.  He  was  a  man 
of  broad  benevolence  and  before  his  death  willed  his  farm  to  the  Bap- 
tist Educational  Society  as  a  site  for  their  seminary  which  developed 
into  the  present  University.  The  father,  Abram  Payne,  did  not  take 
up  lands,  but  resided  with  his  sons  until  his  death  in  1801. 

Elisha  Payne,  brother  of  Samuel,  settled  in  this  town  in  the  next 
year,  1795,  and  purchased  lot  No.  3,  which  included  the  site  of  more 
than  half  of  the  village  of  Hamilton,  which  was  in  early  years  called 
Payne  Settlement,  the  name  being  changed  by  Mr.  Payne  himself. 
When  he  arrived  at  his  new  home  he  built  a  log  cabin  on  the  site  of 
the  later  Smith  block,  which  he  occupied  a  short  time.  Settlers  were 
coming  in  rapidly  and  needed  public  accommodations  and  Mr.  Payne 
soon  erected  a  commodious  frame  house  in  which  he  kept  tavern  until 
another  building  was  erected  for  the  purpose  in  1812.  Mr.  Payne  fore- 
saw the  importance  of  the  place  and  was  earnest  in  his  efforts  for  the 
founding  of  a  prosperous  village.  To  a  number  of  mechanics  and  oth- 
ers whose  presence  promised  to  aid  in  the  advancement  of  the  village 
he  gave  lands  outright  and  helped  them  in  building  their  dwellings. 
He  gave  the  land  for  the  park  which  adds  so  much  to  the  beauty  of  the 
place;  also  land  for  burial  purposes  where  the  "  old  burying  ground  " 
was  established.  He  invested  largely  in  the  Cherry  Valley  Turnpike, 
which  passed  through  this  town,  aided  in  founding  the  academy  and 
was  one  of  the  committee  selected  to  choose  a  site  for  the  Baptist  Sem- 
inary, which  he  brought  to  Hamilton.  He  was  one  of  the  first  judges 
of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  in  Madison  county  and  held  the  office 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  57 

about  nine  years,  and  occupied  other  positions  of  honor.  He  died 
February  4,  1843.  His  son,  Charles  Clark  Payne,  was  the  only  one  of 
his  children  to  remain  in  Hamilton.  It  was  at  Elisha  Payne's  house 
that  the  first  town  meeting  for  Hamilton  was  held  on  the  first  Tuesday 
in  April,  1795. 

Theophilus  and  Benjamin  Pierce  were  brothei'S  and  natives  of  Corn- 
wall, Conn.  They  moved  from  Canaan,  Columbia  county,  in  1794,  to 
this  town  and  purchased  of  Dominick  Lynch  lots  19  and  20,  the  two 
most  westerly  lots  in  the  second  tier  of  the  4th  township.  The  farm  of 
Theophilus  passed  to  his  son,  Dea.  Alvah  Pierce.  The  consideration 
in  this  purchase  was  "^500  current  money  of  the  State  of  New  York." 
In  the  year  named  they  built  a  log  house  and  in  the  winter  of  1795 
brought  in  their  families,  accompanied  by  Jonathan  Olmstead,  Daniel 
Smith,  Joseph  Foster,  James  Cady,  and  Elisha  Payne,  all  of  whom  were 
from  the  same  locality  and  all  married  excepting  Cady.  Stopping  for 
a  time  in  the  house  of  Samuel  Payne,  they  all  went  to  work  and  in  a 
short  time  had  log  cabins  of  their  own,  Theophilus  Pierce  had  five 
children,  three  of  whom — William,  Lucindaand  Alanson — were  brought 
to  the  town  by  the  parents,  and  two — Sally  and  Alvah — were  born  in 
Hamilton.  William  married  a  sister  of  James  Cady  and  settled  on  a 
part  of  his  father's  farm,  and  died  there  May  31,  1836.  Lucinda  mar- 
ried Nehemiah  Pierce,  who  came  from  Cornwall  about  1805  and  they 
settled  about  three  miles  southeast  of  Hamilton  village.  Alanson  set- 
tled and  died  in  Westmoreland.  Sally  married  Harvey  Miles,  of 
Lebanon,  who  died  there  in  1840,  without  children.  Alvah  married 
Caroline  Whitmore,  of  Lebanon,  and  he  went  there  to  reside,  but  was 
three  years  in  Fabius  in  milling  business,  and  also  was  engaged  in  mer- 
cantile business  in  Hamilton  from  1839  to  1844,  in  company  with  Arte- 
mas  Osgood  and  William  Cobb.  He  was  also  vice  president  of  the 
Hamilton  Bank  from  its  organization  until  the  death  of  the  president, 
Adon  Smith,  when  he  was  chosen  to  that  position. 

Benjamin  Pierce, brother  of  Theophilus  and  before  mentioned,  married 
Anna,  sister  of  Jonathan  Olmstead,  the  pioneer,  and  had  eight  children, 
four  of  whom  were  born  in  Hamilton.  Benjamin  died  on  the  farm 
where  he  settled  June  7,  1817.  He  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the 
peace  several  years  and  was  much  respected.  His  son  Samuel  settled 
in  Hamilton  village  and  at  one  period  kept  the  Park  House.  Jonathan 
O.,  son  of  Benjamin,  married  a  daughter  of  Uea.  Samuel  Osgood,  of 
Eaton,  and  settled  on  the  home  farm,  removing  subsequently  to  the 
village,  where  he  died  in  1848. 


58  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

William  Pierce,  son  of  Theophilus,  and  Josiah  and  Medad  Rogers, 
built,  about  1810,  the  first  grist  and  saw  mills  in  Hamilton  village  and 
owned  the  property  many  years. 

Jonathan  Olmstead  settled  on  a  farm  adjoining  Samuel  Payne's  where 
he  resided  many  years  and  finally  removed  to  the  village  and  died  there. 
His  second  wife  was  the  widow  of  Dr.  Bartholomew,  of  Waterville,  and 
his  third  wife  was  her  sister  and  the  widow  of  Dr.  Hull,  of  Eaton. 
Jonathan  Olmstead's  sister  married  Daniel  Smith,  who  settled  a  short 
distance  below  Mr.  Olmstead  and  resided  there  until  his  death,  June  3, 
1836. 

Joseph  Foster  came  from  Wethersfield,  Conn.,  and  settled  about  a 
mile  east  of  Hamilton,  on  the  farm  occupied  in  recent  years  by  J. 
Spencer  Foster,  his  grandson.  He  died  there  October  17,  1810,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-five  years.  His  son,  Nathan,  came  into  the  town  in  1794 
and  settled  on  a  farm  adjoining  his  father's  on  the  west,  but  subse- 
quently removed  to  Ohio  and  sold  the  farm  to  his  brother  Joseph. 

William  Pierce,  a  brother  of  Theophilus  and  Benjamin,  came  in  a 
little  later  than  his  brothers  and  settled  east  of  Hamilton  village,  where 
Charles  Underbill  recently  lived.     He  died  on  that  place. 

David  Dunbar  was  a  native  of  Charlton,  Mass.,  where  he  was  born  in 
1774,  and  settled  in  Hamilton  in  1795.  He  made  the  journey  on  foot 
and  on  his  way  stopped  at  Albany  and  made  a  bargain  with  Dominick 
Lyncl;  under  which  Dunbar  was  to  re-survey  the  town  of  Hamilton  into 
lots  of  250  acres;  he  did  the  work  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town.  He 
settled  first  on  lot  36  and  subsequently  on  lot  28,  at  Hubbardsville, 
where  he  built  a  grist  mill  and  saw  mill,  and  the  little  settlement  at 
that  point  became  known  as  Dunbar's  Mills,  until  the  settlement  of 
Calvin  Hubbard,  when  the  place  took  his  name.  Mr.  Dunbar  operated 
the  mills  until  about  1850  and  was  also  an  extensive  farmer.  The  mill 
property  and  farm  passed  to  his  son,  James  H.,  and  the  father  retired 
to  a  small  place  in  Hubbardsville  and  died  in  November,  1856. 

The  first  settlement  was  made  on  the  site  of  Earlville  as  early  as  1795 
by  Col.  Bigelow  Waters  and  Charles  Otis.  The  former  located  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  town  and  the  latter  on  the  village  site.  Mr.  Otis's 
house  was  on  the  site  of  the  present  Sawdy  House,  where  Brown's  Ho- 
tel stood  that  was  burned  in  the  great  fire. 

The  vicinity  of  East  Hamilton  was  known  in  early  years  as  "Colches- 
ter," from  the  fact  that  many  of  the  pioneers  were  from  Colchester, 
Mass.  Settlement  began  there  as  early  as  1796  by  Reuben  Foote.    Ezra 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  59 

Fuller,  George  Bigsby,  James  Williams  and  Samuel  Slower  settled  in 
the  town  in  1797  or  before,  and  William  Hatch,  Calvin  Ackley,  and  the 
Nash  family  as  early  as  1799.  Stephen  and  Daniel  Brainard  were  also 
pioneers.  Calvin  Ackley  had  a  numerous  family,  and  his  brothers,  Eli 
and  Rodney,  were  among  the  early  settlers.  James  Williams  settled  at 
Poolville,  where  he  died  in  18-10.  Samuel  Stower  was  from  Connecti- 
cut and  located  on  eighty  acres  on  Broad  street  a  little  below  the  park 
in  Hamilton  village,  where  he  died  in  1820.  William  Hatch  settled  in 
what  became  the  southern  part  of  Hamilton  village  on  the  farm  recently 
owned  by  Alvah  Hopkins,  and  there  kept  a  tavern ;  in  later  years  he 
kept  a  tavern  in  Cazenovia  and  died  there.  Elijah,  Zenas  and  Thomas 
Nash  were  from  Plainfield,  Otsego  county,  and  settled  near  Poolville  in 
the  south  part  of  the  town  and  left  many  descendants  in  the  town. 

The  two  Brainards,  before  mentioned,  were  cousins  and  came  in  with 
Calvin  Ackley,  Ezra  Fuller  and  George  Bigsby,  and  built,  on  the  Stephen 
Brainard  farm,  where  William  O.  Clark  now  resides,  a  log  cabin  which 
they  occupied  until  each  had  one  finished  for  himself.  Brainard  was  the 
only  one  who  was  married  and  in  the  following  winter  brought  in  his 
wife  on  an  ox  sled. 

Ebenezer  Colson  was  an  early  settler  near  the  site  of  Poolville,  and 
came  in  soon  after  the  beginning  of  the  century,  locating  on  the  farm 
subsequently  owned  by  Porter  Swift  and  now  by  R.  Hunt,  where  he 
died  in  1856.  Roswell,  Lucas  and  another  Craine,  three  brothers,  set- 
tled in  that  vicinity,  and  William  Lord  located  about  1810  a  mile  east 
of  the  village  site. 

Dan  Throop  was  an  early  settler,  a  native  of  Lebanon,  Conn.  An- 
drew Beach,  came  from  Canaan,  Columbia  county,  soon  after  1800;  he 
was  a  young  unmarried  man  and  settled  on  a  farm  that  was  occupied  in 
later  years  by  F.  H.  Ingalls  and  still  owned  b}^  him.  In  1806  he  built 
a  tannery  which  was  operated  many  years. 

These  were  the  sturdy  pioneers  who,  with  their  immediate  descend- 
ants, subdued  the  wilderness  in  this  town,  founded  their  homes  and 
gradually  surrounded  themselves  with  the  comforts  of  civilization. 
Doubtless  there  were  others  who  shared  prominently  in  the  work  of 
early  times,  the  records  of  whose  careers  are  given,  in  many  instances, 
in  Part  H.  of  this  work.  In  the  town  records,  now  unfortunately 
destroyed,  appeared  the  names  of  many  settlers,  most  of  whom  held 
local  office  of  some  kind,  which  have  been  compiled  and  are  here  inserted 
for  their  value  for  reference  and  as  an  addition  to  those  preceding: 


60  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

1796.— Samuel  Felt,  Asahel  Fitch,  Noah  Tyler,  Samuel  Brigham, 
John  Stanclift,  Richard  Williams,  Thomas  Hart,  Lucius  Scott,  Elihu 
Cross,  Elijah  Thompson,  Samuel  Curtis,  Jonathan  Brigham,  John  Mc- 
Cartney, William  Brown. 

1797. — Daniel  Hubbard,  Amos  Muzzey,  James  White,  Ephraim 
Clough,  George  Brown,  Simeon  Stewart,  Zopher  Moore,  Roswell  Tyler, 
vSylvanus  Palmelee,  Darren  Hall,  Isaac  Douglass,  Hezekiah  Andrus, 
John  B.  Berry,  Elijah  Bond,  Samuel  Lillie,  Daniel  Smith,  Lyman 
Cook,  Rawson  Hammond,  Jason  Fargo,  Israel  Inman,  Amos  Graves. 

1798. — Jonathan  Stephens,  Jonathan  Pratt,  Oliver  Gillet,  Daniel 
Russell,  John  Marble,  jr.,  Abijah  Markham,  jr.,  John  Pattison,  Samuel 
Watson,  Enoch  Hitchcock,  Freeman  Williams,  John  Brown,  Seth 
Johnson,  Josiah  Rice,  Samuel  Woods,  Augustus  Corey,  JohnT.  Burton, 
Prince  Spooner,  Uriah  Cross,  Benjamin  I.  Haight,  Borden  Willcox, 
John  St.  Clair,  Samuel  Brownell,  John  W.  Bulkley,  Isaac  Skinner, 
Warren  Hull,  John  White. 

1799. — John  Gray,  Joseph  Manchester,  Nehemiah  Thompson,  Thomas 
Woodward,  Zephaniah  White,  Ebenezer  Ransom,  Cyrus  Finney,  Robert 
Avery,  Archibald  Salsberry,  William  Ward,  Elijah  Brainard,  Jeremiah 
Weeden,  Job  Manchester,  Sprague  Perkins,  Datiiel  Holbrook,  James 
Jones,  William  Henry,  Rufus  Shepherd,  Joseph  French,  Constant 
Avery,  John  Benedict,  Joseph  Head,  Thomas  Dibble,  Abraham  Hem- 
inway,  Abizar  Richmond,  John  "  Keneda. " 

1800. — Ebenezer  Rawson,  Rufus  Eldred,  Josiah  Hubbard,  Stephen 
Woodhull,  Elisha  Pratt,  Cyrus  Howard,  Nathaniel  Rider,  Benjamin 
Wentworth,  Asa  Finney,  Eli  Hull,  Robert  Avery,  Levi  Bonney,  John 
Sanford,  Charles  Smith,  William  Sanford,  Freeman  Billings,  Samuel 
Ackley,  William  P.  Cleveland,  Stuart  Campbell,  Russell  Barker,  Au- 
gustus I.  Corey,  Reuben  Brigham,  Apollos  Drake,  Thomas  Buel, 
Noadiah  Hastings,  Edward  Hull,  Windsor  Coman,  Joseph  Waters,  Job 
Peckham,  Abijah  Harrington,  Joseph  B.  Peck,  David  Williams,  Samuel 
Roe,  Joseph  Fairbanks,  "  Jeirah  "  Finney,  Judah  Stowel,  Aaron  Wil- 
cox, Chauncey  Isham,  Daniel  Hatch,  Samuel  Watson. 

1801. — Joseph  Adams,  James  Hitchcock,  Abijah  Parker,  Josiah 
Brown,  Asa  Pease,  jr.,  Dunham  Shapley,  Joseph  Usher,  Josiah  Jewet, 
Thomas  Galloway,  Eleazar  Snow,  Gardner  Wyman,  Ezra  Chase,  Mica- 
jah  Chase,  Jacob  Thompson,  Enos  Gifford,  John  Douglass,  Israel 
Church,  Ebenezer  Hill,  Elisha  Fuller,  Rawson  Hermon,  Joel  Gray, 
Levi   Morton,  William    Henderson,  Joseph   Bennet,  Jehiel  Felt,  Jehiel 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  61 

Wattles,  Allen  Campbell,  Martin  Roberts,  Daniel  Allen,  Ziba  Coman, 
William  Randal,  John  Packhard,  John  Blanchard,  jr.,  David  Sexton, 
Bethiel  Willonghby,  Thomas  West,  jr.,  Thomas  Anderson,  John  Cham- 
bers, Richard  Butler,  Sylvester  Fuller,  Moses  Maynard. 

1802. — Obed  Edson,  Dan  Ladd,  Dan  Ballard,  George  Peckham,  Isaac 
Chauncey,  Amos  Burton,  Timothy  Rogers,  Josiah  Brown,  Abraham 
Webster,  Philan  Wilcox,  Israel  Rice,  John  Burton,  Robinson  Shepherd, 
Joseph  Crandal,  John  Fairlee,  Jeremiah  Babcock,  Theo.  Hardin, 
Elijah  Utter,  Thomas  Morris,  Josiah  Wilcox,  Samuel  White,  Daniel 
Nichols,  Charles  Peckham,  Asahel  Sexton,  Green  Bixby,  Jonas  Wood, 
Eleazar  Isbell,  William  Hopkins,  Alford  Cornell,  Martin  Roberts, 
David  Stall,  John  Waggoner,  Luther  Herrick,  Samuel  Coman,  Leonard 
Pemberton,  Samuel  Coe,  Silas  Walker,  Joseph  Putney,  Abijah  Morgan, 
George  Bixby,  Jeremiah  Mack,  Thomas  Anderson,  Jonathan  Dunham, 
Philip  Mathewson,  Jonathan  Crouch,  Loring  Pierce. 

1803. — Ithamer  Smith,  Lucas  Peet,  Joseph  Partridge,  Thomas  Mor- 
ton, Silas  Soddy  (Sawdey),  Gailed  Stephens,  Micazor  Claus{or  Cloyes), 
Philip  Woodman,  William  Raxford,  jr.,  Levi  Bonney,  1st,  (Samuel 
Perry,  Job  Peckham,  William  Hustins,  William  Torrey,  Angel  Mathew- 
son, Patriot  Pebbles,  Samuel  Howard,  John  Staples,  Joseph  Curtis, 
George  McKeene,  Thomas  Leach,  Ichabod  Wheeler,  Levi  Bonney,  3d, 
Elisha  Herrick,  Jonathan  Stephens,  John  Webster,  Richard  Homes, 
John  De  Groat,  Samuel  Brigham,  John  Graham,  Aruna  Moseley,  Walter 
Parmore,  Dane  Ballard,  Alford  Corn  well.' 

The  first  town  meeting  for  Hamilton  was  held  at  the  house  of  Elisha 
Payne  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  April,  1795,  when  the  following  ofificers 
were  chosen:  Joshua  Leland,  supervisor;  Elijah  Blodgett,  clerk;  Sam- 
uel demons,  Samuel  Berry,  Simeon  Gillett,  jr.,  Luther  Waterman  and 
Elisha  Payne,  assessors;  James  CoUister,  David  Hartshorn,  John  Bar- 
ber and  Elijah  Hayden,  constables  and  collectors;  Joshua  Smith  and 
William  McCrellis,  poormasters;  Josiah  Brown,  Samuel  Payne  and 
Ephraim  Blodgett,  commissioners  of  highways;  vStephen  F.  Blackstone, 
William  McClanathan,  John  H.  Morris,  Isaac  Amedown,  Samuel 
Brownell,  Augustus  W.  Bingham,  Bigelow  Waters,  Abner  Nash,  Na- 
thaniel Collins  and  Theophilus  Pierce,  pathmasters;  Nicanor  Brown, 
Samuel  Sincler  (St.  Clair),  Benjamin  Pierce  and  David  Felt,  fence- 
viewers;  Henry  W.  Bond,  poundkeeper. 

'  In  the  spelling  of  these  names  the  records  have  been  followed,  though  it  is  in  many  instan- 
ces probably  erroneous. 


62  ,        OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  first  school  commissioners  were  elected  in  1706,  as  follows: 
Samuel  Payne,  Elijah  Blodgett  and  Luther  Waterman.  Under  the  act 
of  the  Legislature  establishing  the  common  school  system,  passed  in 
1812,  the  following  persons  were  chosen  commissioners :  John  Kennedy, 
Daniel  A.  Brainard  and  Reuben  Ransom ;  at  the  same  time  Roswell 
Craine,  Abraham  Payne,  Erastus  Daniels  and  Nathaniel  Stacy  were 
chosen  inspectors  of  common  schools. 

The  following  election  return  of  1799  is  of  interest  as  showing  ap- 
proximately the  voting  population  of  the  town  at  that  time: 

For  Moses  Kent  for  Senator, 295 

"    Joseph  White,  "        391 

"     Nathaniel  King,      "        10 

"    Peter  B.  Garnsey,  " 9 

"    Joshua  Leland,        "        1 

' '    Nathaniel  King  for  Assemblyman, 302 


Peter  B.  Garnsey, 
Joshua  Leland, 
Jonathan  Forman, 
James  Clover, 
Moses  Kent, 
Joseph  White, 


.357 
.  33 
.  8 
.  4 
.  8 
.     8 


Among  the  pioneers  of  Hamilton  were  many  Baptists  and  religious 
services  in  that  faith  were  held  regularly  after  June,  179C.  On  No- 
vember 16  of  that  year  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Hamilton  was  or- 
ganized with  seven  members,  ainong  whom  was  Samuel  Payne,  who 
was  conspicuous  in  the  work.  For  a  few  years  after  its  organization 
the  church  was  ministered  to  by  Elders  Root,  Butler,  Salmon,  Morton, 
and  others,  who  resided  in  the  vicinity  or  were  frecjuently  present  as 
missionaries.  The  meetings  in  early  years  were  held  in  school  houses 
or  dwellings,  some  of  them  in  the  towns  of  Lebanon,  Madison  and 
Sherburne,  which  were  then  in  Hamilton.  The  first  church  building 
was  erected  in  1801,  which  was  also  the  first  one  in  the  town;  it  stood 
in  the  center  of  the  village  at  the  north  end  of  the  park,  and  cost  be- 
tween $3,000  and  $4,000.  It  was  burned  on  the  morning  of  December 
31,  1808,  and  was  immediately  succeeded  by  another,  which  was  dedi- 
cated November  13,  1809  ;  this  building  stood  near  the  site  of  the  Eagle 
Hotel  and  was  occupied  until  the  present  one  was  erected  in  1843.      In 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  63 

1816  twenty-four  members  of  this  society  left  it  to  form  a  church  in 
Eaton.'     R.  C.  Savage  is  the  present  pastor. 

Two  church  societies  were  organized  at  Earlville  in  the  year  1803. 
These  were  the  first  Baptist  Church  in  vSherburne  (which  places  it,  of 
course,  in  Chenango  county),  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of 
Earlville.  The  first  named  society  was  formed  June  2-4  with  fifteen 
members,  at  the  house  of  John  Benton.  Previous  to  the  organization 
meetings  had  been  held  at  the  houses  of  John  Muir,  H.  Finn,  Jonathan 
Pettit,  and  in  the  school  house  near  Sherburne.  The  first  house  of 
worship  was  erected  on  the  hill  east  of  Earlville  in  1818;  the  second 
one,  in  Earlville,  in  1835.  The  Methodists  formed  as  a  class  at  the 
house  of  Joseph  Crandall,  a  little  north  from  Earlville  on  the  road  to 
Poolville.  There  were  only  seven  or  eight  members,  and  Rev.  Charles 
Giles  was  the  first  pastor.  The  organization  of  the  church  society  took 
place  at  the  house  of  Elam  Felt  January  !),  1815,  when  the  trustees 
elected  were  Elam  Felt,  Noah  Hall  and  Asa  Felt.  Efforts  were  at  once 
begun  to  raise  money  with  which  to  build  a  meeting  house,  and  in  1816 
the  first  Methodist  house  of  worship  in  the  town  of  Hamilton  was 
erected  in  Earlville,  at  a  cost  of  about  $1,100.  This  building,  small 
and  poorly  furnished  as  it  was,  was  occupied  until  1838,  when  a  new 
one  was  erected;  this  was  extensively  repaired  and  improved  in  1871, 
when  about  $5,000  was  expended  upon  it.  In  its  early  history  Earl- 
ville was  included  in  the  Hamilton  Circuit.  In  1835  the  Oneida  Con- 
ference made  it  a  station,  with  Rev.  Barlow  W.  Gorham,  in  charge. 
No  other  Methodist  church  was  organized  in  Hamilton  until  after  the 
formation  of  Madison  county. 

What  was  at  first  known  as  the  Second  Congregational  Society  of 
Hamilton  was  incorporated  September  24,  1798,  on  which  occasion 
"  the  inhabitants  of  that  part  of  the  town  of  Hamilton  .  .  .  known 
and  distinguished  by  the  appellation  of  Colchester  Society,"  met  and 
elected  Jonathan  Stephens,  Richard  Butler,  Lucius  Scott,  Reuben  Foot, 
Isaac  Skinner  and  Jared  T.  Hooker,  trustees.  A  meeting  house  was 
built  at  Hamilton  Center  in  the  year  1800  for  the  First  Congregational 

^  The  Second  Baptist  Church  in  Hamilton  was  organized  in  1819  by  a  number  of  members 
from  the  First  Church,  and  in  the  same  year  joined  the  Madison  .A-Ssociation,  reporting  forty 
members.  The  society  was  reorganized  by  a  council  April  15,  ISIT.  Up  to  the  year  1834  the 
meetings  were  held  mostly  in  school  houses,  under  pastoral  labor  of  Robert  Powell,  Elders  Caleb 
Read,  Simon  Minor,  and  Rev.  I.  H.  Walden.  In  1835  a  church  was  built  a  mile  southeast  of  Pool- 
ville. From  that  time  to  about  1841  the  church  was  without  a  regular  minister,  but  Rev,  S.  P. 
Way  was  called  and  served  four  years.  Since  that  time  there  have  been  numerous  changes  m 
the  ministry. 


64  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Church  of  Hamilton,  as  the  organization  became  known,  in  which  the 
congregation  worshiped  many  years.  This  church  long  ago  ceased  to 
exist,  and  the  meeting  house  was  removed  to  Poolville  in  1842,  where 
it  was  used  a  number  of  years  for  town  purposes  and  was  finally  trans- 
formed into  two  dwellings.  The  other  churches  of  this  town  were  or- 
ganized after  the  formation  of  the  county  and  are,  therefore,  left  for  a 
later  chapter. 

Mercantile  operations  to  supply  the  little  community  with  household 
necessities  began  early  in  Hamilton.  Charles  Clark  and  Joseph  Col- 
well,  who  came  in  about  1803  and  boarded  for  a  time  with  Elisha  Payne, 
whose  settlement  has  been  described,  each  opened  a  store.  Mr.  Clark's 
stood  on  the  lot  next  south  of  the  Adon  Smith  residence,  and  Colwell's 
on  the  corner  of  what  are  now  Broad  and  Lebanon  streets.  After 
about  1805  Clark  was  associated  with  James  Dorrance  for  a  time  and 
later,  until  1816,  Charles  T.  Deering  traded  in  that  store. 

Thomas  Greenly  located  in  Hamilton  in  1796  as  the  first  physician 
and  in  the  following  January  brought  in  his  wife  and  child.  Peter  B 
Havens  was  the  next  physician  in  the  village  and  practiced  until  about 
1800.  Nathaniel  King,  a  prominent  citizen,  was  the  first  lawyer  in 
Hamilton,  settling  in  1797;  he  held  many  public  oflSces.  Thomas  Hill 
Hubbard,  another  prominent  lawj'er  and  citizen,  settled  at  the  village 
in  1804-5.  By  the  year  1806  the  little  settlement  that  was  to  develop 
into  Hamilton  village,  had  become  quite  active  as  a  business  center. 
The  Park  Hotel,  erected  soon  after  1800  by  Artemas  Howard,  was  be- 
coming a  well-known  public  house,  with  a  long  and  popular  career  be- 
fore it;  the  few  stores  were  attracting  customers  from  a  wide  extent  of 
territory ;  lawyers  and  doctors  were  there ;  preparations  were  in  progress 
for  the  early  erection  of  mills,  and  the  number  of  comfortable  homes 
was  rapidly  increasing. 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  65 


CHAPTER  VI. 
TOW.V  FORMATION  AND  SETTLEMENT  CONTINUED. 

Of  the  two  other  towns  organized  previous  to  the  formation  of  the 
county,  the  first  settlement  of  which  has  not  yet  been  described,  Caz- 
enovia  is  the  more  important.  The  other  one  is  De  Ruyter,  and  both 
were  first  settled  in  the  same  year.  The  town  of  Cazenovia  originall}' 
included  territory  nearly  as  great  in  area  as  the  present  Madison  county. 
It  was  erected  from  Whitestown  and  Paris  on  March  5,  1795,  two  years 
after  the  first  setttlers  located  within  its  limits,  and  then  included  the 
territory  of  the  present  towns  of  De  Ruyter,  Georgetown,  German, 
Lincklaen,  Otselic,  Pitcher,  Sullivan,  Lenox  and  Smithfield,  the  latter 
including  parts  of  the  towns  of  Fenner,  Stockbridge  and  Nelson.  The 
southern  and  larger  part  of  the  town  was  originally  the  north  part  of 
the  Gore,  described  in  an  earlier  chapter,  which  extended  along  the 
west  side  of  the  Twenty  Townships;  hence  the  town  has  a  length  from 
north  to  south  of  about  fourteen  miles,  while  its  width  is  only  five  and 
a  third  miles  at  its  widest  point. 

Cazenovia  is  centrally  situated  on  the  west  border  of  the  county  and 
is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Sullivan,  on  the  east  by  Fenner  and  Nelson, 
on  the  south  by  De  Ruyter,  and  on  the  west  by  Onondaga  county.  The 
surface  of  the  town  is  varied  and  picturesque,  consisting  of  a  rolling 
upland,  broken  by  the  deep  and  rugged  valleys  of  Chittenango  and 
Limestone  Creeks.  The  former  enters  this  town  near  the  center  of  the 
east  border,  flows  in  a  westerly  direction  to  the  central  part,  where  it 
turns  with  a  wide  sweep  to  the  northward,  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
course  forming  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  town  for  a  considerable  dis- 
tance and  receiving  the  waters  of  Cazenovia  Lake.  At  Chittenango 
Falls  in  the  north  part  of  the  town  the  waters  of  this  creek  have  a 
descent  of  136  feet  and  through  its  course  have  a  fall  of  several  hundred 
feet,  furnishing  large  and  valuable  water  power  at  many  points.  The 
creek  is  a  feeder  for  the  Erie  Canal,  to  which  purpose  it  was  devoted 
in  1840.  Cazenovia  Lake  is  one  of  the  many  minor  beautiful  inland 
s 


66  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

bodies  of  water  in  the  State.  It  is  situated  in  the  north  part  of  the 
town.  It  is  four  and  a  half  miles  long  and  from  half  a  mile  to  a  mile 
in  width  and  is  900  feet  above  tidewater.  Its  waters  are  exceptionally 
pure  and  the  surrounding  scenery  in  a  high  degree  attractive. 

The  town  is  mainly  underlaid  with  the  rocks  of  the  Hamilton  group, 
but  the  Ithaca  group  comes  to  the  surface  in  the  southeast  part  and  the 
Onondaga  limestone  in  the  northeast  part.  The  limestone  is  exten- 
sively quarried  in  the  vicinity  of  Chittenango  Falls  and  makes  a  good 
quality  of  lime.  In  the  northern  and  central  parts  the  soil  is  gravelly 
loam,  while  in  the  southern  part  a  clayey  loam  prevails,  underlaid  with 
hardpan. 

That  part  of  Cazenovia  lying  within  the  Gore,  with  the  other  towns 
in  that  tract,  and  the  town  of  Nelson,  constituted  a  purchase  made  by 
the  celebrated  Holland  Land  Company  in  Madison  and  Chenango  coun- 
ties. This  company,  which  had  no  legal  corporate  existence,  was  what 
would  be  called  a  "syndicate"  in  these  later  days,  and  was  made  up  of 
a  number  of  wealthy  citizens  of  Amsterdam,  Holland,  who  associated 
together  for  the  purpose  of  dealing  in  American  lands.  Theophilus 
Cazenove  was  the  first  agent  in  this  country  of  the  company,  and  con- 
tinued in  that  position  until  1799,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Paul  Busti. 
The  famous  Holland  Purchase  in  the  western  part  of  the  State  consti- 
tuted a  part  of  the  investment  of  this  company.  In  the  records  of  Caz- 
enovia village  is  preserved  a  valuable  letter  writter  by  Maj.  Samuel  S. 
Forman,  under  date  of  Syracuse,  November  20,  1851,  and  addressed  to 
the  trustees  of  Cazenovia  village  in  acknowledgment  of  the  naming  of 
a  village  street  after  him.  The  letter  has  been  several  times  published, 
but  no  work  upon  this  town  would  be  complete  without  it.  Mr.  For- 
man wrote  as  follows: 

"  In  the  winter  of  1792-3,  I  became  acquainted  in  Philadelphia  with 
Theophilus  Cazenove,  Esq.,  and  John  Lincklaen,  Esq.,  both  from  Am- 
sterdam, in  Holland.  Mr.  Lincklaen,  and  Mr.  Boon,  of  Rotterdam,  in 
Holland  (in  connection  with  the  great  Holland  Company),  were  anxious 
to  embark  in  wild  lands.  They  set  out  on  a  tour  for  that  purpose  and 
came  up  to  old  Fort  Schuyler  (now  Utica),  there  they  separated.  Mr. 
Boon  went  northerly  to  view  the  lands  twelve  miles  from  Utica,  and 
afterwards  purchased  60,000  acres,  and  laid  out  a  village,  calling  it 
Oldenbarnveldt,  in  honor  to  a  great  Dutch  character  of  that  name — now 
the  village  is  called  Trenton.  Mr.  Boon  returned  home  and  the  late 
venerable  and  venerated  Col.  Mappa  succeeded  him  in  the  agency.     Mr. 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  67 

Lincklaen  took  a  westerly  direction  from  Utica  and  viewed  the  '  Road 
Township"  (now  Cazenovia),  and  Township  No.  1,  now  called  Nelson, 
likewise  the  gore,  now  called  De  Ruyter,  Lincklaen,  Pitcher  and 
Brakel,  containing  altogether  120,000  acres.  Mr.  Lincklaen  informed 
me  that  he  had  hired  two  hardy  men  to  accompany  him  to  explore  his 
purchase  and  that  they  were  eleven  days  in  the  wilderness;  himself, 
then  young  and  slender,  enjoying  excellent  health  and  activity,  and 
fond  of  being  out  planning  improvements. 

' '  Messrs.  Cazenove  and  Lincklaen  observed  to  me  '  as  you  have  lately 
returned  from  a  long  tour  to  the  southward,  how  would  you  like  a 
northern  one  ? '  and  made  me  proposals  which  I  accepted.  At  this  time 
I  had  just  returned  from  nearly  a  two  years'  tour  to  the  Natchez,  ac- 
companying a  connection  with  a  large  family  who  had  a  contract  with 
the  vSpanish  Government,  when  Spain  held  that  country.  I  met  Mr. 
Lincklaen  by  appointment  in  New  York  in  April,  1793.  He  requested 
me  to  purchase  a  large  assortment  of  merchandise  and  every  article 
that  I  thought  would  facilitate  the  settlers  in  a  new  country.  The 
object  was  for  the  encouragement  of  settlers,  and  not  for  the  profit  of 
the  store.  We  proceeded  on  to  Utica.  Here  was  the  starting  place 
Fifteen  hired  men  with  a  few  days'  provisions  in  their  knapsacks  ant 
axes  on  their  shoulders,  a  pair  of  oxen  to  a  cart  loaded  with  pro- 
visions for  men  and  beast,  implements  of  husbandry,  &c.,  &c.,  was 
sent  on  the  Genesee  road  as  far  as  Canasaraga.  Mr.  Lincklaen  and 
myself  on  horseback  in  a  few  days  accompanied  the  train.  At  Chit- 
tenango  we  left  the  Genesee  road,  turned  south  up  the  creek  about 
one  mile,  following  an  Indian  path  zig  zag  up  a  heavy  hill,  the  axe 
men  widening  the  way  so  as  to  let  the  cart  go  on.  By  the  time  we 
arrived  to  the  summit  of  the  hill  night  overtook  us.  Now  prepar- 
ation was  made  for  the  night;  the  oxen  made  fast  and  the  horses  also, 
a  large  fire  was  made.  The  next  thing  to  be  done  was  to  take  out 
our  jackknives  and  the  cook  to  exhibit  his  bread  and  raw  pork.  Each 
one  catered  for  himself.  Some  eat  the  pork  raw ;  some  sharpened  a 
long  stick  and  put  the  pork  upon  it  and  roasted  it  in  the  fire.  Next 
for  sleeping;  the  trunk  of  a  large  tree  was  our  headboard,  our  feet 
near  the  fire,  and  the  ground  our  bed.  We  all  arose  early.  After 
partaking  our  bread  and  pork,  business  commenced  again  with  open- 
ing the  cartway.     The  teamster  said  another  yoke  of  oxen  was  neces- 

'  So  named  because  the  proceeds  arising  from  the  sale  of  lands  therein  were  to  be  applied  to 
the  construction  of  roads. 


68  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

sary,  so  Mr.  Lincklaen  dispatched  him  back  to  Whitestown  to  buy 
them.  Mr.  Lincklaen  then  proposed  for  him  and  me  to  proceed  on 
with  one  horse  to  the  lake,  as  the  teamster  had  my  horse,  we  would 
'ride  and  tie'  and  keep  the  Indian  path,  and  leave  the  hands,  supposing 
that  by  night  they  would  come  to  us.  On  our  arrival  at  the  outlet  at 
the  south  end  of  the  lake,  we  discovered  a  small  bark  cabin  and  some 
signs  of  men.  The  horse  '  Captain  '  was  turned  loose  on  the  little  prairie, 
the  saddle  and  portmanteau,  &c.,  laid  in  the  hut.  We  strolled  about, 
viewed  the  grounds,  Mr.  Lincklaen  highly  gratified  to  find  it  better  for 
building  than  he  expected.  When  night  drew  nigh  we  made  for  the 
bark  cabin ;  presently  three  men  came  in,  total  strangers.  After  the 
usual  salutations  they  had  recourse  to  their  wallet  and  displayed  their 
bread  and  raw  pork ;  they,  perceiving  we  could  not  follow  suit,  very 
kindly  tendered  to  us  their  hospitality,  which  we  very  cordially  ac- 
cepted. We  explained  to  them  who  we  were  and  our  situation  and  gave 
each  other  our  respective  names.  They  proved  to  be  our  near  neigh- 
bors, living  from  three  to  five  miles  off,  which  in  those  days  was  con- 
sidered near  by.     Their  names  was  Joseph   Atwell,  Charles   Roe  and 

Bartholomew,  all  from  Pompey  Hollow.     No  tidings  from  our 

people ;  sleeping  hour  has  arrived,  preparations  for  sleeping.  The  three 
strangers  a  foot  on  a  fishing  excursion.  Mr.  Lincklaen  and  myself  had 
one  saddle  and  portmanteau  for  our  pillows,  with  '  Lion  '  near  by, '  Cap- 
tain '  on  the  prairie.  Before  we  awoke  our  fishermen  took  French 
leave  of  us.  About  8  o'clock  a.  m.,  }^et  no  tidings.  Mr.  Lincklaen  con- 
cluded that  it  would  be  prudent  for  him  to  make  back  tracks  to  know 
the  cause  of  the  delay  of  the  foresters,  and  leave  '  Captain  '  and  faithful 
'  Lion '  with  me.  Now  I  am  entirely  alone  in  the  wilderness  in  the 
northwest  parts  of  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.  About  10  a.  m.  I  thought 
it  would  be  prudent  for  me  to  follow  Mr.  Lincklaen.  I  took  the  bridle, 
caught  the  '  Captain '  and  leading  him  to  the  hut,  put  saddle  and  the 
heavy  portmanteau  with  $.500  in  silver  on  the  horse.  The  money  had 
depreciated,  so  that  it  could  not  here  buy  me  a  piece  of  bread.  I  com 
menced  my  retrograde  movement,  '  Lion  '  preceding  me.  I  walked 
and  led  the  horse;  presently  I  beheld  two  men  approaching  me.  On 
advancing  to  me  they  gave  their  names,  Jedediah  Jackson  and  Joseph 
Yaw,  two  commissioners  appointed  by  a  company  in  Vermont  to  go  and 
'  spy  out '  the  land  in  township  No.  1.  They  said  they  had  met  Mr. 
Lincklaen  and  that  he  referred  them  to  me  for  further  directions  to  the 
town  now  called  Nelson.      I  had  the  pleasure  about  2  p,  m.  to  meet  a 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  69 

man  with  a  budget  of  eatables  and  drinkables  which  Mr.  Lincklaen  had 
sent  me  from  our  magazine  cart.  Our  '  Lion's  '  olfactory  nerves  were 
so  keen  that  he  had  to  be  held  back  by  the  collar  till  his  turn  came. 
The  cause  of  this  great  delay  was  the  breaking  of  the  axletree  of  the 
cart  near  where  we  left  it. 

"When  all  the  men  and  cart  arrived  at  the  spot  which  Mr.  Lincklaen 
had  selected  for  the  present  location,  being  a  little  west  of  a  small 
ravine,  and  nearly  opposite  where  Ledyai^d  Lincklaen,  Esq.,  now 
resides,  at  the  south  end  of  the  lake,'  the  first  business  was  to  build  a 
large  log  house,  containing  one  room  for  a  store,  one  for  Mr.  Lincklaen 
and  one  for  a  kitchen,  and  also  another  large  one  for  a  farm  house. 
These  men  located  in  the  beautiful  white  oak  grove  between  the  ravine 
and  the  outlet  of  the  lake.  A  large  warehouse  in  front  of  the  store, 
and  a  few  rods  off  was  also  determined  on  and  subsequently  built. 
These  preparations  for  building  were  begun  about  the  8th  day  of  May, 
1793.  .  .  .  Mr.  Lincklaen  expected  that  the  Road  Township  .  . 
would  have  been  surveyed  and  laid  out  in  farm  lots  before  he  came  on 
to  open  the  sales.  He  dispatched  James  Green  (the  Major)  with  a 
pocket  compass  to  direct  him  through  the  wilderness  some  forty  miles 
to  Oxford  for  Mr.  Lock,  the  surveyor,  to  come  immediately  and  lay 
out  this  township,  Mr.  Lincklaen  having  advertised  that  the  first  ten 
families  who  moved  on  should  have  one  hundred  acres  of  land  for  one 
dollar  per  acre.  This  generous  proposal  brought  on  very  unexpectedly 
that  number  of  families  from  adjacent  towns  between  Utica  and  Caz- 
enovia.^  Some  fine  young  people,  it  was  said,  abbreviated  their  court- 
ship to  take  advantage  of  these  proposals.  The  workmen  had  not  com- 
pleted their  log  house  when  the  families,  or  some  of  them,  came  on, 
and  found  no  place  to  shelter  them ;  but  the  workmen  had  the  gallantry 
to  give  up  the  large  tent  for  their  accommodation  and  increased  their 
exertions  to  shelter  themselves  in  their  own  building.  When  Mr.  Lock 
came  on  to  survey  the  land  the  woods  were  alive  with  settlers  to  pick 
their  lots.  Some  were  so  fortunate  as  to  secure  berths  in  the  surveyor's 
service,  and  deposited  their  money  in  the  office  till  called  for  to  apply 
on  their  purchases.  As  soon  as  the  number  of  lots  could  be  ascertained 
they  would  hasten  to  the  office  to  have  it  entered.'     The  competition 

'The  residence  of  the  late  L.  Walters  Ledyard,  "  The  Oaks."  on  the  south  shore  of  the  lake,  is 
very  near  the  first  log  cabin  site  built  by  these  pioneers  in  1793. 

2  Among  those  were  Archibald  Bates,  Isaac  Nichols,  Benjamin  Pierson,  Noah  Taylor,  William 
Gilleti  and  Anson  Dean. 

'Of  the  settlers  on  this  purchase  Major  Forman  elsewhere  says:    ''I  believe  that  there  was 


70  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

became  so  great  that  the  sales  were  suspended  for  a  time  for  fear  of 
making  mistakes. 

"The  price  of  the  land  opened  at  one  and  a  half  dollars  per  acre, 
except  as  to  the  ten  families  above  mentioned. 

"The  terms  of  payment  were  ten  dollars  cash  down,  balance  in  ten 
years  with  annual  interest,  and  conditioned  for  certain  improvements. 
Two  miles  were  reserved  off  the  north  end  of  Road  Township,  and 
laid  out  in  ten  acre  lots  for  the  benefit  of  the  villagers.  .  .  I  believe 
the  village  plat  was  not  laid  out  until  the  next  summer,  179i.' 

"It  was  first  intended  to  lay  out  the  village  on  the  west  bank  of  the 
lake ;  but  the  north  line  of  the  company  went  only  to  the  north  line  of  P. 
G.  Childs,  Esq. 

"Judge  Wright  of  Fort  Stanwix  (now  Rome)  began  to  layout  the  vil- 
lage, but  was  called  home  before  completion.  After  him  the  late  Cal- 
vin Guiteau,  Esq.,  completed  it.  The  village  was  named  in  honor  of 
Theophilus  Cazenove,  Esq.,  the  Holland  Land  Company's  agent  resid- 
ing in  Philadelphia.  The  location  of  the  village  must  be  regarded  as  a 
fortunate  one,  being  almost  surrounded  by  water,  viz.  :  the  lake  on  the 
west  and  on  the  south  by  the  outlet  of  the  lake,  which,  uniting  in  the  mill 
pond  with  Chittenango  Creek,  flows  easterly  and  then  northerly,  furnish- 
ing a  never-failing  head  of  water,  with  a  gentle  fall  of  700  feet  within 
about  eight  miles,  including,  however,  in  the  descent,  a  beautiful  cas- 
cade of  140  feet,  forming  fine  sites  for  hydraulic  purposes,  the  whole 
distance  having  solid  beds  of  stone  and  gravel  and  capable  of  propelling 
machinery  at  every  few  rods,  which  it  seems  your  enterprising  citizens 
have  already,  to  a  considerable  extent,  improved  for  years  past,  and  new 
erections  are  of  late  being  made,  and  all  the  distance  made  of  easy 
access  by  a  plank  [now  macadamized]  road  through  the  valley,  which 
was  formerly  considered  wholly  waste  land.  The  prospect  is  now  that 
you  will  become  a  large  manufacturing  city  and  will  vie  with  Lowell. 
Of  all  the  litfle  group  of  sixteen  or  seventeen  who  encamped 
in  the  woods  on  Chittenango  Hill  about  the  6th  or  7th  of  May,  1793,  I 
don't  know  that  another  lives.  Probably  not.  Colonel  Lincklaen  and 
myself  being  perhaps  nearly  the  youngest.      Among  these  were  James 

but  one  person  who  took  up  a  lot  of  land  during  the  first  four  years,  while  I  continued  in  office 
who  could  not  write  his  name." 

*  The  village  of  Cazenovia  lies  only  partly  in  the  tract  originally  purchased  by  Mr.  Linck-, 
laen,  the  center  of  the  present  Seminary  street  being  the  north  line  of  that  purchase.  Afterwards, 
when  it  became  desirable  to  use  land  to  the  north  of  this  line  for  the  village  plat,  some  10,000 
acres  of  the  New  Petersburgh  tract  was  purchased. 


JOHN   LINCKLAHN. 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  71 

Smith,  Michael  Day,  John  Wilson,  James  Green,  David  Fay,  Stephen 
F.  Blackstone,  Philemon  Tuttle,  David  Freeborn,  Gideon  Freeborn  and 
AsaC.  Towns." 

If  the  predictions  of  municipal  greatness  made  in  this  letter  nearly 
fifty  years  ago  have  not  been  fulfilled,  the  beautiful  village  beside  the 
storied  lake  has  gained  in  picturesque  attractiveness  under  wise  and 
generous  treatment  by  her  citizens,  and  in  social  conditions  found  in 
few  small  communities. 

The  need  of  mills  was  felt  from  the  beginning  of  settlement  and  in 
1794  Mr.  Lincklaen  built  both  a  saw  and  grist  mill,  the  first  ones  in 
the  town.  The  grist  mill  stood  on  Chittenango  Creek  about  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  above  its  junction  with  the  outlet  of  the  lake.  It  was  subse- 
quently sold  by  the  company  to  Dr.  Jonas  Fay  and  was  soon  afterwards 
burned,  with  a  distillery.  Later  mills  were  built  on  the  site  of  the 
Chaphe  mills. 

After  Mr.  Lincklaen's  death,  which  took  place  February  9,  1832,  his 
adopted  son,  Jonathan  Denise  Ledyard,  succeeded  as  agent  for  the 
Holland  Company,  and  in  1832  purchased  the  unsold  lands  belonging 
to  the  company. 

John  Lincklaen,  who  was  so  prominently  connected  with  the  settle- 
ment of  Cazenovia,  was  a  man  of  strong  character  and  high  principles, 
with  abilities  far  above  the  ordinary.  Jan  von  Lincklaen,  his  Dutch 
name,  was  born  in  Amsterdam,  Holland,  December  24,  17G8,  and 
passed  his  boyhood  principally  in  Switzerland,  where  he  received  his 
education.  From  the  age  of  fourteen  he  spent  several  years  in  the 
Dutch  navy,  attaining  the  rank  of  lieutenant.  In  1792  he  emigrated 
to  America,  having  obtained  employment  with  the  Holland  Land  Com- 
pany through  the  influence  of  Pieter  Stadnitzki,  who  had  some  unde- 
fined interest  therein.  He  surveyed  some  of  the  lands  of  the  company 
and  in  the  following  year,  1793,  was  made  the  agent.  He  conceived 
the  plan  of  laying  out  a  town  and  naming  it  in  honor  of  the  first  agent, 
which  plan  he  carried  out.  He  was  a  man  of  broad,  practical  ideas  and 
at  once  entered  upon  the  work  of  improving  the  town,  laying  out  roads, 
building  bridges  and  mills  and  warehouses,  and  encouraging  settle- 
ment in  every  way  possible.  He  acquired  an  interest  in  the  western 
lands  of  the  company,  and  as  a  foreign  organization  could  not  then 
give  valid  title  to  lands  in  this  country,  the  celebrated  tract  known  as 
the  Morris  Reserve,  containing  more  than  3,000,000  acres,  was  deeded 
to  individuals  who  were  in  this  case  Herman  Lej' Roy,  John  Lincklaen, 


72  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

and  Gerrit  Boon.  The  site  of  Mr.  Lincklaen's  dwelling  on  the  bank  of 
Cazenovia  Lake  is  well  known.  It  was  a  picturesque  spot  and  its  selec- 
tion evinced  the  good  taste  of  its  owner.  The  house  he  erected  there 
was  burned  in  1806,  when  he  chose  another  site  at  the  foot  of  the  lake, 
where  he  erected  a  substantial  brick  house  still  standing.  He  had  dur- 
ing his  life  in  this  country,  many  distinguished  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances. He  was  intimately  associated  with  Peter  Smith  and  his  eminent 
son  Gerrit,  and  was  greatly  respected  by  both.  About  1814  Mr.  Linck- 
laen  became  deeply  influenced  by  religion,  leaning  for  a  time  towards 
Unitarianism  on  account  of  some  of  his  most  intimate  friends  being 
members  of  that  denomination.  He  soon,  however,  adopted  the  Trini- 
tarian belief  which  he  held  until  his  death.  In  the  building  of  the  "old 
church  on  the  green  "  he  was  prominent  and  generous  and  filled  his 
later  years  with  good  works.  He  married  in  1797  the  eldest  sister  of 
J.  D.  Ledyard,  who  succeeded  him  as  agent  of  the  Land  Company. 
Mr.  Lincklaen  died  of  paralysis  February  9,  1832,  at  the  comparatively 
early  age  of  fifty-four  years. 

Samuel  S.  Forman  went  to  Cazenovia  with  Mr.  Lincklaen,  as  he  has 
written,  and  as  a  merchant  with  the  Holland  Company,  in  partnership 
for  a  time,  and  later  alone,  continued  several  years.  He  was  a  native 
of  Middletown  Point,  N  J.,  where  he  was  born  July  31,  1765,  and  was 
a  son  of  Samuel  and  Helena  (Denise)  Forman.  After  the  close  of  the 
Revolutionary  war  he  worked  as  clerk  in  a  store  for  his  uncle,  Lieut.  - 
Colonel  Forman,  and  brother-in-law.  Major  Burrows.  A  little  later  he 
engaged  with  his  brother-in-law.  Major  Ledyard,  and  Col.  Benjamin 
Walker,  who  were  in  the  wholesale  hardware  and  commission  business 
in  New  York  city.  He  was  afterward  in  mercantile  business  on  his 
own  account  at  Middletown  Point,  and  in  1789  joined  the  expedition  to 
Natchez,  as  he  has  stated.  He  organized  a  militia  company  at  Caze- 
novia and  was  appointed  major  of  the  regiment  to  which  it  was  attached. 
In  1808  he  married  Sarah  McCarthy,  of  Salina.  His  only  son  died  in 
infancy,  and  his  only  daughter  became  the  wife  of  Dr.  Abraham  Van 
Gaasbeck,  of  Syracuse.  Major  Forman  removed  into  Onondaga  county 
and  died  August  18,  1863.  His  elder  brother,  Jonathan  Forman,  was 
also  an  early  resident  of  Cazenovia  and  took  up  lands  in  what  became 
the  town  of  Nelson,  but  never  settled  on  them.  He  was  a  lieutenant- 
colonel  in  the  Revolutionary  army  and  a  brigadier-general  in  the  State 
militia.  He  settled  later  in  life  at  Pompey  Hollow,  where  he  died  in 
1800.      His  wife  was  Mary  Ledyard,  and  he  was  grandfather  of  Gov. 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  73 

Horatio  .Seymour,  and  a  relative  of  Joshua  Forman,  founder  of  Syra- 
cuse. 

Archibald  Bates  was  one  of  the  pioneers  who  accompanied  Mr.  Linck- 
laen  into  the  town.  He  settled  on  a  farm  about  two  miles  east  of 
Cazenovia  village  and  died  there.  Day  Fay  also  was  one  of  the  com- 
pany who  followed  Mr.  Lincklaen  to  the  town  and  settled  near  Mr. 
Bates.  He  died  October  29,  1826.  Asa  Fay  was  a  brother  of  Day  Fay 
and  settled  in  the  same  locality,  where  he  died  July  8,  1861. 

William  Miles  settled  in  the  south  part  of  the  town.  Other  settlers 
of  1793  were  Noah  Taylor,  whose  wife  was  the  first  white  woman  set- 
tler, Ira  Peck,  Nathan  Webb,  Shubael  Brooks,  Samuel  Tyler,  a  man 
named  Augur,  and  Isaac  Nichols;  the  latter,  as  well  as  Mr.  Taylor, 
were  in  company  with  Mr.  Lincklaen  in  his  migration,  and  settled  on 
the  east  shore  of  the  lake.  His  daughter,  born  October  8,  1793,  was 
the  first  white  child  born  in  the  town. 

In  1794  Lewis  Stanley  settled  in  the  town,  coming  in  from  Connect- 
icut with  his  father's  family  and  settling  near  the  village.  He  died  in 
1857,  aged  seventy-six  years.  David  Smith  settled  in  that  year;  he 
was  a  native  of  Massachusetts  and  removed  when  seventeen  years  old 
with  his  parents  to  Clinton.  He  located  about  a  mile  south  of  New 
Woodstock  on  the  farm  owned  in  recent  years  by  Luther  Hunt.  He 
soon  sold  fifty  of  his  150  acres  to  Edward  Curtis,  who  became  a  settler 
a  little  later.  In  1817  or  1818  Mr.  Smith  built  the  hotel  in  New  Wood- 
stock, and  occupied  it  until  1831,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  his  son 
Erastus  and  his  brother-in-law,  Asa  Merrill;  two  years  later  two 
brothers  of  Erastus  Smith,  Jonathan  and  Jerman,  took  the  house. 
David  Smith  died  July  7,  1844.  Jonathan  Smith,  a  brother  of  David, 
settled  in  the  town  a  year  or  two  later,  taking  up  150  acres  in  the  west 
part  of  the  village  of  New  Woodstock,  which  included  all  of  that  part 
of  the  village  site  lying  south  of  the  Hamilton  and  Skaneateles  Turn- 
pike. He  there  built  a  house  which  was  used  as  the  first  tavern  in  the 
village  and  was  kept  by  him  many  years.     He  left  no  children. 

William  Sims,  Isaac  Morse  and  Chandler  Webber  were  other  early 
.settlers  in  this  locality.  The  latter  died  in  June,  1837.  Isaac  Morse 
died  September  24,  1858,  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years.  Abraham  Til- 
lotson,  from  Hebron,  Conn.,  settled  in  1795  two  miles  south  of  Caze- 
novia village  on  the  farm  subsequently  occupied  by  Gardner  Perkins. 
Within  a  year  he  removed  to  Pompey  East  Hollow,  about  two  miles 
west  of  the  village,    where  he  carried   on   farming  and  brick  making 


74  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

about  twenty  years,  a  part  of  the  time  in  company  with  his  son  Eph- 
raim.  He  had  five  children,  most  of  whom  settled  in  the  town,  but  all 
are  dead.  Ephraim  had  several  children,  four  of  whom  settled  in  the 
town. 

Walter  Childs,  from  Woodstock,  Conn.,  was  a  settler  in  1796,  taking 
up  100  acres  on  the  west  side  of  Cazenovia  Lake,  on  the  turnpike  to 
Manliusand  four  miles  west  of  the  village;  he  died  there  in  1857  at  the 
age  of  eighty-one  j'ears.  His  son,  Willard  T.,  died  in  infancy,  and 
another  son,  Aldis,  is  a  resident  of  Syracuse.  The  other  four  children 
settled  in  Cazenovia. 

Jacob  Ten  Eyck  was  born  in  Albany  and  removed  to  Cazenovia  in 
1797,  where  he  was  employed  as  clerk  in  the  store  of  Samuel  S.  Forman. 
After  six  or  seven  years  of  this  service  he  opened  a  store  on  his  own 
account,  which  he  conducted  until  about  1830;  at  the  same  time  he  had 
extensive  business  interests  in  Chautauqua  county.  When  he  retired 
from  mercantile  trade  he  succeeded  Perry  G.  Childs  as  president  of  the 
Madison  County  Bank  and  occupied  the  position  until  the  expiration  of 
the  charter  of  the  institution.  When  Mr.  Ten  Eyck  settled  in  Cazeno- 
via he  was  about  twelve  years  old.  He  married  a  daughter  of  Joseph 
Burr,  an  early  resident  of  Cazenovia.  Both  he  and  his  wife  died  in 
1853  in  Savannah,  within  three  days  of  each  other,  of  yellow  fever. 

Jeduthan  Perkins  became  a  settler  prior  to  1800  in  what  became  known 
as  the  Perkins  district,  south  of  Cazenovia  village,  where  he  reared  a 
prominent  and  influential  family.  Francis  Norton  came  from  Con- 
necticut in  1800,  and  in  about  1811  removed  to  the  south  part  of  Nelson, 
where  he  died  in  1858.  James  Covell  settled  about  1800  in  the  extreme 
northern  part  of  the  town,  but  removed  about  1830  to  Chautauqua  coun- 
ty, where  he  died.  Hendrick  De  Clercq  was  a  native  of  Holland,  and  em- 
igrated and  settled  in  Cazenovia  in  1800.  His  wife  was  Mary  Ledyard, 
who  came  from  Connecticut  on  horseback  in  1798.  Levi  Burgess  was 
another  settler  in  1800,  and  died  here  in  1863  at  the  age  of  ninety-one 
years. 

Joseph  Holmes,  born  in  Munson,  Mass  ,  removed  from  Chesterfield, 
N.  H.,  in  1801,  and  settled  in  the  vicinity  of  New  Woodstock  where  he 
died  in  1859  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  Caleb  Van  Riper  settled  in 
the  same  year  at  the  head  of  the  lake,  where  he  had  a  tannery  in  earlj' 
years,  which  long  since  disappeared  with  the  saw  mill  at  that  point. 
He  died  in  1845  at  the  age  of  eighty  one  years. 

The  year  1803  saw  the  advent  of  a  number  of  pioneers,  among  whom 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS  75 

were  Edward  Parker  and  Phineas  Southwell,  who  came  originally  from 
Massachusetts,  but  removed  to  Cazenovia  from  Boonville,  N.  Y.,  and 
settled  at  the  head  of  the  lake.  Parker  died  in  1840.  The  Southwell 
farm  was  the  site  of  an  Indian  clearing  of  fifteen  acres,  on  which  have 
been  found  numerous  relics. 

Robert  Fisher  and  Isaac  Warren  settled  in  the  town  about  1803,  at 
New  Woodstock.  Warren  subsequently  removed  to  and  died  in  De 
Ruyter.  John  Savage  settled  at  New  Woodstock  a  little  later,  taking 
up  land  which  included  the  site  of  the  Baptist  meeting  house.  He  was 
a  carpenter  and  died  in  1851,  aged  eighty- eight  years. 

Samuel  Thomas  came  from  Litchfield,  Conn.,  in  1804  and  settled  in 
Cazenovia  village,  where  he  was  engaged  in  harness  making  until  his 
death  in  1861.  His  eldest  son,  Samuel,  who  was  in  company  with  him 
from  about  1833,  succeeded  him  and  continued  the  business,  with  the 
exception  of  about  four  years,  till  his  death  in  1870,  when  is  son  took 
it  and  still  continues.  This  is  one  of  the  oldest  business  industries  in 
the  county  that  has  remained  in  one  family. 

Deacon  Isaiah  Dean  came  from  Gal  way,  Saratoga  county,  in  1804 
and  took  up  a  farm  on  the  west  line  of  the  town,  where  William  Hunt 
resided  in  recent  years.  He  died  there  in  1873.  William  Moore,  born 
in  Connecticut,  was  a  settler  in  1805,  locating  about  three  miles  south 
of  Cazenovia  village,  on  the  farm  subsequently  owned  by  his  brother- 
in-law,  Daniel  Damon,  who  came  from  Western,  Mass.,  a  few  years 
earlier.  Moore  afterward  moved  to,  Smithfield  and  ihence  in  1814  to 
Nelson,  where  he  died  in  1853.  Daniel  Damon  married  Kezia  Litch- 
field of  Cazenovia  and  died  in  1832. 

Christopher  Webb,  from  Canterbury,  Conn.,  settled  in  1806  on  lot  39; 
he  died  in  1837. 

Ebenezer  Knowlton  of  Dartmouth,  N.  H.,  took  his  wife  and  one  child 
to  Cazenovia  in  1806,  setling  on  the  site  of  the  village,  where  he  carried 
on  chair  making  and  the  manufacture  of  linseed  oil.  His  oil  mill  was 
established  in  1815  and  was  the  first  one  in  this  section  of  the  country. 
Later  and  to  about  1848  it  was  operated  by  his  eldest  son,  Edmond. 
The  chair  business  was  started  at  a  very  early  day  by  Nehemiah  White, 
and  was  discontinued  with  the  oil  mill. 

Rev.  Roswell  Beckwith  settled  in  Cazenovia  in  1807;  he  was  a  Baptist 
minister  and  died  in  183G.  Bishop  Tucker  settled  early  in  the  southeast 
part  of  the  town  about  two  miles  east  of  New  Woodstock,  and  his  chil- 
dren located  on  farms  near  by.     Abiel  Ainsworth,  many  years  a  deacon 


76  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

and  prominent  member  of  the  Baptist  church,  and  Reuben  Bryant  were 
also  early  settlers;  the  latter  located  a  mile  east  of  Cazenovia  village. 
The  names  and  something  of  the  lives  of  many  other  pioneers  and  later 
residents  of  this  town  will  appear  as  we  proceed  and  in  Part  II. 

The  inhabitants  of  this  town,  in  common  with  those  of  other  locali- 
ties, adopted  measures  very  soon  after  their  homes  were  established,  to 
to  provide  their  families  with  religious  teaching.  Within  six  years 
from  the  date  of  the  first  settlement,  a  religious  organization  was  per- 
fected, and  meetings  had  been  held  almost  from  the  first.  On  Novem- 
ber 13,  1798,  a  meeting  was  held  at  the  school  house  near  the  lake  for 
the  purpose  of  electing  trustees  for  the  Presbyterian  congregation,  at 
which  Samuel  S.  Forman,  Jedediah  Turner,  sr.,  Samuel  Coats,  sr., 
Asahel  Jackson,  Jeremiah  Clark  and  Joseph  Williams  were  elected,  to 
be  known  as  "  The  Trustees  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Congregation  of 
the  town  of  Cazenovia."  The  trustees  held  their  first  meeting  Novem- 
ber 17,  1798,  when  it  was  resolved  to  circulate  a  subscription  paper  to 
raise  funds  in  cash  or  produce,  payable  at  John  Lincklaen's  mill  near 
the  lake,  for  the  support  of  preaching.  About  a  month  later  when  the 
trustees  again  met  the  subscription  stood  as  follows: 

Jeremiah  Clark _ $31.00 

Samuel  Forman _ 77.50  ■ 

Jedediah  Turner 19.00 

Samuel  R.  Coats 39.00 

Asahel  Jackson. _ 81.00 

Joseph  Williams 45.50 

$293.00 
Samuel  S.  Forman  was    chosen  treasurer.     On    March  2,  1799,   the 
trustees  agreed  to  invite  Rev.  Joshua  Leonard  "  to  tarry  with  us  awhile 
and  preach." 

At  a  later  meeting  it  was  agreed  to  allow  him  "  $6  per  Sabbath  and 
pay  all  his  expenses  of  board  and  horse-keeping,  provided  he  does  not 
settle  with  us."  In  April,  1799,  after  meetings  had  thus  far  been  held 
in  various  places,  sometimes  inconveniencing  many  attendants,  it  was 
determined  to  raise  a  further  sum  of  money  and  establish  regular  preach- 
ing at  one  place.  Authority  was  therefore  given  the  trustees  to  raise 
not  to  exceed  $400  a  year  for  three  years  for  this  purpose.  This  society 
organized  May  17,  1799,  under  ministration  of  Rev.  John  Leonard,  with 
the  following  members:     Jedediah  Turner,  Jacob  Dannals,  John  Tap- 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  77 

pan,  .Samuel  Ruggles  Coats,  Anne  Howd,  Mary  Dannals,  Eunice  Coats 
and  Alethia  Root;  in  the  same  month  Mr.  Leonard  was  engaged  at  a 
salary  of  $300  a  year,  and  he  was  installed  June  6,  1798,  at  the  house  of 
Simeon  Garrett.  New  trustees  were  then  elected  and  instructed  to 
place  a  pulpit  and  seats  in  the  school  house  which  then  stood  just  across 
the  outlet  bridge,  where  the  present  street  turns  toward  the  railroad 
station.  Pastors  succeeding  Mr.  Leonard  were  Revs.  John  Brown, 
1813-29;  Charles  White,  1839-32;  Eleazer  S.  Barrows,  1833-41;  James 
Radcliff  Davenport,  1844-46;  E.  J.  Gillett,  1847-49;  George  S.  Board- 
man,  1850-65;  Nathaniel  P.  Campfield,  1865-68;  David  Torrey,  1869- 
80;  Wilton  Merle  Smith,  1881-84;  Douglas  Putney  Bernie,  1885-90 
The  present  pastor  is  Rev.  S.  E.  Persons.  A  parsonage  was  built  in 
1816  at  a  cost  of  about  $1,000.  The  first  church  building,  erected  in 
1809,  was  occupied  without  material  change  until  1834,  when  improve- 
ments were  made  costing  nearly  $800.  In  1841  a  number  of  members 
left  this  society  and  formed  a  Free  Congregational  church,  which  built 
and  worshiped  in  what  became  the  Concert  Hall.  The  session  house 
connected  with  the  Presbyterian  church  was  built  in  1854,  and  a  new 
parsonage  costing  about  $5,000  was  erected  in  1870. 

The  Baptists  in  this  town  organized  a  society  almost  simultaneously 
with  that  of  the  Presbyterians.  Among  the  Baptists  who  settled  near 
the  site  of  New  Woodstock  were  a  number  of  active,  zealous  young 
men  from  Woodstock,  Conn.  Soon  after  the  arrival  of  Rev.  Joshua 
Leonard,  as  before  mentioned,  they  were  favored  occasionally  with 
preaching  by  Elder  Nathan  Baker,  a  licentiate  from  Pompey.  In  1800 
Elder  James  Bacon  came  on  from  Torrington,  Mass.,  and  through  his 
efforts  a  church  was  organized  the  following  year.  On  the  18th  of 
March  of  that  year  the  little  band  met  and,  as  the  record  says,  "hav- 
ing conversed  about  articles,  both  as  to  doctrine  and  practice,  found 
ourselves  so  far  agreed  that  we  voted  to  send  for  a  council  to  come  and 
look  into  our  standing."  They  then  numbered  only  ten,  but  six  others 
were  baptized  that  spring,  and  the  sixteen  were  fellowshiped  June  17, 
1801,  at  the  house  of  Isaac  Morse.  Elder  James  Bacon  was  an  old  man 
and  was  succeeded  in  1804  by  Rev.  John  Peck,  who  continued  there 
thirty-one  years.  Among  later  pastors  of  the  church  were  Revs.  John 
F.  Bishop,  Daniel  Putnam,  I.  K.  Brownson,  John  Fulton,  N.  Mumford, 
B.  Morley,  H.  Garlick,  P.  C.  Bentley,  A.  Le  Roy,  J.  N.  Tolman,  and 
the  present  pastor.  Rev.  J.  J.  Keyes.  A  small  log  meeting  house  was 
built  by  this  society  in  1802,  which  was  occupied  until  a  few  years  later 


78  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

when  the  church  united  with  the  Presbyterians  in  building  a  frame  edi- 
fice. This  was  soon  outgrown  and  in  1815  the  present  building  was 
erected;  it  has  been  much  improved  since  that  time.  In  1820  a  num- 
ber of  members  of  this  old  society  withdrew  to  form  a  church  in  Caz- 
enovia  village.  No  other  church  was  organized  in  this  town  until  after 
the  formation  of  the  county,  though  services  were  held  in  early  years 
by  the  Methodists. 

The  records  of  this  town  from  its  formation  in  1795  to  1804  are  not  in 
existence,  which  deprives  the  historian  of  the  lists  of  early  officers  and 
probably  of  other  material  of  value.  The  oldest  record  found  gives  the 
proceedings  of  a  meeting  held  at  the  house  of  Capt.  Ebenezer  Johnson 
on  the  first  Tuesday  in  March,  1804.  At  this  meeting  Luther  Water- 
man was  chosen  moderator,  and  it  was  "  Resolved ^  to  reimburse  Lem- 
uel Kingsbury,  the  sum  of  six  dollars  and  eighteen  cents  for  bad  taxes." 
It  was  further  "Resolved,  that  members  of  this  meeting  may  wear 
their  hats  while  attending  said  meeting,  and  that  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  the  people,  we  adjourn  and  meet  on  the  common.  Met  accord- 
ingly and  proceeded  to  choose  town  officers  by  ballot."  The  principal 
officers  chosen  were  as  follows:  Supervisor,  James  Green;  town  clerk, 
Eliphalet  S.  Jackson;  assessors,  Ebenezer  Lyon,  Oliver  Bugbee  and 
Asa  Dana;  commissioners  of  highways,  Isaac  Morse,  Asahel  Jackson, 
Asa  Dana;  collector,  Elisha  Williams. 

It  was  further  resolved  at  this  meeting,  "that  there  be  twenty  Dol- 
lars of  the  town's  money  delivered  to  the  town  clerk  for  the  purpose  of 
procuring  books  for  the  use  of  the  town,  and  that  he  be  requested  to 
draft  off  such  of  the  old  books  as  he  shall  think  necessary,  and  as  a 
compensation,  he  shall  receive  whatever  it  shall  be  judged  to  be  worth 
by  the  Supervisor  and  Justices  of  the  Peace  of  said  town."  It  is  a  fair 
inference  that  the  town  clerk  neglected  to  carry  out  his  instructions  re- 
garding the  records,  which  will  account  for  their  absence  in  the  early 
years. 

It  was  further  resolved,  "that  a  bounty  of  twenty  dollars  shall  be 
given  by  the  town  of  Cazenovia  for  each  wolf  which  shall  be  killed  the 
ensueing  year  by  an)' one  or  more  of  the  inhabitants  of  said  town;" 
another  resolution  provided  for  shutting  up  hogs.  Road  districts  and 
pathmasters  were  then  named  and  the  meeting  adjourned. 

A  special  town  meeting  was  held  June  12,  1804,  at  the  house  of  Eb- 
enezer Johnson,  at  which  important  measures  were  adopted  relative  to 
the  perplexing  question  of  where  to  locate  the  county  seat.     A  com- 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  79 

mittee  of  three  was  appointed  to  meet  the  commissioners  appointed  by 
the  Legislature  to  act  in  the  matter.  The  names  of  the  committee 
were  as  follows:     Dr.  Isaac  Lyman,  Jeremiah  Clark,  Jeremiah  Griffith. 

The  old  records  are  full  of  data  regarding  the  opening  of  new  roads, 
building  bridges  and  other  public  improvements.  For  example,  in  the 
year  1803  the  amount  paid  out  for  repairing  bridges  was  $13L  At  the 
annual  town  meeling  for  1805  it  was  voted  to  divide  the  town  into 
three  districts,  for  each  of  which  was  to  be  nominated  an  assessor  and 
a  commissioner  of  highways.  The  sum  of  $20  was  appropriated  for 
maintenance  of  a  pound,  which  it  was  voted  to  build  in  the  north  part. 

The  post  office  in  Cazenovia  has  an  interesting  history  which  i-s,  for- 
tunately, traceable  back  to  the  beginning  of  its  existence.  It  was  prob- 
ably opened  by  iVIr.  Lincklaen  soon  after  his  arrival  and  may  have  been 
partially  maintained  at  his  expense  until  its  revenue  was  sufficient  for 
the  purpose.  The  document  here  inserted,  which  is  still  preserved, 
indicates  that  the  office  was  under  government  control  as  early  as  Jan- 
uary, 1800,  and  is  of  deep  interest  in  itself: 

P.  O.  at  Cazenovia,  N.  Y.,  in  Acct.  current  with   the  General  D.  O.  from   1st 
Oct.,    1799,  to  1st  Jan'y,  1800:— 

Dr. 

To  postage  of  letters  which  remained  in  office  last  qr §  1-56J2 

"  postage  of  unpaid  letters  received  from  other  offices  this  qr 18.68 

'■  postage  of  letters  undercharged  from  other  offices  this  qr  - _  12}^ 

' '  postage  of  paid  letters  sent  from  this  office  thisqr 33. 59  Ji' 

$58.96}^ 
To  balance  as  above,  being  amount  of  postage  collected  on  letters  this 

qr 51.661^ 

"  amount  of  postage  on  newspapers  and  pamphlets  this  qr 96 

53  621^ 
Cr. 

By  postage  of  letters  overcharged  and  sent  this  qr 58 

"  postage  of  letters     now   remaining   in  this   office, 1.72 

"  balance  carried  down 51.661., 


.53.961^ 

"  Corns,  on  51  D.  66  }.^  c.  Letter  Postage,  at  30  per  cent $15  50 

'•  Com.  on — D.  96  c.  Newspaper  Postage  at  50  percent 48 

15.98 

"  bal.  due  to  the  General  P.  O.  paid  Mr.  Lincklaen,  Esq  ,  as 

per  receipt, 36.64i^ 


80  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Rec'd  Cazenovia,  Dec.  31,  1800.  of  Samuel  S.  Forman,    P.    M.,   in  this  place, 
thirty  dollars  and  ninety-two  cents,  being  the  balance  due  this  qr.  as  per  acct. 

J.   Lincklaen. 

The  post-office  was  kept  in  Mr.  Forman's  store,  but  was  removed  to 
the  store  of  Jabish  N.  M.  Hurd  as  early  as  1803,  when  Mr.  Hurd  was 
postmaster.  He  was  succeeded  in  1821  by  Jesse  Kilbourn,  who  kept 
it  nineteen  years.  The  later  postmasters  have  been  Justin  Dwinelle, 
about  two  years;  William  Phillips,  a  short  period;  Rensselaer  Jackson, 
to  1853;  George  Brown,  1853  to  1861;  Seneca  Lake  and  C.  Hyde 
Beckwith,  the  latter  holding  it  only  about  six  months,  not  being  con- 
firmed by  the  Senate;  E.  Bowen  Crandall,  1867;  John  W.  Howson, 
1871  to  1883;  F.  M.  Taylor,  who  was  soon  succeeded  by  Andrew  Dardis; 
he  died  while  in  office,  as  also  did  his  successor,  William  Crandall. 
John  W.  Howson  was  then  again  appointed  in  1891  and  held  the  office 
until  1896,  when  George  W.  Salisbury  was  appointed  and  is  now  in  the 
office. 

This  town  has  been  the  site  of  a  number  of  manufacturing  industries 
of  considerable  importance,  which,  with  the  great  changes  of  modern 
time  in  the  production  of  goods  of  various  kinds,  have  passed  away; 
but,  aside  from  the  mills  built  by  Mr.  Lincklaen,  before  mentioned, 
none  of  the  early  industries  was  established  before  the  erection  of  the 
county.  Before  that  year  (1806)  a  considerable  mercantile  interest  had 
come  into  existence  and  the  inhabitants  could  find  at  their  doors  nearly 
all  the  necessities  of  their  households.  The  store  opened  by  Mr.  For- 
man was  in  a  part  of  the  first  log  building  erected,  near  the  foot  of  the 
lake,  in  close  proximity  to  the  site  of  the  residence  of  L.  W.  Ledyard. 
The  agreement  between  Mr.  Lincklean  and  Mr.  Forman  in  connection 
with  this  store  and  other  operations  relative  to  the  settlement  was  as 
follows : 

Articles  of  agreement  made  and  concluded  on  in  Philadelphia  this  seventeenth 
day  of  March,  1793,  between  Mr.  Jno.  Lincklaen  of  the  one  part  and  Samuel  S.  For- 
man of  the  other  part.  viz. :  the  said  Forman  engages  to  go  with  the  said  Lincklaen 
in  the  back  parts  of  the  State  of  New  York,  to  form  a  settlement  and  take  charge 
of  all  Merchandize  as  is  assigned  to  hira,  transact  the  business  under  the  directions 
of  said  Lincklaen,  and  in  his  absence  said  Forman  to  superintend  generally  the  busi- 
ness to  the  best  of  his  abilities. 

The  said  Lincklaen  on  his  part  engages  to  pay  the  said  Forman  for  his  services  Five 
hundred  Spanish  Milled  Dollars  per  annum;  one-half  payable  in  six  months  from 
the  commencement  of  the  year,  and  the  other  half  at  the  expiration  thereof,  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  or  the  place  of  establishing  the  business,  to  be  at  the  said  Forman's 
option.     Also  the  said  Lincklaen  engages  to  pay  all  expenses  of  said  Foreman,  viz. : 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  81 

Travelling  expenses,  boarding,  washing,  lodging  and  every  other  expense  that  un- 
avoidably accrues  while  in  the  employ  of  said  Lincklaen,  and  also  will  further  give 
said  Forman  one  hundred  acres  of  land  within  the  township  where  the  store  and 
settlement  is  to  be  fixed. 

This  agreement  to  continue  for  one  year  only,  commencing  on  the  twenty-fifth 
day  of  March  instant  in  New  York — the  said  Forman  agrees  to  give  up  the  said  Land 
if  the  parties  hereof  do  not  agree  for  more  than  one  year,  or  said  Forman  do  not  put 
a  .settler  on  it — the  said  Lincklaen  agrees  to  pay  said  Forman's  expenses  back  to 
New  York  (City)  on  the  dissolution  of  their  agreement. 

In  Witness  whereof,  the  Parties  have  hereunto  interchangeably  sett  their  hands 
&  seals,  the  day  and  year  first  above  written. 

Signed,  sealed  and  ^'       ^-  B.— The  word  a/l  [which  we  have  marked  with 

-,  V   '      J    ■     n  I   an  *  for  convenience  of  reference!  in  the  twentieth 

delivered  in  the  ' 

of  '   ''"^  from  the  top  on  the  preceding  side  was  inter- 

lined before  the  signing. 

J.  Lincklaen  Antz. 
Samuel  S.  Forman. 


P.  Jacob  Sciiwartze. 


The  store  established  by  Mr.  Forman  was  subsequently  acquired  by 
himself  and  he  continued  in  the  village  as  a  merchant  about  thirty 
years.  The  last  store  building  occupied  by  him  stood  on  the  southwest 
corner  of  the  public  square.  He  removed  to  Peterboro  and  later  to 
Syracuse. 

Jabish  N.  M.  Hurd  settled  in  the  village  about  1800  and  was  a  mer- 
chant in  a  store  that  stood  on  the  northwest  corner  of  the  square  next 
to  the  site  of  the  Presbyterian  church ;  he  continued  in  business  until 
about  1827,  when  he  removed  to  Albany  and  there  died.  Eliakim 
Roberts  was  in  trade  in  the  village  as  early  as  1803,  on  the  southeast 
corner  of  the  square,  on  the  site  of  the  Stanton  House.  Jacob  Ten 
Eyck  was  also  in  mercantile  business  in  the  village  from  about  1804  and 
conducted  a  large  trade  to  about  1830.  Jesse  Kilbourn,  from  Litch- 
field, Conn.,  settled  in  the  village  in  1806  and  engaged  in  mercantile 
trade  which  he  continued  to  his  death  in  1842.  He  was  a  prominent 
citizen,  held  several  offices   and  was   elected  to   the  Assembly  in  1832. 

As  will  be  seen  from  the  foregoing  pages  of  this  chapter,  the  town 
and  village  of  Cazenovia  in  1806,  when  Madison  county  was  formed, 
was  a  stirring,  prosperous,  though  small,  community,  that  was  rapidly 
increasing  in  numbers.  Two  or  three  lawyers  were  already  seeking, 
and  probably  finding,  business  in  the  village,  and  Dr.  Isaac  Lyman 
began  practice  in  his  profession  in  1799  The  Masonic  Order,  which 
so  closely  follows  in  the  footsteps  of  the  pioneers  in  every  part  of  the 
country,  formed  United  Brethren  Lodge  No.  78,  on  the  9th  of  May, 

6 


82  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

17Q9,  with  Jeremiah  Clark,  master,  and  the  forest  was  being  cleared 
away  to  make  room  for  the  attractive  homes  that  soon  appeared  through- 
out the  town. 

The  only  remaining  town  to  be  noticed,  that  was  organized  previous 
to  the  formation  of  the  county,  is  De  Ruyter,  which  was  erected  March 
15,  1798,  from  Cazenovia  and  then  included  the  present  towns  of 
Lincklaen,  Otselic  and  Pitcher,  which  were  set  off  at  the  time  of  the 
formation  of  Madison  county,  and  Georgetown,  set  off  April  7,  1815. 
On  this  date  a  small  part  of  Cazenovia  was  annexed.  The  town  was 
named  from  Admiral  De  Ruyter,  of  the  Dutch  navy,  and  at  the  sug- 
gestion of  John  Lincklaen,  the  pioneer.  It  is  in  the  southwest  corner 
of  the  county  and  bounded  north  by  Cazenovia,  east  by  Georgetown, 
south  by  Lincklaen,  and  west  by  Fabius  and  Cuyler.  Its  present  terri- 
tory lies  wholly  within  the  Gore.  The  surface  is  a  hillj'  upland  the 
elevations  rising  from  400  to  500  feet  above  the  valleys,  through  which 
extends  the  valley  of  the  upper  Tioughnioga;  this  stream,  with  numer- 
ous small  tributaries,  flows  in  a  general  westerly  direction,  giving  the 
town  abundant  water  and  drainage.  The  soil  on  the  hills  is  sandy  and 
gravelly  loam  of  good  quality,  watered  by  frequently  appearing  pure 
springs,  rendering  it  admirable  for  grazing.  In  the  valleys  is  found  a 
rich  alluvium,  well  adopted  to  the  various  grains.  The  farmers  of  the 
town,  as  will  be  seen  further  on,  have  always  given  their  principal  at- 
tention to  dairying. 

The  northwest  part  of  the  town  is  underlaid  with  the  rocks  of  the 
Hamilton  group,  and  in  the  other  parts  the  Ithaca  group  comes  to  the 
surface.  Neither  of  these  rocks  has  been  extensively  quarried  in  this 
town.  What  is  now  a  branch  of  the  Lehigh  Valley  Railroad  (formerly 
the  Utica,  Ithaca  and  Elmira  and  later  the  Elmira,  Cortland  and 
Northern)  extended  across  the  northern  part  of  the  town  and  through 
De  Ruyter  village. 

Settlement  was  begun  in  De  Ruyer  in  1793  by  Elijah  and  Elias  Ben- 
jamin, brothers,  and  Eli  Colegrove,  the  Benjamins  coming  from 
Dutchess  county  and  locating  in  the  northwest  corner  of  the  town  on 
150  acres  which  constitute  the  farm  of  Benjamin  Merchant.  Elias 
soon  moved  to  the  Philander  Burton  place  a  mile  north  of  the  village 
sice.  Both  brought  their  families  with  teams  of  horses.  Elijah  had 
three  sons  who  came  with  him,  Elias  P.,  David,  and  Elijah  E.,  and  five 
other  children  were  born  after  his  settlement.  He  sold  his  improve- 
ments in  1808  to  Benjamin  Merchant  and  removed  to  Cuyler.     Elias 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  83 

P.  Benjamin  married  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Rich,  of  De  Ruyter,  settled 
on  Mr.  Rich's  farm  and  operated  his  mills.  David  Benjamin  married 
another  daughter  of  Mr.  Rich  and  also  settled  on  the  farm,  whence  he 
removed  about  1820  to  Ohio.  Elijah  E.  Benjamin  settled  on  his  father's 
farm  in  Cuyler,  but  subsequently  removed  to  De  Ruyter,  where  he 
lived  to  a  great  age.  He  had  thirteen  children,  one  of  whom  was 
Horace  Benjamin  of  this  town.  Frederick  Benjamin,  born  in  De 
Ruyter  in  1794,  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  the  town.  After  be- 
ing twice  married  he  removed  to  Belvidere,  111.,  about  1836  and  there 
died.  Charles  Benjamin,  son  of  Elijah,  settled  in  De  Ruyter,  followed 
shoemaking  and  died  in  the  village. 

Elias  Benjamin,  the  other  pioneer  of  that  name,  was  a  shoemaker  and 
followed  that  occupation  some  years  on  the  Burton  farm ;  he  subse- 
quently removed  to  Lincklaen  and  thence  to  Truxton,  where  he  died 
leaving  no  children. 

Eli  Colegrove  was  from  Rhode  Island  and  settled  near  Elijah  Benja- 
min's homestead;  he  afterwards  moved  to  another  farm  a  little  farther 
north  and  died  there.  His  original  homestead  has  been  divided  into 
smaller  places. 

A  prominent  settler  of  1795  was  Joseph  Messenger,  who  located 
about  a  mile  north  of  the  village  and  built  a  double  log  house  in  which 
in  1796  he  opened  the  first  tavern  in  the  town.  For  many  years  his 
house  was  a  popular  resort  for  the  many  who  were  seeking  homes  in 
this  county  and  on  the  Military  Tract,  who  always  found  there  a  hospi- 
table reception.  In  the  same  year  Samuel  Thompson  settled  on  the 
Thomas  Doan  place  and  resided  there  until  his  death  at  the  age  of 
ninety  years.  He  was  a  crack  shot  and  a  noted  hunter,  which  gave 
him  the  local  appellation  of  Leather  Stocking.  Among  his  children 
were  Langdon,  Hiram  who  was  killed  by  a  falling  tree,  Jefferson,  Har- 
riet (married  Epaphras  Leet),  Laura,  and  a  daughter  who  became  Mrs. 
Pulford.  William  and  Thompson  Burdick,  brothers,  were  pioneers  of 
1795,  and  settled  a  little  south  of  the  site  of  the  reservoir.  They  raised 
large  families  and  were  ancestors  of  the  numerous  families  of  that 
name  in  this  vicinity.  At  about  this  time,  also,  Russell  Walker  settled 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  Burdicks;  he  was  grandfather  of  Henry  S.  Wal- 
ker, now  a  merchant  of  De  Ruyter  village. 

Daniel  Page,  Gideon  Foster  and  Eleazer  Gage  were  pioneers  of  a 
little  later  date,  the  former  coming  from  Dutchess  county  and  settling 
in  the  village,  where  he  built  the  first  public  house  in  the  corporation; 


84  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

it  was  a  Io«f  building,  which  was  replaced  about  180(3  by  a  frame  struc- 
ture which  stood  until  recent  years.  Mr.  Page  was  a  practical  surveyor 
and  did  not  remain  long  in  the  town,  but  a  hotel  was  kept  in  the  build- 
ing he  occupied  at  intervals  until  1863.  Gideon  Foster  died  in  the 
spring  of  1796  from  hernia  produced  by  over-exertion,  and  was  buried 
on  the  farm  of  Elijah  Benjamin;  this  was  the  first  death  in  the  town. 

Eleazer  Gage  brought  in  with  him  his  sons  Justus,  Jeremiah,  Ira  and 
Ebenezer,  all  of  whom  had  previously  married,  and  settled  about  a  mile 
north  of  the  village  site.  Justus  settled  where  Charles  Weeks  now 
lives  and  died  there  in  1830.  Capt.  Jeremiah  located  where  Dwight  F. 
Taylor  now  resides,  two  miles  north  of  the  village ;  he  kept  a  tavern 
there  several  years,  but  removed  to  the  village  a  few  years  before  his 
death,  which  took  place  in  1844.  Ebenezer  settled  where  Horace 
Wells  recently  died.  Ira  was  the  first  school  teacher  in  the  town,  be- 
ginning in  1799  in  a  log  building  which  stood  on  the  farm  occupied  in 
recent  years  by  Isaac  Higley,  which  had  been  erected  for  a  dwelling; 
he  removed  in  early  years  to  Ohio.  The  Gage  families  were  once 
numerous  in  this  section,  and  had  many  members  who  were  much  re 
spected. 

In  about  the  year  1800  Jonathan  Shed,  from  Brimfield,  Mass.,  settled 
in  the  northeast  part  of  the  town  at  the  corners  that  still  bear  his  name. 
Matthew  Wells  settled  about  the  same  time,  and  Darius  Benjamin  and 
Samuel  Bowen  soon  after.  Mr.  Wells  wasanativeof  Hopkinton,  R.  I., 
and  removed  thence  to  Rensselaer  county,  N.  Y.,  and  from  there  to 
De  Ruyter,  settling  three  miles  north  of  the  village,  where  he  died  in 
1853.  Darius  Benjamin  was  a  brother  of  the  two  pioneers  of  that  name 
and  settled  within  the  present  village  corporation;  his  farm  was  sub- 
sequently divided  into  village  lots. 

Levi  Wood,  from  Munson,  Mass.,  lived  for  a  time  in  Brimfield  in 
that  State,  and  came  to  this  town  in  1803;  he  brought  in  his  family  the 
following  year  and  located  on  lot  55.  About  the  same  time  Sylvester 
Crumb  came  on  from  Rhode  Island  and  settled  on  what  has  ever  since 
borne  the  name  of  Crumb  Hill,  four  miles  east  of  the  village;  he  died 
there  at  an  early  day. 

Joseph  Rich  was  from  Woodstock,  Conn.,  and  settled  in  this  town 
about  1807,  purchasing  the  Elias  Benjamin  farm,  as  before  stated;  this 
became  the  well  known  Burton  farm.  He  and  his  wife  both  died  there, 
and  their  two  daughters  (their  only  children)  married  sons  of  Elijah 
Benjamin.     Mr.  Rich  built  in  1807  a  saw  mill  and  in  1809  a  grist  mill 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  85 

on  the  branch  of  the  Tioughnioga,  which  flows  through  the  farm;  the 
the  site  of  the  mills  was  about  a  mile  north  of  the  village.  They  were 
the  first  mills  in  the  town.  These  mills  were  operated  until  the  con- 
struction of  the  reservoir  for  the  supply  of  the  Erie  Canal,  which  de- 
stroyed the  privilege.  The  grist  mill  was  converted  into  a  cheese 
factor}',  elsewhere  noticed,  the  original  mill  having  been  rebuilt  in  1836; 
the  saw  mill  was  taken  down  and  the  frame  used  in  building  an  addi- 
tion to  the  grist  mill.  There  was  another  saw  mill  on  the  site  of  the  vil- 
lage, which  was  built  soon  after  settlement  began,  on  the  site  of  which 
a  later  one  was  built  b)'  Joseph  Crumb;  there  was  also  an  early  grist 
mill  at  the  village. 

Jonathan  Bentley  and  Benjamin  Merchant  were  pioneers  of  about 
the  year  1808.  The  former  was  from  Rhode  Island  originally,  but  re- 
moved to  Washington  county,  N.  Y.,  while  yoimg.  When  he  came  to 
De  Ruyter  his  two  sons,  Hamilton  S.  and  Zadock  T.,  accompanied 
him.  He  located  on  fifty  acres  in  the  north  part  of  the  town  and  there 
died  in  1841.  Benjamin  Merchant  was  from  Woodstock,  Conn.,  and 
purchased  Elijah  Benjamin's  farm,  where  he  resided  a  few  years  and 
died  from  an  epidemic  disease.  His  son  Bradley  succeeded  to  the  farm 
and  also  died  there.  Bradley  had  sons,  M.  R.  and  Rollin,  who  lived 
in  De  Ruyter,  and  Warren,  who  moved  away. 

At  about  the  date  now  under  consideration  a  large  number  of  Friends 
(Quakers)  left  the  Hudson  River  country,  Saratoga,  Westchester  and 
Dutchess  counties,  and  settled  in  De  Ruyter  and  in  the  adjoining  towns 
of  Cuyler  and  Truxton.  Prominent  among  them  were  Job  Webb  and 
Benjamin  Stratton,  from  Hudson;  Abram  Sutton,  who  became  a  prom- 
inent citizen  and  was  father  of  Allen  Sutton,  and  carried  on  a  large 
tanning  business  with  his  sons  many  years;  John  Shepard,  from  Sara- 
toga; James  Hunt,  father  of  William,  Elihu,  and  other  sons  who  became 
heads  of  families;  Nathaniel  Wright,  from  Saratoga  county;  John 
Pierce,  from  New  York;  Reuben  Barnard,  from  Columbia  county,  who 
settled  on  Crumb  Hill;  John  Gifford,  a  preacher  from  Troy,  who  set- 
tled two  miles  south  of  Crumb  Hill;  Ephraim  Arnold,  a  tanner,  who 
settled  in  Quaker  Basin,  and  Beman  Hoag  also  located  in  that  section; 
Capt.  Francis  Bunker,  who  had  commanded  a  vessel  on  the  Hudson, 
settled  with  his  family  about  a  mile  north  of  the  village;  David  Wood 
and  John  Hewitt,  from  Saratoga  county;  Richard  North,  from  Colum- 
bia county,  who  settled  first  in  the  village  and  removed  to  the  south 
hill;  Joseph,    Thomas  and    Benjamin   Mitchell,  brothers,    the  latter  a 


86  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

clothier,  from  Dutchess  county;  Dr.  Ephraim  Otis,  an  eminent  physi- 
cian from  Saratoga  county,  settled  a  mile  south  of  the  village;  Stephen 
Bogardus,  from  Columbia  county;  Benjamin  Wibert,  from  Saratoga 
county;  Enos  and  Amos  Peasley,  brothers,  Elijah  Cornell,  father  of 
Ezra  Cornell,  founder  of  the  great  university  that  bears  his  name; 
Joseph  and  Benjamin  Tripp  and  David  Ring,  from  Columbia  county; 
James  Derbyshire,  from  Saratoga  county;  Joseph  Underwood,  from 
Dutchess  county.  All  of  these  settled  within  the  limits  of  De  Ruyter 
town  and  formed  a  respected  and  useful  element  of  citizenship.  Friends' 
meetings  were  begun  about  1806-7  in  a  log  house  near  the  north 
bounds  of  the  village,  and  in  1815  a  Friends'  meeting  house  was  built 
in  Quaker  Basin,  about  two  miles  east  of  the  village,  in  which  meet- 
ings were  regularly  held  for  three-quarters  of  a  century.  The  original 
church  was  demolished  in  1898  and  the  Methodist  chapel  built  on  the 
site.  The  society  divided  in  1837,  and  those  who  called  themselves 
the  Orthodox  branch  built  a  meeting  house  in  1830;  but  it  was  used 
only  a  few  years,  many  of  the  sect  having  removed  from  the  town. 

Elder  Joseph  Coley  was  an  early  settler  and  a  Baptist  minister,  who 
located  a  mile  north  of  the  village.  He  was  a  prominent  citizen  and 
acted  in  the  interest  of  John  Lincklaen  in  selling  land  to  the  Friends. 
He  died  near  New  Woodstock  in  1856,  aged  ninety-one  years.  Zenas 
Rider  came  from  Dutchess  county  and  settled  a  little  north  of  the  vil- 
lage as  early  as  1808,  and  died  there.  Many  other  early  settlers  of  the 
town  are  noticed  further  on  and  in  Part  II. 

Two  churches  at  least  were  formed  in  De  Ruyter  previous  to  the 
erection  of  the  county  in  1806.  The  first  religious  meeting  of  Baptists 
was  held  November  5,  1798,  over  which  Elder  Joel  Butler  presided,  at 
the  house  of  Joseph  Messenger.  Two  were  baptized  and  on  the  follow- 
ing Sunday  two  more.  A  few  others  soon  united  with  these  and  on 
December  9  they  met  and  organized  by  adopting  articles  of  faith  and 
practice;  in  the  same  month  they  were  recognized  by  a  council.  At 
that  time  there  were  twenty-three  members.  In  January,  1801,  Nathan 
Baker,  a  licentiate,  was  ordained  as  preacher.  In  June,  1804,  Caleb 
Smith  was  chosen  deacon,  a  position  which  he  occupied  with  great 
acceptance  until  his  death  in  1856.  During  the  years  1817-18  a  lot  was 
purchased  a  little  east  of  the  village  and  a  frame  church  erected.  This 
was  occupied  until  1842,  when  a  new  and  more  commodious  edifice  was 
finished ;  it  is  the  one  still  in  use.  Among  the  early  pastors  were  Revs. 
Richard  H.  Benedict,  Joseph  Maltby,  Lewis  T.  Seaman,  Joseph  Coley, 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  87 

J.  C.  Holt,  William  Denison,  Luman  W.  Webster,  William  A.  Wells, 
J.  B.  Pixley,  W.  H.  Douglas,  Benjamin  Crandall,  Thomas  Fisher,  E. 
W.  Bliss,  D.  Leach,  and  a  long  list  of  others,  many  of  whom  served 
only  a  year  or  less.  At  the  present  time  the  congregation  is  small  and 
the  pulpit  is  supplied  largely  by  Hamilton  students. 

There  has  always  been  a  large  element  of  Seventh  Day  Baptists  in 
this  town.  In  1795  William  and  Thompson  Burdick,  the  pioneers  al- 
ready mentioned,  began  the  so-called  "  Sabbath-keeping  "  settlement 
about  three  miles  north  of  the  village  site.  These  were  soon  joined  by 
Jonathan,  Luke  and  Pardon  Coon,  Matthew  Wells,  aud  Jonathan  Bent- 
ley,  Sylvester  Crumb  and  many  others  who  located  in  this  vicinity  and 
in  adjoining  towns.  By  1815  the  sect  here  was  a  numerous  one,  and 
meetings  were  held  in  barns,  school  houses  and  dwellings,  in  which 
Elder  David  Davis  and  others  took  the  lead.  On  September  15,  1815, 
a  meeting  was  held  for  the  purpose  of  organization  and  a  covenant  was 
signed  by  twelve  men  and  thirteen  women.  For  about  ten  years  meet- 
ings were  held  alternately  in  De  Ruyter  and  Lincklaen,  and  in  1837  the 
membership  numbered  127.  In  1831  the  Lincklaen  church  was  organ- 
ized by  members  dismissed  from  this  society.  In  1835  the  society  built 
the  substantial  church  edifice  it  has  ever  since  occupied.  Although 
this  church  has  been  at  times  without  a  regular  pastor,  meetings  have 
usually  been  regularly  held,  and  the  society  is  still  in  an  active  and 
prosperous  condition.     Present  pastor,  Rev.  L.  R.  Swinny. 

Although  a  little  out  of  its  chronological  order  the  early  Methodist 
church  may  properly  be  noticed  here.  Meetings  of  members  of  this 
sect  were  held  in  the  town  at  a  very  early  date,  and  in  1817  it  became  a 
preaching  station  on  the  Cortland  Circuit.  In  1830  a  Union  church 
edifice  was  built  to  which  this  denomination  contributed  and  meetings 
were  held  therein  regularly.  The  church  is  on  the  Cuyler  charge. 
The  present  church  edifice  was  erected  in  1884,  the  former  one  having 
been  changed  into  a  business  building.  There  was  a  Methodist  church 
formed  in  early  years  at  Shed's  Corners,  which  is  still  in  existence.  A 
Universalist  society  also  was  formed  there  many  years  ago,  but  it  grad- 
ually declined  and  has  gone  out  of  existence.  The  building  is  now  used 
for  a  dwelling. 

The  town  of  De  Ruyter  at  the  time  of  the  formation  of  Madison 
county,  as  the  foregoing  pages  indicate,  was  quite  fully  settled  and  many 
farms  were  partially  cleared  and  supplied  with  comfortable  homes.  A 
few  early  schools  were  being  taught,  the  first  mills  were  in   operation, 


88  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

around  which  was  forming  the  nucleus  of  a  more  numerous  settlement, 
the  household  wants  of  whom  were  supplied  by  Samuel  Bowen  who 
opened  a  store  soon  after  1800  in  a  little  building  which  stood  just  north 
of  the  Tabor  House  site.  A  man  named  Gray  built  the  first  frame 
store  before  1805  and  other  merchants  soon  followed.  The  burning  of 
the  town  hall  destroyed  the  town  records  of  De  Ruyter,  making  it  im- 
possible to  describe  the  public  proceedings  of  the  authorities  in  early 
years. 


CHAPTER  VII. 
FURTHER  TOWN  FORMATION  AND  SETTLEMENT, 

When  the  much-desired  division  of  Chenango  count)'  was  accom- 
plished in  1806,  the  inhabitants  of  the  northern  part  of  the  former  great 
civil  division  felt  the  highest  satisfaction  in  the  knowledge  that  in  their 
future  they  would  not  be  compelled  to  travel  long  distances  for  the 
transaction  of  public  busmess  and  to  attend  the  courts,  and,  as  we  have 
seen,  their  public  spirit  was  exhibited  in  their  prompt  attention  to  the 
establishment  of  a  new  county  seat,  the  erection  of  court  buildings  and 
the  inauguration  of  the  county  government. 

Meanwhile,  as  population  continued  its  rapid  increase,  the  further 
division  of  the  five  then  existing  large  towns  became  imperative,  and 
the  people  did  not  delay  action  in  the  important  work.  No  less  than 
five  new  towns  were  erected  in  the  year  following  the  formation  of  the 
county,  1807;  these  were  Eaton,  Lebanon,  and  Madison,  erected  Feb- 
ruary 6,  and  Nelson  and  Smithfield  oa  March  13  Settlements  had 
already  been  made  in  all  these,  beginning  in  1792-3,  to  which  attention 
must  now  be  given. 

The  town  of  Eaton  was  formed  from  Hamilton  on  February  G,  1807, 
is  situated  centrally  in  the  county  and  bounded  on  the  north  by  Smith- 
field  and  Stockbridge,  on  the  east  by  Madison,  on  the  south  by  Leba- 
non, and  on  the  east  by  Nelson.  It  was  named  in  honor  of  Gen.  Will- 
iam Eaton,  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  who,  after  filling  consular  positions, 
returned  to  Brim  field,  Mass.,  whence  many  families  migrated  to  this 
vicinity.     Its  area  is  a  little  less  than  28,000  acres.     The  Chenango 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  89 

River  flows  across  the  town  from  the  northeast  corner,  and  its  valley 
comprises  a  large  part  of  the  area,  the  sloping  sides  and  level  bottom 
lands  being  rich  and  fertile  and  giving  variety  and  beauty  to  the  scen- 
ery. In  the  northern  part  the  slope  is  towards  the  north  and  the  drain- 
age flows  to  Oneida  Lake.  In  the  vicinity  of  Eaton  village  are  a  num- 
ber of  springs  which  are  strongly  impregnated  with  sulphur,  and  in  all 
parts  of  the  town  are  numerous  springs  of  pure  water,  which  water  the 
pasture  and  meadow  area  and  create  streams  which  in  past  years  turned 
many  wheels  of  industry.  Alder  Brook  rises  in  the  town  of  Nelson 
and  flows  easterly  through  the  southern  part  of  Eaton  and  empties  into 
the  Chenango  at  Eaton  village;  it  has  numerous  mill  sites.  Leland's 
Ponds  and  Woodman's  Pond  are  three  beautiful  small  bodies  of  water 
in  the  southern  part,  which  were  drawn  upon  to  supply  a  reservoir  con- 
structed in  1836  to  supply  the  Chenango  Canal,  which  curves  into  the 
southeastern  part  of  the  town.  The  flow  from  Hatch's  Lake  and  Brad- 
ley Brook  Pond  in  the  southwest  corner  was  taken  for  the  same  pur- 
pose. These  waters  have  always  been  noted  for  their  abundance  of 
fish  and  were  favorite  resorts  of  the  Oneida  Indians,  whose  trail  to  the 
Susquehanna  passed  the  Leland's  and  Woodman's  Ponds;  the  stream 
flowing  southward  from  the  southernmost  of  the  ponds  was  known  as 
Pine  Woods  Creek. 

The  soil  of  Eaton  is  clayey  and  gravelly  loam  on  the  hills,  and  in  the 
valleys  gravelly  loam  and  alluvium.  The  region  was  formerly  covered 
mainly  with  the  hard  maple  tree  and  great  quantities  of  excellent  sugar 
were  produced.  In  early  years  general  farming  was  followed,  but  dur- 
ing the  past  half  century  dairying  has  been  the  principal  agricultural  in- 
dustry. This  town  introduced  the  first  cheese  factory  and  creamery  in 
Madison  county,  thus  leading  in  a  movement  that  revolutionized  the 
farmer's  occupation. 

Eaton  was  Township  No.  2  of  the  Twenty  Townships  and  was  part 
of  the  purchase  made  for  Sir  William  Pultney  by  English  agents. 
William  Smith  was  the  agent  in  the  purchase  of  this,  as  well  as  other 
towns,  as  described  in  an  earlier  chapter,  and  the  township  was  pat- 
ented to  him  in  April,  1794.  When  Smith  subsequently  resigned  his 
agency  he  was  succeeded  by  Robert  Troup  and  in  the  arrangement 
Smith  had  reserved  to  him  the  tier  of  lots  west  of  the  center. 

John  and  James  Salisbury,  brothers,  who  were  with  the  first  settlers 
in  the  adjoming  town  of  Lebanon,  entered  the  limits  of  Eaton,  on  lot 
94,  in  the  fall  of  1792,  and  made  a  clearing,  but  the  severity  of  the  ap- 


90  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

proaching  winter  drove  them  back  and  they  never  returned  to  their 
humble  improvements.  The  first  permanent  settler  in  Eaton  was 
Joshua  Leland.  a  native  of  Sherburne,  Mass.,  born  in  1741  and  mi- 
grated to  this  town  in  1793,  and  began  clearing  a  farm.  He  was  soon 
joined  by  John  H.  and  Benjamin  Morris  who  aided  him  in  his  work. 
In  the  fall  he  went  back  to  his  former  home  and  in  the  following  spring 
took  his  family  to  the  wilderness  home,  which  had  been  made  habitable 
by  the  Morrises  during  the  winter.  This  place  was  on  lot  94  and  later 
became  known  as  the  Dunbar  farm.  The  journey  in  was  extremely 
difficult  and  when  the  family  were  within  a  few  miles  of  their  destina- 
tion the  cart  sank  in  the  mire  and  Mr.  Leland  was  compelled  to  go  and 
get  the  Morrises  to  help  him  out.  The  point  where  the  cart  was  thus 
mired  became  the  later  homestead  and  the  locality  is  still  known  as 
Leland's  Pond.  Mr.  Leland  kept  the  first  public  house  in  Eaton,  his 
humble  house  supplying  a  welcome  hostelry  for  many  of  the  local 
pioneers;  it  stood  on  the  site  of  the  later  Dunbar  residence.  Mr. 
Leland  also  built  the  first  grist  mill  at  the  foot  of  the  Leland  Lake  in 
1795,  and  before  the  close  of  that  year  added  a  saw  mill.  To  operate 
these  mills  a  dam  was  built  behind  which  the  water  overflowed  a  large 
tract  of  lowland,  causing  dissemination  of  malaria;  this  resulted  in  the 
purchase  of  the  mills  by  the  town  within  two  or  three  years  and  the 
destruction  of  the  dam.  The  heavy  forests  of  hardwood  in  that  region 
enabled  the  pioneers  to  make  large  quantities  of  potash  and  Mr.  Leland 
was  the  first  to  engage  in  the  business,  the  product  finding  a  ready 
market  and  generally  for  cash.  Mr.  Leland  was  killed  June  22,  ISIO, 
while  taking  a  load  of  potash  to  Albany,  the  barrels  rolling  upon  him 
while  descending  a  hill  in  Cherry  Valley.  He  left  a  large  estate  to  his 
family.  He  had  six  sons,  the  first  letters  of  whose  given  names  were 
the  vowels — A,  E,  I,  O,  U  and  Y — thus:  Amasa,  Ezra,  Isaac,  Orrison, 
Uriah  and  Yale.  There  was  a  seventh  son,  Joshua,  and  three  daugh- 
ters. 

In  1795  Mr.  Leland  induced  other  families  from  Sherburne,  Mass., 
to  locate  near  him;  these  were  Benjamin  Morse,  Simeon  Gillett,  Levi 
Bonney,  Elijah  Haydon  and  Daniel  Alby.  In  the  same  year  Benjamin 
Morse's  son,  Sawen,  was  born,  the  first  birth  in  the  town.  The  first 
death  was  that  of  Simeon  Gillett,  which  took  place  in  1796;  in  the  same 
year  the  first  marriage  was  performed,  uniting  Mr.  Gillett's  daughter, 
Dorcas,  with  Lewis  Wilson,  who  had  just  come  from  the  east. 

In  1796  Samuel  Sinclair,  Joseph  Morse,  William   Mills,  Humphrey 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  91 

Palmer,  Deacon  McCrellis,  and  perhaps  a  few  others,  became  settlers 
in  the  town.  Mr.  Sinclair  succeeded  Mr.  Leland  in  keeping  the  tavern 
at  the  old  place  and  became  quite  popular  as  a  landlord.  The  Morse 
family  soon  became  and  have  ever  since  remained  one  of  the  most 
prominent  and  worthy  in  the  town.  Ellis  Morse,  son  of  Joseph,  born 
in  1789,  died  in  1869,  was  a  liberally  educated  man  of  excellent  busi- 
ness capacity,  high  character,  and  was  frequently  called  upon  in  past 
years  to  fill  local  offices.  He  built  the  still  existing  fine  old  stone  resi- 
dence in  1819,  where  hospitality  and  domestic  happiness  were  ever 
present.  The  son,  Calvin,  was  born  in  1799  and  lived  to  become  the 
oldest  resident,  retaining  to  a  remarkable  degree  his  active  faculties. 
He  held  various  public  offices.  A  younger  son  of  Joseph  Morse  went 
to  Pennsylvania  in  1820,  became  a  large  manufacturer,  and  died  there 
about  1870.  Eunice,  daughter  of  Joseph,  married  Dr.  James  Pratt,  the 
first  and  for  a  few  years  the  only  physician  in  Eaton.  Bigelow  Morse 
removed  to  Fabius,  and  Alpheus  remained  in  Eaton  to  accumulate  a 
fortune  as  a  manufacturer,  much  of  which  was  lost  in  the  later  failure 
of  his  woolen  mill  at  Alderbrook.  Gen.  Henry  B.  Morse,  of  the  Civil 
war,  and  later  a  resident  of  Hot  Springs,  Ark.,  was  a  grandson  of  the 
pioneer;  so  also  were  Alfred  A.,  who  fell  at  Cedar  Creek;  Walter,  a 
member  of  the  manufacturing  firm  of  Wood,  Taber  &  Morse,  of  Eaton; 
Rev.  Andrew  P.,  a  Presbyterian  minister;  Gardner,  manufacturer  and 
miller  in  Eaton  village,  town  clerk,  member  of  assembly,  etc. ;  Darwin, 
and  Frank  B.,  merchants  in  Eaton;  Albert  W. ,  scientific  farmer  and 
inventor.  Benjamin  Morse,  the  other  of  the  pioneer  settlers,  passed 
the  remainder  of  his  life  in  Eaton,  but  most  of  his  descendants  went 
west.  Hezekiah  Morse  became  a  settler  a  little  later;  he  was  elected 
supervisor  in  1809,  was  prominent  in  the  establishment  of  schools  and 
a  leading  citizen;  he  subsequently  removed  to  Oxford. 

Thaxter  Dunbar  settled  in  Eaton  with  his  father  in  1799  and  lived  to 
be  almost  a  hundred  years  old.  John  H.  and  Benjamin  Morris  who 
helped  Joshua  Leland  in  building  his  log  house,  before  mentioned, 
probably  removed  farther  south  in  the  year  of  their  settlement.  Their 
brother,  Thomas  Morris,  settled  on  the  site  of  Morrisville,  purchasing 
land  which  included  it,  and  the  little  settlement  that  gathered  there 
was  for  some  years  known  as  Morris  Flats.  He  built  his  first  log  house 
which  occupied  a  part  of  the  site  of  Mead's  drug  store  and  his  first 
frame  house  on  the  site  of  Otis  P.  Granger's  residence.  He  died  April 
27,  182-t,  and  no  lineal  descendants  now  live  in  this  vicinity. 


92  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Benjamin,  Windsor,  Stephen,  and  Ziba  Coman  settled  in  this  town  in 
1797,  near  the  "Center"  (Eagleville),  where  they  labored  persistently 
to  found  the  most  important  village  in  the  town.  They  were  compelled 
to  see  the  failure  of  their  efforts,  as  business  was  inevitably  to  central- 
ize along  the  turnpikes,  one  of  which  passed  through  Morrisville  and 
the  other  through  Eaton.  Names  of  this  family  appear  frequently  in 
the  records  of  early  times  as  office-holders,  business  men  and  church 
workers.      Benjamin  died  in  1852,  and  Stephen  in  1870. 

Other  settlers  of  1797  were  Rawson  Harmon,  Rufus  Eldred,  Cyrus 
Finney,  and  Dr.  James  Pratt;  others  who  located  perhaps  a  little  later 
were  William  Mills,  John  Pratt,  Lorin  Pearse,  Caleb  Dunbar,  Isaac 
Sage,  William  Hopkins,  Seth  Snow,  Elijah  Hayden,  Daniel  Hatch, 
David  Gaston,  Constant,  Robert,  and  Cyrus  Avery,  Joseph  French, 
Abiather  Gates,  and  a  Mr.  Patterson.  Rawson  Harmon,  Rufus  Eldred 
and  Cyrus  Finney  settled  near  the  site  of  Eaton  village.  Many  of  these 
families  were  conspicuous  for  faithful  and  unselfish  effort  in  the  welfare 
of  the  small  community  previous  to  the  beginning  uf  the  present  cent- 
ury, and  made  comfortable  homes  for  themselves  and  their  posterity. 

John  and  Matthew  Pratt  came  from  Vermont  and  settled  at  what  be- 
came known  as  Pratt's  Hollow,  near  which  they  built  a  grist  mill  amid 
many  difficulties.  The  mill  itself  stood  about  half  a  mile  out  of  Pratt's 
Hollow,  and  was  soon  followed  by  the  building  of  a  saw  mill  and  a 
large  distillery.  They  also  owned  several  houses,  built  and  stocked  a 
store  and  erected  one  of  the  very  early  woolen  mills  in  the  county. 
The  firm  of  Pratt  Brothers  was  for  many  years  favorably  known  over  a 
wide  extent  of  territory  and  they  became  quite  wealthy;  but  in  later 
years  met  with  reverses.  About  180G  a  number  of  Protestant  Irish 
families  settled  in  the  Pratt's  Hollow  region,  among  whom  were  the 
Tooke,  Kern,  Fearon,  Tacabury,  Philpot  and  other  families. 

William  Hopkins  was  an  early  settler  in  the  west  part  of  the  town, 
where  he  and  his  sons,  Anthony,  Isaac,  Palmer  and  Harlow,  cleared  and 
cultivated  an  excellent  farm.  Seth  Snow  settled  west  of  Eaton  village, 
where  he  built  a  double  log  house  and  kept  tavern.  His  brothers, 
Simeon  and  Eleazer,  settled  a  little  later.  Elijah  Hayden  settled  near 
the  village,  and  Daniel  Hatch  about  a  mile  southeast,  on  the  Hamilton 
road.  David  Gaston  settled  in  Morrisville  and  was  one  of  the  early 
judges. 

Benjamin,  Elisha,  Nathan  Slater,  and  Dr.  vSlater  settled  early  in 
Eaton.     David  Bennet  settled  near  Hatch's  Lake  on  the  north  side;  he 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  93 

was  father  of  Daniel  and  Olney.  Abiel  Payne  was  an  early  settler  near 
the  site  of  the  reservoir;  he  was  father  of  Stillman  and  Truman.  Perry 
Burdick  and  Thomas  Fry  located  before  the  close  of  the  last  century 
in  the  vicinity  of  West  Eaton,  and  Dr.  Abner  Camp,  Captain  Whiton, 
Nathan  King  and  Samuel  Lewis  at  other  points. 

In  1803  Isaac  Sage  built  the  first  tavern  at  Log  City,'  on  the  east 
side  of  the  road  to  Lebanon  and  opposite  the  site  of  the  later  Exchange 
Hotel.  There  also  Robert  and  William  Henry  began  keeping  store  in 
1805,  and  in  1804  Rufus  and  Zenas  Eldred  built  the  first  distillery,  and 
set  up  the  first  carding  machine.  B.  Carter  built  the  first  tannery  at 
Eaton  village  as  early  as  1808.  Although  a  little  out  of  chronological 
order,  the  settlement  of  Bennett  Bicknell  in  Morrisville  in  1808  may 
properly  be  mentioned  here,  as  he  began  the  manufacture  of  combs  at 
that  early  date,  and  was  prominent  as  a  merchant  and  hotel  keeper. 
He  was  a  native  of  Mansfield,  Conn.,  and  carried  to  Morrisville  with 
him  considerable  means  which  he  freely  used  for  his  own  business  and 
the  public  improvements  then  needed.  He  held  the  office  of  assembly- 
man. State  senator,  member  of  congress,  county  clerk,  and  was  a  cap- 
tain and  major  by  brevet  in  the  militia.      He  died  in  June,  1841. 

David  Darrow,  the  progenitor  of  the  families  of  that  name  in  this 
section,  settled  the  same  year  and  became  one  of  the  most  successful  of 
the  farmers  in  the  vicinity  of  West  Eaton.  He  died  in  November, 
1870.  Thomas  Lumbard,  from  Hampden  county,  Mass.,  settled  in 
1803  near  the  site  of  Eaton  village,  but  removed  to  Smithfield  after 
five  years,  where  he  died  in  April,  1813.  He  had  a  family  of  nine 
children,  who  became  prosperous  and  respected.  The  families  of  other 
early  settlers  and  of  later  prominent  citizens  are  noted  further  on  and 
in  Part  II. 

Only  one  church  was  organized  in  this  town  previous  to  the  forma- 
tion of  the  county;  this  was  the  Congregational  church,  which  was 
inaugurated  at  the  house  of  John  Mixer,  Eaton  Center,  on  the  26th  of 

'  A  stranger  who  had  traveled  hither,  and  was  generously  entertained  by  the  hospitable 
people,  was  found  to  be  the  prince  of  good  fellows  and  withal  a  wag.  In  the  midst  of  their  jolifi- 
cation,  he  took  a  flask  of  "good  cheer,"  ascended  one  of  the  low-roofed  log  buildings,  and  in  the 
presence  of  admiring  comrades,  delivered  a  short  and  witty  harangue,  flourished  his  bottle,  and 
drank  to  the  health  of  "  Log  City,"  which  was  answered  by  the  waving  of  hats  and  three  rousing 
cheers.  The  spirit  of  the  occasion  lingered  in  the  feelings  and  was  carried  home  by  each  one 
present,  and  he  in  turn  retailed  the  good  joke  perpetrated  on  the  settlement  to  his  neighbor. 
The  story  grew  in  importance,  was  passed  from  mouth  to  mouth,  till  the  name  of  Log  City,  one 
of  the  chief  stopping  places  on  tlie  Skaneateles  Turnpike,  became  familiar  as  a  household  word 
from  the  eastern  to  the  western  limits  of  New  York  State.— Hammond's  Hist.  Madison  County, 
p.  300. 


94  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

June,  1805.  The  members  were  John  Mixer,  Thankful  Mixer,  Jehiel 
Chapin,  Joshua  Leland,  Waitstill  Leland,  James  Pratt,  William  Ran- 
dall, Edward  Bliss,  Phineas  Lucas,  Polly  Bement,  Louisa  Gates,  Sarah 
Anderson,  Lydia  Avery,  Polly  Holt  and  Hannah  Bliss.  Here  are  found 
a  few  additional  names  of  pioneers  in  this  vicinity.  The  name  adopted 
for  the  organization  was  The  First  Congregational  Church  of  Eaton, 
and  the  society  was  admitted  to  the  Oneida  Association,  September  10, 
1805.  Rev.  Jonas  Thompson  was  the  first  pastor  and  served  twelve 
years,  during  which  period  the  school  house  was  used  for  the  meetings. 
The  first  charter  was  obtained  March  18,  1817,  but  was  allowed  to 
lapse,  and  when  the  second  one  was  obtained  in  June,  1818,  the  society 
had  changed  its  creed  character  and  the  name  taken  was  The  First 
Presbyterian  Society.  Three  years  later  in  September,  1821,  it  was 
decided  again  to  be  governed  by  Congregational  doctrine  and  practice, 
but  to  remain  in  the  Oneida  Presbytery.  The  first  house  of  worship 
was  erected  in  1817,  and  cost  about  $1,700;  it  was  extensively  altered 
in  1843  and  again  in  1859,  and  was  enlarged  in  1871.  Among  early 
pastors  of  the  church  were  Revs.  Silas  Parsons,  Washington  Thacher, 
Evans  Beardsley,  Nathaniel  S.  Smith,  E.  D.  Willis,  John  R.  Dodge, 
Moody  Harrington,  H.  L.  Hammond,  William  B.  Richards,  Frederick 
S.  Jewell,  Byron  Bosworth,  William  B.  Hammond,  John  R.  Lewis, 
Horace  F.  Dudley,  William  Windsor,  William  W.  Belden,  D.  D.,  and 
William  A.  Smith. 

Education  was  early  fostered  in  Eaton  through  the  medium  of  Dr. 
James  Pratt's  school,  begun  in  December,  1797;  it  was  a  peculiar  insti- 
tution, being  moved  from  one  point  to  another  each  month,  thus  giving 
its  benefits  to  different  parts  of  the  town.  It  was  held  the  first  month 
in  Eaton,  at  Joseph  Morse's,  and  the  next  at  Joshua  Leland's.  The  first 
school  house  was  built  at  the  Center,  near  Dr.  Pratt's  residence.  Fanny 
Forrester  (Emily  Chubbuck),  the  famous  authoress,  was  an  early 
teacher  in  this  town,  of  which  she  was  a  native,  but  she  did  not  begin 
until  after  the  erection  of  the  county.  A  school  was  taught  in  Eaton 
village,  besides  Dr.  Pratt's,  in  180-t  by  a  Miss  Osmond ;  the  house  stood 
on  the  cemetery  ground  and  was  burned  about  1806.  A  Mr.  Roberts 
taught  the  next  school  in  a  private  dwelling  a  mile  below  the  village. 

The  first  town  meeting  in  Eaton  was  held  in  the  school  house  at  the 
Center,  on  March  3,  1807.  Simeon  Gillett  was  moderator,  and  the  fol- 
lowing were  chosen  the  first  officers:  Robert  Avery,  supervisor;  David 
Gaston,  clerk;  Martin  Roberts,  collector;  Josiah  Wilcox,  poundkeeper; 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  95 

Ziba  Coman,  Benjamin  Morse  and  John  Hall,  assessors;  Hezekiah 
Morse  and  Abram  Ellis,  poormasters ;  Seth  Hitchcock,  John  Pratt  and 
Robert  Avery,  hig-hway  commissioners;  Martin  Roberts  and  Nathan 
Mixer,  constables. 

The  usual  resolutions  were  voted  upon  and  passed,  restraining  hogs 
and  rams  from  running  at  large  at  certain  seasons,  and  for  maintaining 
the  simple  town  government  in  other  directions.  At  a  meeting  held 
March  5,  1811,  a  resolution  was  adopted  requiring  every  farmer  to  cut 
all  Canada  thistles  on  his  land  "in  the  old  of  the  moon,"  in  the  months 
of  June  and  August,  under  the  penalty  of  $10,  after  having  received 
three  days'  notice;  a  similar  penalty  was  imposed  for  not  cutting  bur- 
docks after  the  same  notice  by  the  authorities. 

In  the  town  meeting  of  1809  the  principal  topic  of  discussion  was  the 
so-called  County  Road.  A  vote  was  passed  to  "  petition  the  legisla- 
ture to  have  the  County  Road  taken  up  from  the  first  station  of  said 
road  to  the  now  dwelling  house  of  David  Gaston,  and  established  on  or 
near  the  now  travelled  road  from  the  said  first  station  to  the  said  dwell- 
ing house  of  David  Gaston."  A  petition  for  this  purpose  was  circulated 
in  the  town. 

In  1810  it  was  resolved  in  town  meeting  to  adopt  proper  measures  to 
have  the  site  of  the  court  house  and  jail  fixed,  and  efforts  were  made  in 
favor  of  this  town  as  the  county  seat.  The  town  meetings  were  held 
for  a  number  of  years  in  the  school  house  "near  Dr.  James  Pratt's," 
and  afterwards  in  the  court  house  and  in  the  Presbyterian  church  in 
Morrisville. 

In  1813  it  was  voted  in  town  meeting  that  "  any  man  having  Canada 
thistles  growing  on  his  land  shall  mow  them  down  twice  in  the  sum- 
mer, once  in  June  and  once  in  August,"  under  penalty  of  $5,  on  prose- 
cution of  the  same,  and  the  pathmasters  were  placed  in  charge  of  Eph- 
raim  Goodell  to  see  "they  performed  their  duty  in  regard  to  Canada 
thistles."  Numerous  resolutions  appear  in  the  town  proceedings  at  this 
period  regarding  the  then  proposed  half-shiring  the  county,  against 
which  policy  this  town  was  bitterly  opposed,  as  indeed  were  most  of 
the  others.  In  1814,  for  example,  it  was  voted  that  "  we  are  decidedly 
opposed  to  half-shiring  the  small  county  of  Madison,  in  any  place  what- 
soever, and  we  still  believe  the  site  ought  in  justice  to  be  removed  from 
Cazenovia  to  a  just  and  equitable  center,  and  likewise  decidedly  opposed 
to  have  any  part  set  off  from  the  small  county  of  Madison  for  the  pur- 
pose of  erecting  a  new  county  or  enlarging  any  other."     All  of  which 


96  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

indicates  that  the  settlers  in  this  town  had  their  troubles  many  years 
ago,  in  common  with  humanity  at  large. 

Thus  we  have  seen  that  at  the  date  of  the  county  organization  the 
town  of  Eaton  was  far  advanced  in  its  settlement  with  a  class  of  inhab- 
itants above  the  ordinary  and  numbering  among'  them  several  who, 
with  their  immediate  descendants,  became  conspicuous  in  various  direc- 
tions throughout  the  county.  Schools  were  in  successful  operation, 
one  church  was  in  existence,  roads  were  opened  but  were  still  almost 
impassable  at  certain  seasons,  and  a  small  start  had  been  made  towards 
the  founding  of  the  numerous  industries  that  in  later  years  gave  the 
town  considerable  importance.  The  town  was  still  without  a  post- 
office,  without  a  lawyer,  but  these  blessings  were  soon  to  be  realized. 

Turning  now  to  the  adjoining  town  of  Lebanon,  we  find  that  it  was 
set  off  from  Hamilton  February  5,  1807,  and  received  its  name  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  suggestion  made  in  the  State  Legislature  by  Gen. 
Erastus  Cleveland,  of  Madison,  who  championed  the  bill  dividing  the 
original  town  of  Hamilton  into  four  towns,  as  it  was  then  composed  of 
four  townships,  the  fifth  forming  the  town  of  Lebanon.  It  is  centrally 
situated  on  the  south  border  of  the  county  and  bounded  on  the  north 
by  Eaton,  on  the  east  by  Hamilton,  on  the  south  by  Chenango  county, 
and  on  the  west  by  Georgetown.  It  contains  a  little  more  than  26,000 
acres,  its  area  remaining  as  at  first  fixed.  Its  surface  is  hilly  and  com- 
prises the  highlands  between  the  valleys  of  the  Chenango  and  the  Ot- 
selic.  The  Chenango  valley  extends  into  the  eastern  part,  expanding 
into  a  mile  in  width,  giving  a  considerable  tract  of  fertile  and  beauti- 
fully situated  land,  which  is  bordered  by  steep  hillsides.  Numerous 
small  streams  flow  through  parts  of  the  town  and  are  tributary  to  the 
Chenango.  The  Hamilton  group  of  rocks  underlies  most  of  the  town, 
with  the  higher  groups  appearing  in  the  western  part;  the  latter  has 
been  quarried  in  a  limited  way  for  cellar  walls.  The  soil  on  the  hills 
is  gravelly  loam,  underlaid  with  hardpan,  and  in  the  valleys  is  rich 
alluvium.  Lebanon  is  almost  exclusively  an  agricultural  region,  man- 
ufacturing and  trade  interests  never  having  been  important.  In  past 
years  hop  growing  has  been  followed  with  profit,  but  not  to  a  great  ex- 
tent, while  dairying  has  for  many  years  been  the  principal  industry. 
The  New  York,  Ontario  and  Western  Railroad  crosses  the  town  in  a 
southwesterly  direction,  with  a  station  at  Lebanon,  and  connects  at 
Earlville  with  the  Chenango  Valley  branch  of  the  West  Shore  road, 
and  at  Smith's  Valley  with  the  Utica,  Clinton  and  Binghamton  which 
extends  a  short  distance  into  the  town  in  the  northeast  part. 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  97 

Lebanon  was  one  of  the  six  towns  patented  to  Col.  William  S.  Smith 
in  1794,  who  soon  afterward  transferred  the  greater  part  of  it  to  Sir 
William  Pultney,  reserving  a  large  tract  bordering  on  the  Chenango 
River.  This  condition  resulted  in  there  being  two  separate  agencies 
that  were  active  in  promoting  settlements.  In  1791,  the  year  in  which 
Mr.  Smith's  purchase  was  made  but  previous  to  its  consummation,  he 
commissioned  his  friend,  Joshua  Smith,  born  in  Franklin,  Conn.,  to 
select  lands  for  him  in  the  Twenty  Townships.  Joshua  Smith  visited 
this  region  in  that  year,  making  the  journey  on  horseback,  built  a  log 
house  for  future  use  a  short  distance  south  of  the  hamlet  of  Smith's 
Valley,  and  returned  east  to  report  to  his  superior.  Mr.  Smith  subse- 
quently returned  to  Lebanon,  married  and  reared  a  family,  and  re- 
moved later  to  Monroe  county. 

Col.  William  S.  Smith  was  graduated  at  Princeton  College  in  1774 
and  served  as  aid  to  Baron  Steuben,  receiving  a  colonel's  commission 
for  meritorious  conduct.  His  wife  was  Abigail  Adams,  daughter  of 
the  second  president  of  the  United  States.  He  was  minister  to  Eng- 
land during  Mr.  Adams's  administration.  At  the  time  of  the  Burr  con- 
spiracy his  acts  excited  suspicion,  which  prompted  him  to  place  his 
landed  estate  in  this  vicinity  in  the  hands  of  his  brother,  Justus.  His 
suspected  connection  with  Burr's  operations  brought  no  results  and 
Colonel  Smith  returned  to  Smith's  Valley  to  live.  He  was  elected  to 
Congress  from  the  Seventeenth  District  in  1813  and  was  re  elected  in 
1815.  He  had  three  children — Baron  Steuben,  John  Adams,  and  Car- 
oline; of  these  John  Adams  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Judge  Hubbard 
in  Hamilton.  It  is  said  that  nine  brothers  and  sisters  of  the  Smith 
family  have  resided  at  different  periods  in  Smith's  Valley.  After  Jus- 
tus B.  Smith  had  begun  his  service  in  the  sale  of  the  lands  here,  his 
brothers,  James  and  John,  and  five  sisters  joined  him  in  the  settlement. 
Colonel  Smith  died  at  Smith's  Valley  in  1816,  and  Justus  B.  died  in  the 
same  year;  he  was  a  bachelor  and  lived  on  the  east  side  of  the  river 
three-fourths  of  a  mile  below  Smith's  Valley  station. 

The  earliest  settlement  in  the  town,  however,  was  made  by  Jonathan 
Bates,  who  came  from  Vermont  in  the  fall  of  1792,  with  Enoch  Stowell, 
from  New  Hampshire,  and  John  and  James  Salisbury,  whose  settle- 
ment in  Eaton  was  noticed  a  few  pages  back.  Bates  and  Stowell  lo- 
cated on  the  north  line  of  Lebanon  on  lot  7,  Bates  where  Joshua  Cram- 
phin  lived  in  recent  years,  now  occupied  by  William  Stringer,  and 
Stowell    where  his    son  Horace  now    resides.     During   that    fall  the}' 


98  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

cleared  twenty  acres  of  land,  living  meanwhile  in  a  bark  shanty.  They 
passed  the  winter  in  Bainbridge  with  Vermont  friends  and  in  the  spring 
Bates  returned  with  his  family  and  lived  on  the  farm  he  first  located 
imtil  his  death,  in  April,  1827.  He  was  buried  near  the  line  between 
Lebanon  and  Eaton.  His  son  Henry  succeeded  to  the  homestead  and 
died  there  in  1831.  David,  an  elder  son,  was  a  cooper  and  lived  many 
years  in  the  town.  Enoch  Stowell  returned  a  little  later  and  married 
a  sister  of  Benjamin  Church ;  Mr.  Church  soon  followed  Stowell  into 
the  settlement  and  located  a  little  below  him;  he  died  in  June,  1859. 

Settlement  in  Lebanon  was  rapid  and  1794  saw  the  incoming  of  a 
number  of  pioneers;  among  them  were  David  Hartshorn,  Samuel  and 
David  Felt,  brothers,  and  probably  others.  Samuel  Felt  settled  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Chenango  in  the  vicinity  of  Earlville,  and  died  in  July, 
1803;  David  died  in  August,  1810,  both  in  middle  life.  Samuel  had 
sons,  Jehiel,  Samuel,  Elam,  John,  Jabin,  Sylvester  and  David,  most  or 
all  of  whom  lived  for  a  time  in  this  vicinity.  David  Felt  also  had  a 
large  family. 

David  Hartshorn  had  previously  prospected  here  and  when  he  came 
to  settle  in  1794  brought  his  family  of  wife  and  one  child,  John;  they 
located  a  little  south  of  Wheeler's  Mills,  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Che- 
nango a  little  above  Smith's  Valley.  He  kept  a  tavern  several  of  the 
early  years.  John  Hartshorn,  the  eldest  son,  was  the  first  postmaster 
at  Smith's  Valley,  appointed  about  1817;  he  removed  to  Syracuse  in 
1820,  and  there  passed  the  remainder  of  his  long  life.  Jacob  Harts- 
horn and  Joseph  Phelps,  the  latter  a  brother-in-law  of  David  Harts- 
horn, settled  a  little  later  in  the  north  part  of  the  town. 

These  pioneers  suffered  many  privations  and  hardships  during  their 
first  season,  particularly  in  the  winter  months.  To  get  grain  ground 
they  had  to  make  the  journey  to  Whitestown,  the  path  defined  only  by 
marked  trees  and  often  almost  impassable.  Under  these  circumstances 
boiled  wheat  and  hulled  corn  were  much  used  on  the  table.  Samuel 
Felt,  with  much  labor,  made  a  large  mortar  from  a  section  of  an  elm 
log,  in  which  he  and  his  neighbors  pounded  their  grain. 

In  1797  Lent  Bradley  settled  on  lot  4,  on  the  north  line  of  the  town, 
where  John  Bennett  lived  in  recent  years,  now  occupied  by  Edward 
Purcel,  and  died  there.  Solomon  Jones  was  a  settler  also  as  early  as 
1797.  John  W.  Bulkley  located  as  early  as  1798;  also  David  Shapley 
just  north  of  the  present  stone  school  house,  and  Dunham  .Shapley 
southeast  of   that  school  house.     Arunah  Moseley  settled  west  of  the 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  99 

reservoir  about  the  same  year.  The  Shapleys  and  Moseley  were  Shak- 
ers, from  the  Community  in  New  Lebanon,  Columbia  county,  and  left 
it  clandestinely  with  three  women  members  whom  they  subsequently 
married.  David  Shapley  settled  about  a  mile  below  the  location  of 
Jonathan  Bates,  before  noticed,  where  his  son  Lewis  lived  and  now  his 
grandson,  Spencer  Shapley.  Dunham  Shapley  settled  about  a  mile 
southeast  of  his  brother's  place.  Moseley  settled  on  the  east  side  of 
the  Campbell  settlement  where  Palmer  Kenyon  resided  a  few  years, 
now  owned  by  the  heirs  of  the  late  JohnFaucett.  These  three  pioneers 
died  each  upon  his  homestead  farm. 

The  Campbell  Settlement  took  its  name  from  nine  families  of  that 
name  who  settled  in  that  locality,  all  of  whom  came  from  Sterling, 
Conn.  The  names  of  the  heads  of  the  families  were  Daniel,  Allen, 
James,  Steward,  Isaac,  Archibald  and  John,  many,  if  not  all,  sons  of 
widow  Patience  Campbell,  and  John  and  Charles,  sons  of  widow  Nancy 
Campbell.  Their  settlement  was  made  in  the  north  part  of  the  town. 
The  two  widowed  mothers,  who  were  then  old  women,  came  in  with 
their  sons,  and  Nancy  Campbell  taught  the  first  school  in  her  dwelling 
in  1801.  The  Campbell  vSettlement  covered  an  area  of  several  hundred 
acres,  which  was  divided  into  the  farms  of  these  pioneers.  With  the 
exception  of  Steward  and  John  (sons  of  Patience),  and  Isaac  who  went 
west,  and  Daniel,  all  these  pioneers  died  on  the  farms  on  which  they 
first  settled.  Daniel  died  where  his  grandson,  Stephen  B.  Campbell, 
now  lives.  Morris  N.  Campbell,  the  oldest  living  descendant  of  these 
Campbells,  descended  from  Patience,  now  resides  on  the  farm  pur- 
chased by  his  father  in  1830,  three  miles  northeast  of  Lebanon  village. 

The  year  1798  (possibly  179?)  saw  the  arrival  in  the  town  of  two  men 
who  were  to  give  the  settlers  their  first  mills.  These  were  Daniel  and 
Elisha  Wheeler,  brothers,  who  removed  from  Chatham,  Columbia 
county,  and  located  about  three  miles  east  of  Lebanon  village;  they 
were  practical  millwrights  and  Elisha  built  a  saw  mill  on  the  west  side 
of  the  Chenango  at  Smith's  Valley  in  1798,  and  Daniel  a  grist  mil!  soon 
afterward  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  about  a  mile  above  Smith's 
Valley.  This  was  burned  about  1804,  a  loss  that  was  a  calamity  to  the 
people,  who  had  already  been  about  five  years  without  means  of  grind- 
ing grain.  On  the  day  following  the  fire  the  near-by  inhabitants  gath- 
ered at  the  site  of  the  mill  and  before  night  arrangements  were  com- 
pleted for  its  rebuilding,  which  was  soon  accomplished.  The  grist  mill 
stood  on  the  site  of  the  Armstrong  mill;  the  latter  was  occupied  as  a 
L.ofC. 


100  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

carriage  shop  after  the  construction  of  the  canal  feeder,  which  substan- 
tially destroyed  the  water  power;  and  later  became  a  storehouse,  and 
was  burned.  The  saw  mill  owned  in  recent  years  by  Mr.  Simmons, 
was  built  on  the  site  of  the  old  mill,  now  operated  by  Horace  Close. 

Dane  Ballard  settled  in  1800,  coming  from  Pelham,  Mass.,  locating 
just  north  of  the  Rhode  Island  quarter,  where  John  B.  Coe  resided  in 
recent  years.  In  180.3  he  removed  to  Lebanon  settling  on  the  site  of 
the  village.  The  village  site  is  on  lots  57  and  58,  the  north  and  south 
street  being  the  dividing  line.  Mr.  Ballard  built  the  first  saw  mill 
there  in  1804  on  the  site  of  the  mill  now  owned  byL.  Ballard;  this  mill 
is  idle  for  lack  of  water. 

In  the  same  year  (1800)  Silas  Seymour,  born  in  Hartford,  Conn.,  in 
1777,  settled  in  Lebanon,  taking  up  sixty  acres  of  land  on  lot  24;  by 
subsequent  purchases  he  acquired  over  200  acres,  most  of  which  ulti- 
mately passed  to  his  son,  Alfred,  long  and  still  a  respected  citizen  of 
the  town.     Silas  Seymour  died  on  his  homestead  in  1845. 

Elihu  Bosworth  was  a  settler  as  early  as  1800  in  the  northwest  part, 
where  Le  Roy  Thayer  now  lives,  where  he  resided  until  near  the  time 
of  his  death  in  1854;  he  was  from  Guilford,  Conn.  Jabin  Armstrong 
was  a  newcomer  of  about  that  year,  married  a  niece  of  David  Harts- 
horn and  settled  just  below  what  was  then  known  as  Hartshorn's  Cor- 
ners, and  began  wagon  making.  Thomas  Buell  settled  in  1800  or  a 
little  earlier,  on  a  large  tract  in  the  southeast  part  of  the  town  and  b)' 
the  year  1815  was  with  one  exception  (Justus  B.  Smith)  the  largest 
land  owner;  he  died  in  1820.  Deacon  Abraham  Webster,  a  brother  of 
the  famous  lexicographer,  settled  in  town  as  early  as  1802  in  about  the 
center  of  the  northwest  quarter,  near  the  residence  of  Reuben  H.  Geer. 
Malatiah  and  Benjamin  Hatch  also  were  pioneers  at  about  the  begin- 
ning of  the  century. 

Rev.  Matthias  Cazier,  of  French  descent,  and  a  soldier  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary army  for  three  years,  was  the  first  settled  pastor  in  Castleton, 
Vt.,  in  1790.  In  1800  he  took  his  family  to  Salem,  Conn.,  and  in  com- 
pany with  a  friend  explored  central  New  York.  In  the  same  year  he 
purchased  800  acres  in  Lebanon.  In  1802  he  removed  his  family  to 
Hamilton  and  in  1804  to  his  new  home  in  this  town ;  he  built  his  house 
on  lot  22  in  the  northwest  part  of  the  town,  where  Otis  Dunham  now 
resides,  and  there  died  in  1837. 

Daniel  Clark  was  a  settler  of  1803  in  the  southeast  part,  where  he 
died  in  1853.     Orsamus  Gilbert  and  Francis  Whitmore  were  pioneers  of 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  101 

1805,  the  former  from  Becket,  Mass.;  he  came  in  with  a  three  horse 
team  and  settled  on  the  site  of  Lebanon  village.  There  he  built  a 
dwelling  which  was  subsequently  occupied  by  his  son-in-law,  William 
Tompkins,  and  remained  standing  until  it  was  the  oldest  house  in  town. 
He  was  a  practical  cloth  dresser  and  established  a  carding  machine.  He 
died  in  1843.  Francis  Whitmore  was  originally  from  Connecticut,  but 
removed  to  Lebanon  from  Wilbraham,  Mass.,  settling  about  five  miles 
north  of  Earlville;  he  died  in  the  town  in  1841. 

Ephraim  Gray  settled  in  Lebanon  in  1807,  on  eighty-six  acres  of  land 
a  half  mile  east  of  Lebanon  village,  where  his  son,  Cooley  C.  Gra}-, 
afterwards  lived;  he  was  from  New  Lebanon,  Columbia  county,  and 
died  in  1851.  Benjamin  Hewes  came  in  about  the  same  time  and  set- 
tled on  lot  59  in  the  west  part  of  the  town  where  Clinton  Stowell  lives. 
Other  early  settlers  were  Thomas  Hueston,  Daniel  Stowell,  Deacon 
Asa  Tenney,  Capt.  Roderick  Moore,  Philip  Kibbie,  Capt.  Truman  and 
Jabez  Billings,  John  Sheldon,  Giles  Collins  and  Richard  Taylor.  Of 
these,  Hueston  came  in  with  the  Campbells,  married  a  daughter  of 
Archibald  Campbell,  and  settled  near  them,  afterwards  removing  to  lot 
57.  Daniel  Stowell  was  a  brother  of  Enoch,  the  pioneer,  and  settled 
in  the  east  part  on  a  farm  now  owned  by  John  Harmon.  Deacon 
Tenney  settled  also  in  that  vicinity,  but  soon  removed.  Captain  Moore 
settled  on  lot  34  and  afterwards  removed  to  lot  41  in  the  west  part 
where  John  Fisk  now  resides.  Philip  Kibbie  kept  the  first  tavern  in 
the  town  on  the  river  road  between  Earlville  and  Smith's  Valley.  The 
Collins,  Billings  and  Sheldon  families  located  on  and  near  what  has 
been  known  as  Collins  Hill. 

The  first  store  in  this  town  was  kept  by  Joshua  Smith  at  Smith's 
Valley.  Jonathan  Thayer  settled  on  the  site  of  Lebanon  village,  man- 
ufactured potash  there  at  an  early  day,  established  a  hat  making  busi- 
ness and  opened  a  store,  the  first  in  the  place,  in  a  building  erected  by 
him. 

John  Niles  was  a  pioneer  in  the  town  of  Madison,  but  removed  early 
into  Lebanon,  whither  came  also  his  father,  mother,  brothers  and  sis- 
ters, the  family  becoming  one  of  the  most  numerous  in  the  town.  He  ' 
took  up  a  tract  in  the  western  part  of  the  town  containing  3,000  acres, 
for  which  he  paid  $3  an  acre.  The  family  located  there  and  the  locality 
became  known  as  Niles  Settlement.  His  sons  were  Nathan,  John, 
Samuel,  Ephraim  and  Calvin,  who  all  became  prosperous  farmers. 

Thomas  Buell  settled  early  on  a  large  farm  in  the  southeast  quarter 


102  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

and  located  his  large  family  near  by;  the  homestead  was  afterwards  in 
possession  of  his  son  Chauncey,  and  his  grandson,  Philander  C.  San- 
ford  Head  came  from  Rhode  Island  with  his  father,  Joseph  Head,  and 
settled  in  Madison  in  early  life  and  was  a  school  teacher  in  that  town, 
Lebanon  and  others  while  a  young  man.  He  owned  a  farm  of  300 
acres  about  a  mile  south  of  Lebanon  village,  now  owned  by  J.  A.  Head, 
and  was  influential  in  advancing  the  cause  of  education. 

Daniel  Clark  came  from  Colchester,  Conn.,  in  1803  and  settled  on  a 
large  farm  in  the  southeast  quarter  about  two  miles  from  Earlville, 
where  he  cleared  and  tilled  a  large  and  fruitful  farm.  Curtis  Hoppin 
was  a  prominent  early  settler,  active  in  the  establishment  of  the  Con- 
gregational church  and  father  of  F.  B.  and  B.  E.  Hoppin. 

The  foregoing  brief  records  of  the  pioneers  of  Lebanon  include  men- 
tion of  most  of  the  settlers  previous  to,  and  a  few  later  than,  the  form- 
ation of  the  county.  It  is  a  noticeable  fact  that  in  this  town,  more  of 
the  names  of  pioneer  families  are  still  retained  in  the  community  than 
in  most  localities;  a  spirit  of  loyalty  to  the  old  homes  has  been  kept 
alive  and  still  exists. 

The  first  town  meeting  in  Lebanon  was  held  in  the  red  school  house, 
but  the  exact  date  is  lost.  The  following  officers  were  elected:  John 
W.  Bulkley,  supervisor;  Silas  Seymour,  clerk;  Giles  Collins,  Josiah 
Lasel  and  Jacob  Kennedy,  assessors;  Malatiah  Hatch  and  Roderick 
Moore,  overseers  of  the  poor;  Jacob  Kennedy,  Daniel  Clark  and  Rod- 
erick Moore,  commissioners  of  highways;  David  Hartshorn  and  Joseph 
Hitchcock,  constables;  Joseph  Hitchcock,  collector;  George  Morey, 
Walter  Baker,  Clark  "  Willcocks,"  Stephen  James,  Orsamus  Gilbert, 
Samuel  Lewis,  Abraham  Webster,  Jacob  Hartshorn,  Justus  B.  Sn:ith, 
Ezra  Gates,  John  W.  Bulkley,  Elisha  Wheeler,  Darius  Sperry,  Sheldon 
Smith,  Gardner  Salsbury,  Moses  Pomeroy,  William  Taggart,  James 
Dorrance,  Roderick  Moore,  Archibald  Campbell,  David  B.  Hitchcock, 
Aaron  Davies,  Giles  Collins,  and  William  Sloan,  overseers  of  highways 
and  fenceviewers;  Charles  S.  Campbell,  poundkeeper.  This  list  adds 
somewhat  to  the  number  of  settlers  who  were  in  the  town  at  its  erection 
in  1807. 

A  special  town  meeting  was  held  at  the  school  house  November  23, 
1807  (doubtless  soon  after  the  first  one),  at  which  it  was  voted  that  "  we 
agree  to  be  centered,"  and  "  that  the  center  be  as  near  the  center  of 
the  town  as  the  ground  will  admit."  The  committee  appointed  to 
select  this  center  were  John  W.  Bulkley,  Constant  Merrick,  Jacob  Ken- 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  108 

nedy,  Moses  Wylie  and  Roderick  Moore.  The  selection  was  made  and 
the  action  of  the  committee  ratified  at  another  meeting  held  December 
7,  at  which  Constant  Merrick,  John  Niles,  Malatiah  Hatch,  William 
Austin  and  Moses  Wylie  were  appointed  a  committee  to  "draw  up 
subscriptions  "  for  the  purpose  of  building  a  town  house  40  by  50  feet 
in  size,  two  stories  high.  For  some  now  unknown  reason  this  town 
house  was  not  built,  and  the  public  meetings  were  held  mostly  in  the 
same  school  house  until  1830,  after  which  until  1834  they  were  held  in 
the  Baptist  meeting  house. 

In  the  meeting  of  1809  a  vote  was  passed  that  dogs  should  ' '  be  taxed 
50  cts.  per  head;  "  but  this  burden  proved  too  heavy  and  it  was  rescinded 
in  the  following  year.  During  the  agitation  of  the  matter  of  locating 
the  county  seat,  and  of  dividing  the  county,  this  town  took  steps  to 
make  its  voice  heard  in  the  councils.  A  meeting  was  held  in  1810  upon 
the  subject  of  "continuing  the  county,"  and  delegates  were  appointed 
to  meet  those  of  other  towns;  these  were  John  W.  Bulkley,  Dr.  John 
Clarke  and  Malatiah  Hatch. 

Silas  Seymour  was  the  first  poundkeeper  in  the  town  and  was  reg- 
ularly elected  for  several  years.  The  first  legislation  relative  to  sup- 
porting the  poor  as  found  in  the  records  was  in  181G,  when  it  was  voted 
that  $50  he  raised  for  that  purpose.  In  1817  it  was  $100;  in  1819  the 
amount  had  increased  to  $400,  but  at  a  later  special  town  meeting  this 
amount  was  reduced  by  one-half,  and  Amos  Crocker,  Samuel  Sherrill, 
Daniel  Clark,  John  Paddleford  and  Ephraim  Gray  were  appointed  a 
committee  "  to  devise  and  digest  a  more  economical  way  of  supporting 
the  poor  of  the  town  and  make  report  thereof  to  the  next  town  meet- 
ing."     The  record  shows  no  report  from  this  committee. 

Among  other  public  proceedings  was  the  imposition  of  a  fine  of 
twenty  shillings  in  March  1808,  on  persons  permitting  Canada  thistles 
to  grow  on  their  farms.  On  March  5,  1811,  a  bounty  of  $13  was  voted 
for  wolves  killed;  these  animals  were  very  troublesome  for  a  number 
of  years. 

On  the  1st  of  October,  1802,  Rev.  Ezra  Woodworth,  then  pastor  of 
the  Congregational  church  in  Hamilton,  visited  Lebanon  in  answer  to 
a  request,  and  on  the  following  day  the  persons  whose  names  are  here 
given  met  and  adopted  a  profession  of  faith  and  were  constituted  a 
Congregational  church :  Abraham  Webster,  Lent  Bradley,  John  C. 
Wagoner,  Elihu  Bosworth,  Isaac  Campbell,  Dolly  Webster,  Rachel 
Galloway,  Caty  Bosworth,  Joanna  Wagoner,  Elizabeth  Campbell,  Sarah 


104  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Wagoner,  Sophia  Webster,  Eunice  Webster,  Eunice  Huston  and  Solo- 
mon Jones.  The  church  records  prior  to  1817  are  very  meagre,  and  as 
far  as  indicated  there  was  no  settled  pastor  until  1825,  when  Rev.  Pres- 
ton Cummings  was  called ;  he  was  dismissed  in  February,  1827.  In 
September,  1831,  the  society  requested  the  Chenango  Presbytery  to 
ordain  for  them  Rev.  S.  Scott,  but  it  is  not  recorded  how  long  he 
remained.  Other  early  pastors  were  a  Mr.  Willis,  Revs.  Ezekiel  Chap- 
man, Nathaniel  Latham,  P.  Field,  Samuel  Manning,  who  were  probably 
supplies  previous  to  1831;  Jeremiah  Pomeroy,  William  B.  Tompkins, 
G.  W.  Finney,  Revs.  Redfield  and  Copeland,  Wyn  Root,  G.  M.  Smith, 
T.  A.  Wadsworth,  C.  Barstow,  W.  W.  Warner,  Abisha  Scofield,  Ovid 
Miner  and  J.  D.  Woodruff.  A  meeting  house  was  built  in  1825  a  mile 
north  of  the  Center,  which  was  later  removed  to  the  village  where  it 
was  ready  for  occupancy  in  1839.  Since  that  date  the  edifice  has  been 
vastly  improved,  the  gallery  taken  out  and  otherwise  modernized. 
The  society  is  now  prospering  under  the  ministry  of  Rev.  Hugh  Ivey. 
Justus  B.  Smith  has  already  been  mentioned  as  the  first  merchant  on 
the  site  of  Lebanon  village.  His  goods  were  kept  in  the  lower  part  of 
his  house  on  the  farm  owned  in  recent  years  by  Whipple  Clark.  Mr. 
Smith  was  succeeded  in  that  locality  by  James  Dorrance;  but  the  first 
regular  and  permanent  mercantile  business  was  established  by  Jonathan 
Thayer,  jr.,  whose  father  was  a  pioneer  of  1800,  on  lot  61  about  two 
miles  west  of  the  village  site  and  where  the  son  began  trading  about 
1808;  he  soon  afterward  moved  to  the  village  site,  which  was  beginning 
to  show  signs  of  becoming  a  business  center.  The  first  physician  there 
was  Joseph  Stowell,  who  had  taught  school  in  Stovvell,  Mass.,  whence 
he  removed  to  Lebanon  about  1800  and  settled  near  Earlville,  where 
he  practiced  until  his  death  about  1832.  Constant  Merrick,  the  pioneer 
of  1802  or  1803,  was  a  physician  and  settled  on  Billings  Hill,  southeast 
of  the  village,  whither  he  removed  about  1806,  and  there  practiced 
until  his  death  in  1828.  Dr.  John  Clarke  came  from  Windham,  Conn., 
where  he  practiced  some  years,  but  discontinued  long  before  h<s  death ; 
he  died  about  1810  at  the  age  of  ninety-five  years.  Among  other  early 
physicians  was  Dr.  Erastus  B.  Burroughs,  who  settled  in  the  village  in 
1827  and  who  gathered  about  him  a  number  of  students  whom  he  loca- 
ted at  different  points,  with  whom  he  hoped  to  be  frequently  called  in 
consultation.  Albert  G.  Purdy  was  one  of  these,  who  located  in  Eaton, 
afterwards  removed  to  Oneida;  he  served  two  terms  in  the  Assembly. 
Another  was  Milton  Burnett,  a  native  of  Georgetown,  who  located  in 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS  105 

Morrisville,  practiced  many  years  and  eventually  removed  to  Oneida; 
he  was  elected  sheriff  while  a  resident  of  Morrisville.  Others  of  these 
students  were  Frederick  Bradley  and  Ralph  Shepard,  both  born  in 
Georgetown,  James  Stewart  and  others.  Dr.  Burroughs's  health  failed 
and  he  died  in  IS-tS. 

Dr.  Lyman  O.  Norton,  from  Hamilton,  settled  in  the  village  in  1843, 
practiced  about  ten  years  and  removed  to  Illinois.  John  and  Cyrus 
Baker,  brothers  and  homoeopathists,  practiced  there  from  about  1848 
to  1853,  and  removed  to  the  western  part  of  the  State.  Dr.  Frank  D. 
Beebe  practiced  there  from  1855  to  1862  and  removed  to  Hamilton;  he 
was  succeeded  by  Dr.  Elam  Root,  James  Mott  Throop  and  others. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

FURTHER  TOWN  FORMATION  AND  SETTLEMENT. 

This  chapter  will  be  devoted  to  the  history  of  the  erection  and  settle- 
ment of  three  other  towns  that  were  formed  in  the  year  1807 — Nelson, 
Madison,  and  Smithfield.  The  town  of  Nelson  was  erected  from  Caz- 
enovia  on  March  13,  1807,  and  received  its  name  in  honor  of  the  dis- 
tinguished British  naval  officer,  Admiral  Nelson.  It  is  No.  1  of  the 
Twenty  Townships,  lies  a  little  to  the  southeast  of  the  center  of  the 
county,  and  is  bounded  an  the  north  by  Fenner  and  Smithfield,  on  the 
east  by  Eaton,  on  the  south  by  Georgetown,  and  on  the  west  by  Caz- 
enovia.  Its  area  is  about  26,000  acres.  The  surface  is  mainly  a  hilly 
upland,  broken  in  irregular  ridges  having  a  general  north  and  south 
direction.  It  constitutes  a  part  of  the  water  shed  between  Oneida  Lake 
and  the  Susquehanna  River.  The  principal  stream  is  Chittenango 
Creek,  the  northern  and  larger  branch  of  which  rises  in  Fenner,  enters 
Nelson  near  the  center  of  the  north  boundary  and  crosses  the  north- 
west part  in  a  southwesterly  direction.  The  smaller  branch  rises  in 
the  south  central  part,  flows  northwesterly  and  unites  with  the  main 
branch  near  the  west  line  of  the  town.  The  latter  branch  is  fed  by 
innumerable  springs  and  with  a  more  northerly  tributary  from  the  east 
forms  the  Erieville  reservoir,  which  was  constructed  in  1857  as  a  feeder 
for  the  Erie  Canal.     The  Eaton  reservoir,  constructed  as  a  feeder  for 


106  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  Chenango  Canal,  is  partly  in  the  southeastern  section  of  this  town. 
The  underlying  rocks  of  Nelson  are  the  Tully  limestone,  the  Genesee 
slate,  and  the  Ithaca  group ;  a  small  part  of  the  northeast  and  southwest 
corners  is  underlaid  with  the  Hamilton  group.  Limestone  is  found 
only  in  boulders  and  although  some  quarries  have  been  opened,  no 
desirable  building  stone  has  been  taken  out.  The  soil  is  generally  a 
gravelly  loam,  well  adapted  for  grazing  and  the  production  of  hay. 
Dairying  is  the  principal  industry  of  the  farming  community.  The 
town  is  at  the  present  time  largely  an  agricultural  district. 

The  territory  of  Nelson  was  originally  patented  to  Alexander  Web- 
ster, June  4,  1793,  and  in  the  same  year  was  purchased  by  John 
Lincklaen,  who  was  the  active  agent  in  promoting  early  settlements. 

Two  public  State  roads  were  laid  out  in  early  3-ears  that  crossed  this 
town,  one  of  these  came  in  from  Eaton  across  the  land  afterwards  cov- 
ered by  the  Eaton  reservoir,  passed  on  over  the  hills  through  Erieville 
to  Woodstock  and  onward  in  that  direction.  The  other  road  came  from 
Morrisville  and  crossed  the  town  near  the  center  in  an  east  and  west 
direction.  The  later  Skaneateles  Turnpike  followed  substantially  the 
course  of  the  first  named  road.  The  Cherry  Valley  Turnpike,  built  in 
1806,  left  Morrisville  and  passes  in  a  westerly  course  through  the 
northern  part  of  the  town.  The  Syracuse  and  Chenango  Valley  branch 
of  the  West  Shore  railroad  crosses  Nelson  in  the  southwest  part,  with 
a  station  at  Erieville. 

In  1793  Jedediah  Jackson  and  Joseph  Yaw  visited  and  purchased 
land  in  the  north  part  of  the  town  in  the  interest  of  an  association  of 
men  in  Vermont,  and  during  the  two  succeeding  years  twenty  six  fam- 
ilies, most  of  whom  came  from  the  vicinity  of  Pownal,  and  were  largely 
related,  settled  on  the  purchase  or  in  other  parts  of  the  town.  The 
names  of  the  heads  of  these  families  follow:  Jedediah  and  Asahel 
Jackson,  brothers,  Joseph  Yaw,  and  David,  his  brother,  Ebenezer 
Lyon,  Daniel  Adams,  Sylvanus  Sayles,  Oliver  Alger,  Daniel  and  Isaac 
Coolidge,  Levi  Neil,  Samuel  and  Thomas  Swift,  Roger  Brooks, 
Ethan  Howard,  Robert  and  Solomon  Brown,  Thomas  and  Jesse  Tuttle, 
Luther  Doolittle,  Joseph  Cary,  Jesse  Clark,  James  Green,  Eliphalet 
Jackson,  John  Everton,  Amos  Rathbone,  David  Nichols  and  Rufus 
Weaver.  Some  of  these  families  did  not  remain  permanently  in  the 
town,  but  the  larger  number  retained  their  farms  which  they  cleared 
and  cultivated;  many  of  them  brought  with  them  children  who  lived  to 
be  prominent  in  the  community. 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  107 

Jedediah  Jackson  settled  about  a  mile  west  of  Nelson  Flats,  on  the 
farm  subsequently  occupied  by  Levi  Keith,  and  on  the  site  of  that 
house  opened  a  tavern  in  1794,  which  was  the  first  one  in  the  town. 
He  had  a  family  and  was  a  prominent  citizen.  He  kept  the  tavern 
many  years  and  made  it  a  favorite  stopping  place  for  the  many  pros- 
pectors and  settlers  who  passed  that  way  in  early  years.  He  was  killed 
eventually  by  the  kick  of  a  horse;  with  Joseph  Yaw,  he  had  been  one 
of  the  first  justices  of  the  peace.  Asahel  Jackson  settled  a  little  north- 
east of  the  Flats  on  the  hill,  near  the  site  of  the  Methodist  church. 

Ebenezer  Lyons',  a  veteran  of  the  Revolution,  born  in  Connecticut, 
married  his  wife  at  Wallingford,  Vt.,  and  thence  came  to  Nelson  and 
settled  in  the  western  part  of  the  town  where  his  grandson,  Wallace 
Lyon,  now  lives.  He  became  a  prominent  citizen ;  was  the  first  super- 
visor of  the  town,  several  years  justice  of  the  peace,  and  an  early  judge 
of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas.  He  was  succeeded  on  the  homestead 
by  his  son,  Eliphas,  who  also  died  there.  Joseph  Yaw  located  in  the 
northwest  part  of  the  town  near  the  site  of  the  cemetery;  he  finally 
sold  to  Peter  Morey  and  moved  out.  Daniel  Adams  located  north  of 
the  Flats  and  was  a  prominent  citizen.  Roger  Brooks  settled  in  the 
east  part  of  the  town  on  the  farm  i-ecently  occupied  by  Deacon  D.  E. 
Davis;  was  a  practical  cabinet  maker,  and  followed  this  trade  for  many 
years.  Luther  Doolittle  located  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  town 
on  the  farm  now  owned  by  John  Hughes,  and  there  kept  one  of  the 
earliest  taverns  in  that  section. 

Eliphalet  Jackson  settled  a  little  west  of  the  Flats,  built  a  log  house 
and  in  it  kept  the  first  store  in  the  town.  A  little  later  he  sold  goods 
in  a  frame  building  erected  by  him  soon  after  1800,  which  stood  a  little 
east  of  the  site  of  Levi  Keith's  residence.  There  is  a  little  question  as 
to  whether  Jackson  or  Daniel  Russell  began  trade  first. 

Russell  Weaver  lived  on  his  home  farm  until  1814,  when  he  died  at 
the  age  of  sixty-eight  years,  and  was  succeeded  there  by  his  youngest 
son,  Rufus.      His  daughter  Elizabeth  became  the  wife  of  David  Nichols. 

Samuel  Kinney  was  young  and  unmarried  when  he  accompanied  the 
Jacksons  to  their  new  home  in  1794.  The  anecdote  is  related  that  on 
the  night  before  they  reached  their  destination  they  stopped  at  the 
western  edge  of  Eaton.  The  next  morning  the  question  was  discussed 
as  to  who  of  the  party  would  be  the  first  to  enter  the  land  of  promise; 
thereupon,  young  Kinney  and  a  daughter  of  Rufus  Weaver,  and  Lu- 
cinda  Jackson,  daughter  of  Jedediah,  settled  the  matter  in  a  foot-race. 


108  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

It  is  not  recorded  which  won  the  race  and  perhaps  the  value  of  the 
story  is  impaired  by  the  fact  that  neither  Eaton  nor  Nelson  was  erected 
until  1807,  thirteen  years  after  the  party  came  in.  Kinney  subsequently 
married  a  daughter  of  Sylvanus  Mowry  and  removed  to  Fenner,  where 
Mr.  Mowry  was  an  early  settler. 

The  pioneers  of  Nelson  were  early  favored  with  a  near-by  grist  mill, 
which  saved  them  many  weary  journeys  and  gave  them  better  food 
products.  James  Annas  was  a  settler  before  the  beginning  of  the 
century,  coming  from  Vermont  and  locating  in  the  western  part  of  the 
town.  He  was  a  millwright,  and  either  brought  with  him  a  pair  of 
mill  stones,  or  made  them  from  native  rocks,  a  point  which  is  unset- 
tled. It  was  a  common  practice  in  the  very  early  years  to  split  out 
rude  millstones  from  field  boulders.  He  at  once  built  on  Erieville 
Creek,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  north  of  Erieville  village  site,  a  small 
mill  and  soon  had  it  in  operation.  Ere  long  the  property  passed  to 
possession  of  his  youngest  son,  Truman  Annas,  who  sold  it  about  1818 
to  Oliver  Pool.  The  father  of  this  Oliver  Pool,  whose  name  also  was 
Oliver,  came  from  Bennington,  Vt.,  soon  after  1800  and  settled  a  mile 
and  a  half  west  of  the  site  of  Erieville.  He  was  a  carpenter  and  com- 
bined his  farm  work  with  that  vocation ;  he  lived  there  until  his  death 
in  1814.  The  younger  Oliver  Pool  a  few  years  later  removed  the  mill 
across  the  road  to  obtain  greater  fall  of  water,  and  in  1833  built  a  new 
and  larger  mill  a  little  below  the  first  one;  this  he  operated  until 
1818,  when  the  privilege  was  purchased  by  the  State  and  the  water 
taken  for  the  Erieville  reservoir.  Pool  went  to  Michigan  to  follow  his 
trade  and  died  there,  his  family  remaining  in  Nelson.  He  was  a  prom- 
inent and  popular  citizen,  and  served  as  supervisor  and  member  of 
assembly.  James  Annas  in  his  old  age  went  to  Locke,  Cayuga  county, 
to  live  with  his  son  and  died  there  about  1829. 

Levi  Brown  was  a  settler  of  179U,  coming  from  Utica  in  March  with 
a  sled  drawn  by  two  yoke  of  oxen  and  driving  ten  sheep  and  a  number 
of  cattle.  It  is  related  that  when  he  reached  Eaton  Brook,  a  little  be- 
low West  Eaton,  they  found  it  swollen  by  spring  flood  and  ice  and  diffi- 
cult to  cross.  When  one  of  the  sheep  refused  to  enter  the  water  Mr. 
Brown's  boy  took  it  upon  his  shoulder  and  attempted  to  cross  upon  a 
log.  The  sheep  was  frightened  and  its  struggles  precipitated  both  into 
the  stream,  which  was  then  of  vastly  larger  volume  than  now.  The 
situation  of  the  drenched  and  freezing  boy  was  not  an  enviable  one, 
with  five  miles  yet  to  travel  before  they  would  reach  a  fire.     The  boy 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  109 

was  Levi  Brown,  jr.,  who  was  then  seventeen  years  old.  Mr.  Brown 
settled  on  150  acres  of  land  about  a  mile  west  of  the  site  of  Erieville, 
a  part  of  which  with  the  dwelling  passed  in  later  years  to  Thomas 
Riggalls.  He  afterwards  removed  to  another  farm  half  a  mile  south  of 
Erieville,  where  he  resided  until  his  death. 

The  Richardson  brothers,  Eldad,  Lemuel,  Asa,  Benjamin  and  Eri, 
removed  to  the  territory  of  Nelson  at  about  the  time  under  considera- 
tion, from  Keane,  N.  H.,  and  settled  on  lands  adjacent  to  the  site  of 
Erieville;  Eldad  located  on  lot  147,  which  was  taken  up  by  him  and 
his  brother  Lemuel  jointly.  He  was  a  popular  early  tavern  keeper,  and 
probably  stands  alone  in  Madison  county  as  the  father  of  as  many  as 
thirty-three  children ;  only  six  of  them  lived  to  maturity.  He  died  in 
April,  1829,  at  the  age  of  fifty-nine  years.  Lemuel,  who  settled  on  the 
same  lot,  died  in  August,  1832,  aged  sixty-one  years;  he  had  nine  chil- 
dren. Eri  represented  this  county  in  the  Assembly  in  1828  and  was  a 
prominent  citizen;  he  died  in  August,  1844.  Benjamin  died  in  Octo- 
ber, 1855. 

Three  brothers  named  Wells  (Gardner,  Joshua  and  Robert),  settled 
in  Nelson  in  1796,  locating  in  the  south  part  of  the  town  about  a  mile 
east  of  the  site  of  Erieville.  Gardner  and  Joshua  married  in  Rhode 
Island  before  coming  west.  The  former  was  a  blacksmith  and  proba- 
bly the  first  one  in  the  town.  He  followed  this  vocation  until  near  the 
time  of  his  death,  and  made  many  of  the  early  rude  plows  used  in  this 
section  and  much  of  the  primitive  mill  machinery.  He  had  a  son  Gard- 
ner .who  was  also  a  blacksmith.  He  died  on  his  homestead  in  May, 
1839.      Frank  Isbell  now  lives  on  the  place. 

Joshua  Wells  resided  on  the  fifty  acres  he  first  took  up  until  a  short 
time  before  his  death,  when  he  went  to  live  with  his  sons,  Clark  and 
Jonathan  Wells:  he  died  at  the  home  of  the  latter  in  January,  18fi4, 
aged  ninety-two  years.  He  was  twice  married  and  had  sixteen  chil- 
dren. His  first  child,  Palmer  Wells,  born  June  12,  1796,  was  probably 
the  first  white  child  born  on  Nelson  territory;  he  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty-eight  years.  Joshua  Wells  held  many  town  offices,  was  one  of 
the  organizers  of  the  Erieville  Baptist  church,  and  was  a  much  re- 
spected citizen.  Robert  Wells,  the  third  brother,  lived  to  near  the  time 
of  his  death  on  the  farm  he  first  took  up,  which  subsequently  constitu- 
ted a  part  of  the  Jeremiah  Blair  farm,  now  occupied  by  Frank  Blair; 
he  died  in  Erieville  in  October,  1842,  aged  sixty-one  years. 

David  Wellington  settled  in   the  town   in  either  1796  or  1797,  about 


110  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

two  miles  east  of  Erieville,  near  the  site  of  the  reservoir,  his  farm  be- 
coming in  later  years  a  part  of  the  Isaac  Blair  farm.  He  cleared  an 
acre  in  his  first  season  and  sowed  it  with  wheat;  his  first  habitation  was 
a  log  shanty  roofed  with  bark  and  floored  with  puncheons  split  from 
soft  wood  logs.  He  then  went  back  to  his  former  home  in  Cheshire, 
N.  H.,  and  brought  in  his  wife.  He  was  father  of  an  estimable  family 
and  late  in  his  life  went  to  live  with  his  son  David  a  mile  south  of  Caz- 
enovia  village,  where  both  he  and  his  wife  died.  He  was  one  of  the 
first  justices  of  the  peace  of  Nelson,  holding  the  office  about  twenty 
years,  and  was  honored  with  other  public  stations. 

Simeon  Haswell  was  one  of  four  brothers  all  of  whom  served  in  the 
Revolutionary  army;  he  came  from  Granville,  Mass.,  where  he  was 
born,  in  1799,  with  his  family  of  his  wife  and  nine  children  and  settled 
on  the  State  road  two  miles  southeast  of  Nelson  Flats,  on  what  is  now 
known  as  the  Ezra  Booth  farm.  He  was  a  practical  mason  and  mingled 
that  occupation  with  farming.  His  children  were  named  Simeon,  Par- 
sons, Horace,  Daison,  Thomas,  Leonard,  Sally,  Sophia,  Orpha  and 
Abigail,  and  many  of  them  married  and  settled  in  this  region.  He  had 
a  younger  son,  Jabez,  who  was  born  in  Nelson.  The  father  died  while 
living  with  one  of  his  sons  in  Fenner,  in  184G,  aged  eighty-nine  years. 

Jesse,  Abner  and  Seth  Bumpus  settled  in  the  north  part  of  the  town 
previous  to  1800;  they  were  brothers.  Aaron  Lindsley  and  Moses  and 
Solomon  Clark  also  settled  just  before  the  beginning  of  the  century  in 
the  northeast  part.  Paul  Griffiths,  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  Joseph, 
Chauncey  and  David  Case,  William  Knox  and  David  Hamilton,  all  lo- 
cated in  the  town  about  the  year  1800.  Griffiths  was  from  Berkshire 
county,  Mass.,  and  located  four  miles  west  of  Erieville;  he  had  four 
children :  Isaac,  Otis,  Abigail  and  Diana.  After  his  wife  died  he  moved 
to  the  west  part  of  Georgetown  where  he  died  after  reaching  the  great 
age  of  100  years.  The  Cases  were  brothers  from  Simsbury,  Conn., 
and  settled  in  the  northwest  part  of  the  town  on  the  Cazenovialine,  and 
each  remained  on  the  farm  first  taken  up  throughout  his  life.  Joseph 
died  in  1855;  Chauncey  in  1859;  David  in  1873.  Lester  M.  Case,  a 
prominent  citizen,  member  of  assembly  in  1858,  and  member  of  the  Con- 
stitutional Convention  in  1867,  was  a  son  of  Joseph,  as  also  was  J.  Milton 
Case,  who  died  inCazenovia  in  1875. 

William  Knox  and  David  Hamilton  were  brothers-in-law  and  settled 
on  farms  in  the  northeast  part  of  the  town,  the  latter  on  the  farm  sub- 
sequently occupied  by  his  son,  S.  W.  Hamilton,  and  the  latter  where 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  lU 

O.  D.  Knox  afterwards  resided;  Knox  was  a  son  of  a  brother  of  William 
named  John  who  came  into  the  town  a  little  later.  Hamilton  died  in 
1858. 

Jeremiah  Whipple  was  an  early  settler  in  Cazenovia  where  he  kept 
an  excellent  hotel  many  years  and  was  the  first  sheriff  of  Madison 
county,  holding  the  office  a  number  of  years.  He  removed  to  Nelson 
and  settled  at  the  Flats,  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace,  and  was 
a  merchant  with  his  son  Jeremiah,  who  was  born  in  1800;  the  latter  re- 
moved to  Fenner  and  died  there  in  1869.  Another  son,  Hull  Whipple, 
married  a  daughter  of  Col.  Aaron  Ballon,  of  Fenner,  went  South  in 
1832  and  died  there.  William  Whipple,  a  brother  of  Jeremiah,  was  an 
early  settler  in  this  region,  located  in  Cazenovia,  where  he  was  a  car- 
penter and  constable.  He  lived  on  the  site  of  the  Lincklaen  House, 
and  contracted  to  make  the  brick  for  the  first  court  house,  built  in  Caz- 
enovia. 

Jeremiah  Clark,  who  purchased  the  Whipple  property,  built  a  saw 
mill  in  the  town  soon  after  1800  on  the  west  side  of  the  stream  near  his 
settlement ;  it  was  not  long  in  operation.  Oliver  Pool  built  a  saw  mill 
on  the  east  end  of  the  same  dam  at  a  later  date.  Mr.  Clark  removed 
to  Dryden,  Tompkins  county,  late  in  his  life.  The  first  saw  mill  in 
Nelson  was  built  in  1798-9  by  Sylvanus  and  George  Sayles,  two  miles 
southerly  of  Nelson  Flats;  on  the  site  is  the  present  so-called  Hamilton 
mill.  This  property  had  been  reserved  by  Mr.  Lincklaen  with  the  in- 
tention of  donating  it  to  any  person  who  would  build  a  mill. 

Thomas  Ackley  and  Benjamin  Hatch,  from  Plainfield,  Otsego  county, 
and  Jeremiah  Blair,  from  Blandford,  Mass.,  were  settlers  of  the  period 
under  consideration  in  the  west  part  of  the  town  on  the  Cazenovia  line. 
Ackley  died  at  an  advanced  age  in  New  Woodstock.  Job  Wood,  Sam- 
uel Salisbury,  and  Benjamin  Wadsworth,  from  Bennington,  Vt. ,  settled 
in  the  town  in  1802.  Wadsworth's  son,  John,  now  resides  in  Erieville 
village.  Dyer  Matteson,  Jesse  Carpenter  and  Robert  Hazard  were 
settlers  of  1806;  the  former  was  from  Rhode  Island  originally,  but  re- 
moved to  Nelson  from  Middletown,  Vt. ,  and  located  about  a  mile  north 
of  Erieville;  later  he  removed  to  a  farm  about  a  mile  farther  east,  which 
was  afterwards  owned  by  Freeman  Matteson;  there  he  died  in  1844. 
Robert  Hazard  was  a  native  of  Hancock,  Mass.,  and  settled  on  the 
Colonel  Forman  purchase  of  three  lots  in  the  west  part  of  the  town;  he 
took  up  100  acres  of  lot  146  and  lived  there  until  his  death  in  February, 
1853;  he  had  three  children. 


113  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Jesse  Carpenter  came  from  Worcester,  Mass.,  where  he  was  born, 
with  his  wife  and  two  children  and  settled  half  a  mile  north  of  Erieville ; 
he  was  a  basket  maker  and  followed  that  occupation  until  his  death. 
The  two  children  who  came  to  Nelson  were  both  married  previous  to 
that  time,  and  Elijah,  the  son,  had  several  children  when  he  came  in; 
he  settled  two  miles  southwest  of  Erieville  on  the  farm  subsequently 
occupied  by  William  Pugh.  He  was  a  shoemaker  and  worked  at  it  in 
connection  with  farming.     He  had  eleven  children. 

Barna  Stimson  was  from  Blandford,  Mass.,  and  settled  in  1809  in  the 
vicinity  of  Erieville,  where  he  followed  coopering  until  his  death  about 
1816.  Among  other  early  settlers  were  James  Hinman,  Oliver  Stone, 
Israel  Patterson,  Horatio  Sims,  and  Abner  Camp.  Stone  was  from 
Connecticut  and  settled  a  little  to  the  west  of  the  site  of  Erieville;  later 
he  sold  fifty  acres  of  his  farm  to  Dr.  Onesimus  Mead  and  Silas  Melvin. 
The  latter  did  not  come  into  the  town  until  1806;  he  was  associated 
with  William  Fellows  about  1813  in  building  a  saw  mill  at  the  head  of 
the  reservoir,  which  was  in  operation  until  about  1845  when  the  dam 
was  carried  away  in  a  flood.  Stone  subsequently  sold  his  remaining 
fifty  acres,  but  resided  in  the  town  until  his  death  about  1830. 

James  Hinman  settled  in  the  north  part  of  the  town,  but  left  this 
region  in  early  years.  Israel  Patterson  was  a  pioneer  on  a  farm  a  little 
east  of  Erieville,  where  he  took  up  150  acres,  but  sold  seventy-five  to 
Joshua  Wells.  About  1800  he  sold  the  remainder  to  Thomas  Mallory, 
who  four  years  later  removed  to  Canada.  A  brother  of  Israel  Patter- 
son lived  also  on  the  same  place,  where  two  log  houses  were  built;  they 
came  in  together  but  left  the  town  at  an  early  date. 

Horatio  Sims,  father  of  Clark  Sims,  was  a  pioneer  and  settled  a  mile 
and  a  half  north  of  Erieville,  where  William  R.  Jones  afterwards  lived; 
both  he  and  his  wife  died  there.  Abner  Camp  was  a  settler  on  the  east 
line  of  the  town  south  of  the  center,  where  he  cleared  a  farm  which  he 
afterwards  sold  and  soon  after  the  war  of  1812  removed  to  Richland, 
N.  Y.  He  was  a  son  of  Dr.  Abner  Camp,  a  botanic  physician,  who 
settled  early  in  Eaton  on  the  southeast  side  of  Hatch's  Lake,  which  for 
a  time  was  known  as  Camp's  Pond. 

Several  families  came  in  from  New  Jersey  in  1811  and  settled  in  that 
region,  which  is  still  called  Jersey  Bush,  in  the  south  part  of  the  town. 
Among  them  were  Thomas  and  William  Harris,  Joseph  English,  Phineas 
Hamblet,  Elijah  Carpenter,  John  S.  Brown  and  a  Mr.  Abraham. 
Thomas  Harris  was  grandfather  of  Dr.  George  Harris,  later  of  George- 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  U3 

town.  For  years  past  the  Harris  family  has  held  a  reunion  at  Jersey 
Bush,  the  attendance  numbering  from  300  to  400. 

The  succeeding  list  of  officers  of  the  town,  the  list  of  supervisors 
given  in  the  Gazetteer  of  Nelson  and  Hart  II  contain  many  names  of 
other  pioneers  who  labored  through  their  lives  around  the  hearthstones 
they  had  laid  in  the  wilderness,  and  left  a  richer  heritage  to  their  pos- 
terity. 

The  first  and  second  town  meetings  in  Nelson  were  held  in  the  barn 
of  Rufus  Weaver  on  the  7th  of  April,  1807.  At  the  first  meeting  James 
Green  acted  as  moderator  and  Josiah  Hayden,  clerk;  John  Rice  and 
Isaac  Bumpus  assisted  in  canvassing  the  votes.  The  following  officers 
were  there  elected:  Ebenezer  Lyon,  supervisor;  John  Rice,  clerk; 
Jeremiah  Clark,  Simeon  Marshall  and  Thaddeus  Hazleton,  assessors; 
Thomas  Holdridge,  Moses  Boardman  and  John  Knox,  commissioners 
of  highways;  Day  Fay  and  Moses  Boardman,  overseers  of  the  poor; 
Eri  Richardson,  Asahel  Wood,  Alvan  Henry  and  Benjamin  Bumpus, 
constables;  Alvan  Henry,  collector;  James  Bacon  and  John  Jackson, 
poundkeepers;  Elijah  Daniels,  Daniel  Butler,  Silas  Reeves,  Joseph  Sims, 
Rufus  Weaver,  James  Annas,  Benjamin  Turner,  Uriah  Annas,  Robert 
Hazard,  George  Tibbits,  Eldad  Richardson,  Jonathan  Wellington, 
David  Smith,  Abraham  Parker,  Ephraim  Cone,  David  Nichols,  Daniel 
Coolidge,  Richard  Green,  John  Rice,  Stephen  Kingsley,  Dyer  Matteson, 
Francis  Wood,  John  Knox  and  Warham  Chapman,  overseers  of  high- 
ways and  fenceviewers. 

Among  the  early  proceedings  of  town  meetings  it  is  recorded  that 
Jeremiah  Clark  was  voted  ten  dollars  for  his  services  in  attending  the 
Legislature  in  promoting  the  formation  of  the  town.  In  1809  a  tax  of 
twenty-five  cents  was  imposed  upon  every  person  who  kept  a  dog,  the 
proceeds  to  be  devoted  to  the  purchase  of  a  Merino  ram  for  public  use. 
This  is,  perhaps,  the  earli^t  instance  of  the  imposition  of  a  dog  tax 
anywhere  in  this  vicinity,  if  not  in  the  State.  At  the  same  time  a 
bounty  of  $30,  in  addition  to  the  State  bounty,  was  voted  for  every 
wolf  killed.  The  remarkable  dog  tax  was  repealed  in  1810.  It  was 
voted  at  an  early  meeting  that  "  sheep  rams  shall  not  run  on  the  com- 
mon after  the  1st  day  of  September  until  the  1st  day  of  January,  on  the 
penalty  of  being  forfeit." 

In  1807  the  amount  of  tax  collected  was  $208.41;  when  the  treas- 
urer's and  collector's  fees  were  deducted  it  left  $195.90.  In  that  year 
it  cost  $11.50  to  support  the  poor.  Other  votes  were  early  passed  for 
the  simple  government  of  the  town. 


114  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Early  in  the  century  some  small  business  interests  were  established  on 
the  site  of  Erieville,  around  which  soon  gathered  a  collection  of  settlers. 
Josiah  Hayden,  who  settled  there  about  1807,  built  a  store  on  the  site 
now  occupied  by  G.  C.  Moore;  that  building  was  afterwards  used  as  a 
school  house,  where  Dr.  John  Heffron  taught  certainly  as  early  as  1810; 
later  it  was  a  gun  shop  and  finally  a  dwelling. 

The  first  store  at  Nelson  Flats,  as  it  was  called  (now  Nelson  village), 
was  opened  soon  after  1800  and  kept  several  years  by  Eliphalet  S. 
Jackson,  who  was  succeeded  by  his  cousins,  John  and  Salathiel  Jackson. 
This  point  was  in  early  years  a  place  of  considerable  business  impor- 
tance, when  many  stage  coaches  passing  east  and  west  made  it  a  stop- 
ping place. 

One  of  the  first  taverns  in  the  town  was  kept  by  Luther  Doolittle  in 
the  northeast  quarter,  about  1800;  it  was  known  as  Tog  Hill  tavern. 
Another  was  built  by  Eldad  Richardson  on  Eagle  Hill  a  mile  east  of 
Erieville  not  long  afterwards;  both  of  these  were  first  built  of  logs. 

Although  parts  of  this  town,  particularly  the  northeast  part,  were 
occupied  as  a  field  of  religious  labor  in  very  early  years,  probably  be- 
fore the  beginning  of  the  century,  by  both  Baptists  and  Presbyterians, 
and  by  Methodists  not  long  afterwards,  no  church  was  organized  in  the 
town  until  after  the  formation  of  the  county.  There  was  not  a  physi- 
cian in  the  town  as  a  resident,  Dr.  Jarn_es  Pratt  coming  in  from  Eaton 
to  attend  the  sick  until  1809,  when  Dr.  John  Heffron,  a  native  of  Swan- 
sey,  N.  H.,  settled  at  Erieville.  The  town  in  1806,  while  quite  fully 
settled,  was  not  nearly  so  far  advanced  in  its  institutions,  its  trade 
operations  or  mercantile  business,  as  many  others,  and  there  was  not  a 
post-office  until  1832. 

Turning  now  to  the  town  of  Madison  as  another  of  the  five  formed 
within  a  year  after  the  erection  of  the  county,  we  find  that  it  was  set 
off  from  Hamilton  on  the  6th  of  February^  1807,  and  named  in  honor 
of  James  Madison,  president  of  the  United  States.  It  is  situated  on 
the  east  border  of  the  county  south  of  the  center  and  is  bounded  on  the 
north  by  Augusta  and  Stockbridge,  on  the  south  by  Hamilton,  on  the 
east  by  Oneida  county,  and  the  west  by  Eaton ;  it  was  No.  3  of  the 
Twenty  Townships  and  contains  almost  23,000  acres.  The  principal 
streams  of  the  town  are  the  headwaters  of  a  branch  of  the  Chenango 
River  flowing  south  and  the  headwaters  of  a  branch  of  Oriskany  Creek 
flowing  north;  but  tiiere  are  numerous  small  spring-fed  streams  amply 
watering  the  town.     The  surface    is  a  rolling  upland,   a   picturesque 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  115 

variety  of  hills  and  intervening  valleys.  There  are  several  small  ponds, 
the  principal  one  of  which  is  the  Madison  reservoir  covering  an  area  of 
235  acres,  from  which  a  feeder  leads  to  the  old  Chenango  Canal.  Some 
of  the  ponds,  particularly  those  in  the  north  part,  are  filled  with  marl ; 
but  it  has  not  been  used  on  account  of  the  swampy  edges  and  the  depth 
of  water.  The  town  is  underlaid  wholly  by  the  rocks  of  the  Hamilton 
group,  which  are  generally  deeply  covered  with  drift,  making  it  practi- 
cally impossible  to  quarry  with  success.  The  soil  on  the  hills  is  clayey 
loam  and  in  the  valleys  is  gravelly  loam,  most  of  it  fertile  and  adapted 
to  mixed  farming.  Hop  growing  has  for  many  years  been  the  most 
important  agricultural  industry  and  twenty  years  ago  the  product  of 
the  town  was  in  some  years  one-fourth  that  of  the  whole  county. 
Dairying  has  always  received  considerable  attention  and  in  recent  years 
has  increased.  Lumber  is  still  cut  to  a  considerable  extent  from  the 
remaining  woodlands,  three  steam  saw  mills  being  now  in  operation  in 
the  town. 

Settlement  in  the  town  of  Madison  was  early  promoted  by  Robert 
Troup,  who  has  already  been  mentioned  as  the  agent  of  Sir  William 
Pultney,  the  purchaser  of  immense  tracts  of  land  in  this  region.  In 
association  with  Mr.  Troup  and  working  under  his  direction  was  Ben- 
jamin Walker,  and  through  their  efforts  and  fair  treatment  of  settlers, 
the  town  rapidly  filled  up  with  an  excellent  class  of  pioneers.  In  1791 
prospectors  entered  the  town  and  in  the  following  year  Daniel  Perkins, 
the  first  permanent  settler,  took  up  two  lots  lying  south  of  the  pond 
near  the  site  of  Madison  village;  he  was  from  Kennebec  county,  Me., 
and  subsequently  sold  parcels  of  his  land  to  other  settlers.  He  located 
a  mile  east  of  the  site  of  Bouckville  where  Theodore  Spencer  now 
resides,  built  a  house  and  returned  to  Maine  for  his  family,  who  were 
brought  in  early  the  next  year.  A  little  later  he  transferred  the  home- 
stead to  his  son-in-law,  Theodore  St.  Clair,  with  whom  he  resided  for  a 
time  and  later  with  his  son,  Solomon  Perkins;  the  latter  had  left  this 
town  prior  to  1806  and  settled  in  the  Black  River  country.  Mr.  St. 
Clair  built  in  1807  the  hotel  in  Madison  village  which  is  still  standing, 
though  much  changed  in  appearance  by  subsequent  additions.  He  kept 
the  tavern  a  short  time. 

In  the  same  year  (1793)  Jesse  Maynard  took  up  a  farm  on  lot  45 
about  a  mile  south  of  Madison  village,  now  owned  by  the  widow  of 
Lewis  W.  Curtis;  he  remained  only  a  short  time  in  the  town.  His 
brothers,  Amos  and  Moses,  came  in  a  little  later,  Amos  about  1798,  and 


116  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Moses  as  early  as  1801.  The  former  settled  on  the  same  lot  as  Jf  e, 
where  he  and  his  wife  both  died.  He  was  the  first  captain  of  militia  in 
the  town,  was  a  soldier  of  the  war  of  1812  and  rose  to  the  rank  of  col- 
onel. Moses  Maynard  brought  in  a  large  family  and  settled  on  the  te 
of  Madison  village  where  he  kept  an  early  tavern  many  years.  He 
afterwards  built  the  hotel  at  Bouckville,  where  he   died  in   May,  1853. 

At  about  the  year  under  consideration  the  founder  of  Madison  village 
came  in  the  person  of  John  Berry  and  took  up  land  on  lot  36  on  which 
the  village  is  situated.  He  settled  a  little  to  the  south  of  the  village 
center,  where  Charles  Welch  now  resides.  At  an  early  date  he  sold 
the  homestead  to  his  son  Samuel,  who  later  sold  it  to  Gen.  Erastus 
Cleveland,  son-in-law  of  the  elder  Berry,  under  an  agreement  that 
Cleveland  should  thenceforth  care  for  Samuel's  father  and  mother; 
Samuel  Berry  then  went  west.  John  Berry,  who  became  blind,  and 
his  wife  passed  the  remainder  of  their  days  with  General  Cleveland  and 
both  died  in  1821. 

Erastus  Cleveland  was  one  of  the  Madison  prospectors  of  1792,  com- 
ing directly  from  Whitestown,  but  originally  from  Norwich,  Conn.  In 
the  spring  of  1793  he  settled  on  Oriskany  Creek  in  the  north  part  of 
the  town  at  what  became  known  as  Tyler's  Mills,  a  mile  below  Sols- 
ville.  He  purchased  all  the  mill  sites  on  that  stream  and  built  at  dif- 
ferent times  some  half  dozen  grist  mills,  as  many  saw  mills,  and  a 
woolen  factory  on  the  site  of  Solsville,  which  disappeared  before  1825. 
All  those  mills  have  also  disappeared  excepting  one,  which  is  now  oper- 
ated by  F.  Fiske.  This  was  in  part  due  to  the  reduction  of  the  water 
power  caused  by  constructing  the  canal.  General  Cleveland  also  engaged 
among  the  very  first  in  the  manufacture  of  black  salts,  as  the  crude 
potash  was  called,  buying  ashes  for  the  purpose  about  the  country ;  in 
the  prosecution  of  this  business  he  kept  a  few  coarse  dry  goods  which 
he  exchanged  for  ashes,  thus  becoming  the  first  merchant. 

General  Cleveland  was  a  man  of  great  capacity  and  energ)'  and  soon 
made  a  wholesome  and  permanent  impression  upon  the  uninviting  part 
of  the  wilderness  where  he  had  chosen  his  abode.  He  was  a  practical 
carpenter  and  turned  his  skill  to  excellent  account  in  his  early  building 
operations.  He  built  before  1794  the  first  saw  mill,  which  was  sup- 
plemented in  the  following  year  by  a  grist  mill,  the  first  one  in  the 
town;  it  occupied  the  site  of  the  one  before  mentioned  as  now  operated 
by  Mr.  Fiske.  He  continued  in  the  building  business  until  his  death, 
which  took  place  at  the  home  of  his  son,  Samuel  G. ,  January  23,  1858. 


SETTLEMENT  OP  TOWNS.  117 

The  house  in  which  he  died,  on  the  old  Berry  place,  was  built  before 
1  '^  and  was  probably  the  first  frame  dwelling  in  the  town;  Jonathan 
Pratt  built  a  frame  house  opposite  in  the  same  year.  General  Cleve- 
land built,  also,  on  the  Berry  farm  the  first  brick  structure  of  any 
ac  -ount ;  he  engaged  early  in  droving,  carried  on  distilling  and  brewing, 
and  in  the  second  decade  of  the  century  built  the  brick  store  in  Madi- 
son village,  where  he  was  a  merchant  a  few  years  and  transferred  it  to 
his  son  and  others  of  his  family.  In  the  conduct  of  his  various  business 
undertakings  General  Cleveland  accumulated  what  was  a  considerable 
fortune  for  those  days.  For  many  years  he  was  among  the  foremost 
citizens  of  Madison  count)-;  was  elected  to  the  Assembly  in  1833,  where 
he  was  prominent  in  securing  the  legislation  for  the  construction  of  the 
Chenango  Canal ;  was  the  instigator  of  the  measures  that  led  to  the 
establishment  of  the  county  poor  house,  and  was  for  many  years  county 
judge.  In  the  war  of  1813  he  commanded  a  regiment  at  Sackett's 
Harbor,  and  later  was  in  command  of  a  brigade  of  militia  which  gave 
him  his  military  title. 

Col.  Samuel  Clemens  settled  also  in  1793;  he  was  from  Massachusetts 
and  located  on  the  Cherry  Valley  Turnpike  about  a  mile  east  of  Madi- 
son village,  where  Algenas  Lovejoy  now  resides;  he  opened  his  house 
for  the  entertainment  of  travelers;  he,  however,  left  the  town  in  earl)^ 
years.  Thomas  McMullen  (the  spelling  of  this  name  has  been  changed 
to  Mellen)  settled  in  1793,  coming  from  Pelham,  Mass.,  and  locating  a 
mile  northeast  of  the  Center  on  the  farm  now  occupied  by  L.  Morgan ; 
he  and  his  wife  both  died  there.  Stephen  F.  Blackstone  and  Russell 
Barker  came  westward  in  company  in  1793  from  Brantford,  Conn., 
where  they  had  married  sisters.  Blackstone  settled  in  the  southeast 
corner  of  lot  47  where  Henry  Fredericks  now  resides,  and  Barker  on 
lot  48  on  the  old  Bishop  place.  Mr.  Blackstone  was  a  prominent  citi- 
zen and  held  the  offices  of  member  of  assembly  and  county  judge.  His 
son  Stephen  was  one  of  the  first  children  born  in  the  town.  William 
and  David  Blair  were  brothers  and  settlers  of  that  year,  William  at 
Madison  Center  on  land  known  as  the  Coe  place,  where  he  reared  a 
family.  Brownell  Tompkins,  father  of  Sidney  Tompkins,  married 
his  daughter  and  with  him  William  Blair  passed  his  last  years.  David 
Blair  settled  a  mile  southeast  of  the  Center,  where  his  son  David  after- 
wards resided,  now  occupied  by  Thomas  Jones.  James  Collister,  an- 
other pioneer  of  1793,  came  from  Massachusetts  and  settled  where  his 
grandson,  Deloss  Collister,  subsequently  lived  and  where  James  Collis- 


lis  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ter,  son  of  Deloss,  now  resides.  Among  his  children  was  Marcena 
Collister,  who  was  the  first  male  white  child  born  in  the  town;  he  suc- 
ceeded to  and  died  on  the  homestead. 

Two  other  settlers  of  1793  were  Henry  W.  and  Israel  Bond,  brothers 
and  soldiers  in  the  Revolutionary  army,  who  located  in  the  north  part 
of  the  town,  Israel  on  the  Bond  farm  now  occupied  by  Miss  Pratt. 
Henry  Bond  built  in  1793  on  the  Oriskany  at  Solsville,  an  early 
saw  mill,  which  was  operated  some  thirty  years.  He  and  Eli- 
jah Blodgett,  who  settled  on  the  flats  near  Bouckville,  kept  a  tavern 
there  and  were  interested  together  in  lands  in  the  northwest  quarter  of 
the  town.  Henry  Bond  removed  from  the  town  in  early  years.  Mr. 
Blodgett  was  a  practical  surveyor,  the  first  in  the  town,  and  a  man  of 
more  than  ordinary  ability;  he  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace, 
but  he  also  left  the  town  as  early  as  1807. 

Joel  Crawford  settled  in  1793  about  two  miles  east  of  the  Center  on 
the  farm  now  occupied  by  the  widow  of  the  late  T.  Jones.  He  removed 
to  Michigan.  Francis  Clemens  settled  in  the  same  year  a  little  east  of 
the  site  of  Madison  village  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  which  skirted  the 
Cherry  Valley  Turnpike  as  if  formerly  ran;  it  has  been  changed  in  its 
course  to  make  it  more  nearly  straight;  he  removed  from  the  town  in 
early  years.  Seth  Snow  settled  in  1793  on  the  turnpike  on  the  Putnam 
place  now  occupied  by  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Putnam.  He  planted  the 
first  apple  tree  in  town  and  also  built  the  first  brick  house,  a  small 
structure.      He  left  the  town  at  an  early  date. 

John  Niles,  from  Chesterfield,  Mass.,  came  west  by  way  of  the  Mo- 
hawk River,  stopped  one  summer  in  Clinton  and  in  the  winter  of  1793 
passed  down  the  valley  and  cleared  an  acre  of  land  on  lot  43,  a  half 
mile  east  of  the  site  of  Bouckville,  on  what  has  always  been  known  as 
the  Niles  farm.  The  following  spring  he  returned  to  Clinton  and  from 
there  brought  in  on  his  way  back  corn,  beans,  and  potatoes,  which  he 
planted  on  his  clearing.  He  had  recently  married  his  wife  in  Clinton 
and  she  came  in  with  him.  In  the  following  year  a  number  of  his  rel- 
atives joined  him,  among  them  his  brothers,  Ephraim,  Isaac,  Calvin, 
Nathan  and  Samuel,  and  his  father,  Nahum,  all  of  whom  with  the  ex- 
ception of  Calvin  had  families,  adding  materially  to  the  settlement. 
Isaac  settled  on  the  Solomon  Root  farm,  which  he  sold  to  Root;  Nathan 
on  a  farm  adjoining  John's;  Nahum,  then  advanced  in  years,  between 
John  and  Isaac.  Ephraim  did  not  take  up  land.  Ephraim  Partridge  and 
Waldo  Littlefield,  brothers-in-law  of  John  Niles,  also  came  in,  Partridge 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  119 

settling  a  half  mile  east  of  Bouckville,  and  Littlefield  lived  in  a  log  house 
near  by  but  did  not  take  up  land.  In  1808  John  Niles  sold  his  place  to 
James  D.  Coolidg  and  removed  to  Lebanon,  where  the  others  soon  after- 
ward joined  him  in  founding  what  is  known  as  Niles  Settlement  and 
described  in  the  history  of  that  town. 

In  1794  a  considerable  colony  came  on  from  Rhode  Island  and  located 
in  the  southwest  quarter  of  the  town.  This  entire  quarter,  excepting 
two  lots  which  had  been  sold  to  William  and  David  Blair  as  before  no- 
ticed, and  also  two  lots  in  the  southeast  quarter,  had  been  purchased  in 
1792  by  agents  of  the  Rhode  Islanders,  and  became  known  as  the  Rhode 
Island  quarter.  Among  these  colonists  were  the  Simmons  families, two 
or  three  Peckham  families,  who  have  numerous  descendants,  some  of 
whom  still  live  in  the  town,  vSamuel  Brownell,  Joseph  Manchester  and 
Samuel  Coe;  these  were  all  from  Little  Compton  and  an  adjoining  town, 
but  all  did  not  arrive  in  that  year.  The  Peckhams,  Charles  and  George, 
Brownell  and  Coe,  and  possibly  a  few  others,  came  on  in  1794  by  way 
of  the  Mohawk,  stopped  a  time  at  Paris  Hill,  where  relatives  had  pre- 
viously settled,  and  made  the  remainder  of  their  journey  with  an  ox 
team,  bringing  in  their  families,  household  goods,  provisions  and  tools, 
following  their  course  much  of  the  distance  by  marked  trees.  The 
others  of  the  colony  came  in  within  a  few  years.  Brownell  settled  on 
the  farm  which  he  sold  to  his  son-in-law,  L.  B.  Putnam;  he  died  in 
Madison  village.  Samuel  Coe  settled  on  the  farm  now  occupied  by  the 
widow  of  Marion  F.  Risley;  his  daughter  Nancy,  who  afterwards  lived 
on  that  farm,  was  three  years  old  when  the  family  came  in,  and  lived 
to  a  very  old  age. 

Nicanor  Brown  was  a  settler  in  1794,  and  Samuel  Rowe  came  in 
about  the  same  time  from  Farmington,  Conn.  ;  the  latter  located  on  lot 
13  on  the  farm  occupied  in  recent  years  by  Matthew  R.  Burnham. 
Brown  settled  a  mile  west  of  vSolsville  on  the  Markham  farm,  and  later 
moved  a  little  southeast  of  the  Center  to  what  became  known  as  the 
Collins  place. 

Among  the  settlers  of  1795  was  Abial  Hatch  who  located  about  a  mile 
east  of  the  Center  on  the  farm  afterwards  occupied  by  his  grandson, 
Erastus  T.  Hatch,  and  now  by  John  Henderson;  his  only  child  was 
Capt.  Zenas  Hatch,  who  married  a  daughter  of  Deacon  Taylor,  an  Eng- 
lishman, who  settled  early  in  the  north  part  of  the  town;  Zenas  Hatch 
succeeded  to  the  homestead,  but  removed  to  Madison  village  and  there 
died. 


120  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLK. 

Elijah  Thompson,  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  and  Israel  Rice,  both  from 
Massachusetts,  the  former  from  Charlestown  and  the  latter  from  Wor- 
cester, came  in  1795,  Thompson  settling  on  land  bought  of  William  Blair 
and  Rice  on  lot  32  on  the  farm  now  occupied  by  Francis  Rice.  James 
and  Alexander  White,  brothers,  from  Northampton,  Mass.,  also  were 
pioneers  of  that  year,  and  were  joined  the  next  year  by  their  brother 
John,  who  purchased  100  acres  of  Samuel  Clemens.  In  the  winter  of 
1797  John  and  his  brothers  Samuel  and  Thomas  brought  in  their  families 
with  ox  teams  and  sled;  the  sleds  were  rough,  wood-shod  vehicles  and 
so  much  bare  ground  was  found  that  they  frequently  were  compelled  to 
stop  and  renew  the  runners. 

Abizar  and  David  Richmond,  brothers,  were  originally  from  Massa- 
chusetts, but  came  into  Madison  from  Fairfield,  Herkimer  county,  Abizar 
settling  where  his  son  Merrick  afterwards  lived  and  where  Pliny  Rich- 
mond, son  of  Merrick  now  lives,  and  David  in  the  southwest  part.  Will- 
iam McClenathan  settled  in  the  northeast  part  on  what  has  been  known 
as  McClenathan  Hill. 

Dr.  Jonathan  and  James  and  Daniel  Pratt,  brothers,  were  from  Belch- 
ertown,  Mass.,  whence  they  came  as  early  as  1796  and  settled  near  the 
Center.  Dr.  Pratt  was  the  first  physician  in  the  town  and  practiced 
until  his  death  in  1839 ;  he  was  prominent  in  the  formation  and  support 
of  the  First  Congregational  church,  and  accumulated  a  considerable 
property  which  was  mostly  spent  in  litigation  over  a  church  matter." 
Dr.  Pratt's  brothers  were  young  unmarried  men  and  studied  medicine 
with  him.  James  married  a  daughter  of  James  Eaton,  the  pioneer  set- 
tler of  Eaton  village,  and  there  settled  as  the  first  physician  and  school 
teacher,  continuing  until  his  death.  Daniel  settled  in  Fenner  where  he 
was  one  of  the  early  physicians.  David  Pratt,  father  of  these  brothers, 
served  in  the  Revolutionary  war;  he  was  father  of  twenty  children,  six- 
teen of  whom  lived  to  maturity  and  all  but  three  here  named  settled  in 
New  England. 

'  It  was  customary  in  those  early  days  to  sit  in  church  during  singing  and  stand  during  prayer. 
Some  sixty  years  ago  the  evangelist,  Finney,  who  was  for  a  time  president  o£  Oberlin  College, 
established  the  reverse  of  this  practice,  a  course  which  Dr.  Pratt  opposed  through  his  whole  life. 
His  will  bequeathed  a  considerable  portion  of  his  property  to  the  church  of  which  he  w*asa  mem- 
ber, provided  it  would  establish  itself  on  "  gospel  grounds  "  by  conforming  to  the  old  practice. 
The  society,  however,  continued  to  follow  the  practice  introduced  by  Finney,  and  at  the  same 
time  sued  the  Pratt  estate  in  Chancery  after  his  death  to  recover  under  his  will.  After  about 
twenty  years  of  litigation  the  court  decided  that  the  church  was  not  on  gospel  grounds  accord- 
ing to  Dr.  Pratt's  meaning.  The  estate  was  squandered  in  defending  the  will  and  the  church  im- 
poverished in  trying  to  break  it.  The  case  was  discussed  with  a  view  of  reopening  it  as  late  as 
twenty  years  ago. 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  121 

Nathaniel  Johnson,  from  Worcester,  Mass.,  became  a  settler  here  in 
1797,  and  Gideon  Lowell  about  that  )^ear.  Among  others  who  came  in 
the  period  from  1795  to  1797  were  the  Simmons  families,  William  San- 
ford,  Judson  W.  Lewis,  Nehemiah  Thompson,  Peter  Tyler  and  Thomas 
Dick.  Zarah  Simmons  and  his  sons  George  and  Thomas;  Benjaminu^ 
Simmons  and  his  sons  Benjamin  and  Cornelius,  and  Gideon  Simmons, 
who  was  a  cousin  of  Benjamin,  members  of  the  Rhode  Island  colony 
before  mentioned,  were  from  Newport  and  settled  in  the  Rhode  Island 
quarter.  William  Sanford,  Judson  W.  Lewis  and  Nehemiah  Thompson 
were  from  Stratford,  Conn.  Sanford  settled  in  the  southwest  part, 
Lewis  on  lot  19,  and  Thompson  on  lot  17.  Peter  Tyler  also  located  on 
lot  17,  where  the  widow  of  Hon.  J.  W.  Lippett  now  resides.  Thomas 
Dick  was  from  Pelham,  Mass.,  and  settled  a  mile  east  of  the  Center;  he 
had  prospected  in  the  town  in  1791. 

Joseph  Head,  a  Quaker  and  a  member  of  the  Rhode  Island  colony, 
settled  in  1798  a  half  mile  southwest  of  the  Center  and  died  there  in 
1837.  In  that  year  Joseph  Curtis  came  from  Stratford,  Conn.,  and  set- 
tled on  the  north  line  of  the  town  on  lot  3;  Robert,  Samuel  and  Timo- 
thy Curtis  came  from  the  same  town  about  the  same  time.  Robert  lo- 
cated on  land  purchased  of  Nehemiah  Thompson  on  lot  17,  and  Samuel 
and  Timothy  on  Stratford  street. 

Gilbert  Stebbins,  from  Wilbraham,  Mass.,  settled  in  1799  in  the 
southeast  part  of  the  town;  Reuben  Brigham,  from  Sudbury,  Mass., 
in  the  north  part  on  the  road  from  Solsville  to  Augusta  Center,  on  what 
has  been  known  as  the  Daniel  Richards  farm,  which  was  purchased  of 
Abner  Bellows;  Agur  Gilbert  from  Stratford,  Conn.,  settled  at  Sols- 
ville and  died  there  in  1840;  his  son.  Deacon  John  Gilbert,  succeeded 
to  the  farm  and  died  there  in  1870.  Joseph  Manchester,  who  probably 
came  in  in  1799,  settled  in  the  southwest  part  on  the  Hamilton  line; 
and  Job  Manchester,  another  member  of  the  Rhode  Island  colony,  lo- 
cated in  the  Rhode  Island  quarter  on  lot  57,  where  he  was  succeeded 
by  his  son  William  and  his  grandson,  L.  B.  Manchester. 

A  number  of  prominent  pioneers  located  in  the  year  1800  and  per- 
formed their  allotted  parts  in  building  up  the  community.  Abijah 
Parker  settled  about  a  mile  west  of  Bouckville;  his  son  Zadock  was  a 
physician  and  the  first  one  in  the  west  part  of  the  town.  Paul  Hazzard 
came  in  that  year  from  Paris,  whither  he  had  removed  from  Albany; 
he  settled  at  the  Center  and  found  remunerative  employment  at  his 
trade  of  carpenter.     In   1801   he   built  the   Baptist  church  and   in  the 


122  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

next  year  the  Congregational  church.  Jared  and  Samuel  Wickwire, 
natives  of  Cornwall,  Conn.,  settled  in  1800  on  500  acres  in  the  south 
part  of  the  town.  Jared  a  few  years  later  returned  to  Connecticut  and 
married,  and  came  back  to  Madison  with  his  brothers,  Samuel,  Nathan 
and  Hiram,  all  locating  on  the  land  previously  taken  up,  Jared  on  the 
farm  now  occupied  by  Truman  Chase.  Hiram  settled  in  Georgetown, 
and  Nathan  a  little  way  south  of  Log  City  (Eaton),  on  what  became  the 
poorhouse  farm,  which  he  sold  to  the  county  and  moved  to  the  west  part 
of  the  State.  Nehemiah  Fairchild,  another  pioneer  of  1800,  settled  on 
five  acres  at  the  Center;  he  was  a  tailor,  probably  the  first  in  the  town, 
and  died  about  1812. 

Paul  Greenwood  came  from  Massachusetts  about  1800  and  settled  at 
the  Indian  opening  a  little  northeast  of  the  site  of  Madison  village. 
Later  he  removed  to  Lebanon  and  thence  to  Smith's  Valley  where  he 
and  his  wife  both  died.  They  had  ten  children,  one  of  whom  was  Dr. 
Levi  P.  Greenwood,  a  well  known  physician  of  Erieville. 

A  prominent  and  respected  citizen  of  the  town  was  Joseph  Banton, 
who  came  from  Wilbraham,  Mass.,  in  1801  and  lived  to  the  age  of 
ninety  years,  dying  in  1871.  Moses  Phelps  came  from  Saratoga  county 
about  the  same  time  and  settled  at  Solsville  and  died  there.  John 
Edgarton  came  from  Shirley,  Mass.,  soon  after  1800  and  was  the  first 
settler  on  lot  39,  on  which  is  situated  the  village  of  Bouckville;  he  had 
previously  lived  a  short  time  about  a  mile  farther  north  and  made  brick 
on  the  Abijah  Parker  farm,  before  noticed. 

Eli  Bancroft  and  Abner  Burnham  come  from  Hartford,  Conn.,  in  the 
spring  of  1804  and  purchased  land  of  Jeremiah  Mack  on  Water  street, 
and  in  the  fall  brought  on  their  families  and  occupied  a  double  log 
house  previously  built  by  Mack.  Luther  Rice  came  from  Worthing- 
ton,  Mass.,  about  1804-05,  while  young  and  unmarried  and  learned 
blacksmithing  with  his  brother  Joseph,  who  had  settled  a  few  years 
earlier  as  the  pioneer  blacksmith  of  the  town.  Joseph  located  at  the 
Center  where  Henry  Thomas  now  lives  and  followed  his  business  there 
many  years. 

Dr.  Samuel  McClure  settled  at  Bouckville  about  1805  and  opened  a 
tavern.  David  Peebles  from  Pelham,  Mass.,  settled  in  the  northeast 
quarter  as  early  as  1805. 

James  D.  Coolidg  was  from  Slower,  Mass.,  and  came  on  westward  in 
1806,  the  year  of  the  formation  of  the  county,  and  in  1808,  as  before 
stated,  purchased  of  John  Niles  a  large  and  partly  improved  farm  on 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  123 

lot  43,  half  a  mile  east  of  Bouckville,  where  the  widow  of  Charles  Z. 
Brockett  now  resides.  He  died  there  in  April,  1844,  having  increased 
his  farm  to  about  500  acres.  Mr.  Coolidgt  was  one  of  the  early  and 
chief  promoters  of  the  hop-growing  industry  in  this  region,  and  had 
the  first  hop  field  in  this  part  of  the  State.  Solomon  Root  from  Ches- 
terfield, Mass.,  settled  in  the  same  year  on  a  farm  adjoining  that  of 
Mr.  Coolidgs  on  the  south,  and  soon  engaged  in  hop-growing;  these 
two  men  took  the  lead  in  this  business,  which  soon  extended  throughout 
the  county.  Mr.  Coolidg;was  father  of  five  children,  one  of  whom  was 
James,  who  lived  to  nearly  a  century  near  the  homestead  at  Bouckville. 
Mr.  Root  settled  on  the  farm  afterward  owned  by  his  son-in-law,  Henry 
Lewis. 

Capt.  Gilbert  Tompkins  was  one  of  the  prospecting  agents  of  the 
Rhode  Island  colony  who  came  here  in  1792;  at  that  time  he  selected 
lot  84  in  the  south  part  of  the  town,  east  of  the  reservoir,  with  the 
intention  of  bringing  on  his  family  in  the  following  year;  but  being  the 
owner  of  a  coasting  vessel  he  found  it  advisable  to  again  go  to  sea  until 
1808,  when  he  settled  on  his  land  in  this  town.  He  built  the  dwelling 
subsequently  owned  by  his  son,  Deacon  Philip  Tompkins,  and  died  there 
at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years. 

Among  other  pioneers  who  left  their  impress  upon  this  town  a  few 
deserve  brief  mention.  Solomon  Alcott  settled  before  the  beginning 
of  the  century  on  the  site  of  Solsville,  which  took  its  name  from  him. 
At  that  time  there  was  nothing  on  the  site  of  the  village  except  a  small 
tavern  kept  by  William  Lewis,  and  a  saw  mill  which  had  been  built 
and  was  then  operated  by  Daniel  Rymple;  this  mill  was  rendered  use- 
less by  the  Chenango  Canal.  Daniel  Holbrook  was  an  early  tavern 
keeper  a  mile  west  of  Solsville.  Ralph  Tanner  kept  an  early  tavern 
at  Madison  village,  which  was  built  by  Major  St.  Clair  about  1800  and 
was  kept  by  him  several  years;  it  was  the  first  public  house  in  the  place. 
Samuel  Goodwin,  father  of  Daniel  B.  Goodwin,  was  also  one  of  the 
most  prominent  of  the  early  residents  of  the  town  as  noted  further  on. 

Lockhart  Berry  was  a  pioneer  and  long  a  prominent  citizen  of  this 
town.  He  kept  the  so-called  McClure  tavern  at  Bouckville  and  after- 
wards the  tavern  at  Madison  village.  He  was  a  Democrat  of  the  old 
Bucktail  stamp  and  was  frequently  a  candidate  for  public  office.  On 
one  occasion  he  made  a  creditable  run  for  sheriff.  He  was  prominent 
in  the  Universal ist  church  and  liberally  contributed  to  the  erection  of 
the  edifice.     A   daughter  of  his  married  the   father  of    Theodore   L. 


124  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Spencer,  now  a  resident  of  the  town.  The  elder  Mr.  Spencer  held  a 
command  as  colonel  of  a  mounted  company  receiving  his  commission 
from  Governor  Clinton.  He  was  conspicuous,  as  also  was  his  wife,  in 
the  Methodist  church  and  a  much  respected  citizen.  Theodore  L.  Spen- 
cer has  also  been  prominent  in  that  church,  his  membership  going  back 
to  1844. 

As  has  been  shown  in  the  few  preceding  pages,  the  pioneers  of  this 
town  were  almost  wholly  from  Massachusetts,  Connecticut  and  Rhode 
Island.  They  were,  moreover,  an  exceptionally  reputable  class  of  set- 
tlers, men  of  strong  character  and  commendable  principles,  whose  labor 
in  founding  their  homes  and  establishing  the  institutions  of  the  com- 
munity has  given  their  descendants  and  others  the  best  blessings  of 
civilization. 

Several  years  ago  the  great  mistake  was  made  of  disposing  of  the 
early  town  records  of  Madison,  and  Erastus  Hatch,  who  had  been  a 
faithful  town  clerk  a  number  of  years  and  appreciated  the  value  of  the 
books,  bought  them  at  auction  for  twenty- five  cents.  These  records 
are  now  in  possession  of  his  daughter,  Mrs.  J.  A.  Henderson,  of  Madi- 
son village,  and  by  her  have  been  brought  down  to  date.  The  first 
town  meeting  for  the  town  was  held  March  3,  1807,  presumably  at  the 
"Center  meeting  house."  The  following  officers  were  elected:  Eras- 
tus Cleveland,  supervisor;  Samuel  Berry,  clerk;  Seth  Blair,  Stephen 
F.  Blackstone  and  Levi  Morton,  assessors;  Elijah  Thompson  and  Jon- 
athan Pratt,  overseers  of  the  poor;  John  White,  Israel  Rice  and  Eph- 
raim  Blodgett,  commissioners  of  highways;  Silas  Patrick,  constable  and 
collector;  Jonathan  Pratt,  William  Blair,  William  Manchester,  Moses 
Phelps,  Calvin  Whitcomb,  Giles  Peckham,  Abial  Hatch,  Samuel  Jones, 
vStephen  Thompson,  Robert  McCune,  Elijah  Herrick,  William  Dix, 
John  Camp,  Joseph  Manchester,  Abial  Perry,  Abijah  Markham,  John 
Clough,  John  Pattison,  John  Swain,  David  Blair,  Samuel  Lewis,  Eras- 
tus Edgarton,  Solomon  Root,  William  Brown  and  Ezra  Pierce,  path- 
masters;  Joseph  Curtis,  poundkeeper. 

The  records  tell  us  that  at  the  town  meeting  of  1808,  Levi  Dick  and 
Edward  B.  Colton  were  appointed  grave-diggers,  and  Isaac  Coe  to  clean 
the  meeting  house,  for  which  services  these  men  were  to  be  paid  in  the 
same  manner  as  other  town  officers.  In  connection  with  grave-digging 
there  were  further  proceedings  a  little  later.  At  the  annual  meeting 
of  1814  it  was  resolved,  "That  the  money  remaining  in  the  Super- 
visor's hands  be  paid  for  opening  graves;"  that   "the  grave-digger 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  135 

procure  slate  stones  to  beset  up  at  the  graves;  "  and  that  "  any  person 
living  in  this  town  that  has  a  grave  opened  in  any  adjoining  town,  be 
paid  by  this  town."  In  one  year  the  town  resolved  to  pay  $1.25  for 
"opening"  graves.  The  grave-digger  considered  this  inadequate  pay 
and  after  digging  a  grave,  refused  to  fill  it,  saying  he  had  "opened" 
it.  A  special  meeting  was  thereupon  called,  the  wording  of  the  reso- 
lution changed  and  the  pay  raised  to  $1.75.  Another  amusing  bit  of 
legislation  is  found  in  the  case  of  the  tailoress,  Keziah  Roe,  who  was  an 
invalid,  well  known  throughout  the  town.  It  was  voted  in  regular 
town  meeting  to  appropriate  the  sum  of  $40  "  to  send  Keziah  Roe  to 
the  seashore  for  the  benefit  of  her  health. " 

In  November,  1813,  the  town  was  divided  into  fourteen  school  dis 
tricts  and  John  White,  Levi  Morton  and  William  Manchester  were 
chosen  school  commissioners.  The  town  meetings  down  to  and  includ- 
ing 1837,  with  the  exception  of  1834,  when  they  were  held  in  the  vil- 
lage meeting  house,  were  held  at  the  Center  meeting  house.  vSubse- 
quently  and  down  to  the  time  of  building  the  Military  Hall  in  1861,  the 
meetings  were  held  in  dwellings. 

The  following  report  of  a  census  of  the  town  is  found  in  the  record 
books,  written  by  Truman  Stafford,  and  explains  itself: 

The  following  table  shows  the  number  of  acres  of  improved  land,  of  horses,  of  cat- 
tle, sheep,  and  also  the  number  of  yards  of  cloth  manufactured  in  the  domestic  way 
within  the  town  of  Madison  during  the  year  ending  June,  1821,  and  is  inserted  in  the 
town  book,  not  as  an  official  record,  but  as  a  matter  of  fact  interesting  to  those  who 
may  hereafter  enquire  into  the  profits  of  agriculture,  of  the  useful  arts  and  of  indus- 
try in  general.  The  territory  at  this  time  is  about  six  miles  square — been  inhabited 
about  twenty-five  years  and  contains  a  population  of  about  3000. 

ABSTRACT. 

Acres  of  Fulled  Cotton 

Imp.  Woolen  Flannel  Linen 

Land  Horses.  Cattle.  Sheep.  Cloth.  yds.  yds. 

13,111  566  3,660  5.593  4,404  7,423  15,779 

Signed,  Truman  Stafi-okd. 

Mercantile  operations  were  begun  on  the  site  of  Madison  village  be- 
fore 1800  by  JohnJ^ucas^who  opened  his  store  at  the  so  called  "  Open- 
ing," which  was  a  small  Indian  clearing  adjacent  to  the  little  body 
of  water  that  has  been  called  Madison  Lake,  lying  a  little  north- 
west of  the  village.  At  that  point  the  early  business  interests  gathered. 
When  the  Cherry  Valley  Turnpike  was  constructed  in  1807  it  attracted 
trade  and  settlements  along  its  line  and  gave  Madison  village  its  incep- 


126  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

tion.  Mr.  Lucas  accordingly  removed  his  store  to  what  became  known 
as  the  Corners  and  located  it  on  the  corner  where  the  present  store  of 
Louis  Fuess  is  situated;  there  he  carried  on  a  successful  business  many 
years,  retiring  at  an  advanced  age.  The  business  passed  to  his  son, 
John  S.  Lucas,  who  conducted  it  until  his  death  in  1879.  With  him 
was  associated  Alanson  Coe  for  many  years,  and  Robert  B.  Lane  was 
his  partner  for  a  time. 

The  next  merchant  at  that  point,  who  began  business  about  the  date 
of  the  formation  of  the  county,  was  Truman  Stafford,  who  traded  in  a 
building  which  stood  on  the  site  of  the  block  of  stores  built  in  later 
years  by  Henry  Hull  and  Lyman  Root,  where  he  continued  until  his 
death.  His  clerk,  Erastus  Barry,  was  his  partner  towards  the  last 
and  continued  the  business  a  short  time  after  Stafford's  death.  Cien. 
Erastus  Cleveland  and  Dr.  Benjamin  F.  Cleveland  were  early  in  trade 
here,  and  E.  F.  Gaylord,  sonin-law  of  General  Cleveland,  was  also  in 
trade  many  years,  until  he  removed  to  Cleveland. 

The  first  post-office  was  established  at  a  very  early  day  at  the  "Open- 
ing." Dr.  Asa  B.  Sizer  was  the  first  postmaster;  he  was  succeeded  by 
Ralph  Tanner,  who  was  one  of  the  first  tavern  keepers.  The  first 
physician  was  Dr.  Jonathan  Pratt,  who  has  been  mentioned,  and  Dr. 
Zadock  Parker  practiced  from  an  early  date  until  his  death  in  1816. 

On  the  site  of  Bouckville  the  first  merchant  was  Dr.  Samuel  McClure, 
who  came  on  from  Vermont  with  his  wife  and  eight  children  in  1805  or 
1806  and  purchased  a  farm  which  included  the  site  of  the  village,  on 
lot  3.  He  built  a  small  frame  store,  but  continued  business  only  about 
a  year  when  he  removed  to  Erie  county.  The  early  mill,  built  on  the 
site  of  Solsville  before  1810  by  Gen.  Erastus  Cleveland,  and  his  other 
industries  have  been  described.  At  that  point  there  came  into  exist- 
ence a  thriving  business  center;  but  the  opening  of  the  canal  and  other 
causes  have  taken  away  its  industrial  importance  in  recent  years. 

Two  churches  were  founded  in  this  town  before  the  formation  of  the 
county.  The  Congregational  church  of  Madison  was  organised  on 
September  6,  1796,  with  ten  members,  by  Rev.  Eliphalet  Steele,  then 
of  Paris.  The  first  pastor  was  Rev.  Ezra  Woodworth.  Meetings  were 
held  during  the  first  six  years  in  John  Berry's  barn.  In  1802  a  meeting 
house  was  built  at  the  Center.  About  twenty  years  later  it  was  taken 
down  and  rebuilt  nearly  opposite  the  former  site;  in  1856  it  was  again 
demolished  and  rebuilt  on  its  present  site  in  Madison  village.  The 
society  has  ever  since  had  a  prosperous  existence.  The  church  has 
been  entirely  remodeled  in  the  last  decade. 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  127 

The  First  Baptist  Church  in  the  Town  of  Madison  was  organized 
with  about  twenty  members,  by  Rev.  Joel  Butler,  as  The  Second  Bap- 
tist Church  of  Hamilton,  on  December  20,  1798;  the  title  was  not  for- 
mally changed  to  the  present  form  until  1861.  On  February  16,  17'J'.), 
a  committee  was  appointed  to  invite  Rev.  Joel  Butler  to  preach  and  he 
accepted  the  invitation.  The  incomplete  records  indicate  that  he  served 
about  two  years,  receiving  for  his  first  year  $33.50,  and  for  the  second, 
$35.  The  society  was  admitted  to  the  Otsego  Association  in  August, 
1799.  In  1801  a  meeting  house  was  built  at  the  "Opening"  and  on 
August  18  of  that  year  the  society  was  incorporated  under  its  original 
name.  The  trustees  were  then  Thomas  Leach,  Levi  Morton  and 
Chauncey  Butler.  Other  early  pastors  of  the  church  were  Revs.  Sal- 
mon Morton,  the  second  one,  Eliphalet  M.  Spencer,  John  Blair,  Richard 
Clark,  P.  P.  Brown,  S.  S.  Wheeler,  Nelson  Palmer,  L.  C.  Bates,  Carlos 
Swift,  E.  S.  Davis,  G.  W.  Barnes.  The  present  church  was  built  in 
1833  and  has  been  improved  at  times.  The  first  parsonage  was  super- 
seded by  one  purchased  in  1835,  which  has  recently  been  sold  and  a  new 
one  erected. 

This  chapter  will  be  closed  with  an  account  of  the  early  history  of 
the  town  of  Smithfieldj^  the  last  of  the  five  towns  erected  in  the  year 
1807.  This  town  was  set  off  from  Cazenovia  on  the  13th  of  March 
of  the  year  named,  and  derives  its  name  from  Peter  Smith,  who 
at  the  time  of  the  organization  owned  all  the  territory  of  the  town,  ex- 
cepting a  few  farms  which  he  had  sold  to  settlers,  and  a  strip  one  mile 
wide  across  the  northern  end.  The  town  contains  nearly  16,000  acres, 
over  three-fourths  of  which  are  improved.  It  is  centrally  situated  in 
the  county  and  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Lenox  and  Stockbridge, 
on  the  east  by  Stockbridge,  on  the  south  by  Eaton  and  Nelson,  and  on 
the  west  by  Fenner.  At  the  time  of  its  formation  Smithfield  included 
the  territory  of  the  present  Fenner,  which  was  set  off  in  1823. 

The  surface  of  the  town  is  rolling,  with  a  large  cedar  swamp  extend- 
ing through  it  north  and  south  which  in  some  places  is  nearly  two  miles 
wide;  most  of  this  is  unimproved,  and  is  underlaid  with  marl  which  is 
covered  with  a  thick  deposit  of  muck.  The  soil  on  the  uplands  is 
sandy  and  gravelly.  The  drainage  is  by  streams  flowing  mainly 
northward,  the  principal  ones  of  which  are  the  Chittenango  and  the 
Cowasselon  Creeks;  in  the  southern  part  the  Chenango  receives  a  part 
of  the  drainage. 

Smithfield   was  founded   by   Peter  Smith,  who  was  born  at  or  near 


128  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLK. 

Tappan,  Rockland  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1767.  In  his  youth  he  resided  in 
New  York  city  and  there  formed  the  acquaintance  of  a  fellow  clerk 
with  whom  he  engaged  in  the  fur  trade;  this  partner  was  John  Jacob 
Astor,  founder  of  the  noted  millionaire  family  of  that  name.  Mr. 
Smith's  part  in  the  business  took  him  into  the  interior  in  quest  of  furs, 
while  Astor  remained  in  New  York  to  attend  to  the  sales.  The  part- 
nership continued  ten  years,  after  which  Mr.  Smith  sought  out  and 
purchased  largely  of  the  best  lands  he  could  find  in  central  New  York. 
In  1794  he  leased  from  the  Oneida  Indians  for  999  years  a  tract  contain- 
ing over  50,000  acres,  which  included  nearly  all  of  .Smithfield  and  Fen- 
ner  as  at  present  constituted,  that  part  of  Cazenovia  lying  north  of  the 
Gore,  a  part  of  Stockbridge  and  a  large  portion  of  Augusta  in  Oneida 
county.  Smith  had  made  warm  friends  among  the  Oneidas,  particu- 
larly of  the  Chief  Skenandoah,  through  whom  he  was  enabled  to  per- 
fect his  valuable  lease.  But  the  pagan  section  of  the  nation  revolted 
against  a  transaction  which  took  from  them  this  immensely  valuable 
territory  for  a  trifling  return  and  made  more  or  less  opposing  trouble 
when  a  survey  was  attempted.  In  the  following  year,  however,  the 
land  passed  to  the  possession  of  the  State  by  treaty  p'urchase  and  Mr. 
Smith  was  given  the  opportunity  of  securing  title  to  his  purchase  upon 
payment  of  $350.  Strange  as  it  may  now  appear  he  hesitated  tor  a 
time,  but  in  1798  finally  accepted  the  proposal  and  was  allowed  $1.50 
an  acre  for  his  expenses  in  surveying,  etc.  In  1799  he  began  selling 
farms  at  auction,  mainly  in  tracts  of  fifty  acres  each,  and  none  larger 
than  200  acres;  the  price  received  varied  from  $6  to  $15  an  acre,  and 
mortgages  were  taken  for  unpaid  moneys  which  were  turned  over  to 
the  State  on  the  original  purchase.  This  land  became  known  as  the 
New  Petersburgh  Tract,  was  confirmed  and  settlement  rapidly  pro- 
gressed. Mr.  Smith  did  not  then  become  a  resident  on  his  purchase, 
but  sent  on  in  1795  Jasper  Aylesworth,  a  native  of  Rhode  Island,  born 
August  7,  1773;  he  walked  from  Utica,  carrying  most  of  the  distance 
a  heavy  iron  kettle.  Arriving  on  the  site  of  the  village  of  Peterboro 
he  began  a  clearing  of  two  acres  which  now  constitutes  the  public 
square.  This  he  planted  with  corn  and  then  cleared  the  site  of  the 
Gerrit  Smith  mansion.  In  the  spring  of  1797  he  married  Polly, 
daughter  of  John  Taft,  who  had  come  into  the  town  as  a  settler;  this 
was  the  first  marriage  in  the  town,  and  their  child,  named  Safety,  born 
March  1-1,  1798,  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  the  town.  She  passed 
her  whole  life  in  Peterboro  and  died  there  in  1872.     Their  second  child 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  129 

was  Hiram,  born  June  5,  1800,  and  there  had  been  then  no  other  birth 
in  the  town.  The  other  children  of  Mr.  Aylesworth  were  Oran,  Loren, 
Henry,  John,  Adaline,  George,  Eliphalet,  Van  Ranssville  and  Sophro- 
nia.  Members  of  the  family  remained  in  Smithfield  many  years,  Eli- 
phalet being  the  last  of  these  children  in  the  town. 

Oliver  Trumbull  came  on  west  in  1798  and  bought  fifty  acres  a  half 
mile  south  of  Aylesworth,  where  he  reared  a  family,  members  of  which 
and  their  descendants  have  lived  honorable  and  useful  lives  in  this  and 
other  towns. 

From  1797  to  1799  other  settlers  came  in,  among  them  the  large 
Bump  family;  the  first  of  these  to  arrive  was  Ithamar  and  afterwards 
his  father,  Ichabod,  and  his  brothers,  Moses,  Nathan,  David,  Jonathan, 
Gideon,  Jacob,  and  a  sister,  Hannah,  who  married  Ebenezer  Bronson; 
she  was  mother  of  Greene  C.  Bronson.  vSeveral  members  of  this  fam- 
ily remained  permanentl}' in  the  town  and  occupied  prominent  positions 
in  the  community. 

The  following  particulars  regarding  the  early  settlers  of  Smithfield 
were  furnished  to  the  Madison  County  Directory  of  1868-9  and  are 
worthy  of  preservation  here  : 

"  The  Trumbulls  and  Griffins  had  families,  and  all  of  them  located 
on  lot  33,  Second  Allotment,  being  the  first  lot  south  of  No.  26,  on 
which  is  Peterboro.  Aylesworth  was  unmarried  and  came  as  the  hired 
man  of  Judge  Smith,  and  in  that  capacity  felled  the  forest  trees  on  the 
village  plat,  then  an  untouched  wilderness  which  had  never  before  been 
made  to  echo  to  the  sound  of  the  axman's  blows  and  the  hourly  crash- 
ing of  falling  trees.  How  long  he  continued  in  Judge  Smith's  employ  is 
not  known,  but  in  an  early  day  in  the  history  of  the  town  he  married  a 
daughter  of  John  Taft,  esq.,  another  early  settler  who  lived  in  town. 
Mr.  Aylesworth  endured  the  privations  incident  to  the  early  settlers. 
On  one  occasion  he  brought  a  five-pail  kettle  on  his  back  from  Utica, 
to  make  maple  sugar.  Some  of  his  first  supplies  and  provisions  he 
brought  from  Utica  in  the  same  manner.  He  became  a  permanent 
resident  of  the  town  and  was  an  enterprising  and  successful  farmer. 

"  Ithamar  Bump  settled  on  lot  41  in  1797,  where  he  continued  to  re- 
side until  removed  by  death,  August  14,  1815.  Soon  after  his  first  set- 
tlement in  town  he  was  joined  by  his  father,  Ichabod  Bump,  and  in  the 
course  of  a  few  years,  Moses,  Nathan,  David,  Jonathan,  Gideon  and 
Jacob,  brothers  of  Ithamar,  and  a  sister  named  Hannah,  the  wife  of 
Ebenezer  Bronson,  all  became  residents  of  the  town.     In  their  physical 


130  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

characteristics  this  was  a  peerless  family.  The  brothers  were  all  large, 
well-developed  men,  averaging  six  feet  in  height,  with  great  muscular 
power,  and  as  wrestlers  and  for  personal  prowess  (qualities  highly  prized 
in  those  days)  were  a  terror  to  the  athletes  of  the  county.  Some  of 
them  were  enterprising  and  successful  farmers,  among  them  Ithamar, 
especially,  was  an  industrious,  upright  and  esteemed  citizen.  His  de- 
scendants to  the  third  generation  still  live  in  the  town,  and  include 
some  prominent  business  men.  Ichabod,  the  old  father,  died  Decem- 
ber 32,  1833,  at  the  age  of  ninety  years. 

"  Capt.  Joseph  Black  came  in  about  the  year  1798.  Where  he  first 
located  is  not  certainly  known,  but  in  the  fall  of  1803  he  was  on  lot  59, 
N.  P.,  Second  Allotment,  and  in  1803  or  1804  he  became  a  prominent 
contractor  for  the  construction  of  a  large  section  of  the  old  '  Oneida 
Turnpike,'  which  was  made  under  his  immediate  supervision.  He  was 
proverbially  upright  and  reliable,  insomuch  that  to  this  day  the  ques- 
tion is  sometimes  asked  by  those  who  knew  him  and  still  remember 
him,  whether  this  generation  furnishes  any  specimens  of  such  un- 
swerving integrity.  His  memory  is  precious,  and  '  though  dead  he  yet 
speaketh.' 

"  Between  the  j^ears  1798  and  1805  many  valuable  men  came  in  and 
settled  as  farmers  in  different  parts  of  the  town,  but  chiefly  on  the  two 
southern  tiers  of  lots  on  the  Mile  Strip  Tract.  On  this  Mile  Strip  Tract 
and  contiguous  thereto  were  Jacob  and  Samuel  Walker,  Allen  Bill,  Da- 
vid Shipman,  Solomon  Merrill,  sen.,  and  sons,  Robert  Streeter,  Gideon 
Wright,  Jabez  Lyon,  Shadrach  Hardy,  David  Tuttle,  EzraChafifee,  Mrs. 
Moody  and  her  sons  David  and  Samuel,  Mrs.  Matteson  and  her  sons 
John,  Abraham,  Eli  and  Nathan,  Barzillai  and  Amos  Northrup,  Syl- 
vanus  Mathewson  and  sons  Winchester  and  Stephen,  Stephen  Risley, 
Moses  Howe,  Salmon  Howard  and  Francis  Dodge.  On  the  two  south- 
ern tiers  of  lots  were  Edward  Bliss,  Wright  Brigham,  John  Lucas,  Rod- 
man Spencer  and  sons,  David  Blodgett,  Alpheus  Thompson,  John  Ford, 
Reuben  Fitch,  AndressLoveland,  and  others.  Most  of  these,  with  many 
more  not  named  in  the  list,  settled  permanently,  became  prosperous 
farmers  and  valuable  men  and  citizens." 

Elder  John  Pray,  a  Six  Principle  Baptist  minister,  bought  the  John 
Taft  farm  when  its  first  owner  died  and  died  there  in  1830,  leaving  nu- 
merous descendants.  Stephen  Risley,  above  mentioned,  came  from 
East  Hartford,  Conn.,  in  1801,  and  was  in  many  of  the  battles  of  the 
Revolution.     Daniel  Petrie  was  an  early  settler,  learned  the  Indian  Ian- 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  131 

guage  and  became  useful  to  many  of  the  inhabitants  in  dealing  with  the 
natives,  and  a  prominent  business  man. 

James  Livingston  opened  a  store  at  Peterboro  in  1801,  the  first  one 
in  the  town;  he  was  a  brother  of  Peter  Smith's  wife.  His  store  stood 
at  the  east  end  of  the  public  green;  it  was  the  first  frame  building  of 
the  village,  was  built  in  1800,  and  stood  until  recent  years.  Livings- 
ton kept  a  tavern  in  that  building,  and  it  continued  to  be  occupied  as 
such  until  1850  under  various  proprietors,  and  finally  passed  to  Elipha- 
let  Aylesworth,  who  occupied  it  as  a  dwelling.  The  old  town  meetings 
were  held  in  this  house  and  there  also  the  Indian  girl  murderess,  else- 
where noticed,  was  confined  on  the  night  before  her  execution  in  1813, 

In  1801  Daniel  Petrie  came  from  Herkimer  and  opened  a  second 
store.  Other  early  merchants  were  William  Solon  and  Myron  Taylor, 
Elisha  Carrington,  Royal  and  Dorman  Cooper,  Asa  Raymond,  Charles 
H.  Cook,  Peter  Skenandoah  Smith,  Samuel  Forman,  Dunham  &  Clink, 
Harry  Curtis,  J.  G.  Curtis,  Eliphalet  Aylesworth,  Ives  &  Woodbury, 
Dr.  N.  C.  Powers,  Andrew  S.  Douglass,  Dr.  A.  C.  Baum,  James  R. 
Barnett,  Charles  Cutler,  John  A.  Campbell,  William  T.  Marcey,  W.  C. 
Ives  and  Charles  N.  Snow.  Daniel  Petrie  was  the  first  postmaster  in 
the  place. 

Dr.  Elijah  Pratt  settled  in  Peterboro  in  1801  and  was  the  only  phy- 
sician during  a  number  of  years;  he  also  taught  an  early  private  school, 
and  was  sheriff  of  the  county  in  1813,  but  removed  west  in  1814.  Dr 
Phineas  Lucas  came  to  the  town  in  1804  and  died  in  1806  when  only 
thirty-two  years  old.  He  was  followed  by  Dr.  John  Dorrance  who  con- 
tinued in  practice  until  his  death  in  1855.  Dr.  R.  Nash  took  up  his 
residence  in  Peterboro  in  1807.  While  there  is  at  the  present  time  no 
lav/yer  in  Smithfield,  there  were  in  former  years  a  number  who  were 
prominent  in  their  profession,  among  them  Nehemiah  Huntington, 
Greene  C.  Bronson,  A.  C.  Stone,  Harmonias  Van  Vleck,  William 
Stone  and  Gerrit  Smith. 

Smithfield  is  isolated  from  railroads  and  canals  and  such  manufac- 
tures as  flourished  in  early  years  have  almost  wholly  passed  out  of  ex- 
istence, leaving  an  agricultural  district.  Far  back  near  the  beginning 
of  the  century,  in  just  what  year  no  one  knows,  but  certainly  before 
1809,  a  glass  factory  was  established  in  the  town;  it  is  believed  by 
many  to  have  been  erected  in  1808  by  Peter  Skenandoah  Smith  with 
money  supplied  by  his  father.  An  old  account  book  of  1809  contains 
entries  of  "  whiskey  for  the  glass  blowers."     In  1811  the  factory  was 


132  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

operated  by  Smith  &  Solon,  and  it  was  afterward  owned  by  a  company, 
the  principal  members  of  which  were  Peter  S.  Smith,  William  Solon, 
Daniel  Petrie  and  O.  S.  Wilcoxen.  The  sand  used,  or  a  part  of  it,  came 
from  the  beach  of  Oneida  Lake.  When  wood  near  the  factory  became 
scarce,  another  factory  was  built  two  miles  distant  and  both  were  oper- 
ated in  making  window  glass,  which  was  sold  in  Albany  and  elsewhere. 
Both  factories  employed  more  than  one  hundred  hands.  In  1818  the 
property  passed  to  Backus  &  Fenn  (W.  H.  Backus  and  Dr.  Fenn)  who 
continued  the  business  on  a  smaller  scale  until  about  1830.  The  busi- 
ness was  never  prosperous,  owing  mainly  to  its  inconvenient  location. 

A  distillery,  which  industry  was  usually  one  of  the  first  in  every 
town,  was  started  in  1802  by  a  company  composed  of  Daniel  Petrie, 
Oliver  S.  Wilcoxen,  John  Downer,  Peter  Webber  and  Elisha  Carring- 
ton;  the  building  stood  a  little  south  of  the  site  of  the  Smith  residence, 
and  the  business  ceased  before  1813.  Another  was  built  the  next  year 
by  Elisha  Carrington,  which  was  operated  about  fifteen  years. 

About  1802  a  small  saw  mill  and  grist  mill  were  built  by  William 
Sayles  at  Peterboro;  this  was  owned  by  Peter  Smith  and  was  operated 
until  within  a  few  years  of  the  building  of  the  present  mill  in  1850  by 
Gerrit  Smith.  Other  early  industries  came  into  existence  not  long  after 
the  erection  of  the  county  which  are  described  further  on. 

Settlement  in  the  Siloam  vicinity  was  made  early  and  in  1804  or  a 
little  earlier  a  tavern  was  built  there  by  Joseph  Black,  who  was  a  large 
contractor  in  the  construction  of  the  turnpike,  mainly  to  accommodate 
his  laborers.  The  Cowasselon  Creek  flows  through  this  place  and  formerly 
supplied  good  water  power.  John  Black,  son  of  Joseph,  and  Samuel 
Ellinwood  built  a  larger  house  in  1808  to  succeed  the  first  tavern  and 
kept  it  many  years.  In  1810  Jeremiah  Ellinwood  and  Elijah  Manly 
built  a  grist  mill  and  in  the  same  year  Ellinwood  and  David  Coe  built  a 
sawmill  there.  Black  and  Alexander  Ostrander  built  a  store  at  an  earl}' 
date  and  a  post-office  was  opened  which  continued  until  after  1856. 
Samuel  Ellinwood  catered  to  the  universal  demand  for  whisky  by  early 
establishing  a  distillery,  to  which  he  added  a  brewery.  Between  1824 
to  1830,  during  the  construction  of  the  Chenango  Canal,  there  were 
three  distilleries  and  two  breweries  in  that  vicinity,  to  supply  the  in- 
creased demand  for  beverages. 

In  the  year  following  the  erection  of  the  county  (1807)  Samuel  Stran- 
ahan  purchased  the  right  to  build  a  dam  across  the  stream  at  Peterboro 
and  erected  a  fulling  mill  the  same  year.    This  he  sold  in  1816  to  Perry 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  133 

G.  Palmer  and  Walcott  Skidmore;  Mr.  Palmer  two  years  later  acquired 
the  whole  property  and  finding  the  business  unprofitable,  took  down 
the  building  and  erected  a  little  lower  down  a  shingle  mill  and  saw 
mill  which  he  operated  more  than  twenty  years.  Other  early  indus- 
tries of  this  place  were  several  cooper  shops,  a  small  machine  shop  run 
by  George  Peck  a  little  north  from  the  village,  where  he  invented  in 
1836  the  machine  for  cutting  staves,  and  the  usual  blacksmith,  shoe  and 
other  small  shops. 

The  earliest  school  of  which  there  is  definite  knowledge  was  a  private 
institution  kept  at  Peterboro  by  Miss  Tabitha  Havens  about  1800.  A 
Miss  Ambler  also  taught  a  very  early  private  school  and  later  a  Miss 
Webster,  a  cousin  of  Noah  Webster.  In  1822  a  Mr.  Johnson  taught  a 
private  school  in  the  Aylesworth  residence,  and  in  1815  Elizabeth  Kelly 
had  a  school  in  a  dwelling.  The  first  district  school  house  was  built 
about  1807,  which  was  superseded  by  a  larger  one  in  1836. 

Peter  Smith  did  not  become  a  permanent  resident  in  the  town  until 
1806  when  he  removed  from  Utica  and  soon  after  his  arrival  began  the 
erection  of  the'  old  mansion,  a  plain  wood  structure,  three  stories  in 
height  without  cornice  or  ornament.  This  building  retained  its  orig- 
inal appearance  until  1854,  when  Gerrit  Smith  remodeled  it  to  some 
e.Ktent.  Mr.  Smith's  great  landed  possessions,  from  which  he  riiade 
rapid  sales,  gave  him  great  wealth  and  prominence  in  the  communit)'. 
Entering  promptly  into  manufacturing. and  trade,  he  was  soon  proprie- 
tor, or  part  owner,  of  all  the  industries  in  that  region.  He  was  elected 
supervisor  in  1807  and  in  June  of  the  same  year  was  elected  associate 
judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  which  office  he  held  until  1821. 
While  he  was  not  liberally  educated,  he  possessed  natural  traits  and 
qualifications  that  enabled  him  to  exert  a  strong  influence  upon  all  with 
whom  he  came  in  immediate  contact.  He  was  able  to  grasp  large  un- 
dertakings and  to  a  great  extent  foresee  their  results.  In  the  region 
where  he  dwelt  he  handled  in  all  500,000  acres  of  land.  He  was  close 
in  his  dealings,  but  above  all  was  honest;  highly  emotional  in  tempera- 
ment, he  frequently  found  it  impossible  to  control  himself  under  excite- 
ment. For  the  laws  of  religious  institutions  he  had  little  regard ;  he 
would  swear  fluently  under  provocation,  while  at  the  same  time  he 
would  implicitly  obey  the  dictates  of  his  own  conscience.  His  son, 
Peter  Skenandoah  Smith,  was  somewhat  reckless  in  expenditure  and 
gave  his  father  great  anxiety  and  trouble;  and  in  1819  he  transferred  all 
of  his  property  in  Madison  county  to  his  other  and  more  honored  son. 


I 


134  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Gerrit  Smith,  and  removed  to  Schenectady  in  1825.  There  he  again 
entered  upon  the  accumulation  of  landed  property,  at  the  same  time 
devoting  much  time  to  religious  duties,  the  distribution  of  tracts,  and 
exhortations  to  persons  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  His  pecul- 
iarities in  these  respects  became  widely  known.  On  his  journeys 
through  the  northern  counties  he  would  carry  large  stores  of  religious 
tracts  and  papers,  and  upon  entering  a  village  or  town,  would  call  pub- 
lic attention  to  his  coming  by  ringing  a  bell.  In  this  work  he  acted  as 
agent  for  the  American  Tract  Society.  His  death  took  place  in  Sche- 
nectady April  13,  1837.  His  remains  were  removed  to  Peterboro  some 
years  later  and  were  buried  in  the  family  lot  in  the  cemetery. 

The  first  town  meeting  for  Smithfield  was  held  April  7,  1807,  "in 
the  school  house  near  David  Cook's."  This  was  in  the  territory  that 
afterwards  became  the  town  of  Fenner.  It  proved  to  be  a  very  lively 
contest.  There  was  a  strong  sectional  feeling  between  the  people  in 
the  east  part  of  the  town  and  those  in  the  west,  and  two  official  tickets 
were  nominated,  the  candidates  for  supervisor  being  Peter  Smith  in  the 
east  and  David  Cook  in  the  west.  A  heavy  snow  storm  just  previous 
to  the  date  of  the  town  meetings  left  a  body  of  four  feet  of  snow  on  the 
ground,  making  travel  almost  impossible.  The  inhabitants  of  the 
west  part  feared  an  adjournment  of  the  meeting  to  Peterboro,  where 
they  knew  the  friends  of  Mr.  Smith  would  elect  him ;  while  if  the 
storm  should  prevent  the  voters  from  getting  out  in  the  east  part,  Mr. 
Cook  would  succeed.  But  by  energetic  work  at  snow  shoveling  and 
road-breaking  the  voters  in  Mr.  Smith's  section  made  it  possible  to  at- 
tend the  meeting  and  their  candidates  were  elected.  The  polls  were 
open  three  days,  whisky  flowed  freely,  and  many  votes  were  chal- 
lenged on  the  property  test.  The  following  officers  were  chosen  at  the 
meeting:     Supervisor,  Peter  Smith;  clerk,  Daniel  Petrie. 

For  some  years  after  that  the  town  meetings  were  held  alternately 
at  Fenner  Corners  and  Peterboro. 

The  customary  regulations  for  the  new  town  were  voted  and  soon 
the  simple  machinery  of  its  government  was  in  working  order.  When 
the  subject  of  dividing  the  county  into  half  shires  was  agitated  in  1813, 
Smithfield  adopted  the  following: 

Resolved,  That  we  do  highly  disapprobate  measures  taken  to  half 
shire  this  county. 

Two  churches  were  organized  in  Smithfield  which  must  be  noticed  in 
this  chapter,  one  in   1806  and   the  other  in    1807.     The  Presbyterian 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  135 

Church  of  Smithfield  was  organized  in  1806,  under  the  direction  of  Rev. 
Joshua  Johnson,  a  school  teacher  in  Peterboro.  He  remained  with  the 
church  many  years  and  the  society  prospered  to  such  an  extent  that  the 
membership  was  at  one  period  about  200.  Meetings  were  held  in  the 
school  house  until  about  1812  when  a  small  session  house  was  built  and 
occupied.  In  1819  Peter  Smith  donated  to  the  society  a  lot  and  other 
gifts  and  the  edifice  afterwards  used  for  an  academy  was  erected.  The 
church  began  its  decline  about  1840  and  was  disbanded  in  1870. 

The  Baptist  Church  of  Smithfield  was  organized  February  14,  1807, 
by  a  council;  there  were  originally  nine  members.  Samuel  Barnum 
and  Joseph  Black  were  chosen  deacons  in  1809,  and  in  1810  Elder  Ros- 
well  Beckwith  became  the  first  settled  pastor.  Meetings  were  held  in 
the  school  house  until  1820,  when  a  church  was  built  on  land  donated 
by  Peter  Smith  in  1819.  The  anti-Masonic  controversy  almost  de- 
stroyed the  society,  but  with  aid  from  sister  churches  the  breach  was 
healed  and  the  church  attained  a  membership  of  250.  But  a  period  of 
decline  began  about  1840  and  in  1866  the  society  was  dissolved.  The 
old  cemetery  adjoining  the  property  of  this  church  was  laid  out  in 
1805. 

Smithfield  and  Peterboro  enjoy  the  distinction  of  being  the  home  of 
the  first  newspaper  published  in  Madison  county.  This  was  the  Madi- 
son Freeholder,  established  in  1808  by  Peter  Smith,  and  edited  by 
Jonathan  Punce. 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

SETTLEMENT    AND     ORGANIZATION     OF     LENOX,     FENNER,     AND 
GEORGETOWN. 

There  were  still  four  other  towns  to  be  organized  in  this  county  to 
complete  its  subdivision  as  it  remained  until  1896.'  These  are  Lenox, 
(1809),  Georgetown  (1815),  Fenner  (1833)  and  Stockbridge  (1836).  The 
early  history  of  the  settlement  and  organization  of  the  last  named  town 
has  already  been  treated,  from  the  fact  that  its  pioneers  were  among 
the  very  first  to  locate  and  make  permanent  homes  within  the  limits  of 
the  present  Madison  county. 

The  first  of  the  remaining  three  towns,  in  respect  to  date  of  forma- 
tion is  Lenox.  This  was,  until  its  recent  subdivision  into  three  towns, 
the  largest  in  area  in  the  county  and  also  the  most  important  in  a  com- 
mercial sense,  and  contained  the  greatest  number  of  inhabitants,  with 
the  largest  villages  in  the  county.  AVhile  this  is  true  and  while  it  is  a 
fact  that  its  territory  was  first  settled  within  two  years  of  the  date  when 
the  first  Madison  county  pioneer  built  his  log  house  in  the  wilderness, 
it  is  also  true  that  the  greater  part  of  the  commercial  and  manufactur- 
ing growth  of  the  town  has  taken  place  since  the  county  was  erected, 
receiving  much  of  its  impetus  from  the  construction  and  operation  of 
the  Erie  Canal  and  of  the  great  railroads  that  traverse  its  territory. 

Lenox  was  set  off  from  Sullivan  on  March  3,  1809,  and  retained  its 
original  area  until  1836,  when  a  part  was  taken  ofif  in  the  formation  of 
Stockbridge.  It  was,  previous  to  the  division  of  1896,  the  northeastern 
town  in  the  county,  and  was  bounded  on  the  north  by  Oneida  county, 
from  which  it  is  separated  by  Oneida  Lake  and  Creek ;  on  the  east  by 
Oneida  county  and  the  town  of  Stockbridge,  on  the  south  by  Stock- 
bridge  and  Smithfield,  and  on  the  west  by  Sullivan.  Its  area  after 
taking  a  small  part  for  Stockbridge  was  about  50,000  acres.  The  sur- 
face is  level  and   swampy  along  the    Sullivan  line,   excepting  in  the 

■  As  the  town  of  Lenox  remained  almost  throughout  its  long  existence  as  at  first  organized, 
it  is  deemed  advisable  to  treat  its  history  as  a  whole,  describing  its  very  recent  subdivision  at 
the  close. 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  137 

southern  part,  while  in  the  north  part  it  is  dry  and  gravelly.  In  the 
southern  part  the  land  becomes  rolling.  Oneida  Creek,  which  consti- 
tutes a  part  of  the  eastern  boundary,  takes  a  large  part  of  the  drainage 
of  that  section,  while  the  more  central  part  is  drained  by  Cowasselon 
Creek,  both  flowing  to  Oneida  Lake.  These  streams  and  the  lake  have 
always  been  favorite  resorts  of  fishermen.  Gypsum  is  found  in  the  town 
to  some  extent,  and  salt  and  iron  in  small  quantity.  A  salt  spring  was 
found  in  the  marsh  near  Canastota  and  in  1818  a  boring  was  made 
nearly  200  feet  deep,  but  the  brine  developed  was  too  weak  to  be  profit- 
able in  making  salt.  Another  attempt  was  made  in  1841:  with  a  similar 
result,  and  again  in  1S55  a  company  was  formed  with  a  capital  of  $100,- 
000,  and  further  experiments  were  made,  but  without  any  profitable 
success.  In  1863  a  second  company  with  the  smaller  capital  of  $25,000, 
to  which  $5,000  was  added  by  the  State,  made  the  final  and  s'-ill  unsuc- 
cessful effort  to  profitably  manufacture  salt  in  this  town. 

Lenox  was  first  settled  to  a  considerable  extent  by  representatives  of 
the  early  Dutch  pioneers  of  the  Mohawk  valley,  some  of  whom  had 
passed  through  this  immediate  region  while  prisoners  of  Sir  John  John- 
son in  his  memorable  campaign  of  1780,  and  then  noted  the  fertility 
and  beauty  of  the  land.  As  early  as  1790,  as  related  in  a  preceding 
chapter,  some  of  the  pioneers  passed  through  the  territory  of  Lenox  to 
locate  upon  the  inviting  lands  of  Sullivan.  In  the  year  1792  Conrad 
Klock  and  his  sons  Joseph,  John,  and  Conrad,  settled  on  Lenox  territory 
as  the  first  pioneers,  locating  on  the  Cowasselon  Creek  on  the  site  of 
Clockville,  which  took  its  name  from  them.  To  that  vicinity  also  came 
in  the  Snyder,  Moot,  Forbes,  Tuttle,  Bruyea,  Kilt,  and  Betsinger  fami- 
lies, names  that  are  still  familiar  in  the  town  and  represented  by  de 
scendants  of  these  sturdy  settlers.  Before  1800  Angel  De  Ferriere,  a 
native  of  France,  born  it  1769,  came  to  this  country  and  married  a 
daughter  of  Louis  Dennie,  a  prominent  family  of  the  Oneidas  living 
near  Canaseraga,  and  traveled  to  Cazenovia  with  John  Lincklaen, 
whose  acquaintance  he  had  made.  He  purchased  land,  and  afterwards 
greatly  added  to  his  possessions  until  at  one  time  he  was  owner  of  about 
3,000  acres  of  the  best  of  the  Lenox  lands.  He  presented  his  wife's 
brother,  Jonathan  Dennie,  a  fine  farm  near  the  site  of  Wampsville. 
His  homestead  was  situated  a  little  east  of  the  Cowasselon  Creek,  on 
the  Seneca  Turnpike.  He  built  a  tavern,  a  saw  mill  and  grist  mill,  a 
distillery  and  a  brewery,  and  in  many  ways  advanced  the  welfare  of 
the  early  settlers  in  his  vicinity.     The  creek  at  that  point  is  crossed  by 


138  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

a  bridge  substantially  built  of  stone,  on  which  is  a  tablet  bearing  the 
following  inscription:  "S.  R.  Co.  Erected  1817.  John  Young,  Super- 
intendent. R.  Wilcox  &  Sons,  Builders.  De  Ferriere's  Bridge."  The 
tavern  mentioned  was  kept  by  a  Dr.  Stockton  and  the  grist  mill  was 
operated  by  a  Mr.  McCollum,  a  Scotchman;  it  stood  on  the  site  of  the 
later  McDougall  mill.  De  Ferriere  also  started  a  blacksmith  in  busi- 
ness, and  a  shoemaker,  and  opened  a  small  store.  In  later  years  he 
sold  much  of  his  land  to  other  settlers. 

According  to  the  authority  of  the  late  Judge  Thomas  Barlow,  in  1803 
there  were  no  dwellings  on  the  north  side  of  the  turnpike  from  Wamps- 
ville  westward  to  Quality  Hill,'  and  nearly  all  was  woodland,  with  only 
one  road  opened  southward  between  those  two  points.  There  was  con- 
siderable settlement  near  Federal  Hill  and  westward  along  the  turnpike, 
of  which  Quality  Hill  was  the  nucleus.  Sylvanus  Smalley  was  one  of 
the  prominent  pioneers  in  that  locality  and  kept  a  popular  tavern  at 
Quality  Hill  during  a  number  of  years;  it  was  the  first  public  house  in 
the  place  and  was  constructed  of  logs,  with  a  frame  front.  He  subse- 
quently built  a  good  frame  residence  on  that  site  and  lived  there  many 
years.  He  held  the  office  of  judge.  John  P.  Webb  kept  the  tavern 
after  Judge  Smalley.  In  1802  there  were  living  on  the  Hill,  Dr.  Asahel 
Prior,  David  Barnard,  Aaron  Francis,  Abiel  Fuller,  David  Barnard,  jr., 
Dea.  Ebenezer  Cadwell,  Isaac  Senate,  Samuel  Louder,  Nehemiah 
Smalley,  Selah  Hills,  Job  Lockwood,  Nash  Mitchell,  Ichabod  Buell, 
Dr.  Harris,  and  a  Mr.  Tucker.  Mr.  Mitchell  was  a  tanner  and  currier. 
Jason  Powell  settled  at  the  Hill  in  1801,  and  worked  in  a  brick  yard 
that  had  been  established  on  the  flat  not  far  away.  He  boarded  with  a 
Mr.  Handy  and  finally  married  his  daughter,  Lovina.  A  distillery  was, 
of  course,  one  of  the  first  business  institutions  there.  On  the  south  side 
of  the  road  toward  Federal  Hill  was  in  the  early  years  a  tavern  kept  by 
Joseph  Phelps,  while  on  Federal  Hill  on  the  south  side  of  the  road, 
Thomas  Menzie  settled  and  sold  goods,  trading  mostly  with  the  Indians. 

'  According  to  Mrs.  Hammond,  the  name  Quality  HiU  was  bestowed  by  Miss  Lucinda  Harris, 
daughter  of  Dr.  Harris,  who  resided  in  a  log  house  on  the  site  of  the  Sylvanus  Stroud  residence. 
She  regarded  the  women  on  the  hill  as  somewhat  superior  to  their  neighbors  in  other  parts  of 
the  town,  and  with  the  enjoyment  of  greater  advantages,  past  and  present,  and  therefore  applied 
this  term  of  distinction  to  the  locality. 

Another  version  is  to  the  effect  that  the  title  grew  out  of  the  local  political  situation.  The 
dominant  parties  were  in  early  years  the  Democrats  and  Federals,  corresponding  to  Republicans 
and  Democrats  of  the  present  day.  The  Democrats  it  was  thought  arrogated  to  themselves  su- 
periority over  their  political  opponents.  The  Bruce  family  were  prominent  in  that  party,  and 
hence  the  locality  of  their  residence  was  given  the  title ;  while  the  eastern  hill,  where  the  Spen- 
cers and  others  of  the  Federal  party  resided,  was  named  Federal  Hill. 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  •      139 

In  1803  there  was  no  other  dwelling  from  that  point  to  Wampsville. 
West  from  Quality  Hill,  on  the  turnpike,  settlers  came  in  early  and  in 
1802  considerable  land  had  been  cleared.  "  Squire  "  Ebenezer  Calkins, 
then  a  young  man,  lived  in  a  log  house  where  he  later  built  a  frame 
residence.  Col.  Zebuloh  Douglass  was  keeping  tavern  on  his  farm 
west  of  Colonel  Calkins.  Reuben  Hale  lived  on  the  hill  nearly  south 
of  what  became  the  Culver  home,  and  Gen.  Ichabod  S.  Spencer  lived 
on  the  flat  between  Hale  and  where  Col.  Stephen  Lee  afterwards  re- 
sided. Opposite  Colonel  Lee's  place,  Col.  Thomas  W.  Phelps  worked 
at  harness  making,  and  a  Mr.  Pettibone  kept  a  tavern  near  there  before 
1803,  which  was  subsequently  burned.  Settlers  in  that  vicinity  soon 
after  1802  included  Harvey  G.  Morse,  Edward  Lewis,  Thomas  W. 
Phelps,  William  I.  Hopkins,  Joseph  Bruce,  and  Squire  Wager.  Dr. 
Thomas  Spencer  and  his  brother  Joshua  A.,  both  of  whom  were  broth- 
ers of  Ichabod  S. ,  were  early  residents  of  Quality  Hill.  It  may  be  in- 
ferred that  these  names  of  men  of  exceptionally  strong  character,  some 
of  whom  became  eminent,  formed  plausible  ground  for  the  quaint  title 
of  the  Hill. 

The  first  actual  and  permanent  settlement  at  Quality  Hill  was  made 
in  1800  by  Joseph  Bruce,  who  came  from  New  Hartford,  Oneida  county, 
and  Dr.  Nathaniel  Hall,  from  Litchfield  county,  Conn.  Of  these  two 
Mr.  Bruce  was  a  native  of  Boston  where  he  was  born  in  1781.  His 
mother  settled  at  New  Hartford,  Oneida  county,  while  he  was  still  a 
young  boy,  and  in  1806,  as  stated,  when  he  was  twenty-four  years  old, 
he  located  on  the  Hill.  He  was  father  of  five  children  named  Benja- 
min Franklin,  Edom  N.,  H.  K.  W.,  Nancy  A.,  and  Joseph  W.  Bruce. 
He  was  a  prominent  man  in  the  community  and  was  chosen  to  fill  the 
offices  of  justice  of  the  peace,  under  sheriff,  postmaster,  and  for  many 
years  he  was  president  of  the  Bank  of  Whitestown.  He  held  a  commis- 
sion as  lieutenant  in  the  army  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  in  the  absence  of 
his  captain  on  sick  leave,  commanded  the  company  during  its  term  of 
service.  Later  he  was  promoted  to  captain  and  to  major.  He  died  in 
1872,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years.  Gen.  Benjamin  F.  Bruce,  son 
of  Joseph,  was  also  a  prominent  citizen.  He  was  born  in  1812  and  dur- 
ing his  long  life  remained  a  resident  of  Quality  Hill.  He  became  a 
leader  in  politics  in  the  Whig  and  Republican  parties  and  was  honored 
with  several  positions  of  influence  and  trust.  He  was  inspector-general 
of  the  State,  canal  commissioner,  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Con- 
vention of   1846,  and  member  of  assembly.     He  was  an  eloquent  ora- 


140  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

tor  and  a  man  of  broad  views  and  extensive  and  varied  information. 
Among  his  children  is  Gen.  Dwight  H.  Bruce,  present  postmaster  of 
Syracuse. 

South  and  southwest  from  Quality  Hill,  on  the  Clockville  and  Can- 
aseraga  road,  Walter,  Sylvester,  Hezekiah  and  Linus  Beecher  were 
pioneers  of  an  early  date.  Walter  and  Sylvester  held  the  office  of 
judge  of  the  County  Court.  Deacon  John  Hall  settled  on  Oak  Hill  in 
1806,  coming  from  Guilford,  Conn.  Deacon  Nathaniel  Hall  and  Dr. 
Nathaniel  Hall,  his  son,  came  on  in  1807,  and  located  in  the  Beecher 
neighborhood.  Dr.  Hall  lived  near  Quality  Hill  and  there  practiced 
his  profession  many  years.  Dr.  Thomas  Spencer  began  practice  in  the 
same  year,  and  Dr.  Asahel  Prior,  before  mentioned,  was  contemporary 
with  him  at  the  same  place. 

Other  early  settlers  in  that  region  were  Everard  Van  Epps,  John 
Hills,  Gift  Hills,  Martin  Vrooman,  Willard  Cotton  and  Benjamin  Smith  ; 
the  latter  kept  an  early  tavern.  The  first  store  was  opened  on  Quality 
Hill  by  Capt.  William  Jennings.  Very  soon  afterward  Maj.  Joseph 
Bruce  established  a  second  store  and  had  as  a  partner  Dr.  Hall  in  the 
sale  of  drugs  and  general  merchandise.  Other  merchants  of  a  little 
later  date  were  Harvey  C.  Morse,  Fiske  &  Howland,  Curtis  C.  Baldwin 
and  Jarvis  Langdon,  the  last  to  engage  in  the  business;  the  latter  re- 
moved to  Elmira  many  years  ago  and  became  a  prominent  and  very 
wealthy  citizen  of  that  city.  The  first  post-office  in  this  part  of  Madi- 
son county  was  opened  at  Quality  Hill,  and  for  many  years  Major 
Bruce  was  in  charge.  When  the  Federals  came  into  power  he  was 
turned  out  and  Harvey C.  Morse  appointed  to  the  place.  John  P.Webb 
was  the  next  incumbent,  and  was  followed  by  Major  Bruce  when  his 
party  was  again  in  the  ascendant.  The  office  was  maintained  until 
comparatively  recent  years,  but  was  finally  abolished. 

A  school  was  established  at  the  Hill  in  the  early  years  of  settlement 
and  the  few  children  received  such  advantages  for  obtaining  education 
as  the  meagre  facilities  then  offered.  It  is  not  known  when  the  first 
school  house  was  erected,  but  a  new  one  was  built  in  1814,  when  Joseph 
W.  Palmer  taught. 

Gen.  Ichabod  S.  Spencer,  whose  settlement  in  1802  has  been  men- 
tioned, was  the  first  lawyer  in  Lenox,  his  practice  dating  from  1808. 
Joshua  A.,  his  brother,  also  began  his  practice  in  this  town.  Both 
served  their  country  in  the  war  of  1812. 

Succeeding  the  first  tavern  kept  at  the  Hill  by  Sylvanus  Smalley  was 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  141 

the  Stage  House,  kept  for  many  years  by  Col.  John  P.  Webb,  who  made 
it  a  favorite  stopping  place.  Oliver  Clarke  also  kept  an  early  public 
house,  the  two  houses  being  well  patronized  in  the  days  of  stage  travel 
over  the  turnpike.  There  has  been  no  public  house  on  Quality  Hill  in 
many  years,  and  the  business  importance  of  the  locality  has  passed 
away,  with  the  later  development  of  Oneida  and  Canastota.  But  for 
a  number  of  years  the  community  of  Quality  Hill,  with  its  quota  of 
strong  men,  exerted  a  large  influence  politically,  socially  and  financially 
in  the  county.  The  courts  were  held  alternately  in  Hamilton  and 
Lenox  up  to  1810,  and  Sylvanus  Smalley  was  judge.  The  courts  in 
Lenox  were  held  mostly  in  the  "  school  house  near  David  Barnard's." 
The  first  murder  trial  in  Madison  county,  that  of  Hitchcock  of  Madi- 
son, for  poisoning  his  wife,  as  elsewhere  described,  was  held  in  Judge 
Smalley's  barn,  in  order  to  provide  larger  accommodations  for  the  many 
who  desired  to  hear  the  proceedings.  Judge  Van  Ness  of  Utica  pre- 
sided at  the  trial. 

Among  the  few  other  pioneers  of  this  town  who  made  settlements 
before  or  very  soon  after  the  formation  of  the  county  was  Thomas  Law- 
rence, who  moved  to  Clockville  in  180G,  built  a  stone  house  near  the 
hamlet,  was  prominent  in  the  construction  of  roads  in  the  vicinity  and 
built  the  first  plaster  mill.  He  died  in  May,  1866,  aged  eighty- four 
years.  Little  is  known  of  the  early  storekeepers  at  that  point.  Peleg 
Card  was  the  first  postmaster  and  was  succeeded  by  Col.  Stephen  Chap- 
man and  he  by  his  son,  B.  Franklin  Chapman. 

Thomas  Y.  Kneiss  was  a  settler  of  1806  on  Federal  Hill  and  became 
quite  prominent.  He  was  a  man  of  ability  and  unblemished  integrity. 
He  was  an  early  justice  of  the  peace  and  held  other  town  offices.  Capt. 
Daniel  Lewis,  who  settled  on  Quality  Hill  in  1806,  had  previously  lived 
with  his  parents  in  Vernon  and  later  at  Oneida  Castle,  where  they  were 
among  the  first  settlers.  Later  Mr.  Lewis  purchased  lot  78  of  the  Can- 
astota Tract,  and  part  of  lot  82.  He  became  a  prominent  citizen 
through  his  own  endeavor;  worked  on  the  canal  and  was  appointed 
superintendent  of  this  division,  and  later  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Sy- 
racuse and  Utica  Railroad  Company  and  the  Hudson  River  road  in  re- 
sponsible positions. 

It  is  exceptional  that  in  the  early  history  of  this  town,  which  was  of 
such  importance  as  a  subdivision  of  the  county,  there  was  no  regular 
church  organization  until  more  than  fifteen  years  after  the  town  was 
erected.     That  religious  services  were  held  before  that  is  without  ques- 


142  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

tion,  but  no  records  of  them  exist  and  the  details  of  their  proceedings 
are  lost.  The  first  church  organized  in  the  town  was  the  Congrega- 
tional of  Quality  Hill ;  but  this  was  not  accomplished  until  1809,  and 
its  history,  with  that  of  other  churches,  must  therefore  be  left  for  a 
later  chapter. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  foregoing  few  pages  that  the  principal  part 
of  the  growth  of  this  large  town  has  taken  place  during  a  period  of 
comparatively  recent  years,  as  will  be  more  fully  shown  in  subsequent 
pages.  It  is  well  remembered  that  the  village  of  Canastota  suffered 
severely  in  1873  from  fires.  At  that  time  the  town  records  and  many 
other  valuable  documents  were  destroyed,  making  it  impossible  to  give 
the  proceedings  of  early  meetings  and  lists  complete  of  officials,  as  well 
as  greatly  curtailing  the  sources  of  general  information. 

Shifting  now  the  scene  of  the  story  of  settlements  in  Madison  county 
to  the  southern  part,  we  will  trace  the  record  of  Georgetown,  leaving 
only  the  town  of  Fenner  to  complete  the  early  history.  Georgetown 
was  set  off  from  De  Ruyter  on  the  7th  of  April,  1815,  just  three  months 
after  General  Jackson  struck  the  closing  blow  of  the  last  war  with 
Great  Britain  at  New  Orleans.  The  inhabitants  of  Georgetown  terri- 
tory wished  to  have  their  town  named  Washington,  but  the  present 
name  was  applied  at  a  suggestion  made  in  the  Legislature.  George- 
town is  one  of  the  southern  border  towas  of  the  countj%  lies  west  of  the 
center  and  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Nelson,  on  the  east  by  Lebanon, 
on  the  south  by  Chenango  count}',  and  on  the  west  by  De  Ruyter.  It 
contains  nearly  34,000  acres,  of  which  more  than  two-thirds  is  im- 
proved. The  surface  is  hilly  upland,  consisting  of  two  ridges  extend- 
ing north  and  south,  with  the  deep  valley  of  the  Otselic  Creek  inter- 
vening; the  summits  of  the  hills  rise  from  400  to  500  feet  above  the 
bottom  of  the  valley.  The  Otselic  Creek  flows  in  a  southerly  direction 
through  the  eastern  part  of  the  town,  which  with  its  numerous  small 
tributaries  forms  the  principal  drainage.  The  headwaters  of  the 
Tioughnioga  River  touch  the  northwest  part  of  the  town.  The  soil  on 
the  hills  is  a  yellow  loam  and  in  the  valleys  a  gravelly  alluvium.  At 
the  present  time  the  principal  farming  interest  is  dairying  and  hop- 
growing,  the  latter  industry  having  in  recent  years  declined  from  its 
former  prominence.  The  manufacture  of  cheese  in  factories  was 
taken  up  early  in  the  period  of  greatest  activity  in  that  method  and 
has  continued  in  the  town  to  the  present  time,  though  not  to  so  great 
an   extent  as  formerly.     There  are  only  two  factories  at  the  present 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  143 

time.  Georgetown  is  No.  6  of  the  Twenty  Townships  and  was  patented 
to  Th  )mas  Ludlow,  jr.,  of  New  York  city,  in  March,  1793.  The  pro- 
])rietor  caused  a  survey  to  be  made  in  1803  and  settlement  began  in 
18  '4,  by  Ezra  Sexton,  who  came  on  from  Litchfield,  Conn.,  in  the  sum- 
mer and  settled  near  the  Otselic,  on  lot  58,  a  little  south  of  the  site  of 
the  railroad  station,  where  the  widow  of  Barnett  Wagoner  now  resides. 
Mr.  Sexton  gained  some  local  prominence  and  was  an  early  justice  of 
the  peace,  and  a  captain  in  the  militia.  In  the  next  year  he  cleared  ten 
acres  of  land  on  the  Lebanon  road  east  of  his  dwelling  place,  which  was 
the  first  opening  made  in  the  forest.s  of  Georgetown.  That  road  was 
opened  at  about  that  time,  and  another  passed  north  and  south  through 
the  town  substantially  parallel  with  the  Otselic.  It  began  on  the  then 
well-travelled  road  between  Eaton  and  Erieville,  on  Eagle  Hill,  and 
entered  Georgetown  near  the  northeast  corner  of  lot  9,  crossed  lots  22 
and  34  where  there  has  not  been  a  highway  in  half  a  century,  and  then 
struck  the  old  stage  route  between  Eaton  and  Georgetown,  and  on 
down  the  valley  of  the  Otselic.  Mr.  Sexton  had  a  family  of  children, 
but  they  removed  from  the  town  in  early  years.  The  cemetery  near  the 
railroad  in  the  east  part  is  on  what  was  some  of  his  land  and  was  given 
for  that  purpose  when  one  of  his  children  died ;  this  is  said  by  some  to 
have  been  the  first  death  in  the  town,  but  French's  Gazetteer  of  1860,  a 
generally  reliable  work,  states  that  the  death  of  Mrs.  Sexton  in  1807 
was  the  first. 

In  that  year  (1804)  John  C.  Payne  removed  from  Hamilton,  where  he 
had  married  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Pierce,  and  settled  on  lot  115 
about  a  mile  and  a  quarter  south  of  the  site  of  Georgetown  village, 
where  Herbert  J.  Brown,  son  of  Loren  Brown,  now  resides.  Payne 
sold  out  to  Elijah  Brown  in  1813  and  returned  to  Hamilton.  Apollos 
Drake  settled  in  Hamilton  about  the  same  time  with  Mr.  Payne;  but 
three  years  later  removed  to  Westford,  Otsego  county,  and  thence  in 
1804  to  Georgetown,  where  he  took  up  fifty  acres;  this  tract  was  subse- 
quently owned  by  his  son,  Theron  O.  Drake,  and  is  now  owned  by  Allen 
Drake.  The  pioneer  made  a  small  clearing  and  built  a  log  house  that 
fall ;  there  were  at  that  time  only  three  log  houses  in  the  town — those 
of  Mr.  Payne,  Ezra  Sexton  and  Elijah  Olmstead.  Mr.  Drake  and  his 
wife  died  on  the  homestead;  four  of  their  children  were  born  in  this 
town.  Theron  O.  succeeded  to  the  homestead;  Laura  married  William 
Brown,  and  Sophia  married  Russell  Niles,  and  most  of  the  others, 
excepting  one  daughter  who  died  in  infancy,  removed  to  Ohio. 


144  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Elijah  Olmstead,  before  mentioned,  was  a  settler  of  1804,  but  soon 
sold  to  Josiah  Purdy,  a  blacksmith  from  Sherburne,  who  located  about 
a  mile  south  of  the  village  and  died  there.  Joseph  Bishop  and  Eleazer 
Hunt,  the  latter  from  Stafford,  Conn.,  settled  on  the  site  of  the  village 
in  1804,  and  were  probably  the  first  to  locate  at  that  point.  In  1807 
they  built  the  first  saw  mill  in  the  town,  on  the  site  of  a  later  one  which 
was  burned  in  1875.  The  mill  stones  used,  as  well  as  those  in  the 
second  mill,  were  from  the  native  rocks  of  the  town.  Nathan  Smith 
built  a  mill  on  that  site  not  far  from  1825,  which  subsequently  passed 
to  Benjamin  Kinney.  The  privilege  is  now  owned  by  Judge  Irving  G. 
Vann,  of  Syracuse.  Messrs.  Bishop  and  Hunt  built  also,  in  1807,  on 
the  same  privilege,  the  first  saw  mill  in  the  town  and  operated  it  many 
years;  these  early  mills  were  a  source  of  great  convenience  and  benefit 
to  the  pioneers,  giving  them  lumber  for  a  better  class  of  dwellings, 
which  soon  displaced  the  log  houses,  as  well  as  grinding  their  grain 
near  by  their  homes.  Mr.  Hunt  was  a  practical  carpenter  and  cabinet 
maker,  and  established  a  chair  factory  in  which  he  did  a  large  business 
for  those  times.  Bishop  moved  from  the  town  early,  and  later  Hunt 
went  to  Hamilton  where  he  died.  He  was  father  of  Sherebiah  Hunt,  a 
large  cheese  manufacturer  of  East  Hamilton. 

Bethel  Hurd  settled  in  1804  on  lot  69,  a  mile  and  a  half  north  of  the 
village  site,  on  the  farm  now^  owned  by  William  Trask;  he  died  there 
in  1817.  His  five  sons  settled  on  the  same  road  between  his  place  and 
the  village  and  lived  there  many  years.  Ezra  and  Benjamin  died  here ; 
Daniel  removed  to  Erie  county,  and  David  and  Stephen  moved  to  west- 
ern New  York.  A  man  named  Truesdale  kept  the  first  store  in  the 
town  in  Mr.  Hijrd's  house.  Olmstead  Brown  settled  also  in  1804,  on 
fifty  acres  which  he  purchased  of  John  C.  Payne,  on  lot  115. 

The  little  community  received  several  additions  in  1805,  among  them 
Mitchell  Atwood,  who  came  from  Litchfield  county,  Conn.,  and  located 
two  and  a  half  miles  north  of  the  village  site  on  the  fai-m  subsequently 
owned  by  Mitchell  Sanford  and  now  by  Charles  Wilcox.  He  resided 
there  until  his  death  in  1874  at  the  age  of  ninety-seven.  He  built  in 
that  vicinity  the  saw  mill  which  is  believed  by  some  to  have  been  the 
first  in  the  town;  it  was  replaced  by  him  in  1820  with  another  which  he 
operated  until  it  fell  into  decay.  The  third  mill  was  built  there  by 
Hiram  N.  Atwood,  son  of  the  pioneer.  Matthew  HoUenbeck  settled 
also  in  1805  in  the  north  part  of  the  town  on  the  farm  subsequently 
owned  by  Austin  Hawks  and  now  by  Charles  Brown;  he  died  on  that 


X. 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  145 

place.  Bailey  Carter  came  in  in  that  year  and  .settled  adjoining  the 
John  C.  Payne  farm,  but  left  the  town  early.  William  Payne,  from 
Connecticut,  settled  in  the  north  part  on  lot  45,  where  John  Marris  for- 
merly lived  and  his  son,  Thomas  Marris,  now  resides.  He  had  sons 
Bradford  and  Weston  H.  Payne,  who  settled  and  died  in  this  town. 
Weston  H.  Payne  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  Georgetown  terri- 
tory; the  year  was  1805;  he  died  in  1843.  Hannah,  daughter  of  Will- 
iam Payne,  married  Daniel  Harrison,  both  of  whom  passed  their  lives 
here.  Joseph  P.  Harrison  settled  in  1805  in  the  north  part  on  the  farm 
now  owned  by  Oscar  M.  Stewart.  Harrison's  son,  Daniel,  followed 
him  on  that  place;  the  elder  Harrison  died  there  in  1814,  at  the  early 
age  of  thirty-five  years.  Calvin  Cross,  another  pioneer  of  1805,  settled 
in  the  northwest  part,  removing  from  Hamilton,  where  he  had  settled 
in  1795. 

At  about  this  date  Capt.  Samuel  White  settled  in  the  northwest  part 
where  his  grandson,  Zelotes  A.White,  recently  resided.  Elijah  Brown 
also  came  in  about  the  time  under  consideration ;  he  was  a  son  of  the 
Samuel  Brown  who  bought  the  John  C.  Payne  impi'ovements  and  came 
in  about  the  date  of  that  purchase;  the  father  did  not  settle  here. 
Alfred,  brother  of  the  son  Elijah,  came  in  a  few  years  later  and  both 
they  and  their  wives  died  on  that  farm,  which  is  now  owned  by  Herbert 
Brown.  They  reared  families,  some  members  of  which  were  promi- 
nent in  later  years  in  this  section. 

Among  other  early  settlers  was  Ebenezer  Hall,  who  located  where 
Charles  Wagoner  now  lives.  He  removed  into  the  village  late  in  his 
life  and  for  a  time  kept  the  hotel  which  he  built. 

David  Parker  and  Asa  West,  who  came  together  from  Massachusetts 
in  1808,  took  up  a  lot  in  the  north  part  of  the  town,  and  later  Parker 
removed  to  the  village  and  kept  a  tavern;  he  died  in  1824.  Philetus 
Stewart  also  settled  early  in  the  north  part,  where  his  son  Sanford  suc- 
ceeded him,  and  was  in  turn  succeeded  by  Philetus,  son  of  Sanford. 
Zadock  Hawks  settled  in  1815  two  miles  north  of  the  village  where 
Charles  Brown  now  resides,  and  where  Austin  Hawks  formerly  lived. 
He  was  a  tanner  and  shoemaker  and  worked  at  the  latter  trade.  There 
were  eight  children  in  the  family,  four  of  whom  settled  in  this  town 
and  the  remainder  in  the  western  part  of  the  State.  Horace,  a  son, 
succeeded  to  the  homestead  and  died  there  in  1876.  He  held  the  office 
of  member  of  assembly.  Dr.  Smith  settled  on  the  line  between  this 
town  and    Lebanon,  where  Luman  Fisk  and  Per  Lee  Fisk  afterwards 

10 


146  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

lived,  now  owned  by  Scoville  Upham.  He  was  a  carpenter  and  mason 
and  worked  at  those  trades  in  connection  with  farming.  Benjamin 
Bonney,  from  Connecticut,  settled  also  on  the  east  line  of  the  town, 
opposite  the  Dr.  Smith  farm,  where  his  son,  Loren  Bonney,  now  lives. 
Reuben  Buckingham,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  settled  in  Georgetown 
in  1806,  on  the  south  line  on  a  farm  of  160  acres,  and  died  there  in 
1838.  This  farm  was  recently  occupied  by  the  late  George  Pease  and 
now  by  his  family. 

In  this  connection  and  at  this  point  it  becomes  necessary  to  refer  to 
the  so-called  Muller  mansion  in  Georgetown  and  its  somewhat  mysteri- 
ous occupant,  though  the  subject  has  already  been  substantially  ex- 
hausted. In  1808  a  French  refugee  of  high  rank,  named  Louis  Anathe 
Muller,  came  to  this  country,  amply  supplied  with  money,  and  purchased 
a  large  tract  of  wild  land  in  the  western  part  of  Georgetown.  Accord- 
ing to  statements  made  by  Rev.  Matthias  Cazier,  an  educated  French 
minister  of  Lebanon,  this  man  was  the  Duke  du  Barry,  and  that  the 
name  by  which  he  was  known  here  was  assumed.  Other  and  probably 
less  reliable  authorities  believed  he  was  Louis  Philippe;  others  "cousin 
of  the  Duke  of  Angouleme. "  This  point  will  probably  never  be  defin- 
itely settled.  He  was  a  fine  looking  man,  with  graceful  manners  and  a 
martial  bearing.  That  he  stood  in  fear  of  the  ascendancy  of  Bonaparte, 
even  to  the  conquest  of  America,  is  true,  and  he  sought  the  secluded 
hills  of  Georgetown  as  a  refuge.  He  was  always  armed  and  usually 
accompanied  in  his  short  journeys  about  his  home  by  servants.  He 
had  a  beautiful  young  woman  towards  whom  he  was  gallant  and  duti- 
ful, and  two  little  sons. 

Settling  his  family  in  Hamilton  he  proceeded  to  establish  his  home. 
Selecting  three  hundred  acres  about  three  miles  west  of  Georgetown 
village  and  near  the  center  of  his  great  estate  he  cleared  the  tract  and 
began  the  erection  of  his  mansion.  The  building,  which  is  still  stand- 
ing, was  70  by  30  feet  in  size,  the  frame  built  very  heavy  of  hewn 
cherry  timbers  so  put  together  as  to  form  almost  a  solid  wall.  The 
inside  finish  was  good;  seven  fireplaces  were  provided;  the  rooms  were 
large  and  very  richly  furnished.  The  homestead  is  situated  on  lots  75, 
76,  87,  88,  and  89.  To  the  east  of  his  mansion  he  opened  a  road  run- 
ning nearly  north  and  south  and  along  the  stream  which  flows  in  that 
locality.  He  bought  a  part  of  lot  12G  of  James  McElwain,  whereon  is 
a  fall  ample  for  water  power  and  there  built  a  grist  mill,  which  long 
ago  disappeared.     On  the  road  opened  by  him  and  about  a  mile  south- 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  147 

easterly  from  his  mansion  he  founded  a  small  village,  where  his  many 
workmen  and  other  families  resided.  He  donated  land  to  any  person 
who  would  erect  buildings.  A  storehouse  was  built  and  two  stores, 
with  other  needed  buildings.  The  first  store  was  opened  by  two  men 
who  came  over  with  Muller,  named  John  Passon  Bronder  and  Modeste 
del  Campo;   a  little  later  James  C.  Winter  opened   the  second  store. 


THE    MULLER    MANSION. 


About  two  miles  east  of  the  homestead  Muller  built  a  saw  mill  which 
has  wholly  disappeared.  Besides  all  this  improvement,  the  refugee 
entered  extensively  into  farming  operations,  of  the  methods  of  which 
he  was  quite  ignorant.  When  the  mansion  was  completed  he  removed 
his  family  thither  and  settled  down  to  domestic  life.  To  the  needy  or 
afflicted  the  family  were  benevolent  and  kind,  and  many  stories  have 
been  told  of  their  generous  acts,  as  well  as  of  jokes  and  mild  imposi- 
tions that  were  perpetrated  by  the  neighbors  and  their  boys  at  the  ex- 
pense of  his  ignorance  of  American  life,  farming,  and  business  customs. 
Muller  established  a  large  deer  park  and  there  confined  many  deer, 
rabbit=  and  other  animals.     To  obtain  rabbits  he  paid   the  boys  of  the 


148  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

vicinity  for  catching  them  for  his  use.  After  a  large  number  had  been 
caught  and  impounded,  the  supply  from  the  boys  regularly  increased. 
Muller  became  suspicious,  and  marked  some  of  the  rabbits  for  identi- 
fication, and  soon  found  that  he  was  repurchasing  his  own  rabbits  in  a 
ruinous  manner.  It  is  said  also  that  he  was  once  induced  to  scour  the 
neighborhood  in  an  effort  to  buy  a  bushel  of  turnip  seed,  which  a 
neighbor  had  told  him  he  would  require  to  sow  an  acre  of  ground. 

Upon  the  opening  of  Bonaparte's  Russian  campaign  Muller  foresaw 
the  downfall  of  the  great  general  and  made  preparation  to  return  to 
his  native  country.  In  1814,  when  Bonaparte  was  a  prisoner,  he  took 
his  family  to  New  York  and  leaving  them  there  he  sailed  for  France. 
His  Georgetown  property  was  left  in  charge  of  an  agent.  Returning 
to  this  country  two  years  later  he  found  that  his  agent  had  sold  almost 
everything  movable  on  the  place  and  fled.  Disheartened  and  sad  over 
the  wreck  of  his  wilderness  home,  he  sold  the  estate  in  1816  to  Abijah 
Weston,  a  New  York  merchant,  for  $10,000  and  returned  to  his  native 
land.  The  Muller  mansion,  which  is  all  that  is  left  of  the  once  princely 
domain,  is  now  the  property  of  G.  and  F.  Shaw.' 

On  the  site  of  the  village  of  Georgetown  the  first  merchants  were 
Messrs.  Dudley  and  Bemis,  who  began  trading  soon  after  the  first  set- 
tlement, in  the  lower  story  of  a  building  which  stood  opposite  the 
Methodist  church  site.  They  did  not  continue  long,  and  in  1817  John 
F.  Fairchild  came  from  Sherburne  and  opened  a  store  on  the  north- 
west village  corner,  now  owned  by  Dr.  E.  F.  Lamb;  he  also  kept  a 
tavern  on  the  site  of  the  present  hotel,  and  was  probably  the  first  post- 
master. The  first  physician  did  not  arrive  until  1810,  in  the  person  of 
Dr.  Epaphroditus  Whitmore,  who  practiced  here  until  his  death  at  an 
advanced  age. 

The  first  town  meeting  for  (leorgetown  was  held  at  the  house  of 
John  Holmes,  on  the  5th  of  March,  1816,  where  the  following  officers 
were  elected:  William  Payne,  supervisor;  Epaphroditus  Whitmore, 
town  clerk:  Ebenezer  Hall,  Daniel  Alvord  and  Pitt  Lawrence,  assess- 
ors; Daniel  Hitchcock,  collector;  Elijah  Brown  and  Hanford  Nichols, 

'The  Hamilton  Republican  has  recently  published  a  short  series  of  articles  on  the  Jluller 
history  from  the  pen  of  Henry  C.  Maine,  which  the  reader  will  find  deeply  interesting.  These 
articles  are  condensed  from  a  former  article  in  the  Magazine  of  American  History,  by  the  same 
writer. 

Mr.  Robert  F.  Hubbard,  of  Cazenovia.  whose  father  was  attorney  for  Mr.  Muller,  has  recently 
made  extended  researches  in  this  matter,  and  embodied  the  results  of  his  investigations  in  a 
paper  which  he  read  before  the  Oneida  Historical  Society.  He  finds  much  tending  to  prove  that 
the  mysterious  stranger  was  in  reality  the  Duke  de  Berri. 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  149 

overseers  of  the  poor;  Alfred  Brown,  Asa  West  and  Alexander  McEl- 
wain,  commissioners  of  highways;  Daniel  Hitchcock  and  Roj-ce  Collis- 
ter,  constables;  Robert  Benedict,  Ira  Allen  and  Samuel  White,  com- 
missioners of  schools;  Robert  Benedict,  Epaphroditus  Whitmore,  Daniel 
Hitchcock,  Amos  Gere,  Elijah  Jackson,  Menoris  Williams,  Aaron 
Shepard,  Nathan  Benedict,  Gad  Taylor,  Bradley  Ladd,  John  Gipson 
(Gibson?),  John  Alderman  and  ApoUos  Drake,  overseers  of  highways 
and  fenceviewers. 

From  the  old  records  of  the  town  it  is  learned  that  at  the  first  town 
meeting  it  was  voted  "that  hogs  that  are  permitted  to  run  at  large  in 
the  highway  shall  be  yoked  or  Wrung."  Also,  "that  rams  that  are 
permitted  to  run  at  large  between  the  10th  of  September  and  the  10th 
of  November  shall  be  forfeit."  The  supervisor  was  authorized  to 
"  take  charge  of  the  pound  money  and  put  it  out  at  interest."  It  was 
voted  "that  cattle,  horses  and  sheep  shall  not  be  permitted  to  run  at 
large  from  the  1st  day  of  December  to  the  last  day  of  April  within  100 
rods  of  any  mill,  tavern  or  store,  or  any  place  of  public  meeting  on  the 
Sabbath  Day,  upon  penalty  of  50  cents. "  A  bounty  of  fifty  cents  was 
voted  "for  every  grown  fox  caught  in  the  town." 

The  second  town  meeting  was  held  at  the  same  place  March  4,  1817, 
and  it  was  resolved,  among  other  proceedings,  "that  the  school  agent 
for  the  town  shall  be  empowered  to  sell  our  school  land  if  he  can  get 
two  dollars  per  acre  by  his  taking  full  and  ample  security. "  Restric- 
tions on  stock  running  at  large  were  continued  and  under  increased 
penalties,  as  a  rule.  A  bounty  of  $3.50  was  offered  for  dead  wolves. 
Ten  votes  were  cast  in  that  year  for  De  Witt  Clinton  for  governor. 

On  March  3,  1818,  $200  was  levied  for  the  purpose  of  improving  the 
roads  of  the  town.  The  supervisor  was  directed  to  levy  such  sum  for 
the  support  of  the  poor  as  he  and  the  overseers  of  poor  should  deem 
sufficient.  There  were  evidently  only  very  few  persons  in  the  the  town 
at  that  time  who  were  incapable  of  supporting  themselves,  for  in  1820 
the  sum  voted  for  the  poor  was  only  $15,  and  in  1830  there  was  an 
overplus  of  poor  money  in  the  hands  of  the  overseer  of  over  $900. 
This  was  applied  to  general  town  expenses.  In  1820  the  school  money 
amounted  to  $285.68. 

Only  one  church  was  organized  in  Georgetown  in  very  early  years, 
and  that  probably  not  until  after  the  erection  of  the  county,  the  date 
as  well  as  the  identity  of  the  organization  being  lost.  It  was  of  the 
Presbyterian,  faith,  and  the  meeting  house  of  the  society  built  in  1824 


150  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

about  half  a  mile  north  of  the  village  was  the  first  one  in  the  town;  it 
was  subsequently  removed  to  the  village  and  in  1874  was  sold  to  Tim- 
othy Brown  and  made  an  addition  to  his  famous  Free  Hall,  which  is 
described  further  on. 

We  turn  now  to  the  consideration  of  the  settlement  and  formation  of 
Fenner,  the  last  town  organized  in  the  county,  excepting  Stockbridge, 
and  the  two  created  by  the  division  of  Lenox  in  1896.  Fenner  is  the 
smallest  town  in  the  county  in  population,  and  its  business  interests  of 
late  years,  aside  from  farming,  are  unimportant. 

Fenner  was  set  off  from  Smithfield  and  Cazenovia  on  April  22,  1823, 
and  received  its  name  at  the  suggestion  of  Col.  Arnold  Ballou,  in  honor 
of  Gov.  James  Fenner  of  Rhode  Island.  It  lies  a  little  northwest  of  the 
center  of  the  county  and  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Lincoln  and  Sulli- 
van, on  the  east  by  Smithfield,  on  the  south  by  Nelson,  and  on  the  west 
by  Cazenovia.  It  contains  about  19,000  acres  of  land  and  its  present 
population,  as  shown  by  the  census  of  1892,  is  999;  the  census  reports 
show  a  gradual  decline  in  the  number  of  inhabitants  during  many  past 
years. 

The  surface  of  the  town  is  mainly  a  rolling  upland,  and  comprises  a 
part  of  the  ridge  that  separates  the  northerly  and  southerly  flowing 
waters  of  the  county.  A  branch  of  Chittenango  Creek  rises  in  the 
eastern  part  and  after  a  long  detour  to  the  southward,  flows  northerly 
and  forms  part  of  the  west  boundary  of  the  town.  The  headwaters 
of  the  Canaseraga  Creek  and  a  small  branch  of  the  Cowasselon  find 
their  sources  in  the  north  part.  These  streams  are  fed  by  innumerable 
little  springs  and  brooks  which  beautify  and  make  productive  the  slopes 
of  the  hills.  The  beautiful  Perryville  Falls  are  situated  on  the  Cana- 
seraga a  few  rods  north  of  the  railroad  station  at  Perryville.  The 
water  there  falls  150  feet  in  a  succession  of  sloping  descents  into  a 
chasm  or  great  basin  which  the  action  of  the  water  in  past  ages  has 
worn  in  the  rock ;  this  basin  is  partly  filled  with  drift  and  surface  wash- 
ings, sufficient  to  support  the  growth  of  small  trees.  Below  these  falls 
a  beautiful  valley  spreads  away  northward  into  the  town  of  Sullivan. 

The  soil  is  gravelly  and  clayey  loam,  fertile  and  well  adapted  to 
mixed  farming.  Dairying  has  for  many  years  been  an  important  in- 
dustry and  at  one  period  there  were  five  cheese  factories  in  the  town, 
none  of  which  is  now  in  operation.  Hop  growing  has  been  followed 
to  a  less  extent  in  proportion  to  area  than  in  many  other  towns  in  the 
county.     The  Erie,  Cortland  and  Northern  Railroad,  now  a  branch  of 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  151 

the  Lehigh  Valley,  runs  through  the  west  part  of  the  town,  passing 
through  Perryville. 

The  New  Petersburgh  Tract,  purchased  by  Peter  Smith,  as  before 
described,  included  most  of  the  territory  of  this  town,  and  settlements 
of  a  permanent  character  were  probably  not  made  until  subsequent  to 
1794,  in  which  year  the  lease  of  the  Indians  to  Peter  Smith  was  exe- 
cuted. Jonathan  Hunger  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution  and  came 
here  from  Connecticut  with  his  son  James,  locating  a  mile  north  of  the 
site  of  Fanner  Corners,  on  the  place  subsequently  occupied  by  his 
grandson,  William  C.  Munger,  who  was  a  son  of  Chauncey;  the  latter 
was  born  in  the  town  in  1802.  James  Munger  married  and  settled  in 
the  town,  but  in  his  late  life  removed  to  Verona,  where  he  died.  Hor- 
ace Munger,  son  of  James,  was  a  soldiei  of  the  war  of  1812,  and  settled 
in  Fenner,  but  later  removed  to  Wisconsin.  Jonathan  Hunger's  settle- 
ment was  made  about  1795,  and  in  1800  he  built  the  first  framed  barn  in 
the  town.  Dr.  George  B.  Hunger  of  Perryville  was  a  grandson  of  the 
pioneer. 

Alpheus  Twist,  from  Connecticut,  settled  about  the  same  time  with 
the  Hungers,  a  mile  south  of  Fenner  Corners,  on  land  now  owned  and 
occupied  by  Orlando  Allen ;  he  kept  an  early  tavern  there.  His  chil- 
dren were  three  sons  and  a  daughter,  Salem,  Alpheus,  Charles  and 
Clementine.  Mr.  Twist's  wife  was  the  first  person  to  die  in  the  town. 
None  of  the  family  remains  here. 

John  Needham  made  a  journey  into  this  region  and  purchased  a  farm 
upon  which  he  settled  about  1798,  coming  from  Ingham,  Mass.  The 
farm  is  situated  about  a  mile  west  of  Fenner  Corners,  where  Aaron 
Hyatt  lived  in  recent  years,  now  occupied  by  Frank  Hyatt.  He  had 
seven  children,  all  of  whom  were  born  there.  His  son  John  married  a 
daughter  of  Samuel  Root  of  Farmington,  Conn.,  settled  first  in  Fenner, 
and  removed  to  Cazenovia  and  died  there  in  1852.  Bela  C.  married  a 
sister  of  John's  wife  and  settled  on  a  farm  adjoining  the  homestead,  to 
which  he  succeeded  when  his  father  died ;  he  subsequently  removed  to 
Lowell,  Mich.  George  married  and  lived  with  his  father  for  a  time, 
and  removed  to  Kansas. 

Thomas  Cushing  and  his  sons  Enos  and  Hawks  settled  near  John 
Needham's  place;  the  father  was  a  surveyor  and  followed  that  vocation 
until  his  death.  David  Cook  came  in  from  Rhode  Island  about  1798 
with  an  ox  team,  bringing  his  wife  and  nine  children,  two  of  whom 
were  sons.      He  settled  a  half  mile  north  of  Fenner  Corners,  his  farm 


152  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

of  213  acres  including  all  of  the  site  of  the  Corners  lying  north  of  the 
east  and  west  road.  Soon  after  their  arrival  his  son  David  opened  the 
first  tavern  in  the  town  in  his  father's  log  house.  Mr.  Cook  was  a 
prominent  citizen  for  many  years  and,  as  will  be  remembered,  was  the 
unsuccessful  candidate  in  1807  for  supervisor  against  Peter  Smith;  he 
held  also  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace,  and  in  ISOfi  was  appointed 
one  of  the  associate  judges. 

Seneca  Robinson,  a  pioneer  of  about  1799,  was  a  son  of  Dr.  Isaac 
Robinson,  of  Stamford,  Vt.  He  brought  with  him  his  family  of  wife 
and  three  children — Clark,  Orpha,  and  Francis  K.  He  settled  about 
two  miles  southeast  of  Perryville  on  the  farm  owned  in  recent  years  by 
Alvin  Wells.  He  cleared  in  the  first  year  three  acres  of  heavily  tim- 
bered land  and  sowed  wheat.  In  1800  he  sold.his  place  to  Enos  Wells, 
purchased  600  acres  on  the  south  line  of  Lenox,  which  he  sold  to  vari- 
ous persons,  excepting  fifty  acres. 

Lieut.  David  Hutchinson,  a  Revolutionary  soldier  from  Connecticut, 
settled  on  the  farm  now  owned  and  occupied  by  William  Farnham, 
taking  up  120  acres;  he  kept  an  early  tavern  there  and  reared  a  family 
of  seven  children.  Late  in  his  life  he  went  to  reside  with  his  son  Lor- 
ing,  in  Fenner  village,  and  later  still  lived  with  his  grandson,  David 
Hutchinson,  dying  in  1853  at  the  age  of  eighty-nine  years.  Most  of 
his  children  married  and  settled  in  Fenner  and  here  passed  their  useful 
lives. 

John  Barber  removed  from  Worcester,  Mass.,  to  Oneida,  and  in  1799, 
to  Fenner,  settling  on  142  acres  on  lot  23.  In  that  year  he  married 
Lavina  Thompson,  whose  parents  had  settled  in  the  town  of  Madison. 
With  the  exception  of  ten  years  in  Cazenovia,  he  lived  on  the  home- 
stead until  his  death  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Darlin  Barber.  Mr. 
Barber  was  one  of  the  first  to  manufacture  crude  potash  in  his  ashery 
in  this  section. 

Prominent  among  the  pioneers  of  Fenner  were  William,  Arnold  and 
George  Ballou,  brothers,  who  came  here  in  1800  from  Smithfield,  R.  I. 
William  married  and  settled  a  little  north  of  the  present  residence  of 
Melvin  Woodworth,  where  he  and  his  wife  died.  Arnold  married  Nancy, 
daughter  of  David  Cook,  before  mentioned,  settled  with  his  brother 
William,  and  together  they  built  on  the  Canaseraga  the  first  saw  mill  in 
the  town.  Arnold  afterwards  removed  to  a  place  about  a  mile  north  of 
Fenner  Corners  where  he  died  in  1833.  He  kept  an  early  tavern  among 
his  several  occupations.     George  Ballou  married  a  sister  of  his  brother 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  153 

Arnold's  wife  and  settled  in  the  south  edge  of  Lenox;  later  he  removed 
to  Quality  Hill  where  both  died. 

Enos  Wells  was  from  Williamstown,  Mass.,  and  came  on  in  1800  with 
his  wife  and  two  children,  to  settle  on  lot  6  of  the  New  Petersburgh 
Tract,  a  mile  and  a  half  northeast  of  Fenner  Corners,  where  his  son 
Alvin  afterwards  resided.  James  Cameron,  a  native  Scotchman,  set- 
tled in  Fenner  in  1800,  on  the  eastern  edge  of  the  town;  the  homestead 
subsequently  passed  to  Groton  Howard,  who  married  his  daughter 
Catharine.  John  Douglass,  another  Scotch  citizen,  came  into  Fenner 
in  1801  and  settled  in  the  southeast  part,  where  he  took  up  110  acres; 
this  farm  was  divided  between  himself  and  his  brother  Daniel.  The 
two  farms  were  later  occupied  by  John  Campbell  and  Neil  Eastman 
respectively.  John  Douglass  was  father  of  thirteen  children,  eleven  of 
whom  lived  to  maturity,  and  married  and  settled  in  that  locality.  Daniel 
had  nine  children,  all  of  whom  were  born  in  Fenner.  There  were  a 
number  of  other  Scotch  families  who  settled  in  that  region,  among  whom 
was  that  of  John  Robertson,  who  located  on  the  farm  afterwards  occu- 
pied by  his  grandson  of  the  same  name;  his  son  Robert,  father  of  the 
grandson  John,  succeeded  to  the  homestead.  Robert  Stewart  settled 
adjoining  John  Robertson  on  the  south,  and  resided  there  until  his 
death. 

Guy  Hatch,  a  native  of  New  London,  Conn.,  came  on  with  his  broth- 
er-in-law, William  Parsons,  in  1801,  and  each  bought  seventy-five  acres 
of  Peter  Smith,  in  the  southwest  part  of  the  town;  Hatch's  farm  was  in 
recent  years  occupied  by  his  son  Leroy.  The  two  pioneers  made  a 
small  clearing  and  returned  in  the  fall  to  Massachusetts.  In  the  next 
spring  they  came  to  their  settlement  and  built  a  log  house  on  the 
clearing,  and  soon  afterwards  Hatch's  family  of  wife  and  two  children, 
William  and  Mary,  joined  him  in  the  Fenner  forest.  They  had  six 
other  children  born  to  them  in  this  town,  five  of  whom  were  sons. 
Hatch's  father- in-law,  Gideon  Parsons,  came  with  Mr.  Hatch  in  the 
fall  of  1802,  bringing  his  wife  and  three  sons,  Gideon,  Walter,  and 
Festus.  Two  of  these  children  subsequently  removed  to  Cicero,  N.  Y., 
and  died  there. 

Joel  Downer  came  on  from  Pownall,  Vt.,  in  1801,  when  he  was  twen- 
ty-one years  old  and  in  the  following  year  purchased  a  farm  in  the  east 
part  of  the  town.  He  married  in  1806  Lavina,  daughter  of  Stephen 
Risley,  a  pioneer  of  Smithfield.  He  died  in  1864.  Samuel  Nichols, 
who  had  located  in    Cazenovia  in  1793,   removed   in  1802  to  a  large 


154  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

farm  on  the  Mile  Strip,  where  he  and  his  sons  successfully  tilled  the 
land.  Silas  Ballou  was  a  cousin  of  the  families  of  that  name,  before 
mentioned,  and  settled  in  the  town  about  1803,  in  the  east  part. 

The  fertility  of  the  soil  in  Fenner,  its  natural  attractiveness  to  the 
eye,  its  convenient  water  pov/er,  and  other  causes  were  sufficient  to  call 
in  settlers  more  rapidly  after  the  beginning  of  the  century  than  in 
many  of  the  towns  of  the  count}'.  Fenner  Corners,  being  situated  near 
the  center  of  the  town,  and  many  of  the  prominent  pioneers  having 
located  there,  it  was  easily  considered  a  foregone  conclusion  that  a  con- 
siderable village  would  eventually  come  into  being  at  that  point.  This 
expectation,  as  will  be  learned,  was  not  realized,  although  considerable 
business  centered  there  in  early  years.  As  late  as  1810  there  was  little 
else  there  than  a  hemlock  forest. 

Daniel  M.  Gillet,  from  Lyme,  Conn.,  settled  early  half  a  mile  east  of 
the  Corners,  where  he  built  and  operated  an  ashery  and  for  a  time  car- 
ried on  a  store  in  company  with  his  brother  Martin  in  district  No.  5. 
He  was  a  man  of  ability,  energy  and  integrity;  served  several  years  as 
justice  of  the  peace,  supervisor,  and  was  elected  to  the  Assembly. 

David  Baldwin  was  a  settler  from  Worcester,  Mass.,  coming  about 
1804;  he  located  about  two  miles  southeast  of  Perryville  on  the  farm 
now  occupied  by  William  Munger,  where  he  resided  until  his  death. 
He  was  crippled  by  the  loss  of  a  leg,  and  his  youngest  son,  Aaron, 
worked  the  farm,  while  the  father  employed  himself  in  making  rakes. 
Other  children  of  David  were  John  and  David,  who  soon  followed  their 
father  hither.  The  latter  brought  with  him  seven  children,  arriving 
about  1806.  About  1812  he  located  on  his  father's  farm  in  Fenner  and 
resided  there  until  his  death.  He  was  father  of  twelve  children,  all  but 
one  of  whom  lived  to  maturity  and  part  of  whom  settled  in  this  county. 
A  daughter,  Susan,  married  PhineasTown,  who  came  with  his  brothers, 
Abel  and  Asa,  from  Massachusetts  and  jointly  with  Abel  took  up  a  farm 
afterwards  occupied  by  the  son  and  daughter  of  Phineas;  Asa  settled 
in  the  same  vicinity  and  died  on  his  homestead. 

A  prominent  settler  a  little  prior  to  1815  was  Paul  R.  Main  (the  name 
being  now  spelled  with  a  final  "e")who  came  from  Stonington,  Conn., 
just  after  his  marriage  to  Lydia  Randall,  and  bringing  with  him  a  little 
money  earned  in  teaching  school.  He  settled  on  lot  60  of  the  Mile 
Strip.  He  was  a  lifelong  farmer,  took  a  deep  and  active  interest  in 
educational  and  religious  affairs,  and  was  prominent  in  founding  the 
Baptist  church  and  the  early  schools.      His  children  were  Paul  P.,  de- 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  155 

ceased;  Franklin  P.,  who  died  in  the  town  of  Sullivan;  Asa  R.,  who 
died  in  Fenner  in  1863;  Phoebe  M.  and  Elon  G.,  the  latter  still  living  in 
Fenner.  Asa  R.  Maine  was  a  farmer  and  a  man  of  prominence  in  the 
community.  He  held  the  office  of  inspector  of  schools,  was  supervisor 
two  years,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  internal  revenue  assessor. 
He  had  five  children,  two  of  whom  were  sons.  Frank  L.,  one  of  the 
sons,  is  publisher  of  the  Manlius  Eagle.  Paul  S.  Maine,  born  in  De- 
cember, 1847,  was  educated  in  Cazenovia  Seminary,  remained  at  home 
until  1873,  when  he  was  appointed  school  commissioner  to  fill  a  vacancy, 
and  was  elected  to  that  office.  He  purchased  a  store  in  Perryville  and 
has  ever  since  conducted  the  business.  He  was  postmaster  there  seven 
years  and  resigned;  was  again  appointed  in  1898.  He  was  supervisor 
twelve  years,  two  of  which  he  was  chairman,  and  resigned  to  tike  the 
office  of  county  clerk,  in  which  he  is  now  serving. 

J.  D.  Turner  was  an  early  settler  in  the  southwest  part  of  the  town ; 
he  was  father  of  George  and  Robert.  Thomas  Wilson  settled  a  mile 
west  of  Fenner  Corners  and  died  there  in  1823.  Erastus  Woodworth 
came  from  Rensselaer  county  and  settled  a  mile  east  of  Fenner  Corners 
and  later  removed  to  a  farm  a  mile  and  a  half  west  of  the  Corners,  now 
occupied  by  Mrs.  Philip  Dwyer.  Benjamin  Woodworth  settled  about 
two  miles  northeast  of  the  Corners,  where  his  son,  Major  George  Wood- 
worth,  subsequently  resided.  Col.  Elisha  Farnham,  a  native  of  Hamp- 
ton, Conn.,  was  a  settler  in  the  south  part  of  the  town  in  1797  and  died 
in  1848.  Ithuriel  Flower,  Amos  Webster,  and  others,  settled  in  the 
south  part,  and  Samuel  and  Zattu  Payne  in  the  east  part.  Timothy 
Foster,  who  located  on  a  farm  adjoining  the  Thomas  Wilson  place  on 
the  south,  was  early  killed  by  a  falling  tree.  Russell  Ransom  and  Drake 
vSelHck  came  in  early,  and  from  about  1810  to  1830  the  population  in- 
creased rapidly. 

Other  names  found  among  those  of  early  settlers  were  John  Miles, 
Daniel  Torrey,  Jared  Merrills,  Joseph  Maynard,  David  Foskett,  Hiram 
Roberts,  James  Walker,  Truman  Beeman,  Lot  Pickens,  Solomon  Field, 
Hezekiah  Hyatt,  Daniel  R.  Baxter,  Seth  Smith,  2d,  Oliver  Brownson, 
Seba  and  Linus  Ensign  and  Jonathan  Bump.  The  names  of  Hungerford, 
Cusbing,  Dickinson,  Eddy,  Faulkner,  Gordon,  Hess,  Hill,  Jones,  Keeler, 
Loundsbury,  Laird,  Stafford,  Sayles,  Stoddard  and  Wilbur  are  also 
conspicuous  among  the  families  who  have  been  instrumental  in  building 
up  the  town  and  its  institutions. 

The   first  town  meeting  for  Fenner  was  held   in   the   school  house 


156  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

"  near  David  Cook,  Jr.'s,"  on  May  G,  1823,  and  the  following  officers 
elected:  Daniel  M.  Gillet,  supervisor;  Sardis  Dana,  clerk;  John  Need- 
ham,  William  Esselstjme,  and  Ralph  J.  Gates,  assessors;  John  F. 
Hicks,  collector;  John  Needham  and  Samuel  Nichols,  overseers  of  the 
poor;  Samuel  Ives,  Amasa  Ives,  jr.,  and  Noah  Blakelee,  commission- 
ers of  highways;  John  F.  Hicks  and  William  Nichols,  constables; 
Sardis  Dana,  William  Doolittle  and  Daniel  Pratt,  commissioners  of 
common  schools;  John  Needham,  jr..  Federal  Dana  and  Erastus  E. 
Park,  inspectors  of  schools;  David  Cook,  poundmasier, 

The  first  trade  operations  in  Fenner  were  begun,  as  before  indicated, 
at  the  Corners,  where  it  was  generally  believed  a  village  would  be 
founded.  The  earliest  merchants  were  Martin  and  Daniel  M.  Gillet. 
The}'  were  succeeded  ere  long  by  Charles  F.  Kellogg,  who  came  from 
Cazenovia  and  opened  a  store  in  the  building  in  which  the  Gillets  had 
traded.  Hiram  Preston,  also  from  Cazenovia,  and  Martin  Woodworth 
were  merchants  of  many  years  ago.  The  post-office  was  not  estab- 
lished until  after  1820. 

The  first  physician  in  the  town  was  Dr.  Daniel  Pratt,  who  came 
from  Belchertown,  Mass.,  where  he  was  born,  in  company  with  his 
brothers,  Jonathan  and  James,  the  former  of  whom  has  been  noticed 
as  the  first  physician  in  Madison,  and  the  latter  in  Eaton.  Daniel 
studied  medicine  with  his  brother  Jonathan,  returned  to  his  native 
town  in  1804  and  settled  in  Fenner  in  1814. 

There  were  no  business  interests  of  any  kind  at  Perryville  until  long 
after  the  county  organization,  with  the  exception  of  the  old  mills,  the 
original  of  which  was  erected  by  Richard  Card  soon  after  1800,  to  be 
succeeded  in  1824  by  the  second  one,  built  by  Enoch  Dykeman.  A 
tannery  was  established  there  at  a  very  early  date,  to  which  Oren  S 
Avery  succeeded  in  1817  and  added  an  extensive  boot  and  shoe  manu- 
facturing business.  There  was  no  physician  there  until  about  1809, 
when  Dr.  John  Didama  came  from  Germany  and  settled  for  many 
vears  of  practice;  he  was  father  of  the  now  venerable  and  honored  Dr. 
Henry  D.  Didama,  of  Syracuse. 

Only  one  church  was  formed  in  this  town  previous  to  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  county.  This  was  the  Fenner  Baptist  church,  organized 
August  23,  1801,  as  the  Third  Baptist  Church  of  Christ  in  Cazenovia. 
When  the  town  of  Smilhfield  was  set  off,  the  title  was  changed  to  The 
Baptist  Church  in  SmithfielJ.  The  original  membership  numbered 
seven  persons,  all  but  one  of  whom  had  recently  been  baptieed.   The  first 


SETTLEMENT  OF  TOWNS.  157 

pastor  was  not  called  until  January,  1803,  when  Elder  Nathan  Baker 
began  preaching  every  two  weeks;  he  was  voted  "$1.50  for  the  six  Sab- 
baths on  which  he  has  served  us. "  Meetings  were  heldin  dwellings  and 
school  houses  until  1820,  when  a  meetinghouse  was  built.  Jacob  Crap- 
sey  preached  in  1804-5,  and  for  many  years  the  changes  were  fi-equent 
and  cannot  be  followed  here.  The  meeting  house  was  greatly  improved 
at  a  cost  of  $3,000  in  1879,  and  the  society  is  still  in  active  existence. 
The  first  school  taught  in  Fenner,  as  far  as  known,  was  in  an  old 
ashery  in  what  became  district  No.  9.  When  the  first  school  house  was 
srected  is  not  known.  Joel  G.  Downer,  many  years  a  merchant  in 
Bridgeport,  who  removed  to  California  many  years  ago,  was  the  first 
native  of  that  district  who  engaged  in  teaching.  In  Mrs.  Hammond's 
work  on  this  county  she  credits  that  old  school  with  educating  three 
physicians,  Drs.  Welcome  Pray,  Federal  C.  Gibbs  and  Andrew  S. 
Douglass;  a  lawyer,  Lewis  Pray;  and  a  minister,  William  B.  Downer. 
Also  Robert  Stewart,  later  president  of  the  National  Bank  in  Chitten- 
ango,  and  his  brother,  Daniel  Stewart,  president  of  the  Morrisville 
Bank. 

This  completes  the  story  of  the  settlement  and  organization  of  all  of 
the  old  towns  of  Madison  county,  and  traces  their  simple  history  down 
to  about  the  date  of  the  formation  of  the  county.  Enough  has  here  been 
already  written  to  show  beyond  question  not  only  that  this  region  was 
fortunate  in  the  conditions  surrounding  the  opening  of  the  lands  to 
settlers,  but  also  in  the  class  of  men  and  women  that  was  attracted 
hither  by  those  conditions  and  the  natural  features  of  the  locality.  No 
limited  section  of  this  State,  we  may  freely  assert,  ever  had  more 
broad  minded,  fair- dealing  and  energetic  proprietors  to  open  territory 
to  the  pioneer  than  John  Lincklaen,  Peter  Smith  Col.  William  S.  Smith 
and  Justus  B.Smith,  under  whose  auspices,  as  we  have  seen,  most  of 
this  county  was  settled.  As  a  consequence,  the  best  of  the  old  families 
of  Connecticut,  Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island  and  Vermont  halted  on 
Madison  county  lands,  instead  of  following  the  westward  flowing  tide 
of  migration  to  the  Genesee  country  or  elsewhere.  Here  they  found 
fertile  soil,  beautiful  lakes  and  streams,  a  varied  land  surface,  and  the 
towering  old  forests  that  supplied  them  with  lumber  and  wood.  That 
those  sturdy,  God-fearing  pioneers  fulfilled  their  purpose  in  coming 
hither  is  seen  to-day  in  every  village,  hamlet  and  neighborhood  in  the 
county. 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


CHAPTER  X. 
GENERAL  PROGRESS  IN  THE  COUNTY. 

During  the  half  century  that  succeeded  the  date  of  the  organization 
of  Madison  county  events  of  tlie  greatest  importance  took  place  in  this 
country  in  which  every  community  was  directly  interested  to  a  greater 
or  less  extent.  Among  these  significant  occurrences  were  the  war  of 
1812-15,  the  construction  of  the  Erie  Canal,  the  inception  and  building 
of  the  early  railroads,  the  construction  of  the  Chenango  and  other 
canals,  the  introduction  of  plank  roads  and  their  construction  in  all 
parts  of  the  State,  the  introduction  of  the  magnetic  telegraph,  all  be- 
tokening in  an  astonishing  degree  material  advancement  and  intellec- 
tual progress,  and  the  rapidly  incoming  triumphs  of  peaceful  civiliza- 
tion. On  the  other  hand,  during  the  period  in  question  the  country 
passed  through  two  dark  seasons  of  financial  calamity  and  distress,  the 
evil  influences  of  which  extended  to  every  business  center,  were  reflected 
to  the  rural  districts  and  caused  prolonged  depression  in  all  trade  and 
industrial  operations.  Moreover,  just  as  the  last  of  these  periods  of 
financial  stress  was  approaching  its  close,  the  black  clouds  of  war 
hovered  on  the  country's  horizon,  from  which  a  terrific  storm  was  soon 
to  burst. 

If  the  inhabitants  of  Madison  county,  because  of  their  geographical 
situation,  did  not  share  so  generously  as  some  other  localities  in  the 
fruits  of  the  long  series  of  events  that  brought  in  their  train  innumer- 
able blessings,  neither  did  they,  for  similar  reasons,  suffer  to  so  great 
an  extent  from  the  widespread  financial  and  business  depression  and 
disaster  just  mentioned.  Progress  in  this  county  as  a  whole,  though 
always  gradual,  has  at  the  same  time  been  sure  and  in  the  main  satis- 
factory. Earnest  and  persistent  labor  has  here  found  its  adequate  re- 
ward, good  citizenship  has  been  respected  and  in  many  cases  highly 
honored,  and  home-loving  contentment  has  prevailed  on  every  hand. 

The  conditions  surrounding  the  erection  of  Madison  county,  its  ex- 
tensive subdivision  in  the  year  following  its  organization,  and  particu- 
larly the  location  of  the  county  seat  at  Cazenovia  in  1810,  caused  much 


GENERAL  PROGRESS  IN  THE  COUNTY.  159 

dissatisfaction  and  repeated  efforts  were  made  between  that  date  and 
1815  to  divide  the  county  into  two,  or  to  remove  the  county  seat  to  some 
other  point.  The  feeling  of  dissatisfaction  had  its  origin  largely,  as 
would  be  naturally  inferred,  in  the  inconvenience  to  the  settlers  in 
traveling  to  the  most  distant  part  of  the  county  for  the  transaction  of 
public  business.  It  was  not  that  the  inhabitants  of  outside  towns  be- 
lieved their  own  localities  any  better  for  a  county  seat  than  Cazenovia, 
but  that  they  wanted  it  located  in  a  more  central  part;  and  it  was  a 
most  reasonable  desire.  The  agitation  of  the  matter  was  active  and 
prolonged,  its  chief  promoters  being  prominent  residents  of  those  towns 
that  could  reasonably  claim  their  own  merits  for  the  purpose  in  view. 
The  records  regarding  the  location  of  the  first  county  seat  are  meagre. 
The  subject  of  dividing  Chenango  county  and  creating  Madison  county 
was  undoubtedly  agitated  during  the  few  years  prior  to  1806,  and  there 
is  an  existing  record  of  the  holding  of  a  special  town  meeting  in  the 
then  large  town  of  Cazenovia  on  June  13,  1804,  two  years  before  the 
county  was  formed,  at  which  a  committee  was  appointed  to  meet  the 
commissioners  appointed  by  the  Legislature  to  consider  this  subject. 
The  committee  were  Dr.  Isaac  Lynian,  Jeremiah  Clark  and  Jeremiah 
Griffith.  When  Madison  county  was  erected  the  town  of  Sullivan  was 
made  a  half-shire,  with  Hamilton,  which  had  previously  been  a  half- 
shire  of  Chenango  county,  and  the  courts  were  held  alternately  in  these 
two  towns  until  1812.  Later  attempts  were  made  to  create  two  half- 
shire  towns  in  Madison  county,  as  will  be  seen.  Following  is  a  ver- 
batim record  of  the  proceedings  of  the  first  meeting  of  the  Madison 
county  Board  of  Supervisors: 

Oct.  7,  1806.     Met  in  school  house  near  James  Shethers  (?)  in  the  town  of  Sullivan. 
Present — Erastus  Cleveland,  Hamilton, 
Steven  Hoxie,  Brookfield, 
Lemuel  Kmgsbury,  Cazenovia, 
Jacob  Patrick,  Sullivan, 
Jeremiah  Gage,  De  Ruyter,  Esqs. 
The   Bord  chose  Erastus  Cleveland,   Esqr. ,  President   for  the  present  year  and 
Thomas  W.  Phelps  Clerk. 

Resolved,  That  this  Bord  allow  five  Dollars  for  full  grown  Wolves  and  Panthers, 
Whelps  half  price. 

Resolved,  That  each  Collector  retain  his  Collection  fees  for  the  money  he  pays  the 
Supervisors  out  of  the  same. 

Resolved,  That  Lemuel   Kingsbury  be  the  Treasurer  of  said  County  during  the 
pleasure  of  the  Bord  of  Supervisors. 

Resolved,  That  the  Treasurer  procure  sufficient  Bail  to  the  amount  of  Five  Thou- 
sand Dollars  for  the  faithful  performance  of  his  duty. 


160  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Resolved,  That  the  Bord  appoint  Jacob  Patrick  to  Determine  as  to  Bail  to  be  ob- 
tained of  Lemuel  Kingsbury,  County  Treasurer. 

Aside  from  this  brief  record,  measures  were  adopted  for  the  equitable 
division  of  the  money  in  the  treasury  of  Chenango  county.  The  "  Town 
Contingencies,"  so  called,  for  the  first  year  were  $1,435.75;  "County 
Contingencies,"  $67138      The  valuation  was  placed  at  $1,343,001. 

From  this  time  until  1810  the  county  seat  question,  and  occasionally 
the  division  of  the  new  county,  were  before  the  people  in  some  of  the 
towns.  For  example,  in  1809,  a  meeting  was  held  in  Lebanon  to  con- 
sider the  subject  of  "centering  the  county,"  and  delegates  were  ap- 
pointed to  meet  those  of  some  of  the  other  towns;  the  Lebanon  dele- 
gates were  John  W.  Bulkley,  Dr.  John  Clarke,  and  Malatiah  Hatch,  all 
prominent  citizens.  In  this  same  direction  the  people  of  other  towns 
chose  delegates  to  meet  and  settle  this  important  matter,  which,  in  the 
records,  is  always  spoken  of  as  "  centering  the  county. !'  Arnold  Ballou 
and  Asa  Dana  were  two  of  the  delegates  from  Smithfield  and  with 
Nehemiah  Huntington  were  pledged  to  the  policy  of  "not  locating  the 
County  Seat  at  present;"  the  meeting  was  held  July  13,  1810.  All 
through  the  agitation  of  this  question  Smithfield  was  an  active  and  per- 
sistent rival  of  Cazenovia,  advancing  the  argument  that  the  town  was 
more  centrally  situated  than  Cazenovia,  Hamilton,  and  other  towns.  It 
is  presumed  from  what  is  found  in  the  records  that  Cazenovia,  Smith- 
field,  Eaton  and  Hamilton  were  the  towns  that  were  actively  favored 
for  the  county  seat,  the  others,  as  a  rule,  merely  expressing  their  pref- 
erence for  one  of  the  four.  The  vexed  question  was  finally  settled  in 
favor  of  Cazenovia,  and  an  act  of  the  Legislature  dated  April  2,  1810, 
ordered  the  building  of  a  court  house  and  jail  under  certain  limitations. 
The  commissioners  to  superintend  the  erection  of  the  buildings 
were  John  Lincklaen  and  Eliphalet  S.  Jackson;  but  for  some  unex- 
plained reason  the  Board  of  Supervisors  at  their  meeting  in  1810  adopted 
the  following : 

Resolved,  That  new  commissioners  be  appointed  and  chosen  by  Ballot,  for  super- 
intending the  building  a  Court  House  and  Gaol  and  after  balloting  it  appeared  that 
the  following  Gentlemen  had  a  majority  of  votes — to  wit,  Hon.  Peter  Smith,  Hon. 
John  Lincklaen,  and  Eliphalet  S.  Jackson,  Esq.,  Therefore, 

Resolved,  That  they  be  Commissioners  for  the  purpose  aforesaid. 

Progress  on  the  building  was  not  very  rapid,  for  it  was  not  completed 
until  1813.  In  the  mean  time,  on  the  14th  of  October,  1812,  a  commit- 
tee was  appointed  by  the  supervisors  from   their  number  to  examine 


GENERAL  PROGRESS  IN  THE  COUNTY.  161 

the  accounts  of  the  building  commissioners,  and  they  reported  at  that 
time  that  $3,507  had  been  paid  out,  and  that -$2, 000  had  been  received 
of  the  treasurer.  Although  little  appears  in  the  public  records  to  show 
it,  this  selection  of  the  county  seat  was  satisfactory  to. only  a  limited 
number  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  county  outside  of  Cazenovia,  and  the 
question  of  its  removal  to  some  other  point  was  not  permitted  to  rest 
until  a  change  was  accomplished.  The  first  court  house  was  built  of 
brick,  and  preparatory  to  the  change  proposals  were  received  in  1815 
by  the  supervisors  for  its  purchase.  Benjamin  Coman  offered  $1,500 
for  it;  Job  Kilbourn  $1,200,  and  Joseph  Burr  the  same.  It  was  not 
then  sold,  and  a  resolution  was  adopted  that  it  be  sold  at  auction 
in  the  following  February.  This  was  not  carried  out,  and  in  October, 
1817,  the  supervisors  appointed  Nehemiah  Huntington,  John  Knowles, 
and  Amos  Crocker  a  committee  to  sell  the  building  for  not  less  than 
$1,500.  They  were  not  successful  until  the  beginning  of  the  following 
year.  A  special  meeting  of  the  supervisors  was  held  February  3,  1818, 
when  the  offer  of  Benajah  Williams,  Frederick  Wilcox,  jr.,  Martin 
Keeler,  William  Andrews,  Lewis  Stanley,  John  Daniels,  Jonathan 
Clongh,  John  Rowling,  and  Isaac  Pierson  of  $1,800  was  accepted;  this 
sum  was  to  be  paid  in  three  annual  payments.  As  elsewhere  de- 
scribed, the  building  became  a  part  of  the  Cazenovia  Seminary  struc- 
ture. 

While  these  proceedings  were  in  progress,  an  act  was  passed  by  the 
Legislature  on  the  17th  of  March,  1815,  by  the  provisions  of  which  the 
act  of  1810  establishing  the  county  seat  at  Cazenovia  was  repealed  and 
providing  "that  the  court-house  and  gaol  in  and  for  the  county  of 
Madison  shall  be  erected  on  the  third  great  turnpike  road,  within  one- 
half  mile  of  the  dwelling  house  of  Thomas  Morris,  of  the  town  of 
Eaton."  The  act  also  provided  for  the  raising  by  tax  of  the  sum  of 
$2,000  at  the  second  ensuing  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  and 
a  like  sum  at  the  third  meeting.  Another  act  was  passed  April  IG, 
1816,  directing  that  the  courts  be  held  at  Cazenovia  "until  the  said 
court  shall  be  adjourned  to  the  court  house  to  be  erected  in  Eaton." 
Still  another  act  was  passed  April  17,  1818,  requiring  the  supervisors  at 
the  next  meeting  to  collect  and  pay  into  the  county  treasury,  the  sum 
of  $2,000,  and  at  their  second  meeting  the  same  amount,  "for  the 
purpose  of  erecting  and  completing  a  gaol  in  said  county."  Thomas 
Greenly,  David  Gaston  and  John  Matteson  were  appointed  as  building 
commissioners.  These  public  buildings  and  others  are  further  referred 
to  in  another  chapter. 
U 


162  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

During  this  period  and  while  the  inhabitants  of  Madison  county  were 
thus  busily  engaged  in  the  settlement  of  their  own  difficulties  and  the 
establishment  of  their  own  institutions  and  industries,  the  country  at 
large  approached  and  passed  through  its  second  struggle  at  arms  with 
Great  Britain.  No  extended  account  of  that  conflict  is  needed  here;  it 
is  found  described  in  all  general  histories  of  the  country,  and  its  only 
direct  connection  with  this  county  was  through  the  participation  of  a 
considerable  number  of  its  inhabitants  on  the  battlefields,  the  prevail- 
ing anxiety  caused  by  the  proximity  of  some  of  the  important  events  of 
the  struggle  at  Oswego  and  Sackett's  Harbor,  and  the  effect  upon  busi- 
ness and  industry  of  all  kinds. 

Early  in  the  century  began  the  acts  on  the  part  of  England  that 
finally  culminated  in  a  declaration  of  war  by  Congress.  Through  orders 
issued  by  the  British  government  and  decrees  made  by  Emperor  Napo- 
leon, all  American  commerce  in  neutral  ships  with  either  of  these 
nations  was  suspended.  American  sailors,  claimed  as  British  subjects, 
were  seized  on  American  vessels,  and  the  right  to  board  American  ves- 
sels for  this  unjust  purpose  was  one  of  the  claims  set  up  by  Great 
Britain.  These  and  other  outrages  continued  until  further  forbearance 
was  impossible.  Late  in  October,  1807,  Congress  inaugurated  opposi- 
tion by  laying  an  embargo  on  all  vessels  in  American  harbors.  This 
measure,  necessary  as  it  may  have  appeared  as  a  general  policy,  was 
disastrous  to  the  mercantile  and  shipping  interests  of  the  whole  coun- 
try. The  embargo  act  was  supported  by  a  large  part  of  the  Democratic 
party,  but  was  strenuously  opposed  by  the  Federalists.  These  parties 
were  not  very  unequally  represented  in  Madison  county  in  1807-8. 
Judges  Peter  Smith  and  Oliver  Brown  were  both  ardent  Federalists  in 
1807  and  supported  Governor  Lewis  in  opposition  to  Daniel  D.  Tomp- 
kins. In  the  year  named  Sylvanus  Smalley,  Democrat,  and  John  W. 
Bulkley,  Federalist,  were  elected  to  the  Assembly.  The  war  meas- 
ures, which  were  bitterly  denounced  and  opposed  along  the  seaboard, 
and  with  good  reason,  found  many  supporters  in  this  vicinity. 

A  militia  brigade  was  formed  in  Chenango  county  previous  to  1806, 
in  which  year  the  following  M  idison  county  citizens  held  commissions: 
Capt.  Noyes  Palmer  (afterwards  major-general) ;  Capt.  David  Mat- 
thews of  Sullivan;  Lieut.  Ethan  Clark,  of  Leonardsville;  Ensign  Oliver 
Clark,  of  Lenox;  Ensign  Peter  Chappell,  of  Hamilton,  and  Lieut. 
Oliver  Babcock  and  Adjutant  Phineas  Babcock,  brothers,  of  Clarks- 
ville. 


GENERAL  PROGRESS  IN  THE  COUNTY.  163 

On  June  1,  1813,  President  Madison  sent  a  confidential  message  to 
Congress,  in  which  he  reviewed  the  causes  of  complaint  against  Great 
Britain  and  asked  for  a  decision  as  to  what  course  should  be  pursued 
under  the  circumstances.  It  was  well  known  that  the  president  fa- 
vored open  retaliation.  By  one  of  the  great  political  parties  he  was 
urged  by  ridicule  as  well  as  threats  to  declare  war,  while  the  other,  in 
which  were  many  whose  personal  interests  were  already  suffering,  per- 
sistently opposed  such  a  course.  Madison's  message  was  referred  to 
the  Committee  on  Foreign  Relations  which,  on  June  3d,  made  a  report 
favoring-  the  president's  views  and  accompanied  by  a  bill  declaring  war 
against  Great  Britain.  An  attempt  was  made  to  include  France  in  the 
declaration,  which  failed.  After  much  debate  and  amid  the  greatest 
excitement  throughout  the  country,  Congress  passed  the  bill  on  July  18, 
and  on  the  19th  the  president  issued  a  proclamation  announcing  the  fact 
and  appealing  to  the  people  of  the  country  to  support  the  government 
in  its  war  policy. 

Military  operations  were  promptly  inaugurated  in  all  parts  of  the 
country.  On  the  northern  frontier  and  in  near  proximity  to  Madison 
county,  steps  were  taken  in  1812  for  placing  a  naval  squadron  on  Lake 
Ontario,  at  each  end  of  which  there  was  an  important  gateway  through 
which  the  enemy  operating  from  Canada  could  send  expeditions  to  act 
on  land  or  water.  Numerous  craft  were  purchased  by  the  government 
and  added  to  the  Oneida,  which  was  then  the  only  armed  vessel  on 
the  lake.  Commodore  Isaac  Chauncey  made  his  headquarters  at  Sack- 
ett's  Harbor  in  the  fall  of  1812  and  soon  blockaded  Kingston  harbor 
with  several  vessels  until  the  ice  closed  it  in.  Late  in  the  autumn,  in 
anticipation  of  an  attack  upon  Ogdensburg,  Gen.  Jacob  Brown  was  sent 
thither,  where  he  arrived  on  October  1.  He  was  none  too  early,  for  on 
the  next  day  a  flotilla  of  British  vessels  with  about  750  men  from  Pres- 
cott,  attacked  the  place,  but  they  were  soon  repulsed.  During  the  year 
1813  the  march  of  military  events  was  rapid.  Sackett's  harbor  was 
the  chief  depot  of  military  and  naval  supplies  on  the  northern  frontier, 
and  presented  a  tempting  prize  to  the  enemy.  About  noon  of  May  28, 
1813,  Sir  James  L.  Yeo,  commanding  the  British  squadron,  arrived  olf 
Sackett's  Harbor  from  Kingston,  with  six  armed  vessels  and  forty 
bateaux  carrying  more  than  1,000  troops.  The  harbor  was  feebly  pro- 
tected and  a  prompt  assault  would  have  resulted  in  its  capture;  but  the 
appearance  of  a  few  American  gunboats,  transporting  a  regiment  to  the 
harbor  frightened  away  the  enemy.     An  attack  was  made  on  the  next 


164  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

day,  and  the  Americans,  believing  the  port  would  be  taken,  burned 
stores  worth  $500,000.  The  British  at  the  same  time  seeing  the  hurry- 
ing to  and  fro  of  the  Americans,  fied  in  disorder  to  their  vessels  and  the 
whole  squadron  sailed  away.  Sackett's  Harbor  was  not  again  mo- 
lested, but  was  kept  garrisoned  throughout  the  conflict. 

In  June  of  that  year  an  attack  was  made  on  Oswego  by  armed  ves- 
sels, but  their  fire  was  sharply  returned  from  the  fort  batteries  and 
from  the  Growler,  an  armed  vessel  then  in  the  harbor,  and  the  enemy 
retired. 

The  principal  military  event  of  1813  in  the  north  was  Perry's  mem- 
orable victory  over  the  British  squadron  on  Lake  Erie  on  the  10th  of 
September,  killing  200  and  capturing  600  of  the  enemy  and  winning 
for  himself  undying  fame.  Operations  were  active  also  on  the  Niagara 
frontier  that  year,  and  culminated  on  the  last  day  of  December  in  the 
burning  of  Buffalo  and  Black  Rock,  a  deed  which  the  British  justified 
by  the  previous  burning  of  Newark  on  the  Canada  side  by  the  Ameri- 
cans. 

Early  in  1814  it  became  apparent  that  the  British  intended  a  more 
vigorous  prosecution  of  the  war.  The  victories  of  the  allies  over 
Napoleon  had  relieved  thousands  of  English  soldiers  and  early  in  the 
summer  15,000  of  Wellington's  bronzed  veterans  were  sent  over  to 
Canada.  The  inhabitants  of  central  New  York,  as  well  as  elsewhere, 
received  the  news  with  deep  concern.  During  the  winter  and  spring 
the  forces  on  either  side  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the  lakes  made  prep- 
arations for  a  determined  struggle  for  the  future  control  of  Lake  On- 
tario. Commodore  Chauncey  added  largely  to  his  fleet  at  Sackett's 
Harbor,  which  was  finally  armed  and  provisioned  from  Albany  by  way 
of  the  Mohawk,  Oneida  Lake,  Oswego  River  and  Lake  Ontario.  With 
him  awaiting  these  stores,  a  large  quantity  of  which  were  accumulated 
at  Oswego,  an  auspicious  opport unit}' was  presented  for  a  British  attack 
upon  that  port.  As  soon  as  the  ice  left  the  lake  at  Kingston,  Sir  James 
Yeo  sailed  out  with  eight  war  vessels  and  about  3,000  men,  and  on  the 
5th  of  May  appeared  off  Oswego.  Fort  Ontario  had  meanwhile  been 
somewhat  strengthened  by  five  artillery  companies  under  Colonel  Mitch- 
ell, and  the  schooner  Growler  still  lay  in  the  river.  Mitchell  acted 
promptly  when  the  British  fleet  made  its  appearance.  He  sent  horse- 
men through  the  surrounding  country  calling  on  the  militia  to  come  to 
the  aid  of  the  garrison;  the  Growler  was  sunk  in  the  middle  of  the 
river,   and   the  crew  and  ofliicers  joined  Mitchell  at  the  fort.     An  old 


GENERAL  PROGRESS  IN  THE  COUNTY.  165 

twelve-pounder  cannon,  was  also  sent  down  near  to  the  shore  a  little 
west  of  the  fort,  to  prevent  an  anticipated  landing  at  that  point.  When 
the  fleet  had  anchored,  fifteen  boats  put  off  for  the  shore  under  protec- 
tion of  a  heavy  cannonade  from  the  vessels,  to  which  Mitchell  replied 
from  the  fort.  But  the  old  twelve-pounder  was  the  decisive  factor  in 
the  affair,  for  when  the  boats  had  approached  quite  near,  the  gun  was 
fired  directly  among  them  with  disastrous  and  demoralizing  effect.  Sev- 
eral boats  were  shattered  and  many  of  their  crews  were  killed  or 
wounded.  A  few  more  shots  from  the  old  gun,  and  the  flotilla  rowed 
hastily  to  the  fleet  which  soon  sailed  away. 

Militia  was  now  arriving  from  Onondaga,  Oneida,  Madison  and  other 
counties,  but  unfortunately  most  of  the  troops  were  too  late  to  save 
Oswego.  The  British  returned  on  the  following  day,  effected  a  landing 
in  spite  of  the  old  twelve-pounder,  and  outnumbering  Mitchell's  forces 
two  to  one,  the  place  was  captured,  Mitchell  retreated  up  the  river,  the 
enemy  fortunately  not  pursuing  him.  Six  killed,  thirty-eight  wounded 
and  five  prisoners  carried  away  to  Canada  is  the  record  of  American 
casualties.  Strange  as  it  may  appear,  under  the  circumstances,  the 
British  did  not  occupy  Fort  Ontario,  and  it  remained  without  a  garrison 
until  1838. 

The  news  of  this  battle  spread  rapidly  and  caused  great  anxiety 
throughout  the  territory  with  which  we  are  here  interested,  which  did 
not  subside  until  the  close  of  the  war.  Most  of  the  militia,  which  had 
arrived  too  late  to  be  of  material  assistance,  returned  home,  carrying 
the  news  of  the  disaster.  The  stores  of  Oswego  were  soon  afterward 
safely  transported  to  Sackett's  Harbor,  after  a  desperate  attempt  to 
capture  the  flotilla  of  boats  in  Big  Sandy  Creek  by  the  British,  in  which 
they  were  gallantly  defeated,  losing  eighteen  killed,  fifty  wounded 
and  170  prisoners.  In  this  engagement,  as  well  as  during  the  whole 
journey  between  Oswego  and  Sackett's  Harbor,  the  Oneida  Indians 
performed  valuable  service,  marching  abreast  of  the  boats  along  the 
shore. 

Other  principal  military  operations  of  the  year  1814,  ending  with  the 
final  victory  of  General  Jackson  at  New  Orleans  on  January  8,  1815, 
were  those  of  Fort  Erie,  opposite  Buffalo,  July  3  and  August  13-15;  at 
Lundy's  Lane,  July  25;  on  Lake  Champlain  and  at  Plattsburg  Septem- 
ber 11;  at  Chippewa  October  15,  and  the  brilliant  and  victorious 
achievements  of  Decatur  and  other  commanders  on  the  sea.  A  treaty 
of  peace  was  agreed  upon  at  Ghent  on  December  24,  1814,  which  was 


166  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ratified  at  Washington,  February  17,  1815.  The  reception  of  the  news 
of  the  close  of  the  war  was  received  with  rejoicing  throughout  the 
country.  No  one  is  living  and  no  records  exist  to  tell  us  what  took  place 
on  that  occasion  in  the  little  villages  of  Madison  county  when  the  cheer- 
ing news  drifted  slowly  northward  ;  but  we  may  well  believe  that  in  pro- 
portion to  numbers  of  population  the  joy  of  the  peace-loving  inhabitants 
of  the  county  was  exhibited  with  the  same  enthusiasm  elsewhere  dis- 
played. 

It  is  practically  impossible  at  this  late  day  and  in  the  absence  of  local 
records  to  learn  in  detail  of  the  part  taken  by  men  of  Madison  county 
in  the  war  of  1812-15.  Situated,  as  it  is,  near  to  the  northern  frontier, 
and  having,  in  common  with  other  counties  at  that  time,  a  regular  militia 
organization,  it  is  quite  certain  that  the  people  of  the  county  responded 
to  the  call  to  arms  with  the  same  patriotic  readiness  shown  in  other  local- 
ities. The  records  in  Albany  show  that  the  brigade  in  existence  here  in 
1807  contained  the  following  officers,  many  of  whose  names  have  already 
become  familiar  to  the  reader  and  whose  descendants  are  still  living  in 
thissection.  Brigadier-General  Nathaniel  King  of  Hamilton;  Lieuten- 
ant-Colonels Zebulon  Douglass  of  Sullivan,  and  Nathaniel  Collins;  Ma- 
jors Amos  Maynard  and  Erastus  Cleveland,  of  Madison ;  Captains  Daniel 
Petrie  of  vSmithfield,  William  Hallock  of  Sullivan,  Jacob  Balcom,  Na- 
than Crandall  and  Gaylord  Stevens;  Lieutenants  Daniel  Olin,  Roswell 
Hutchins,  Ambrose  Andrews,  Timothy  Brown,  Nicholas  Woolaver,  Ben- 
jamin Wilber,  Seth  Miner,  Charles  Huntington,  William  Bradley,  Jabez 
Lyon,  Daniel  Jones,  Stephen  Lee,  Samuel  Rawson,  Asa  Randall,  Oliver 
Clark  and  Sylvester  Clark;  Ensigns  Pardon  Barnard,  Martin  Lamb, 
William  Abercrombie,  Gilbert  Reed,  Albert  Beecher,  Jonathan  Nye, 
John  Chambers,  Elihu  Foote,  Stephen  Clark,  jr.,  and  Thomas  Wylie; 
Adjutant  Moses  H.  Cook;  Surgeon  Dr.  Asahel  Prior. 

The  election  of  1809,  after  the  establishment  of  the  embargo,  de- 
monstrated that  in  Madison  county  there  was  a  very  strong  Federal 
element  and  that  opposition  to  war  measures  was  active  and  command- 
ing The  county  was  then  one  of  the  important  grain-producing  dis- 
tricts, which  industry  promptly  felt  the  effects  of  the  blow  upon  do- 
mestic commerce.  The  Federal  party  succeeded  in  the  State  in  that 
election,  as  well  as  in  this  county,  where  Daniel  Van  Home,  John  W. 
Bulkley  and  AmosB.  Fuller,  all  Federalists,  were  sent  to  the  Assembly. 
Only  brief  records  of  comparatively  few  of  those  who  went  to  the 
field  in  this  war  are  now  available.     Gen.  Nathaniel  King,  before  named, 


GENERAL  PROGRESS  IN  THE  COUNTY.  167 

served  in  that  high  rank  at  Sackett's  Harbor  and  was  distinguished  in 
his  military  career.  Joseph  Bruce  of  Lenox,  the  ancestor  of  the  dis- 
tinguished family  of  that  name,  was  a  lieutenant  of  a  light  artillery 
company  when  war  was  declared.  His  next  superior  officer  was  Cap- 
tain Jennings,  who  was  ill,  and  as  a  consequence  Lieutenant  Bruce  as- 
sumed command  of  the  company,  which  he  held  throughout  its  term 
of  service.     He  was  successively  promoted  to  captain  and  to  major. 

Gen.  Ichabod  S.  Spencer,  the  earl'cst  settled  lawyer  in  Lenox,  where 
he  located  in  1802,  and  his  eminent  brother,  Joshua  A.,  both  served  on 
the  frontier  in  this  war,  and  the  former  rose  to  the  rank  of  brigadier- 
general.  The  artillery  company  before  mentioned  was  raised  in  the 
town  of  Lenox,  which  was  at  that  time  quite  a  center  of  military  ac- 
tivity. The  other  principal  officers  of  the  company  were  Second 
Lieut.  Argelus  Cady,  Cornet  David  Beecher  and  Orderly  Sergeant 
J.  Austin  Spencer.  The  75th  Regiment  had  its  headquarters  at  Qual- 
ity Hill;  of  this  organization  Zebulon  Douglass  was  the  first  colonel  and 
was  followed  by  Thomas  W.  Phelps,  and  he  by  Stephen  Lee.  In  this 
immediate  neighborhood  the  embargo  had  a  remarkable  effect  in  one 
direction.  The  embargo  excluded  the  Nova  Scotia  gypsum  plaster 
from  the  markets  of  the  country,  making  an  opportunity  for  the  devel- 
opment of  the  immense  beds  in  Madison  and  Onondaga  counties. 
Thousands  of  tons  were  quarried  in  this  locality,  most  extensively  in 
the  vicinity  of  Canaseraga. 

Horace  Hunger,  of  the  town  of  Fenner,  son  of  Jonathan,  who  was  a 
soldier  of  the  Revolutionary  army,  inherited  his  father's  patriotism  and 
fought  in  the  war  of  1812.  In  the  same  town  Col.  Arnold  Ballou  was 
one  of  the  pioneers  and  prominent  citizens.  He  held  the  rank  of  col- 
onel in  the  militia  and  participated  in  the  war.  Jeremiah  Blair,  of  the 
town  of  Nelson,  son  of  Enoch,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  that  locality,  en- 
listed in  the  army  and  served  at  Sackett's  Harbor.  Curtis  Hoppin,  a 
prominent  citizen  of  the  town  of  Lebanon,  was  an  officer  in  the  militia 
early  in  the  century  and  was  ordered  to  Sackett's  Harbor  in  1814. 
Joseph  Clark,  one  of  the  nine  children  brought  by  their  parents,  Capt. 
Samuel  Clark  and  his  wife  Chloe,  in  1801,  to  Clarkville  in  the  town  of 
Brookfield,  served  on  the  northern  frontier  as  ensign  and  later  rose  to 
the  rank  of  colonel.  He  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  citizens  of  that 
town,  held  the  office  of  postmaster  about  thirty-five  years,  and  many 
other  positions  of  honor  and  trust. 

Amos  Maynard  was  a  pioneer  and  the  first  militia  captain  in  the  town 


168  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

of  Madison,  served  in  the  army  in  the  war  of  1813,  and  rose  to  the  rank 
of  colonel.  Erastus  Cleveland,  for  many  years  the  leading  citizen  of 
Madison  and  one  of  the  foremost  men  of  the  county,  commanded  a  regi- 
ment at  Sackett's  Harbor  and  later  was  commissioned  brigadier-gen- 
eral of  militia. 

Charles  Stebbins,  of  Cazenovia,  a  graduate  of  Williams  College,  and 
later  an  attorney  of  prominence,  served  in  the  war  on  the  staff  of  Gen- 
eral Hurd.  Doubtless  there  were  many  others  who  lived  for  longer  or 
shorter  periods  in  this  county,  whose  services  were  freely  given  to  the 
country  in  its  last  struggle  with  Great  Britain,  of  whose  part  in  the  war 
it  is  now  difficult  to  learn.  Within  a  few  years  after  the  close  of  the 
war,  in  the  organization  of  the  State  militia  a  brigade  was  formed  which 
included  the  counties  of  Madison  and  Chenango;  this  organization  con- 
tinued many  years,  during  which  Gen.  Ichabod  S.  Spencer,  before  men- 
tioned, was  in  its  command.  It  was  the  35th  in  number  and  comprised 
two  regiments. 

During  the  progress  of  the  war  immigration  into  this  county  was  al- 
most wholly  checked,  and  public  civil  affairs  were  to  a  great  extent 
neglected.  Considerable  legislation  was  enacted  relating  to  projects 
bearing  more  or  less  local  interest,  particularly  with  the  object  of  pro- 
moting and  improving  facilities  for  transportation  and  communication 
within  and  through  the  State;  some  of  this  has  been  noticed.  Previ- 
ous to  the  spring  of  1813  there  had  been  180  turnpike  companies  incor 
porated  in  this  State,  a  number  of  which  were  for  the  purpose  of 
constructing  roads  that  were  important  to  Madison  county,  and  have 
been  noticed  in  an  earlier  chapter;  but  these  were  subordinate  in  im- 
portance to  the  early  efforts  to  improve  navigation  across  the  State  by 
various  waterways,  natural  and  artificial.  The  first  of  these  was  the 
Western  Inland  Lock  Navigation  Company,  incorporated  March  30, 
1793,  at  the  instigation  of  Gov.  George  Clinton,  which  has  been  de- 
scribed in  Chapter  III. 

Many  important  highways  were  opened  early  in  the  century,  besides 
those  already  noticed.  The  Cherry  Valley  Turnpike  probably  exerted 
a  greater  influence  upon  the  prosperity  of  this  county  than  any  other 
road  ;  it  was  known  also  as  the  Third  Great  Western  Turnpike,  and  was 
completed  in  1806.  Many  Madison  county  men,  and  particularly  citi- 
zens of  Cazenovia  were  prominent  in  promoting  this  enterprise.  This, 
and  the  other  great  turnpike  which  followed  the  old  Indian  trail  enter- 
ing the  county  from  the  east  at  Oneida  Castle  and  passing  through 


GENERAL  PROGRESS  IN  THB  COUNTY.  169 

Lenox,  by  way  of  Wampsville  and  Quality  Hill,  through  vSullivan  by 
Canaseraga  and  Chittenango,  and  leaving  this  county  at  Deep  Spring, 
were  supremely  important  thoroughfares  in  early  years,  the  latter  be- 
ing improved  under  the  incorporation  of  the  Seneca  Road  Company 
after  1801.  The  Skaneateles  Turnpike  was  finished  about  the  begin- 
ning of  the  century,  across  the  southern  part  of  the  county.  In  this 
connection  a  word  should  be  written  regarding  the  old  and  nearly  for- 
gotten State  Road,  which  came  into  the  county  in  the  southwestern 
part,  entered  the  town  of  Eaton  near  the  Leland  Ponds,  passed  on  over 
the  hills  in  a  northwesterly  direction  to  the  village  of  Morrisville;  there 
passing  between  the  mill  pond  and  the  Cherry  Valley  Turnpike,  it 
passed  over  the  west  hill  and  on  through  the  towns  of  Nelson  and  Caz- 
enovia.  At  some  points  this  road's  course  was  identical  with  that  of  the 
turnpike,  while  at  others  it  was  departed  from  for  miles. 

The  Peterboro  Turnpike,  so  called,  extending  from  Vernon  through 
Peterboro  to  Cazenovia,  was  constructed  about  180-i  by  a  company  in- 
corporated in  that  year.  The  so-called  Peterboro  road  was  laid  out  in 
1813  and  constructed  by  county  aid;  the  road  extends  from  Hamilton 
to  Canastota  almost  directly  through  the  center  of  the  county,  and  was 
subsequently  laid  with  plank  as  one  of  the  many  plank  roads,  and  still 
later  covered  with  stone.  Other  highways  of  less  importance  to  the  in- 
habitants were  laid  out  as  necessity  demanded.  In  the  legislation  con- 
cerning roads  is  found  an  act  of  April  8,  1808,  under  which  Robert 
Avery,  David  Tuttle,  and  David  Barnard  were  appointed  commission- 
ers to  lay  out  a  road  four  rods  wide  "  beginning  near  More's  mills,  in 
the  town  of  Eaton,  in  the  county  of  Madison,  thence  running  north- 
wardly to  intersect  the  Seneca  turnpike  road  in  the  town  of  Sullivan,  in 
said  county,  at  or  near  the  place  where  the  courts  are  now  holden." 

Again  on  April  11,  1811,  the  Madison  County  Turnpike  Company 
was  incorporated  by  eighteen  men,  among  whom  were  Peter  S.  and 
Gerrit  Smith  of  Smithfield,  for  "the  purpose  of  making  a  good  and 
sufficient  turnpike  road  to  commence  on  the  Third  Great  Western  Turn- 
pike in  the  town  of  Eaton,  in  the  valley  east  of  the  great  hill,  known 
as  Gates'  hill,  and  running  from  thence  by  the  most  direct  and  con- 
venient route  in  a  northwesterly  direction,  passing  by  the  inn  of  Elijah 
Pratt,  in  Peterboro,  and  to  intersect  the  Seneca  turnpike  at  such  point 
as  may  be  found  eligible,  between  the  foot  of  the  great  Chittenango 
hill  and  the  inn  of  Benjamin  Drake  in  Sullivan."  The  stock  of  this 
company  was  divided  into  800  shares  of  $20  each.     Two  toll  gates  were 


170  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

permitted,  neither  of  which  could  be  situated  within  three  miles  of 
Peterboro. 

In  this  same  year  (1811)  under  date  of  April  9,  a  law  was  passed 
under  the  provisions  of  which  Madison  county  was  paid  $1,600  out  of 
$2,300  raised  by  the  sale  of  State  lands  for  the  repair  of  bridges.  The 
money  was  paid  to  Sylvanus  Smalley  and  Zebulon  Douglass.  These 
same  men  were  directed  by  act  of  April  13,  1813,  to  build  a  bridge 
across  Oneida  Creek  in  the  town  of  Lenox  and  were  authorized  "to 
take  the  timber  necessary  for  building  the  said  bridge  from  any  of  the 
land  belonging  to  the  people  of  the  State." 

Two  other  turnpike  companies  were  incorporated  before  1820  in 
which  the  people  of  this  county  were  interested.  An  act  dated  April 
17,  1816,  incorporated  the  Madison  County  South  Branch  Turnpike 
Company,  naming  as  among  the  incorporators  John  Matteson,  Windsor 
Coman,  David  Gaston,  Thomas  Morris,  and  Aroswell  Lamb,  with  au- 
thority to  construct  a  road  "  to  begin  where  the  Sherburne  and  Leb- 
anon salt  spring  turnpike  ends  or  intersects  the  Hamilton  and  Skane- 
ateles  turnpike;  thence  running  on  the  most  eligible  and  direct  route 
to  Morris  flats,  near  the  house  of  Thomas  Morris,  in  the  town  of  Eaton, 
and  thence  on  until  it  intersects  the  Madison  county  turnpike  road,  in 
the  village  of  Peterboro."  The  stock  of  this  company  was  constituted 
of  1,300  shares  of  $20  each,  and  they  had  five  years  in  which  to  com- 
plete the  road. 

The  other  company  mentioned  was  the  Cazenovia  and  Chittenango 
Turnpike  Company,  which  was  incorporated  April  10,  1818,  by  William 
K.  Fuller,  Samuel  Sizer,  jr.,  Elisha  Carey  and  others,  to  construct  a 
road  beginning  at  Cazenovia  and  running  thence  on  the  west  side  of 
Chittenango  creek  to  the  Seneca  turnpike  in  Sullivan;  the  capital  stock 
was  only  $1,600. 

The  building  and  maintenance  of  roads  in  early  }'ears  was  the  princi- 
pal public  business  in  every  community,  and  the  duties  of  the  large 
boards  of  highway  commissioners  were  onerous.  On  the  care  and  con- 
dition of  the  highways  depended  the  possibility  of  all  business  and 
social  intercourse  between  points  separated  by  a  few  miles  or  more. 
When  from  any  cause  they  were  impassable,  settlers  in  their  homes 
and  the  small  communities  that  gathered  about  the  mill,  the  store  and 
the  shop,  were  absolutely  is  >lated ;  but  when  in  favorable  seasons  of 
the  year  the  principal  highways  were  dry,  smooth  and  hard,  the  farmer 
drove  his  team  to  market  with   a  cheery  heart;  the  inland  merchant  or 


GENERAL  PROGRESS  IN  THE  COUNTY.  171 

shopkeeper  transported  his  goods  and  produce  to  and  from  his  place  of 
business  with  comparative  ease  and  expedition,  and  over  the  long  turn- 
pike reaches  the  old  stage  bowled  along,  the  bordering  forests  echoing 
to  the  crack  of  the  driver's  whip  or  the  loud  sallies  of  the  outside  pas- 
sengers. 

Among  other  public  improvements  of  early  days  was  the  attempt  to 
drain  and  reclaim  portions  of  the  large  swampy  tract  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  county  in  the  towns  of  Sullivan  and  Lenox.  That  low 
region  was  not  only  a  waste  as  far  as  agriculture  was  concerned,  but 
was  also  a  cause  of  serious  sickness  in  the  vicinity.  On  the  18th  of 
March,  1814,  an  act  was  passed  by  the  Legislature  providing  that  the 
actual  settlers  in  the  town  of  Sullivan,  on  account  of  loss  of  "  crops  for 
several  years  past,  and  of  the  sickness  which  has  been  prevalent 
amongst  them,  occasioned  by  the  stagnant  waters  in  the  vicinity  and 
the  lowness  of  the  country  they  inhabit,"  should  have  their  payments  of 
interest  remitted.  On  the  12th  of  April.  1816,  an  act  was  pas.sed  "  for 
draining  the  great  swamp  and  marsh,  on  the  Canaseraga  creek,  in  the 
towns  of  Sullivan  and  Lenox."  The  act  made  it  lawful  for  the  proprie- 
tors of  lands  overflowed  to  drain  them  by  cutting  "  ditches  or  canals 
from  said  creek  or  marsh,  by  the  most  direct  or  convenient  route  or 
course,  into  Oneida  Lake. "  Three  commissioners  were  to  be  appointed 
by  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  to  direct  the  work,  which  was  to  be 
paid  for  by  assessment  upon  the  lands  improved.  Under  this  author- 
ity a  ditch  was  cut  through  the  ridge  between  the  great  morass  and 
the  lake  and  made  to  form  the  channel  of  the  Cowasselon  and  Can- 
aseraga Creeks  which  join  in  the  central  part  of  the  swamp,  the  latter 
stream  having  thus  been  diverted  from  its  natural  channel.  By  this 
improvement  large  tracts  were  reclaimed  and  the  condition  for  tillage 
improved  at  many  different  points  in  that  section. 

Meanwhile  an  attempt  was  made  in  1813,  which  is  surprising  in  the 
light  of  the  present  day,  except  as  it  indicates  the  relative  importance 
of  the  town  of  Lenox,  particularly  in  the  vicinity  of  Quality  Hill  and 
Federal  Hill  in  the  first  quarter  of  the  century,  as  already  alluded  to  in 
preceding  pages.  On  the  6th  of  April,  1813,  an  act  was  passed  by  the 
Legislature  incorporating  the  Lenox  Water  Company,  by  which  Moses 
Cook  and  others  were  given  the  necessary  authority  for  "supplying  that 
part  of  the  town  of  Lenox  in  the  county  of  Madison,  situated  on  the 
Seneca  turnpike  road,  called  Federal  Hill,  with  pure  and  wholesome 
water,  for  the  use  of  such  of  the  inhabitants  thereof,  and  others"  who 


172  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

might  desire  it.  The  incorporators  were  authorized  to  hold  $500  worth 
of  real  estate. 

The  time  had  now  arrived  when  popular  protest  against  the  perma- 
nent location  of  the  county  seat  in  Cazenovia  was  sufficiently  powerful 
to  cause  its  removal.  While  the  change  was  not  made  until  the  latter 
part  of  1817,  the  subject  had  been  agitated  and  proceedings  prepara- 
tory to  the  removal  were  in  progress  long  before  that  time,  as  indicated 
by  the  offer  for  sale  of  the  old  court  house  as  early  as  1815,  to  which 
reference  was  made  a  few  pages  back.  The  new  court  house  was  in 
process  of  erection  in  1810,  the  supervisors  of  that  year  adopting  a  res- 
olution that  the  sum  of  $2,000  "be  raised  for  building  a  court  house  at 
Morris's  Flats."  In  the  same  year  Elisha  Carrington  was  allowed  $85 
for  services  on  the  court  house.  Joseph  Morris,  Capt.  Eliphalet  Jack- 
son and  Elisha  Carrington  were  appointed  to  superintend  the  erection 
of  the  building;  but  at  a  later  date  and  before  it  was  finished,  the  names 
of  the  building  commissioners  found  in  the  proceedings  of  the  supervis- 
ors are  Nehemiah  Huntington,  R.  Barker  and  Isaac  Lewis.  The  first 
court  was  held  in  the  new  building  on  the  7th  of  October,  1817.  This 
court  house  was  in  use  until  1847. 

Although  it  takes  us  a  little  out  of  chronological  order,  it  is  proper  to 
here  notice  the  removal  of  the  county  clerk's  office  also.  In  the  Board 
of  Supervisors  in  1818  a  resolution  was  adopted  that  the  Legislature  be 
petitioned  for  authority  to  "remove  the  clerk's  office  to  Morris  Flat;" 
that  a  room  be  fitted  up  for  its  reception  in  the  court  house,  or,  to  build 
a  fire  proof  clerk's  office.  This  project  was  much  delayed  and  no  record 
is  found  of  the  petition  being  drawn  until  1820,  while  the  resolution  of 
the  supervisons  directing  the  erection  of  a  building  was  not  adopted 
until  February  10,  1824.  The  building  was  erected  in  that  year,  by 
Andrew  P.  Lord,  at  a  cost  of  $674.  The  question  of  a  site  for  the 
clerk's  office  caused  considerable  discussion  and  was  settled  in  the 
Board  of  Supervisors  on  the  19th  of  February  by  ballot. 

The  first  jail  was  a  wooden  structure  which  stood  contiguous  to  the 
court  house  and  was  erected  in  1817,  at  a  cost  of  $4,523.51.  David  Gas- 
ton and  Thomas  Greenly  were  the  commissioners.  Although  it  was  a 
homely  and  inadequate  structure  for  the  purpose,  it  sufficed  for  the 
needs  of  the  county,  with  such  improvements  as  could  be  made,  until 
1872,  when  the  present  handsome  brick  jail  and  residence  were  built, 
as  described  further  on. 

Meanwhile  another  road  of  considerable  importance  was  ordered  con- 


CANAL  AND  EARLY  RAILROAD  ERA.  178 

structed  across  the  Oneida  Indian  Reservation  "from  Oneida  Creek  to 
Chittenango  Creek,"  the  act  being  passed  April  14,  1817.  John  Joslin 
was  appointed  to  do  the  work  at  $1.50  per  day.  On  the  same  date  an 
act  made  it  the  duty  "  of  the  supervisors  at  the  next  annual  meeting  to 
levy  and  raise  by  tax  on  the  freeholders  and  inhabitants  of  the  town  of 
Cazenovia,  $1,500  to  be  paid  to  the  Commissioners  of  Highways  for 
building  a  bridge  across  the  mill  pond  in  Cazenovia  village." 


CHAPTER  XI. 
THE    CANAL   AND    EARLY   RAILROAD    ERA. 

During  and  soon  after  the  period  to  which  the  preceding  chapter  is 
devoted  a  project  of  magnificent  possibilities  was  undertaken  and  car- 
ried to  successful  completion,  which  for  a  time  revolutionized  travel  and 
transportation  across  this  State,  widened  the  markets  for  every  product 
of  Madison  and  other  counties,  increased  the  tide  of  western  travel 
beyond  the  most  sanguine  expectations  of  those  days,  and  became  a 
pre-eminent  and  ruling  factor  of  the  political  field.  This  great  under- 
taking was  the  inception  and  construction  of  the  Erie  Canal. 

It  is  uncertain  who  first  originated  the  idea  of  a  canal  across  the  State 
of  New  York,'  nor  is  it  a  question  that  needs  consideration  here.  It 
is  well  known  that  such  master  minds  as  De  Witt  Clinton,  Myron  Hol- 
le)',  Benjamin  Wright,  Joshua  Forman,  James  Geddes,  Stephen  Van 
Rensselaer,  Joseph  EUicott,  and  others  who  might  be  named,  were  in 
the  front  ranks  of  those  who  believed  in  the  practicability  and  success 
of  the  great  waterway,  in  the  face  of  thousands  of  other  men,  great 
and  small,  who  condemned,  ridiculed,  and  in  every  way  opposed  it  from 
first  to  last. 

The  general  history  of  the  Erie  Canal  is  quite  well  known.  A  reso- 
lution passed  the  State  Legislature,  under  direction  of  Joshua  Forman 
of  Onondaga,  in  February,  1808,  ordering  a  survey  and  appropriating 
$000   for  the  purpose  and  appointing  Simeon  De  Witt  to  superintend 

'  Judge  Jonas  Pratt,  of  Oneida  county,  who  was  a  State  senator  from  1810  to  1814,  said  :  "As 
to  the  merit  of  the  first  design  of  a  canal  from  Lake  Erie  to  the  Hudson,  it  belongs  in  my  opinion 
exclusively  to  no  person.  It  was  gradually  developed  to  the  minds  of  many  who  were  early 
acquainted  with  the  geography  and  topography  of  the  western  part  of  the  State." 


174  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  work.  The  survey  was  made  by  James  Geddes  and  Benjamin 
Wright,  who  reported  favorably  upon  the  project.  This  was  the  first 
legislative  action  on  the  subject.  In  1810  commissioners  were  appoint- 
ed by  the  Legislature  to  further  explore  the  entire  route  for  the  pro- 
posed canal,  and  on  June  19,  1812,  the  canal  commissioners  were  au- 
thorized to  borrow  $5,000,000  and  proceed  with  the  work.  The  events 
of  the  war  of  1812-15  suspended  the  undertaking;  but  on  the  return  of 
peace  the  matter  was  revived  with  greater  ardor  than  ever,  and  intense 
opposition  was  manifested  in  all  parts  of  the  State,  particularly  in  the 
rural  districts  and  far  from  the  line  of  the  waterway.  Governor  Clin- 
ton, Joshua  Forman,  Mr.  Geddes,  Jonas  Piatt  and  others  were  most 
active  in  promoting  the  project,  and  it  became  known  among  the  op- 
position as  Clinton's  big  ditch.  In  1816  a  Board  of  Canal  Commission- 
ers was  created  by  act  of  Legislature  and  in  the  following  spring  the 
law  was  passed  ordering  the  prosecution  of  the  work.  The  act  passed 
the  Assembly  on  April  15,  the  last  day  of  the  session,  and  the  contract 
for  the  middle  section,  from  Utica  to  Seneca  River,  was  let  in  June  to 
John  Richardson  of  Ca3'uga  county,  and  the  first  work  on  the  great 
waterway  was  begun  at  Rome  on  the  4th  of  July.  The  work  went 
forward  rapidly  and  in  Governor  Clinton's  message  of  1820  he  reported 
ninety-four  miles  completed  on  the  middle  section,  with  a  lateral  branch 
at  Salina.  On  October  26,  1825,  the  whole  work  was  finished.  The 
first  packet  boat  was  called  the  Oneida  Chief;  it  left  Montezuma  on  the 
21st  of  July,  1820,  and  past  eastward  to  Utica.  Her  captain  was  George 
Perry  of  the  town  of  Sullivan.  Crowds  had  gathered  at  the  various 
villages  along  the  route,  in  which  was  mingled  the  usual  contingent  of 
doubters,  ready,  if  not  anxious,  to  witness  the  failure  of  the  enterprise. 
But  when  the  boat  came  floating  along  smoothly  and  rapidly  all  ad- 
verse opinion  disappeared  like  a  wraith  and  expressions  of  ridicule  were 
changed  to  shouts  of  exultation.  This  boat  made  three  trips  a  week, 
each  occupying  two  days,  and  the  fare,  including  board,  was  $4.  On 
the  1st  of  June  of  that  year  we  are  informed  in  an  advertisement  that 
"  boats  for  the  accommodation  of  passengers  100  miles  on  the  canal  are 
now  in  operation  by  the  Erie  Canal  Navigation  Company.  They  sail 
every  Monday  and  Thursday  morning  from  Utica  at  9  o'clock  and  ar- 
rive at  Canastota  at  7  p.  m.  ;  proceed  next  day  at  2  p.  m.  and  arrive  at 
Montezuma  at  7  p.  m.  Price  of  passage,  including  provisions,  $4."  This 
company's  headquarters  were  in  Utica.  To  the  first  packet  boats  the 
second   of  which   was   the  Montezuma,  were  soon  added  freight  craft 


CANAL  AND  EARLY  RAILROAD  ERA.  IT5 

and  many  companies  and  individuals  were  engaged  in  the   business. 
An  Albany  paper  of  the  spring  of  1823  contained  the  following: 

The  whole  course  of  the  great  work  from  Utica  to  Rochester  exhibits  the  bustle  and 
stir  of  business.  The  amount  and  variety  of  productions  which  are  constantly  pass- 
ing and  repassing  upon  it  fill  the  mind  with  astonishment.  It  is  the  flux  and  reflux 
of  the  great  tide  of  Western  wealth  and  Western  enterprise. 

The  water  was  let  into  the  completed  canal  at  Black  Rock,  near  Buf- 
falo, on  the  26th  of  October,  1825,  and  the  event  was  enthusiastically 
celebrated  along  the  whole  line.  A  flotilla  of  boats,  having  on  board 
the  governor  and  his  staff  and  many  other  prominent  men,  started  east- 
ward, its  progress  being  signaled  at  regular  intervals  by  the  firing  of  a 
cannon.  Stops  were  made  at  all  important  points  where  celebrations 
of  some  kind  were  held.  The  completion  of  the  waterway  was  a  source 
of  congratulation  throughout  the  State;  medals  were  struck  commem- 
orating the  event,  canal  scenes  were  imprinted  on  crockery  ware,  hand- 
kerchiefs, etc.,  and  an  era  of  hopefulness  superseded  the  general  hard 
times  brought  on  by  the  war. 

As  an  evidence  of  the  rapidity  with  which  the  canal  was  brought 
into  use,  and  of  the  great  change  in  transportation  wrought  by  it,  par- 
ticularly as  regards  freight,  it  may  be  stated  that  the  number  of  canal 
boats  which  arrived  in  Albany  during  the  season  of  1823  was  1,329;  in 
1824  it  was  2,687;  in  1825  it  was  3,336;  and  in  1826  it  was  about  7,000. 
The  rate  for  transportation  on  the  turnpike  in  1826  was  one  and  one- 
half  cents  per  mile;  on  the  canal  it  was  five  mills.  It  should  not,  how- 
ever, be  inferred  thatall  passengers  deserted  the  stages  for  the  packets. 
Canal  pas-sage  was  still  tedious  beside  land  travel,  and  was  chosen 
mainly  by  those  who  wished  to  lessen  the  fatigue  of  a  journey;  it  was 
avoided  where  saving  of  time  was  important.  Merchants,  bankers,  and 
tradesmen  bound  to  or  from  the  metropolis,  lawyers  going  to  court,  and 
all  who  must  needs  travel  in  haste,  still  made  use  of  the  stages.  The 
old  coaches  held  a  large  measure  of  their  early  popularity,  even  after 
the  advent  of  the  oncoming  railroads,  when  the  rivalry  between  the 
three  modes  of  conveyance  was  intense  during  several  years.  The 
Seneca  Turnpike  Company,  which  had  feared  a  large  reduction  in  their 
passenger  traffic  through  canal  competition,  was,  on  the  contrary,  able 
to  declare  a  surplus  dividend  in  April,  1823.  In  explanation  of  this 
act  the  company  made  the  following  public  statement: 

The  experiment  of  operating  their  road  parallel  with  the  canal  has  proved  the 
canal  to  be  very  beneficial  to  the  interest  of  the  road  company.     The  heavy  teams 


176  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

with  six  or  eight  horses  are  now  mostly  removed  from  the  road  in  consequence  of 
the  reduced  price  of  transportation,  and  the  light  travel  increased  by  the  natural  in- 
crease of  business  produced  by  the  facility  of  intercourse  with  New  York. 

Other  changes  wrought  by  the  canal  were  no  less  important  in  Mad- 
ison county  than  elsewhere  along  the  line.  The  growth  of  villages  al- 
ready founded  and  which  were  touched  by  the  waterway,  received  a 
remarkable  impetus,  while  at  other  convenient  points  new  hamlets 
sprang  into  existence  and  drew  aroimd  their  shipping  warehouses  the 
population  and  trade  previously  bestowed  upon  other  hitherto  busy 
places  off  the  canal  line.  With  a  very  large  portion  of  the  territory  of 
Madison  county  situated  south  of  the  line,  the  effect  in  this  respect  was 
not  so  marked  as  in  some  other  localities;  but  the  present  important 
villages  of  Oneida,  Canastota  and  Chittenango  received  much  of  their 
initial  impetus  from  the  business  of  the  canal,  soon  thereafter  to  be 
further  developed  by  the  railroads,  while  other  settlements  suffered  in 
proportion. 

The  marked  success  of  the  Erie  Canal  led  to  the  projection  of  numer- 
ous similar  undertakings,  most  of  which  never  went  further  than  the 
preliminary  legislaiion.  The  proposed  routes  of  some  of  these  will 
cause  the  reader  of  to  day  to  smile.  One  was  from  Skaneateles  Lake  to 
the  Erie  Canal;  another  from  Syracuse  to  Auburn;  another  from 
Camillus  to  Onondaga  Lake;  another  from  Onondaga  Valley  to  the 
Chenango  River;  another  from  Salina  to  the  Susquehanna  River;  an- 
other from  Syracuse  to  Oswego,  which  was  constructed,  and  finally  the 
Chenango  Canal,  which  for  many  years  exerted  a  powerful  influence 
upon  the  territory  through  which  it  passed,  including  that  of  Madison 
county.  This  undertaking  received  earnest  attention  soon  after  work 
was  begun  on  the  Erie  Canal.  Judge  Elisha  Smith  was  among  its  earli- 
est prominent  advocates,  and  others  were  Governor  Bouck,  Henry  Sey- 
mour, Rufus  Bacon,  James  B.  Eldridge,  John  G.  Stower,  Sands  Hig- 
ginbotham,  Moses  Maynard,  Lot  Clark,  Julius  Pond  and  Thomas 
Wylie,  all  men  of  prominence  in  central  New  York.  Ten  years  before 
the  construction  of  the  canal  was  authorized  the  Oxford  Gazette  con- 
tained the  following: 

"Few  counties  can  approach  the  Erie  canal  with  so  much  ease  and 
facility  as  Chenango,  that  are  situated  so  far  from  it.  We  may,  there- 
fore, justly  consider  Chenango  as  destined,  at  some  future  period,  to 
become  an  important  branch  of  that  vast  inland  navigation  which  .se- 
cures to  New  York  a  proud  pre-eminence  among  the  States  of  the  Un- 


CANAL  AND  EARLY  RAILROAD  ERA.  177 

ion.  The  Chenango  river  can  be  made  boatable  to  its  source  and  by  a 
short  caaal,  the  expense  of  which  would  be  comparatively  trifling,  may 
be  united  with  the  waters  of  the  Oneida  Creek,  which  leads  directly 
into  the  Erie  canal.  This  has  been  pronounced  by  competent  judges 
practicable  and  safe;  and  at  no  distant  day  will  engage  the  attention  of 
our  enterprising  citizens." 

The  reader  will  see  in  this  early  extract  a  reflection  of  the  public 
feeling  in  this  State  on  the  subject  of  internal  navigation;  the  people 
were  canal  crazy.  The  project  of  the  Chenango  Canal  as  it  was  finally 
constructed  began  to  assume  definite  shape  about  1834,  when  Assem- 
blyman John  F.  Hubbard  presented  a  legislative  memorial  setting 
forth  the  plans  and  public  sentiment.  A  committee,  to  whom  the  mat- 
ter was  referred,  reported  favorably,  but  no  action  was  then  taken.  In 
the  following  year  a  survey  was  made  under  legislative  sanction  and  in 
1826  a  bill  was  introduced  for  the  beginning  of  construction;  but  the 
legislature  rejected  it,  fearing  that  a  sufficiently  careful  survey  had  not 
been  made.  In  that  year  the  inhabitants  of  the  Chenango  valley  em- 
ployed a  surveyor  to  lay  out  a  route  through  the  valley  and  connecting 
with  the  Erie  Canal,  and  furnish  an  estimate  of  the  cost  of  construc- 
tion; he  died  before  the  completion  of  his  task.  In  1827  a  bill  author- 
izing the  work  passed  the  Assembly  and  was  rejected  in  the  Senate. 
During  the  summer  of  that  year  the  citizens  procured  another  survey 
at  large  expense.  The  surveyor  estimated  the  cost  of  the  canal  at 
something  less  than  a  million  dollars;  other  experts  concurred  in  this 
conclusion.  In  1838  a  second  bill  was  introduced  in  the  Legislature, 
only  to  meet  the  same  fate  as  its  predecessor.  In  1839  the  Legislature 
directed  the  Canal  Commissioners  to  make  a  survey  and  begin  work  on 
the  canal  if  they  were  assured  of  a  sufficient  supply  of  water;  that  the 
cost  would  not  exceed  one  million  ;  that  when  completed  it  would  bring 
revenue  to  the  State  in  connection  with  the  increased  tolls  on  the  Erie, 
for  the  first  ten  years  after  its  construction,  in  tolls  amounting  to  as 
much  as  the  interest  on  its  cost,  together  with  the  cost  of  repairs  and 
the  expense  of  attendance.  If  the  commissioners  found  the  reverse  on 
either  of  these  points,  they  were  to  report  their  surveys  and  estimates 
to  the  next  Legislature.  The  report  was  made  on  January  31,  1830, 
and  was  adverse;  its  conclusions  were,  in  brief,  that  while  an  adequate 
supply  of  water  might  be  procured  from  reservoirs  for  the  summit  level, 
without  taking  any  of  the  water  of  Oriskany  and  Sauquoit  Creeks,  the 
cost  would  exceed  a  million  dollars  and  that  the  tolls  would  not  "equal 

12 


178  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  interest  of  its  cost  and  the  expense  of  its  repairs  and  superintend- 
ence, or  of  either  of  them." 

During  the  four  succeeding  years  Assemblyman  John  H.  Hubbard 
kept  the  subject  constantly  before  the  Legislature,  earnestly  advocat- 
ing the  immediate  prosecution  of  the  work.  In  1831,  while  he  was  a 
member  of  the  committee  on  canals,  he  prepared  an  extended  report  in 
opposition  to  that  of  the  commissioners  made  in  1830.  Finally,  on  the 
33d  day  of  February,  1833,  the  Legislature  took  the  necessary  action 
for  the  beginning  of  the  work,  the  route  to  extend  from  Utica  to  Bing- 
hamton,  a  distance  of  ninety-seven  miles.  Work  was  commenced  in 
July,  1834,  and  the  canal  was  finished  in  October,  1836,  at  a  cost  of 
$4:,54'2,107,  more  than  double  the  amount  of  the  engineer's  estimate. 

Both  the  beginning  and  the  completion  of  the  canal  were  made  to 
serve  as  events  for  popular  celebration  at  various  points  along  the  line 
and  in  Utica  and  Binghamton.  It  also,  like  the  Erie,  had  its  effect  in 
developing  the  business  interests  of  many  places  at  the  expense  of 
others;  in  Madison  county,  Hamilton  and  Earlville  felt  this  influence 
to  a  considerable  degree.  The  canal  was  for  a  number  of  years  of  vital 
importance  to  the  farmers  and  tradesmen  of  the  southern  part  of  the 
county;  but  its  existence  was  doomed  from  the  first.  Its  revenue  was 
not  sufficient  to  pay  the  current  expenses  and  for  years  it  was  a  finan- 
cial burden  upon  the  people  of  the  State  and  was  finally  in  1876  aban- 
doned, after  forty  years  of  existence.  Under  a  law  of  1877,  amended 
in  1878,  it  was  advertised  for  sale  April  8,  1879,  the  sale  to  take  place 
in  July;  but  it  was  postponed. 

On  the  6th  of  March,  1818,  an  act  of  Legislature  incorporated  the 
Chittenango  Canal  Company,  naming  John  B.  Yates,  William  K.  Ful- 
ler, Elisha  Carey,  John  Knowles,  and  Peter  Smith  as  incorporators, 
who  were  given  authority  to  "construct  a  canal  from  Chittenango  vil- 
lage to  the  Great  Western  [Erie]  canal."  The  capital  was  not  to  exceed 
$30,000.  This  company,  the  inspiring  mind  of  which  was  John  B. 
Yates,  constructed  the  lateral  canal,  which  was  of  considerable  impor- 
tance, but  which  long  since  lapsed  into  disuse. 

One  effect  of  the  opening  of  these  canals,  particularly  in  early  years, 
was  the  inauguration  of  a  marked  change  in  the  agricultural  industries 
of  the  county.  Prior  to  this  wheat  and  other  grains  had  been  grown 
in  large  quantities  and  found  a  market  at  satisfactory  prices;  but  the 
rapidly  increased  shipments  eastward  of  the  product  of  the  great  grain 
fields  farther  west,  caused  the  farmers  of  this  county  to  turn  their  at- 


CANAL  AND  EARLY  RAILROAD  ERA.  179 

teation  more  to  dairying  and  the  raising  of  crops  that  were  not  so  much 
aiTected  by  western  competition,  among  them  the  one  for  which  Madi- 
son has  become  noted  throughout  the  country.  Fruit-growing  also  be- 
gan to  assume  greater  importance  and  gradually  advanced  to  its  present 
condition. 

While  these  great  internal  movements  were  in  progress,  ideas  born 
in  England  were  transplanted  to  this  country,  where,  in  the  active  soil 
of  American  invention  and  enterprise,  they  throve  and  became  the 
prime  source  of  a  giant  industry  that  was  to  again  revolutionize  travel 
and  transportation  and  permanently  scotch  the  wheels  of  canal  develop- 
ment everywhere.  The  large  traffic  of  the  Erie  Canal  convinced  far- 
seeing  men  as  soon  as  that  waterway  was  completed,  that  more  rapid 
means  of  transportation  across  the  State  would  soon  be  required  and 
that  the  most  available  route  was  along  the  line  of  the  canal.  In  1826 
a  charter  was  granted,  the  first  in  the  United  States  for  a  company  to 
do  a  general  transportation  business,  to  the  Mohawk  and  Hudson  River 
Railroad  Company,  to  construct  a  railroad  from  Albany  to  Schenectady. 

Three  years  later,  on  the  17th  of  April,  1829,  the  Madison  County 
Railroad  Company  was  incorporated,  with  authority  to  "construct  a 
single  or  double  railroad  or  way,  from  the  village  of  Chittenango  to  the 
village  of  Cazenovia,  in  the  county  of  Madison,  with  the  privilege  of 
extending  the  same  southerly  to  any  water  communication  between  the 
Susquehanna  and  the  Erie  canal."  The  road  was  to  be  operated  for  a 
general  transportation  business  and  ten  years  were  allowed  for  its  con- 
struction. The  capital  stock  was  $70,000,  and  such  men  as  Perry  G. 
Childs,  Robert  Riddell,  Jonathan  D.  Ledyard,  John  Knowles,  and 
George  K.  Fuller  were  on  the  commission.  Of  course  this  road  was 
never  built,  but  the  incorporation  of  the  company  at  that  early  date 
shows  the  trend  of  popular  enterprise  in  the  direction  of  improved 
methods  of  transportation  and  that  Madison  county  was  not  behind 
other  localities  in  these  important  undertakings.  Ten  companies  were 
incorporated  in  1828,  with  termini  in  this  State. 

On  May  1,  1834,  the  Auburn  and  Syracuse  Railroad  Company  was 
incorporated  and  a  primitive  road  constructed  on  which  the  cars  were 
run  for  a  time  by  horses.  The  rails  were  of  wood.  In  1839  the  first 
steam  locomotive  was  put  in  use  and  soon  railroad  excitement  was 
awakened  thoughout  the  State.  The  element  of  time  was  becoming  a 
large  factor  in  every  man's  business  and  influential  on  his  profits  and 
losses.      Hence  many  busy  brains  were  speculating  upon  ways  and 


180  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

means  and  possible  results  of  introducing'  the  young  i-ailway  which 
might  at  least  divide  the  canal  traffic  as  well  as  the  stage  business  and 
prove  a  profitable  investment.  A  charter  for  a  railroad  from  Utica  to 
Schenectady,  where  it  would  connect  with  the  before-mentioned  line, 
was  granted  in  1833.  This  road  was  completed  in  August,  1836.  These 
pioneer  roads  paid  from  the  first  and  led  to  the  projection  of  many 
others.  In  1835-6  many  men  were  elected  to  the  Legislature  because 
it  was  known  that  they  would  favor  railroad  extension,  and  the  Legis- 
lature of  1836  was  besieged  with  petitions  for  charters.  Among  them 
was  one  for  a  road  from  Utica  to  Syracuse,  which  was  granted  on  May 
11 ;  the  capital  stock  was  $800,000.  The  company  was  directed  to  pay 
the  Seneca  Turnpike  Company  for  an}'  damages  sustained  by  the  turn- 
pike in  constructing  the  railroad  and  to  pay  a  certain  toll  to  the  Canal 
Commissioners  on  all  freight  carried  by  the  railroad,  excepting  passen- 
gers' baggage,  during  the  canal  season.  The  original  charter  of  the 
Utica  and  Schenectady  company  prohibited  it  from  carrying  any  freight 
whatever,  a  restriction  which  was- not  removed  until  1841.  Prior  to  this 
date  freight  was  carried  from  Schenectady  to  Utica  in  winter  on  sleighs 
and  thence  westward  by  rail. 

The  opening  and  the  operation  of  these  roads,  the  last  of  which  ex- 
tended through  the  northern  part  of  Madison  county  and  is  now  a  part 
of  the  great  New  York  Central  system,  was  of  vast  moment  to  the 
region  through  which  they  passed.  While  for  a  period  rivalry  between 
them  and  the  canal  and  the  stages  was  active,  they  received  a  large  and 
profitable  share  of  the  business  from  the  first  and  were  indirectl}'  influ 
ential  in  stimulating  industrial  and  commercial  activity  and  enterprise 
in  all  directions.  They  were  also  instrumental  in  hastening  and  aug- 
menting the  approaching  financial  crisis  of  1836-38.  Further  railroad 
extension  in  which  this  county  was  directly  involved  did  not  take  place 
until  1866. 

The  principal  public  improvement  of  a  strictly  local  character  made 
during  the  period  under  treatment  in  this  chapter,  other  than  those  be- 
fore described,  was  the  establishment  of  a  county  poorhouse  and  farm. 
After  considerable  discussion  the  Board  of  Supervisors  in  1825  adjpted 
the  following  resolution : 

Resolved,  That  a  County  Poor  House  be  erected  or  purchased,  as  may  be  deemed 
most  advisable,  and  that  not  less  than  fifty  nor  more  than  one  hundred  acres  of  land 
be  purchased  for  the  use  of  said  establishment. 

Resolved,  That  a  fund  of  not  exceedmg  $3,000  be  raised  for  the  above  object. 


CANAL  AND  EARLY  RAILROAD  ERA.  181 

Another  resolution  appointed  as  a  committee  to  carry  out  the  fore- 
going resolutions,  E.  S.  Jackson,  Ellis  Morse,  Erastus  Cleveland, 
Nehemiah  Huntington,  and  Pardon  Barnard.  These  proceedings  re- 
sulted in  the  purchase  of  a  farm  on  which  was  a  stone  dwelling,  situ- 
ated in  the  town  of  Eaton  about  five  miles  southeast  of  Morrisville. 
The  old  buildings  were  used  until  1878,  when  the  present  structure  was 
erected.  It  is  a  two-storj'  wooden  building,  with  a  high  stone  base- 
ment, which  is  used  for  kitchen  and  dining  room.  The  central  part  of 
the  building  is  occupied  for  the  keeper's  residence,  while  the  two  sexes 
of  inmates  are  placed  one  on  either  side  in  the  wings.  The  farm  now 
contains  159  acres,  and  the  buildings  are  commodious  and  well  adapted 
to  their  purpose. 

In  early  years  each  town  cared  for  its  own  poor  in  various  ways  that 
were  all  objectionable;  especially  so  was  the  prevailing  plan  of  letting 
out  their  support  to  the  lowest  bidder,  the  evils  of  which  are  too  self- 
evident  to  need  description.  On  the  9th  of  February,  1831,  an  act  was 
passed  by  the  Legislature,  making  it  unlawful  for  the  supervisors  to 
contract  with  persons  to  keep  the  poor  who  were  chargeable  to  the 
county  "at  some  one  or  more  places  in  said  county,"  and  "  to  raise 
such  sums  of  money  by  a  tax  on  the  freeholders  and  inhabitants  of 
said  county  as  shall  be  necessary  for  the  performance  of  anv  contract 
that  shall  be  made  by  virtue  of  this  act."  The  supervisors  were 
directed  to  "  superintend  the  poor  at  least  once  in  each  month,"  and 
to  watch  over  the  manner  in  which  the)-  were  being  treated.  This  was 
doubtless  an  improvement  over  earlier  methods;  but  it  soon  gave  place 
to  the  county  house  and  farm,  as  above  noticed. 

The  highway  question  was  still  an  important  one  during  the  first 
half  of  the  century  and  many  new  thoroughfares  were  opened  within  or 
passing  through  this  county,  a  number  of  which  were  constructed  by 
incorporated  companies  and,  of  course,  were  toll  roads.  For  example, 
on  F"ebruary  27,  1824,  Beach  Ufford,  Jeremiah  Whipple,  and  Ichabod 
S.  Spencer  were  appointed  commissioners  under  an  act  of  the  Legisla- 
ture, to  lay  out  a  road  "from  the  village  of  Canastota  on  the  Erie 
canal,  in  the  county  of  Madison,  on  the  nearest  and  most  eligible  route 
to  or  near  the  house  of  Alpheus  Twist,  in  the  town  of  Fenner,  thence 
to  or  near  the  house  of  Timothy  J.  Dawson  in  the  town  of  Nelson," 
and  on  southward  to  intersect  the  Geneganselet  Turnpike  in  the  town 
of  Cincinnatus,  in  Cortland  county. 

On  the  12th  of  April,  1823,  Timothy  Hunt,  of  Chenango  county,  and 


182  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

John  Foote  and  James  B.  Eldridge,  of  Madison  county,  were  appointed 
commissioners  to  lay T^ut  a  road  from  Norwich  through  Madison 
county,  "  to  intersect  the  Erie  canal  in  the  town  of  Lenox,  at  or  near 
the  Oneida  creek." 

On  May  26,  183G,  Elisha  Litchfield,  John  Holmes,  and  Isaac  Morse, 
were  made  commissioners  to  open  a  road  from  Luther  Corbin's  house 
in  Cazenovia  to  near  the  house  of  John  Holmes  in  Pompey.  In  the 
same  year  an  act  was  passed  designating  Sands  Higinbotham,  James 
F.  Chamberlain,  and  Matthew  Pratt,  as  commissioners  to  lay  out  a 
road  from  the  Seneca  Turnpike  at  Oneida  Castle,  up  the  valley  of  the 
creek  to  Pratt's  Hollow  and  thence  to  the  Cherry  Valley  Turnpike  "  at 
some  point  between  the  intersection  of  the  Madison  County  Turnpike 
and  Bouckville  on  the  Chenango  canal." 

The  reader  will  notice  as  we  proceed  that  many  of  the  important 
highways  of  the  period  from  1820  to  1840  were  opened  wholly  or  partly 
to  enable  the  inhabitants  of  various  localities  more  or  less  distant  from 
the  canals,  to  reach  those  waterways  by  shorter  routes  and  over  better 
roads.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  realize  in  these  days  of  numerous 
and  rapid  railroad  connections,  the  enthusiasm  inspired  and  the  local 
changes  wrought  by  the  canals  after  their  success  was  once  assured. 
Another  improvement  that  bore  its  relation  to  the  Erie  Canal  was  that 
made  under  an  act  of  April  11,  1836,  which  established  a  ferry  from 
Forgar's  Point,  at  the  termination  of  the  road  laid  out  by  the  town  of 
Sullivan  from  Chittenango  Landing  on  the  canal,  straight  to  Oneida 
Lake  and  the  village  of  Cleveland,  to  be  called  "  Gifford's  Ferry." 
Paul  Gifford,  Henry  W.  Gifford,  Daniel  A.  Haskins,  and  Alexander 
Smith  were  named  in  the  act  to  establish  the  ferry.  Three  years  later, 
in  1839,  the  Seneca  Turnpike  Company  was  authorized  by  the  Legisla- 
ture to  abandon  "  that  part  of  their  road,  commencing  at  the  intersec- 
tion of  the  north  and  south  branches  of  the  road  in  the  village  of  Chit- 
tenango, .  .  .  and  running  through  Manlius,  Onondaga  Hollow,  Mar- 
cellus  and  on  to  the  west  bounds  of  the  village  of  Auburn." 

An  act  passed  by  the  Legislature  in  1826  gave  this  county  three 
members  of  assembly  in  the  apportionment  made  that  year,  the  same 
number  provided  by  the  preceding  apportionments  of  1808,  1815,  and 
1822;  previous  to  1808  the  county  had  only  two  members.  The  appor- 
tionment of  1836  continued  the  same  number,  but  the  acts  of  March  8, 
1846,  April  13,  1857,  and  April  16,  1866,  reduced  the  number  to  two. 
Under  the  act  of  June  29,  1832,  Madison  county  was  joined  with  Onon- 


CANAL  AND  EARLY  RAILROAD  ERA.  183 

daga  county  to  form  the  33d  Congressional  District;  in  1808  this  county 
and  Oneida  constituted  the  11th  District,  and  four  years  later,  in  1813, 
Madison  and  Herkimer  were  made  the  ITth  District.  This  arrange- 
ment continued  until  1833,  when  Madison  and  Cortland  were  made  the 
33d  District. 

In  1833  Madison  and  Onondaga  were  made  the  33d  District.  In 
18-13  Madison  and  Oswego,  were  made  the  33d  District.  In  1851  the 
number  of  this  district  was  changed  to  the  33d,  which  continued  until 
1873,  when  the  number  became  the  34th.  In  1883  Madison,  Chenango, 
Broome  and  Tioga  were  made  the  36th  District.  In  1893  Madison  and 
Onondaga  became  the  27th  District. 

The  second  quarter  of  the  present  centur}'  was  characterized  by 
rapid  growth  and  prosperity  throughout  Central  New  York,  in  which 
this  county  shared.  Much  of  this  was  due,  as  before  intimated,  to  the 
canal  and  the  young  railroads.  Some  villages  that  previously  had  little 
prospect  of  importance,  became  active  and  growing  business  centers, 
and  the  general  tendency  of  the  inhabitants  of  rural  districts  to  settle 
in  such  communities  began  and  has  never  since  ceased.  During  this 
period  De  Ruyter  was  incorporated  in  April,  1833,  and  Morrisville  in 
the  same  month;  Brookfield  (Clarkville)  followed  in  May,  1834,  and 
Canastota  in  1835.  On  March  14,  1831,  the  Madison  County  Bank 
was  incorporated  in  Cazenovia,  with  a  capital  of  $100,000,  the  first 
bank  in  Madison  county,  and  five  years  later,  on  March  33,  1830,  the 
Madison  County  Mutual  Insurance  Company  was  incorporated  by 
Charles  Stebbins,  John  Williams,  Lemuel  White,  Jonathan  D.  Ledyard, 
Ezekiel  Carpenter,  Simon  C.  Hitchcock,  Rufus  Allen,  Benjamin  T. 
Clarke,  David  B.  Johnson,  Jacob  Ten  Eyck,  Lucien  D.  Cowan,  Rens- 
selaer Jackson.     From  these  a  board  of  nine  directors  was  chosen. 

The  assessed  value  of  the  real  estate  of  the  county  in  1820  was 
$3,836,690,  and  the  personal  estate  was  $156,738;  the  school  fund  in 
that  year  was  $3,340.09.  During  the  next  decade  there  was  a  large 
increase  particularly  in  the  value  of  personal  estate,  indicating  the  ad- 
vancement in  individual  wealth  which  would  naturally  be  looked  for  in  a 
prosperous  community.  The  real  estate  valuation  in  1830  was  $3,912,- 
180;  the  personal  estate,  $337,539;  the  school  fund  shows  little  change, 
it  being  $3,305.19,  and  $1,000  was  appropriated  for  support  of  the  poor, 
a  sum  which  was  doubled  in  1835. 

The  next  decade  showed  an  immense  increase  in  valuation,  both  real 
and  personal,  the  former  reaching  the  sum  of  $5,549,217;  the  personal 


184  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

was  $796,043,  while  the  school  fund  was  more  than  double  that  of  1830, 
or  $5,041.41,  and  the  poor  fund  was  $3,000.  In  1850  the  valuation  of 
real  estate  had  increased  to  $5,960,279,  and  of  personal  to  $1,006,773; 
the  assessment  was  $40,647.  At  the  close  of  the  next  decade,  to  which 
time  this  chapter  comes  down,  we  find  the  valuation  of  real  estate  again 
almost  doubled,  reaching  $9,189,722,  an  amount  that  has  about  doubled 
since  that  date;  the  personal  valuation  was  in  1860,  $2,302,680,  and  the 
total  assessment  was  $83,495.58.  The  amount  of  the  regular  poor  fund 
remained  at  $3,000  in  1842,  in  which  year  $300  was  added  for  the  erec- 
tion of  a  building  for  the  sick  of  the  institution.  In  1850  there  was 
raised  by  the  Board  of  Supervisors  for  the  poor,  $9,748;  for  the  care  of 
the  insane,  $900;  for  courts  and  juries,  $1,500;  the  county  charges  were 
$3,712.94;  the  one-half  mill  tax  amounted  to  $3,483.52,  and  the  school 
fund  was  $4,485.25;  the  contingent  fund  was  $1,538.24.  In  1860  these 
comparative  figures  were — for  State  tax,  $42,445.62;  county  charges 
allowed,  $7,435.46;  lunatic  fund,  $1,156;  poor  fund,  $16,000;  court  and 
jurors,  $1,500;  for  idiot  asylums,  $80;  contingent  fund,  $1,800;  for  the 
deaf  and  dumb,  $60.  There  were  in  the  county  in  1850  three  incor- 
porated companies  only — the  Eaton  Cotton  and  Woolen  Manufacturing 
Company,  with  assessed  valuation  of  $2,800;  the  Lenox  Iron  Company, 
valuation,  $25,700;  and  the  Hamilton  and  Lebanon  Manufacturing 
Company,  with  a  valuation  of  $3,000.  This  does  not  include  several 
plank  road  companies  noticed  a  little  further  on. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  features  of  the  industries  of  Madison 
county  that  came  into  prominence  during  the  period  under  considera- 
tion, was  the  production  of  silk.  The  industry  was  taken  up  about 
1840,  and  so  confident  were  the  public  authorities  of  its  success  that 
the  Board  of  Supervisors  authorized  the  payment  of  certain  percent- 
ages, or  bounties,  to  producers,  according  to  the  number  of  cocoons 
and  quantity  of  reel  silk  produced.  In  the  proceedings  of  the  board 
for  1842  is  found  the  following  list  of  awards: 

C.  C.  Huston,  Lebanon,  66  cocoons  reported  and  allowed $  9.90 

Jesse  Watson,  Cazenovia,  38  8-16  cocoons  reported  and  allowed.  5.32 

Willard  Colton,  Lenox,  40  do  do  .  6.00 
Harriet  P.  Coburn,    Stockbridge,    15   3-4  cocoons  reported  and 

allowed 2.36 

Mary  Storms,  Sullivan,  7  1-16  cocoons  reported  and  allowed 1.06 

John  Lucas,  Madison,  17  3-4  cocoons  and   1    1-16  reel  silk,    re- 
ported and  allowed 3.25 


CANAL  AND  EARLY  RAILROAD  ERA.  185 

William  Doolittle,  Fenner,  75  cocoons  and  7  1-4  reel  silk,  re- 
ported and  allowed 14. 95 

Clark  Avery,  Fenner,  56  cocoons  and  4  l-i  reel  silk,  reported  and 

allowed io.65 

David  Irish,  Fenner,  49  14-16  and  7  7-16  reel   silk,  reported  and 

allowed.. _ 9.71 

David  Lindsley,  Lebanon,  8  cocoons  reported  and  allowed 1.20 

John  W.  Avery,  Eaton,  72  3-4  do  do         14.03 

It  need  scarcely  be  stated  that  this  industry  in  such  a  climate  did  not 
meet  anticipations,  and  no  further  bounty  was  paid  in  this  county. 

Meanwhile,  in  1832,  a  most  unwelcome  visitor  came  across  the  At- 
lantic, entered  the  seaboard  cities,  crept  along  the  Hudson  and  St. 
Lawrence  Rivers,  followed  the  Erie  Canal  westward  and  fell  like  a 
scourge  upon  the  cities  of  Syracuse,  Rochester  and  Buffalo,  and  with 
less  severity  upon  some  of  the  large  villages.  This  was  the  advent  of 
the  Asiatic  cholera,  then,  as  it  is  now,  a  deadly  and  mysterious  malady, 
baffling  to  physicians  and  terrorizing  every  community  where  it  gained 
a  foothold.  This  scourge,  which  made  one  or  two  later  though  less 
severe  visitations  to  our  shores,  needs  little  attention  in  these  pages, 
for  this  county  almost  or  wholly  escaped  its  ravages.  Indeed,  as  far 
as  records  go,  there  is  nothing  to  indicate  that  it  affected  this  imme- 
diate region  excepting  as  a  hideous  story  of  deaths  and  midnight  burials 
in  other  places.  The  disease  disappeared  from  the  country  in  the  fall 
of  the  year,  and  the  people  again  turned  their  attention  to  more  agree 
able  and  profitable  matters. 

Before  the  present  century  was  half  expired  the  court  house  erected 
in  1817-18  had  become  almost  uninhabitable.  At  a  special  meeting  of 
the  supervisors  held  in  1848  action  was  taken  to  temporarily  repair  the 
building  so  that  it  would  stand  another  year,  and  at  the  same  time  pe- 
tition the  Legislature  for  authority  to  build  a  new  one.  On  the  11th 
of  April,  of  that  year,  an  act  was  passed  which  authorized  the  comp- 
troller to  loan  Madison  county  $5,000  from  the  surplus  of  the  State 
school  fund,  and  directed  the  supervisors  to  proceed  with  the  erection 
of  the  building.  In  the  following  year  the  loan  was  increased  by  the 
amount  of  $3,700,  and  the  courthouse  was  finished  and  occupied  until 
it  was  burned  in  the  fall  of  1865,  when  the  present  one  was  built. 

The  only  serious  check  to  general  prosperity  in  the  county,  State  and 
nation  in  the  period  under  consideration  were  the  financial  panics  of 
1836-38   and   1857.     In   the  fall   of   1833   President  Jackson  withdrew 


186  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

from  the  United  States  Bank  the  deposit  of  national  funds,  amounting 
to  $10,000,000,  and  the  bank  was  finally  closed,  with  consequences  that 
were  far-reaching  in  finance  and  politics.  The  New  York  Legislature, 
then  strongly  Democratic,  passed  a  resolution  early  in  1834  endorsing 
the  president's  course.  Numerous  State  banks  were  chartered,  fre- 
quently under  insufficient  guarantees,  and  the  national  funds  were  de- 
posited with  them.  It  was  argued  that  the  placing  of  a  large  sum  of 
money  in  widely-separated  State  banks  would  be  of  great  benefit  to  all 
business  interests,  through  the  facility  with  which  loans  could  be  ob- 
tained. While  this  was  to  a  certain  extent  true,  there  was  at  the  same 
time  founded  an  immense  credit  system  and  an  era  of  speculation 
opened  which  was  soon  to  bring  financial  disaster  upon  the  country. 
Money  became  plenty  and  business  of  every  kind  was  abnormally  ac- 
tive. No  new  enterprise  could  be  put  forward  but  men  and  money 
were  forthcoming  to  promote  it.  Real  estate,  particularly  in  large 
communities,  made  rapid  advances  in  price  and  an  unhealthy  fever  of 
speculation  reigned  which  should  have  foretold  a  coming  downfall.  By 
the  close  of  1836  the  beginning  of  the  end  was  in  sight.  Higher  rates 
of  interest  began  to  prevail  and  soon  those  who  could  command  cash 
reaped  a  harvest  of  usury.  From  three  to  five  per  cent,  a  month  was 
paid  in  some  near-by  cities,  and  even  at  those  figures  there  was  a  heavy 
demand.  Finally,  the  issue  of  President  Jackson's  famous  specie  cir- 
cular precipitated  the  financial  crash  and  the  whole  stupendous  specu- 
lative fabric,  founded  on  credit  and  held  together  for  a  time  by  dazzling 
expectations,  came  tumbling  down,  burying  many  in  the  ruins.  Banks 
contracted  their  accommodations,  a  general  suspension  of  specie  pay- 
ments followed  and  bankruptcy  was  present  on  all  sides. 

On  the  16th  of  May,  1837,  State  laws  were  passed  relieving  all  banks 
from  such  acts  as  refusal  to  pay  their  notes  in  specie,  which  would  have 
otherwise  made  them  liable  to  forfeiture  of  charters;  this  provision 
continued  in  force  one  year.  About  the  middle  of  May,  1837,  the  New 
York  banks  resumed  specie  payments  and  recovery  from  the  hard  times 
began.  A  general  banking  law  was  passed  in  1838,  under  the  influence 
of  which  business  gradually  resumed  its  former  activity.  From  the 
unfortunate  consequences  of  this  period  of  financial  fever  Madison 
county  inhabitants  largely  escaped,  as  they  had  a  few  years  previously 
from  the  cholera.  Containing  no  very  large  villages  and  lying  a  little 
on  one  side  of  the  great  arteries  of  travel,  its  interests  being  mainly 
agricultural,  there  was  little  opportunity  offered  for  the  heavy  business 


CANAL  AND  EARLY  RAILROAD  ERA.  187 

and  bank  failures  that  took  place  in  other  localities.  That  the  money 
stringency,  high  prices  of  the  necessities,  and  general  stagnation  was 
reflected  to  every  community  in  some  measure  is  true;  but  the  sun 
shone  and  the  rain  fell  on  the  productive  Madison  county  farms  as  in 
other  years  and  the  people  went  quietly  and  peacefully  on  their  way. 

The  ten  years  beginning  with  1844  may  be  properly  called  the  plank 
road  era  in  this  State.  On  the  12th  of  April  of  the  year  named  the 
first  plank  road  company  incorporated  in  the  United  States  came  into 
existence  under  a  State  act ;  this  was  the  Salina  and  Central  Square 
Plank  Road  Company,  and  its  road  was  the  first  one  completed  in  the 
country,  though  two  other  companies  were  formed  in  the  western  part 
of  the  State  the  same  year.  The  State  now  experienced  a  repetition  of 
canal  enthusiasm  of  a  few  years  earlier,  with  the  construction  of  plank 
roads  as  the  object.  Companies  by  the  score  sprank  up  in  every  direc- 
tion and  it  seemed  that  at  last  a  roadway  was  discovered  that  would 
enable  farmers  to  transport  their  produce  and  merchandise  to  and  from 
market  with  comparative  ease  and  speed.  The  first  cost  of  the  roads 
was  not  excessive  and  the  money  taken  for  tolls  was  entirely  satisfac- 
tory. The  Rome  and  Oswego  road  company  was  incorporated  in  1847, 
and  in  the  following  year  those  extending  west  eight  miles  from  Albany 
and  southward  from  Syracuse,  to  eventually  be  extended  to  Cortland, 
were  built.  In  1849  the  number  of  these  companies  was  too  large  to 
need  mention  here.  In  the  proceedings  of  the  Board  of  .Supervisors 
for  the  year  1848  we  find  application  made  to  the  board  for  permission 
to  lay  out  the  Hamilton  and  Deansville  plank  road,  which  was  to  ex- 
tend from  Hamilton  to  Deansville  in  Oneida  county,  passing  through 
the  towns  of  Hamilton,  Eaton,  Madison,  Augusta  and  Marshall. 

On  the  15th  of  December,  1849,  a  meeting  of  citizens  of  Georgetown 
and  Otselic  was  held  in  the  former  town  to  arrange  for  receiving  sub- 
scriptions for  the  purpose  of  constructing  a  plank  road  to  extend  from 
the  southern  terminus  of  the  already  projected  road  between  George- 
town and  Eaton,  southward  to  Otselic.  The  capital  stock  of  this  com- 
pany was  $4,400.  The  contract  for  building  this  road  was  let  to  Truman 
Armsby  at  $313  per  mile. 

On  June  27,  1851,  the  Canastota  and  Morrisville  Plank  Road  Com- 
pany was  authorized  to  borrow  $5,000  to  complete  their  road,  and  in 
the  following  year  the  Madison  and  Earlville  Company  was  likewise 
authorized  to  borrow  money  to  finish  their  highway  from  Oriskany 
Falls  to  Hamilton.    In  1853  the  Cazenoviaand  Chittenango  Plank  Road 


188  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Company  received  legislative  authority  to  convert  a  part  or  all  of  their 
plank  road  into  a  turnpike.  On  April  4,  1854,  the  Oneida  Plank  Road 
Company  was  incorporated  to  construct  a  road  from  Oneida  Castle  by 
way  of  Main  and  Mill  streets  to  Oneida  village.  There  was  also  a  road 
from  De  Ruyter  northward. 

These  many  plank  roads  served  their  purpose  for  a  time,  but  it  finally 
became  evident  that  one  important  feature  of  the  calculations  had 
been  overlooked ;  this  was  the  element  of  durability.  A  few  years  of 
travel  and  the  effects  of  weather  on  the  planks  made  it  necessary  to 
to  relay  the  roadways,  involving  expense  that  the  receipts  would  not 
meet,  excepting  on  a  few  of  the  most  frequently  traveled  routes.  On 
this  account  many  were  abandoned  as  plank  roads,  and  nearly  all  were 
finally  given  up. 

Among  the  public  county  affairs  that  received  attention  in  1841  was 
the  publication  by  the  general  school  committee  of  new  school  regula- 
tions, to  which  many  persons  took  exception,  and  two  additional  mem- 
bers were  placed  on  the  committee.  There  was  considerable  discussion 
of  the  matter,  but  the  action  of  the  committee  was  finally  approved.  In 
the  same  year  the  State  made  an  appropriation  of  $8,500  for  the  promo- 
tion of  agriculture;  of  this  sum  Madison  county  received  $120.  In  that 
year  the  Madison  County  Agricultural  Society  was  organized  with  the 
following  board  of  officers:  J.  D.  Ledyard,  of  Cazenovia,  president; 
Elijah  Morse,  of  Eaton,  H.  G.  Warner,  of  Sullivan,  and  J.  H.  Dunbar, 
of  Hamilton,  vice  presidents;  Alexander  Krumbhaar,  of  Cazenovia, 
corresponding  secretary;  A.  S.  Sloan,  of  Eaton,  recording  secretary; 
Uriah  Leland,  of  Eaton,  treasurer.  During  several  years  the  society 
held  annual  fairs  in  different  parts  of  the  county,  and  a  widespread 
and  salutary  influence  was  exerted  by  it,  which  is  indicated  by  the 
organization  of  several  other  agricultural  societies,  among  which  were 
the  Brookfield  Agricultural  Society,  organized  in  March,  1856,  and  still 
in  prosperous  existence,  through  the  organization  in  1898  of  "The 
Madison  County  Fair"  and  its  consolidation  with  the  old  society;  the 
Lebanon  Agricultural  Society,  organized  August  19,  185G;  the  Farm- 
ers' and  Mechanics'  Association  of  Fenner,  organized  January  3,  1851; 
the  Hamilton  Agricultural  and  Horticultural  Association,  organized 
August  22,  1857;  the  Nelson  Farmers'  and  Mechanics'  Association, 
organized  June  5,  1858;  the  Farmers''  and  Mechanics'  Association  of 
Cazenovia,  organized  January  12,  1859.  While  all  but  one  of  these 
organizations  have  passed  out  of  existence,  they  all  aided  in  awakening 


CANAL  AND  EARLY  RAILROAD  ERA.  189 

added  interest  in  agriculture  in  the  county  and  thus  served  a  beneficial 
purpose. 

The  course  of  the  business  world  was  again  seriously  disturbed  in 
1857  through  the  usual  causes  that  are  apt  to  grow  out  of  a  period  of 
unusual  prosperity  such  as  was  brought  to  a  close  at  that  time.  Busi- 
ness of  all  kinds  had  been  greatly  overdone  during  a  number  of  pre- 
ceding years;  railroads  and  other  large  undertakings  had  been  recklessly 
projected  in  all  parts  of  the  country;  banks  had  multiplied  and  inflated 
the  currency  beyond  necessity  and  prudence,  and  another  financial 
crash  came.  The  climax  was  reached  when,  in  the  fall  of  1857,  the 
New  York  banks  suspended  specie  payments.  The  effects  of  this  crisis 
were  more  widespread  and  more  severely  felt  by  small  communities 
and  individuals  than  in  1836-8;  but  there  is  little  to  record  in  connec- 
tion with  it  of  a  local  character.  Aside  from  a  very  few  business  fail- 
ures in  the  largest  villages  in  Madison  county,  and  the  great  scarcity  of 
money  among  all  classes,  the  crisis  passed  and  was  soon  almost  for- 
gotten. 

With  brief  reference  to  the  further  State  legislation  relating  to  the 
county  previous  to  1860,  this  chapter  may  be  closed.  Several  villages 
in  the  county  were  incorporated:  Oneida  Castle  on  May  26,  1841; 
Chittenango  on  March  15,  1842;  Madison  on  April  28,  1847.  An  act 
was  passed  on  the  18th  of  April,  1843,  appointing  Delos  De  Wolf, 
Oliver  R.  Babcock,  and  David  Carrier  to  investigate  and  settle  the  dis- 
puted boundary  between  the  towns  of  Plainfield  and  Brookfield.  On 
May  14,  1845,  an  act  was  passed  authorizing  the  laying  out  of  a  high- 
way along  the  Chenango  Canal  from  Cherry  Valley  Turnpike  to  Oris- 
kany  Falls.  Jonas  Earll,  jr..  Smith  Coman  and  Portous  Root  were  the 
commissioners  named.  On  March  23,  1852,  Levi  D.  Carpenter,  Anson 
Rider  and  Charles  A.  Mann  were  named  in  a  legislative  act  to  examine 
the  Unadilla  River  at  Leonardsville  and  testify  as  to  the  necessity  of  a 
bridge  at  that  point,  and  how  much  of  the  cost  Plainfield  and  Brook- 
field  should  each  pay.  On  the  16th  of  April  of  the  same  year  an  act 
was  passed  naming  Oliver  Pool,  Edward  Button,  James  D.  White,  com- 
missioners from  the  town  of  Nelson,  to  lay  out  a  road  at  a  cost  of  not 
over  $1,500,  from  a  point  on  the  east  side  of  the  Erieville  reservoir 
around  the  north  end  of  the  reservoir  to  intersect  the  road  on  the  west 
side.  On  the  15th  of  April,  1859,  eighteen  men,  a  few  of  whom  were 
from  Madison  county,  were  given  legislative  authority  to  organize  a 
company  and  a  lay  a  single  track  railway  along  the  berme  bank  of  the 


190  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Chenango  Canal.     Many  of  these   improvements  were  carried   out  and 
were  of  great  benefit  to  the  community. 


CHAPTER  XII. 
POLITICAL  CHANGES— THE  CIVIL  WAR  PERIOD. 

While  the  events  of  the  preceding  chapter  were  passing  into  history, 
the  political  field  in  this  county,  as  well  as  throughout  the  State  and 
country,  had  undergone  many  changes  and  was  now  approaching  a 
crisis  fraught  with  stupendous  issues.  Madison  county  after  the  forma- 
tion of  the  Whig  party  in  1833—1:,  succeeding  the  old  Federal  party, 
gave  its  steadfast  allegiance  to  that  organization,  as  it  since  has  to  the 
Republican  party,  which  succeeded  the  Whigs  and  to  a  great  extent 
adopted  their  policy.  An  exception  must  be  made  to  this  statement, 
however,  regarding  the  great  Anti-Masonic  crusade  of  1837-33.  The 
Anti-Masonic  party  found  its  first  inspiration  in  opposition  to  the  ven- 
erable order  in  the  alleged  abduction  and  murder  of  William  Morgan,  of 
Batavia,  N.  Y.,  for  his  threatened  publication  of  the  secrets  of  Ma- 
sonry. At  the  very  first  this  opposition  had  very  little  political  signifi- 
cance; but  shrewd  politicians  saw  in  it  the  possibility  of  founding  upon 
it  a  great  party,  and  during  about  six  years  the  organization  thus  sired 
was  a  power  in  the  politics  of  the  State  and  nation.  Leading  politi- 
cians saw  their  opportunity  for  intrigue  and  possible  rise  to  power  and 
influence,  and  political  lines  between  the  Jacksonian  Democrats  and  the 
Anti-Masons  were  soon  closely  drawn.  In  the  fall  of  Jackson's  first 
election  (1828)  the  contest  was  exceedingly  spirited  and  Madison  county 
gave  a  majority  against  him.  There  were  at  that  time  three  lodges  of 
Masons  in  Madison  county.  Cazenovia  had  the  United  Brethren  Lodge 
No.  78,  organized  May  9,  1799,  the  first  one  in  the  county.  At  Chit- 
tenango  was  vSullivan  Lodge  No.  148,  which  was  instituted  June  29, 
1804.  Hamilton  had  Hamilton  Lodge  No.  121,  organized  in  1805.  All 
three  of  these  lodges  surrendered  their  charters  soon  after  the  Anti- 
Masonic  movement  was  fully  under  way,  and  all  were  subsequently  re- 
vived, the  Hamilton  Lodge  in  1846  (it  had  previously  been  removed 
to  Eaton    (1817),  but  was  revived   in    Hamilton);  and   the   Cazenovia 


POLITICAL  CHANGES.  191 

Lodge  in  June,  1849.  The  same  fate  befell  nearly  all  the  lodges  in  this 
State.  Anti-Masonry  developed  immense  and  unexpected  strength, 
not  alone  in  this  State,  but  in  some  others.  In  1830  the  Anti-Masonic 
party,  which  had  wholly  displaced  the  Adams  legions,  nominated  can- 
didates for  governor  and  lieutenant-governor  and  showed  great 
strength;  but  Throop,  the  Democratic  candidate  for  governor,  was 
elected  by  a  small  majority.  In  18:31  the  new  party  showed  increased 
strength  throughout  the  State  In  1832  Jackson  was  up  for  president 
on  issues  raised  by  the  so-called  National  Republicans  in  Congress. 
The  latter  held  a  convention  in  Utica  and  nominated  Francis  Granger 
for  governor;  he  was  a  leader  in  the  Anti- Masonic  ranks.  In  June  of 
that  year  Onondaga  and  Madison  counties  were  made  the  23d  Con- 
gressional District  and  the  Democrats  nominated  Dr.  William  Taylor, 
of  Onondaga,  and  William  K.  Fuller,  of  Madison,  against  Elijah 
Rhoades  and  James  B.  Eldrige,  the  latter  of  Madison.  On  these  the 
Democrats  had  their  usual  majority,  though  it  was  not  so  large  as  in  the 
previous  year. 

With  the  inauguration  of  the  campaign  of  1834  there  was  a  change. 
The  .party  in  opposition  to  the  Democrats  had  taken  the  name  of  Whigs 
in  the  preceding  winter,  a  name  which  they  were  to  bear  many  years. 
The  Democrats  held  their  congressional  convention  in  Manlius  and  Dr. 
William  Taylor  and  William  K.  Fuller  were  renominated.  The  Whigs 
met  in  Cazenovia  and  nominated  Victory  J.  Birdseye  and  Jonathan  D. 
Ledyard.  The  Whigs  were  badly  defeated  in  the  campaign  and  ren- 
dered very  despondent.  They  had  not  the  energy  to  even  nominate  a 
legislative  ticket  in  1835,  leaving  the  local  field  in  undisputed  posses- 
sion of  the  Democrats.  The  recurrence  of  the  presidential  campaign 
of  1830,  however,  brought  the  Whigs  again  into  action.  The  two  con- 
gressional nominees  from  Madison  county  were  Bennett  Bicknell,  Dem- 
ocrat, and  Eliphalet  S.  Jackson,  Whig,  and  again  the  latter  were 
defeated. 

Anti-slavery  agitation  was  now  beginning.  Anti-Masonry  was  dead 
and  buried  forever,  and  the  radical  Abolitionists,  whose  names  were  in 
after  years  to  be  enrolled  among  those  of  the  great  reformers  of  the 
world,  began  the  crusade  against  slavery  that  was  to  result  in  its  de- 
struction a  quarter  of  a  century  later.  In  the  year  of  1837  the  Whigs 
in  this  vicinity  elected  their  whole  ticket,  astonishing  even  themselves; 
this  was  owing  to  a  great  extent  to  the  factional  differences  of  the  con- 
servative and  the  radical  Democrats.     The  action  in  the  House  of  Rep- 


192  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

resentatives  in  1839,  refusing  to  receive  petitions  in  favor  of  anti  slav- 
ery, produced  eflfects  directly  opposite  to  what  was  anticipated.  The 
Abolitionists  arose  in  their  growing  strength  and  were  first  in  the  field 
with  a  ticket.  Gerrit  Smith,  among  others,  spoke  at  their  convention 
in  Syracuse.  The  gubernatorial  nominees  were  William  C.  Bouck, 
Democrat;  William  H.  Seward,  Whig,  and  Gerrit  Smith,  Abolitionist. 
The  enlargement  of  the  Erie  Canal  was  then  in  progress  under  Seward's 
"new  impulse  "  policy,  and  the  discharge  of  1,000  of  the  employees  on 
the  work  on  the  Jordan  level,  constituted  one  of  the  exciting  features 
of  the  campaign.  The  Whigs  swept  the  State  and  the  local  Democracy 
were  much  discouraged. 

The  details  of  other  important  campaigns  down  to  1860  consitute  an 
interesting  part  of  the  history  of  this  State,  but  do  not  properly  belong 
in  these  pages.  The  anti-slavery  sentiment  grew  steadily,  bringing 
with  it  the  determination  of  a  majority  of  the  people  of  the  country 
that  there  should  be  at  least  no  further  extension  of  slavery  in  States 
or  Territories.  The  issue  was  to  be  settled  only  by  the  bloody  carnage 
of  the  battlefield. 

A  mass  convention  was  held  in  Pittsburg  on  February  23,  185(i,  to 
perfect  the  new  Republican  organization,  the  proceedings  of  which 
were  harmonious  and  effective.  The  Democratic-Republican  (as  it 
was  called  in  that  year)  State  convention  assembled  in  Syracuse,  Sep 
tember  17,  and  the  Liberty  and  Radical  Abolitionists  met  on  the  same 
day.  The  Democrats  nominated  John  A.  King  for  governor,  his  op- 
ponents being  Amasa  J.  Parker  and  Erastus  Brooks.  The  ensuing 
Fremont  and  Dayton  campaign  is  well  remembered.  The  Know- 
Nothing  party  split  and  a  faction  joined  each  of  the  other  parties. 
Border-ruffianism  in  the  West,  with  veiled  hints  of  disunion  or  submis- 
sion to  the  South,  were  the  weapons  used  against  the  Democrats,  but 
did  not  stem  the  tide,  and  James  Buchanan  was  elected  president.  Old 
party  lines  disappeared  and  a  heated  canvass  continued  from  mid-sum- 
mer until  election.  Madison  county  gave  a  majority  for  Fremont  and 
Dayton. 

From  that  time  until  the  memorable  campaign  of  1860  the  Repub- 
lican party,  as  well  as  the  body  of  radical  Abolitionists  rapidly  in- 
creased in  numbers.  That  campaign  was  the  most  important  and  the 
most  prolific  in  momentous  consequences  that  the  country  has  ever 
seen.  There  were  four  national  tickets  in  the  field,  headed  respectively 
by  Abraham   Lincoln,    John  C.    Breckinridge,  John  Bell,  and  Stephen 


THE  CIVIL  WAR.  193 

A.  Douglass.  The  Democratic  party  was  hopelessly  divided  into  fac- 
tions, a  condition  sought  by  Southern  leaders  to  force  the  issue  which 
all  statesmen  knew  must  sooner  or  later  come,  and  as  a  consequence 
the  Republican  victory  at  the  polls  was  sweeping  and  decisive.  The 
majority  given  in  Madison  county  for  the  Republican  candidates  was 
over  4,000.  There  was  great  rejoicing  throughout  the  North,  but  it 
was  mingled  with  a  swelling  volume  of  dissatisfaction  and  rage  which 
rolled  up  from  the  South  and  finally  culminated  in  open  rebellion  and 
secession  of  those  States.  These  demonstrations  were  looked  upon  at 
the  Norih  for  some  months  as  idle  boasts  and  intimidating  threats  of 
the  slave-holding  element,  and  few  then  believed  that  the  misguided 
Southerners  would  resort  to  war. 

The  newspapers  of  April  15,  1861,  were  burdened  with  tidings  of  the 
bombardment  of  Fort  Sumter  on  the  12th  and  13th.  Many  are  still 
living  in  this  county  who  passed  through  the  exciting  scenes  of  the 
days  that  immediately  followed.  Business  of  all  kinds,  public  and  pri- 
vate, was  largely  neglected  for  discussion  of  the  portentous  event. 
War  was  almost  the  sole  topic  of  conversation ;  but  even  yet  it  was 
thought  by  most  men  of  intelligence  and  judgment  that  the  moment 
the  strong  arm  of  the  government  was  uplifted  against  the  offenders, 
they  would  abandon  their  rebellious  purpose.  Many  months  elapsed, 
blood  was  shed  in  the  border  States,  and  millions  of  treasure  were  ex- 
pended before  even  the  highest  government  officials  realized  that  a  long 
and  bloody  war  had  begun. 

On  the  15th  of  April,  the  day  of  the  evacuation  of  Fort  Sumter, 
President  Lincoln  issued  a  proclamation  calling  for  75,000  militia  for 
three  months'  service.  This  call  was  in  itself  sufficient  evidence  that 
the  officials  in  Washington  believed  the  war  would  be  only  a  summer- 
long  conflict.  The  quota  under  this  call  was  13,380  for  this  State  and 
it  was  promptly  filled.  On  the  3d  of  May  another  call  for  troops  was 
issued  under  which,  and  acts  approved  July  32  and  25,  500,000  men 
were  required.  In  response  to  these  calls  the  whole  North  arose  in 
enthusiasm.  Flags  leaped  from  thousands  of  windows  and  every  ham- 
let showed  its  patriotism  in  numerous  enlistments  and  efforts  to  pro- 
vide for  the  families  of  the  men  who  marched  to  the  scene  of  war. 
While  the  comparatively  small  number  of  inhabitants  in  Madison 
county  precluded  the  possibility  of  raising  an  entire  regiment  within 
its  bounds  at  that  time,  it  is  true  that  no  section  of  the  State  responded 
more  promptly  or  more  generously  iu  enlistments,  and  during  the  year 
1861  a  considerable  number  left  the  county  for  the  front. 

13 


194  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  Madison  Observer,  a  leading  Democratic  newspaper  published 
in  Morrisville,  said  in  its  issue  of  November  15,  1860:  "  Scarcely  had 
the  excitement  attending  the  Presidential  election  began  to  subside,  be- 
fore the  general  attention  was  attracted  to  the  dark  cloud  of  Secession 
which  looms  up  portentously  in  the  South."  Edward  Norton,  the 
able  editor  of  the  Observer  for  many  years,  although  an  earnest  Demo- 
crat, gave  moderate  support  to  the  Union  cause  through  the  war. 

The  first  notice  in  the  Observer  appeared  April  35,  1861,  and  was 
headed,  "  Madison  County,  Arouse."  The  notice  was  as  follows:  "A 
public  meeting  of  citizens  without  distinction  of  party  will  be  held  at 
the  Presbyterian  church  in  Peterboro  on  Saturday,  the  37th  inst.,  at  1 
p.  M.,  to  express  their  sentiments  and  feelings  in  relation  to  the  present 
alarming  state  of  our  national  aiTairs. "  The  call  for  this  meeting  was 
numerously  signed.  Another  early  reference  to  Morrisville  in  relation 
to  the  crisis  stated  that  "  A  stranger  passing  through  our  village  could 
have  no  doubt  that  Madison  county  is  '  sound'  on  the  Union  question." 

A  great  Union  meeting  was  held  in  Hamilton  April  23,  where  Hon. 
John  J.  Foote  presided.  Speakers  there  gave  assurance  that  the  county 
would  contribute  her  share  to  the  support  of  the  government ;  it  was 
stated  also  that  a  company  had  already  been  formed  at  Oneida  by  Earl 
Chapin,  and  another  was  forming;  the  Bruce  guards  were  filling  up  at 
Canastota,  and  other  companies  were  forming  in  Hamilton  and  Chit- 
tenango.  On  the  29th  of  April  the  Hamilton  company  (D)  left  for 
Utica  to  join  Colonel  William  H.  Christian's  regiment,  the  26th;  it 
contained  several  Morrisville  volunteers.  On  the  next  day  the  Bruce 
Guards  left  for  Syracuse  to  join  the  51st  regiment.  A  company  was 
then  in  process  of  enlistment  in  Peterboro,  which  left  on  May  16  for 
Elmira,  being  escorted  to  the  railroad  by  the  Morrisville  band.  Before 
leaving  it  was  addressed  by  Gerrit  Smith.  A  fund  was  there  raised  of 
$1,200  for  the  families  of  volunteers.  The  officers  of  this  company 
were  John  C.  Todd,  captain;  James  R.  Barnett,  first  lieutenant;  George 
C.  Brown,  second  lieutenant. 

In  the  battle  of  Bull  Run  Capt.  Otis  H.  Tillinghast  was  killed;  he 
was  a  son  of  John  Tillinghast  and  a  graduate  of  West  Point  in  1847; 
other  sons  of  Madison  county  took  part  in  that  unfortunate  engage- 
ment. On  the  5th  of  September,  1861,  it  was  announced  that  Capt. 
Daniel  P.  Mann,  of  Oneida,  had  enlisted  nearly  a  full  company  of  cav- 
alry; Capt.  Broady,  of  Hamilton,  had  nearly  a  full  company  enlisted, 
and  Lieutenant  McQueen,  of  Morrisville,  was  recruiting  for  a  battery 


THE  CIVIL  WAR.  195 

of  field  artillery.  In  that  year  the  Volunteers'  Aid  Society  was  formed 
in  Morrisville,  and  other  organizations,  with  the  same  purposes  in  view, 
were  formed  early  in  the  conflict.  On  the  17th  of  October,  1861,  Capt. 
L.  M.  Wingman  opened  a  recruiting  office  in  Morrisville  and  on  the 
19th  of  December  took  his  company  to  Utica  and  joined  the  81st  regi- 
ment as  Co.  E.      He  was  killed  at  Fair  Oaks  June  5,  1863. 

Captain  Mann's  company  was  an  independent  organization  and  dur- 
ing most  of  its  term  of  service  was  on  duty  at  the  headquarters  of  the 
Army  of  Potomac.  The  first  lieutenant  was  James  E.  Jenkins,  and  the 
second  lieutenant  was  Frank  Vane. 

In  the  early  campaigns  of  1862  the  losses  of  the  Union  army  were 
large  and  on  the  2d  of  July  of  that  year  the  president  called  for  another 
300,000  men  to  serve  three  years.  In  order  to  systematize  recruiting 
the  State  was  divided  into  military  districts  which  corresponded  with 
the  Senatorial  districts,  Madison,  Chenango,  and  Cortland  counties 
constituting  the  23d  District.  In  each  of  these  districts  war  commit- 
tees were  appointed  to  supervise  enlistments  and  other  matters  con- 
nected with  raising  the  quota.  The  committee  for  this  district  were 
as  follows:  Henry  A.  Clark,  chairman,  Bainbridge;  B.  Gage  Berry, 
Harvey  Hubbard,  Philander  B.  Prindle,  Norwich;  Henry  R.  Mygatt, 
Oxford;  Gen.  Levi  Harris,  South  New  Berlin;  Dr.  William  D.  Purple, 
Frederick  Juliand,  Greene;  Henry  S.  Randall,  Horatio  Ballard,  R. 
Holland  Duell,  Cortland  village;  Gen.  Benjamin  F.  Bruce,  Lenox; 
Gen.  Zadock  T.  Bentley,  William  F.  Bonney,  Morrisville;  John  J. 
Foote,  J.  Hunt  Smith,  Hamilton.  On  the  7th  of  July,  1862,  Norwich 
was  chosen  as  the  recruiting  headquarters  for  the  district,  and  the  com- 
mittee held  its  first  meeting  at  the  Eagle  Hotel  in  that  village  on  the 
17th.  The  work  of  enlisting  the  114th  Regiment  was  at  once  begun, 
and  at  the  first  committee  meeting  Gen.  Benjamin  F.  Bruce  was  unani- 
mously nominated  for  its  command.  He  declined  the  honor  on  account 
of  disability  and  the  choice  then  fell  upon  Hon.  Elisha  B.  Smith,  of 
Chenango  county,  who  accepted,  but  with  expressed  misgivings  as  to 
his  fitness  for  the  post.  The  committee  then  appointed  Dr.  William 
D.  Purple,  Philander  E.  Prindle,  and  John  J.  Foote  to  report  the  proper 
apportionment  to  each  county  in  the  district  to  fill  the  regiment;  the 
quota  thus  fixed  for  Madison  county  was  396  men.  This  apportion- 
ment was  lost  sight  of  in  the  enlistments  and  Cortland  county  supplied 
only  a  few  recruits  to  the  regiment.  At  a  subsequent  meeting  of  the 
committee  Samuel  R.  Per  Lee,  of  Norwich,  was  appointed  adjutant  of 


196  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  regiment  and  acted  as  recruiting-  officer  and  quartermaster,  and 
Levi  P.  Wagner,  of  Oxford,  surgeon. 

A  great  mass  meeting  in  which  the  whole  county  was  represented 
was  held  in  Morrisville  on  the  29th  of  July,  1862,  to  "express  undi- 
minished confidence  in  the  justice  of  our  cause,"  etc.  The  meeting 
was  organized  in  the  court  house  park,  but  a  storm  drove  the  people 
indoors.  Among  the  prominent  speakers  were  Gen.  Benjamin  F. 
Bruce  and  Francis  Kernan.  Capt.  H.  B.  Morse,  of  Eaton,  Lieut. 
James  E.  Wedge  and  Capt.  Charles  E.  Tucker,  of  Hamilton,  recorded 
enlistments  at  the  meeting  for  the  114th  Regiment.  The  sum  of  $7,406 
was  subscribed  for  the  families  of  volunteers,  besides  $3,200  in  Caz- 
enovia,  $4,000  in  Lenox,  previously  subscribed;  these  subscriptions 
were  to  be  increased  in  the  county  to  $25,000.  Other  meetings  were 
held  in  the  county  at  this  active  period  in  military  affairs — in  Cazenovia 
July  28;  De  Ruyter  July  31 ;  Eaton  August  4;  Fenner  August  3;  George- 
town August  5 ;  Lebanon  August  1 ;  Nelson  August  5 ;  Peterboro  August 
7;  vStockbridge  August  2;  Erieville  August  9;  Sullivan  August  2.  This 
shows  the  prevailing  enthusiasm  and  energy  throughout  the  county 
that  was  concentrated  upon  the  work  at  that  particular  time. 

Enlistments  were  very  rapid  and  by  the  first  of  September  the  ranks 
of  the  114th  were  more  than  filled.  Company  D,  called  the  Eaton  and 
Lebanon  company,  was  enlisted  in  those  towns  and  Nelson ;  G,  from 
Hamilton  and  Brookfield ;  K,  from  Cazenovia,  and  part  of  H,  from  De 
Ruyter,  and  were  the  Madison  contribution  to  the  regiment.  Among 
the  prominent  men  of  this  county  who  made  speeches  at  the  various 
public  meetings  held  during  the  month  of  August  were  Sidney  T. 
Holmes,  Charles  L.  Kennedy,  L.  B.  Kern,  Alexander  Cramphin,  P.  P. 
Brown  and  A.  N.  Sheldon.  Among  others  who  contributed  gener- 
ously of  their  time  and  efforts  during  the  work  may  be  mentioned  B. 
E.  Hoppin  and  Messrs.  Avery  and  Baker,  of  Lebanon;  Lucius  P.  Clarke 
and  others,  of  Morrisville;  Hon.  S.  Rider,  A.  V.  Bentley,  R.  E.  Fair- 
child,  H.  C.  Miner,  Colonel  Whitford,  J.  B.  Wells,  of  De  Ruyter;  Ellis 
Coman,  George  E.  Morse,  and  Walter  Morse,  of  Eaton,  and  many 
others  whose  names  cannot  now  be  recalled.  During  the  raising  of 
this  regiment  there  were  numerous  enlistments  from  this  county  in  the 
17th,  89th,  and  161st  Regiments  of  infantry  and  the  8th,  22d  and  10th 
Cavalry, 

The  original  field,  staff  and  line  officers  of  this  regiment  were  as 
follows : 


THE  CIVIL  WAR.  197 

FIELD    OFFICERS. 

Colonel — EHsha  B.  Smith. 
Lieutenant-Colonel — Samuel  R.  Per  Lee. 
Major — Henry  B.  Morse. 

STAFF    OFFICERS. 

Adjutant — James  F.  Fitts. 

Quartermaster — J.  Floyd  Thompson. 

Surgeon — Levi  P.  Wagner. 

Assistant  Surgeons — H.  G.  Beardsley,  Harris  H.  Beecher. 

Chaplain — Henry  Callahan. 

LINE    OFFICERS. 

Company  A — Captain,  Oscar  H.  Curtis;  1st  Lieut.,  Samuel  S.  Staf- 
ford; 2d  Lieut.,  James  E.  Gilbert. 

Company  B — Captain,  Jacob  S.  Bockee;  1st  Lieut.,  Lauren  M. 
Nichols;  2d  Lieut.,  Edwin  O.  Gibson. 

Company  C — Captain,  Piatt  Titus;  1st  Lieut.,  S.  A.  Brooks;  2d 
Lieut.,  William  H.  Longwell. 

Company  D— Captain,  Willie  P.  Rexford;  1st  Lieut.,  James  E. 
Wedge;  2d  Lieut.,  Smith  H.  Case. 

Company  E — Captain,  Ransom  Macdonald ;  1st  Lieut.,  Nicholas  A. 
Dederer;  2d  Lieut. ,  George  G.  Donnelly. 

Company  F — Captain,  Charles  H.  Colwell;  1st  Lieut.,  Adrian  Foote; 
2d  Lieut.,  John  F.  Buell. 

Company  G — Captain,  Charles  E.  Tucker;  1st  Lieut.,  Charles  W. 
Underhill;  2d  Lieut.,  Homer  W.  Searles. 

Company  H— Captain,  Dyer  D.  Bullock;  1st  Lieut.,  Robert  P.  York; 
2d  Lieut.,  Edward  M.  Osborn. 

Company  I^Captain,  Hiram  S.  Wheeler;  1st  Lieut.,  Nelson  W. 
Schermerhorn  ;  2d  Lieut.,    E.  Porter  Pellet. 

Company  K — Captain,  Seneca  Lake;  1st  Lieut.,  Daniel  C.  Knowlton; 
2d  Lieut.,  Erastus  S.   Carpenter. 

NON-COMMISSIONED    STAFF. 

Sergeant- Major,  Elijah  St.  John;  Quartermaster-Sergeant,  Aug.  P. 
Clark;  .Commissary-Sergeant,  George  E.  Hawley;  Hospital  Steward, 
Ebenezer  McClintock. 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


FIRST    SERGEANTS. 


Company  A — Austin  S.  Southworth;  Company  B — George  Ballou; 
Company  C — Norman  Lewis;  Company  D — James  S.  Stewart;  Com- 
pany E — John  G.  Reynolds;  Company  F — William  D.  Thurber;  Com- 
pany G — Charles  F.  Sunny;  Company  H — Orlando  J.  Aylesworth; 
Company  I — Dennis  Thompson;  Company  K — Robert  N.  Eddy. 

No  attempt  will  be  here  made  to  follow  in  detail  the  history  of  this 
organization  through  its  several  campaigns.  The  history  of  any  regi- 
ment that  served  through  three  years  in  the  field  would  fill  a  moderate 
sized  volume  and  constitutes  a  part  of  the  general  history  of  the  war, 
which  must  be  sought  in  other  works.  On  the  3d  of  September  the 
114th,  which  had  previously  been  mustered  by  companies  into  the  State 
service,  was  formally  mustered  into  the  United  States  service,  and  on 
the  6th  departed  for  the  seat  of  war,  going  by  canal  to  Binghamton  and 
thence  by  railroad.  A  great  meeting  was  held  in  Norwich  on  the  occa- 
sion of  the  regiment's  departure,  at  which  Colonel  Smith  was  presented 
with  a  fully  equipped  war  horse.  The  regiment  arrived  in  Baltimore 
where  it  remained  in  camp  two  months  and  was  armed.  On  the  2d  of 
November  it  received  orders  to  be  ready  for  leaving  at  a  day's  notice. 
On  the  6th  it  sailed  down  Chesapeake  Bay  to  Fortress  Monroe,  whence, 
after  a  month's  stay,  it  left  to  join  Bank's  expedition  to  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico.  The  regiment  performed  an  honorable  part  in  the  operations 
in  the  South,  participating  in  the  battle  of  Bisland  in  April,  1863,  in 
which  its  loss  was  nine  men  wounded,  one  fatally.  On  the  1st  of  June 
the  regiment  joined  the  forces  before  Port  Hudson  and  on  the  14th  took 
part  in  the  assault  on  that  work,  in  which  Colonel  Smith  fell  mortally 
wounded.  The  regiment  then  remained  in  the  entrenchments  until  the 
surrender  of  the  place  on  the  9th  of  July.  After  sharing  in  the  fruit- 
less Texas  expedition  in  October  the  regiment  went  into  camp  at  New 
Iberia.  There  Charles  Turner  of  Company  C  was  shot  for  desertion. 
Also  Genei-al  Weitzel  at  that  time  left  the  brigade  to  join  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac.  At  the  end  of  the  year  the  records  of  the  regiment 
showed  that  there  had  been  killed  in  battle  2  officers  and  12  men ;  died 
of  wounds  and  disease,  3  officers  and  150  men;  discharged,  15  officers 
and  100  men;  transferred,  1  officer  and  32  men.  The  regiment  was 
then  under  command  of  Lient.-Col.  Henry  B.  Morse.  In  the  reorgan- 
ization of  the  army,  which  took  place  in  the  spring  of  1864,  the  114th 
was  made  a  part  of  the  1st  Brigade,  1st  Division,  19th  Corps.  In  March 
the  regiment  left  camp  on  the  famous  Red  River  campaign  and  suffered 


THE  CIVIL  WAR.  199 

considerably  in  the  battle  at  Sabine  Cross  Roads.  The  regiment  en- 
tered that  engagement  with  18  commissioned  officers  and  371  men;  its 
casualties  were  3  officers  killed  and  7  men  wounded,  and  on  the  follow- 
ing day  it  had  3  killed  and  5  wounded. 

In  July,  1864,  the  regiment  embarked  to  join  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac in  front  of  Petersburg.  Now  followed  a  long  series  of  marches 
and  counter-marches  in  the  Shenandoah  valley,  ending  with  the  battle 
of  Opequan  on  the  19th  of  September,  in  which  the  114th  won  great 
distinction  for  bravery  by  holding  its  position  t^ree  hours  under  a  hot 
fire.  Again  in  the  battle  m  which  Sheridan  won  undying  fame  and 
the  last  engagement  in  which  the  114th  participated,  it  performed  the 
most  gallant  service.  The  regiment  lost  128  in  killed,  wounded  and 
prisoners,  about  half  of  the  number  engaged.  Among  the  killed  in  the 
battle  of  Cedar  Creek,  October  19,  1864,  was  Capt.  David  C.  Knowlton. 

Without  further  memorable  service  the  regiment  participated  in  the 
grand  review  at  Washington  after  the  close  of  the  war  and  was  mus- 
tered out  on  the  8th  of  June,  1865.  Returning  to  Elmira  they  were 
discharged  on  the  17th  and  returned  home  to  receive  the  joyful  public 
reception  to  which  they  were  entitled. 

The  157th  was  recruited  under  the  call  of  July,  1862,  and  left  Ham- 
ilton, where  it  had  made  its  headquarters,  on  September  25  of  that 
year.  The  principal  regimental  officers  were  Philip  P.  Brown,  colonel ; 
James  C.  Carmichael,  major;  William  T.  Manchester,  adjutant;  Perrin 
H.  McGraw,  quartermaster;  Henry  C.  Hendrick,  surgeon.  Companies 
A  and  B  were  mostly  from  Hamilton  and  Oneida;  Co.  F  was  from 
Hamilton,  Lebanon,  Georgetown,  Smithfield  and  the  other  towns  of 
the  south  part  of  the  county;  Co.  Gwas  from  Lenox;  Co.  I  was  from 
Hamilton,  Smithfield,  Sullivan  and  a  few  from  other  towns.  The 
other  companies  were  mainly  from  Cortland  county.  The  line  officers 
of  the  Madison  county  companies  were  as  follows: 

Co.  A — J.  Hunt  Smith,  captain;  George  R.  Seaton,  1st  lieutenant; 
Julius  D.  Palmer,  3d  lieutenant. 

Co.  B — Thomas  J.  Randall,  captain;  Osbert  E.  Messinger,  1st  lieu- 
tenant; Justin  C.  Ware,  2d  lieutenant. 

Co.  F — J.  Riley  Stone,  captain;  William  A.  Stone,  1st  lieutenant; 
Samuel  J.  Wickwire,  3d  lieutenant. 

Co.  G — Abraham  Tuttle,  captain;  Frank  Harrison,  2d  lieutenant. 

Co.  I — William  Bellinger,  captain  ;  Thurlow  W.  Priest,  1st  lieuten- 
ant;  Willing  H.  Snyder,  2d  lieutenant. 


200  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  157th  left  its  headquarters  in  Hamilton  on  September  25,  1862, 
and  proceeded  to  Peterboro,  where  a  great  demonstration  was  made,  a 
dinner  served,  speeches  made,  etc.  Thousands  of  people  were  in  at- 
tendance from  all  parts  of  the  county  to  bid  good-bye  to  their  fathers, 
sons  and  brothers.  On  arriving  at  Washington,  Camp  Chase  on  Arling- 
ton Heights  was  occupied  a  few  weeks,  from  which  a  march  was  made 
to  Fairfax  Court  House.  The  regiment  was  placed  in  the  1st  Brigade, 
3d  Division,  11th  Corps,  and  a  few  weeks  later  started  for  New  Balti- 
more, Md.,  passing  through  Thoroughfare  Gap.  It  remained  at  New 
Baltimore  until  McClellan  was  relieved  of  his  command.  From  there 
the  regiment  went  to  Centerville  and  thence  to  Fredericksburg,  reach- 
ing there  during  the  second  day's  fight,  but  taking  no  part  therein. 
After  about  a  month  in  camp  near  Acquia  Creek,  the  regiment  started 
to  perform  its  share  in  the  unsuccessful  mud  campaign  of  Burnside, 
and  wintered  near  Falmouth. 

The  year  1863  gave  the  157th  a  trying  ordeal,  particularly  in  the 
great  battles  of  Chancellorsville  and  of  Gettysburg.  In  the  latter  the 
regiment  lost  within  an  hour  306  men  in  killed,  wounded  and  missing, 
among  whom  were  many  of  the  sons  of  Madison  county.  After  that 
event  the  regiment  was  sent  South  and  had  its  headquarters  at  Hilton 
Head,  S.  C. ;  took  part  in  the  siege  and  capture  of  Fort  Wagner,  and 
passed  that  winter  on  Morris  Island. 

During  the  year  1864  the  regiment  was  mainly  in  the  South  near 
Charleston  and  at  Fort  Pulaski,  participating  in  the  arduous  campaigns 
of  that  year  in  the  region  and  in  several  minor  sharp  engagements.  In 
December  a  forced  march  was  made  to  head  off  General  Hardie  from 
Charleston,  which  failed  by  a  narrow  margin  and  the  regiment  entered 
the  city  from  the  rear.  The  regiment  remained  near  Georgetown,  S.  C, 
until  spring,  when  several  short  campaigns  were  made  in  that  region 
for  the  destruction  of  railroads,  cotton  gins  and  cotton.  The  end  of 
the  war  was  at  hand  and  by  a  strange  coincidence  the  news  of  John- 
ston's surrender,  Lee's  surrender,  and  the  assassination  of  the  President 
reached  the  i^egiment  simultaneously.  The  157th  was  mustered  out  at 
Charleston,  July  10,  1865,  proceeded  to  New  York,  thence  to  Albany 
and  was  paid  off  in  Syracuse. 

In  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  Lieut. -Col.  George  Arrowsmith  was 
killed.  He  was  a  brave  and  efficient  officer  and  the  only  field  officer 
killed  in  the  regiment.  The  regiment  was  heavily  recruited  during  its 
service,  its  rolls  containing  about  1,600  names. 


THE  CIVIL  WAR.  201 

There  were  two  companies  raised  in  this  county  in  1863  to  serve  nine 
months.  Capt.  Albert  S.  Norton  raised  his  company  mainly  in  and 
around  Morrisville,  and  Capt.  Almon  C.  Messinger  another  at  Hamil- 
ton, both  of  which  joined  the  176th  regiment.  Of  Captain  Norton's 
company,  the  1st  lieutenant  was  J.  Douglass  Fry;  2d  lieutenant,  T. 
Foster  Petrie.  Both  companies  left  about  the  1st  of  December,  1863, 
and  proceeded  directly  to  Louisiana,  remaining  in  that  vicinity  until 
the  expiration  of  their  term  of  service,  and  taking  part  in  the  capture 
of  Brashear  City.  The  regiment  was  mustered  out  in  November,  1863, 
in  New  York. 

The  quota  of  this  State  under  the  call  of  July,  1802,  for  300,000 
troops  was  58,705,  and  there  were  furnished  78,904.  Under  the  call  of 
a  month  later  for  a  like  number,  with  a  draft  to  follow  on  September  3 
wherever  the  quota  was  not  full,  the  draft  was  averted  by  prompt  en- 
listments and  the  credit  of  the  surplus  of  the  former  call.  The  last 
mentioned  call  was  for  nine  month's  service.  Under  a  call  of  1863  a 
draft  began  in  New  York  and  New  England  in  the  second  week  in  July, 
causing  the  memorable  riots  in  New  York  city.  For  Madison  county 
the  draft  began  at  Oswego  on  the  5th  of  August.  The  following  sta- 
tistics show  the  enrollment  and  the  number  drafted  in  the  several 
towns  of  the  county : 

Enrolled.      Drafted. 

Brookfield ..., 413  121 

Cazenovia 305  88 

De  Ruyter 300  54 

Eaton... - 359  103 

Fenner 121  31 

Georgetown 138  38 

Hamilton 386  113 

Lebanon 148  38 

Lenox 733  212 

Madison 56 

Nelson 165  44 

Smithfield 130  34 

Stockbridge 181  48 

Sullivan... 678  199 

On  the  25th  of  August  the  drafted  men  were  ordered  to  Oswego  for 
examination.  Under  this  call  credits  were  allowed  for  every  man  who 
paid  a  commutation  fee  of  $300.     The  result,  as  might  have  been  fore- 


202  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

seen,  was  the  receipt  by  the  government  of  a  large  cash  revenue,  and 
almost  no  soldiers  at  all.  Out  of  the  whole  call  for  300,000  less  than 
75,000  went  into  the  ranks.  As  a  local  example  only  one  man  out  of 
eighty-two  went  from  the  town  of  Cazenovia. 

The  first  important  action  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  in  connection 
with  military  affairs  was  the  holding  of  a  special  meeting  on  August 
16,  18G2,  which  was  called  to  consider  the  necessity  of  negotiating  a 
loan  for  the  purpose  of  facilitating  enlistments.  A  committee  was  there 
appointed  to  submit  a  plan  of  work,  consisting  of  John  W.  Lippitt, 
Calvin  Whitford,  Nathan  Brownell,  jr.,  Harris  C.  Miner  and  E.  C. 
Philpot.  This  committee  recommended  the  appointment  of'  another 
committee  consisting  of  Sidney  T.  Holmes,  D.  B.  West,  W.  E.  Fiske, 
James  Barnett  and  Daniel  Stewart,  with  Silas  Loomis  of  the  board, 
and  L.  B.  Kern,  clerk  of  the  board,  to  "raise  on  the  credit  of  the 
county  of  Madison  the  sum  of  $80,000  upon  county  orders  on  interest 
payable  eight  months  from  date,"  etc.  This  was  known  as  the  "war 
loan  of  1862."  The  board  gave  a  pledge  that  the  amount  should  be 
raised  by  taxation  in  the  following  year.  Town  committees  were 
appointed  also,  to  aid  in  the  disbursement  of  the  money. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  1862  it  was  resolved  to  make  no  distinction 
in  the  payment  of  bounties  to  nine-months'  men  and   three-year  men. 

A  special  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  was  held  on  the  22d 
of  February,  1863,  at  which  a  committee  of  three  was  appointed  con- 
sisting of  N.  Brownell,  jr.,  Alexander  McGregor  and  D.  W.  C.  Stevens, 
to  settle  the  accounts  of  the  town  and  county  war  committees.  The 
committee  reported  the  amount  of  orders  issued  up  to  August  18,  1862, 
as  $50,750;  to  this  was  added  in  November,  $3, SCO,  and  in  December, 
$2,250.     All  of  this  was  properly  apportioned  among  the  towns. 

The  next  call  for  troops  was  made  on  the  17th  of  October,  1863;  this 
with  the  call  of  February  1,  1864,  was  for  an  aggregate  of  500,000  men, 
including  those  raised  by  the  draft  of  1863  just  noticed.  The  quota  of 
New  York  under  these  calls  was  81,993,  and  about  60,000  were  fur- 
nished. A  draft  was  ordered  for  January  5,  186-1,  to  fill  all  lacking 
quotas  on  the  call  of  October  17  preceding.  The  quota  for  this  district 
was  1,527.  Active  operations  at  once  began  in  Madison  county  to 
secure  the  necessary  number  of  volunteers  and  avert  the  threatened 
draft.  Lucius  P.  Clark  was  appointed  recruiting  agent  for  this  Assem- 
bly district  and  opened  an  office  in  Morrisville.  The  Board  of  Super- 
visors held  frequent  special  meetings  and  voted  the  necessary  money 


THE  CIVIL  WAR.  203 

for  the  large  bounties  then  prevailing  throughout  the  State  and  made 
arrangements  for  raising  it  by  the  issue  of  county  bonds.  Under  the 
call  of  October  17  the  following  statement  shows  the  enrollment  and 
quota  of  the  towns  in  this  county : 

Enrolled.      Dratted. 

Brookfield 283  58 

Cazenovia 330  43 

De  Ruyter 140  29 

Eaton 358  51 

Fenner 90  18 

Georgetown 113  33 

Hamilton 274  54 

Lenox 533  103 

Madison 153  30 

Nelson 131  34 

Smithfield 94  19 

Stockbridge 138  35 

Sullivan 479  95 

A  special  meeting  of  the  supervisors  was  held  December  9,  1863,  at 
which  it  was  resolved  that  the  board  offer  $300  bounty  to  each  volun- 
teer under  the  last  preceding  call  for  300,000  men.  This  resolution 
was  unanimously  adopted.  A  committee  was  appointed  to  formulate  a 
plan  for  raising  the  money.  This  committee  reported  in  favor  of  issuing 
county  orders  to  be  delivered  to  a  committee  of  three  in  each  town, 
such  committees  to  be  appointed  by  the  board.  The  faith  of  the  county 
was  pledged  to  the  payment  of  the  orders. 

This  draft  was  once  postponed,  but  by  energetic  and  generous  work 
the  quota  of  Madison  county  was  filled.  Under  the  succeeding  call  of 
February  1,  1864,  the  draft  for  unfilled  quotas  was  ordered  for  March 
10.  This  was  also  averted  in  Madison  county  and  the  quota  was  filled 
directly  in  connection  with  the  next  former  call,  with  which  this  one 
was  associated. 

The  men  of  Madison  county  who  were  enlisted  during  the  filling  of 
these  several  quotas  went  into  various  organizations  and  several  full 
companies  were  formed. 

At  a  special  meeting  of  the  supervisors  held  February  4,  1864,  it 
was  resolved  that  the  board  authorize  the  continuance  of  the  bounty  of 
$300  to  every  volunteer  credited  on  the  quota  then  due,  and  a  commit- 
tee of  five  was  appointed  to  submit  plans  for  raising  the  necessary 


204  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

money.  Action  similar  to  that  under  similar  preceding  circumstances 
was  then  taken.  Another  meeting  was  held  Februarj'  24  at  which  it 
was  resolved  that  a  tax  of  $10,000  be  levied  for  the  payment  of  county 
orders.     The  bounty  of  $300  was  further  continued. 

At  a  special  meeting  of  the  board  July  35,  1864,  it  was  moved  that  a 
committee  of  five  be  appointed  for  the  purpose  "  of  devising  some  way 
to  secure  volunteers  in  the  county  of  Madison  under  the  recent  call  for 
500,000  volunteers."  The  committee  was  appointed  and  upon  its  re- 
port it  was  resolved  that  the  county  will  pay  $300  for  one  year  men ; 
$400  for  two  year  men,  and  $500  for  three  year  men.  County  orders 
were  to  be  issued  for  the  necessary  funds,  payable  on  or  before  April 
1,  1866,  at  seven  per  cent,  interest.  If  the  quotas  were  all  filled  with- 
out a  draft,  the  cost  of  obtaining  the  volunteers  was  to  be  made  a 
county  charge.  If  not,  then  each  town  was  to  be  charged  with  the 
amount  received  and  a  tax  for  the  amount  levied  and  collected  in  each 
of  such  towns.  It  was  also  resolved  that  two  agents  be  chosen  to  go  to 
other  localities  to  secure  recruits,  Georgia  being  the  field  that  was 
selected.     Recruiting  agents  were  appointed  also  in  each  town. 

At  the  annual  meeting  for  1864  the  committee  on  war  loans  reported 
the  whole  number  of  bonds  issued  as  1,916,  amounting  to  $643,700. 
There  had  been  paid  to  volunteers  and  substitutes  $589,250.  In  that 
year  there  was  to  be  raised  by  the  county  $350,000. 

A  special  meeting  of  the  board  was  held  June  2,  1865,  at  which  the 
supervisors  in  the  various  towns  were  given  authority  to  settle  with  the 
paymaster-general  of  the  State  for  the  excess  of  years  of  service  per- 
formed under  the  call  of  July  18,  1864,  and  receive  reimbursement 
therefor. 

On  the  14th  of  March,  1864,  a  call  was  issued  for  200,000  troops,  with 
a  draft  for  unfilled  quotas  on  April  15.  By  this  time,  and  even  under 
the  two  previous  calls,  war  prospects  were  anything  but  cheering.  It 
was  rapidly  becoming  more  and  more  difficult  to  secure  volunteers. 
The  northern  element  that  sympathized  with  the  South  was  numerous 
and  clamoring  for  ending  the  conflict  in  other  ways  than  on  the  battle- 
field. As  one  means  of  inspiring  enthusiasm  and  strengthening  the 
Republican  party,  the  Loyal  League  was  organized  throughout  the 
North;  it  was  a  semi-secret,  semi-military  body  and  became  an  impor- 
tant factor  in  politics  and  military  affairs.  The  general  conservative 
element  as  well  as  the  minority  in  the  North  who  were  outspoken 
against  the  war,  were  now  appalled  at  the  enormous  debt  that  was  be- 


THE  CIVIL  WAR.  205 

ing  created  for  bounty  purposes  in  every  county,  while  the  departure 
to  Southern  battlefields  of  so  many  of  the  best  men  of  every  hamlet, 
village  and  city  had  become  most  dispiriting.  Union  meetings  were 
held  in  the  large  villages  of  Madison  county,  as  elsewhere,  where  patri- 
otic speeches  and  appeals  were  made  by  eloquent  men  and  money  for 
bounties  was  generously  provided. 

On  the  24th  of  April,  1864,  a  statement  was  made  public  showing  the 
condition  of  Madison  county  under  the  various  preceding  calls.  By 
that  it  appeared  that  Brookfield,  Hamilton,  Lebanon,  Georgetown,  De 
Ruyter,  Eaton,  Stockbridge,  Smithfield,  and  Fenner  together  had  an 
excess  of  seventy-six  volunteers,  while  Cazenovia,  Nelson,  Madison, 
Sullivan,  and  Lenox  were  lacking  a  total  of  forty.  A  little  later  this 
was  supplemented  by  another  statement  which  showed  that  with  proper 
credits  made  the  quota  of  the  county  was  filled. 

On  the  38th  of  July,  1864,  a  call  was  issued  for  500,000  one  year  vol- 
unteers, with  a  draft  to  follow  on  the  4th  of  September  if  the  number 
was  not  raised.  The  quota  of  this  county  was  886,  but  some  of  the 
towns  had  an  excess,  so  that  the  number  to  be  raised  was  only  745. 
By  persistent  and  active  work  the  quota  was  filled  and  the  draft 
averted. 

On  the  19th  of  December,  1864,  the  last  direct  call  for  troops  was 
issued,  the  number  being  300,000,  but  before  the  quota  in  the  various 
States  was  filled  the  necessity  for  more  soldiers  in  the  field  had  ceased 
to  exist.  The  long  and  bloody  conflict  was  approaching  its  close. 
Desperate  efforts  were  at  once  inaugurated  in  this  county  to  fill  the 
local  quota,  which  was  for  the  district,  1,522  men.  The  supervisors 
met  and  resolved  to  offer  bounties  of  $400  for  one  year  men ;  $500  for 
two  year  men,  and  $600  for  three  year  men.  These  large  bounties 
were  made  necessary  through  the  offer  of  similar  amounts  in  adjoining 
counties,  and  the  competition  in  securing  volunteers  became  very 
active.  A  draft  was  to  take  place  on  February  15,  1865,  for  unfilled 
quotas;  this  was  postponed  when  that  date  arrived,  as  the  prospects 
were  that  the  requisite  number  would  be  furnished.  The  quota  of  Madi- 
son county  was  filled  by  the  payment  of  average  bounties  of  $700.  The 
county  at  the  close  of  1864  had  a  surplus  of  105  men. 

With  the  surrender  of  Lee  and  his  army  at  Appomattox  the  glad  news 
came  over  the  wires  northward  and  the  same  feeling  of  exultation  was 
felt  in  every  neighborhood, hamlet,  village  and  city ;  the  event  was  appro- 
priately   celebrated    in    Morrisville,  Oneida  and  other  villages  in  this 


206  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

county.  The  people  saw  opening  before  them  another  era  of  peace  and 
prosperit}\ 

There  are  brief  and  somewhat  meagre  and  fragmentary  records  ac- 
cessible relative  to  the  action  of  towns  in  the  county  on  war  matters 
which,  with  the  muster  rolls  deposited  in  the  offices  of  county  clerks, 
are  the  only  other  sources  of  information  on  the  subject.  As  a  rule  the 
towns  of  the  county  were  prompt  in  ratifying  the  action  of  the  Board 
of  Supervisors,  which  frequently  preceded  any  action  taken  by  the 
towns  themselves;  this  was  particularly  true  regarding  the  bounty 
matters. 

During  this  great  and  costly  struggle  for  the  maintenance  of  the 
American  Union  and  the  spread  of  the  cause  of  personal  freedom,  the 
ordinary  public  affairs  of  peaceful  times  were  almost  wholly  neglected 
unless  they  imperatively  demanded  attention.  From  1861  to  1865,  the 
proceedings  of  the  supervisors  of  Madison  county  show  that  matters 
which  had  been  the  subject  of  action  regularly  in  preceding  years,  were 
generally  left  out  of  consideration.  At  a  meeting  held  on  the  38th  of 
April,  1863,  in  Morrisville,  a  company  was  organized  to  build  a  mac- 
adam road  from  that  village  to  Peterboro.  Gerrit  Smith,  O.  P.  Gran- 
ger and  others  were  conspicuous  in  the  matter  and  a  committee  was 
appointed  to  examine  the  route.  At  a  later  meeting  B.  Tillinghast. 
L.  D.  Dana,  G.  E.  Cummings,  W.  F.  Bonney  and  D.  Cross  were  chosen 
directors,  and  Mr.  Tillinghast  president  of  the  company.  The  route 
chosen  was  the  so-called  eastern  or  swamp  route,  and  the  road  was 
constructed  in  the  fall  and  winter  of  1863-63. 

A  special  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  was  held  on  October 
19,  1864,  where  it  was  resolved  that  immediate  steps  be  taken  to  re- 
build the  court  house  in  place  of  the  one  destroyed  by  fire.  A  commit- 
tee of  five  was  appointed  to  examine  the  walls  of  the  burned  structure 
and  report  on  their  condition,  and  a  committee  of  three  to  receive  bids 
for  a  new  building.  The  bids  averaged  about  $12,000,  and  the  new 
court  house  was  erected  as  elsewhere  described.  The  report  of  the 
court  hoase  debt  made  to  the  Board  of  Supervisors  in  1868-9  was 
little  over  $16,000. 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— EATON. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
PROGRESS  OF  IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— EATON. 

The  long  march  of  events  described  in  several  preceding  chapters  in- 
volved to  a  large  degree  the  general  development,  the  public  welfare 
and  public  interest  of  the  county  at  large,  and  has  been  treated  from 
that  point  of  view,  with  the  exception  of  the  action  of  the  separate 
towns  during  the  war  period.  But  while  the  county  as  a  whole,  was 
thus  making  for  itself  a  half  a  century  of  general  history,  the  footsteps 
of  the  spirit  of  progress  were  marked  in  every  town,  in  every  hamlet, 
in  each  neighborhood,  and  around  every  separate  hearthstone.  There 
it  was,  frequently  in  obscure  places  or  among  the  toilers  whose  names 
were  never  to  be  known  beyond  their  own  narrow  limitations,  that 
were  enacted  the  deeds  of  individuals  and  families,  deeds  that  were, 
perhaps,  trifling  in  themselves,  the  story  of  which  is  closely  interwoven 
with  the  more  significant  and  important  features  of  the  history  of  the 
county.  After  its  formation,  as  described  in  earlier  chapters,  every 
town  contributed  its  share  to  the  great  onward  march  of  devel- 
opment and  growth ;  every  village  left  its  record  to  form  a  part  of  the 
story  of  the  time ;  each  farm,  even,  and  its  occupants,  made  an  im- 
press, however  faint,  upon  the  historic  page. 

The  changes  that  took  place  in  Madison  county  during  the  half  cent- 
ury preceding  the  Civil  war,  were  chiefly  only  those  which  have  char- 
acterized the  development  of  most  rural  communities  in  this  State.  In 
the  following  chapters  devoted  to  further  account  of  the  growth  of  the 
various  towns  the  historian  finds  little  to  record,  outside  of  the  gradual 
and  steady  advancement  of  each  community  in  the  arts  of  peace.  Even 
in  numbers  of  inhabitants  this  county  saw  less  change  during  that  half 
century  than  most  others  in  the  State.  With  a  population  of  32,308  in 
1830,  an  increase  from  35,144  in  1810,"  we  find  it  with  only  39,038  in 
1830;  this  number  rose  by  slight  increase  during,  each  decade  to  43,687 
in  1855,  a  number  that  has  not  since  been  exceeded.  In  1865  it  was 
43,607. 

'  In  1810  Madison  county  had  thirty-Sve  slaves,  reduced  to  ten  in  1820. 


208  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

In  continuing  the  history  of  the  towns  of  the  county  Eaton  is  taken 
up  first,  as  it  contains  the  county  seat  and  was  one  of  the  five  organ- 
ized in  1807,  following  the  five  original  towns  of  the  county.  The  most 
important  event  in  this  town  in  the  early  years  of  the  present  century 
was  the  incorporation  of  the  village  of  Morrisville.  There  is  no  doubt 
but  its  selection  as  the  county  seat  was  influential  towards  this  result. 
The  date  of  its  first  incorporarion  was  April  13,  1819.  Morrisville  is  a 
pleasantly  situated  village  in  the  northwestern  part  of  this  town,  on  the 
Cherry  Valley  Turnpike,  and  now  has  a  population  of  about  700. 
In  1850  the  number  of  inhabitants  was  500;  in  1855  it  was  715;  in  1865 
it  was  650,  which  is  a  little  less  than  the  present  number. 

The  early  records  of  the  village  are  lost,  rendering  it  impossible  to 
give  the  names  of  many  of  the  officers  and  the  proceedings  of  the  au- 
thorities in  early  years.  The  last  clerk  under  the  old  village  govern- 
ment was  Alexander  Donaldson,  jr.,  and  it  is  supposed  that  he  carried 
the  records  to  New  York,  whither  he  removed.  In  1848  the  village 
was  reincorporated  under  the  general  law  and  Abel  B.  De  Forest, 
Bradley  Tillinghast,  Franklin  T.  Maybury,  Luman  E.  Cole  and  Edward 
Norton  were  chosen  the  first  trustees.  The  assessors  were  Moses  Bick- 
nell,  Albert  S.  Norton,  Elisha  C.  Topliff;  treasurer,  A.  Scott  Sloan; 
clerk,  James  Norton;  collector,  Hibbard  Martin;  poundmaster,  Dwight 
T.  Williams.  Abel  De  Forest  was  elected  president  of  the  village,  and 
subsequently  stated  that  he  supposed  he  was  given  that  honor  as  a  reward 
for  having  constructed  the  first  sidewalk  in  the  village.  Following  is  a 
list  of  the  presidents  and  clerks  from  the  incorporation  to  the  present 
time: 

Presidents— 1849-50,  Bradley  Tillinghast;  1851,  Edward  Norton; 
1852-57,  Moses  Bicknell;  1858-59,  John  Tillinghast;  1860-61,  F.  F. 
Stevens;  1862,  Lucius  P.  Clark;  1863,  Dwight  Cross';  1864-65,  Edward 
Norton;  1866,  Lucius  P.  Clark ;  1867-73,  Edward  Norton;  1874,  Ed- 
ward Townsend;  1875-77,  H.  S.  Phelps;  1878,  T.  Foster  Petrie;  1879- 
80,  EdwmR  Barker;  1881,  Henry  S.  Phelps;  1883,  William  P.  Cleve- 
land; 1883-87,  Morris  J.  Blakeslee;  1888-89,  E.  G.  Richardson;  1890- 
91,  Georges.  Tillinghast;  1892-96,  Henry  B.  Coman;  1897-99,  F.  S. 
Haywood. 

Clerks— 1849-57,  James  Norton;  1858-66,  Alexader  H.  Holmes;  1867, 
J.  S.  Stewart;  1868-79,  J.  B.  Bicknell;  1880-94,  George  L.  Robie;  1895- 
99,  H.  C.  Wood. 

David  Gaston,  a  prominent  early   settler,  opened  the  first  store  at 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— EATON.  209 

Morrisville,  or  Morris  Flats,  as  it  was  known  for  many  years.  He  be- 
gan business  in  1804  at  the  corner  of  the  Peterboro  road.  The  store 
continued  many  years  in  connection  with  a  tavern  at  the  same  place. 
In  1808  Bennett  Bicknell  came  from  Utica,  as  before  stated,  and  opened 
a  store  on  the  opposite  corner  and  began  a  career  that  was  destined  to 
bring  him  honor  and  leave  a  marked  impress  on  the  place. 

The  post  office  was  established  about  1808  and  located  in  Major  Bick- 
nell's  store.  When  it  was  subsequently  removed  to  Farwell's  public 
house,  at  the  other  end  of  the  street,  considerable  strife  was  en- 
gendered between  the  up-town  and  down-town  residents.  Farwell's 
was  the  first  regular  hotel  opened  in  the  village  and  was  kept  in  opera- 
tion a  number  of  years  from  1815;  it  was  partially  burned  in  1859,  but 
was  later  repaired  and  used  for  a  dwelling.  It  stood  on  the  site  of  the 
new  Reidy  block.  The  post-office  difficulty  was  finally  amicably  set- 
tled by  locating  it  first  about  midway  on  the  street,  and  in  1833  it  was 
settled  in  the  Observer  building,  where  it  remained  more  than  half  a 
century  and  until  it  was  recently  removed  to  the  Reidy  building.  A 
half  mile  east  of  the  village  still  stands  the  house  that  was  occupied  as 
a  hotel  long  before  there  was  any  important  settlement  on  the  site  of 
Morrisville;  it  has  long  been  known  as  the  Runkel  place  and  is  now  a 
fine  example  of  the  old-time  farm  home.  The  house  was  built  by 
Abiathar  Gates. 

The  schools  of  Morrisville,  succeeding  the  first  one  kept  by  Dr.  James 
Pratt,  were  those  of  districts  numbered  8  and  17;  the  former  occupied  the 
building  now  used  by  the  fire  department,  while  the  house  in  district 
number  17  was  ultimately  absorbed  in  a  dwelling.  The  Morrisville 
Academy  was  established  in  1831  and  with  its  successor,  the  present 
Union  school,  is  fully  described  in  Chapter  XXIV. 

The  first  lawyer  to  settle  in  Morrisville  was  Andrew  S.  Sloan,  who 
came  from  Mansfield,  Conn.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Williams  College  in 
1813  and  settled  in  Morrisville  in  1819,  where  he  continued  to  reside 
until  his  death  in  1857.  He  was  a  deserving  citizen  of  high  character, 
held  the  office  of  county  clerk  six  years  and  was  first  judge  of  the  Court 
of  Common  Pleas.  With  Mr.  Sloan  was  for  a  short  period  associated 
Hugh  Halsey,  who  came  from  Long  Island.  He  returned  to  his  former 
home  and  died  there.  Epenetus  Holmes,  another  prominent  member 
of  the  bar,  located  in  Morrisville  about  the  same  time  with  Judge  Sloan. 
He  was  a  native  of  Amenia,  N.  Y.,  born  in  1784.  He  studied  in 
Schaghticoke  and  after  admission  to  the  bar,  practiced  there  for  a  time. 


210  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

His  first  public  office  in  this  county  was  justice  of  the  peace,  and  after- 
wards for  ten  years  he  sat  on  the  Common  Pleas  bench.  He  died  in 
1861.  His  son,  Sidney  T.  Holmes,  followed  him  in  the  same  profes- 
sion and  was  prominent  in  politics,  holding  the  office  of  county  judge 
from  1851  to  1863,  and  was  elected  to  Congress  in  1865  Iby  the  Repub- 
licans and  served  two  terms.  He  removed  to  Bay  City,  Mich.,  in  1871. 
Other  prominent  attorneys  of  this  town  were  A.Lawrence  Foster,  1827; 
Otis  P.  Granger,  1821;  William  W.  Farwell,  1854;  Duane  Brown,  1845; 
Alexander  Cramphin,  Charles  L.  Kennedy,  Nathaniel  Foote,  father  of 
A.  A.  Foote,  Lucius  P.  Clark,  S.  Perry  Smith,  H.  B.  Coman,  John  A. 
Johnson,  and  others. 

Dr.  James  Pratt,  the  first  physician  in  the  place,  was  joined  before 
1810  by  Dr.  Isaac  Hovey,  who  continued  in  practice  nearly  fifty  years 
and  removed  to  Deansville  where  he  died.  Dr.  William  P.  Cleveland 
came  about  that  time,  and  had  an  extensive  practice  during  about  forty 
years;  he  died  February  18,  1844.  Other  later  physicians  were  Drs. 
Milton  Barnett,  F.  F.  Maybury,  M.  M.  Marsh,  Zabina  M.  Morey,  J.  R. 
Wells,  Hayes,  Curtiss,  George  S.  Loomis,  A.  A.  Mason,  Crowell,  Phil- 
hps,  Brown,  H.  P.  Mead,  D.  D.  and  Lynn  Chase,  F.  D.  Babcock,  and 
others. 

A  burial  ground  was  established  sometime  previous  to  1812  on  the 
site  of  what  became  known  as  the  Morrisville  cemetery.  Thomas  Mor- 
ris donated  about  three-fourths  of  an  acre  of  land  for  the  use  of  the 
public  and  families  selected  therein  such  small  sections  as  best  pleased 
them.  In  1857  the  Rural  Cemetery  Association  was  formed  under  the 
State  law,  and  additional  land  was  purchased  on  the  west  and  north 
of  the  old  ground.  The  first  burial  in  the  old  cemetery,  as  far  as  known, 
was  that  of  a  child  whose  name  cannot  now  be  learned.  The  second 
was  doubtless  James  Madison  Bicknell,  son  of  Bennett  Bicknell,  who 
died  March  19,  1814,  aged  eleven  months. 

The  tanning  business  was  begun  at  Morrisville  about  1814,  and  was 
one  of  the  first  industries  in  the  place;  Alanson  Stillwell  was  the  pro- 
prietor and  he  also  manufactured  shoes.  He  subsequently  removed  to 
Manlius  where  he  built  another  tannery,  leaving  this  one  in  charge  of 
his  son.  Clark  Tillinghast  and  his  employer.  Dr.  Isaac  Hovey,  who 
had  a  drug  store,  bought  the  building  and  an  acre  of  ground  and  estab- 
lished an  ashery.  Mr.  Stillwell  returned  later  and  built  another  small 
tannery  across  the  brook.  In  1830  Bradley  Tillinghast  came  from 
Mansfield,  Conn.,  bought  the  ashery  of  his  brother  and  began  tanning 
on  a  larger  scale,  carrying  on  the  business  until  comparatively  recent 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— EATON.  211 

years.  About  1838  one  of  the  Slocum  family  operated  a  tannery  a  short 
distance  up  the  brook,  where  a  saw  mill  was  subsequently  located. 
Hiram  D.  Cloyes  occupied  the  site  for  a  time  with  an  ashery.  In  early 
years  the  manufacture  of  crude  potash  was  one  of  the  principal  indus- 
tries in  most  of  the  towns,  and  was  the  source  upon  which  the  settlers 
largely  depended  for  cash.  The  saw  mill  there  was  built  about  1830  by 
Abel  De  Forest,  and  ten  years  later  he  constructed  the  last  dam.  In 
1861  he  sold  to  William  R.  Jones;  the  latter  was  succeeded  at  his  death 
by  his  sons;  the  property  is  now  owned  by  Thomas  Green.  The  other 
mill  is  now  in  operation  by  William  Field. 

A  silk  factory  was  established  about  1853  by  F.  F.  Stevens  and  John 
F.  Gurley  and  at  one  time  from  forty  to  fifty  hands  were  employed, 
chiefiy  in  the  production  of  sewing  silk.  Stephen  Coman  purchased 
the  buildings,  and  in  the  spring  of  1862  converted  them  into  a  cheese 
factory,  the  dairy  business  having  by  that  date  become  an  important 
industry.  The  building  was  subsequently  burned.  The  town  of  Eaton 
has  the  honor  of  first  introducing  the  cheese  factory  and  creamery  sys- 
tem, which  after  1860  created  a  most  important  change  in  the  agricult- 
ural life  of  the  county.  The  first  cheese  factory  was  built  at  Eaton 
village  in  1861  by  George  Morse,  and  in  1880  there  were  eight  in  opera- 
tion located  at  Morrisville,  Williams's  Corners,  Hatch's  Lake,  West 
Eaton,  Eaton,  Pecksport,  Pine  Woods  and  Pratt's  Hollow.  The  busi- 
ness has  since  greatly  declined,  and  large  quantities  of  milk  are  now 
shipped  to  New  York  by  rail.  There  are  now  only  two  factories  in  the 
town.  The  Morrisville  factory  passed  through  the  hands  of  H.  E. 
Griswold,  Avery  &  Wadsworth  and  J.  B.  Wadsworth  in  1880.  It  is 
now  operated  by  Hopkins  &  Champlin.  The  Eaton  factory  is  con- 
ducted by  Tupper  Brothers. 

When  Bennett  Bicknell  arrived  in  Morrisville  in  1808  he  at  once  be- 
gan the  manufacture  of  combs,  building  the  first  factory  and  using  horn 
for  the  purpose.  Jonathan  Gurley  succeeded  to  the  business,  which  he 
continued  until  1840.  Bicknell,  Coman  &  Norton's  distillery  was  built 
in  1836  and  was  successfully  operated  for  some  years,  the  product  be- 
ing shipped  to  New  York.  The  first  firm  was  succeeded  by  Bicknell, 
Palmer  &  Norton,  and  they  by  Bicknell  &  Son.  The  business  was  dis- 
continued in  1860  and  the  buildings  long  ago  disappeared. 

The  grist  mill  was  built  in  1830  and  still  earlier  a  saw  mill  was  built 
above  the  grist  mill ;  this  was  moved  down  to  the  latter  in  1855  and 
ceased  operation  about  the  beginning  of  the  war;  the  mill  is  now  owned 
by  A.  F.  Cook.     A   woolen  mill   was   established   in    1836  by  Nathan 


212  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Shepard,  which  at  one  time  employed  fifty  hands;  among  them  was 
Emily  Chnbbuck,  then  a  little  girl,  who  was  destined  to  win  fame  as 
the  authoress,  "  Fanny  Forrester."  In  1841  was  established  the  ma- 
chine shop  on  the  old  distillery  farm,  long  known  as  Torrey's  machine 
shop,  the  buildings  of  which  were  afterwards  used  as  a  cooper  shop. 
Saleratus  was  manufactured  here  a  number  years  previous  to  1840  by 
Babbitt  &  Darling.  In  1830  Jefferson  Cross  built  a  foundry  and  shop 
for  the  manufacture  of  cast  iron  plows.  Stoves  were  also  made  here 
in  early  years.  Mr.  Cross  died  in  1850  and  was  succeeded  by  his  sons 
George  and  Dwight,  who  long  continued  the  industry;  the  property 
is  now  occupied  by  Carlos  Bennett. 

With  the  growth  of  the  village  mercantile  operations  were  extended 
to  meet  the  needs  of  the  community.  W.  P.  Chambers  opened  a  gen- 
eral store  in  1850  and  is  still  in  business,  the  oldest  merchant  in  the 
town.  Windsor  Coman  kept  a  drug  store  a  number  of  years  and  was 
succeeded  by  a  firm  consisting  of  Dr.  H.  P.  Mead  and  H.  E.  Chapin,  the 
latter  retiring  in  1884  and  Dr.  Mead  continuing  the  business  until  the 
present  time.  W.  R.  Kimball  began  business  as  a  merchant  and  shoe- 
maker in  1883,  succeeding  his  father,  B.  N.  Kimball.  H.  S.  Phelps 
was  a  general  merchant  a  number  of  years  prior  to  1878,  when  he  was 
succeeded  by  W.  P.  Jones.  The  firm  of  Storrs  &  Seymour  (C.  M.  Sey- 
mour, Otis  Storrs)  conducted  the  general  store  in  which  Mr.  Seymour 
now  carries  on  the  same  business.  E.  N.  Dexter  is  also  engaged  in 
mercantile  business.  Other  present  merchants  are  noticed  in  the  later 
Gazetteer  of  the  town.  Edwin  Barnard  was  a  former  harness  maker 
and  was  succeeded  by  John  Reidy.  George  Wilbur  engaged  some 
years  ago  in  the  furniture  business  and  was  succeeded  by  W.  L.  Field. 

The  hotel  called  the  Bicknell  House  was  built  on  the  corner  opposite 
the  before  described  Farwell  House.  It  ultimately  became  the  Burden 
House,  with  John  Burden  proprietor.  The  old  Madison  County  Hotel 
stood  on  the  site  of  the  present  Barker  House  and  was  long  kept  by 
Hiram  Lewis,  by  William  Morris  and  Samuel  Tucker  in  partnership. 
The  present  house  was  built  by  Edwin  R.  Barker  in  1872  and  among 
its  landlords  have  been  T.  O.  Heacock,  James  Kinney,  F.  Murtagh  and 
Charles  Beekman. 

The  Exchange  Hotel  was  built  for  a  store  by  Samuel  Shepard  and 
was  converted  into  a  hotel  about  183G ;  it  has  had  various  proprietors 
before  passing  to  the  present  landlord,  B.  A.  Wilbur. 

The  next  church  organized  in  the  town  after  the  formation  of  the 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— EATON.  213 

county  was  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Eaton,  located  in  Morrisville, 
which  was  organized  in  1809.  A  small  meeting  house  was  soon  after- 
ward erected.  In  1829  the  society  was  given  a  more  suitable  site  for 
a  church  building  by  Bennett  Bicknell,  and  the  iirst  structure  was  re- 
moved to  it  and  enlarged.  In  1848  a  new  edifice  was  erected,  the  old 
one  being  sold  at  auction.  With  some  improvements  the  building  is 
still  in  use.  Among  those  who  have  entered  the  ministry  from  this 
church  are  Rev.  William  Dean,  D.  D.,  the  missionary  to  Siam  and  author 
of  the  Chinese  translation  of  the  Bible;  Revs.  Joel  and  Willis  Nye,  Al- 
fred Cornell,  Henry  M.,  Leonard  J.,  William  K.  and  Delavan  D.  Dean. 
Rev.  Nathaniel  Kendrick,  D.  D.,  was  settled  as  pastor  over  the  church, 
in  1817  and  resigned  in  1820.  Later  pastors  have  been  Revs.  Obed 
Warren,  David  Blakesley,  Silas  Spalding,  Nicholas  Johnson,  Edwin  D. 
Reed,  Benjamin  Putnam,  Simon  Davis,  Luke  Davis,  John  J.  Teeple, 
John  N.  T.  Tucker,  Reuben  Winegar,  Ira  Bennett,  Isaac  E.  Howd,  Ed- 
ward Royce,  Norman  C.  Mallory,  Samuel  S.  Utter,  vStillman  S.  Bidwell, 
William  Ostler,  Eugene  S.  Gardiner.  The  present  paster  is  Rev.  Enoch 
Powell. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Morrisville  was  organized  Febru- 
ary 24,  1834,  in  the  court  house,  by  Rev.  William  Worthing.  The  trus- 
tees then  chosen  were  John  Pratt,  Benjamin  Morse,  Adolphus  Brown 
and  E.  C.  Topliff.  The  church  edifice  was  begun  within  that  year  on 
the  site  presented  by  Bennett  Bicknell.  The  society  was  slow  in  growth 
for  many  years,  but  is  now  prosperous. 

Morrisville,  which  for  many  years  had  only  a  hand  fire  engine  for 
protection  against  fire,  and  a  hose  company,  established  an  excellent 
water  system  in  1894-95.  A  Board  of  Water  Commissioners  was  chosen 
consisting  of  Dr.  A.  M.  Holmes,  Dr.  H.  P.  Mead,  L.  B.  Burroughs, 
Sumner  Gill  and  David  D.  Jones.  The  number  in  the  board  has  since 
been  reduced  to  three,  the  present  members  being  Dr.  H.  N.  Aldrich, 
L.  W.  Burroughs  and  David  D.  Jones.  Bonds  to  the  amount  of  $15,- 
000  were  issued  for  the  purpose  and  water  was  taken  from  springs  a 
little  southeast  of  the  corporation.  A  reservoir  was  constructed  of 
7,000,000  gallons  capacity,  giving  an  average  pressure  on  hydrants  of 
eighty  pounds.  There  are  now  located  twenty-seven  two-way  hydrants 
and  private  consumption  of  the  water  is  large.  The  present  fire  de- 
partment consists  of  Morrisville  Hook  and  Ladder  Company,  with 
twenty-two  members  and  a  Rumsey  truck  and  the  hose  company. 

Prior  to  the  establishment  of  the  present  lighting  system  of  the  vil- 


214  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

lage  several  unsatisfactory  attempts  were  made  in  that  direction.  In 
1897  an  efficient  electric  lighting  plant  was  put  in  operation  which  is 
the  property  of  the  D.  A.  Schuyler  estate.  For  proper  lighting  of  the 
streets  and  public  buildings  the  village  pays  $500  annually. 

After  the  settlement  of  Joshua  Leland  and  his  fellow  pioneers  at  and 
near  the  site  of  Eaton  village,  or  "  Log  City,"  as  it  was  for  many  years 
popularly  known,  the  place  assumed  considerable  business  importance. 
Pleasantly  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  rich  farming  district,  and  with  a 
valuable  water  power,  it  was  thought  the  place  might  grow  to  a  large 
and  thriving  business  center.  These  expectations  were  not  destined  to 
be  realized.  With  the  establishment  of  the  mills  by  Mr.  Leland,  how- 
ever, a  number  of  other  industries  gathered  about  and  men  of  enter 
prise  found  a  field  for  their  labor  at  that  point.  In  1800  Joseph  Morse, 
a  man  of  energy  and  enterprise,  employed  Theodore  Burr,  an  early 
millwright,  to  build  a  mill  for  him  for  $1,200.  The  stones  for  the  mill 
were  wrought  from  field  boulders,  which  were  ultimately  replaced  with 
stones  brought  from  Germany  by  Col.  John  Lincklaen.  In  1803  Mr. 
Morse  removed  to  the  homestead  in  Eaton  village,  and  improved  the 
power  for  his  grist  mill  and  saw  mill,  acquired  land  and  established 
other  industries. 

Among  the  pioneers  of  the  village  who  came  in  soon  after  Mr.  Morse, 
was  Nicholas  Byer,  whose  father  was  one  of  Burgoyne's  Hessians  in 
the  Revolution;  Nicholas  was  a  blacksmith  and  had  a  shop  in  the 
place.  Another  settler  there  was  Elisha  Willis,  a  shoemaker.  But 
there  were  only  about  half  a  dozen  houses  there  in  180G  when  the 
county  was  formed. 

Isaac  Sage  built  the  first  tavern  on  the  site  of  Eaton  village  in  1802; 
it  was  situated  on  the  corner  opposite  the  site  of  the  later  Exchange 
Hotel  and  remained  standing  a  half  century  or  more.  Rufus  Eldred 
began  keeping  a  store  across  the  street  from  the  tavern  and  Robert  and 
William  Henry  were  among  the  first  merchants  of  the  place.  The  first 
distillery  was  built  in  1804  by  Rufus  and  Zenas  Eldred,  on  the  site 
afterwards  occupied  by  another  and  larger  distillery  operated  by  Ellis 
Morse.  The  first  carding  machine  in  that  region  was  set  up  in  1806, 
in  a  building  on  the  creek  on  the  site  of  the  later  woolen  mill  by  Heze- 
kiah  Morse  and  Rufus  Eldred.  They  soon  added  the  manufacture  of 
cloth,  introducing  spinning  machinery  and  looms.  In  1833  that  estab- 
lishment was  rebuilt  of  stone  by  Alpha  Morse  and  Clement  Leach,  who 
had  purchased  the  property.     They  added  to  the  machinery  for  making 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— EATON.  215 

woolen  goods  and  did  a  considerable  business  for  a  number  of  years. 
The  property  subsequently  passed  through  various  hands  and  the  build- 
ing was  ultimately  occupied  for  other  purposes. 

A  tannery  was  built  in  1808  by  Barry  Carter  which  was  operated  by 
him  and  his  successors  for  half  a  century.  Alpheus  and  Ellis  Morse 
built  a  small  foundry  at  a  very  early  date  and  there  made  some  of  the 
first  cast  iron  plows  of  this  section,  which  found  a  ready  sale  and  soon 
displaced  the  old  wooden  tools.  The  bu.siness  continued  a  number  of 
years,  but  was  never  very  extensive,  as  similar  foundries  were  in  oper- 
ation at  many  near-by  points,  where  plows,  stoves,  etc.,  were  manufac- 
tured. A  small  powder  mill  was  established  in  1806  on  the  river  bank, 
by  James  McConnell;  but  it  was  soon  discontinued  as  unprofitable. 

The  Eaton  Woolen  Manufacturing  Company,  composed  of  Dr.  James 
Pratt,  Joseph  Morse,  Curtis  Hoppin,  and  others,  erected  a  small  factory 
in  1817.  The  property  was  subsequently  leased  to  Gilbert  Jones,  and 
he  was  succeeded  by  David  Rogers,  who  put  in  cotton  machinery. 
There  were  other  later  proprietors,  but  the  business  could  not  be  made 
profitable.  Just  as  enlargement  had  been  completed  in  1845,  the  mill 
was  burned  and  was  not  rebuilt. 

After  the  construction  of  the  Skaneateles  Turnpike  the  augmented 
amount  of  travel  seemed  to  demand  greater  hotel  accommodations  in 
Eaton,  and  Samuel  Stow  built  a  tavern  on  the  corner  opposite  the  later 
lower  hotel,  and  kept  the  house  himself.  Opposite  him  was  the  early 
blacksmith  shop  of  Samuel  Chubbuck.  He  became  a  rival  of  Mr.  Stow 
and  built  another  tavern  opposite  Stow's;  the  latter  thereupon  set  up  a 
blacksmith  shop  opposite  Chubbuck's.  The  Chubbuck  house  ultimately 
became  the  lower  hotel. 

The  first  school  in  Eaton  was  kept  in  a  building  on  the  site  of  the 
cemetery;  that  building  was  burned,  and  the  next  one  was  built  farther 
east  on  the  Hamilton  road.  What  was  known  as  the  old  brick  school 
house  was  built  in  1808  and  stood  on  the  site  of  the  Ellis  Coman  house: 
it  was  one  of  the  earliest  brick  structures  in  the  county,  and  served 
also  as  a  town  house.  The  site  was  donated  by  Esquire  Eldred,  but 
the  location  was  unsatisfactory  to  some  and  various  pretexts  were  made 
for  its  removal.  It  was  hoped  that  if  it  was  removed  the  lot  would  be 
used  for  a  public  square.  lu  1834  or  1835  the  building  was  taken  down, 
the  ground  did  not  revert  to  the  village  and  both  school  bniilding  and 
park  were  lost.  This  building  was  of  two  stories  and  the  school  was  a 
locally  noted  one  for  many  years.   A  new  frame  school'house  was  erected 


216  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

in  1836,  which  ultimately  became  a  blacksmith  shop,  and  in  1852  the 
present  school  building  was  erected.  In  early  years  a  good  select  school 
was  taught  in  the  village  and  in  1836  Ellis  Morse  opened  a  private  acad- 
emy, which  was  continued  ten  years,  and  employed  several  teachers 
who  afterwards  became  famous. 

Dr.  Charles  W.  Hull  succeeded  the  pioneer  physician,  Dr.  James 
Pratt,  and  during  many  years  had  a  large  practice.  Dr.  Albert  Purdy, 
Dr.  A.  D.  Head  and  Dr.  E.  L.  Miller  practiced  in  later  years.  Many  of 
the  prominent  residents  of  early  years  were  members  of  Masonic  Lodge 
No.  131,  which  was  removed  hither  from  Hamilton  in  1817  and  remained 
until  its  dissolution  in  1827. 

A  scythe  factory  was  in  operation  a  number  of  years  about  half  a 
mile  out  of  the  village,  the  product  of  which  had  a  wide  sale;  the  busi- 
ness was  carried  on  by  Gardner  &  Abbott  and  others.  Later  it  was 
converted  into  an  ax  factory  and  operated  by  Samuel  B.  Winchester 
whose  axes  were  highly  regarded.  The  Madison  county  almshouse  is 
situated  a  little  to  the  south  of  the  village,  and  is  noticed  elsewhere  in 
this  work. 

Among  the  older  merchants  of  the  place  who  have  not  been  men- 
tioned were  the  firm  of  Leach  &  Morse,  who  were  prominent  many 
years;  David  Felton,  O.  A.  Medbury,  dealer  in  furniture;  Henry  Allen, 
druggist,  in  a  store  built  in  1816  by  Dr.  Charles  W.  and  Andrew  C. 
Hull;  Alpheus  Morse,  Baird  Leavenworth,  Sylvester  Thayer,  Butler  & 
Burritt,  and  perhaps  a  few  others.  The  Morse  Brothers  and  Eugene 
Rabie  are  now  in  business.  The  first  landlord  in  the  Exchange  Hotel 
was  Cyrus  Allen;  it  was  built  in  1836  by  Ellis  and  Alpheus  Morse. 
Frank  Currier  now  keeps  the  house  and  the  other  hotel  is  conducted  by 
Norman  Hunt. 

The  industry  which  became  most  widely  known  in  this  town  was  the 
agricultural  and  steam  engine  works  of  Wood,  Tabor  &  Morse.  This 
establishment  had  its  origin  in  1848  when  Enos  and  Allen  N.  Wood 
erected  buildings  and  began  the  manufacture  of  machinery  for  cotton 
and  woolen  mills,  and  miscellaneous  castings.  The  business  increased 
for  a  period  but  when  the  demand  for  that  class  of  machinery  declined 
in  this  region,  the  works  were  closed  in  1857,  the  proprietors  going  to 
Utica  to  become  members  of  the  firm  of  A.  N.  &  E.  D.  Wood  &  Co., 
for  the  manufacture  of  an  improved  steam  engine.  In  1859  A.  N. 
Wood  sold  his  interest  in  the  works  and  returned  to  Eaton  where  the 
firm  of  Wood,  Tabor  &  Morse  was  organized  and  the  old  works  fitted 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— EATON.  217 

up  for  the  manufacture  of  portable  steam  engines.  These  attained 
wide  celebrity  and  a  very  large  business  was  built  up  and  continued 
to  two  or  three  years  ago.  The  works  are  now  idle,  though  the 
machinery  is  still  in  the  buildings. 

The  grist  mill  was  operated  until  quite  recently  by  M.  Wallace,  when 
it  was  purchased  of  the  Gardner  Morse  estate.  The  post-office  was 
established  in  early  years,  with  Dr.  Charles  W.  Hall  as  the  first  post- 
master. 

The  vSecond  Baptist  Church  of  Eaton  was  organized  in  1816  under 
the  ministration  of  Elder  Joseph  Cooley,  who  was  succeeded  by  Rev. 
Nathaniel  Kendrick.  .Services  were  at  first  held  in  the  brick  school 
house  and  in  1830  a  meeting  house  was  erected,  which  with  improve- 
ments is  still  in  use.  Dr.  Kendrick  served  the  church  until  1833  when 
he  was  made  president  of  Madison  University.  The  present  pastor  is 
Rev.  G.  W.  Thorne. 

The  Congregational  Church  was  informally  organized  on  November 
23,  1831,  with  eight  members.  On  the  37th  of  the  next  month  it  was 
reorganized  as  the  Congregational  Society  of  Eaton.  The  first  deacons 
were  David  Hitchcock  and  Jesse  Brown.  In  the  next  year  a  church 
edifice  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $3,000.  The  first  pastor  was  Rev.  John 
Foote,  and  the  present  pastor  is  Rev.  John  Bamford.  Rev.  W.  N. 
Cleveland,  brother  of  ex-President  Grover  Cleveland,  was  for  a  time  its 
pastor. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Eaton  village  was  organized  in 
1856  by  members  of  the  West  Eaton  church  who  resided  in  this  village. 
A  meeting  house  was  erected  in  the  same  year.  The  society  is  now 
prosperous  under  the  pastoral  care  of  Rev.  S.  S.  Pratt. 

The  settlement  of  Thomas  Fry,  Stephen  Cornell,  Perry  Bui'dick, 
Barry  Carter,  David  Darrow  and  others  on  and  near  the  site  of  West 
Eaton  village  made  it  the  center  of  considerable  early  activity.  Mr. 
Darrow's  farm  included  much  of  the  site  of  the  hamlet.  The  place 
grew  slowly.  Thomas  Fry  built  a  saw  mill  on  the  site  of  the  later 
manufactory  of  Barnes,  Mitchell  &  Howe,  and  later,  in  company  with 
William  Hopkins,  built  a  grist  mill  near  by.  Isaac  Sage  was  the  first 
tavern  keeper  and  Barry  Carter  a  later  one.  A  Mr.  Dunham  was  the 
first  merchant,  keeping  his  store  in  part  of  a  double  building,  in  the 
other  part  of  which  a  dwelling  was  installed  for  the  family.  Philip 
Lee  was  another  early  tavern  keeper  and  from  him  the  place  became 
known  as  Leeville.     A  wool   carding  and  cloth  dressing  works  were 


218  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE;. 

established  and  owned  by  Abner  Isbell  on  the  site  of  the  later  woolen 
mill  of  Barnes,  Mitchell  &  Howe.  The  old  tavern  finally  disappeared 
and  was  succeeded  by  one  built  by  Major  Smith  as  early  as  1830  and 
kept  by  Calvin  Wellington.  Joseph  E.  Darrow  kept  a  store  before  1840 
at  about  which  date  an  added  impulse  was  given  to  the  business  of  the 
village.  Mr.  Darrow  built  a  store  in  1845  and  in  the  same  year  the 
first  woolen  factory  was  established  by  A.  Y.  Smith,  whose  son  was 
afterwards  associated  with  him.  Mr.  Smith  built  also  the  Henry  W. 
Chubbuck  store  and  a  number  of  houses.  The  factory  was  burned  in 
1852  and  at  once  rebuilt  partly  through  aid  of  residents  of  the  village. 
Mr.  Smith  failed  in  1857  and  Churchill  &  Gilmore  were  the  next  pro- 
prietors of  the  factory.  After  several  changes  in  the  membership  of 
the  firm  the  building  was  again  burned  in  1863  and  rebuilt  by  Mowry 
&  Huntoon,  being  given  the  name  of  the  Monitor  Mill.  The  business 
of  making  fine  woolen  goods  was  continued  some  years  when  the  ma- 
chinery was  removed  to  Pennsylvania.  The  saw  mill  of  Philo  Walden 
is  on  the  site. 

The  carding  mill  before  mentioned  of  Barnes,  Mitchell  &  Howe  was 
established  about  1845;  in  1860  Otis  Barnes  became  sole  proprietor  and 
in  1862  J.  W.  French  purchased  an  interest.  Under  the  proprietor- 
ship of  Barnes  &  French  the  mills  were  enlarged  and  the  name  Eureka 
Mills  adopted.  James  Mitchell  succeeded  Mr.  French  and  H.  C.  Howe 
was  admitted  partner.  Still  later  Otis  Barnes  &  Son  became  proprie- 
tors and  in  July,  1880,  John  E  Lewis,  Richard  R.  Jones  and  Gary  E. 
Barnes  succeeded  under  the  style  of  Lewis,  Jones  &  Barnes.  The  busi- 
ness is  now  conducted  by  the  recently  formed  West  Eaton  Woolen 
Company. 

A  grist  mill  was  built  in  1865  which  in  1868  became  the  property  of 
Isaac  Hopkins  &  Son,  who  added  to  its  machinery  and  carried  on  saw- 
ing, grinding  and  cider  making.  It  is  now  operated  by  John  H. 
Northrup. 

Other  early  industries  not  yet  mentioned  were  a  distillery  which  was 
built  in  1815  by  Joseph  Enos,  and  a  small  manufactory  of  augers  estab- 
lished in  1830  by  John  Brown.  Among  merchants  of  the  past  were  H. 
C.  Palmer,  L.  L.  Hamilton,  James  Mitchell,  A.  L.  Howe,  C.  D.  Tracy, 
J.  E.  Darrow  &  Son,  Isaac  Hopkins  &  Son.  H.  W.  Copley  and  J.  W. 
Mowry  were  wagon  makers;  John  Pennock  and  H.  M.  Collis,  black- 
smiths; M.  S.  Pennock,  C.  F.  Owen,  G.  W.  Johnson,  shoemakers. 

The  West  Eaton  post-office  was  established  in  1852  with  Joseph  Dar- 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— EATON.  219 

row  as  the  first  postmaster.  The  late  C.  D.  Tracy  was  a  merchant,  and 
the  last  postmaster. 

The  village  is  included  in  school  district  No.  3,  which  was  changed 
to  a  Union  school  under  the  law  of  1874  and  the  present  building 
erected.  The  first  school  house  in  the  district  was  built  sometime  be- 
tween 1810  and  1815  and  Thomas  Hubbard  was  the  first  teacher. 

The  Baptist  Church  of  West  Eaton  was  organized  in  1820  by  Elder 
Shaw  who  served  as  the  first  pastor;  services  were  held  in  the  school 
house.  The  members  were  principally  of  the  Six-Principle  persuasion. 
A  dispute  arose  in  the  church  fourteen  years  later  and  a  rival  society 
was  formed  with  the  name  of  the  Baptist  Society  of  Leeville;  this  was 
ultimately  merged  in  the  Eaton  church.  The  original  society  continued 
until  1853  when  a  reorganization  was  effected  with  a  membership  of 
forty-five,  under  Elder  Daniel  Putnam ;  a  church  was  erected  at  a  cost 
of  $2,000.  The  society  is  still  in  existence,  under  the  pastoral  charge 
of  Rev.  Willard  F.  Dowd. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  West  Eaton  was  organized  as  a 
class  March  14,  1841,  by  James  Tooke,  a  local  preacher.  There  were 
only  seven  members  and  six  of  them  were  of  the  Darrow  family.  Elder 
Yarrington  was  the  first  pastor.  A  small  meeting  house  was  built  in 
1843,  which  was  superseded  in  1869  by  what  was  the  finest  church  edi- 
fice in  the  town,  which  cost  $15,000.  The  society  is  and  always  has 
been  prosperous  and  earnest  in  its  work. 

A  Roman  Catholic  society  was  formed  as  a  branch  of  the  Hamilton 
church  about  1880,  and  a  meeting  house  was  built  at  the  same  time  on 
the  site  of  the  old  Methodist  church. 

The  early  settlement  of  the  Pratt  brothers,  John  and  James,  in  the 
northeastern  part  of  Eaton,  at  what  became  widely  known  as  Pratt's 
Hollow,  and  their  establishment  of  various  industries  there  formed  a 
nucleus  of  a  considerable  business  center,  most  of  which  has  passed 
away  with  the  lapse  of  years.  The  first  industry  they  established  was 
a  grist  mill,  as  early  as  1809,  which  was  at  once  followed  by  a  saw  mill 
and  a  distillery,  with  several  houses.  A  store  was  also  erected  and 
stocked  with  goods  and  their  trade  prospered.  A  little  later  they  es- 
tablished a  woolen  mill  which  employed  about  twenty  hands.  A  second 
woolen  mill  was  started  in  1809  by  J.  F.  Chamberlain,  who,  in  company 
with  several  eastern  men,  built  a  large  cotton  mill  in  1824,  which  gave 
employment  to  130  operatives.  At  that  time  the  population  of  the  place 
was  nearly  or  quite  450. 


220  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  firm  of  Pratt  Brothers  carried  on  a  large  business  and  accumu- 
lated considerable  wealth,  but  they  met  with  reverses,  lost  money  in 
some  of  their  undertakings  and  finally  dissolved  the  partnership  and 
closed  their  works.  From  that  time  the  village  began  its  decline  and 
never  recovered.  Most  of  the  Pratt  property  passed  to  possession  of 
members  of  the  Fearon  family  and  the  Pratts  moved  away. 

J.  F.  Chamberlain  and  his  associates  established  a  store  in  connection 
with  their  factory,  built  a  boarding  house  and  several  other  dwellings. 
Mr.  Chamberlain  died  in  1839  and  his  son  succeeded  to  his  business, 
which  he  continued  successfully  until  1852  when  he  was  ruined  by  the 
burning  of  his  factory  without  insurance.  Many  of  the  inhabitants 
who  had  theretofore  obtained  a  good  livelihood  in  that  and  the  other  in- 
dustries of  the  place,  removed  elsewhere,  and  the  little  village  settled 
down  to  a  quiet  existence  which  has  continued  to  the  present  time.  A 
hotel  is  now  kept  by  Adelbert  Cole,  a  general  store  by  W.  W.  Lewis, 
who  is  postmaster,  a  few  shops,  a  Methodist  church,  a  milk  station  on 
the  railroad  at  White's  Corners,  where  there  is  a  saw  mill  operated  by 
Amos  Avery.  The  number  of  families  of  Protestant  Irish,  who  located  in 
the  vicinity  of  Pratt's  Hollow  in  early  days  gave  the  place  a  character 
that  it  would  not  otherwise  have  possessed.  The  Kerns,  Tookes,  Phil- 
pots,  Tackaburys,  Fearons,  and  others  have  been  frequently  repre- 
sented in  public  affairs  and  offices  in  the  town  and  county  and  with 
honor  to  themselves. 

The  Methodist  Church  of  Pratt's  Hollow  was  formed  as  a  class  prob- 
ably before  1810,  the  meetings  being  held  for  many  years  in  the  school 
house.  The  meeting  house  was  built  in  1838  largely  through  the  liber- 
ality of  John  Pratt,  who  was  an  active  member.     The  society  is  small. 

The  beautifully  situated  settlement  known  as  Pierceville,  situated  on 
Eaton  Brook  and  the  Skaneateles  Turnpike,  found  its  earliest  stimulus 
in  the  tavern  built  in  1819  by  Samuel  Chubbuck,  which  stood  at  the 
corner  of  the  road  leading  to  Lebanon.  In  the  days  of  heavy  staging 
and  other  travel  on  the  turnpike,  this  house  had  a  large  patronage  and 
an  excellent  reputation.  Luke  Hitchcock  was  a  large  land  owner  there 
and  Seth  Whitmore  was  a  prominent  settler.  About  1825  David  Rogers 
built  a  small  cotton  factory,  which  was  one  of  the  three  credited  to 
Madison  county  in  the  census  of  1832.  Mr.  Rogers  built  also  several 
dwellings,  set  out  trees  and  otherwise  added  to  the  attractiveness  of , the 
hamlet.  In  later  years  John  Brown  became  owner  of  the  Chubbuck 
tavern,  which  he  converted  into  a  dwelling  when  travel   had  declined. 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— EATON.  221 

George  Dunbar  established  a  planing  mill  and  carpentry  business  about 
1835.  In  1844  J.  O.  Pierce  formed  a  company  which  purchased  a  large 
tract  of  land  and  erected  a  large  cotton  factory.  An  extensive  busi- 
ness was  carried  on  until  1850  when  Mr.  Pierce  died.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  his  son  and.  the  firm  was  changed  from  J.  O.  Pierce  &  Co., 
to  Pierce,  Cady,  Crocker  &  Co.  In  the  financial  crisis  of  1857  the  firm 
failed  and  the  works  were  abandoned.  Alpheus  Morse  erected  and  for 
many  years  operated  a  large  woolen  mill  just  west  of  Pierceville,  but  it 
was  taken  down  and  a  grist  mill  stands  on  its  site. 

The  old  Rogers  factory  was  occupied  for  three  years  by  E.  &  A. 
Wood,  in  the  manufacture  of  machinery  for  the  Pierce  factory ;  they  re- 
moved to  Eaton  in  1848  as  elsewhere  stated.  Pierceville  has  now  only 
a  cider  mill  owned  by  Le  Roy  Cook,  and  a  carding  mill;  a  saw  mill 
operated  by  Healy  Brown  and  a  planing  mill  by  John  Copley. 

At  Pine  Woods,  which  has  been  noticed  as  the  scene  of  Joshua  Ice- 
land's pioneer  settlement  and  labor,  is  now  a  mere  cluster  of  houses 
with  post-office,  store  and  a  plant  for  storing  and  shipping  by  rail  large 
quantities  of  ice.  The  tavern  formerly  kept  here  was  built  in  1834  by 
James  Madison  and  passed  under  management  of  various  proprietors. 
In  1835  the  firm  of  Howard  &  Markham  built  a  carriage  manufactory, 
which  finally  became  a  blacksmith  shop  only.  vSolomon  Root  was  a 
prominent  early  settler  on  the  town  line  near  by  and  was  a  leader  in 
the  old  Methodist  church  of  Bouckville;  meetings  were  first  held  in  his 
house  and  he  acted  as  class  leader.  Then  he  built  a  chapel  which  ulti- 
mately became  a  dwelling. 

Josiah  Peck,  who  came  from  Rhode  Island  in  1806,  took  up  a  large 
farm  and  built  a  log  house  east  of  the  site  of  the  tavern  across  the 
canal.  His  son  Alonzo  succeeded  to  the  homestead.  The  opening  of 
the  Chenango  Canal  inspired  the  hopes  of  dwellers  here,  as  it  did  at 
many  other  points,  that  large  industries  would  come  into  existence  and 
business  would  flourish  along  the  line.  Mr.  Peck's  land  was  crossed 
by  the  canal  and  he  built  large  storehouses  and  engaged  extensively  in 
forwarding  here  and  in  Hamilton.  All  this  has,  of  course,  passed 
away. 

Eagleville  (or  Eaton  Center)  as  it  was  more  properly  known,  acquired 
a  little  late-coming  importance  in  1869,  when  Dwight  Graham  &  Co. 
moved  their  machine  shop  from  Morrisville  in  order  to  take  advantage 
of  the  better  water  power.  In  addition  to  doing  custom  work  and  re- 
pairing they  added  in  1879  the  manufacture  of  a  new  model  of  agricul- 


232  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

tural  engine;  but  the  business  was  finally  given  up  and  the  building 
was  occupied  by  the  electric  light  plant  of  Morrisville  until  1896,  when 
the  structure  was  burned.  It  will  be  remembered  that  one  of  the  first 
woolen  mills  in  Madison  county  was  established  here  on  the  river  by 
Perly  Ayer.  The  factory  passed  to  Clark  Tillinghast  in  1851  and  he 
made  enlargement  and  improvements;  but  a  few  weeks  later  the  dam 
was  carried  away  and  again  suffered  the  same  fate  after  having  been 
rebuilt.     The  factory  was  not  reopened. 

When  the  railroad  was  built  through  this  town  it  stirred  the  expecta- 
tions of  many  of  the  inhabitants  to  an  extravagant  degree.  It  is  almost 
needless  to  state  that  these  expectations  have  not  been  realized.  It  is 
true  that  the  Midland  Railroad  gave  and  still  gives  many  people  better 
and  more  convenient  means  of  reaching  markets  and  business  centers; 
but  aside  from  this  it  has  been  and  is  a  great  burden  in  other  ways. 
The  town  was  bonded  to  aid  in  the  construction  of  the  road  to  the 
amount  of  $150,000,  and  received  back  $7,000  for  the  shares  assigned 
to  the  town  when  it  was  sold  to  the  Ontario  and  Western  Company. 
This  matter  is  elsewhere  treated  in  these  pages.  Before  the  town  was 
thus  bonded  ia  1868  the  town  expenses  were  $2,153.65.  Ten  years 
later,  in  1879,  they  had  increased  to  $15,547,  with  an  existing  debt 
then  of  almost  $150,000.  But  with  all  of  this  to  contend  against  the 
town  is  one  of  the  most  prosperous  in  the  county.  It  was  unfortunate, 
but  probably  unavoidable,  that  Morrisville  was  isolated  from  the  rail- 
road by  a  distance  of  about  three  miles  and  that  the  other  stations  in 
the  town  reached  from  Pratt's  Hollow,  Eaton  and  Pine  Woods,  are  also 
some  distance  from  the  line  of  the  road ;  but  at  most  seasons  the  roads 
of  the  town  are  in  good  condition  and  travel  is  not  difficult. 

The  ordinary  town  expenses  at  the  present  time  are  close  to  $3,000, 
while  the  interest  and  principal  account  brings  them  up  to  nearly 
$7,000  and  the  aggregate  taxation  to  nearly  $13,000.  The  number  of 
acres  of  real  estate  is  given  as  35,669,  with  an  assessed  value  of  $42.78 
per  acre;  this  is  slightly  reduced  by  the  equalized  valuation. 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— CAZENOVIA. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
PROGRESS  OF  IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS    CONTINUED— CAZENOVIA. 

The  history  of  Cazenovia  succeeding  what  has  already  been  written 
in  earlier  pages  consists  very  largely  of  the  record  of  the  development 
of  the  village,  the  surrounding  region  remaining  a  quiet  and  prosperous 
agricultural  community.  Three  years  before  the  county  was  organized, 
in  1803,  a  village  census  showed  the  following  business  establishments 
in  the  place  with  the  number  of  persons  in  each  family,  making  100 
in  all : 

John  Lincklaen 6      Roberts  &  Hill,  carpenters 6 

John  N.  M.  Hurd,  storekeeper.  7  Elisha    Farnham,    tanner     and 

S.  S.  Breese,  lawyer 4  shoemaker 7 

Hiram  Roberts,  blacksmith  and  Eliakim  Roberts,  storekeeper 9 

tavern  keeper 17      Horace  Paddock,  blacksmith 3 

Isaac  Lyman,  doctor 4  Ebenezer  Johnson,  tavern  keeper  10 

William  Whipple,  carpenter  and  William  Kyle,  clerk 4 

constable 4  Jonathan  Forman,  storekeeper.   9 

Moses  Phillips,  brickmaker 4      Samuel  Ashard,  miller 6 

At  that  time  the  population  of  the  whole  so-called  Road  Township 
was  1,164.  The  village  itself,  at  that  early  year  of  the  century,  was  a 
business  center  of  considerable  importance,  a  fact  due  largely  to  the 
enterprising  an  able  character  of  many  of  the  inhabitants.  The  lawyer 
mentioned  in  the  foregoing  list  was  Samuel  Sidney  Breese,  who  after- 
wards became  a  foremost  member  of  the  Oneida  county  bar ;  he  was 
the  first  clerk  of  Chenango  county  in  1798,  and  a  member  of  the  Con- 
stitutional Convention  of  1821.  Jonathan  Forman  was  elected  to  the 
Assembly  from  Chenango  in  1800  and  1801.  J.  N.  M.  Hurd  was  county 
clerk  in  1815-21.  James  Green,  a  pioneer  of  1793,  was  in  the  Legisla- 
ture at  one  period.  Jeremiah  Whipple  was  a  famous  landlord,  and 
served  the  county  as  sheriff  in  1806-1810  and  1811-14.  The  laying  out 
of  the  Cazenovia  and  Oneida  Turnpike  from  Vernon  to  Cazenovia,  and 
the  Cherry  Valley  Turnpike  a  little  later,  added   to  the  importance  of 


224  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  village.  By  the  year  1810  the  population  had  so  increased  that  it 
was  determined  to  incorporate  and  the  necessary  steps  weie  taken;  the 
date  of  the  incorporation  was  February  7  of  that  year.  The  first  meet- 
ing of  the  voters  was  held  May  1,  1810,  at  the  house  of  E.  S.  Jackson, 
at  which  Elisha  Farnham,  then  a  justice  of  the  peace,  presided.  The 
following  officers  were  there  elected:  Trustees,  Elisha  Farnham,  Perry 
G.  Childs,  Jonas  Fay,  E.  S.  Jackson,  Samuel  Thomas;  treasurer,  J.  N. 
M.  Hurd;  bailiff  and  collector,  Jacob  A.  Dana.  A  week  later  Jonas 
Fay  was  chosen  president,  and  Caleb  Ledyard,  clerk.  Following  is  a 
list  of  the  village  presidents  and  clerks  to  the  present  time: 

Presidents— 1810,  Jonas  Fay;  1811,  Samuel  S.  Forman;  1812-14, 
Jabish  N.  M.  Hurd;  1815,  Noble  S.  Johnson;  1816,  John  Williams; 
1817,  Ezekiel  Carpenter;  1818,  William  Whipple;  1819,  Matthew 
Chandler;  1830,  Samuel  Thomas;  1821,  Ezekiel  Carpenter;  1822, 
Zadock  Sweetland;  1823  and  1825,  Perry  G.  Childs;  1824  and  1826, 
Charles  Stebbins;  1827,  Ebenezer  Knowlton ;  1828,  John  Williams; 
1829,  Jesse  Kilborn;  1830-31,  Ezekiel  Carpenter;  1832,  Lemuel  White; 
1833,  E.  Carpenter;  18.34-35,  John  Williams;  1836-37,  William  Bur- 
ton; 1838,  William  J.  Hough;  1839-40,  Benjamin  F.  Clarke;  1841, 
William  J.  Hough:  1842,  Rensselaer  Jackson;  1843,  S.  H.  Henry; 
1844,  Simon  C.  Hitchcock;  1845,  Henry  Ten  Eyck;  1846,  Sidney  T. 
Fairchild;  1847-48,  William  Burton;  1849,  S.  H.  Henry;  1850,  S.  C. 
Hitchcock;  1851-56,  Elisha  Litchfield;  1857,  Lewis  Raynor;  1858, 
Lewis  B.  Stone;  1859,  B.  Rush  Wendell;  1860,  William  L.  Storke; 
1861-63,  Lewis  B.  Stone;  1864,  D.  Eralzman  Haskell;  1865,  Albert 
Card;  1866,  Lewis  B.  Stone;'  1867-68,  Charles  Stebbins;  1869-70, 
Martin  Spear;  1871.  Orrin  W.  Sage;   1872,  George  L.  Rouse. 

On  July  6,  1873,  the  village  voted  to  reincorporate  under  the  act  of 
April  20,  1870,  which  makes  the  office  of  president  elective  by  the  vot- 
ers. Under  this  charter  the  first  election  was  held  December  3,  1873. 
The  list  continues  as  follows: 

1873,  Everet  S.  Card;  1874,  Winfield  S.  Smyth;  1875,  George 
S.  Ledyard;  1876-78,  William  M.  Burr;  1879,  R.  J.  Hubbard; 
1880,  L.  Newton  Goff;  1881,  John  Stebbins;  1882,  Burr  Wendell; 
1883,  Charles  M.  Potter;  1884,  Charles  Brown;  1885,  Edgar  C. 
Bass;  1886-87,  L.  Wolters  Ledyard;  1888,  Will  H.  Cruttenden ;  1889, 
L.  Wolters  Ledyard;    1890-91,  Edgar  C.  Bass;    1892,  I.  Newton  Goff ; 

'  August  2.3,  1866,  Harley  S.  Keller  was  elected  president  vice  Lewis  B.  Stone,  deceased 
August  17, 1866,  aged  sixty  years. 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— CAZENOVIA.  325 

1893,  M.  H.  Kiley;  1894,  David  H.  Doremus;  1895,  William  Watkins; 
1896,  George  W.  Salisbury;'  1897,  John  W.  Howson;  1898,  P.  H. 
Donnelly;  1899,  William  W.  Rice. 

Clerks— 1810-11,  Caleb  Ledyard;  1812-13,  Edward  S.  Stewart; 
1814-21,  Charles  Stebbins;  1822-28,  Samuel  Thomas;  1829-33,  Will- 
iam J.  Hough;  1834-35,  Charles  H.  S.  Williams;  1836,  William  J. 
Hough;  1837-39,  Sidney  T.  Fairchild;  1840-45,  Calvin  Carpenter; ' 
1846-56,  Richard  Thomas;  1857,  George  L.  Rouse;  1858-59,  Charles 
Stebbins;  1860-61,  Charles  Stebbins,  jr.;'  1862,  L.  Wolters  Ledyard; 
1863,  Charles  Stebbins,  jr.;  1864-65,  Delos  W.  Cameron;  1866,  Charles 
Stebbins,  jr. ;  1867,  George  M.  Weaver;  1868,  John  Fairchild;  1869-72, 
D.  W.  Cameron;  1873,  John  W.  Howson;*  1874,  Augustus  P.  Clarke; 
1875,  John  C.  Fowler;'  1876,  H.  B.  Smith;  1877-87,  W.  D.  Wells; 
1888,  H.  D.  Messenger;  1889-92,  George  W.  Salisbury;  1893-97,  W. 
D.  Wells;  1898-99,  Alphonzo  E.  Fitch. 

The  following  tax  list  of  the  village  in  1811  is  valuable  as  indicating 
the  rate  and  valuation  at  that  time: 

Tax.  Valuation. 

E.  S.  Jackson.. $10  00  $4,000 

William  McLean 6  90  3,000 

Eliakim  Roberts 9  20  4,000 

J.  N.  M.  Kurd 9  20  4,000 

Samuel  S.  Forman 7  00  3,000 

Elisha  Farnham 9  20  4,000 

Jeremiah  Whipple 5  75  2,500 

Luther  Bunnell 5  75  2,500 

ElishaStarr 5  75  2,500 

Joseph  Burr,  Jr. 4  60  2,000 

Thomas  Williams  &  Son 4  14  1, 800 

Jonas  Fay 2  00  800 

R.  P.  Day 4  60  2,000 

JoabGillett 92  400 

P.  G.  Childs 3  50  1,500 

»  Resigned  June  5, 1896,  and  P.  H.  Donnelly  appointed  to  fill  vacancy. 

'August  13, 1841,  Benjamin  T.  Clarke  was  appointed  clerk  vice  C.  Carpenter  removed.  No- 
vember 8, 1841,  C.  Carpenter  was  restored  to  the  position. 

3  L.  Wolters  Ledyard  was  elected  clerk  February  13,  ISiil,  vice  Charles  Stebbins,  jr.,  resigned, 

'  April  3,  18T3,  George  A.  Spear  was  elected  clerk  vice  J.  W  Howson,  resigned  February 
11, 1873. 

'  May  6,  1875,  Irving  C.  Forte  was  appointed  clerk  vice  J.  C.  Fowler,  resigned, 
15 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Tax.  Valuation. 

Samuel  Thomas 3  23  1,400 

David  B.  Johnson 1  84  800 

Jeremiah  B.  Pierce 2  30  1,000 

Alfred  Hitchcock 2  30  1,000 

IsaacLyman 2  50  1,000 

William  Whipple 2  76  1,200 

Jesse  Kilborn 1   84  800 

Uriah  Aldrich 1  84  800 

Vebber  Crocker 1  61  700 

JamesMoore 2  30  1,000 

Fay   &    Richardson,    mills  and   dwelling 

house 4  60  2,000 

Selah  Munson 4  14  1,800 

Eli  F.  Hill 1  15  500 

Matthew  Chandler 1  15  500 

Orrin  Chandler 46  200 

Ami  Crocker 92  400 

Noble  S.  Johnson 2  30  1,000 

Widow  Chloe  Andrews 115  500 

John  Townsend 46  200 

Richard  French 44  200 

John  Francis 125  500 

John  B.  Seely 92  400 

Hezekiah  Bowen 46  200 

John  Locke 12  50 

Nathan  Williams 38  150 

Otis  Ormsbee ' 92  400 

Orin  E.  Baker 1  38  600 

Horace  Bills 23  100 

William  Wells 46  200 

Samuel  Button 46  200 

Brevoort  &  Allis 93  400 

Amos  Par mely. 23  100 

Timothy  Foster 69  300 

Nehemiah  White 23  100 

Andrew  Russell 69  300 

Edward  S.  Stewart 46  200 

John  Lyon 23  100 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— CAZENOVIA.  227 

Tax.  Valuation. 

Calvin  Elmore 23  100 

John  Kelly 69  300 

Richard  Button 23  100 

Rinaloo  Webber 1  15  50O 

Zadock  S weetland 50  

David  Dearborn 75  

David  Kern 58  a50 

John  Anderson 69  300 

John  Lewis 23  100 

Ebenezer  Brown 23  100 

Ebenezer  Johnson 46  200 

Manassett  Prentice 23  100 

Obadiah  Seely 46  200 

John  Lincklaen 4  60  2,000 

Murray  B.  Lester 50  

Caleb  Ledyard 75  

Total  tax,  $150 

Total  valuation,  $63,550 

Mercantile  operations  in  the  village  following  those  first  established 
and  before  mentioned  in  these  pages:  William  M.  and  Joseph  Burr, 
brothers,  opened  a  store  in  1811,  coming  from  Hartford,  Conn.;  their 
store  was  on  the  site  of  the  present  Burr  block.  Benjamin  T.  Clarke, 
long  an  enterprising  merchant,  had  his  store  on  the  southeast  corner  of 
Albany  and  Mill  streets.  Mr.  Clarke  was  born  in  1797  and  died  in 
1875.  John  Williams  was  a  merchant  and  manufacturer  here  from 
1815  to  1847  and  a  very  estimable  citizen.  He  sold  his  store  in  1847  to 
Henry  Nichols  and  Samuel  D.  Clark,  who  continued  a  few  years. 
Thomas  P.  Bishop,  who  was  member  of  assembly  in  1857,  was  in  busi- 
ness about  forty  years,  and  sold  in  1866  to  John  Richard  Watts  and 
Rollin  Knox  Blair,  who  continued  together  about  six  years,  when  Watts 
bought  his  partner's  interest  and  soon  afterwards  took  Eber  Feet  as 
partner.  After  1878  the  firm  was  Watts  &  Cobb,  through  association 
in  the  business  of  Peter  P.  Cobb ;  the  firm  sold  to  Bernard  VoUmer. 

From  about  1834  to  1840  E.  B.  and  E.  D.  Litchfield  were  prominent 
merchants  in  the  village;  they  removed  to  New  York.  William  Green- 
land and  his  son,  William  S.,  came  from  New  York  in  1834  and  estab- 
lished a  merchant  tailoring  business  which  continue^  until  the  death  of 


228  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  father  in  1866 ;  the  son  still  continues  in  trade.  About  1835  Burton 
&  Perkins  began  dealing  in  stoves  and  tin  ware  and  about  ten  years 
later  sold  to'George  C.  Brown,  whose  brother  Charles  joiped  him  in 
1848.  The  former  died  in  1871  and  Charles  continued.  He  sold  to  the 
present  firm  of  Driscoll  &  Marshall. 

In  1834  William  Mills,  Charles  Crandall  and  Frank  Moseley,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Mills,  Crandall  &  Moseley,  opened  a  bookstore  and  en- 
gaged in  the  publication  of  school  books  This  business  was  success- 
fully carried  on  until  about  1860,  when  it  was  sold  by  Mr.  Crandall, 
who  had  become  sole  proprietor  a  little  earlier,  to  Chester  L.  Chappell 
&  Son.  Three  years  later  John  Annas  purchased  an  interest,  but  re- 
tired within  year.  In  1866  William  W.  Watkins  bought  an  interest  and 
within  a  year  purchased  the  whole  from  Chappell  &  Son  and  is  still  in 
the  business. 

John  C.  Reymon,  now  of  Syracuse,  carried  on  the  clothing  business 
in  the  village  more  than  forty  years  from  1841.  L.  G.  Wells  settled 
with  his  parents  in  the  village  in  1830  and  in  1843  began  the  furniture 
and  undertaking  business,  which  he  transferred  to  his  sons,  Dwight  W. 
and  Edward  G.,  in  1878.  Henry  Groff  v.^as  a  general  merchant  in  com- 
pany with  Arnold  Woodward  for  a  number  of  j'ears  after  1844.  John 
Hobbie,  who  came  to  the  village  in  1840  and  served  as  a  clerk  five  years 
with  different  firms,  formed  a  partnership  with  Benjamin  T.  Clarke, 
the  style  being  Clark  &  Hobbie,  and  the  business  was  continued  by 
them  six  years.  At  that  time  Samuel  D.  Clarke,  son  of  Benjamin,  pur- 
chased his  father's  interest.  In  1856  Benjamin  T.  Clarke  and  George 
L.  Rouse  purchased  Samuel  D.  Clarke's  interest  and  the  business  con- 
tinued under  the  firm  name  of  Hobbie,  Rouse  &  Co.  About  1867 
George  L.  Rouse  purchased  Clarke's  interest,  the  firm  name  becoming 
Hobbie  &  Rouse,  and  the  business  continued  until  1892,  when  the 
firm  dissolved.  The  store  was  discontinued  a  few  years  later  by  E.  C. 
Rouse. 

Other  merchants  of  Cazenovia,  some  of  whom  still  continue  in  busi- 
ness, were  George  Morse,  who  has  been  in  the  drug  business  since  1847. 
Andrew  Dardis,  an  immigrant  from  Ireland  to  Cazenovia  in  1853,  dealer 
in  boots  and  shoes  a  number  of  years  from  1855.  Ebenezer  B.  Knowl- 
ton,  a  native  Cazenovian,  began  the  jewelry  business  about  1848  and 
continued  many  years.  T.  S.  Whitnall  was  an  early  harness  and  trunk 
dealer  and  sold  to  E.  A.  Blair  in  1863,  who  still  continues. 

Bowman  H.  Stanley  began  grocery  business  in  1863  with  his  brother, 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— CAZENOVIA,  229 

Benjamin  F. ;  later  he  was  associated  with  his  son,  C.  M.  Stanley,  who 
afterwards  conducted  a  bakery,  now  in  the  hands  of  F.  E.  Wilson.  Til- 
lotson  &  Nichols  (L.  B.  Tillotson  and  E.  R.  Nichols)  general  merchants, 
succeeded  the  business  of  J.  D.  Beach  established  about  1861.  David 
P.  Dean  in  company  with  his  brother,  James  C,  bought  in  1869  the 
grocery  and  millinery  business  of  Jesse  W.  Hall  and  carried  it  on  a 
number  of  years.  The  millinery  business  of  the  village  is  now  con- 
ducted by  Mrs.  M.  L.  White  and  Mrs.  F.  D.  Holdridge,  established  in 
1895.  Will  H.  Cruttenden  began  the  jewelry  business  in  1870  and  did 
a  successful  trade  many  years.  Jesse  W.  Hall  began  as  a  jeweler  in 
1878,  buying  out  John  Greenland,  who  was  in  the  business  twenty  years. 
Mr.  Hall  is  still  in  trade.  Harry  N.  Clark  began  a  jewelry  business  in 
1898. 

Henry  A.  Johnson,  H.  H.  Hannum  and  Henry  H.  Colton  as  the  firm 
of  Colton,  Johnson  &  Co.,  had  an  early  hardware  business  in  which  they 
were  succeeded  in  1877  by  Colton  &  Webber;  the  business  is  now  car- 
ried on  by  Mr.  Colton.  Driscoll  &  Marshall  (M.  Driscoll  and  F.  F. 
Marshall)  have  been  in  hardware  trade  since  1895,  succeeding  Collins 
&  Driscoll.  Another  hardware  business  is  conducted  by  Marshall  & 
Bumpus,  which  was  commenced  by  A.  E.  Marshall  in  1895;  Mr.  Bumpus 
came  into  the  business  in  April,  1897. 

Nichols  &  Covell  began  the  clothing  trade  in  1871 ;  this  business  is 
now  conducted  by  Charles  W.  Covell  &  Son.  R.  A.  Niles  &  Co.,  cloth- 
ing dealers,  succeeded  by  C.  P.  Remore  in  1895 ;  Mr.  Remore  was  pre- 
ceded by  Eben  Bentley. 

John  Aldrich  Wells  and  his  brother  W.  De  Los  removed  to  Cazenovia 
with  their  parents  from  Nelson,  and  began  business  as  general  mer- 
chants in  1872  under  the  firm  name  of  Wells  Brothers,  succeeding  D. 
N.  Pulford,  and  are  still  in  trade.  Nichols  &  Loomis  (S.  C.  Nichols, 
G.  E.  Loomis),  general  merchants,  succeeded  the  firm  of  Davis  & 
Nichols  in  1889,  who  had  succeeded  Tillotson  Brothers;  the  firm  is  now 
Geo.  E.  Loomis  &  Co.  B.  VoUmer,  general  merchant,  commenced 
trade  in  1881  in  company  with  P.  P.  Cobb,  who  retired  in  1883.  The 
firm  of  Cobb  &  Vollmer  succeeded  Watts  &  Cobb,  who  were  preceded 
by  John  R.  Watts.  F.  C.  Phelps  began  business  as  a  general  merchant 
in  1893.  Clark  &  Mulligan  (F.  G.  Clark  and  P.  E.  Mulligan)  began 
trade  as  general  merchants  in  1896,  succeeding  S.  B.  Groff. 

Rice  &  Co.  (J.W.T.  and  William  W.  Rice)  began  business  as  druggists 
in  1873 ;  the  store  is  now  conducted  by  the  latter.   Henry  A.  Rouse  settled 


2:!0  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

in  Cazenovia  in  1836  and  began  a  general  mercantile  business  in  1876, 
which  he  continued  until  his  death;  the  business  is  now  managed  by  C. 
H.  Rouse.  Samuel  T.  Jackson  and  his  cousin,  Frank  E.  Jackson,  were 
dealers  in  hats  and  caps,  boots  and  shoes,  either  as  partners  or  .separate, 
a  number  of  years  from  1877.  Isaac  L.  De  Clercq  began  grocery  trade 
in  1878  by  the  purchase  of  the  store  established  a  little  earlier  by  W.  B. 
Noxon.  John  Keeler  began  trade  in  musical  merchandise  in  1874. 
William  Donnelly  was  a  grocer  some  years  from  1878.  H.  M.  Gush- 
ing, druggist,  started  soon  after  1870,  and  in  1879  sold  out  to  Severe 
Dorion.  E.  C.  Hackley  and  C.  M.  Stanley  were  confectioners  about 
1880.  Other  merchants  of  the  present  are  noticed  in  the  later  Gazetteer 
of  Towns. 

This  comprehensive  account  of  mercantile  operations  in  Cazenovia 
denotes  that  the  village  in  past  years  was  a  trade  center  of  much  im- 
portance. This  condition  was  fostered  by  the  early  establishment  of 
various  manufacturing  industries  which  depended  largely  on  the  splen- 
did water  power  of  Chittenango  Creek.  The  selection  of  Cazenovia  as 
the  county  seat  in  1810  and  its  continuance  as  such  during  seven  years, 
doubtless  also  contributed  in  some  degree  to  the  business  importance  of 
the  village  in  early  years.  The  census  of  1810  gave  the  village  a  popu- 
lation of  500,  with  sixty-nine  houses,  five  stores,  one  grist  mill,  one  saw 
mill,  two  cloth-dressing  establishments,  two  carding  machines,  two 
trip-hammers,  two  potasheries,  two  tanneries,  one  brewery  and  distill- 
ery, and  a  post-office.  A  printing  office  should  be  added  to  this  list,  as 
The  Pilot  was  founded  in  the  village  in  1808  by  Oran  E.  Baker.  In 
the  pages  of  its  early  numbers,  through  the  medium  of  advertise- 
ments, something  additional  is  learned  of  the  industries  of  the  place. 
The  woolen  factory  of  Elisha  Starr  &  Co.  had  been  recently  pur- 
chased by  Matthew  Chandler.  The  new  tannery  of  Thomas  Chandler 
&  Son  was  noticed.  A  hat  factory  was  operated  by  John  Brevoort 
and  Jere  Allis.  A.  Hitchcock  announced  the  addition  to  his  stock  of 
goods  of  a  new  line  of  drugs  and  medicines.  S.  Forman  had  opened 
a  book  store,  and  J.  Gillett  advertised  his  ability  to  repair  clocks  and 
watches.  J.  Kilbourn  was  the  village  tailor,  and  W.  Brown  a  painter 
and  glazier.  A  Mr.  White's  chair  factory  is  noticed  and  the  trip- 
hammers of  Luther  Bunnell  also. 

From  that  far  time  until  the  financial  disaster  of  1830-38  swept 
over  the  country,  Cazenovia  prospered,  like  most  other  well  located 
villages  in  Central  New    York    where    good    water  power  was  avail- 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— CAZENOVIA.  231 

able;  and  much  of  that  prosperity  was  due  to  the  eiiforts  of  the 
energetic  men  who  established  manufactories.  The  early  chair  fact- 
tory  of  Nehemiah  White,  above  mentioned,  was  purchased  by  Eben- 
ezer  Knowlton,  who  built  also  an  oil  mill  about  1815;  both  of  these 
industries  were  carried  on  by  Mr.  Knowlton  many  years.  In  1813 
John  Lincklaen  and  Elisha  Starr  built  a  woolen  mill  which  is  be- 
lieved to  have  been  the  first  one  in  Madison  county.  It  passed  to 
Matthew  Chandler  &  Son.  About  1810  Thomas  Williams  and  his 
son  John,  from  New  Hartford,  Oneida  county,  established  a  tannery, 
which  they  sold  in  1815  to  R.  &  R.  G.  Allen.  Orrin  Chandler  suc- 
ceeded his  father  in  the  Lincklaen  &  Starr  woolen  mill  and  sold  it  in 
1829  to  John  Williams.  It  was  burned  May  1,  1834,  and  at  once  rebuilt 
and  Mr.  Williams  operated  it  until  his  death  in  1853;  he  was  the  first  to 
introduce  power  looms  in  this  town.  The  old  woolen  factory  building 
is  now  occupied  by  J.  H.  O'Neil  as  a  carriage  shop. 

Leonard  Williams,  son  of  John,  was  interested  in  the  woolen  mill, 
formed  a  partnership  in  1847  with  George  S.  Ledyard  and  John  Steb- 
bins  (Williams,  Ledyard  &  Stebbins),  and  the  firm  purchased  of  Mr. 
Williams  twenty-four  acres  of  land,  including  the  Chittenango  water 
power,  one  and  a  quarter  miles  below  the  village,  and  the  saw  mill  and 
fulling  mill ;  the  saw  mill  was  built  by  David  B.  Johnson,  and  the  full- 
ing mill  by  Sidney  Roberts,  of  whom  John  Williams  purchased  it.  The 
firm  demolished  the  fulling  mill  and  in  1848  erected  the  Shelter 
Valley  Woolen  Mill;  this  was  burned  in  1869  and  rebuilt  in  1871  by 
Williams  &  Stebbins,  Mr.  Ledyard  having  in  the  mean  time  retired. 
In  March,  1879,  Williams  sold  his  interest  to  Mr.  Stebbins.  The  busi- 
ness was  substantially  closed  on  account  of  the  unsatisfactory  condition 
of  the  trade;  but  the  mill  is  now  operated  in  a  small  way  by  the  Caz- 
enovia  Wool  and  Felt  Company. 

The  saw  mill  above  mentioned  was  operated  about  five  years  more 
and  was  then  demolished.  John  Williams  carried  on  the  fulling  busi- 
ness in  connection  with  tanning  leather  from  1840  to  1850  in  the  old 
Elisha  Farnham  tannery  building,  which  now  is  occupied  as  a  black- 
smith shop. 

The  Cazenovia  paper  mill  was  built  in  1810  by  Zadock  Sweetland 
and  was  for  many  years  a  very  important  industry  for  this  region.  He 
operated  it  successfully  and  gradually  increased  its  capacity,  until  a 
few  years  previous  to  his  death  in  1855;  he  was  then  succeeded  by  his 
sons  under  the  name  of  Sweetland  Brothers,  who  still  further  increased 


233  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  product.  The  mill  was  burned  in  1859  and  at  once  rebuilt.  In 
I860  a  great  freshet  carried  away  the  dam  and  did  a  large  amount  of 
other  damage  along  the  creek.  Henry  Munroe  bought  the  property, 
rebuilt  the  dam  and  started  the  mill.  It  was  again  partially  burned, 
was  rebuilt  and  then  wholly  burned.  The  property  passed  to  Joseph 
H.  Crawford,  of  mower  and  reaper  connection,  who  rebuilt  the  last 
mill ;  after  his  failure  it  was  acquired  by  Lewison  Fairchild,  who  sold 
it  to  Eben  Bentley.  After  being  occupied  a  short  time  with  the  unfor- 
tunate shoe  manufactory,  it  was  left  vacant 

The  Cedar  Grove  Woolen  Mill  was  built  about  1837  by  E.  S.  Jackson 
&  Son,  and  was  purchased  in  1850  by  Henry  Ten  Eyck.  It  was  a  large 
mill,  had  five  sets  of  machinery,  was  in  good  order  and  successful  oper- 
ation when,  in  1852,  it  was  burned,  causing  heavy  loss.  E.  Swan  after- 
wards during  the  Civil  war,  carried  on  the  making  of  binders'  boards 
on  the  site  of  this  mill. 

The  Allen  tannery,  before  mentioned,  was  operated  between  1869 
and  187-1  by  Dardis  &  Flanagan,  and  by  Andrew  Dardis  and  his  son 
John  A.  for  two  years  longer.  The  American  Lock  Manufacturing 
Company,  incorporated  in  1875,  with  a  capital  of  $25,000,  purchased 
the  business  in  that  year  of  the  American  Lock  Company,  which  had 
for  several  years  manufactured  a  lock  of  new  design  in  a  machine  shop 
near  the  Albany  street  bridge.  In  the  same  year  a  building  occupied 
by  Stephen  Chaphe  as  a  machine  shop  was  purchased  by  the  new  com- 
pany and  fitted  up  for  their  business.  In  April,  1878,  the  business  was 
sold  to  the  Yale  Lock  Company  and  removed  to  Stamford,  Conn. 

What  was  known  as  the  Fern  Dell  Mills  were  built  in  1848  by  Led- 
yard  Lincklaen  for  a  woolen  mill,  but  were  never  used  for  that  purpose. 
About  1850  O.  W.  Sage,  Newton  Ames,  and  Charles  Ames  began  there 
the  manufacture  of  sash,  doors  and  blinds,  continuing  until  about  1877 
when  Newton  Ames  sold  his  interest  to  O.  W.  Sage,  and  a  year  later 
the  latter  bought  also  the  interest  of  Charles  Ames.  About  the  year 
1873  Carlos  Nichols  acquired  an  interest  which  he  soon  relinquished. 
In  1874  T.  W.  Thayer  bought  a  third  of  the  business  and  the  next  year 
Ambrose  Ames  purchased  a  like  share.  In  1878  Mr.  Sage  sold  out  to 
Ames  &  Thayer.  A  large  business  was  done  and  the  works  are  now 
operated  by  T.  W.  Thayer  &  Co. 

In  1871  Joseph  H.  Crawford  established  the  manufacture  of  a  mower 
and  reaper  in  Ilion  and  five  years  later  removed  his  business  to  Caze- 
novia,  at  the  same  time  purchasing  the  Onondaga  Chief  works  at  Man- 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— CAZENOVIA.  233 

lius  which  he  merg-ed  with  his  former  interest.  He  occupied  the  old 
Cazenovia  foundry,  a  little  below  the  village,  which  was  established  in 
1825  by  the  Shapley  Brothers  (N.  W.  &  J.  S.),  on  the  site  of  the  old 
building  of  the  lock  company.  In  1875  he  erected  the  ^one  building 
which  was  also  occupied  by  him.  In  the  spring  of  1876  a  stock  com- 
pany was  formed  under  the  name  of  J.  F.  Crawford  &  Co.,  with  a  capi- 
tal of  $300,000.  This  company  was  dissolved  and  in  February,  1878, 
transferred  its  property  to  the  firm  of  J.  F.  Crawford  &  Co.  The  busi- 
ness for  a  time  seemed  to  have  a  prosperous  future,  but  active  compe- 
tition elsewhere  caused  its  ultimate  failure. 

What  was  known  as  the  Eagle  Foundry,  situated  on  Albany  street, 
was  built  by  Elisha  Allis  about  1842;  it  was  later  removed  up  the 
stream  and  passed  through  various  proprietors'  hands.  A  morocco 
factory  was  established  by  a  Mr.  Phinney,  east  of  the  village,  about 
1851  and  was  operated  a  number  of  years.  The  Bingley  Mills  are  situ- 
athd  about  two  miles  from  the  village  on  Chittenango Creek;  they  were 
established  at  a  very  early  date  and  were  operated  from  1831  to  the 
present  time  by  William  Atkinson.  A  saw  mill  was  also  built  near  by 
and  a  few  dwellings  were  gathered  about. 

The  Lake  Mills  in  the  village  were  built  in  early  years  by  Jonas  Fay 
and  in  1850  passed  to  Reuben  Parsons  from  William  Burton.  They 
had  other  owners  and  operators  and  in  1895  were  burned  and  rebuilt. 
They  are  now  operated  by  Albert  Chaphe.  The  foundry  and  machine 
shop  near  the  bridge  on  Albany  street  was  built  for  an  oil  mill  by  Ed- 
mond  Knowlton  who  occupied  it  as  such  until  about  1864,  when  it  was 
purchased  of  Chester  Bates  by  the  firm  of  Stone,  Marshall  &  Card 
(John  J.  Stone,  Justice  W.  Marshall,  and  Milton  E.  Card),  who  con- 
verted it  into  its  present  use.  The  firm  is  now  Marshall  &  Card.  Mr. 
Marshall  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  best  known  mechanics  in  this  section. 
He  settled  in  Cazenovia  in  1844  and  learned  his  trade  with  the  Shapley 
Brothers.  Later  he  purchased  the  machine  shop  of  A.  W.  Van  Riper 
who  was  for  many  years  a  manufacturer  of  town  clocks. 

The  well  known  Chaphe  planing  and  saw  mill  was  built  early  in  the 
century  as  it  originally  stood.  S.  F.  Chaphe  and  Reuben  Parsons  pur- 
chased the  property,  including  the  grist  mill  at  that  point,  of  William 
and  James  Burton  in  1850,  and  a  few  years  later  divided.  Parsons  tak- 
ing the  grist  mill  and  Chaphe  the  saw  mill.  In  1874  Mr.  Chaphe  en- 
larged his  mill,  put  in  a  planing  machine  and  added  steam  power.  The 
mill  was  partially  burned  since  that  time  and  rebuilt. 


234  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

In  1878  M.  E.  Card  and  Will  H.  Cruttenden  began  the  manufacture 
of  a  glass-ball  trap  invented  by  Mr.  Card,  the  work  being  carried  on 
in  the  foundry  of  Stone,  Marshall  &  Card.  It  proved  a  popular  device 
for  gunners  and  large  numbers  were  sold  in  various  countries.  Com- 
petition of  other  kinds  of  traps  ultimately  caused  a  cessation  of  the 
manufacture. 

M.  J.  Trowbridge  carried  on  the  manufacture  of  cabinet  ware  here 
from  1864,  when  he  purchased  of  Leonard  White  the  building  erected  by 
John  Williams  for  a  woolen  mill  in  183-1.  The  business  failed  about 
twenty  years  later. 

In  the  year  1895  a  Camden  turbine  water  wheel  was  installed  in  the 
stream  at  the  foot  of  Albany  street,  the  power  of  which  is  used  by 
Marshall  &  Card  for  their  machine  shop.  This  firm  has  also  a  five-year 
contract  with  the  village  corporation  for  pumping  water  for  the  auxil- 
iary water  supply,  the  water  being  taken  from  a  driven  well  near  by. 

George  Witherell  established  a  foundry  business  in  1890  in  the  old 
furnace  building,  but  it  was  soon  discontinued. 

The  few  foregoing  pages  inform  the  reader  that  in  past  years  Caze- 
novia  village  possessed  far  greater  importance  as  a  manufacturing  cen- 
ter than  it  does  at  the  present  time.  Active  competition  at  points  more 
favorably  situated  for  shipment  and  the  general  trend  of  manufacturing 
operations  towards  large  corporations,  with  other  causes,  have  wrought 
a  great  change  in  this  and  many  other  villages  where  the  water  power 
of  streams  gave  in  early  years  sufficient  stimulus  to  effect  the  founding 
of  many  industries.  The  industries  of  Cazenovia  at  the  present  time 
consist  mainly  of  the  grist  mills,  Marshall  &  Card's  machine  shop,  J.  H. 
O'Neil's  and  P.  H.  Calhoun's  wagon  and  blacksmith  shops;  Charles 
Bordwell,  blacksmith,  who  succeeded  his  father,  Peter  Bordwell,  who 
began  business  in  1842;  Martin  McCabe,  blacksmith,  where  his  father, 
John  McCabe,  carried  on  business  more  than  fifty  years;  that  shop  is 
one  of  the  oldest  buildings  in  the  village.  Barney  Riley,  a  blacksmith 
during  more  than  twenty-five  years;  and  the  Brooklyn  Creamery,  in 
which  are  manufactured  butter,  cheese,  ice  cream,  etc.,  in  charge  of 
Ludum  Blodgett. 

For  the  financial  accommodation  of  these  various  business  and  manu- 
facturing interests  the  Madison  County  Bank  was  organized  under  the 
safety  fund  act,  March  14,  1831,  with  a  capital  of  $100,000.  Lemuel 
White,  Jacob  Ten  Eyck,  Justin  Dwinelle,  Bennett  Bicknell,  John 
Knowles,   Sylvester  Beecher,  Elias  P.  Benjamin,  Jonathan  D.  Ledyard 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— CAZENOVIA.  335 

and  Samuel  Thomas  were  the  commissioners  appointed  to  receive  sub- 
scriptions. The  first  directors  of  the  bank  were  Perry  G.  Childs,  Jacob 
Ten  Eyck,  John  Hearsay,  Jesse  Kilborn,  H.  H.  Cubb,  Rufus  Allen, 
William  M.  Burr,  Arnold  Ballou,  Bennett  Bicknell,  John  Williams, 
Lemuel  White,  J.  D.  Ledyard  and  Sylvester  Beecher.  Mr.  Childs  was 
chosen  the  first  president  of  the  institution  and  the  bank  opened  for 
business  on  January  1,  1833,  and  was  a  source  of  great  benefit  to  the 
town  and  county.  Dividends  of  ten  per  cent,  annually  were  paid  many 
years  and  at  the  expiration  of  the  charter  $1.25  on  the  dollar  was  re- 
turned to  stockholders. 

The  Bank  of  Cazenovia  was  incorporated  February  21,  185G,  with  a 
capital  of  $120,000,  and  the  following  first  board  of  directors:  Charles 
Stebbins,  Ledyard  Lincklaen,  Benjamin  F.  Jarvis,  John  Hobbie,  David 
M.  Pulford,  Austin  Van  Riper,  Lewis  Raynor,  Reuben  Parsons  and  E. 
M.  Holmes.  Charles  Stebbins  was  chosen  the  first  president  of  the 
bank  and  B.  F.  Jarvis  the  first  cashier.  In  1865  the  bank  passed  under 
the  national  system,  becoming  the  National  Bank  of  Cazenovia,  and 
the  capital  was  increased  to  $150,000.  Twenty  years  later,  in  1876, 
this  bank  failed,  and  was  succeeded  during  four  years  by  the  private 
banking  establishment  of  E.  S.  Card  &  Co.,  who  failed  in  1880.  Soon 
afterward  a  private  banking  house  was  opened  by  J.  H.  Ten  Eyck  Burr, 
which  he  still  conducts. 

The  Pilot,  the  first  newspaper  in  this  village,  which  has  been  men- 
tioned as  starting  in  1808,  the  same  3'ear  in  which  the  Madison  Free- 
holder was  established  in  Peterboro,  continued  its  existence  until  Au- 
gust, 1833.  In  that  year  the  Republican  Monitor  was  founded  by  L. 
L  Rice.  From  April,  1825,  to  January,  1832,  it  was  published  by  John 
F.  Fairchild;  by  J.  F.  Fairchild  &  Son  until  July,  1840,  and  by  J.  F. 
Fairchild  until  March  4,  1841,  when  it  was  discontinued. 

The  Madison  County  Eagle  was  established  in  February,  1840,  by 
Cyrus  O.  Poole.  He  was  succeeded  the  next  year  by  Thomas  S.  Myrick, 
and  W.  H.  Phillips,  the  former  of  whom  withdrew  in  1842;  in  May, 
1845,  the  name  was  changed  to  Madison  County  Whig,  and  the  paper 
vigorously  and  ably  supported  the  principles  of  that  party.  In  August, 
1848,  H.  A.  Cooledge  succeeded  Mr.  Phillips  and  changed  the  name  of 
the  paper  to  The  Madison  County  News  in  October,  1853.  In  May, 
1854,  it  was  again  changed  to  The  Madison  County  Whig.  Three  years 
later,  in  January,  1857,  the  paper  was  discontinued.  The  next  paper 
in  the  village  was  the  Cazenovia  Gazette,  which  was  published  by  Baker 


236  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

&  Debnam  from  October,  1851,  to  May,  1852.  The  Progressive  Chris- 
tian was  published  two  years  from  April,  1853,  by  A.  Pryne.  What 
became  the  Manlius  Monitor  was  started  in  Cazenovia  in  November, 
1878,  by  Henry  C.  Hammond  and  E.  S.  Vanvalen.  On  March  1,  1879, 
Mr.  Hammond  became  sole  proprietor  and  a  few  months  later  removed 
it  to  Manlius. 

The  Cazenovia  Republican  was  established  in  1854;  by  W.  H.  Phillips 
and  Seneca  Lake.  A  few  weeks  afterwards  Mr.  Phillips  retired  and 
Mr.  Lake  continued  the  publication  until  September,  1862,  having  en- 
listed in  Co.  K  of  the  llith  Regiment,  wherein  he  served  with  credit 
throughout  the  war.  He  was  an  able  writer  and  made  the  Republican 
an  influential  newspaper.  He  was  succeeded  by  Crandall  Brothers 
(F.  A.  and  E.  Bowen  Crandall),  who  were  followed  in  March,  1863,  by 
Francis  A.  Crandall.  In  October  of  the  same  year  E.  Bowen  Crandall 
became  proprietor  and  was  succeeded  in  September,  1864,  by  Irving  C. 
Forte;  he  was  followed  by  Forte  Brothers,  then  by  Irving  C.  Forte, 
and  he  in  June,  1875,  by  the  former  proprietor,  E.  Bowen  Crandall. 
In  May,  1877,  Mr.  Crandall  was  succeeded  by  F.  M.  Taylor,  who  ably 
conducted  the  paper  until  October,  1889,  when  he  was  succeeded  by 
George  H.  Witherhead.  He  remained  proprietor  until  February  20, 
1890,  when  J.  A.  Loyster  purchased  and  took  charge  of  the  establish- 
ment and  has  since  filled  the  editorial  chair  with  signal  ability.  The 
Republican  has  always  earnestly  supported  the  party  from  which  it  is 
named.  It  is  somewhat  remarkable  that  since  its  e.stablishment  nearly 
half  a  century  ago,  the  Republican  has  never  missed  an  issue.  It  is 
now  an  eight-page  weekly  and  is  wholly  printed  in  its  own  office. 

The  tax  list  copied  a  few  pages  back  informs  us  that  in  1803  Hiram 
Roberts  added  to  his  trade  of  blacksmithing,  the  keeping  of  a  tavern, 
and  that  Ebenezer  Johnson  was  the  other  landlord  of  the  place  at  that 
time.  The  record  of  possible  tavern-keepers  in  the  first  quarter  of  the 
century  is  not  complete,  but  we  know  that  the  Lincklaen  House  was 
built  in  1835  by  John  Williams  and  his  associates  in  a  stock  company; 
the  property  came  into  possession  of  Mr.  Williams  in  1839,  and  he  re- 
tained it  until  his  death  in  1853.  It  was,  however,  leased  to  Oliver 
Jewell  from  1841  to  1852  inclusive,  and  he  purchased  it  upon  the  death 
of  Mr.  Williams  and  kept  the  house  until  his  death  in  July,  1877.  In 
October  of  that  year  Messrs.  Clark  &  Jewett  purchased  the  property, 
since  which  time  it  has  had  numerous  owners  and  proprietors.  The 
house  is  now  kept  by  Walter  H.  Young. 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— CAZENOVIA.  237 

The  Cazenovia  House  was  built  in  the  early  years  of  the  village,  had 
a  number  of  proprietors  and  in  1877  became  the  property  of  Perry  Cran- 
dall  who  kept  the  house  a  number  of  years.  The  present  proprietor  is 
Charles  E.  Pratt. 

What  was  formerly  the  Lake  House  has  stood  for  many  years  and 
was  purchased  in  1879  by  C.  B.  Stanton,  who  changed  its  name  to  the 
Stanton  House  and  made  extensive  improvements.  He  was  succeeded 
for  a  few  years  by  John  Finch  and  he  by  Edward  Parker.  In  1894  the 
house  again  came  into  possession  of  Mr.  Stanton.  — . 

Cazenovia  village  has  had  a  number  of  attorneys  in  past  years  who^ 
were  prominent  in  the  bar  of  the  county.  Among  them  were  Schuyler 
Van  Rensselaer,  Samuel  Sidney  Breese,  David  Dearborn,  David  B. 
Johnson,  Perry  G.  Childs,  a  man  who  had  ani'lionorable  business  and 
official  career;  Charles  Stebbins,  Justin  Dwinelle,  William  J.  Hough, 
Sidney  T.  Fairchild,  Calvin  Carpenter,  Richard  Thomas,  Hobert  G. 
Paddock,  D.  W.  Cameron,  William  L.  Storke,  and  a  few  others. 

The  first  physician  to  settle  in  the  village  was  Dr.  Isaac  Lyman  who 
came  from  Northampton,  Mass.,  in  or  before  the  year  1799,  and  con- 
tinued in  practice  until  shortly  before  his  death  in  1854.  Dr.  Theoph- 
ilus  Wilson  began  practice  in  1814,  after  graduating  at  Dartmouth  Col- 
lege. He  was  stricken  down  by  death  about  a  year  later.  Other  early 
physicians  were  Drs.  Jonathan  Silsby,  David  Mitchell,  Alvin  Foord, 
Fordyce  Rice,  E.  M.  Adams,  John  K.  Charaberlayne,  Stephen  M. 
Potter,  Isaac  Newton  Goff,  Elbert  A.  Ainsworth,  A.  D.  Smith,  Henry 
Foord. 

Cazenovia  has  always  had  an  efficient  fire  department  and  has  not 
suffered  as  have  many  villages  from  the  destructive  element.  At  the 
first  meeting  of  the  village  corporation  $100  was  voted  for  the  purchase 
of  a  fire  engine;  that  was  in  May,  1810.  A  month  later  it  was  ordered 
"that  Hezekiah  Strong,  Jacob  A.  Dana,  Daniel  Gilbert,  Nehemiah  White, 
John  M.  Black,  Joab  Gillett,  Caleb  Ledyard,  William  Adams,  Timothy 
Foster,  M.  P.  Mather,  William  Wills  and  Isaac  Dawson  be  firemen  for  the 
village  of  Cazenovia,  and  that  they  meet  on  Monday  next  at  8  o'clock 
A.  M.,  to  choose  a  captain  from  their  number,  who  shall  have  the  direction 
of  the  engine,  and  the  firemen  belonging  to  the  fire  compan}',  and  that 
the  captain  shall  call  out  and  exercise  the  company  in  using  and  exam- 
ining the  engine  at  least  once  a  month,  which  shall  be  on  the  last  Sat- 
urday in  each  and  every  month,  and  that  the  time  of  meeting  on  said 
Saturday  at  sua  two  hours  high  in  the  afternoon  and  may  be  kept  out 


238  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

till  sun-set."  In  the  closing  month  of  that  year  the  trustees  ordered 
every  merchant  and  tavern-keeper  in  the  village  to  provide  himself  with 
five  leather  buckets,  and  every  other  owner  or  occupant  of  a  house  with 
one  bucket  for  use  in  case  of  fire.  At  the  first  a  fine  of  fifty  cents  was 
imposed  for  non-attendance  at  meetings  of  the  fire  company;  this  fine 
was  increased  to  one  dollar  in  June,  1813,  and  more  buckets  were  or- 
dered in  shops,  offices,  etc.  In  1812  the  first  engine  house  was  built 
at  a  cost  of  $55. 

For  some  cause  unexplained  the  fii-e  company  was  disbanded  in  May, 
1816,  and  on  May  7,  1817,  the  engine  was  ordered  to  be  sold;  it  was 
doubtless  about  useless,  as  later  in  the  same  year  Ebenezer  Reynolds 
and  Sylvanus  Dyer  offered  to  put  it  in  repair  for  $60  and  that  the  vil- 
lage might  then  have  the  option  of  selling  it  to  them  for  $15.  The  offer 
was  accepted. 

In  May,  1822,  residents  of  the  village  were  ordered  to  provide  ladders 
long  enough  in  each  case  to  reach  the  roof  of  the  dwelling.  On  Octo- 
ber 4  of  that  year  the  engine  house  was  ordered  sold  at  auction  on  the 
next  day.  In  May,  1827,  the  first  hooks  and  ladders  were  provided  for 
at  a  cost  of  $20. 

In  May,  1829,  the  trustees  were  given  authority  to  purchase  "one  of 
DaboU's  fire  engines."  On  July  14  of  that  year  a  new  fire  company 
was  organized  with  thirteen  members,  of  which  John  W.  Birge  was 
elected  captain.  When  this  company  disbanded  in  1831  a  new  one  was 
formed  of  eighteen  members,  of  which  Rufus  Allen  was  captain,  and 
Elisha  AUis  was  chosen  chief  engineer.  On  September  16,  1834,  the 
trustees  were  ordered  to  purchase  a  fire  engine  at  the  price  of  $700 
from  William  Piatt  &  Co.  In  Maj',  1835,  they  were  given  authority  to 
construct  "three  sufficient  reserviors,"  holding  about  10,000  gallons 
each,  and  to  pay  Elisha  AUis  a  reasonable  sum  for  building  an  engine 
house;  this  house  cost  $92.  In  the  following  month  a  hook  and  ladder 
company  was  organized. 

On  the  first  of  May,  1843,  the  fire  company  adopted  a  code  of  by- 
laws and  took  the  name  Cazenovia  Fire  Company  No.  1.  In  July  of  that 
j'ear  Fire  Company  No.  2  was  organized  with  sixteen  members.  In 
August  of  the  next  year  a  second  engine  was  purchased,  with  hose  and 
other  appurtenances.  The  new  engine  was  purchased  of  L.  Button  & 
Co.  at  a  cost  $550.  Cazenovia  Fire  Company  No.  2  was  organized  with 
thirty  members  on  December  21,  1844. 

The  sum  of  $2,000  was  voted  on  March  5,  1854,  for  building  a  hall 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— CAZENOVIA.  239 

in  association  with  the  town,  which  also  voted  that  amount  at  the  annual 
town  meeting  of  that  year.  The  village  was  to  have  right  of  perpetual 
use  of  the  basement  for  the  fire  department,  and  the  hall  for  village 
meetings.  In  March  of  the  following  year  the  school  house  in  district 
No.  1  was  purchased  for  an  engine  house  at  a  cost  of  $400,  with  half 
that  sum  for  adapting  it  to  its  new  purpose. 

The  Owaghena  Fire  Company  No.  1  was  first  organized  July  12,  1862, 
with  Abram  Lockwood,  foreman.  Deluge  Fire  Company  No.  2  was 
formed  on  the  same  date,  with  H.  A.  Gifford,  foreman.  In  August,  1863, 
the  trustees  authorized  the  chief  engineer  to  purchase  a  new  Cowing 
engine  for  $1,150.  A  reorganization  of  the  department  took  place  im- 
mediately after  a  disbandment  of  the  whole  department,  on  March  30, 
1875,  when  two  fire  companies  numbered  1  and  2  were  formed  and  a 
hook  and  ladder  company.  This  arrangement  did  not  continue  long 
and  in  1877  Owaghena  Engine  Company  No.  1  and  Deluge  Engine 
Company  No.  2  were  organized.  Ledyard  Hose  Company  No.  1  was 
organized  in  September,  1879. 

In  1890  an  efficient  water  works  system  for  the  village  was  estab- 
lished upon  which  has  thus  far  been  expended  $42,000.  This  action 
was  taken  as  a  result  of  a  vote  at  a  special  meeting.  A  reservoir  with 
a  capacity  of  8,000,000  gallons  was  constructed  at  an  elevation  of  178 
feet  above  the  lake,  giving  an  average  pressure  of  sixty  pounds.  The 
reservoir  is  fed  by  springs  in  the  vicinity  and  the  auxiliary  pumping 
station  operated  by  Marshall  &  Card,  before  mentioned;  this  station 
has  a  daily  capacity  of  280,000  gallons  and  is  in  use  about  six  months 
in  each  year.  About  300  taps  are  now  in  use  and  eight  miles  of  pipe 
have  been  laid.  The  income  from  the  system  in  1897  was  $2,100.  The 
water  commissioners  are  Edgar  C.  Bass,  William  Watkins  and  D.  H. 
Doremus. 

The  introduction  of  this  system  rendered  the  fire  engines  substantially 
useless  and  the  fire  department  now  consists  of  two  hose  companies  and 
a  hook  and  ladder  company;  the  hose  companies  are  named  Citizens' 
Hose  Company,  Owaghena  Hose  Company  No.  1,  and  the  other  organ- 
ization is  Cazenovia  Hook  and  Ladder  Company.  In  case  of  a  fire  a 
general  alarm  is  sounded  on  the  Baptist  church  bell  by  push  buttons  in 
various  parts  of  the  village,  a  system  inaugurated  in  1893.  C.  H.  Bar- 
rett is  chief  engineer. 

What  is  known  as  Cazenovia  Hall  was  erected  in  1897  by  the  Caze- 
novia Hall  Association,  a  stock  company,  in  which  Henry  Burden  was 


340  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

by  far  the  largest  owner  and  the  principal  promoter.  He  was  made 
president  of  the  association;  William  Watkins,  vice-president  and  mana- 
ger; John  R.  Watts,  treasurer;  Charles  S.  Fairchild,  William  W.  Rice, 
directors.  The  building  is  a  symmetrical  structure  of  brick  and  cost 
about  $12,000.  The  village  corporation  leases  from  the  association  a 
commodious  office  for  its  business  and  records. 

Cazenovia  is  efficiently  drained  by  a  complete  sewer  system,  work  on 
which  was  begun  in  the  fall  of  1894  and  finished  in  the  following  year. 
The  cost  of  the  system  was  $31,000,  for  which  bonds  were  issued  to 
run  twenty  years. 

The  church  next  formed  in  Cazenovia  after  the  organization  of  the 
Presbyterian  in  1798,  as  before  noticed,  was  the  Baptist,  which  was  the 
result  of  meetings  held  in  1803  in  the  school  house  two  miles  south  of 
the  village,  and  conducted  by  Elder  Bacon,  pastor  of  the  church  in  New 
Woodstock.  Other  elders  conducted  the  meetings  there  until  1813, 
when  they  were  held  in  the  court  house  in  the  village  until  1817.  In 
that  year  the  foundations  of  a  Baptist  meeting  house  were  laid  and  in 
the  following  year  it  was  in  condition  for  occupancy.  On  September 
6,  1820,  thirty-six  male  and  fifty-five  female  members  were  dismissed 
from  the  Baptist  church  of  New  Woodstock  and  a  separate  organiza- 
tion was  effected  in  Cazenovia.  After  two  years  of  pulpit  supply.  Elder 
David  Pease  was  called  and  served  five  years,  during  which  period  in 
1823  the  Sunday  school  was  opened.  In  March,  1837,  Elder  Lewis 
Leonard  became  pastor  and  continued  eight  years  until  1835,  in  which 
year  the  church  was  repaired  and  improved.  Rev.  William  Clarke  was 
the  next  pastor,  beginning  his  term  in  1836  and  serving  until  1851,  to 
be  succeeded  in  the  following  year  by  Rev.  George  Mathews;  he  con- 
tinued only  two  years  when  Rev.  Mr.  Clarke  was  again  called  and  re- 
mained pastor  until  April,  1864.  From  1865  to  1868,  J.  B.  Childs,  a 
student  at  Hamilton,  filled  the  pulpit.  In  the  year  named  last  exten- 
sive changes  and  improvements  were  made  in  the  church  and  Rev. 
John  C.  Ward  was  called  to  the  pastorate,  serving  until  March,  1873.  In 
June,  1875,  Rev.  Samuel  H.  Greene  was  ordained.  The  present  pas- 
tor. Rev.  J.  J.  Keyes,  began  his  pastorate  in  1893.  The  church  edifice 
was  burned  in  1871,  and  the  society  rebuilt  its  present  handsome  brick 
church  at  a  cost  of  $15,000,   which  was  dedicated  in  June,  1880. 

A  Methodist  class  was  formed  in  Cazenovia  as  a  part  of  the  Cortland 
Circuit  which  was  organized  in  1816.  Previous  to  that  year  services 
had  been  held  in  the  village  by  circuit  preachers.     Rev.  William  Cam- 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— CAZENOVIA.  241 

eron  formed  the  class  in  1816,  and  in  the  next  year  Elisha  Bibbins  and 
George  Peck  were  the  preachers ;  the  latter  described  the  Cazenovia 
church  as  consisting  of  "John  Rowland,  his  wife  and  two  daughters, 
Grace  and  Hannah;  Eunice  Parsons,  subsequently  extensively  known 
as  the  devoted  Sister  Cobb,  .  .  Stephen  Dodge  and  his  sister; 
Luany  Martin,  Dolly  Codwell,  and  a  few  others  we  cannot  name,  to- 
gether with  some  half  a  dozen  who  lived  out  of  the  village.  .  .  . 
Mr.  Rowland  owned  the  grist  mill  on  the  outlet,  and  was  a  man  of 
some  means;  the  remainder  of  the  class  were  poor,  a  majority  of  them 
single  persons."  There  are  no  records  of  this  church  prior  to  Novem- 
ber 4,  1830,  when  a  meeting  was  held  and  the  title,  The  First  Society 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Cazenovia  was  adopted ;  Timothy 
Crandall,  Russell  G.  Allen,  Whitman  Cobb,  Augustus  W.  Smith,  Will- 
iam Sherman,  Newell  Wright,  and  David  B.  Johnson  were  chosen  trus- 
tees. A  subscription  was  soon  started  to  obtain  funds  with  which  to 
build  a  chapel,  the  subscriptions  not  to  be  binding  unless  $3,000  or 
more  was  subscribed.  As  only  a  little  less  than  $3,000  was  pledged, 
the  project  was  abandoned.  On  January  25,  1832,  it  was  resolved  to 
raise  a  fund  by  selling  the  pews  of  a  contemplated  church  to  be  built 
on  the  corner  lot  south  of  the  Seminary,  of  brick  or  stone.  The  sales 
of  pews  continued  at  a  few  intervals  until  January  1,  1833,  at  which 
time  little  more  than  $4,000  had  been  realized.  In  the  spring  of  that 
year  work  on  the  building  was  begun  and  it  was  probably  finislied  dur- 
ing the  year.  This  building  was  used  until  1873,  when  the  present 
fine  edifice  was  completed  at  a  cost,  with  furnishings,  of  about  $39,000. 
The  church  was  first  constituted  a  charge  in  1825,  with  Rev.  Fitch 
Reed,  pastor. 

The  organization  of  St.  Peter's  Episcopal  Church  in  November, 
1844,  was  the  result  of  meetings  which  had  been  held  in  the  high  school 
room  on  the  public  square.  On  November  4  of  the  year  named  Will- 
iam Greenland,  Anson  W.  Spencer,  Sherlock  W.  Perkins,  Martin  W. 
Shapley,  J.  Dean  Hawley,  Kendrick  N.  Guiteau,  John  Ryan,  James  A. 
White,  Rollin  A.  Mitchell,  D.  Ira  Baker,  George  Adams,  and  John 
Adams  met  for  the  purposes  of  incorporating  a  church.  Rev.  Mason 
Gallagher  was  then  a  missionary  in  Cazenovia  and  occupied  the  chair. 
A  resolution  of  incorporation  was  adopted  and  William  Greenland  and 
Anson  W.  Spencer  were  elected  wardens,  and  Martin  W.  Shapley,  Ken- 
drick N.  Guiteau,  J.  Dean  Hawley,  Sherlock  W.  Perkins,  Charles  G. 
Warden,  John  Ryan,  Edward  F.  Pratt,  and  David  G,  Keeler,  vestry- 
16 


243  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

men.  On  December  1,  1844,  the  congregation  worshiped  for  the  first 
time  in  the  room  at  the  northeast  corner  of  the  square,  which  had  been 
appropriately  fitted  for  the  purpose.  Owing  to  informality  in  the  pro- 
ceedings of  organization  above  described  a  reincorporation  of  the  church 
was  effected  November  17,  1845.  In  January,  1847,  a  site  for  a  church 
was  selected  and  the  edifice  there  erected  was  completed  and  conse- 
crated on  December  28,  1848.  Rev.  J.  T.  Rose  was  installed  as  pastor 
in  1891. 

St.  James's  Roman  Catholic  Church  was  organized  in  1849  by  Rev. 
Michael  Hayes,  of  Syracuse,  who  had  previously  conducted  meetings 
in  dwellings  in  the  village.  The  brick  church  edifice  was  erected  in 
1849-50,  and  the  first  services  were  held  there  in  May  of  that  year.  In 
1853  Rev.  James  Cahill  became  the  resident  pastor  and  was  succeeded 
in  1856  for  two  years  by  Rev.  Michael  Rooney.  The  other  pastors 
have  been  Rev.  Bonaventure  Carney,  1858-62;  Rev.  C.  P.  Brady,  1862- 
75;  Rev.  C.  A.  Reilly,  1875-82;  Rev.  John  L.  Reilly,  1883-85;  Rev. 
Edward  M.  Brady,  1885,  leaving  in  fall  of  that  year;  James  L.  Mahar, 
1885-95;  Rev.  Father  Doody  came  October  20,  1895,  and  is  the  present 
pastor.  The  church  is  a  prosperous  one,  free  from  debt,  owns  a  good 
parsonage  and  a  cemetery. 

The  First  Universalist  Society  was  organized  March  23,  1853,  at  a 
meeting  at  which  William  G.  Burr,  Rufus  May,  and  Chester  S.  Bates 
were  chosen  trustees.  S.  B.  Ward,  Francis  Parsons,  Thomas  Worlock, 
Albert  Cook,  and  Amasa  Swift  were  appointed  a  building  committee 
and  their  meeting  house  was  built  during  that  year.  The  society  has 
always  been  small  and  was  served  by  Revs.  C.  E.  Hewes,  D.  Skinner, 
J.  M.  Austin,  and  J.  C.  B.  Heath.  After  1857  only  occasional  services 
were  held. 

There  is  very  little  existing  record  to  denote  just  what  was  done  in 
the  very  early  years  for  the  promotion  of  education  in  Cazenovia;  but 
it  is  quite  safe  to  assume  that  schools  were  established  from  the  first 
and  were  supported  with  such  liberality  as  the  circumstances  allowed. 
The  town  was  early  divided  into  districts  the  number  of  which  was  for 
many  years  eighteen.  This  number  was  reduced  in  1874  by  the  con- 
solidation of  districts  Nos.  10,  17  and  21  to  form  a  Union  Free  School 
district.  Two  earlier  attempts  were  made  for  this  purpose,  which  were 
unsuccessful.  This  district  and  the  old  and  well  known  Seminary  are 
properly  described  in  the  chapter  on  Education. 

Cazenovia  supports  an  excellent  public  library  containing  about  5,000 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— CAZENOVIA.  243 

volumes,  which  is  now  located  in  the  old  Williams  Holmes  residence. 
This  property  was  purchased  by  R.  H.  Hubbard  and  presented  to  the 
village  for  its  present  purpose.  This  library  was  supported  during  a 
number  of  3'ears  by  individual  subscriptions,  and  partly  by  fees.  The 
present  librarian  is  Miss  Emma  Hutchinson. 

While  the  progress  thus  described  was  taking  place  in  the  central  and 
northern  parts  of  this  town,  similar  advancement  was  made  in  the 
southern  part  in  the  vicinity  of  New  Woodstock,  It  has  already  been 
noted  that  David  and  Jonathan  Smith  and  Charleville  Webber  were  the 
pioneers  in  this  section  of  the  town,  and  were  soon  followed  by  Isaac 
Warren,  Robert  Fisher,  John  Savage  and  others  of  the  sturdy  men  who 
subdued  the  wilderness.  A  hamlet  sprang  up  on  the  site  of  New 
Woodstock  at  an  early  day,  the  place  being  easily  accessible  by  a  good 
road  from  Cazenovia  southward.  The  Baptist  meeting  house  of  the 
parent  society  was  built  here  in  1803,  and  a  tavern,  store  and  shops 
were  soon  in  existence.  The  first  merchants  of  whom  there  is  definite 
knowledge  were  Harvey  and  Alvin  Smith,  brothers,  who  traded  from 
181G  to  1830;  they  also  established  that  necessary  institution  of  the 
pioneers,  a  distillery,  which  they  subsequently  sold  to  Philetus  Lathrop. 
Joseph  F.  Clark  was  a  merchant  contemporary  with  the  Smiths,  his 
store  being  opposite  theirs,  just  east  of  the  railroad  on  the  north  side  of 
the  street.  He  continued  in  business  until  his  death  in  1834.  Jesse  B. 
Worden  was  a  merchant  here  from  about  1816  to  1819;  he  left  it  to  be- 
come a  Baptist  minister.  Harvey  Morris,  from  Eaton  village,  opened 
a  store  about  1834  in  the  building  that  afterwards  became  a  part  of  the 
store  of  T.  F.  Huntley;  he  continued  until  his  death  in  1842.  T.  M. 
Avery  succeeded  Mr.  Morris.  Baum  &  Stanton  were  in  trade  a  few 
years  previous  to  the  Civil  war,  and  were  succeeded  in  1862  by  O.  D. 
Huntley  &  Son,  who  came  from  Sharon,  N.  Y. ;  they  continued  until 
the  death  of  the  father  in  1866,  when  the  business  was  sold  to  another 
son,  T.  F.  Huntley.  He  admitted  his  brother  William  as  a  partner  a 
year  later,  who  sold  back  his  interest  three  years  afterwards  and  T.  F. 
Huntley  continued  a  few  years,  when  he  sold  to  James  Reed  and  moved 
to  Syracuse;  after  other  brief  periods  of  proprietorship  the  store  came 
into  possession  of  Perry  Jaqueth  and  his  son.  William  W.  Huntley  opened 
a  store  in  1875  and  continued  a  number  of  years,  when  he  was  succeeded 
by  C.  A.  Fox,  present  proprietor.  E.  W.  Gunn  and  F.  W.  Tucker,  as 
the  firm  of  Gunn  &  Tucker,  were  in  trade  before  1880,  and  the  former 
was  an  earlier  merchant,  beginning  in  1856;  his  partners  at  different 


44  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

periods  were  J.  J.  Tucker  and  Alonzo  Tucker,  who  purchased  the  store 
subsequently  occupied  by  the  firm.  The  hardware  business  started  in 
1865  by  R.  J.  Sunderlin  was  carried  on  by  Sunderlin  &  Tucker  after 
1867,  through  the  admission  of  J.  J.  Tucker  as  a  partner.  Henry 
Ryder  bought  Sunderlin's  interest  and  William  Huntley  recently  pur- 
chased the  whole.  Orrin  S.  Smith  began  trade  in  1S66  with  John  Fer- 
guson, whose  interest  he  purchased  a  year  later. 

New  Woodstock  has  not  been  noted  for  manufacturing.  The  New 
Woodstock  Mills,  formerly  including  a  flouring  mill  and  a  saw  mill, 
were  built  a  little  before  1840  by  Samuel  Walker,  who  had  previously 
owned  and  operated  a  grist  mill  and  saw  mill  built  in  the  early  years  of 
the  village  by  Nathan  Smith;  these  were  carried  away  in  a  freshet  just 
before  the  present  mills  were  built.  The  mill  property  passed  to  Wal- 
lace &  Corbin  who  sold  in  1869  to  J.  J.  Randall.  At  his  death  it 
passed  to  his  son-in-law,  Merritt  C.  Wood. 

A  wool  carding  factory  was  established  many  years  ago  on  this 
stream  below  the  grist  mill,  which  later  was  converted  into  a  machine 
shop  and  cider  mill  which  was  subsequently  at  different  times  burned 
and  rebuilt.  In  1855  it  passed  to  possession  of  G.  W.  Wightman  who 
sold  it  in  1861  and  repurchased  it  two  years  later;  it  was  burned  in  1862 
and  was  rebuilt  in  1863,  and  was  again  burned  in  1871  and  rebuilt  by 
Mr.  Wightman  in  1873.  The  property  passed  to  W.  H.  Gardner  and 
from  him  to  the  present  owner  E.  K.  Gardner.  It  now  consists  of  a 
saw  mill,  planer  and  shingle  machine.  It  has  been  twice  burned  since 
1873. 

Silas  E.  Morse  has  been  in  the  wagon-making  business  here  since 
1850,  during  the  first  five  years  with  Ralph  Bell  and  James  L.  Savage. 
This  shop  was  ultimately  closed.  Henry  S.  Gorton  also  carried  on  this 
business  many  years,  but  finally  failed. 

The  first  cheese  factory  in  the  town  was  established  at  this  village  in 
1863-3  by  E.  W.  Gunn  and  J.  J.  Tucker,  the  merchants  before  men- 
tioned; it  was  subsequently  owned  by  J.  M.  Lounsbury  &  Sons,  and 
has  been  conducted  by  G.  A.  Buckingham  since  1883.  He  also  con- 
ducts the  milk  station  and  handles  the  milk  of  1,800  cows.  Seven  other 
cheese  factories  were  afterwards  opened  between  that  time  and  1873,  in 
different  sections  and  for  many  years  this  business  was  very  active.  A 
factory  is  now  in  operation  at  Webster's,  another  at  the  head  of  the 
lake  by  Wager  &  Reynolds,  and  Burr  Wendell  has  a  butter  factory  near 
the  Chenango  Valley  station. 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— CAZENOVIA.  245 

Although  the  legal  profession  has  not  been  actively  represented  by 
resident  members  in  the  village,  a  number  of  physicians  have  followed 
their  profession  here  in  past  years.  The  first  doctor  in  the  place  was 
Joseph  Moffett,  who  settled  here  about  1810  and  practiced  until  his 
death  in  1820.  He  was  followed  by  Dr.  Levi  Gibbs  who  removed  to 
Perry,  N.  Y.,  some  years  later.  Dr.  Stephen  P.  Collins  was  in  practice 
from  1828  to  1838.  Dr.  John  Goodell,  jr.,  practiced  several  years  just 
before  his  death  in  1850.  Others  who  were  in  practice  here  only  short 
periods  were  Drs.  Lorenzo  Heffron,  C.  W.  Adams,  A.  D.  Smith  Joseph 
Ferry,  Franklin  W.  Root,  N.  P.  Warner  and  perhaps  a  few  others. 

The  only  church  at  New  Woodstock  besides  the  Baptist,  which  has 
been  described,  is  the  Methodist,  which  was  organized  in  1830;  at  that 
time  it  was  in  the  Pompey  Circuit.  The  members  of  the  class  at  that 
time  were  L.  Davis  and  wife,  N.  Abbott  and  wife,  James  Allen,  B.  Pad- 
dock and  W.  Batchelor.  Services  were  held  in  the  West  Woodstock 
school  house.  The  meeting  house  at  New  Woodstock  was  built  in  1850 
and  was  subsequently  enlarged  and  improved.  The  records  are  so  im- 
complete  that  a  list  of  the  pastors  cannot  be  given. 

Webster's  is  a  station  on  the  Chenango  Valley  branch  of  the  West 
Shore  road  about  two  and  a  half  miles  south  of  Cazenovia.  A  post- 
office  was  established  about  1876,  with  P.  A.  Webster,  postmaster.  T. 
C.  Farrell  is  the  present  official.  A  cheese  factory  and  a  milk  station 
are  the  only  business  interests  of  the  place. 

What  are  known  as  Bingley's  Mills  are  situated  on  the  Elmira,  Cort- 
land and  Northern  Railroad,  two  miles  above  Cazenovia  on  Chitte- 
nango  Creek.  A  grist  mill  was  operated  here  among  the  first  in  this  sec- 
tion. It  was  owned  by  William  Atkinson  from  1831  until  his  death  in 
1871,  and  is  still  operated  by  members  of  that  family. 

Two  miles  north  of  New  Woodstock,  at  what  is  called  Belmont,  is  a 
grist  mill  which  is  now  operated  by  Erastus  Seymour.  E.  P.  Jepson 
was  a  former  proprietor  a  number  of  years.  About  a  mile  above  on  the 
same  stream  is  a  saw  mill  built  by  Clark  Taber,  which  has  been  oper- 
ated many  years  by  the  Judd  Brothers. 


246  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 
PROGRESS  OF  IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS  CONTINUED— HAMILTON. 

Since  the  organization  of  Madison  county  in  1806,  the  town  of  Ham- 
ilton, formed  from  Paris  March  5,  1795,  the  settlement  of  which  has 
been  adequately  described  in  an  earlier  chapter,  has  been  one  of  the 
most  important  in  the  county.  While  public  affairs,  legislation,  etc., 
in  which  the  town  at  large  was  directly  and  deeply  interested  have  not 
been  of  such  significance  as  to  demand  particular  attention,  the  villages 
of  Hamilton  in  the  northwest  part  of  the  town,  Earlville,  a  part  of 
which  is  in  the  extreme  southwestern  part,  and  Poolville  in  the  central 
part  have  become  business  centers  of  importance,  where  large  interests 
are  represented  and  fine  churches,  excellent  schools,  societies,  and  all 
of  the  institutions  of  advanced  civilization  have  been  established  and 
actively  supported.  The  town  as  a  whole  constitutes  a  rich  agricul- 
tural district  and  in  past  years  was  one  of  those  in  the  county  noted  for 
extensive  cultivation  of  hops — an  industry  that  in  more  recent  years 
is  being  superseded  by  dairying  with  more  reliable  and  larger  profits. 

The  early  town  records,  after  giving  the  list  of  officers  and  other 
brief  proceedings  of  the  first  town  meeting,  held  in  April,  1795,  con- 
tained the  customary  simple  results  of  votes  for  the  regulation  of  pub- 
lic affairs  as  they  then  existed.  Until  1807  the  town  embraced 
an  immense  area,  including  what  are  now  the  towns  of  Lebanon,  Eaton 
and  Madison,  giving  such  officers  as  were  chosen  an  extended  jurisdic- 
tion and  their  edicts  an  influence  that  was  far-reaching.  In  Hamilton 
village,  then  a  mere  cluster  of  dwellings  with  a  tavern,  a  store,  and  a 
few  shops,  were  held  the  first  Courts  of  Common  Pleas  in  Chenango 
county,  of  which  the  town  was  a  part  until  1806.  The  first  court  met 
in  a  log  school  house  near  the  pioneer  home  of  Elisha  Payne,  in  June, 
1798.  After  the  formation  of  Madison  county  the  courts  alternated  be- 
tween this  school  house,  and  another  one  in  the  town  of  Sullivan.  But 
there  was  very  little  litigation  among  the  peacefully-inclined  people  of 
those  times;  they  had  had  personal  interests  of  greater  import  to  at- 
tract their  attention  than  waiting  upon   the  slow  progress  of  the  law. 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— HAMILTON.  247 

Their  greatest  enemies  were  not  their  neighbors,  but  wild  beasts,  and 
the  young  hunters  received  a  considerable  revenue  during  a  number  of 
years  from  the  bounties  offered  by  the  town  for  killing  wolves,  bears, 
etc.  In  1799  it  was  voted  to  give,  besides  the  bounty  then  in  force 
(the  amount  of  which  is  not  stated)  "10  Dollars  for  a  Full  Grown 
Wolf,  5  for  a  whelp;"  also  "to  give  1  Dollar  as  bounty  for  killing  a 
full  grown  Bear."  This  indicates  the  relative  amount  of  damage  done 
by  those  two  kinds  of  beasts.  The  bounty  on  wolves  continued  through 
1801  and  in  the  next  year  was  raised  to  $25  and  $15  respectively  for  old 
and  young  animals.  This  was  repealed  in  1803.  In  this  town  bounties 
were  paid  for  killing  crows  as  late  as  1831. 

The  early  dwellers  in  the  town  of  Hamilton  as  now  bounded,  suffered 
less  from  many  privations  than  those  of  other  localities.  For  example 
there  was  a  grist  mill  at  Brookfield  from  the  first,  established  in  1783, 
a  distance  then  considered  short  for  obtaining  the  much-desired  grind- 
ing. The  road  was  very  bad  to  that  mill  and  many  preferred  to  go  to 
New  Hartford  in  Oneida  county  for  a  considerable  period.  In  1797, 
however,  when  Daniel  Wheeler  built  a  grist  mill  at  Lebanon,  this  source 
of  difficulty  was  removed.  A  very  early  mill  was  built  also  at  Hub- 
bardsville,  and  in  1810  the  grist  mill  in  Hamilton  village  was  built  by 
William  Pierce  and  Josiah  and  Medad  Rogers,  on  the  site  of  the  second 
mill,  which  was  also  built  by  them  in  1832.  The  property  passed  to 
James  Furman  in  1849,  who  operated  the  mill  some  forty-five  years; 
the  building  is  now  occupied  as  an  ice  storage  house. 

The  log  school  house  before  mentioned  as  the  scene  of  the  first  court, 
was  built  soon  after  the  first  settlement,  and  was  an  example  of  others 
erected  in  different  parts  of  the  town  before  the  formation  of  the 
county,  all  of  which  soon  gave  place  to  better  frame  structures,  made 
possible  by  the  starting  of  Ichabod  Wheeler's  saw  mill  at  this  point. 
Frame  additions  to  log  dwellings  and  a  few  frame  houses  were  built  by 
1806,  and  a  three  story  brick  building  was  erectedin  the  village  in  1816, 
mainly  for  school  purposes. 

Hamilton  village  was  given  its  first  tavern  in  the  dwelling  of  Elisha 
Payne,  from  whom  the  settlement  was  for  a  time  known  as  Payne's 
Settlement.  In  1802  he  built  a  new  tavern  on  the  corner  of  Broad  and 
Lebanon  streets,  which  stood  for  many  years.  There  was  another 
small  tavern  building  erected  on  the  site  of  the  later  Park  House  as 
early  as  1800.  The  log  school  house  disappeared  by  the  beginning  of 
the  century  and  a  square  roofed  frame  building  was  erected  on  what 


248  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

was  the  public  green  at  the  head  of  the  later  established  park.  In 
1800,  also,  Dr.  Thomas  Greenly  had  settled  in  the  place,  to  the  great 
relief  of  the  afflicted;  Joseph  Colwell  had  a  store  on  the  corner  of  Broad 
and  Lebanon  streets,  as  the  first  merchant  in  the  village,  and  continued 
in  trade  until  1816,  when  he  associated  with  Capt.  Esek  Steere  and 
built  a  brick  store,  which  was  subsequendy  rebuilt  by  Captain  Steere. 
The  saw  mill  of  Ichabod  Wheeler  was  on  the  Chenango  not  far  from 
the  site  of  the  grist  mill.  Several  churches  were  in  existence  in  the 
town,  as  noticed  already,  and  the  inhabitants  were  enjoying  most  of 
the  blessings  of  life  in  their  new  homes. 

Hamilton  village  was  incorporated  April  13,  1816,  but  the  early 
records  down  to  1853  are  said  to  have  been  kept  only  in  a  fragmentary 
manner  and  many  of  the  leaves  of  the  record  book  were  cut  out  and 
lost.  A  still  greater  calamity  followed  in  the  great  fire  of  February  19, 
1895,  in  which  all  the  records  were  wholly  lost.  They  were  in  a  safe 
and  under  all  but  exceptional  circumstances  would  have  been  saved; 
but  unfortunately  the  safe  fell  into  a  cistern  in  the  cellar  of  the  old  hall 
building,  the  water  penetrated  the  safe  and  rendered  the  records  almost 
wholly  illegible.  All  the  street  surveys  of  the  village  and  the  highway 
records  of  the  town,  the  boundaries  of  school  districts,  and  other  records 
of  the  greatest  value  were  destroyed. 

From  publications  already  in  existence  it  is  learned  that  at  the  vil- 
lage meeting  of  May  2,1819  (the  record  of  which  was  the  first  one  that 
was  complete)  Thomas  Cox  was  president;  Willian  Pierce,  2d,  Esek 
Steere,  and  Thomas  Hubbard,  trustees;  J.  Foote,  clerk,  an  office  held 
by  him  as  late  as  1824.  We  are  able  to  give  the  following  nearly  com- 
plete list  of  presidents  of  the  village  from  1853  to  the  present  time: 

Presidents. — 1853,  Lewis  Wickwire;  1854,  Benjamin  B.  Babcock; 
1855,  Albertus  Starr;  1856,  John  J.  Foote;  1857,  Eben  Curry;  1858-60," 

Erastus  D.  Wheeler;  1861,  George  F.  Burr;  1862, -. — ;'  1863,   D. 

B.  West;  1864,  Paul  R.  Miner;  1865  and  1867,  Eben  Curry;  1866,  Will- 
iam N.  Case;  1868,  Edward  E.  Welton;  1869,  Lyman  B.  Foster;  1870, 
William  F.  Bonney;  1871-72,  E.  W.  Foote;  1873,  Americus  V.  Bardeen ; 
1874,  F.  D.  Beebe;  1875-76,  Joseph  Curtis;  1877,  Eugene  P.  Sisson ; 
1878,  David  C.  Mott;  1879-81,  H.  W.  Keith;  1882,  Charles  W.  Under- 
hill;  1883-86,  W.  T.  Manchester;  1887-95,  Eugene  P.  Sisson;  1896-98, 
N.   R.  Wickwire. 

'  Since  1869,  the  president,  who  was  previously  elected  by  the  trustees,  has  been  elected  by 
the  inhabitants. 

*  The  records  do  not  show  who  was  president  in  1862. 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— HAMILTON.  249 

Clerks.— 1853,  William  Fairchild;  1854,  Charles  Parker;  1855,  S. 
Kimball  Putnam;  1856,  George  B.  Eaton;  1857-58,  Wilber  M.  Brown; 
1859,  William  Fairchild;  1860-62,  R.  F.  Randolph;  1863,  Erastus 
Wellington;'  1864,  Orrin  M.  Stiles;  1865-67,  William  Fairchild;  1868, 
Joel  Barber;"  1869-70,  John  M.  Banning;  1871,  A.  Eugene  Lewis; 
1S72,  George  Sperry;  1873,  Edward  P.  Kenyon;  1874-76,  David  C. 
Mott;  1877-78,  E.  Watts  Cushman ;  1879,  C.  W.  Stapleton ;  Barna  J. 
Stimson  has  been  village  clerk  since  1884,  when  he  succeeded  Charles 
M.  Wickwire,  chosen  in  1881  and  preceded  by  Joseph  Beal,  who  fol- 
lowed C.  W.   Stapleton. 

The  State  legislation  affecting  Hamilton  village  is  not  extensive,  In 
the  year  1830  the  authorities  of  the  village  were  given  authority  to 
license  the  sale  of  liquors.  In  1832  (April  25)  the  Hamilton  Water 
Association  was  incorporated  by  an  act  of  the  Legislature;  Benjamin 
W.  Babcock,  Thomas  Greenly  and  Seneca  B.  Burchard,  with  their  as- 
sociates, were  incorporators.  The  capital  stock  was  only  $3,000.  The 
present  water  system  was  not  in  operation  until  1895,  as  described 
further  on. 

In  1840  (May  11)  the  charter  of  the  village  was  extensively  changed, 
its  provisions  condensed  and  materially  amended.  The  election  of  five 
trustees  was  provided  for,  with  three  assessors,  a  clerk,  a  collector  and 
three  fire  wardens.  The  trustees  were  given  broader  powers  for  the 
conduct  of  village  government  upon  lines  more  in  consonance  with 
the  dictates  of  experience  up  to  that  time. 

Again  in  1868  the  charter  was  still  further  changed  in  chapter  435, 
to  which  the  reader  is  referred  for  details.  Only  comparatively 
unimportant  amendments  have  since  been  made,  as  found  in  chapter 
250,  laws  of  1870;  chapter  18,  laws  of  1874;  chapter  142,  laws  of  1875; 
and  chapter  166,  laws  of  1877,  which  repealed  all  former  laws  and  now 
is  the  governing  charter.  At  the  annual  elections  there  are  elected  a 
president,  two  assessors,  a  treasurer,  clerk,  a  street  commissioner,  a 
collector  and  two  fire  wardens,  all  of  whom  hold  office  one  year.  The 
Board  of  Trustees  consists  of  six  members,  two  of  whom  are  elected 
each  year. 

The  Hamilton  Fire  Department  was  organized  May  19,  1830,  though 
there  were  facilities  of  some  nature  for  extinguishing  fire  previous  to 
that  time,  the  records  of  which  are  lost.     At  the  meeting  of  the  trus- 

'  William  Fairchild  was  appointed  clerk,  June  IT,  1863,  vice  Wellington  resigned. 
•  E.  D.  Van  Slyck  was  elected  clerk,  June  15,  1868,  vice  Barber  resigned. 


250  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

tees  on  the  date  named  the  following  named  persons  were  appointed 
firemen:  Ferdinand  Walker,  Marcus  Clark,  Thomas  Barton,  John  O. 
Crocker,  J.  Addison  Mott,  James  Putnam,  J.  Franklin  Munger,  Philo  A. 
Orton,  Fay  N.  Harvey,  Erastus  D.  Wheeler,  Hiram  Upham,  Joshua  Wil- 
lard,  Ransom  Hayward,  David  Bellows,  Horace  Pierce,  Samuel  Morse 
and  Hiram  Savage.  This  was  doubtless  the  first  legally  constituted 
fire  company  in  the  village. 

Fountain  Fire  Company  No.  1  was  organized  July  31,  1873,  with  thirty- 
seven  members,  and  Fountain  Hose  Company  with  fourteen  members. 
The  first  officers  under  this  organization  were:  H.  T.  Wilcox,  chief  en- 
gineer; Eli  Barber,  first  assistant  engineer.  On  November  13,  1876, 
the  trustees  authorized  Fountain  Fire  Company  to  incorporate  under 
the  provisions  of  chapter  397  of  the  law  of  May  2,  1873.  Three  years 
later,  in  1879,  the  chief  engineer  reported  the  following  equipment  of 
the  department:  One  Button  hand  engine,  one  hose  jumper,  200  feet 
leather  hose,  200  feet  "  ante-speptic"  (antiseptic?)  hose,  50  feet  rubber 
hose,  50  feet  linen  hose,  (500  feet  hose  all  in  good  order,)  two  fire-hooks 
with  poles,  four  fire  axes,  one  fire-hook,  chain  and  rope,  one  alarm  bell, 
five  ladders,  three  lanterns.  There  were  twenty-nine  engine  men  and 
twenty  two  hosemen,  and  seventy  uniforms.  L.  R.  Fairchild  was  chief 
engineer,  A.  M.  Russell,  first  assistant,  T.  H.  Beal,  second  assistant. 

In  1888  a  Button  steam  engine  was  purchased,  with  two  hose  jump- 
ers and  1,000  feet  of  new  hose.  Since  that  time  about  1,500  feet  of 
hose  has  been  kept  on  hand. 

The  establishment  of  the  present  Hamilton  water  supply  system 
brought  the  fire  department  under  entirely  new  conditions.  A  reor- 
ganization was  effected  under  which  there  were  two  hose  companies  in 
service,  composed  of  about  twenty-five  men  each,  and  a  hook  and  lad- 
der company,  which  is  now  acting  as  a  hose  pending  the  purchase  of  a 
truck.  The  old  steamer  is  to  be  sold.  In  1897  the  village  gave  the 
old  hand  engine  to  the  department.  It  is  known  throughout  the  State 
for  its  past  great  efficiency  and  the  number  of  contests  in  which  it  has 
been  the  victor.  Three  hose  carts  and  1,000  feet  of  hose  are  in  use; 
the  carts  will  ere  long  be  superseded  by  two  hose  wagons.  The  officers 
of  the  department  are  Carl  Baum,  president;  A.  P.  Lewis,  vice-presi- 
dent; J.  S.  Kimberly,  secretary;  W.  H.  Case,  treasurer;  Thomas  H. 
Beal,  chief  engineer;  Charles  O.  Wedge,  assistant  engineer. 

The  water  supply  of  the  present  works  was  turned  into  the  mains  at 
the  same  date  in  August,  1895,  with  the  introduction  of  electric  light- 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— HAMILTON.  251 

ing.  The  water  supply  is  taken  from  Spring  Lake  and  flows  by  gravity 
two  miles  through  a  tile  main  to  a  filter  bed  and  thence  into  a  well  whence 
it  is  pumped  into  a  stand-pipe  of  200,000  gallons  capacity,  giving  a 
pressure  in  the  pipes  of  100  pounds  to  the  square  inch.  The  works  are 
owned  by  the  village  and  give  the  citizens  an  abundant  supply  of  pure 
water  at  a  nominal  cost. 

The  electric  lighting  plant,  also  owned  by  the  village,  is  one  of  the 
best  in  the  State.  The  power  is  supplied  by  boiler  and  engine  set  up 
in  duplicate,  so  that  in  case  of  accident  in  either  the  lighting  or  water 
works,  there  need  be  no  stoppage.  The  present  commission  consists  of 
William  W.  West,  president;  James  M.  Taylor,  secretary;  Melvin  Tripp, 
treasurer. 

The  post-office  was  established  at  Hamilton  at  an  early  date,  but  there 
are  no  available  records  of  the  ofSce  back  of  1853,  when  H.  G.  Beards- 
ley  was  appointed  postmaster,  to  be  succeeded  in  1861  by  George  F. 
Burn.  E.  R.  Bardeen  was  appointed  in  1866,  and  was  succeeded  by 
Benjamin  F.  Bonney,  in  1869.  He  held  the  office  more  than  ten  years 
and  was  followed  by  E.  W.  Cushman,  he  by  T.  H.  Beal,  he  by  G.  C.  Wal- 
dron,  and  he  by  George  Beal,  and  he  by  E.  W.  Cushman,  present  post- 
master. 

Contemporaneous  with  the  first  store  of  Joseph  Colwell,  before  men- 
tioned, was  that  of  Charles  Clark,  who  came  at  the  same  or  about  the 
same  time  with  Colwell,  and  opened  a  store  in  which  from  about  1805 
he  was  associated  with  James  Dorrance.  Charles  T.  Deering  kept  a 
store  in  that  location  a  little  later  and  continued  to  about  1810,  when  he 
built  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street,  in  conjunction  with  Henry  M. 
Graves,  a  brick  block.  In  that  year  also  Colwell  and  Esek  Steere  built 
a  brick  store. 

Soon  after  1800  Henry  M.  Graves  and  Samuel  Dascom  opened  a  store 
in  a  red  building  on  the  site  of  J.  B.  Grant's  book  store;  the  property 
was  then  owned  by  Dr.  Thomas  Greenly,  whose  daughter  Mr.  Dascom 
married.  A  few  year  later  Messrs.  Graves  and  Fargo  were  in  business 
in  the  same  store.  Lewis  B.  Goodsell  and  a  Mr.  Sparrow  were  in  mer- 
cantile business  here  a  little  later,  and  still  later,  Rufus  Bacon  and 
Ferdinand  Walker  were  merchants;  Mr.  Bacon  continued  a  little  later 
than  1821,  and  the  others  named,  excepting  Walker,  who  confined  to 
1852  and  failed,  were  out  of  trade  previous  to  that  year.  Bacon  sold  out 
to  his  brother  Ezra  who  became  associated  with  Julius  Candee,  but  con- 
tinued only  a  few  years. 


252  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

In  1821  Joseph  Mott  came  from  Bridgewater  and  opened  a  store  and 
in  the  next  year  started  in  trade  with  drugs,  as  the  first  in  that  line  in  the 
village,  placing  his  son,  Smith  Mott,  in  charge.  Soon  after  the  elder 
Mott's  death  in  1824  the  business  passed  to  John  Foote,  who  carried  it 
on  fifteen  years  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  John  J.  Foote;  he  in  1854 
took  as  partner  Benjamin  F.  Bonney.  In  1866  the  firm  was  succeeded 
by  John  C.  Foote,  son  of  John  J.,  and  James  K.  Welton,  and  the  firm  of 
Bonney  &  Welton  continued  many  years.  Mr.  Bonney's  father,  Benja- 
min Bonney,  was  a  pioneer  of  this  town  in  1808,  settling  about  a  mile 
north  of  the  Center. 

Joseph  Mott,  who  was  the  first  druggist,  was  a  merchant  in  general 
goods  also,  both  here  and  in  Utica.  In  1830  the  son,  Smith  Mott, 
joined  in  partnership  with  his  brother,  Joseph  Addison  Mott,  under  the 
firm  name  of  S.  &  J.  A.  Mott  and  continued  in  trade  until  1833.  Upon 
the  dissolution  of  the  firm  at  that  time  J.  A.  Mott  formed  a  partnership 
with  Amos  Crocker,  purchased  his  interest  a  year  later  and  and  contin- 
ued in  trade  until  1847.  Smith  Mott,  after  the  dissolution,  became  a 
partner  with  Judge  Philo  Gridley,  purchased  the  latter's  interest  about 
three  years  later  and  took  in  Otis  B.  Howe.  This  firm  dissolved  a  few 
years  later  and  for  a  period  Mr.  Mott's  son,  T.  S.  Mott,  was  in  trade 
with  his  father. 

Sanford  Boon  was  an  early  jeweler,  beginning  in  1836,  and  erected 
the  building  afterwards  occupied  by  the  bank.  In  1839  Esek  Steere, 
John  Foote,  and  John  J.  Foote  established  a  hardware  business  under 
the  firm  name  of  E.  Steere  &  Co.,  until  1846  and  for  many  years  later 
as  Foote  &  Gaskell. 

O.  L.  Woodruff  opened  a  general  store  in  1849  in  company  with  John 
Owen  and  Erastus  F.  Wellington,  and  continued  in  trade  either  with 
others  or  alone  more  than  thirty  years.  Mrs.  L.  A.  Rice  was  a  milliner 
of  1846  and  continued  thirty  years  or  more.  Robert  Patterson  opened 
a  boot  and  shoe  store  in  1800  and  is  still  in  business.  Valentine  Piot- 
row  established  a  ready-made  clothing  store  in  1860  and  is  succeeded  by 
his  son,  Fi-ederick  G.  Piotrow.  Melvin  Tripp,  grocer,  and  W.  K.  Lip- 
pitt,  began  trade  in  1865  and  continued  many  years.  J.  M.  Banning  & 
Co.  carried  on  a  drug  business  some  years  from  1866,  and  John  Harmon, 
hardware,  and  A.  E.  Lewis,  clothier,  were  in  business  twenty  years  ago, 
Mr.  Lewis  still  continuing.  Mr.  Harmon  now  conducts  the  mills  at  the 
station.  Joseph  L.  Kelly  was  engaged  in  the  book  business  beginning 
in  1871  and  continuing  ten  or  more  years.     A.  E.  B.  Campbell  began 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— HAMILTON.  253 

the  manufacture  and  sale  of  furniture  in  1873,  succeeding  to  an  estab- 
lishment that  was  started  early  in  the  history  of  the  village,  as  related 
a  little  further  on.     Mr.  Campbell  was  succeeded  by  Rowlands  &  Beal. 

Francis  J.  and  Elmer  C.  Root  began  the  drug  trade  in  1873  as  Root 
Brothers;  E.  C.  Root  still  continues  in  the  same  line,  with  groceries.  A. 
W,  Bartle  was  in  the  grocery  business  a  number  of  years  from  1874, 
and  L  M.  Roycein  1875  began  the  grocery  and  crockery  business  which 
he  still  carries  on.  A.  C.  Rice  began  grocery  business  in  1876  and  Peter 
McMorrow  and  John  Bradin,  as  the  firm  of  McMorrow  &  Co.,  opened 
a  dry  goods  business  in  1878.  In  the  same  year  F.  N.  Tompkins  estab- 
lished his  jewelry  business  which  he  still  conducts.  James  L.  Bright 
opened  a  hardware  business  in  1878  and  in  the  next  year  J.  P.  Butler 
engaged  in  grocery  trade. 

The  foregoing  brief  notes  tell  the  story  of  almost  all  of  the  early  and 
some  of  the  present  mercantile  estabhshments  of  the  village.  For  a  list 
of  the  many  other  present  merchants  the  reader  must  be  referred  to 
the  Gazetteer  in  later  pages. 

Hamilton  village  has  never  been  noted  for  extensive  manufactures 
and  those  of  the  present  day  are  not  at  all  important.  While  the  place 
was  remarkably  active  in  a  business  sense  from  the  date  of  beginning 
the  Chenango  Canal  in  1834  for  a  number  of  years  and  the  most  enthu- 
siastic anticipations  were  indulged  in  by  many  of  the  more  sanguine 
inhabitants,  the  trend  was  not  especially  strong  towards  permanent 
manufacturing  industries.  It  was  during  the  period  soon  after  the  be- 
ginning of  the  canal  that  building  operations  received  their  first  real 
impetus.  Hiram  Savage  and  his  associates  put  up  the  Exchange  Build- 
ings; Mr.  Savage  was  one  of  the  very  early  tin  and  hardware  dealers. 
The  Commercial  Block  also  was  built  in  that  period,  and  the  Eagle 
Hotel,  and  a  Mr.  Wadsworth  erected  a  third  public  house  near  the  new 
canal,  now  occupied  as  a  store  by  M.  M.  Wilcox. 

Cabinet  making,  or  furniture  manufacture  as  we  more  frequently  term 
it  in  these  later  days,  was  among  the  earliest  industries  of  Hamilton, 
as  in  many  other  villages  before  machinery  was  brought  to  bear  upon 
that  work  to  the  extent  it  now  is.  James  Higgins  began  cabinet 
making  in  the  village  in  1810  and  was  the  first  in  the  business  here. 
He  sold  to  Erastus  Wheeler  who  had  learned  the  trade  with  Higgins. 
In  1827,  about  two  years  after  he  purchased  the  business,  Mr.  Wheeler 
removed  it  to  Lebanon  street  and  about  1840  took  Wilson  Parker  into 
partnership.     Ten  years  later  Charles  B.  Gardiner  purchased  Wheeler's 


254  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

interest  and  the  firm  of  Parker  &  Gardiner  continued  until  1864,  when 
Mr.  Parker  sold  to  Madison  Hall.  In  1871  Gardiner  sold  his  interest 
to  Madison  Leach,  who  in  1873  sold  to  Archibald  B.  Campbell.  The 
next  year  Mr.  Campbell  purchased  Mr.  Hall's  interest.  Mr.  Campbell 
continued  a  number  of  years  and  the  factory  was  subsequently  oper- 
ated for  a  time  by  J.  N.  Rowlands  and  others,  to  finally  come  into  pos- 
session of  Rowlands  &  Beal,  who  conduct  a  furniture  and  undertaking 
business,  but  do  not  manufacture. 

A  tannery  was  built  by  Thomas  Orton  not  long  after  1810,  which 
early  became  the  property  of  Esek  vSteere,  and  about  1870  passed  to 
Charles  J.  Johnson.  He  operated  it  some  years  when  it  was  burned 
and  not  rebuilt. 

A  foundry  and  machine  shop  was  established  before  1830,  which 
passed  through  a  large  number  of  proprietorships.  Henry  Powers 
operated  it  many  years  and  in  1875  it  passed  into  possession  of  F.  B. 
Wilcox  and  Amos  Beebe  and  was  operated  by  Mr.  Wilcox  until  his 
death. 

A  sash,  door  and  blind  factory  was  established  in  1872  by  John  Har- 
mon and  Charles  Stringer  who  continued  it  three  years,  when  Washing- 
ton E.  Brown  purchased  Harmon's  interest.  A  year  later  Brown  sold 
to  Charles  Stringer.  It  passed  from  him  to  Eugene  Wedge,  then  to 
Wedge  &  Allen  and  from  them  to  the  present  Hamilton  Lumber  Com- 
pany; the  plant  is  now  substantially  idle. 

A  wire  cloth  factory  was  operated  here  for  some  years  by  the  Hamil- 
ton Wire  Cloth  Company,  of  which  Frank  Root  was  president.  The 
plant  burned  in  1895  and  was  not  rebuilt.  It  became  the  property  of  a 
syndicate. 

The  first  mills  in  the  village  have  been  noticed.  A  large  storehouse 
was  refitted  and  converted  into  a  steam  grist  mill  in  1878,  by  Adon  N. 
Smith.  He  and  several  others  operated  it  until  it  was  burned  and  not 
rebuilt.     When  burned  it  was  the  property  of  Hitchcock  &  Gavin. 

There  is  a  feed  mill  in  operation  at  the  depot,  and  a  machine  shop 
also  near  there  which  is  operated  by  Dwight  Graham. 

The  old  Park  Hotel  was  built  soon  after  the  opening  of  this  century 
by  Artemas  Howard  and  was  long  a  celebrated  hostelry.  In  1822  he 
exchanged  the  property  with  John  D.  Blish  for  a  tavern  in  Lebanon. 
Blish  kept  the  hotel  until  1840,  enlarging  the  building  in  the  mean  time. 
Several  later  enlargements  gave  it  its  latest  form  and  dimensions. 
William  and  Samuel  Russell  succeeded  Mr.  Blish  as  landlords  and  a 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— HAMILTON.  255 

few  years  later  Bonney  &  Lewis  took  the  house,  followed  by  Thomas 
Nye,  Eli  Barber,  John  Ingalls,  C.  T,  Alvord  who  was  succeeded  by  W. 
G.  Lippitt,  the  present  proprietor. 

The  Eagle  Hotel  was  built  in  1834  by  a  stock  company,  prominent 
in  which  was  Curtis  Porter.  What  became  the  wing  of  the  house,  on  the 
north,  had  previously  been  a  dwelling  built  and  occupied  by  Charles 
Williams.  The  hotel  was  built  of  stone,  four  stories  high  above  the 
basement.  It  had  various  proprietors,  but  has  fallen  into  partial  decay, 
the  wing  part  being  occupied  as  a  restaurant. 

The  Maxwell  House  was  built  in  the  fall  of  1895  and  opened  by 
M.  F.  Maxwell,  who  was  succeeded  by  his  widow  and  she  by  John 
Keegan. 

Dr.  Thomas  Greenly  has  been  mentioned  as  the  first  physician  to 
settle  permanently  in  Hamilton.  He  was  long  a  prominent  citizen 
who  took  an  active  interest  in  all  public  affairs.  The  second  phy- 
sician in  the  village  was  Dr.  Peter  B.  Havens,  a  graduate  of  Hamil- 
ton College,  who  practiced  here  until  his  death  in  1860,  attaining  a 
high  reputation  as  a  surgeon.  He  married  Martha  C.  Clark,  of  Buf- 
falo. His  former  home  is  now  occupied  by  J.  W.  Clark;  but  previ- 
ous to  that  he  built  and  resided  in  for  a  time  the  building  afterwards 
used  for  the  Female  Seminary,  which  was  sold  by  him  to  C.  C.  Buell, 
the  founder  of  the  seminary.  Dr.  Havens  then  purchased  the  resi- 
dence subsequently  occupied  by  his  son,  Dr.  Peter  B.,  who  also  prac- 
ticed here  until  his  death.  The  house  is  now  occupied  by  J.  W.  Clark; 
it  was  built  by  Dr.  John  Babcock,  a  bachelor,  who  resided  there  with 
his  mother  and  sister.  He  and  his  brother.  Dr.  Benjamin  Waite  Bab- 
cock, came  hither  about  1830  and  practiced  in  partnership  or  alone  a 
number  of  years. 

Other  former  physicians  were  Dr.  Henry  G.  Beardsley,  Dr.  Samuel 
Peck,  who  removed  to  Peterboro;  Dr.  J.  S.  Douglass,  who  was  in  prac- 
tice fifteen  years  and  went  west;  Dr.  J.  Trevor,  who  practiced  a  year; 
Dr.  Mortimer  W.  Crawe,  who  practiced  from  about  1857  until  the  war 
and  served  as  assistant  surgeon  in  the  157th  Regiment  and  now  resides 
in  Watertown;  Dr.  W.  B.  Brown,  who  removed  to  Rochester  in  1865; 
Dr.  William  Oaks,  who  came  from  DeRuyter  about  1857  and  continued 
to  his  death  in  1863;  and  perhaps  a  few  others.  Gilbert  L.  Gifford,  a 
native  of  Brookfield,  is  now  in  practice  in  Hamilton,  as  also  is  Hull  S. 
Gardiner.  Other  present  physicians  are  Drs.  O.  S.  Langworthy,  who 
was  formerly  associated  with  Dr.  Frank  D.  Beebe,  a  prominent  citizen 


256  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

and  a  surgeon  in  the  Civil  war,  now  deceased ;  F.  O.  Lloyd  began  prac- 
tice in  189-2;  and  Dr.  G.  W.  Wilcox. 

In  early  years  Hamilton  was  the  home  of  several  lawyers  of  distinc- 
tion, the  first  of  whom  was  Nathaniel  King,  a  native  of  Amenia,  N.  Y., 
born  December  36,  1767,  and  graduated  from  Yale  in  1793.  Resettled 
in  this  village  in  1797;  was  the  first  representative  from  Chenango 
county  in  the  Assembly  and  twice  in  later  years.  He  rose  to  the  rank 
of  major-general  in  the  militia  and  served  at  Sackett's  Harbor  in  the 
war  of  1812.  In  1809  he  was  appointed  district  attorney  for  the  Ninth 
District,  which  included  Madison,  Cortland,  Onondaga,  Cayuga  and 
Chenango  counties.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Hamilton  College 
and  the  first  teacher  in  that  institution.  He  died  in  Hamilton  July  25, 
1848. 

The  second  attorney  to  locate  here  was  Thomas  Hill  Hubbard,  a  na- 
tive of  New  Haven,  Conn.,  and  a  graduate  of  Yale.  He  settled  in 
Hamilton  about  1805  and  continued  in  practice  until  1824,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Utica  where  he  died  in  1857.  He  was  the  first  surrogate  of 
Madison  county  (1806-1816),  and  was  then  appointed  district  attorney 
for  the  Sixth  District.  He  was  also  the  first  district  attorney  of  Madi- 
son county;  was  elected  to  Congress  in  1817  and  again  in  1831,  and  in 
Utica  was  appointed  clerk  of  the  Supreme  Court. 

Other  early  attorneys  of  prominence  who  practiced  in  this  village 
were  John  G.  Stower,  who  studied  with  Mr.  Hubbard  and  was  his 
partner  until  1834;  was  surrogate  from  1831  to  1837,  representative  in 
Congress  in  1827-39,  and  State  senator  1833-35.  Judge  Philo  Gridley 
was  for  a  short  time  a  partner  with  Mr.  Stower,  and  removed  to  Utica. 
John  Foote  studied  law  with  Mr.  Hubbard  and  began  practice  about 
1813,  which  continued  through  his  long  life  until  recent  years.  He  was 
father  of  Hon.  John  J.  Foote.  Charles  Mason  settled  in  Hamilton  to 
take  the  place  of  Philo  Gridley  when  the  latter  removed  to  Utica,  was 
appointed  circuit  judge  in  1838;  was  appointed  district  attorney  of 
Madison  county  in  1845  and  two  years  later  was  elected  justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court  for  the  Sixth  Judicial  District  and  was  re-elected.  In 
January,  1868  he  was  appointed  to  fill  a  vacancy  in  the  Court  of  Ap- 
peals and  in  1870  was  made  clerk  of  the  United  States  Circuit  Court  and 
removed  to  Utica. 

John  Adams  Smith  was  for  a  period  a  partner  with  Thomas  H.  Hub- 
bard and  an  early  practitioner  at  the  bar.  Lorenzo  Sherwood  settled 
in  Hamilton  in  1839,  coming  from   De  Ruyter  where  he  had  been  in 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— HAMILTON.  257 

practice  a  few  years  in  company  with  James  W.  Nye.  Mr.  Sherwood's 
system  developed  consumption  and  he  removed  to  Texas,  while  Mr. 
Nye,  who  had  formed  a  partnership  with  him  in  Hamilton,  continued 
in  practice  here  until  his  election  to  the  office  of  surrogate  in  1844.  He 
was  elected  county  judge  in  1847  and  soon  after  the  close  of  his  term 
removed  to  Syracuse  and  later  to  New  York  city. 

From  1845  to  1848  Albert  N.  Sheldon  and  James  B.  Eldredge  were 
partners  in  law  practice  and  Mr.  Sheldon  is  still  in  the  profession.  He 
was  elected  district  attorney  in  1859.  Mr.  Eldredge  was  in  the  Assem- 
bly three  terms  and  was  elected  county  judge  in  1833;  died  in  1864. 
Henry  C.  Goodwin  and  David  J.  Mitchell  were  a  conspicuous  law  firm 
at  a  little  later  period,  but  both  died  before  reaching  their  prime,  the 
former  in  Hamilton  and  the  latter  in  Syracuse. 

Joseph  Mason  and  David  Gerry  Wellington,  formerly  partners,  are 
still  in  practice  but  in  separate  offices.  Mr.  Mason  is  a  native  of  Platts- 
burgh  and  settled  in  Hamilton  about  1843;  was  elected  county  judge 
in  1863,  and  representative  in  Congress  in  1878.  Mr.  Wellington  was 
elected  to  the  Assembly  in  1867  and  again  in  1874,  was  a  member  of 
the  last  Constitutional  Convention,  and  held  other  offices. 

Samuel  D.  White,  born  in  Nelson,  February  16,  1835,  and  Charles 
W.  Underhill,  born  in  Bedford,  N.  Y.,  December  27,  1841,  have  been 
in  practice  many  years.  Hosmer  H.  Keith,  formerly  in  practice,  re- 
moved to  South  Dakota,  and  William  M.  Hartshorn,  a  native  of  Leb- 
anon, after  a  number  of  years'  practice,  removed  west  to  engage  in  real 
estate  business.  Barna  J.  Stimson,  born  in  Erieville,  April  24,  1837, 
has  been  in  practice  many  years.  A.  Smith  Sheldon  is  in  partnership 
with  his  father,  Albert  N.  Sheldon;  James  W.  Welch  and  E.  W.  Cush- 
man  (also  postmaster)  constitute  the  present  bar  of  the  village. 

It  was  not  until  1817  that  Hamilton  had  a  newspaper,  nine  years 
later  than  one  was  started  in  Peterboro  and  simultaneously  with  the 
starting  of  the  Gazette  and  Madison  County  Advertiser,  also  in  Peter- 
boro. The  Hamilton  Recorder  was  founded  in  1817  by  John  G.  Stower 
and  Dr.  Peter  B.  Havens.  Two  years  later  it  passed  to  the  firm  of 
Stower  &  Williams  and  a  little  later  was  published  by  John  P.  Van  Sice. 
In  1829  it  was  removed  to  Morrisville  and  consolidated  with  the  Madi- 
son Observer,  which  had  been  established  in  Cazenovia  in  January, 
1821,  and  removed  the  following  year  to  Morrisville. 

The  Hamilton  Courier  was  started  in  February,  1834,  by  G.  R.  Wald- 
ron;  the  name  was  soon  changed  to  the  Hamilton  Courier  and  Madison 

17 


258  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

County  Advertiser  and  the  paper  was  discontinued  in  1838.  In  that 
year  the  Hamilton  Palladium  was  established  by  John  Atwood  and  con- 
tinued six  years.  During  the  single  year  1839  G.  R.  Waldron  published 
the  Hamilton  Eagle.  In  1842  Mr.  Waldron  and  Wallace  W.  Chubbuck 
started  the  Democratic  Reflector,  which  they  continued  about  six 
months,  when  Waldron  acquired  Chubbuck's  interest  and  within  a  year 
took  in  Arthur  M.  Baker.  Baker's  interest  was  bought  by  Waldron  in 
1854,  and  in  185G  the  paper  was  consolidated  with  the  Madison  County 
Journal,  which  was  established  in  September,  1849,  by  E  F;  &  C.  B. 
Gould.  At  different  periods  thereafter  W.  W.  Chubbuck,  F.  B.  Fisher 
and  Thomas  L.  James  (later  postmaster  of  New  York  city)  were  inter- 
ested in  the  establishment.  When  the  two  papers  were  consolidated 
the  name  was  changed  to  The  Democratic  Republican  and  the  publi- 
cation was  continued  by  Waldron  &  James  until  1860,  when  the  latter 
sold  his  interest  to  J.  Hunt  Smith,  to  whom  Waldron  also  sold  out  in 
1861.  Smith  sold  to  his  father,  Adon  Smith,  a  few  months  later  and 
about  six  months  afterwards  he  transferred  it  to  A.  Lord ;  from  him  it 
passed  to  E.  D.  Van  Slyke,  formerly  publisher  of  a  paper  in  Cortland, 
in  February,  1863.  He  was  succeeded  by  W.  E.  Tooke,  from  whom  it 
again  passed  to  Mr.  Van  Slyke  who  sold  to  the  present  proprietors, 
Hawkins  &  Elliott  (Herbert  H.  Hawkins  and  Fletcher  M.  Elliott). 
The  Democratic  Republican  is  now  one  of  the  leading  journals  of  the 
interior  of  New  York  State. 

In  October,  1856,  Levi  S.  Backus  started  the  Democratic  Union  in 
Hamilton.  In  the  next  year  it  passed  to  possession  of  W.  H.  Baker, 
who  continued  the  paper  in  Hamilton  until  1803,  when  he  removed  it 
to  Oneida,  where  it  is  still  continued,  as  described  in  the  history  of  that 
village. 

The  only  other  newspaper  of  Hamilton  of  any  considerable  perma- 
nence was  the  Democratic  Volunteer,  which  was  started  as  the  Inde- 
pendent Volunteer  in  July,  1863,  by  George  R  Waldron  and  J.  M. 
Chase ''and  was  published  simultaneously  here  and  in  Morrisville;  after 
1866  it  was  confined  to  Hamilton.  Waldron  acquired  Chase's  interest 
and  two  years  later  took  as  a  partner  George  G.  Waldron.  When  the 
Morrisville  edition  was  stopped  the  name  of  the  paper  was  changed  to 
Waldron's  Democratic  Volunteer.  Waldron  &  Son  continued  the  pub- 
lication until  1875,  when  the  elder  partner  was  compelled  to  relinquish 
his  labor  on  account  of  blindness  from  disease  contracted  in  the  army. 
The  paper  was  ably  conducted,  had  a  large  circulation,  but  ivas  discon- 
tinued i'fter  the  great  fire. 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— HAMILTON.  259 

The  village  of  Earlville,  in  this  town,  noticed  a  little  further  on,  has 
supported  a  good  newspaper  for  many  years.  The  Earlville  Recorder 
was  started  December  9,  187G,  by  Frank  W.  Godfred,  but  about  two 
months  closed  its  existence.  The  Earlville  Enterprise  was  started  April 
5,  1878,  by  Eugene  M:  Lansing.  The  paper  was  at  first  only  16  by  33 
inches  in  size,  but  it  was  enlarged  three  times  within  the  first  year  of  its 
existence  and  met  with  excellent  success,  for  a  time,  but  was  finally  dis- 
continued. 

The  Earlville  Standard  was  established  in  1886  by  L.  D.  Blanchard, 
who  sold  out  to  Burch&  Briggs  in  November,  1895.  It  is  a  successful 
independent  weekly  journal. 

Succeeding  the  formation  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  in  Hamilton 
village  in  1796,  which  has  been  described,  there  was  no  other  formal 
church  organization  perfected  in  the  village  until  1838,  unless  it  was, 
perhaps,  a  Methodist  class,  of  which  records  are  not  in  existence.  The 
Congregational  Church  of  Hamilton  Village,  as  the  title  stood,  was 
formed  in  the  year  just  named,  with  eight  members,  at  the  house  of 
John  Foote.  Services  were  held  a  year  in  the  brick  academy,  until  the 
first  church  edifice  was  completed.  That  was  burned  in  1851,  but  im- 
mediately rebuilt,  and  in  1871  was  remodeled  and  greatly  improved  at 
a  cost  $4,000.  The  first  pastor  was  Rev.  Pindar  Field.  A  severe 
storm  in  June,  1874,  damaged  the  building  considerably,  but  it  was  at 
once  repaired.  There  are  now  nearly  a  175  members  and  the  society  is 
prosperous. 

In  a  brief  memoir  of  Gen.  Nathaniel  King  is  found  a  statement  that 
the  first  Methodist  preachers  to  labor  in  Hamilton  came  in  1819,  at 
about  which  time  there  was  a  strong  awakening  of  religious  feeling  in 
the  county.  The  first  class  was  probably  formed  in  the  village  that 
winter,  with  James  Higgins,  leader;  he  was  succeeded  by  Stephen 
Stocking.  General  King  was  a  member  and  a  zealous  worker.  The 
meagre  history  of  this  society  can  only  be  drawn  from  what  is  remem- 
bered by  the  older  members.  The  society  long  labored  against  a  dis- 
couraging environment  and  the  membership  has  never  been  large. 
During  many  years  prior  to  1836  the  meetings  were  held  in  a  small 
chapel  which  stood  about  two  miles  northeast  of  the  village.  The  pres- 
ent church  building  was  erected  on  the  corner  of  John  and  Charles 
streets  and  there  remained  until  1867,  when  it  was  removed  to  its  pres- 
ent locati  in.  A  handsome  parsonage  was  erected  in  1895-6.  The 
church  membership  is  about  140  and  the  present  pastor  is  Rev.  Mr. 
Reynolds.  j 


260  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

St.  Thomas  Episcopal  Church  was  incorporated  September  21,  1835, 
by  Rev.  L.  A.  Barrows,  the  pastor  who  had  held  services  in  the  acad- 
emy. Alanson  Munger  and  G.  B.  Stevens  were  elected  wardens,  and 
George  Williams,  John  D.  Blish,  Peter  B.  Havens,  Ferdinand  Walker, 
Lewis  Wickwire,  William  R.  H.  Treadway,  John  Atwood,  and  Nelson 
Fairchild,  vestrymen.  The  organization  of  the  society  took  place  about 
a  year  before  the  incorporation.  From  1835  to  1846  the  church  records 
are  lost;  it  was,  however,  in  the  latter  year  that  the  church  edifice  was 
built  through  the  persevering  efforts  of  a  few  generous  persons.  In  July, 
1847,  Rev.  Edward  De  Zeng  was  invited  to  the  church,  and  he  re- 
mained about  a  year,  to  be  succeeded  by  Rev.  D.  C.  Millett.  He  was 
succeeded  in  1850  by  Rev.  S.  H.  Norton,  during  whose  rectorship  the 
church  was  enlarged.     The  present  pastor  is  Rev.  A.  H.  Rogers. 

St.  Mary's  Catholic  Church  was  organized  in  October,  1869,  as  the 
Church  of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  by  Rev.  Anthony  P.  Ludden,who 
had  officiated  in  services  in  this  vicinity  for  some  time  previous.  A 
mission  was  founded  in  Hamilton  about  1854  by  Father  McCabe,  who 
was  succeeded  by  Father  Charles  Brady,  then  located  in  Norwich ;  he 
officiated  about  five  years  from  1856.  Fathers  James  McDermott,  P. 
B.  McNulty  and  Daniel  O'Connell  then  filled  the  interval  until  1869. 
Father  Ludden  came  and  a  separate  mission  was  established  and  the 
first  church  was  built  in  that  year.  It  was  a  frame  building  and  was 
blown  down  on  June  6,  1874.  A  temporary  chapel  was  then  built 
which  was  in  use  until  the  completion  of  the  church  edifice  in  1880. 
The  congregation  is  a  large  one  and  the  church  is  prosperous.  Father 
Ludden  was  succeeded  in  1880  by  Rev.  W.  B.  Hannett,  under  whose 
pastorate  the  pretty  church  at  West  Eaton  was  built.  The  present  pas- 
tor, Rev.  J.  V.  MacDonnell,  was  appointed  in  January,  1890.  The 
church  owns  the  St.  Joseph's  cemetery,  purchased  in  1873,  and  the 
parochial  house,  which  was  formerly  the  frame  church. 

The  present  Hamilton  Union  School  was  formed  by  the  union  of  the 
three  districts  formerly  including  the  territory  of  the  village  in  1853. 
In  each  of  these  was  then  a  poor  school  house  and  the  better  class  of 
citizens  were  determined  that  a  change  should  be  effected.  At  the 
meeting  held  for  the  purpose  a  fierce  strife  was  engendered  over  the 
matter  and  it  was  2  o'clock  a.  m.  before  an  affirmative  vote  was  made. 
A  Board  of  Education  was  then  elected,  consisting  of  Charles  Payne, 
Charles  Gardiner,  Abram  Sanford,  Samuel  S.  Abbott,  Mulford  Rogers, 
James  L.  Fay,  Horace  B.  Burchard,  Alonzo  Thurston,  and  Albert   N. 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— HAMILTON,  261 

Sheldon.  Mr.  Payne  was  chosen  president.  At  a  later  meeting  a  tax 
was  voted  for  the  purchase  of  a  site  for  a  Union  school  building.  On 
account  of  the  claim  that  the  proceedings  of  the  meeting  were  invalid, 
many  of  the  citizens  refused  to  pay  the  tax.  The  matter  was  finally  re- 
ferred to  the  Supreme  Court,  which  decided  in  favor  of  the  Board  of 
Education,  and  before  1855  a  new  school  building  was  erected  and  the 
old  conditions  passed  away.  Henry  L.  Sherrill  was  the  first  principal 
and  the  school  became  very  popular. 

The  Hamilton  Female  Seminary,  established  in  1856  by  Clinton  C. 
Buell,  and  Madison  University  are  properly  noticed  in  Chapter  XXIV. 

The  second  largest  village  in  this  town  is  Earlville,  portions  of  which, 
however,  are  within  the  bounds  of  Lebanon  in  Madison  county  and 
Sherburne  and  Smyrna  in  Chenango  county.  The  principal  part  of  the 
village  is  in  Hamilton.  It  is  pleasantly  situated  between  the  two  branches 
of  the  Chenango  which  join  a  short  distance  below  the  village.  It  is  a 
station  on  the  Utica,  Chenango  and  Susquehanna  Valley,  the  New 
York,  Ontario  and  Western  railroads,  and  the  southern  terminus  of  the 
Chenango  Valley  branch  of  the  West  Shore  road.  In  early  years  the 
place  was  known  as  the  Forks,  from  its  situation  between  the  branches 
of  the  river,  and  the  village  and  post-ofifice  retained  that  name  until 
1834  when  the  construction  of  the  Chenango  Canal  gave  the  inhabitants 
new  hopes  of  future  business  importance  and  a  desire  for  a  more  pre- 
tentious title;  Earlville  was  chosen  in  honor  of  Canal  Commissioner 
Earl.  The  village  had  little  business  importance  until  after  the  build- 
ing of  the  canal. 

Settlement  began  early  along  the  Chenango  in  this  vicinity,  as  already 
noticed,  the  pioneers,  Major  Bigelow  Waters  and  Charles  Otis  (1795), 
being  soon  followed  by  the  other  adventurous  spirits.  A  little  north 
of  the  business  center  of  the  place  was  early  concentrated  a  little  busi- 
ness industry,  by  the  establishment  there  in  1811  of  a  tannery  by  Jared 
Pardee;  it  stood  on  the  site  of  the  later  tannery.  A  tavern  was  built 
near  by  of  which  James  B.  Eldredge  was  proprietor;  he  was  also  the 
first  postmaster.  Erastus  Daniels  erected  and  operated  a  large  dis- 
tillery in  early  years,  and  Mr.  Pardee  enlarged  his  tannery  and  took  as 
a  partner  a  Mr.  Crain.  It  subsequently  passed  through  several  hands 
and  ultimately  to  N.  W.  Torrey.  The  establishment  as  it  came  to  him 
was  built  in  1851.      It  was  burned  in  the  great  fire  of  1886. 

The  post-office  at  the  village  was  established  about  1824  with  Dr. 
Consider  H.  Stacy,  postmaster.     The  entire  list  of  officials  cannot  be 


263  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

given,  but  C.  L.  Cotton  was  in  the  position  from  1861  more  than  twenty 
years  and  his  successors  have  been  Newell  Douglass,  I.  W.  Rowe,  L. 
R.  Nash,  B.  B.  Wilcox,  and  S.  B.  Cloyes. 

Joseph  Stowell  was  the  first  physician  in  the  place  and  purchased  a 
farm  west  of  the  village  and  extending  across  the  river.  He  was  fol- 
lowed by  Dr.  Stacy,  and  later  physicians  have  been  Drs.  James  Shef- 
field, who  died  in  1849;  Laban  Tucker  and  D.  Ransom  who  practiced 
before  1840;  A.  S.  Nichols,  J.  A.  Ressegieu,  Andrew  S.  Douglass  and 
a  few  others.  The  present  physicians  are  Dr.  H.  H.  White  and  Dr. 
Earl  Wilcox. 

Joseph  Whitmore,  attorney,  settled  in  the  village  in  1843  and  con- 
tinued in  practice  about  six  years,  when  he  removed  to  Michigan.  Al- 
fred Nichols,  a  native  of  Hamilton,  opened  an  office  about  1851  and 
practiced  to  1869,  when  he  removed  to  Sherburne.  Ernest  C.  Dart 
opened  an  office  in  1879.  The  present  attorneys  are  S.  B.  Cloyes  and 
E.  N.  Cushman. 

There  was  very  little  if  any  mercantile  business  done  in  this  village 
before  the  opening  of  the  canal;  it  was  a  mere  settlement  about  the 
mills  and  the  distillery  and  tannery.  But  with  the  construction  of  the 
water  way  a  new  order  of  affairs  was  inaugurated.  Marvan  Tanner 
opened  a  store,  which  he  continued  a  number  of  years,  and  about  the 
same  time  Henry  Waters  also  engaged  in  mercantile  trade.  Orange 
Waite  was  another  merchant  prior  to  1840  and  continued  in  trade  sev- 
eral years,  to  be  succeeded  by  Sidney  B.  Webb  and  Thomas  Kershaw 
in  the  same  store  in  partnership.  About  1847  the  partnership  was  dis- 
solved and  Kershaw  continued  the  business  five  or  six  years  and  sold 
to  Higgins  &  Hendrick;  a  few  years  later  Hendrick  withdrew  and 
Higgins  sold  to  Horace  A.  Campbell,  who  continued  only  a  short  time. 
Webb  &  Kershaw  in  1843  built  a  new  store,  which  was  connected 
with  two  others  of  wood;  two  others  of  brick  stood  on  the  northwest 
corner  and  all  of  these  were  burned  October  12,  1858.  William  Felt 
built  his  brick  block  there  in  the  next  year.  Mr  Campbell  was  suc- 
ceeded in  trade  by  Henry  R.  Long.  Spencer  and  Ely  Willis,  two  farm- 
ers from  Lebanon,  carried  on  business  before  1840  and  failed  in  1841. 
Charles  G.  Otis  and  Job  Collins  also  were  merchants  of  that  period  and 
went  out  of  bu.siness  before  1840.  Otis  B.  Howe  and  Benjamin  F. 
Skinner  began  trade  in  1843;  about  two  years  later  Skinner  bought  his 
partner's  interest  and  took  as  partner  John  Blish ;  they  continued  until 
1847. 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— HAMILTON.  263 

After  the  failure  of  himself  and  brother,  Spencer  Willis  formed  a 
partnership  with  Amos  Bigsby  and  Charles  Billings  and  began  the  sale 
of  the  Willis  stock  of  goods;  the  business  closed  in  a  few  months.  Will- 
iam Willis  and  his  brother  traded  a  few  months  in  1858  up  to  the  date  of 
the  fire.  Wolcott  Leavenworth  opened  a  store  about  1847  and  was  in 
trade  until  about  1858.  Nicanor  Brownell  and  E.  Volney  Chapin,  na- 
tives of  Hamilton,  opened  a  store  in  18G3  or  1863,  the  business  being 
sold  to  Chapin  two  years  later,  who  soon  sold  to  O.  W.  Leavenworth  & 
Brother;  they  continued  about  a  year,  A  little  later  O.  W.  Leavenworth 
formed  a  partnership  with  William  O.  Bancroft  under  the  style  of  Ban- 
croft &  Leavenworth,  who  continued  a  few  years  and  failed.  Leaven- 
worth then  resumed  business  alone  and  continued  until  1879.  A  few 
other  merchants  sold  goods  in  the  past,  but  mostly  for  only  short  periods. 

George  King  began  as  a  hat  and  cap  dealer  in  1869;  I.  W.  Rowe  be- 
gan jewelry  trade  in  1873;  N.  L.  Douglass,  druggist,  began  in  1873,  and 
is  still  in  trade;  Le  Roy  Nash,  grocer,  commenced  in  1877,  and  Gorham, 
Cushman  &  Co.,  in  1878.  Chaphe  &  Morgan  opened  hardware  trade  in 
1879,  a  business  now  followed  by  F.  D.  Morgan.  W.  H.  Williamson 
opened  a  grocery,  and  Ambrose  W.  Rice  a  jewelry  store  in  1879. 

Other  present  merchants  of  the  village  are  C.  W.  Smith,  R.  P.  Hall, 
R.  H.  Williamson,  Casety  &  Miller,  and  Cushman  &  Brainerd,  general 
merchants,  L.  W.  Farr  and  F.  C.  Buell  (former  partners)  in  hardware, 
succeeding  Tillotson  Brothers,  J.  L.  Rowe,  Jennings  &  Taylor,  L.  L. 
Sawdy,  groceries,  confectionery,  tobacco,  etc. ;  George  E.  Bergen,  jew- 
elry; A.  M.  Hoadley,  clothing,  etc.;  Eugene  Pierce,  harness  dealer; 
Todd  &  Gurney,  lumber  and  builders'  supplies ;  C.  F.  Foster,  furniture 
and  undertaking.  S.  B.  Cloyes  and  Parker  Newton  are  engaged  in  in- 
surance business. 

The  Earlville  grist  and  saw  mills  were  built  in  the  summer  of  1839 
by  William  Felt,  who  operated  them  twenty-seven  years  and  at  his 
death  in  June,  1866,  bequeathed  them  to  William  Babcock,  whose 
father,  Thomas  Babcock,  had  been  Mr.  Felt's  miller  during  the  whole 
period.  The  mill  building  is  now  occupied  by  the  Parsons  Low-Down 
Wagon  Works. 

In  comparatively  recent  years  considerable  miscellaneous  manufac- 
turing has  corne  into  existence  in  the  village.  The  Earlville  Furniture 
Works  were  established  by  S.  Bentley  in  1886,  and  were  managed  by 
E.  C.  and  G.  D.  Bentley,  who  were  from  New  Berlin.  The  firm  pur- 
chased property  on  East  Main  street  and  employed  about  twenty  men. 


t/ 


264  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  building  was  struck  by  lightning  in  1893  and  burned  and  the  firm 
rebuilt  the  same  year  on  the  same  site.     The  firm  failed  in  1816. 

The  Arnold  Furniture  Company  removed  hither  from  Fayetteville  in 
1890  and  built  their  present  factory  for  the  manufacture  of  desks,  etc. 
About  thirty  men  are  employed.  The  officers  of  the  company  are  L. 
S.  Arnold,  president;  H.  C.  Allen,  vice-president;  L.  W.  Arnold,  secre- 
tary and  treasurer. 

The  C.  L.  Cotton  Perfumery  and  Extract  Company  was  the  successor 
of  a  small  extract  business  established  in  1878  by  C.  L.  Cotton,  the 
druggist.  The  present  stock  company  was  incorporated  in  1893  with 
nominal  capital  of  $50,000.  Five  traveling  salesmen  are  employed  and 
the  goods  of  the  company  are  widely  known.  The  officers  of  the  com- 
pany are  C.  L.  Cotton,  president;  Henry  G.  Green,  vice-president;  F.  E. 
Williams,  secretary  and  treasurer;  F.  C.  Devolant  and  H.  C.  Allen  are 
additional  directors. 

The  M.  C.  Dermott- Bergen  Dairy  Company  operate  a  milk  station  at 
N.  Y.  O.  station,  taking  about  7,000  pounds  of  milk  daily. 

J.  N.  Holmes  began  the  manufacture  of  wagons  in  1870  on  East  Hill, 
and  subsequently  moved  into  the  village  where  he  continues.  J.  D. 
Washburn  also  has  a  carriage  and  blacksmith  business. 

The  Parsons  Low-Down  Wagon  Company  was  incorporated  in  1891 
with  a  capital  of  $.50,000.  The  business  was  established  in  1887  by  J. 
R.  Parsons.  In  January  1,  1898,  the  establishment  became  a  private 
industry  and  the  title  was  changed  to  the  Parsons  Low-Down  Wagon 
Works.  A  wagon  of  low  construction  is  largel)'  manufactured,  about 
fifty  hands  being  employed. 

The  First  National  Bank  of  Earlville  was  incorporated  December  15, 
1890,  with  the  following  officers:  H.  G.  Greene,  president;  George  B. 
Whitmore,  vice-president;  Guy  H.  Clark,  cashier.  The  capital  stock 
was  $50,000.  The  first  board  of  directors  consisted  of  the  above  named 
officers  and  N.  L.  Douglass,  C.  L.  Cotton,  George  E.  Nash,  A.  K. 
Dixon,  H.  C.  Allen,  John  Dow,  H.  H.  White,  H.  Clay  Ackley,  Charles 
G.  Brooks  and  I.  Newton  Niles.  The  only  change  in  the  officers  of  the 
bank  has  been  the  substitution  of  George  E.  Nash  for  George  B.  Whit- 
more as  secretary;  Abel  Comstock  for  A.  K.  Dixon;  H.  A.  Truesdell 
for  I.  N.  Niles;  C.  W.  Smith  for  George  B.  Whitmore,  and  W.  O. 
Clark  for  H.  Clay  Ackley. 

With  the  completion  of  the  canal,  further  hotel  accommodations  were 
needed  in  the  village,  and  what  became  known  as  Brown's  Hotel  was 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— HAMILTON.  265 

built  in  1836  by  Orange  H.  Waite.  Nicanor  Brown  purchased  the 
property  in  1868  and  kept  it  until  1878,  when  his  sons.  Lyman  and 
Frank,  succeeded.  They  were  the  last  proprietors.  The  house  was 
burned  in  the  great  fire,  but  was  rebuilt  and  during  the  last  eleven 
years  has  been  kept  by  Fay  Sawdy  as  the  Sawdy  House. 

The  Earlville  House  was  built  in  1833  by  Gardiner  Waters.  In  1868 
it  was  bought  by  William  H.  Jones,  who  kept  it  until  his  tragic  death 
on  July  5,  1876.  His  widow  succeeded  and  sold  to  Hoyt  Kinney,  who 
kept  the  house  about  five  years  and  sold  to  Edward  D.  Avery,  the  pres- 
ent proprietor,  who  changed  the  name  to  the  Avery  House. 

The  West  End  Hotel  was  erected  in  1887  by  N.  Brown.  Albert 
Bennett  is  the  present  proprietor.  The  East  End  Hotel  was  built  in  1897 
and  is    conducted  by  A.  M.  Sly. 

The  great  fire,  as  it  is  known,  which  desLroyed  much  of  the  business 
part  of  Earlville,  took  place  on  August  21,  1886.  Many  dwelHngs  were 
also  burned  and  the  loss  was  very  heavy.  But  the  inhabitants  showed 
commendable  energy  under  the  discouragement  and  rebuilt  the  place 
better  than  it  was  before.  A  second  destructive  fire  occurred  four  years 
later  and  although  the  loss  was  not  as  heavy  as  in  the  first  one,  it  was 
grievously  felt.  Many  of  the  new  structures  which  had  been  erected 
fell  in  the  flames.  The  Avery  Hotel  escaped  in  both  conflagrations. 
To-day  Earlville  is  a  handsome  village  and  has  an  appearance  of  new- 
ness not  frequently  seen.  There  had  been  the  usual  inadequate  fire 
extinguishing  facilities  in  the  village  from  about  the  time  of  the  build- 
ing impulse  before  described,  but  the  destructive  fires  mentioned  caused 
an  adoption  of  abetter  policy,  and  now  there  is  an  excellent  fire  depart- 
ment composed  of  about  125  men,  in  three  companies — Douglass  Hose, 
Cotton  Hose,  and  a  hook  and  ladder  company.  Engines  are  not  needed, 
as  in  1894  a  complete  system  of  water  works  was  constructed,  which 
gives  a  pressure  of  100  pounds  in  the  mains  and  supplies  pure  water  to 
the  inhabitants.  The  Parsons  Low  Down  Electric  Light  Company  has 
supplied  illumination  for  the  village  sin:e  1894.  Earlville  was  incorpo- 
rated in  1887. 

The  First  Baptist  Church  of  Sherburne,  as  its  title  reads,  is  situated 
in  Earlville  and  was  organized  June  24,  1802,  at  the  house  of  John  Ben- 
ton, with  about  fifteen  members.  During  that  and  probably  a  number 
of  succeeding  years,  meetings  were  held  in  houses.  The  first  meeting 
house  was  built  in  1818  on  the  hill  to  the  east  of  the  village.  The  pres- 
ent church  in  the  village  was  erected  in  1835;  it  has  been  extensively 


266  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

repaired  since  that  time.  It  was  sold  in  recent  years  and  removed  to 
the  south  side  of  Main  street  and  remodeled  into  an  opera  house,  and 
was  burned  in  the  second  large  fire.  The  present  Baptist  church  build- 
ing was  erected  in  1887-88.  This  society  supplied  thirty  members  for 
the  formation  of  the  churches  at  South  Hamilton  and  Sherburne.  The 
list  of  pastors  is  mcomplete  and  is  a  very  long  one,  and  will  not  be  fol- 
lowed here. 

The  first  Methodist  Class  in  Earlville  was  formed  in  1803  at  the  house 
of  Joseph  Crandall  and  consisted  of  seven  or  eight  members.  Rev. 
Charles  Giles  was  the  first  pastor,  and  the  first  organization  of  the  soci- 
ety took  place  on  January  9,  1815.  The  trustees  then  chosen  were 
Elam  Felt,  Noah  Hall,  and  Asa  Felt.  Money  was  at  once  raised  and 
the  first  meeting  house  was  built  in  1816.  This  was  used  until  1838 
when  a  new  structure  was  erected.  After  being  extensively  repaired 
in  1871  it  was  burned  in  the  first  fire  and  soon  afterwards  the  present 
handsome  edifice  was  built. 

The  Episcopal  Church  was  organized  in  1877  and  the  house  of  worship 
was  erected  in  the  same  year.  It  was  a  mission  station  and  the  mem- 
bership is  small  in  number. 

The  settlement  about  1810  of  Abijah  Pool  and  his  sons,  Abijah  and 
Isaac,  on  the  east  branch  of  the  Chenango  and  a  little  southwest  of  the 
center  of  the  town,  formed  a  nucleus  around  which  ultimately  gathered 
the  hamlet  and  village  of  Poolville.  The  actual  settlement  of  the 
Pool  family  was  made  about  midway  between  Earlville  and  Poolville, 
where  the  son  Isaac  established  a  wool-carding  and  cloth-dressing  busi- 
ness. A  few  years  after  this  settlement  was  made,  Gideon  Randall 
Pool,  a  cousin  of  Isaac,  came  from  near  Plainfield,  Mass.,  the  former 
home  of  all  this  family,  and  took  an  interest  in  the  business  with  Isaac. 
About  1825  they  removed  it  to  Poolville,  where  a  few  families  had 
gathered.  In  1830  the  post-office  was  established.  After  the  death  of 
Gideon  R.  Pool,  in  1827  the  business  was  carried  on  by  Amos  and  Lsaac 
Pool,  who  were  also  cousins,  under  the  firm  name  of  A.  &  I.  Pool. 
They  established  also  an  extensive  shoe  manufactory,  and  a  few  years 
later  Caleb  Lowd  succeeded  to  both  industries  which  he  continued  until 
1835  under  the  name  of  Thaxter  Pool,  when  they  were  discontinued. 
Nathan  Eaton  revived  the  carding  mill,  opened  a  store,  and  established 
an  ashery  and  during  a  few  years  did  an  extensive  business;  but  he 
failed  about  1850.  The  building  of  the  woolen  mill  was  originally  a 
grist  mill  and  soon  after  Eaton's  failure  it  was  converted  to  its  former 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— HAMILTON.  267 

use  by  Elihu  Thompson  and  William  G.  Brainard.  James  Jackson 
purchased  the  property  about  1859  and  sold  it  to  the  present  proprietor, 
George  W.  Berry;  the  mill  has  been  remodeled  and  improved  as  a  yarn 
mill.  A  saw  mill  was  built  which  took  water  from  the  same  dam; 
this  came  into  possession  of  Damond  Richmond  before  the  war.  The 
site  is  now  owned  by  Mr.  Berry,  the  mill  having  been  demolished. 

A  tannery  was  erected  here  in  1831  by  Loomis,  Lowd  &  Co.,  Caleb 
Lowd,  before  mentioned,  being  a  member  of  the  firm.  In  the  hard 
times  of  1835-6,  when  many  business  enterprises  in  this  vicinity  were 
forced  to  suspend,  the  firm  failed  and  the  tannery  passed  to  Richard 
Berry,  who  operated  it  with  success  until  his  death  in  1852.  It  was 
then  leased  to  H.  &  G.  Berry  and  in  1855  was  sold  to  Henry  Berry, 
from  whom  it  was  transferred  to  George  W.  and  Frank  O.  Berry.  The 
building  is  now  in  use  for  cold  storage  purposes. 

A  machine  shop  was  established  here  in  1830  by  Enos  Wood;  but  in 
the  general  business  decline  of  1835  he  removed  it  to  Pierceville.  A 
milk  station  is  conducted  here  by  the  Empire  State  Dairy  Company, 
with  H.  J.  Spencer,  local  manager.  Only  a  small  quantity  of  milk  is 
shipped,  but  large  quantities  of  butter  and  cheese  are  made.  About 
8,000  pounds  of  milk  are  taken  daily. 

A  hotel  was  built  in  the  village  in  1833  by  Samuel  Pool,  who  kept  it 
until  his  removal  to  Ohio  a  year  or  two  later.  A  second  hotel  was 
built  in  1879-80  by  F.  H.  Kinney  which  was  burned  and  the  present 
Everett  House  was  erected  in  1884:-85  by  Dr.  C.  D.  Green,  who  prac- 
ticed here  a  few  years  and  until  his  death.  The  house  is  now  owned 
by  his  widow.  The  so  called  Railroad  Hotel  was  built  in  1868  by  An- 
drew Forbes  and  for  a  time  served  also  as  a  depot.  William  Dietz 
bought  the  property  in  1870,  and  in  the  same  year  sold  it  to  G.  B. 
Cleveland.  It  was  afterwards  kept  by  A.  M.  Sly  and  was  burned  April 
37,  1898. 

There  has  always  been  a  small  mercantile  business  at  Poolville. 
George  E.  Nash  has  had  a  store  about  forty  years  and  is-  the  present 
postmaster,  an  office  which  he  has  held  many  years.  Cook  &  Dunham 
succeeded  J.  M.  Jennings,  who  succeeded  D.  W.  Hyland;  the  latter  es- 
tablished his  store  in  1865.     E.  D.  Keith  is  a  dealer  in  coal. 

A  Methodist  class  was  formed  at  Poolville  probably  before  1830  and 
meetings  were  held  in  the  school  house.  The  membership  finally  de- 
creased to  three  or  four  who  joined  the  Earlville  church.  About  twen- 
ty-five years  later  another  class  was  formed  and  built  a  meeting  house, 


268  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

which  was  repaired  in  1869  and  again  in  recent  years.  The  church  is 
on  the  same  charge  with  East  Hamilton  and  the  same  pastor  serves 
both. 

A  Universalist  society  was  formed  from  the  Hubbardsville  church 
and  built  a  house  of  worship  in  1816.  The  membership  is  not  numer- 
ous. 

The  hamlet  of  Hubbardsville,  in  the  northeast  part  of  the  town,  took 
its  name  from  Calvin  Hubbard,  a  prominent  settler  of  1813  in  that  sec- 
tion. He  resided  in  a  dwelling  subsequently  owned  by  Nathan  Brow- 
nell,  who  married  Mr.  Hubbard's  granddaughter.  Mr.  Hubbard  was 
an  enterprising  and  energetic  man  and  soon  engaged  in  business.  He 
established  an  early  tannery  and  a  distillery,  both  of  which  he  operated 
many  years,  accumulating  a  competency.  His  daughter,  and  his  only 
child  who  lived  to  maturity,  was  Emily,  who  married  Elias  K.  Hart. 

Ephraim  Chamberlain  was  an  early  settler  here  and  opened  the  first 
store  about  1820.  His  store  was  situated  on  the  site  of  the  one  in  which 
D.  D.  Livermore  has  carried  on  business  more  than  twenty  years. 
Sherebiah  S.  Hunt  and  Elias  K.  Hart  built  in  1835  the  store  in  which 
they  traded  as  the  firm  of  Hunt  &  Hart  until  1837.  Charles  Green  was 
in  business  there  from  1838  to  18-11  when  he  sold  to  Gideon  Manchester; 
he  leased  the  store  to  Nathan  Peck,  who  was  in  business  until  1848. 
In  the  spring  of  1849  Clark  R.  Nash  and  William  T.  Manchester  took 
the  business  and  a  year  and  a  half  later  Manchester  sold  to  Dr.  Julius 
Nye,  who  a  few  years  later  sold  to  his  partner.  In  1864  Francis  C. 
Shepardson  bought  an  interest  in  the  store  and  C.  R.  Nash  &  Co.  con- 
tinued until  1867  when  Shepardson  retired.  Mr.  Nash  continued  alone 
(excepting  from  1871  to  1875)  until  he  was  succeeded  by  his  son  and 
D.  D.  Livermore,  whom  Nash  bought  out  in  1875 

In  the  other  store  Nathan  Brownell  succeeded  Chamberlain  and  dur- 
ing several  years  did  an  extensive  business.  In  1853  Theron  Nye  suc- 
ceeded Brownell,  after  the  store  had  been  unoccupied  several  years. 
After  two  years  in  business  Nye  sold  to  Clark  R.  Nash.  The  next  mer- 
chant there  was  Nicanor  Brownell,  son  of  Nathan,  who  was  in  business 
from  about  1860  to  1863,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  John  O.  Wallace, 
who  came  from  Brookfield.  The  store  burned  in  the  fall  of  1865  and 
Wallace  built  another  store.  Wilmer  Rhodes  is  a  present  merchant  of 
the  place,  and  H.  J.  Kinney  has  a  meat  market. 

The  mills  of  Hubbardsville  were  long  known  as  the  Dunbar  Mills 
and  were  built  in  1850  by  Charles  Blanchard  and  James  H.  Dunbar,  on 


CALVIN    HUBBARD. 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— HAMILTON.  369 

the  site  of  the  old  mill,  which  was  one  of  the  earliest  in  this  section. 
The  mills  had  many  proprietors  and  were  operated  from  1871  to  1880 
or  later  by  A.  G.  Ingalls.     W.  M.  Jennings  is  the  present  proprietor. 

The  post-office  at  this  point  was  removed  hither  in  1849  from  East 
Hamilton  and  retained  that  name  until  about  1856  when  it  was  changed 
to  Hubbard's  Corners,  and  subsequently  to  Hubbardsville.  William  T. 
Manchester  was  the  first  postmaster  and  held  the  office  until  1851,  when 
C.  R.  Nash  was  appointed  and  held  it  more  than  thirty  years  with  brief 
intermission.     James  Clark  is  the  present  postmaster. 

Hubbardsville  is  the  home  of  Charles  Greene,  who  is  well  known  as 
one  of  the  largest  hop  dealers  and  a  foremost  farmer  of  Madison  county. 

East  Hamilton,  a  hamlet  situated  a  mile  south  of  Hubbardsville,  was 
formerly  known  as  Colchester  Settlement.  In  early  years  considerable 
business  centered  here  and  it  was  one  of  the  points  that  was  urged  as 
the  proper  place  for  the  public  buildings  in  case  a  half-shire  should  be 
createcl  in  the  county.  The  first  physician  in  this  section  located  there 
in  the  person  of  Dr.  Noah  B.  Foot,  who  came  from  Connecticut  in  1800 
and  continued  in  practice  until  his  death  in  1845.  His  son,  David  Y. 
Foot,  succeeded  him  and  was  followed  by  Dr.  Franklin  Foot,  who  came 
from  Vermont.  Dr.  George  Palmer  was  a  later  comer.  Dr.  Silas 
Graham,  formerly  a  blacksmith,  became  a  botanic  physician  at  Hub- 
bardsville about  1830  and  continued  about  fifteen  years.  Dr.  Julius 
Nye  began  practice  there  about  1845.  Dr.  Adelbert  E.  Crowell  was  a 
later  physician  there.  At  East  Hamilton  the  business  interests  are  not 
now  important.  Chauncey  Munson  is  proprietor  of  a  general  store,  and 
Elliott  Fitch  and  Stephen  Underdown  carry  on  blacksmithing.  A  hotel 
is  kept  by  Frank  Kinney. 

There  is  a  post  office  with  the  name  South  Hamilton  in  the  southeast 
part  of  the  town,  where  there  is  a  small  cluster  of  dwellings,  a  grist  and 
saw  mill  which  have  been  long  in  existence  and  now  operated  by  Adel- 
bert Sutherland;  a  general  store  by  E.  J.  Wiley,  who  is  also  postmaster, 
and  a  blacksmith  shop  by  L.  Washburn. 

What  was  known  as  Hamilton  Center  was  chosen,  as  the  settlers  had 
seen  done  so  many  times  in  their  former  homes  in  the  east,  as  the  site  for 
the  meeting  house  of  the  first  Congregational  Church  of  Hamilton, 
which  was  built  in  1800 ;  there  they  worshiped  many  years.  The  society 
was  incorporated  September  24,  1798,  and  Jonathan  Stephens,  Richard 
Butler,  Lucius  Scjtt,  Reuben  Foot,  Isaac  Skinner,  andjared  T.  Hooker 
were  chosen  trustees.      This  church  closed  its  existence  in  early  years 


270  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

and  in  184:2  the  building  was  removed  to  Poolville,  where  it  was  used  for 
a  time  for  town  meetings  and  finally  for  dwellings. 

The  First  Universalist  Society  of  Hamilton  was  organized  at  the 
house  of  David  Dunbar  in  Hubbardsville  in  1808,  by  Rev.  Nathaniel 
Stacy;  their  meeting  house  was  built  in  1834.  The  society  has  never 
been  very  strong,  but  has  retained  its  existence  to  the  present  time. 

The  meeting  house  of  the  Second  Baptist  Church  of  Hamilton  is  sit- 
uated about  half  way  between  Poolville  and  South  Hamilton.  The 
society  organized  with  thirty  members  February  1,  1819,  and  Robert 
Powell,  a  licentiate,  was  called  to  the  pastorate.  Up  to  1834  meetings 
were  mostly  held  in  school  houses;  the  church  was  built  in  1835  and  in 
the  winter  of  18G9  was  remodeled  and  refurnished.  The  pulpit  has  fre- 
quently been  vacant  for  considerable  periods,  and  during  a  large  portion 
of  the  time  has  been  supplied  from  Hamilton  College. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

PROGRESS  OF  IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS  CONTINUED— LENOX. 

The  most  important  features  of  the  early  settlement  and  improve- 
ment in  the  old  town  of  Lenox  the  reader  has  found  described  in  Chap- 
ter IX,  coming  down  to  about  the  date  of  the  county  organization  in 
1806.  At  that  time  Quality  Hill  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  town 
was  the  business  center,  wheie  there  were  at  one  period  two  good  stores, 
one  kept  by  Capt.  William  Jennings  and  later  by  Maj.  Joseph  Bruce, 
and  another  by  the  firm  of  Walton,  Beebe  &  Hall.  There  were  also 
two  taverns  which  had  a  large  patronage,  mainly  from  the  extensive 
travel  along  the  Seneca  Turnpike.  It  is  related  that  at  times  in  the 
winter  season  when  teaming  east  and  west  was  at  its  height,  a  person 
standing  on  Quality  Hill  and  looking  eastward  towards  Federal  Hill, 
could  see  as  many  as  forty  teams  transporting  freight  along  the  great 
thoroughfare.  And  there  were  the  numerous  and  popular  old  stage 
coaches,  laden  with  passengers  and  making  daily  trips,  which  swelled 
the  tide  of  travel  and  the  patronage  of  taverns  along  the  way  at  all 
points.  Besides  the  two  taverns  at  the  Hill,  there  were  several  others 
along  the  turnpike  in  this  town  early  in  the  century,  as  there   were  on 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— LENOX.  271 

all  important  roads.  Quality  Hill  had  in  earl)-  years  a  Ma  onic  Lodge, 
several  shops,  a  post-office,  and  a  church  as  early  as  1810,  which  is 
noticed  further  on.  The  headquarters  of  the  old  75th  Regiment  were 
there  and  the  annual  trainings  were  events  of  great  popularity. 

But  one  of  the  sweeping  changes  characteristic  of  many  localities 
through  which  pas.sed  the  Erie  Canal  and  the  early  railroads,  was  ap- 
proaching, and  the  course  of  travel  from  east  and  west  was  soon  to  seek 
another  avenue,  drawing  away  from  the  old  turnpike  the  merchants 
and  shopkeepers  who  had  found  their  profits  largely  dependent  upon  it 
and  upon  the  farmers  settling  along  its  course. 

While  the  pioneers  were  locating  in  the  western  and  southern  parts 
of  the  town,  as  before  described,  progress  was  being  made  in  the  east- 
ern part  at  Oneida  Castle,  where  the  old  chief,  Skenandoah,  kept  a 
public  house  before  the  period  of  white  settlement.  There  also  the  In- 
dian church  and  school  house  were  built  under  missionary  influence. 
Governor  Clinton  in  1810  passed  through  the  town  and  stopped  at  Sken- 
andoah's  house.  The  old  chieftain  was  then  101  years  old  and  was 
pathetically  described  in  Clinton's  journal.  The  governor  also  noted 
the  residence  there  of  Abram  Hatfield  and  his  wife,  who  had  been  sent 
on  by  the  Quaker  sect,  mainly  to  educate  the  Indians  in  agriculture, 
for  which  they  were  to  receive  $200  a  year.  Clinton  saw  a  few  white 
settlers  at  the  Oneida  Reservation.  A  mission  was  established  at  the 
Castle  in  1816  by  Bishop  Hobart  and  placed  in  charge  of  Rev.  Eleazer 
Williams.  With  the  influx  of  white  settlers  a  village  of  considerable 
importance  was  built  up. 

In  the  mean  time  the  dry  and  fertile  lands  along  the  southern  border 
of  Oneida  Lake  were  quite  rapidly  filled  with  settlers  after  about  1808, 
though  Colonel  Cadwell  was  a  pioneer  in  that  section  in  1807.  He 
cleared  a  piece  of  land  in  the  forest  and  laid  out  and  improved  some  of 
the  early  roads,  inducing  other  settlers  to  come  in.  A  little  hamlet 
gathered  at  Oneida  Valley,  a  Presbyterian  church  was  organized,  a 
store  opened  and  shops  established. 

One  of  the  early  important  industries  of  the  town,  which  drew  around 
it  a  number  of  early  settlers,  was  the  Lenox  Furnace,  which  was  estab- 
lished by  the  Lenox  Iron  Company,  organized  in  1815  with  a  capital  of 
$20,000.  The  furnace  was  erected  about  a  mile  and  a  half  south  of 
Wampsville  and  the  manufacture  of  hollow  ware  of  all  kinds,  and  later 
stoves,  plow  castings,  etc.,  was  made  from  ore  brought  from  the  vicinity 
of  Clinton.     Among  the  early  stockholders  from  Madison  county  were 


272  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Conradt  Moot  and  James  S.  Sennet,  Col.  Stephen  Chapman,  and  Will- 
iam Cobb,  all  of  the  town  of  Lenox.  Most  or  all  of  the  others  were 
from  Oneida  county.  Lewis  J.  Dauby,  of  Whitestown,  was  the  first 
agent,  but  was  soon  succeeded  by  William  Cobb,  of  Lenox,  who  con- 
tinued until  1827,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  J.  N.  Avery.  The  first 
iron  was  made  in  1816  and  the  business  was  closed  up  in  1847,  mainly 
on  account  of  the  scarcity  of  timber  in  the  vicinity  for  fuel.  A  board- 
ing house,  a  number  of  dwellings,  a  blacksmith  shop,  carpenter  shop, 
and  a  store  were  opened  there  and  Lenox  Furnace  Village  became  a 
well  known  business  point.  George  B.  Cady  established  a  woolen  fac- 
tory here  in  1860,  and  fine  cloths  were  manufactured.  He  put  in  new 
and  improved  machinery  in  1807  and  from  that  time  to  the  close  of  1879 
employed  about  twenty  hands. 

In  the  south  part  of  the  town  in  the  vicinity  of  the  present  Merrills- 
ville  and  Bennett's  Corners  (formerly  called  Pine  Bush)  small  hamlets 
came  into  existence  in  the  first  quarter  of  the  century.  The  latter  place 
took  its  name  from  John  Bennett,  who  was  an  early  settler.  The  first 
store  was  kept  by  P.  McDowel  who  began  business  in  1832;  he  was 
also  postmaster  about  half  a  century  and  built  one  of  the  two  taverns 
that  were  kept  there,  John  Bennett  having  built  the  other.  W.  &  H. 
Eddy  are  present  merchants  and  Winfield  Eddy  is  postmaster.  At 
Merrillsville  a  woolen  factory  was  established,  among  the  first  in  the 
county,  and  an  old  saw  mill  is  still  in  existence.  A  Methodist  church 
was  organized  in  1851,  and  one  of  the  Indian  missions  was  in  this 
charge. 

The  Erie  Canal  through  Madison  county  was  opened  for  traffic  in 
1820,  when  in  July  George  Perry,  a  resident  of  the  town  of  Sullivan, 
began  running  the  boat  Oneida  Chief  three  times  a  week  between  Utica 
and  Montezuma.  The  great  impetus  given  to  business,  the  impor- 
tant changes  in  location  of  trade  centers,  and  the  rapid  purchase 
and  settlement  of  lands  along  the  line  of  the  new  waterway  have  been 
described  in  earlier  chapters  of  this  volume.  Previous  to  that  time  the 
villages  of  Canastota  and  Oneida,  as  well  as  many  others,  were  un- 
known; but  shrewd  men  of  foresight  were  able  even  thus  early  to  de- 
termine where  to  purchase  land,  erect  buildings  and  otherwise  expend 
their  money  and  energies. 

The  site  of  Canastota'  was  not  an  ideal  region  in  which  to  build  up  a 

1  The  word,  Canastota,  is  believed  to  have  been  derived  from  the  Indian  word,  "  Kniste," 
signifying  ''cluster  of  pines,"  and  "  stota,"  meaning  "still,  silent."  Mrs.  Hammond  locates  a 
cluster  of  three  large  pine  trees  near  the  point  where  the  railroad  bridge  crosses  the  creek  in 
the  village,  and  believed  they  were  the  ones  referred  to  in  the  name  of  the  place. 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— LENOX.  273 

village.  It  was  mainly  a  low,  swampy  forest  during  the  first  decade  of 
the  century,  with  a  small  clearing  at  the  west  side  and  along  the  Cowas- 
selon  Creek,  and  was  a  part  of  the  Canastota  Tract,  from  which  it  was 
reserved  when  the  sale  of  the  tract  was  made  by  the  Oneidas  to  the 
State.  It  was' also  included  in  the  Canastota  Reservation,  which  was  a 
part  of  the  Canastota  Tract.  The  sale  just  mentioned  included  land 
extending  from  Oneida  Lake  to  within  half  a  mile  of  the  Seneca  Turn- 
pike and  contained  ninety-one  lots.  The  Reservation  contained 
3291/^  acres.  Capt.  Reuben  Perkins,  who  had  settled  in  the  west  part 
of  the  town,  obtained  from  the  Indians  the  land  on  which  the  village 
was  built,  for  which  he  obtained  a  State  patent  in  1810.  At  this  time 
a  few  Indian  families  were  living  therein  log  houses;  a  blockhouse 
also  had  been  built,  which  was  repaired  and  an  addition  erected  and 
Captain  Perkins  there  made  his  temporary  home.  He  afterwards  built 
a  frame  house  on  the  same  site,  which  later  years  was  moved  across 
the  street  by  its  owner.  Dr.  Jarvis. 

At  the  time  of  Captain  Perkins's  purchase  there  was  no  road  leading 
northward  from  the  turnpike  through  his  land;  an  Indian  trail  crossed 
the  swamp  towards  Oneida  Valley.  In  1814  Captain  Perkins  sold  100 
acres  of  his  purchase,  including  the  eastern  part  of  the  village  site,  to 
Ephraim  Sherman.  This  tract  was  subsequently  owned  successively 
by  Jason  W.  Powers,  Samuel  Halliday  Barnard  Nellis,  and  Joshua  A. 
Spencer,  after  which  it  was  subdivided  into  village  lots  and  sold.  In 
1821  Thomas  Hitchcock  and  Thomas  N.  Jarvis  came  from  Dutchess 
county  and  bargained  with  Captain  Perkins  for  the  remaining  two- 
thirds  of  the  Canastota  reservation,  for  $8,000.  In  1824  the  Jarvis 
farm,  which  was  part  of  this  tract,  was  conveyed  to  Milton  Barlow  (a 
brother  of  Mrs.  Lydia  Jarvis),  who  subsequently  conveyed  it  to  Lance- 
lot Jarvis,  father  of  Thomas  N.  Jarvis.  On  the  death  of  the  father  it 
passed  to  his  heirs  and  was  ultimately  divided  into  village  lots. 

When  the  canal  was  opened  there  were  only  three  or  four  houses  at 
this  point,  one  of  which  was  occupied  by  Thomas  Menzie,  son-in-law  of 
Captain  Perkins.  Another  was  occupied  by  James  Graham,  who  turned 
it  into  a  tavern  for  the  accommodation  of  the  workmen  attracted  hither 
by  the  canal.  He  also  opened  a  small  grocery  on  the  canal  bank  in 
1817.  At  about  the  time  of  opening  the  canal,  about  1817,  Reuben 
Hawley  opened  a  store  on  the  west  side  of  Peterboro  street,  south  of 
the  canal,  at  what  was  then  called  the  canal  basin,  and  was  for  many 
years  a  leading  business  man  and   citizen  of  the  place.     He  was  suc- 

18 


274  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ceeded  by  J.  cS:  D.  Crouse,  who  carried  on  business  in  the  Hawley  store 
about  three  years,  removing  to  another  location  where  they  continued 
until  1834.  At  that  time  they  went  back  into  the  Hawley  store  where 
they  remained  until  they  built  the  brick  Crouse  block.  The  firm  was 
dissolved  in  185.3,  John  Crouse  removing  to  Syracuse  to  become  a  mill- 
ionaire wholesale  grocer,  and  Daniel,  after  continuing  at  Canastota  un- 
til 1863,  removing  to  Utica,  where  he  was  a  wholesale  grocer. 

Other  early  buildings  in  the  village  were  a  hotel  erected  by  Captain 
Perkins  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Main  street  and  the  canal,  and  a 
brick  store  built  by  him  on  the  site  of  the  later  malt  house.  The  brick 
were  made  in  a  yard  a  little  south  of  the  site  of  the  building.  Samuel 
Halliday  built  a  tavern  near  the  corner  of  Peterboro  and  Center  streets, 
and  about  1821  Capt.  Daniel  Lewis  built  a  dwelling  on  the  west  side  of 
South  Main  street.  Thomas  Menzie's  house,  on  the  corner  of  Center 
and  Main  streets,  stood  until  comparatively  recent  years. 

A  saw  mill  was  built  at  an  early  day  on  the  site  of  the  later  Reeder's 
grist  mill ;  another  saw  mill  of  a  later  date  was  erected,  but  both  long 
ago  ceased  operations.  In  1831  the  village  had  a  population  of  406  and 
contained  a  number  of  fine  buildings,  prominent  among  them  being  the 
residence  of  Dr.  Thomas  Spencer  on  Peterboro  street.  In  the  year 
just  named  Samuel  Hitchcock  built  a  brick  structure  on  Main  street  for 
use  as  an  academy,  in  the  upper  story  of  which  the  Methodists  held 
meetings.  A  large  part  of  the  village  site  was  difficult  of  improvement 
for  building,  on  account  of  its  swampy  character.  Center  street  was 
a  number  of  feet  lower  than  at  present,  and  deep  with  mud  in  spring 
and  fall.  Some  of  the  early  buildings  were  elevated  on  posts,  before 
the  land  was  filled  in.  In  1831  there  were  three  public  houses,  the 
Graham  House,  by  J.  C.  Spencer,  the  Canastota  House,  kept  by  John 
B.  Youngs,  and  the  one  kept  by  Eliab  Joslin  at  the  west  end  of  the 
canal  basin.  Besides  the  stores  of  the  Crouse  brothers,  and  Mr.  Haw- 
ley, there  was  one  kept  by  Samuel  Hitchcock,  and  groceries  were  sold 
by  Nahum  Fay,  Elias  Palmer,  Capt.  Robert  Bishop,  and  a  Mrs.  Tuttle. 
J.  C.  Spencer  had  previously  been  in  trade,  but  had  closed  his  store. 
A.  D.  Van  Hooser  had  a  hat  shop.  Reuben  Hawley  was  a  merchant 
whose  reputation  for  integrity  and  enterprise  extended  throughout 
central  New  York.  He  ultimately  removed  to  Chittenango  and  entered 
into  business,  but  died  soon  afterward.  He  was  father  of  Gen.  J.  Dean 
Hawley,  now  employed  in  the  Syracuse  post-office. 

It  was  early  known   in  the  century  that  salt  water  existed  in   the 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— LENOX.  275 

neighborhood  of  Canastota,  and  much  time  and  money  has  been  spent 
in  past  years  in  efforts  to  develop  a  profitable  salt  making  industry. 
Between  1820  and  1830  salt  was  made  in  small  quantities  from  the 
water  of  a  deep  spring  excavated  in  the  marsh  on  land  owned  by  Capt. 
Oliver  Clark,  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  west  of  the  village.  A 
company  was  ultimately  formed  and  a  well  sunk  in  this  marsh  to  a 
depth  of  about  400  feet,  but  the  drilling  apparatus  was  broken  and  the 
work  was  abandoned.  The  strength  of  the  brine  increased  consider- 
ably with  increased  depth  of  boring.  In  1863  another  company  was 
formed,  in  which  Daniel  Grouse,  D.  H.  Rasbach,  and  James  H.  Wood- 
ford were  prominent,  and  work  was  again  begun.  The  company  was 
reorganized  in  May,  1867,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $100,000,  and  a  con- 
tract was  made  with  Daniel  Lewis  for  fifty  acres  of  land  along  the  canal 
west  of  the  village.  Operations  were  begun  on  a  quite  extensive  scale, 
but  without  the  hoped  for  success,  and  after  the  expenditure  of  a  large 
sum  of  money,  the  work  was  abandoned. 

The  post-ofifice  at  Canastota  was  established  in  1839,  with  Ichabod  S. 
.Spencer,  postmaster.  The  successors  in  the  office  have  been  as  follows : 
Israel  S.  Spencer,  who  succeeded  the  first  incumbent  six  years  after 
the  office  was  opened  and  held  the  place  until  1840.  There  were  sev- 
eral incumbents  before  his  administration  and  1860,  whose  names  can- 
not be  defininitely  given.  Noyes  P.  Chapman  was  appointed  in  1860 
and  held  the  office  until  the  administration  of  Andrew  Johnson  began, 
when  Albert  R.  Barlow  was  appointed;  but  he  failed  of  confirmation 
and  Mr.  Chapman  was  reappointed.  He  was  succeeded  in  1882  by  Jud- 
son  Field  for  four  years.  Eugene  M.  Barlow  was  then  appointed,  to 
be  succeeded  by  Mr.  Field  in  1890.  In  1894  Mr.  Barlow  was  again  ap- 
pointed, and  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Field  in  January,  1899. 

While  mercantile  business  at  Canastota  increased  in  ratio  with  the 
population  and  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  multiplying  settlements 
along  the  canal,  there  was  little  manufacturing  of  importance  until 
comparatively  recent  years.  If  there  were  legal  matters  that  needed 
attention,  there  was  Ichabod  S.  Spencer,  the  postmaster,  and  George 
Ager,  both  of  whom  were  in  the  town  very  early.  Curtis  C.  Baldwin, 
Thomas  Barlow,  whose  death  took  place  in  September,  1896,  Israel  S. 
Spencer,  Hiram  Bennett,  William  H.  Kinney,  and  I.  Newton  Messin- 
ger,  were  other  early  and  prominent  attorneys,  who  with  many  others, 
are  elsewhere  noticed  in  these  pages. 

Dr.  Thomas  Spencer  the  youngest  of  four  Spencer  brothers,  was  the 


276  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

first  physician  in  the  village  and  was  a  very  prominent  and  successful 
practitioner.  A  little  later  came  Drs.  Joel  Corson,  Jarvis,  George 
Loomis,  Alraon  Lull,  V.  W.  Mason,  and  others. 

With  the  growth  and  encouraging  prospects  of  the  village,  the  in- 
habitants took  steps  in  early  years  to  obtain  an  act  of  incorporation, 
which  was  accomplished  as  a  special  charter  under  date  of  April  28, 1835. 
There  was  a  subsequeat  reincorporation  under  the  general  act  of  April 
12,  1870. 

The  first  village  election  was  held  at  the  house  of  Joseph  C.  Spencer 
on  the  first  Tuesday  in  May,  1835.  The  utter  destruction  of  the  old 
village  records,  the  files  of  newspapers  and  other  important  papers  in 
the  great  fire  of  1873  renders  it  impossible  to  give  any  details  of  early 
proceedings  of  the  village  government,  and  the  names  of  those  who  held 
the  local  offices. 

The  officers  for  1899  are:  Norman  Stafford,  president;  John  W.  W. 
Souter,  E.  J.  Clark,  W.  W.  Barott,  J.  T.  Sherwood,  trustees;  Frank  G. 
Bennett,  clerk;  F.  F.  Hubbard,  president  board  of  water  commission- 
ers, E.  M.  Harrison,  jr.,  and  Herman  Casler,  members;  William  H. 
Patterson,  (president),  D.  C.  Twogood,  S.  K.  Bemiss,  Cleon  Tondeur, 
police  and  fire  commissioners;  William  R.  Groat  (president),  George 
Turnbull,  C.  N.  Rose,  E.  A.  Cooper,  board  of  health;  Dr.  H.  G.Ger- 
mer,  health  officer. 

Not  long  after  the  village  incorporation  a  new  and  powerful  impetus 
was  given  to  its  growth  by  the  coming  of  the  railroad,  that  herculean 
agent  in  the  upbuilding  of  many  communities.  Utica  had  been  con- 
nected with  eastern  markets  by  rail  since  1835;  Syracuse  with  Auburn 
since  1836.  These  lines  were  connected  by  the  Syracuse  and  Utica  road 
which  was  opened  in  1839,  ushering  in  a  new  era  of  prosperity  and  lead- 
ing to  the  development  of  important  industries.  The  population  of  the 
village  in  1840,  the  year  after  the  opening  of  the  railroad,  was  800.  It 
contained  four  taverns,  eight  stores,  three  churches,  a  machine  shop, 
and  about  130  dwellings.  Some  of  the  merchants  who  succeeded 
those  already  mentioned  were  James  M.  Parker,  Hiram  Brown,  Charles 
O.  Chesley,  Irving  B.  Roberts,  dry  goods  and  groceries ;  W.  T.  North- 
rup,  groceries  and  stationery;  John  and  Charles  Cronk,  Groat  &  Av- 
ery, John  W.  Wilson,  Wallace  Suits,  and  others  yet  to  be  mentioned. 
Charles  Spencer  had  been  manufacturing  optical  instruments  in  a  small 
way,  his  skillful  work  eliciting  high  praise  from  scientific  men.  In  1846 
he  built  a  shop  and  formed  a  partnership  with  Hamilton  Spencer.     Sub- 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— LENOX.  277 

sequently  the  firm  became  Spencer  &  Eaton  and  in  1876  the  business 
was  moved  to  Geneva,  N.  Y. 

The  present  large  manufacturing  element  in  Canastota  is  mainly  the 
growth  of  years  since  1873,  when  a  large  part  of  the  village,  was  swept 
away  by  fire  from  an  incendiary's  torch.  Not  a  building  was  left  stand- 
ing on  the  west  side  of  the  principal  business  street,  causing  a  money  loss 
of  about  $500,000,  and  paralyzing  the  energy  of  the  people.  But  with 
renewed  courage  the  village  was  rebuilt  in  more  substantial  manner  and 
better  style  than  before  and  many  new  industries  were  established. 
Among  these  was  the  Canastota  Knife  Company,  which  was  incorporated 
October  13,  1874,  with  an  authorized  capital  of  $11,000,  which  was  held 
by  fifty- two  stockholders.  The  first  directors  were  Fred  C.  Fiske, 
William  Hurlbut,  T.  N.  Jarvis,  E.  R.  White,  J.  H.  Allen,  Garret  A. 
Forbes,  J.  B.  Miller.  Mr.  Hurlbut  was  elected  president;  G.  A.  Forbes, 
vice  president;  E.  R.  White,  secretary;  F.  C.  Fiske,  treasurer.  A 
building  was  erected  and  work  was  begun  in  June,  1875,  under  the 
superintendence  of  Silas  Moore,  a  practical  knife  maker.  The  small 
number  of  hands  employed  at  first  was  soon  increased  to  seventy  and 
the  reputation  of  the  goods  rapidly  extended.  The  capital  stock  was 
subsequently  increased  and  a  large  and  remunerative  business  was  car- 
ried on,  which  continued  until  1895,  when  the  factory  was  closed,  ow- 
ing to  the  unfavorable  tariff. 

The  Canastota  Glass  Company  was  organized  in  1881,  with  capital 
stock  of  $40,000,  which  was  twice  increased,  first  to  $70,000  and  later  to 
$120,000.  A  large  factory  was  built  west  of  the  village  and  a  heavy 
output  of  window  glass  continued  several  years,  the  sand  being  brought 
mainly  from  Oneida  Lake.  The  business  finally  became  part  of  the 
United  Glass  Company  and  the  factory  was  closed,  remaining  idle  until 
1898.  It  was  purchased  in  1896  by  six  persons,  who  sold  it  in  1898  to 
the  present  organization,  which  is  a  co-operative  company,  the  stock  be- 
ing all  held  by  workmen  in  the  business.  The  six  purchasers  turned 
the  property  over  to  the  company,  with  the  sum  of  $3,000  donated  by 
the  citizens,  with  the  understanding  that  after  operating  the  works  five 
years,  the  company  should  have  a  deed.  The  stock  is  $10,000  and  about 
fifty  hands  are  employed.  The  officers  of  the  company  are  H.  C.  Hoff- 
man, president;  Robert  L.  Bruen,  vice-president;  Paul  Greiner,  treas- 
urer; William  Rechtenwald,  secretary. 

One  of  the  largest  and  most  prosperous  industries  in  this  town  is  the 
wheel  rake  manufactory  of  Patten  &  Stafford.     This  business   was  be- 


278  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

gun  in  Clockville  in  1866,  by  William  H.  Patten.  In  1873  Norman 
vStafford  was  admitted  to  the  business  and  in  1883  it  was  removed  to 
Canastota,  where  a  large  plant  was  built.  About  the  same  time  the 
firm  was  changed  to  Patten,  Stafford  &  Myer;  the  latter  went  out  in 
1893.  The  wheel  rake  made  by  this  firm  is  called  the  Champion  and 
finds  a  large  sale  throughout  the  country. 

The  Smith  &  Ellis  Company  are  large  manufacturers  of  hall  racks, 
china  closets,  book  cases,  ladies'  desks,  etc.,  and  employ  about  eighty 
hands.  They  occupy  the  large  brick  building  erected  by  the  Canastota 
Casket  Company,  a  stock  organization,  the  books  of  which  were  opened 
in  September,  1888.  This  undertaking  was  destined  to  early  failure 
and  the  building  became  the  property  of  Patten  &  Stafford,  who  sold 
it  to  the  Smith  &  Ellis  company  in  January,  1894.  Al^out  eighty  hands 
are  employed  by  the  company,  and  it  has  its  own  electric  plant.  The 
proprietors  are  Samuel  C.  Smith  and  Arthur  N.  Ellis. 

A.  M.  Barrett  has  a  large  lumber  yard  and  in  connection  with  that 
business  operates  a  steam  saw  mill  and  a  planing  mill.  His  business 
was  established  in  1876. 

C.  N.  Cady,  son  of  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Clockville,  began  operating 
a  machine  shop  in  1886,  and  now  employs  five  hands,  making  a  spe- 
cialty of  the  manufacture  of  tool  grinders  and  sensitive  drills.  Another 
machine  shop  is  conducted  by  James  Mahan,  who  began  about  ten  years 
ago;  he  manufactures  steam  engines  and  does  general  work. 

The  Watson  Wagon  Company  was  organized  June  1,  1899,  with  Charles 
E.  Crouse,  president;  D.  S.  Watson,  vice-president  and  manager;  A.  A. 
Keesler,  secretary;  J.  C.  Rasbach,  treasurer.  Previous  to  the  organiza- 
tion Mr.  Watson  manufactured  the  Watson  patent  dumping  wagon,  be- 
ginning about  ten  years  ago.  This  wagon  has  a  wide  sale  at  the  pres- 
ent time.     About  twenty-five  hands  are  employed. 

A  furniture  manufacturing  business  was  started  some  five  years  ago 
by  Felix  Tondeur.  The  business  was  removed  to  Oneida  where  it 
failed  and  was  bought  by  C.  H.  Tondeur.  It  was  returned  to  Canastota 
and  Mr.  Tondeur  manufactures  roller  top  desks.  He  occupies  a  build- 
ing formerly  used  for  a  time  by  William  Hurlbut  in  furniture  manufac- 
ture. 

A  prosperous  industry  of  the  village  is  the  cider  and  vinegar  works 
of  Harrison  &  Co.,  located  a  short  distance  west  of  the  corporation. 
This  business  was  started  in  1857  by  E.  M.  &  D.  V.  Harrison,  four  miles 
west  of  Canastota,  on  the  canal.     In  1886  it  was  removed  to  its  present 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— LENOX,  279 

location,  where  about  200,000  bushels  of  apples  are  used  annually.  In 
1878  the  firm  name  changed  to  its  present  form,  the  members  being  D. 
V.  and  E.  M.  Harrison,  jr. 

A  feed  mill  was  built  and  started  about  1880  by  Judson  Field;  this 
burned  and  the  present  mill  was  built  in  1886,  which  passed  to  posses- 
sion of  the  State  Bank  in  1896. 

The  former  large  cheese  factory  interest  of  this  part  of  the  county 
has  mainly  passed  away  and  the  milk  product  is  mainly  shipped  to  New 
York  or  made  into  butter  in  a  domestic  way.  There  is  a  milk  station 
in  Canastota,  which  was  opened  in  March,  1899,  by  Samuel  Levy,  which 
now  takes  about  1,900  quarts  daily.  There  is  a  station  also  at  Chitten- 
ango,  which  is  elsewhere  noticed. 

The  canning  business,  which  is  now  such  an  important  factor  in  the 
industrial  life  of  the  county,  is  represented  by  an  establishment  here, 
which  dates  from  1880,  when  J.  W.  Mix  began  canning  corn  and  built 
the  present  factory.  Two  years  later  he  was  succeeded  by  Jarvis  & 
Hubbard  (Thomas  M.  Jarvis  and  Fred  F.  Hubbard),  under  whose  man- 
agement the  business  and  plant  was  greatly  increased  and  corn,  succo- 
tash and  tomatoes  were  marketed.  Since  the  death  of  Mr.  Jarvis  in 
1888  Mr.  Hubbard  was  associated  three  years  with  Alonzo  W.  Wheeler, 
since  which  time  he  has  continued  alone.  About  1,000,000  cans  of 
vegetables  are  put  up  annually. 

The  Lee  Chair  Company  began  business  in  Herkimer  in  the  manu- 
facture of  a  patent  chair;  the  business  was  brought  to  Canastota  in 
1893  and  in  1895  C.  A.  Lee  became  the  sole  owner.  About  100  hands 
are  employed  in  making  the  chair  mentioned  and  a  Morris  chair. 

Besides  these  various  prosperous  industries  the  village  has  the  usual 
blacksmith,  wagon,  tin  and  other  shops,  with  a  large  number  of  enter- 
prising merchants.  Among  the  latter  is  the  furniture,  carpet  and  wall 
paper  store  of  John  H.  McMahon,  who  began  business  in  his  present 
location  in  1886.  The  store  was  built  for  the  purpose  by  him  and  Jud- 
son Field. 

Farr  Brothers  (Edwin  and  Levi)  have  a  large  hardware  business 
which  was  started  by  Edwin  Farr  in  1879;  his  brother  joining  him  in 
1892.  The  old  building  is  a  landmark  and  was  erected  by  the  late  John 
H.  Wilson.  Another  large  hardware  business  is  conducted  by  Bemiss 
&  Co.  (S.  K.  Bemiss  and  R.  R.  Bemiss).  The  business  was  begun 
across  the  street  in  1882,  where  it  was  burned  out  and  removed  to  its 
present  location  in  188-1.  Plumbing  and  steam  heating  is  a  part  of  the 
business. 


280  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

J  .  E .  Warrick  is  one  of  the  old-time  business  men  of  the  place.  He 
began  wagon  making  in  1845,  and  in  1879  opened  a  furniture  and  car- 
pet store  in  his  present  location.  L.  F.  Phillips  was  with  him  until 
1892. 

One  of  the  older  and  prominent  firms  in  general  merchandise  was 
Brown  &  Parker,  who  carried  on  a  successful  trade  many  years.  The 
successors  of  that  firm  are  H.  C.  Brown's  Sons,  who  carry  a  stock  of 
groceries,  boots  and  shoes  and  furnishing  goods.  Their  present  store 
was  occupied  in  1884.  The  firm  of  J.  J.  Ingraham  &  Co.  was  consti- 
tuted of  Mr.  Ingraham  and  J.  M.  Parker,  the  latter  having  employed 
Mr.  Ingraham  as  clerk ;  he  had  also  served  as  clerk  for  Brown,  Green  & 
Co.  at  an  earlier  date.  Mr.  Ingraham  has  been  alone  since  1890  and 
carries  a  general  stock.  The  firm  of  Groat  &  Avery  (William  R.  Groat, 
Stephen  Avery)  carried  on  grocery  business  and  sold  boots  and  shoes 
and  coal  from  previous  to  1880.  They  were  succeeded  in  1898  by  E.  J. 
Clark,  whose  stock  consists  of  dry  goods  and  ladies'  and  gentlemen's 
furnishing  goods. 

P.  T.  Weaver  has  carried  a  stock  of  crockery  and  glass  since  1890. 
The  firm  of  Boon  &  Vreeland  began  business  as  merchant  tailors  and 
clothing  in  1895.  In  the  spring  of  1899  the  firm  became  Boon  &  Son. 
John  and  Charles  Cronk  were  former  merchants  of  prominence.  Mrs. 
Etta  Cronk  now  conducts  the  dry  goods  business  founded  by  C.  W. 
Cronk,  who  died  six  years  ago.  J.  H.  Fancher  has  sold  boots  and  shoes 
at  his  present  site  since  1870.  He  was  burned  out  in  1876,  in  the 
Beecher  block,  which  was  built  by  the  late  Hamilton  Beecher.  A  boot 
and  shoe  business  was  started  before  1890  by  H.  O.  Pratt,  who  sold  to 
G.  D.  Wallace.  In  1892  A.  H.  Anderson  bought  the  store  and  still 
continues. 

The  oldest  drug  store  in  the  village  is  that  of  J.  W.  Wilson,  who  be- 
gan business  in  1877  and  moved  into  his  present  store  in  1881. 

C.  F.  McConnell  began  selling  drugs  in  1891  and  moved  to  his  pres- 
ent location  in  1897.  C.  A.  Jones  came  from  McGrawville,  where  he 
had  long  been  in  trade  and  started  in  the  drug  business. 

The  increasing  business  interests  that  followed  the  opening  of  the 
railroad  demanded  local  banking  facilities,  and  on  January  12,  1856, 
the  Canastota  Bank  was  organized  with  forty-six  stockholders  and  cap- 
ital stock  of  $110,000.  The  board  of  directors  were  George  Crouse, 
William  E.  Fiske,  John  Montross,  Jacob  Crouse,  Franklin  M.  Whitman, 
Robert  G.  Stewart,  Daniel  Crouse,  De  Witt  C.  Roberts,  Daniel  Lewis, 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— LENOX.  281 

Charles  Stroud,  Daniel  Van  Vleck,  John  Grouse,  and  Daniel  B.  Moot. 
The  election  of  officers,  March  5,  1856,  resulted  in  the  choice  of  Daniel 
Grouse,  president;  William  E.  Fiske,  vice-president;  George  Grouse, 
cashier.  Daniel  Grouse  was  succeeded  as  president  in  1858  by  William 
E.  Fiske,  and  at  the  annual  election  a  few  months  later  George  Grouse 
was  chosen  president;  Gharles  Stroud,  vice-president;  William  E.  Fiske, 
cashier.  D.  H.  Rasbach  succeeded  as  cashier  in  1859,  and  H.  K.  W. 
Bruce  to  the  presidency  soon  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Grouse.  At  a 
meeting  held  May  9,  1865,  it  was  resolved  to  change  the  name  of  the 
institution  to  the  Ganastota  National  Bank,  it  becoming  a  part  of  the 
national  system.  In  the  great  fire  of  1873  the  bank  building  was 
burned  and  the  stockholders  immediately  erected  the  building  used  by 
the  bank  until  it  went  into  voluntary  liquidation  in  September,  1890. 
In  closing  its  affairs  the  stockholders  were  paid  $1.35J^  per  cent., 
besides  having  paid  large  dividends  throughout  its  whole  life. 

On  the  19th  of  September,  1890,  the  present  First  National  Bank  of 
Ganastota  was  organized,  with  a  capital  of  $50,000,  which  remains  the 
same.  Le  Grand  Golton  was  chosen  president;  Edom  N.  Bruce,  vice- 
president;  J.  Glarence  Rasbach,  cashier;  F.  W.  Dew,  teller.  These  offi- 
cers still  hold  their  positions. 

The  existing  State  Bank  of  Ganastota  is  successor  of  the  private 
banking  house  of  Milton  De  Lano,  which  was  opened  Angus:  7,  1876. 
It  was  made  a  State  bank  in  1887,  with  capital  stock  of  $40,00),  which 
remains  the  same.  William  H.  Patten  was  at  that  time  chosen  presi- 
dent and  still  holds  the  office.  The  vice-president  was  E.  N.  Bruce, 
who  was  succeeded  by  Norman  Stafford.  Milton  De  Lano  has  remained 
cashier  from  the  first. 

The  Ganastota  vSavings  and  Loan  Association  was  incorporated  Feb- 
ruary 9,  1889,  and  has  ever  since  had  a  prosperous  career,  giving  effi- 
cient and  permanent  aid  to  many  worthy  persons.  Its  affairs  have  been 
prudently  managed,  so  that  it  has  never  foreclosed  a  mortgage  nor 
come  into  possession  of  a  piece  of  real  estate.  The  assets  are  now 
about  $32,000.  The  officers  of  the  association  are  S.  K.  Bemiss,  presi- 
dent; William  H.  Patten,  vice-president;}.  E.  Roantree,  secretary;  E. 
L.  Mason,  treasurer;  M.  E.  Barlow,  attorney. 

Ganastota  has  had  the  experience  with  newspapers  that  fall  to  almost 
all  villages.  The  stirring  young  community  wanted  a  paper  long  be- 
fore it  was  incorporated  as  a  village,  or  thought  it  did,  and  accordingly 
Silas  Judd  started  the  Bulletin  in  1829.     He  soon  sold  out,  of  course, 


383  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

and  Thomas  G.  Sutherland  continued  the  publication  about  a  year, 
calling-  the  paper  The  Vidette.  This  brief  and  modest  effort  closed 
Canastota  journalism  until  1856  when  George  H.  Merriam  established 
the  Canastota  Times;  this  continued  two  years  under  his  direction  and 
a  few  months  under  Frederick  A.  Williams,  when  it  was  discontinued 
in  June,  1858.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  James  E.  N.  Backus  started  the 
Canastota  Eagle,  which  soared  until  the  winter  of  1859-60.  The 
Weekly  Gazette  was  established  in  the  summer  of  1860  by  Smith  Van 
Allen,  and  soon  passed  to  Francis  A.  Darling,  who  continued  it  until 
he  enlisted  in  1861,  when  it  was  suspended.  The  next  paper  was  the 
Canastota  Herald,  which  was  started  in  1864,  or  1865,  by  Arthur 
White.  John  Greenhow  soon  became  a  partner  and  a  year  later  was 
sole  owner.  Still  later  he  took  his  son  in  with  him  and  in  1870  sold  to 
a  Mr.  Schaffer,  who  kept  the  paper  only  a  few  months  and  sold  to  Wal- 
ter C.  Stone.  He  published  the  Herald  until  February,  1873,  when  he 
sold  out  to  Albert  R.  Barlow.  In  October,  1875,  he  sold  to  M.  B.  Rob- 
bins  and  he  sold  in  1889  to  Samuel  C.  Salisbury.  In  June,  1889,  the 
Bee  was  started  by  Charles  Skelton  and  on  March  1,  1890,  was  consoli- 
dated with  the  Herald.  The  Bee  Publishing  Company,  which  suc- 
ceeded Mr.  Skelton,  still  publishes  the  paper. 

The  Canastota  Journal  was  started  as  the  Canastota  News  in  1881, 
by  Clarence  A.  White.  The  name  was  subsequently  changed  and 
about  1884  the  establishment  was  sold  to  H.  L.  &  F.  M.  Spooner.  It 
soon  went  back  into  White's  hands.  He  left  about  two  years  later  and 
the  Spooners  took  the  plant  on  a  mortgage.  In  April,  1887,  they  sold 
to  the  present  proprietor,  P.  F.  Milmoe.  Mr.  Milmoe  is  an  experi 
enced  newspaper  man  and  gives  the  people  of  the  community  a  well 
edited  paper. 

The  best  known  hotels  that  succeeded  the  old  taverns  before  men- 
tioned are  the  Twogood  House  and  the  Lewis  House.  The  former  is 
a  successor  of  a  hotel  of  former  years  that  stood  on  the  same  site  and 
burned  in  1873.  It  was  built  and  kept  by  D.  C.  Twogood,  as  also  was 
the  present  commodious  house,  which  he  erected  in  1877  and  kept  nine 
years.  It  afterwards  had  several  proprietors  and  finally  came  into  the 
hands  of  the  present  popular  landlord,  J.  B.  Weaver,  who  took  it  in 
May,  1898. 

What  was  formerly  the  Pratt  House  stood  on  the  site  of  the  Lewis 
House  and  was  burned.  Another  building  was  erected  on  the  site 
which  was  bought  by  J.  G.  Lewis  and  enlarged  and  opened  as  a  hotel 
in  1877.      It  is  now  kept  by  his  widow. 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— LENOX.  283 

The  Delaney  House  was  built  by  Michael  Hitchman  about  1875  and 
he  kept  it  two  years.  It  passed  through  numerous  proprietors'  hands 
until  1890,  when  James  E.  Delaney  took  it.  The  Doolittle  House 
stands  on  an  old  hotel  site  and  has  borne  its  present  name  many  years 
and  has  been  kept  by  various  landlords.  In  October,  1898,  the  present 
proprietor,  F.  H.  Gullerat,  succeeded  C.  W.  Lower.  The  Cornell 
House  was  built  by  the  late  J.  D.  Cornell.  It  is  kept  by  E.  C.  Lower 
who  has  owned  it  since  1895,  succeeding  George  Cross. 

Canastota  has  suffered  in  the  past  from  destructive  fires  beyond  the 
fate  of  most  places.  The  primitive  fire  department  was  very  inefficient 
and  when  the  incendiary  applied  his  torch  in  1873,  the  flames  were  soon 
beyond  control  and  a  large  part  of  the  village  was  swept  away.  The 
lesson  was  a  costly  as  well  as  a  salutary  one.  The  fire  extinguishing 
apparatus  then  in  the  village  was  a  hand  engine  and  hose  cart.  Within 
a  few  years  a  steamer  was  purchased,  two  hose  companies  were  formed 
and  other  apparatus  purchased,  which  gave  the  inhabitants  a  sense  of 
better  security.  Through  the  installation  of  a  splendid  system  of  water 
works  Canastota  is  at  the  present  time  not  only  as  thoroughly  protected 
from  fire  as  any  village  in  the  State,  but  also  has  an  unequaled  supply 
of  pure  water  for  all  other  purposes.  Steps  were  taken  in  1883  for  the 
purpose  of  supplying  the  village  with  water,  and  the  system  was  fin 
ished  in  1886.  Pure  spring  water  was  found  near  Clockville  at  a  high 
elevation.  This  is  stored  in  a  large  reservoir  from  which  it  reaches  the 
village  by  gravity  and  with  a  pressure  of  101  pounds  to  the  square  inch 
under  250  feet  head.  Pipes  have  been  laid  in  most  of  the  streets,  fifty - 
eight  hydrants  are  set  in  the  village,  and  the  corporation  is  supplied 
with  water  free.  The  works  are  owned  by  the  corporation  and  cost  in 
all  about  $70,010.  The  water  commissioners  are  F.  F.  Hubbard,  presi- 
dent; E.  M.  Harrison,  and  Herman  Casler.  With  the  introduction  of 
this  system,  fire  apparatus  became  almost  useless,  aside  from  hose  and 
hook  and  ladder  carts  and  fixtures.  There  are  now  excellent  hose  com- 
panies, bearing  the  names  of  Forbes  Hose  Company  and  De  Lano  Hose 
Company.  A  modern  hook  and  ladder  truck  and  apparatus  is  owned 
by  members  of  the  Todman  Hook  and  Ladder  Company,  and  was  pur- 
chased since  the  water  works  were  installed.  Perley  Buck  is  chief  en- 
gineer and  has  two  assistants.  The  firemen  are  all  volunteers,  but  the 
companies  are  voted  about  $300  each  by  the  corporation. 

Under  chapter  479,  laws  of  1895,  the  existing  Board  of  Police  and 
Fire  Commissioners,  consisting  of  four  members,  was  created,  whose 


284  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

duties  will  be  understood  from  their  title.  The  term  of  service  is  four 
years.  The  members  of  the  board  are  William  H.  Patten,  president ; 
S.  K.  Bemiss,  D.  C.  Twogood,  and  C.  H.  Tondeur.  The  police  force 
consists  of  three  members. 

Canastota  is  well  lighted  by  electricity,  for  which  condition  William 
H.  Patten  is  chiefly  responsible.  The  Canastota  Electric  Light  and 
Power  Company  was  organized  in  1887,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $20,000, 
a  large  share  of  which  has  always  been  owned  by  Mr.  Patten.  An  excel- 
lent system  was  installed,  forty-two  arc  lights  are  now  maintained  in 
the  streets,  and  private  consumers  are  supplied  at  fair  prices.  The  offi- 
cers of  the  companyare  Milton  De  Lano,  president;  William  H.  Patten, 
secretary  and  treasurer;  G.  Tibbits,  superintendent. 

The  schools  of  Canastota,  especially  in  late  years,  have  been  kept 
abreast  of  modern  methods.  A  meeting  was  held  at  the  house  of  James 
Graham  on  November  27,  1820,  at  which  district  No.  9  was  organized 
and  the  following  trustees  chosen:  Samuel  Halliday,  Earnhardt  Nellis, 
and  Eleazer  Lewis.  A  school  house  was  built  and  accepted  by  the 
trustees  in  February,  1821.  It  was  occupied  until  1831,  when  it  was 
burned,  and  in  the  following  summer  a  new  building  was  erected. 
This  was  occupied  until  1846,  when  a  new,  larger  and  more  modern 
school  house  was  built.  The  building  now  occupied  for  the  high  school 
was  erected  in  1877.  In  1883  the  old  district  No.  9  was  consolidated 
with  No.  20,  forming  a  Union  district.  In  the  recent  division  of  the 
town  of  Lenox,  this  district  took  the  old  number  9  again.  The  school 
building  on  the  south  side  was  erected  in  1893  largely  to  avoid  the  neces- 
sity of  having  small  children  cross  the  railroad  tracks.  The  building 
on  Spencer  street  was  erected  in  1886.  The  high  school  building,  on 
Chapel  street,  was  built  in  1877.  Most  of  the  property  on  the  south 
side  of  the  railroad  was  in  old  No.  20,  now  a  part  of  No.  9,  as  before 
stated. 

The  schools  are  in  charge  of  a  Board  of  Education  consisting  of  Mil- 
ton De  Lano,  president,  who  has  served  on  the  board  seventeen  con- 
secutive years;  S.  K.  Bemiss,  secretary,  and  Dr.  William  Taylor,  S.  Mead 
Wing  and  Norman  Stafiford.  Clarence  L.  Hobart  is  clerk  of  the  board. 
The  principal  of  the  high  school  is  George  Henry  Ottaway,  A.  M.  ;  Es- 
tella  M.  Vedder,  preceptress,  and  Francis  Davenport,  assistant  in  aca- 
demic department.  Teachers  in  the  grammar  department — Nellie  Van 
Ingen,  Jessa  Burkhardt;  intermediate  department — Laura  B.  Wager, 
Kate  Dew  (who  has  taught  in  the  village  twenty-six  consecutive  years), 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— LENOX.  385 

Emily  Van  Alsyne,  Marie  Cooper;  primary  department — Nina  L.  Per- 
kins, Florence  Phoenix,  May  Chapman  and  Catherine  Phoenix.  In  the 
south  side  school  the  teachers  are  Florence  J.  Williams  (who  has  taught 
in  the  village  about  ten  years).  Miss  Brister  and  Florence  Avery. 

Mention  has  been  made  a  few  pages  back  of  the  old  Congregational 
church  at  Quality  Hill.  This  society  was  organized  probably  in  1809, 
with  Nathaniel  Hall  and  John  Hall  the  first  deacons.  Zebulon  Doug- 
lass, Sylvester  Beecher,  Asa  Cady,  and  a  Mr.  Sessions  were  the  first 
trustees.  The  church  edifice,  a  large  wooden  structure,  was  begun  in 
1814  and  completed  in  1819.     The  building  is  still  standing. 

The  first  religious  society  at  Canastota  was  the  Baptist,  which  was 
organized  about  1819  with  only  a  very  few  members.  Without  a  regu- 
lar pastor  and  with  no  resources  outside  of  their  own  little  circle,  the 
organization  soon  passed  out  of  existence.  A  little  later  the  Methodists 
in  the  vicinity  began  holding  meetings  in  the  school  house,  and  in  1830 
the  first  class  was  organized.  A  meeting  house  was  projected  in  1833, 
but  was  not  completed  until  several  years  later;  it  was,  however,  used 
for  meetings  in  1835.  The  building  was  enlarged  and  improved  in 
1859,  and  in  1866  was  practically  rebuilt  into  its  present  form.  The 
society  is  a  prosperous  one  and  the  long  succession  of  pastors  closed 
with  the  appointment  of  Rev.  J.  E.  Rhodes.  An  addition  was  built  in 
1884  and  the  church  remodeled. 

An  Episcopal  society  was  organized  here  in  1820,  but  services  were 
not  held  regularly  for  many  years.  Rev.  Joseph  B.  Young  held  services 
a  few  years,  and  other  pastors  ministered  occasionally  to  the  congrega- 
tion until  1883,  when  the  present  Trinity  church  was  formed.  In  1885 
the  present  house  of  worship  was  erected.  Rev.  Frederick  P.  Winnie 
was  succeeded  by  lay  readers  and  among  later  pastors  were  Rev.  Abram 
W.  Ebersole,  Rev.  F.  P.  Tompkins,  Rev.  George  H.  Ottaway,  who  was 
assigned  here  as  a  lay  reader  and  ordained  while  here ;  he  served  until 
1897  and  was  followed  by  Rev.  Charles  H.  Tindell.  The  present  pas- 
tor, Rev.  Joseph  P.  Foster,  came  in  1897.  This  is  a  mission  of  the 
church  in  Chittenango  where  the  pastors  reside. 

The  Reformed  Protestant  Church  was  organized  in  1833,  with  Charles 
Spencer  and  Samuel  Halliday  deacons.  The  church  edifice  was  erected 
in  the  same  year,  at  the  corner  of  Peterboro  street  and  the  railroad. 
Rev.  Thomas  Gregory  was  the  first  pastor.  The  church  building  was 
abandoned  in  1878  on  account  of  the  disturbing  noise  of  railroad  trains. 

What  became  known  as  the  Independent  Church  was  organized  as. 


286  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  Free  Church  in  1845,  the  congregation  being  mainly  strong  anti- 
slavery  advocates.  Their  creed  was  very  liberal  and  was  made  still 
more  so  in  1864.  A  former  feeble  Universalist  congregation  united 
with  the  Free  Church  in  the  building  of  a  meeting  house  in  1841,  which 
was  burned  in  1871.  In  1873  another  edifice  was  erected,  which,  after 
the  Free  society  gave  up  its  organization  and  the  old  house  of  the  Re- 
formed society  was  abandoned,  passed  to  the  latter  and  is  still  occupied 
by  that  society,  but  was  organized  under  the  name  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  1886.  The  first  pastor  was  John  Calvin  Mead;  he  was  suc- 
ceeded after  about  six  years  by  Rev.  P.  D.  Cowan,  present  incumbent. 
J.  C.  Rasbach  has  served  as  Sunday  school  superintendent  since  the 
organization.  Soon  after  the  organization  the  edifice  was  extensively 
remodeled  and  additions  made  according  to  modern  ideas. 

A  second  Baptist  society  was  organized  in  1868  and  in  1873-74  erect- 
ed the  brick  church  which  is  still  in  use.  The  pulpit  was  supplied  for 
a  time  by  Madison  University.  Rev.  C.  E.  Babcock  is  the  present 
pastor. 

St.  Agatha's  Catholic  church  was  erected  of  brick  in  1883.  It  is  a 
mission  of  St.  Patrick's  parish  of  Chittenango  and  has  a  membership 
of  about  eighty  families.  It  is  now  under  ministration  of  Rev.  James 
Collins  of  Chittenango. 

Of  Canastota  and  the  surrounding  territory  as  set  off  to  form  the 
new  town  of  Lenox  by  the  division  of  1896,  there  is  little  further  to 
record,  the  subject  being  treated  further  on.  The  map  accompanying 
this  chapter  shows  the  approximate  boundary  of  Lenox.  H.  O.  Travis 
was  chosen  clerk  of  the  new  town  and  has  since  held  the  office.  F.  W. 
Doolittle,  who  was  supervisor  of  the  old  town,  held  over  until  1897, 
when  George  S.  Sadler  was  elected;  he  died  in  1899,  and  Francis  Staf- 
ford was  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy.  T.  L.  Murphy  and  S.  H.  Stroud 
are  justices;  Charles  A.  Allen,  assessor;  Charles  S.  Taber,  highway 
commissioners;  C.  V.  Parkhurst,  collector. 

By  far  the  most  important  event  in  the  history  of  the  old  town  of 
Lenox  and  one  that  excited  interest  throughout  Madison  county,  was 
its  division  in  1896  into  the  three  existing  towns  of  Lenox,  Lincoln,  and 
Oneida.  This  division  was  a  subject  of  earnest  discussion  long  before 
it  was  accomplished,  for  which  there  existed  ample  cause  in  the  great 
territorial  size  of  the  old  town,  the  existence  of  two  large  and  thriving 
villages  within  its  bounds,  and  other  apparent  conditions.  Agreement 
,  on  details  of  division  was  difficult  to  reach.  ;.In  1895  agitation  of  the 


V     E      t     8     4 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— LENOX.  887 

matter  was  renewed  with  more  determination  than  ever.  The  princi- 
pal difficulty  arose  regarding  the  railroads  running  through  the  terri- 
tory; it  seemed  impossible  to  so  equalize  taxation  on  railroad  property 
as  to  satisfy  the  conflicting  interests.  Mr.  Hathaway,  and  others  enter- 
taining his  views,  proposed  a  division  into  four  towns,  the  boundary 
lines  of  which  are  clearly  shown  on  the  accompanying  map  and  do  not 
need  further  description.  This  plan  gave  to  the  Canastota  district 
about  two-thirds  of  the  railroad  property,  and  naturally  met  with  oppo- 
sition from  other  sections.  At  a  meeting  held  in  January,  1895,  a 
proposition  was  made  by  residents  of  Oneida  village  and  the  east  part 
of  the  town  in  favor  of  carrying  the  proposed  west  line  of  the  new  town 
of  Oneida  to  the  west  of  Wampsville.  This  was  opposed  by  many  in 
Canastota  and  the  northern  part  of  the  old  town,  on  account  of  the  ex- 
tent of  territory  given  to  the  lake  district.  These  two  plans  became 
known  as  the  Canastota  and  the  Oneida  plans,  and  they  were  embodied 
in  resolutions  numbered  one  and  two.  The  result  of  the  vote  upon 
these  resolutions  was  as  follows:  For  resolution  No.  1,  (Canastota), 
1,400;  against,  532;  majority  for,  868.  Resolution  No.  2,  (Oneida), 
For  463;  against,  1,498;  majority  against,  1,035.  Thus  the  matter  was 
defeated. 

The  subject  was  not  allowed  to  rest  and  in  January,  1896,  it  was  pro- 
posed to  obtain  a  special  act  of  the  Legislature  which  would  compel  the 
division,  even  against  the  desires  of  a  numerical  majority  of  the  inhab- 
itants. Several  meetings  were  held  and  an  executive  committee  ap- 
pointed. The  committee  selected  to  draw  a  bill  for  presentation  to  the 
Legislature  reported  at  a  meeting  held  February  19,  with  a  bill  divid- 
ing the  territory  into  two  towns.  With  this  plan  Canastota  was  wholly 
dissatisfied  and  a  meeting  was  held  there  the  same  night,  where  a  three- 
town  division  was  proposed,  on  a  basis  that  would  give  the  new  town 
of  Lenox  3,850  population;  Lincoln,  1,100,  and  Oneida,  7,850,  with  an 
assessed  valuation  of  fair  ratio.  A  bill  embodying  this  proposition  was 
drawn  and  pushed  through  the  Legislature  as  soon  as  possible.  The 
act  provided  for  the  holding  of  a  special  town  meeting  at  which  each  of 
the  new  towns  should  be  represented,  on  May  18,  189  J;  the  meetings 
were  held  in  Oneida  in  the  village  hall;  in  Lenox  in  the  Canastota  vil- 
lage hall,  and  in  Lincoln  in  the  old  Methodist  church  in  Clockville. 
The  bill  also  provided  that  the  old  officers  of  the  town  of  Lenox  should 
serve  out  their  terms.  During  the  summer  of  1896  the  accounts  of  the 
three  towns  with  the  old  town  were  equitably  settled,  the  total  claims 


288  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

against  the  old  town  amounting  to  $15,136,  which  were  allowed  at  about 
$3,000  less  than  that  sum.  The  assessed  valuation  of  the  new  town  of 
Oneida  was  $2,552,500,  real  estate,  and  $234,900  personal.  The  red 
lines  on  the  accompanying  map  show  the  approximate  boundaries  of 
the  three  new  towns.  In  the  settlement  of  the  town  accounts  a  joint 
meeting  of  the  town  boards  was  held  on  June  1,  with  Francis  W.  Doo- 
little  in  the  chair.  It  was  ordered  that  the  three  boards  be  a  committee 
to  audit  claims.  This  committee  reported  in  favor  of  apportioning  the 
debts  of  the  old  town  and  dividing  its  property  on  the  basis  of  the  as- 
sessment roll  of  1895.  A  committee  of  two  from  each  new  town  was 
appointed  to  carry  out  this  purpose.  This  committee  consisted  of 
Stephen  C.  Waterman  and  Menzo  Root,  for  Oneida;  F.  W.  Doolittle 
and  Seward  H.  Stroud  for  Lenox;  and  H.  H.  Hathaway  and  George 
W.  Chapman  for  Lincoln. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Town  Board  held  April  27,  1896,  appointed  to 
supervise  and  conduct  the  first  town  meeting  of  the  town  of  Oneida 
there  were  present  Andrew  J.  French,  Allen  S.  Whitman,  Barney  Rat- 
nour  and  Hiram  L.  Rockwell.  A.  J.  French  was  chosen  chairman  and 
A.  S.  Whitman,  secretary.  The  boundaries  of  election  districts,  local 
option,  etc.,  were  discussed.  A  second  meeting  was  held  the  next  day 
at  which  a  description  of  the  proposed  eight  election  districts  of  the 
town  was  submitted.  A  third  meeting  was  held  the  29th  of  April,  and 
the  election  districts  before  described  were  adopted.  At  a  meeting 
held  May  2  a  survey  and  maps  of  the  dividing  lines  of  the  three  towns 
were  ordered.  The  three  town  committees  met  at  Canastota  on  June 
20,  and  the  survey  was  reported  finished  and  proper  monuments  set. 

The  first  town  meeting  for  Oneida  was  held,  as  provided  by  the  act, 
on  May  19,  when  Stephen  C.  Waterman  was  elected  supervisor;  Menzo 
D.  Root,  James  Leggett,  Myron  H.  Mason,  justices  of  the  peace;  Giles 
Harrington  and  Cyrus  T.  McDuffee,  assessors;  Frank  Boyer,  constable, 
and  two  inpectors  of  election  for  each  of  the  eight  districts.  On  No- 
vember 28  of  that  year  the  Town  Board  ordered  1,000  yards  of  crushed 
stone  for  the  Lake  road  in  the  north  part  of  the  town .  On  December 
16,  of  that  year,  among  other  minor  matters,  the  clerk  was  directed  to 
obtain  from  the  trustees  the  boundaries  of  the  school  districts  of  the 
new  town. 

At  the  town  meeting  of  February  9,  1897,  Stephen  C.  Waterman  was 
elected  supervisor;  Giles  Harrington,  assessor;  Lewis  J.  Stisser,  collec- 
tor; Frederick  McGraith,  overseer  of  the  poor;  John  C.  Myer,  Daniel 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— LENOX.  289 

Kilroy,  John  Wimmet,  constables,  and  the  inspectors  of  election.  A 
vote  was  also  taken  on  the  question  whether  liquor  should  be  sold  in  the 
town  under  a  certain  section  of  the  existing  liquor  law;  the  result 
showed  618  in  favor  and  397  against  such  action.  Also  voted  on  sell- 
ing liquor  on  physicians'  prescriptions,  on  which  the  majority  in  favor 
was  still  greater.  Also  voted  on  selling  liquor  by  hotel  keepers,  result- 
ing 710  in  favor  and  344;  against.  During  the  year  1897  considerable 
improvement  of  important  roads  was  made.  At  a  meeting  of  June  34 
election  districts  6  and  8  were  consolidated  into  No.  6,  In  July  a  reso- 
lution was  adopted  to  build  a  stone  arch  bridge  over  the  Cowasselon  on 
the  Seneca  Turnpike.     The  contract  was  let  at  $1,279. 

The  officers  elected  at  the  town  meeting  of  1898  were  as  follows: 
Supervisor,  Stephen  C.  Waterman;  clerk.  Homer  L.  Bonney;  justices, 
J.  Emery  Brown,  Edward  M.  Doran ;  commissioner  of  highways,  Ed- 
ward G.  Hubbard;  assessor,  Joseph  Veling;  collector,  Calvin  McGuin- 
ness;  overseer  of  the  poor,  Frederick  McGraith;  constables,  John  C. 
Myer,  John  Kearns,  and  John  Wimmet.  In  1899  Stephen  C.  Waterman 
was  appointed  supervisor;  H.  L.  Bonney,  clerk,  to  serve  until  January, 
1900,  the  date  of  the  1899  election  having  been  changed  to  November. 

In  tracing  the  history  of  the  village  of  Oneida  we  must  interest  our- 
selves in  more  modern  conditions  than  in  that  of  any  other  municipality 
in  Madison  county.  The  village  itself  is  distinctly  a  result  of  canal  and 
railroad  construction,  although  in  recent  years  it  has  shown  remarkable 
thrift  in  directions  not  wholly  dependent  upon  facilities  for  travel  and 
transportation.  The  canal  deviating  to  the  north  near  Canastota  and 
passing  out  of  this  town  at  Durhamville,  had  little  influence  upon 
Oneida,  the  site  of  which  remained  an  agricultural  district,  with  scat- 
tered farms  until  the  opening  of  the  railroad  in  1839. 

The  land  including  the  site  of  the  village  to  the  amount  of  several 
hundred  acres  formerly  and  before  there  was  any  settlement  here  be- 
longed to  Sands  Higinbotham,  a  sketch  of  whose  life  will  be  found  in 
another  part  of  this  work.  His  first  purchase  was  made  in  1829  from 
individual  owners,  and  a  second  in  1830  from  the  State.  He  became  a 
resident  here  in  1834  and  from  that  time  until  his  death  he  was  promi- 
nent in  public  affairs  and  active  and  zealous  for  the  welfare  of  the  village 
that  found  its  site  upon  his  property.  When  Mr.  Higinbotham  settled 
here  that  part  of  the  village  site  south  of  the  railroad  was  partly  cleared, 
as  well  as  the  valley  lands.  The  railroad  was  opened  on  the  4th  of  July, 
1839,  with  a  grand  celebration.    The  track  ran  through  the  woods  which 

19 


290  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

covered  its  course  and  in  the  spring  of  1839  a  clearing  was  made  for 
the  erection  of  the  Railroad  House.  The  station  was  established  and 
from  its  proximity  to  Oneida  Castle,  took  the  name  of  Oneida  Depot. 
Mr.  Higinbotham  built  the  Railroad  House  and  shrewdly  bargained 
with  the  railroad  company  that  they  could  have  free  right  of  way  across 
his  land,  if  they  would  stop  every  train  at  the  depot  ten  minutes  for 
refreshments.     This  was  readily  agreed  to  by  the  company. 

Previous  to  this  and  preparatory  to  the  settlement  of  Mr.  Higinbotham 
on  his  property,  he  sent  Henry  Dygert  in  1833  to  make  a  clearing.  He 
erected  the  second  frame  house  in  the  place.  Peter  Dygert  and  Abram 
Phillips  had  already  built  log  houses  and  were  here  in  1828  when  Isaac 
Morris  arrived  and  also  built  a  log  house.  Although  the  village  site 
and  adjacent  territory  was  a  flat  and  unattractive  region  with  much  of 
it  swampy,  settlers  came  in  rapidly  through  the  liberal  offers  made  by 
Mr.  Higinbotham.  The  canal  feeder  from  Oneida  Creek,  which  ex- 
tends through  the  village,  was  constructed  in  1835  and  brought  many 
men  and  families  here,  most  of  whom  remained  and  purchased  lots  or 
houses  on  the  liberal  terms  made  by  Mr.  Higinbotham.  Mr.  Higin- 
botham was  father  of  Niles  Higinbotham  who  died  March  17,  1890; 
a  sketch  of  whose  life  is  given  in  another  part  of  this  work. 

The  settlement  grew  slowly  at  first,  for  Oneida  Castle,  with  its  stores 
and  shops  was  near  at  hand.  The  first  store  in  the  place  was  built  by 
John  B.  Cole,  who  was  one  of  the  conductors  on  the  railroad;  it  was 
opened  by  Amos  Story,  from  Fayetteville,  about  1843,  and  was  known 
for  some  years  as  the  "red  store."  The  next  store  was  kept  by  George 
Hamilton,  of  Verona,  on  the  site  of  the  present  Kenyon  block;  the 
building  was  erected  by  him  and  Dr,  J.  H.  Hamilton,  of  Oneida  Castle. 
Newman  Scofield  subsequently  purchased  the  store  and  conducted  it 
some  years . 

In  1847  a  small  store  was  opened  by  the  firm  of  Stoddard  &  L)'pe. 
At  about  the  same  time  Lyman  Morse  opened  a  small  general  store. 
The  second  house  was  built  on  the  site  of  what  became  the  Coe  house 
by  Charles  B.  Stewart.  The  first  store  of  real  importance  was  estab- 
lished in  1844  by  S.  H.  Goodwin  &  Co.,  in  a  building  erected  by  them- 
selves, which  was  burned  in  1863  and  rebuilt.  The  elder  Goodwin, 
and  later  his  sons,  were  in  trade  many  years.  An  early  grocery  was 
established  in  1850  by  Ambrose  Hill,  who  came  here  from  Lenox  Basin, 
where  he  had  been  in  trade  on  the  canal  bank  since  1830.  He  contin- 
ued in  business  alone  and  later  with  his  son,  until  comparatively  recent 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— LENOX.  291 

years.  The  father  of  the  first  Ambrose  kept  an  early  tavern  at  Wamps- 
ville,  locating  there  in  1819. 

The  post-office  was  established  in  1841  with  Erasmus  Stone  post- 
master. He  was  then  proprietor  of  the  Railroad  House,  succeeding 
the  first  proprietor,  Henry  Y.  Steward.  Mr.  Stone  was  a  native  of 
Homer,  Cortland  county,  and  came  here  from  Salinain  1840,  and  father 
of  John  E.  Stone,  of  Oneida.  The  post-office  was  kept  in  the  bar 
room  of  the  hotel.  He  held  the  office  until  1845  and  died  in  Oneida 
November  14,  1878.  He  was  succeeded  by  Asa  Smith,  an  enterprising 
citizen,  who  was  followed  by  I.N.  Messenger,  and  he  by  Ephraim 
Beck.  John  Crawford  was  appointed  in  1864  and  held  the  office  a  long 
term,- being  followed  in  1881  by  Watson  A.  Stone,  who  held  the  office 
until  his  death  in  1888 .  His  successors  have  been  Walter  E .  Northrup, 
to  May,  1890;  John  J.  Hodge,  to  October,  1894;  Richard  M.  Baker  to 
March,  1899;  John  J.  Hodge,  incumbent. 

The  first  attorney  to  settle  in  Oneida  was  Isaac  Newton  Messinger, 
who  died  here  March  11,  1895.  He  was  a  son  of  Gen.  John  M.  Messin- 
ger, a  prominent  early  settler  of  this  county,  and  located  in  Oneida  in 
1848.  A  sketch  of  his  life  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  For  a 
time  Mr.  Messinger  was  a  partner  with  IthamarC.  Sloan,  and  also  with 
James  B.  Jenkins,  both  of  whom  were  successful  and  honored  members 
of  the  Madison  bar. 

The  first  physician  in  Oneida  was  Dr.  Earl  Loomis,  a  graduate  of 
Yale,  who  settled  here  in  1842  and  remained  in  practice  many  years  and 
until  his  death.  Lewis  Joslyn  also  began  practice  here  in  1842,  and  in 
the  following  year  Dr.  Benjamin  Palmer  came  in.  Among  other  early 
physicians  were  Drs.  George  Beardsley,  Willard  R.  Fitch,  J.  W.  Fitch, 
A.  G.  Purdy,  Edward  Loomis,  Ogden  Randall,  Stillman  Spooner,  Ed- 
win Perkins,  and  a  few  others. 

The  first  manufacturing  in  the  village,  aside  from  the  few  small  shops 
found  in  all  similar  places,  was  a  foundry  and  a  machine  shop,  of  which 
little  is  now  known.  It  was  established  as  early  as  1846  by  Gen.  John 
M.  Messinger,  Heman  Phelps,  O.  T.  Burt  (the  latter  of  Syracuse)  and 
others;  the  building  is  now  standing  north  of  the  Central  tracks  and 
used  as  a  malt  house.  It  was  operated  under  the  firm  name  of  H.  H. 
Phelps  &  Co.  This  was  the  only  industry  of  importance  in  the  village 
until  the  establishment  of  the  tannery  of  George  Berry,  which  was  built 
in  1857  on  the  site  of  the  gas  works ;  this  was  burned  in  1871  and  rebuilt 
by  the  same  owner.     A  second   foundry  was  built  a  little  later  on  the 


292  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

feeder  at  the  junction  of  Elizabeth  and  Main  streets.  I.  N.  Messinger 
was  interested  in  this  enterprise.  It  finally  closed  and  later  the  building 
was  burned. 

Meanwhile  the  village  was  growing,  buildings  of  brick,  and  of  con- 
siderable dimensions,  were  erected  and  a  number  of  prosperous  mer- 
chants began  business.  Asa  Smith,  the  tanner  and  currier  of  early 
years,  built  the  Empire  block  which  for  a  number  of  years  was  the 
most  pretentious  structure  in  the  place.  James  A.  Bennett,  in  connec- 
tion with  Charles  and  Joseph  Walrath,  built  the  block  next  to  the  Em- 
pire, where  Charles  I.  Walrath  carried  on  a  mercantile  business.  Al- 
bert E.  Coe,  long  a  promient  citizen,  built  the  block  adjoining  the  one 
just  mentioned  on  the  south,  and  next  was  the  Devereaux  block,  built 
by  Horace  Devereaux.  The  Merchants'  Exchange  was  next  on  the 
south,  which  was  built  by  Timothy  G.  Seeley.  Still  going  south,  the 
next  building  was  the  Walrath  block,  built  by  C.  A.  &  D.  H.  Walrath; 
then  came  the  Oneida  Valley  Bank  and  other  buildings.  On  the  east 
side  of  the  street  were  the  buildings  erected  by  C.  A.  &  D.  H.  Walrath, 
afterwards  owned  by  William  Lyle,  and  adjoining  that  the  building 
erected  by  Patrick  Devereaux.  Other  blocks  were  that  built  by  Sam- 
uel Chapin,  where  Chapin  &  Sons  were  in  the  jewelry  business  many 
years,  and  that  of  E.  H.  Curtis.  Farther  north  was  the  block  built  by 
Ephraim  Beck  and  afterwards  owned  by  Dr.  J.  W.  Fitch ;  the  building 
erected  by  HoUis  Mannering,  in  which  was  Cleveland's  drug  store;  the 
corner  block  erected  by  Newcomb  and  Charles  Field ;  the  Mes- 
singer block  on  the  north  corner  of  Phelps  street,  built  by  General 
Messinger,  who  owned  all  of  the  buildings  between  Phelps  and  Madison 
streets  on  the  east  side  of  Main,  excepting  what  was  the  alNation 
Hotel,  which  was  built  by  Frank  Gleason.  This  brief  survey  gives  the 
situation  on  Main  street  in  the  village  center  some  twenty-five  or  thirty 
years  ago. 

On  the  north  side  of  Madison  street  S.  H.  Goodwin  had  his  store  pre- 
vious to  1863;  also  the  drug  store  of  R.  I.  Stewart,  the  cabinet  ware 
rooms  of  Jones  &  Hulburt,  and  the  large  building  owned  by  L.  N.  Van 
Evra,  in  which  were  various  shops.  These  were  all  burned  in  the  fire 
of  1862.  Mr.  Goodwin  rebuilt  the  same  year  and  since  that  time  the 
street  has  been  built  up  nearly  as  at  present.  On  the  south  side  of  this 
street  Grove  Stoddard  built  a  structure  which  was  used  for  an  early 
clothing  store.  Where  the  Kenyon  block  was  erected  was  formerly  a 
wooden  building  in  which  Theodore  C.  Thompson  and  Sidney  Riven- 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— LENOX.  293 

burg  carried  on  mercantile  business.  The  old  Bacon  Hotel  was  for- 
merly the  residence  of  Heman  H.  Phelps,  once  superintendent  of  the 
Utica  and   Syracuse  Railroad. 

In  1870-71  the  population  of  the  village  had  reached  about  4,000,  in- 
dicating a  healthy  growth.  There  were  at  that  time  in  the  place  the 
following  nine  dry  goods  stores,  some  of  which  were,  however,  of  a 
general  character:  Randall  &  Barker,  C.  A.  &  D.  H.  Walrath,  W.  H. 
Dimmick,  A.  E.  Coe  &  Son,  S.  &  E.  Kenyon,  John  E.  Stone,  T.  C. 
Thompson,  P.  C.  Lawrence,  and  S.  H.  Goodwin  &  Son.  In  the  gro- 
cery trade  were  Carter  Brothers,  Douglass  &  Downing  (still  in  whole- 
sale business),  David  Walter,  Harry  Walter  &  Co.,  Stone  &  Schuyler, 
A.  Hill  &  Son,  William  C.  Lawrence,  and  Matthewson  &  Rivenburg. 
Farnam  &  Son  were  in  the  hardware  business;  also  A.  R.  Turner 
There  were  also  a  few  jewelry,  clothing  and  boot  and  shoe  stores,  with 
the  usual  complement  of  shops  of  various  kinds. 

With  these  increasing  business  interests,  the  establishment  of  a  news- 
paper, a  bank,  churches,  and  manufactures  presently  to  be  described, 
and  a  population  that  was  to  reach  almost  7,000  in  1890,  the  need  of 
e.Ktensive  public  improvements  began  to  be  felt. 

It  may  surprise  the  younger  business  men  of  the  village  to-day  to 
learn  that  from  about  1850  to  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war,  the  gross 
volume  of  business  in  Oneida  was  vastly  larger  than  it  is  at  the  present 
time,  although  the  population  and  number  of  separate  stores,  etc..  was 
less.  As  a  shipping  point  the  village  was  then  of  great  importance; 
it  was  the  center  of  a  large  territory  from  which  produce  of  all  kinds 
came  in  for  transportation  to  markets.  The  New  York  Central  was 
then  the  only  railroad,  and  it  was  no  uncommon  occurrence  to  see  a  hun- 
dred freight  cars  standing  on  a  siding  for  loading  or  unloading.  A  great 
deal  of  this  shipping  has  been  attracted  to  other  points  by  the  various 
railroads  since  opened.  But  all  of  this  does  not  necessarily  indicate 
that  the  village  is  enjoying  a  less  degree  of  prosperity  now  than  it  did 
forty  or  fifty  years  ago,  through  the  development  of  manufacturing, 
larger  retail  trade,  etc. 

Oneida  was  without  a  public  water  supply  until  the  year  1883,  when 
the  public  spirit  of  a  well  known  citizen  (a  sketch  of  whose  life  is  found 
in  these  pages),  Judson  W.  Warner,  established  a  system  of  water 
works.  The  privilege  was  obtained  of  taking  water  from  a  brook  flow- 
ing from  pure  springs  about  two  and  a  half  miles  south  of  the  village ; 
the  stream  was  dammed  and  a  large  reservoir  thus  created,  in  which  an 


294  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

effective  filter  was  constructed.  A  sixteen  inch  main  was  laid  from  the 
reservoir  to  a  point  where  the  pressure  reaches  100  pounds  to  the  square 
inch,  from  which  point  it  is  twelve  inches  diameter.  Most  of  the  prom- 
inent streets  of  the  village  are  piped  and  about  seventy- five  hydrants 
are  set  for  protection  from  fire.  By  efficient  management  Mr.  Warner 
and  his  associates  soon  had  the  water  works  on  a  paying  basis,  and  a 
stock  company  was  formed,  of  which  John  M.  Kennedy  was  president. 
The  subject  of  the  purchase  of  the  water  works  by  the  village  was  pub- 
licly discussed  in  1895  and  at  the  charter  election  of  that  year  the  ques- 
tion of  purchase  at  a  stipulated  price  was  voted  on;  the  result  was  704 
in  favor  of  purchase,  and  346  against.  The  stockholders  of  the  com- 
pany met  on  the  30th  of  April,  1895,  and  fixed  a  price  on  the  works. 
There  was  then  $146,000  in  stock,  over  $100,000  of  which  was  held  in 
Oneida.  A  contract  for  the  supply  of  the  village  was  then  in  existence 
with  four  years  to  run.  The  price  demanded  by  the  company  was  par 
value  of  the  stock  and  $15,000  in  consideration  of  the  existing  contract 
with  the  village.  On  June  11  the  Supreme  Court  was  asked  for  the 
appointment  of  commissioners  to  appraise  the  value  of  the  works.  A 
Board  of  Water  Commissioners  was  chosen  and  in  July  they  voted  to 
purchase  the  works  at  $148,000.  Since  the  corporation  acquired  the 
ownership  the  system  has  been  substantially  self-sustaining  and  the 
people  have  a  water  supply  that  is  not  excelled  in  the  State.  The 
water  commissioners  are  identical  with  the  village  president  and  trus- 
tees. Albert  E.  Loomis  is  the  efficient  superintendent  of  the  water 
works. 

Closely  connected  with  the  water  supply  is  the  fire  department.  In 
early  history  of  the  village  the  apparatus  for  extinguishing  fire  was  in- 
significant and  poorly  managed.  In  1849  there  was  only  one  ordinary 
hand  engine  in  use,  and  it  was  ten  years  later  before  another  was  pur- 
chased. In  1860  the  first  hook  and  ladder  truck  was  put  in  use  and  in 
1873  the  steamer  was  purchased  and  one  hand  engine  was  dispensed 
with.  For  a  period  prior  to  his  death  about  1875,  E.  W.  Jones  acted  as 
engineer,  without  official  appointment,  and  by  his  energy  and  enthusi- 
asm greatly  improved  the  effectiveness  of  the  department.  He  was 
finally  elected  chief  and  was  succeeded  in  1875  by  C.  G.  W.  Stoddard, 
under  whose  efficient  management  the  department,  as  it  existed  until 
the  installation  of  the  water  works,  was  organized  and  maintained.  In 
1883,  upon  the  completion  of  the  water  works,  the  department  was  re- 
organized, with  Warner  Hose  Company  No.  1,  Chappell  Hose  Company 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— LENOX.  295 

No.  3,  Mechanics  Hose  Company  No.  4,  and  the  German  Hose  Com- 
pany, with  the  Maxwell  Hook  and  Ladder  Company.  In  1889  the  de- 
partment was  incorporated  under  the  State  laws.  This  condition  con- 
tinued until  1895,  when  the  old  volunteer  system  was  displaced  by  a 
paid  department. 

With  the  installation  of  the  water  works,  the  fire  engines  became 
practically  useless.  Under  the  new  charter  of  1894  the  department  is 
governed  by  the  Board  of  Police  and  Fire  Commissioners  consisting  of 
four  members.  Under  them  is  the  chief;  this  position  was  held  by 
Laurel  E.  Meader,  succeeded  by  Wm.  H.  Plato,  who  has  two  assist- 
ants. The  apparatus  now  in  use  consists  of  the  hook  and  ladder  truck, 
three  hose  carts,  the  requisite  quantity  of  hose  and  other  minor  equip- 
ment. The  pressure  on  the  hydrants  is  sufficient  to  more  than  reach 
the  highest  buildings  in  the  village.  Present  officers  of  the  department 
are  Wm.  H.  Plato,  chief;  Wm.  Hamill,  first  assistant;  Wm.  H.  Purdy, 
.second  assistant. 

The  new  charter  provided  for  a  police  force  consisting  of  a  chief,  a 
police  justice,  and  four  patrolmen,  who  are  under  the  government  of 
the  Board  of  Police  and  Fire  Commissioners.  This  board  for  1899  is 
as  follows:  Dr.  Martin  Cavana,  Charles  F.  Policy  (president).  Dr. 
George  W.  Miles,  Allen  S.  Whitman.  The  office  of  chief  of  police  has 
been  held  by  Daniel  P.  Sanford  since  the  charter  became  operative, 
and  Daniel  C.  Burke  was  police  justice  until  he  was  succeeded  by  James 
E.  Brewer. 

A  second  important  improvement  for  which  the  village  of  Oneida  is 
indebted  to  J.  W.  Warner  is  the  introduction  of  electric  lighting. 
Previous  to  1888  the  village  was  lighted  by  gas  supplied  by  the  Oneida 
Gas  Light  Company,  incorporated  in  1868,  which  is  still  in  active  exist- 
ence, with  Walter  E.  Northup,  president.  In  1888,  when  electric  light- 
ing in  this  section  was  in  its  infancy,  Mr.  Warner  established  a  lighting 
plant  in  a  small  building  on  Vanderbilt  avenue,  where  stands  his  present 
four-story  industrial  building.  At  a  large  expenditure  he  put  in  a  fully 
equipped  Thomson- Houston  system,  capable  at  that  time  of  supplying 
all  the  wants  of  the  village,  both  in  the  streets  and  for  private  consum- 
ers. About  seventy  arc  lights  were  soon  in  use  by  the  corporation,  and 
more  than  1,000  incandescent  lights  by  individuals  and  families.  Mr. 
Warner  still  owns  and  operates  this  plant  in  an  efficient  and  satisfac- 
tory manner,  mainly  to  supply  private  consumers. 

In  addition  to  the  above  described  lighting  facilities  is  the  Oneida 


296  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Electric  Light  and  Power  Company's  plant.  This  company  was  incor- 
porated in  1897  and  in  that  year  made  a  five  year  contract  with  the  cor- 
poration to  light  the  village  streets  for  $6,000  per  annum,  for  seventy- 
two  arc  lamps,  twenty-five  of  which  were  burned  all  night  and  the 
remainder  until  1  a.  m.  The  officers  of  the  company  are:  W.  Judson 
Smith,  president;  Henry  S.  Newton,  chief  engineer;  C.  W.  Koiner, 
general  manager;  Howard  N.  Babcock,  secretary  and  treasurer;  C.  H. 
Coley,  counsel. 

The  first  brick  paving  laid  in  Oneida  was  that  on  Madisoii  Square, 
which  was  followed  by  the  paving  of  Main  street  in  1887  with  brick 
and  of  Madison  and  Phelps  streets  in  1888.  Previous  to  that  date  some 
of  the  main  streets  were  roughly  paved  with  cobble  stones.  But  an 
improvement  destined  to  be  of  far  greater  benefit  to  the  community 
was  the  establishment  of  the  sewer  system,  the  construction  of  which 
is  now  well  advanced.  After  considerable  agitation  the  question  of 
sewers  in  the  village  was  apparently  settled  in  1891,  when  a  sewer  com- 
mission was  appointed  consisting  of  Manford  J.  Dewey,  Lawrence 
Kenna,  Hiram  L.  Rockwell,  Jason  T.  Wallace  and  Alfred  L.  Goodrich. 
This  commission  met  on  June  1  and  elected  Mr.  Dewey  president,  and 
E.  L.  Hunt,  clerk.  Walter  F.  Randall  was  employed  as  engineer 
and  B.  A.  Ransom  as  legal  counsel.  The  engineer  was  sent  to  several 
other  places  to  inspect  systems  and  gain  desired  information.  Specifi- 
cations were  submitted  to  the  board  on  June  33,  after  which  a  Roches- 
ter consulting  engineer  was  called  in  and  the  plans  perfected.  In 
October,  1891,  Engineer  Randall  was  directed  to  proceed  with  the 
necessary  survey.  The  work  progressed  through  that  summer  and  on 
September  13  at  a  board  meeting  it  was  moved  that  "  we  submit  a 
proposition  to  build  a  general  system  of  sewerage  covering  the  thickly 
settled  portion  of  the  village  of  Oneida,  to  be  paid  for  by  general 
assessment  for  the  necessary  amount."  When  this  proposition  was 
brought  before  the  people  for  a  vote  it  was  lost  by  a  majority  of  nearly 
four  to  one,  and  for  a  time  nothing  further  was  accomplished. 

The  matter  was  again  taken  up  in  1896  with  renewed  zeal.  William 
W.  Baker  was  then  president  of  the  village  and  was  heartily  in  favor 
of  the  construction  of  sewers.  The  Board  of  Sewer  Commissioners  was 
somewhat  changed  and  consisted  of  M.  J.  Dewey,  president,  C.  Her- 
man Philipp,  Burt  Van  Horn,  Charles  House,  and  Charles  H.  Parsons. 
Dr.  E.  R.  Boden  was  elected  clerk.  Without  attempting  to  follow  the 
details  of  the   work  thus  far  accomplished  on  the  system,  it  may  be 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— LENOX.  297 

Stated  that  trunk  sewers  have  been  completed  on  both  sides  of  the  junc- 
tion of  Main  street  and  Lenox  avenue,  while  the  one  on  the  north  side 
extends  through  Almond  street  to  James  across  the  feeder.  These 
trunk  sewers,  having  an  approximate  length  of  two  miles,  were  con- 
structed by  the  village  corporation,  after  proper  action  had  been  taken, 
and  cost  about  $16,000,  which  was  paid  in  annual  installments  of  $5,000 
each,  the  last  being  paid  in  1898.  The  remainder  of  the  system  con 
sists  of  lateral  sewers,  a  number  of  which  have  been  completed.  These 
are  constructed  upon  properly  presented  petitions,  and  the  cost  paid  by 
the  property  owners  benefited  thereby.  Between  four  and  five  miles 
of  these  lateral  sewers  were  constructed  in  1896  and  about  the  same 
length  since  The  system  contemplates  from  fourteen  to  sixteen  miles 
in  all  The  present  Board  of  Commissioners  consists  of  Jason  T.  Wal- 
lace, president,  Doliver  E.  House,  Albert  E.  Loomis,  Thomas  O'Brien, 
and  Hiram  L.  Rockwell. 

The  Oneida  Railway  Company  was  organized  in  1885,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  constructing  street  railways  in  and  through  the  village.  W.  J. 
Hickox  was  the  first  president  of  the  company,  which  had  a  capital  of 
$15,000,  the  same  as  at  the  present  time.  The  road  from  the  Central 
railroad  station  to  the  station  of  the  West  Shore  road  near  Oneida  Cas- 
tle,' was  built  in  three  months  and  cars  began  running  in  April,  1885. 
In  1888  W.  E.  Northrup  was  chosen  president  of  the  company  and  still 
holds  the  office;  H.  C.  Stone,  secretary  and  treasurer. 

There  are  no  records  of  the  village  of  Oneida  in  existence  previous  to 
1865.     The  presidents  and  clerks  from  that  date  have  been  as  follows- 

President-s— 1865,    Horace   Devereaux;    1866,  G.  P.  Soper;  1867-68, 

D.  W.  C.  Stephens;  1869,  George  Berry;  1870,  James  A.  Bennett;' 
1871,  D.  W.  C.  Stephens;  1873,  I.  N.  Messinger;  1873,  Francis  C. 
Miller;  1874,  C.  A.  Walrath;  1875,  Thomas  I.  Randall;  1876-78,  B.  E. 
Chase;  1879,  P.  D.  Cheney;  1880,  D.  W.  C  Stephens;  1881,  Charles 
F.  Policy;  1883,  H.  W.  Carpenter;  1883-84,  Charles  F.  Policy;  1885, 
Elisha  G.  Gay;  1886,  Charles  F.  Polley;  1887,   James   N.  Bates;  1888, 

E.  C.  Stark:  1889,  C.  E.  Remick;  1800,  E.  G.  Coon;  1891-93,  F.  B. 
Cheney;  1893,  Frank  C.  Duke;  1894-96,  William  M.  Baker;  1897, 
Charles  House;  1898-99,  Barney  Ratnour. 

Clerks— 1865-69,  Ervin  Sahsman;  1870-71,  A.  J.  Luce;  1873,  S.  C. 
Waterman;    1873,  John  Ackerman ; '    1874-76,  Ben  D.  French;'  1877- 

>  Prior  to  1870  presidents  were  chosen  from  the  Board  of  Trustees. 
8  Resigned  and  R.  J.  Fish  appointed.       ■  Died  in  office  and  F.  H.  Foote  appointed. 


298  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

79,  John  Kelly;  1880,  E  J.  Girvin;  1881,  W.  Hector  Gale;  1883,  Joseph 
McLaughlin;  1883-84,  John  A.  Ferguson;  1885-86,'  Edward  B.  French; 
1887,  J,  A.  Ferguson;  1888,  J.  C.  Ayers;  1889,  E.  L.  Hunt;  1890-93, 
W.  F.  Leete;  1894,  E.  L.  Hunt;  1895,  J.  E.  Brewer;  1896,  E.  R.  Boden ; 
1897-99,  H.  L.  Bonney. 

Down  to  the  date  of  its  incorporation  Oneida  was  popularly  known 
by  the  title,  Oneida  Depot.  The  population  in  1840  was  only  800  and 
probably  was  not  more  than  1,000  in  1848,  in  which  year  the  incorpora- 
tion was  effected.  The  first  village  election  took  place  on  July  15  of 
that  year  and  resulted  as  follows:  Erasmus  Stone,  president;  I.  C. 
Sloan,  clerk;  James  Williams,  Joseph  Fish,  James  McFarland,  and 
Simon  Cobb,  trustees.  A  code  of  ordinances  was  prepared  in  form 
similar  to  those  governing  all  small  villages  and  adopted  in  August  of 
that  year.  These  were  changed  in  some  respects  as  the  growth  of  the 
place  seemed  to  demand. 

The  charter  adopted  in  1894  provides  for  the  election  of  a  president, 
a  board  of  six  trustees,  clerk,  treasurer,  collector,  three  assessors,  a 
street  commissioner,  a  police  justice,  four  police  and  fire  commission- 
ers, a  chief  of  police  and  chief  engineer.  The  term  of  office  of  the 
president  was  made  one  year;  of  the  trustees,  two  years;  of  the  asses- 
sors, three  years,  and  of  the  police  and  fire  commissioners,  four  years. 
Besides  the  Boards  of  Education  and  of  Health,  a  Board  of  Audit  was 
provided  for,  to  audit  all  claims  against  the  corporation,  and  more 
direct  responsibility  fixed  upon  all  officials.  A  special  election  was 
held  in  June,  1894,  to  elect  a  police  justice  to  serve  until  the  April 
charter  election  of  1895.  A  police  court  room  was  fitted  up  on  the  sec- 
ond floor  of  the  village  public  building,  and  apartments  for  the  police 
force  on  the  ground  floor. 

The  first  school  house  in  Oneida  village  was  built  in  1841.  That  was 
only  two  years  after  the  opening  of  the  railroad  when  there  were  very 
few  children  on  what  now  constitutes  the  village  site.  Previous  to  that 
date  the  school  at  Oneida  Castle  had  sufficed  for  the  families  in  the 
vicinity.  The  old  school  house  remained  until  recent  years  and  was 
degraded  to  the  purposes  of  an  ice  house  in  rear  of  the  Allen  House. 
The  trustees  in  1841  were  Thomas  Barlow,  Colon  Brooks,  and  John  A. 
Seeber.  Peter  J.  Shalcraft  was  made  clerk,  and  Henry  Marshall,  col- 
lector. 

The  village  was  originally  comprised  in  one  district.  No.  25,  but  prior 

'  Beginning  in  1886  the  clerks  have  been  appointed  bj'  the  board. 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— LENOX.  309 

to  1850  it  was  divided  into  two,  with  numbers  35  and  26,  No.  35  being 
south  of  the  railroad  and  the  other  district  north  of  the  railroad.  In 
the  district  first  named  a  school  house  was  built  in  1850  on  the  site  of 
the  present  old  Cherry  street  building.  By  frequent  enlargements  and 
improvements  the  structure  was  adapted  to  the  increasing  needs  of  the 
district. 

The  school  building  long  in  use  on  Elm  street  in  district  No  26  (now 
district  No.  5)  was  erected  in  its  original  form  in  1851.  The  old  struc- 
ture is  almost  lost  sight  of  in  the  many  enlargements  and  improve- 
ments that  have  since  been  made. 

A  second  school  building  was  erected  on  Cherry  street  in  1898  with 
modern  improvements  and  adapted  to  the  requirements  of  the  district. 
This  was  in  use  only  a  short  time,  when  on  February  9,  1899,  it  was 
burned  and  is  now  in  progress  of  rebuilding. 

The  district  division  before  mentioned  remained  in  force,  with  a  few 
minor  changes  in  boundaries,  until  the  division  of  the  town  of  Lenox  in 
1896,  when  the  two  districts  of  the  village  received  the  numbers  4  and 
5,  and  they  so  remain. 

The  question  of  establishing  a  Union  school  district  was  discussed  by 
the  inhabitants  of  district  No.  25  on  May  31,  1882.  W.  E.  Northrup 
was  president  of  the  meeting  and  Ambrose  W.  Hill,  secretary.  A  reso 
lution  providing  for  a  Union  school  was  offered  by  Hiram  L.  Rockwell. 
After  considerable  discussion  the  meeting  adjourned  until  June  7,  when 
it  was  determined  to  vote  upon  the  question  on  the  9th  of  that  month. 
This  purpose  was  carried  out,  the  result  showing  404  votes,  of  which 
324  were  in  favor.  A  Board  of  Education  consisting  of  nine  members 
was  chosen  as  follows :  vSidney  B.  Breese,  Samuel  A.  Maxon,  Watson 
A.  Stone,  for  one  year;  John  F.  Tuttle,  R.  B.  Downing,  Eugene  E. 
Coon,  for  two  years;  T.  F.  Hand,  jr.,  Hiram  L.  Rockwell,  and  A.  J. 
French,  for  three  years. 

In  the  following  year  (1883,)  after  much  opposition,  a  site  was  pur- 
chased on  the  corner  of  Elizabeth  and  Cemetery  streets  at  a  cost  of 
$1,700  for  a  site  for  a  new  school  building.  A  building  was  there 
erected  costing  about  $12,000. 

An  academic  department,  which  subsequently  became  the  high 
school,  was  instituted  in  1884,  and  has  since  been  efficiently  maintained, 
under  a  corps  of  excellent  teachers,  at  the  head  of  which  has  been  for 
seventeen  years  past  Prof.  F.  W.  Jennings.  He  resigned  in  1899  and 
is  succeeded  by  Prof.    Avery  W.    Skinner.     At  the  present  time  the 


300  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

principal  is  assisted  by  four  teachers  in  the  academic  department;  the 
grammar  school  has  three  teachers;  the  junior  department  four  and  the 
primary,  seven.  The  first  standing-  committee  of  the  academic  depart- 
ment consisted  of  Hiram  L.  Rockwell,  S.  A.  Maxon,  and  John  F. 
Tuttle. 

The  new  village  charter  provides  for  a  Board  of  Education  consisting 
of  nine  members.  The  board  for  1899  is  as  follows:  Joseph  Beal,  H. 
D.  Fearon,  Charles  House,  William  E.  Douglass,  Julius  M.  Goldstein, 
George  F.  Paine,  Clark  A.  Frost,  George  W.  Miles,  W.  E.  Northrup. 
Trustees  of  district  No.  5 — President,  James  Taber;  Joseph  Veling, 
Conrad  Lochner.  Clerk,  Robert  Calway.  The  present  principal  is 
Daniel  C.  Keating. 

An  effort  was  made  many  years  ago  to  improve  the  educational  facil- 
ities of  Oneida  by  the  establishment  of  a  seminary  A  few  progressive 
persons  took  the  matter  in  hand  and  in  July,  1857,  the  Oneida  Semin- 
ary was  incorporated.  A  school  was  opened  in  September  of  the  same 
year  and  soon  a  commodious  building  was  erected.  For  many  years 
the  institution  enjoyed  high  repute  and  accomplished  much  good  in  the 
advance  of  education  under  such  principals  as  Rev.  G.  H.  Whitney, 
Rev.  E.  Rollo,  Charles  E.  Swett,  and  Rev.  J.  D.  Houghton,  who  re- 
signed in  1872.  With  the  improvement  of  union  and  high  schools, 
academies  and  seminaries  declined  and  this  one  was  no  exception. 
Financial  difficulties  arose  and  the  institution  was  closed.  A  propo- 
sition was  made  to  sell  the  building  to  the  village  in  1895,  but  it  was 
not  entertained.  Finally  it  was  purchased  by  J.  Will  Chappell,  who 
demolished  it  and  devoted  the  grounds  to  the  uses  of  a  private  park. 

The  old  town  of  Lenox  formerly  contained  thirty  school  districts. 
The  new  town  of  Oneida  contains  seven,  with  school  houses,  the  value 
of  buildings  and  sites  being  about  $34,000.  With  Lincoln,  Lenox,  Fen- 
ner,  Cazenovia,  Smithfield,  Stockbridge,  and  Sullivan  it  comprises  the 
Second  School  Commissioner  district  of  the  county. 

In  the  Oneida  Castle  and  Sherrill  school  district  Alexander  S.  Gal- 
braith  is  president;  George  Johnston,  clerk;  Theodore  Nye,  collector. 

The  first  banking  facilities  in  Oneida  were  supplied  by  the  Oneida 
Valley  Bank,  which  was  incorporated  in  1851,  with  a  capital  of  $105,- 
000  and  the  following  officers:  Niles  Higinbotham,  president;  Samuel 
Breese,  vice-president;  T.  F.  Hand,  cashier.  The  institution  passed 
into  the  national  system  in  1865,  the  title  becoming  the  Oneida  Valle)^ 
National   Bank  of  Oneida.     Mr.    Higinbotham   was   succeeded  in   the 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— LENOX.  301 

presidency  by  D.  G.  Dorrance,  who  was  followed  by  T.  F.  Hand  and 
he  by  the  present  official,  Herbert  H.  Douglass.  The  present  directors 
are  W.  S.  Leete  (vice-president),  T.  F.  Hand,  jr.  (cashier),  S.  H. 
Goodwin,  S.  B.  Breese,  C.  Carskaddan,  John  M.  Kennedy,  Robert 
Stewart,  R.  M.  Baker,  R.  B.  Downing.  The  capital  of  the  bank  has  al- 
ways remained  the  same.  The  bank  building  was  erected  in  1851  and 
in  1864  was  added  to  in  its  present  form. 

The  First  National  Bank  of  Oneida  was  organized  and  incorporated 
October  1,  1865,  with  a  capital  of  $125,000.  The  first  board  of  direc- 
tors were  Horace  Devereaux,  James  J.  Stewart,  Samuel  J.  Fox,  Frank- 
lin M.  Whitman,  James  A.  Harnett,  Arpbrose  Hill,  Simeon  B.  Armour, 
Stillman  Spooner,  Alvin  Strong,  Zadoc  T.  Bentley,  and  C.  A.  Walrath. 
Horace  Devereaux  was  made  president;  James  J.  Stewart,  vice-pres- 
ident; Virgil  Bull,  cashier.  The  bank  was  very  successful  and  went 
into  voluntary  liquidation  in  January  1,  1874,  paying  the  stockholders 
$1.20  per  cent.  At  the  same  time  it  took  the  name  of  the  State  Bank 
of  Oneida,  which  was  changed  to  the  National  State  Bank  of  Oneida  in 
November,  1878.  The  capital  has  always  been  $60,000.  The  first  pres- 
ident of  the  present  institution  was  the  late  Samuel  H.  Fox,  who  was  suc- 
ceeded by  the  late  S.  H.  Farnam,  and  he  by  Andrew  J.  French,  the  in- 
cumbent. Austin  B.  French  was  the  first  cashier  and  still  holds  the 
office.  William  W.  Warr  is  vice-president;  William  G.  Hill,  teller;  G. 
E.  Kirkpatrick,  bookkeeper,  and  Fred  B.  French    collection  clerk. 

The  Farmers  and  Merchants  State  Bank  was  organized  June  3,  1892, 
with  a  capital  of  $50, 000  and  the  following  officers :  Loring  Munroe,  pres- 
ident; C.W.  Dexter,  vice-president;  E.  Emmons Coe,  cashier;  T.  H.  Jur- 
den,  teller.  The  directors  were  E.  E.  Coon,  Francis  Stafford,  S.  C.  Water- 
man, Coman  Rich  (who  was  succeeded  by  George  L.  Menzie),  C.  W. 
Dexter,  A.  S.  Whitman,  H.  W.  Coley,  George  Potter,  Loring  Munroe, 
Ira  L.  Snell,  W.  E.  Witter,  A.  B.  Munroe,  and  E.  E.  Coe.  Several  of 
these  men  are  residents  of  other  towns  in  the  county. 

The  Oneida  Savings  Bank,  a  staunch  and  successful  institution,  was 
incorporated  February  19,  1866,  and  began  business  on  April  1,  of  that 
year.  The  officers  were  as  follows:  Daniel  G.  Dorrance,  president; 
George  H.  Sanford  and  Goodwin  P.  Soper,  vice-presidents;  Edward 
Loomis,  secretary  and  treasurer;  I.  N.  Messinger,  attorney.  The  Board 
of  Trustees  was  composed  of  the  following  gentlemen:  John  Barnett, 
Peterboro;  Ralph  H.  Avery,  Canastota;  John  J.  Foote,  Hamilton  ;  Jona- 
than M.  Wilson,  Stockbridge;  T.  E.  Barnes,   Durham ville;  Daniel   G. 


302  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Dorrance,  Oneida  Castle;  George  H.  Sanford,  Verona;  wSamuel  Breese, 
I.  N  Messinger,  James  A.  Bennett,  Theodore  F.  Hand,  E.  C.  Sanders, 
George  Berry,  Goodwin  P.  Soper,  T.  G.  Seeley,  Ambrose  Hill,  Milton 
Barnett.  Its  handsome  building  was  erected  in  1889  at  a  cost  of  $29,- 
000.  The  number  of  depositors  is  4,264.  The  present  officers  and 
directors  are  as  follows:  C.  Will  Chappell,  president;  Roswell  B. 
Downing,  1st  vice  president ;  Eugene  E.  Coon,  2d  vice-president ;  Am- 
brose W.  Hill,  treasurer;  Howard  L.  Baldwin,  secretary;  C.  Will  Chap- 
pell, Roswell  B.  Downing,  Eugene  E.  Coon,  Theodore  F.  Hand,  jr., 
E.  Emmons  Coe,  Henry  S.  Klock,  Charles  E.  Stevens,  Allen  S.  Whit- 
man, Hazelius  Loucks,  Francis  Stafford,  William  E.  Douglass,  Ira  L. 
Snell,   directors. 

The  Central  Bank  of  Oneida  is  a  private  financial  institution  which 
was  established  in  1870,  with  a  capital  of  $15,000.  William  E.  North- 
rup  has  been  president  since  the  organization,  andR.  A.  Hill  is  cashier. 

A  powerful  factor  in  the  development  of  Oneida  in  quite  recent  years, 
and  one  which  has  brought  its  population  up  to  about  10,000,  is  the 
number  and  extent  of  its  manufactures.  With  favorable  shipping 
facilities,  low-priced  land  for  sites,  enterprising  men  have  found  here 
a  field  for  their  best  endeavors.  In  this  connection  a  brief  description 
of  the  leading  industries  of  the  place  will  prove  of  interest. 

The  works  of  the  National  Casket  Company  in  Oneida  are  the  out- 
growth of  a  business  founded  in  1873  in  Rochester  by  John  Maxwell. 
In  1881  he  effected  a  consolidation  with  a  similar  industry  then  in  opera- 
tion in  Oneida  by  Chappell,  Tattle  &  Co.,  forming  the  firm  of  Chap- 
pell, Chase  &  Maxwell.  The  plants  in  Rochester  and  Oneida  were 
kept  in  operation  until  1890,  when  they  were  united  with  others  to 
form  the  National  Casket  Company,  which  includes  several  of  the 
largest  concerns  in  the  country  in  the  manufacture  of  burial  caskets. 
Mr.  Maxwell  has  the  management  of  the  Oneida  factory,  and  with  him 
is  associated  C.  Will  Chappell,  who  is  vice-president  of  the  company 
and  manager  of  the  New  York  store.  The  Oneida  factory  comprises 
three  principal  buildings  and  the  industry  is  one  of  the  most  important 
in  central  New  York.     (See  biography  of  C.  W.  Chappell). 

The  Oneida  Iron  Works,  another  very  successful  industry,  was 
founded  in  1875  by  W.  S.  Leete,  C.  F.  Polley,  A.  E.  Loomis,  T.  E. 
Mayne  and  D.  Carpenter,  who  were  former  employees  of  the  engine 
manufacturing  firm  of  Wood,  Taber  &  Morse,  of  Eaton,  this  county. 
They  began  building  steam  engines  and  doing  general  machine  work. 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— LENOX.  303 

meeting  with  flattering  success.  Gradually  the  plant  has  been  extend- 
ed to  meet  the  requirements  of  their  increasing  product.  Engines, 
boilers,  bridge  work,  etc.,  are  turned  out  by  a  large  force  of  skilled 
workmen.  The  works  are  now  owned  by  W.  S.  Leete  and  A.  E. 
Loomis,  both  of  whom  are  enterprising  citizens  and  active  in  public 
affairs. 

The  Oneida  Carriage  Works  is  an  incorporated  stock  company  of 
which  W.  E.  Northrup  is  president;  M.  J.  Dewey,  vice-president;  John 
Maxwell,  secretary  and  treasurer.  This  industry  was  projected  in  1883 
with  the  same  title  as  at  present,  but  the  incorporation  did  not  take 
place  until  1888.  It  was  one  of  the  most  complete  carriage  manufac- 
turing plants  in  central  New  York  and  turned  out  fine  work.  The 
business  was  wound  up  in  1898  and  a  committee  appointed  to  sell  the 
property. 

The  firm  of  Upton  &  Holden  is  quite  extensively  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  carriages.  The  business  was  established  more  than 
thirty  years  ago  by  Miles  Upson,  the  present  head  of  the  firm,  and 
three  years  later  the  firm  was  formed  by  the  admission  of  Henry  T. 
Holden.  Both  were  practical  workmen  and  the  business  prospered 
from  the  first. 

The  firm  of  Dapson  &  Wolf  (Thomas  Dapson,  John  W.  Wolf),  estab- 
lished October,  1898,  also  manufactures  wagons  extensively,  occupying 
the  buildings  formerly  used  for  a  knitting  mill.  F.  J.  Aubeuf  has 
built  up  a  large  trade  in  the  Monitor  hand  cart  which  he  manufactures 
under  his  own  patents. 

J.  Barrett's  Sons  (Theodore  A.  and  F.  Eugene)  are  engaged  in  car- 
riage making,  in  which  business  they  succeeded  their  father  who  started 
here  in  a  small  way  nearly  fifty  years  ago.  They  make  only  high  grade 
work  and  the  reputation  of  their  vehicles  is  high. 

Wilson,  Eells  &  Mott  began  business  as  dealers  in  carriage  supplies 
in  1885;  Mr.  Wilson  withdrew  in  1888  and  the  business  is  still  con- 
tinued by  Eells  &  Mott. 

Oneida  has  become  quite  widely  known  in  the  line  of  manufactures 
through  the  extended  reputation  of  the  Westcott  lathe  chuck,  made  by 
the  Westcott  Chuck  Company.  This  business  was  begun  in  1872  by 
the  Oneida  Steam  Engine  and  Foundry  Company,  which  for  several 
years  were  extensive  builders  of  engines  in  addition  to  the  making  of 
chucks.  The  Westcott  chuck  is  the  invention  of  the  late  John  H.  West- 
cott, formerly  foreman  for  the  Steam  Engine  and  Foundry  Company. 


304  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

In  1885  the  Westcott  Chuck  Company  was  incorporated  with  a  capital 
stock  of  $50,000,  which  was  subsequently  increased  to  $150,000.  James 
H.  Westcott,  son  of  John  H.,  is  now  superintendent  of  the  works.  A 
large  variety  of  chucks  is  made  by  this  company  and  all  have  the  repu- 
tation among  machinists  of  excellence  and  efficiency.  The  present 
officers  of  the  company  are  S.  H.  Goodwin,  president  and  manager;  T. 
F.  Hand,  jr.,  secretary  and  treasurer;  James  H.  Westcott,  superin- 
tendent. 

The  Oneida  National  Chuck  Company,  organized  in  1897,  succeeded 
the  National  Chuck  Company  of  New  York,  and  the  chuck  business  of 
the  Oneida  Manufacturing  Chuck  Company.  About  twenty-five  hands 
are  employed  in  the  making  of  a  general  line  of  lathe  and  drill  chucks. 
The  present  officers  of  the  company  are:  L.  J.  Myers,  president;  R.  B. 
Ruby,  vice-president ;  H.  M.  Reynolds,  secretary,  treasurer  and  man- 
ager. 

The  before-mentioned  Oneida  Manufacturing  Chuck  Company  made 
chucks  during  seven  years  prior  to  1897  in  connection  with  wagon  gears. 
The  gear  business  passed  to  Schubert  Brothers  Gear  Company  in  1897, 
and  the  chuck  business  to  the  National  Company,  as  above  stated. 

One  of  the  oldest  manufactures  of  Oneida  is  the  business  which  is 
the  legitimate  successor  of  the  saw  mill  built  in  1840  by  Samuel  Breese. 
About  1868  the  property  passed  to  Thompson  &  Bennett,  and  in  1886 
the  firm  became  Bennett  &  Klock  (Willard  H.  Bennett  and  Henry  S. 
Klock).  The  business  now  includes  a  saw  mill,  an  immense  lumber 
yard  and  large  ice  houses;  the  power  is  derived  from  Skenandoah  Creek. 
In  this  connection  should  be  mentioned  the  sash,  door  and  blind  factory 
of  the  O.  W.  Sage  Manufacturing  Company,  which  was  founded  by  the 
late  O.  W.  Sage  in  1887.  In  1890  the  company  was  incorporated  and  a 
very  large  business  was  carried  on  a  few  years.  The  buildings  and 
site  are  now  used  for  canning  business  by  Olney  Brothers,  noticed  fur- 
ther on. 

The  manufacture  of  woven  wire  mattresses  by  the  Hard  Brothers 
Manufacturing  Company  was  for  a  number  of  years  an  important  in- 
dustry. The  business  was  established  in  1876  by  Hard  Brothers  & 
Company  and  after  the  change  about  1890  a  large  part  of  J.  W.  Warner's 
industrial  building  was  occupied.  The  firm  removed  to  Buffalo  a  few 
years  since,  and  the  business  was  purchased  by  the  Comstock  Manufac- 
turing Co.  and  removed  to  Utica. 

The  original  Oneida  Mill  was  a  grist  mill  built  in  18-10  by  Sands  Hig- 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— LENOX.  305 

inbotham.  The  property  passed  through  several  proprietorships,  and 
the  mill  was  operated  a  number  of  years  by  G.  C.  Parker.  The  mills 
were  burned  prior  to  1887  and  the  site  was  covered  with  ruins  for  some 
time  when  it  was  purchased  by  J.  W.  Warner,  who  rebuilt  the  mill  and 
equipped  it  with  modern  machinery  for  flouring.  He  operated  it  about 
a  year,  when  he  sold  it  to  L.  V.  Rathbun  of  Rochester,  and  A.  E.  Saw- 
yer, who  formed  the  present  Rathbun  &  Saw3'er  Company.  They  re- 
fitted and  improved  the  mill,  which  now  has  eighteen  pairs  of  rolls  and 
other  adequate  machinery  for  the  daily  production  of  nearly  100  barrels 
of  flour,  bearing  several  well-known  brands.  Mr.  Rathbun  is  president 
of  the  company;  Mr.  Sawyer,  vice-president  and  treasurer,  and  A.  S. 
Rathbun,  secretary.  This  is  the  only  flouring  establishment  in  the 
village. 

In  1886  Farrell  &  Lewis  established  a  knitting  mill  in  Oneida  for  the 
manufacture  of  men's  woolen  underwear  and  hosiery.  The  firm  was 
later  changed  to  Farrell  &  Son,  and  in  1891  was  incorporated  as  the 
Central  Mills  Manufacturing  Company.  A  large  plant  was  put  in  op- 
eration, with  Michael  Farrell,  president;  James  P.  Malloy,  treasurer, 
and  R.  J.  Fis-h,  secretary.  A  few  years  later  the  business  was  closed 
and  removed  to  Utica. 

The  canning  industry,  which  has  in  recent  years  become  so  impor- 
tant in  this  country,  is  represented  in  Oneida  by  the  large  establishment 
of  Olney  Brothers  (James  D.  and  Burt),  which  was  started  up  in  1898, 
the  property  having  been  leased  from  Bennett  &  Klock,  who  had  car- 
ried on  the  same  business  a  few  years.  Extensive  additions  have  re- 
cently been  made  to  the  large  brick  structure  which  was  formerly  the 
O.  W.  Sage  sash  and  blind  factory.  There  is  also  a  large  canning  fac- 
tory at  Kenwood  and  another  at  Lenox. 

One  of  the  most  successful  industries  of  Oneida  is  the  Oneida  Silver 
Ware  Manufacturing  Company,  organized  in  1894  through  the  efforts 
of  Sidney  W.  Moore.  The  original  capital  was  $20,000,  which  has 
since  been  increased  to  $50,000.  The  first  officers  were  Sidney  W. 
Moore,  president;  T.  D.  Wilkin,  vice-president;  C.  A.  Stringer,  secre- 
tary and  treasurer.  The  president  remains  the  same,  with  W.  M. 
Swayze,  vice-president,  and  S.  A.  Campbell,  secretary  and  treasurer. 
A  large  building  was  erected  for  the  works  and  about  seventy  five 
hands  are  employed  in  the  production  of  a  complete  line  of  hollow 
ware. 

The  Oneida  Rubber  Tire  Works  of  Theodore  Coles  are  doing  a  large 

20 


306  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

business  in  the  industry  indicated  by  the  name.  All  kinds  of  rubber 
tires  for  vehicles  and  bicycles  are  produced.  The  business  was  begun 
in  1896. 

The  manufacture  of  cigars  in  Oneida  has  long  been  an  important  in- 
dustry. The  firm  of  Powell  &  Goldstein  (Julius  M.  Goldstein,  J.  E. 
Powell),  established  about  1879,  now  employs  about  175  hands,  and 
their  product  reaches  more  than  6,000,000  cigars  annually.  Since  Mr. 
Powell's  death  Mr.  Goldstein  has  carried  on  the  business  alone  under 
the  old  firm  name.  Other  cigar  manufacturers  are  J.  M.  Bennett, 
Kenny  Brothers,  and  Bennett  &  Hard. 

Some  of  the  hotels  of  Oneida  have  large  historical  interest  to  local 
readers.  The  fact  of  the  building  of  the  Railroad  House  by  Sands 
Higinbotham  and  his  securing  the  stoppage  of  every  train  here  for  re- 
freshments has  been  noticed  a  few  pages  back;  it  was  a  shrewd  move 
and  brought  the  first  hotel  a  good  patronage,  at  the  same  time  that  it 
gave  the  railroad  company  a  right  of  way  which  is  now  very  valuable. 
The  Railroad  House  was  what  is  now  the  Allen  House,  although  to  a 
small  extent  enlarged.  The  actual  building  of  this  house  was  begun 
in  1838  by  S.  H.  and  Ira  S.  Hitchcock.  It  was  finished  and  in  April, 
1839,  was  opened  by  Henry  Y.  Stewart.  He  kept  it  only  a  year  when 
Erasmus  Stone  became  proprietor  and  was  landlord  until  1845.  Robert 
Wear  came  from  Massachusetts  and  then  kept  the  house  about  two 
years,  when  it  passed  to  John  W.  Allen,  who  made  it  a  popular  public 
house  for  many  years.     E.  B.  Kenfield  is  present  proprietor. 

What  is  now  the  Madison  House  was  formerly  a  dwelling  and  was 
rebuilt  for  a  hotel  by  David  Blodgett,  who  kept  it  a  few  years.  After 
several  changes  it  came  under  proprietorship  of  R.  H.  Northrup  and 
was  called  the  Northrup  House.  J.  V.  Richardson  is  the  present  pro- 
prietor. 

What  was  formerly  a  residence  begun  by  O.  T.  Burt  of  Syracuse  was 
purchased  and  finished  by  Heman  Phelps,  then  superintendent  of  the 
railroad,  who  occupied  it  from  about  1840.  In  about  the  year  1860  it 
was  purchased  by  the  Messingers  and  moved  forward  and  altered  into 
a  hotel.  Chauncey  Bacon  kept  it  as  the  Bacon  House  a  few  years  and 
finally  bought  it.  It  had  other  names  and  finally  passed  to  the  present 
owner,  Barney  Ratnour;  Charles  H.  Moshier  is  proprietor. 

The  very  numerous  merchants  of  Oneida  who  have  been  in  business 
during  the  past  twenty-five  years  cannot,  of  course,  find  mention  here 
in  detail.     Many  of  them   will  be  found   in  Part  III  of  this  work  and 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— LENOX.  307 

their  business  careers  noticed  in  that  connection.  Among  the  older 
and  more  prominent  ones,  some  of  whom  are  still  in  trade,  may  prop- 
erly be  mentioned  the  following-:  William  J.  Farnam,  successor  of  his 
father,  S.  H.  Farnam,  who  began  business  here  in  1862;  Kimball  & 
Dunbar,  whose  business  was  started  nearly  forty  years  ago  by  Turner 
&  Farnam;  Munroe  &  Parsons,  whose  business  began  in  1887;  Water- 
man &  Hodges,  which  is  a  lineal  successor  of  the  clothing  business 
started  by  C.  I.  Walrath  as  far  back  as  1846;  M.  J.  Dewey,  who  is  known 
throughout  central  New  York  as  a  successful  piano  and  music  dealer  of 
nearly  thirty-five  years  past;  Meader  &  Lype,  successors  of  Cole  & 
Header,  who  began  in  1869,  the  present  firm  in  1878;  Dwight  Chapin, 
one  of  the  oldest  established  news  stores  in  central  New  York;  C.  A.  & 
D.  H.  Walrath,  T.  G.  Seeley,  S.  H.  Farnam,  S.  Chapin  and  S.  Chapin, 
jr. ,  Henry  Rivenburgh,  William  Lyle,  Doliver  House,  Thomas  Angel, 
John  M.  Kennedy,  William  C.  Lawrence,  J.  M.  Goldstein,  S^^gj-Water^ 
man,  William  E.  Hazeltine,  William  M.  Baker,  John  E.  Stone,  Simeon 
an3  Elijah  Kenyon,  Allen  S.  Clark,  Theodore  Carter,  J.  W.  Warner, 
Dwight  Chapin,  L.  J.  Myers,  B.  S.  Teale,  Rhody  Toher,  James  F.  Cody, 
Thomas  Coniflf,  A.  H.  Niles,  James  H.  Niles,  C.  W.  Mott,  William 
Mott,  C.  W.  Chappell,  John  Maxwell,  Sands  H.  Goodwin,  Theodore 
Hand,  Walter  E.  Northrup,  A.  B.  French,  M.  J.  Dewey,  H.  M.  Rey- 
nolds, E.  Emmons  Coe,  Ambrose  E.  Sawyer,  William  S.  Leete,  A.  E. 
Loomis,  J.  V.  Richardson,  Ezra  Clark,  Seymour  Harvey,  C.  F.  Policy, 
T.  E.  Main,  Loring  Munroe,  James  N.  Bates,  E.  E.  Coon,  Albert  Mar- 
cellus,  R.  B.  Ruby,  R.  W.  Hill,  Alonzo  Randall,  A.  W.  Barker,  Sidney 
W.  Moore,  George  and  August  Schubert,  R.  A.  Stewart,  Thomas 
O'Brien,  G.  A.  Quackenbush,  Charles  House,  William  R.  Williams, 
Prentice  D.  Cheney,  George  F.  Avery,  N.  L.  Cramer,  Lawrence  Kenna, 
Charles  E.  Remick,  John  Barrett,  E.  C.  Saunders,  W.  I.  Tillotson,  R. 
B.  Downing,  Herbert  Douglass,  Norman  Lype,  W.  Jerome  Hickox. 

In  recent  years  the  wholesale  trade  of  the  village  has  developed  into 
importance,  considering  the  size  of  the  place.  Such  houses  as  that  of 
Douglass  &  Downing,  in  wholesale  groceries;  Clark,  Whitman  &  War- 
ner, dry  goods  and  clothing;  Kimball  &  Dunbar,  hardware,  paints,  etc. ; 
H.  Rivenburgh,  crockery  and  glassware;  J.  H.  Cool,  drugs,  etc.  ;  Eells 
&  Mott,  carriages  and  wagon  supplies;  and  others  give  the  village  a 
prominent  business  position  among  the  thriving  communities  of  the 
State. 

The  Oneida  Chamber  of  Commerce  was  organized   in  1889,  for  the 


308  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

promotion  of  general  business  interests  in  the  town  through  induce- 
ments that  might  be  offered  to  manufacturers  and  tradesmen  to  locate 
here,  and  the  individual  welfare  of  existing  interests.  Nearly  all  the 
leading  business  men  of  the  village  became  members  and  the  organiza- 
tion has  been  able  to  effect  much  benefit.  The  officers  are  R.  B.  Down- 
ing, president;  W.  E.  Douglass,  vice-president;  James  A.  Babcock, 
secretary;  G.  L.  Scheifele,  treasurer.  There  is  a  board  of  fifteen  di- 
rectors, and  committees  are  appointed  on  manufacturing,  public  im- 
provements, finance,  transportation,  membership,  insurance  and  license 
for  sale  of  merchandise. 

There  have  been  less  newspaper  changes  in  Oneida  than  in  most  vil- 
lages of  its  size.  This  is,  however,  partly  due  to  the  fact  that  the  first 
one  was  not  started  until  1851,  when  the  Oneida  Telegraph  made  its 
appearance  under  the  editorship  of  D.  H.  Frost.  The  paper  was  dis- 
continued in  ]854  on  account  of  Mr.  Frost's  failing  health.  A  few 
months  later  John  Crawford  became  owner  of  the  property  and  em- 
ployed Ira  D.  Brown  as  editor,  giving  the  paper  the  name  of  the 
Sachem.  Mr.  Brown  was  an  excellent  writer  and  the  paper  gained  un- 
der his  control.  In  1863  the  name  of  the  paper  was  again  changed  to 
the  Dispatch,  and  Edward  H.  Spooner  became  a  partner  in  the  business. 
In  1866  the  establishment  passed  to  Purdy  &  Jackson,  and  in  1870  Mr. 
Purdy  retired  and  Myron  M.  Allen  took  his  interest.  In  July,  1880,  Al- 
bert P.  Potter,  then  city  editor  of  the  Syracuse  Standard,  acquired,  Mr. 
Allen's  interest  and  the  firm  became  Jackson  &  Potter.  Mr.  Potter  re- 
tired and  the  firm  became  Jackson  Brothers  (D.  A.  &  L.  C.  Jackson), 
which  continued  until  the  death  of  the  senior  member  of  the  firm.  The 
paper  was  then  published  by  the  Dispatch  Printing  Company  until 
April,  1899,  since  which  date  it  has  been  conducted  by  the  Oneida  Dis- 
patch Company,  the  firm  consisting  of  R.  J.  Fish  and  Charles  E.  Roberts; 
the  latter  is  editor  and  manager. 

In  October,  1850,  Levi  S.  Backus  started  the  Democratic  Union  in 
the  village  of  Hamilton,  this  county.  He  sold  it  the  following  year  to 
W.  H.  Baker  who  in  1863  moved  the  plant  to  Oneida.  Mr.  Baker  con- 
tinued in  the  business  with  marked  success,  considering  the  size  of  the 
place  until  his  death  on  June  15,  1873.  On  the  1st  of  August,  1873,  the 
present  firm  took  possession  of  the  establishment  and  for  more  than 
twenty-five  years  have  made  the  Union  one  of  the  best  country  news- 
papers in  the  State.  Sketches  of  the  lives  of  Mr.  Baker  and  Mr.  Maxon 
will  be  found  in  Part  II. 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— LENOX.  309 

The  Oneida  Post,  now  published  every  Saturday  by  Hugh  Parker, 
was  established  in  1883  by  the  Post  Publishing  Company,  the  first  num- 
ber being  issued  December  15,  1883.  It  is  now  an  eight  page  paper. 
Republican  in  politics.  Mr.  Parker  succeeded  Rathbone  &  Ryan.  R. 
J.  Fish,  Charles  Parks  and  others  have  at  different  times  been  connected 
with  the  paper. 

The  Oneida  Free  Press  was  started  as  an  independent  weekly  in  1880 
by  W.  Hector  Gale,  a  practical  printer  and  native  of  Oneida.  It  was 
discontinued  in  March,  1896,  on  account  of  the  ill  health  of  the  proprie- 
tor. 

The  oldest  religious  organization  in  Oneida  is  St.  John's  Episcopal 
Church  which  was  organized  May  6,  1843,  under  charge  of  Rev.  Ste- 
phen H.  Batlin  of  Rome.  The  first  wardens  were  William  V.  Wins- 
low  and  Hulbert  G.  Wetmore.  From  that  time  until  1858  the  little 
congregation  was  ministered  to  by  six  or  eight  different  pastors.  In 
the  year  named  Niles  Higinbotham  with  characteristic  generosity  gave 
the  society  a  lot  and  a  chapel  was  erected  thereon.  Services  were  kept 
up  by  different  pastors  from  other  places  until  March,  1860,  when  Rev. 
Edward  Pidoley  became  the  first  rector.  Pastors  who  have  succeeded 
him  have  been  Revs.  W.  H.  Van  Antwerp,  H.  V.  Gardner,  George  G. 
Perine,  George  T.  Le  Boutellier,  George  P.  Hibbard  and  John  Arthur. 
In  1873  the  chapel  was  enlarged  and  on  July  15,  1895,  the  corner  stone 
was  laid  for  the  present  beautiful  church. 

At  a  meeting  held  at  the  house  of  Sands  Higinbotham  early  in  1844 
it  was  resolved  by  the  nine  persons  present,  including  Mr.  Higinbotham 
and  his  son  Niles,  to  organize  a  Presbyterian  church.  The  services  of 
Rev.  James  Nichols  were  soon  afterwards  secured  and  he  preached  in  a 
school  room  on  Madison  street.  The  society  was  organized  at  a  meet- 
ing held  March  1,  1844,  and  the  organization  was  perfected  under  the 
title  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Oneida  Depot  Presbyterian  Society,  with 
James  Stewart,  Jeremiah  Cooper,  and  S.  H.  Goodwin,  trustees.  A 
building  committe  was  appointed  to  join  with  the  trustees  in  collecting 
money  with  which  to  build  a  meeting  house.  The  society  was  incor- 
porated March  25,  1844,  and  the  formal  organization  took  place  on  the 
13th  day  of  June,  with  thirty  members,  twenty  of  whom  were  from  the 
Wampsville  church.  The  name  then  taken  was  the  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Oneida  Valley  (subsequently  shortened  by  dropping  the  last  word) 
and  David  Blackman,  Heman  Phelps,  James  Stewart,  Jeremiah  Cooper 
and  Charles  L.  Gardner  were  chosen  elders.     The  meeting  house  was 


310  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

dedicated  in  January,  1845  This  church  was  superseded  by  the  one 
now  in  use.  Rev.  James  Nichols  was  called  to  the  pastorate  in  Febru- 
ary, 1845,  and  continued  until  1851,  when  he  was  followed  by  Rev.  C. 
R.  Gregory,  who  remained  until  1864.  Later  pastors  have  been  Revs. 
Charles  E.  Robinson,  D.  D. ,  George  D.  Baker,  and  Rev.  Samuel  Jes- 
sup,  D.  D. 

The  Baptist  Church  Society  was  organized  in  1843  at  Oneida  Castle, 
with  thirteen  members.  Rev.  Seymour  Adams  was  the  first  pastor, 
preaching  one-third  of  the  time,  and  Rev.  D.  D.  Ransom  the  remainder 
until  the  church  was  removed  to  Oneida  in  1848.  On  April  4,  of  that 
year  the  name  was  changed  to  the  Oneida  Baptist  Society,  and  Henry 
Marshall,  Ralph  K.  Ellinwood,  and  B.  B.  Stoddard  were  elected  trus- 
tees. In  1848  Elder  L.  S.  Huntley  became  pastor.  A  meeting  house 
was  built  in  1849,  which  was  occupied  until  1888  when  the  present 
handsome  edifice  was  erected.  In  March  1849,  the  Oneida  Castle  con- 
gregation was  added  to  the  church,  which  is  now  in  a  prosperous  condi- 
tion under  the  ministrations  of  Rev.  Charles  C.  Maxfield. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Oneida  was  organized  November 
25,  1850.  Services  in  this  faith  had  been  held  here  some  years  previ- 
ously, but  not  with  regularity.  Rev.  W.  E.  York  was  the  first  pastor; 
he  was  settled  in  1850  and  served  one  year,  preaching  in  the  morning 
here  and  afternoons  at  Oneida  Castle.  A  subscription  was  solicited  and 
under  the  charge  of  David  A.  Parkhill,  George  Parkhurst,  and  Reuben 
Pomeroy,  as  building  committee,  a  meeting  house  was  erected.  The 
first  trustees  were  Sidney  Rivenburgh,  Ford  Pilcher,  George  Parkhurst, 
Reuben  Pomeroy,  A.  W.  Stevens,  James  Bonner,  and  Aaron  Yale. 
Rev.  Isaac  Foster  succeeded  Mr.  York  after  one  year  and  during  his 
pastorate  the  present  brick  edifice  was  built;  it  has  since  undergone  ex- 
tensive changes  and  improvements.  The  usual  long  succession  of  pas- 
tors have  served  this  congregation,  ending  with  Rev.  J.  F.  Beebe. 

St.  Joseph's  Catholic  Church  was  the  outgrowth  of  an  organization 
formed  with  the  ultimate  purpose  of  erecting  a  meeting  house  for  the 
accommodation  of  those  who  had  been  attending  at  the  German  Catho- 
lic church  in  Durhamville.  When  they  were  ready  to  build  the  bishop 
insisted  upon  the  formation  of  a  society,  which  was  done  under  the 
above  title,  and  the  church  edifice  was  built  in  1893.  Its  cost  was  about 
$5,000.  A  school  building  was  erected  in  1898.  About  sixty  families 
attend  the  church,  which  is  under  the  pastoral  care  of  Rev.  B.  W 
Goossens. 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— LENOX.  311 

The  history  of  St.  Patrick's  Church  in  Oneida  begins  with  the  pro- 
ceedings of  a  meeting  held  in  the  spring  of  1843,  at  which  it  was  re- 
solved to  build  a  meeting  house.  Previous  to  that  time  there  had  been 
no  regular  Catholic  services  held  in  the  little  village,  where  there  were 
only  ten  or  twelve  families  of  this  faith.  A  small  wooden  structure  was 
accordingly  built  and  the  congregation  began  to  prosper,  paying  for  the 
church  and  largely  increasing  in  numbers  by  1851.  In  that  year  the 
mission  at  Oneida  was  separated  from  the  Rome  parish,  and  Rev. 
Patrick  Kenna  was  sent  here.  In  the  spring  of  1851  was  begun  the 
erection  of  the  now  old  vSt.  Patrick's  church  on  the  corner  of  Main  and 
Walnut  streets.  The  building  was  of  wood  and  cost  about  $2,800. 
Father  Kenna  died  in  1856  and  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  John  McDer- 
mott,  who  died  in  the  following  year.  He  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev. 
James  A.  O'Hara,  who  continued  until  1857,  when  he  went  to  Syracuse 
to  begin  his  long  period  of  ministration  to  the  congregation  of  St. 
Mary's  church  in  that  city.  Rev.  James  Maurice  Sheehan  came  to  St. 
Patrick's  church  in  1859,  remaining  until  1863,  when  he  was  followed 
by  Rev.  William  F.  Sheehan.  He  remained  five  years  and  was  fol- 
lowed by  Rev.  William  Fennelly,  whose  pastorate  continued  twenty 
years,  until  1886,  when  he  died.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  James  A. 
Kelley,  who  is  still  in  charge  of  the  parish.  The  present  beautiful  and 
costly  edifice  was  erected  in  1888-89.  The  tenth  anniversary  is  to  be 
held  in  1899,  for  which  purpose  the  edifice  will  be  redecorated,  three 
marble  altars  built  and  a  large  organ  installed.  The  church  owns  a  fine 
rectory  on  Main  street  and  a  cemetery  of  thirty-five  acres. 

St.  Paul's  German  Evangelical  Church  was  organized  during  the  pas- 
torate of  Rev.  Jacob  Vosseler,  who  was  sent  here  by  the  Conference  in 
1890.  Previous  to  that  year  services  had  been  held  by  Revs.  Jacob 
Burkhardt,  who  divided  his  time  between  this  place  and  New  London 
from  1878  to  1880;  Phillip  Spaeth,  to  1883;  Samuel  Bean  to  1883,  from 
which  time  the  Conference  made  no  appointment  until  1887.  Rev.  H. 
P.  Merle  was  then  appointed,  and  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Henry  Horn, 
who  was  followed  by  Rev.  Vosseler,  as  stated.  Services  had  thus  far 
been  held  in  the  session  room  of  the  old  Presbyterian  church  and  in 
the  G.  A.  R.  hall.  The  church  edifice  was  dedicated  in  1891.  The 
present  pastor  is  Rev.  A.  Luescher. 

The  Free  Methodist  Church  was  organized  about  1875,  by  Rev.  B. 
T.  Roberts.  The  membership  increased  and  about  ten  years  later  a 
'small   meeting  house   was  built.      The  pulpit  is  now  supplied  by  two 


313  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

women  evangelists.  A  Methodist  society  of  colored  people  has  been 
in  existence  here  many  years  and  is  now  in  charge  of  Rev.  M.  H. 
B.    Ross. 

The  remaining  village  of  most  importance  in  the  old  town  of  Lenox 
(now  Lincoln),  is  Clock ville,  which  is  now  only  a  small  hamlet  about 
two  miles  south  of  Canastota.  In  early  years  there  was  an  active  busi- 
ness interest  here,  before  trade  was  drawn  northward  by  the  construc- 
tion of  the  railroads.  As  stated  on  a  previous  page,  the  place  took  its 
name  from  the  Klock  family,  of  whom  Conrad  was  the  father  and  settled 
here  with  his  sons,  Joseph,  John  and  Conrad,  in  1792.  Descendants 
of  this  family  have  been  prominent  in  this  vicinity  many  years.  The 
little  settlement  that  gathered  about  the  mill  and  stores  at  this  point 
was  known  for  a  period  as  Shippeville,  from  an  old  tavern-keeper 
named  Shippe  The  place  took  its  present  name  when  the  post  office 
was  established.  Peleg  Card  was  the  first  postmaster,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Col.  Stephen  Chapman,  progenitor  of  a  very  prominent 
family  in  the  history  of  the  town  and  father  of  B.  Frank  Chapman, 
who  succeeded  in  the  office.  Among  later  postmasters,  the  list  of 
whom  cannot  be  made  wholly  complete,  were  Frank  Blye,  Lyman 
Hicks,  Harry  Simons,  Robert  B.  Beal,  Charles  Miller,  J.  Otis  Tuttle, 
S.  K.  Pettitt,  Robert  B.  Beal  again,  and  George  Way,  the  present  official. 

Thomas  Lawrence  was  a  settler  here  in  1806  and  built  the  stone 
house  near  the  village,  which  is  still  standing;  he  was  a  progressive 
citizen  and  did  much  for  the  improvement  of  roads,  built  an  early 
plaster  mill,  etc.  He  died  May  9,  1866.  Harry  Simon  was  an  early 
blacksmith,  settled  here  in  1837  and  died  at  an  advanced  age.  Marvin 
Keeney  was  a  settler  here  of  1834  and  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the 
peace.  In  1836  there  was  a  grist  mill  in  operation,  two  stores,  two 
taverns,  a  saw  mill,  two  churches  and  about  seventy  dwellings  in  the 
place.  In  1840  the  population  was  250  and  the  business  interests  had 
not  much  advanced. 

The  trip  hammer  shop  was  established  at  Clockville  prior  to  1820  and 
excellent  scythes  and  other  implements  were  made  many  years.  It 
was  long  ago  closed  up.  There  was  another  similar  shop,  called  the 
upper  shop  to  distinguish  it  from  the  first  one,  but  did  not  long  remain 
in  operation.  A  third  trip-hammer  shop  was  put  in  operation  in  1827 
by  Peter  Parsalian.  This  was  afterwards  occupied  for  a  wagon  shop 
and  was  finally  converted  into  a  cheese  factory  by  Nathaniel  Kaiser. 
All  of  these  buildings  have  disappeared. 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— LENOX.  313 

The  Clockville  grist  mill  was  built  in  1827  by  Brooks  &  Nye,  who 
sold  it  to  Gerrit  S.  Sayles.  It  was  burned  in  1856  and  rebuilt  by  Giles 
Cranson.  Austin  A.  Watson  owned  it  later  and  in  1875  sold  it  to  Will- 
iam Clow.  It  was  burned  down  in  1896.  The  iron  work  for  this  mill 
was  made  by  Harry  Simons,  before  mentioned. 

It  is  not  nowknown  just  when  the  saw  mill  was  built  nor  who  by, 
but  it  was  probably  in  operation  as  soon  as  the  grist  mill.  The  old  mill 
is  still  in  existence,  with  a  cider  mill  and  cheese  box  factory  in  connec- 
tion. 

There  was  an  early  grist  mill  built  in  1830  by  J.  D.  Nellis,  on  the 
road  to  Lenox  Furnace.  Other  later  owners  of  it  were  S.  Bennett,  H. 
H.  Hathaway,  Wright  &  Baker,  and  S.  Pettitt.  The  building  is  still 
in  existence.  In  1866  Joseph  L.  Mansfield  founded  a  factory  here  for 
the  manufacture  of  horse  hay  forks,  which  developed  into  a  very  suc- 
cessful business.  It  was  carried  on  in  a  building  that  was  formerly 
a  woolen  factory  which  was  established  by  Colon  Brooks  about  1840. 
Other  implements  were  made  at  this  factory,  which  ultimately  passed 
to  Patten  &  Stafford,  who  manufactured  wheel  rakes,  as  noticed  a  few 
pages  back. 

In  olden  times  the  taverns  at  these  turnpike  villages  did  a  thriving 
business  and  several  were  in  prosperous  existence  in  this  vicinity.  The 
tavern  of  old  Shippe  has  been  mentioned,  and  in  early  years  another 
was  kept  about  a  half  a  mile  from  the  village,  at  the  Corners,  by  a  man 
named  Fort.  In  1837  Charles  Lints  opened  a  public  house  which  was 
subsequently  conducted  by  Peleg  Card  and  by  his  widow  after  his  death. 
Solomon  Wilcox  was  the  owner  of  the  house  at  his  death  in  1866,  and 
his  widow  sold  it  to  William  Skinner.  He  improved  it  and  sold  to 
Daniel  Betsinger,  who  sold  it  to  Charles  Suits.  It  then  took  the  name 
of  the  Suits  House,  or  the  upper  house,  to  distinguish  it  from  the  lower 
house.     It  has  ever  since  been  kept  as  a  hotel. 

The  lower  house  was  opened  in  1837  by  a  Mr.  Bowman.  Daniel  H. 
King  was  later  a  proprietor  until  1866  when  it  was  sold  to  Frederick 
Hubbard.  After  that  time  the  house  had  numerous  proprietors.  It 
was  burned  about  five  years  ago. 

Clockville  had  its  early  lawyer  in  the  person  of  Stephen  Chapman  who 
settled  there  in  1820  and  was  for  many  years  a  prominent  and  respect- 
ed citizen.  He  was  followed  by  his  son,  B.  F.  Chapman,  who  was  in 
practice  until  1880,  when  he  moved  his  office  to  Oneida.  George  W. 
Chapman  practiced  here  some  years;  but  the  place  is  now  without  a 
resident  practicing  lawyer. 


314  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Physicians  of  past  years  were  Drs.  Avery,  Mitchell,  Charles  McCon- 
nell,  who  settled  here  in  1876,  and  Messinger.  There  is  no  physician 
there  now. 

Of  the  earliest  mercantile  operations  at  this  place  little  is  now  known. 
As  before  stated  there  were  two  stores  in  1836,  and  ever  since  there  has 
been  one  or  two  containing  stocks  sufficient  for  the  local  needs.  Ben- 
jamin Bort  opened  a  shoe  shop  in  1850  and  was  soon  succeeded  by  J. 
D.  Walrath,  who  about  1852  put  in  a  general  stock.  In  1853  the  store 
was  closed  but  reopened  by  H.  H.  Hathaway,  with  a  stock  of  drugs. 
He  sold  a  year  later  to  Giles  S.  Cranson,  who  subsequently  sold  his 
stock  at  auction  and  closed  the  store.  J.  D.  Walrath  reopened  it  and 
was  succeeded  by  J.  Otis  Tuttle,  and  later  S.  K.  Pettitt,  J.  L.  Law- 
rence, Dudley  Johnson,  and  Frank  Clow,  the  present  proprietor. 

The  so-called  upper  store  also  has  had  numerous  proprietors  alter- 
nated with  periods  of  idleness,  among  them  being  S.  K.  Pettitt,  H.  H. 
Hathaway,  Levi  Miller,  Charles  Miller,  and  others.  It  is  now  conduct- 
ep  by  John  Ritter. 

Rufus  Fancher  established  a  boot  and  shoe  shop  in  1857,  in  which 
business  he  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  F.  M.  Fancher,  who  subsequently 
closed  it  out. 

This  place  was  formerly  in  school  district  No.  4  of  the  town  of  Lenox. 
The  first  school  meeting  here  was  held  at  the  house  of  Stephen  Chap- 
man in  June,  1814.  The  trustees  were  then  Stephen  Chapman,  John 
I.  D.  Nellis,  and  David  Fowler.  Measures  were  taken  to  build  a  school 
house  resulting  in  the  erection  of  a  building  twenty-four  feet  square 
which  cost  $100.  The  first  teacher  was  Peleg  Card.  In  1830  the  num- 
ber of  the  district  was  changed  to  6,  and  in  the  next  year  Samuel  Glid- 
den  taught;  he  was  succeeded  the  next  winter  by  Julius  A.  Spencer. 
A  new  school  house  was  finished  in  the  fall  of  1824,  24  by  30  feet  dimen- 
sions and  costing  $350.  This  was  occupied  until  1853  when  the  present 
building  was  erected. 

A  church  site  on  Oak  Hill  was  deeded  in  1832  to  the  trustees  of  The 
First  Methodist  Protestant  Episcopal  Society  of  Lenox,  consisting  of 
Sylvester  Beecher,  Silas  Sayles,  Isaac  I.  Forbes,  Christian  Kilts,  and 
John  Seeber;  the  deed  was  from  Christian  and  Catherine  Kilts.  A 
meeting  house  was  at  once  erected  on  the  lot  and  the  church  continued 
in  existence  some  years.  It  was  subsequently  disbanded  and  the  land 
passed  to  the  possession  of  Stephen  Chapman. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal   Church  of  Clockville  was   organized  June 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— LENOX.  315 

28,  1848.  Rev.  Calvin  Flint  and  Adam  Klock  presided  at  the  meeting, 
and  Mr.  Flint,  Adam  Klock,  John  T.  Parkell,  Thomas  Lawrence, 
George  Best,  and  B.  F.  Chapman  were  elected  trustees.  This  society 
purchased  from  Mr.  Capman  the  old  Methodist  church  and  moved  it  to 
its  later  site.  It  is  in  use  for  a  town  hall.  The  usual  long  succession 
of  pastors  has  ministered  to  the  congregation.  The  present  church 
edifice  was  built  in  1894. 

The  Baptist  Church  of  Lenox  was  organized  in  1847  and  the  meeting 
house  was  built  in  the  next  year.  Most  of  the  original  members  were 
residents  of  the  Mile  Strip,  where  it  was  at  first  determined  to  build  a 
church.     It  passed  out  of  existence  many  years  ago. 

Clockville  is  the  largest  business  center  in  the  new  town  of  Lincoln 
created  by  the  division  of  old  Lenox,  as  before  described.  The  bound- 
aries of  the  new  town  are  shown  approximately  on  the  map  herein. 
The  town  contains  14,889  acres  and  has  an  assessed  valuation  of  $453,- 
875.  In  1897,  the  year  after  the  division,  H.  H.  Hathaway  was  elected 
supervisor.      In  1898,  Levi  J.  Carver  was  elected  to  the  office. 

There  is  still  a  small  business  interest  and  post-office  at  Wampsville, 
the  settlement  of  which  has  been  described.  Irene  Cobb  is  postmis- 
tress. The  post-office  was  opened  about  1834  with  William  Spencer,  post- 
master ;  he  kept  a  public  house  on  the  turnpike,  and  an  early  store,  where 
Thomas  T.  Loomis  was  the  first  merchant.  Franklin  Johnson,  Ward  & 
Case,  and  Ward  &  Smith  were  later  merchants.  A.  A.  Loucks  began 
trade  in  1879,  succeeding  Rush  Parkhurst  and  still  continues.  The 
Wampsville  Presbyterian  Society  was  organized  in  April,  1828,  at  the 
school  house  and  James  Stewart,  Jared  N.  Avery,  and  Elisha  Cranson 
were  the  first  trustees.  A  meeting  house  was  built  in  1833,  and  was  ex- 
tensively repaired  in  1872. 

Oneida  Valley  is  a  hamlet  in  the  extreme  northeastern  part  of  the 
new  town  of  Lenox,  where  there  is  a  post-office,  with  Fred  C.  Parker, 
postmaster.  A  hotel  has  been  kept  here  many  years,  the  building  hav- 
ing been  burned  in  1876  and  rebuilt,  after  which  it  was  kept  by  J.  O. 
Goff,  and  others.  August  and  Andrew  Anderson  formerly  kept  a  store, 
as  also  did  Daniel  Farnham.  A  hotel  and  a  store  are  now  in  existence 
here. 

The  Oneida  Valley  Presbyterian  Church  was  organized  May  24,  1847, 
with  James  Williamson,  Ezra  McEwen,  G.  T.  Kirkland,  Charles  Smith, 
William  Williamson  members.  Rev.  James  Nichols  had  preached 
there  some  time  previous  to  the  organization  and  was  succeeded  in  1848 


316  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

by  Rev.  Jehiel  Talmage.  The  church  records  are  fragmentary.  The 
frame  of  the  meeting  house  was  built  in  1848,  with  the  intention  of 
making  it  a  union  edifice;  but  funds  ran  out  and  it  was  not  until  1854 
that  sufficient  money  could  be  collected  to  finish  it. 

Oneida  Lake  is  another  post  hamlet  near  the  lake  shore  in  the  north- 
west corner  of  the  new  town  of  Lenox.  The  place  has  also  been  called 
"  Messenger's,"  from  O.  C.  Messenger,  who  long  kept  the  hotel  there. 
Homer  W.  Sherwood  has  kept  a  store  and  been  postmaster  more  than 
twenty  years. 

Very  little  of  the  hamlet  of  Durhamville  in  the  northeast  part  of  the 
new  town  of  Oneida  is  on  the  Madison  county  side  of  the  line.  The 
place  took  its  name  from  Eber  Durham,  who  settled  there  1826.  At 
that  date  there  were  only  four  log  houses  on  the  site  of  the  village. 
Through  Mr.  Durham's  enterprise  and  the  opening  of  the  canal,  the 
place  assumed  considerable  business  importance  At  one  period  there 
there  were  a  tannery,  a  glass  factory  (still  in  existence),  two  or  three 
stores,  nine  groceries,  a  steam  grist  mill  (still  running),  an  iron 
foundry,  and  three  or  four  hotels.  These  and  the  present  business  in- 
terests of  the  village  have  little  bearing  upon  the  history  of  Madison 
councy.  The  dry  dock  of  Michael  Doran,  at  which  considerable  busi- 
ness is  done,  and  the  hotel  of  John  Wimmett,  are  on  the  Madison 
county  side. 

A  part  of  the  large  business  interests  of  Kenwood  are  situated  in  the 
east  part  of  the  new  town  of  Oneida,  under  management  of  the  Oneida 
Community  Limited.  The  railroad  station  is  named  Kenwood,  and  the 
canning  factory,  the  silk  spooling  establishment  and  dye  house  are  in 
this  county.  The  thread,  trap  works,  etc. ,  are  in  Oneida  county.  The 
Community  was  organized  in  1848,  prospered  greatly  in  business  and 
wealth,  but  gained  unenviable  notoriety  through  its  peculiar  views  on 
the  marriage  relation  as  expounded  by  John  H.  Noyes,  who  was  the 
founder.  It  is  not  felt  that  any  extended  account  of  this  Community  is 
needed  in  these  pages.  When  its  underlying  doctrine  as  to  marriage 
was  abolished  in  response  to  pressure  of  public  opinion,  it  became  a 
purely  business  institution  and  as  such  continues  with  a  high  degree  of 
success. 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— SULLIVAN. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 
PROGRESS   OF    IMPROVEMENT    IN   TOWNS   CONTINUED— SULLIVAN. 

The  recent  division  of  the  old  town  of  Lenox  into  three  towns  leaves 
the  town  of  Sullivan  the  largest  in  the  county,  though  it  is  not,  of 
course,  the  most  numerously  populated.  The  population  has  steadily 
declined  in  numbers  during  the  past  thirty  or  forty  years,  from  causes 
that  have  already  been  noticed,  the  census  of  1892  giving  it  as  3,944, 
while  in  1860  it  was  5,233. 

When  John  H.  Walrath  came  to  the  site  of  Chittenango  in  1808,  with 
his  son,  Henry  I.,  he  settled  on  the  well-known  Walrath  farm  of  100 
acres,  which  was  largely  forest  covered.  He  and  his  son  had  contracted 
for  the  construction  of  a  section  of  the  Seneca  Turnpike.  In  the  spring 
of  1809  work  was  begun  in  clearing  on  the  farm.  At  that  time  there 
were  only  three  or  four  houses  on  the  site  of  Chittenango,  a  part  of 
which  was  low  and  swampy.  The  site  of  the  park  itself  was  a  sort  of 
mud  hole;  but  the  beauty  of  the  surroundings  and  the  splendid  water 
power  gave  the  site  natural  advantages  that  the  earlier  village  of  Can- 
aseraga  could  not  compete  with. 

The  beginning  of  the  village  may  be  said  to  date  from  the  time  in 
1812  when  Judge  Sanger  and  Judge  Youngs  of  Whitestown  built  the 
first  mills.  Joseph  Sanger  also  opened  the  first  store,  conducted  an 
ashery,  bought  cattle  and  drove  them  to  market,  etc.  He  continued 
in  mercantile  business  until  near  his  death,  about  1850,  at  an  advanced 
age.  Moses  Parmalee  came  here  from  Cazenovia  and  was  a  merchant 
contemporary  with  Mr.  Sanger.  He  died  in  March,  1860,  at  the  age 
of  seventy  years. 

In  the  spring  of  1816  John  B.  Yates,  a  man  of  great  business  ability 
and  unbounded  energy,  appeared  in  Chittenango  and  under  the  stim- 
ulous  of  his  activity  the  place  grew  rapidly.  He  opened  a  large  store 
for  that  time  and  continued  the  leading  business  man  of  the  village 
many  years.  In  1818  he  built  a  plaster  mill  adjoining  the  grist  mill  in 
the  village  and  soon  after  the  discovery  of  water  lime  engaged  exten- 
sively in  its  manufacture.     He  was  largely  instrumental  in  constructing 


318  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  lateral  canal  from  Chittenango  to  the  Erie,  and  conducted  a  packet 
line  to  Utica,  with  other  operations  yet  to  be  noticed.  Mr.  Yates  was 
a  lawyer  by  profession  and  a  more  detailed  sketch  of  his  life  is  given 
in  another  chapter  of  this  work. 

The  opening  of  the  canal  was  a  source  of  rapid  settlement  and'  im- 
provement of  this  town  and  village.  About  the  time  that  Mr.  Yates 
came  in  Dr.  Samuel  Kennedy,  James  Kennedy,  Dr.  Samuel  Fuller, 
Thomas  Livingston,  Robert  and  David  Riddell,  and  other  progressive 
men  became  residents.  David  Riddell  was  son  of  Robert  the  elder, 
and  in  1811  went  to  Peterboro  where  he  learned  the  tanner  and  currier 
trade  with  Benjamin  Wilber.  In  1815  he  and  his  brother  Robert  estab- 
lished the  same  business  in  connection  with  boot  and  shoe  making,  in 
Chittenango,  in  the  tannery  built  about  1808  by  a  man  named  McBride, 
who  left  it  in  a  year  or  two.  The  business  was  revived  by  Vincent 
Wilber,  who  was  superseded  b}'  the  Riddells,  who  purchased  the  prop- 
erty from  Jonathan  Smith,  the  former  proprietors  not  having  acquired 
title.  This  old  tannery  was  situated  on  the  site  of  the  Baptist  church 
and  the  store  building  adjoining.  Another  tannery  was  built  about 
1817  by  John  Bouck,  near  the  site  ot  the  village  grist  mill  which  was 
operated  a  few  years  by  other  persons. 

With  the  growth  of  settlement,  the  improvement  of  land  and  the  in- 
crease of  produce  for  shipment,  other  merchants  set  up  business  in  the 
village  and  the  place  became  an  active  trade  center.  Henry  H.  Cobb, 
a  clerk  for  Mr.  Yates,  became  his  partner  and  continued  in  trade  and 
the  manufacture  of  lime  until  about  1836.  He  became  owner  of  seven 
canal  boats,  which  he  loaded  with  grain  bought  by  himself  and  shipped 
to  Albany.  His  brother,  Nathan  Cobb,  was  for  a  period  associated 
with  him ;  both  subsequently  removed  to  Syracuse  where  they  died. 

The  firm  of  George  K.  Fuller  and  Joseph  Clary  (Fuller  &  Clary) 
were  in  business  about  a  year  in  the  Yates  &  Cobb  store  and  also  man- 
ufactured water  lime.  They  failed  and  sold  their  goods  to  Reuben 
Hawley,  the  pioneer  Canastota  merchant.  Mr.  Hawley  was  succeeded 
in  the  same  store  by  James  Crouse,  who  came  from  Durhamville,  and 
later  was  associated  with  his  brother  George.  About  ten  years  subse- 
quently John  A.  Lamphere,  from  Pompey,  and  F.  H.  Hutchinson,  from 
Fayetteville,  became  his  partners.  The  firm  of  Crouse,  Lamphere  & 
Co.  continued  about  four  years  when  they  removed  into  the  brick  build- 
ing erected  by  the  Cobbs  and  now  occupied  as  a  dwelling  and  town 
clerk's  office  by  George  W.  De  Witt.      Shortly  afterwards  they  sold  out 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— SULLIVAN.  319 

at  auction,  the  Grouses  to  go  to  Syracuse  and  the  other  partners  re- 
maining in  business  here.  Lamphere  formed  a  partnersnip  with  James 
S.  Atwell,  from  New  York.  About  a  year  later  Lamphere  retired  and 
went  to  New  York,  and  Atwell  continued.  In  1866  he  associated  with 
himself  Ambrose  E.  Gorton,  a  native  of  Brookfield,  who  had  then  been 
in  business  since  1856;  the  firm  was  J.  S.  Atwell  &  Co.,  and  continued 
until  1873,  when  Atwell  went  to  Syracuse,  Mr.  Gorton  continuing  the 
business  until  the  present  time.  He  is  now  one  of  the  oldest  merchants 
in  the  county. 

Robert  and  Daniel  Stewart  and  A.  J.  and  R.  B.  French  formed  a  mer- 
cantile partnership  and  about  a  year  later  the  Stewarts  sold  to  their 
partners.  A  little  later  Thomas  A.  Clark  bought  an  interest.  French, 
Clark  &  Co.  continued  about  two  years  when  R.  B.  French  sold  to  his 
cousin,  J.  H.  H.  French.  About  five  years  later  Clark  sold  his  interest 
to  his  partners  who  engaged  in  forwarding  at  Chittenango  landing  and 
carried  on  a  grocery  some  years  in  the  building  in  which  the  Chitten- 
ango Pottery  Company  began  business. 

John  Williams  was  a  merchant  of  about  1822  and  two  or  three  years 
later  took  in  William  Bates.  In  1829  they  sold  to  David  Mitchell  and 
Edward  Sims.  Mitchell  &  Sims  continued  nearly  three  years,  when 
John  Bates,  of  Cazenovia,  who  had  been  a  clerk  for  Williams  &  Bates, 
bought  Mitchell's  interest  and  the  firm  continued  until  1855,  when 
Sims  sold  his  interest  to  Benjamin  French.  The  firm  of  John  Bates  & 
Co.  thus  formed  continued  until  1861,  when  the  business  was  closed 
out.  Mr.  Bates  was  afterwards  engaged  in  forwarding  and  died  in 
Chittenango.  This  store  was  the  one  occupied  by  Harley  Gay  as  a 
hardware  store. 

Moses  Parmalee  and  Albert  Dunham,  the  former  having  kept  a  gro- 
cery a  few  years,  traded  a  short  time  from  about  1831.  William  Briggs 
came  here  about  1828  and  was  in  business  a  few  years.  He  went  to 
Chicago,  built  the  Briggs  House  and  became  wealthy.  Hezekiah 
Beecher  was  an  early  merchant  and  continued  many  years.  His  store 
stood  on  the  site  of  Dr.  Eaton's  house  and  he  had  as  partners  a  man 
named  Norton  and  his  son-in-law,  William  Lawrence.  Hugh  White 
was  another  early  merchant  who  removed  to  Cohoes.  Peter  Groesbeck 
traded  a  few  years  from  about  1844. 

The  Atwater  Brothers  settled  about  1840,  began  trade,  but  about  two 
years  later  returned  to  New  York,  whence  they  came.  Curtis  &  Steele 
came  from  Penn  Yan  about  1840,  and  bought  out  Sims  &  Bates,  and 


320  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

were  burned  out  a  year  and  a  half  later,  when  they  left  the  place.  Kit- 
tridge  &  Allen  were  in  business  about  two  years  from  1832.  Jacob 
Colyercame  from  Canajoharie  in  1818,  was  a  farmer  until  1827,  when 
he  began  the  trade  of  tanner  with  David  Riddell.  In  1833  he  began 
boot  and  shoe  making  and  continued  until  1853.  Alfred  Bellamy 
opened  a  store  about  1835,  in  company  with  his  brother,  whose  interest 
he  purchased  a  little  later.  He  was  afterwards  associated  with  James 
Walrath  and  the  firm  of  Bellamy  &  Walrath  continued  until  about  five 
years  later,  when  Bellamy  removed  to  Watkins,  N.  Y.  Walrath  con- 
tinued business  many  years,  when  he  failed;  his  brother  Richard  had 
been  associated  with  him  several  years.  Henry  and  George  Perry  were 
in  business  eight  or  ten  years  from  about  1835  and  failed.  There  were 
a  few  other  early  merchants  whose  periods  of  business  were  mainly 
brief. 

Benjamin  Jenkins  came  from  Barre,  Mass.,  where  he  was  born,  and 
settled  in  Chittenango  in  1834,  serving  as  clerk  for  James  Crouse  &  Co. 
until  1840,  when  he  opened  a  store  where  A.  N.  Chariton  is  now  located ; 
Jenkins  was  in  trade  more  than  forty  years.  At  different  periods  he 
had  as  partners  Abner  Hatch,  P.  D.  Harrington,  and  his  son,  Ben- 
jamin R. 

Richard  R.  Walrath  and  C.  V.  Harbottle  formed  the  firm  of  Har- 
bottle  &  Walrath  in  1860  and  in  1867  took  in  Joseph  Harbottle,  father 
of  C.  V.  They  continued  until  1870,  when  C.  V.  Harbottle  retired 
and  the  firm  name  was  changed  to  Walrath  &  Harbottle.  The  firm 
subsequently  dissolved.  A.  V.  Boardman  and  Robert  Harrison  were 
in  business  a  number  of  years  as  clothiers  and  tailors.  Mr.  Boardman  is 
deceased  and  Harrison  is  in  an  asylum  for  insane.  L.  E.  Shepard 
was  in  business  twenty  or  more  years  from  1861,  at  first  with  R.  J. 
Tappen,  and  later  with  B.  W.  Soper.  Soper  ultimately  removed 
to  Syracuse.  The  late  Robert  Kennedy  was  a  grocer  about  twenty 
years  from  1863.  Lyman  Gay  came  here  in  1865  in  company  with 
Lucius  M.  Conine,  and  began  a  hardware  business.  Conine  sold  to 
Mr.  Gay  about  two  years  later.  The  son  is  still  in  the  same  business. 
A  tin  and  hardware  store  is  also  carried  on  by  Richard  Jones.  Nicholas 
Greminger,  a  native  of  Germany,  came  here  in  1866  and  began  furni- 
ture business;  he  built  the  Greminger  block,  but  is  now  an  Onondaga 
county  farmer.  Jerry  Taylor  began  the  boot  and  shoe  business  in  1866, 
associated  afterwards  with  his  son,  William  J.,  and  later  with  E.  Root; 
this  business  is  now  conducted  by  W.  S.  Siver,  who  is  also  postmaster. 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— SULLIVAN.  321 

Joseph  H.  Walrath  and  his  son  Alfred  were  grocers  a  number  of  years 
after  1869;  Alfred  is  now  in  business  in  Syracuse.  H.  M.  Barrett, 
dealer  in  stoves  and  hardware  for  about  ten  years,  removed  to  Cali- 
fornia. Fred  W.  Lamphere,  a  native  of  New  Woodstock,  began  a  drug 
business  in  May,  1875.  John  Colyer  began  as  a  boot  and  shoe  dealer 
in  1879  and  is  now  on  a  farm  in  this  town.  W.  P.  Maine,  a  native  of 
this  town,  was  a  general  merchant  from  1880,  having  previously  had  a 
store  a  few  years  at  Bridgeport;  he  is  now  in  Indianapolis.  Edgar 
Drew  was  a  grocer  a  short  time  from  1880,  and  both  G.  W.  and  G.  M. 
Dewitt  were  formerly  in  trade.  F.  W.  Stillman,  a  jeweler,  of  that 
period,  went  west. 

Merchants  of  the  present,  not  all  of  whom  have  been  mentioned,  are 
Abner  Hatch,  general  store;  A.  N.  Chariton,  general  store;  W.  I. 
Tyler,  furniture;  George  C.  Clark,  druggist;  Costello  &  Root,  general 
store  and  drugs,  firm  formed  by  consolidating  the  business  of  A.  E. 
Root  and  J.  R.  Costello  in  1897;  A.  E.  Gorton,  Harlan  L.  Gay,  and  a 
few  places  of  business  of  minor  importance. 

The  manufacturing  interests  of  Chittenango  in  past  years  have  had 
considerable  importance  and  in  some  respects  are  still  prominent  fac- 
tors in  the  business  of  the  town.  At  the  time  of  the  building  of  the 
first  mills  in  1812,  before  mentioned,  a  saw  mill  and  clothing  works 
were  erected.  The  saw  mill  was  demolished  many  years  ago,  and  the 
other  factory,  which  stood  on  the  site  of  the  later  cotton  factory,  was 
burned.  In  1816  John  B.  Yates,  William  K.  Fuller  and  David  P. 
Hoyt  purchased  the  mill  property,  in  company  with  William  Britton, 
and  their  enterprise  soon  gave  an  impetus  to  the  growth  of  the  village. 
Hoyt  soon  returned  to  Utica,  whence  he  came,  and  Yates  acquired 
Fuller's  interest  which  he  retained  until  his  death,  when  it  passed  into 
his  estate.  About  1854  it  was  sold  to  Rathbone  &  Son,  who  enlarged 
the  grist  mill.  They  sold  to  James  Broadhead,  who  transferred  to 
James  and  Ransford  Button.  E.  A.  Judd  became  the  owner,  and  it 
subsequently  passed  to  Ransford  Button,  who,  about  1875,  made  it  a 
roller  mill  and  after  being  operated  by  two  or  three  different  men  it 
finally  passed  to  Frank  Suiter,  the  present  proprietor. 

On  the  site  of  the  paper  mill  John  B.  Yates  had  an  oil  mill  which 
was  burned  about  the  close  of  the  war,  and  a  saw  mill.  This  was  con- 
verted into  a  paper  mill  for  the  manufacture  of  mill-board  by  Simon 
D  Paddock  and  during  the  war  period  did  a  prosperous  business.  John 
G.  Yates  afterwards  operated  a  saw  mill  there  and  later  sold  to  H.  L. 


322  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Jones,  who  fitted  it  for  making  wrapping  paper.  About  1878  Beard, 
Grouse  &  Co.  of  Fayetteville  came  into  possession  and  owned  it  until 
it  burned  down. 

In  1824  John  B.  Yates  built  a  woolen  factory  of  stone,  the  building 
still  standing  on  the  site  of  the  later  cotton  mill,  which  passed  to  James 
Broadhead.  Burned  in  1866,  it  was  rebuilt,  and  in  December,  1867, 
was  purchased  by  T.  H.  Hintermister,  of  Ithaca,  and  his  brother.  Otto, 
to  be  used  for  a  cotton  factory.  Machinery  was  brought  from  England 
consisting  of  1,500  spindles  and  forty  looms,  and  in  the  fall  of  1868  the 
manufacturing  of  sheeting  was  begun.  In  the  next  year  a  Leffel  tur- 
bine wheel  was  installed,  a  steam  boiler,  with  two  additional  mules  and 
twenty-eight  looms.  Before  starting  with  the  new  improvements,  a 
stock  company  was  formed  with  capital  subscribed  of  $200,000,  mostly 
by  persons  in  this  vicinity.  The  Chittenango  Cotton  Company  pur- 
chased the  factory,  and  also  the  distillery  property  a  mile  and  a  half 
south  of  the  village,  with  the  intention  of  there  building  another  cotton 
factory,  where  spinning  only  was  to  be  carried  on.  The  first  officers 
were  Daniel  Stewart,  president;  Ebenezer  Pennock,  vice-president; 
Robert  Stewart,  treasurer;  Otto  Hintermister,  secretary  and  manager. 
In  1870  twenty  more  looms  were  added  and  in  1873  the  factory  was  en- 
larged by  adding  a  one-story  and  basement  stone  building.  The  hard 
times  of  that  immediate  period  prevented  the  completion  of  this  struc- 
ture. In  the  spring  of  1879  the  company's  affairs  were  placed  in  a 
receiver's  hands  and  in  July  the  property  was  sold  to  Ebenezer  Pen- 
nock. He  associated  himself  with  Otto  Hintermister  and  began  over- 
hauling and  repairing  machinery,  improving  the  old  building  and 
finishing  the  new  structure,  into  which  a  part  of  the  machinery  was 
placed  from  the  old  factory.  In  February,  1880,  the  factory  was  started, 
but  for  various  reasons  it  could  not  be  made  profitable,  and  was  closed 
in  about  three  years.  The  building  is  now  in  use  for  storing  onions 
and  shipping  to  market  by  Charles  F.  Pennock.  The  old  distillery 
building  was  used  for  a  paper  mill  a  number  of  years  by  A.  Crichton. 

Richard  R.  and  D.  D.  Walrath  were  associated  with  Dr.  P.  S.  Arndt 
in  1852  in  starting  another  paper  mill,  but  it  was  operated  only  two 
years.  The  building  was  removed  to  Canaseraga  and  converted  into  a 
creamery. 

The  old  Walrath  foundry  and  machine  shops,  on  the  creek  in  the 
north  part  of  the  village,  were  established  more  than  sixty  years  ago 
by  Daniel  Walrath,   who  operated   them   until   his   death,   which  was 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— SULLIVAN.  323 

caused  by  an  accident  on  August  4,  1861.  He  was  succeeded  by  his 
son,  Peter  Walrath,  the  present  proprietor,  who  was  associated  about 
two  years  with  his  brothers,  Jesse  and  Abel.  The  works  have  been 
enlarged  and  improved  by  both  father  and  son,  and  are  adapted  for  the 
building  of  steam  engines  and  other  high  grade  machinery.  Daniel  F. 
Kellogg  had  a  former  foundry  on  the  site  of  the  residence  of  the  late 
Ebenezer  Pennock,  which  was  subsequently  taken  down. 

In  connection  with  the  industries  of  this  town  should  be  notided  the 
works  of  the  Chenango  Pottery  Company  at  the  Landing.  This  com- 
pany was  organized  in  1897,  with  a  capital  of  $35,000,  which  has  been 
increased  to  $70,000.  The  officers  were  Frank  Gates,  president,  suc- 
ceeded by  T.  D.  Wilkin,  now  in  the  office;  vice-president,  Dr.  John  R. 
Eaton,  still  in  office;  secretary,  W.  J.  Logan,  succeeded  by  Frank  A. 
Peck.  The  old  distillery,  before  mentioned,  was  purchased,  but  before 
the  business  was  under  way  it  burned.  It  was  at  once  rebuilt  and 
again  burned  in  December,  1898.  Since  then  a  substantial  brick  struc- 
ture has  been  erected  and  the  business  started  up  anew.  Fine  table 
ware  is  manufactured. 

At  the  Landing  are  also  the  tile  works  which  have  been  in  operation 
nearly  twenty  years  by  outside  capital.  This  was  in  former  years  a 
brick  yard  owned  by  Philander  Millington.  From  1872  until  his  death 
in  1893,  Jacob  Walker  kept  a  store  at  the  Landing,  which  was  managed 
for  him  after  1887  by  I.  J.  Northrup.  The  latter  bought  the  business 
in  1893  and  still  conducts  it.  Also  the  large  canning  and  preserving 
factory  of  Merrell  &  Soule  (of  Syracuse)  situated  at  the  Landing,  where 
immense  quantities  of  vegetables  are  canned  or  otherwise  preserved 
for  domestic  use. 

In  the  village  Peter  P.  Carl  &  Son  have  a  wagon  and  blacksmith 
shop,  in  a  building  which  was  first  occupied  by  Obadiah  Tibbitts.  Mr. 
Carl,  the  elder,  began  business  in  1852.  Mr.  Carl  is  also  owner  of  the 
modest  opera  house,  which  was  erected  in  1870  by  Daniel  Stewart. 
Henry  Rogers  carries  on  shoemaking,  succeeding  Charles  Holtz.  The 
oldest  manufacturer  in  the  village  is  A.  L.  Porter  who  makes  harness 
and  boots  and  shoes,  in  which  he  has  been  engaged  more  than  fifty 
years. 

There  are  two  good  hotels  in  the  village.  The  Yates  House  was  orig- 
inally built  sometime  previous  to  1805  and  was  first  kept  by  a  Mr. 
Wilson.  The  original  building  is  lost  sight  of  in  the  present  structure. 
It  has  had  many  proprietors  and  is  now  conducted  by  Clark  Wheeler. 


324  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  Dixon  House,  conducted  by  O.  A.  Russell  since  1877,  when  he  suc- 
ceeded William  Sternberg,  was  built  in  1827  by  Timothy  Pratt,  who 
conducted  it  a  short  time.  Like  most  country  hotels  it  has  had  half  a 
score  proprietors. 

When  the  business  of  Chittenango  was  at  its  height  and  a  bank  was 
needed,  the  Chittenango  Bank  was  organized  and  began  business  April 
1,  1853,  with  capital  of  $110,000,  which  was  increased  the  next  year  to 
$150,000.  The  first  directors  were  George  Grouse,  George  Grant,  John 
A.  Lamphere,  James  Grouse,  John  Knowles,  John  Grouse,  Jairus 
French,  William  E.  Lansing,  Daniel  Gates,  George  E.  Downer,  Daniel 
Stewart,  John  A.  Gampbell,  Hiram  Brown.  George  Grouse  was  the 
first  president;  George  Grant,  vice-president;  David  H.  Rasbach,  cash- 
ier. Damon  Wells  was  the  second  president,  and  Daniel  Gates  the 
third,  taking  the  position  in  1858.  The  bank  building  was  erected  in 
1853.  This  bank,  the  first  in  the  town,  closed  its  business  in  1864. 
Daniel  Gates,  the  third  president,  is  still  a  resident  of  the  town  and  one 
of  the  most  respected  and  beloved  citizens.  Frank  H.  Gates,  who  has 
been  prominent  in  public  affairs  of  the  county  and  held  many  oflfices,  is 
a  son  of  Daniel  Gates. 

The  First  National  Bank  of  Chittenango  was  organized  December  28, 
1863,  with  a  capital  of  $50,000,  which  was  several  times  increased  until 
it  reached  $150,000.  The  first  directors  were  James  Broadhead,  Daniel 
F.  Kellogg,  George  Kellogg,  Daniel  D.  Walrath,  Henry  C.  Howe,  Ed- 
ward Sims,  Ebenezer  Pennock,  John  H.  Walrath,  Peter  Walrath. 
James  Broadhead,  president;  Peter  Walrath,  vice-president;  George 
Kellogg,  cashier.  Robert  Stewart  was  the  second  president  (1864),  and 
Peter  Walrath  from  1873.  The  bank  occupied  the  building  erected  by 
the  first  bank.  It  went  into  liquidation  in  1883.  The  bank  building  is 
now  occupied  by  Walter  H.  Stewart,  who  has  conducted  private  bank- 
ing business  since  1886,  which  is  a  great  convenience  to  the  residents. 

Chittenango  has  seen  less  change  in  its  newspapers  than  most  simi- 
lar villages.  The  first  paper  here  was  the  Chittenango  Herald,  estab- 
lished in  1833  by  Isaac  Lyon.  It  afterwards  bore  successively  the  name 
of  Chittenango  Republican,  the  Phoenix,  and  the  Democratic  Gazette, 
until  it  was  discontinued  in  1856.  The  Madison  County  Times  was 
founded  August  14,  1810,  by  Arthur  White,  who  sold  it  seven  years 
later  to  H.  E.  Barrett.  He  published  it  until  1883,  when  Luke  Mc- 
Henry  purchased  the  establishment  and  has  ever  since  given  the  people 
a  bright  and  ably  edited  journal.  Mr.  McHenry  is  now  serving  his 
second  term  as  president  of  the  village. 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— SULLIVAN.  325 

Chittenango  has  been  the  place  of  residence  and  labor  of  many  pro- 
fessional men  of  high  standing.  The  first  physician  was  Dr.  Weed, 
who  moved  to  Manlius  where  he  died.  Dr.  John  P.  Kennedy,  and  Drs. 
Tilden  and  Amos  Amsden,  practiced  hereabouts  while  located  at  Can- 
aseraga.  Dr.  Kennedy  was  here  as  early  as  1815,  and  finally  removed 
to  Dryden,  N.  Y.  About  1825  his  brothers,  .Samuel,  Isaac,  and  James, 
all  physicians,  came  here  and  engaged  in  practice,  Samuel  continued 
until  his  death  in  1849.  The  late  Judge  Charles  L.  Kennedy,  of  Mor- 
risville,  and  Robert  Kennedy,  of  Chittenango,  were  sons  of  Samuel. 

Drs.  Samuel  and  Edward  Fuller  came  from  Schenectady  in  1832  and 
1827  respectively.  Both  were  graduates  of  Union  College.  Samuel 
continued  practice  here  until  1868,  removing  to  New  York;  Edward  re- 
sided here  until  his  death  in  1877,  but  did  not  practice  in  his  later 
years.  Both  were  very  successful  and  enjoyed  the  respect  of  the  com- 
munity. 

Dr.  Isaac  Thompson  Teller  settled  in  Chittenango  in  1842,  having 
previously  practiced  in  Whitesboro.  He  continued  until  his  death  in 
June,  1874.  Dr.  William  Oaks  began  practice  here  about  1851.  Five 
years  later  he  removed  to  De  Ruyter  and  thence  to  Hamilton,  where 
he  died  in  1863.  Dr.  P.  S.  Arndt  came  here  about  1853  and  about 
three  years  later  removed  to  Chicago.  Dr.  R.  S.  Bishop,  Dr.  Reynolds 
and  Dr.  W.  H.  Griffith  were  in  practice  here  before  1880,  each  a  short 
period. 

Sylvanus  D.  Hanchett,  a  native  of  Oneida  county,  settled  in  Chitten- 
ango in  1852,  and  is  one  of  the  oldest  practicing  physicians  in  this 
county  and  a  much  respected  citizen.  Dr.  Merchant  Billington,  now 
in  practice  in  the  village,  is  a  son  of  Charles  Billington,  was  born  in 
1836,  and  began  practice  here  in  1860.  He  was  in  the  Assembly  in 
1877  and  is  prominent  in  public  affairs. 

Dr.  John  R.  Eaton,  now  in  practice,  is  a  native  of  Vermont,  and  a 
graduate  of  the  Medical  College  of  Syracuse  University,  1875,  in  which 
year  he  began  practice  here.  Dr.  W.  Estus  Deuel,  now  in  practice,  is 
a  native  of  Wayne  county,  N.  Y. ,  graduated  at  the  New  York  Homoeo- 
pathic Medical  College  in  1876,  settling  in  Chittenango  in  1877. 

The  pioneer  lawyer  of  Chittenango  was  William  K.  Fuller,  born  in 
Schenectady  in  1792,  and  a  graduate  of  Union  College.  He  read  law 
with  Henry  and  John  B.  Yates  and  in  1814  became  a  partner  with  the 
latter,  coming  with  him  to  this  place.  He  was  not  only  an  able  lawyer 
but  a   surveyor  of  ability.     He  was  prominent  in  public  affairs  and 


326  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

held  many  offices  of  honor.  He  was  appointed  di.strict  attorney  of  the 
county  in  1821,  and  was  adjutant-general  on  the  staff  of  Governor  Yates 
in  1823,  having  previously  been  conspicuous  in  the  local  militia.  He 
was  member  of  assembly  from  this  county  in  1829-30  and  representa- 
tive in  Congress  from  1833  to  1837.  Late  in  life  he  returned  to  his 
paternal  home  in  Schenectady,  where  he  died. 

Daniel  B.  Cady  came  here  from  Johnstown  and  was  in  practice  from 
about  1828  to  1834,  when  he  removed  to  Columbia  county  and  was  there 
appointed  county  judge.  R.  John  Everett  settled  here  soon  after  Cady 
left  for  a  year  or  two  only.  Horatio  Gates  Warner  and  Hiram  Cum- 
mings  were  contemporary  practitioners  at  the  bar  several  years.  War- 
ner removed  to  Rochester.  Duane  Brown  was  in  successful  practice 
about  ten  years,  removed  to  Morrisville  and  there  died.  Lorenzo  D. 
Dana  practiced  here  a  short  time  before  he  was  elected  county  clerk  in 
1849,  when  he  removed  to  Morrisville.  Later  he  became  cashier  of  the 
Morrisville  Bank. 

William  E.  Lansing  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  Madison  county 
bar.  He  was  born  in  Sullivan  in  1822,  read  law  in  Utica  with  Joshua 
Spencer  and  began  practice  in  1845 ;  he  was  long  in  practice  with  the 
late  Charles  L.  Kennedy,  the  firm  having  a  large  clientage.  Mr.  Lan- 
sing was  elected  district  attorney  in  1850,  county  clerk  in  1855,  and  was 
in  Congress  from  1861  to  1863  and  again  from  1871  to  1875.  Mr.  Ken- 
nedy succeeded  Lansing  as  county  clerk  in  1858  and  in  1867  was  elected 
county  judge,  an  office  which  he  honored  until  his  recent  death. 

Daniel  D.  Walrath  was  long  in  practice  in  the  village;  he  was  a  na- 
tive of  Sullivan  and  studied  law  with  John  G.  Stower,  who  came  at  an 
advanced  age  and  died  here.  Joseph  J.  L.  Baker  is  a  native  of  Nelson, 
received  his  education  in  Cazenovia  Sminary  and  graduated  from  the 
Albany  Law  School  in  1860.  In  that  year  he  began  practice  here  which 
he  has  ever  since  continued. 

Charles  Kellogg,  a  native  of  Madison  county  and  son  of  Daniel  F., 
was  educated  in  the  Yates  Institution  in  Chittenango,  read  law  with 
William  F.  Lansing,  and  began  practice  in  the  year  of  his  admission  to 
the  bar,  1861. 

C.  A.  Hitchcock  was  born  in  Seneca  Falls  and  is  a  son  of  Dr.  Thomas 
E.  Hitchcock  of  Syracuse.  He  was  educated  in  private  schools  and 
the  Yates  Institution  in  Chittenango  and  studied  law  in  Syracuse.  He 
was  admitted  in  1883  and  has  practiced  in  the  village  since  that  time. 

The  village  of  Chittenango  was  first  incorporated  when  its  prosperity 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— SULLIVAN.  327 

promised  to  make  it  a  large  business  center.  The  incorporation  was 
under  date  of  March  15,  1843.  The  first  corporation  meeting  was  held 
on  April  19,  1842,  when  the  following  officers  were  chosen: 

Robert  Riddell,  Alfred  Bellamy,  Daniel  Walrath,  George  K.  Fuller 
and  James  Grouse,  trustees;  Abner  P.  Downer,  Edward  Sims  and  Hi- 
ram Curtis,  assessors ;  George  Grant,  treasurer;  Henry  H.  Cobb,  clerk; 
Oren  A.  Thompson,  collector;  Daniel  F.  Kellogg,  Joseph  B.  Plank  and 
Alonzo  Bishop,  fire  wardens.  At  a  meeting  of  the  trustees  April  37, 
1843,  Robert  Riddell  was  elected  president. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  presidents  and  clerks  of  the  village  from 
its  incorporation  to  the  present  time,  excepting  1858  to  1870,  of  which 
years  there  are  no  records : 

Presidents— 1843,  Robert  Riddell;  1843,  Abner  P.  Downer;  1844, 
Job  Wells;  1845,  Jarvis  French;  1846,  George  Grant;  1847-48,  John 
G.  Stower;  1849,  Job  Wells;  1850,  George  K.  Fuller;  1851,  John 
Knowles;  1853,  P^^5^Harrington ;  1853,  William  E.  Lansing;  1854, 
George  K.  Fuller;  1855-58,  Sanford  Cobb;  1871,  J.  S.  Atwell ;  1873-77, 
A.  H.  Downer;  1878-79,  M.  Billington;  1880-81,  John  H.  Walrath; 
1883-83,  George  Walrath;  1884,  M.  Billington;  1885,  Robert  Kennedy; 
1886-87,  E.  A.  Judd;  1888,  C.  F.  Pennock;  1889-90,  M.  Billington; 
1891-93,  C.  A.  Hitchcock;  1893,  Luke  McHenry;  1894-95,  George 
Walrath;  1896-99,  Luke  McHenry. 

Clerks— 1843,  Henry  H.  Cobb;  1843,  James  Walrath;  1844,  Chauncey 
Shaffer;  1845,  Jarvis  French;  1846-48,  Isaac  T.  Teller;  1849,  Daniel 
D.  Walrath;  1850-51,  John  C.  Clark;  1853,  J.  P.  Olmstead;  1853-54, 
George  E.  Downer;  1855,  Charles  C.  West;  1856-57,  Peter  P.  Carl; 
1858,  D.  D.  Walrath;  1871,  J.  J.  L.  Baker;  1873-75,  T.  E.  Hitchcock; 
1876-83.  B.  R.  Jenkins;  1883,  C.  L.  Smith;  1884-86,  J.  J.  L.  Baker; 
1887-90,  C.  A.  Hitchcock;  1891,  M.  C.  Walrath;  1891-93,  Thomas  C. 
Bassett;  1894-95,  John  R.  Costello;  1896,  Theodore  B.  French  ;  1897-98, 
J.  M.  Hubbard;  1899,  John  V.  Flaherty. 

On  December  5,  1870,  the  village  was  reincorporated  under  the  then 
new  general  law,  making  the  office  of  president  an  elective  one  and 
that  of  clerk  appointive;  also  reducing  the  number  of  trustees  from 
five  to  three.     In  1897  the  number  of  trustees  was  reduced  to  two. 

The  post-office  in  Chittenango  is  believed  to  have  been  established  in 
1816  through  the  influence  of  John  B.  Yates  and  William  K.  Fuller, 
with  Mr.  Fuller  as  postmaster.  He  was  succeeded  by  Henry  H.  Cobb, 
who  held  the  office  until  about  1835.     His  successors  have  been  George 


328  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Ehle,  Dr.  Samuel  Kennedy,  Benjamin  Jenkins,  Benjamin  D.  French, 
Benjamin  Jenkins  again,  P.  D.  Harrington,  Ambrose  E.  Gorton, 
Charles  Kellogg,  Hobart  French,  J.  J.  L.  Baker,  Hobart  French  again, 
and  Winfield  S.  Siver,  the  incumbent. 

Not  much,  if  anything,  was  done  in  the  village  to  provide  protection 
from  fire,  until  immediately  after  the  incorporation  in  1842.  At  a 
meeting  held  May  30  of  that  year,  the  following  persons  were  appointed 
firemen :  Thomas  Dickinson,  Isaac  R.  Colyer,  Isaac  Colyer,  E.  M. 
Tobey,  D.  P.  Kellogg,  James  A.  Monroe,  Charles  A.  Warner,  B.  D. 
French,  M.  E.  Walrath,  James  S.  Brown,  Benjamin  Jennings,  A.  I. 
Wells,  Jonathan  Burt,  Edward  Sims,  P.  Herrington,  James  Crouse, 
William  Plank,  P.  S.  Fairchild,  Marcus  Plank,  A.  V.  Boardman,  N.  Hem- 
sted,  James  Walrath,  C.  R.  Norton,  Damon  Wells;  and  the  following  as 
a  hook  and  ladder  company,  Wallace  Riddell,  E.  Henry  Cobb,  James 

Jones,  A.  Beckwith,  James  Cole,  Luke  Brissau,  Henry  Eygenbroat, 

Schoonmaker,  W.  H.  Gale. 

In  November  of  that  year  it  was  resolved  to  raise  $250  by  tax  for  the 
purpose  of  purchasing  a  fire  engine  and  hook  and  ladder  apparatus. 
The  first  engine,  obtained  in  that  winter,  proved  inefficient  and  another 
was  bought  from  Lewis  Selye,  of  Rochester,  for  $325.  An  engine 
house  was  erected  in  1843.  The  company  just  mentioned  was  disbanded 
in  July,  1848,  and  a  new  one  appointed.  The  membership  of  the  com- 
pany and  other  organizations  that  followed  was  frequently  changing, 
but  usually  included  many  of  the  best  citizens.  In  later  years  and  after 
the  village  was  several  years  without  any  organized  department,  two 
companies  were  formed — the  Hope  Engine  Company,  organized  in 
July,  1880,  with  thirty  members,  and  Yates  Hose  Company  No.  1,  or- 
ganized at  the  same  time  with  ten  members.  The  department  now 
consists  of  an  engine  company,  who  have  charge  of  a  good  hand  en- 
gine; Yates  Hose  Company  and  Fuller  Hose  Company,  with  a  Hook 
aud  Ladder  Company.  A  steam  fire  engine  is  owned  by  Peter  Walrath 
and  is  kept  at  his  foundry.  A  part  of  the  village  is  now  supplied  with 
hydrants,   from  which  water  is  taken  by  the  engine. 

This  village  has  always  had  excellent  educational  facilities,  for  a 
place  of  its  size.  The  long  celebrated  Yates  Polytechnic  Institute, 
founded  by  John  B.  Yates  in  1824,  is  properly  described  in  chapter  de- 
voted to  education.  The  village  and  considerable  adjoining  territory 
now  constitute  Union  School  District  No.  2,  of  the  town  of  Sullivan, 
formed  under  the  law  in  1871.     This  district  includes  what  were  for- 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— SULLIVAN.  329 

merly  districts  3  and  17,  with  parts  of  the  so-called  Hall  district,  the 
Springs  district  and  the  Anguish  district.  In  September,  1871,  the 
Polytechnic  building  was  taken  for  the  Union  school  and  the  Board  of 
Education  was  authorized  to  sell  the  school  property  in  the  two  districts 
first  consolidated.  The  sum  of  $6,000  was  appropriated  to  repair  the 
Polytechnic  building,  and  Prof.  Milton  J.  Griffin  was  chosen  principal 
of  the  school.  Before  the  close  of  1871  $3,000  more  was  appropriated 
to  complete  repairs  on  the  building.  The  present  principal  is  Prof.  W. 
M.  Fort,  who  has  had  charge  of  the  school  about  three  years,  succeed- 
ing Prof.  N.  P.  Avery.     Professor  Fort  has  eight  assistants. 

Following  the  formation  of  the  religious  body  that  finally  became 
the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Chittenango,  described  in  Chapter  IV.,  the 
next  church  organized  in  the  village  was  the  First  Methodist  Church  of 
Chittenango,  in  the  year  1833,  when  John  I.  Walrath,  Daniel  Walrath, 
J.  R.  Knowlin,  William  Metcalf  and  A.  Comstock  were  elected  trustees. 
Meetings  of  Methodists  had  been  held  long  before  this  date  and  when 
the  organization  took  place  Rev.  Benjamin  G.  Paddock  was  in  charge. 
The  meeting  house  was  built  in  1833-34,  which  was  burned  in  1862  and 
at  once  rebuilt  in  its  present  form.  The  society  is  now  in  a  thriving 
condition.     Rev.  A.  J.  Saxe  is  present  pastor. 

The  Baptist  Church  of  Chittenango  was  organized  in  1841  and  re- 
ceived at  once  into  the  Madison  Association.  In  1842  the  membership 
was  thirty-nine  and  Elder  T.  Houston  was  pastor.  A  house  of  worship 
was  purchased  of  the  Presbyterian  society  and  in  1844  the  society  re- 
ported that  it  had  been  repaired  and  paid  for.  Some  of  the  early  pas- 
tors were  Revs.  John  Smitzer,  L.  E.  Swan,  B.  C.  Crandall,  J.  J.  Teeple, 
I.  K.  Brownson,  William  C.  Hubbard,  and  H.  H.  Rouse.  In  1859 
report  was  made  that  preaching  could  not  longer  be  sustained  and  that 
the  church  had  "ripened  for  division."  No  report  appears  after  that 
date.     The  old  church  was  sold  to  the  Catholics  and  finally  burned. 

The  First  Baptist  Church  of  Chittenango  was  organized  February  5, 
1868,  with  twenty  members.  The  congregation  had  previously  wor- 
shiped in  several  places  in  the  village  and  at  this  time  Rev.  William 
Stigar  was  supplying  the  preaching.  During  1868  about  thirty  addi- 
tions were  made  to  the  membership,  and  before  the  close  of  Mr.  Stigar's 
three  years'  pastorate  a  lot  was  purchased  and  a  house  of  worship 
erected  at  a  cost  of  about  $7,000.  The  society  has  since  that  time 
remained  substantially  free  from  debt.     Rev.  J.  H.  McGahan  is  pastor. 

St.    Paul's   Episcopal  Church  was  organized  in   1855,    by  Rev.   Dr. 


330  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Smith  of  Cazenovia,  who  had  been  holding  services  here  a  few  years. 
Sanford  Cobb  and  Joseph  Sanger  were  the  first  wardens.  The  small 
church  was  built  in  1866  at  a  cost  of  about  $5,000.  Rev.  James  D.  S. 
Pardee  succeeded  Dr.  Smith  as  rector.  The  membership  eventually 
became  much  reduced  in  numbers  by  deaths  and  removals,  and  in  1879 
William  S  Hayward  was  established  as  a  missionary  to  the  various 
churches  in  this  region.  There  has  been  no  regular  pastor  of  the 
church  since. 

St.  Patrick's  Church  (Catholic)  was  the  outgrowth  of  services  held 
here  from  about  1851  by  Rev.  Father  Hayes,  from  Syracuse,  in  the 
house  of  James  Stewart  and  later  in  Union  Hall  to  about  1859,  when 
the  church  purchased  the  edifice  of  the  Baptists  for  $900.  This  build- 
ing was  burned  and  the  present  one  erected.  The  society  owns  a 
cemetery  which  was  donated  in  1875  by  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Brinkerhoff. 

The  oldest,  although  not  the  most  important,  village  in  the  town  of 
Sullivan  is  Canaseraga,  situated  a  little  more  than  a  mile  northeast  of 
Chittenango,  where  the  Canaseraga  Creek  crosses  the  Seneca  Turnpike. 
At  the  time  of  the  formation  of  the  county  in  1806  there  were  only  a 
few  families  there.  The  village  is  the  site  of  one  of  the  old  Tuscarora 
villages.  In  1805  Capt.  Timothy  Brown  settled  there,  and  according 
to  Mrs.  Hammond,  Isaac  Holiburt  (?)  had  been  a  merchant  a  little 
earlier,  but  had  failed.  John  Dennie  and  a  Mr.  Drake  were  keeping 
road  taverns,  and  Mr.  Dennie  built  the  first  frame  house.  Solomon 
Beebe  built  the  second  as  an  addition  to  his  log  house.  David  Burton 
settled  there  in  1806  and  built  a  frame  house,  in  which  Samuel  Chap- 
man kept  the  second  store.  John  Klock  built  a  tavern  which  stood 
many  years.  In  1810  the  little  village  was  a  trade  center  for  a  large  part 
of  the  region  to  the  west  of  Quality  Hill,  and  public  meetings,  train- 
ings, and  so  on  were  held  here. 

A  post-office  was  opened  here  at  an  early  date,  with  the  name  of 
Sullivan,  and  on  April  19,  1833,  the  village  was  incorporated  with  the 
same  name.  Previous  to  this  time  the  post-office  had  been  removed  to 
Chittenango,  and  the  chief  purpose  of  incorporation  was  to  retain  the 
name  of  the  former  post-office.  When  the  office  was  first  removed  to 
Chittenango  it  carried  with  it  the  original  name,  but  it  was  changed  to 
Chittenango  in  1823.  The  post-office  here  was  abandoned  some  forty 
years  ago  and  the  place  gradually  took  its  original  Indian  name.  The 
office  was  established  in  recent  years. 

The  history  of  the  first  mills  built  here  on  the  creek  is  lost  in  the  past, 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— SULLIVAN.  331 

but  they  were  in  operation  without  doubt  before  1805,  and  continued 
many  years.  The  present  mills  were  built  in  1855  by  Simon  D.  Pad- 
dock, and  passed  to  Daniel  Hull  in  1879.  Allen  S.  Scoville  was  a  later 
owner  and  upon  his  death  they  became  the  property  of  his  widow,  the 
present  owner.  There  has  always  been  a  small  mercantile  business 
done  here  and  a  store  is  at  present  conducted  by  Frank  Cole,  who  is 
also  postmaster.  At  Canaseraga  station  on  the  Central  Railroad  is  a 
post  office  with  the  old  name  of  Canaseraga. 

The  Erie  Canal  passes  through  this  town  a  little  to  the  north  of  Chit- 
tenango  village  at  what  has  always  been  known  as  Chittenango  Land- 
ing. Here  there  has  always  been  more  less  business  carried  on.  A 
dry  dock  was  built  which  had  different  owners  and  groceries  have  been 
kept  for  many  years,  mainly  for  the  accommodation  of  boatmen.  The 
dry  dock  was  built  at  the  time  of  the  canal  enlargement  by  John  H. 
Walrath  and  Hiram  Graves,  who  owned  it  about  five  years.  It  is  now 
the  property  of  R.  J.  Scott.  The  place  is  now  important  only  as  the 
site  of  the  new  pottery  before  mentioned,  and  the  vinegar  factory  of 
George  Walrath. 

East  Boston  is  a  hamlet  and  post-office  about  three  miles  northeast 
of  Chittenango,  which  was  originally  settled  mainly  by  families  from 
Massachusetts.  A  small  mercantile  business  and  a  few  shops  have  con- 
stituted the  business  in  past  years.  A  saw  mill  near  the  settlement 
was  built  about  1825  and  has  had  various  owners  during  its  existence. 
The  Harrison  Brothers  established  here  an  extensive  vinegar  and  cider 
factory,  which  they  removed  to  near  Canastota,  as  described  in  the  his- 
tory of  that  village.     The  present  postmaster  is  Z.  E.  Coe. 

Chittenango  Station  is  on  the  Central  railroad,  centrally  situated  in 
the  town,  and  at  the  present  ti-ne  has  three  stores  kept  respectively  by 
George  W.  Carpenter,  A.  W.  Green  and  William  Hurlburt.  The  first 
merchant  was  J.  T.  Burton,  who  opened  a  grocery  in  1856  and  in  1866 
built  a  store  that  was  afterwards  occupied  by  his  brother,  N.  J.  Burton, 
with  whom  he  associated  in  1875  and  to  whom  he  sold  out  in  1878.  The 
store  formerly  occupied  by  Porter  &  Green,  and  later  by  A.  W.  Green, 
was  opened  by  the  firm  about  1858,  where  they  were  succeeded  by 
William  Cain,  George  Crispe,  Washington  Conine,  John  Cronk,  and  A. 
W.  Green. 

The  first  postmaster  here  was  William  Macomber,  appointed  in  1863. 
The  present  incumbent  is  George  W.  Carpenter.  There  are  two  hotels, 
the  Webb  House,  kept  by  F.  L.  Webb,  and  another  by  Charles  P. 
Eaton.     Samuel  Levy  conducts  the  milk  station. 


332  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

In  the  extreme  northwestern  part  of  the  town  is  the  village  of  Bridge- 
port, on  the  Chittenango  Creek  and  about  two  miles  from  Oneida  Lake. 
In  the  very  early  years  of  the  century  the  point  was  known  as  the  Chit- 
tenango Rifts  (or  Rapids).  Isaac  and  John  Delamater  settled  here  in 
1802,  and  John  Knowles  and  John  Adams  not  long  after.  The  im- 
mense water  power  found  here  where  the  creek  has  a  fall  of  about  ten 
feet  made  it  a  desirable  point  for  settlement.  It  has  always  been  noted 
for  its  fisheries  and  formerly  many  boats  were  built  here  for  lake  pur- 
poses. It  is  said  that  Capt.  Rosel  Barnes  was  the  first  settler  here  and 
built  the  first  frame  house,  having  previously  kept  a  tavern  in  a  log 
building.  The  father  of  the  late  Capt.  John  Rector,  was  also  a  very 
early  settler.  The  hamlet  was  the  site  of  large  cooperage  industries 
in  past  years,  many  barrels  being  made  and  taken  down  the  creek, 
through  Oneida  Lake  and  thence  to  Salina  where  they  were  used  for 
packing  salt.  Families  who  came  in  at  a  later  date  were  the  Briggs, 
White,  Eastford,  Owen,  Crownhart,  Dunham,  Hosley,  and  other  fami- 
lies. 

The  business  interests  of  more  recent  times  include  a  hotel  built  in 
1873  on  a  site  of  a  former  one  that  was  burned  in  1867;  and  another  in 
which  John  Nichols,  Udell  Mayo  and  others  were  past  landlords.  The 
present  hotels  are  the  Nichols  House,  kept  by  Gilbert  Slingerland  and 
the  Servis  House,  by  Holden  Bushnell. 

It  is  not  known  how  early  the  Bridgeport  Mills  were  built,  and  they 
have  had  many  owners.  For  many  years  past  they  have  done  only  cus- 
tom work  and  are  now  operated  by  Snyder  Bros.  (Clinton  D.  and  W.  J.) 

Lewis  V.  Conklin,  John  Nichols,  Wallace  Billington,  and  David  H. 
Brown  have  general  stores.  Among  former  merchants  were  Dunham 
&  Sharpe,  John  O.  Terpenny,  Charles  Billinglon  &  Brother  and  Horace 
V.  Draper.  The  latter  is  still  in  business  in  tin  and  hardware.  Eph- 
raim  Andrews  and  William  Moore  carry  on  blacksmithing.  The  post- 
master is  Richard  R.  Brown. 

About  two  miles  east  of  Bridgeport  is  the  cheese  factory  of  L.  W. 
Sayles,  who  bought  the  property  in  1875  of  James  Vrooman,  who 
moved  the  building  from  another  site  and  first  operated  the  factory 
about  1868.  There  is  another  factory  a  little  south  of  the  village  oper- 
ated by  John  Durst. 

There  was  a  Methodist  Society  here  as  early  as  1835,  which  belonged 
to  the  old  North  Manlius  Circuit,  with  Rev.  Anson  Tuller,  pastor.  The 
congregation  was  small  and  for  many  years  they  had  only  occasional 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— SULLIVAN.  333 

preaching.  In  1866  the  people  became  anxious  for  a  regular  pastor  of 
the  Methodist  faith  and  soon  afterward  Rev.  Silas  Ball  was  appointed 
and  remained  a  year.  He  was  followed  by  Rev.  Gideon  P.  Jones  and 
in  1868  Rev.  Moses  Lyon  was  appointed.  In  that  year  was  organized 
the  First  Methodist  Episcoal  Society  of  Bridgeport  with  Jefferson  Hall, 
O.  Sayles,  Asa  Ames,  Daniel  Marvin,  James  S.  Prosser,  Ozias  Osborn, 
B.  D.  Auchmoody,  J.  S.  Barnard,  and  Richard  Brown,  trustees.  In 
1869  the  meeting  house  was  finished.  The  society  continued  to  pros- 
per under  the  ministration  of  the  various  pastors  appointed  to  the  charge 
and  is  still  in  active  existence. 

The  Bridgeport  Baptist  Church  was  organized  in  1845  with  twelve 
members,  under  the  pastoral  direction  of  Henry  Shute.  The  meeting 
house  was  built  before  1847,  and  in  1848  Rev.  David  Pease  began  a 
brief  pastorate.  His  successors  have  been  numerous.  The  society,  is 
still  in  existence,  but  is  small  in  numbers. 

Lakeport  is  a  small  post  village  about  five  miles  east  of  Bridgeport 
on  the  lake  shore.  Reuben  Spencer  was  about  the  first  settler  in  this 
immediate  vicinity,  coming  from  Connecticut.  He  purchased  an  ex- 
tensive tract  of  land  through  which  ran  Spencer  Brook,  on  which  stream 
he  built  a  saw  mill.  That  mill  disappeared  long  ago  and  he  built 
another  later  one,  which  was  demolished  about  1870.  In  that  he  oper- 
ated a  turning  lathe.  Mr.  Spencer  passed  his  long  life  here.  He  was 
father  of  William  R.  Spencer.  Reuben  Bushnell  was  another  early  set 
tier,  coming  in  1811  to  locate  on  the  place  occupied  in  later  years  by 
his  son,  Franklin  Bushnell.  Another  of  his  sons  was  William  Bushnell. 
William  Williams  and  Richard  Chapman  were  early  settlers.  Zina 
Bushnell  also  came  here  early  and  as  early  as  1818  built  the  first  brick 
house  in  northern  Sullivan,  making  the  brick  on  his  own  farm.  A  later 
saw  mill  was  built  about  1850  by  W.  H.  Snedeker,  which  was  purchased 
by  P.  W.  Tupper  in  1858.  It  is  now  owned  and  operated  by  Charles 
F.  Pennock.  The  Larkin  House  was  built  about  1850  and  was  then 
called  the  Lakeport  House.  It  was  remodeled  and  enlarged  and  passed 
to  the  proprietorship  of  David  Larkin,  taking  his  name.  It  is  still 
owned  by  a  member  of  the  Larkin  family  and  kept  by  Edward  Jacobs. 
The  Avon  House  was  built  in  1877  by  John  Dempsey,  who  conducted 
it  a  short  time  and  was  succeeded  by  Reuben  Coss ;  the  house  is  now 
unoccupied. 

A  store  building  was  erected  about  1855  by  Perry  Edwards,  who  oc- 
cupied it  about  four  years  and  was  followed  by  N.  Warner.     Edwin  C. 


334  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Green  took  the  store  about  1865  and  conducted  the  business  many 
years.  It  is  now  occupied  by  J.  W.  Phillips,  who  is  also  postmaster. 
Mr.  Green  was  postmaster  a  number  of  years  and  succeeded  David 
Larkin. 

A  half  mile  west  of  Lakeport  was  built  the  Spencer  Brook  Cheese 
Factory  by  John  K.  Gifford  about  1868.  Edward  F.  Sternberg  was  a 
later  proprietor.  The  building  is  now  the  Spencer  Brook  House,  of 
which  Mr.  Sternberg  is  landlord.  Another  cheese  factory  in  this  vicin- 
ity is  conducted  by  Charles  F.  Pennock. 

The  First  Congregational  Church  of  Oneida  Lake,  including  in  its 
charge  the  territory  of  the  northeast  part  of  Sullivan  and  the  north- 
west part  of  the  old  town  of  Lenox,  was  organized  in  August,  1846, 
with  nineteen  members,  eleven  of  whom  were  women.  From  that  year 
until  1851  Rev.  Josiah  J.  Ward  was  pastor.  A  meeting  house  was  built 
in  182i,  but  was  partly  unfinished  until  1846.  It  was  much  improved 
in  1876.     The  society  is  still  in  existence. 

The  Union  Congregational  Society  in  the  north  part  of  Lenox  and 
Sullivan,  as  the  record  gives  it,  was  organized  in  1824  and  retained  its 
existence  until  about  1842,  when  it  discontinued,  and  the  property 
passed  to  the  society  just  described.  There  is  a  Free  Methodist  society 
which  built  a  church  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  east  of  Lakeport. 

The  somewhat  celebrated  white  sulphur  springs,  about  four  miles 
south  of  Chittenango  Station,  from  which  they  are  reached  by  an  ex- 
cellent road,  have  already  been  briefly  mentioned.  The  first  effort  to 
bring  these  springs  into  public  notice  was  made  about  1825  by  Peter 
Colyer,  who  purchased  the  land  on  which  they  are  situated  and  opened 
a  road  to  them.  Milton  Leach  then  established  a  grocery  and  a  shower 
bathing  establishment.  Mr.  Colyer  soon  afterwards  erected  a  building 
for  the  accommodation  of  visitors.  The  reputation  of  the  waters  spread 
gradually  and  they  became  noted  for  their  curative  properties.  A  large 
hotel  was  ultimately  built  which  was  for  a  period  under  the  efficient 
management  of  Josiah  Tasker,  now  living  in  Syracuse.  But  for  some 
unexplained  causes  the  springs  and  the  locality  could  not  be  made  suf- 
ficiently popular  to  render  the  business  profitable  and  the  house  is  now 
falling  into  ruin. 

Aside  from  the  great  railroads,  the  Central  and  the  West  Shore, 
which  cross  the  town  of  Sullivan,  there  was  an  earlier  piece  of  railroad 
experience  here  that  has  considerable  historical  importance.  When 
the  agitation  of  the  Chenango  Canal  project  was  in  progress,   the  sub- 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— SULLIVAN.  335 

ject  arose  of  building  a  railroad  from  the  north  line  of  Madison  county 
to  the  Chenango,  following  down  the  Chenango  valley,  its  northern 
terminus  to  be  Chittenango.  It  was  thought  that  freighting  from  the 
county  of  lime,  plaster,  and  other  products,  with  salt  traffic  from  Syra- 
cuse, with  other  considerations  would  make  the  road  a  paying  invest- 
ment. But  the  canal  went  through  and  the  railroad  project  died.  Very 
soon  afterward,  prominent  men  of  Chittenango,  Cazenovia  and  De 
Ruyter,  who  felt  that  a  road  was  needed  from  the  canal  to  the  south- 
ward, took  up  the  matter  with  renewed  zeal ;  prominent  among  these 
men  was  John  B.  Yates;  others  were  Perry  G.  Childs,  Robert  Riddell, 
J.  D.  Ledyard,  John  Knowles,  George  K.  Fuller,  Benjamin  Enos,  and 
others.  Meetings  were  held  along  the  proposed  route,  which  it  was 
desired  should  extend  from  Chittenango  to  De  Ruyter,  at  least,  and 
possibly  on  southward.  A  company  was  formed  and  $70,000  in  stock 
subscribed,  Mr.  Yates  agreeing  to  build  the  first  mile  at  his  own  ex- 
pense. Surveys  were  made  and  grading  begun  at  Chittenango,  when 
Judge  Yates  died  and  the  work  was  abandoned. 

Agriculture  in  this  town  has  undergone  the  same  changes  experi- 
enced in  other  local  regions.  The  hop  industry,  once  of  great  impor- 
tance, has  to  a  considerable  extent  declined  and  given  place  to  dairying, 
the  shipment  of  milk  and  the  operation  of  creameries,  with  the  grow- 
ing of  such  crops  as  are  needed  for  home  consumption.  In  this  con- 
nection must  not  be  forgotten  the  extensive  operations  before  described 
for  reclaiming  the  great  area  of  swamp  lands  and  their  preparation  for 
tillage,  with  the  promise  thus  offered  for  new  crops  for  this  region  that 
are  likely  to  bring  in  a  large  revenue.  Among  prominent  farmers  of 
this  town,  past  and  present,  may  be  mentioned  Ebenezer  Pennock, 
whose  son,  Charles  F. ,  is  still  extensively  engaged  in  various  agricul- 
tural operations,  Franklin  Gates,  John  Hopkins,  Myron  D.  Olmsted, 
Henry  King,  Henry  Lasher,  John  Lilly,  members  of  the  Walrath  fam- 
ily on  the  old  Walrath  farm,  Albert  Brown,  Philip  Wager,  William 
Ladd,  John  H.  Anguish,  John  Burke,  and  others. 

The  town  of  Sullivan  has  a  variety  in  its  soil  not  found  in  many  of 
the  towns  in  the  county,  as  already  noticed.  Mixed  farming  has,  there- 
fore, been  followed  with  profit  in  early.years,  excellent  crops  of  wheat, 
among  other  cereals,  having  been  produced  here  as  well  as  in  the  ad- 
joining town  of  old  Lenox.  Hops  have  also  been  largely  produced, 
but  not  to  anything  like  the  extent  of  other  towns.  In  more  recent 
years,  and  especially  after  the  beginning  of  cheese  and  butter  making 
in  factories,  the  dairy  interest  has  been  a  very  important  one. 


336  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  so-called  Cowasselon  swamp  extends  across  the  whole  northern 
part  of  the  towns  of  both  Sullivan  and  Lenox.  It  is  four  or  five  miles 
wide  and  bordered  in  the  town  of  Sullivan  by  the  Vlaie  (popularly 
called  the  Fly)  or  natural  meadow.  Into  this  great  swamp  flows  the 
Cowasselon  Creek  with  a  sluggish  current,  and  in  its  midst  is  joined 
by  Canastota  Creek,  the  enlarged  stream  coursing  along  to  the  lake. 
The  waters  of  the  stream  formerly  spread  over  a  large  area  of  the 
swamp,  giving  it  the  name  of  Canaseraga  Lake,  as  it  appears  on  old 
maps.  This  swampy  land  lies  higher  than  Oneida  Lake,  but  drainage 
to  that  body  of  water  was  prevented  by  a  ridge  of  land  about  a  mile 
in  width,  rendering  an  immense  tract  worthless  as  it  then  existed.  But 
enterprising  men  saw  a  future  for  the  great  swamp  and  purchased  large 
tracts.  Col.  Zebulon  Douglass  was  one  of  the  first  to  attempt  improve- 
ment of  the  swamp  lands  in  the  early  years  of  the  century,  and  after 
an  appropriation  was  obtained  from  the  State  proceeded  to  cut  a  new 
channel  for  the  stream,  straightening  its  course  and  opening  it  to  the 
lake.  While  not  as  effective  as  had  been  hoped  for,  this  improvement 
reclaimed  many  acres  of  the  morass  and  improved  the  health  of  set- 
tlers. Across  this  great  tract  runs  what  was  once  called  the  Cazenovia 
and  Oneida  Lake  Stone  Road,  which  was  opened  and  made  passable  by 
an  immense  amount  of  labor  many  years  ago.  In  1848  the  road  was 
laid  with  plank  and  became  a  part  of  the  De  Ruyter,  Cazenovia  and 
Oneida  Lake  plank  road.  It  was  subsequently  macadamized.  The 
quantity  of  these  swamp  lands  in  this  town  and  Lenox  has  been  esti- 
mated at  as  much  as  15,000  acres.  Large  tracts  of  these  lands  have  in 
quite  recent  years  come  into  the  possession  of  enterprising  men  who 
are  now  engaged  in  their  reclamation  on  an  extensive  scale.  Charles 
F  Pennock  of  Chittenango,  D.  C.  Twogood,  Milton  De  Lano,  L.  G. 
Colton  and  others  of  Canastota  are  among  the  foremost  in  this  great 
work,  the  results  of  which  are  likely  to  revolutionize  agriculture 
throughout  the  whole  region. 

In  1889  the  so-called  Commission  Ditch  was  built  to  drain  a  portion 
of  the  muck  lands.  It  was  twenty  feet  wide  at  the  top  and  twelve  at 
the  bottom.  The  commission  under  whom  this  was  done  were  Lewis 
Lighthall,  Hiram  L.  Rockwell  and  John  M.  Coe.  In  1895  an  appropri- 
ation of  $30,000  was  made  by  the  State,  with  which  to  clean  out  and 
deepen  the  old  ditch.  Another  commission  has  recently  been  appointed 
consisting  of  J.  Wesley  Goodell  of  Canastota,  Edmund  B.  Adams  of 
Chittenango,  and  Albert  G.  Stephens  of  Lenox,  the  appointment  com- 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— SULLIVAN.  337 

ing  through  Judge  John  E,  Smith.  A  survey  is  now  in  progress  for  a 
ditch  about  two  miles  in  length,  extending  from  a  point  a  third  of  a 
mile  east  of  what  is  known  as  the  Oniontown  road  westward  to  the 
State  ditch .  It  is  believed  this  improvement  will  reclaim  nearly  a 
thousand  acres  more  of  this  valuable  soil.  Mr.  Pennock  has  already 
about  300  acres  of  his  land  in  tillage,  has  erected  twenty-three  dwell- 
ings for  workmen  and  made  other  valuable  improvements.  It  is  es- 
timated that  there  are  now  planted  in  the  town  of  Sullivan  more  than 
200  acres  of  celery,  with  large  acreage  of  onions  and  other  similar 
crops.  The  Madison  County  Celery  Company,  recently  organized,  has 
a  building  at  Chittenango  Station  for  the  prosecution  of  their  work. 

In  the  old  town  of  Lenox,  with  headquarters  at  Canastota,  similar 
operations  are  in  progress  on  a  still  larger  scale,  which  are  described 
here  for  the  better  convenience  of  the  reader.  The  Canastota  Celery 
Company  was  incorporated  in  1893,  with  capital  of  $1,000  and  a  reg- 
istered trade  mark.  Since  that  date  other  enterprising  men  have  taken 
up  the  work  until  at  the  present  time  there  are  eleven  different  com- 
panies in  the  business  at  Canastota.  The  officers  of  the  Canastota 
Celery  Company  are  D.  C.  Twogood,  president;  F.  W.  Twogood,  vice- 
president;  John  Duignan,  treasurer;  Cedric  Greiner,  secretary;  and 
Milton  De  Lano.  The  other  companies  here  are:  The  Jenks  Celery 
Company,  the  Warner  Celery  Company,  the  Jennings  Brothers  Celery 
Company,  the  Celery  Growers'  Union,  the  Standard  Celery  Company, 
the  Star  Celery  Company,  the  Lenox  Celery  Company  (incorporated), 
the  Chittenango  Celery  Company,  the  Tondeur  Celery  Company,  and  the 
Lansing  Celery  Company.  In  the  town  of  Lenox  there  are  about  400 
acres  planted  to  celery,  and  other  crops  of  this  nature  are  receiving 
attention. 

22 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

PROGRESS  OF  IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS   CONTINUED— DE   RUYTER 
AND  GEORGETOWN. 

The  once  large  town  of  De  Ruyter,  which  included  the  territory  of 
the  present  towns  of  German,  Lincklaen,  Otselic  and  Pitcher  in  Che- 
nango county,  and  Georgetown  in  Madison  county,  was  reduced  to  its 
present  area  in  1815,  when  the  last-named  town  was  set  off.  There  was 
no  important  change  in  the  town  other  than  the  gradual  increase  in 
population  during  the  first  quarter  of  the  century,  the  development  of 
agricultural  operations,  and  the  growth  of  the  village  that  gathered  in 
early  years  about  the  mills  on  theTioughnioga,  and  the  store  of  Samuel 
Bowen.  In  early  years  this  village  gained  considerable  business  im- 
portance and  had  so  increased  in  population  by  1833  that  it  was  incor- 
porated on  the  15th  of  April;  it  was  reincorporated  December  7,  1847, 
and  again  on  February  18,  1878,  under  the  law  of  April  30,  1870.  We 
are  able  to  give  a  nearly  complete  list  of  the  presidents  and  clerks  from 
the  first  incorporation  to  the  present  time,  as  follows: 

Presidents— 1833,  Jeremiah  Gage;  1834,  Elmer  D.  Jenks;  1835, 
Ephraim  Arnold;  1836,  Stephen  G.  Sears;  1837,  Samuel  Gage;  1838, 
Abijah  N.  Annas;  1839,  R.  D.  Dellay  (Dillaye);  1840,  Abram  Hart; 
1841,  Zadock  T.  Bentley;  1842,  James  Nye;  1843,  Charles  Benjamin; 
1844,  Israel  Smith;  1845,  Silas  G.  Walker;  1846,  Ira  Gage  Barnes;  1847, 
Barton  G.  Stillman ;  1848,  Elmer  D.  Jenks;  1849,  J  .  S.  Bentley;  1850, 
WillardD.  Wilcox;  1851,  Thomas  Russell;'  1852;'  1853,  Allen  Sutton; 
1854,  C.  H.  Maxson ;  1855,  Allen  Sutton;  1856,  Allen  Shepherd;  1857, 
William  J.  Ayer;  1858,  Allen  Sutton;  1859,  J.  W.  Merchaot;  I860;' 
1861-63,  Barton  G.  Stillman;  1864,  J.  R.  Rider;  1865-66,  B.  G  Still- 
man;  1867-68,  H.C,  Miner;  1869,  B.  G.  Stillman;  1870,  Allen  Sutton; 
1871,  B.  G.  Stillman;  1872,  H.  C.Miner;  1873-74,  B.  G.  Stillman;  1875, 
Horace  Benjamin;  1876,  James  P.  Russell;  1877-84,  Byron  S.  Bryant; 

'September  15, 1851,  E.  Hubbard  was  chosen  president  vice  Thomas  Russell,  removed. 
'  The  records  do  not  show  who  were  president  and  clerk  in  1853. 
"  The  records  do  not  show  who  was  president  in  1860. 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— DE  RUYTER.  339 

1885,  Henry  K.  Nash;  1886,  Ransom  F.  Clark;  1887,  Edwin  N.  Coon; 
1888-89,  Charles  H.  Maxson;  1890-93,  William  J.  Annas;  1893-94, 
Wallace  E.  Burdick ;  1895-96,  Harlan  D.  Preston;  1897,  Wallace  E. 
Burdick;  1898,  Harlan  D.  Preston. 

Clerks— 1833,  Le  Baron  Goodwin;  1834,  George  vSears ;  1835-36,  Z.T. 
Bentley;  1837,  Martin  Spear;  1838,  Charles  H.  Maxson;  1839-42, 
George  Sears;  1843-46,  Artemas  V.  Bentley;  1847,  William  B.  Wooley; 
1848-51,  Charles  H.  Maxson;  1853-54,  J.B.Wells;  1855,  Arza  Coon; 
1856,  A.  V.  Bentley;  1857-58,  Jacob  Merritt;  1859-61,  Robert  P.  York; 
1862,  Henry  Russell;  1863,  Thomas  Fisher;  1864-65,  George  W.  Blod- 
gett;  18G6,  Jason  B.Wells;  1867,  L.  B.  Kern;  1868-72,  W.  E.  Burdick; 
1873,  Jason  B.  Wells;  1874-78,  W.  Judson  Annas;'  1879-82,  W.  E.  Bur- 
dick; 1883-87,  William  J.  Annas;  1888-92,  Ory  G.  Hayes;  1893-95, 
Frank  D.  Simons;  1896-97,  H.Julian  Fellows;  1898,  William  H.   Hill. 

While  De  Ruyter  village  was  developing  into  a  business  center  of 
some  importance  a  number  of  families  not  yet  mentioned  came  in  and 
settled  in  various  parts  of  the  town.  Among  these  may  be  mentioned 
Pliny  Sabins,  who  built  the  first  frame  house  at  Shed's  Corners  in  early 
years.  David  Maine,  who  was  well  known  as  a  very  successful  school 
teacher  and  lived  at  the  head  of  the  reservoir;  he  reared  a  large  family, 
his  son  David  becoming  a  surveyor  and  member  of  assembly  in  1849. 
James  Nye,  father  of  the  prominent  lawyer,  James  W.  Nye.  Eleazer 
H.  Sears,  father  of  Stephen  G.,  George  S.,  and  Francis  Sears,  who 
were  all  well  known  citizens.  Aaron,  Belden,  Isaac,  and  Nathan  Pad- 
dock, who  came  with  their  mother  from  Dutchess  county.  Jonathan, 
Luke,  and  Pardon  Coon,  who  were  successful  farmers  in  the  north  part 
of  the  town.  Col.  Elmer  D.  Jencks,  a  prominent  business  man.  Dr. 
Hubbard  Smith,  who  was  the  first  postmaster  at  the  village.  Abraham 
Payne,  the  first  regular  attorney,  and  others  who  will  be  noticed  as  we 
proceed. 

There  was  a  saw  mill  on  the  site  of  the  later  one  which  was  probably 
built  as  early  as  the  beginning  of  the  century.  The  second  one  on  the 
site  was  built  by  Joseph  H.  Crumb,  who  sold  it  to  George  Angel 
about  1877.  The  foundry,  established  also  by  Mr.  Crumb,  passed 
to  Angel  with  the  mill.  The  mill  subsequently  fell  into  decay  and 
the  foundry  became  the  property  of  the  Cazenovia  Coal  and  Lumber 
Company  and  was  used  for  storage.     It  was  recently  burned. 

About  a  mile  above  the  site  of  the  village  mills  was  formerly  a  saw 

'  July  3,  1878,  W.  E.  Burdick  was  appointed  clerk  in  place  o£  Annas. 


340  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

and  a  grist  mill  which  was  operated  many  years  by  Jonathan  Neil,  and 
a  part  of  the  time  by  Frank  Antes;  both  are  now  idle  and  going  to  de- 
cay. The  village  grist  mill  was  built  about  sixty  years  ago  by  Stephen 
Hubbard  and  afterwards  passed  through  the  hands  of  Hiram  Webster, 
Horace  Hill,  Lewis  Sears,  William  and  Julius  Hill,  and  H.  E.  Hill, 
sons  of  Horace,  and  to  the  present  proprietors,  Thompson  &  Church. 

A  soap  and  candle  factory  was  started  about  1850  by  Alexander 
Campbell  who  took  his  son,  George  A.,  as  partner  soon  afterward. 
The  latter  was  the  next  year  associated  with  his  brother-in-law,  Edward 
Spicer,  who  purchased  the  elder  Campbell's  interest.  After  several 
changes  in  proprietorship  the  business  passed  to  Barton  G.  Stillman, 
who  was  also  a  harness  maker.  The  industry  was  never  an  important 
one  and  is  now  discontinued. 

The  tannery  established  at  an  early  day  by  Ephraim  Arnold,  was 
long  the  important  industry  of  the  village ;  but  even  that  has  succumbed 
to  the  inevitable  business  changes  of  recent  years.  Abraham  Sutton 
and  his  son  Lindley  acquired  a  half  interest  in  the  tannery  and  later 
Lewis  Sears  and  James  Sutton  purchased  Arnold's  interest,  the  firm 
becoming  Sutton,  Sears  &  Co.  When  subsequently  Abraham  and 
James  Sutton  sold  to  the  others  partners  and  Simeon  Rider  was  ad- 
mitted, the  firm  name  was  made  Sutton,  Sears  &  Rider.  The  next 
change  was  the  purchase  of  Rider's  interest  by  Allen  Sutton.  After 
the  death  of  Lindley  Sutton,  about  1845,  Lewis  Sears  and  Allen  Sutton 
took  the  business,  which  soon  afterward  was  all  acquired  by  Sutton;  he 
continued  it  until  1875,  when  it  was  abandoned.  When  Simeon  Rider 
sold  his  interest  in  this  tannery  he  purchased  an  old  carding  factory 
which  had  stood  for  many  years  on  the  north  side  of  the  stream,  and 
converted  it  into  a  tannery,  which  he  operated  until  his  death.  It 
passed  to  Carlos  Bennett  and  J.  Harvey  Delaraater.  The  latter  was 
connected  with  the  industry  until  it  ceased  operation  about  1874. 

Another  manufacturing  industry  of  De  Ruyter  was  the  chair  factory 
of  E.  M.  Pope,  who  came  from  Cincinnatus  in  1878  and  established  it; 
but  it  was  removed  to  Crane's  Mills  the  next  year. 

There  is  almost  no  manufacturing  in  this  town  at  the  present  time 
aside  from  that  connected  with  the  dairying  interest.  With  the  changes 
that  recent  years  have  wrought  in  agricultural  methods  in  this  vicinity, 
grain  and  stock  raising  and  mixed  farming  that  once  predominated 
have  been  superseded  by  the  manufacture  of  butter  and  cheese  and  the 
sale  of  milk.     In  1880  there  were  five  creameries  and  cheese  factories 


I 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— DE  RUYTER.  341 

in  the  town,  which  were  taking  the  milk  from  1,900  cows;  these  were 
the  Case  factory,  named  for  its  former  owner,  Milton  L.  Case,  who  pur- 
chased it  from  De  Grand  Benjamin,  by  whom  it  was  converted  in  1870 
from  a  grist  mill,  the  mill  becoming  useless  through  the  construction 
of  the  reservoir  which  destroyed  the  water  power;  this  factory  was 
burned  in  1894  and  rebuilt.  The  reservoir  factory  was  built  in  1865  by 
a  stock  company  about  four  miles  north  of  the  village;  it  is  now  owned 
by  De  Lloyd  Burdick.  The  Shed's  Corners  factory  was  built  about 
the  close  of  the  Civil  war  by  A.  B.  White  and  passed  to  his  children ; 
it  is  now  owned  by  Buckingham  &  McCoy.  The  Quaker  Basin  factory 
was  converted  from  a  Quaker  meeting  house  by  a  Mr.  Mack  in  1869 
and  was  subsequently  burned.  A  new  creamer}'  is  now  operated  here 
by  Frank  Harris,  and  owned  by  a  stock  company.  The  Crumb  Hill 
factory  was  built  about  1875  by  L.  D.  Nichols,  who  operated  it  a  num- 
ber of  years;  it  is  now  idle. 

Within  quite  recent  years  the  raising  of  potatoes  for  distant  markets 
has  become  an  important  industry  with  the  famers,  and  large  quantities 
have  been  shipped.  Hay,  also,  is  produced  in  large  quantities  and  has 
been  shipped  largely  to  Pennsylvania.  Paul  Billings  &  Co. ,  have  large 
hay  storage  facilities  near  the  village.  Hard  wood  lumber  is  still  sold 
to  a  limited  extent  to  the  Byrant  Furniture  Company,  who  operate  a 
steam  saw  mill  near  the  station  and  have  a  factory  in  Truxton. 

The  first  merchant  at  De  Ruyter  was  Samuel  Bowen,  who  came  soon 
after  1800  and  opened  a  store  in  a  small  building  which  stood  a  little 
north  of  the  site  of  the  Taber  House.  A  man  named  Gray  was  in  trade 
in  1805  and  built  the  first  frame  store.  Nathan  B.  Wilbur,  a  native  of 
Brookfield,  opened  a  store  about  1818  and  was  in  business  several  years. 
James  Benjamin  was  another  early  merchant,  and  Eli  Spear  kept  a 
store  on  the  southwest  corner  in  1809  and  afterwards  kept  a  public 
house  in  the  same  building. 

Col.  Elmer  D.  Jencks  cameinto  Smyrna  with  his  parents  in  1791,  and 
in  1S09  settled  in  De  Ruyter  where  he  established  an  early  distillery  a 
mile  north  of  the  village.  In  1814  he  located  in  the  villige  and  opened 
a  store  where  he  was  in  trade  until  about  1860.  Sylvester  Tylesworth 
was  an  early  merchant  who  removed  to  Utica  about  1834.  Israel  Smith 
was  clerk  for  Mr.  Jencks  and  from  about  1831  for  nearly  fifteen  years 
was  in  business  for  himself.  Stephen  G.  and  George  Sears,  merchants 
from  about  1830  to  1837,  failed  in  the  latter  year.  John  Elmore,  from 
Connecticut  was  an  early  merchant,  and   kept  a  tavern   in   the  same 


342  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

building  on  the  site  of  the  Taber  House;  he  moved  to  Oberlin,  Ohio. 
Martin  Spear  was  a  business  contemporary  of  Elmore  and  for  some 
years  kept  the  tavern  of  which  the  latter  was  proprietor;  he  removed 
to  Cazenovia  where  he  was  a  merchant  and  tavern  keeper,  and  died 
there  in  1877.  Crandall  &  Alvord  built  a  brick  store  in  1835  which 
was  burned  in  1878.  After  about  four  years  together  in  trade  Alvord 
removed  to  Cazenovia  and  Crandall  subsequently  took  his  nephew, 
Silas  C.  Walker,  as  partner.  The  latter  continued  alone  after  about 
five  years  until  1857  when  he  failed.  John  L.  Elmore,  son  of  John,  be- 
gan trade  about  1837  and  soon  took  as  partners  Abijah  N.  Annas  and 
William  J.  Ayer;  they  in  1839  built  the  finest  brick  and  stone  business 
block  in  the  village;  it  was  burned  in  1858.  After  ten  or  twelve  years 
together,  Elmore  retired  and  went  to  Elmira  and  Annas  &  Ayer  con- 
tinued a  few  years  when  Annas  retired  and  his  partner  continued  alone 
until  the  building  was  burned. 

H.  A.  &  F.  C.  Dillaye  began  trade  about  1838  and  continued  to  1844 
when  Henry  A.  removed  to  Syracuse  where  he  became  a  prominent 
business  man.  His  brother  continued  a  few  years  and  sold  to  Benja- 
min Birdsall  and  Bradley  Merchant.  Their  partnership  was  dissolved 
in  1849,  Birdsall  going  to  Michigan,  and  Mr.  Merchant  took  his  son,  J. 
Warren,  as  partner.  The  senior  withdrew  in  1860  and  the  son  con- 
tinued to  the  close  of  the  war  when  he  sold  to  his  brother,  M.  R.  Mer- 
chant. He  continued  in  successful  trade  more  than  fifteen  years  and 
finally  failed. 

In  1833  John  R.  Rider  bought  the  former  harness  business  of  Joshua 
Curtis  and  was  connected  with  the  business  nearly  half  a  century, 
About  1853  he  took  the  stock  of  his  brother,  Nathan  G.,  who  had 
traded  in  Hamilton  about  two  years,  and  brought  it  to  De  Ruyter.  In 
1865  he  took  as  partner  his  son-in-law,  George  D.  Blye,  and  the  firm 
continued  many  years  longer  but  ultimately  failed. 

Noah  T.  Coleman  opened  a  general  store  in  1835  with  Israel  Smith. 
They  separated  at  the  end  of  year  dividing  the  stock,  Smith  continuing 
in  trade  a  few  years,  and  selling  to  Norman  Otis.  Mr.  Coleman  about 
1840  took  his  brother  Horatio  as  partner,  but  the  firm  dissolved  a  few 
years  later  and  Noah  T.  continued  about  forty  years  and  retired  from 
business.  He  built  the  store  he  long  occupied,  which  is  now  a  dwel- 
ling. Joseph  H.  Crumb  settled  in  the  village  about  1847,  began  manu- 
facturing furniture  and  was  for  many  years  and  to  near  his  death 
engaged  in  various  undertakings.     Henry  S.  Walker  began  as  a  hard- 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— DE  RUYTER.  343 

ware  dealer  about  18G8  and  still  continues.  Haight  &  Burdick  began 
dealing  in  drugs  and  groceries,  purchasing  a  former  stock,  and  con- 
tinued together  for  a  period,  when  Burdick  removed  from  the  place ; 
Haight  continued  until  his  tragic  death,  which  is  elsewhere  noticed. 
The  firm  of  Burdick  &  Stillman  also  dealt  in  drugs  and  groceries,  Mr. 
Stillman  finally  retired  and  Burdick  continued  until  his  death.  Erastus 
H.  Lee,  now  a  general  merchant,  began  business  in  1874.  Henry 
Howes  carried  on  a  book  and  stationery  store  some  years,  beginning  in 
1876,  and  is  now  a  live  stock  dealer.  Robert  P.  York  began  as  a  dry 
goods  and  clothing  dealer  in  1876;  he  is  deceased.  Rouse  &  Howes, 
boot  and  shoe  dealers,  began  as  successors  to  a  business  established  in 
1877  but  subsequently  went  out  of  trade.  H.  C.  Blanchard,  clothing, 
began  in  1895  with  W.  P.  Campbell,  who  retired  in  1897.  C.  E.  Max- 
son,  in  jewelry  trade,  began  in  1893.  M.  R.  Smith  opened  a  clothing 
business  in  1881  which  he  recently  sold  and  removed  to  Pennsylvania. 
Stanton  &  Nichols,  milliners,  began  in  1898.  J.  D.  Allen  conducts  a 
plumbing  business  and  O.  M.  Blanchard  is  a  wagon  maker  and  black- 
smith, beginning  in  1883. 

Other  present  business  interests  of  the  village,  with  data  regarding 
establishment,  are  as  follows:  F.  S.  Mitchell,  drugs  and  medicines, 
established  in  1882;  F.  M.  Russell,  groceries  and  hai-dware,  began  in 
1887;  A.  W.  Francis,  flour  and  feed,  1885,  recently  sold  to  E.  M.  Stan- 
ton; Ira  E.  Smith,  furniture  and  undertaking,  succeeding  J.  H. 
Crumb,  1886;  H.  P.  Mitchell,  insurance,  1881;  E.  D.  Benjamin,  pho- 
tographer, 1883;  W.  G.  Weed,  baker,  1870;  H.  B.  Griffiths,  1883; 
Hardie  &  Orvis,  dry  goods,  1894,  succeeded  by  W.  H.  Hardie  in  1899; 
E.  M.  Stanton,  general  store,  1895;  S.  W.  Fiske,  grocer,  succeeded  by 
B.  E.Craw;  M.  E.  Tallett,  coal,  produce,  etc.;  W.  W.  Rainey,  harness, 
1893;  E.  S.  Newitt,  hardware  and  groceries;  C.  A.  Rainbow,  meats, 
1898;  R.  F.  Clark,  groceries,  1898. 

After  the  failure  of  the  old  bank,  noticed  later  on,  the  De  Ruyter 
Banking  Company  was  organized  in  1889,  with  a  capital  of  $10,000, 
and  a  successful  banking  business  has  been  carried  on  since.  The 
first  and  present  officers  are  as  follows:  B.  S.  Bryant,  president;  M.  E. 
Tallett,  vice-president;  F.  S.  Mitchell,  treasurer  and  cashier. 

During  the  past  twenty  years  De  Ruyter  has  had  a  good  newspaper 
which  has  been  liberally  supported  by  the  inhabitants.  The  first  paper 
published  in  the  village  was  the  De  Ruyter  Herald,  which  was  pub- 
lished in  1835  by  C.  W,  Ma.son;  in  the  next  year  the  Protestant  Senti- 


344  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE 

nel  was  issued  and  continued  under  other  titles  for  several  years.  In 
October,  1847,  the  National  Banner  was  started  by  A.  C.  Hill  and  lived 
two  years.  From  1848  to  1851  the  Central  New  Yorker  was  published 
by  E.  F.  &  C.  B.  Gould.  The  Banner  of  the  Times  was  published  a 
few  years  closing  with  1855  by  Walker  &  Hill.  The  De  Ruyter  Weekly 
News  was  established  in  1862  by  J.  E.  N.  Backus,  and  was  discontin- 
ued in  1864  The  De  Ruyter  New  Era  was  started  September  29, 
1870,  by  John  R.  Beden,  and  had  a  fairly  successful  career  for  many 
years.  On  September  18,  1878,  Warren  W.  Ames  started  the  Weekly 
Gleaner,  which  absorbed  the  New  Era  in  1884.  The  Gleaner  is  still 
published  as  a  progressive  Republican  newspaper  by  Mr.  Ames,  and  is 
the  only  paper  in  the  village.  The  De  Ruyter  American  was  started 
December  24,  1896,  by  N.  E.  Bugbee,  and  was  discontinued  in  Novem- 
ber, 1897. 

Succeeding  the  tavern  of  Eli  Page,  which  was  in  existence  previous 
to  1809  and  continued  with  many  changes  for  more  than  half  a  century, 
the  hotel  of  Eli  Spear  was  purchased  by  Thomas  C.  Nye,  was  remod- 
eled and  enlarged  and  was  kept  under  the  name  of  the  Mansion  House. 
Mr.  Nye  ran  stages  to  neighboring  points  and  his  house  was  popular 
with  travelers.  In  later  years  the  Page  hotel,  before  mentioned,  was 
rebuilt  by  Abijah  Annas,  and  kept  as  the  Annas  House  about  two 
years  from  1849.  He  leased  it  to  Guest  &  Harris  who  kept  it  about 
two  years ;  they  were  succeeded  by  Gilson  &  Warfield  about  three  years, 
and  they  by  Henry  Marsh  for  a  like  period,  when  it  was  sold  in  1859  to 
J.  W.  Clark,  who  transferred  it  in  1864  to  Gilbert  Taber.  He  kept  it 
until  1879,  when  he  leased  it  to  I.  M.  Judd.  After  a  few  other  changes 
it  passed  to  the  present  proprietor,  John  Coye. 

The  Central  Hotel  was  built  soon  after  the  opening  of  the  railroad 
by  Charles  Jones  and  his  son,  C.  L.  H.  Jones,  and  occupied  as  a  saloon. 
It  was  converted  into  a  hotel  in  1878  by  Martin  Blanchard,  who  was 
succeeded  by  Charles  Perry,  and  he  by  C.  E.  Beekman,  who  improved 
the  house  and  changed  its  name  to  the  Park  Hotel;  it  is  now  kept  by 
W.  W.  Owens.  The  De  Ruyter  Hotel  was  built  for  a  residence  by  M. 
R.  Merchant.  At  his  failure  it  passed  to  Isaac  Sampson,  who  sold  it 
to  W.  M.  Baldwin;  it  was  converted  to  hotel  uses  in  1893,  and  is  now 
owned  by  George  C.  Satterlee. 

De  Ruyter  village  became  a  post  station  about  1810  and  Dr.  Hubbard 
Smith  was  the  first  postmaster.  The  number  of  inhabitants  was  then 
very  small   and   the  little  collection  of  dwellings  were  mainly  built  of 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— DE  RUYTER.  345 

logs.  The  census  of  1810  gave  the  town  a  population  of  1,503,  but  it 
then  included  the  territory  of  Georgetown.  The  construction  of  the 
turnpike  from  Cooperstown  through  to  Homer  gave  considerable  im- 
petus to  settlements  along  its  route,  a  share  of  which  was  located  in  this 
village.  The  first  school  house  in  the  village  was  built  in  1813  and 
continued  to  be  the  only  one  for  many  years.  There  were  a  few  log 
school  houses  at  that  date  in  different  parts  of  the  town.  The  growth 
of  the  village  was  slow  during  the  first  quarter  of  the  century.  Col. 
Elmer  D.  Jencks  was  appointed  the  second  postmaster  in  1818,  and  he 
held  the  office  until  about  1833.  Between  that  date  and  1861  the  post- 
masters were  Noah  T.  Coleman,  George  Sears,  Stephen  G.  Sears,  Will- 
iam P.  Guest,  Benjamin  Birdsall  and  Stephen  G.  Sears  again.  The 
latter  was  succeeded  in  1861  by  A.  V.  Bentley,  who  held  the  office  more 
than  twenty  years.  His  successors  have  been  W.  E.  Burdick,  F.  Schel- 
linger,  W.  G.  Weed  and  H.  P.  Mitchell. 

The  most  prosperous  period  of  De  Ruyter  village  was  perhaps  from 
1830  to  1840,  or  thereabouts.  There  were  lively  expectations  that  the 
proposed  railroad  from  Chittenango  to  Cazenovia  would  be  extended  to 
the  village,  to  the  great  advantage  of  the  place.  The  first  railroad 
meeting  ever  held  throughout  a  wide  extent  of  territory  surrounding 
De  Ruyter  was  held  in  the  winter  of  1832-3  at  T.  C.  Nye's  public 
house,  and  was  attended  by  many  of  the  prominent  men  of  Madison 
county  of  that  day,  as  well  as  many  from  adjoining  counties.  There 
were  Judge  Yates,  Col.  Elmer  D.  Jencks,  Gen.  J.  D.  Ledyard,  Hon 
William  K.  Fuller,  then  member  of  congress,  John  Fairchild,  editor  of 
the  Cazenovia  Monitor;  James  Nye,  Elias  P.  Benjamin,  Benjamin  Enos, 
Z.  T.  Bentley,  Bradley  Merchant,  Stephen  G.  Sears,  and  others,  all  of 
whom  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  project.  As  is  well  known  it  was 
abandoned  for  a  time.  It  was  at  the  beginning  of  this  period  of  pros- 
perity that  the  village  was  incorporated,  as  before  noticed. 

The  first  physician  in  De  Ruyter  was  Dr.  Hubbard  Smith,  who  came 
from  Rensselaer  county  at  an  early  day;  he  joined  the  Madison  County 
Medical  Society  in  1808,  soon  after  its  formation,  and  practiced  here 
until  about  1836,  when  he  removed  to  near  Jamesville  and  there  died. 
Dr.  Ephraim  Otis  was  contemporary  with  Dr.  Smith  and  practiced 
until  his  death  prior  to  1850.  Dr.  Nathan  Collins  came  from  Brook- 
field  to  New  Woodstock  in  1826  and  studied  with  his  brother.  Dr.  Ste- 
phen Collins.  He  began  practice  in  De  Ruyter  in  the  early  part  of 
1829  and  continued  to   about  1832,   when   he   removed   to   Illinois  and 


346  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

soon  afterwards  died.  Dr.  Ira  Spencer  was  in  practice  from  1839  for 
nearly  half  a  century  and  until  his  death.  Dr.  James  Whitford  was 
his  partner  about  two  years.  Dr.  Russell  Ballou  began  practice  about 
1835  and  continued  until  his  death. 

Dr.  Silas  Clark,  a  native  of  Brookfield,  born  June  17,  1834,  studied 
his  profession  with  Dr.  Spencer  and  graduated  from  the  medical  de- 
partment of  the  University  of  New  York  in  1848  and  at  once  began 
practice  here,  which  he  has  continued  to  the  present  time,  a  period  of 
more  than  fifty  years. 

Dr.  E.  S.  Mumford  came  from  New  Woodstock  in  1862  and  practiced 
in  partnership  with  Dr.  Ira  Spencer  five  years,  when  he  removed  to 
Schuyler  county.  A  few  years  later  he  returned  to  De  Ruyter  and 
practiced  until  1870,  when  he  removed  to  Syracuse,  where  he  died. 
Dr.  Edwin  N.  Coon  is  a  native  of  Brookfield  and  a  graduate  of  the 
homoeopathic  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan  in  1872;  he  at 
once  began  practice  here  and  has  continued  ever  since.  Dr.  Adelbert 
W.  Truman,  a  graduate  of  the  Eclectic  Medical  College  of  Philadelphia, 
practiced  in  De  Ruyter  from  1876  to  1895,  when  he  removed  to  Roch- 
ester. Dr.  James  E.  McClellan  began  practice  here  in  1885.  C.  P. 
Monroe  also  is  in  practice,  and  J.  H,  Schaffer  dentist.  A  number  of 
other  physicians  have  practiced  in  the  village  for  brief  periods. 

The  legal  profession  has  been  ably  represented  in  past  years  in  De 
Ruyter,  as  the  reader  will  more  fully  learn  in  the  chapter  devoted  to  the 
Bench  and  Bar.  The  first  attorney  in  the  village  was  Abraham  Payne, 
son  of  Elisha  Payne,  the  prominent  pioneer  of  the  town  of  Hamilton. 
Abraham  Payne  settled  in  this  village  about  1824  and  practiced  about 
ten  years,  removing  then  to  Seneca  Falls  where  he  became  prominently 
identified  with  the  milling  business;  he  subsequently  died  in  Ohio. 
Martin  P.  Sweet  practiced  from  1832  to  1836  and  Lorenzo  Sherburne 
studied  with  him  and  practiced  here  from  about  1834  to  1839,  when  he 
removed  with  James  W.  Nye,  his  student,  to  Hamilton.  Sherwood's 
brother  Luman  was  in  partnership  with  him  from  1834  to  1839. 
Zadock  T.  Bentley  was  not  only  an  able  lawyer,  but  a  prominent  citi- 
zen in  every  way.  A  native  of  Washington  county,  he  studied  law 
with  Alonzo  G.  Hammond,  at  Berlin  N.  Y.,  beginning  in  1829.  He 
was  admitted  in  Madison  county  in  1833  and  until  1836  was  a  partner 
with  Martin  P.  Sweet.  Mr.  Bentley  continued  in  practice  until  1844 
when  he  removed  to  Morrisville,  having  been  elected  county  clerk.  He 
practiced  in  Morrisville  after  his  term  expired  until  about  1862,  when 
he  removed  to  Oneida  and  died  there  July  4,  1870. 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— DE  RUYTER.  347 

George  P.  Stone  came  from  Homer  about  1836,  just  after  his  admis- 
sion, and  practiced  in  partnership  with  Mr.  Bentley  until  1839,  when  he 
removed  to  Georgia  on  account  of  failing  health;  he  died  about  a  year 
later.  Artemas  V.  Bentley  was  born  in  De  Ruyter  and  was  a  brother 
of  Zadock  T.,  with  whom  he  studied  law.  He  was  admitted  in  1841 
and  practiced  until  1861,  when  he  was  appointed  postmaster  and  held 
the  ofifice  more  than  twenty  years.  Andrew  Scott  Sloan,  son  of  Judge 
Andrew  S.  Sloan  of  Morrisville,  practiced  in  De  Ruyter  from  1844  to 
1854,  when  he  went  to  Wisconsin.  His  younger  brother,  Ithamar  C, 
studied  with  him  and  was  in  practice  a  number  of  years.  David  J. 
Mitchell  and  Henry  C.  Goodwin  both  studied  with  A.  V.  Bentley,  and 
practiced  in  Hamilton  as  partners  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Goodwin  in 
1860.  Mr.  Mitchell  subsequently  became  a  leader  of  the  Onondaga 
bar  at  Syracuse  and  died  there. 

Other  attorneys  who  have  practiced  in  De  Ruyter  are  Harris  C. 
Miner,  a  man  of  fine  natural  qualifications,  who  was  in  partnership 
with  his  brother,  R.  L.  Miner,  from  1859  until  the  death  of  the  latter 
in  1863,  and  with  L.  B.  Kern,  a  prominent  citizen,  member  of  assem- 
bly four  years  and  also  district  attorney  one  term,  from  1864  to  1870, 
all  of  whom  are  deceased.  Daniel  O.  Mitchell,  a  brother  of  David  J., 
practiced  more  than  twenty  years  and  is  deceased.  Sidney  T.  Holmes 
began  practice  here  in  1864.  Wallace  E.  Burdick  began  practice  in 
1868  and  still  continues,  and  H.  D.  Messenger,  who  has  been  in  prac- 
tice about  three  years,  and  J.  H.  Pool  and  H.  D.  Preston,  who  began 
about  five  years  ago. 

At  about  the  close  of  the  Civil  war,  when  business  interests  of  all 
kinds  were  at  high  tide,  banking  facilities  were  needed  in  De  Ruyter 
and  John  R.  Rider  opened  a  private  banking  business.  This  was  the 
only  institution  of  the  kind  until  E.  B.  Parsons  &  Co.  opened  their  bank 
with  the  firm  name  in  January,  1870,  the  partner  being  E.  B.  Crandall. 
In  the  winter  of  1875-76  Mr.  Parsons  purchased  his  partner's  interest 
and  at  the  same  time  took  his  father,  Cyrus  Parsons,  as  partner.  The 
capital  was  $15,000.  After  a  number  of  years  of  successful  business  the 
bank  failed  and  was  closed. 

The  fire  department  in  De  Ruyter  village  dates  from  the  incorpora- 
tion of  the  place  in  1833  when,  on  August*  8,  the  trustees  were  author- 
ized to  purchase  a  fire  engine  and  equipment,  and  to  supply  a  house  in 
which  to  keep  them.  The  engine  was  bought  at  a  cost  of  $307.  In  the 
village  by-laws  governing  the  village  after  the  first  incorporation,  the 


348  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

customary  regulations  were  incorporated  regarding  the  placing  of  fire 
buckets  in  taverns,  stores  and  dwellings.  In  December,  1834,  the  trus- 
tees were  directed  to  purchase  "forty  feet  of  fire  engine  hose  and  pro- 
vide a  ladder  for  the  use  of  the  fire  company."  The  first  engine  house 
was  built  in  1839;  it  must  have  been  a  small  affair,  as  only  $100  was 
appropriated,  and  part  of  that  was  to  be  expended  for  sidewalks. 

An  ordinance  was  adopted  July  1,  1841,  for  the  organization  of  a  fire 
company  with  twenty-four  members,  with  a  captain,  foreman,  mate  and 
one  chief  engineer  and  two  assistants.  The  members  were  required  to 
provide  themselves  with  a  leather  or  oil  cloth  cap  and  a  linen  or  "tow 
cloth  "  coat.  The  first  officers  of  this  company,  as  far  as  can  be  ascer- 
tained, were   Lindley  M.  Sutton,  captain;  William   I.  Ayer,  foreman; 

D.  F.  Talbot,  mate;  William  B.  Blye,  chief  engineer;  H.  A.  Dillaye 
and  Luke  Burdick,  assistant  engineers. 

A  second  fire  company,  called  Tioughnioga  Fire  Company  No.  2,  was 
organized  January  19,  1855,  with  fifty  members.  In  that  year  an  en- 
gine was  purchased  costing  $650,  with  considerable  additional  1  ose. 
On  March  36,  1855,  arrangements  were  perfected  by  the  town  and  vil- 
lage for  the  erection  of  a  town  hall  and  engine  house  combined  and  the 
purchase  of  a  site,  the  town  agreeing  to  pay  $780  and  the  village  $300 
of  the  cost.  The  old  engine  house  was  sold  in  April  1855,  for  $32.35, 
and  was  burned  December  26,  1878,  while  some  of  the  fire  department 
apparatus  was  stored  in  it.  Another  structure  was  erected  on  the  site 
in  1879.  In  the  burning  of  the  town  hall  most  of  the  town  records 
were  destroyed,  to  the  great  loss  of  every  one  interested  in  the  history 
of  the  locality. 

The  fire  department  continued  in  substantially  the  same  condition 
down  to  recent  years,  and  at  the  present  time  consists  of  a  hose  com- 
pany and  an  engine  company,  although  from  this  time  forward  the 
latter  will  probably  find  little  to  do,  as  the  new  water  system  is  ade- 
quate for  the  extinguishment  of  fires. 

The  new  water  works  were  commenced  in  the  spring  of  1897,  the 
supply  being  taken  from  springs,  and  a  concrete  reservoir  was  con- 
structed about  a  fourth  of  a  mile  south  of  the  village  at  such  an  eleva- 
tion as  to  give  a  pressure  of  134  pounds  and  with  500,000  gallons 
capacity.  There  are  now  twenty-eight  hydrants  placed  in  the  village, 
and  the  supply  for  them  is  separate  from  that  for  drinking  purposes. 
The  cost  of  the  works  was  about  $15,000.  The  first  board  of  commis- 
sioners consisted  of  A.  W.  Francis,  president;  E.  N.  Coon,  secretary; 

E.  H.  Lee,  treasurer;  H.  C.  Blanchard,  and  W.  W.  Owens. 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— GEORGETOWN.  349 

The  only  church  in  the  village  not  elsewhere  noticed,  is  the  Congre- 
gational, which  was  organized  in  1897  and  is  now  enjoying  a  healthy 
existence.  In  the  year  of  its  organization  a  neat  church  edifice  was 
erected. 

The  De  Ruyter  Institute,  for  many  years  a  somewhat  noted  educa- 
tional institution,  was  founded  in  1836  by  the  Seventh  Day  Baptist  relig- 
ious sect,  of  whom  there  were  many  in  this  section.  This  institution, 
which  was  finally  merged  in  the  Union  School  of  De  Ruyter,  is  ade- 
quately described  in  Chapter  XXIV.,  as  is  also  the  Union  School  now 
in  existence. 

De  Ruyter  had  one  of  the  early  Masonic  lodges  of  the  county.  It 
was  established  probably  as  early  as  1816,  and  continued  in  active  life 
until  1827,  when  it  surrendered  its  charter  with  the  hundreds  of  others 
that  were  overwhelmed  in  the  Morgan  anti-Masonic  crusade.  The 
existing  Lodge,  No.  693,  was  organized  December  28,  1868,  with  the 
following  as  the  first  officers:  I.  H.  Babcock,  W.  M. ;  George  W.  Blod 
gett,  S.  W. ;  William  J.  Mills,  J.  W. ;  Carlos  Bennett,  treasurer;  Charles 
Mudge,  secretary;  A.  M.  Kibbie,  S.  D. ;  Bishop  Bennett,  J.  D.  ;  Frank 
Taylor,  S.  M.  C.  ;  M.  R.  Merchant,  J.  M.  C. ;  George  W.  Haight,  tiler. 

The  settlement  in  the  northeast  part  of  the  town  that  took  the  name 
of  Shed's  Corners,  from  the  pioneer  family  of  that  name,  has  always 
been  the  center  of  a  few  small  business  interest.  The  post-office  name 
has  recently  been  changed  to  Shed's,  and  there  is  a  store  and  a  milk 
station  there  on  the  railroad,  and  a  blacksmith.  Allen  Randall  for- 
merly kept  a  hotel,  which  was  burned  and  not  rebuilt.  John  Daniels 
has  a  blacksmith  shop  where  he  succeeded  his  father,  Stephen. 

The  adjoining  town  of  Georgetown  was  a  part  of  De  Ruyter  until 
April  7,  1815,  when  it  was  set  off  and  organized  as  described  in  Chap- 
ter VIII.  The  territory  of  this  town  was  quite  fully  settled  long  be- 
fore the  formation  of  Madison  county  by  a  sturdy  class  of  pioneers, 
who  cleared  away  the  heavy  forests,  cultivated  the  land,  built  churches 
and  school  houses,  and  made  comfortable  houses  for  themselves  and 
their  posterity,  while  at  the  same  time  they  incidentally  fought  the 
wild  animals  that  roamed  in  this  section  to  a  later  date  than  in  almost 
any  other  part  of  the  county.  It  is  an  authenticated  fact  that  a  large 
wolf  was  killed  on  the  MuUer  farm  as  late  as  1847  by  Mr.  Sisson.  Some 
of  his  sheep  were  killed  and  when  he  and  his  neighbors  became  con- 
vinced that  it  was  done  by  a  wild  beast,  they  turned  out  in  great  num- 
bers and  surrounded  a  large  tract  of  forest  in  which  it  was  believed  the 


350  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

animal  was  hiding.  Slowly  and  carefully  contracting  their  lines  the 
wolf  at  last  made  a  break  for  liberty,  but  as  he  approached  the  line  of 
men  was  quickly  dispatched.  This  was  the  last  wolf  killed  in  the 
town,  if  not  in  the  county.  In  the  early  years  deer  and  other  species 
of  wild  game  were  very  abundant,  as  well  as  fish  in  streams  and  lakes, 
both  of  which  contributed  largely  to  the  food  supply  of  the  settlers.  It 
is  told  that  Isaac  Purdy  and  William  Drake,  on  one  occasion  went  out 
before  breakfast  and  killed  four  large  bucks  near  their  homes  south  of 
the  village.  A  panther  was  heard  and  seen  in  this  town  as  late  as  1843. 
With  increasing  inhabitants  and  the  warfare  that  never  ceases  between 
civilization  and  savagery,  all  these  accompaniments  of  the  pioneer's  life 
have  passed  away. 

Among  settlers  in  this  town  not  already  mentioned  and  who  came  in 
after  the  formation  of  the  county,  should  be  noted  Deacon  Hanford 
Nichols,  who  was  the  first  collector  of  Georgetown;  John  Pritchard, 
Deacon  Pitt  Lawrence,  who  was  one  of  the  first  assessors;  Elijah  and 
David  Williams,  who  settled  in  the  south  part  of  the  town ;  Elijah 
Shepard,  William  Rhoades,  Capt.  Samuel  White,  one  of  the  first  school 
commissioners;  Elijah  Jackson,  settled  in  the  northern  part  and  was 
one  of  the  first  overseers  of  highways;  John  Brown,  the  second  town 
clerk;  John  Jackson,  brother  of  Elijah;  Jesse  Jerrold,  settled  on  lot  35 
in  1816;  John  Gibson,  on  lot  48;  Nathan  Benedict,  on  lot  31,  about 
1812,  and  S.  B.  Hoffman,  who  was  supervisor  in  1837. 

Around  the  first  saw  mill  built  by  Eleazer  Hunt  and  Joseph  Bishop 
in  1805  and  the  grist  mill  erected  by  the  same  men  in  1807,  began  to 
gather  the  nucleus  of  a  hamlet  soon  after  settlement  began,  which  later 
developed  into  the  village  of  Georgetown.  It  is  situated  a  little  south- 
east of  the  center  of  the  town  in  the  pleasant  valley  of  the  Otselic, 
about  two  and  three-fourths  miles  from  the  station  of  the  same  name 
on  the  Chenango  Valley  branch  of  the  West  Shore  Railroad. 

The  first  grist  mill  stood  on  the  site  of  the  later  one  burned  in  1875, 
and  the  saw  mill  near  by.  A  number  of  other  saw  mills  were  built  in 
early  years  in  various  parts  of  the  town  where  water  power  was  avail- 
able, most  of  which  have  gone  to  decay.  One  of  these  was  situated 
about  two  miles  south  of  the  village  and  was  built  by  Manning  Drake, 
who  sold  it  several  years  later  to  Gideon  Peckham.  Five  or  six  years 
later  Wheeler  Dryer  bought  it  and  while  in  his  possession  it  went  to 
ruin.  A  shingle  shop  was  established  in  the  mill  by  Charles  De  Clercq 
while  Mr.  Peckham  owned  it.    Dryer  sold  the  mill  privilege  to  Jonathan 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— GEORGETOWN.  351 

Robie,  who  built  another  mill  in  1841  and  operated  it  many  years, 
transferring  it  to  his  son  Harry,  who  built  a  grist  mill  near  by  about 
18G5  and  sold  both  to  Henry  Wadsworth  in  1872.  These  mills  became 
well  known  as  the  Wadsworth  mills.  In  1879  he  sold  them  to  Richard 
Bliss,  from  whom  they  passed  to  the  present  owners,  E.  W.  Brown  & 
Co.;  they  are  conducted  by  W.  F.  Cossett,  and  have  been  put  in  good 
repair,  and  are  now  in  successful  operation,  manufacturing  buckwheat 
flour,  feed,  etc.  ;  a  saw  mill,  cider  mill  and  shingle  mill  are  connected. 

It  is  related  that  the  name  of  Slab  City  was  bestowed  upon  George- 
town village  at  the  raising  of  the  first  saw  mill,  by  ApoUos  Drake,  who 
remarked  at  that  time  that  there  were  three  slab  houses  in  the  place, 
which  entitled  it  to  the  appellation  that  has  clung  to  it  to  some  extent 
ever  since.  Bradford  Payne  built  a  saw  mill  half  a  mile  north  of  the 
village  in  1852.  It  was  burned  about  1858  and  rebuilt  in  the  same 
year  by  Mr.  Payne,  who  operated  it  a  few  years  and  after  his  death  it 
was  sold  to  Eber  Salisbury,  who  conducted  it  about  fifteen  years  and 
sold  it  to  Edward  Hart,  who  also  operated  the  grist  mill  at  that  point. 
During  Eber  Salisbury's  ownership  it  burned  but  he  rebuilt  it.  In  very 
early  years  there  was  a  small  wool-carding  factory  there. 

Cutting  lumber  from  the  forest  trees  in  this  town  has  continued  to  be 
profitable  to  a  later  date  than  in  most  other  towns  of  the  county  and  has 
given  occupation  to  several  mills  in  recent  years.  A  steam  saw  mill 
one-half  mile  south  of  the  village  is  operated  by  E.  W.  Pease ;  another 
in  the  southeast  part  by  Van  Ness  Baldwin;  another  near  the  Otselic 
town  line  in  the  southeast  part  by  M.  C.  Aiken;  and  still  another  at 
the  railroad  station,  in  connection  with  a  stave  mill,  was  established  by 
W.  H.  Lynn  and  is  now  owned  by  E.  E.  Collins,  of  Fayetteville;  no 
business  has  been  done  at  the  latter  in  late  years.  There  are  also 
three  water  mills  remaining  in  the  town — one  west  of  the  village,  oper- 
ated by  a  Mr.  Northrup;  one  by  E.  C.  Hart,  and  one  by  Warren  and  E. 
V.  Brown. 

William  Bostwick  built  a  tannery  in  the  village  about  1834  which  he 
conducted  upwards  of  twenty  years.  It  p.assed  from  him  into  the 
possession  of  J.  W.  Dryer  and  was  subsequently  burned.  Mr.  Dryer 
rebuilt  it  in  1859.  In  1875  it  came  into  possession  of  Christian  Hartjen 
who  occupied  it  until  his  death  in  1879.  His  widow  then  continued 
the  business  a  few  years  when  it  was  closed.  The  building  is  now  oc- 
cupied as  a  blacksmith  shop  by  George  Jackson. 

The  first  store  kept  in  the  house  of  Bethel  Hurd,  who  was  a  pioneer 


352  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

on  lot  68,  near  where  his  sons,  Benjamin,  Daniel,  Ezra,  David  and  Ste- 
phen, lived  on  farms,  was  conducted  by  a  Mr.  Truesdale.  The  first 
merchants  in  the  village  were  Messrs.  Dudley  &  Bemis,  who  began 
trading  soon  after  the  first  settlement  in  the  lower  story  of  a  building 
which  stood  opposite  the  site  of  the  Methodist  church.  In  1817,  this 
firm  having  quit  business,  John  F.  Fairchild  came  from  Sherburne  and 
opened  a  store ;  he  also  kept  a  tavern  many  years  and  was  the  first  post- 
master. He  subsequently  removed  to  Cazenovia,  where  he  published 
the  Republican  Monitor.  He  was  father  of  Sidney  Fairchild  and 
grandfather  of  Charles  Fairchild. 

Ira  B.  Howard  opened  a  store  about  1825  and  carried  on  a  successful 
business  about  ten  years  when  he  sold  to  Samuel  and  Charles  Wickwire 
and  removed  to  Michigan.  The  Wickwire  brothers  came  from  Hamil- 
ton, whither  Charles  returned  after  about  a  year,  selling  out  to  his 
brother;  the  latter  soon  took  as  partner  Zinah  J.  Moseley.  The  firm  of 
Wickwire  &  Moseley  continued  about  seven  years  when  Samuel  Bal- 
lard, from  Lebanon,  became  a  partner  and  the  firm  of  Wickwire,  Mose- 
ley &  Ballard  conducted  the  business  nearly  two  years,  when  they  sold 
to  Elnathan  Ellis.  He  took  as  partner  J.  L.  Hare  and  they  subse- 
quently closed  the  business.  When  they  vacated  the  store  it  was  occu- 
pied by  Nelson  Parmalee  and  Enoch  L.  Savage,  who  came  from  Caze- 
novia about  a  year  before  and  began  trade.  Soon  afterward  Parmalee 
sold  his  interest  to  John  Clough. 

The  storehouse  now  owned  by  A.  C.  Stanton  was  formerly  a  store 
where  John  Northrop,  Northrop  &  Wray,  Northrop  &  Priest,  Northrop 
&  Henry,  and  Jerome  A.  Norton  carried  on  business,  most  of  them  for 
only  short  periods.  About  1873  Zinah  N.  Dutton,  a  native  of  George- 
town, brought  a  stock  of  goods  from  Canastota  and  after  trading  here 
about  two  years,  removed  to  Oneida.  In  December,  1877,  Jerome  A. 
Norton,  in  company  with  Mrs.  Nancy  Norton,  his  brother's  wife,  occu- 
pied this  store,  which  business  was  continued  for  a  time  by  Mr.  Norton 
after  Mrs.  Norton's  death. 

W.  A.  Hare,  dealer  in  boots,  shoes,  drugs  and  groceries,  was  suc- 
ceeded April  1,  1893,  by  J.J.  Parker  &  Co.  Dwight  Whitmore  began 
dealing  in  groceries  and  furnishing  goods  in  1874.  Albert  C.  Stanton 
came  from  Otselic  in  1842,  where  his  ancestors  were  pioneers,  and  for 
some  years  was  engaged  in  carpenter  and  joiner  work,  carriage  making 
and  the  boot  and  shoe  business,  began  the  flour  and  feed  business  in 
1876  and  is  now  retired.     George  M.  Griffith  established  a  flour  and 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— GEORGETOWN.  353 

feed  business  in  1886,  with  which  he  connected  insurance.  He  was 
formerly  engaged  with  S.  M.  Faulkner  in  cooperage  business,  begin- 
ning in  1861.  Faulkner  retired  in  1872.  Floyd  Currier  started  in  a 
general  store  in  1892,  which  he  conducted  a  number  of  years.  In  1897 
Currier  succeeded  J.  Q.  Hawks  in  the  undertaking  business,  which  he 
now  conducts.  J.  F.  Stoddard  opened  a  general  store  in  1884,  and  in 
the  same  year  H.  J.  Evans  established  a  hardware  and  tin  business. 
E.  D.  Halbert  has  a  meat  market  which  was  opened  in  1894,  and  in 
which  he  had  as  partners  for  a  timeE.  C.  Hart  and  Van  Ness  Peckham. 
S.  G.  Holmes  conducts  a  flour  and  feed  store;  C.  H.  Rice  a  livery  stable 
and  Mrs.  C.  H.  Rice  a  millinery  store.  L.  Edgerton  has  carried  on 
blacksmithing  several  years. 

It  is  not  known  just  when  the  post-office  at  Georgetown  was  estab- 
lished, but  John  F.  Fairchild,  who  was  undoubtedly  the  first  postmas- 
ter, was  succeeded  by  David  Parker,  and  he  by  Dr.  Epaphroditus  Whit- 
more,  who  held  the  office  nineteen  years.  Since  his  incumbency  the 
office  has  been  administered  by  Zinah  J.  Moseley,  William  W.  Hare, 
James  Hare,  William  H.  Johnson,  Harry  Robie,  William  Way,  W.  A. 
Hare,  A.  A.  Stoddard,  and  W.  A.  Hare  again.  Charles  Wagoner  is 
postmaster  at  the  station. 

A  hotel  was  built  very  early  in  the  century,  probably  by  1810,  on  the 
site  of  what  became  known  as  the  Blakesley  House,  and  now  as  the 
Stewart  House.  The  present  building  was  erected  as  early  as  1840  by 
Ebenezer  Hall,  and  has  had  a  great  many  landlords.  It  is  now  kept  by 
Oscar  M.  Stewart  &  Son. 

The  first  physician  of  Georgetown,  and  a  man  who  was  prominent  in 
in  other  ways,  was  Dr.  Epaphroditus  Whitmore,  who  was  a  native  of 
Haddam,  Conn.,  whence  he  removed  to  Hamilton  about  1804 and  there 
studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Thomas  Greenly.  He  was  licensed  in  1810 
and  established  himself  in  Georgetown,  where  he  continued  in  practice 
until  his  death  in  1851.  Dr.  Whitmore  taught  the  first  winter  school 
in  the  town  in  Seth  Smith's  kitchen.  A  summer  school  had  been  pre- 
viously kept  in  John  C.  Payne's  house.  Succeeding  or  contemporary 
with  Dr.  Whitmore  were  Drs.  Guthrie,  Blakeslee,  Truman,  and  Elliott 
Stewart,  none  of  whom  remained  long;  Dr.  Truman  was  located  at  Ot- 
selic.  Dr.  George  W.  Harris  practiced  many  years  and  until  his  death; 
with  him  was  associated  at  one  period  Dr.  Reynolds.  Dr.  Benjamin 
Franklin  practiced  many  years  and  until  his  death;  Albright  Dunham 
for  a  few  years,  and  Charles  M.  White  since  1884.  The  only  other 
physician  is  Dr.  E.  F.  Lamb,  who  has  practiced  here  several  years. 


354  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

On  the  19th  of  December,  1849,  the  inhabitants  of  Georgetown  and 
Otselic  met  and  made  the  necessary  arrangements  for  forming  an  or- 
ganization to  build  a  plank  road  from  Georgetown  village  to  Otselic.  A 
committee  was  appointed  to  receive  subscriptions  to  the  capital  stock, 
which  was  $4,400.  The  first  board  of  directors  was  composed  of  Owen 
Thorpe,  Elijah  W.  Brown,  William  H.  Amsbry,  and  Elijah  Moore. 
This  was  one  of  the  early  plank  roads  of  Madison  county. 

A  convenient  town  hall,  which  is  used  for  entertainments,  was  erected 
in  1894,  by  Minor  &  Thorpe,  at  a  cost  of  about  $3,000.  What  was 
known  as  Brown's  Free  Hall,  now  occupied  as  a  residence  by  John  Cur- 
rier, is  a  curious  example  of  architecture  which  was  built  by  Timothy 
Brown  between  1870  and  1875.  He  claimed  to  have  built  the  structure 
under  the  influence  of  spirits  and  for  the  benefit  of  spiritualism  and  free 
speech.  Although  not  a  carpenter  and  unused  to  their  tools  and  trade, 
it  is  said  he  erected  an  excellent  frame  and  executed  all  the  work  of  the 
building  with  his  own  hands  excepting  the  doors  and  sashes.  On  the 
upper  floor  was  a  hall  thirty-five  feet  square  and  he  and  his  wife  occu- 
pied the  lower  part.  In  1874  he  purchased  the  old  Presbyterian  church 
building,  placed  it  in  the  rear  of  his  building,  built  a  piazza,  laid  a  floor 
to  divide  it  into  two  stories,  and  by  throwing  the  upper  floor  of  the 
whole  structure  together  obtained  a  hall  35  by  70  feet  in  area. 

Only  two  churches  have  been  organized  in  Georgetown  since  the  early 
formation  of  the  Presbyterian,  which  has  been  noticed ;  this  society 
erected  its  church  in  1824.  In  1874  it  was  sold  to  Timothy  Brown  and 
went  into  his  Free  Hall. 

The  Methodist  Church  was  the  outcome  of  work  performed  by  Rev. 
J.  M.  Snyder  about  1830,  when  he  was  invited  to  come  from  Earlville 
and  hold  services  in  the  Atwood  school  house,  about  two  miles  north  of 
the  village.  A  class  was  soon  formed  and  the  work  went  on,  resulting 
in  the  formation  of  another  in  the  village.  In  1841  they  were  united. 
Their  church  building  was  erected  by  the  Free  Church  which  was 
formed  in  1845  by  a  division  in  the  old  Presbyterian  society  and  was 
purchased  by  the  Methodists  for  $650.  Several  years  ago  the  building 
was  greatly  improved  with  new  seats  and  other  modern  conveniences, 
and  the  society  is  prospering  under  the  ministration  of  Rev.  E.  E. 
Benson. 

The  Georgetown  Baptist  Church  was  formed  as  a  branch  of  one  es- 
tablished in  Ostelic  in  1813,  and  mainly  through  the  conversion  and  in- 
fluence of  Pitt  Lawrence.      R.  H.  Benedict,  who  was  then  pastor  in  De 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— BROOKFI ELD.  355 

Ruyter,  did  missionary  work  here,  and  Elders  Cooly  and  Mealthy  also 
preached  and  baptized.  Other  preachers  who  are  mentioned  were  Jona- 
than Wade,  Jacob  Knapp,  J.  L.  Moore,  Allen  B.  Freeman.  The  church 
was  formally  organized  on  November  12,  1831,  with  twenty-one  mem- 
bers. An  edifice  was  built  in  1834  and  used  many  years,  when  it  was 
sold  to  Clark  Sanford  and  removed  to  another  situation,  where  it  was 
used  fur  a  time  as  a  shop  and  subsequently  burned.  The  present  frame 
church  was  built  in  1885.  The  present  pastor  is  Rev.  George  Bowler. 
A  newspaper  called  the  Georgetown  Mutual  was  established  in  1877 
by  L.  D.  Blanchard,  who  sold  to  Edward  Van  Valen.  While  under  his 
management  the  paper  was  discontinued. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


PROGRESS  OF  IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS  CONTINUED— BROOKFIELD 
AND  LEBANON. 

The  reader  has  been  given  in  Chapter  IV  a  very  full  account  of  the 
settlement  of  the  town  of  Brookfield — the  building  of  the  first  mills  at 
Leonardsville,  at  Button's  Falls,  and  other  points,  the  early  distilleries, 
the  opening  of  several  early  taverns,  the  organization  of  churches  and 
opening  of  schools,  all  of  which  proclaimed  the  energy  and  progres- 
siveness  of  the  pioneers  of  that  large  town.  Early  in  the  century 
Brookfield  became  of  more  than  ordinary  importance  in  a  manufactur- 
ing sense,  as  well  as  in  its  agricultural  operations.  There  was  ample 
water  power  on  the  Unadilla,  Beaver  and  Mill  Creeks,  which  was  im- 
proved at  Leonardsville  and  other  points  and  many  industries  were 
founded  which  during  a  considerable  period  were  largely  instrumental 
in  increasing  the  wealth  and  population  of  the  community.  As  the 
years  passed  the  competition  of  larger  establishments  in  more  populous 
business  centers  could  not  be  met  here;  mechanics  and  their  families 
moved  away  and  the  local  manufacturing  conditions  were  revolution- 
ized. The  large  lumber  industry  of  early  years  declined  with  the  dis- 
appearance of  the  forests  until  now  it  is  insignificant  and  confined  to 
the  cutting  of  comparatively  small  quantities  of  hemlock  in  the  few  re 
maining  mills.     From  the  great  cedar  swamp   near  Clarkville,  which 


356  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

covers  several  square  miles,  large  quantities  of  cedar  were  formerly  cut 
and  in  later  years  the  second  growth  has  been  heavily  drawn  upon  for 
hop  poles.  The  mixed  farming  of  early  years  was  gradually  superseded 
by  the  extensive  raising  of  hops  in  the  western  part  of  the  town,  while 
in  the  east  part  dairying  has  for  many  years  chiefly  monopolized  the 
attention  of  the  farmers.  The  manufacture  of  cheese  in  factories  re- 
ceived most  attention  for  a  number  of  years ;  but  that  feature  of  the 
business  was  greatly  reduced  by  the  opening  of  the  Unadilla  railroad  on 
which  milk  stations  were  established  at  several  points,  for  the  shipment 
of  milk  to  the  New  York  market.  The  organization  and  incorporation 
of  the  Brookfield  Agricultural  Society  in  1849,  which  is  still  in  active 
and  prosperous  existence,  was  the  beginning  of  the  career  of  an  organ- 
ization which  has  been  of  incalculable  benefit  to  the  town  at  large  and 
incidentally  to  the  village  of  Clarkville,  where  are  located  its  grounds. 
The  first  fairs  of  the  society  were  held  on  land  now  owned  by  F.  M. 
Spooner,  and  later  on  a  tract  a  little  north  of  the  village.  In  1884  the 
society  purchased  the  grounds  in  present  use,  which  include  about 
seventeen  acres,  erected  substantial  and  commodious  buildings  and 
constructed  a  trotting  track.  The  society  holds  its  semi-centennial 
fair  in  1899.  H.  L.  Spooner  has  served  as  president  of  the  society  for 
nineteen  years  past  and  its  success  is  due  to  a  large  extent  to  his  energy 
and  good  judgment. 

The  Utica,  Chenango  Valley  and  Susquehanna  Railroad  (now  a 
branch  of  the  D.  L.  and  W.  system)  touches  the  northwest  corner  of 
this  town,  with  a  station  at  North  Brookfield.  The  Unadilla  Valley 
Railroad  skirts  the  eastern  border,  connecting  on  the  north  by  Bridge- 
water  with  the  road  above  mentioned,  and  on  the  south  at  New  Berlin 
with  the  Ontario  and  Western  road.  Brookfield  was  not  bonded  in  aid 
of  any  railroad  and  at  the  present  time  has  no  bonded  indebtedness. 
The  construction  of  the  Chenango  Canal  through  neighboring  towns 
and  the  building  of  the  railroads  had  the  customary  influence,  as  seen 
in  all  towns  without  very  large  business  centers  to  which  may  be  drawn 
the  trade  and  other  interests  of  smaller  places.  While  they  gave  to  the 
inhabitants  far  better  facilities  for  travel  and  transportation,  they  at 
the  same  time  made  it  easier  for  the  people  to  reach  the  larger  pur- 
chasing markets  at  Utica  and  elsewhere,  thus  diverting  expenditures 
elsewhere,  instead  of  to  local  tradesmen. 

The  later  detailed  history  of  Brookfield,  following  that  given  in 
Chapter  IV    relates   chiefiy    to  the  decline  of  certain    industries,   the 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— BROOKFIELD.  357 

establishment  of  others,  the  changes  in  mercantile  establishments,  and 
the  general  development  at  and    near  the  several  villages  of  the  town. 

Clarkville  (or  Brookfield)  is  the  largest  village  in  this  town,  and  is  the 
only  one  incorporated.  It  is  pleasantly  situated  on  the  Beaver  Creek, 
which  flows  southeasterly  across  the  central  part  of  the  town,  a  little 
northeast  of  the  center  of  the  town,  and  for  many  years  after  its  incep- 
tion was  called  Bailey's  Corners,  from  Eli  S.  Bailey,  who  settled  here 
in  about  1812,  having  then  resided  in  the  creek  valley  three  or  four 
years.  At  the  time  of  his  settlement  on  the  site  of  the  village  there 
was  nothing  to  distinguish  it  from  the  surrounding  farming  country, 
but  the  first  store  was  built  just  previous  to  the  opening  of  the  war  of 
1813,  by  Reuben  Leonard,  founder  of  Leonardsville,  a  building  that 
stood  for  three  quarters  of  a  century.  The  first  saw  mill,  built  by  the 
pioneer  Oliver  Babcock,  father  of  Ethan  and  Oliver,  in  1795,  was  run- 
ning, and  in  1815  the  first  public  house  was  built  by  Ethan  Babcock, 
and  kept  by  him  until  1822.  A  frame  school  house  was  built  about 
1805,  but  school  had  doubtless  been  taught  a  few  years  earlier.  The 
post-office  at  this  point  was  not  opened  until  about  1820,  with  the  name 
Beaver  Cr.eek,  and  Joseph  Clark,  from  whom  the  name  Clarkville  is 
derived,  was  the  first  postmaster.  He  settled  here  in  1810,  held  the 
offices  of  town  clerk,  supervisor,  and  justice  of  the  peace,  each  of  them 
for  a  long  term.  He  served  in  the  war  of  1812  and  rose  to  the  rank  of 
colonel  before  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  elected  judge  of  the  Court 
of  Common  Pleas,  in  which  office  he  served  ten  years,  and  in  1824  was 
elected  to  the  Assembly  and  re-elected  in  1828,  and  for  the  third  time 
in  1835.  In  1839  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate.  Throughout  his 
life  Mr.  Clark  was  a  prominent  and  highly  respected  citizen  of  Madison 
county.  In  the  office  of  postmaster  Mr.  Clark  was  succeeded  by  An- 
drew Babcock,  whose  successors  have  been  Varnum  Crumb,  Maxson 
Clark,  jr.,  Lucius  P.  Clark,  John  T.  G.  Bailey,  Benjamin  Gorton,  Rich- 
ard Stillman,  who  held  the  office  more  than  twenty  years  and  died  in 
the  service.  He  was  followed  by  A.  J.  Stillman,  whose  successors  have 
been  Charles  J.  Elliott,  H.  L.  Spooner,  F.  D.  Rogers  and  H.  L.  Spooner 
again.  The  name  of  the  village  was  changed  from  Bailey's  Corners  to 
Clarkville  at  the  time  of  its  incorporation  in  April,  1834,  after  a  spirited 
contest,  at  which  time  there  was  a  population  of  about  400. 

In  the  old  store  built  by  Reuben  Leonard,  before  mentioned,  Shef- 
field Collins  traded  many  years  and  until  his  death.  He  also  kept  the 
first  tavern  succeeding  Ethan  Babcock,  which  stood  on  the  site  of  the 


358  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE 

Clarkville  hotel.  Mr.  Collins  also  manufactured  potash,  as  was  cus- 
tomary with  enterprising  merchants  of  the  early  years.  Among  other 
early  merchants  were  Henry  Holmes,  who  was  associated  with  his 
brother;  Chester  Palmiter,  who  was  in  business  several  years  and  until 
his  death  in  August,  1837.  Varnum  Crumb  was  in  business  for  a  time, 
Andrew  Babcock  many  years,  succeeding  which  he  was  associated  with 
John  T.  G.  Bailey,  who  was  the  eldest  son  of  Dr.  Eli  S.  Bailey,  the 
pioneer.  They  occupied  the  store  in  which  A.  J.  Stillman  now  carries 
on  business.  Nathan  Brownell  traded  a  number  of  years  and  to  near 
the  time  of  his  death,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  his  sons,  Nathan  and 
Putnam  C.  Mattison  Clarke,  who  had  been  engaged  in  hat  trade,  and 
as  proprietor  of  a  hotel,  became  a  merchant  about  1840  and  continued 
fifteen  years.  Leroy  Babcock  succeeded  Andrew  Babcock  about  1857, 
and  sold  to  Frederick  Foot.  A.  W.  Mowry,  who  came  from  West  Win- 
field,  was  a  general  merchant  from  1859  more  than  twenty  years. 
Laurens  Babcock  began  as  a  general  merchant  in  1864,  with  Henry 
Keith  as  partner,  whose  interest  he  purchased  at  the  end  of  four  years. 
John  T.  Stillman,  a  native  of  this  town,  who  began  dealing  in  hard- 
ware in  1867,  purchasing  the  stock  of  his  brother,  William,  is  still  in 
business.  A.  J.  Stillman,  present  general  merahant,  has  been  in  busi- 
ness since  1868.  The  drug  business,  now  represented  by  A.  C.  Miller, 
was  formerly  conducted  for  more  than  ten  years  by  M.  A.  Saunders, 
who  had  as  partner  about  six  years  L.  A.  Saunders.  F.  D.  Gould,  H. 
H.  Elliot,  A.  C.  Tuttle  and  M.  H.  Brown  are  in  the  grocery  trade,  the 
latter  also  having  a  bakery.  D.  F.  Main  has  a  hardware  store,  and  the 
furniture  and  undertakmg  is  carried  on  by  L.  W.  Babcock  and  J.  Slater. 
C.  A.  Wright  is  a  harness  maker,  and  R.  Dennison  shoemaker.  Will- 
iam Crane,  W.  M.  Clarke  and  C.  Morgan  carry  on  blacksmithing.  In 
connection  with  operating  the  saw  mill,  W.  M.  Crane  has  a  flour  and 
feed  store.  Adelbert  Crandall  operates  a  wood  repair  shop,  and  H.  A. 
Fitch  has  a  photograph  gallery.  ■  E.  A.  Pope  is  jeweler  and  G.  L.  Whit- 
ford  is  a  merchant  tailor. 

In  December,  1871,  Calvin  Whitford  established  the  banking  house 
which  is  still  in  existence  under  his  management  associated  with  his 
son,  Edward  C.  Whitford. 

Succeeding  the  early  mills  here,  a  carding  mill  and  a  foundry  estab- 
lished by  Joseph  Clark,  a  tanning  business  was  begun  by  Jonathan  Bab- 
cock which  was  very  successful  during  many  years,  while  bark  was 
easily  obtainable.     The  old  tannery  building  is  now  a  repair  shop  used 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— BROOKFIELD.  359 

by  Samuel  Jordan.  The  grist  mill  now  owned  by  William  Crane  was 
built  by  Mr.  Jordan  in  1865  on  the  site  of  a  building  erected  in  1854  by 
a  stock  company  for  the  manufacture  of  agricultural  implements,  for 
which  purpose  it  was  used  about  ten  years.  Mr.  Jordan  acquired  the 
property  and  about  1860  put  in  a  run  of  stones  and  carried  on  milling  in 
connection  with  the  implement  manufacture  until  1863,  when  the  latter 
business  was  discontinued.  He  also  continued  tanning  until  after 
1880. 

The  hotel  before  mentioned  as  having  been  built  in  1815  by  Ethan 
Babcock,  subsequently  passed  to  possession  of  Joseph  Clark,  who  sold 
it  in  1843  to  his  son-in-law,  Henry  Keith,  who  kept  the  house  many 
years  as  the  Central  Hotel.  He  was  succeeded  by  the  present  proprie- 
tor, Lyman  Brown,  who  changed  the  name  of  the  house  to  Brown's 
Hotel. 

Succeeding  Dr.  Eli  S.  Bailey,  the  first  physician  in  Clarkville,  was 
his  son  Silas  who  studied  with  him  and  practiced  many  years,  a  part 
of  the  time  with  his  father.  A.  E.  Wallace  practiced  a  few  years  and 
was  succeeded  by  Dr.  Catlin,  who  came  from  Winfield  and  about  two 
years  later  removed  to  Ohio.  Dr.  Griswold  was  in  practice  from  about 
1845  to  1879,  when  he  removed  to  Poolville.  Augustus  L.  Sanders  was 
in  practice  a  number  of  years  and  until  his  death,  and  the  same  is  true 
of  Dr.  Nelson  B.  Parr.  Albert  C.  Rogers  practiced  several  years  and 
removed  to  California.  The  present  physicians  of  the  village  are  Dr. 
O.  W.  Bushyte,  and  Dr.  H.  C.  Brown. 

Thomas  J.  Yaw  practiced  law  in  Clarkville  from  about  1830  until  his 
death  in  1863.  Pardon  Davis  practiced  a  short  time  at  about  that 
period.  George  W.  Gray  was  in  practice  a  few  years  about  1845. 
Henry  M.  Aylesworth,  now  of  Leonardsville,  began  practice  here  in 
April,  1867,  and  left  the  place  in  December  of  the  same  year.  Samuel 
D.  White  practiced  from  1857  to  1866  and  removed  to  Hamilton;  con- 
temporary with  him  was  William  H.  Davis.  George  M.  Havens  prac- 
ticed here  about  a  year  in  1844-5  and  in  later  years  was  in  New  York. 
Sherman  DaboU  came  from  Rensselaer  county  when  young,  studied 
law  in  New  Berlin,  practiced  here  several  years  and  removed  to  Michi- 
gan. Barna  J.  Stimson  was  in  practice  from  1867  to  1874  and  removed 
to  Hamilton.  Frederick  Clarke,  a  native  of  this  town,  studied  with 
Mr.  Daboll,  began  practice  about  1876  but  soon  afterward  removed  to 
Cazenovia.  Israel  Wilkinson  was  in  practice  a  short  time  about  1858. 
D.  B.  Stillman  practiced  a  number  of  years  and  is  now  State   excise 


360  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

commissioner.     N.  A.  Crumb,  a  native  of  this  town,  came  from   Cana- 
stota  in  1891  and  is  the  only  practicing  lawyer  in  the  village. 

A  new  creamery  was  established  in  1898  by  Dart  &  Wallace. 

The  Brookfield  Courier  was  founded  in  1876  by  Frank  M.  Spooner, 
who  was  for  several  years  associated  with  his  father,  H.  L.  Spooner. 
In  1883  they  sold  the  paper  to  W.  E.  Phillips  and  B.  G.  Stillman,  jr., 
who  conducted  it  until  the  following  year  when  the  Messrs.  Spooner 
purchased  Phillips's  interest  and  the  firm  name  of  Stillman  &  Spooner 
was  adopted.  In  1898  F.  M.  Spooner  assumed  the  management  of  the 
Afton  Enterprise  and  H.  L.  Spooner  continued  with  Mr.  Stillman  as  at 
the  present  time.  The  paper  is  a  four-page  weekly  and  ably  represents 
its  district. 

Clarkville  has  always  been  foremost  in  the  establishment  and  promo- 
tion of  educational  facilities.  The  Brookfield  Academy,  which  is  more 
fully  described  in  the  Educational  Chapter  was  originally  a  free  school, 
the  house  being  built  by  subscription,  and  the  academy  incorporated  in 
April,  1847.  In  1875  Union  Free  School  District  No.  32  was  estab- 
lished and  in  November  of  that  year  the  following  were  elected  trustees: 
A.  J.  Stillman  and  Thomas  A.  Crandall  for  one  year;  Samuel  Jordan 
and  Enos  Russell  for  two  years;  John  T.  Stillman  for  three  years 
The  old  academy  was  adopted  as  the  academical  department  of  the 
Union  Free  School.  On  December  21,  1875,  the  board  was  instructed 
to  sell  the  district  school  house  and  apply  the  proceeds  to  repairing  the 
academy.  At  the  first  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Education,  Enos  Rus- 
sell was  chosen  president;  Arthur  J.  Stillman,  clerk;  Charles  Lamb, 
treasurer.  Calvin  Whitford  succeeded  Mr.  Lamb  in  the  following 
month,  Mr.  Lamb  declining  to  serve  James  H.  Messenger  was  the 
first  principal  of  the  school.  In  1876-7  the  academy  building  was  sold 
to  the  Catholics  and  a  new  school  building  was  erected  on  the  site  of 
the  former  school  house.  The  churches  of  the  village  are  described  in 
Chapter  IV. 

The  first  incorporation  of  the  village  of  Clarkville  took  place  in  1834. 
A  reincorporation  was  effected  under  the  general  law  and  H.  L. 
Spooner  was  elected  the  first  president ;  he  has  served  several  terms  in 
that  capacity.  Other  presidents  have  been  P.  Fitch,  A.  J.  Stillman, 
and  Herbert  E.  Kingsley,  the  present  incumbent. 

The  question  of  establishing  a  water  supply  for  the  place  is  under 
agitation  at  the  present  time.  The  village  hall  and  the  opera  house 
were  burned  in  1898,  and  the  fire  would  doubtless  have  spread  to  large 
]3roportions  had  it  not  been  for  a  great  fall  of  snow. 


I 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— BROOKFIELD.  361 

Leonardsville,  where  Reuben  Leonard  settled  before  the  century 
opened,  and  built  mills  and  in  every  way  was  conspicuous  in  aiding  the 
development  of  the  locality,  is  beautifully  situated  in  the  valley  of  the 
Unadilla,  near  the  center  of  the  eastern  border  of  the  town,  and  is  a 
station  on  the  Unadilla  Valley  Railroad.  The  building  of  the  early 
mills  and  the  excellent  water  power  at  that  point  soon  attracted  settlers 
and  a  hamlet  gathered  about  where  manufacturing  industries  of  various 
kinds  and  stores  and  taverns  were  established.  Hazzard  P.  Clarke,  an 
early  settler,  began  making  hoes  and  scythes,  in  connection  with  his 
general  blacksmithing  business  about  1810,  and  continued  the  work  in 
a  small  way  until  1830,  when  he  sold  out  to  Samuel  Brand,  whose  sons 
became  prominent  as  merchants  in  later  years;  Brand  came  from  Hop- 
kinton,  R.  I.,  about  1815,  settling  near  Edmeston,  and  in  1820  removed 
to  Leonardsville.  He  was  a  capable  and  enterprising  man  and  greatly 
increased  the  business,  which  he  continued  to  about  1848,  when  he 
sold  to  his  son,  Nathan  V.  Brand.  The  latter  was  succeeded  by  the 
firm  of  Nathan  Brand  &  Co.,  who,  in  1853,  sold  to  the  Leonardsville 
Manufacturing  Company.  This  organization  acquired  also  the  grist 
and  saw  mills  then  owned  by  Luke  and  Thomas  Hoxie;  a  horse  rake 
factory  and  wagon  shop,  then  operated  by  John  Babcock  &  Co. ;  a  foun- 
dry and  machine  shop,  then  operated  by  M.  W.  &  H.  C.  St.  John.  All 
of  these  proprietors  and  operators  joined  their  interests  to  form  the 
company.  To  these  industries  was  added  a  manufactory  of  agricultural 
implements  and  the  whole  was  placed  under  management  of  Washing- 
ton S.  Greene.  The  company  continued  until  1858  when  a  dissolution 
took  place  and  the  several  branches  of  business  were  thereafter  carried 
on  separately  for  certain  periods,  excepting  the  manufacture  of  agri- 
cultural implements,  which  was  discontinued.  The  tw )  mills  and  the 
building  in  which  the  agricultural  implements  were  made  were  burned 
in  1856;  but  the  latter  and  the  saw  mill  were  at  once  rebuilt  and  a  new 
grist  mill  was  completed  in  about  two  years.  This  mill  had  already 
been  once  rebuilt  by  Samuel  Brand  in  1829.  The  second  rebuilding, 
just  mentioned,  was  by  Thomas  W.  Stearns,  who  succeeded  to  its  own- 
ership after  the  dissolution  of  the  Leonardsville  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany. Mr.  Stearns  sold  it  to  Williamson,  Adams  &  Co.,  who  in  1871 
ti'ansferred  it  to  Edwin  Whitford.  It  is  now  operated  by  B.  C.  Steers. 
The  saw  mill  was  built  on  the  site  of  the  one  burned  by  Thomas  W. 
Stearns,  who  sold  it  in  1869  to  Hamilton  J.  Whitford,  Myron  Anthony, 
and  Charles  H.  Williamson,  the  last  named  selling  his  interest  to  his 


362  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

partners  in  J877.  They  continued  its  operation  several  years.  It  is 
now  operated  by  Albert  Whitford.  The  horse  rake  factory  and  wagon 
shop  passed  to  possession  of  Erastus  A.  Greene,  and  the  building  was 
burned  and  rebuilt  by  him.  He  continued  the  manufacture  of  rakes 
in  a  small  way  a  number  of  years.  In  recent  years  the  manufacture  of 
agricultural  implements  has  been  carried  on,  principally  for  filling  con- 
tracts, by  H.  D.  Babcock.  The  old  fork  factory,  before  mentioned, 
passed  to  Milton  W.  St.  John,  H.  D.  Babcock,  Van  Rensselaer  Hawk- 
ins, and  John  Babcock,  who  built  the  present  structure  after  the  other 
was  burned,  for  a  hoe  factory ;  this  business  continued  only  one  year, 
about  1874,  by  H.  C.  Rogers,  as  agent  for  Charles  W.  Rogers  and 
Charles  H.  Williamson,  who  rented  the  building.  The  property  was 
then  acquired  by  Milton  W.  St.  John,  and  a  general  foundry  and  ma- 
chine shop  business  was  conducted  by  him  until  his  death  and  after- 
wards by  his  widow. 

In  1891  a  company  was  formed  with  the  title  of  the  Otsego  Furnace 
Company,  for  the  manufacture  of  a  heating  furnace  with  that  name. 
Among  those  prominently  interested  in  this  company  were  H.  D.  Bab- 
cock, J.  O.  Wheeler,  I.  A.  Crandall,  A.  W.  Daggett  and  G.  C.  Rogers. 
The  financial  stringency  of  1893  contributed  to  cause  the  failure  of  the 
enterprise,  which  it  had  been  hoped  would  prove  of  great  and  lasting 
benefit  to  the  village.  A  reorganization  of  the  company  is  contem- 
plated. 

The  Leonardsville  Canning  Company  was  formed  in  1894  and  built  a 
large  structure  near  the  railroad  station  and  equipped  it  with  modern 
appliances  for  extensive  canning  of  corn.  From  fifty  to  sixty  hands 
are  employed  in  the  season  and  the  large  product  finds  a  ready  market. 
H.  D.  Babcock  is  president  of  the  company. 

A  cold  storage  plant  is  operated  by  G.  H.  St.  John,  who  is  a  large 
buyer  of  produce.  C.  K.  Burdick,  E.  Quinn,  and  A.  Meaker  are  black- 
smiths, and  C.  H.  Williamson,  C.  K.  Burdick,  W.  H.  Burdick,  I.  Parks, 
and  A.  Marshall  carry  on  wagon  making. 

The  first  store  in  this  town,  which  was  opened  by  Reuben  Leonard, 
has  been  noticed.  It  was  in  the  building  occupied  three-quarters  of  a 
century  later  for  the  same  purpose  by  Nathan  V.  Brand,  but  had  been 
removed  from  its  original  site.  Mr.  Leonard  was  also  a  tanner,  a  distil- 
ler, and  made  crude  potash,  carrying  on  a  large  business  many  years, 
until  his  failure  about  1820.  Ethan  Burdick  was  a  merchant  contem- 
porary with  Leonard,  beginning  a  little  later  and  failing  earlier.      His 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— BROOKFIELD.  363 

store  building  was  burned  about  1868.  David  and  Charles  O.  Munson 
were  successors  of  Burdick  in  the  same  store  and  continued  there  and 
in  another  building  until  the  death  of  the  latter  in  Jul}',  1831.  David 
afterwards  sold  to  Otis  Eddy,  and  he  after  trading  a  few  years  sold  to 
James  Van  Valen.  About  1846  he  sold  to  William  H.  Brand,  who  took 
his  brother,  Nathan  V.,  as  partner  in  1848.  Six  years  later  William  H. 
sold  his  interest  to  his  brothei,  but  from  1864  to  1868  they  were  again 
associated.  After  a  second  separation  Nathan  V.  Brand  continued  in 
business  a  number  of  years. 

Dennis  Hardin  opened  a  store  about  1830  and  continued  it  many 
years ;  he  was  a  native  of  Connecticut  and  was  during  several  periods 
associated  with  his  brother  Daniel,  who  came  from  Winfield  in  1837, 
and  was  during  one  period  connected  in  business  with  his  nephew, 
Henry  B.  Hardin.  Charles  R.  Maxson  carried  on  a  large  mercantile 
business  a  number  of  years,  and  James  H.  Brand  and  Edwin  Clark 
built  a  store  and  engaged  in  clothing  trade  about  1853;  the  building 
was  subsequently  occupied  by  F.  P.  King  and  was  burned  in  1863. 
Samuel  Collins  erected  another  store  building  which  was  occupied  suc- 
cessively by  him,  William  H.  Brown,  A.  M._Griffin,  and  H.  W.  North. 
Irving  A.  Crandall,  a  native  of  Brookfield,  bought  out  Daniel  Hardin 
in  1867,  in  company  with  H.  B.  Kinney,  whose  interest  he  purchased 
at  the  end  of  the  first  year.  Mr.  Crandall  is  still  in  business  as  a 
general  merchant.  O.  D.  Bassett  began  business  as  a  druggist  in  1874, 
and  continued  a  number  of  years.  Arthur  W.  Crandall  and  Owen 
TuUy  began  as  boot  and  shoe  dealers  in  1875,  buying  out  A.  B.  Spauld- 
ing.  Other  present  merchants  are  E  Frank  Champlain,  drugs,  grocer- 
ies and  bakery;  W.  W.  Coon,  groceries;  O.  O.  Saunders,  general  store; 
W.  D.  Crandall,  hardware;  and  Miss  Arvilla  Burdick,  millinery.  A 
furniture  and  undertaking  business  is  carried  on  by  E.  L.  Worden,  and 
a  meat  market  by  Elmer  Ellsworth,   who  buys  poultry  and  eggs. 

Reuben  Leonard  built  the  first  public  house  in  the  village  soon  after 
1800.  It  was  enlarged  in  1857  and  burned  about  1870,  when  Smith  M. 
Palmer  was  proprietor.  In  1860  Dennis  Hardin  built  a  hotel  which 
was  first  kept  about  two  years  by  Hiram  Buell.  It  had  other  land- 
lords and  is  now  kept  by  W.  L.  Switzer. 

The  first  postmaster  was  Reuben  Leonard,  who  was  probably  suc- 
ceeded by  Dennis  Hardin,  who  held  the  office  many  years  and  was  fol- 
lowed about  1845  by  George  W.  Hinckley.  In  1849  Nathan  V.  Brand 
was  appointed,  and  was  succeeded  in  1857  by  Nathan  T.  Brown.    James 


364  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

H.  Brand  was  the  next  incumbent  and  was  followed  in  1861  by  Nathan 
V.  Brand.  Irving  A  Crandall  was  appointed  in  1872  and  held  the 
office  twelve  years,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  J.  E.  Coon,  and  he  by 
O.  TuUy.     Mr.  Crandall  was  then  again  appointed  and  is  now  in  office. 

The  first  physician  who  is  known  to  have  practiced  in  this  place  was 
a  Dr.  Farrell,  who  came  near  the  beginning  of  the  century.  He  built 
a  house  in  1806,  in  which  Russell  Maxson  resided  in  late  years.  Dr. 
Welcome  Clark  was  an  early  physician  and  practiced  until  about  1826, 
when  he  removed  to  Whitestown  and  was  succeeded  by  his  brother 
Ray,  who  studied  with  him  and  practiced  till  about  1838.  Dr.  Pliny 
Robmson  came  from  Otsego  county  and  bought  out  Dr.  Ray  Clark, 
practicing  until  a  few  years  before  his  death  in  1868.  Hiram  S.  Cran- 
dall practiced  many  years  and  until  his  death.  .,8.  C.  Maxson  was  in 
practice  several  years  and  is  now  an  eye  and  ear  specialist  in  Utica. 
Dr.  Oscar  Lemuel  Southworth,  now  the  only  physician  in  the  village, 
has  been  in  successful  practice  many  years. 

Two  attorneys  find  occupation  in  their  profession  here  in  the  persons 
of  Henry  M.  Aylesworth,  who  has  been  in  practice  more  than  twenty 
years,  and  Adon  P.  Brown,  a  later  comer.  Anson  Harder  came  from 
Little  Falls  about  1853,  as  the  first  attorney,  but  remained  only  about 
three  years.     Arthur  R.  Pope  also  practiced  for  a  time. 

The  large  business  interests  of  Leonardsville,  when  the  prospects  for 
the  future  were  brightest,  demanded  bank  facilities,  and  the  Leonards- 
ville Bank  was  incorporated  on  February  27,  1858,  with  a  capital  of 
$100,000.  At  about  the  close  of  the  Civil  war  it  went  under  the  na- 
tional system  and  was  subsequently  merged  with  the  Ilion  National 
Bank  at  Ilion.  The  first  officers  and  directors  of  the  bank  were  Nathan 
T.  Brown,  president;  Luke  Hoxie,  vice-president;  Dennis  Hardin, 
cashier;  John  C.  Wheeler,  teller  and  bookkeeper.  These  men,  except- 
ing the  last  named,  with  Ezra  K.  Hoxie,  Washington  S.  Green,  Vinson 
R.  Howard,  John  Rogers,  Nathan  Brainard,  Christopher  Langworthy, 
Wait  Clark,  Samuel  L.  Brown,  and  Noyes  Stillman,  were  the  directors, 
and  were  prominent  citizens  of  that  period. 

When  the  Leonardsville  Bank  was  discontinued,  Dennis  Hardin  es- 
tablished a  private  bank  under  the  same  name,  which  he  continued 
until  his  death,  June  3,  1873. 

The  old  district  school  in  Leonardsville  was  superseded  in  1875  by 
the  Union  Free  School  in  Joint  District  No.  12  in  the  towns  of  Brook- 
field  and  Plainfield.     The  vote  in  favor  of  this  change,  taken  at  a  meet- 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— BROOKFIELD.  365 

ing  held  October  16,  was  forty-six  to  twenty.  Edwin  Whitford,  Charles 
H.  WiUiamson,  Daniel  Hardin,  Henry  M.  Aylesworth,  and  Luke  Hoxie 
were  elected  a  Board  of  Education  and  $1,000  was  voted  to  build  a 
school  house,  which  was  accomplished  in  the  following  year.  W.  H. 
Southworth  was  the  first  principal  of  this  school.  Edwin  Whitford  was 
the  first  president  of  the  Board  of  Education;  H.  M.  Aylesworth,  sec- 
retary; John  O.  Wheeler,  treasurer. 

The  churches  of  Leonardsville  are  both  noticed  in  Chapter  IV.  The 
oldest  one,  the  Seventh  Day  Baptist,  is  prosperous  and  in  1895  the 
society  improved  its  house  of  worship  at  a  cost  of  about  f  1,800.  The 
present  Methodist  church  building  is  the  one  erected  in  1876. 

Well  up  in  the  northwest  part  of  the  town,  on  a  tributary  of  the 
Chenango  and  in  the  midst  of  a  rich  hop-growing  region  is  the  small 
hamlet  of  North  Brookfield.  A  mile  distant  is  a  station  on  the  branch 
of  the  D.,  L.  &  W.  Railroad,  where  there  is  a  milk  station  under  local 
management  of  George  Eagan,  handling  5,000  pounds  of  milk  a  day, 
which  is  mostly  bottled  and  shipped  to  New  York,  and  a  grocery  kept 
by  John  Kenyon  in  a  building  that  was  formerly  a  cheese  factory.  In 
this  vicinity  settled  early  the  Terry,  Morgan,  Livermore,  Faulkner, 
Fitch,  Gorton,  Miner,  and  other  pioneer  families,  members  of  which  be- 
came prominent  in  the  town.  A  negro  named  Laban  Alby  long  re- 
sided here  in  early  years,  kept  the  only  tavern  and  was  widely  known. 
From  this  fact  the  place  became  known  as  "  Nigger  City,"  a  name  that 
still  to  some  extent  clings  to  it.  Samuel  Marsh  opened  a  store  in  1804 
a  little  more  than  a  mile  southeast  of  the  village  site,  on  a  road  that 
was  at  that  time  a  prominent  thoroughfare,  but  was  abandoned  before 
1860.  After  four  or  five  years  of  trade  Marsh  failed,  was  imprisoned 
for  debt  and  died  in  the  jail  at  Whitestown.  Samuel  Livermore  opened 
the  first  store  in  the  village  on  the  site  of  the  Parks  (now  Snow's) 
Hotel  about  1809,  was  in  business  several  years,  and  then  removed  to 
a  farm  in  the  town  and  later  to  Allegany  county.  His  successor  as  a 
merchant  was  a  Mr.  Mills  who  was  in  business  about  five  years.  Laban 
Alby,  the  negro,  kept  a  grocery  from  about  1815  to  1844,  besides  his 
hotel,  which  he  built  about  1844;  he  was  also  a  blacksmith,  which  busi- 
ness he  relinquished  when  he  commenced  keeping  his  hotel.  He  re- 
moved to  Norwich  in  1864  and  died  there.  Isaac  Marsh  kept  a  store 
from  about  1836  to  1860,  having  at  different  times  partners  in  Solomon 
Gorton,  Albert  Beebe,  David  Fisk,  and  Daniel  Bennett,  2d.  He  built 
the  store  subsequently  occupied  by  Dr.  L.  A.  Van  Wagner.     Asahel  P. 


366  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Treat  began  as  a  merchant  about  1855  in  the  store  afterwards  occupied 
by  S.  A.  Fitch,  and  continued  to  his  death  in  1866.  J.  V.  R.  Livermore 
began  trade  about  1850  in  company  with  Lucius  E.  Beebe,  and  at  the 
end  of  five  years  retired  to  a  farm.  Five  years  later  he  bought  out  Mr. 
Beebe  and  associated  himself  with  D.  S.  Bennett,  whose  interest  he 
purchased  three  years  later.  He  took  his  son  as  partner,  the  connec- 
tion continuing  about  five  years.  After  an  interval  of  about  three 
years  another  son,  Charles  O.  Livermore,  was  taken  in  and  the  firm 
continued  until  January,  1879,  when  the  son  purchased  his  father's  in- 
terest and  continued  until  about  1893.  This  is  now  the  Hibbard  & 
York  store.  S.  A.  Fitch  purchased  the  Treat  store  of  Mrs.  A.  P.  Treat 
in  1868  and  continued  in  trade  a  number  of  years.  This  store  is  now 
conducted  by  W.  T.  Squyers.  Dr.  Lewis  A.  Van  Wagner  began  a  drug 
business  in  1876,  buying  out  E.  C.  Bennett  and  doing  business  in  con- 
nection with  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He  sold  out  to  L.  D.  Con- 
ger and  removed  to  Sherburne.     This  store  was  afterward  burned. 

After  about  1850  this  small  village  showed  encouraging  indications 
of  business  activity  and  growth.  Wagon  making  in  particular  was  ex- 
tensively carried  on  by  Fitch  &  Boon  and  by  King  &  Cheesbro,  and  by 
Orson  S.  Gorton,  who  for  twenty- five  years  was  a  large  manufacturer. 
There  are  now  three  small  shops  owned  by  H.  N.  Avery,  S.  D.  Rams- 
dell  and  L.  O.  Hatch. 

The  North  Brookfield  grist  mill  was  built  in  1860  by  Timothy  H.  Peck 
and  operated  by  him  until  1868  when  it  passed  to  possession  of  Hiram 
Collins;  it  is  now  run  by  Arvillo  Kling  and  Walter  C.  Payne.  The  first 
mill  in  this  vicinity  was  built  about  1808  by  a  Mr.  Balcom.  It  stood  a 
few  rods  west  of  the  later  one  and  ultimately  went  to  decay.  The  first 
mill  on  the  site  of  the  existing  one  was  built  in  1845,  some  of  the  tim- 
ber from  the  old  one  being  used  in  it;  it  was  burned  in  the  year  pre- 
ceeding  the  erection  of  the  present  mill.  Two  steam  saw  mills  are  in 
operation,  one  by  Myron  H.  Forbes  and  the  other  b)'  Frank  Risley. 

A  cheese  factory  was  established  here  which  was  for  some  time  owned 
by  Henry  P.  Keith,  which  is  now  operated  by  I.  A.  Wager.  John  Gray 
and  Albert  Morgan  are  blacksmiths  and  James  Humphrey  shoemaker. 
The  three  general  stores  of  the  place  are  now  kept  by  W.  T.  Squyers, 
Hibbard  &  York  and  John  E.  Kenyon.  The  hotel,  which  was  kept  a 
number  of  years  by  W.  S.  Parks,  is  now  conducted  by  M.  E.  Snow,  and 
the  "Cedar  Valley  House  by  Hiram  Loomis.  Emery  D.  Morgan  is  post- 
master. 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— BROOKFIELD  367 

Gilbert  Birdsall,  a  graduate  of  the  medical  department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Buffalo  in  1863,  at  once  began  practice  in  this  village  and 
still  continues. 

The  district  school  at  North  Brookfield  was  changed  to  a  Union  Free 
school  in  1881.  The  first  Board  of  Education  consisted  of  Thomas  R. 
Gorton,  Allen  Risley,  A.  J.  Marsh,  O.  M.  Gorton.  The  principal  of  the 
school  was  W.  E.  Phillips,  the  present  one  being  Homer  T.  Case,  who  is 
assisted  by  two  teachers.  A  special  building  for  the  school  was  erected 
in  1882;  it  is  a  frame  structure  with  sightly  grounds  and  beautiful 
shade  trees.  The  present  board  is  as  follows:  Gilbert  Birdsall,  J.  F. 
Garrett,  W.  T.  Squyers,  C.  E.  Mason,  Henry  Edwards,  A.  Kling  and 
Paul  Cheesbro. 

A  Baptist  church  has  long  been  in  existence  here  and  is  now  under 
the  pastorate  of  Rev.  James  Smith.  A  Universalist  church  was  estab- 
lished more  than  forty  years  ago,  but  no  regular  services  are  held. 
The  Catholic  church,  erected  in  1893,  is  under  the  pastoral  care  of  Rev. 
S.  J.  Cannane  of  Oriskany  Falls. 

South  Brookfield  is  a  small  hamlet  about  five  miles  south  of  Clark- 
ville  on  Beaver  Creek,  where  a  considerable  business  interest  was 
gathered  in  early  years.  The  place  has  also  borne  the  name  of  Bab- 
cock's  Mills,  from  the  fact  that  a  grist  mill  and  saw  mill  were  built 
there  early  in  the  century  by  the  Babcock  family,  as  stated  in  earlier 
pages.  There  is  excellent  water  power  here  and  a  number  of  indus- 
tries were  established  to  make  use  of  it.  George  W.  Bentley  formerly 
manufactured  furniture  quite  extensively,  obtaining  his  hard  woods 
from  neighboring  forests  and  having  them  sawed  in  the  mill.  The 
post  office  here  was  established  in  1845  with  J.  Deloss  Clarke  post- 
master. He  held  the  office  more  than  twenty-five  years  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Eli  Maxson.  The  present  postmaster  is  Frank  Huntington, 
who  also  conducts  the  only  store,  succeeding  Henry  Brown,  who  was 
postmaster  for  a  term.  William  and  Roswell  Randall  were  very  early 
merchants  here  and  later  in  Cortland,  N.  Y.,  where  they  became  very 
wealthy.  They  were  succeeded  by  Adin  Burdick,  Herman  A.  Hull,  J. 
Deloss  Clarke,  and  perhaps  one  or  two  others.  The  old  grist  mill  had 
many  proprietors,  finally  passing  to  Willis  De  Long  after  having  been 
rebuilt  by  John  Eaton.  It  is  now  operated  by  Corry  Maxson.  A 
creamery  was  established  here  in  1879  by  Abel  Avery,  which  is  still  in 
operation.  Perry  Warren  was  a  former  blacksmith,  a  business  now 
carried  on  by  George  Aylesworth. 


368  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

In  the  west  part  of  the  town,  where  there  was  an  early,  numerous 
and  thrifty  settlement  of  Quakers,  the  locality  taking  the  name  of  Mos- 
cow, and  where  the  Collins  brothers,  Job,  Peter,  and  Joshua,  sons  of 
Joseph  Collins,  and  Gideon  and  Thomas  Kenyon,  Solomon  and  Heze- 
kiah  Collins,  James  Larkin,  and  others  settled  early,  there  were  small 
mercantile  establishments  and  minor  manufacturing  industries  in  early 
years,  all  of  which  have  passed  away.  A  Quaker  meeting  house  was 
built  there  about  1820  and  the  Collins  families  carried  on  harness 
making,  blacksmithing,  and  wagon  making,  and  Albert  Button  kept 
a  store.  When  a  post-office  was  established  there  it  was  given  the 
name,  De  Lancy,  in  honor  of  John  De  Lancy;  the  office  has  been 
abandoned. 

A  part  of  the  small  village  of  West  Edmeston  (Otsego  county) 
lies  within  the  limits  of  this  town.  It  is  in  the  south  part  and  on  the 
Unadilla  and  has  about  150  population.  A  grist  mill  and  saw  mill  are 
in  the  town  of  Brookfield  and  have  long  been  owned  and  operated  by 
Truman  Maxson.  Orson  Champlain  and  Albert  Felton  are  merchants 
and  with  a  few  shopkeepers  are  on  the  Otsego  side  of  the  river. 

The  dairy  interest  in  Brookfield  developed  several  cheese  factories, 
some  of  which  have  been  mentioned.  One  was  established  in  1863  by 
D.  M.  Brown  about  two  miles  east  of  Clarkville,  and  was  owned  by 
him  twenty  or  more  years.  E.  D.  Lamb  was  formerly  extensively 
engaged  at  Unadilla  Forks  in  the  manufacture  of  cheese,  with  a  number 
of  factories  extending  from  De  Lancy  to  Edmeston.  These  were  estab- 
lished in  1863  and  had  a  capacity  of  5,000  pounds  of  cheese  daily.  But, 
as  before  stated,  the  opening  of  the  railroad  has  made  a  vast  change  in 
the  dairy  policy  of  the  town  incident  upon  the  shipment  of  milk  to  dis- 
tant markets. 

What  was  known  as  the  Welcome  Scott  grist  mill,  saw  mill  and  cider 
mill,  were  situated  in  the  northeast  part  of  the  town  and  were  started  in 
1835.  The  mills  were  built  by  Levi  and  Welcome  Scott,  the  first  named 
selling  his  one-third  interest  to  Nathan  Brown  in  1843.  In  the  follow- 
ing year  Mr.  Brown  sold  out  to  Welcome  Scott,  and  for  about  forty 
years  thereafter  he  was  sole  proprietor. 

Among  the  prominent  and  successful  farmers  of  this  town  may  be 
mentioned  J.  H.  and  A.  D.  Chesebro,  Leroy  Larkin,  A.  E.  Kenyon,  J. 
F.  York,  J.  G.  Garrett,  A.  Faulkner,  D.  L,  Fish,  W.  A.  Payne,  Am- 
brose Keith  and  William  Stanbro. 

In  the  town  of  Lebanon,  situated  centrally  on  the  southern  border  of 


I 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— LEBANON.  369 

the  county,  the  settlement  and  growth  of  which  down  to  about  the  year 
1810  has  been  fully  described  in  Chapter  VII,  development  since  that 
time  has  been  confined  almost  wholly  to  the  clearing  and  improvement 
of  farms,  the  gradual  change  from  the  mixed  agriculture  of  early  years 
to  the  raising  of  hops  and  dairying,  the  moderate  growth  of  the  small 
villages  of  Smith's  Valley  and  Lebanon,  the  establishment  of  churches, 
schools,  etc.  Indeed,  there  has  been  a  considerable  decline  in  popula- 
tion in  the  town  during  the  last  eighty  years  and  at  the  present  time 
the  number  of  inhabitants  is  little  if  any  greater  than  in  1810.  Although 
there  was  no  very  valuable  water  power  in  the  town,  aside  from  that  on 
the  Chenango  River  flowing  through  the  east  part,  which  was  made  use 
of  by  the  building  of  the  first  grist  and  saw  mills  at  Smith's  Valley, 
there  were  still  a  number  of  early  mills  and  a  few  other  industries  on 
the  small  streams  tributary  to  the  Chenango.  As  the  forests  disap- 
peared under  the  axes  of  the  settlers,  making  saw  mills  of  lesser  impor- 
tance and  also  serving  to  greatly  diminish  the  volume  of  the  streams, 
many  of  the  early  mills  went  to  decay. 

The  establishment  of  the  first  mills  in  the  town,  as  the  reader  will 
remember,  dates  back  to  1798,  when  Elisha  Wheeler  built  a  grist  mill 
on  the  west  side  of  the  Chenango  at  Smith's  Valley,  which  was  soon 
followed  by  the  erection  of  a  grist  mill  by  his  brother  Daniel  on  the 
east  side  of  the  river  about  a  mile  above  Smith's  Valley.  Another  grist 
mill  was  built  about  a  mile  and  a  quarter  east  of  the  site  of  Lebanon 
village  as  early  as  1810  and  a  saw  mill  near  by.  The  grist  mill  is  still 
in  existence  and  is  now  operated  by  George  W.  Phillips.  In  the  north 
part  of  the  town  a  mile  from  SSmith's  Valley  was  an  early  saw  mill 
which  has  gone  to  decay.  About  a  mile  and  a  half  west  of  the  site  of 
Lebanon  village  were  two  saw  mills  built  many  years  ago,  one  of  which 
was  last  operated  by  Clinton  Stowell.  He  also  operates  a  carding  ma- 
chine near  by  which  has  been  in  existence  many  years.  Mr.  Stowell  is 
also  largely  engaged  in  the  cold  storage  business.  There  was  a  small 
saw  mill  a  mile  above  South  Lebanon,  and  another  a  mile  below  that 
point,  the  latter  dating  from  about  1867  and  built  by  Martin  Torrey, 
both  of  which  are  idle  and  in  decay.  About  a  mile  southwest  of  Smith's 
Valley  is  a  saw  and  a  planing  mill,  and  a  cheese  box  factory,  built  about 
1860  by  Erastus  Clark  and  still  operated  by  him. 

Justus  Smith  was  the  first  person  to  sell  goods  in  this  town,  as  stated 
in  Chapter  VII,  and  the  first  one  to  occupy  a  regular  store  was  Jona- 
than Thayer,   jr.,  son  of  Jonathan,  the  pioneer  of  1800.     That  store 


370  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

was  about  two  miles  west  of  Lebanon  village  and  was  opened  about 
1808;  he  soon  afterward  removed  it  to  the  village  where  he  occupied 
the  Gilbert  store,  which  was  built  by  Sylvester  Thayer,  son  of  Jona- 
than, jr  ,  in  1834.  The  first  store  was  removed  at  that  time  and  is  the 
historic  structure  now  constituting  the  rear  part  of  the  store  of  Irving 
Collins.     Jonathan  Thayer  was  in  business  until  his  death  in  1830. 

Orson  and  William  L.  Sheldon  were  in  trade  a  year  or  two  in  the 
Gilbert  store  when  the  latter  withdrew.  Orson  continued  a  few  years 
longer  when  he  sold  to  Curtis  Hoppin,  whose  son  in-law,  Joseph  A.  Nor 
ton  carried  on  the  business  from  about  1845  to  1853.  At  that  time  Edwin 
M.  Lamb  became  associated  with  Hoppin,  whose  interest  was  purchased 
by  Joseph  D  Avery  in  1859.  Mr.  Lamb  withdrew  in  1864  and  Avery 
continued  alone  another  year,  when  the  business  was  closed  and  the 
stock  sold  at  auction. 

In  the  latter  part  of  1865  Benjamin  Baker,  who  came  here  a  little 
earlier  from  Washington  county,  began  trade  in  the  Gilbert  store  and 
continued  about  two  years  From  1866  to  1869  Erastus  Wellington, 
nephew  of  David  Wellington,  who  was  an  early  settler  in  Nelson,  was  in 
business  in  this  store,  and  was  succeeded  by  Milton  E.  Danforth,  who 
soon  took  as  partner  Isaiah  S.  Head ;  the  firm  of  Head  &  Danforth 
continued  until  July,  1870;  they  built  a  new  store  and  failed  just  as  it 
was  ready  for  their  use.  This  building  was  then  occupied  by  Pike  & 
Seymour,  merchants,  and  by  the  late  S,  W.  vSeymour,  who  succeeded 
the  firm. 

The  firm  of  Pike  &  Seymour,  above  mentioned,  consisted  of  Leroy 
B.  Pike  and  Silas  W.  Seymour,  the  former  of  whom  established  the 
business  in  November,  1871,  with  Abraham  Martin  as  partner.  Martin 
withdrew  in  the  next  year  and  in  1873  Messrs.  Seymour  &  Pike  were 
associated  and  continued  until  the  withdrawal  of  Mr.  Pike. 

Irving  Collins  established  a  flour  and  feed  store  in  1889  to  which  he 
later  added  a  general  stock  of  goods  and  is  still  in  trade.  W.  S.  Niles 
is  a  dealer  in  hardware  and  boots  and  shoes,  succeeding  Niles  Brothers 
on  the  death  of  I.  Newton  Niles  in  May,  1898.  Their  general  stock 
of  goods  was  taken  by  Frank  D.  Lyon,  who  is  still  in  trade.  J.  H. 
Poole  has  a  boot  and  shoe  stock  and  C.  M.  Henry  a  blacksmith  shop. 

A  hotel  is  still  kept  in  the  old  building,  before  mentioned,  and  has 
had  numerous  proprietors  down  to  the  incumbency  of  George  M.  Cur- 
rier, present  proprietor  of  the  Currier  House.  Horace  A.  Campbell, 
son  of  the  pioneer  Charles  Campbell,  built  the  upright  part  of  this  hotel 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— LEBANON.  371 

about  1834  for  a  store  in  which  he  did  business  a  few  years  and  then 
converted  it  into  a  tavern,  of  which  he  was  proprietor  until  about  1853. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Henry  A  Leet,  who  kept  the  tavern  and  also  sold 
goods  until  his  death  in  1861. 

The  old  saw  mill  at  Lebanon  village  is  now  in  use  as  a  store  house  by 
L.  Ballard.  The  dam  is  destroyed.  This  mill  was  purchased  in  1878 
by  L.  D.  Pope  and  E.  M.  Washburn  of  S.  K.  Hawkins,  who  operated  it 
about  three  years  and  rebuilt  it  during  the  first  year.  The  first  tannery 
in  the  village  was  established  by  Thomas  Bright  in  1838,  who  operated 
it  until  1841  when  it  passed  to  Alanson  Bishop,  who  sold  it  three  years 
later  to  Sylvester  Thomson;  he  was  afterwards  associated  with  Lyman 
D.  Swan.  They  changed  the  location  to  the  present  site  in  1854  and 
continued  business  until  about  18G3.  Subsequent  proprietors  for  short 
periods  were  Jarvis  A.  Head  and  Lester  Hayward,  Solomon  Baker, 
James  Deyo,  SuWivaTi  E.  Sabin,  Samuel  C.  Gates,  Roswell  Whitman, 
who  repaired  it  and  sold  it  in  1875  to  Anton  Pfeiffer,  who  was  associa- 
ted with  his  son  Joseph  from  1875  until  his  death  in  1878.  The  build- 
ing burned  in  1884  and  was  rebuilt  in  the  following  year.  The  tanning 
business  was  abandoned  and  the  building  was  used  for  a  time  as  a  saw 
and  grist  mill  but  is  now  idle.  It  is  owned  by  F.  B.  David  and  T.  A. 
Beach. 

The  post-office  at  Lebanon  was  established  about  1815  with  Jonathan 
Thayer  postmaster.  He  held  the  office  until  his  death  in  May,  1830, 
when  he  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Sylvester,  who  held  it  till  1833,  and 
was  followed  by  Orrin  Thayer,  second  son  of  Jonathan.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Horace  A.  Campbell  about  1836.  Later  officials  have  been 
Orrin  Gilbert,  William  L.  Sheldon,  H.  A.  Campbell,  Edwin  M  Lamb, 
Reuben  S.  Hall,  Joseph  D.  Avery,  Milton  E.  Danforth,  Charles  W. 
Brasse,  John  D.  Gilbert,  who  was  in  the  office  until  1876,  since  which 
time  Silas  W.  Seymour  has. been  postmaster  in  Republican  administra- 
tions and  James  Mosher  in  Democratic  administrations. 

The  first  physician  in  Lebanon  was  Joseph  Stowell,  a  Massachusetts 
school  teacher  who  settled  about  1800  in  the  southeast  corner  of  the  town 
and  practiced  until  his  death  about  1832.  He  was  succeeded  on  the 
homestead  by  his  son  Kittridge. 

The  second  physician  was  Dr.  Constant  Merrick  who  settled  about 
1803  on  Billings  Hill  and  removed  to  the  village  about  1806,  practicing 
until  his  death  in  July  1828.  Dr.  John  Clark  settled  in  1806  on  lot  45 
where  he  resided  until  his  death  at  the  age  of  ninety-five  years.      Dr. 


372  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Erastus  B.  Burroughs  settled  in  the  village  in  1827  and  gathered  about 
him  a  number  of  students  whom  he  located  in  surrounding  places  for 
the  purpose  of  increasing  his  patronage  to  consultations.  Among  these 
students  were  Albert  G.  Purdy,  who  located  first  in  Eaton,  removing 
thence  to  Oneida;  Milton  Burnett,  a  native  of  Georgetown  who  settled 
at  Morrisville  and  eventually  removed  to  Oneida;  Frederick  Bradley, 
a  native  of  Georgetown;  Ralph  Shepard,  also  a  native  of  Georgetown, 
both  of  whom  settled  in  Michigan;  James  Stewart  and  others.  Dr.  Bur- 
roughs went  to  Florida  in  1841  to  improve  his  health,  returned  in  1842 
and  died  in  1843.  Dr.  Lyman  O.  Horton,  a  native  of  Hamilton,  set- 
tled in  the  village  in  1843,  practiced  about  ten  years  and  removed  to 
Illinois.  Dr.  John  Baker  and  Cyrus  his  brother,  homeopathists,  were 
contemporary  with  Horton  and  practiced  in  company  from  about  1848 
to  1853  and  removed  to  the  west  part  of  the  state.  Dr.  Frank  D. 
Beebe  practiced  from  1855  to  1862,  removing  to  Hamilton,  Dr.  E.  Lamb 
Root  taking  his  place.  Dr.  James  Mott  Throop  began  practice  in  the 
village  in  1866  and  continued  many  years.  The  only  present  physician 
is  Dr.  M.  D.  French  who  has  been  in  practice  about  four  years. 

The  Congregational  church  of  Lebanon  was  organized  October  2, 
1802,  as  the  Third  Congregational  Church  of  Christ  in  the  Town  of 
Hamilton.  The  records  of  the  society  in  early  years  are  very  meagre, 
but  a  pastor  was  probably  not  settled  before  July,  1825,  when  Rev. 
Preston  Cummings  was  called  and  served  about  two  years.  Succeed- 
ing pastors  were  Rev.  S.  Scott,  called  in  1831;  Rev.  Jeremiah  Pom- 
eroy  for  a  short  period;  Rev.  William  B.  Tompkins,  1836-39.  During 
his  pastorate  the  church  building  which  was  erected  in  1825  a  mile 
north  of  the  center, was  removed  to  the  village.  In  1840  Rev.  G.  W. 
Finney  was  called  to  the  joint  pastorate  of  this  and  the  Georgetown 
churches.  Later  pastors  have  been  Reverends  Redfield,  Copeland, 
Wyn  Root,  G.  M.  Smith,  T.  A.  Wadsworth,  C.  Barstow,  W.  W.  War- 
ner, Abisha  Scofield,  Ovid  Miner,  E.  D.  Reed,  J.  D.  Woodruff,  Ward 
Batchellor,  Seward  M.  Dodge,  and  perhaps  a  few  others.  Since  its  re- 
moval the  church  building  has  been  greatly  improved,  the  gallery  taken 
out,  new  seats  and  windows  put  in,  etc.  Rev.  Hugh  Ivey  is  the  pres- 
ent pastor. 

The  early  settlement  and  industries  established  at  Smith's  Valley  on 
the  east  border  of  the  town  have  all  been  described.  The  place  at  the 
present  time  possesses  very  little  business  importance,  containing  only 
two  stores,  one  conducted  by  George  Waite  and  the  other  by    Riley 


Improvement  in  towns— Lebanon.  373 

Arnst,  the  post-office  and  a  milk  station  on  the  railroad.  For  a  long 
period  previous  to  the  building  of  the  railroad  the  little  village  was  a 
quiet  country  hamlet,  but  with  the  opening  of  the  railroad  a  consider- 
able impulse  was  given  to  business  enterprises.  J.  Dayton  F.  Smith 
began  mercantile  trade  in  1870,  was  associated  with  his  son  Adon  N. 
Smith  from  1873  and  sold  about  1874  to  Charles  E.  Montgomery.  A 
year  and  a  half  later  he  sold  to  Sidney  Dayton  Smith,  who  continued 
business  several  years.  E.  C.  Bixby  kept  a  grocery  for  some  time  after 
1877.  A  cheese  factory  was  built  in  1863  by  a  stock  company  com- 
posed of  M.  M.  Campbell,  A.  L.  Brown  W.  C.  Russell  and  D.  B.  Shap- 
ley;  this  is  not  now  in  operation.  The  first  postmaster  here  after  the 
opening  of  the  railroad  was  Peter  L.  Beers.  Among  his  successors 
have  been  Henry  T.  Robinson,  J.  D.  F.  Smith,  C.  Montgomery,  Sid- 
ney D.  Smith.  Mary  C.  Hatchings  has  been  postmistress  about  ten 
years  past. 

The  Baptist  church  of  Lebanon  resulted  from  the  ei?orts  of  Thomas 
Jeril,  then  residing  in  Georgeton,  who  was  converted  during  a  revival 
experienced  between  1808  and  1811  under  the  labors  of  Elder  Hosmer 
of  Lebanon.  Mr.  Jeril  prepared  a  room  in  his  dwelling  for  meetings. 
A  band  of  twenty-seven  members  was  finally  recognized  as  a  church  by 
a  council  June  26,  1S16,  and  Mr.  Jeril  was  ordained  pastor.  A  meet- 
inghouse  was  erected  in  the  winter  of  1819  about  100  rods  south  of 
the  site  of  the  present  church.  The  latter  was  completed  early  in 
1835.  Among  the  pastors  who  have  served  this  church  since  Elder 
Jeril,  who  resigned  in  1836,  were  Eiders  Washington  Kingsley,  Benja- 
min Putnam,  E.  D.  Reed,  Daniel  Hascall,  E.  D.  Reed,  C.  V.  Patterson, 
George  B.  Simons  and  a  few  others.  An  old  Baptist  church  located  a 
mile  and  a  quarter  northeast  of  Lebanon  village,  built  many  years  ago, 
was  removed  to  the  village  in  1889  and  rebuilt.  The  society  is  in  a 
fairly  prosperous  condition  and  the  pulpit  is  supplied  from  Colgate  Uni- 
versity. About  a  mile  east  of  the  village  of  Lebanon  was  formerly  a 
Universalist  church,  which  had  a  precarious  career  for  some  years,  and 
is  now  used  as  a  store  house  by  S.  B.  Yates. 

The  little  hamlet  of  South  Lebanon,  situated  in  the  southeast  part  of 
the  town,  contains  at  the  present  time  a  general  store  kept  by  Sidney 
Catlin,  a  .'team  saw  mill  operated  by  Charles  Bills,  a  blacksmith  shop 
by  Cornelius  Downey,  and  a  school  house.  Samuel  Benedict  was  a 
former  wagonmaker  here  and  Stephen  J.  Wedge  a  blacksmith.  The 
first  merchant  was  W.  H.  Williamson,  a  native  of  Lebanon,  who  came 


374  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

from  Hamilton  about  1871  and  sold  out  in  1876  to  Lewis  H.  Wedge. 
The  saw  mill  was  originally  built  about  1860  for  a  carriage  shop  by 
Sidney  Bills,  and  in  1871  was  converted  to  its  present  use.  An  addi- 
tion was  erected  by  Mr.  Bills,  which  was  built  for  a  cider  mill  in  which 
was  subsequently  placed  a  feed  mill.  It  is  operated  by  steam.  About 
the  close  of  the  first  quarter  of  a  century  a  Methodist  society  was 
formed  and  a  church  built  at  this  point  which  was  used  a  number  of 
years  but  finally  declined  and  the  building  has  been  demolished. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


PROGRESS    OF    IMPROVEMENT    IN    TOWNS    CONTINUED  —  MADISON 
AND    NELSON. 

The  history  of  the  town  of  Madison  succeeding  the  date  of  the  forma- 
tion of  the  county  to  which  time  it  is  brought  down  in  Chapter  VHI, 
embodies  a  brief  story  of  quiet,  peaceful  agricultural  development  and 
the  moderate  growth  of  the  several  small  villages.  As  seen  by  the 
population  statistics  in  the  later  Gazetteer  of  the  town,  the  number  of 
inhabitants  remained  about  stationary  through  more  than  half  a  cent- 
ury, while  in  recent  years  it  has  slightly  decreased  through  the  same 
causes  that  have  operated  in  that  direction  in  other  rural  districts. 

The  improvements  made  by  Gen.  Erastus  Cleveland  in  the  town 
prior  to  the  beginning  of  the  present  century  and  during  some  years 
thereafter  have  already  been  described.  The  most  important  of  them 
to  the  pioneers  was  the  building  of  what  were  long  known  as  Cleve- 
land's mills,  which  were  erected  in  1795  on  the  site  of  the  present  mill 
of  F.  M.  Fiske  on  Oriskany  Creek  east  of  Solsville.  He  had  built  a 
saw  mill  the  previous  year  and  continued  in  that  business  until  his 
death.  He  was  for  many  years  the  most  conspicuous  citizen  of  the 
town.  A  few  years  after  his  erection  of  the  first  mill,  which  had  be- 
come inadequate  to  the  wants  of  the  settlers,  he  built  another  half  a  mile 
east  of  the  first,  which  later  became  known  as  Gray's  mill.  Still  later 
he  built  another  at  Solsville,  which  he  transferred  about  1833  to  his 
son-in-law,  N.  S.  Howard.  The  latter  operated  a  distillery  opposite. 
When  the  water  power  here  was  greatly  impaired   by  the  construction 


Improvement  in  towns— madison.  37S 

of  the  Chenango  Canal,  Howard  was  reimbursed  by  the  State  and  the 
mill  was  idle  some  ten  years.  It  was  then  repaired  and  put  in  use. 
The  distillery  building  was  ultimately  demolished,  and  a  cheese  fac- 
tory built  on  the  site,  which  for  several  years  past  has  been  used  as  a 
storehouse.  The  mill  property  passed  in  later  years  from  Howard  to 
his  brother  Adin  and  from  him  to  A.  C.  Wheeler,  who  sold  it  to  William 
A.  Simmons;  he  sold  to  William  S.  Pierce  and  he  to  James  H.  Parker. 
The  property  is  now  owned  by  George  Smith,  who  succeeded  Smith  & 
Spooner. 

Among  other  prominent  men  of  this  town  in  early  years  was  Samuel 
Goodwin,  father  of  Daniel  B.  Goodwin.  He  was  the  founder  and 
owner  of  the  first  line  of  stages  through  the  village  of  Madison,  which 
carried  the  mail.  He  was  associated  also  in  other  stage  business  be- 
tween Utica  and  Albany  with  T.  L.  Faxton  and  Jason  Parker,  both  of 
Utica.  Goodwin  acquired  considerable  wealth  and  sold  his  stage  prop- 
erty to  Col.  Thomas  C.  Nye,  of  De  Ruyter,  who  operated  the  lines 
many  years,  making  his  home  in  Madison.  He  extended  the  business 
and  made  this  a  very  important  stage  headquarters.  When  staging  de- 
clined and  became  less  profitable  he  abandoned  most  of  his  routes  and 
for  a  period  kept  the  Park  House  in  Hamilton. 

The  site  of  Madison  village  was  known  in  early  years  as  "The  In- 
dian Opening,"  and  became  the  scene  of  early  business  operations 
which  gave  promise  of  later  large  extension.  This  promise  was  so  far 
fulfilled  that  the  little  village  was  incorporated  on  the  17th  of  April, 
1816,  the  boundaries  including  "all  that  district  of  country  compre- 
hended in  lot  number  30  of  the  third  town  of  the  Twenty  Townships, 
as  laid  out  into  lots  by  Nathaniel  Locke."  The  government  of  the  vil- 
lage was,  of  course,  for  many  years  extremely  simple.  The  first  meet- 
ing for  the  election  of  officers  was  held,  at  the  house  of  Benjamin  I. 
Starr  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  May,  1810,  and  there  the  following  officers 
were  elected:  Samuel  Goodwin,  Truman  Stafford,  Alfred  Wells,  Ed- 
ward Rogers,  and  Adin  Howard,  trustees;  Asa  B.  Sizer,  Amos  Burton, 
and  John  Lucas,  assessors;  Asa  Curtis,  collector.  At  the  first  meeting 
of  the  trustees  on  June  4  of  that  year,  Samuel  Goodwin  was  chosen 
chairman,  and  Adin  Howard,  treasurer. 

The  village  records  are  very  incomplete,  but  from  them  it  is  learned 
that  during  the  first  fifteen  years  persistent  efforts  were  made  to  sup- 
ply the  village  with  water.  The  first  section  of  an  amendment  to  the 
charter  made  April   28,   1847,   authorized  the  appropriation  of  $50  an- 


37G  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

nually  for  maintaining  a  fire  engine  and  other  apparatus.  Another 
amendment  made  in  the  following  spring  authorized  the  trustees  to 
"  expend  annually  one-half  of  the  highwa}'  tax  assessed  upon  the  in- 
habitants of  said  village  by  the  commissioners  of  said  town  of  Madison 
in  the  construction  of  drains,  ditches,  gutters,  sidewalks,  as  in  their 
opinion  will  best  subserve  the  interests  of  the  inhabitants  of  said  vil- 
lage " 

An  amendment  to  the  charter  made  in  April,  1878,  authorized  the  ap- 
pointment of  a  police  justice  and  constable  in  the  village,  with  the  usual 
powers  of  such  officers. 

Many  years  ago  the  village  authorities  procured  the  right  to  use  the 
water  from  certain  springs  for  public  purposes,  and  built  three  large 
reservoirs  for  storage  in  the  village.     This  water  supply  is  still   in  use. 

John  T.  Lucas  opened  a  store  on  the  site  of  the  village  in  1800,  as 
before  noticed  and  was  in  trade  either  alone  or  with  partners  for  many 
years.  In  1871  he  became  associated  with  H.  C.  &  O.  C.  Bicknell, 
under  the  firm  name  of  J.  S.  Lucas  &  Co.,  and  so  continued  until  his 
death,  after  which  the  business  was  conducted  by  the  Bicknells  until  it 
passed  to  the  present  proprietor,  O.  C.  Bicknell. 

John  T.  Burton  built  and  kept  one  of  the  very  earlj'  taverns  of  the 
town,  and  there  the  first  post-office  was  located  with  Asa  B.  Sizer,  post- 
master. Another  early  tavern  and  possibly  the  first  one  was  built  at 
about  the  beginning  of  the  century  by  Major  St.  Clair,  who  kept  it  sev- 
eral years.  Ralph  Tanner  was  an  early  tavern  keeper  and  postmaster. 
About  1812-13  a  tavern  was  built  which  was  kept  by  Samuel  Goodwin, 
before  mentioned.  A  part  of  the  old  St.  Clair  tavern  is  still  included 
in  the  present  hotel  kept  by  F.  B.  Howard. 

John  T.  Lucas  moved  his  store  from  the  "  Opening"  to  the  north- 
east corner  of  the  roads  when  the  course  of  the  Cherry  Valley  Turn- 
pike was  laid  out.  Mr.  Sizer  built  his  house  just  east  of  the  tavern,  and 
Alfred  Wells  had  an  early  store  on  the  southeast  corner.  Dr.  Samuel 
Barber  kept  the  first  drug  store  and  built  one  of  the  early  dwellings. 
Eliphalet  House  was  a  blacksmith  in  early  years  and  made  edge  tools 
at  the  "  Opening,"  and  was  succeeded  in  the  village  by  his  sons,  Eleazer 
and  James. 

Truman  Stafford  began  as  a  merchant  soon  after  the  opening  of  the 
Cherry  Valley  Turnpike  and  continued  until  his  death.  His  clerk, 
Erastus  Berry,  was  in  company  with  him  for  a  time  and  continued  in 
business  a  few  years  later.     Gen.  Erastus  Cleveland  and  Dr.  Benjamin 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— MADISON.  377 

Cleveland  were  also  in  trade  a  short  time,  and  E.  F.  Gaylord,  son-in- 
law  of  General  Cleveland,  was  in  business  many  years  and  removed  to 
Cleveland.  From  1840  to  1853  Lyman  Root  and  Henry  Lewis,  both 
natives  of  the  town,  were  in  trade  as  Root  &  Lewis  and  became  wealthy. 
They  sold  to  James  D.  and  Robert  W.  Lane,  and  Horace  C.  Bailey,  all 
from  Westmoreland;  this  firm  of  Lane,  Bailey  &  Co.  continued  three 
years,  when  Bailey  withdrew  and  the  Lanes  continued  imtil  1866,  when 
J.  D.  Lane  sold  to  F.  D.  Higgins  and  the  firm  of  R.  W.  Lane  &  Hig- 
gins  continued  six  years.  In  1873  Higgins  failed  and  withdrew,  Lane 
acquiring  the  interest  and  continuing  to  1878.  He  was  then  succeeded 
by  his  brother,  J.  D.  Lane,  who  sold  in  1879  to  A.  S.  Ackerman;  he 
was  succeeded  in  1880  by  D.  E.  Smith,  who  is  still  in  trade. 

Henry  Hull,  from  Connecticut,  was  in  business  here  from  about  1840 
until  his  death  in  June,  1845,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Adin  Howard 
and  John  Morgan.  A  few  years  later  Morgan  purchased  his  partner's 
interest  and  in  18')9  took  his  son,  L.  J.  Morgan,  and  W.  H.  Benjamin 
as  partners.  The  latter  withdrew  in  January,  1871,  and  Harry  Mor- 
gan, son  of  John,  joined  his  father  and  brother  as  the  firm  of  J.  Morgan 
&  Sons.  L.  J.  Morgan  withdrew  in  1875  and  two  years  later  John 
withdrew.  Harry  continued  for  a  time  and  was  succeeded  by  Davis  & 
Fuess,  and  they  by  the  present  merchant,  Louis  Fuess. 

A.  J.  Cushman  and  William  H.  Ives  began  as  general  merchants  in 
1873  and  continued  to  1876  when  Ives  sold  to  George  H.  Root.  The 
firm  of  Cushman  &  Root  was  succeeded  in  1893  by  the  present  propri- 
etor, George  H.  Root.  E.  B.  Wells  started  in  the  drug  trade  in  1888 
and  still  continues.  J.  L  Dunster  &  Son  opened  a  grocery  in  1896  and 
T.  Terry  conducts  a  meat  market. 

The  second  postmaster,  succeeding  Asa  B.  Sizer  at  an  early  date,  was 
Ralph  Tanner,  who  was  then  keeping  the  hotel.  He  continued  in  the 
office  until  about  1840  when  he  was  succeeded  both  as  postmaster  and 
as  landlord  by  Isaac  Curtis,  who  continued  until  about  1861,  during 
which  long  period  he  also  kept  a  tavern.  E.  R.  Barker, was  then  ap- 
pointed and  succeeded  as  postmaster  James  Brown,  and  held  the  office 
until  his  death;  he  was  succeeded  in  1874  by  A.  J.  Cushman.  Since 
his  incumbency  O.  C.  Bicknell,  G.  C.  White,  O.  C.  Bicknell  again,  and 
G.  C.  White  have  held  the  office. 

The  early  arrival  in  this  town  of  Drs.  Jonathan  Pratt  and  Zadock 
Parker  has  been  mentioned.  The  latter  practiced  until  his  death  in 
1816.      Dr.  Daniel  Barker  came  at   about  the  close  of  the  war  of  181:i 


378  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

and  practiced  very  successfully  a  number  of  years.  Asa  B.  Sizer  was 
also  an  early  physician  as  well  as  the  first  town  clerk  and  surrogate  for 
a  period  after  1816.  Dr.  Elijah  Putnam  was  an  early  physician  at  the 
Center  and  his  son,  Dr.  John  Putnam,  practiced  in  the  village  from 
about  1839  until  his  death  in  1879.  His  father  came  to  this  town  from 
Peterboro  in  1803  and  died  in  1851.  With  him  in  his  practice  for  a 
time  was  Dr.  Samuel  Collister.  Dr.  Marcus  H.  Sutclifife,  a  native  of 
Canada,  began  practice  in  1873  and  continued  until  his  death.  Dr. 
Elisha  B.  Hopkins,  a  native  of  Truro,  Cape  Cod,  began  practice  in  1874 
and  still  continues.  Dr.  B.  R.  Gifford  and  Dr.  W.  R  Hammond  are 
the  other  two  physicians  at  present  in  practice. 

Although  there  is  at  the  present  time  no  lawyer  in  this  town,  there 
were  in  past  years  a  few  practitioners  at  the  bar  who  were  well  known 
throughout  the  county.  The  first  of  these  were  Phineas  and  Albert  H. 
Tracy,  brothers  and  natives  of  Norwich,  Conn.,  who  came  to  Madison 
in  1811.  Phineas  was  a  graduate  of  Yale  in  1806.  Albert  H.  had 
studied  medicine  with  his  father  but  adopted  the  profession  of  law  and 
was  admitted  in  1815.  They  remained  here  only  a  few  years,  Phineas 
going  to  Batavia  and  Albert  H.  to  Buffalo.  Edward  Rogers,  born  in 
Cornwall,  Conn  ,  May  30,  1787,  settled  here  about  the  close  of  the  war 
of  1812  and  was  in  practice  about  thirty  years.  He  was  a  Yale  grad- 
uate and  a  writer  of  ability;  was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Con- 
vention of  1831  and  represented  the  23d  district  in  Congress  in  1839-41. 
He  was  also  a  judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  a  number  of  years. 

David  Woods  and  his  son  Jonathan  were  contemporary  lawyers  with 
Judge  Rogers,  cominghere  from  Washington  county  about  1817.  They, 
however,  soon  returned  to  their  former  home. 

There  has  never  been  much  manufacturing  in  Madison  village,  the 
industries  having  been  confined  principally  to  the  few  shops  of  black- 
smiths, shoemakers,  wagonmakers,  etc.,  usually  found  in  early  years  in 
all  villages.  At  the  present  time  Thomas  A.  Ferguson  has  a  shoe  shop, 
John  Bensted  a  harness  shop,  and  John  Salisbury  and  F.  Collister,  black- 
smith shops.  A.  O.  Netf  and  J.  W.  Salisbury  formerly  carried  on  car- 
riage making  and  blacksmithing.  M.  B.  Hill  and  T.  W.  Pilbeam  were 
former  blacksmiths  and  Charles  Dunster  a  harness  maker. 

Two  of  the  churches  in  the  village  were  organized  previous  to  the 
formation  of  the  county  and  have  been  noticed.  The  First  Universalist 
Church  was  organized  July  13,  1828,  and  Rev.  Nathaniel  Stacy,  of  East 
Hamilton,  the  first  preacher  of  this  faith  in  this  region,  was  probably 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— MADISON.  379 

the  first  pastor  here  and  was  foremost  in  the  formation  of  the  society. 
Other  pastors  who  served  the  congregation  for  varying  periods  were 
Revs.  Wright  and  A.  H.  Marshall.  A  society  organization  was  effected 
July  10,  1853,  when  there  were  forty-two  members.  A  reorganization 
and  incorporation  took  place  in  1866.  The  records  of  this  church  are 
fragmentary  and  for  a  considerable  period  past  no  services  have  been 
held. 

Wesleyan  Chapel  was  organized  about  the  year  1833  by  Rev.  Mr. 
Cameron,  who  gathered  a  class  of  nine  persons,  all  but  one  of  whom 
had  been  members  of  a  church  in  Eaton,  which  had  a  chapel  about  a 
mile  west  of  Bouckville.  The  house  of  worship  in  Madison  was  built 
in  1840.  The  present  handsome  edifice  was  erected  in  1873.  Regular 
services  were  held  under  various  pastors  and  the  society  has  ever  since 
been  prosperous.  In  1888  the  name  was  changed  to  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  of  Madison.     The  present  pastor  is  R.  J.  Smith. 

When  Dr.  Samuel  McClure  came  from  Vermont  about  1806  with  his 
family  of  eight  children  and  purchased  a  farm  which  included  most  of 
the  site  of  the  village  of  Bouckville,  he  built  a  small  frame  house  and 
about  the  beginning  of  the  war  of  1812  opened  a  store  at  that  point; 
he  also  kept  an  early  tavern  there.  The  locality  was  favorable  for  a 
village  site  and  other  settlers  gathered  around  this  store.  Dr.  McClure 
traded  only  a  year  or  two  and  removed  to  Erie  county.  The  little 
hamlet  was  known  at  first  as  McClure's  Settlement,  while  some  people 
called  it  The  Hook.  The  first  settler  at  this  point  was  John  Edgarton, 
one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  town,  and  from  him  the  place  in  later  years 
was  given  the  name  "  Johnsville."  When  the  post-office  was  estab- 
lished about  1837  it  was  given  the  present  name  in  honor  of  William  C. 
Bouck,  who  was  then  canal  commissioner.  The  village  was  principally 
called  into  existence  by  the  construction  of  the  Chenango  Canal,  which 
passes  through  it  and  was  for  many  years  of  great  benefit  to  the  town. 

The  next  merchant  of  f)rominence  after  Dr.  McClure  was  Ira  Bur- 
hans,  who,  with  his  son  Lindorf,  opened  a  store  about  1854  and  con- 
tinued business  until  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war,  when  the  father 
removed  to  Albany  county,  whence  he  came.  William  Coolidg  suc- 
ceeded as  merchant  and  continued  until  his  death  in  1875.  He  was  the 
youngest  son  of  James  D.  Coolidg,  whose  early  settlement  has  been 
described,  and  succeeded  to  his  father's  homestead.  In  1876  Lewis  E. 
Coe  opened  a  store  and  was  succeeded  by  his  wife  and  H.  D.  Brockett 
under  the  firm  name  of  Coe  &  Brockett,  and  are  still  in  business. 


380  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

This  village  has  for  many  years  been  an  important  point  for  the  ex- 
tensive manufacture  of  cider.  H.  I.  &  E.  L.  Peet  began  the  business  in 
a  small  way  more  than  thirty  years  ago  in  a  building  erected  by  Moses 
Maynard  when  the  canal  was  opened.  After  about  ten  years  their 
business  was  greatly  extended,  the  building  having  been  enlarged  in 
1876  and  again  in  1879.  More  than  10,000  barrels  of  cider  were  made 
in  prosperous  years  About  six  years  after  the  Peet  brothers  were  es- 
tablished, Samuel  R.  Mott  engaged  in  it,  occupying  an  old  stone  dis- 
tillery and  malt  house  on  the  canal  bank,  and  soon  rivaled  the  earlier 
firm  in  the  quantity  of  his  product.  He  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  J. 
C.  Mott,  who  bought  also  the  Peet  mill  and  continued  the  business.  In 
1890  the  Genesee  Fruit  Company  took  the  business  and  are  now  exten 
sively  engaged  in  making  cider,  vinegar  and  cider  and  whisky  barrels. 

The  Peet  brothers  also  operated  for  some  years  a  saw  mill  and  cheese 
box  factory.  Their  buildings  were  burned  in  1869  and  rebuilt  on  a 
larger  scale.  These  buildings  were  originally  erected  for  a  saw  mill 
and  cider  mill  by  James,  Sylvanus  and  William  Coolidg,  who  a  few 
years  later  sold  out  to  Sylvanus  Root,  jr.,  who  sold  to  the  Peet  broth- 
ers.    The  mill  and  box  factory  are  now  operated  by  Leo  Phelps, 

An  industry  which,  during  its  existence,  was  of  still  greater  impor- 
tance to  this  village  was  the  manufacture  of  the  Hopkins  Choice  Mower, 
which  was  established  about  1870  in  Morrisville  by  a  stock  company 
composed  of  thirty  members,  principal  among  whom  was  Harvey  L. 
Hopkins.  The  industry  was  removed  to  Bouckville  in  1875,  where  a 
large  building  was  erected  for  its  accommodation.  William  Edgar- 
ton  was  superintendent  after  the  removal.  In  1877  the  business  was 
sold  to  Hopkins,  Beebe  &  Co.,  and  was  soon  afterward  closed  up  here 
and  transferred  to  Chicago. 

The  first  postmaster  at  Bouckville  was  Moses  Maynard,  who  was  then 
keeping  the  hotel  which  he  built  about  that  time  (1837).  From  about 
1861  until  his  death  in  1875,  William  Coolidg  was  postmaster  and  was 
succeeded  by  Lewis  E.  Coe;  he  was  followed  by  Isaac  Forward,  and  he 
by  A.  J.  Wiltse,  who  was  succeeded  by  the  incumbent,  F.  Parker.  The 
hotel  before  mentioned  ha;  passed  through  several  proprietorships  and 
is  now  conducted  by  Fayette  Livermore. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Bouckville  was  organized  in 
1853  and  the  house  of  worship  was  built  at  the  same  time;  there  were 
fifteen  constituent  members.  Circuit  preachers  supplied  the  pulpit  a 
year  or  more,  since  which  time,  according  to  the   Methodist   custom, 


I 


JAMES  COOLIDG. 


\ 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— MADISON.  381 

there  has  been  a  change  in  the  pastorate  about  once  in  two    years. 
The  present  pastor  is  Rev.  R.  J.  Smith,  of  the  Madison  village  church. 

What  became  the  small  but  stirring  village  of  Solsville  grew  up 
around  the  grist  mill  built  by  Gen.  Erastus  Cleveland  early  in  the  cent- 
ury. The  place  bore  also  the  name,  Dalrymple's  Mill,  and  Howard's 
Mill  at  different  periods,  but  finally  received  its  present  name  from 
Solomon  Alcott,  who  was  an  early  settler  here.  As  before  stated,  the 
Cleveland  Mill  passed  to  his  son-in-law,  Nathan  Howard,  during  whose 
ownership  it  was  idle  many  years,  while  the  owner  was  engaged  in 
efforts  to  obtain  remuneration  from  the  State  for  injury  to  his  water 
power  by  the  canal.  He  died  January  21,  1855,  and  the  property  passed 
to  his  brother  Adin;  from  him  to  A.  C.  Wheeler,  who  sold  it  to  Will-  -y 
iam  A.  Simmons.  He  soon  sold  to  William  S,  Pierce  and  he  to 
James  H.  Parker.  The  mill  is  now  owned  and  operated  by  Smith 
&  Spooner. 

The  first  merchant  in  the  village  was  Nathan  S.  Howard,  who  kept  a 
small  store  part  of  the  time  while  he  owned  the  mill  property,  in  com- 
pany with  his  brother  Ambrose,  about  1831  to  1839,  Abel  Curtis  and 
his  uncle  Thompson  were  in  trade  from  1832  to  1835,  and  in  the  latter 
year  Mr.  Curtis  and  Marsden  Kershaw  formed  a  partnership  which  con- 
tinued to  1838,  when  Kershaw  purchased  his  partner's  interest  and 
about  a  year  later  took  in  Amasa  Paddleford.  After  about  a  year  Ker- 
shaw again  bought  out  his  partner  and  took  in  his  brother  Robert  The 
firm  of  Kershaw  &  Co.  continued  to  about  1861  when  Robert  withdrew 
and  Benjamin  S.  Bridge  joined  with  Marsden  Kershaw  in  forming  the 
firm  of  Kershaw  &  Bridge,  who  continued  to  1869,  when  Bridge  sold  to 
Augustus  N.  Peckham.  Very  soon  afterward  Kershaw  sold  his  interest 
to  John  Harris  and  the  store  building  to  Julius  Tucker.  Harris  & 
Peckham  continued  nearly  a  year  when  Harris  purchased  his  partner's 
interest  and  about  two  years  later  failed. 

Warren  H.  Benjamin  &  Sons  (Frank  H.  and  Will  H  )  began  trade  in 
1875  and  are  still  in  business.  L.  D.  Lewis  also  has  a  general  store. 
Benjamin  S.  Bridge  carried  on  a  grocery  business  about  three  years 
previous  to  his  death  in  1879. 

T.  B.  Manchester  has  had  a  blacksmith  shop  in  the  village  since  1883. 
Lewis  &  Rundell  formerly  carried  on  blacksmithing. 

Albert  Hall  was  the  first  postmaster  at  Solsville  and  was  succeeded 
by  Marsden  Kershaw  who  was  eight  years  in  the  office.  His  succes 
sji"ri  have  been  Agur  Gilbert,  Isaac  Phelps,  appointed  in  1864  and  held 


382  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  office  nearly  twenty  years ;  W.  H  Benjamin,  Rodney  Bridge,  W.  H. 
Benjamin  again,  L.  D.  Lewis  and  George  R.  Smith. 

There  is  a  milk  station  on  the  railroad  which  is  conducted  by  the 
Mutual  Milk  and  Cream  Company,  with  A.  D.  Eames,  local  manager. 
About  5,000  pounds  of  milk  are  taken  daily. 

Pecksport  is  a  railroad  station  in  the  west  part  of  the  town  about 
three-fourths  of  a  mile  from  the  Eaton  line.  There  was  formerly  a 
cheese  factory  here  and  large  quantities  of  milk  were  shipped  that  came 
from  the  town  of  Eaton. 

The  town  of  Madison  is  divided  into  thirteen  school  districts  and  is 
a  part  of  the  First  School  Commissioner  district  of  the  county.  The 
value  of  the  school  buildings  is  a  little  more  than  $10,000  and  the  whole 
number  of  children  attending  the  schools  as  shown  by  the  report  of 
1898  was  432.  In  December,  1878,  there  was  established  in  Madison  vil- 
lage Union  Free  School  District  No.  1.  Benjamin  B.  Mereness  was 
chairman  of  the  meeting  at  which  this  action  was  taken ;  Russell  Haz- 
zard,  secretary,  and  George  W.  Baker,  assistant  secretary.  It  was  voted 
that  the  Board  of  Education  should  consist  of  two  persons  to  serve  one 
year;  two  for  two  years,  and  one  for  three  years.  The  following  were 
chosen:  Harrison  C.  Bicknell  and  E.  B.  Hopkins  for  one  year;  John 
E.  Barber  and  Orlando  L.  Brigham  for  two  years;  George  Hardy  for 
three  years.  The  term  of  service  began  on  the  second  Tuesday  of 
October,  1879.  At  a  meeting  held  December  9,  1878,  E.  B.  Hopkins; 
was  chosen  president  of  the  board;  George  Hardy,  clerk;  Samuel  R. 
Brownell,  collector;  Russell  Hazzard,  treasurer.  George  E.  Satchwell 
was  the  first  principal  of  the  school.  The  building  occupied  was  erected 
in  Morrisville  by  the  Madison  County  Agricultural  Society  for  fair  pur- 
poses, and  was  removed  to  this  village  a  little  before  I860,  where  it  was 
used  a  short  time  for  an  armory,  called  "  Military  Hall."  It  was  first 
occupied  by  the  school  in  1871. 

In  past  years  Madison  has  been  among  the  towns  of  the  county  most 
extensivel)-  engaged  in  hop  raising.  It  was  in  this  town  that  the  first 
crop  of  hops  grown  in  the  county,  and  perhaps  in  central  New  York, 
was  produced.  This  was  done  by  James  D.  Coolidg  in  1808.  From  that 
year  onward  he  increased  his  annual  crop  gradually,  and  in  1816  took 
the  first  western  hops  to  the  New  York  market.  Their  quality  was  such 
that  the  attention  of  buyers  was  soon  attracted  to  this  locality  and  the 
prices  obtained  were  sufficient  to  induce  others  to  engage  in  the  indus- 
try.   Solomon  Root,  neighbor  of  Mr.  Coolidg,  soon  took  up  the  business 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— NELSON.  383 

and  about  1818  sold  two  tons  of  hops  at  $1,000  per  ton.  For  half  a 
century  thereafter  this  town  remained  in  the  front  rank  of  hop-growing 
towns  in  the  county. 

Leading  farmers  of  Madison  have  been  Duane  Neff,  O.  R.  Cole,  B. 
B.  Johnson,  J  Pilbeam,  H.  Frederick,  T.  A.  Cole,  Charles  Welch,  C.  T. 
Cole,  H.  G  Curtiss,  Edward  Lloyd,  George  Cole,  A.  H.  Rowland,  John 
Morgan,  Darwin  Putnam,  Edward  Hunt,  John  Phelps,  and  the  Bridge 
Brothers. 

The  summit  level  of  the  Chenango  Canal  was  in  this  town,  the  rise 
from  Oriskany  Falls  to  Bouckville  being  172  feet,  at  which  point  it  is 
1,128  feet  above  tide.  From  Utica  to  the  summit  the  rise  is  706  feet. 
Moses  Maynard  was  sent  by  the  people  of  this  town  to  Albany  to  advo- 
cate the  construction  of  the  canal,  where  he  labored  earnestly  for  the 
project  during  two  years. 

In  continuing  the  history  of  the  town  of  Nelson  from  the  point  to 
which  it  is  brought  down  in  Chapter  VIII,  the  reader's  attention  is  first 
called  to  the  settlement  that  gathered  in  early  years  around  the  first 
store  which,  as  before  stated,  was  opened  on  the  site  of  the  village  of 
Erieville  in  1807  by  Josiah  Hayden.  This  village  is  centrally  situated 
in  the  southern  part  of  the  town  and  is  a  station  on  the  Chenango  Val- 
ley branch  of  the  West  Shore  Railroad,  and  received  its  name  from  En 
Richardson  (according  to  Mrs.  Hammond),  using  his  first  name  as  part 
of  the  word  "  Erieville."  Mr.  Richardson  was  a  prominent  citizen  and 
long  a  prosperous  merchant.  He  was  a  member  of  tlie  Legislature  in 
1822  and  was  connected  with  the  State  militia,  whence  he  received  his 
title  of  major. 

Daniel  Bicknell  was  the  second  merchant,  coming  hither  from  Mor- 
risville.  He  died  a  year  or  two  later,  about  1816.  Andrew  C.  Hull 
came  from  Eaton  and  opened  a  store  in  1818  in  a  building  which  was 
erected  about  1811  for  a  school  and  meeting  house.  The  Baptists  used 
the  building  about  a  year  when  they  were  dispossessed  through  neg- 
lect in  procuring  their  title.  Hull  continued  in  trade  about  two  years 
and  then  purchased  what  was  known  as  the  lower  tavern,  which  was 
built  by  George  Salisbury.  This  he  kept  about  twoyeais  and  operated 
also  an  ashery.  He  then  removed  to  Eaton,  thence  to  Allegany  county 
and  later  to  the  South. 

Nathaniel  Hotchkin  came  from  Otselic  about  1822  and  settled  as  a 
merchant  in  the  village  and  about  a  year  later  took  Alpheus  Morse  ns 
partner.      They   had  a  prosperous  business,    operated  an  ashery,  and 


384  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

also  established  a  foundr}'  in  which  they  made  the  first  cast  iron  plows 
used  in  this  region,  after  the  plans  of  Jethro  Wood,  the  inventor. 
After  about  three  years  Mr.  Morse  returned  to  Eaton  and  engaged  in 
business,  and  about  1847  built  the  Alderbrook  woolen  factory,  about 
half  a  mile  below  West  Eaton;  he  subsequently  removed  to  Syracuse 
and  Hotchkin  also  left  the  place. 

John  Elmore,  who  came  from  De  Ruyter  about  1827,  was  a  merchant 
here  until  about  1838  when  he  returned  to  De  Ruyter.  David  Hamil- 
ton, whose  father  was  a  pioneer  of  the  east  part  of  this  town,  was  in 
trade  a  year  or  two  about  1840  and  sold  to  Allen  Curtis  and  Eli  B. 
Drake.  The  firm  of  Curtis  &  Drake  continued  about  two  years  and 
sold  to  George  R.  Parmalee,  who  came  from  Cazenovia  about  1843  and 
continued  business  until  1848,  when  he  failed  and  returned  to  Caze- 
novia. Thomas  Medbiiry  began  as  a  merchant  in  1855  and  continued 
to  about  1862.  He  was  a  grandson  of  the  pioneer  of  the  same  name 
who  had  a  gun  shop  in  the  village  before  1820.  Joseph  Norton  and 
Samuel  J.  Anderson  took  Medbury's  stock  and  were  in  trade  about  four 
years,  being  succeeded  in  1866  by  Warren  vS.  Cotes  &  Co.  (Joseph  E. 
Maynard).  Cotes  sold  his  interest  in  1868  to  Charles  E.  Maynard,  son 
of  the  other  member  of  the  firm.  The  firm  of  C.  E.  Maynard  &  Co. 
continued  until  1879,  when  Charles  E.  Maynard  purchased  his  father's 
interest  and  has  since  carried  on  a  large  business.  He  also  has  an  ex- 
tensive milk  business,  handling  in  1897  3,946,065  pounds  of  milk,  mak- 
ing 324,435  pounds  of  cheese,  22,592  pounds  of  butter  and  shipping  to 
the  New  York  market  4,622  forty-quart  cans  of  milk.  Mr.  Maynard 
has  served  two  terms  as  member  of  assembly.  The  Maynard  store 
was  built  in  1832  by  Nelson  Richardson. 

G.  C.  Moore  has  been  in  trade  since  1874  when  he  purchased  an 
interest  in  the  store  of  H.  Burgess  &  Son,  established  in  1866  by  H. 
Burgess.  E.  S.  Jillson  has  a  general  store  and  has  been  in  business 
since  1879.  S.  D.  Moore  and  Milton  Y.  Hudson  were  formerly  in  trade 
together  and  sold  out  in  1879  to  Franklin  W.  Moore,  older  brother  of 
Sidney  Moore. 

The  present  hotel  stands  on  the  site  of  the  old  Erieville  House,  which 
was  burned  in  1883.  The  Erieville  House  was  built  in  1820  by  Thomas 
Medbury,  who  kept  it  a  short  time.  The  first  tavern  on  the  site  was 
built  by  Ephraim  Mallory,  who  was  succeeded  as  proprietor  by  Abram 
Tuckerman.      Mrs.  H.  T.  Griffin  is  the  present  proprietor. 

About  1827  the  elder  Thomas  Medbury  erected  a  building  which  was 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— NELSON.  385 

variously  occupied  as  a  jewelry  repair  shop,  shoe  shop,  etc. ,  in  which 
he  lived  until  his  removal  from  the  town;  his  son  Alfred  afterward  re- 
sided there  a  few  years.  It  was  then  taken  by  Amasa  Jackson,  a  native 
of  Georgetown,  who  put  in  a  stock  of  goods  and  for  twenty  years  was 
a  prominent  merchant.     This  building  is  still  standing. 

A  steam  saw  mill  was  established  in  the  village  in  1871  by  Palmer 
Freeborn,  who  operated  it  until  1876  when  Channcey  P.  Wells  pur- 
chased it  at  sheriff's  sale  and  soon  sold  it  to  Moses  Stone,  who  sold  it 
to  Peter  R.  Duffey,  who  now  operates  it. 

A  second  steam  saw  mill  was  built  near  the  site  of  the  present  hotel 
and  afterwards  moved  down  South  street  opposite  the  present  school 
house.     It  is  now  operated  by  W.  S.  Kelley. 

For  some  years  a  stock  company  under  the  name  of  Moore's  Empire 
Milk  Pan  Company  manufactured  a  milk  pan  and  cooler  patented  by 
Franklin  W.  Moore.  The  officers  of  the  company  were  W.  W.  Lyon, 
president;  J.  W.  Torpy,  vice-president;  G.  W.  Salisbury,  secretary. 
The  business  was  ultimately  closed  up  and  Mr.  Moore  removed  to 
Syracuse . 

There  is  a  cooper  and  wagon  shop  in  the  village  conducted  for  many 
years  by  James  Stevenson,  and  two  blacksmith  shops. 

The  first  postmaster  at  Erieville  was  probably  Thomas  Medbury,  at 
the  time  he  was  keeping  the  hotel.  He  was  probably  followed  by 
Samuel  Gage,  who  kept  the  upper  and  afterwards  the  lower  tavern.  C. 
H.  Jennings  succeeded  to  the  office  in  1835,  Hiram  Anderson  in  1839, 
and  the  successors  have  been  Allen  Curtis,  John  Durfee,  Hiram  Stone, 
Richard  Stevens,  George  Parmelee,  Amasa  Jackson,  Canfield  Jennings, 
Amasa  Jackson  again,  Harrison  Burgess,  E.  S.  Jillson,  G.  C.  Moore, 
E.  S.  Jillson  again,  and  G.  C.  Moore,  present  postmaster. 

Dr.  John  Heffron  was  the  first  resident  physician  in  this  place,  com- 
ing from  his  native  town  of  Swanzey,  N.  H.  He  was  a  Dartmouth 
graduate  and  settled  in  Erieville  in  1809,  where  he  practiced  until  his 
death.  May  30,  1861.  He  was  a  practitioner  of  great  skill  and  was  sev- 
eral years  president  of  the  Madison  County  Medical  Society.  John 
Goodell,  jr.,  who  married  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Heffron,  practiced  with 
him  from  about  1820  to  1834,  when  he  removed  to  Delphi  and  thence 
to  New  Woodstock,  where  he  died.  Dr.  Levi  P.  Greenwood  was  born 
in  Lebanon  September  26,  1816,  and  studied  medicine  in  Hamilton, 
graduating  from  the  Fairfield  Medical  College.  He  settled  in  Erieville 
in  1840,  and  during  his  long  term  of  practice  met  with  unusual  success. 

25 


386  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Dr.  Wesley  M.  Carpenter,  a  native  of  Erieville,  studied  with  Dr.  Green- 
wood, and  for  many  years  practiced  with  him  under  the  firm  name  of 
Greenwood  &  Carpenter.  Dr.  Carpenter  was  a  skillful  physician.  He 
afterwards  moved  to  New  York  city  where  he  was  a  professor  in  a  med- 
ical college  and  was  a  writer  for  medical  magazines.  He  is  now  deceased. 
Dr.  James  W.  Smith,  a  native  of  Nelson,  studied  with  Dr.  Greenwood 
and  graduated  from  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  in  New 
York.  He  practiced  in  Erieville  about  a  year  and  a  half  and  removed 
to  Morrisville.  Dr.  Charles  H.  Ransom,  a  graduate  of  the  University 
Medical  College  of  New  York,  began  practice  here  in  1873,  and  subse- 
quently removed  to  Syracuse.  Dr.  C.  P.  Munroe  practiced  about  three 
years  and  removed  to  De  Ruyter.  The  present  physicians  are  Dr.  L. 
C.  Beebe  and  Dr.  E.  L.  Ensign. 

The  holding  of  early  meetings  by  the  Baptists  in  a  building  erected 
for  school  and  religious  purposes  has  been  mentioned  a  few  pages  back. 
When  they  were  dispossessed  of  the  building  they  erected  what  was 
called  The  Temple,  about  a  mile  north  of  Erieville,  which  was  also 
used  jointly  as  a  school  house  and  meeting  house  until  1821,  when  the 
Baptists  erected  their  church  which  originally  stood  about  forty  rods 
north  of  its  later  site  to  which  it  was  removed  in  1877.  The  first  meet- 
ing having  for  its  object  the  organization  of  a  church  was  held  April 
26,  1810,  and  about  100  persons  subscribed  to  the  articles  of  faith  and 
the  covenant.  The  Second  Baptist  Church  of  Nelson  was  thereupon 
formally  organized.  On  October  27,  1810,  a  council  convened  and 
recognized  twenty-three  persons  as  a  church  in  fellowship.  Among  the 
pasiors  who  have  served  this  society  are  Revs.  James  Wheeler,  Nathan 
Peck,  Nicholas  Johnson,  Orin  Beckwith,  S.  C.  Ainsworth,  J.  W.  Weath- 
erby,  M.  T.  Wadsworth,  P.  L.  Hakes,  L.  E.  Swan,  Judson  Davis,  E.  D. 
Reed,  who  was  the  last  resident  pastor,  since  which  the  pulpit  has  been 
supplied  mostly  from  Hamilton  College. 

The  first  meetings  of  Methodists  in  this  vicinity  were  held  in  1826 
about  two  miles  west  of  Erieville,  and  there  a  class  was  soon  formed. 
Meetings  were  held  thereafter  in  the  school  houses,  private  dwellings  and 
finally  in  the  school  house  in  Erieville,  until  1849,  when  a  church  was  or- 
ganized and  a  house  of  worship  erected  in  the  next  year.  Previous  to 
the  building  of  the  church  and  later  it  was  on  the  Georgetown  circuit,  but 
it  was  made  a  separate  charge  in  1876.  The  church  has  been  in  fairly 
prosperous  condition  ever  since  and  is  now  served  by  Rev.  A.  W.  Battey, 
who  is  also  pastor  of  the  church  at  Nelson. 

There  was  many  years  ago  a  flourishing  Universalist  society  here  and 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— NELSON,  387 

a  church  edifice  was  built  in  1842,  which  was  subsequently  and  now  used 
for  a  town  hall.     The  church  is  not  now  in  active  existence. 

The  village  of  Nelson,  or  Nelson  Flats,  as  it  was  long  known,  was  in 
early  years  of  more  business  importance  than  at  the  present  time. 
Situated  on  the  Cherry  Valley  Turnpike  and  being  a  halting  place  for 
many  stages,  the  passengers  giving  support  to  several  good  taverns, 
it  was  thought  by  the  residents  that  a  large  village  would  eventually 
be  built  up  at  this  point.  But  changes  in  methods  of  transportation, 
in  main  roads,  and  other  causes  gave  its  rival  in  the  south  part  of 
the  town  the  advantage.  The  first  store  in  the  town,  as  stated  farther 
back,  was  opened  here  by  EliphaletS.  Jackson,  who  traded  several  years 
soon  after  1800  and  was  succeeded  by  his  cousins,  John  and  Salathiel. 
The  firm  of  Bush  &  Donaldson  were  early  merchants,  and  in  1833 
John  James  purchased  Bush's  interest  in  the  business  and  continued 
in  trade  many  years,  either  alone  or  with  partners.  In  1874  he  took 
his  son,  William  H.  James,  into  partnership  and  from  that  time  the 
firm  of  J.  James  &  Son  dealt  mostly  in  hardware  for  a  number  of 
years.     William  H.  James  now  conducts  a  general  store  alone. 

Lester  Curtis  came  from  Winfield,  Herkimer  county,  about  1837  and 
opened  a  store,  in  which  he  was  succeeded  about  two  years  later  by 
Emilius  Bates,  who  was  in  business  a  few  years.  Joseph  V.  Kent, 
from  Fayetteville,  was  in  trade  about  three  years  from  1843.  Hull 
Whipple  and  S.  Smith  were  in  business  as  early  as  1830,  continuing 
several  years,  when  they  sold  to  Miner  Anderson;  he  kept  the  store  five 
or  six  years  and  sold  to  John  Donaldson,  who  was  subsequently  associ- 
ated with  Mills  Bush.  L  D.  English,  a  native  of  Nelson,  began  trade 
in  1870  and  continued  many  j'ears.  Frank  E.  Whitney  was  in  business 
with  Fordyce  R.  Gage,  who  had  already  kept  a  store  several  years, 
from  1876  to  1879,  when  he  bought  Gage's  interest  and  continued  alone 
several  years.  The  secrmd  general  store  at  the  present  time  is  kept  by 
W.  R.  Richards,  who  succeeded  in  the  Gage  store. 

The  first  postmaster  in  the  village  of  whom  anything  can  now  be 
learned  was  Jeremiah  Whipple  who  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Jeremiah 
in  1828.  John  Donaldson  was  appointed  about  1834  and  Harvey  Smith 
succeeded  about  1848,  but  only  for  a  few  months.  Archibald  Bates 
succeeded  for  a  short  term  and  was  followed  by  John  Donaldson.  The 
office  has  been  successively  held  since  by  Charles  Covell,  Evan  G. 
Hughes,  Alanson  G.  Gage,  George  E.  Gage,  John  James,  and  George 
W.  Holmes,  present  official. 

II.  A.  Camp  has  a  cheese  box  factory  two  miles  southwest  of  the  vil- 


388  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

lage.  In  1868  a  cheese  factory  was  established  by  G.  E.  Gaige  and  sub- 
sequently was  operated  more  than  fifteen  years  by  William  Richards, 
who  had  also  four  other  factories  in  the  town.  This  factory  is  now 
owned  by  Edgar  Beebe  and  conducted  by  W.  M.  Striker.  G.  E.  Gaige 
conducted  a  fruit  evaporator  here  for  several  years,  but  the  business 
was  abandoned. 

In  the  fall  of  1885  a  large  building  was  erected  for  use  as  a  saw  mill, 
grist  mill,  cider  mill,  blacksmith  shop  and  wagon  shop,  by  the  Nelson 
Manufacturing  Company,  in  which  L.  C.  Barnes,  Arthur  Bailey,  Frank 
Taylor,  S.  N.  Judd  and  Charles  J udd  were  interested.  This  promising 
industrial  enterprise  was  destroyed  by  the  burning  of  the  building  in 
1887  and  it  was  not  rebuilt. 

There  is  in  operation  a  half  mile  east  of  Nelson  a  grist  mill,  saw  mill 
and  cider  mill  combined,  by  L.  H.  Hutchinson ;  it  was  formerly  for 
many  years  owned  by  H.  P.  Hutchinson,  who  was  a  respected  citizen 
of  the  town;  he  died  in  1897.  There  is  also  an  old  grist  mill  on  the 
road  between  Nelson  and  Erieville  which  was  formerly  operated  by  S. 
G.  Bump,  but  is  now  idle. 

The  earliest  meetings  by  Methodists  in  this  place  were  held  in  1826 
in  school  houses  and  private  dwellings.  A  church  organization  was 
effected  at  Nelson  Flats  in  1833,  with  A.  Hyatt,  W.  W.  Clough,  E.  Al- 
len, J.  Anderson,  Allen  Smith,  J.  vSayles,  and  A.  S.  Pierson,  trustees. 
The  first  house  of  worship  was  the  one  subsequently  occupied  by  the 
Free  Methodist  society,  organized  in  1861.  The  second  one  was  the 
building  formerly  occupied  by  the  Presbyterian  society,  which  was  ex- 
tensively repaired  in  1878.  The  society  is  in  active  and  prosperous 
condition. 

The  Presbyterian  church,  just  mentioned  was  organized  sometime 
previous  to  1813,  when  it  became  connected  with  the  Union  Associa- 
tion. In  1825  it  was  first  reported  under  care  of  the  Presbytery  of  On- 
ondaga. The  largest  number  of  members  ever  reported  was  fifty,  which 
had  declined  in  1846  to  twenty-one.  The  first  house  of  worship  stood 
two  and  a  half  miles  southeast  of  Nelson  village  and  was  subsequently 
occupied  by  the  Welsh  Congregational  society;  the  second  edifice  was 
transferred  to  the  Methodists,  as  before  stated.  The  Welsh  church  was 
organized  in  1850  with  a  small  membership,  and  was  given  permission 
to  occupy  the  old  Presbyterian  meeting  house,  which  was  convenient 
for  these  people  in  the  northeastly  part  of  the  town.  It  was  used  by 
them  about  twenty-seven  years  when  a  new  edifice  was  built  in  1876  at 
a  cost  of  $6,000. 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— SMITHFIELD.  389 

The  principal  agricultural  industry  of  this  town  is  dairying,  the  pro- 
duction of  milk,  and  sheep  raising.  There  are  four  cheese  factories  at 
the  present  time;  one  on  the  Richards  estate;  one  in  Nelson  village; 
one  at  Erieville,  and  one  four  miles  northeast  of  Nelson.  Large  quanti- 
ties of  milk  are  shipped  to  the  New  York  market  on  the  railroad. 
Among  the  leading  farmers  of  the  town  may  be  mentioned  Ward  Smith, 
Orson  Graves,  W.  L.  Richards,  D.  M.  Jones,  Morey  Brothers,  W.  D. 
Brown,  M.  D.  Lyon,  H.  K.  Smith,  S.  L.  Jones,  Adelbert  Howard, 
Charles  E.  Richards,  John  H.  Richards,  Evan  D.  Davis,  Loren  Case, 
Lucius  Case,  Henry  C.  English,  George  E.  English,  L.  D.  English,  H. 
Hudson,  Frank  Hamilton,  Eugene  Keith,  D.  W.  Jones,  Frank  Isbell, 
Isaac  Blair,  Merritt  Lyon,  Frank  Blair,  Thomas  and  George  N.  Ensign, 
and  others. 


CHAPTER  XXL 

PROGRESS  OF  IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS  CONTINUED— SMITHFIELD 
AND  FENNER. 

The  town  of  Smithfield,  the  modern  history  of  which  must  now  be 
considered,  is  more  peculiarly  situated  with  references  to  changes  of 
recent  years,  than  any  other  in  Madison  county.  It  is  almost  centrally 
located  in  the  county  and  is  wholly  isolated  from  railroads.  As  a  con- 
sequence of  this  lack  of  rapid  and  easy  communication  with  other  points, 
and  partly  from  the  causes  to  which  reference  has  frequently  been  made 
in  these  pages,  the  population,  as  will  be  shown,  has  decreased  in  com- 
paratively recent  years  by  a  greater  per  cent,  than  that  of  any  other 
town.  From  about  1,500  in  1860,  it  has  fallen  to  about  1,000  at  the 
present  time,  while  its  village  life  and  business  interests  have  propor- 
tionately declined. 

The  village  of  PeterJboro  is  pleasantly  situated  near  the  center  of  the 
town  and  is  built  around  a  Green  at  the  intersection  of  the  Oneida  Turn- 
pike and  the  Morrisville  Stone  Road.  In  1807  there  were  only  ten  or 
twelve  buildings  of  all  kinds  in  the  village,  including  a  store,  and  the 
grist  and  saw  mills;  but  in  those  days  it  had  prospects  at  least  equal  to 
those  of  many  other  settlements  in  the  county. 


390  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Dr.  Joel  Norton  settled  in  the  town  in  1814,  succeeding  Dr.  Nash,  be- 
fore mentioned,  and  during  many  years  was  a  successful  physician  and 
a  respected  citizen.      He  died  at  the  age  of  fifty- four  years. 

John  Forte,  who  settled  early  within  the  limits  of  the  town  of  Lenox, 
became  a  resident  of  Smithfield.  He  was  father  of  Irvin  A.  and  Irving 
C.  Forte,  former  publishers  of  the  Cazenovia  Republican. 

In  the  strife  regarding  the  location  of  the  county  seat,  Smithfield  played 
an  important  part.  The  central  situation  of  the  town  in  the  county  was 
a  strong  argument  in  its  favor;  but  it  was  destined  to  disappointment  in 
this  hope  and  also  to  become  by  the  erection  from  its  former  large  terri- 
tory of  Fenner  in  1823  and  Stockbridge  in  1836  the  smallest  in  area  of  any 
of  the  towns  of  the  county. 

Nehemiah  Huntington,  a  man  of  high  character  and  signal  ability, 
was  the  first  attorney  to  settle  in  Smithfield,  locating  in  Peterboro 
in  1807.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Dartmouth  College  and  a  classmate 
of  Daniel  Webster.     He  died  in  1855,  after  a  long  life  of  usefulness. 

Asahel  C.  Stone  settled  in  Peterboro  with  his  father's  family,  in  1808, 
and  ultimately  became  a  successful  lawyer,  State  senator  in  1850,  and 
sherifl:  of  Madison  county  in  1866. 

The  old  Livingston  House,  built  in  1801  and  previously  noticed,  stood 
at  the  east  end  of  the  Green  and  was  kept  as  a  tavern  until  1850,  when  it 
was  removed  to  its  final  site  by  the  late  Eliphalet  A}  lesworth.  It  isnow 
the  property  of  Mrs.  Quincy  Martindale  and  is  occupied  as  a  dwelling. 
In  this  old  building  were  held  many  town  meetings  and  other  public 
gatherings.  In  1830  David  Ambler  built  a  hotel  on  a  corner  of  the  Smith 
estate,  in  which  he  was  aided  by  Gerrit  Smith.  It  was  stipulated  in 
their  agreement  that  it  should  be  conducted  on  temperance  principles; 
but  it  was  an  unprofitable  venture  and  after  a  few  years  Mr.  Smith  pur- 
chased it  to  prevent  its  being  converted  into  a  liquor-selling  place,  and 
on  several  later  occasions  supplied  money  to  new  owners  or  lessees  to 
keep  it  open  as  a  temperance  house.  But  the  community  did  not  share 
his  devotion  to  the  cause  and  the  house  continued  to  run  behind.  Mr. 
Smith  finally  and  soon  after  1855  again  came  into  possession  of  the 
building  and  the  two  stores  adjoining  which  he  removed  and  added  the 
ground  to  his  lawn.  About  the  same  time  he  built  a  hotel  at  the  west 
end  of  the  Green  and  offered  it  rent  free  to  any  one  who  would  keep  it 
open  on  temperance  principles.  The  experience  here  was  similar  to 
that  in  the  older  house  and  it  was  closed  before  the  death  of  Mr.  Smith, 
the  property  passing  to  Jeremiah  Bump,  who  built  there  his  fine  resi- 


Improvement  in  towns— smithfield.  391 

dence.  W.  S.  Martindale  opened  a  hotel  previous  to  1879  which  he 
kept  a  number  of  years,  when  it  passed  to  proprietorship  of  his  son, 
Frank,  the  present  landlord.  The  Cameron  House  was  built  in  recent 
years  by  Charles  Cameron,  who  now  conducts  it . 

Tanning  was  quite  extensively  carried  on  in  this  town  in  the  first 
half  of  the  century.  In  1810  Benjamin  Wilbur  erected  one  at  the  east 
end  of  the  village,  which  was  operated  until  about  1830.  Abner  Hall 
&  Son  built  another  in  183G,  which  was  operated  until  near  18G0.  It 
was  purchased  by  Gerrit  Smith  who  demolished  it  to  escape  the  disa- 
greeable odors. 

The  Peterboro  Academy,  an  institution  of  good  repute  in  its  day,  was 
built  in  1853,  with  money  obtained  by  subscription  to  the  amount  of 
about  $3,500.  The  charter  was  dated  January  23,  1853,  and  the  school 
opened  in  November  with  forty-two  students.  The  first  trustees  were 
James  Johnson,  Gerrit  Smith,  Caleb  Calkins,  James  Barnett,  Samuel 
Wells,  W.  C.  Powers,  Nehemiah  Huntington,  Albert  E.  Coe,  R.  North- 
rup,  A.  C.  Stone  and  Joseph  Sims.  The  site  was  donated  by  Gerrit 
Smith,  and  in  1864  the  academy  received  an  endowment  of  $15,000, 
the  income  from  which,  less  a  reserve  of  $300  given  to  the  poor,  yielded 
about  $800  annually.  In  1871  Gerrit  Smith  purchased  the  stock  in  the 
academy  at  twenty-nine  per  cent,  and  transferred  the  lot  and  building 
to  the  Orphans'  Home,  which  was  then  being  organized,  for  which  pur- 
pose it  has  since  been  used.  At  the  same  time  Mr.  Smith  purchased 
the  unused  Presbyterian  church  edifice,  on  which  he  expended  about 
$7,000  to  adapt  it  to  school  purposes,  and  transferred  it  to  the  trustees 
of  the  academy.  The  Union  School  of  Peterboro  was  incorporated  in 
1896,  the  first  board  of  trustees  being  Garrett  G.  Miller,  W.C.  Dorrance, 
I.  O.  Wright,  W.  E.  Coe  and  John  N.  Woodbury.  The  board  remains 
the  same,  excepting  the  substitution  of  A.  M.  Bump  for  John  N.Wood- 
bury. The  academy  building  was  transferred  to  the  school  authorities 
and  is  still  in  use.  The  present  principal  is  Arthur  H.  Jackson  and 
about  seventy-five  scholars  are  enrolled. 

The  Home  for  Destitute  Children  of  Madison  County,  although  a 
county  institution,  was  situated  in  this  town  and  founded  by  the  gen- 
erosity of  Gerrit  Smith  and  may  properly  be  noticed  here.  It  is  under 
management  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  and  has  accomplished  a  vast 
amount  of  good.  Mr.  Smith  donated  a  site  and  building  and  added 
ten  acres  of  excellent  land,  which  has  been  cultivated  by  the  boys  in 
the  Home.     It  was  incorporated  in  1871,  at  which  time  fifteen  children 


392  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

were  taken  from  the  county  poor  house  and  placed  in  the  Home.  The 
value  of  the  property  has  gradually  increased  until  now  it  is  more  than 
$30,000.  The  average  number  of  inmates  is  about  forty  and  about 
$3,000  is  raised  annually  for  maintenance  of  the  institution. 

The  frequent  reference  in  the  history  of  this  town  to  the  name  of 
Gerrit  Smith,  and  mention  of  his  many  benevolent  acts,  renders  it 
necessary  to  further  notice  his  life.  He  was  the  second  son  of  Peter 
and  Elizabeth  Smith  and  was  born  in  Uiica  March  6,  1797.  He  was 
brought  to  Peterboro  by  his  parents  in  1806.  Prepared  for  college  at 
Clinton  Academy  he  entered  Hamilton  and  graduated  in  1818.  In  the 
following  year  he  married  Wealtha  A.  Backus,  and  established  a  mod- 
est home  in  the  little  village.  He  intended  to  study  law  and  to  gratify 
his  literary  ambition,  but  the  sudden  death  of  his  wife,  August  15,  1819, 
and  a  few  months  later  the  transfer  to  his  charge  of  his  father's  prop- 
erty and  various  interests,  changed  his  whole  course  of  life.  On  Janu- 
ary 3,  1832,  he  married  Ann  Carroll  Fitzhugh  of  Livingston  county,  N. 
Y.,  and  formerly  of  Maryland.  They  had  seven  children,  one  of  whom 
was  Greene  Smith,  who  inherited  the  family  mansion  and  lived  there 
most  of  the  time  until  his  death.  It  is  manifestly  impossible  to  give  a 
detailed  account  of  the  life  of  Gerrit  Smith  in  these  pages,  for  he  was  a 
man  whose  actions  and  sympathies  were  far  reaching  and  his  public 
deeds  innumerable.  Liberty,  temperance,  independence  and  integrity 
were  the  great  purposes  of  life,  as  he  viewed  it,  and  he  drifted  from 
the  old  Presbyterian  faith  in  which  he  was  reared,  mainly  because  that 
church  showed  indifference  to  the  great  evils  of  slavery  and  intemper- 
ance. He  was  an  earnest  advocate  of  the  suppression  of  liquor  traffic 
by  legal  enactment.  He  opposed  all  secret  societies,  beginning  with 
his  career  in  college,  and  during  the  anti-Masonic  crusade  was  candi- 
date for  State  senator  by  that  hapless  party.  Politics  in  everything 
except  as  a  means  for  the  accomplishment  of  worthy  objects,  he  dis- 
tinctly disliked;  yet  he  founded  four  parties  and  was  four  times  nomi- 
nated for  the  presidency  of  the  United  States,  twice  for  governor  of 
this  State,  and  once  for  member  of  congress  from  Oswego  and  Madison 
connties.  The  so-called  Liberty  Party  was  organized  under  him  in 
1840  and  continued  its  existence  until  the  Civil  war;  by  it  he  was  nom- 
inated for  president  in  1848  and  1851.  The  Industrial  Congress  nom- 
inated him  for  president  in  1848  and  the  Land  Reform  party  in  1856. 
The  Anti-Slavery  convention  in  Syracuse  in  1840  nominated  him  for 
governor,  and  again  in  1858.     Of  all  these  honors  he  accepted  only  the 


GHRKIT  SMITH. 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— SMITHFIELD.  393 

latter,  for  which  he  made  a  vi.sforous  canvass,  but  received  only  5,446 
votes.  The  reason  for  this  outcome  is  clear  to  the  reader.  His  elec- 
tion to  Congress  in  1853  was  by  only  a  narrow  majority  and  he  entered 
that  body  against  his  inclination.  After  the  first  session,  during  which 
his  bold  eloquence  was  frequently  heard  in  opposition  to  the  Nebraska 
bill  and  other  measures  of  which  he  did  not  approve,  he  resigned  on 
account  of  ill  health  and  the  demands  of  his  private  affairs.  He  fre- 
quently and  bitterly  denounced  the  churches  for  their  apathy  towards 
the  great  evils  of  the  time,  and  yet  he  was  of  deeply  religious  and  de- 
vout character.  His  efforts  to  uplift  the  colored  race  were  unceasing 
and  his  gifts  for  that  purpose  amounted  to  about  $200,000.  While  war 
was  repugnant  to  him,  he  firmly  supported  the  government  during  the 
civil  conflict  and  after  the  issue  of  the  emancipation  proclamation  joined 
the  Republican  party.  Mr.  Smith  possessed  a  powerful  intellect;  he 
could  use  his  resonant  voice  with  fiery  eloquence  when  aroused,  and 
his  habits  of  reading  and  study  made  him  a  bold  and  original  thinker. 
His  judgment  was  frequently  at  fault,  but  his  will  was  indomitable. 
These  traits  unfitted  him  to  some  extent  for  statesmanship.  He  died 
in  New  York  city  December  28,  1874,  while  on  a  holiday  visit.  His 
wife  died  three  months  later. 

The  town  of  Smithfield  has  produced  a  number  of  other  men  of  prom- 
inence and  ability,  aside  from  Mr.  Smith,  some  of  whom  have  been  al- 
ready noticed.  Caleb  Calkins,  a  native  of  Aurora,  N.  Y. ,  was  a  farmer's 
son,  and  received  an  academic  education,  and  a  two  years'  course  in 
Hamilton  College,  supplemented  by  a  year  in  Union  College.  In  1838 
he  received  a  letter  from  Gerrit  Smith  requesting  him  to  accept  a  posi- 
tion as  his  private  secretary.  He  did  so  and  remained  in  that  capacity 
about  half  a  century.  He  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace,  and  in 
1866  was  elected  to  the  Assembly. 

Asahel  C.  Stone,  a  distinguished  lawyer;  H.  S.  Foster,  who  rose  from 
the  humble  position  of  a  shoemaker  to  eminence  at  the  bar;  William 
Evans,  and  Judge  Bronson,  all  of  whom  are  noticed  in  other  pages  of 
this  work,  were  Smithfield  men. 

Mercantile  operations  in  Peterboro  began  early,  but  have  never  been 
extensive.  James  Livingston,  whose  early  tavern  has  been  mentioned, 
traded  several  years  beginning  in  1801,  and  in  the  same  year  Daniel 
Petrie,  who  came  from  Herkimer,  opened  a  stoie.  Among  other  mer- 
chants of  the  past  were  William  Solon,  and  Myron  Taylor,  Elisha  Car- 
rington.  Royal  and   Dorman  Cooper,  Asa  Raymond,  Charles  H.  Cook, 


394  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLli. 

Peter  S.  Smith,  Samuel  Forman,  Dunham  &  Clink,  Harry  Curtis,  J.  G. 
Curtis,  Eliphalet  Aylesworth,  Ives  &  Woodbury,  Dr.  N.  C.  Powers, 
Andrew  S.  Douglass,  Dr.  A.  C.  Baum,  James  R.  Barnett,  Charles  Cut- 
ler, John  A.  Campbell,  William  T.  Marcey,  W.  C.  Ives,  Charles  N. 
Snow,  Thomas  C.  Taylor,  and  possibly  a  few  others.  At  the  present 
time  J.  N.  Woodbury  has  a  general  store,  which  he  has  conducted  more 
than  forty  years.  W.  E.  Coe  has  been  selling  groceries  and  drugs 
about  sixteen  years.  I.  O.  Wright  has  conducted  a  general  store  more 
than  twenty  years.  Dr.  George  W.  Davis  has  sold  drugs  nine  years. 
Besides  these  there  are  the  clothing  store  of  T.  O.  Taylor,  the  station- 
ery store  of  Charles  E.  Wagoner,  and  the  musical  instrument  and  agri- 
cultural tool  establishment  of  M.  L.  Dennison,  all  of  which  are  of  more 
recent  date.  William  Ginney  and  Timothy  Ginney  are  the  village  black- 
smiths, and  Wiley  Conine  and  David  Devan  are  wagonmakers.  The 
grist  mill  and  saw  mill  are  now  operated  by  A.  M.  Bump;  there  is  no 
other  manufacturing  in  the  town. 

Among  the  early  physicians  of  this  town  and  succeeding  Dr.  Phin- 
eas  Lucas,  who  came  in  1804,  was  Dr.  John  Dorrance,  who  remained 
in  practice  here  until  his  death  in  1855.  Dr.  R.  Nash  settled  in  Peter- 
boro  in  1807.  Other  later  physicians  were  Drs.  Stevens,  Messeager, 
Mason,  Watson,  Norton,  and  N.  C.  Powers,  who  removed  to  Syracuse. 
Dr.  F.  E.  Dewey  began  practice  here  more  than  twenty  years  ago  and 
still  continues.     The  only  other  physician  is  Dr.  G.  W.  Davis. 

The  date  of  the  establishment  of  the  post-office  cannot  be  obtained, 
but  it  was  in  the  early  years  of  the  century,  and  Daniel  Petrie  received 
appointment  as  postmaster.  Those  who  have  held  the  office  since  have 
been  Nehemiah  Huntington,  Joseph  S.  Palmer,  John  M.  Messinger,  N. 
C.  Powers,  Harvey  Williams,  Oliver  Williams,  A.  C.  Stone,  Thomas 
Petrie,  Andrew  Douglass,  Emmet  Coe,  and  W.  E.  Coe. 

Besides  the  post-office  at  Peterboro  there  is  another  in  this  town  at 
Siloam,  a  little  hamlet  on  the  Oneida  Turnpike,  east  of  the  larger  vil- 
lage. This  post-office  was  for  a  period  closed.  Harmon  L.  Holmes  is 
the  present  postmaster,  and  a  general  store  is  conducted  by  Francis  M. 
Wright,  the  grist  mill  and  saw  mill  are  operated  by  Mr.  Holmes.  The 
post-office  named  Mile  Strip  is  about  on  the  line  between  this  town  and 
the  new  town  of  Lincoln.  Roscoe  Gates  is  postmaster  and  keeps  a 
small  store. 

The  principal  agricultural  industry  of  Smithfield  is  dairying,  while 
hops  are  grown  to  a  considerable  extent.     At  the  present  time  there 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— SMITHFIELD.  395 

are  three  cheese  factories  in  operation,  a  less  number  than  in  previous 
years.  These  are  situated  one  at  Siloam,  operated  by  Albert  Mil- 
ler; one  at  Peterboro,  by  Robert  Warcup,  and  one  in  the  west 
part  of  the  town,  by  Levi  Miller.  Among  the  most  successful 
and  respected  farmers  of  the  town  may  be  mentioned  Brainerd  John- 
son, Winchester  Johnson,  A.  L.  Cameron,  Henry  Campbell,  Norton 
Bliss,  Frank  Conley,  Frederick  and  John  Brown,  W.  Cole,  Everett 
Brown,  Eugene  Davis,  Timothy  Griffin,  James  W.  Rich,  A.  Ingalls, 
L.  A.  Austin,  J.  C.  Lynch,  Louis  Marquisee,  E.  D.  Gill,  D.  E.  Wright, 
H.  E  Chafee,  Charles  L.  Hecox,  A.  Moody,  Henry  and  W.  Eisaman, 
William  Davis,  Harvey  Austin,  Austin  Hecox,  Albert  Howell,  Eugene 
Rich,  Morris  Woodworth,  Reuben  Rich,  Clarence  Battey,  and  G.  S. 
Miller. 

The  second  church  formed  in  Smithfield  was  at  Siloam  and  was  called 
the  Baptist  Society  of  EUinwood  Hollow  (a  name  applied  to  the  place 
for  a  time),  which  was  organized  in  1820,  with  a  membership  of  forty- 
five.  A  modest  church  was  built  in  the  following  year.  Dyer  D.  Ran- 
som, of  the  Peterboro  church,  was  the  first  pastor,  and  was  succeeded 
by  Elder  P.  P.  Beman,  who  remained  ten  years,  the  membership  reach- 
ing 100  before  he  left.  It  was  he  who  gave  the  name  of  Siloam  to  the 
place,  as  appropriate  on  account  of  the  sulphur  springs  which  he  was 
the  means  of  advertising  to  the  public. 

The  Methodist  society  here  is  a  branch  of  the  Stockbridge  church 
and  is  in  a  flourishing  condition.  The  church  edifice  was  built  in 
1896. 

The  Mile  Strip  Methodist  Church  was  organized  as  a  class  in  1839  by 
Rev.  Isaac  Pufifer.  Meetings  were  held  with  regularity  many  years  in 
the  school  house.     The  society  is  still  in  existence. 

The  Methodist  Church  of  Peterboro  was  organized  in  1854,  mainly 
through  the  efforts  of  Avery  H.  Forte,  then  class  leader.  Services  were 
held  in  various  places  until  1858  when  a  small  frame  church  building 
was  erected.  The  first  pastor  was  Rev.  A.  L.  York.  Although  this 
society  was  small  in  numbers  and  scattered  in  its  early  years,  it  has 
gradually  grown  and  is  now  in  a  flourishing  condition  under  the  pastor- 
ate of  Rev.  George  W.  Reynolds.  The  church  building  has  recently 
been  much  improved. 

The  so  named  Church  of  Peterboro  was  formed  in  1843  upon  the 
theory  of  Gerrit  Smith  that  the  true  church  should  be  free  from  eccle- 
siasticism  and  creed  obligations.     Through  widely  circulated  literature 


396  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

his  views  received  extended  notice  and  drew  from  the  sectarian  organi 
zations  many  members.  In  1847  he  built  a  chapel  in  Peterboro  and 
opened  its  doors  to  preachers  of  all  denominations.  The  first  stated 
pastor  was  Hiram  P.  Crozier,  who  remained  two  years,  when  he  was 
requested  to  resign,  as  his  teachings  were  radically  atheistic.  Other 
pastors  followed  for  indefinite  periods,  while  the  pulpit  was  occasionally 
occupied  by  men  of  fame.  The  expenses  of  the  services  were  defrayed 
by  collections,  but  Mr.  Smith  had  frequently  to  make  up  deficiencies 
from  his  own  purse.  In  recent  years  the  church  has  been  occupied  as 
a  dwelling. 

The  town  of  Fenner,  the  early  settlement  of  which  has  been  described 
in  Chapter  IX,  has  seen  few  changes  since  the  organization  of  the 
county  aside  from  the  gradual  clearing  of  the  lands  and  improvement 
of  farms,  with  such  municipal  growth  as  has  centered  at  the  village  of 
Perryville.  The  fact  has  already  been  noticed  that  a  valuable  limestone 
crops  out  on  the  northern  line  of  this  town,  from  which  an  excellent 
quality  of  lime  has  been  manufactured  many  years,  the  works  being- 
situated  just  over  the  line  of  Sullivan.  Marl  lime  was  also  made  some 
years  ago  in  the  northwest  corner  of  the  town  on  the  farm  of  Charles 
Keeler,  who  still  resides  there,  but  has  discontinued  his  operations  in 
that  direction. 

Hop  raising  has  been  followed  in  Fenner  to  a  less  extent  -than  in  many 
other  towns  in  the  county,  more  attention  having  been  given  to  mixed 
crops  and  to  dairying.  The  celebrated  Hess  barley  was  originated  by 
David  Hess,  of  this  town,  but  it  is  not  now  grown  to  any  extent.  With 
the  introduction  of  the  factory  mode  of  cheese  making,  Fenner  farmers 
took  up  the  business  with  enthusiasm,  and  at  one  time  there  were  five 
factories  in  operation.  One  of  these  was  at  Perryville,  which  was  built 
in  1868  by  Webster  C.  Hill.  Another  was  on  the  Mile  Strip  three  miles 
from  Perryville,  built  a  little  later  by  Monroe  Lownsberry;  both  of 
these  were  owned  during  a  period  by  the  firm  of  Avery  &  Wadsworth . 
Another  was  at  Fenner  Corners  and  was  built  by  William  P.  Lowns- 
berry about  1865.  A  fourth  factory  was  located  a  mile  southeast  of  the 
Center  on  what  is  known  as  the  Hutchinson  Corner.  Another  was  on 
the  Peterboro  and  Cazenovia  Turnpike  and  was  operated  for  some  time 
by  William  Richards.  Every  one  of  these  factories  is  now  idle  and  the 
dairying  interest  of  the  town  is  chiefly  confined  to  the  domestic  manu- 
facture of  butter .  There  is,  however,  a  cheese  factory  at  Perryville, 
but  just  over  into  the  town  of  Sullivan,  which  is  operated  by  a  stock 
company. 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— FENNER.  397 

The  village  of  Perry  ville  is  pleasantly  situated  on  the  north  line  of  the 
town  of  Fenner  and  is  partly  in  this  town,  partly  in  Sullivan  and  partly 
in  what  was  the  town  of  Lenox  before  the  recent  division.  The  east 
and  west  road  through  the  village  is  the  town  line.  What  was  origin- 
ally the  Cazenovia  and  Canastota  Railroad,  and  later  the  Erie,  Cortland 
and  Northern  road,  passes  through  the  village,  and  with  other  causes 
operated  in  comparative  recent  times  to  make  it  the  business  center  of 
the  town,  drawing  away  from  Fenner  Corners  most  of  the  industrial 
and  mercantile  interests  that  promised  in  early  years  to  make  that  a 
business  center.  The  excellent  water  power  of  the  Canaseraga  Creek 
at  this  point  has  been  also  an  important  factor  in  the  growth  of  the  vil- 
lage. The  first  grist  mill  here  was  built  soon  after  1800  by  Richard 
Card,  and  around  it  the  settlers  gathered  and  stores  and  shops  were 
opened.  The  old  mill  was  superseded  in  1832  by  the  present  one, 
which  in  passing  years  was  owned  and  operated  by  various  persons. 
For  some  years  past  it  has  been  operated  by  J.  A.  Armstrong  and  is 
used  largely  in  grinding  buckwheat  flour  and  feed. 

A  carding  and  cloth  dressing  mill  was  established  here  in  1815  by 
Alpheus  Britt,  who  had  settled  in  Lenox  about  1810,  coming  from  Ver- 
mont. In  that  town  he  carried  on  the  same  business  until  his  removal 
to  Perryville  In  1831  he  transferred  the  business  to  his  son.  Sergeant, 
who  continued  about  twtnty  years  and  until  it  became  unprofitable. 
The  last  building  in  use  was  erected  about  1835.  In  later  years  it  was 
used  by  Mr.  Britt  for  a  cider  mil!.  In  1861  E.  S.  Hamblin  purchased 
the  property  and  converted  it  into  a  saw  and  planing  mill,  carrying  on 
the  business  until  1877,  when  he  sold  to  E.  G.  Crosby.  Two  years  later 
he  sold  out  to  Abram  Colyer  and  subsequently  it  passed  to  Fred  W. 
Hodge,  who  uses  it  in  connection  with  his  stone  industry.  Alpheus 
Britt  purchased  a  farm  of  115  acres  from  the  Peter  Smith  land-^,  which 
also  passed  to  his  son. 

A  tannery  was  established  at  an  early  day  by  a  Mr.  Glass,  to  which 
Oren  S.  Avery  succeeded  and  wherein  he  established  a  boot  and  shoe 
manufactory.  The  business  was  long  ago  discontinued  and  the  tannery 
building  was  demolished.  Eli  Blakeslee  established  a  carriage  manu- 
factory many  years  ago,  but  it  was  discontinued  about  1836. 

In  1886  Fred  W.  Hodge,  who  had  previously  been  engaged  in  wagon 
making,  established  a  land  plaster,  water  lime  and  cement  works,  in 
connection  with  a  large  quarrying  and  stone  crushing  business.  After 
continuing  his  operations  ten  years,  developing  an  extensive  industry, 


398  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

he  was  killed  in  1896  by  an  explosion  of  nitro  glycerine.  The  business 
has  since  been  conducted  by  his  widow,  Mrs.  Hattie  Hodge.  Long 
leases  are  held  for  several  quarries  in  the  vicinity  and  crushed  stone  is 
sold  to  cities  and  villages  under  contract.  Mrs.  Hodge  also  operates  a 
saw  mill.  These  works  are  within  the  town  line  of  Sullivan.  About  a 
mile  north  of  PerryviUe,  within  the  Sullivan  bounds,  Cyrus  Worlock 
conducts  a  similar  industry  on  a  still  larger  scale. 

The  first  merchants  at  PerryviUe  was  the  firm  of  Tyre  &  Cole,  who 
located  there  about  1811  and  occupied  a  building  standing  near  the 
bridge,  which  was  later  converted  into  a  dwelling.  About  the  close  of 
the  war  of  1812  the  Weeks  Brothers  opened  a  store  in  the  building  now 
occupied  by  John  Hill  as  a  hop  house.  Capt.  Justus  Durkee  and  a 
man  named  Bowen  were  merchants  a  little  earlier  than  the  Weeks 
Brothers,  but  they  remained  only  a  short  time.  William  Doolittle  came 
from  Paris,  Oneida  county,  about  1830  and  continued  in  trade  until 
1828,  when  he  failed  and  removed  to  Chittenango.  Samuel  Hill  and  a 
Mr.  Stillson,  who  came  from  Jamesville,  traded  about  three  years  after 
Doolittle.  Leonard  Gough,  from  Plainfield,  Conn.,  came  to  the  village 
and  opened  a  store,  in  connection  with  farming,  about  1835  and  con- 
tinued during  much  of  the  time  untill  his  death  about  1850.  John  Hill, 
who  had  kept  an  early  tavern  on  the  Peterboro  road  a  little  east  of 
PerryviUe,  opened  a  store  in  the  village  about  1839  and  continued  in 
trade  about  twenty  years,  carrying  on  also  an  ashery,  distilling  and 
milling  apart  of  that  period.  He  was  associated  in  his  store  with  his 
brother-in  law.  Mason  Annas,  and  also  at  another  time  with  Webster 
C.  Hill;  the  latter  succeeded  to  the  store  and  continued  in  business  to 
1875,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  years  while  he  was  engaged  in  mak- 
ing cheese.  John  Hill  was  a  son  of  Daniel  Hill,  a  pioneer  in  Lenox, 
who  afterwards  settled  in  Fenner  on  the  well  known  Hill  farm.  John 
Hill  purchased  the  PerryviUe  mills  in  1837,  of  Enoch  Dykeman,  and 
sold  them  about  five  years  later  to  Lobdell  &  Rich.  H.  L.  Keeler 
opened  a  store  in  1864  and  in  1876  sold  it  to  Paul  S.  Maine,  a  native  of 
Fenner  and  present  clerk  of  the  county;  he  is  still  in  business  and  is 
the  only  merchant,  aside  from  the  stock  of  groceries  kept  by  Mrs. 
William  Cross.  S.  E.  Marshall  &  Son  carry  on  wagon  making  and 
blacksmithing. 

The  PerryviUe  post  office  was  established  about  the  year  1816  with 
Oren  S.  Avery,  postmaster.  He  held  the  ofl!ice  until  his  death  in  1836. 
During  that  long  incumbency  he  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  and 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— FENNER.  399 

enterprising  citizens  of  the  town  and  identified  with  various  industries 
and  business  operations.  He  operated  the  old  tannery  and  employed  a 
number  of  hands  in  the  making  of  boots  and  shoes.  He  was  succeeded 
as  postmaster  by  Silas  Judd,  whose  successors  have  been  Leonard 
Gongh,  Ira  Bates,  Silas  Judd  again,  Orrin  J.  Woodworth,  Joseph  V. 
Wells,  Webster  C.  Hill,  H.  L.  Keeler,  John  Hill,  Paul  S.  Maine,  Leon 
Berson,  Duane  Chapman,  Paul  S.  Maine  again,  James  Wells,  and  again 
Paul  S.  Maine,  who  is  the  present  incumbent. 

A  hotel  called  the  Perryville  House  was  built  about  1835  by  Simeon 
Jenkins,  who  kept  it  a  few  years.  After  several  changes  it  passed  to 
William  T.  Cross  in  1857,  who  conducted  it  until  his  death  in  January, 
1899.     He  was  succeeded  by  F.  F.  Hamilton. 

During  the  period  of  medical  practice  of  Dr.  John  Didama  in  Perry- 
ville, which  extended  from  about  1812  until  after  1840,  when  he  went 
to  live  with  his  son  Edward  at  Ovid,  N.  Y. ,  Dr.  Reed  and  Dr.  N.  C. 
Powers  practiced  about  a  year  in  1833-34.  Dr.  Powers  subsequently 
removed  to  Peterboro  and  from  there  to  Syracuse,  where  he  died.  Dr. 
Powers  R.  Mead  settled  here  about  1835  and  practiced  to  about  1852, 
when  he  removed  to  Nelson.  Dr.  Theodore  Mead,  a  native  of  New 
Hampshire,  practiced  in  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  and  in  Nelson  and  settled  in 
Perryville  in  1851  and  practiced  until  1874,  when  he  removed  to  Caz- 
enovia.  From  there  he  went  to  Oneida.  Other  later  physicians  were 
Drs.  John  H.  Ramsey,  Sylvanus  Guernsey,  George  B.  Munger,  Ben- 
jamin Rush  Mead,  George  W.  Miles,  M.  R.  Jo}',  and  the  present  phy- 
sician, Dr.  Nelson  O.  Brooks. 

The  first  religious  organization  of  Perryville  was  the  St.  Stephen's 
Episcopal  Church  which  was  formed  on  September  18,  1816.  It  was  the 
third  church  of  this  denomination  in  the  State  west  of  Albany.  The 
society  was  always  small  in  numbers  and  was  served  by  numerous  pas- 
tors, the  records  of  whose  terms  are  fragmentary.  The  parish  was  re- 
ported in  1851  as  being  old  and  feeble  and  in  1868  there  were  only  nine 
communicants.  There  were  frequent  periods  when  the  church  was 
closed.  The  edifice  was  erected  not  long  after  1830  and  was  conse- 
crated in  1833.  It  is  now  in  use  for  the  Union  school,  as  elsewhere 
noticed. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Perryville  was  organized  as  a 
class  under  leadership  of  Charles  Blakeslee  in  1831,  at  which  time  there 
were  only  four  of  that  denomination  in  the  place.  The  early  meetings 
were  held  in  the  school  house  and  later  in  the  upper  story  of  Eli  Blake.s- 


400  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

lee's  wagon  shop.  The  church  building,  which  is  still  in  use  with  sub- 
stantial repairs  at  various  times,  was  erected  in  1839.  A  parsonage 
was  built  in  1867,  and  is  still  in  use.  This  church  is  connected  with 
the  one  at  Chittenango  Falls,  and  Rev.  T.  F  Harris  is  pastor  of 
both. 

The  town  of  Fenner  was  early  divided  into  school  districts,  of  which 
there  are  now  eleven.  There  was  little  change  for  many  years.  In 
1897  the  Union  School  of  Perry ville  was  incorporated,  uniting  the  ad- 
joining districts  of  the  towns  of  Fenner  and  Lincoln  forming  District 
No.  1  of  the  towns  of  Fenner,  Lincoln  and  Sullivan.  The  Episcopal 
society  gave  to  the  school  authorities  their  old  church  building  and  site 
which  was  extensively  remodeled  and  improved.  The  first  and  present 
Board  of  Education  consists  of  Henry  Hakes,  Frank  Blakeslee,  Henry 
Stafford,  John  Hill,  Edwin  D.  Ransom,  John  Armstrong,  Charles 
Cooper,  Jefferson  Howard,  and  Willis  P.  Huyck.  The  present  prin- 
cipal of  the  school  is  F.  Reid  Spaulding,  who  has  two  assistants. 

Fenner  Corners  is  a  mere  hamlet  in  the  central  part  of  the  town, 
where  it  was  originally  supposed  the  business  interests  would  be  estab- 
lished. Martin  and  Daniel  M.  Gillet  opened  the  first  store,  and  Charles 
F.  Kellogg,  from  Cazenovia,  succeeded  them  for  a  short  period.  Hiram 
Preston  and  Martin  Woodworth  traded  each  a  short  time  in  early  years. 
Perry  Tibbitts  was  a  merchant  in  1875  and  Augustus  Daniels  in  1878. 
Benjamin  Pearlman  now  keeps  the  only  store. 

The  first  post-office  here  was  established  some  time  between  1820  and 
1825,  with  Ebenezer  Dunton,  postmaster.  Later  officials  were  Elias 
Munger,  Anthony  Barrett,  William  Barrett,  Caroline  Barrett  and 
Charles  Barrett,  who  held  the  office  until  1865;  Alanson  Roach,  Frank 
W.  Dewey,  Lawrence  Young,  Joseph  Mathers,  Van  Buren  Stafford, 
William  Lownsberry,  Alfred  Loomis,  Walter  K.  Smith,  Perry  Tibbitts, 
Andrew  Jackson,  Theodore  McAlpin,  Mrs.  McAlpin,  and  Sanford 
Murray. 

The  only  resident  physician  of  the  Corners  was  Dr.  Powers  R.  Mead, 
who  practiced  about  two  years  before  his  removal  to  Perryville.  Dr. 
Daniel  Pratt,  brother  of  Dr.  Jonathan  Pratt,  the  pioneer  physician  in 
Madison,  settled  in  Fenner  in  1814  on  a  farm  a  mile  and  a  half  north  of 
Fenner  Corners.  There  he  practiced  many  years  and  was  a  prominent 
and  respected  citizen. 

The  Fenner  Baptist  Church  was  organized  August  23,  1801,  by  Elder 
Thomas  Tuttle,  with  seven  members.     The  first  baptism  in  the  young 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— FENNER.  401 

church  took  place  April  25,  1802,  when  eight  candidates  received  the 
ordinance.  This  society  has  already  been  further  described  in  Chapter 
IX. 

The  hamlet  of  Chittenango  Falls  is  situated  on  the  western  line  of 
the  town.  In  early  years  there  was  considerable  manufacturing  here, 
which  has  substantially  disappeared.  A  paper  mill  was  in  operation 
many  years  ago,  wrapping  paper  being  extensively  made  from  straw. 
With  the  introduction  of  wood  pulp  the  industry  became  unprofitable 
and  was  abandoned.  A  cheese  factory  on  the  Cazenovia  side  of  the 
line  (where  the  paper  mill  was  also  situated),  was  operated  a  number  of 
years,  but  is  now  closed  and  there  is  very  little  business  in  the  place. 
There  was  formerly  a  saw  mill  here,  the  unoccupied  building  still 
standing,  and  an  old  carding  mill,  a  mile  and  a  half  south,  is  now  going 
into  ruins.  The  Chittenango  Falls  Park  Association  is  a  recent  organi- 
zation formed  for  the  purpose  of  improving  a  beautiful  park,  which  lies 
all  in  the  town  of  Fenner.  It  is  well  laid  out  and  provided  with  drives 
and  shade  trees,  and  affords  a  fine  view  of  the  Falls. 

Previous  to  the  organization  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at 
the  Falls,  meetings  had  been  held  in  1843-4  by  Rev.  Jesse  Watson,  and 
forty  or  more  were  converted.  The  church  was  organized  June  4, 
1844,  and  the  house  of  worship  built  the  same  year.  The  building  has 
since  been  greatly  improved,  This  church  is  now  in  a  thriving  condi- 
tion and  is  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  T.  F.  Harris  of  the  Perryville 
church. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  town  of  Fenner  in  recent  years  is  a  quiet, 
peaceful  agricultural  community,  the  business  interests  of  which  are 
small  and  not  likely  to  ever  be  much  greater.  It  is  proper  here  to 
mention  some  of  the  many  prominent  farmers  who  have  labored  for  the 
good  of  the  community  at  the  same  time  that  they  struggled  for  the 
welfare  of  their  families.  Among  them  are  Philander  Blakeslee,  Or- 
lando Allen,  Dr.  G.  B.  Hunger,  L.  Vander  Hess,  Loren  Ransom,  O. 
B.  Hamblin,  David  Hamblin,  N.  B.  Hill,  Calvin  Mead,  Levi  Brown, 
Alanson  Burroughs,  Garrett  Blakeslee,  Orrin  Ransom,  Eli  Ransom, 
James  Marshall,  John  Woodcock,  and  Abraham  Wermuth. 

Among  the  leading  fanners  of  the  town  in  more  recent  years  may  be 
mentioned  Melvin  Wooiworth,  Newell  Hyatt,  Orlando  Hyatt,  Kendall 
Cody,  Irving  Banyea,  Frederick  Barrett,  Merton  Allen,  F.  A.  Hyatt, 
P.  J.  Huyck,  Lysander  Woodworth,  George  Brown,  William  Hamblin, 
Lucian  Hamblin,  Charles  Hyatt,  and  others. 
26 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 
PROGRESS  OF  IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS  CONTINUED— STOCKBRIDGE. 

In  tracing  the  detailed  history  of  the  various  towns  of  the  county  we 
have  now  reached  the  latest  one  organized,  which  is  Stockbridge, 
formed  May  30,  1836,  the  early  settlement  of  which  down  to  the  date  of 
county  formation  is  described  in  Chapter  V.  Among  settlers  not  there 
noticed  who  came  in  at  a  little  later  date  maybe  mentioned  John  Gregg 
who  came  from  Augusta  in  1812  and  leafed  one  of  the  Indian  lots  on 
West  Hill.  One  of  his  sons  was  Absalom  Gregg  who  settled  later  at 
the  foot  of  the  hill  on  the  west  side  of  the  Oneida  valley,  where  his  son 
David  afterwards  resided.  Taylor  Gregg  was  a  cousin  of  John  and  set- 
tled on  the  hill  east  of  Munnsville  and  his  sons  were  prominent  citizens. 

Abner  Warren,  son  of  John,  came  from  Augusta  in  1816  when  he 
was  seventeen  years  old  and  through  his  father's  agency  a  farm  was 
leased  of  the  Indians  on  West  Hill  for  three  years,  after  which  he 
leased  the  same  from  the  State  at  $30  a  year  until  the  State  purchased 
a  tract  including  the  farm,  when  he  bought  it.  The  father  and  son 
improved  the  place  and  made  it  one  of  the  best  farms  in  the  town. 

Thomas  Rockwell  settled  on  East  Hill  in  1813,  purchasing  the  small 
improvements  made  by  a  previous  settler  and  buying  the  land  of  the 
State  at  $7  an  acre.  The  farm  included  the  Council  Ground  of  the 
Stockbridge  Indians.  It  will  be  remembered  that  these  Indians  pur 
chased  their  lands,  comprising  a  tract  six  miles  square,  lying  partly  in 
Stockbridge  and  partly  in  Vernon,  in  1784,  and  sold  it  to  the  State  in 
various  parcels  in  1818,  1832,  1833,  1825,  1836,  1829  and  1830.  These 
tracts  are  named  to  some  extent  in  the  public  records  as  the  West  Hill 
Tract,  the  East  Hill  Tract,  the  Mile  Strip,  the  Oneida  Tract,  the  New 
Guinea  Tract,  etc.  The  Stockbridge  Indians  originally  numbered  about 
450  and  were  taught  in  religion  and  the  customs  of  civilization  by  the 
Rev.  John  Sargent,  who  came  on  with  them  from  their  former  home 
in  Stockbridge,  Mass.  They  had  thus  become  considerably  advanced 
in  morals  and  agricultural  methods  before  the  advent  of  white  settlers. 
Within  three  years  after  the  first  permanent  settlement  was  made  they 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— STOCKBRIDGE.  403 

had  built  a  grist  mill  and  saw  mill  on  Oneida  Creek  near  the  site  of  the 
later  mill  at  Valley  Mills.  Their  numbers  increased  for  a  period  and 
their  homes  were  thickly  scattered  all  through  the  valley  of  the  Oneida. 
Thus  it  became  necessary  for  the  pioneers  to  deal  with  these  people  by 
way  of  leases,  or  otherwise,  for  the  occupancy  of  the  lands,  until  the 
State  acquired  its  ownership,  a  fact  that  operated  to  postpone  settlement 
to  a  later  date  than  in  many  other  parts  of  the  county. 

The  man  who  opened  the  first  store  at  Munnsville  did  not  arrive  in 
the  town  until  1817,  in  the  person  of  Asa  Munn,  who  came  from  Au- 
gusta. From  him  the  settlement  took  its  name.  It  is  delightfully  sit- 
uated centrally  in  the  town,  in  the  lovely  valley  of  the  Oneida  and  is  a 
station  on  the  Midland  Railroad,  now  the  Ontario  and  Western.  Mr. 
Munn  occupied  at  first  an  Indian  cabin,  but  soon  built  a  small  store 
where  he  traded  about  ten  years.  He  also  carried  on  distilling  and 
other  business  undertakings.  He  was  succeeded  as  a  merchant  by 
Charles  Chandler  and  Henry  Chandler,  nephew  and  son  respectively  of 
Winthrop  H.  Chandler.  A  year  or  two  later  Matthew  Pratt  and  another 
man  took  the  business  and  conducted  it  about  two  years.  Hiram  Whe- 
don  was  the  next  merchant  and  continued  in  business  about  thirty 
years.  Sometime  in  the  war  period  he  sold  to  William  O.  Sumner,  who 
leased  the  store  building  to  a  Mr.  Seeley  who  carried  on  business  about 
two  years  while  the  railroad  was  being  built;  he  had  also  a  store  in 
Oneida,  where  he  subsequently  committed  suicide.  Lorenzo  Frost  and 
James  H.  Lillibridge  were  in  business  here  a  few  years,  and  George 
Colburn  between  one  and  two  years,  when  he  sold  to  Charles  W.  Dex- 
ter, a  native  of  this  town.  In  1870  he  enlarged  and  improved  the 
building  (which  was  the  old  Munn  store),  and  in  1871-73  had  as  part- 
ner John  Northrup.  About  1890  he  took  as  partner  Clark  W.  Davis 
and  the  firm  of  Dexter  &  Davis  has  since  conducted  a  large  business. 
Mr.  Dexter  is  postmaster  at  the  present  time,  succeeding  George  R. 
Fryer,  and  is  a  prominent  citizen. 

William  J.  Lynden  began  trade  as  a  druggist  and  grocer  soon  after 
the  war  and  was  succeeded  in  1886  by  George  F  Griner.  F.  L.  Van 
Slyke  was  a  former  merchant  and  was  succeeded  by  W.  T.  Webber  in 
general  merchandise.  James  Lowe  began  trade  in  1879  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  his  son,  C.  H.  S.  Lowe,  in  1897;  the  latter  had  been  a  partner 
with  his  father  several  years,  a  part  of  the  time  in  association  also  with 
Henry  Freeman.  A.  H.  Owen  &  Son  are  in  the  hardware  business  as 
successors  of  the  senior  of  the  firm  who  began  trade  in  1866.      Dr.  S.  P. 


404  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Moore,  who   has  practiced  in   the  village  since  1873,  conducts  a  drug 
store,  and  Mrs.  George  Cook  a  variety  store. 

The  grist  mill  in  the  village  was  built  in  1822  by  Sheldon  and  Sol- 
omon Parmalee.  The  site  and  100  acres  of  land  wrere  purchased  by 
them  of  one  Dennison,  who  bought  the  tract  of  an  Indian  who  had 
built  a  saw  mill  on  the  south  side  of  the  creek  on  the  lot  later  occupied 
by  the  woolen  factory;  that  saw  mill  burned  and  a  second  one  was  built 
by  him.  The  Indian's  name  was  Jacob  Konkerpot;  he  had  built  also  a 
frame  of  a  grist  mill,  but  its  site  was  not  satisfactory  to  the  Parmalees, 
who  built  their  mill  on  the  site  of  the  saw  mill  and  later  erected  another 
saw  mill  a  little  farther  down.  The  mill  was  owned  by  Gregg  &  Barr 
in  1878  at  which  time  E.  K.  Gregg  sold  his  interest  to  D.  J.  Merrill, 
who  in  the  next  year  purchased  Sherman  Barr's  interest.  In  1880  J.  B. 
Maynard  acquired  an  interest  in  the  property.  J.  H.  Merrill  was  the 
next  owner  and  in  1898  was  succeeded  by  C.  M.  Merrill  &  Son. 

About  the  year  1824  a  saw  mill  was  built  on  the  site  of  the  Munns- 
ville  Plow  Company's  works  by  Jairus  Rankin  and  Robert  Barr.  The 
mill  was  subsequently  owned  by  William  H.  Chandler  who  built  an 
edge  tool  factory  and  manufactured  scythes.  That  business  was  aban 
doned  and  the  making  of  axes  taken  np.  Sometime  between  1840  and 
1850  the  business  passed  to  Daniel  Holmes,  who  continued  it  until  1853, 
when  William  Stringer,  Solomon  Van  Brocklin  and  R.  S.  Barr  acquired 
an  interest  and  the  manufacture  of  various  agricultural  implements  was 
begun.  The  firm  name  was  Holmes,  Stringer  &  Co.  A  few  years  later 
Van  Brocklin  sold  his  interest  to  his  partners,  and  in  1861  Holmes  also 
disposed  of  his  interest  and  the  firm  of  Stringer  &  Barr  continued.  In 
1866  William  H.  Stringer,  son  of  William,  became  a  partner  and  the 
style  was  changed  to  Stringer,  Barr  &  Co.  Upon  the  death  of  both  Mr. 
Stringer  and  Mr.  Barr  their  two-thirds  of  the  property  was  bought  by 
C.  W.  Dexter  and  Lewis  Coe,  Charles  Stringer  taking  the  remaining 
one-third,  the  firm  name  becoming  Stringer,  Dexter  &  Co.  In  1892  J. 
E.  Sperry  bought  Mr.  Stringer's  interest  and  soon  afterward  theMunns- 
ville  Plow  Company  was  incorporated  with  a  capital  stock  of  $50,000, 
and  C.  W.  Dexter,  president,  who  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Sperry;  W.  R. 
Paul,  vice-president;  W.  F.  Bridge,  secretary  and  treasurer.  In  1894 
Mr.  Dexter  sold  his  interest  to  W.  F.  Bridge.  The  product  consists  of 
plows,  various  kinds  of  cultivators,  hop  and  fruit  evaporating  stoves, 
etc.     About  thirty-five  men  are  employed. 

The  saw  mill  before  mentioned  as  having  been  built  by  the  two  Parm- 


Improvement  in  towns— stockbridge.  405 

alees  was  demolished  by  Eben  and  Whedon  Blakeman  and  a  woolen  fac- 
tory erected  on  the  site.  This  was  in  turn  taken  down  in  1884  and  the 
timbers  used  in  two  dwelling  houses  which  are  on  the  site.  A  still 
earlier  woolen  factory  stood  there  which  was  burned. 

About  the  year  1832  Henry  Stewart  built  a  wool-carding  and  cloth 
dressing  factory  on  the  site  occupied  in  late  years  by  the  creamery. 
About  two  years  later  he  sold  it  to  Orrin  Wright,  who  enlarged  the 
facilities  and  operated  it  about  ten  years.  He  sold  to  Robert  Turner, 
who  again  enlarged  the  building  and  added  more  machinery.  About 
1854  the  building  was  burned  and  at  once  rebuilt,  Sanford  Turner, 
brother  of  Robert,  taking  an  interest  at  that  time.  They  operated  the 
factory  to  about  the  close  of  the  war.  Avery  Wadsworth  &  Co.  con- 
verted the  building  into  a  creamery  about  1879.  The  building  is  now 
used  by  George  Frost  &  Son  as  an  evaporator.  This  firm  also  conduct 
a  cold  storage  business  in  the  building. 

A  Mr.  Buck  had  a  tannery  in  Munnsville  at  an  early  day,  which  was 
subsequenth'  operated  by  James  Hazeltine,  who  had  worked  for  Mr. 
Buck,  and  from  about  1840  to  1860  by  James  Lowe.  On  this  site  is  the 
residence  of  Mrs.  James  Perkins. 

At  the  present  time  L.  P.  Van  Slyke  and  Joseph  Carlon  are  black- 
smiths in  the  village  and  George  Frost  &  Son  operate  an  evaporator 
and  cider  mill.  C.  J.  Bradner  is  the  village  harness  maker.  At  the 
railroad  station,  which  bears  the  name  of  Munns,  is  a  milk  station  from 
which  a  large  quantity  of  milk  is  shipped  to  New  York. 

The  first  permanent  physician  here  was  Dr.  Jairus  Rankin  who  came 
during  the  war  of  1813  and  continued  until  his  death  in  1833.  Soon 
afterward  Orange  R.  Cook  came  from  Augusta  and  practiced  until 
about  1843,  when  he  removed  to  Morrisville,  where  he  died  two  years 
later.  Dr.  Henry  T.  Sumner,  who  was  located  at  Stockbridge,  prac- 
ticed here  a  few  years.  Dr.  Julius  Treat,  after  practicing  two  years  in 
the  town  of  Smithfield,  came  to  Munnsville  and  practiced  most  of  the 
time  until  1877.  Dr.  William  Taylor  was  in  practice  at  about  the  be- 
gmning  of  the  Civil  war  a  short  time  when  he  entered  the  army;  at  the 
close  of  the  war  he  returned  and  practiced  a  few  years,  and  then  re- 
moved to  Canastota  where  he  still  practices.  Dr.  George  Munger  prac- 
ticed during  the  war  and  later  sold  out  to  Dr.  Taylor.  Dr.  S.  P.  Moore, 
a  native  of  Lenox,  settled  in  Munnsville  in  1873  and  is  still  in  practice 
and  has  a  drug  store.  The  only  other  present  physician  is  Dr.  William 
H.  Griffiths,  who  has  been  in  practice  many  years. 


406  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  American  Hotel  was  built  about  1820  by  Barnabas  Cook,  who 
kept  it  about  ten  years.  The  present  proprietor,  Dennis  Rightmyer, 
purchased  the  property  in  1874  of  George  W.  Richardson,  and  changed 
the  name  to  Rightmyer  Hotel.  The  Central  Hotel  was  opened  by 
Rudolph  Zimmer  and  is  now  kept  by  Kelly  &  Burke. 

The  Congregational  Church  of  Munnsville  was  organized  in  1828  as 
The  Presbyterian  Church  of  New  Stockbridge,  and  the  meeting  house 
was  built  about  1834.  The  Presbyterian  faith  was  abandoned  for  the 
Congregational  in  July,  1836.  In  1868  the  church  was  extensively  re- 
paired and  improved  and  rededicated.  The  first  pastor  was  Rev.  D.  M. 
Smith.  In  1894  the  church  building  was  remodeled  and  improved  on 
modern  plans.  The  present  pastor  is  Rev.  Roland  A.  Farnham,  who 
succeeded  Rev.  Elliott  A.  Tuttle  in  1897. 

The  pleasant  little  village  of  Stockbridge,  situated  in  the  Oneida 
valley  about  a  mile  below  Munnsville,  was  formerly  commonly  called 
Knoxville,  from  Hermon  Knox,  the  first  merchant  who  came  from 
Augusta  about  1823  and  after  trading  a  few  years  removed  to  Illinois. 
He  lived  for  a  time  in  a  log  house  built  by  the  Indians  and  in  1834 
moved  into  a  building  erected  that  year  for  a  store,  which  subsequently 
became  the  dwelling  of  A.  J.  Hinman.  As  late  as  1825  there  were 
only  six  buildings  on  the  site  of  the  village.  The  first  school  house  was 
built  in  1824  just  east  of  the  four  corners.  A  saw  mill  was  built  in 
1824  by  Mr.  Knox,  who  erected  also  a  grist  mill  in  1828  and  operated  a 
distillery.  Mr.  Knox  sold  his  store  to  David  Wood,  who  came  from 
Augusta  and  continued  in  trade  more  than  fifteen  years,  a  part  of  the 
time  in  company  with  Hiram  Whedon.  Wood  sold  to  Amadeus  Hin- 
man and  removed  to  Oneida.  Mr.  Hinman  was  in  business  many  years 
but  at  different  periods;  he  was  preceded  a  few  years  by  his  son.  Grove 
Hinman,  and  son-in-law,  Hermon  Smith.  In  1880  he  traded  his  store 
for  a  farm  with  his  nephew,  A.  J.  Hinman,  who  continued  in  trade  a 
number  of  years.  Matthew  Pratt  and  Carlos  Atkins  were  in  trade  a  few 
years  each,  and  James  H.  Lillibridge,  who  came  from  New  York  in 
1877  and  bought  the  store  of  W.  J.  Nash,  who  had  been  in  trade  about 
nine  years,  and  C.  C.  White,  long  a  cabinet  maker,  continued  in  general 
merchandise  for  fifteen  years,  when  he  removed  to  Munnsville.  The 
cabinet  and  undertaking  business  established  by  C.  C.  White  in  1857,  is 
now  conducted  by  C.  E.  Love,  who  took  it  in  1891.  Charles  White  con- 
ducts a  general  store  in  which  he  succeeded  S.  M.  Davidson  in  1898. 
F.  W.  Cook  was  formerly  in  the  cabinet  making  business,  beginning 


Improvement  in  towns— stockbridge.  407 

fifty  years  ago,  but  subsequently  took  up  wagon  making,  in  which  he  is 
still  engaged.  Wadsworth  Lyman  was  an  early  blacksmith  and  Luther 
Elphick  has  been  in  the  business  many  years.  C.  C.  White  conducts  a 
hardware  store. 

The  saw  and  grist  mills  here,  built  by  Hermon  Knox,  were  burned  in 
1858  and  rebuilt  in  the  same  year  by  E.  J.  Hostler,  by  whom  they  were 
operated  until  1866  when  he  sold  to  Palmer  W.  Hinman  and  Chaffee  C. 
Horton.  A  year  later  Hinman  bought  his  partner's  interest  and  in  1868 
sold  a  half  interest  to  James  Baker,  to  whom  he  sold  the  remaining 
half  a  year  later.  In  1874  Mr.  Baker  took  his  son,  James  S.,  as  part- 
ner in  the  mills.  In  1882  the  son  took  the  property  and  now  operates  a 
feed  mill,  saw  mill  and  cheese  box  factory. 

A  tannery  was  established  in  Stockbridge  in  1825  by  Thomas  Wilson 
who  continued  it  in  connection  with  boot  and  shoe  making  until  his 
death  in  1849;  he  was  then  succeeded  by  his  son,  Jonathan  M.,  who  had 
been  associated  with  him;  he  continued  the  business  until  1877,  when  it 
was  abandoned  through  the  scarcity  of  bark.  In  1880  the  tannery  was 
converted  into  a  creamery  by  Mr.  Wilson.  A  cheese  factory  has  been 
operated  in  recent  years  by  Carl  Leach. 

The  Central  Hotel,  which  is  the  first  one  in  the  village,  was  built  in 
1825  by  Horace  Parmalee,  who  kept  it  a  number  of  years.  In  1854  the 
property  passed  from  the  heirs  of  Dr.  Henry  T.  Sumner  to  Amadeus 
Hinman,  who  kept  it  until  1883,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  the  present 
proprietor,  David  Van  Loon,  who  changed  the  name  to  Hotel  de  Van 
Loon. 

The  post-office  here  was  opened  about  1824  with  Dr.  Henry  T.  Sum- 
ner postmaster.  He  held  the  office  until  his  death  in  1853,  about  thirty 
years.  The  subsequent  list  of  officials  is  not  accessible,  but  H.  H. 
Lillibridge,  N.  J.  Hinman,  A.  Bridge,  have  held  the  office;  the  present 
postmaster  is  Charles  White. 

Dr.  Henry  T.  Sumner  was  the  first  resident  physician  in  the  village 
and  practiced  from  1823  to  some  extent  until  his  death.  Dr.  Fayette 
F.  Elphick  settled  in  the  village  in  1869  and  continued  in  practice  until 
his  death,  excepting  two  years.  Dr.  A.  E.  Broga  is  the  present  prac- 
titioner. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  New  Stockbridge  was  organized 
as  a  station  in  1827,  and  placed  in  the  Oneida  district  of  the  Genesee 
Conference.  In  the  year  1830  the  word  New  was  taken  from  the  title. 
At  about  the  same  time,  probably  in  1829,  the  church  was  changed  to 


408  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  Oneida  Conference  and  the  house  of  worship  built.  In  1828  there 
were  120  members;  in  1843,  270,  which  was  the  highest  reached.  There 
are  now  about  100  members.  The  first  pastor  was  Rev.  Alexander 
Irvine.  The  church  was  enlarged  in  1853  and  has  lately  been  slate- 
roofed  and  painted,  the  money  being  furnished  by  Philip  D.  Armour, 
who  was  born  in  this  village. 

There  have  been  two  other  churches  in  Stockbridge  which  are  now 
obsolete.  The  Congregational  Church  was  organized  in  1833  by  about 
thirty  five  persons  who  were  dismissed  from  the  societies  of  Augusta 
and  Smithfield.  A  meeting  house  was  soon  afterward  built  just  west 
of  the  Central  Hotel.  This  society  was  subsequently  disbanded  and 
the  church  edifice  sold  and  removed. 

The  Universalist  Church  was  organized  about  1837  by  Rev.  Daniel 
S.  Morey,  and  a  meetinghouse  was  built  about  1843.  The  membership 
was  never  large  and  after  about  twenty  years  of  activity  the  society 
was  disbanded  and  the  church  was  removed  to  Munnsville,  where  the 
upper  part  was  in  use  as  a  public  hall. 

The  hamlet  of  Valley  Mills,  formerly  known  as  Cook's  Corners,  from 
Barnabas  Cook,  an  early  settler  and  tavern  keeper,  is  situated  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  town  on  the  Midland  Railroad.  The  post-office 
with  its  present  name  was  established  in  1870,  with  D.  J.  Dunham, 
postmaster.  He  was  succeeded  in  1877  by  H.  C.  Quackenbush;  the 
present  official  is  Myron  Stewart.  The  grist  mill  here  was  built  about 
1848  by  Rev.  Ebenexer  Ranney  for  a  woolen  factory  and  was  operated 
by  him  five  or  six  years,  when  it  passed  to  William  Bridge  and  Nathan 
Hayes;  they  were  succeeded  by  Armour,  Klock  &  Wilder,  A.  B. 
Pardee,  Smith  &  Montgomery,  the  Quackenbush  Brothers,  who  took  it 
in  1870,  M.  C.  Quackenbush,  and  the  present  proprietor,  C.  W.  Dex- 
ter. The  mill  is  now  operated  by  Mr.  Roantree.  A  cider  and  plaster 
mills  are  on  the  site,  but  not  in  operation.  The  grist  mill  is  on  or  near 
the  site  of  the  mill  built  in  1794  by  the  Indians.  A  store  is  conducted 
by  Dexter  c&  Davis,  the  Munnsville  merchants. 

The  Baptist  Church  of  Stockbridge,  located  at  Valley  Mills,  was  or- 
ganized in  1839  as  a  result  of  preaching  by  several  students  in  Hamil- 
ton College.  The  church  was  recognized  by  council  in  1840,  and 
Ebenezer  Ranney  and  N.  M.  Coburn  were  chosen  deacons.  Rev.  S.  M. 
Bainbridge  was  ordained  in  1840  and  was  succeeded  during  brief 
periods  by  several  other  pastors.  The  last  regular  pastor  was  Rev.  J. 
H.  Wells,  who   served  in  1853-4.     The  pulpit  was  supplied  for  a  time 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  TOWNS— STOCKBRIDGE.  409 

thereafter,  but  about  1865  the  church  became  inactive  and  has  so  re- 
mained.    The  building  was  torn  down. 

The  first  school  in  the  town  of  Stockbridge  was  taught  in  1797  by 
Edward  Foster,  in  a  log  school  house  in  the  southeast  part.  Since  that 
early  date  the  cause  of  education  has  been  liberally  supported.  The 
town  is  divided  into  fifteen  districts  and  constitutes  a  part  of  the  Second 
School  Commisiioner  district  of  the  county.  The  last  report  of  the 
commissioner  gives  the  number  of  children  attending  school  as  413  and 
the  value  of  school  buildings  and  sites,  $10,950. 

In  1829  the  Stockbridge  Academy  was  founded  by  Asa  Munn  and 
Thaddeus  Muzzy,  with  Rev.  D.  M.  Smith  in  charge.  It  was  conducted 
in  a  building,  since  demolished,  which  stood  near  the  meeting  house  in 
Stockbridge.  Although  comparatively  successful  for  a  period,  the  in- 
stitution succumbed  under  changing  conditions. 

Union  School  District  No.  1  in  Munnsville  was  organized  in  1894.  A 
handsome  school  building  was  erected  in  1894  at  a  cost  of  about  $4,000 
besides  furnishings.  Frank  M.  Wiggins  was  the  first  principal  and 
still  holds  the  position.  He  was  supplied  at  first  with  two  assistants 
and  at  the  present  time  there  are  three.  The  average  attendance  is 
120.     The  school  passed  under  the  Regents  in  March,  1890. 

The  growing  of  hops  and  dairying  are  now  the  principal  agricultural 
industries  of  this  town.  A  large  quantity  of  milk  is  shipped  from  the 
two  railroad  stations  to  New  York  and  considerable  butter  and  cheese 
is  made.  The  hop  industry  has  somewhat  declined  in  recent  years,  as 
it  has  in  other  localities. 

Among  the  leading  farmers  of  the  town,  past  and  present,  may  be 
mentioned  McGee  Wilson,  William  Bridge,  Addison  Snell,  Emerson 
Quackenbridge,  a  large  hop  raiser.  Waterman  Simonds,  Fred  Marshall, 
J.  W.  Rockwell,  and  his  father  Thomas,  the  Wheeler  brothers,  Robert 
Clark,  Samuel  Spaulding,  C.  W.  Dexter,  Lewis  Hinman,  the  Mackey 
brothers,  Adelbert  Pardee,  John  Rivenburg,  Adelbert  Wood,  Eri  Day, 
George  Miller,  Warren  J.  Gilbert,  Andrew  Perry,  William  Skadden, 
Orrin  Porter,  Norman  Randall,  John  Hadcock,  Charles  Bush,  Amos 
Bridge,  Nathaniel  Harrington,  and  his  son  Elmer,  John  L.  Foster,  Har- 
rison Lamb,  Rensselaer  Coe,  E,  J.  vSpooner,  Austin  Carver,  Robert 
Foster  and  Albert  Lindsley. 


410  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLK. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 
GENERAL  COUNTY  HISTORY  FROM  1865  TO  1899. 

In  closing  these  pages  of  general  county  and  town  history  it  remains 
to  take  a  brief  review  of  the  events  and  changes  that  have  taken  place 
since  the  close  of  the  Civil  war.  At  that  time  (1865)  the  population  of 
the  county  was  42,506,  and  it  has  remained  with  little  variation  to  the 
present  time.  State  legislation  relating  directly  to  Madison  county 
enacted  during  the  last  thirty  years  has  not  been  of  paramount  impor- 
tance. What  has  been  accomplished  in  recent  times  towards  draining 
and  preparing  for  cultivation  the  great  swamp  area  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  county,  -a  work  that  is  still  in  progress,  is  described  in  the 
preceding  history  of  the  town  of  Sullivan,  in  which  the  greater  part  of 
it  lie.s.  Succeeding  the  early  efforts  in  this  direction,  an  act  of  the 
legislature  relating  to  this  work  was  passed  April  37,  1866,  and  ap- 
pointed Francis  H.  Kennedy,  of  Syracuse,  Marcus  C.  Walrath,  of  Chit- 
tenango,  and  Clinton  L.  Colton,  of  Canastota,  commissioners  to  fix  the 
rate  of  assessment  to  provide  the  cost  of  the  proposed  drainage  ditch, 
and  perform  other  duties  in  connection  with  the  matter. 

In  the  laws  of  the  following  year  is  an  act  (chapter  601)  providing  for 
draining  "  the  Great  Swamp,"  as  it  is  termed  therein.  This  act  ap- 
pointed Daniel  Lewis,  Dr.  Venoni  W.  Mason,  and  Clinton  L.  Colton, 
commissioners  to  "  open  and  construct  such  ditch  or  ditches  or  drains  as 
in  their  opinion  may  be  deemed  necessary  to  drain  such  lands  of  the 
Great  Swamp  "  as  they  should  determine  upon;  also  "  to  commence  at 
the  easterly  terminus  of  the  ditch  or  drain  which  may  be  dug  or  opened 
under  the  chapter  aforesaid, "  and  continue  easterly  as  far  as  they  deemed 
advisable.  The  cost  of  the  work  was  to  be  provided  for  by  assessment 
and  collection  of  taxes  on  the  lands  lying  adjacent  to  the  ditch. 

It  was  under  this  legislation  that  the  old  State  ditch  was  dug,  which 
has  since  been  greatly  enlarged,  as  described  in  the  Sullivan  town  iiis- 
tory.  Great  tracts  of  rich  muck  land  have  been  reclaimed,  in  the  towns 
of  Sullivan  and  Lenox,  lateral  ditches  dug,  and  the  extensive  produc- 
tion of  celery,  onions  and  other  crops  to  which  such  land  is  particularly 


THE  COUNTY  FROM  1865  TO  1899.  411 

adapted  has  resulted.  The  men  most  prominent  in  this  work  in  re- 
cent years  are  Milton  Delano,  Le  Grand  Colton,  D.  C.  Twogood,  of 
Canastota  and  Charles  F.  Pennock,  of  Chittenango. 

In  the  laws  of  1874  (chapter  390)  a  State  appropriation  was  made  of 
$25,000  to  "the  Stroud,  Chapman  and  Douglass  ditches,  so-called," 
now  the  State  ditch,  for  widening,  deepening,  and  digging  new  ditches; 
and  again  in  1886  (chapter  549),  the  superintendent  of  public  works  was 
directed  to  "clean  out  the  State  ditch  in  the  towns  of  Sullivan  and 
Lenox,"  so  as  to  properly  discharge  the  surplus  water  from  the  Erie 
Canal.  The  sum  of  $3,700,  a  residue  from  the  first  appropriation,  was 
expended  in  this  work.  The  more  recent  operations  for  draining  this 
great  tract  of  valuable  land  have  been  described  in  the  Sullivan  town 
history  in  a  preceding  chapter. 

The  act  of  1890  (chapter  353)  appropriating  $500  from  the  State 
treasury  to  reimburse  the  town  of  Madison  for  the  expense  of  re- 
moving three  bridges  over  the  abandoned  Chenango  Canal  and  en- 
larging a  culvert  over  Oriskany  Creek,  was  a  relic  of  the  once  busy 
water  way. 

The  subject  of  making  certain  county  offices  salaried  positions  has 
frequentl)'  come  up  in  the  Board  of  Supervisors  for  consideration,  as 
it  has  in  many  other  counties  of  the  State.  The  old  method  of  pay- 
ing those  officials  through  fees  collected  from  the  public  was  always 
characterized  by  uncertainty  and  sometimes  by  injustice.  In  1890  this 
question,  as  far  as  it  relates  to  the  sheriff  and  the  county  clerk,  was 
brought  to  culmination  in  the  Board  of  Supervisors  through  the  adop- 
tion of  a  resolution  that  the  board  petition  the  member  of  assembly 
(then  Samuel  R.  Mott,  of  Bouckville)  to  procure  the  passage  of  a  law 
making  the  county  clerk  a  salaried  officer,  with  annual  salary  of  not  ex- 
ceeding $1,800,  and  the  sheriff  the  same,  with  salary  of  not  more  than 
$2,000.  An  act  was  passed  making  these  changes  in  1891  (chap.  29. ) 
Other  county  offices  have  received  consideration  by  the  Board  of  Super- 
visors, in  relation  to  salaries,  as  seen  in  the  adoption  of  a  resolution  in 
January,  1883,  that  the  superintendent  of  the  poor  be  paid  a  salary  of 
not  to  exceed  $800,  and  that  after  that  date  the  position  of  keeper  be 
abolished  and  the  superintendent  perform  all  the  duties  of  the  office  and 
reside  at  the  county  house.  This  resolution  was  referred  to  the  com- 
mittee on  legislation. 

While  upon  the  subject  of  supervisors'  proceedings  it  is  interesting,  if 
not  important,  to  notice  that  in   1860,   a  committee  from   the  County 


412  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Farmers'  Club  called  upon  the  board  and,  in  view  "of  the  growing  im- 
portance of  sheep  husbandry,"  asked  an  increase  of  the  dog  tax  to  $5 
and  that  all  dogs  be  muzzled.  The  matter  went  to  the  committee  on 
legislation  and  that  was  the  last  heard  of  it.  A  relic  of  plank  road  days 
is  found  in  the  supervisors'  proceedings  of  1893,  at  a  special  session, 
when  measures  were  taken  to  obtain  an  extension  of  the  corporate  ex- 
istence of  the  "  Morrisville  and  Peterboro  Stone  or  Plank  Road  Com- 
pany "  for  twenty  years  from  the  expiration  of  its  charter  which  would 
carry  it  to  fifty  years  from  the  original  incorporation  in  1863. 

In  the  same  year  (1893)  a  somewhat  important  recent  feature  of  the 
periodic  attempts  to  change  the  location  of  county  seats,  public  build- 
ings, etc.,  in  many  localities  of  the  State,  appears  in  the  following  re- 
markable petition,  which  was  signed  by  thirty-one  persons  and  pre- 
sented to  the  Board  of  Supervisors  in  December- 

We,  the  undersigned,  residents  and  freeholders,  within  the  County  of  Madison. 
State  of  New  York,  do  respectfully  show  that — 

Whereas.  The  present  location  and  site  of  the  Court  House,  Jail,  Surrogate's 
Office  and  County  Clerk's  Office,  are  at  the  village  of  Morrisville,  in  said  county ; 
and. 

Whereas,  the  village  of  Eaton  in  said  county  possesses  railroad  facilities,  and  all 
other  suitable  accommodations  that  would  accommodate  the  people  of  the  entire 
county,  to  attend  to  all  business  calling  them  to  either  and  all  of  said  offices,  and 
believing  that  it  would  be  both  a  matter  of  convenience  and  economy  to  the  people 
of  the  county  to  have  the  site  and  location  of  all  the  said  offices  changed;  We 
do,  therefore,  respectfully  ask  that  the  site  and  location  of  the  Court  House, 
lail.  Surrogate's  Office  and  County  Clerk's  Office  be  changed  from  their  present  site 
or  location  in  the  village  of  Morrisville,  to  the  corner  of  North  Main  and  Fayette 
streets,  in  the  vil'age  of  Eaton,  in  said  county. 

On  the  following  day  a  protest  signed  by  H.  B.  Coman  was  presented 
to  the  board  against  their  receiving  this  petition.  Then  followed  a  series 
of  preambles  and  resolutions,  showing  that  if  the  change  was  made,  the 
lands  in  Morrisville  on  which  the  buildings  stand  would  revert  to  the 
grantors;  that  new  buildings  would  cost  $150,000;  that  the  existing 
high  taxes  would  be  made  higher,  and  that,  therefore,  the  change  was 
inexpedient. 

In  May,  1898,  the  supervisors  ordered  100  iron  signs  to  be  made  and 
placed  on  prominent  "market  roads"  one  mile  apart,  for  guidance  of 
travelers — a  very  wise  act  and  one  worthy  of  emulation  in  other  coun- 
ties.    This  was  not  carried  out. 

The  history  of  town  bonding  in  Madison  county  in  aid  of  railroads  is 
an  interesting  one  and  relatively  important;  from  it,  also,  it  is  possible 


THE  COUNTY  FROM  1865  TO  1899.  413 

to  draw  instructive  lessons  that  may  serve  for  the  future  guidance  of 
these  and  other  towns  in  this  State.  In  past  years  the  favorite  manner 
of  securing-  funds  with  which  to  build  railways  was  to  send  agents  into 
the  towns  who  were  gifted  with  eloquent  tongues,  trained  to  dwell  with 
rhetorical  fluency  upon  prophecy  of  what  the  future  would  bring  forth 
in  any  definite  locality — if  the  people  of  that  locality  would  bond  them- 
selves as  a  community  to  supply  the  money  with  which  to  open  a  rail- 
road through  their  territory.  Most  of  the  counties  in  central  New  York 
have  paid  the  penality  of  listening  to  the  arguments  favoring  railroad 
building  under  such  auspices;  a  few  towns,  to  be  sure,  have  at  the  same 
time  received  benefits,  direct  and  indirect,  commensurate  with  their 
sacrifices. 

The  road  popularly  known  as  the  Midland  Railroad,  passes  through 
the  towns  of  Lenox  (now  Oneida),  Stockbridge,  Eaton  and  Lebanon; 
the  old  Chenango  Valley  road  through  the  towns  of  Georgetown,  Leb- 
anon, Nelson  and  Cazenovia;  what  is  now  a  branch  of  the  Lehigh  sys- 
tem through  Fenner,  De  Ruyter,  Cazenovia,  Lincoln  and  Lenox;  and 
the  old  Utica,  Ct^rtland  &  Binghamton  through  Hamilton,  Madison  and 
Eaton.  These  towns  were  originally  bonded  in  aid  of  one  or  more  of 
these  roads  under  chapter  398,  laws  of  1866,  in  relation  to  the  Midland 
road,  and  other  legislation  relating  to  other  lines: 

Cazenovia $150,000 

De  Ruyter 103,300 

Eaton 150,000 

Fenner 30,000 

Georgetown.. 30,000 

Lebanon 135,000 

Madison 100,000 

Nelson 50,000 

Stockbridge 143,000 

Besides  these  towns,  the  village  of  Canastota  was  bonded  for  $50,000; 
De  Ruyter,  $30,000;  Hamilton,  $56,000,  and  Oneida,  $30,000. 
The  bonded  debts  of  these  towns  in  1898  was  as  follows: 

Cazenovia $  1 06,000 

De  Ruyter about  50,000 

Eaton - 83,000 

Fenner 8,000 

Georgetown 13,500 


414  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Lebanon 55, 000 

Madison 21,500 

Nelson 42,500 

Stockbridge « 95,000 

Of  these  several  towns  De  Ruyter  refused  to  pay  either  principal  or 
interest  after  July,  1878,  when  the  amount  of  outstanding  bonds  was 
$102,300.  The  claim  was  made  that  the  bonds  were  illegally  issued— 
a  claim  which  was  never  clearly  decided.  Chapter  303,  laws  of  1887, 
authorized  the  town  to  issue  new  bonds  with  which  to  compromise,  can- 
cel and  retire  the  original  issue,  and  at  the  present  time  the  debt  re- 
mains as  above  stated. 

In  the  year  1890  and  later  the  town  of  Stockbridge,  and  several  other 
towns,  through  their  supervisors,  sued  the  Board  of  Supervisors  as 
representatives  of  the  county,  to  recover  taxes  paid  by  the  towns  to  the 
county  and  State  from  1881  to  1889,  on  the  railroad  property.  The 
claim  was  set  up  by  the  town  that,  as  the  railroad  property  was  exempt  • 
by  law  from  taxation  for  State,  county,  town  or  municipal  expenses, 
the  town  could  therefore  recover  taxes  paid  to  the  county  on  such  prop- 
erty. The  General  Term  of  the  Supreme  Court  held  that  the  town 
could  so  recover  the  county  tax  for  the  years  1884  to  1889  inclusive, 
but  could  not  recover  State  taxes,  and  that  the  claim  for  both  State  and 
county  taxes  for  1882  and  1883  was  barred  by  the  statute  of  limitations. 
This  decision  was  reversed  in  the  Court  of  Appeals,  and  the  towns  suc- 
ceeded in  their  suits. 

While  it  is  impracticable  to  follow  in  detail  the  gradual  change  that 
has  taken  place  in  the  amounts  of  assessed  valuation  of  real  estate  and 
personal  property  in  the  county  from  its  beginning,  and  the  cost  of 
maintaining  various  institutions,  it  will  still  be  instructive  and  possibly 
interesting  to  trace  some  of  these  items  as  they  changed  from  decade  to 
decade,  beginning  with  1820.  In  that  year  the  valuation  of  real  estate 
was  $3,836,690;  of  personal  property,  $156,728.  The  school  fund  was 
$2,240.09.  This  latter  item  had  increased  since  1816  from  $1,522.30. 
This  was  the  first  appropriation  of  school  money  in  the  county  and  was 
apportioned  as  follows:  Brookfield,  $217.84;  Cazenovia,  $193.56;  Eaton, 
$129.25;  De  Ruyter,  $49.60;  Georgetown,  $38.58;  Hamilton,  $140.67; 
Lenox,  $136. i'9;  Madison,  $137.49;  Nelson,  $119.92;  Lebanon,  $98.34; 
Smithfield,  $151.27;  Sullivan,  $109.90. 

In  1830  the  valuation  of  real  estate  was  $3,912,180,  showing  a  little 


THE  COUNTY  FROM  1865  TO  1899.  415 

less  than  $100,000  increase;  personal  property,  $327,529,  more  than 
double  that  of  1820.  The  school  fund  was  $2,205.19,  and  it  cost  that 
year  to  support  the  poor,  $1,000.  This  last  amount  was  trebled  in 
1835. 

In  1840  the  real  estate  valuation  was  $5,549,217,  indicating  a  decade 
of  progress  and  growth;  personal  property,  $796,043,  more  than  double 
that  of  1830.  The  school  fund  was  $o,G41.41,  and  $3,000  was  devoted 
to  the  support  of  the  poor. 

In  1850  the  real  estate  valuation  was  $5,960,279,  and  of  personal 
property,  $1,006,773.  The  school  fund  was  $4,485.05,  and  $9,748  was 
appropriated  for  support  of  the  poor.  The  whole  sum  levied  that  year 
was  $40,647,  an  increase  from  the  figures  of  1840,  which  were  $34,050. 

In  1860  the  valuation  of  real  estate  was  assessed  at  $9,189,722;  of 
personal  property,  $2,302,680.  The  assessment  was  $83,495.58.  These 
figures  for  1870  were:  Real  estate,  $8,(i61,165;  personal  property, 
$1,838,185.  Assessment,  $188,464,51.  In  1880,  real  estate,  $17,422,823 
(assessed  at  76.3  per  cent,  of  full  value);  personal  property,  $2,313,650; 
total  tax,  $191,373.41.  1890,  real  estate,  $17,999,201;  personal  proper- 
ty, $1,803,040.  State  tax,  $45,180.68;  county  tax,  $69,422.81.  For 
1899,  real  estate,  $18,465,274.34;  personal  property,  $2,309,269.66. 
Total  tax,  $184,976.70. 

A  change  affecting  the  whole  county  for  the  improvement  of  town 
meeting  regulations  was  effected  by  the  Board  of  Supervisors  of  1898. 
A  resolution  was  adopted  abolishing  the  spring  town  meeting  altogether, 
and  providing  that  hereafter  they  shall  be  held  simultaneous  with  the 
regular  fall  elections.  This  is  a  change  which  probably  will  be  of  bene- 
fit to  every  community.  The  new  town  of  Lincoln,  in  opposition  to 
the  change,  held  its  regular  town  meeting  for  1899  in  the  spring,  and 
officers  were  chosen  largely  under  Democratic  auspices.  This  actiori, 
it  is  believed  by  many,  was  illegal. 

In  the  spring  of  1899  a  board  of  seven  Cycle  Path  Commissioners  was 
appointed  by  Judge  John  E.  Smith,  who  met  on  April  11  and  elected 
B.  S.  Tea'.e,  president;  and  Charles  E.  Rose,  secretary.  The  county 
has  been  divided  into  seven  cycle  districts,  with  a  commissioner  in 
charge  of  each.  The  money  supplied  through  the  sale  of  badges  and 
otherwise  is  to  be  expended  in  the  district  in  which  it  was  contributed, 
and  such  other  action  taken  as  will  best  subserve  the  interests  of  both 
cyclers  and  the  public. 

The  facilities  for  caring  for  the   poor  and   the  insane   of  the  county 


416  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

have  received  much  attention  during  the  period  under  consideration  in 
this  chapter.  The  building  of  the  first  poor  house  in  1838,  and  of  the 
second  on  its  site  in  1878,  has  been  previously  noticed.  In  the  years 
1886-87  new  buildings  were  erected  with  modern  conveniences  for 
caring  for  thirty  male  and  thirty  female  insane  persons,  afflicted  with 
chronic  insanity  and  indigent.  These  structures  were  accepted  by  the 
State  Board  of  Charities,  thus  rendering  it  a  State  institution  as  to  its 
general  control.  In  1890-91,  under  the  State  law,  the  insane  persons 
were  removed  to  State  institutions,  and  the  supervisors  asked  the  State 
to  reimburse  the  country  for  its  outlay  in  buildings,  etc.  The  sum  of 
$ii,000  was  received  on  this  account 

All  of  the  railroads  that  pass  through  portions  of  Madison  county,  ex- 
cepting the  main  line  of  the  New  York  Central,  have  been  constructed 
during  the  period  since  the  close  of  the  war.  Their  influence  has 
wrought  many  and  important  changes  in  business  centers.  While  as 
a  whole  it  must  be  admitted  that  they  are  of  great  benefit  to  the  people 
at  large,  there  are  still  restricted  localities  that  have  been  injured  through 
their  attraction  of  trade  to  more  populous  places.  This  is  a  cause  and 
effect  that  almost  invariably  attaches  to  the  opening  of  railroads;  a  few 
of  the  larger  villages  or  cities  along  the  lines,  on  account  of  increased 
shipping  and  traveling  facilities,  geographical  situation,  water  power,  or 
dominating  enterprise  of  their  inhabitants,  or  from  all  these  causes  in 
some  degree,  receive  a  stimulus  from  the  opening  of  railroad  communi 
tion  with  other  points.  They  begin  at  once  to  draw  trade  from  ham- 
lets and  small  villages  along  the  line,  the  people  who  formerly  bought 
and  sold  at  the  small  places,  on  account  of  difficulty  in  reaching  the 
larger  ones,  now  take  the  cars  to  the  more  active  business  center  and 
here  spend  their  money,  sell  their  produce  and  buy  their  goods.  There 
is  usually  only  one  result  of  this — the  smaller  place  suffers.  Instances 
of  this  are  numerous  enough  in  this  county  and  need  not  be  particularly 
specified.  In  the  end,  however,  the  tendency  is  towards  a  balance  in 
these  conditions,  as  it  is  in  all  matters  in  which  trade  is  a  prominent 
factor. 

The  so  called  Chenango  Valley  Railroad,  now  a  part  of  the  New 
York  Central  property,  was  opened  through  a  part  of  its  length  in  1873, 
and  wholly  opened  in  1874.  When  the  West  Shore  road,  of  which  this 
line  had  become  a  part,  passed  to  the  New  York  Central  in  1885  this 
road  went  with  it. 

Work  was  begun  on  what  was  first  known  as  the   Utica,  Chenango 


THE  COUNTY  FROM  1865  TO  1899.  417 

and  Susquehanna  Railroad  in  July,  1866,  one  branch  of  which  was  to 
touch  this  county.  It  was  ultimately  leased  to  the  Delaware  and 
Lackawanna  company  and  by  extension  was  made  an  avenue  for  coal 
transportation,  with  its  other  traffic. 

The  Utica,  Clinton  and  Binghamton  company  was  organized  in 
August,  1863,  but  little  more  than  horse  roads  were  constructed  out  of 
Utica  for  comparatively  short  distances,  until  a  reorganization  in  De- 
cember, 1867,  with  added  capital.  For  this  line  Hamilton  village  bonded 
for  $60,000,  and  the  town  of  Madison  for  $100,000,  in  this  county.  The 
line  was  opened  through  to  Hamilton  and  Smith's  Valley,  where  it 
touched  the  Midland  in  1870. 

The  West  Shore  road  was  chartered  in  June,  1881,  and  was  opened 
from  Weehawken  to  Syracuse  in  1883  and  to  Buffalo  in  the  next  year. 
Its  influence  upon  Madison  county  has  been  insignificant. 

The  preceding  chapters  of  town  history  have  shown  the  reader  that 
while  the  years  have  been  passing,  great  changes  have  taken  place  in 
industrial  and  agricultural  operations  in  this  county.  Large  manufac- 
turing establishments  have  come  into  being  at  several  business  centers, 
employing  many  workmen  and  vast  sums  of  money.  In  this  direction 
the  future  is  promising  for  the  community.  No  less  important  are  the 
changes  that  have  taken  place  in  the  methods  of  agriculture  and  par- 
ticularly in  the  kind  and  variety  of  crops  grown.  For  many  years 
Madison  county  has  enjoyed  a  world-wide  reputation  for  its  vast  and 
successful  hop  production.  While  this  crop  has  in  the  past  been  a  source 
of  profit  to  the  farmer,  it  may  be  doubted  if  the  policy  has  been  a  wise 
one,  of  almost  wholly  neglecting  the  other  grains,  vegetables  and  fruits 
for  the  growing  of  hops.  With  the  great  decline  in  price  of  this  crop 
in  comparatively  recent  years,  and  the  speculative  conditions  of  the 
average  market,  Madison  county  farmers  have  been  gradually  decreas- 
ing their  acreage  in  most  towns.  While  the  annual  crop  is  a  large  one, 
it  is  not  by  any  means  what  it  once  was. 

In  the  transition  from  hops  to  other  sources  of  agricultural  prosper- 
ity, as  far  as  it  has  gone,  the  farmers  of  the  county  have  shown  a  com- 
mendable degree  of  intelligence,  enterprise,  and  good  judgment.  Fruit 
culture  in  some  localities  has  been  profitably  taken  up;  dairying  in  its 
several  features,  and  the  shipment  of  milk  to  New  York,  has  been  ma- 
terially developed ;  and  in  still  more  recent  years,  the  drainage  of  muck 
lands  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county  and  the  cultivation  of  celery, 
onions,  etc.,  thereon,  which  has  been  described  a  few  pages  back,  has 
27 


418  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

added  new  and  ver}'  important  factors  to  the  agricultural  interests  of 
the  county.  The  growing  of  peas  for  market,  also,  has  recently  be- 
come an  extensive  industry,  the  crop  being  sold  to  canning  factories  in 
the  county  and  near  its  boundaries.  In  the  towns  of  Lebanon,  Ham- 
ilton, and  Madison  the  acreage  of  this  crop  is  now  larger  than  that  of 
any  other  crop  excepting  hops.  A  large  acreage  is  sown  also  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  county,  most  of  which  goes  to  the  canning  facto- 
ries of  Oneida,  Kenwood,  Canastota,  and  other  points.  A  good  part  of 
the  crop  of  the  southern  towns  is  shipped  direct  to  New  York  in  bags, 
where  it  has  brought  a  profitable  return. 

The  latest  event  of  national  importance  that  caused  a  wave  of  intense 
interest  to  flow  across  the  country,  its  influence  extending  into  every 
hamlet  ia  Madison  and  other  counties,  was  the  opening  of  what  will  be 
known  in  history  as  the  Spanish-American  war,  the  culmination  of 
which  brought  on  the  necessity  of  subjugating  the  Philippine  Islands, 
which  is  now  in  progress.  So  recent  was  the  beginning,  as  well  as  the 
end,  of  the  war  with  Spain,  and  so  well  known  are  its  causes  and  the 
chief  events  in  its  progress,  that  they  need  not  be  further  treated  in 
these  pages.  The  inhabitants  of  Madison  county  did  not  let  this  call 
upon  their  patriotism  pass  unnoticed  or  without  prompt  response,  and 
about  a  score  of  volunteers,  mainly  young  men,  joined  the  United  States 
forces  for  service  in  either  the  war  in  Cuba  or  in  the  Philippines.  A 
part  of  the  latter  went  in  the  First  New  York  Regiment,  an  organiza- 
tion which  left  Fort  Hamilton  in  New  York  harbor  in  May  last,  and 
proceeded  to  San  Francisco  and  thence  to  Honolulu,  beyond  which  it 
did  not  go.  Of  the  whole  number  enlisting  in  these  wars,  one  died  in 
hospital  and  another  on  the  way  to  Manilla.  The  history  of  the  con- 
flict with  the  Philippines  cannot  yet  be  written,  but  it  may  safely  be 
left  to  the  future  to  prove  that  this  county  will  be  honorably  repre- 
sented in  the  struggle. 

CIVIL  LIST. 

State  Senators. — From  the  date  of  its  erection,  in  180G,  until  the 
termination  of  the  existence  of  the  first  constitution,  Madison  county 
formed  a  part  of  the  Western  Senatorial  District  which  at  first  included 
also  Allegany,  Herkimer,  Onondaga,  Ontario,  Otsego,  Schoharie, Tioga, 
Steuben,  Oneida,  Cayuga,  St.  Lawrence,  Genesee,  Seneca,  Jeff^erson, 
and  Lewis  counties.  Broom,  Cattaraugus,  Chautauqua,  Niagara  and 
Cortland  were  subsequently  added.     From  the  year  1803  to  1808  this 


CIVIL  LIST.  419 

district  was  entitled  to  nine  senators  and  to  twelve  from  1808  to  1815. 
On  April  17,  of  that  year,  the  district  was  reorganized,  Herkimer,  On- 
tario, Otsego,  Schoharie,  St.  Lawrence,  Jefferson  and  Lewis  being  taken 
from  it.  Oswego  was  added  in  1816  and  Tompkins  county  in  1817. 
After  1815  the  district  was  entitled  to  nine  senators.  Under  the  second 
constitution  Madison  county  was  placed  with  Herkimer,  Jeff erson,  Lewis, 
Oneida  and  Oswego  counties  in  the  fifth  senatorial  district  and  so  con- 
tinued until  May  33,  183(5,  when  Otsego  county  was  added  and  Herkimer 
taken  from  the  district.  Under  the  third  constitution  Madison  and 
Oswego  counties  were  constituted  the  twentieth  district  and  so  remained 
until  April,  1857,  when  it  was  associated  with  Chenango  and  Cortland 
counties  in  forming  the  twenty-third  district.  The  next  change  was 
made  April  25,  1866,  when  Madison  and  Oswego  counties  were  consti- 
tuted the  twenty-first  district.  On  April  23,  1879,  Madison,  Herkimer 
and  Otsego  counties  were  made  the  twenty  third  district.  It  so  re- 
mained until  April  30,  1892,  when  Madison  and  Onondaga  counties 
were  constituted  the  twenty-fourth  district.  Under  the  constitution  of 
1894  Madison  and  Oswego  counties  were  constituted  the  twenty-seventh 
district,  which  condition  still  exists. 

Tliere  was  no  State  senator  elected  from  the  territory  of  Madison 
county  previous  to  its  formation  and  only  three  during  the  existence  of 
the  first  constitution  and  the  connection  of  the  county  with  the  western 
district.  Those  three  were  as  follows:  Sylvanus  Smalley,  of  Lenox, 
who  served  during  the  sessions  of  1809-10-11-12;  Bennett  Bicknell,  of 
Morrisville,  in  1815-16-17-18;  and  Perry  G.  Childs,  of  Cazenovia,  in 
1820-1-2.  They  were  succeeded  by  Thomas  Greenly,  of  Hamilton, 
who  served  in  1833-4-5;  Charles  Stebbins,  of  Cazenovia,  in  1826-7-8-9; 
John  G.  Stower,  of  Hamilton,  in  1833-4;  Joseph  Clark,  of  Brookfield,  in 
1839-40-1-2;  Thomas  Barlow,  of  Canastota,  in  1844-5-6-7;  Asahel 
Stone,  of  Peterboro,  in  1850;  Simeon  C.  Hitchcock,  of  Cazenovia,  in 
1854-5 ;  John  J.  Foote,  of  Hamilton,  in  1858-9 ;  James  Barnett,  of  Smith  • 
field,  in  1866-7;  William  H.  Brand,  of  Leonardsville,  in  1870-1;  Charles 
Kellogg,  of  Chittenango,  in  1874-5;  John  W.  Lippitt,  of  Solsville,  in 
1878-9.  Alexander  M.  Holmes,  Morrisville,  1882-3;  John  E.  Smith, 
1886-7  and  1892-3;  1894-5,  Charles  W.  Stapleton. 

Members  of  Assembly. — The  number  of  members  of  assembly  from 
Madison  county  has,  of  course,  varied  with  the  ratio  of  her  popula- 
tion to  that  of  the  State.  The  county  had  two  members  at  the  time  of 
its  formation ;  three  under  the  apportionments  of  April  1,  1808,  April  8, 


420  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

1815,  April  12,  182'2,  April  18,  1826  and  May  23,  1836;  two  under  the 
apportionment  of  March  8,  1846,  April  13,  1857  and  April  10,  1866; 
one  under  the  apportionment  of  April  26,  1879,  and  since. 

The  first  assemblyman  from  the  territory  now  embraced  in  Madison 
county  was  Jonathan  Forman,  who  served  in  1800-1.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  James  Green  and  Stephen  Hoxie,  1803;  Sephen  Hoxie,  1804 
Samuel  Payne  and  Luther  Waterman,  1804-5;  Samuel  Payne  and  Syl 
vanus  Smalley,  1806 ;  Erastus  Cleveland  and  Sylvanus  Smalley,  1807 
John  W.  Bulkley  and  Sylvanus  Smalley,  1808;  Oliver  Brown,  John  W, 
Bulkley  and  Daniel  Van  Home,  1808-9;  John  W.  Bulkley,  Amos  B 
Fuller  and  Daniel  Van  Home,  1810;  John  W.  Bulkley,  Henry  Clark,  jr. 
and  Zebulon  Douglass,  1811;  Bennett  Bicknell,  Nathaniel  Cole  and 
Samuel  H.  Coon,  1812;  Walter  Beecher,  John  D.  Henry  and  Jonathan 
Olmstead,  1812-13;  Stephen  F.  Blackstone,  Elisha  Carrington  and  Abra- 
ham D.  Van  Home,  1814;  David  Beecher,  Winsor  Coman  and  John  Mat- 
tison,  1814-15;  Oliver  Brown,  Nathan  Hall,  jr.,  and  Eliphalet  S.  Jack- 
son, 1816;  James  B.  Eldridge,  Moses  Maynard  and  Jonathan  Olmstead, 
1816-17;  Thomas  Greenly,  James  Nye  and  David  Woods,  1818;  Solo- 
mon Beebe,  Thomas  Greenly  and  Dennison  Palmer,  1819;  Amos  Crocker, 
Eliphalet  S.  Jackson  and  Levi  Morton,  1820;  William  Berry,  jr.,  Justin 
Dwinelle  and  Herman  Van  Vleck,  1820-1 ;  Pardon  Barnard,  Henry 
Clark,  jr.,  and  Justin  Dwinelle,  1822;  Rutherford  Barker,  Daniel  M. 
Gillett  and  Curtis  Hoppin,  1823;  Joseph  Clark,  Edward  Hudson  and 
Thomas  Spencer,  1824;  Ellas  P.  Benjamin,  Nehemiah  Huntington  and 
James  Nye,  1825;  Thomas  Dibble,  Nehemiah  Huntington  and  Jacob 
Ten  Eyck,  1826;  Sylvester  Beecher,  James  B.  Eldridge  and  Lemuel 
White,  1827;  Joseph  Clark,  John  Knowles  and  Eri  Richardson,  1828; 
James  B.  Eldridge,  William  K.  Fuller  and  John  Williams,  1829;  William 
K.  Fuller,  William  Manchester  and  John  M.  Messenger,  1830;  Robert 
Henry,  Stephen  B.  Hoffman  and  John  Whitman,  1831;  Nehemiah 
Batcheler,  Daniel  Gillett  and  John  Head,  2d,  1832;  Erastus  Cleveland, 
John  Davis  and  Jesse  Kilborn,  1833;  Sardis  Dana,  Benjamin  Enos  and 
Henry  T.  Sumner,  1834;  Joseph  Clark,  William  J.  Hough  and  Jason  W. 
Powers,  1835;  Ephraim  Gray,  William  J.  Hough  and  John  B.  Yates, 
1836;  Wait  Clark,  Isaac  Coe,  jr.,  and  Silas  Sayles,  1837;  William  F. 
Bostwick,  William  Lord  and  Onesimus  Mead,  1838;  Friend  Barnard, 
Benjamin  Enos  and  Uriah  Leland,  1839;  Daniel  Barker,  Daniel  Dickey 
and  Benjamin  Enos,  1840;  Seneca  B.  Burchard,  Oliver  Pool  and  Daniel 
Van  Vleck,  1841 ;    Simeon  C.  Hitchcock,  Calvin  Morse  and  Job  Wells, 


CIVIL  LIST.  421 

1843;  Venoni  W.  Mason,  Henry  Palmer  and  Lorenzo  Sherwood,  1843; 
Ralph  I.  Gates,  Thomas  Keith  and  Alfred  Medbery,  1844;  Stephen  G. 
Sears,  William  Smith  and  John  I.  Walrath,  1845;  Horace  Hawks, 
Thomas  T.  Loomis  and  Stephen  M.  Potter,  1846;  George  T.  Taylor 
and  Peter  Van  Valkenburgh,  1847  ;  John  T.  G.  Bailey  and  George  Grant, 
1848;  David  Maine  and  Robert  G.  Stewart,  1849;  John  Clark  and 
Thomas  O.  Bishop,  1850;  Jairus  French  and  Franklin  B.  Hoppin,  1851; 
George  B.  Rowe  and  Henry  L.  Webb,  1852;  Dennis  Hardin  and  Mar- 
sena  Temple,  1853;  Samuel  White,  2d,  and  Franklin  M.  Whitman,  1854; 
Gilbert  Tompkins  and  Aaron  B.  Brush,  1855;  Samuel  White  and  John 
Snow,  IBoG;  Albert  G.  Purdy  and  Thomas  P.  Bishop,  1857;  Lester  M. 
Case  and  Robert  Stewart,  1858 ;  Simeon  Rider  and  Noah  M.  Coburn, 
1859;  David  Clark  and  James  Barnett,  1860;  Orrin  B.  Lord  and  Fran- 
cis A.  Hyatt,  1861;  William  H.  Brand  and  Albert  G.  Purdy,  1863; 
William  H.  Brand  and  George  L.  Rouse,  1863;  John  W.  Lippitt  and 
Daniel  F.  Kellogg,  1864;  Alfred  A.  Brown  and  Alvin  Strong,  1865; 
Gardner  Morse  and  Caleb  Calkins,  1866;  Bushrod  E.  Hoppin 
and  Benjamin  F.  Bruce,  1867;  D.  Gerry  Wellington  and  Robert 
Stewart,  1868;  Wesley  M.  Carpenter  and  Leonard  C.  Kilham,  1869; 
Joseph  W.  Merchant  and  Leonard  C.  Kilham,  1870;  David  L.  Fisk  and 
Leonard  L.  Kilham,  1871;  John  W.  Lippitt  and  Francis  A.  Hyatt,  1872; 
Edward  C.  Philpot  and  Joseph  P.  Crawford,  1873;  Edward  C.  Philpot 
and  Henry  W.  Carpenter,  1874;  D.  Gerry  Wellington  and  George  Berry, 
1875;  Morris  N.  Campbell  and  Fred  C.  Fiske,  1876;  Albert  N.  Sheldon 
and  Merchant  Billington,  1877;  Lambert  B.  Kern  and  Willard  A.  Cran- 
dall,  1878;  Augustus  L.  Saunders  and  George  Berry,  1879;  Gerrit  S. 
Miller,  1880;  David  A.  Jackson,  1881;  Ladurna  Ballard,  1882;  George 
H.  Benjamin,  1883;  Edward  F.  Haskell,  1884-85;  William  S.  Leete, 
1886-87;  Charles  E.  Maynard.  1888-89;  Samuel  R.  Mott,  1890-91; 
Clarence  W.  Dexter,  1892-93;  Lambert  B.  Kern,  1894-96;  Robert  Jay 
Gish,  1897-99. 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 
EDUCATIONAL   INSTITUTIONS   OF    MADISON    COUNTY. 

The  Regents  of  the  University  of  this  vState  were  incorporated  in 
1787,  and  in  their  report  for  1793  they  called  attention  to  the  benefits 
likely  to  accrue  from  the  establishment  of  schools  in  various  parts  of 
the  State.  "The  mode  of  accomplishing  this  desirable  object, "  said 
the  report,  "  we  respectfully  submit  to  the  wisdom  of  the  Legislature." 

At  the  opening  of  the  session  of  1795,  Governor  Clinton  thus  alluded 
td  the  subject  in  his  message: 

While  it  is  evident  that  the  general  establishment  and  liberal  endowment  of  acad- 
emies are  highly  to  be  commended,  and  are  attended  with  the  most  beneficial  conse- 
quences, yet  it  cannot  be  denied  that  they  are  principally  confined  to  the  children  of 
the  opulent,  and  that  a  great  portion  of  the  community  is  excluded  from  their  im- 
mediate advantages.  The  establishment  of  common  schools  throughout  the  State, 
is  happily  calculated  to  remedy  this  inconvenience,  and  will  therefore  engage  your 
early  and  decided  consideration. 

These  were  the  first  steps  taken  towards  the  establishment  of  the 
common  school  system  of  the  State.  On  the  11th  of  January,  1795, 
the  Assembly  appointed  a  committee  of  six  to  consider  the  school  sub- 
ject, and  on  February  19  they' reported  "An  act  for  the  encouragement 
of  schools,"  which  became  a  law  on  the  9th  of  April.  This  act  appro- 
priated $50,000  annually  for  five  years,  for  the  general  support  of  com- 
mon schools,  which  sum  was  at  first  apportioned  to  the  several  counties 
according  to  their  representation  in  the  Legislature;  later  it  was  appor- 
tioned according  to  the  number  of  electors  for  member  of  assembly,  and 
to  the  several  towns  according  to  the  number  of  taxable  inhabitants. 
The  act  provided  for  the  election  of  not  less  than  three  nor  more  than 
seven  commissioners  in  each  town,  who  should  have  supervision  of  the 
schools.  The  inhabitants  in  different  sections  of  the  towns  were  au- 
thorized to  meet  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  "good  and  sufficient 
schoolmasters,  and  for  erecting  and  maintaining  schools  in  such  and  so 
many  parts  of  the  town  where  they  may  reside,  as  shall  be  most  con- 
venient," and   to  appoint  two  or  more  trustees,  whose  duties  were  de- 


i 


EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS.  423 

fined  by  the  act.  The  public  money  paid  to  each  district  was  to  be 
apportioned  by  the  commissioners  according  to  the  number  of  days  of 
instruction  given  in  each  of  the  schools.  Provision  was  made  also  for 
annual  returns  from  all  districts,  towns  and  counties. 

Lotteries  were  early  instituted  by  the  State  for  the  support  of  schools, 
first  in  1799,  when  $100,000  was  to  be  raised,  $12,500  of  which  was  to 
go  to  academies  and  the  remainder  to  common  schools.  Again  in 
1801  an  equal  amount  was  raised,  one-half  of  which  went  to  common 
schools. 

On  the  2d  of  April,  1805,  an  act  was  passed  providing  that  the  net 
proceeds  of  the  sale  of  500,000  acres  of  unappropriated  State  lands 
should  be  made  a  permanent  fund  for  the  support  of  schools,  the  avails 
to  be  invested  until  the  interest  amounted  to  $50,000,  when  an  annual 
distribution  of  that  amount  should  be  made.  By  February,  1807,  re- 
ceipts for  the  school  fund  in  the  treasury  had  reached  $151,115.69. 

In  1811  a  law  was  enacted  authorizing  the  governor  to  appoint  five 
commissioners  to  report  a  system  for  the  organization  of  the  common 
schools.  The  commission  consisted  of  Jedediah  Peck,  John  Murray,  jr., 
Samuel  Russell,  Roger  Skinner,  and  Samuel  Macomb.  Their  report, 
made  February  14,  1812,  was  accompanied  by  the  draft  of  a  bill  em- 
bodying the  main  features  of  the  common  school  system  as  it  existed 
until  1838.  One  feature  of  the  bill  was,  that  each  county  should  raise 
by  tax  an  amount  equal  to  that  apportioned  by  the  State.  Following  is 
a  brief  outline  of  the  system: 

That  the  several  towns  in  the  State  be  divided  into  school  districts,  by  three  com- 
raissiouers  elected  by  the  citizens  qualified  to  vote  for  town  officer.s,  that  three  trus- 
tees be  elected  in  each  district,  to  whom  shall  be  confided  the  care  and  superintend- 
ence of  the  school  to  be  established  therein  ;  that  the  interest  of  the  school  fund  be 
divided  among  the  different  counties  and  towns,  according  to  their  respective  popu- 
lation, as  ascertained  by  the  successive  censuses  of  the  United  States;  that  the 
proportions  received  by  the  respective  towns  be  subdivided  among  the  districts  into 
which  said  towns  shall  be  divided,  according  to  the  number  of  children  in  each,  be- 
tween the  ages  of  five  and  fifteen  years;  that  each  town  raise  by  tax  annually,  as 
much  money  as  it  shall  have  received  from  the  school  fund ;  that  the  gross  amount 
of  moneys  received  from  the  State  and  raised  by  the  towns,  be  apportioned  exclu- 
sively to  the  payment  of  wages  of  teachers;  and  that  the  whole  system  be  placed 
under  the  superintendence  of  an  officer  appointed  by  the  Council  of  Appointment. 

Gideon  Hawley  was  made  the  first  superintendent  of  common  schools 
and  held  the  office  from  1813  to  1821.  In  the  first  report  (1814)  he 
called  attention  to  the  fifth  section  of  the  law  under  which  it  was  a  pos- 


424  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

sibility  that  a  single  town  in  a  county  might  receive  the  whole  of  the 
public  money  for  that  county;  and  toother  provisions  giving  each  town 
the  choice  of  complying  with  the  law  and  receiving  its  benefits  and 
bearing  its  burdens,  or  of  refusing  such  compliance.  Under  these  pro- 
visions many  towns  had  refused  compliance  with  the  act,  to  the  great 
detriment  of  the  system.  The  superintendent  suggested  that  it  be 
made  obligatory  upon  the  towns  to  comply  with  the  act,  and  also  on  the 
Boards  of  Supervisors  to  levy  on  the  respective  towns  a  sum  equal  to 
the  sum  "which  shall  be  apportioned  to  such  towns  out  of  the  public 
money  to  be  distributed."  These  suggestions  were  promptly  carried 
out  by  amendments  to  the  act. 

The  founding  of  this  school  system  was  an  educational  movement  of 
the  greatest  importance  and  its  benefits  became  at  once  apparent.  In 
his  second  report  (1815)  Mr.  Hawley  said: 

But  the  great  benefit  of  the  act  does  not  lie  in  any  pecuniary  aid  which  it  may 
afford.  .  .  It  consists  in  securing  the  establishment  of  common  .schools  wherever 
they  are  necessary;  in  organizing  them  on  a  suitable  and  permanent  foundation;  and 
in  guarding  them  against  the  admission  of  unqualified  teachers. 

In  his  sixth  annual  report  the  superintendent  renewed  his  recom- 
mendations before  made,  for  a  revision  and  consolidation  of  the  exist- 
ing school  laws.  On  the  19th  of  April,  1819,  accordingly,  the  Legisla- 
ture re  enacted  the  "act  for  the  support  of  Common  Schools,"  making 
the  various  amendments  stxggested  by  Mr.  Hawley.  To  him  is  given 
the  honor  and  credit  of  having  done  more  than  any  one  person  in  the 
founding  of  the  common  school  system  in  this  State.  John  Van  Ness 
Yates  was  secretary  of  state  and  superintendent  ex-officio  of  common 
schools  from  1831  to  1826,  the  separate  office  of  superintendent  of 
schools  having  been  abolished  by  the  Constitution  of  1821.  The  Con- 
stitution provided,  also,  that  "  the  proceeds  of  all  lands  thereafter  to  be 
sold,  belonging  to  the  State,  with  the  exception  of  such  as  might  be  re- 
served for  public  use  or  ceded  to  the  United  States,  together  with  the 
existing  school  fund,  were  declared  to  constitute  a  perpetual  fund,  the 
interest  of  which  Ghould  be  inviolably  appropriated  and  applied  to  the 
support  of  the  common  schools." 

In  1816  the  first  appropriation  of  public  school  money  was  made  to 
Madison  county  as  follows:  Brookfield,  $217.84;  Cazenovia,  $193.56; 
De  Ruyter,  $46.50;  Eaton,  $139.25;  Georgetown,  $38.58;  Lebanon, 
$98.34;  Lenox,  $136.09;  Hamilton,  $140.67;  Madison,  $137.49;  Nel- 
son, $119.92;  Smithfield,  $151.37;  Sullivan,  $109.90. 


EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS.  425 

Azariah  C.  Flagg  held  the  office  of  secretary  of  state  and  superin- 
tendent of  schools  from  1836  to  1833,  and  was  succeeded  by  John  A. 
Dix  (1833-39),  during  which  period  great  improvements  were  made  in 
the  details  of  the  school  system.  In  1827  the  sum  annually  distributed 
to  the  various  districts  was  increased  to  $100,000;  in  1837  it  was 
$110,000.  On  the  13th  of  April,  1835,  an  act  was  passed  which  laid  the 
foundation  of  district  school  libraries;  it  authorized  the  taxable  inhabit- 
ants of  each  district  to  impose  a  tax  of  not  more  than  $30  the  first  year 
and  $10  each  succeeding  year  for  the  purchase  of  a  district  library. 
Under  this  act  libraries  were  established  in  very  many  districts  of  the 
State  and  the  resultant  benefit  is  beyond  estimate. 

In  1838  $160,000  were  added  from  the  annual  revenue  of  the  United 
States  deposit  fund  to  the  amount  to  be  apportioned  among  the  various 
school  districts.  In  the  following  year  the  number  of  districts  in  the 
State  was  10,583.  The  increase  in  the  number  of  districts  from  time  to 
time  is  shown  as  follows:  1798,  1,352  districts;  1816,  about  5,000;  1820, 
5,763;  1835,  7,643;   1830,  8,873;  1835,  9,865. 

On  the  4th  of  February,  1839,  John  C.  Spencer  was  appointed  secre- 
tary of  state  and  superintendent  of  common  schools,  and  he  continued 
in  the  ofBce  until  1843.  He  advocated  several  changes  in  the  system, 
the  most  important  being,  perhaps,  the  county  supervision  of  schools 
by  regular  visitors.  These  visitors  reported  to  the  superintendent  and 
one  of  the  results  of  their  early  reports  was  the  plan  of  appointing 
county  superintendents,  which  went  in  effect  in  April,  1843,  and  re- 
sulted in  a  great  improvement  in  the  general  character  of  the  schools. 
The  office  was  abolished  March  13,  1847,  during  which  period  the  fol- 
lowing held  the  office  in  Madison  county:  Edward  Manchester,  Thomas 
Barlow,  of  Canastota,  and  Marsena  Temple,  of  Munnsville. 

In  his  annual  message  of  1844  Governor  Bouck  treated  largely  the 
school  question,  stating  among  other  things  the  following: 

The  substitution  of  a  single  officer,  charged  with  the  supervision  of  the  schools  of 
each  town,  for  the  board  of  commissioners  and  inspectors  formerly  existing,  in  con- 
nection with  the  supervisory  and  appellate  powers  of  the  several  county  superin- 
tendents, as  defined  by  the  law  of  the  last  session,  seems  to  have  met  with  the 
general  approbation  and  concurrence  of  the  people. 

Samuel  S.  Young  was  secretary  of  state  and  superintendent  of  schools 
from  February,  1843,  to  February,  1845,  when  he  was  succeeded  by 
Nathaniel  S.  Benton,  who  continued  until  1847,  when  the  new  consti- 
tion  was  in  effect. 


426  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  subject  of  Teachers'  Institutes  was  first  brought  forward  in  the 
Tompkins  County  Teachers'  Association  in  the  fall  of  1843,  and  the 
first  institute  was  held  in  Ithaca  April  4,  1843;  they  soon  became  a 
powerful  auxiliary  in  elevating  the  teacher's  profession. 

A  persistent  and  nearly  successful  attempt  was  made  to  engraft  upon 
the  new  Constitution  of  1846  a  free  school  system  for  the  State.  The 
section  under  which  it  was  to  be  accomplished  was  the  following: 

The  Legislature  shall  provide  for  the  free  education  and  instruction  of  every  child 
of  the  State  in  the  common  schools,  now  established,  or  which  shall  hereafter  be 
established  therein. 

This  section  was  adopted  by  a  vote  of  57  to  53,  and  a  provision  was 
then  added  directing  the  Legislature  to  provide  for  raising  the  neces- 
sary taxes  in  the  districts  to  carry  out  the  plan.  The  convention  then 
adjourned  for  dinner.  After  reassembling  the  school  article  was  re- 
ferred, on  resolution,  to  a  committee  of  one  with  instructions  to  strike 
out  the  last  two  sections  relating  to  free  schools.  This  was  done  and 
the  provision  for  the  establishment  of  free  schools  was  defeated. 

On  the  13th  of  November,  1847,  the  Legislature  passed  an  act  abol- 
ishing the  office  of  county  superintendent  of  common  schools,  directing 
appeals  authorized  to  be  made  by  law  to  be  made  to  the  state  superin- 
tendent, and  the  annual  reports  of  the  town  superintendents  to  be  made 
to  the  county  clerk.  This  measure  was  adopted  largely  in  response  to 
popular  clamor,  and  was  in  many  respects  temporarily  disastrous  to  the 
schools.  Reports  of  town  superintendents  were  often  superficial  and 
incomplete,  while  they  were  "  wholly  incapable  of  supplying  the  place 
in  the  system  which  had  been  assigned  to  the  higher  class  of  officers." 

On  the  15th  of  December,  1847,  the  various  statutes  relating  to  com- 
mon schools  were  consolidated  into  one  act,  with  such  amendments  as 
seemed  expedient;  town  superintendents  were  to  hold  their  office  two 
years;  the  library  law  was  modified  so  that  library  money  in  any  district 
might  be  used  for  teachers'  wages,  with  the  consent  of  the  state  super- 
intendent, provided  the  number  of  volumes  in  the  library  had  reached 
a  certain  proportion  to  the  number  of  children,  etc. 

Christopher  Morgan  was  state  superintendent  of  schools  and  secre- 
tary of  state  from  1847  to  1851,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Henry  S. 
Randall,  who  held  the  office  until  1853.  In  the  message  to  the  Legis- 
lature of  1849  Governor  Fish  expressed  his  belief  "that  the  restoration 
of  the  office  of  county  superintendent  would  be  productive  of  good  to 


EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS.  427 

the  school  system."  He  recommended  two  measures,  either  of  which 
would  improve  the  situation  : 

First.  The  repeal  of  chap.  358,  laws  of  1847,  restoring  the  office  of 
county  superintendent,  and  making  it  elective  by  the  people. 

Second.  The  election  of  a  superintendent  in  every  Assembly  district, 
except  in  the  city  of  New  York,  and  the  cities  which  now  have,  or  shall 
hereafter  have,  a  city  superintendent,  or  board  of  education,  to  manage 
their  school  affairs. 

The  superintendent  then  reviewed  the  situation  as  to  the  problem  of 
free  schools  which  was  before  the  people.  On  the  36th  of  March,  1849, 
the  Legislature  passed  the  "  Act  establishing  Free  Schools  throughout 
the  State."  For  its  provisions  in  detail  the  reader  must  be  referred  to 
the  statutes.  Madison  county  gave  a  majority  in  favor  of  the  act  of 
1,644,  with  3,268  voting  against  it.  The  practical  application  of  this 
system  met  with  wide  spread  and  intense  opposition  from  the  first,  and 
it  soon  became  apparent  that  a  demand  for  its  repeal  would  have  to  be 
met.  At  the  annual  election  in  the  fall  of  1850,  therefore,  the  people 
voted  upon  the  question  of  its  repeal,  and  the  majority  in  favor  of  re- 
peal was  46,874,  in  forty-two  of  the  fifty-nine  counties  of  the  State;  in 
the  remaining  seventeen  counties  the  majority  against  repeal  was 
71,912,  leaving  a  majority  of  25,088  against  repeal.  Thus  the  benefi- 
cent free  school  system  was  permanently  established.  The  majority  in 
favor  of  repeal  in  Madison  county  was  643. 

The  number  of  districts  in  the  State  reported  in  1850  was  11,397,  and 
and  the  number  of  children  taught  was  735,188.  The  number  of  dis- 
tricts in  1895  was  11,131.     In  July,  1897,  the  number  was  10,965. 

In  1860  there  was  in  Madison  county  339  districts.  There  were  in 
1895-6  309  districts,  with  school  houses  in  each. 

In  1856  the  provision  of  the  law  of  1851  appropriating  annually  $800, - 
000,  was  repealed  and  a  tax  of  three-quarters  of  a  mill  on  the  dollar  of 
real  and  personal  property  substituted  for  payment  of  teachers'  wages, 
and  the  rate  bill  was  continued;  the  school  commissioners  to  be  elected 
by  the  Boards  of  Supervisors. 

A  law  was  passed  in  1853  providing  for  union  free  schools,  authoriz- 
ing the  inhabitants  of  two  or  more  districts  to  elect  trustees  and  levy  a 
tax  on  the  property  in  the  united  districts  for  the  payment  of  teachers' 
wages  and  other  expenses. 

The  general  school  law  was  revised  in  1864,  and  in  1867  the  rate  bill 
was  abolished  and  a  tax  of  one  and  a  quarter  mills  on  the  dollar  of  val- 
uation substituted. 


488  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

In  1847,  coincident  with  the  abolishment  of  the  office  of  county  super- 
intendent, teachers'  institutes,  which  had  previously  existed  as  volun- 
tary associations,  were  legalized.  These  institutes  have  been  held  in 
every  county  in  the  State  in  different  years  since  that  time  and  have 
been  in  part  sustained  by  the  State,  For  the  year  ending  July,  1897, 
they  were  held  in  fifty-eight  counties  and  had  an  attendance  of  16,273 
teachers. 

Madison  county  is  divided  into  two  districts  the  first  including  the 
towns  of  Brookfield,  with  36  districts;  De  Ruyter,  10  districts;  Eaton, 
18  districts;  Georgetown,  11  districts;  Hamilton,  15  districts;  Lebanon, 
13  districts;  Madison,  13  districts;  Nelson,  14  districts.  In  this  district 
were  employed  in  the  last  two  years  156  teachers  and  3,654  pupils  were 
instructed.  The  value  of  school  buildings  and  sites  in  this  district  is  a 
little  more  than  $91,000  and  the  assessed  valuation  is  nearly  $8,000,000. 
The  amount  of  public  money  received  from  the  State  was  $17,833.35 
and  the  amount  raised  by  public  tax  was  $30,000.87.  Fifty-eight  schools 
in  this  district  had  less  thin  ten  students  each  in  attendance. 

The  second  commissioner  district  includes  the  towns  of  Cazenovia, 
with  15  districts;  Fenner,  11  districts;  Lenox,  10  districts;  Lincoln,  6 
districts;  Oneida,  7  districts;  Smithfield,  7  districts;  Stockbridge,  15 
districts;  Sullivan,  19  districts.  There  were  employed  in  this  district 
in  the  last  school  year  157  teachers  and  the  registration  of  pupils  was 
4,949.  The  value  of  school  buildings  and  sites  is  $129,993,  and  the  as- 
sessed valuation  is  a  little  more  than  $11,000,000.  The  amount  of  pub- 
lic money  received  from  the  State  was  $18,751.59,  aad  the  amount 
raised  by  local  tax  was  $44,841.19. 

In  the  last  report  made  to  the  State  superintendent  of  public  instruc- 
tion by  L.  A.  Parkhurst,  school  commissioner  of  the  second  district  of 
Madison  county,  it  is  shown  that  the  registration  for  the  last  school 
year  was  303  less  than  in  1S95  and  265  less  than  in  1896  Yet  the  ag- 
gregate days  of  attendance  was  considerably  larger  in  the  last  year  than 
in  either  of  the  other  twf).  The  commissioner  laments  the  fact  that  the 
rural  schools  are  slowly  but  surely  growing  smaller.  This  is  a  condi- 
tion that  must  be  credited  to  the  growing  desire  on  the  part  of  the 
young  men  and  women  reared  in  the  country  districts  to  leave  theii 
homes  at  the  first  opportunity  and  find  occupation  in  cities  and  villages. 
The  increase  in  attendance,  before  mentioned,  has  been  largely  credited 
to  the  compulsory  education  law  passed  by  the  Legislature,  in  1874,  but 
Commissioner  Parkhurst  believes  that  it  is  due,  at  least  in  part,  to  the 
greater  efficiency  and  loyalty  of  teachers. 


EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS.  429 

The  early  schools  in  Madison  county  were  neither  better  nor  worse 
than  those  in  similar  localities  in  other  parts  of  the  State.  A  large 
part  of  the  pioneers  were  from  New  England  States  and  were  fully 
imbued  with  a  belief  in  the  great  practical  value  of  early  education. 
The  history  of  the  towns  of  this  county  shows  that  in  every  community 
the  establishment  of  schools  and  churches  was  one  of  the  first  measures 
adopted  by  early  settlers.  Log  school  houses  were  built  in  every  neigh- 
borhood where  there  were  children  sufficient  in  numbers  to  make  it 
desirable.  The  teachers  of  that  day,  as  a  class,  were  incompetent  in 
comparison  with  those  of  recent  years.  At  the  same  time  the  text 
books  used  were  very  deficient  and  imperfect.  In  the  villages  and 
hamlets  were  to  be  found  a  few  well  educated  instructors  under  whose 
direction  many  brilliant  scholars  studied,  but  they  were  the  exception. 
But  as  the  various  communities  increased  in  population  and  wealth  and 
general  progress  in  educational  facilities  was  made  by  the  State,  as 
shown  in  the  foregoing  pages,  the  old  log  school  houses  were  displaced 
by  frame  structures,  teachers  possessed  of  higher  attainments,  and 
better  text  books,  all  contributed  to  give  the  people  the  best  of  modern 
free  schools.  Local  academies  were  founded,  many  of  which  accom- 
plished a  great  deal  of  good  during  their  existence ;  but  most  of  these 
declined  as  the  common  schools  advanced  and  many  have  been  absorbed 
in  the  union  school  districts  of  later  days.  Private  educational  institu- 
tions, too,  so  many  of  which  were  established  in  early  years,  lost  their 
prestige  as  the  common  schools  advanced  in  efficiency  and  most  of  them 
passed  out  of  existence. 

A  HISTORY  OF  COLGATE  UNIVERSITY  FROM  ITS  FOUNDA- 
TION TO  THE  YEAR  1900.' 

Colgate  University  is  the  present  name  of  the  school  which  was  es- 
tablished at  Hamilton,  New  York,  in  1819,  and  called  by  its  founders, 
The  Hamilton  Literary  and  Theological  Institution. 

The  influences  which  led  to  the  founding  of  this  institution  had  their 
origin  in  the  religious  movements  of  the  first  quarter  of  this  century. 
In  1740  the  Christian  Church  in  America  had  experienced  that  wonder- 
ful revival  of  religion  which  is  known  in  church  history  as  the  "Great 
Awakening;"  but  it  was  all  over  in  a  few  years,  and  then  followed  a 
long  period  of  reaction.     In  the  year   1800,    however,  came  another 

^Prepared  by  Professor  Ralph  Wilmer  Thomas. 


430  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

great  revival  of  religion,  the  effects  of  which  were  more  lasting,  and 
which  proved  to  be  the  beginning  of  a  long  period  of  vigorous  Christian 
life.  The  religious  activity  of  these  years  immediately  following  the 
year  1800,  found  expression  first  in  missionary  enterprise,  and  afterward 
in  educational  effort.  Indeed,  as  early  as  1798,  the  Missionary  Society 
of  Connecticut  was  formed,  whose  object  was,  "to  Christianize  the 
heathen  in  North  America,  and  to  support  Christian  knowledge  in  the 
new  settlements  within  the  United  States;"  and  this  society  employed 
its  first  missionary  in  August,  1800.  Then  followed  that  wonderful 
activity  which  marked  the  aggressive  Christian  spirit  of  the  earlier 
years  of  this  century.  The  message  of  the  gospel  was  carried  far  and 
wide  by  the  devoted  missionaries  tf  the  cross;  many  thousands  turned 
to  the  light,  and  were  received  into  the  churches;  and  the  whole  land 
felt  the  glowing  influence  of  this  spiritual  revival. 

During  these  years  the  Baptist  Church  in  America  increased  in  num- 
bers with  great  rapidity.  Between  1800  and  1812,  their  numerical 
strength  had  more  than  doubled.  The  Lake  Baptist  Missionary  Society 
was  founded  at  Pompey,  Onondaga  county.  New  York,  in  1807;  and 
as  the  influence  of  the  Baptists  of  Hamilton  was  strong  and  active  in 
its  councils,  the  name  was  changed  in  1809  to  The  Hamilton  Baptist 
Missionary  Society.  This  society  sent  preachers  throughout  the  des- 
titute regions  of  the  Western  States  and  Territories,  calling  together 
those  who  had  been  active  Christians  but  were  now  scattered  and 
inactive,  gathering  in  new  converts  and  organizing  churches.  It 
was  the  immediate  predecessor  of  the  Baptist  Missionary  Convention 
of  the  State  of  New  York;  and  was  one  of  those  bodies  whose  ex- 
istence led  to  the  organization  of  the  American  Baptist  Home  Mis- 
sion Society.  With  1812  came  the  conversion  of  Adoniram  Judson  and 
Luther  Rice  to  the  Baptist  faith,  and  then  the  return  of  Rice  from  India 
to  arouse  the  Baptists  of  America  to  an  appreciation  of  the  responsibili- 
ties of  the  hour  and  to  organize  them  that  the  missionary  interests  of 
the  denomination  might  have  more  effective  support.  On  May  18, 
1814,  was  held  the  first  meeting  of  the  ' '  General  Missionary  Convention 
of  the  Baptist  Denomination  in  the  United  States  of  America,  for 
Foreign  Missions."  This  meeting  is  popularly  known  as  the  First  Tri- 
ennial Convention,  and  was  an  important  event  in  the  history  of  the 
Baptist  Denomination  in  America. 

Meanwhile,  accompanying  this  marked  growth  of  missionary  and 
religious  activity,  and  doubtless,  largely  as  a  result  of  it,  was  a  demand 
for  wider  and  better  educational  facilities. 


EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS.  431 

A  feeling  gradually  arose  among  the  churches  that  an  educated  min- 
istry was  needed  to  cope  with  the  many  and  pressing  problems  of  the 
time.  At  Harvard  University,  Unitarianism  had  been  making  great  ad- 
vances, much  to  the  disturbance  of  the  other  denominations;  and  when 
the  HoUis  Chair  of  Theology,  which  had  been  founded  by  a  Welsh  Bap 
tist,  was  filled  in  1805  by  the  election  of  a  Unitarian,  a  schism  was  at 
once  precipitated  which  resulted  in  the  founding  of  the  first  Protestant 
Theological  Seminary  of  America,  at  Andover,  Massachusetts,  in  1808. 

This  was  the  beginning  of  an  educational  movement  whose  rapidity  of 
achievement  it  seems  difficult  to  comprehend.  Within  a  period  of 
twenty  years  seventeen  theological  seminaries  were  founded  where  none 
were  before,  marking  what  Dr.  Bacon,  in  his  History  of  American 
Christianity  calls  "a  swift  and  wondrous  revolution  that  has  never  gone 
backward." 

In  New  York  State,  the  Baptist  denomination  had  continued  to  in- 
crease rapidly  in  numbers  and  in  strength  until  by  1817  there  were  about 
twenty-eight  thousand  Baptist  church  members,  organized  into  310 
churches,  with  230  ministers  West  of  the  Hudson  River  there  were 
but  three  Baptist  ministers  who  had  had  the  advantages  of  collegiate 
training;  the  rest  were  largely  untrained,  while  some  were  absolutely 
illiterate.  So  that,  among  the  Baptists,  as  in  the  other  churches,  there 
arose  a  demand  for  schools  at  which  young  men  who  were  looking  for- 
ward to  the  ministry  could  receive  proper  intellectual  preparation. 
This  demand  was  small  and  weak  at  first,  and  it  had  to  meet  the  de- 
termined opposition  of  a  very  large  body  of  sincere  people  who  were 
conscientiously  opposed  to  what  they  were  pleased  to  call  a  "man- 
made  "  ministry.  Nevertheless  the  feeling  in  favor  of  an  educated 
ministry  continued  to  grow  until  it  became  so  strong  that  it  could  no 
longer  be  successfully  opposed.  This  was  shown  by  the  action  of  the 
Second  Triennial  Convention  in  1817  which  adopted  a  resolution  to 
establish,  under  Baptist  auspices,  "a  classical  and  theological  semi- 
nary. " 

On  September  19,  1816,  the  Boston  Baptist  Association  adopted  a 
"Corresponding  Letter,"  as  such  communications  were  then  called, 
which  was  entirely  devoted  to  the  need  of  a  better  educated  ministry. 
To  this  letter,  the  Boston  Association  requested  the  several  associations 
with  which  it  corresponded  to  afford  particular  attention,  thus  showing 
that  the  subject  was  one  in  which  the  Boston  Baptists  of  that  day  had 
unusual  interest;    this  letter   was  written  by  Rev.  Jeremiah  Chaplin, 


432  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

D.  D.  The  writer  first  proceeded  to  show  the  need  of  a  ministry  to 
"  publish  the  good  news  of  salvation,"  and  that  the  number  of  men  in 
the  ministry  was  far  from  being  proportionate  to  the  wants  of  those  at 
home,  to  whom  the  gospel  should  be  preached;  that  foreign  mission- 
aries were  also  to  be  desired ;  that  to  supply  this  want  the  first  duty  of 
the  church  was  prayer.  The  letter  also  went  on  to  state  that  the  min- 
istry should  be  educated,  and  that,  in  order  that  it  might  be  educated, 
seminaries  were  necessary — seminaries  not  connected  with  one  great 
central  university,  but  located  in  different  places;  that  four  seminaries 
would  be  sufficient  for  all  the  United  States;  "one  should  be  estab- 
lished in  some  part  of  New  England,  another  in  the  Middle,  a  third  in 
the  Southern,  and  a  fourth  in  the  Western  States;  to  these  seminaries 
we  should  send  all  the  youth  of  our  denomination  who  appear  to  be 
called  of  God  to  preach  the  gospel  and  whose  inclination  prompts  them 
to  engage  in  a  course  of  preparatory  studies."  An  earnest  appeal  for 
the  co-operation  of  the  entire  denomination  in  carrying  out  this  plan 
brings  this  most  earnest  and  interesting  letter  to  a  close. 

Now,  it  is  impossible  to  say  that  any  one  influence  was  at  the  very 
beginning  of  the  movement  which  brought  into  existence  the  "  Hamil- 
ton Literary  and  Theological  Institution."  As  already  stated,  it  was 
an  outgrowth  of  the  general  religious  activity,  missionary  and  educa- 
tional, which  marked  the  opening  years  of  this  century.  But  if  any 
one  influence  were  to  be  selected  as  the  dominant  force  that  brought 
this  institution  into  being,  it  must  be  that  letter  of  Jeremiah  Chaplin, 
an  abstract  of  which  has  been  given  above.  For  in  the  course  of  its 
beneficent  journeying  it  came  into  the  hands  of  Rev.  Daniel  Hascall, 
then  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church  at  Hamilton,  and  to  him  seems  to 
have  come  the  first  inspiration  that  the  seminary  "  in  the  Middle  States," 
as  called  for  in  the  letter,  should  be  located  at  Hamilton,  N.  Y. 

The  place  was  not  unworthy  of  such  distinction.  Already,  before  an  in- 
stitution of  learning  was  thought  of,  Hamilton  was  the  centre  from  which 
radiated  influences  of  great  extent  and  of  beneficent  character.  Samuel 
Payne  and  Elisha,  his  brother,  had  settled  there  as  early  as  the  year 
1794  and  the  place  was  then  called  "  Payne's  Settlement."  They  were 
soon  joined  by  the  Olmsteads,  the  Pierces,  the  Osgoods,  and  others. 
All  these  were  godly  men,  and  Baptists.  Samuel  Payne  felled  the  first 
tree  in  the  virgin  forest,  on  the  very  spot,  it  is  said,  where  now  the 
structures  of  the  university  stand.  When  the  tree  had  fallen,  he  con- 
secrated all  that  he  possessed  to  the  service  of  God.     These  settlers  of 


EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS.  433 

Hamilton,  men  of  unusual  mental  and  spiritual  endowment,  had  organ- 
ized the  Hamilton  Baptist  Missionary  Society  and  were  spreading  the 
gospel  far  and  wide  through  the  State.  This  society  published  a  paper 
called  the  "  Vehicle,"  of  which  Daniel  Hascall,  John  Peck,  and  John 
Lawton  were  the  editors,  and  which  afterward  took  the  more  distinctive 
name  of  the  Western  Baptist  Magazine,  and  was  ultimately  merged  in 
the  New  York  Baptist  Register,  the  organ,  for  years,  of  the  Baptist  de- 
nomination of  the  vState.  vSuch  men  as  these  could  not  fail  to  compre- 
hend and  appreciate  the  wants  of  the  ministry,  and  make  adequate 
provision  for  them. 

Having  become  convinced  of  the  importance  of  the  suggestion  con- 
tained in  the  letter  of  Dr.  Chaplin,  Daniel  Hascall  became  an  ardent 
advocate  of  the  proposed  school.  In  1816,  he  suggested  the  idea  of  a 
literary  and  theological  institution  in  central  New  York  to  Nathaniel 
Kendrick,  who  visited  Hamilton  in  that  year.  The  suggestion  found 
favor  with  many  prominent  men  in  the  denomination  and  became  the 
subject  of  wide  consideration. 

In  May  1817,  seven  men  met  at  the  home  of  Samuel  Payne  to  discuss 
the  subject  of  the  want  of  a  more  enlightened  ministry.  After  care- 
ful consideration,  the  conference  issued  a  circular  calling  for  another 
meeting,  and  in  response  to  this  call,  thirteen  men  appeared.  They 
met  at  the  home  of  Jonathan  Olmstead,  a  deacon  of  the  Baptist  Church 
at  Hamilton.  The  house  is  still  standing,  about  one  mile  and  a  half 
south  of  the  village,  and  is  an  object  of  interest  to  all  friends  of  Chris- 
tian education,  for  here  was  founded  on  the  24th  of  September,  1817, 
the  Baptist  Education  Society  of  the  State  of  New  York. 

The  preamble  of  the  constitution  adopted  is  as  follows:  "  Impressed 
with  the  vast  importance  of  the  Christian  Ministry  as  connected  with 
the  conversion  of  sinners  and  the  edification  of  the  Church,  and  desirous 
to  furnish  young  men  of  piety  and  gifts,  the  means  of  acquiring  an 
education  with  a  view  to  their  public  usefulness,  we  do  hereby  associate 
and  adopt  the  following  constitution. "  The  purpose  of  the  society  is 
set  forth  in  the  following  article:  "The  object  of  this  society  shall  be 
to  afford  means  of  instruction  to  such  persons  of  the  Baptist  denomina- 
tion as  shall  furnish  evidence  to  the  churches  of  which  they  are  mem- 
bers, and  to  the  executive  committee  hereafter  named,  of  their  personal 
piety  and  call  to  the  ministry."  The  object  of  these  men  in  founding 
such  an  organization  was  the  establishment  of  a  separate  school  of  its 
own  to  furnish  means  for  the  education  of  young  men  who  should  give 
28 


434  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

evidence  of  a  call  to  the  ministry.  In  its  first  address,  issued  in  1817, 
to  the  Baptist  denomination  throughout  the  State  of  New  York,  the 
society  says:  "  Knowledge  must  not  be  withheld  from  those  who  are 
appointed  to  teach  all  men.  But  how  is  the  necessary  knowledge  to  be 
obtained  ?  We  have  well  regulated  schools,  academies,  and  colleges, 
in  which  various  sciences,  highly  useful,  are  taught.  But  they  are  far 
from  offering  all  the  advantages  which  are  desirable,  and  which  by  our 
united  exertions,  may  be  obtained  for  those  young  men  whom  God  calls 
to  the  Gospel  ministry.  We  are  fully  of  the  opinion  that  a  different 
institution  may  be  established  for  them,  better  adapted  to  the  little 
time  many  of  them  have  to  study,  and  the  means  of  defraying  their  ex- 
penses, as  well  as  to  the  preservation  of  their  morals  and  the  promotion 
of  their  piety;  an  institution  in  which  they  shall  be  assisted  in  the  pur- 
suit both  of  literary  and  theological  knowledge ;  and  in  which  they  shall 
he  directed  to  such  a  course  of  studies  as  shall  be  deemed  most  con- 
ducive to  their  usefulness.  .  .  .  The  duty  of  establishing  one  in 
some  more  central  place  in  the  State,  has,  of  late  been  strongly  im- 
pressed, we  believe,  by  the  Divine  vSpirit,  upon  the  minds  of  many  of 
our  fathers  and  brethren.  A  society  for  this  purpose  has  been  formed, 
the  constitution  of  which  accompanies  this."  This  address  makes  it 
plain  that  one  of  the  original  objects  for  which  the  Baptist  Education 
Society  was  founded,  was  the  establishment  of  a  school  in  the  central 
part  of  this  State. 

The  names  of  the  thirteen  men  who  founded  the  Baptist  Education 
Society  of  the  State  of  New  York  are  as  follows:  Daniel  Hascall, 
Nathaniel  Kendrick,  Peter  P.  Roots,  John  Bostwick,  Joel  W.  Clark, 
Robert  Powell,  Jonathan  Olmstead,  Samuel  Payne,  Samuel  Osgood, 
Thomas  Cox,  Elisha  Payne,  Charles  W.   Hull,  Amos  Kingsley. 

After  completing  their  organization,  each  paid  one  dollar,  the  money 
consideration  of  membership;  then  all  united  in  a  prayer  for  the  bless- 
ing of  God  upon  their  work. 

The  society  began  its  labors  by  sending  broadcast  over  the  State 
copies  of  its  constitution  and  an  appeal  for  funds  to  carry  on  its  work. 
On  February  12,  1818,  Jonathan  Wade  was  examined  and  received  to 
the  privileges  of  the  institution.  Very  soon  after,  came  Eugenio  Kin- 
caid.  They  studied  first  under  Professor  Hascall.  Hascall  and  Wade 
stand  at  the  beginning  of  the  list  of  instructors  and  students  of  the 
University.  Under  the  name  of  the  "  Baptist  Education  Society  of  the 
State  of  New  York,"  a  charter  was  obtained   from  the   Legislature, 


EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS.  435 

March  5,  1819.  On  the  3d  of  November,  1819,  a  committee  of  the 
society  decided  that  the  institution  should  be  located  at  Hamilton,/  on 
the  condition  that  six  thousand  dojlars  should  be  paid  to  the  society,  in 
a  specified  way.  These  conditions  were  fulfilled  by  the  people  of  Ham- 
ilton one  year  befure  the  time  named,  and  on  the  1st  of  May,  1830,  the 
school  was  formally  opened  with  some  half  dozen  students  in  attend- 
ance, and  Daniel  Hascall  as  the  teacher. 

Fgor  nineteen  years  the  institution  was  purely  a  ministerial  school,  ad- 
mitting only  those  who  wished  to  enter  the  ministry  and  had  been  ap- 
proved by  their  respective  churches.  The  students  soon  began  to  come 
in  such  numbers  as  to  ta.x  severely  the  limited  resources  of  the  young 
institution  A  larger  building  was  occupied  in  1823,  but  this  soon 
proved  too  small,  and  the  authorities  began  to  look  for  a  permanent 
home  for  "The  School  of  the  Prophets."  On  March  11,  1836,  Deacon 
Samuel  Payne  gave  his  farm  to  the  society,  and  here  was  erected  in 
1837  the  "Western  Edifice,"  now  known  as  West  College.  The 
school  continued  to  grow,  and  in  1833,  the  "Eastern  Edifice"  was  built — 
now  known  as  East  College.  In  1838  a  large  boarding  hall  was  erected 
on  the  plain  below  the  hill,  and  between  1835  and  1838  three  houses  for 
professors  had  been  added  to  the  property  of  the  institution.^"] 

While  the  school  had  enjoyed  this  material  progress,  the  growth  of 
the  curriculum  had  been  no  less  marked.  It  began  with  a  three  years' 
course,  mostly  theological ;  in  1839  this  course  was  extended  to  four 
years;  in  1833  to  six  years,  and  in  1834  to  eight  years.  This  eight-year 
course  covered  the  work  in  three  departments,  Academic,  Collegiate, 
and  Theological,  so  that  in  fourteen  years  from  its  foundation  the  school 
had  expanded  into  an  Academy,  College  and  Theological  Seminary. 
Able  and  progressive  teachers  had  guided  the  institution  through  this 
intellectual  growth.  The  first  teacher  in  charge — or  Principal  as  he 
would  now  be  called — was  Daniel  Hascall,  afterward  formally  appointed 
to  the  Chair  of  Ancient  Languages  in  1831,  and  in  the  same  year  Na- 
thaniel Kendrick  was  appointed  Professor  of  Theology.  Later  Professor 
Hascall  was  transferred  to  the  Department  of  Natural  Philosophy,  and 
Barnas  Sears  became  Professor  of  the  Ancient  Languages.  During 
this  early  period,  also,  there  appear  in  the  list  of  instructors  the  names 
of  Seth  S.  Whitman,  Joel  S.  Bacon,  Asahel  C.  Kendrick,  George  W. 
Eaton,  Stephen  W.  Taylor,  Thomas  J.  Conant,  and  John  S.  Maginnis; 
there  is  also  included  the  name  of  John  H.  Raymond,  first  President  of 
Vassar  College. 


436  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Many  of  these  men  achieved  distinction  in  the  teaching  profession, 
and  their  names  are  an  assurance  of  the  high  grade  of  work  done  dur- 
ing the  early  years  of  the  institution.  At  this  time,  the  school  had  no 
endowment,  and  was  dependent  entirely  upon  contributions  from  the 
churches  and  benevolent  individuals.  And  it  was  only  by  the  most 
strenuous  exertions  that  the  society  was  able  to  meet  its  yearly  ex- 
penses. 

The  year  1839  marks  the  beginning  of  a  new  chapter  in  the  history 
of  the  institution.  Up  to  this  point,  the  original  idea  of  a  school  for 
ministerial  students  only  had  been  adhered  to  with  singular  tenacity. 
But  there  had  been  for  some  time  an  increasing  desire  that  the  institu- 
tion should  be  opened  to  young  men  of  good  moral  character,  not  hav- 
ing the  ministry  in  view.  At  length  this  demand  became  so  urgent 
that  its  consideration  could  neither  be  evaded  nor  postponed,  and  the 
following  resolution  was  offered  at  a  meeting  of  the  Board : 

Resolved,  That  the  great  object  at  which  this  Society  is  aiming  will  be  promoted 
by  allowing  the  Faculty,  for  the  time  being,  to  receive  into  the  Collegiate  Depart- 
ment of  the  institution  a  limited  number  of  young  men  who  have  not  the  min- 
istry in  view. 

Dr.  Kendrick  opposed  the  resolution  with  great  earnestness,  but  it 
was  carried  by  a  good  majority,  and  under  many  restrictions  non-min- 
isterial students  were  thereupon  admitted.  The  institution  was  now 
doing  work  as  an  institution  for  general  education  and  it  was  desirable 
that  it  should  be  recognized  as  such  by  the  State.  Moreover,  its  graduates 
were  desirous  of  receiving  degrees  at  the  conclusion  of  the  course  of  study. 
But  neither  of  these  privileges  were  possible  without  a  college  charter. 
An  application  for  a  charter  was  made  to  the  Legislature  in  1840.  The 
application  was  denied,  as  was  also  a  second  application  in  1843.  These 
applications  were  denied  because  the  Education  Society,  being  a  popu- 
lar body,  with  an  annually  elected  Board  of  Trustees,  was  not  legally 
competent  to  receive  such  a  charter.  It  was  necessary,  therefore,  to 
organize  a  new  corporation;  this  was  done  under  the  title  of  "The 
Madison  University,"  and  to  this  corporation  a  charter  was  granted 
March  26,  1846.  The  action  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Madison  Uni- 
versity was  directed  and  guarded  by  two  specific  regulations  inserted  in 
the  charter.  First,  the  University  was  to  be  located  permanently  at 
Hamilton.  Second,  The  Baptist  Education  Society  was  authorized  by 
a  separate  article  to  make  such  arrangements  with  the  University  for 
the  transfer  of  the  property  of  said  society  or  any  part  thereof,  either 


EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS.  437 

absolutely  or  conditionally,  to  the  said  university  as  the  said  society 
should  deem  proper. 

Further  provision  was  made  that  a  majority  of  the  incorporators 
should  also  be  members  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Education  So- 
ciety, and  it  was  in  the  power  of  the  society  forever  to  secure  this  pro- 
portion. Under  these  restrictions  the  new  charter  was  made  available 
to  the  literary  department  of  the  "  Hamilton  Literary  and  Theological 
Institution;"  but  it  was  carefully  stipulated  that  the  Theological  De- 
partment should  remain  exclusively  under  the  control  of  the  Baptist 
Education  Society.  The  preservation  of  the  original  object  of  the  in- 
stitution was  secured  in  the  "Terms  of  Compact"  between  the  Baptist 
Education  Society  and  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Madison  University, 
which  provided,  in  brief,  that  the  University  should  ever  sustain  a  course 
of  secular  education  adapted  to  the  proper  training  of  the  ministry; 
that  the  control  of  theological  education  proper  should  be  reserved  ex- 
clusively to  the  board  of  the  society;  and  that  in  default  of  fulfilling 
these  conditions,  the  University  Board  was  subject  to  "a  notice  to 
quit"  within  two  years.  Thus  at  the  time  when  the  charter  of  Madi- 
son University  went  into  operation  there  were  two  distinct  institutions 
in  Hamilton,  a  College  (with  an  Academic  Department),  and  a  Theo- 
logical Seminary. 

The  University  had  been  thus  organized  but  little  more  than  a  year, 
when  a  crisis  in  its  existence  was  precipitated  by  the  celebrated 

REMOVAL    CONTROVERSY. 

This  was  an  effort  to  remove  the  institution  from  Hamilton,  to  the 
city  of  Rochester,  N.  Y.  This  movement  seems  to  have  had  its  origin 
in  a  feeling  aroused  by  an  act  of  the  Education  Society  Board  in  adjust- 
ing the  relations  between  itself  and  the  Board  of  the  University.  The 
action  related  to  one  of  the  most  distinguished  members  of  the  Theo- 
logical Faculty,  and  provoked  a  storm  of  personal  indignation  which 
did  not  subside,  even  though  the  act,  or  vote,  was  rescinded  at  the  same 
sitting.  There  seems  to  be  little  doubt  that  the  thought  of  removal  came 
into  being  in  the  institution  at  Hamilton.  The  proposition  was  as  fol- 
lows: "The  University  was  to  be  taken  up  bodily  with  its  faculty,  stu- 
dents, board,  funds,  movable  property,  history,  associations,  yea,  even 
the  remains  of  its  sainted  founders,  and  transferred  unmutilated  and  to- 
tally in  substance  and  form,  to  Rochester,  with  the  addition  of  an  en- 


438  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE, 

dowment  of  $100,000  or  $150,000  and  noble  buildings  of  architectural 
grandeur  and  beauty  *  *  *  *  *."  This  proposition  proved  very 
attractive  to  many  friends  of  the  institution  and  to  the  denomination  at 
large.  It  was  advocated  by  some  of  the  ablest  and  most  accomplished 
Baptists  in  the  State,  men  of  great  influence,  and  honored  and  revered 
by  the  people.  But  the  proposition  was  not  unanimously  favored. 
From  its  first  announcement,  some  of  the  firmest  friends  of  the  Uni- 
versity viewed  it  with  distrust  and  alarm,  and  among  these  were  Dr. 
Kendrick,  Professor  Hascall,  Dr.  George  W.  Eaton,  and  Mr.  William 
Colgate,  of  New  York.  These  men,  and  many  others,  saw  insuperable 
objections,  both  legal  and  moral,  to  the  plan,  and  thus  the  issue  was 
made  up — for  and  against  removal — with  the  friends  of  the  institution 
ranged  on  either  side. 

The  struggle  was  at  first  mainly  one  of  argument.  Appeals  and 
counter  appeals  were  issued ;  mass  meetings  were  held  at  which  the 
subject  was  eloquently  discussed,  and  resolutions  were  formulated;  the 
religious  and  secular  papers  took  up  the  controversy;  and  finally  the 
Legislatui^e  was  asked  for  an  act  permitting  the  removal  of  the  Univer- 
sity to  Rochester.  At  this  point,  a  compromise  was  accepted  by  both 
parties  by  which  it  was  agreed  that  in  case  $50,000  was  raised  by  a  spec- 
ified time,  the  institution  should  remain  at  Hamilton,  and  in  case  that 
amount  was  not  raised,  then  the  Board  of  the  University  should  be  at 
liberty  to  decide  the  question.  The  controversy  finally  developed  into 
an  intense  struggle  which  had  in  it  no  element  of  compromise. 

In  1848,  after  a  discussion  lasting  an  entire  day,  the  Board  of  Trustees 
of  the  University,  and  the  Board  of  the  Education  Society  passed  condi- 
tional votes  in  favor  of  removal.  The  board  of  the  University  having 
rejected,  on  a  technicality,  the  subscription  and  bond  tendered  by  the 
opponents  of  removal,  in  fulfillment  of  the  compromise,  a  new  bond 
for  $50,000  was  drawn  up,  designed  to  meet  the  technical  objection. 
This  new  bond  was  to  have  been  presented  to  the  Education  Society  at 
its  final  meeting  during  anniversary  week,  but  before  the  opponents  of 
removal  appeared  at  the  college  chapel,  the  society  had  met,  voted  for 
removal,  and  adjourned.  The  opportunity  to  present  the  new  bond  to 
the  society  had  been  lost.  Later  the  new  bond  was  submitted  to  the 
board  of  the  University  who  voted  that  it  was  too  late  to  consider  it. 
The  cause  of  removal  was  won.  Its  opponents  had  been  beaten  at 
every  point;  its  friends  were  enthusiastic  and  sincere  in  their  rejoic- 
ings.    But  they  reckoned  without  their  host.     It  was  no  mere  matter 


EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS.  439 

of  judgment  which  had  moved  the  strong  opposition  to  the  removal  of 
the  institution  ;  there  was  a  principle  at  stake.  All  the  early  benefac- 
tions had  been  bestowed  on  the  University  upon  the  distinct  under- 
standing that  it  was  to  be  located  permanently  at  Hamilton,  and  to 
many,  removal  seemed  a  breach  of  faith  with  these  donors.  Thus  far, 
the  controversy  had  been  carried  on  by  discussions,  resolutions  and 
votes  in  the  two  boards;  moral  suasion  had  been  the  only  power  used 
to  gain  the  desired  end.  But  against  the  resolution  for  removal  passed 
by  the  Education  Society  at  Hamilton,  the  opponents  of  the  movement 
strongly  protested  on  the  ground  that  all  the  proceedings  had  been 
taken  before  the  hour  set  for  the  meeting.  The  claim  was  made  and 
substantiated  that  when  the  resolution  had  passed,  and  the  meeting 
adjourned,  the  town  clock  had  not  yet  struck  the  hour  at  which  the 
meeting  had  been  called.  Feeling  that  they  had  not  been  treated 
justly,  the  friends  of  the  institution  at  Hamilton  appealed  from  the  de- 
cision of  the  Education  Society  and  asked  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
State  for  an  injunction  against  the  removal  of  the  University.  This 
step  was  taken  only  after  the  most  careful  consideration,  for  the  ques- 
tion was  now  attracting  widespread  attention.  The  first  petition  for 
an  injunction  was  denied  on  a  legal  technicality.  The  petition  was 
immediately  renewed  by  Daniel  Hascall  and  M.  Rogers,  Esq.,  as  rep- 
resenting those  who  had  originally  founded  and  endowed  the  institu- 
tion. The  case  was  argued  before  Mr.  Justice  Philo  W.  Gridley,  by 
able  counsel  on  both  sides,  and  on  the  23rd  of  April,  1850,  the  injunc- 
tion against  removal  was  made  permanent.  The  long  and  acrimonious 
controversy  was  finally  settled.  It  had  lasted  three  years;  had  created 
serious  dissension  among  the  friends  of  the  University,  and  had  seriously 
interfered  with  its  progress  and  prosperity.  A  meeting  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees  was  soon  held  at  which  all  those  in  favor  of  removal  resigned, 
and  friends  of  Hamilton  were  elected  to  their  places.  The  resignations 
of  many  of  the  faculty  who  had  favored  removal,  were  accepted,  and 
new  professors  were  appointed.  The  institution  opened  in  the  fall  of 
1850  as  usual  with  the  number  of  students  greatly  decreased,  but  with 
every  class  organized,  and  it  was  felt  that  Madison  University  had 
safely  passed  the  most  critical  period  of  her  history. 

On  the  11th  day  of  September,  1848,  Dr.  Nathaniel  Kendrick  died. 
He  had  been  the  first  president  of  the  Hamilton  Literary  and  Theo- 
logical Institution.  He,  himself,  objected  to  the  title,  but  he  per- 
formed the  duties  of  the  office  during  some  of   the  most  important 


440  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

years  of  the  institution's  history.  Joining  Professor  Hascall,  almost 
at  the  origin  of  the  school,  he  supplemented  the  activity  of  the 
founder  by  his  scholarship  and  profound  thought.  To  Dr.  Ken- 
drick,  more  than  to  any  other  man  was  due  the  original  form  of  the 
institution.  For  a  quarter  of  a  century,  he  was  the  corresponding 
secretary  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Baptist  Education  Society, 
and  wrote  the  annual  reports  of  that  body.  These  were  always  strong 
appeals  to  the  denomination  to  support  the  institution.  By  these  re- 
ports, by  letters  to  the  Baptist  Register,  by  sermons  before  the  churches, 
and  by  his  personal  attendance  upon  the  conventions  and  associations. 
Dr.  Kendrick  made  himself  "the  living  bond"  between  the  Baptist 
denomination  of  the  State,  and  the  Hamilton  Literary  and  Theological 
Institution. 

The  founder  of  the  institutions  at  Hamilton  was  Daniel  Hascall.  He 
was  rather  the  man  of  action,  pre-eminently  the  man  for  the  time. 
Having  clearly  comprehended  the  importance  of  a  school  at  Hamilton, 
he  stopped  not  with  mere  discussion  of  the  subject.  He  himself  acted. 
When  Jonathan  Wade  came  to  Hascall  for  instruction,  the  Hamilton 
institution  was  begun.  Think  of  the  obstacles  to  overcome!  No  funds, 
no  building,  no  students,  and  an  active  prejudice  throughout  the  church 
against  a  "  man-made  "  ministry!  Yet  in  the  face  of  all  this,  not  for 
an  hour  do  we  find  Hascall  discouraged.  He  was  ubiquitous,  now  in 
the  study,  solving  some  classical  problem,  now  in  the  quarry,  prying 
out  with  his  own  hands  the  material  for  West  college,  and  again,  "  sit- 
ting on  the  sill  of  the  raised  window  of  his  lecture  room,  giving  in- 
struction to  his  class  in  one  breath,  and  in  the  next  giving  orders  to 
workmen  outside."  Having  thus  poured  his  very  life  into  the  Hamil- 
ton institution,  it  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  Professor  Hascall  looked, 
even  at  the  first,  with  any  particular  favor  on  the  proposition  for  re- 
moval. The  evidence,  however,  all  seems  to  show  that  he  reserved  his 
decision  until  he  had  carefully  considered  the  whole  matter.  But — his 
mind  made  up — the  announcement  of  his  decision  is  one  of  the  few 
dramatic  incidents  in  the  history  of  the  university.  After  the  death  of 
Dr.  Kendrick,  Professor  Hascall  was  the  only  person  at  Hamilton  who 
could  stand  as  the  legal  representative  of  the  present  location.  He 
presented  the  most  serious  obstacle  to  removal,  and  those  who  advo- 
cated the  plan,  personally  came  to  him  with  pressing  appeals  for  sup- 
port. Every  favorable  consideration  was  urged ;  all  objections  were 
considered;  the  utmost  persuasion  was  used.    Under  it  all,  Hascall  was 


EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS.  441 

silent.  They  finally  told  him  that  "his  opposition  would  be  unavail- 
ing," that  removal  was  virtually  accomplished,  that  the  institution 
itself,  if  it  could  be  legally  retained  at  Hamilton,  would  be  abandoned 
by  the  denomination  and  left  to  die,  and  that  by  opposition  to  the  pro- 
posed plan  he  would  bring  himself  into  reproach  and  abandonment  in 
his  old  age.  Then,  after  a  slight  pause,  he  raised  his  eyes,  and  lifting 
up  his  right  arm,  with  unfaltering  voice  and  solemn  emphasis,  he  de- 
clared: "It  shall  not  be  moved."  This  was  his  last  great  service  to 
the  university.  "  I  shall  live  to  see  this  conflict  end,  and  the  institution 
saved,"  he  said,  "then  I  shall  die."  He  is  at  rest  on  the  campus  of 
the  school  that  he  loved,  and  so  long  as  that  school  is  the  Alma  Mater 
of  grateful  sons,  so  long  will  they  recall  with  loving  reverence  the  hon- 
ored name  of  Daniel  Hascall, — honored  for  his  early  labor  of  love, 
for  his  self-sacrificing  spirit,  for  his  fidelity  to  God  and  truth! 

In  February,  1851,  Stephen  W.  Taylor,  LL.D.,  became  President  of 
Madison  University.  As  head  of  the  University  of  Lewisburg,  he  had 
already  gained  a  reputation  as  an  educator,  and  the  institution  soon 
began  to  feel  the  good  results  of  his  work.  Within  three  years,  the 
number  of  students  in  attendance  had  increased  to  216,  and  friends  and 
resources  had  correspondingly  increased.  After  nearly  five  years  of 
vigorous  administration,  President  Taylor  died  on  the  6th  of  January, 
1856.  He  had  devoted  himself  to  the  work  of  teaching  and  had  risen 
to  be  Academic  Principal  and  College  President.  He  organized  and 
put  into  operation  the  University  of  Lewisburg.  He  took  charge  of 
Madison  University  when  it  lay  almost  exhausted  at  the  conclusion  of 
the  removal  controversy,  and  left  it  rejuvenated  and  well  on  the  way  to 
its  later  successes.  Dr.  Taylor  was  a  man  of  simplicity  of  character, 
and  he  has  left  an  honorable  record  in  the  history  of  denominational 
education  in  this  State. 

On  the  19th  of  August,  1856,  George  W.  Eaton,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  was 
elected  President  of  Madison  University.  He  had  been  connected  with 
the  institution  since  1833,  and  was  thoroughly  acquainted  with  its 
origin,  history,  and  aims.  Under  his  guidance,  the  progressive  work 
of  the  institution  was  continued.  A  great  advance  in  material  equip- 
ment was  secured  when  in  1860  the  Hall  of  Alumni  and  Friends  was 
erected.  Then  came  1861,  when  the  young  men  of  the  land  were  sum- 
moned to  the  defense  of  the  government  and  the  flag.  Nobly  did  Madi- 
son University  respond  to  that  call.  One  professor,  one  tutor,  and 
thirty  men  went  directly  from  the  university  into  the  army,   and  the 


443  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

total  number  of  alumni  and  undergraduates  who  were  in  the  army  was 
something  over  one  hundred  and  ten.  In  commemoration  of  this 
record,  and  of  those  who  fell  in  the  war  for  the  Union,  the  class  of  1894 
has  placed  on  the  walls  of  Colgate  Library  a  bronze  tablet,  thus  in- 
scribed: 

In  Honor  of  Sons  of  Colgate  University  who  fell  in  the  War  for  the  Union. 
George  Arrowsmith, 
Arthur  L.  Brooks,  William  McIntyre, 

Simeon  P.  Brown,  Albert  A.  Nichols, 

Henry  P.  Cohbin,  John  F.  Oviatt, 

E.  Macy  Deming,  Moses  M.  Randoli'h, 

Alexander  Gamble,  James  B.  Rogers, 

Truman  Gregory,  Charles  F.  Sunney, 

Arthur  F.  Hascall,  Charles  E.  Tucker. 

Grata  eorum  virtutem  memoria  prosequi  qui  pro  patria  vitam  profuderunt. 
A  tribute  from  the  Class  of  1894. 

During  President  Eaton's  administration,  the  institution  was  strength- 
ened in  many  ways.  There  was  a  large  addition  to  the  endowment; 
the  faculty  was  increased,  and  the  affairs  of  the  University  were  placed 
in  a  satisfactory  condition.  On  the  7th  of  August,  1868,  Dr.  Eaton  re- 
signed the  presidency  of  Madison  University.  He  continued  to  act, 
however,  as  President  of  Hamilton  Theological  Seminary,  and  was  also 
the  Professor  of  Homiletics  and  Practical  Theology. 

President  Eaton  died  on  the  third  day  of  August,  1872.  George  W. 
Eaton  will  always  occupy  an  honored  place  in  the  history  of  the  Uni- 
versity. He  was  the  link  between  the  earlier  and  the  later  days.  He 
knew  intimately  Hascall  and  Kendrick;  he  was  the  colleague  and  friend 
of  Dodge  and  Beebee  and  Andrews  and  Taylor,  Throughout  the  re- 
moval controversy,  he  was  the  fotemost  champion  of  the  retention  of 
the  University  at  Hamilton.  In  the  affections  of  his  students  he  held  a 
large  place.  They  remember  with  pleasure  the  charity  of  his  judg- 
ments, the  genuineness  of  his  interest  in  their  lives,  his  gracious  and 
dignified  bearing.  The  cardinal  principles  of  his  character  were  rever- 
ence and  truth,  and  he  strongly  impressed  his  elevating  and  ennobling 
influence  upon  the  men  who  came  to  know  him  as  teacher  and  friend. 

On  the  7th  of  August,  1868,  Ebenezer  Dodge,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  became 
president  of  Madison  University.  The  era  of  expansion  had  come.  The 
endowment  had  been  increased  $56,000  in  1865,  and  the  Trevor  Fund 
of  $40,000  had  been  secured.  Then  came  the  Colgate  Presidential  Fund 
of  $30,000,  the  Colgate  Improvement  Fund  of  $11,000,  and  in  1869  the 


EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS.  443 

Semi-Centennial  Fund  of  $135,000.  The  college  buildings — West  Col- 
lege, which  had  been  erected  in  1827,  East  College,  1834,  and  the  Alumni 
Hall,  1860 — were  renovated  and  the  old  buildings  materially  improved, 
and  the  president's  house  was  erected  by  friends  of  the  institution.  The 
material  equipment  of  the  university  was  showing  continued  and  healthy 
growth.  As  a  result  of  this  the  curriculum  was  greatly  strengthened 
and  developed,  and  Dr.  Dodge  called  to  the  institution,  Newton  Lloyd 
Andrews,  professor  of  the  Greek  language  and  literature,  John  James 
Lewis,  professor  of  literature  and  oratory,  and  James  Morford  Taylor, 
professor  of  pure  mathematics.  There  were  already  in  the  faculty 
Alexander  McWhorter  Beebee,  and  Lucien  M.  Osborn.  These  men. 
Dodge,  Beebee,  Osborn,  Andrews,  Lewis,  and  Taylor,  profoundly  influ- 
enced the  life  of  the  University,  and  will  always  be  associated  with  much 
of  its  later  progress. 

During  the  administration  of  President  Dodge  continuous  additions 
were  made  to  the  endowments  of  the  institution;  and  in  1871  there 
was  reported  an  invested  endowment  of  $266,620.36;  in  1890,  $560,000; 
in  1885,  the  chemical  laboratory  was  added  to  the  material  equipment. 
In  1873,  William  Colgate  Memorial  Hall  was  erected  by  Mr.  James  B. 
Colgate  in  honor  of  his  father  and  mother.  This  building  was  at  once 
occupied  by  the  grammar  school  of  Madison  University,  the  name  of 
which  was  now  changed  to  Colgate  Academy. 

In  1886,  the  Theological  Seminary  withdrew  from  Alumni  Hall  and 
entered  the  building  which  it  now  occupies.  This  edifice  has  been 
named  "  Eaton  Hall,"  in  honor  of  President  George  W.  Eaton.  Largely 
the  result  of  the  efforts  of  the  Baptist  Education  Society,  this  building 
stands  on  the  beautiful  site  of  President  Eaton's  former  home.  It  was 
erected  at  a  cost  of  about  $65,000. 

On  Wednesday,  August  4th,  1869,  the  completion  of  the  first  half 
century  of  the  Institution's  existence  was  celebrated.  The  exercises 
were  held  in  Alumni  Hall;  the  presiding  officer  of  the  day  was  A.  H. 
Burlingham,  D.  D.,  President  of  the  Alumni  Association.  Prayer  was 
offered  by  Rev.  Francis  W.  Emmons  of  Massachusetts,  class  of  1824, 
the  oldest  alumnus  present.  The  address  of  welcome  was  given  by 
President  Ebenezer  Dodge.  An  ode  was  read  by  Rev.  T.  A.  T.  Hanna, 
class  of  1864.  Portions  of  an  Historical  Discourse  were  read  by  Presi- 
dent George  W.  Eaton  of  Hamilton  Theological  Seminary,  and  the  Ju- 
bilee Poem  was  delivered  by  Rev.  W.  C.  Richards,  Ph.  D. 

Alumni  and  friends  in  large  numbers  were  present  from  all  parts  of 


444  .  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  world  on  this  historic  occasion,  and  the  proceedings  were  rendered 
of  permanent  value  by  being  preserved  in  a  volume  entitled  "The 
First  Half  Century  of  Madison  University." 

Throughout  President  Dodge's  administration  the  University  in 
creased  in  strength  and  standing,  and  in  spite  of  financial  limitations, 
the  quality  of  its  educational  work  was  kept  at  a  high  standard. 

A  good  proportion  of  the  students  continued  to  enter  the  ministry,  but 
an  increasing  number  were  seeking  other  fields  of  labor  and  the  benefi- 
cent influence  of  the  University  was  quietly  making  itself  felt  in  ever 
widening  circles.  President  Dodge  brought  much  to  Madison  Univer- 
sity, but  nothing  finer  than  the  rare  prescience  with  which  he  discerned 
the  possibilities  that  lay  just  ahead,  and  his  skill  in  putting  in  motion 
the  forces  that  were  to  make  for  the  realization  of  his  high  ideals. 
The  plan  of  the  change  of  name  to  Colgate  University  was  his,  though 
he  did  not  live  to  see  it  consummated.  The  foundations  of  the  Colgate 
Library  were  laid,  but  the  building  itself  was  not  completed  during  his 
life.  And  when,  in  June,  1891,  there  came  to  the  trustees  of  the  Uni- 
versity a  gift  of  one  million  dollars  from  Mr.  James  B.  Colgate,  which 
the  donor  designated  as  the  Dodge  Memorial  Fund,  the  title  of  the 
splendid  testimonial  was  recognized  by  all  as  a  fitting  tribute  to  the 
character  of  the  man  who,  though  dead,  was  still  the  dominant  influ- 
ence in  the  institution's  progress. 

Ebenezer  Dodge  was  a  fine  illustration  of  the  truth  that  the  most  im- 
portant element  in  the  college  is — the  man!  He  towered  above  the 
majority  of  men,  not  more  in  physical  stature  than  in  mental  and  moral 
character.  His  was  an  elevating  and  abiding  influence;  and  his  stu- 
dents came  unconsciously  to  apply  his  standards  to  the  problems  that 
faced  them  in  life.  Professor  William  Hale  Maynard,  in  his  memorial 
address  on  President  Dodge,  says:  "Were  I  called  upon  to  mention 
the  one  trait  which  produced  the  greatest  impression  upon  me  I  should 
unhesitatingly  name  disinterestedness.  More  nearly  than  any  man  I 
have  known  he  was  an  example  of  absolute  disinterestedness.  It  was 
this  disinterestedness  which  gave  him  his  great  wisdom.  His  admin- 
istration was  untainted  with  selfishness."  "This  disinterestedness 
was  the  source  of  the  composure  which  characterized  him."  "His 
disinterestedness  made  him  patient  to  opposition  and  kindly  in  his  judg- 
ments of  others."  "  The  belief  in  his  genuine  disinterestedness  gave 
him  great  power  over  his  students.  He  might  sometimes  be  criticised 
as  lacking  on  the  formal  side  of  discipline.      He  knew  that  military  dis- 


EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS.  445 

cipline  was  the  easiest  kind  of  discipline;  it  is  harder  to  inspire  men 
with  those  high  motives,  which  render  formal  rules  unnecessary.  That 
was  his  purpose.  To  effect  that  he  would  consume  days,  where,  through 
the  other  method,  he  could  have  settled  a  matter  in  an  hour."  "  This 
is  not  to  be  interpreted  as  if  President  Dodge  held  the  reins  with  nerve- 
less hands.  Where  occasion  required — and  the  occasion  came  seldom 
— he  put  the  law  in  the  foreground  and  every  student  knew  it  would  be 
executed  to  the  last  iota." 

And,  of  another  side  of  his  character.  Professor  William  Newton 
Clarke  has  said: 

"  As  I  have  come  to  know  him  better,  I  have  found  him  always  aglow 
with  devotion  to  intellectual  freedom.  Most  fervently  did  he  be- 
lieve in  free  thought.  He  held  it  to  be  an  indispensable  requisite  to  large 
discovery  of  truth.  Fetters  on  the  mind  he  utterly  abhorred,  and  he 
would  have  cut  off  his  own  right  hand  before  he  would  have  helped  to 
bind  them  upon  any  human  being.  He  constitutionally  shrank  from 
strife,  and  I  am  not  quite  certain  whether  if  worse  had  come  to  worst 
he  would  have  fought  for  his  own  right  of  intellectual  freedom ;  but  I 
have  little  doubt  that  he  would  have  been  willing  to  fight  for  another 
man's  right  to  think  for  himself.  His  interest  in  liberty  of  the  mind 
was  not  merely  a  desire  to  do  his  own  thinking;  he  was  one  of  the  few 
who  will  give  all  they  demand  for  themselves.  He  delighted  in  seeing 
all  minds  free,  and  would  help  another,  even  more  eagerly  than  he 
would  claim  his  own  birthright.  Repression  of  thought  seemed  to  him 
fatal  to  the  interests  of  truth.  His  own  views  were  inexpressibly  vital 
to  him,  but  he  had  never  the  shadow  of  a  desire  to  take  them  as  the 
standard  to  which  all  minds  must  come.  He  had  no  desire  that  his 
personal  views  of  truth  should  be  the  standard  in  the  Seminary 
where  he  had  influence.  There  was  no  need,  to  his  mind,  that  his  col- 
leagues should  teach  exactly  as  he  taught.  Many  a  time  has  he  told 
me  this,  that  he  never  inquired  what  his  colleagues  taught,  or  cared  for 
uniformity.  He  believed  in  truth,  and  delighted  in  honest  openness  of 
soul;  and  he  was  sure  that  if  men  were  honest,  truth  in  the  long  run 
would  win  its  way.  He  did  not  grudge  its  grain  of  truth  to  a  system 
of  error,  but  rather  rejoiced  to  recognize  truth  wherever  found,  and  in 
whatever  uncongenial  combinations.  Therefore  he  was  a  wise  guide, 
and  a  blessed  comforter  whenever  a  soul  was  perplexed  and  doubting. 
Many  a  time  has  he  been  able  to  speak  a  word  in  season  to  him  that 
was  weary,  because  he  believed  in  truth,  and  the  soul." 


446  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

With  the  new  name — Colgate  University — came  anew  era  in  the  pro- 
gress of  the  institution.  The  history  of  the  change  of  the  name  has 
been  concisely  written  by  Professor  William  Newton  Clarke : 

"  Within  the  first  decade  of  the  Hamilton  Literary  and  Theological 
Institution,  William  Colgate,  of  New  York,  became  warmly  interested 
in  its  work.  He  gave  it  his  heart,  and  was  constant  in  prayer  and 
effort  for  its  success.  He  and  his  family  made  constant  contributions 
for  its  support,  even  in  the  early  days,  and  in  the  dark  time  that  fol- 
lowed in  its  later  history,  he  was  one  of  the  most  earnest  and  steadfast 
of  its  friends.  At  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1857,  his  two  sons  felt 
that  the  interests  of  the  institution  that  he  and  their  mother  had  loved 
came  to  them  as  a  sacred  trust.  They  soon  became  members  of  the 
official  boards,  and  entered  upon  a  course  of  active  helpfulness  that  has 
never  since  been  interrupted  for  a  day.  In  all  respects  Mr.  James  B. 
Colgate  has  been  the  largest  contributor  to  its  funds  that  the  Univer- 
sity has  ever  known,  and  Mr.  Samuel  Colgate  has  been  the  steadfast 
and  generous  supporter  of  the  Education  Society,  of  which  he  has  been 
the  president  for  many  years,  and  of  the  theological  seminary.  Presi- 
dent Dodge  came  to  feel  the  need  of  a  more  distinctive  name  for  the 
University,  the  name,  "  Madison  "  having  never  possessed  anything 
more  than  an  accidental  appropriateness;  and  in  view  of  this  need,  and 
of  the  long  and  invaluable  services  of  the  Colgate  family,  he  proposed 
to  substitute  "  Colgate  "  for  "  Madison  "  in  the  official  name  of  the  Uni- 
versity. The  idea  originated  with  him,  and  the  movement  for  a 
change  of  name  was  his  last  great  effort,  into  which  his  whole  soul  was 
thrown." 

This  plan  received  the  hearty  support  of  the  faculty  and  trustees  of 
the  University  and  also  of  the  trustees  of  the  Baptist  Education  Society, 
and  on  the  13th  of  March,  1890,  the  Regents  of  the  University  of  the 
State  of  New  York  changed  the  name  of  Madison  University  to  that 
by  which  this  institution  is  at  present  known. 

President  Dodge  died  on  the  5th  of  January,  1890.  From  that  time 
until  1898,  with  the  exception  of  one  period  of  two  years,  the  Univer- 
sity was  without  a  president;  and  while  it  doubtless  suffered  from  this 
in  some  ways,  yet  under  the  administration  of  the  Executive  Commit- 
tee of  the  Board  of  Trustees  there  was  substantial  growth  in  many 
directions.  Indeed,  in  some  respects,  the  results  of  the  years  from 
1890  to  1899  may  rank  in  importance  with  any  in  the  history  of  the  in- 
stitution. 


EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS.  447 

With  the  addition  to  the  endowment  of  the  Dodge  Memorial  Fund 
came  the  opportunity  to  strengthen  the  work  of  the  University  in  many 
ways.  On  the  completion  of  the  Library  Building,  the  books  were 
moved  from  Alumni  Hall  to  their  new  quarters.  Immediately  after- 
ward the  usefulness  of  the  library  was  vastly  increased  by  an  exhaus- 
tive catalogue  prepared  in  accordance  with  the  Decimal  System  of 
Classification  by  cataloguers  from  the  New  York  State  Library  School. 
A  department  which  adds  much  to  the  value  of  the  library  is  the  Bap- 
tist Historical  Collection.  This  was  founded  and  endowed  by  Mr. 
Samuel  Colgate  and  consists  of  books  and  pamphlets  pertaining  to  Bap- 
tist history.  The  enthusiasm  of  Mr.  Colgate  while  alive,  and  the  con- 
tinuous effort  of  those  now  in  charge  of  the  work,  have  succeeded  in 
making  this  one  of  the  most  complete  and  valuable  collections  of  Bap- 
tist historical  material  in  the  world, 

A  most  important  addition  to  the  material  equipment  of  the  Univer- 
sity is  the  gymnasium,  which  was  built  in  1893.  The  building  is 
thoroughly  equipped  with  the  most  approved  apparatus,  and  with  its 
completion  the  Department  of  Physical  Culture  was  added  to  the  Uni- 
versity, and  a  Director  of  Physical  Culture  was  placed  in  charge  of  the 
work.  The  addition  of  a  new  athletic  field,  with  running  track,  diamond 
and  gridiron,  the  welcome  gift  of  Mr.  T.  O.  Whitnall  of  Syracuse,  N.Y., 
will  give  ample  provision  for  the  athletic  interests  of  the  University. 
In  recognition  of  the  generosity  of  the  donor,  the  athletic  field  has  been 
named  by  the  trustees  Whitnall  Field. 

On  the  Campus  continuous  improvement  has  been  the  order  of  the 
day.  In  1891,  plans  for  permanent  development  were  prepared  by 
an  eminent  landscape  gardener,  and  all  work  since  that  time  has  been 
in  accordance  with  these  plans.  Macadamized  roads  have  been  con- 
structed, much  grading  has  been  done,  an  entire  new  sewerage  system 
has  taken  the  place  of  the  old,  and  an  adequate  system  of  surface  drain- 
age protects  the  hillside  improvements.  Furthermore,  the  system  of 
water  supply  and  electric  lighting,  constructed  and  owned  by  the  village 
of  Hamilton,  has  been  extended  to  the  hill,  furnishing  protection 
against  fire,  and  making  it  possible  now  to  construct  a  building  with 
all  modern  improvements  anywhere  on  the  campus. 

The  Greek  Letter  Fraternities  have  for  many  years  held  a  prominent 
place  in  the  University  life.  Prior  to  1860  these  organizations  were 
not  welcome  at  Colgate.  There  were  two  literary  societies,  Adelphia 
and  yEonia,   to  which  all  students   belonged.     In  1855,   however,   the 


448  OUR  COUNTY  AND  IT.S  PEOPLE. 

question  of  the  establishment  of  a  Greek  Letter  Chapter  was  agitated 
by  James  Holland  Browne,  '54,  a  student  in  the  Theological  Seminary. 
This  effort  resulted  in  the  organization  of  The  Mu  Chapter  of  Delta 
Kappa  Epsilon.  The  charter  was  granted  on  March  1st,  1856.  In 
1877  the  Chapter  entered  its  present  hall  on  Broad  street,  which  had 
been  erected  by  the  contributions  of  both  active  members  and  alumni. 
In  1892  Francis  T.  Pierce,  a  charter  member,  presented  to  the  Chapter 
its  present  residence.  This  gift  was  in  memory  of  the  donor's  son  and 
is  known  as  the  Frank  Burchard  Pierce  Memorial. 

Delta  Upsilon  was  the  second  fraternity  to  establish  a  chapter  at  Col- 
gate. The  charter  was  formally  granted  on  November  21st,  1865.  In 
1882  the  chapter  moved  to  its  present  commodious  and  beautiful  chap- 
ter house  which  had  been  erected  by  the  effort  of  both  undergraduates 
and  alumni. 

The  records  of  the  Colgate  Chapter  of  Beta  Theta  Pi  show  direct  de- 
scent from  the  Adelphia  Literary  Society,  which  was  founded  in  1840. 
On  the  second  of  December,  1880,  the  transfer  of  j  roperty  was  made 
to  the  new  chapter.  Since  that  time  this  society  has  purchased  a  new 
home  on  Broad  street  opposite  the  university  campus. 

The  New  York  Epsilon  Chapter  of  Phi  Kappa  Psi  was  established  at 
Colgate  in  the  spring  of  1887.  The  ^onia  Literary  Society  was 
transferred  to  this  chapter  and  this  gave  to  Phi  Kappa  Psi  especial 
strength  among  the  alumni.  In  the  spring  of  1892  the  chapter  erected 
its  present  home. 

The  Theta  Psi  Chapter  of  Phi  Gamma  Delta  was  organized  October 
11,  1887.  It  was  founded  by  Isaac  D.  Moore,  who  had  joined  Phi 
Gamma  Delta  while  a  student  at  Bucknell  University.  Later,  on  en- 
tering Colgate,  he  induced  seven  others  to  join  him  and  these  became 
the  charter  members  of  the  newly  formed  organization. 

These  are  the  fraternities  at  Colgate.  They  have  fairly  won  their 
present  honorable  position.  They  have  grown  with  the  prosperity  of 
the  University,  and  all  are  to-day  vigorous  and  strong.  The  college 
has  long  welcomed  them  to  its  organization,  and  they  are  now  rightly 
considered  as  efificient  aids  to  its  order  and  to  its  intellectual  life. 

While  improvement  has  been  made  on  the  campus,  and  in  the  mate- 
rial equipment  of  the  University,  needed  changes  in  the  curriculum 
have  not  been  overlooked.  In  the  college,  all  the  courses  leading  to 
degrees  have  been  devoloped  into  four  year  courses  with  requirements 
for  graduation  substantially  equivalent  in  value.     The  elective  system 


EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS.  449 

has  been  almost  entirely  the  growth  of  the  last  ten  years.  The  former 
department  of  English  literature,  civil  history,  and  oratory  has  now  been 
developed  into  the  three  distinct  departments  of  English  literature, 
history,  and  rhetoric  and  public  speaking.  The  former  department  of 
natural  science  has  been  developed  into  the  departments  of  geology, 
and  biology,  and  there  have  been  added  to  the  curriculum,  the  depart- 
ments of  modern  languages,  philosophy,  physical  culture,  and  history 
of  art. 

In  the  Theological  Seminary,  the  system  of  electives  has  been  intro- 
duced and  developed  to  its  present  advanced  condition.  The  two  de- 
partments of  Semitic  languages  and  Old  Testament  interpretation  have 
been  developed  from  a  single  department,  and  the  department  of  pas- 
toral theology  has  been  separated  from  the  department  of  New  Testa- 
ment interpretation. 

On  the  l'2th  of  September,  1892,  the  Colgate  Press  Club  was  organ- 
ized. This  was  the  result  of  a  desire  on  the  part  of  the  newspaper 
correspondents  at  the  University  for  an  organization  that  should  be  of 
some  assistance  to  them  in  the  gathering  of  news,  and  that  should  pro- 
mote among  them  a  helpful  feeling  of  fellowship.  The  club  prospered 
from  the  start;  the  first  "Press  Club  List"  contains  the  names  of 
twenty-six  newspapers,  each  with  a  representative  in  the  club.  Each 
year,  so  far  as  it  can  be  gathered,  the  correspondence  of  the  club  is 
placed  on  file  at  the  library,  thus  forming  a  continuous  record  of  current 
university  life.  In  1896  the  club  instituted  the  custom  of  an  annual 
address  by  a  practical  newspaper  man. 

The  continued  interest  and  loyalty  of  the  alumni  is  shown  in  many 
ways.  The  Junior  Historical  Oration  Prizes  have  been  established  by 
Edward  M.  Grout,  Esq.,  class  of  1884;  and  the  Eugene  A.  Rowland 
Oratorical  Prize  has  been  established  by  Eugene  A.  Rowland,  Esq., 
class  of  1884.  The  alumni  of  Albany,  Troy  and  vicinity  have  organized 
a  vigorous  association,  whose  annual  gatherings  are  the  scenes  of  much 
loyalty  and  enthusiasm  for  Alma  Mater.  Like  expression  marks  the 
large  gathering  of  Colgate  alumni,  who  meet  every  year  at  the  Baptist 
State  convention.  Gradually  the  attendance  of  alumni  and  friends  is 
increasing  at  Patron's  Day  and  Commencement,  while  the  unfailing 
supply  of  students  sent  through  their  efforts  to  all  departments  of  the 
institution  is  significant  of  the  fact  that  the  long  years  of  waiting  for 
a  president  have  not  weakened  the  loyalty  of  the  alumnus  to  his  Alma 
Mater. 


450  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Three  regular  publications  are  sustained  by  the  students  of  the  insti- 
tution. The  Academe  is  published  weekly  by  the  students  of  Colgate 
Academy ;  the  Madisonensi's  is  published  bi-weekly  by  the  students  of 
the  college,  and  The  Salinagiindi,  or  college  annual,  is  published  by 
the  junior  class  of  the  college. 

Closely  connected  with  the  university  life  and  history  and  profoundly 
influencing  it  in  some  ways,  have  been  the  publications  of  Colgate  pro- 
fessors during  the  last  ten  years.  The  series  of  mathematical  text 
books  by  Professor  James  Morford  Taylor,  LL.D. ,  has  been  received 
with  words  of  cordial  appreciation  in  mathematical  circles,  both  in  this 
country  and  in  Europe.  The  significant  word  in  the  estimates  of  these 
books  is  that  the  author  has  not  followed  the  methods  of  previous 
writers,  but  has  struck  out  a  new  and  original  path  for  himself. 

Of  the  Calculus,  C.  O.  Mailloux,  editor  of  the  Engineering  World. 
says:  "  The  work  marks  an  epoch  in  the  literature  of  the  Calculus,  for 
the  reason  that,  in  demonstrating  the  unity  of  the  fundamental  prin- 
ciples, it  sets  forever  at  rest  those  controversies  which  have  made 
strife  and  contention  among  mathematicians,  and  which  have  made 
doubt  and  suspicion  among  students." 

The  Interpretation  of  Literature,  by  Professor  William  Henry  Craw- 
shaw,  has  been  widely  reviewed  both  in  the  United  States  and  Great 
Britain,  and  has  everywhere  created  a  most  favorable  impression. 
Scholars  generally  have  commended  the  clear  and  forceful  style  in 
which  the  book  is  written,  and  the  logical  arrangement  and  striking 
presentation  of  the  subject-matter. 

An  Outline  of  Theology,  by  Professor  William  Newton  Clarke,  was 
first  printed  privately,  mainly  for  use  in  the  author's  classes.  But  the 
demand  for  copies  became  so  large  that,  later,  it  was  published,  and 
was  immediately  recognized  as  a  work  of  unusual  force.  Aside  from 
the  interesting  way  in  which  the  subject  is  developed,  the  book  "  strik- 
ingly exhibits  the  change  that  is  passing  over  the  style  of  treatment 
given  to  theological  topics."  It  has  profoundly  influenced  the  religious 
thought  of  the  time.  Within  the  last  quarter  of  a  century  no  book  has 
aroused  more  widespread  discussion  in  intellectual  circles. 

It  was  of  this  book  that  Marcus  Dod.s,  of  Edinburgh,  one  of  the  lead- 
ing theological  critics  in  Great  Britain,  said  in  the  British  Weekly :  "  It 
is  not,  then,  so  much  new  beliefs  that  characterize  this  new  theology,  as 
a  new  freshness,  truth  to  life  and  reality,  and  unconventionality.  There 
is  also  a  felicitous  lightness  of  touch  combined  with  the  most  powerful 


EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS.  451 

grasp.  He  never  presses  his  point  too  far,  never  overlabours  an  argu- 
ment, never  obscures  the  essential  features  by  introducing  a  crowd  of 
non-essentials.  There  is  no  polemic,  no  overt  reference  to  other  men's 
opinions,  no  reference  to  books  and  authorities;  all  is  clarified  to  abso- 
lute lucidity.  We  have  received  from  America  many  useful  contribu- 
tions to  theological  literature,  but  few  that  surpass  this  either  as  the- 
ology, or  as  literature." 

These  publications,  adding  as  they  have  done,  to  the  prestige  of  the 
University,  emphasize  not  a  little  the  progressive  character  which  has 
marked  the  institution  durmg  these  recent  years. 

No  review  of  the  record  of  the  last  ten  years  would  be  complete 
without  a  proper  reference  to  the  government  of  the  University  during 
that  period.  In  the  absence  of  a  president,  the  responsibility  for  the 
proper  conduct  of  the  institution  has  rested,  very  largely,  with  the  Exec- 
utive Committee  of  the  Board  of  Trustees.  This  committee  has  con- 
sisted of  Rev.  Edward  Lathrop,  Professor  Albert  S.  Bickmore,  James 
C.  Colgate,  Esq  ,  Rev.  Henry  M.  Sanders,  and  Mr.  Gardner  Colby.  To 
their  wise  and  faithful  oversight,  has  been  due  much  of  the  progress 
which  the  institution  has  recently  made.  It  would  not  be  in  place  here 
to  make  more  than  a  passing  reference  to  the  many  matters  of  detail  in 
the  various  departments  to  which  the  helpful  attention  of  the  Execu- 
tive Committee  has  been  given ;  but  some  of  their  more  important 
achievements  it  will  not  be  out  of  place  to  mention. 

Prior  to  June  1893,  the  control  of  the  University  was  vested  in  two 
Boards  of  Trustees.  The  College  and  Academy  were  controlled  by  the 
University  Board;  the  Theological  Seminary,  by  that  of  the  Baptist 
Education  Society.  This  dual  responsibility,  as  might  be  expected, 
gave  rise  to  much  inconvenience,  and  there  had  been  for  a  long  time,  a 
general  desire  to  unify  the  governing  power  of  the  institution.  It  was 
not,  however,  an  easy  thing  to  do.  Both  bodies  were  the  trustees  of 
vested  interests  which  they  were  bound  to  guard;  the  Education  So- 
ciety was  particularly  solicitous  for  the  welfare  of  the  Theological  In- 
stitution. But  after  some  concessions  on  both  sides,  the  new  compact 
was  finally  consummated,  and  all  departments  of  the  institution  were 
united  under  the  University  Board  in  June  1893. 

Another  significant  change  which  has  been  made  in  the  governing 
body  of  the  University  during  the  administration  of  the  Executive 
Committee  is  the  admission  of  representatives  of  the  Alumni  to  the 
Board  of  Trustees.    This  action  was   taken  in  1894,  and  under  it  the 


452  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Alumni  of  the  University  now  have  four  representatives  on  the  Board 
of  Trustees. 

During-  the  first  half  of  the  last  decade,  Professor  N.  Lloyd  Andrews 
discharged  the  duties  of  the  president's  office  as  Dean  of  the  College 
Faculty.  With  indefatigable  industry,  under  circumstances  which,  at 
times,  added  materially  to  the  ordinary  difficulties  of  the  situation,  Dr. 
Andrews  performed  well  the  arduous  duties  of  this  office;  and  his 
services  were  highly  appreciated  by  the  authorities  of  the  University. 

On  July  2d,  1895,  George  William  Smith  LL  D.,  was  elected  president 
of  Colgate  University.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Colby  University,  had  been 
a  graduate  student  at  Johns  Hopkins,  and  as  Professor  of  History  at  Col- 
gate, had  made  a  marked  success.  His  administration  opened  with 
promise.  But  within  a  year  after  his  inauguration,  his  health  having 
already  been  impaired,  the  duties  of  the  position  began  to  wear  upon 
him  until  at  last,  unable  longer,  from  physical  disability,  to  perform  the 
duties  of  his  office.  President  Smith  tendered  his  resignation  which  was 
accepted  in  June,  1897.  During  the  last  year  of  President  Smith's  term 
of  office,  much  valuable  work  was  done  by  Professor  Albert  Perry  Brig- 
ham,  and  Professor  William  Henry  Crawshaw,  upon  whom  devolved 
the  duties  of  the  president's  office. 

During  the  fall  term  commencing  in  September,  1897,  Professor 
William  Henry  Crawshaw  served  as  Acting  Dean  of  the  College  Faculty, 
at  the  same  time  discharging  the  duties  of  the  president's  office,  and  on 
December  31st,  1897,  he  was  appointed  permanently  by  the  Board  of 
Trustees,  Dean  of  the  College  Faculty. 

The  administration  of  Dean  Crawshaw  has  been  one  of  quiet  but 
continuous  progress;  careful  attention  has  been  given  to  the  work  of 
the  individual  student  with  the  result  that  the  general  standard  of 
scholarship  has  not  been  higher  in  recent  years  than  it  is  to-day;  and 
the  marked  feeling  of  good  will  now  prevalent  throughout  college 
circles  is  perhaps  the  most  significant  testimony  to  the  general  accepta- 
bility with  which  this  work  has  been  performed. 

On  December  20th,  1898,  Rev.  George  Edmands  Merrill,  D.  D.,  of 
Newton,  Mass.,  was  elected  president  of  Colgate  University. 

President  Merrill  was  born  in  Charlestown,  Mass.,  December  19th, 
1846.  He  is  a  graduate  of  Harvard  University  and  of  the  Newton 
Theological  Institution.  In  October,  1872,  he  became  the  pastor  of  the 
First  Baptist  Church  of  Springfield,  Mass.,  and  in  1877  removed  to  Sa- 
lem, Mass.,  to  accept  the  pastorate  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  in  that 


EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS.  453 

place.  Here  he  remained  for  eight  years  and  then  removed  to  Colo- 
rado Springs  in  the  hope  of  re-establishing  his  health.  At  Colorado 
Springs  two  years  were  spent  as  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church  and  two 
more  in  a  successful  business  career.  At  the  end  of  this  period,  having 
regained  health,  he  became  pastor  of  the  Immanuel  Baptist  Church  of 
Newton,  Mass.,  May  1st,  1890.  Here  he  remained  until  he  became 
president  of  Colgate  University. 

President  Merrill's  administration  opens  with  great  promise.  A  new 
President's  House,  the  gift  of  Mr.  James  B.  Colgate,  is  in  process  of 
erection;  old  buildings  are  being  renovated  and  new  ones  planned;  a 
large  gift  for  an  athletic  track  has  been  secured  and  the  Whitnall  Field 
is  being  pushed  to  completion ;  the  scholarship  of  the  University  is 
being  maintained  at  its  high  standard;  the  moral  and  religious  tone  of 
the  student  body  was  never  higher;  and  in  many  and  valuable  ways 
the  entire  institution  is  feeling  the  impulse  of  the  new  administration. 

Inspiration  for  the  future  is  found  in  the  loyal  response,  instant  and 
universal,  when  President  Merrill,  on  the  Day  of  Prayer  for  Colleges, 
laid  down  this  guiding  principle  for  his  administration,  and  appealed  to 
the  University  for  its  support:  "  I  want  to  beseech  all  of  you  gentle- 
men, with  patience,  with  consideration,  with  sympathy,  with  a  common 
love  for  our  common  University,  with  absolute  loyalty  to  its  interests, 
and  with  the  desire  that  each  one  of  us  may  get  the  most  out  of  it  for 
ourselves  and  for  God,  to  take  hold  and  do  everything  that  can  be  done 
together  in  this  University,  for  life  and  for  God." 


Hamilton  Female  Seminary. — In  order  to  meet  an  apparent  demand 
for  the  higher  education  of  young  women  this  institution  was  estab- 
lished in  1856  by  Clinton  C.  Buell  and  incorporated  by  the  Regents  on 
the  17th  of  January,  of  that  year.  After  about  three  years  of  mod- 
erately successful  management  of  the  Seminary  Mr.  Buell  was  suc- 
ceeded by  the  Misses  Wallace  and  Fields  who  conducted  it  for  a  short 
period,  when  it  was  abandoned  for  want  of  patronage.  At  about  the 
time  the  academy  was  discontinued  in  the  year  1861  the  Seminary 
was  revived  by  Rev.  Charles  A.  Raymond  who  continued  it  two  years, 
when  it  was  again  closed.  In  the  fall  of  1866  the  institution  was  re- 
opened by  M.  M.  Goodenough,  A.  M.,  principal,  and  his  wife  precep- 
tress, who  successfully  conducted  it  as  a  boarding  and  day  school. 

Hamilton  Union  School. — The  village  of  Hamilton  previous  to  1853 
included  three  common  school  districts.     Educational  facilities  in   that 


454  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

place  prior  to  that  year,  as  far  as  the  common  schools  were  concerned, 
were  entirely  inadequate  to  the  needs  of  the  community.  This  was 
due,  to  some  extent  at  least,  to  the  existence  of  the  several  higher  edu- 
cational institutions  that  have  just  been  described.  In  the  latter  part 
of  the  year  1853  measures  were  adopted  to  consolidate  the  three  dis- 
tricts into  one  and  establish  a  Union  Free  School.  For  this  purpose  a 
number  of  persons  from  each  of  the  three  districts  united  in  a  call  for  a 
meeting  to  vote  upon  the  project.  The  meeting  was  held  in  the  base- 
ment of  the  Baptist  church  and  was  largely  attended.  The  proceedings 
were  characterized  by  earnest  argument  and  controversy  which  con- 
tinued until  about  midnight,  when  a  vote  was  taken  upon  the  main 
question  resulting  in  the  negative.  A  motion  to  reconsider  was  imme- 
diately made  and  the  contest  continued  until  about  two  o'clock  a.  m., 
when  a  second  vote  was  taken  resulting  in  the  affirmative.  It  is  diffi- 
cult at  this  day  to  fully  understand  and  appreciate  the  spirit  of  opposi- 
tion in  the  community  to  this  desirable  change  in  the  educational  sys- 
tem of  the  village.  After  the  affirmative  vote  was  recorded  a  Board 
of  Education  was  elected,  consisting  of  the  following  persons:  Charles 
Payne,  Charles  Gardiner,  Abram  Sanford,  Samuel  S.  Abbott,  Mulford 
Roger,  James  L.  Fay,  Horace  B.  Burchard,  Alonzo  Thurston  and  Al- 
bert N.  Sheldon.  Mr.  Payne  was  chosen  president  of  the  board.  The 
opposing  element  continued  its  campaign  insisting  that  the  preliminary 
proceedings  for  the  meeting,  as  well  as  the  proceedings  themselves, 
were  invalid.  Another  meeting  was  held  at  which  the  inhabitants 
voted  a  tax  for  the  purchase  of  a  site  for  the  new  Union  free  school 
house.  This  tax  was  levied  by  the  Board  of  Education,  the  rolls  placed 
in  the  hands  of  the  collector  who  made  a  consistent  efiiort  to  collect  the 
funds;  but  the  opposition  was  so  widespread  and  persistent  that  he 
finally  became  discouraged  and  refused  to  enforce  the  tax  against  de- 
linquents. In  this  emergency  an  arrangement  was  made  by  the  Board 
of  Education  with  Eli  Buell,  jr.,  who,  though  not  unfriendly  to  the  new 
school,  had  declined  to  pay  his  tax,  under  which  it  was  agreed  to  sub- 
mit the  case  to  the  General  Term  of  the  Supreme  Court  for  decision. 
Early  in  the  summer  of  1854,  the  court  having  the  entire  matter  before 
it,  decided  in  favor  of  the  board.  The  tax  was  then  collected,  the  site 
for  the  school  house  purchased  and  the  building  erected.  The  first 
principal  of  the  school  was  Henry  I.  Sherrill,  a  very  efficient  and  ener- 
getic instructor,  under  whose  management  the  school  became  noted 
throughout  central  New  York  for  its  thorough  course  of  instruction  and 
the  rapid  advancement  of  its  pupils. 


EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS.  455 

Cazenovia  Seminar5^ — The  first  "  Conference  Seminary  in  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  "  was  established  at  Newmarket,  N.  H.,  in  1817. 
It  continued  in  existence  only  to  1825.  As  early  as  1819  the  Methodists 
in  the  central  part  of  this  State  discussed  the  subject  of  founding  a  sec- 
tarian educational  institution.  Cazenovia  and  Ithaca  became  competi- 
tors for  the  site  of  the  proposed  seminary,  and  at  first  the  conference 
favored  the  latter  village;  but  it  failed  to  reap  the  benefits  of  the  ad- 
vantage thus  gained  and  on  the  recommendation  of  a  conference  com- 
mittee, appointed  July  15,  1823,  it  was  decided  to  locate  the  institution 
at  Cazenovia.  The  Methodists  had  previously  purchased  the  old  court 
house  building  and  were  at  that  time  embarrassed  through  their  inabil- 
ity to  pay  for  it.  It  was  therefore  decided  by  the  conference  to  take 
this  building  and  fit  it  up  for  occupancy  by  the  school.  Revs.  Charles 
Giles,  George  Gar}^  and  Elias  Bowen  and  Messrs.  Solomon  Root,  Luther 
Buell,  John  Peck,  Jacob  Ten  Eyck,  David  B.  Johnson  and  Charles  Steb- 
bins  were  appointed  to  carry  out  this  purpose.  The  transfer  of  the 
building  was  efliected  and  the  institution  opened  on  December  1,  1824, 
with  eight  pupils,  under  the  name.  The  Seminary  of  the  Genesee  Con- 
ference, and  with  Rev.  Nathaniel  Porter  principal. 

The  Seminary  promptly  gained  repute  and  patronage  and  in  1825  the 
number  of  students  registered  was  121  and  in  1836  it  increased  to  145. 
The  institution  was  incorporated  April  6,  1825,  and  the  following  per- 
sons were  chosen  as  the  first  trustees:  George  Gary,  Elias  Bowen, 
Henry  Wells,  Charles  Stebbins,  Jacob  Ten  Eyck,  Charles  Giles,  John 
W.  Peck,  Luther  Buell  and  David  B.  Johnson.  Need  of  increased  ac- 
commodations was  felt  almost  from  the  first  and  in  September,  1826,  it 
was  "  resolved  to  build  larger."  An  addition  was  accordingly  made  to 
the  west  end  of  what  ultimately  became  the  chapel  of  the  Seminary 
and  occupied  as  a  boarding  hall.  On  the  division  of  the  Genesee  Con- 
ference, in  1828,  the  name  of  the  institution  was  changed  by  an  act  of 
the  Legislature  to  the  Seminary  of  Genesee  and  Oneida  Conferences. 
Two  years  later,  in  December,  1830,  when  the  founding  of  the  Semi- 
nary within  the  Genesee  Conference  was  contemplated  the  name  was 
again  changed  to  the  Oneida  Conference  Seminary. 

The  Seminary  library  was  founded  in  1831  under  the  direction  of 
Professors  Tyler,  Larrabee  and  George  G.  Peck.  At  a  little  later  date, 
in  order  to  increase  the  library  fund,  students  were  charged  12J^c.  each 
per  quarter  for  the  use  of  the  books.  In  the  same  year  also,  in  order  to 
extend  the  benefits  of  the  institution  to  persons  of  limited  means,   the 


450  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

policy  of  granting  free  tuition  under  certain  limitations  was  inaugu- 
rated. 

With  the  rapidly  increasing  attendance  larger  accommodations  were 
imperatively  demanded  and  in  1832  two  additional  buildings  were 
erected,  one  of  which  was  of  brick  thirty-six  by  fifty  feet,  three  stories 
high,  and  one  of  wood,  one  hundred  by  twenty-two  feet,  two  stories 
high.  The  former  occupied  the  ground  afterwards  covered  by  the  front 
hall  and  the  latter,  the  site  of  the  later  dining  hall.  In  1839,  after  fif- 
teen years  of  existence,  this  Seminary  had  become  one  of  the  widest 
known  and  most  successful  in  the  State.  In  that  year  a  three  years' 
course  of  study  was  adopted  upon  the  completion  of  which  diplomas 
were  conferred  upon  graduates.  This,  it  is  believed,  was  the  first  grad- 
uating course  adopted  by  any  seminary  in  the  State.  In  January,  1846, 
the  system  of  giving  free  tuition  to  the  children  of  those  members  of 
the  Oneida  Conference  whose  fields  of  labor  lay  within  the  district  from 
which  the  Seminary  drew  its  patronage  was  adopted ;  this  privilege  was 
subsequently  extended  to  all  ministers  of  the  gospel.  In  1847,  in  com- 
pliance with  a  change  in  the  charter,  the  policy  of  having  non-resident 
trustees  was  inaugurated,  under  which  it  became  customary  to  hold 
what  are  known  as  local  and  full  Board  meetings.  The  first  full  Board 
meeting  under  the  new  charter  of  conditions  was  held  May  11,  1847, 
and  a  plan  of  organization  was  adopted  to  meet  the  conditions  of  the 
increased  number  of  members,  six  having  been  added.  The  resident 
trustees  were  constituted  a  prudential  committee  to  transact  the  busi- 
ness of  the  Board  under  certain  conditions;  they  were  to  have  no  power 
to  hire  teachers  or  to  make  any  change  in  the  faculty  excepting  in  in- 
tervals between  the  full  Board  meetings;  they  could  not  expend  to 
exceed  $200  except  for  the  payment  of  the  faculty  and  the  steward ; 
and  they  were  required  to  make  a  full  report  of  their  proceedings  from 
term  to  term  to  the  full  Board. 

The  Seminary  was  now  in  the  full  tide  of  success  and  in  1853,  after  a 
successful  existence  of  thirty  years,  still  larger  accommodations  were 
needed;  an  additional  building  was  erected  and  about  the  same  time 
the  chapel  was  converted  into  its  present  use.  In  the  same  year  a 
prize  system  was  instituted  by  Benjamin  Rush  Wendell,  of  Cazenovia, 
who  established  a  gold  medal  scholarship  prize.  As  the  years  passed 
attendance  further  increased  and  various  plans  were  discussed  to  meet 
the  necessity  for  further  accommodations.  These  were  not  completed 
until  1870,  when   the   buildings  were  brought   substantially  into  their 


EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS.  457 

present  condition.  Meanwhile,  in  1868,  in  consonance  with  certain 
changes  in  the  Conference  the  name  of  the  institution  was  changed  to 
The  Central  New  York  Conference  Seminary.  Again,  in  1873,  under 
a  statute,  the  name  was  changed  to  The  Cazenovia  Seminary,  its  pres- 
ent form. 

The  year  1875  was  the  semi-centennial  anniversary  of  the  incorpora- 
tion of  the  Seminary  and  the  event  was  appropriately  celebrated.  A 
large  assemblage  of  alumni,  former  teachers  and  friends  of  the  institu- 
tion gathered  to  do  honor  to  the  event,  and  congratulate  themselves 
upon  the  close  of  fifty  years  of  successful  existence  of  the  institution. 

Although  this  old  Seminary  has  always  been  more  or  less  embar- 
rassed in  a  pecuniary  sense,  its  management  has  been  vigorous  and 
efficient  and  its  high  reputation  has  never  waned.  In  1839  it  ranked  as 
tenth  in  the  State,  as  determined  by  the  number  of  students  and  the 
apportionment  of  public  money;  in  1843  it  had  risen  to  third;  a  few 
years  later  it  was  second  and  in  1873  it  became  first.  In  the  semi-cen- 
tennial year  so  numerous  were  the  applicants  for  admission  that  the 
trustees  were  compelled  to  refuse  many  seekers  for  education. 

Rev.  Nathaniel  Porter,  the  first  principal  of  the  Seminary,  was  one 
of  the  brightest  of  the  younger  lights  of  the  Methodist  ministry.  He 
labored  incessantly  and  with  the  most  gratifying  .success  to  place  the 
institution  upon  an  enduring  foundation.  Toiling  unceasingly  and 
bearing  heavy  burdens  of  responsibility,  his  energies  were  early  ex- 
hausted and  in  1830  he  went  to  New  Jersey  in  hopes  of  renewing  his 
health.  These  hopes  were  blasted  and  he  died  in  Newark,  August  11, 
1831,  aged  thirty-one  years. 

A  new  gymnasium  was  opened  in  1898  largely  through  the  generos- 
ity of  the  alumni  and  the  efforts  of  Dr.  Wilbor.  The  institution  has 
been  greatly  indebted  to  Hon.  James  Callanan,  of  Des  Moines,  Iowa, 
who  purchased  the  bonds  when  a  large  debt  had  accumulated  Mr. 
Callanan  is  honored  in  the  name  of  Callanan  Hall.  Late  improvements 
are  found  in  the  leasing  of  an  athletic  field,  a  new  oak  entrance  to  Eddy 
Hall,  a  gift  from  Mrs.  F.  F.  Wendell,  of  Fort  Plain;  a  new  bath  room 
in  Eddy  Hall;  a  steam  heating  plant  in  Williams  Hall;  cement  walks 
through  the  campus,  etc.  The  venerable  old  buildings  still  stand,  at 
the  close  of  three  quarters  of  a  century  of  educational  usefulness,  but 
greatly  improved  in  various  respects.  The  Seminary  property  now  has 
a  value  of  about  $75,000. 

Rev.  Carlton  C.  Wilbor,  D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  president  of  the  Seminary, 


458  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

has  served  as  Presiding  Elder  of  the  Elmira  District,  as  pastor  of  Uni- 
versity Avenue  church  in  Syracuse,  and  in  several  other  prominent 
pastorates.  He  is  a  distinguished  educator  and  is  ably  supported  by  an 
excellent  faculty.  Professor  Isaac  N.  Clements  was  connected  with 
the  Seminary  actively  for  a  period  of  twenty-three  years,  the  last  twelve 
of  which  he  served  as  principal,  retiring  in  1896. 

Union  Free  School  District  No.  10,  Cazenovia. — Two  unsuccessful 
attempts  were  made  previous  to  1874  to  unite  districts  Nos.  10,  17  and 
31  in  the  village  of  Cazenovia  in  a  Union  Free  School  District.  The 
undertaking  was  finally  accomplished  in  October  of  the  year  1875  Com- 
mittees had  been  appointed  from  districts  No.  10  and  17  to  consult  with 
another  from  district  21  in  October  of  the  previous  year.  For  some 
reason  in  the  last  named  district  it  was  not  appointed  and  the  matter 
was  necessarily  postponed.  At  the  annual  district  meetings  held  on  the 
second  Tuesday  in  October,  1875,  the  following  committees  were  ap- 
pointed: A.  Dardis,  D.  W.  Cameron,  and  J.  C.  Tillotson,  from  district 
No.  10;  J.  C.  Dean,  H.  M.  Cashing,  and  W.  L.  Storke,  from  No.  17; 
and  A.  P.  Clarke,  J.  A.  Curtiss  and  D.  R.  Dean  from  No.  31.  The  pro- 
ceedings of  a  joint  meeting  of  these  committees  resulted  in  a  call  for  a 
public  meeting  to  be  held  for  the  purpose  of  determing  whether  a  Un- 
ion free  school  should  be  established  under  the  »State  laws  of  1864.  The 
meeting  was  held  on  the  29th  of  November,  1875.  Of  the  373  voters  in 
the  three  districts  there  were  present  211.  The  vote  resulted  as  follows: 
Affirmative,  district  No.  21,  65;  district  No.  10,  37;  district  No.  17,  60, 
a  total  of  163  votes.  The  total  of  the  negative  votes  was  37.  It  was 
also  voted  that  the  Board  of  Education  to  be  elected  should  consist  of 
seven  members — two  to  serve  one  year,  two  to  serve  two  years  and 
three  to  serve  three  years.  A.  P.  Clarke  and  P.  H.  Donnelly  were 
elected  for  one  year;  J.  A.  Curtiss  and  J.  W.  Howson,  for  two  years; 
G.  L.  Rouse,  D.  W.  Cameron  and  W.  M.  Burr,  for  three  years.  The 
first  meeting  of  the  board  was  held  December  6,  1875,  and  G.  L. 
Rouse  was  elected  president ;  A.  P.  Clarke,  clerk ;  Francis  C.  Phelps, 
treasurer;  James  Dodge,  collector.  On  the  10th  of  the  following  Jan- 
uary the  site  of  the  school  house  in  district  No.  21  was  chosen  for  the 
new  building  for  the  Union  School.  A  small  tract  was  added  to  this  by 
purchase.  The  school  houses  and  lots  in  the  other  two  districts  were 
ordered  to  be  sold.  December,  1876,  Miss  Ellen  F.  Beebe  was  chosen 
principal  and  was  succeeded  in  the  following  summer  by  Prof.  W.  W. 
Bass.     In  1878  the  school  building  in  district  No.  10  was  removed  to  a 


EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS.  459 

lot  in  rear  of  the  Sullivan  street  school  house  and  fitted  for  use  on  ac- 
count of  the  necessity  for  increased  accommodations. 

The  De  Ruyter  Institute. — This  institution  was  founded  by  the  Sev- 
enth Day  Baptist  religious  sect  and  was  largely  due  to  the  efforts  of 
Elder  Alexander  Campbell.  A  large  stone  structure,  four  stories  high, 
plain  in  exterior,  was  erected  in  1836,  costing  with  its  site,  furnishing, 
etc.,  about  $23,000.  It  was  opened  as  a  select  school  in  the  summer  of 
18.37,  with  Solomon  Carpenter,  principal,  and  Sarah  A.  Robinson,  pre- 
ceptress. In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  it  was  opened  as  an  academy 
with  Eber  Rollo,  A.  M.,  principal,  and  Miss  Robinson,  preceptress. 
About  130  scholars  were  in  attendance.  The  institution  was  incorpo- 
rated by  the  Regents  December  3,  1847.  This  school  was  liberally  pat- 
ronized during  a  number  of  years  by  the  Baptist  denomination  in  that 
vicinity;  but  the  founding  of  other  schools  drawing  their  patronage 
from  the  same  source  diminished  its  foreign  patronage  and  embarrassed 
its  financial  condition.  The  school  continued  with  varying  fortunes 
until  1870,  when  it  was  abandoned.  The  building  was  sold  in  1874  to 
the  "  redemption  stockholders  "  and  was  bid  off  by  George  Greenman  as 
their  agent.  It  soon  passed  into  possession  of  the  Union  Free  School 
of  De  Ruyter  and  Cuyler  No.  1. 

On  the  1st  of  January,  1874,  certain  electors  of  school  district  No.  11, 
of  De  Ruyter  petitioned  the  trustees  to  call  a  meeting  at  which  it  should 
be  determined  whether  a  Union  free  school  should  be  established  under 
the  provisions  of  the  law  of  1864.  On  January  10  of  that  year  similar 
measures  were  adopted  in  district  No.  1,  of  De  Ruyter  and  Cuyler.  On 
the  26th  of  February  a  joint  call  was  made  by  the  trustees  of  the  two 
districts  for  a  meeting  to  be  held  for  that  purpose  on  March  7,  1874. 
After  two  adjournments  for  want  of  sufficient  attendance  the  meeting 
was  held  March  24,  when  forty-four  of  the  eighty  voters  in  district  No. 
1  and  thirty-five  of  the  seventy-eight  in  district  No.  11  were  present. 
L.  B.  Kern  was  chairman  of  the  meeting  and  J.  B.  Wells  secretary.  It 
was  decided  by  a  vote  of  71  to  7  to  consolidate  the  two  districts  by  the 
establishment  of  a  Union  free  school,  with  a  Board  of  Education  con- 
sisting of  five  members,  one  of  whom  should  be  elected  for  one  year, 
two  for  two  years,  and  two  for  three  years  from  the  second  Tuesday  of 
October,  1874.  Jason  B.  Wells  was  elected  for  one  year;  Gilbert  Ta- 
ber  and  Barton  G.  Stillman  for  two  years  and  Horace  Benjamin  and 
Joseph  H.  Crumb  for  three  years.  Mr.  Stillman  was  chosen  president 
of  the   board;  J.  B.   Wells,   secretary;  E.  B.  Parsons,  treasurer.     The 


460  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Board  of  Education  purchased  the  De  Ruyter  Institute  building  in  the 
spring  of  1874  for  $3,035.  Nearly  $3,000  had  previously  been  sub- 
scribed by  eighty-eight  persons  for  the  purchase  of  this  property.  The 
Union  school  began  May  11,  1874,  with  Miss  E.  Reynolds,  a  graduate 
of  the  Normal  School  of  Oswego,  principal,  and  Miss  Sarah  E.  White, 
teacher.  An  academical  department  was  established  in  the  school  in 
1876.  On  the  26th  of  June,  1874,  the  school  house  in  the  old  district 
No.  1  was  sold  for  $.500  and  on  July  31,  1876,  the  school  property  in  the 
north  district  was  sold  for  $350.  In  October,  1877,  the  name  "  De  Ruy- 
ter Union  Graded  School,  with  Academic  Department  "  was  adopted. 
In  June  of  that  year  E.  C.  Wheeler  was  appointed  principal.  On  June 
29,  1897,  the  Board  of  Education  granted  $150  for  books  and  apparatus 
and  were  given  a  charter  for  the  present  high  school.  In  this  institu- 
tion Irving  Smith  Sears  is  principal,  with  five  assistants. 

Peterboro  Academy. — Among  the  earliest,  if  not  the  very  earliest 
schools  in  Peterboro,  in  the  town  of  Smithfield,  were  several  of  a  select 
character,  the  first  of  which  was  one  taught  by  Miss  Tabitha  Havens, 
about  1800.  Her  pupils  numbered  sixty-seven.  She  subsequently 
married  James  Tucker,  who  settled  in  the  western  part  of  the  county. 
In  the  early  years  also  a  Miss  Ambler  taught  a  small  school  and  a  little 
later  Miss  Webster,  a  cousin  of  Noah  Webster,  was  a  teacher  here  in  a 
private  school.  Another  was  taught  in  1815  by  Elizabeth  Kelly  and  in 
1823  a  Mr.  Johnson  taught  a  select  school.  The  first  district  school 
house  in  the  village  was  built  about  1807;  it  was  a  small  structure  and 
was  occupied  until  1836,  when  a  larger  house  was  needed  and  the  pres- 
ent school  house  site  was  selected. 

In  1853  a  subscription  was  circulated  for  the  purpose  of  raising  funds 
with  which  to  build  an  academical  educational  institution  in  Peterboro. 
A  sum  of  about  $2,500  was  raised  and  the  building  subsequently  occu- 
pied as  the  Orphan  Home  was  erected  in  that  year.  The  charter  bears 
date  January  23,  1853,  and  under  its  provision  the  following  board  of 
trustees  was  elected:  James  Johnson,  Gerrit  Smith,  Caleb  Calkins, 
James  Barnett,  Samuel  Wells,  W.  C.  Powers,  Nehemiah  Huntington, 
Albert  E.  Coe,  R.  Northrup,  A.  C.  Stone,  Joseph  Sims.  The  first 
academic  year  began  in  November,  1853,  and  the  school  opened  with 
forty-two  students.  In  1864  the  academy  received  an  endowment  of 
more  than  $15,000,  the  income  of  which,  less  a  reseivation  of  $300  an- 
nually given  to  the  poor,  was  available  for  the  institution.  At  the  time 
of  receiving  the  endowment  the  name  of  the  institution  was  changed  to 


EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS.  461 

Evans  Academy  in  honor  of  its  benefactor.  In  1871  Gerrit  Smith  pur- 
chased the  stock  of  the  academy  at  twenty-nine  per  cent.,  transferred 
the  lot  and  building  to  the  Orphan  Home,  then  being  organized,  bought 
the  unused  Presbyterian  church  building  and  by  the  expenditure  of 
about  $7,000,  converted  it  into  a  cmvenient  school  building  with  a 
public  hall  above.  This  property  he  deeded  to  the  trustees  of  the  acad- 
emy with  the  provision  that  it  should  revert  to  his  estate  whenever  it 
should  be  used  for  other  than  academy  purposes.  This  old  institution 
finally  followed  the  fate  of  most  other  early  academies,  until  finally  its 
period  of  usefulness  ended  and  its  place  was  taken  by  the  present  Union 
school,  which  was  incorporated  in  1896.  The  first  Board  of  Trustees 
were  Garrett  G.  Miller,  W.  C.  Dorrance,  I.  O.  Wright,  W.  E.  Coe,  and 
John  N.  Woodbury.  This  board  remains  the  same,  excepting  the  sub- 
stitution of  A.  M.  Bump  for  John  Woodbury.  The  school  is  held  in 
the  old  building,  and  is  under  the  principalship  of  Arthur  H.   Jackson. 

The  generally  inefficient  character  of  public  schools  in  early  years  in 
all  parts  of  the  country  lead  to  the  establishment  of  an  almost  un- 
limited number  of  private  schools  of  all  descriptions  and  degrees  of 
merit.  Some  of  these  have  been  mentioned  a  few  pages  back  In  the 
town  of  Eaton  and  particularly  in  the  village  of  Morrisville,  were  in 
early  years  a  number  of  good  private  schools,  in  which  were  taught 
branches  somewhat  higher  than  the  English  element.  Among  these  is 
remembered  an  infant  school  kept  by  Miss  Emily  Chubback  (Fannie 
Forester),  previous  to  her  period  of  study  in  a  Utica  Seminary.  None 
of  the  private  schools  in  this  place,  however,  attained  much  prominence 
or  permanence.  The  village  was  included  in  districts  Nos.  8  and  17  of 
the  public  school  system.  The  early  school  house  in  No.  8  was  subse- 
quently used  by  the  fire  department,  while  that  in  No.  17,  at  the  lower 
end  of  the  town,  was  absorbed  in  a  dwelling  house. 

To  improve  the  educational  facilities  of  the  village  a  subscription 
paper  was  circulated,  for  the  purpose  of  raising  funds  to  build  an 
academy.  Judge  William  W.  Farwell  donated  a  site  for  the  building 
and  when  the  subscriptions  reached  about  f3,000  the  academy  was 
erected.  The  first  board  of  trustees  was  as  follows:  O.  P.  Granger, 
Benjamin  Coman,  J.  F.  Chamberlin,  W.  T.  Curtiss,  Epenetus  Holmes, 
Bennett  Bicknell,  Uriah  Leland,  Amzi  Williams,  J.  Payne,  Clark  Til- 
Hnghast,  J.  W.  Avery,  A.  Cornell,  J.  G.  Curtiss.  The  school  opened 
with  Rev.  Eli  Burchard,  of  Marshall,  Oneida  county,  principal;  he  was 
succeeded  a  few  years  later  by  his  brother  Nathan.    The  records  of  this 


462.  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

academy  are  lost  and  all  that  can  be  said  of  succeeding  principals  is 
that  among  them  were  Samuel  Stebbins,  Mr.  Dinsmore,  William  W. 
Farwell,  and  Nathan  K.  Shephard.  The  academy  building-  was  of 
wood  and  three  stories  high.  While  this  school  rapidly  gained  in  popu- 
larity, its  students  at  one  time  numbering  about  200,  the  later  improve- 
ment in  the  public  schools  and  the  competition  of  many  other  academies 
lessened  the  patronage  and  within  about  ten  years  the  attendance  de- 
clined to  an  unprofitable  point.  Finally,  in  1848,  the  two  districts,  8 
and  17,  were  consolidated  into  a  new  district  No.  8,  which  acquired  the 
property  of  the  academy  company  and  devoted  it  to  the  uses  of  a  union 
school.  In  1867  the  building  was  cut  down  to  two  stories  in  height,  in 
the  second  of  which,  a  public  hall,  known  as  Union  Hall,  was  provided 
and  supplied  with  scenery  and  stage  for  dramatic  and  concert  entertain- 
ments. At  the  same  time  an  addition  for  school  purposes  was  erected 
on  the  west  end.     The  cost  of  making  these  changes  was  about  $3,000. 

Schools  and  Academy  of  Brookfield. — The  public  school  system  of 
the  town  of  Brookfield  was  supplemented  by  the  establishment  of  the 
Brookfield  Academy  in  the  village  of  Clarkville  in  the  spring  of  1847. 
The  incorporating  act  bears  date  of  April  17  of  that  year.  The  first 
board  of  trustees  were  as  follows:  Wait  Clarke,  president;  Dr.  Eli  S. 
Bailey,  Benjamin  Gorton,  Ethan  Stillman,  William  Greene,  2d,  and 
Hosea  B.  Clarke.  A  suitable  building  was  erected  and  the  school  opened 
with  Lodowick  York,  A.  M.,  principal,  and  Philander  Wood  assistant. 
The  institution  had  a  fairly  prosperous  career  for  many  years  and  in 
1871  reported  to  the  Regents  fifty-five  students.  The  lot  and  building 
at  that  time  were  valued  at  $3,000;  the  library  at  $215,  and  apparatus 
$237.  The  academy  was  merged  in  the  Union  free  school  and  its  prop- 
erty transferred  to  that  district  on  the  23d  of  November,  1875. 

A  meeting  of  the  voters  of  district  No.  32  at  Brookfield  was  held  in 
the  school  house  November  9,  1875,  pursuant  to  a  call  of  trustees  A.  D. 
Fitch,  E.  Russell  and  H.  A.  Hill.  At  that  meeting  it  was  decided  by 
a  vote  of  76  to  33  to  establish  a  Union  free  school  according  to  the  law 
in  the  district.  At  a  meeting  held  November  23,  1875,  the  following 
persons  were  elected  trustees:  A.  J.  Stillman  and  Thomas  A.  Crandall 
for  one  year,  Samuel  Jordan  and  Enos  Russell  for  two  years,  and  John 
P.  Stillman  for  three  years.  This  Board  of  Education  was  given 
authority  to  adopt  the  academy  as  the  academical  department  of  the 
Union  free  school.  On  the  21st  of  December,  1875,  the  board  was  in- 
structed to  sell  the  district  school  house  and  apply  the  proceeds  to  re- 


EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS.  463 

pairing  the  academy  building.  Enos  Russell  was  chosen  president  of 
the  board;  Arthur  J.  Stillman,  clerk;  Charles  Lamb,  treasurer;  Her- 
man A.  Hill,  collector.  Mr.  Lamb  declined  to  serve  as  treasurer  and 
Calvin  Whitford  was  chosen.  On  December  20,  1875,  James  H.  Mes- 
senger was  employed  as  principal,  his  terra  of  service  beginning  Janu- 
ary 3,  1876.  Miss  L.  J.  Craine  was  employed  as  his  assistant.  In  the 
fall  of  1876  the  academ}-  building  was  sold  to  the  Catholics,  the  district 
school  house  was  disposed  of,  and  it  was  resolved  to  build  a  new  school 
house  on  the  site  of  the  former,  at  an  expense  of  not  exceeding  $2,000. 
In  1894  an  addition  was  built  costing  about  $600.  In  January,  1877,  L. 
B.  Blakeman  succeeded  to  the  principalship,  and  in  July  of  that  year 
Miss  E.  Sophia  Saunders  was  employed  as  preceptress.  The  school 
now  has  an  academic  department,  making  it  a  high  school,  with  a  Board 
of  Education  consisting  of  H.  E.  Kingsley,  president;  J.  L.  Stillman, 
secretary;  C.  C.  Chandler,  M.  L.  Fisk,  A.  C.  Miller. 

Union  Free  School  in  Joint  District  No.  12,  Brookfield  and  Plainfield, 
was  established  at  a  meeting  held  in  the  school  house  October  16,  1875, 
by  a  vote  of  46  to  20i  Edwin  Whitford,  Charles  H.  Williamson,  Daniel 
Hardin,  Henry  M.  Aylesworth  and  Luke  Hoxie  were  elected  a  Board  of 
Education  and  §1,000  was  voted  to  build  a  new  school  house  or  repair 
the  old  one  for  the  use  of  the  new  Union  school.  On  October  26,  1875, 
Edwin  Whitford  was  chosen  president  of  the  board;  H.  M.  Aylesworth, 
secretary;  John  O.  Wheeler,  treasurer;  Zadoc  Main,  collector.  W.  H. 
Southworth  was  engaged  as  principal  and  Miss  R.  B.  Todd  to  teach 
the  primary  department.  The  new  school  house  was  built  in  the  course 
of  the  year  1876.  The  present  principal  is  Arthur  T.  Hamilton,  and 
the  Board  of  Education  is  composed  of  Irving  A.  Crandall,  Almeron  M. 
Coon,  E.  Frank  Champlin,  H.  M.  Aylesworth,  Dr.  O.  L.  Southworth, 
Arthur  S.  Hoxie. 

The  Union  school  in  North  Brookfield  was  organized  in  1881,  under 
the  following  Board  of  Education:  Thomas  R.  Gorton,  Allen  Risley, 
A.  J.  Marsh,  O.  M.  Gorton.  W.  E.  Phillips  was  chosen  principal  and  in 
the  following  year  a  special  building  was  erected  for  the  school,  which 
is  still  in  use.     The  present  principal  is  Homer  T.  Case. 

Uni6n  Free  School  District  No.  1  of  Madison  village  was  organized 
December  7,  1878,  at  a  meeting  over  which  Benjamin  B.  Mereness  pre- 
sided as  chairman;  Russell  Hazzard,  secretary;  and  George  W.  Baker, 
assistant  secretary.  The  proposition  was  put  to  vote  and  sixty  six  of 
the  one  hundred  and  two  votes  cast   were   in   favor  of  the  project.     A 


464  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Board  of  Education  was  elected  consisting  of  the  following:  Harrison 
C.  Bicknell  and  E.  B.  Hopkins  to  serve  one  year,  John  E.  Barbour  and 
Orlando  L.  Brigham  two  years,  and  George  Hardy  three  years,  the 
period  of  service  to  begin  on  the  second  Tuesday  in  October,  1879.  At 
a  meeting  held  December  9,  1879,  E.  B.  Hopkins  was  chosen  president 
of  the  board;  George  Hardy,  clerk;  Russell  Hazzard,  treasurer;  Sam- 
uel R.  Brownell,  collector.  The  school  was  opened  in  a  building 
erected  in  Morrisville  by  the  Madison  County  Agricultural  Society  and 
was  removed  to  Madison  village  just  before  the  Civil  war  and  used  for 
a  few  years  as  an  armory.  It  was  subsequently  purchased  by  the 
school  district  for  $500  and  was  first  occupied  for  school  purposes  in  the 
fall  of  1871.  The  first  principal  of  the  Union  School  was  George  E. 
Satchwell,  who  had  previously  taught  in  the  district.  His  assistant 
was  Miss  Fannie  J.  Hale,  and  in  April,  1879,  Miss  Mary  E.  Pearl,  who 
had  been  added  to  the  corps  of  teachers,  as  first  assistant,  succeeded 
Mr.  Satchwell  as  principal.  The  school  has  ever  since  been  efficiently 
maintained  and  such  improvements  made  as  needed  to  keep  it  abreast 
of  modern  methods  in  education.  The  faculty  is  headed  by  William  D. 
Mills.  The  Board  of  Education  is  composed  of  the  following:  Louis 
Fuess,  president;  G.  H.  Barker,  clerk;  O.  C.  Bicknell,  A.  J.  Cushman, 
F.  S.  CoUister. 

The  record  of  schools  in  the  town  of  Eaton  is  traceable  back  to  about 
the  beginning  of  the  century,  when  a  Miss  Osmond  taught  on  the  site 
of  Eaton  village,  in  1804.  That  was  the  first  school  at  that  point.  The 
house  stood  upon  the  Cemetery  grounds  and  was  burned  about  1800. 
The  next  school  was  kept  in  a  private  house  a  mile  below  the  village  by 
a  Mr.  Roberts.  It  is  remembered  that  one  of  the  early  pupils  in  that 
school  was  Charles  Finney,  who  became  a  noted  ministerial  revivalist 
and  president  of  Oberlin  College,  Ohio.  The  early  school  house  that 
was  burned  was  succeeded  by  a  two  story  brick  building,  which  was  the 
first  brick  structure  in  the  town.  The  ground  on  which  it  stood  was  do- 
nated by  Esquire  Eldred  and  it  was  believed  by  some,  who  objected  to 
the  proximity  of  the  school  to  their  property,  that  if  it  could  be  removed 
elsewhere  the  site  would  be  turned  into  a  public  square.  During  a  num- 
ber of  years  various  pretexts  were  advanced  for  the  removal  of  the  school 
and  finally  the  building  was  taken  down,  about  1835.  The  ground  did 
not  revert  to  the  village  for  public  purposes  and  the  folly  of  removing 
the  school  was  soon  generally  acknowledged.  After  the  demolition  of 
the  brick  school  house  a  frame  structure  was  erected,  in   183G,  which 


EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS.  465 

building  was  in  use  forty  years  later  as  a  blacksmith  shop  by  W.  L.  Clark. 
Among  the  teachers  in  this  school  building  were  Ralph  Thompson  and 
Henry  I.  Sherrill.  The  building  at  present  in  use  by  the  school  was 
erected  in  1852  at  a  cost  of  $1,800.  In  early  years  there  was  a  good  select 
school  taught  in  this  village  and  later,  in  1836,  Ellis  Morse  establisheda 
private  academy.  This  institution  continued  ten  years  with  a  fair  degree 
of  prosperity  and  employed  among  its  teachers  Dr.  James  Eels,  after- 
wards of  Lane  Theological  Seminary;  Rev.  Dr.  Kendall,  subsequently 
of  New  York  city ;  Rev.  Henry  Nelson,  D.  D. ,  and  Benjamin  F.  Taylor, 
the  well  known  poet. 

The  village  of  West  Eaton  in  this  town  comprises  the  district  No.  3. 
This  was  organized  as  a  Union  free  school  under  the  general  law  and  an 
attractive  and  convenient  building  erected  at  a  cost  of  $3,600.  The 
building  committee  were  Ira  B.  Tayntor,  J.  J.  Darrow,  and  Joshua 
Wells.  The  first  school  house  in  this  district  was  built  probably  as 
early  as  1810  and  the  first  teacher  was  Thomas  Hubbard. 

The  Yates  Polytechnic  Institute,  town  of  Sullivan,  Chittenango  vil- 
lage, was,  many  years  ago,  a  somewhat  noted  institution,  which  was 
founded  in  1824  by  Hon.  John  B.  Yates,  who  purchased  for  its  accom- 
modation a  large  and  handsome  building  erected  in  1814-15  by  a  stock 
company  for  a  tavern.  Under  the  presidency  of  his  brother.  Rev.  An- 
drew Yates,  and  at  great  pecuniary  loss,  John  B.  Yates  sustained  the 
school  during  eight  years  with  a  corps  of  six  teachers.  It  was  then 
closed  for  want  of  adequate  support.  In  1837  and  1838  the  building 
was  again  used  as  a  hotel.  On  the  death  of  Mr.  Yates,  in  1836,  the 
building  became  the  property  of  Henry  Yates,  who  deeded  it  to  trustees 
for  educational  purposes  and  changed  the  name  from  its  original  style, 
"The  Polytechny"  to  the  Yates  Polytechnic  Institute.  In  1837  an 
acedemic  school  was  opened  in  the  building  by  Rev.  George  W.  Thomp- 
son, who  continued  it  five  years.  William  Velasko,  now  of  Syracuse, 
succeeded  as  principal  in  1843  and  successfully  directed  the  institution 
until  1861.  During  the  succeeding  ten  years  the  school  was  continued 
with  gradually  diminishing  success  under  four  different  principals  and 
in  1877  was  merged  in  the  Union  free  school  of  Chittenango. 

The  Yates  Union  Free  School  District  No.  2  of  Sullivan  was  organ- 
ized August  14,  1871,  by  a  union  of  districts  Nos.  2  and  17,  in  accord- 
ance with  a  vote  of  101  to  8  in  favor  of  the  measure.  On  the  18th  of 
August,  1871,  the  following  nine  trustees  were  elected  members  of  a 
Board  of  Education:     Robert   Kennedy,   P.   J.   Flaherty,   C.  V.    Har- 

30 


466  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

bottle,  James  S.  Atwell,  J.  Hobart,  H.  French,  Charles  Kellogg,  Ly- 
man Gay,  J.  J.  L.  Baker  and  Albert  H.  Downer.  This  board  was 
authorized  to  adopt  the  Yates  Polytechnic  Institute  as  the  academic 
department  of  the  union  school,  which  they  did  August  35,  1871.  On 
the  21st  of  August,  1871,  Charles  Kellogg  was  elected  president  of  the 
board  and  J.  J.  L.  Baker,  clerk;  they  were  re-elected  in  the  fall  of  the 
following  year.  The  old  institute  was  formally  delivered  to  the  Board 
of  Education  on  September  2,  1871.  On  the  13th  of  that  month  dis- 
trict No.  6  and  part  of  district  No.  15  were  annexed  to  the  union  school 
district.  On  September  31,  1871,  the  Board  of  Education  was  author- 
ized to  sell  the  school  house  sites  and  buildings  thereon  in  former  dis- 
tricts to  6  and  17,  and  the  old  Polytechnic  building  was  adopted  for 
union  school  purposes.  The  sum  of  $6,000,  was  voted  for  the  purpose 
of  repairing  and  fitting  the  structure  for  the  reception  of  the  school  and 
on  November  23  the  further  sum  of  $3,000  was  added  to  complete  the 
repairs.  The  building  was  accepted  as  finished  February  27,  1872.  On 
October  11,  1871,  Prof.  Milton  J.  Griffin  was  chosen  principal;  Mrs. 
Annie  Jones,  preceptress;  Mrs.  Helen  C.  Loomis,  second  assistant.  On 
October  24,  1871,  Miss  Minnie  L  Barnes  was  chosen  teacher  of  the 
primary  department.  On  November  fl,  1871,  Miss  Ella  Carroll  was 
added  to  the  corps  of  teachers  to  give  instruction  in  French,  German, 
Latin  and  higher  mathematics. 

The  subject  of  organizing  a  Union  school  district  in  Georgetown  vil- 
lage was  discussed  in  the  fall  of  1897,  and  through  the  advice  of  C.  J. 
Coletnan,  then  school  commissioner,  district  No.  1,  including  the  village 
territory,  voted  to  establish  such  a  school.  At  a  special  meeting  held 
shortly  afterward  it  was  decided  to  expend  about  $1,500  in  raising  the 
school  building  and  fitting  it  for  an  academic  department.  The  school 
is  now  under  the  Regents  and  the  first  examinations  were  held  in  Jan- 
uary, 1898.  The  first  Board  of  Education  consisted  of  B.  Fred  Saun- 
ders, president;  J.  F.  Stoddard,  secretary;  E.  M.  Perry,  Eugene  Turner, 
Dr.  E.  F.  Lamb. 

The  Union  school  in  Perryville  was  incorporated  in  1897  and  consol- 
idated districts  in  the  towns  of  Fenner,  Lenox  and  Sullivan  into  district 
No.  1.  The  old  Episcopal  church  was  given  to  the  Board  of  Education 
for  the  new  school  and  was  extensively  improved  and  refitted  for  the 
purpose.  The  first  and  present  Board  of  Education  is  as  follows: 
Henry  Hakes,  Frank  Blakeslee,  Henry  Stafford,  John  Hill,  Edward 
Ransom,  John  Armstrong,  Charles  Cooper,  Jefferson  Howard,  and 
Willis  J.  Huyck. 


THE  JUDICIARY  AND  BAR.  467 

In  the  town  of  Stockbridge,  at  the  village  of  Munnsville,  a  Union 
school  was  organized  in  1894,  and  the  present  handsome  school  build- 
ing erected  in  the  same  year.  The  school  opened  with  Frank  M.  Wig- 
gins, principal,  a  position  which  he  efficiently  fills  at  the  present  time; 
he  has  three  assistants.  In  March,  1896,  the  school  passed  under  care 
of  the  Regents.  There  was  an  old  academy  in  Stockbridge,  founded 
in  1829  by  Asa  Munn  and  Thaddeus  Muzzy,  which  was  successfully 
conducted  a  short  time.      With  its  decline  the  building  was  demolished. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 
THE   JUDICIARY   AND    BAR   OF   MADISON   COUNTY. 

In  the  earliest  years  of  the  Dutch  and  English  settlements  in  Amer- 
ica, the  constituted  authorities  were  invested  with  broad  powers;  but 
these  could  be  exercised  only  within  the  restrictions  of  the  laws  of  the 
mother  country.  By  the  terms  of  its  charter  the  West  India  Company 
was  supreme  in  the  territory  now  included  in  this  State,  and  all  power 
was  vested  in  the  Director-General  and  Council,  who  were  to  be  gov- 
erned by  the  Dutch  (Roman)  law,  the  imperial  statutes  of  Charles  V, 
and  the  edicts,  resolutions  and  customs  of  the  United  Netherlands,  in 
all  cases  not  otherwise  provided  for.  The  Dutch  at  home  were  gov- 
erned by  a  league  of  commercial  guilds,  represented  in  the  States- 
General,  that  the  organized  interests  of  each  class  of  people  might  be 
protected.  The  principle  of  conserving  the  ancient  and  vested  rights 
of  all  the  people  as  against  any  portion  thereof,  even  a  majority,  and 
as  against  a  government  itself,  was  the  foundation  principle  of  the 
Dutch  provincial  authority  on  this  side  of  the  water,  as  well  as  in  the 
mother  country,  and  distinguished  it  from  any  of  the  English  colonies. 

It  was  not  until  16^4,  a  year  before  the  accession  of  Charles  I  and  the 
beginning  of  the  second  period  of  the  Thirty  Years  war,  that  govern- 
ment was  actually  established  in  New  Netherland.  In  1629  the  man- 
orial system  was  introduced,  under  which  Patroons  were  invested  with 
the  powers  and  privileges  of  feudal  barons,  but  no  political  or  judicial 
changes  could  be  introduced  without  consent  of  the  home  government. 
In  Massachusetts  the  Puritans  were  then  just  beginning  to  organize  a 


468  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

government  having  in  view  as  a  principal  object  "the  propagation  of 
the  Gospel."  This  was  the  parent  colony  of  New  England.  The  colo- 
nists on  the  Connecticut  River  were  first  governed  by  commissioners 
appointed  by  the  General  Court  of  Massachusetts.  In  1637  delegates 
from  the  three  towns  of  Hartford,  Windsor  and  Wethersfield  were  asso- 
ciated with  the  commissioners,  and  in  1639  a  written  constitution  was 
adopted  under  which  all  freemen  of  the  three  towns  were  made  equal 
before  the  law.  In  June,  1639,  the  government  of  the  colony  of  New 
Haven  was  organized,  the  Bible  was  declared  to  be  the  constitution  and 
none  but  church  members  were  admitted  to  citizenship,  the  government 
being  vested  in  seven  men  called  Pillars. 

In  1638  and  1640  the  privileges  of  the  Patroons  (before  mentioned) 
were  considerably  abridged,  while  those  of  the  free  settlers  were  cor- 
respondingly extended.  Wherever  the  people  settled  in  sufficient  num- 
bers the  West  India  Company  was  bound  to  give  them  a  local  govern- 
ment, the  officers  to  be  appointed  by  the  Director-General  and  Council, 
as  in  the  Netherlands. 

Upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  Indian  war  in  1641  Director  Kieft  was 
seriously  alarmed  and  invited  all  masters  and  heads  of  families  residing 
in  New  Amsterdam  and  its  vicinity  to  assemble  in  the  fort  on  August 
28th.  That  was  the  first  official  recognition  of  the  existence  of  "the 
people"  in  New  Netherland.  The  freemen  assembled  and  obtained 
something  of  the  right,s  enjoyed  by  other  colonists  around  them.  They 
expressed  themselves  on  the  questions  submitted  to  them  and  then  ap- 
pointed Twelve  Men  to  represent  them.     These  were  as  follows: 

David  Pietersen  de  Vries,  president;  Jacques  Bentyn,  Jan  Jansen 
Dam,  Hendrick  Jansen,  Maryn  Andriaensen,  Abram  Pietersen  (the 
miller),  Frederick  Lubbersten,  Jochim  Pietersen  Kuyler,  Gerrit  Dirck- 
sen,  George  Rapalje,  Abram  Planck,  Jacob  Stoffelsen,  Jan  Evertsen 
Bout,  Jacob  Walingen." 

They  complained  to  Kieft  of  the  arbitrary  constitution  of  the  gov- 
ernment and  asked  that  such  reforms  be  introduced  as  should  prevent 
taxation  of  the  country  in  the  absence  of  the  Twelve;  also  that  four 
men  be  chosen  from  the  Twelve  each  year  who  should  have  access  to 
the  council.  Thus  they  sought  representation  by  the  people.  Kieft 
promised  these  reforms,  and  then  reminded  them  that  they  were  called 
together  simply  to  consider  how  to  escape  the  vengeance  of  the  In- 
dians. 

*  The  fourteen  names  found  in  the  records  include,  doubtless,  appointees  after  the  first 
Twelve, 


THE  JUDICIARY  AND  BAR.  469 

The  issue  thus  raised  was  a  natural  one.  These  men  were  asking 
only  for  the  Dutch  system,  which  had  been  perfectly  satisfactory  to 
them  at  home.  When,  in  1643,  the  Indian  troubles  and  complications 
with  the  English  had  reached  ominous  proportions,  Kieft  again  called 
the  freemen  together  and  requested  them  "to  elect  five  or  six  persons 
from  among  themselves"  to  consider  propositions  to  be  made  by  the 
Director  and  Council;  a  representative  body  for  the  enactment  of  laws 
was  thus  instituted.  The  people  preferred  to  leave  the  selection  of  the 
representatives  to  the  director,  asking  only  the  right  to  reject  an  unde- 
sirable nomination.  The  eight  men  were  then  elected.  The  certificate 
of  the  election  is  on  record  signed  by  twenty-eight  freemen.  The  eight 
men  were  as  follows: 

Cornelis  Melyn,  president;  Jochim  Pietersen  Kuyter,  Jan  Jansen 
Dam,  Barent  Dircksen,  Abram  Pietersen  (the  miller),  Isaac  Allerton, 
Thomas  Hall,  Gerrit  Wolphertson  (van  Couwenhoven),  Jan  Evertsen 
Bout,  1643,  Jacob  Stoffelsen,  John  Underbill,  Francis  Douty,  George 
Baxter,  Richard  Smith,  Gysbert  Opdyck,  Jan  Evertsen  Bout,  Oloff 
Stevensen  van  Cortlandt,  1645. 

This  body  of  men  assembled  September  15  and  passed  upon  im- 
portant questions  of  war  and  performed  other  legislative  acts.  Com- 
plaints from  the  colonists  continued  and  were  finally  referred  to  the 
home  Chamber  of  Accounts,  which  reported  in  March,  1645,  sustaining 
the  complainants,  and  approving  the  organization  of  villages  after  the 
manner  of  the  English. 

The  Patroon's  charter  of  1629,  extended  in  1640,  authorized  the  colony 
to  appoint  deputies  to  inform  the  Director  and  Council  of  their  condi- 
tion when  necessary.  It  was  now  suggested  that  these  deputies  should, 
at  the  summons  of  the  Director-General,  hold  an  assembly  every  six 
months  for  the  general  welfare  and  to  deliberate  on  important  affairs. 
Kieft  was  recalled  in  December,  1644.  The  Commissioners  of  the  As- 
sembly of  the  XIX  of  the  General  Privileged  West  India  Company 
acted  on  the  report  alluded  to  in  their  instructions  to  the  Director  and 
Council  of  July  7,  1645.  The  council  was  to  consist  of  "the  Director 
and  president,  his  vice-president  and  the  Fiscal."  In  cases  in  which 
the  advocate-fiscal  appeared  as  attorney-general,  civil  or  criminal,  the 
military  commandant  was  to  sit  in  his  stead.  If  the  charge  was  crim- 
inal, three  persons  were  to  be  associated  from  the  commonalty  of  the 
district  where  the  crime  was  committed.  The  Supreme  Council  was 
the  sole  body   "  by  whom  all  occurring  affairs  relating  to  police,  justice, 


470  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

militia,  the  dignity  and  just  rights  of  the  Company  "  were  to  be  de- 
cided; it  was  an  executive,  administrative,  and  also  a  judicial  body. 

When  Petrus  Stuyvesant  arrived  (May  27,  1647),  he  set  about  restor- 
ing the  disordered  government  with  vigor.  Besides  inaugurating  new 
and  stringent  regulations  in  many  directions,  he  ordered  an  election  of 
eighteen  men  from  whom  he  selected  Nine  as  "Interlocutors  and 
Trustees  of  the  Commonalty,"  or  "Tribunes"  of  the  people.  These 
Nine  Men  were  to  hold  Courts  of  Arbitration  weekly  and  to  give  ad- 
vice to  the  Director  and  Council.  They  were  appointed  September  23, 
1647,  and  were  as  follows: 

1647,  Augustine  Heerman,  Arnoldus  van  Hardenburgh,  Govert 
Loockermans,  merchants;  Jan  Jansen  Dam,  Hendrick  Hindricksen 
Kip,  Jacob  Wolphertsen  Van  Couwenhoven,  burghers;  Michael  Jansen, 
Jan  Evertsen  Bout,  Thomas  Hall,  farmers. 

1649,  Adriaen  van  der  Donch,  president;  Augustine  Heerman,  Ar- 
noldus van  Hardenburgh,  Govert  Loockermans,  Elbert  Elbertsen 
(Stooyof),  Jacob  Wolphertsen  van  Couwenhoven. 

1650,  ClofE  Stevensen  van  Cortland,  president;  Augustine  Heerman, 
Jacob  van  Couwenhoven,  Elbert  Elbertsen,  Hendrick  Hendricksen  Kip, 
Michael  Jansen,  Thomas  Hall,  Govert  Loockermans,  J.  Evertsen  Bout. 

1652,  David  Provost,  William  Beeckman,  Jacobus  van  Curler,  AUard 
Anthony,  Isaac  de  Forest,  Arent  van  Hattem,  Jochim  Pietersen  Kuy- 
ter,  Paulus  Leenderman  van  der  Grist,  Peter  Cornelissen,  miller. 

Three  of  the  Nine  in  each  year  were  taken  from  merchants,  three 
from  the  burghers,  and  three  from  the  farmers,  thus  continuing  the 
old  Netherland  system. 

The  colony  now  became  the  scene  of  a  prolonged  contest  and  numer- 
ous lengthy  petitions  went  from  the  colonists  to  the  States-General  for 
a  burgher  government  and  other  changes.  The  burgher  government 
was  finallv  granted  in  1653.  Burgomasters  had  been  in  power  in  Hol- 
land since  the  fourteenth  century,  and  it  was  contemplated  by  the 
States- General  that  they  should  be  elected  by  the  burghers  in  New 
Amsterdam.  But  the  Director  and  Council  assumed  the  right  to  ap- 
point them  and  exercised  it  until  1658,  when  a  double  number  was 
nominated,  from  whom  the  Director  and  Council  selected  the  members 
for  the  ensuing  year. 

Local  officers  or  inferior  courts,  with  limited  jurisdiction,  were  au 
thorized  in  various  villages  from  time  to  time.  The  Patroons  of  the 
great  manors  were  invested  with  power  to  administer  civil  and  criminal 


THE  JUDICIARY  AND  BAR.  471 

justice  in  person  or  by  deputy;  to  appoint  local  officers  and  magis- 
trates; to  erect  courts  and  take  cognizance  of  all  crimes  committed 
within  their  separate  domains;  to  keep  a  gallows,'  if  required,  for  the 
execution  of  criminals.  One  of  the  lesser  degrees  of  punishment  was 
"banishment  from  the  colonie;"  another  was  corporal  punishment.  In 
civil  cases  of  all  kinds  between  the  Patroon  and  his  tenants,  these 
courts  had  jurisdiction,  and  from  their  judgments  in  matters  affecting 
life  and  limb  and  in  suits  where  more  than  ^^20  was  involved,  appeal 
could  be  taken  to  the  Director-General  and  Council. 

The  government  itself  was  invested  in  a  General  Court  which  exer- 
cised executive,  legislative,  or  municipal  and  judicial  functions,  and 
which  was  composed  of  two  commissaries  and  two  councilors,  who  were 
a  colonial  secretary,  a  sheriff  (schout- fiscal),  and  a  court  messenger  or 
constable.  Each  of  these  received  a  small  salary.  The  magistrates  of 
the  colony  held  office  one  year,  the  court  appointing  their  successors  or 
continuing  those  already  in  office. 

The  most  important  of  these  officials  was  the  schout-fiscal,  who  was 
bound  by  instructions  received  from  the  Patroon.  No  man  in  the 
colony  was  subject  to  loss  of  life  or  property  unless  under  sentence  of 
a  court  composed  of  five  persons,  and  all  persons  accused  were  entitled 
to  a  speedy  trial.  The  public  prosecutor  was  especially  warned  not  to 
receive  presents  or  bribes,  nor  to  be  interested  in  trade  or  commerce, 
directly  or  indirectly.  He  was  paid  a  fixed  salary,  with  a  dwelling  free, 
and  given  all  fines  up  to  ten  guilders  and  a  third  of  all  forfeitures  over 
that  sum. 

Governor  Dongan,  in  his  report  to  the  Committee  on  Trade,  dated 
February  22,  1687,  gave  the  following  information  regarding  the  early 
courts  of  New  York  and  Albany: 

There  is  likewise  in  New  York  and  Albany  a  Court  of  Mayor  and  Aldermen  held 
once  in  every  fortnight,  from  whence  their  can  bee  noe  appeal  unless  the  cause  of 
action  bee  above  the  value  of  Twenty  Pounds,  who  have  likewise  priviledges  to  make 
bylaws  for  ye  regulation  of  their  own  affairs  as  they  think  fitt  soe  as  the  same  be  ap- 
proved of  by  ye  Gov'r  and  Council. 

The  mayor,  recorder  and  aldermen  of  the  city  of  Albany,  or  any 
three  of  them,  were,  in  1686,  ex-officio  inembers  of  the  old  Court  of 
Common  Pleas,  acting  when  there  was  no  judge  present.     The  colonial 

*  There  was  a  curious  restriction  connected  with  the  gallows,  to  the  effect  that  if  it  fell  pend- 
ing an  execution,  a  new  one  could  not  be  built,  except  for  hanging  another  criminal. 


473  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Court  of  Common  Pleas  held  regular  terms  until  1776,  when  it  was  dis- 
solved under  the  influence  of  the  animating  spirit  of  independence. 

With  the  accession  of  the  English  a  new  order  of  judicial  administra- 
tion came  into  existence.  There  was  the  Court  of  Assizes,  which  was 
established  under  the  Duke's  Laws  at  Hempstead,  L.  I.,  in  1665.  This 
court  was  composed  of  the  governor,  members  of  the  council,  high 
sheriff,  and  such  justices  of  the  peace  as  might  attend.  It  sat  in  New 
York  and  only  once  a  year,  but  special  terms  could  be  called.  Its  ju- 
risdiction extended  over  all  criminal  matters,  and  in  civil  cases  where  the 
value  of  ^20  or  more  was  involved.     This  court  was  abolished  in  1683. 

In  1683  an  act  was  passed  "  to  settle  Courts  of  Justice,"  which  or- 
dered the  holding  of  a  Court  of  Oyer  and  Terminer  m  the  respective 
counties  of  the  province,  composed  of  one  judge,  assisted  by  four  jus- 
tices of  the  peace  in  each  county.  In  New  York  city  and  the  city  of 
Albany,  the  mayor,  recorder  and  four  aldermen  were  associated  with 
the  judge.  The  court  had  jurisdiction  over  all  capital  causes,  and  ap- 
pellate jurisdiction  where  ^5  or  more  was  involved.  The  authority  for 
holding  the  court  was  derived  from  the  governor;  the  court  was  abol- 
ished in  1691.  Courts  of  Sessions  and  Justices'  Courts  were  also  con- 
tinued and  a  Court  of  Chancery  established.  The  Court  of  Sessions 
was  ordered  to  be  held  in  New  York  four  times,  in  Albany  three  times 
and  in  the  other  ten  counties  then  in  existence,  twice  in  each  year.  All 
cases  civil  and  criminal  were  determined  by  it,  with  a  jury. 

The  Court  of  Chancery  was  founded,  with  the  governor  or  his  ap- 
pointee as  chancellor,  assisted  by  the  council.  This  court  expired  by 
limitation  in  1698,  but  was  revived  by  ordinance  August  28,  1701;  it 
was  suspended  June  13,  1703,  and  finally  re-established  November  7, 
1704.  It  ceased  its  existence  in  July,  1847,  under  the  new  constitution. 
It  was  an  equity  court  and  by  the  second  constitution  equity  powers 
were  vested  in  the  circuit  judge,  subject  to  the  appellate  jurisdiction  of 
the  chancellor. 

The  Court  of  Admiralty,  which  was  a  civil  law  court,  extended 
through  most  of  the  colonial  regime  and  for  a  short  time  under  the 
State  government.  Under  the  Dutch,  the  Governor  and  Council  acted 
as  judges  of  this  court.  Under  the  Duke  of  York  commissions  were 
issued  by  the  governor  to  determine  cases,  until  1678,  when  authority 
was  given  to  appoint  judges  and  other  officers  of  the  courts  which  was 
at  first  established  by  warrant,  but  later  came  from  the  Lords  of  the 
Admiralty  in  England.     In  November,  1775,  Congress  recommended 


THE  JUDICIARY  AND  BAR.  473 

the  colonies  to  establish  courts  to  adjudicate  matters  relative  to  cap- 
tures on  the  sea  in  the  war.  Accordingly  the  High  Court  of  Admiralty 
of  the  State  of  New  York  was  authorized.  Pursuant  to  an  act  of  Con- 
gress passed  October  13,  1777,  appeals  could  be  had  from  the  court  to 
a  committee  of  congressmen.  Under  the  Articles  of  Confederation  an 
act  was  passed  establishing  a  court  to  hear  such  appeals.  The  United 
States  constitution  vested  admiralty  jurisdiction  exclusively  in  the  Fed- 
eral courts,  and  consequently  the  State  court  ceased  in  1789,  and  its 
powers  were  vested  in  the  U.  S.  District  Court. 

The  third  judicial  system  was  organized  in  1691  and  continued 
through  the  colonial  period.  Ih  that  year  the  Court  for  the  Correction 
of  Errors  and  Appeals  was  founded,  consisting  of  the  Governor  and 
Council.  Appeals  lay  to  this  court  from  any  judgment  exceeding  in 
value  ^100,  which  amount  was  increased  in  1753  to  ^300. 

It  is  a  fact  that  reflects  credit  xipon  the  early  colonists  of  New  York 
that  they  invariably  evinced  respect  for  the  law  and  upheld  measures 
for  the  protection  and  honor  of  their  judiciary.  For  example,  in  the 
year  that  Governor  De  Lancey  died  (1760)  George  III  ascended  the 
English  throne.  De  Lancey  was  a  lawyer  of  ability  and  labored  assid- 
uously m  the  development  of  the  civil  polity  of  the  province.  Upon 
the  accession  of  George  III  anew  conflict  arose.  AH  commissions  term- 
inated upon  the  death  of  a  sovereign,  and  the  differences  which  had 
theretofore  existed  as  to  scope  of  judicial  powers  became  a  prominent 
issue.  The  Assembly  proposed  to  pass  an  act  establishing  Courts  of 
Judicature  by  law,  instead  of  by  prerogative,  as  before.  Judges  were 
to  be  removed  by  the  governor  on  appeal  from  the  Assembl}',  or  by  ad- 
vice of  at  least  seven  members  of  the  council.  Thereupon  Cadwallader 
Colden,  the  obsequious  lieutenant-governor,  suggested  that  the  king 
also  be  empowered  to  remove,  which  would  thus  preserve  the  preroga- 
tive of  the  crown.  An  active  discussion  ensued  among  the  lawyers  and 
others.  An  act  was  now  passed  that  judges  should  hold  office  during 
good  behavior,  instead  of  during  the  pleasure  of  the  governor.  The 
Lords  of  Trade,  on  November  21,  1761,  held  that  this  action  was  "  sub- 
versive of  that  policy  by  which  those  colonies  can  be  kept  in  a  just  de- 
pendence upon  the  government  of  the  mother  country,"  and  that  "it 
is  difficult  to  conceive  a  state  of  government  more  dangerous  to  the 
rights  and  liberties  of  the  subject,  aggravated  as  the  evil  would  be  by 
making  the  judges'  commissions  during  good  behavior,  without  render- 
ing them  at  the  same  time  independent  of  the  factious  will  and  caprice 


474  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

of  an  Assembly,"  by  providing  permanently  for  their  support.  In 
accordance  with  this  position  instructions  were  issued  to  the  governors 
on  the  3d  of  December,  "  that  you  do  not  upon  any  pretense  whatever, 
upon  the  pain  of  being  removed  from  your  government,  give  your  assent 
to  any  act  by  which  the  tenure  of  the  commissions  to  be  granted  to  the 
chief  judge  or  other  justices  of  the  several  courts  of  judicature  shall  be 
regulated  or  ascertained  in  any  manner  whatever,  and  you  are  to  take 
particular  care  in  all  commissions  to  be  by  you  granted  that  they  be 
during  pleasure  only,  agreeable  to  ancient  practice."  That  was  the 
British  view  of  the  situation.  The  records  of  the  General  Assembly  on 
nearly  every  page,  express  the  high  regard  of  the  colonists  for  the  law, 
and  the  lawyers  of  the  province  were  a  unit  in  their  construction  of  the 
law.  Bench  and  bar  stood  united  in  defense  of  the  liberties  of  the  peo- 
ple in  this  respect. 

Under  the  system  of  1691  were  established  also  the  Court  of  Common 
Pleas  and  the  Supreme  Court.  The  criminal  side  of  the  latter  was  what 
constituted  the  Court  of  Oyer  and  Terminer.  The  Supreme  Court  ex- 
pired by  limitation  in  1698,  was  continued  by  proclamation  January  19, 
1699,  and  finally  again  by  ordinance  May  15,  1699.  Its  powers  and 
jurisdiction  were  broad,  but  it  was  without  equity  jurisdiction.  Any 
case  involving  ^20  or  more  could  be  commenced  in,  or  returned  to  it, 
and  it  could  correct  errors  and  revise  the  judgments  of  the  lower 
courts.  Appeals  lay  from  it  to  the  Governor  and  Council  in  cases  in- 
volving ;^100  or  more,  which  amount  was,  as  before  stated,  increased 
to  ;^300  in  1753.  The  court  held  four  terms  annually,  sitting  in  New 
York  only,  Persons  who  had  served  seven  years  under  an  attorney  or 
had  taken  a  collegiate  course  and  served  three  years'  apprenticeship 
were  granted  license  to  practice  in  this  court  by  the  governor. 

The  first  constitution  recognized  the  Supreme  Court  as  it  then  existed. 
It  was  reorganized  May  3,  1777,  but  with  only  slight  changes.  In  1785 
two  terms  were  directed  to  be  held  in  Albany  and  two  in  New  York 
each  year,  and  the  clerk's  office  was  directed  to  be  kept  in  New  York 
and  that  of  his  deputy  in  Albany. 

By  an  act  passed  April  19,  178G,  one  or  more  of  the  justices  of  the 
Supreme  Court  was  required  to  hold  during  the  vacations,  and  oftener  if 
necessary,  Circuit  Courts  in  each  of  the  counties  of  the  State  for  the  trial 
of  all  issues  triable  in  the  respective  counties.  The  proceedings  were 
to  be  returned  to  the  Supreme  Court,  where  they  were  to  be  recorded 
and  judgment  given  according  to  law.     Upon  the  formation  of  Ontario 


THE  JUDICIARY  AND  BAR.  475 

county  in  1789,  which  included  the  territory  of  Madison  county,  this 
court  extended  its  jurisdiction  over  that  territory.  On  March  10,  17!t7, 
the  judges  were  authorized  to  appoint  an  additional  clerk  with  an  office 
in  Albany.  In  1807  another  clerk's  office  was  established  in  Utica 
The  first  rules  of  the  court  were  adopted  at  the  April  term  in  1796.  In 
the  same  year  a  law  was  passed  directing  this  court  to  designate  at  its 
April  term  one  of  their  number  to  hold  a  Circuit  Court  in  the  Western, 
one  in  the  Eastern  and  one  in  the  Southern  District.  An  act  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1788,  provided  for  holding  a  Court  of  Oyer  and  Terminer  by  the 
justices  at  the  same  time  with  the  Circuit.  Two  or  more  of  the  judges 
and  assistant  judges  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  were  to  sit  in  the 
Oyer  and  Terminer  with  the  justices. 

The  constitution  of  1821  made  several  important  changes  in  this 
court.  For  example,  it  was  to  sit  four  times  a  year  in  review  of  its  own 
decisions  and  to  determine  questions  of  law;  each  justice,  however, 
could  hold  Circuit  Courts,  as  well  as  the  circuit  court  judges,  and  any 
justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  could  preside  at  the  Oyer  and  Terminer. 
The  court  had  power  to  amend  its  practice  in  cases  not  covered  by 
statute,  and  was  directed  to  revise  the  rules  every  seven  years,  to  sim- 
plify proceedings,  expedite  decisions,  diminish  costs  and  remedy  abuses. 
The  judges  were  appointed  by  the  governor  with  consent  of  the  Senate, 
and  held  office  during  good  behavior  or  until  sixty  years  of  age.  Their 
number  was  reduced  to  three,  and  from  1833  they  were  allowed  |2,000 
each  annually;  this  sum  was  increased  to  $3,500  in  1835  and  in  1859  to 
$3,000.  Two  of  the  terms  were  held  at  the  Capitol  in  Albany.  The 
act  of  1691  gave  this  court  cognizance  of  matters  of  exchequer,  thus  re- 
moving the  necessity  for  the  Court  of  Exchequer,  which  was  established 
by  Governor  Dongan  in  1685. 

The  constitution  of  1846  abolished  the  Supreme  Court  as  it  then 
existed  and  established  a  new  one  with  general  jurisdiction  in  law 
and  equity.  The  State  was  divided  into  eight  judicial  districts,  in  each 
of  which  four  justices  were  elected,  except  in  the  first  (New  York 
city),  where  five  were  elected.  The  term  of  office  was  made  eight 
years,  but  the  amended  judiciary  article  made  the  term  as  at  present, 
fourteen  years.  This  court  possesses  the  power  and  exercises  the  juris- 
diction of  the  preceding  Supreme  Court  under  the  constitution  of  1846 
and  the  judiciary  act  of  May  13,  1847.  On  April  27,  1870,  the  Legis- 
lature abolished  the  general  terms  as  then  existing  and  divided  the 
State  into  four  departments,  providing  for  general  terms  to  be  held  in 


476  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

each.  The  governor  was  to  designate  a  presiding  justice  and  two  as- 
sociate justices  for  each  department  to  compose  the  general  term.  At 
least  two  terms  of  Circuit  Court  and  Court  of  Oyer  and  Terminer  were 
to  beheld  annually  in  each  county  and  as  many  special  terms  as  the 
justices  in  each  department  deemed  necessary.  The  boundaries  of  the 
eight  districts  were  somewhat  changed  by  subsequent  legislation. 
Madison,  Otsego,  Delaware,  Chenango,  Broome,  Tioga,  Chemung, 
Tompkins,  Cortland  and  Schuyler  now  constitute  the  Sixth  District; 
this  county  was  formerly  in  the  Fifth  District.  The  State  was  divided 
by  the  laws  of  1883  into  Five  Judicial  Departments,  with  the  Fourth 
constituted  of  the  Fifth  and  Sixth  Districts;  this  continued  until  1894, 
when  the  Third,  Fourth,  and  part  of  the  Sixth  Districts  were  consti- 
tuted the  Third  Department,  including,  of  course,  Madison  county. 
There  are  now  only  four  Departments. 

By  the  act  of  June  3,  1876,  entitled  the  Code  of  Remedial  Justice,  and 
amended  June  5,  1877,  with  the  title  of  The  Code  of  Civil  Procedure, 
the  General  Term  justices  of  the  Supreme  Court  and  chief  judges  of 
the  Superior  City  Courts  were  required  to  meet  in  convention  every  two 
years  to  revise  and  establish  general  rules  of  practice  for  all  courts  of 
record  in  the  State,  excepting  the  Court  for  the  Trial  of  Impeachments 
and  the  Court  of  Appeals. 

The  Legislature  of  1883  directed  the  submission  to  the  people  of  the 
question  of  amending  the  constitution  so  as  to  provide  for  the  organ- 
ization of  the  Supreme  Court,  with  not  more  than  five  General  Terms, 
and  for  the  election  of  two  additional  justices  thereof  in  the  First,  Fifth, 
Seventh  and  Eighth  Judicial  Districts,  and  one  additional  justice  in  the 
Second,  Third,  Fourth  and  Sixth  Districts,  the  justices  so  elected  to  be 
invested  with  office  on  the  first  Monday  in  June,  1884.  The  amend- 
ments were  so  adopted,  and  by  the  laws  of  1883  (chapter  329)  provision 
was  made  for  the  election  of  the  twelve  additional  justices  authorized. 

The  constitution  of  1894  continued  the  Supreme  Court  as  it  then  ex- 
isted, with  general  jurisdiction  in  law  and  equity,  and  also  vested  in  the 
court  the  jurisdiction  previously  exercised  by  the  Superior  Court  of 
Buffalo  and  New  York  city,  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  of  the  city  and 
county  of  New  York,  and  the  City  Court  of  Brooklyn.  These  courts 
were  abolished  on  January  1,  1896,  the  judges  thereof  becoming  justices 
of  the  Supreme  Court.  There  is  an  Appellate  Division  of  the  Supreme 
Court  in  each  of  the  four  Judicial  Departments,  consisting  of  seven  jus- 
tices in  the  First  Department  and  five  in  each  of  the  other  departments. 


THE  JUDICIARY  AND  BAR.  477 

No  more  than  five  justices  sit  in  any  case  and  the  governor  designates 
the  presiding  justice  and  other  justices  who  shall  constitute  the  Appel- 
late Division  in  each  department. 

Charles  Mason  of  Hamilton,  of  whom  a  sketch  is  given  later  on  in 
this  chapter,  was  elected  to  the  Supreme  Court  in  1847  and  re-elected 
in  1851,  and  in  1868  was  appointed  judge  of  the  Court  of  Appeals  in 
place  of  William  B.  Wright,  deceased. 

Gerrit  A.  Forbes  of  Canastota  was  elected  justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court  in  1887  and  is  still  in  that  office. 

The  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  before  mentioned,  was  first  established 
in  New  York  and  Albany  by  the  charters  of  1686,  and  in  1691,  and 
was  extended  to  all  counties.  The  Common  Pleas  for  the  City  and 
County  of  New  York  was  the  oldest  judicial  tribunal  in  the  State;  it 
was  a  continuation  of  the  former  Mayor's  Court,  and  after  the  year 
1688  its  criminal  branch  was  called  the  Court  of  Sessions.  At  the  first 
this  court  was  composed  of  one  judge  and  three  justices,  but  in  1702  it 
was  ordered  that  the  judge  should  be  assisted  by  two  or  more  justices; 
they  were  all  appointed  by  the  governor  and  held  office  only  during  his 
pleasure.  The  court  had  cognizance  of  all  actions  where  the  sum  in- 
volved exceeded  _^5  in  value.  Its  errors  were  corrected  in  the  first  in- 
stance by  writs  of  error  brought  in  the  Supreme  Court;  appeals  were 
allowed  to  the  latter  court  in  cases  where  the  sum  involved  exceeded 
;^20.  In  more  remote  counties  the  court  was  authorized  to  take  proof 
of  wills  and  transmit  its  proceedings  to  the  record  office  in  New  York. 
The  Court  of  Common  Pleas  was  continued  from  the  colonial  period, 
as  noticed  further  on. 

The  constitution  of  1831  provided  that  the  State  should  be  divided 
into  not  less  than  four  nor  more  than  eight  circuits,  for  each  of  which 
a  circuit  judge  should  be  appointed,  who  should  hold  office  by  the  same 
tenure  as  the  justices  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  who  should  possess 
the  powers  of  a  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  at  Chambers  and  in  the 
trial  of  issues  joined  in  the  Supreme  Court;  and  in  Courts  of  Oyer  and 
Terminer  and  Jail  Delivery.  In  pursuance  of  these  provisions  a  law 
was  passed  April  17,  1823,  dividing  the  State  into  eight  circuits,  cor- 
responding with  the  Senatorial  districts.  No  change  was  made  in  these 
districts  during  the  continuance  of  the  court.  At  least  two  Circuit 
Courts  were  held  annually  in  each  county,  except  in  the  county  of  New 
York,  in  which  four  were  held.  The  circuit  judge  also  held  a  Court  of 
Oyer  and  Terminer  at   the  same   time  and  place  with   the  circuit,  or 


478  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

otherwise  if  they  so  appointed.  This  court  possessed  a  seal.  After 
the  adoption  of  the  constitution  of  1846  Circuit  Courts  were  held  in 
each  county  by  a  iustice  of  the  Supreme  Court.  This  court  is  a  court 
of  record  and  the  clerk  of  the  county  is  its  clerk. 

By  the  third  article  of  the  constitution  of  1777  a  Court  for  the  Trial 
of  Impeachments  and  Correction  of  Errors  was  provided  for,  to  con- 
sist of  the  president  of  the  Senate  for  the  time  being,  the  senators, 
chancellor  and  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court,  or  a  majority  of  them. 
The  impeachment  functions  of  this  court  were  directed  against  corrupt 
conduct  by  State  ofHcials.  In  the  correction  of  errors  appeals  were 
allowed  to  it  from  the  Court  of  Chancery,  Supreme  Court  and  Court  of 
Probate.  This  court  was  continued  under  the  constitution  of  1821, 
with  slight  change,  but  was  abolished  by  the  constitution  of  1846.  Its 
powers  and  duties  were  then  conferred  upon  a  new  court,  the  Court  for 
the  Trial  of  Impeachments,  as  far  as  that  feature  of  the  former  court 
was  concerned.  The  new  court  was  composed  of  the  president  of  the 
Senate,  the  senators,  or  a  majority  of  them,  and  the  judges  of  the  Court 
of  Appeals,  or  a  majority  of  them.  The  Court  for  the  Trial  of  Im- 
peachments and  the  Correction  of  Errors,  as  far  as  the  correction  of 
errors  is  concerned,  was  succeeded  by  our  Court  of  Appeals,  which  was 
organized  under  the  constitution  of  1846.  As  first  formed  it  consisted 
of  eight  judges,  four  of  whom  were  chosen  by  the  electors  for  a  term 
of  eight  years,  and  four  were  selected  from  the  class  of  the  Supreme 
Court  justices  having  the  shortest  time  to  serve.  The  judge  elected 
who  had  the  shortest  time  to  serve  acted  as  chief  judge.  This  court 
was  recognized  by  the  constitutional  convention  of  1867-68,  the  article 
referring  to  the  judiciary  being  ratified  by  the  people  in  1869.  By  that 
article  this  court  consisted  of  a  chief  judge  and  six  associate  judges, 
who  held  office  for  terms  of  fourteen  years.  The  new  article  also  pro- 
vided for  a  Commission  of  Appeals,  composed  of  four  judges  of  this 
court  in  office  when  the  article  went  into  effect,  and  a  fifth  commis- 
sioner. Their  term  was  three  years  and  they  selected  their  chief.  This 
commission  served  until  1875,  for  the  relief  of  the  Court  of  Appeals. 

In  1888  the  Legislature  passed  a  concurrent  resolution  that  section 
6  of  article  6  of  the  constitution  be  amended  so  that  upon  the  certificate 
of  the  Court  of  Appeals  to  the  governor  of  such  an  accumulation  of 
causes  on  the  calendar  of  the  Court  of  Appeals  that  the  public  inter- 
ests required  a  more  speedy  disposition  thereof,  the  governor  may 
desiignate  seven  justices  of  the  Supreme  Court  to  act  as  associate  judges 


THE  JUDICIARY  AND  BAR.  479 

for  the  time  being  of  the  Court  of  Appeals,  and  to  form  a  second  divis- 
ion of  that  court,  and  to  be  dissolved  by  the  governor  when  said  causes 
are  substantially  disposed  of.  This  amendment  was  submitted  to  the 
people  of  the  State  at  the  general  election  of  that  year  and  was  rati- 
fied, and  in  accordance  therewith  the  governor  selected  seven  Supreme 
Court  justices,  who  were  constituted  the  Second  Division  of  the  Court 
of  Appeals. 

No  resident  of  Madison  county  has  been  honored  with  the  high  office 
of  judge  of  the  Court  of  Appeals  of  this  State. 

County  Court. — The  act  of  1683  directed  that  a  Court  of  Sessions  be 
held  by  three  justices  of  the  peace  in  each  of  the  twelve  counties  of 
the  province,  four  times  annually  in  New  York,  three  times  annually  in 
Albany,  and  twice  in  each  of  the  other  counties.  By  the  act  of  1691 
and  ordinances  of  1699,  the  functions  of  this  court  were  confined  to 
criminal  matters,  while  civil  cases  were  transferred  to  the  Court  of 
Common  Pleas.  The  latter  court  was  established  in  New  York  and 
Albany  by  the  charters  of  1686  and  a  Court  of  Common  Pleas  was 
erected  for  each  county  by  the  act  of  1691.  Composed  at  first  of  one 
judge  and  three  justices,  it  was  ordered  in  1702  that  the  judge  be  as- 
sisted by  two  or  more  justices,  all  to  be  appointed  by  the  governor.  Its 
jurisdiction  embraced  all  actions,  real,  personal  and  mixed  where  more 
than  ^5  were  involved.  It  was  based  upon  the  practice  of  the  King's 
Bench  and  Common  Pleas  at  Westminster,  England.  Appeals  were 
allowed  to  the  Supreme  Court  where  the  amount  involved  exceeded 
^20.  This  court  continued  through  the  colonial  period.  Under  the 
first  constitution  the  number  of  judges  and  assistant  justices  varied 
greatly  in  the  diffierent  counties,  reaching  in  some  counties  as  many  as 
twelve.  On  March  27,  1718,  the  office  of  assistant  justice  was  abolished 
and  the  number  of  judges  limited  to  five,  inclusive  of  the  first  judge. 
The  constitution  of  1821  continued  this  court  with  little  change.  The 
judges  were  appointed  by  the  Governor  and  the  Council  of  Appointment 
down  to  1821,  after  which  they  were  appointed  by  the  Governor  and 
Senate  down  to  1846,  when  the  office  was  made  elective.  The  consti- 
tution of  1846  abolished  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  and  created  the 
County  Court,  providing  for  the  election  in  each  county,  except  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  of  one  county  judge,  who  should  hold  a  court  and 
have  jurisdiction  in  cases  arising  in  Justice's  Court  and  in  such  special 
cases  as  the  Legislature  might  order.  Upon  this  court  the  Legislature 
afterward  conferred  jurisdiction  in   actions  to  recover  money  only  in 


480  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

sums  not  exceeding  $2,000;  in  replevin  suits  for  $1,000;  in  cases  of 
trespass  and  personal  injury  not  exceeding  $500;  also  equity  jurisdiction 
in  mortgage  foreclosures,  sale  of  infant's  real  estate,  partition  of  lands, 
admeasurement  of  dower,  satisfaction  of  certain  judgments,  etc.  The 
tenure  of  office  of  county  judge  was  extended  from  four  to  six  years. 
Associated  with  the  county  judge  were  two  justices  of  the  peace  to  be 
designated  by  law  to  hold  Courts  of  Sessions,  with  such  criminal  juris- 
diction as  the  Legislature  might  prescribe.  The  constitution  of  1894 
changed  somewhat  the  powers  and  forms  of  this  court,  principally  on 
the  criminal  side.     These  recent  changes  are  familiar  to  the  bar. 

The  first  judge  of  Chenango  county  and  who  had  jurisdiction  over 
the  territory  of  Madison  county  until  1806,  was  Isaac  Foote,  ap- 
pointed October  30,  1800;  the  first  judge  of  Madison  county  was  Peter 
Smith,  of  Peterboro,  appointed  June  10,  1807.  His  successors  were  as 
follows: 

Justin  Dwindle,  of  Cazenovia,  appointed  February  7,  1833;  James  B. 
Eldridge,  of  Hamilton,  March  16,  1833;  John  B.  Yates,  of  Chittenango, 
Mfirch  16,  1837;  Thomas  Barlow,  of  Canastota,  January  24,  1843.  The 
county  judges  since  this  office  was  made  elective  have  been  as  follows: 
James  W.  Nye,  of  Hamilton,  elected  in  June,  1847;  Sidney  T.  Holmes, 
of  Morrisville,  elected  in  November,  1851;  Joseph  Mason,  of  Hamilton, 
elected  1863;  Charles  L.  Kennedy,  of  Morrisville,  elected  1867,  and 
twice  re-elected;  B.  Franklin  Chapman,  appointed  by  the  governor  vice 
Kennedy,  deceased,  January  24,  1883;  Alfred  D.  Kennedy,  elected  No- 
vember 6,  1883,  died  1899;  John  E.  Smith,  Morrisville,  appointed  to 
fill  vacancy,  and  nominated  and  elected  in  November,  1899. 

Surrogates. — Courts  for  the  care  and  administration  of  estates  have 
come  down  from  the  first  Orphan's  Court.  Originally  the  Director- 
General  and  Council  of  New  Netherland  were  guardians  of  widows  and 
orphans  It  was  the  duty  of  church  deacons  to  attend  personally  to 
these  interests  and  to  notify  the  Director  of  the  death  of  parents.  In 
New  Amsterdam  the  Burgomasters  became  ex-officio  Orphan  Masters 
in  1653,  but  at  their  own  request  they  were  soon  relieved  of  the  duty 
and  two  special  Orphan  Masters  were  appointed.  At  Fort  Orange  (Al- 
bany) in  1652  the  Vice- Director  was  appointed  and  in  1657  Jan  Verbeck 
and  Evert  Wendell .  By  the  Duke's  laws  authority  to  grant  probate  of 
wills  was  vested  in  the  Court  of  Assizes  and  Court  of  Sessions.  This 
duty  being  a  part  of  the  royal  prerogative,  was  subsequently  reserved 
to  the  governor,   and   the   Legislature  accordingly,  on   November  11, 


THE  JUDICIARY  AND  BAR.  481 

1692,  passed  a  law  directing  that  all  probates  and  letters  of  administra- 
tion be  thereafter  granted  by  the  governor  or  his  delegate  and  that 
two  freeholders  be  appointed  in  each  town  to  have  charge  of  the  es- 
tates of  intestates.  This  constituted  the  Prerogative  Court.  In  1778 
the  Legislature  passed  a  law  taking  from  the  governor  the  powers  de- 
scribed above  and  transferring  them  to  the  judge  of  the  Court  of  Pro- 
bates. In  1787  the  appointment  of  a  surrogate  in  each  county  was 
authorized,  while  the  judge  of  the  Court  of  Probates  continued  to  hold 
jurisdiction  in  cases  out  of  the  State  and  of  non-residents  within  the 
State.  Under  the  first  constitution  surrogates  were  appointed  for  an 
unlimited  period  by  the  Council  of  Appointment.  Under  the  second 
constitution  they  were  appointed  by  the  governor  and  Senate  for  four 
years,  and  appeals  went  up  to  the  chancellor.  The  constitution  of  184(5 
abolished  the  separate  office  excepting  in  counties  having  40,000  or 
more  population,  and  transferred  its  duties  to  the  county  judge.  In 
counties  with  more  than  40,000  population  the  Legislature  may  provide 
for  the  election  of  a  separate  officer  to  be  Surrogate  for  six  years. 

The  surrogates  of  Madison  county  have  been  as  follows:  Thomas 
H.  Hubbard,  of  Hamilton,  appointed  March  2(j,  1806;  Dr.  Asa  B. 
Sizer,  of  Madison,  February  26,  1816;  John  B.  Stower,  of  Hamilton, 
February  19,  1821;  Otis  P.  Granger,  of  Morrisville,  April  13,  1827; 
James  B.  Eldridge,  of  Hamilton,  February  18,  1840;  James  W.  Nye,  of 
Hamilton,  February,  1844.  Since  June,  1847,  the  duties  of  this  office 
have  been  vested  in  the  county  judge. 

District  Attorneys. — Under  the  legislative  act  of  February  12,  1796, 
this  State  was  divided  into  seven  districts,  over  which  an  assistant  at- 
torney-general was  appointed  by  the  Governor  and  Council  to  serve 
during  their  pleasure.  The  office  of  district  attorney  was  created  on 
April  4,  1801,  the  State  then  being  divided  into  five  districts,  which  was 
subsequently  and  gradually  increased  to  thirteen.  Chenango,  Her- 
kimer, Lewis,  Oneida,  Otsego,  Madison,  from  1806,  and  Jefferson,  from 
1805  to  1808  constituted  the  sixth  district.  From  1809  to  1817  Madi- 
son, Cayuga,  Chenango,  Onondaga  and  Cortland  counties  constituted 
the  ninth  district.  Since  the  year  1818  each  county  in  the  State  has 
had  its  own  district  attorney.  During  the  life  of  the  second  constitu- 
tion district  attorneys  were  appointed  by  the  Court  of  General  Sessions 
in  each  county.  The  following  persons  held  this  office  in  Madison 
county : 

Daniel  Kellogg,  of  Sullivan,  appointed  February  30,  1809;  Thomas 

31 


482  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

H.  Hubbard,  of  Hamilton,  appointed  February  36,  1816,  and  again 
June  11,  1818;  William  K.  Fuller,  of  Chittenango,  appointed  March  26, 
1821;  Philo  Gridley,  of  Hamilton,  appointed  1829;  Justin  Dwindle, 
of  Cazenovia,  appointed  1837;  Charles  Mason,  of  Hamilton,  appointed 
1845;  (the  three  names  just  preceding  and  the  dates  of  their  appoint- 
ment are  obtained  from  unofficial  data  and  possibly  may  be  incorrect); 
Henry  C.  Goodwin,  of  Hamilton,  elected  June,  1847;  William  E.  Lan- 
sing, of  Chittenango,  elected  November,  1850;  David  J.  Mitchell,  of 
Hamilton,  November,  1853;  Asahel  C.  Stone,  of  Peterboro,  November, 
1856;  Albert  N.  Sheldon,  of  Hamilton,  November,  1859;  Delos  W. 
Cameron,  of  Cazenovia,  November,  1862;  Lambert  B.  Kern,  of  De 
Ruyter,  November,  1865;  Alexander  Cramphin,  of  Morrisville,  Novem- 
ber, 1868;  Gerrit  A.  Forbes,  of  Canastota,  November,  1871;  Sherman 
B.  Daboll,  of  Brookfield,  November,  1874;  John  E.  Smith,  of  Morris- 
ville, November,  1877;  Henry  Barclay,  of  Morrisville,  November,  1880 
John  E.  Smith,  appointed  vice  Barclay  resigned,  December  28,  1882 
Edgar  N.  Wilson,  of  Cazenovia,  November,  1883,  and  re-elected 
Henry  M.  Aylesworth,  of  Leonardsville,  November,  1889;  Joseph  D. 
Senn,  of  Morrisville,  1893;  Michael  H.  Kiley,  of  Cazenovia,  elected 
November,  1894. 

Sheriffs. — During  the  colonial  period  sheriffs  were  appointed  annu- 
ally in  the  month  of  October,  unless  otherwise  noticed.  Under  the  first 
constitution  they  were  appointed  annually  by  the  Council  of  Appoint- 
ment, and  no  person  could  hold  the  office  more  than  four  successive 
years;  neither  could  a  sheriff  hold  any  other  office,  and  he  must  be  a 
freeholder  in  the  county  where  appointed.  Since  the  adoption  of  the 
constitution  of  1821,  sheriffs  have  been  elected  for  a  term  of  three 
years,  and  are  ineligible  to  re  election  for  the  next  succeeding  term. 
The  following  persons  have  held  this  office  for  Madison  county: 

Judge  Peter  Smith,  who  a  few  years  later  became  a  settler  and 
prominent  citizen  in  this  county,  was  the  second  sheriff  of  Herkimer 
county,  succeeding  William  Colbraith,  February  18,  1795.  In  Madison 
county  Jeremiah  Whipple,  of  Cazenovia,  the  first  sheriff,  was  appointed 
March  26,  1806;  William  Hatch,  of  Cazenovia,  March  5,  1810;  Jeremiah 
Whipple,  February  5,  1811;  Elijah  Pratt,  of  Smithfield,  March  25, 
1814;  John  Matteson,  of  Nelson,  February  28,  1815;  Moses  Maynard, 
of  Madison,  March  2,  1819;  Ezra  Cloyes,  of  Morrisville,  February  19, 
1821,  and  elected  in  November,  1823.  After  this  date  the  office  was 
elective.     Ezekiel  Carpenter,  of  Cazenovia,  November,  1825;  Pardon 


THE  JUDICIARY  AND  BAR.  483 

Barnard,  of  Lenox,  1828;  Joseph  S.  Palmer,  of  Lenox,  1831;  Thomas 
Wylie,  of  Lebanon,  1834;  John  M.  Messenger,  of  Smithfield,  1837; 
Isaac  Brown,  of  Brookfield,  1840;  Samuel  French,  of  Sullivan,  1843; 
William  B.  Brand,  of  Brookfield,  1846;  Francis  F.  Stevens,  of  Eaton, 
1849;  Stephen  M.  Potter,  of  Cazenovia,  1852;  Milton  Barnett,  of  Smith- 
field,  1855;  Sanford  P.  Chapman,  of  Lenox,  1858;  William  F.  Bonney, 
of  Eaton,  1861;  Asahel  Stone,  of  Smithfield,  18  i4;  Andrew  J.  French, 
of  Sullivan,  18G6;  Edwin  R.  Barker,  of  Madison,  1869;  Milton  De 
Lano,  of  Canastota,  1872;  Wilber  M.  Henderson,  of  Madison,  1875; 
Milton  De  Lano,  1878:  Putnam  C.  Brownell,  of  Hamilton,  1881; 
Charles  K.  Underwood,  of  Cazenovia,  1884;  Leander  W.  Burroughs,  of 
Morrisville,  1887;  Charles  E.  Remick,  of  Oneida,  1890;  Eugene  M. 
Perry,  of  Georgetown,  1893 ;  Austin  M.  Carpenter,  of  Cazenovia, 
1896-1899. 

County  Clerks. — During  the  colonial  period  the  county  clerk  was 
clerk  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  clerk  of  the  peace,  and  clerk  of 
the  Sessions  of  Peace,  in  his  own  county.  Under  the  first  constitution 
it  was  his  duty  to  keep  the  county  records  and  act  as  clerk  of  the  Infe- 
rior Court  of  Common  Pleas,  and  clerk  of  the  Oyer  and  Terminer.  These 
last  named  duties  were  conferred  by  the  act  of  February  13,  1796.  The 
seals  of  the  county  clerks  were  the  seals  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas 
in  their  respective  counties.  County  clerks  are  now  clerks  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  and  County  Court,  Since  the  adoption  of  the  constitution 
of  1821  the  term  of  office  has  been  three  years.  Following  are  the  names 
of  those  who  have  held  this  office  in  Madison  county: 

Dr.  Asa  B.  Sizer  of  Madison,  appointed  March  26,  1806;  Samuel  S. 
Forman  of  Cazenovia,  appointed  March  5,  1814;  J.  N.  M.  Hurd  of  Caz- 
enovia, February  28,  1815;  Bennett  M.  Bicknell  of  Morrisville,  ap- 
pointed February  19,  1821,  and  elected  in  November,  1822;  John  G. 
Curtis  of  Eaton,  1825;  Andrew  Scott  Sloan  of  Eaton,  1831:  Alexander 
Donaldson,  jr.,  of  Nelson,  1837;  Lewison  Fairchild  of  Cazenovia,  1840; 
Zadock  T.  Bentley  of  De  Ruyter,  1843;  Andrew  Scott  Sloan,  1846; 
Lorenzo  D.  Dana  of  Fenner,  1849;  Lucius  P.  Clark  of  Brookfield,  1852; 
William  E.  Lansing  of  Sullivan,  1855;  Charles  L.  Kennedy  of  Eaton, 
1858;  Loring  Fowler  of  Lenox,  1861;  Calvin  Whitford  of  Brookfield, 
1864;  Nathan  Brownell  of  Hamilton,  1867;  Alfred  D.  Kennedy  of  Can- 
astota, 1870;  Lucius  P.  Clark  of  Eaton,  1873;  John  N.  Woodbury  of 
Smithfield,  1876;  James  S.  Stewart  of  Eaton,  1879;  Walter  H.  Stewart 
of  Sullivan,  1882;    Charles  W.   Stapleton  of  Hamilton,   1885,    and   re- 


484  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

elected;  W.  Emmett  Coe  of  Smithfield,  1891,  and  re-elected;  Paul  S. 
Main,  1897. 

It  will  be  borne  in  mind  by  the  reader  that  at  this  time  there  were 
only  five  towns  in  Madison  county — Brookfield,  Cazenovia,  De  Ruyter, 
Hamilton  and  Sullivan.  In  this  connection  it  is  worth  while  to  leave 
on  record  the  following  list  of  the  first  justices  of  the  peace  chosen  in 
1806  in  each  of  the  five  towns  named.  They  are  as  follows:  Oliver 
Brown,  Daniel  Maine,  Henry  Clark,  jr.,  Jonathan  Morgan,  Samuel 
Marsh  and  Edward  Green,  Brookfield;  David  Tuthill,  Samuel  S.  Breese, 
Phineas  Southwell,  Perry  G.  Childs,  Elisha  Williams,  Daniel  Petrie, 
William  Powers  and  Joshua  Hamlin,  Cazenovia;  Eli  Gage,  Hubbard 
Smith  and  Eleazer  Hunt,  De  Ruyter;  Joseph  Morse,  Simeon  Gillett, 
Benjamin  Pierce,  Erastus  Cleveland,  Elisha  Payne,  Amos  Maynard, 
Russell  Barker,  George  Crane,  Windsor  Coman,  Hamilton;  Gilbert 
Caswell,  vSamuel  Foster,  Walter  Beecher,  Joseph  Frost,  Sylvanus  Smal- 
ley,  Peter  Smith,  David  Cook,  William  Hallock,  James  Campbell  and 
Joseph  Yaw,  Sullivan. 

There  was  an  active  struggle  in  the  year  1807  between  the  two  great 
political  parties  of  Federalists  and  Republicans  (or  Democrats);  the 
strife  in  Madison  county  was  particularly  earnest,  as  it  was  believed 
the  election  would  establish  the  future  political  complexion  of  the 
county.  Sylvanus  Smalley,  Democrat,  and  John  W.  Bulkley,  Federal- 
ist, were  elected  to  the  Assembly,  leaving  the  actual  results  of  the 
struggle  in  doubt.  Peter  Smith  was  appointed  first  judge  of  the  Court 
of  Common  Pleas  and  Oliver  Babcock  was  appointed  judge  in  theplace 
of  David  Cook  of  Sullivan.  Both  Mr.  Smith  and  Mr.  Brown  were  de- 
cided Federalists.  For  the  year  1807  the  following  were  appointed 
justices  of  the  peace: 

Henry  Clark,  jr.,  Brookfield;  Elisha  Williams,  Cazenovia;  Robert 
Avery,  Eaton;  John  Hall,  Hamilton;  John  W.  Bulkley,  Lebanon; 
Amos  W.  Fuller  and  Stephen  F.  Blackstone,  Madison;  John  Dorrance, 
Asa  Dana  and  Sanford  G.  Calvin,  Smithfield;  and  Jacob  Patrick,  Sul- 
livan. 

Previous  to  the  erection  of  Chenango  county  in  1796  its  northern  tier 
of  towns  and  all  of  Madison  county  were  included  in  Herkimer  county; 
the  remainder  of  Chenango  county  was  included  in  Tioga  county.  The 
courts  of  Herkimer  county  were  held  at  the  meetinghouse  in  Herkimer 
village  until  1793,  when  one  term  was  directed  to  be  held  at  Whites- 
town.     Col.  Henry  Staring  was  appointed  first  judge  February  17,  1791. 


THE  JUDICIARY  AND  BAR.  485 

The  first  court  at  Whitestown,  mentioned  above,  was  held  in  1793,  in 
Jedediah  Sanger's  barn,  Judge  Staring  presiding,  assisted  by  Judge 
White.  The  late  Judge  Jonas  Pratt  was  then  clerk  of  Herkimer  county 
and  Col.  William  Colbraith  sheriff,  both  of  whom  were  appointed  in 
1791.  The  subsequent  courts  of  Herkimer  county  down  to  1798  were 
held  at  Whitestown.  The  jail  at  Whitesboro  at  that  time  was  used  for 
the  confinement  of  prisoners  from  Chenango  county  until  1808  and 
from  Madison  county  until  1812.  When  Chenango  county  was  erected 
Hamilton  (now  in  Madison  county)  and  Oxford  were  each  constituted 
half-shire  towns  and  so  continued  until  the  formation  of  Madison  coun- 
ty, in  180G,  when  North  Norwich  and  Oxford  were  made  the  shire 
towns  for  Chenango  county  and  Hamilton  and  Sullivan  for  Madison 
county. 

The  law  erecting  Chenango  county  provided  that  the  first  Court  of 
Common  Pleas  and  General  Sessions  of  the  Peace  should  be  held  at  the 
log  school  house  hear  the  house  of  Elisha  Payne,  in  the  town  of  Ham- 
ilton, in  June,  1798.  It  was  so  held  and  the  first  business  transacted 
was  the  admission  to  practice  of  eight  attorneys,  none  of  whom  was 
from  the  territory  of  Madison  county.  The  second  term  was  held  at 
Oxford  in  October  of  the  same  year.  Subsequently  court  was  held 
alternatel}'  at  these  two  places  three  times  each  year.  The  judges  had 
authority  to  open  the  court  on  Tuesday,  to  adjourn  it  at  any  time,  but 
not  to  continue  it  beyond  Saturday  of  the  same  week.  Under  the  act 
the  first  Circuit  Court  was  held  July  10,  1798,  at  the  Academy  in  Ox- 
ford with  Justice  (afterwards  Chancellor)  James  Kent  presiding.  The 
second  term  was  held  in  Hamilton  in  July,  1799,  Justice  Jacob  Radcliff 
presiding.  No  business  was  transacted  at  either  of  these  terms.  Of 
the  subsequent  terms  held  down  to  the  year  1809  the  third  was  held  in 
the  school  house  at  Hamilton,  June  30,  1800,  Morgan  Lewis  presiding; 
the  fourth  June  39,  1801,  Judge  John  Lansing,  jr.,  presiding;  the  fifth 
in  June,  1803,  Judge  Kent  presiding;  the  eighth  at  Hamilton  in   May, 

1805,  Daniel  D.  Tompkins  presiding;  the  ninth  at  Hamilton   in  May, 

1806,  Brockholst  Livingston  presiding.  The  other  terms  held  previous 
to  that  year  were  in  either  Oxford  or  North  Norwich. 

After  the  erection  of  Madison  county  in  1806  the  courts  were  held 
alternately  in  the  school  house  in  Hamilton  village  and  the  school  house 
near  David  Barnard's  in  Sullivan  (now  Lenox)  until  1812.  Hamilton 
and  Sullivan  were  the  half-shire  towns  of  the  county.  In  1807,  in  pur- 
suance of  an   act  of  the  Legislature,  the  county  was  divided  into  two 


4S6  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

jury  districts  by  the  judges  and  assistant  judges  "  as  nearly  equal  as 
may  be  convenient." 

By  an  act  of  the  Legislature  passed  April  2,  1810,  Cazenovia  was 
made  the  county  seat  and  Col.  John  Lincklaen  and  Capt.  Eliphalet 
Jackson  were  appointed  to  superintend  the  erection  of  a  court  house. 

In  pursuance  of  this  act  a  brick  building  was  erected  for  a  court  house 
in  which  the  first  court  was  held  in  January,  1812.  This  building  sub- 
sequently became  the  eastern  central  part  of  Cazenovia  Seminary,  as  at 
present.  The  selection  of  Cazenovia  as  a  county  seat,  situated  as  it  is 
near  the  western  boundary,  created  a  good  deal  of  dissatisfaction  in 
other  parts  of  the  county  on  account  of  its  inaccessibility  to  the  distant 
re.sidents.  This  feeling  finally  culminated  in  1817  in  the  removal  of  the 
county  seat  to  the  more  central  location  of  Morrisville.  The  old  court 
house  was  sold  for  $1,810,  in  1818,  to  the  Methodist  society  by  whom  it 
was  used  for  a  time  for  church  purposes  and  was  subsequently  incor- 
porated in  the  Seminary  as  above  stated.  The  commissioners  appointed 
to  superintend  the  erection  of  a  new  court  house  in  Morrisville  were 
Joseph  Morse,  Capt.  Eliphalet  Jackson  and  Elisha  Carrington.  The 
building  was  soon  completed  and  the  first  court  was  held  there  October 
7,  1817.  This  court  house  was  occupied  until  1847,  when  a  new  one 
was  erected  under  the  superintendence  of  Ellis  Morse,  Samuel  White 
and  Oliver  Pool.  This  building  was  burned  during  the  session  of  the 
court  in  October,  1865,  and  was  superseded  by  the  two  story  wooden 
structure  in  the  following  year,  which  is  still  occupied.  An  addition 
was  made  to  the  building  in  1877  to  accommodate  the  increase  of  county 
business. 

The  county  clerk's  office,  in  use  at  the  present  time,  is  a  brick  struc- 
ture built  in  182-t  by  Andrew  P.  Lord,  at  a  cost  of  $674.00.  The  first 
jail  for  the  county  was  built  of  wood,  in  1817  at  a  cost  of  $4,523.51. 
This  old  building  became  historic  by  the  confinement  within  its  walls  of 
the  famous  Abram  Antoine,  whose  trial  is  noticed  a  little  further  on. 
The  old  jail  was  occupied  until  1872  when  the  present  handsome  brick 
jail  and  residence  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  about  $10,000.  These  public 
buildings  are  pleasantly  situated  on  the  main  street  of  Morrisville, 
fronting  on  a  small  public  park. 

The  first  court  of  record  held  in  Madison  county  was  a  Court  of 
Common  Pleas  and  General  Sessions  of  the  Peace,  of  which  the  follow- 
ing is  a  record: 

"  Holden  at  the  School  House  near  David  Barnard's  in  Sullivan,  on  Tuesday  the 


THE  JUDICIARY  AND  BAR.  487 

3rd  day  of  June,  1806.  Present— The  Honorabje  Sylvanus  Smalley,  Peter  Smith, 
Edward  Green,  Elisha  Payne  and  David  Cook,  Esquires  and  Judges. 

"Grand  Jurors:— Lemuel  Kingsbury,  gentleman,  foreman;  Samuel  Thomas, 
Elisha  Carey,  Oreb  Montague,  Joshua  Harrington,  Rufus  Pierson,  John  Needhara, 
William  Whitman,  Joel  Doolittle,  George  Ballou,  Ebenezer  Johnson,  Abner  Badger, 
Aaron  Putney,  .Samuel  Griggs,  Phineas  Dodge,  David  Barnard,  Jacob  Patrick, 
Elisha  Starr,  David  Woodworth. 

"John  Matteson  and  Daniel  Barber,  constables  to  wait  on  the  Grand  Jury. 

"The  Grand  Jury,  after  retiring  and  finding  no  presentments,  returned  and  were 
discharged  by  the  Court. 

"The  Court  adjourned  without  day.     A.  B.  Sizer,  Clerk." 

The  October  term  of  this  court  for  the  same  year  was  held  "  at  the 
School  House  near  the  house  of  Elisha  Payne  in  Hamilton."  Present — 
The  Honorable  Peter  Smith,  Elisha  Payne,  Edward  Green  and  David 
Cook,  Esquires  and  Justices  of  the  Peace.  William  Hatch  was  ap- 
pointed crier  of  the  court.  It  was  "  Ordered  that  this  court  adjourn  to 
the  meeting  house  and  convened  forthwith." 

The  grand  jurors  of  this  term  were  as  follows:  Stephen  F.  Black- 
stone,  foreman;  John  Hoxie,  Stephen  Crumb,  Daniel  H.  Coon,  Paul 
Palmer,  Seth  Holmes,  Thomas  Leach,  David  Walters,  Edward  New- 
ton, Samuel  McClure,  Levi  Mantor,  David  Peebles,  Ezra  Fuller,  Rich- 
ard Butler,  Oliver  S.  Wilcoxon,  John  Shapley,  William  McClenathan, 
Archibald  Bates,  Isaac  Warren,  Caleb  Allen,  Joseph  Cooley,  Ebenezer 
Corbin,  Samuel  Howard  and  David  Barber. 

There  was  no  important  business  before  this  court  other  than  the 
approval  of  the  seal  which  had  been  procured  by  the  clerk,  "with  the 
device  of  suspended  scales,  beneath  which  a  scepter  lying  horizontally, 
entwined  by  a  serpent,  a  star  in  the  center  of  the  whole,  and  the  whole 
encircled  with  'Madison  County,  incorporated  1806.'" 

The  first  term  of  the  Madison  county  Oyer  and  Terminer  was  held 
Julys,  1807,  in  the  school  house  in  Sullivan,  before  mentioned.  Pres- 
sent — Honorable  William  W.  Van  Ness,  judge  of  the  Supreine  Court; 
Peter  Smith,  judge  of  Madison  county,  Elisha  Payne  and  David  Cook, 
assistant  justices. 

The  grand  jurors  at  this  term  were  as  follows:  Jonathan  Morgan, 
foreman;  Timothy  Gillett,  jr.,  Isaac  Ingersoll,  Isaac  Morse,  Samuel 
Thomas,  Jabez  Abel,  Elisha  Starr,  Timothy  Brown,  Elisha  Farnham, 
Allen  Dryer,  jr.,  Elisha  Severance,  Dennison  Palmer,  Samuel  Marsh, 
George  Dalrymple,  Erastus  Cleveland,  Wright  Brigham,  Daniel  Pe- 
trie,  Abraham  Mattoon,  Ephraim  Bliss,  Robert  Avery,  Barry  Carter, 
James  D.  Cooledge,  John  Marble. 


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486  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

jury  districts  by  the  judges  and  assistant  judges  "as  nearly  equal  as 
may  be  convenient." 

By  an  act  of  the  Legislature  passed  April  3,  1810,  Cazenovia  was 
made  the  county  seat  and  Col.  John  Lincklaen  and  Capt.  Eliphalet 
Jackson  were  appointed  to  superintend  the  erection  of  a  court  house. 

In  pursuance  of  this  act  a  brick  building  was  erected  for  a  court  house 
in  which  the  first  court  was  held  in  January,  1812.  This  building  sub- 
sequently became  the  eastern  central  part  of  Cazenovia  Seminary,  as  at 
present.  The  selection  of  Cazenovia  as  a  county  seat,  situated  as  it  is 
near  the  western  boundary,  created  a  good  deal  of  dissatisfaction  in 
other  parts  of  the  county  on  account  of  its  inaccessibility  to  the  distant 
residents.  This  feeling  finally  culminated  in  1817  in  the  removal  of  the 
county  seat  to  the  more  central  location  of  Morrisville.  The  old  court 
house  was  sold  for  $1,810,  in  1818,  to  the  Methodist  society  by  whom  it 
was  used  for  a  time  for  church  purposes  and  was  subsequently  incor- 
porated in  the  Seminary  as  above  stated.  The  commissioners  appointed 
to  superintend  the  erection  of  a  new  court  house  in  Morrisville  were 
Joseph  Morse,  Capt.  Eliphalet  Jackson  and  Elisha  Carrington.  The 
building  was  soon  completed  and  the  first  court  was  held  there  October 
7,  1817.  This  court  house  was  occupied  until  1847,  when  a  new  one 
was  erected  under  the  superintendence  of  Ellis  Morse,  Samuel  White 
and  Oliver  Pool.  This  building  was  burned  during  the  session  of  the 
court  in  October,  18G5,  and  was  superseded  by  the  two  story  wooden 
structure  in  the  following  year,  which  is  still  occupied.  An  addition 
was  made  to  the  building  in  1877  to  accommodate  the  increase  of  county 
business. 

The  county  clerk's  office,  in  use  at  the  present  time,  is  a  brick  struc- 
ture built  in  182-1  by  Andrew  P.  Lord,  at  a  cost  of  $674.00.  The  first 
jail  for  the  county  was  built  of  wood,  in  1817  at  a  cost  of  $4,523.51. 
This  old  building  became  historic  by  the  confinement  within  its  walls  of 
the  famous  Abram  Antoine,  whose  trial  is  noticed  a  little  further  on. 
The  old  jail  was  occupied  until  1872  when  the  present  handsome  brick 
jail  and  residence  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  about  $10,000.  These  public 
buildings  are  pleasantly  situated  on  the  main  street  of  Morrisville, 
fronting  on  a  small  public  park. 

The  first  court  of  record  held  in  Madison  county  was  a  Court  of 
Common  Pleas  and  General  Sessions  of  the  Peace,  of  which  the  follow- 
ing is  a  record: 

"  Holden  at  the  School  House  near  David  Barnard's  in  Sullivan,  on  Tuesday  the 


'  I,    I  -    !♦  ■»    1*    •«    ■*   K   4-    *^    ^ 

i.    I.    1      f.    1*    ■•    I*   1*     •'      ' 

a      A.    (.'  .    ^.    I*    Ia    •* 


THE  JUDICIARY  AND  BAR.  489 

was  found  guilty  and  sentenced  to  be  hung  on  the  30th  of  September 
at  ten  o'clock  in  the  forenoon.     She  was  duly  executed  at  Peterboro. 

The  somewhat  celebrated  Antone  case,  before  referred  to,  was  one  in 
which  Abram  Antone  was  charged  with  the  murder  of  John  Jacobs;  he 
was  indicted  in  1815.  Judge  Jonas  Piatt  and  Gen.  Joseph  Kirkland 
were  appointed  by  the  court  as  counsel  for  the  prisoner,  who  was  ably 
defended.  The  plea  of  not  guilty  was  entered,  but  the  evidence  to  the 
contrary  was  clear  and  decisive.  The  defence  rested  their  case  wholly 
upon  the  theory  that  the  State  of  New  York  had  no  jurisdiction  over  the 
Indian  tribes  within  her  boundaries.  This  objection  was  overruled  by 
the  court.  This  Antone  appears  to  have  possessed  a  revengeful  disposi- 
tion. His  father  was  a  Stockbridge  Indian  and  his  mother  the  daughter 
of  an  Oneida  chief.  He  was  born  in  the  year  1750  and  served  the  cause 
of  the  colonists  in  the  Revolution.  It  was  well  known  that  he  commit- 
ted a  murder  at  Chenango  Point,  killing  an  Indian  in  about  the  year 
1798,  who,  he  claimed,  had  defrauded  him  out  of  money  distributed  to 
the  different  Indian  tribes  by  the  government.  Later,  while  under  the 
influence  of  liquor,  he  returned  to  his  wigwam  one  evening  and  found 
his  infant  of  four  or  five  months  crying  loudly.  Snatching  the  child 
from  its  mother's  arms  he  raked  open  a  bed  of  hot  coals  and  buried  the 
little  one  beneath  them.  The  immediate  cause  of  Antone's  latest  crime 
was  the  fact  that  John  Jacobs  had  given  the  principal  evidence  against 
Mary  Antone,  who  was  the  daughter  of  Abram,  in  the  murder  trial  be- 
fore described.  When  Jacobs  became  aware  of  Antone's  enmity  heleft 
that  region  and  did  not  return  until  Antone  sent  him  word  that  he  would 
not  molest  him.  Jacobs  came  back  and  while  hoeing  corn  with  a  num- 
ber of  others,  Antone  came  up,  shook  hands  with  each  one  and  while 
grasping  the  hand  of  Jacobs,  quickly  drew  a  knife  from  his  sleeve  and 
stabbed  him  three  times  in  the  side.  Antone's  fleetness  of  foot  and 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  surrounding  country  enabled  him  to  evade 
the  officers  of  the  law  until  he  was  finally  betrayed  by  a  man  who 
gained  his  confidence  by  professions  of  friendship.  Petitions  were  sent 
to  the  authorities  by  several  of  the  Indian  tribes  for  Antone's  relief,  but 
they  were  not  heeded,  and  after  having  been  found  guilty  he  was  sen- 
tenced to  be  executed  in  Morrisville  on  the  13th  day  of  September, 
1823.  The  execution  was  in  public  and  witnessed  by  a  vast  crowd  of 
people. 

Lewis  Wilber  was  indicted  for  the  murder  of  Robert  Barber  on  the 
30th  day  of  August,  1837.     In  the  prosecution  of  the  case  Justin  Dwi- 


490  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

nelle,  district  attorney,  was  assisted  by  B.  Davis  Noxon,  of  Syracuse 
and  Timothy  Jenkins.  Wilber  was  convicted  of  the  crime  and  executed 
at  Morrisville  October  3rd,  1839. 

In  the  fall  of  1853  John  Hadcock  was  tried  for  the  murder  of  Mrs. 
Mary  Gregg,  was  found  guilty  and  sentenced  to  be  hung  December  21, 
1853.  Subsequent  efforts  were  made  through  the  medium  of  a  petition 
signed  by  man)'  reputable  persons,  including  the  court  which  sen- 
tenced him,  to  have  his  punishment  commuted  to  imprisonment  for  life. 
It  was  contended  that  Hadcock  was  insane  or  at  least  not  responsible 
for  his  acts  at  the  time  the  crime  was  committed  and  the  case  was  car- 
ried before  Governor  Seymour,  who  granted  a  month's  stay  for  the 
purpose  of  investigating  the  matter.  A  jury  of  inquisition  was  ap- 
pointed and  met  on  the  13th  of  February,  1854.  After  the  examination 
of  a  number  of  witnesses  the  case  was  submitted  to  the  jury,  who 
failed  to  agree  and  were  discharged.  The  governor  offered  to  grant  a 
further  respite  if  the  district  judge  desired  to  order  another  jury.  This 
was  not  done  and  the  sheriff  proceeded  to  carry  out  the  sentence  of  the 
court.  Hadcock  was  executed  on  the  24th  day  of  February,  1854,  in 
the  old  jail. 

One  of  the  most  noticeable  features  of  those  early  capital  trials  is, 
perhaps,  the  brief  period  required  between  the  indictment  of  a  prisoner 
and  his  execution,  as  compared  with  similar  cases  in  recent  years.  The 
man  who  committed  murder  in  those  times,  if  arrested  for  the  crime, 
was  given  little  time  by  the  swiftly  moving  wheels  of  justice  to  prepare 
for  his  inevitable  doom.  In  these  later  days  it  is  too  often  the  case  that 
through  the  ingenious  efforts  of  the  attorneys  in  procuring  various 
postponements  and  raising  new  questions,  a  prisoner  is  given  years  of 
life  after  his  first  conviction  and  frequently  escapes  with  light  punish- 
ment or  none  at  all. 

The  bar  of  Madison  county  have  access  to  a  good  law  library,  as  a 
result  of  the  action  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  of  1866,  who,  at  their 
annual  meeting  adopted  a  resolution  that  a  special  committee  consisting 
of  Charles  L.  Kennedy  and  Lambert  B.  Kern  be  appointed  to  purchase 
a  law  library  for  the  county  at  a  sum  not  exceeding  $1,000,  and  ap- 
pointing the  county  clerk  to  act  as  librarian.  In  the  following  year 
about  $900  were  expended  for  books,  and  other  additions  have  since 
been  made. 


THE  JUDICIARY  AND  BAR.  491 

PERSONAL  NOTES. 

Although  Madison  county  is  without  large  municipal  corporations 
and  to  a  great  extent  is  situated  away  from  the  great  central  lines  of 
travel,  and  has,  therefore,  failed  to  attract  from  elsewhere  men  of  na- 
tional reputation  who  nearly  always  drift  towards  the  populous  centers 
of  the  country,  it  has  still  given  to  the  world  a  number  of  men  whose 
names  and  deeds  are  familiar  over  a  wide  extent  of  territory.  Some 
of  these  were  born  and  reared  in  the  county  and  passed  their  lives  amid 
its  familiar  scenes,  while  others  were  called  by  their  public  services  to 
other  homes ;  none  of  these  ever  lost  his  pride  in  his  birthplace.  One 
town  alone  in  Madison  county,  and  it  may  almost  be  said  one  village — 
Peterboro  in  Smithfield — is  the  birthplace  and  former  home  of  a  num- 
ber of  men  who  were  known  throughout  the  country  and  who  attained 
very  high  station  before  the  public  eye.  Some  of  these  were  lawyers 
and  were  elevated  to  the  bench  or  were  elected  to  political  office  which 
made  them  distinguished,  and  it  is  fitting  that  they  receive  brief  notice 
in  this  chapter  of  Madison  county  history.  The  bar  of  the  county,  past 
and  present,  in  the  high  character  and  attainments  of  its  members, 
compares  favorably  with  those  of  other  counties  of  the  State.  We  are 
able  to  here  preserve  some  brief  personal  notes  of  many  who  long  ago 
practiced  here  and  filled  the  measure  of  good  citizenship. 

Among  the  prominent  lawyers  whose  life  records  constitute  a  part  of 
the  history  of  Madison  county,  stood  conspicuously  John  B.  Yates, 
though  he  won  fully  as  high  repute  in  business  affairs  as  he  did  in  his 
profession.  He  was  a  native  of  Schenectady  and  graduated  from  Union 
College  in  1803,  when  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age.  He  read  law 
with  his  brother,  Hon.  Henry  Yates,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1805.  He  successfully  practiced  his  profession  until  1813,  when  he  re- 
ceived a  military  commission  as  captain  and  raised  a  company  of  artil- 
lery at  the  head  of  which  he  participated  in  the  disastrous  winter  cam- 
paign on  the  northern  New  York  frontier.  After  his  return  from  the 
war  his  time  was  largely  taken  up  with  general  business  affairs  and  as 
a  servant  of  the  people  in  public  office.  In  1816  he  settled  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Chittenango,  where  he  established  a  mercantile  business  and 
engaged  in  various  other  undertakings  for  the  development  of  the 
place.  In  1818  he  built  a  plaster  mill,  adjoining  the  grist  mill,  which 
he  had  acquired,  and  after  the  discovery  of  water  lime,  was  largely 
interested    in    its   manufacture.      He  was   the  principal    active  factor 


492  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

in  the  construction  of  the  lateral  canal  connecting  Chittenango  with 
the  Erie  Canal,  and  also  ran  a  line  of  packets  between  the  village 
and  Utica.  He  maintained  the  Polytechnic  school  a  number  of  years 
at  his  own  expense,  and  in  many  other  ways  was  the  special  mainspring 
of  progress  in  the  village.  He  was  elected  to  Congress  before  leaving 
Schenectady,  serving  from  1815  to  1817.  In  the  latter  year  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  supervise  the  State  lotteries  for  the  promotion  of  literature. 
In  1835  he  was  elected  to  the  Assembly  from  Madison  county  and  in 
1837  was  chosen  county  judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  which 
office  he  held  until  January,  1843.  He  was  holding  both  of  these  offices 
at  the  time  of  his  death. 

This  is,  perhaps,  the  proper  place  to  mention  another  pioneer  lawyer 
of  Chittenango,  William  K.  Fuller,  who  was  born  in  Schenectady, 
November  24,  1792,  and  graduated  from  Union  College.  He  studied 
law  with  Henry  and  John  B.  Yates,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1814 
and  thereupon  formed  a  partnership  with  John  B.  Yates.  With  him  he 
went  first  to  Utica  in  the  summer  of  1814,  and  thence  to  Chittenango  in 
the  spring  of  1816.  He  at  once  opened  an  office,  but  in  succeeding 
years  his  practice  was  largely  given  up  for  other  pursuits.  He  was  an 
able  and  well-read  attorney,  and  also  an  excellent  surveyor.  He  was 
appointed  district  attorney  of  Madison  county  in  March,  1821,  and  ad- 
jutant general  on  the  staff  of  Governor  Yates  in  1823.  He  was  mem- 
ber of  assembly  from  this  county  in  1829-30,  and  representative  in 
Congress  from  1833  to  1837.  General  Fuller  subsequently  returned  to 
the  family  homestead  in  Schenectady,  where  he  died. 

Judge  Joseph  Clark  was  a  promment  citizen  in  early  years  and  was 
honored  with  several  public  offices.  He  was  a  son  of  Captain  Samuel 
Clark,  who  was  an  early  settler  at  Clarkville.  When  the  post-office  was 
established  at  that  point,  about  the  year  1820,  he  was  appointed  post- 
master, an  office  which  he  held  more  than  thirty  years,  and  the  name 
of  the  place  was  changed  from  Bailey's  Corners  to  Clarkville  in  his 
honor.  Judge  Clark  also  held  the  office  of  town  clerk  about  twenty 
years,  was  supervisor  fifteen  years,  and  justice  of  the  peace  more  than 
twenty  years.  He  was  elected  a  judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas 
and  served  with  great  acceptability  for  ten  years.  He  was  twice  elected 
to  the  Assembly,  in  1824  and  1828,  and  again  in  1835.  In  1839  he  was 
elected  to  the  State  Senate  for  four  years.  In  both  of  these  legislative 
bodies  he  left  a  record  for  faithfulness  to  his  duties  and  integrity  in 
their  performance.     Judge  Clark  died  May  11,  1873. 


THE  JUDICIARY  AND  BAR.  493 

Daniel  Cady,  who  had  studied  law  and  begun  practice  in  Johnstown, 
Fulton  county,  removed  to  Chittenango  in  1828,  and  continued  his  pro- 
fession until  about  1835,  when  he  removed  to  Columbia  county.  He 
was  a  man  of  large  attainments  and  in  that  county  was  honored  with 
appointment  to  the  office  of  judge  of  the  County  Court  in  18-tO.  Judge 
Cady  was  a  brother  of  Elizabeth  Cady  Stanton. 

Other  early  lawyers  of  Chittenango  were  R.  John  Everett,  who  came 
soon  after  Judge  Cad}'  left,  and  remained  a  year  or  two;  Horatio  Gates 
Warner,  Hiram  Cummings,  Duane  Brown,  who  practiced  about  ten 
years,  and  removed  to  Morrisville;  Lorenzo  B.  Dana,  who  practiced  a 
short  time  before  his  election  to  the  office  of  county  clerk,  when  he  re- 
moved permanently  to  Morrisville ;  William  E.  Lansing,  born  in  Sulli- 
van in  1823,  read  law  with  Judge  Joshua  Spencer,  in  Utica,  began 
practice  in  1845,  was  elected  district  attorney  in  1850,  county  clerk  in 
1855,  and  member  of  congress  1861-63  and  1871-75.  Charles  L.  Ken- 
nedy practiced  a  number  of  years  in  company  with  Mr.  Lansing,  re- 
moved to  Morrisville  when  the  latter  was  elected  county  clerk  to  per- 
form the  duties  of  that  office,  and  remained  there;  he  succeeded  Lan- 
sing as  clerk  in  1858  and  was  elected  county  judge  in  1867. 

Many  of  the  particulars  of  the  life  of  Peter  Smith,  outside  of  his 
career  as  a  judge,  have  been  given  in  an  earlier  chapter,  which  includes 
a  part  of  the  history  of  the  town  of  Smithfield.  Born  in  Rockland 
county,  N.Y.,  in  1768,  he  obtained  such  education  as  his  circumstances 
permitted  before  he  was  sixteen  years  old,  when  he  began  clerking  in 
a  New  York  store.  After  three  years  of  this  experience  he  took  a 
small  stock  of  goods  and  opened  a  store  about  two  miles  from  Little 
Falls.  One  year  later  he  began  mercantile  business  in  Utica.  He  was 
successful  in  winning  the  confidence  of  the  Indians  and  carried  on  a 
large  fur  trade,  in  which  John  Jacob  Astor  had  an  interest  at  one 
period.  In  1794:  he  acquired  the  New  Petersburgh  tract  of  land,  of 
which  an  account  has  been  given  and  which  took  its  name  from  him. 
In  1806  he  removed  to  the  town  of  Smithfield  and  built  the  family 
homestead  which,  with  its  many  alterations,  subsequently  became  the 
home  of  his  distinguished  son,  Gerrit  Smith.  When  Madison  county 
was  organized  in  1806  Mr.  Smith  was  chosen  one  of  the  judges  and  in 
in  1807  was  made  first  judge,  a  position  which  he  held  until  1820,  ad- 
ministering its  duties  with  signal  success  considering  his  limited  oppor- 
tunities for  obtaining  an  education.  His  knowledge  of  human  nature 
was  profound  and  his  mental  characteristics  were  such  as  to  enable  him 


494  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

to  judge  clearly  of  the  right  and  wrong  of  cases.  His  integrity  was  un- 
questioned and  his  decisions  generally  satisfactory.  In  1819  he  con- 
veyed his  estate  to  his  son  and  passed  much  of  his  time  thereafter  in 
traveling.  Finally  settling  in  Schenectady  he  died  there  April  13,  1837. 

Gerrit  Smith,  son  of  Peter  Smith,  was  born  in  Utica  March  6,  1797. 
His  life  as  a  citizen  of  Madison  county  has  been  described  at  length  in 
the  preceding  history  of  Smithfield,  and  his  name  is  placed  in  this 
chapter  only  because  he  was  admitted  to  practice  in  the  State  and  Fed- 
eral courts  in  1853.  Although  he  never  regularly  studied  law,  he  had 
made  himself  familiar  with  its  main  principles  and  "  became  a  lawyer 
through  a  steady,  healthy  growth  of  intellect."  As  a  philanthropist  of 
broad  views,  as  a  gifted  and  persistent  opponent  of  slavery,  sectarian- 
ism and  all  forms  of  wrong,  and  as  an  advocate  of  the  broadest  liberty 
of  mind  and  conscience,  Mr.  Smith's  reputation  was  co-extensive  with 
the  country. 

The  distinguished  jurist,  Greene  Carrier  Bronson,  was  for  a  time  a 
resident  of  Peterboro,  Madison  county.  He  was  born  in  Simsbury, 
Conn.,  in  November,  1789.  His  educational  opportunities  were  limited, 
but  he  richly  endowed  himself  by  reading  and  study  in  after  life.  He 
removed  to  Peterboro  and  studied  law  with  John  P.  Sherwood  in  Ver- 
non, Oneida  county.  In  due  time  he  was  admitted  to  practice  and  be- 
came a  worthy  associate  of  the  great  lawyers  and  jurists  of  his  time. 
In  1819  he  was  appointed  surrogate  of  Oneida  county,  and  in  1824  he 
settled  in  Utica,  after  which  his  connection  with  Madison  county  ceased. 
He  was  elected  attorney- general  of  the  State  in  1839,  was  elevated  to 
the  supreme  bench  in  1836,  and  in  1847  to  the  bench  of  the  Court  of 
Appeals.  After  his  resignation  in  1851,  he  removed  to  New  York  city, 
where  he  was  further  honored  with  official  station.  It  was  written  of 
Judge  Bronson  that  "  In  the  department  of  judicial  duty  he  was  justly 
pre-eminent  and  his  opinions  are  models  of  excellence.  In  conciseness 
and  perspicuity  of  expression,  in  terseness  and  directness  of  style,  in 
compactness  and  force  of  logic,  in  sturdy  vigor  of  intellect,  and  in  the 
stern  sense  of  justice,"  he  was  unsurpassed.  He  died  in  New  York 
September  3,  1863. 

One  of  the  foremost  of  the  many  eminent  lawyers  who  have  shed 
lustre  upon  the  bar  of  this  State  was  Joshua  Austin  Spencer,  who 
though  not  a  native  of  this  county  and  residing  here  during  the  most 
conspicuous  part  of  his  career,  is  nevertheless  entitled  to  this  reference. 
He  was  born  in   Great  Barrington,  Mass.,  May  13,  1790,  and  in  1808, 


THE  JUDICIARY  AND  BAR.  495 

when  he  was  eighteen  years  old,  he  removed  to  Lenox.  His  oppor- 
tunities for  obtaining  education  were  Hmited,  but  his  energy  and 
strength  of  intellect  enabled  him  to  rise  above  all  obstacles.  After 
working  as  a  clerk  and  as  a  carpenter's  apprentice  he  took  up  the  study 
of  law  with  his  elder  brother.  Soon  afterward  he  served  a  term  in  the 
army  in  the  war  of  1813.  In  1814  he  married  Clarissa  Phelps  of  Lenox. 
After  his  admission  to  the  bar  he  practiced  for  a  time  with  his  brother, 
but  in  1820  formed  a  partnership  with  William  H.  Maynard  and  settled 
in  Utica.  In  1841  he  was  appointed  U.  S.  attorney  for  the  Northern 
District  of  New  York,  and  in  1845  was  elected  State  senator,  where  he 
performed  most  efficient  service  on  the  judiciary  committee.  He  also 
held  the  office  of  mayor  of  Utica.      He  died  in  that  city  April  25,  1857. 

Elisha  Payne  of  Hamilton  was  one  of  the  earliest  judges  of  the  Court 
of  Common  Pleas  in  this  county,  receiving  his  appointment  from  Gov. 
Morgan  Lewis  March  31,  1806.  He  held  the  office  with  honor  and 
ability  nine  years.  Judge  Payne  was  a  son  of  Abram  Payne,  who  died 
in  Hamilton  in  1801.  In  1795  Elisha  bought  lot  No.  2,  which  included 
half  the  site  of  Hamilton  village,  and  gave  the  name  to  the  place  in 
honor  of  Alexander  Hamilton.  Mr.  Payne's  useful  life  was  character- 
ized by  earnest  and  unselfish  efforts  for  the  advancement  of  education 
and  morality,  and  it  was  largely  due  to  him  that  the  Seminary  was 
located  in  Hamilton.  Other  details  of  his  life  are  given  in  the  history 
of  that  town  in  earlier  chapters. 

Judge  John  McLean  was  once  a  resident  in  Eaton,  this  county.  He 
was  a  native  of  New  Jersey  and  was  a  brother  of  the  late  Noah  McLean 
of  Eaton.  He  went  with  his  parents  to  Virginia,  later  to  Kentucky, 
and  finally  to  Ohio,  where  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1807.  He  be- 
gan practice  in  Lebanon  in  that  State  and  in  1812  was  elected  to  Con- 
gress; in  1816  he  was  elected  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Ohio,  and 
in  1823  was  postmaster-general.  In  1829  he  was  appointed  by  Presi- 
dent Jackson  a  justice  of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court.  He  died 
in  Cincinnati  in  1861. 

Judge  Samuel  Nelson  was  a  law  student  in  Madison  county,  town  of 
Madison,  and  married  the  daughter  of  his  preceptor.  Judge  David 
Woods,  an  early  attorney  of  that  town.  Judge  Nelson  was  born  in 
Hebron,  Washington  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1793,  and  graduated  from  Mid- 
dlebury  College,  Vermont,  in  1813;  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1817, 
and  settled  in  Cortland,  where  he  was  a  successful  practitioner.  After 
holding  several  minor  offices  he  was  appointed  a  Circuit  Court  judge  in 


496  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

1823,  judge  of  the  State  Supretrii  Court  in  1831,  and  was  made  chief 
justice  in  1837.  In  1845  he  was  appointed  by  President  Tyler  a  justice 
of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court. 

The  town  and  village  of  Hamilton  has  given  to  the  bar  of  the  county 
a  number  of  prominent  lawyers.  Among  the  earliest  as  well  as  the 
ablest  of  these  were  Nathaniel  King  and  Thomas  H.  Hubbard,  both  of 
whom  were  highly  respected  and  honored  by  their  fellow  citizens. 
Nathaniel  King  was  born  in  Amenia,  Dutchess  county,  N.  Y.,  Decem- 
ber 26,  1767,  and  graduated  from  Yale  College  in  1792.  He  at  once 
studied  and  passed  through  a  law  course  and  in  February,  1797,  settled 
in  Hamilton  and  began  practice.  Upon  the  erection  of  Chenango 
county  in  1788  he  was  elected  one  of  the  first  assemblymen  from  that 
county,  and  again  represented  the  county  in  1800  and  1802.  He  had  a 
taste  for  military  affairs  and  early  received  the  appointment  of  colonel 
in  the  militia,  subsequently  rising  to  the  rank  of  major-general,  in 
which  capacity  he  served  at  Sackett's  Harbor  in  the  war  of  1812.  In 
1809  he  was  appointed  district  attorney  of  the  Ninth  district,  which  in- 
cluded Madison,  Cayuga,  Chenango,  Onondaga,  and  Cortland  counties. 
He  was  one  of  the  board  of  trustees  that  founded  Hamilton  Academy 
in  1818,  and  the  first  teacher  in  that  institution,  for  which  vocation  he 
was  thoroughly  adapted.      He  died  in  Hamilton  July  25,  1848. 

Thomas  Hill  Hubbard  was  born  in  New  Haven,  Conn.,  December  6, 
1781.  He  was  a  son  of  Rev.  Bela  Hubbard,  D.  D.,  a  distinguished 
Episcopal  divine  of  that  city  and  graduated  from  Yale  in  1799.  He 
immediately  began  the  study  of  law  in  Troy,  and  after  his  admission  to 
the  bar  in  1804  .or  1805,  he  settled  in  Hamilton  and  began  practice, 
remaining  there  about  twenty  years  and  until  1824,  when  he  removed 
to  Utica  and  continued  practice  there  until  his  death.  He  was  the  first 
surrogate  of  Madison  county,  holding  that  office  from  March  26,  1806, 
to  February  26,  1816.  At  that  time  he  was  appointed  district  attorney 
of  the  Sixth  district,  which  included  seven  counties;  when  each  county 
was  made  a  separate  district  in  1818  he  continued  as  the  first  district 
attorney  of  Madison  county.  He  was  presidential  elector  in  1812,  in 
1844,  and  again  in  1852.  Upon  his  removal  to  Utica  he  formed  a  part- 
nership with  Greene  C.  Bronson  and  was  honored  with  other  offices  in 
that  county.      He  died  May  21,  1857. 

Another  early  lawyer  of  Hamilton  was  John  G.  Stower,  who  was  a 
student  with  Mr.  Hubbard,  and  after  his  admission  to  the  bar  formed 
a  partnership  with  his  preceptor,  which  continued  until  Mr.  Hubbard 


THE  JUDICIARY  AND  BAR.  497 

removed  to  Utica.  Mr.  Stower  was  surrogate  of  Madison  county  from 
February  9,  1831,  to  April  13,  1837  ;  representative  in  Congress  from 
1837  to  1839,  and  in  April  of  the  latter  year  was  appointed  United 
States  attorney  for  the  Southern  District  of  Florida.  He  was  elected 
State  senator  in  1833  and  held  the  office  continuously  until  his  resigna- 
tion in  September,  1835.  Mr.  Stower  was  an  able  and  conscientious 
lawyer.     His  death  took  place  December  30,  1850. 

Philo  Gridley  was  for  a  short  period  associated  with  Mr.  Stower  as  a 
partner  in  law  practice  and  held  the  office  of  district  attorney  of  Madi- 
son county  for  a  term  after  1839.  He  subsequently  removed  to  Utica 
and  was  appointed  circuit  judge  of  the  Fifth  Circuit  July  17,  1838,  and 
was  elected  Supreme  Court  judge  June  7,  1847. 

One  of  the  most  prominent  jurists  of  this  State  was  for  a  number  of 
years  a  member  of  the  bar  of  Madison  county  and  a  resident  of  Hamil- 
ton village.  Charles  Mason  was  born  in  Plattsburg,  N.  Y.,  July  18, 
1810,  and  after  obtaining  an  academical  education,  studied  law  with 
Hon.  William  Ruger,  of  Watertown.  Upon  the  appointment  of  Philo 
Gridley  as  circuit  judge  in  1838,  calling  him  from  Hamilton,  Mr.  Mason 
removed  to  that  village  and  took  his  place.  In  1845  he  was  appointed 
district  attorney  of  Madison  county  and  relinquished  the  office  to  accept 
that  of  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  for  the  Sixth  Judicial  District,  to 
which  he  was  elected  in  June,  1847.  By  two  re-elections  he  was 
retained  in  this  high  office  twenty-two  years.  In  January,  1868,  he 
was  appointed  to  fill  a  vacancy  in  the  Court  of  Appeals  occasioned  by 
the  death  of  Judge  Wright.  In  1870  he  was  appointed  clerk  of  the 
United  States  Circuit  Court,  removing  to  Utica  to  perform  the  duties 
of  the  office.  He  died  in  that  city  while  still  filling  the  position  on 
May  31,  1879. 

John  Foote  was  a  son  of  Isaac  Foote,  a  leading  citizen  of  the  town  of 
Smyrna,  Chenango  county,  where  he  settled  in  1795,  was  born  in  Col- 
chester, Conn.,  April  30,  1786,  and  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Thomas 
H.  Hubbard  in  Hamilton,  and  began  practice  about  the  year  1813.  He 
continued  in  business  more  than  half  a  century.  He  was  the  father  of 
John  J.  Foote,  a  successful  merchant  of  Hamilton,  who  held  the  offices 
of  State  senator  and  presidential  elector. 

Lorenzo  Sherwood,  who  removed  to  De  Ruyter  from  Hoosick,  N,  Y., 
and  practiced  there  a  few  years,  took  up  his  residence  in  Hamilton  in 
the  winter  of  1839-40  and  began  business  in  company  with  James  W- 
Nye,  who  had  studied  with  him  in   De  Ruyter.     After  about  ten  years 


498  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

of  business  association,  Mr.  Sherwood  removed  to  Texas  on  account  of 
fear  of  consumption.  Mr.  Nye  continued  in  practice  until  his  election 
to  the  office  of  surrogate  in  1844.  In  1847  he  was  elected  county  judge. 
Soon  after  the  close  of  his  term  in  this  office  he  removed  to  Syracuse 
and  subsequently  to  New  York  city. 

In  1845  Albert  N.  vSheldon  and  James  E.  Eldredge  formed  a  partner- 
ship for  the  practice  of  law  in  Hamilton,  which  was  dissolved  three 
years  later.  Mr.  Sheldon  was  elected  district  attorney  in  1859  and  held 
the  office  one  term  only,  and  is  still  in  practice  in  Hamilton.  Mr. 
Eldredge  was  elected  to  the  Assembly  in  1816,  1827,  and  1829,  and  in 
1833  was  elected  county  judge,  holding  the  office  one  term  only.  He 
died  September  15,  1864. 

Henry  C.  Goodwin  was  born  in  De  Ruyter  June  25, 1824,  received  an 
academical  education  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1846.  He  was  the 
first  district  attorney  under  the  constitution  of  1846,  elected  in  June, 
1847,  and  lield  the  office  one  term.  He  was  elected  to  Congress  in 
November  1854,  upon  the  resignation  of  Gerrit  Smith,  ^nd  was  re- 
elected for  the  next  term.  His  promising  life  was  cut  short  by  death 
November  12,  1864,  at  thirty- six  years  of  age. 

David  J.  Mitchell  was  for  a  time  a  partner  with  Mr.  Goodwin  in  Ham- 
ilton and  early  evinced  the  possession  of  legal  talent  of  the  highest 
order.  He  soon  removed  to  Syracuse  and  became  a  partner  with  Judge 
Daniel  Pratt  and  Wilber  M.  Brown,  a  firm  which  gained  wide  celebrity. 
Mr.  Mitchell  was  noted  for  his  effective  eloquence  before  juries.  He 
died  September  22,  1874,  when  only  forty-seven  years  of  age. 

John  Adams  Smith  was  an  early  practitioner  in  Hamilton  and  for  a 
time  in  company  with  Thomas  H.  Hubbard. 

Joseph  Mason,  born  in  Plattsburg  March  31,  1828,  settled  in  Hamil- 
ton to  study  law  with  his  eminent  brother,  Charles  Mason,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  1849.  He  began  practice  there  the  same  year,  was 
elected  justice  of  the  peace  in  1849,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  and 
held  the  office  two  or  three  terms.  He  was  elected  county  judge  in 
1863,  held  the  office  one  term,  and  in  1878  was  elected  to  Congress. 

David  G.  Wellington,  who  was  for  a  number  of  years  a  partner  with 
Mr.  Mason,  was  born  in  Cazenovia  January  8,  1838,  and  graduated  from 
the  seminary  in  that  village.  After  his  admission  to  the  bar  he  was 
elected  justice  in  1866  and  held  the  office  until  his  election  to  the  As- 
sembly in  1867;  to  the  latter  office  he  was  again  chosen  in  1874.  His 
partnership  with  Mr.  Mason  began  in  1876. 


THE  JUDICIARY  AND  BAR.  499 

After  the  village  of  Morrisville  was  made  the  county  seat  in  1817  the 
natural  tendency  of  many  of  the  prominent  lawyers  of  the  county  was 
towards  that  place  for  the  practice  of  their  profession.  The  first  law- 
yer to  settle  in  the  village  was  Andrew  S.  Sloan,  who  came  from  Mans- 
field, Conn.  He  graduated  from  Williams  College  in  1813,  studied  law 
in  Waterford,  Conn.,  and  settled  in  Morrisville  in  1819,  where  he  re- 
sided until  his  death  in  1857.  He  held  the  office  of  county  clerk  six 
years,  and  was  first  judge  of  the  county.  Associated  with  him  several 
years  was  Hugh  Halsey,  who  came  from  Long  Island ;  he  returned 
thither  after  a  few  years  and  subsequently  held  the  office  of  surrogate, 
and  died  there. 

Epenetus  Holmes  settled  in  Morrisville  as  a  contemporary  with  Mr. 
Sloan.  He  was  born  at  Amenia,  Dutchess  county,  N.  Y.,  December  1, 
1784.  With  limited  educational  opportunities  he  studied  law  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Schaghticoke,  N.  Y. ,  and  there  practiced 
until  his  removal  to  Morrisville.  He  served  as  justice  of  the  peace,  and 
for  several  years  was  clerk  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors.  Chosen  a 
judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  he  sat  about  ten  years  on  the 
bench.  He  died  in  1861.  He  was  father  of  Sidney  T.  Holmes,  who 
was  one  of  the  strongest  men  professionally  of  the  Madison  county  bar. 
Enthusiastic  in  study,  with  a  quick  and  active  mental  equipment,  he 
rapidly  advanced  to  the  front  rank  among  the  lawyers  of  this  vicinity. 
He  was  elected  county  judge  in  1851  and  served  twelve  years  with  rare 
ability.  In  1865  he  was  elected  to  Congress  from  this  district  and  was 
no  less  successful  as  a  legislator  than  as  a  lawyer  and  jurist.  Later  in 
his  life  he  removed  to  Bay  City,  Michigan,  where  he  continued  the  suc- 
cess attained  here. 

A.  Lawrence  Foster  studied  law  in  Vernon  and  settled  in  Morrisville 
about  1827,  where  he  was  successful  in  his  profession.  Active  in  poli- 
tics in  the  Whig  party,  they  elected  him  to  Congress  in  1840.  At  the 
close  of  his  term  he  settled  permanently  in  Virginia. 

Otis  P.  Granger  was  born  in  Suffield,  Conn.,  in  February,  1796,  and 
graduated  from  Williams  College  in  1816.  He  studied  law,  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  and  in  1821  settled  in  Morrisville,  where  he  continued 
in  active  practice  until  1845.  He  was  an  able  counselor  and  enjoyed 
the  full  confidence  of  the  community.  He  was  appointed  surrogate  of 
the  county  in  1827  and  held  the  office  until  1840.  After  his  retirement 
from  practice  before  1850  he  was  frequently  consulted  in  cases  of  im- 
portance. 


500  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Duane  Brown  removed  from  Brookfield  about  1845  and  bought  out 
A.  Lawrence  Foster  in  Morrisville,  continuing  in  successful  practice 
until  his  death  in  March,  1857.  Among  his  professional  brethren  he 
was  considered  one  of  the  ablest  lawyers  of  his  time.  He  took  little 
interest  in  politics  and  held  no  public  office  of  importance. 

William  W.  Farwell,  who  was  a  son-in-law  of  Judge  Otis  P.  Granger, 
practiced  in  Morrisville  about  four  years  from  1854,  when  he  removed 
to  Chicago,  where  he  was  elected  circuit  judge.  His  business  associate 
was  Z.  T.  Bentley,  who  removed  to  Oneida  and  died  there. 

Alexander  Cramphin,  born  in  Maryland  in  1828,  studied  law  with 
Timothy  Jenkins,  at  Oneida  Castle,  and  with  Duane  Brown,  in  Morris- 
ville. After  his  admission  to  the  bar  he  was  elected  justice  of  the 
peace  and  in  1868  was  chosen  district  attorney.  He  died  February  2, 
1874. 

Isaac  Newton  Messinger,  who  died  in  Oneida,  March  11,  1895,  in  the 
seventy  fifth  year  of  his  age,  was  for  many  years  an  honored  member 
of  the  Madison  county  bar,  and  a  valued  citizen  of  Oneida.  He  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Smithfield,  this  county,  February  28,  1831,  the 
only  child  of  Gen.  John  M.  Messinger,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  the 
town  of  Lenox.  The  General  was  a  native  of  Barre,  Mass.,  and  in  the 
year  1808,  removed  to  the  town  of  Smithfield.  He  was  a  man  of  im- 
portance in  his  time,  being  actively  interested  in  military  affairs.  He 
was  one  of  the  early  sheriffs  of  Madison  county;  represented  his  dis- 
trict in  the  State  Legislature,  and  occupied  a  prominent  position  in  the 
county  both  politically  and  socially.  L  Newton  Messinger  was  a  grad- 
uate of  Hamilton  College  in  the  class  of  1839,  being  a  classmate  of  the 
late  Judge  Benjamin  F.  Chapman.  He  studied  law  and  in  July,  1843, 
was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He  opened  the  first  law  office  in  Oneida 
shortly  after  his  admission,  taking  as  partner  Hon.  Ithamar  C.  Sloan, 
a  brilliant  practitioner  of  wide  reputation.  In  1863  he  formed  a  part- 
nership with  James  B.  Jenkins,  which  was  harmoniously  and  success- 
fully maintained  for  a  period  of  ten  years,  when  Mr.  Messinger  retired 
from  active  practice  (1873).  Mr.  Messinger  was  for  some  time  chief 
of  the  village  fire  department,  and  was  much  esteemed  for  his  bravery 
in  the  face  of  danger  and  disaster.  He  was  also  one  of  the  early  village 
presidents,  and  during  the  Civil  war  gave  valuable  aid  to  the  Union 
cause  by  raising  troops.  Prior  to  the  birth  of  the  Republican  party  he 
was  a  Democrat.  He  was  Oneida's  fourth  postmaster,  his  commission 
bearing  the  signature  of  President  Buchanan;  he  was  also  one  of  the 


GERRIT  A.  FORBES. 


THE  JUDICIARY  AND  BAR.  501 

earliest  ticket  agents  and  operators  at  the  New  York  Central  station. 

Edward  Frost  Haskell,  who  died  in  Oneida  November  2,  1892,  in  the 
thirty-ninth  year  of  his  age,  was  an  honored  member  of  the  Madison 
county  bar.  He  was  born  at  Orange,  N.  J.,  October  21,  1853,  a  son 
of  Llewellyn  and  Marianna  (Frost)  Haskell.  His  father  was  a  New 
York  merchant  of  large  interests,  and  the  owner  and  founder  of  Llew- 
ellyn Park  in  Orange.  His  mother  was  a  native  of  Charleston,  N.  C. , 
and  came  of  the  old  Southern  family  of  Frost.  Mr.  Haskell  was  pre- 
pared at  Fort  Edward  Collegiate  Institute,  and  entered  the  University 
of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor.  He  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of 
Hon.  John  E.  Smith  of  Morri-sville,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1887. 
Following  his  admission  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Judge  Smith 
which  continued  five  years,  or  until  Mr.  Haskell's  election  to  the  State 
Legislature  in  1883.  During  their  association  Mr.  Haskell  acted  as 
assistant  district  attorney,  Mr.  Smith  being  then  the  prosecuting  officer. 
Mr,  Haskell  served  two  consecutive  years  in  the  Assembly,  and  was 
chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Railroads.  After  his  retirement  from 
the  Legislature  he  settled  in  Oneida  where  he  en  j  oyed  a  large  and  lucra- 
tive practice  until  his  untimely  death.  Mr.  Haskell  married  in  1873, 
Mary  E.  Howe.  Three  children  were  born  to  them :  Edna  Rutledge, 
Florence,  and  Edward  Llewellyn. 

Hon.  Gerrit  A.  Forbes,  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court,  was  born  near 
Clockville,  in  the  town  of  Lenox,  May  30,  1836,  a  son  of  Isaac  J.  and 
Abigail  (Sayles)  Forbes,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  son  of  Jacob,  a 
farmer  of  Lenox,  who  reared  a  family  of  ten  sons  and  three  daughters, 
of  whom  Isaac  J.  was  one  of  the  youngest.  The  father  of  Jacob  was 
of  Scotch  descent,  and  an  early  settler  in  the  Mohawk  Valley,  where 
the  family  name,  although  Forbes  in  Scotland,  took  the  form  of  For- 
bush.  Isaac  J.  Forbes  was  born  at  Clockville,  and  died  at  Lafayette, 
Ind,,  in  the  forty-seventh  year  of  his  age.  His  wife  was  a  daughter 
of  Silas  Sayles,  once  postmaster  at  Peterboro,  and  a  granddaughter  of 
William  Sayles,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  who  came  early  to  this  region. 
Of  the  union  of  Isaac  J.  and  Abigail  (Sayles)  Forbes  eleven  children 
were  born,  of  whom  Gernt  A.  Forbes  was  the  sixth  in  order  of  birth. 
His  mother  had  been  a  schoolmate  of  the  famous  American  philan- 
thropist, Gerrit  Smith,  and  in  his  honor  Judge  Forbes  was  named.  He 
was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  and  in  his  youth  received  but  a  com- 
mon school  education.  In  1860,  however,  having  a  strong  desire  to 
embrace  the  legal  profession,  he  began  to  read  in  the  office  of  Hon.  B. 
F.  Chapman  of  Clockville,  and  was  admitted  in  May,  1863.     He  formed 


502  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

a  partnership  with  Judge  Chapman  in  August  of  the  same  year.  Judge 
Forbes  served  as  district  attorney  from  1871  to  1874,  and  was  elected 
justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  in  November,  1887.  In  188-t  he  had  be- 
come the  head  of  the  law  firm  of  Forbes,  Brown  &  Tracy  at  Syracuse, 
taking  the  place  of  Hon.  George  N.  Kennedy  in  the  firm  of  Kennedy 
&  Tracy.  Since  1868  he  has  resided  in  Canastota,  and  during  his  long 
residence  in  that  village  has  been  prominently  associated  with  many 
public  spirited  enterprises,  and  in  all  movements  having  for  their  aim 
the  material  prosperity  and  moral  advancement  of  the  community;  he 
has  served  as  president  of  the  Board  of  Education  twelve  consecutive 
years.  Judge  Forbes  married,  July  10,  1862,  Ellen  Brooks,  daughter 
of  Colon  and  Matilda  (Hills)  Brooks  of  Clockville;  of  their  union  are 
two  children:  Maude  I.,  wife  of  D.  Fiske  Kellogg,  New  York,  and 
Claude  L.,  a  practicing  attorney  of  Syracuse. 

S.  Perry  Smith,  long  a  well  known  and  successful  member  of  the  bar 
of  the  county,  was  born  in  Nelson  and  a  son  of  James  and  Sally  Smith. 
Until  he  reached  middle  life  he  remained  on  the  home  farm  of  his  father 
to  care  for  his  younger  brothers,  James  W.  and  John  E.  Smith,  after 
which  he  read  law  and  practiced  in  Morrisville  many  years  and  until 
his  death  April  3,  1896.  He  was  a  Democrat  and  supported  his  party 
both  at  the  polls  and  as  a  public  speaker  on  many  occasions.  During 
the  war  of  the  Rebellion  he  was  repeatedly  elected  supervisor  of  his 
native  town,  which  was  strongly  Republican,  and  performed  very  effi- 
cient service  in  promoting  enlistments  for  the  Union  armies.  He  was 
thrice  married — first  to  Miranda  Spencer,  by  whom  there  survived  him 
a  daughter,  Mrs.  George  C.  Wilbur,  of  Detroit;  second  to  Sophia  Pow- 
ers, and  third  to  Ella  Goodfellow,  who  now  survives  him  and  by  whom 
he  had  three  children  :  Samuel,  Bertha  and  Paul,  who  reside  with  their 
mother  in  Oneida. 

Nathaniel  Foote  settled  in  Morrisville  in  18-15,  removing  from  Che- 
nango county.      He  continued  in  practice  throughout  his  long  life. 

Joseph  Clark,  who  is  elsewhere  mentioned  as  the  founder  of  Clark- 
ville,  in  Brookfield,  and  who  was  county  clerk  twenty  years,  justice  of 
the  peace  twenty-five  years,  supervisor  fifteen  years,  and  judge  of  the 
Court  of  Common  Pleas  more  than  ten  years,  was  father  of  Lucius  P. 
Clark,  who  was  born  in  Clarkville,  January  27,  1822.  He  received  a 
part  of  his  liberal  education  in  the  Pearl  Street  Academy  in  Albany, 
after  which  he  returned  to  Clarkville,  married  and  learned  the  carriage 
maker's  trade,  which  he  followed  about  eight  years.      He  was  then  ap- 


PERRY  G.  CHILDS. 


The  judiciary  and  bar.  b03 

pointed  deputy  county  clerk  and  i-emoved  to  Morrisville  in  1850.  Three 
years  later  he  was  elected  county  clerk  and  held  the  office  three  years. 
During  this  period  of  six  years  in  the  office  he  had  given  all  spare 
time  to  the  study  of  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1855.  He  was 
nominated  in  1856  by  the  Democrats  for  Congress  and  frequently  nom- 
inated for  the  assembly.     In  1873  he  was  again  elected  county  clerk. 

The  village  of  Cazenovia  was  the  county  seat  from  1810  to  1817  and 
during  that  period  attracted  thither  a  number  of  able  lawyers,  while  in 
more  recent  years  other  have  found  remunerative  practice  in  that  sec- 
tion. Schuyler  Van  Rensselaer  and  Samuel  Sidney  Breese  settled 
there  before  the  close  of  the  last  century  and  were  professionally  en- 
gaged. Van  Rensselaer  remained  only  a  short  time.  Mr.  Breese  was 
the  first  clerk  of  Chenango  county,  receiving  his  appointment  in  the 
year  of  the  erection  of  the  county,  1798.  He  remained  in  Cazenovia  in 
practice  to  about  1808,  when  he  removed  to  Oneida  county  and  was 
there  honored  as  a  representative  in  the  Constitutional  Convention  of 
1821,  and  with  election  to  the  Assembly  of  1828. 

David  Dearborn,  David  B.  Johnson,  and  possibly  other  attorneys, 
settled  there  during  the  first  decade  of  the  present  century.  Mr.  Dear- 
born and  Mr.  Johnson  practiced  many  years  and  both  their  names  ap- 
pear in  the  tax  list  of  the  place  in  1811.  Mr.  Dearborn  remained  in  the 
village  until  his  death,  July  22,  1847. 

Perry  G.  Childs  was  one  of  Cazenovia's  most  distinguished  early  law- 
yers. He  was  a  graduate  of  Williams  College,  married  Catharine  Led- 
yard  in  1807,  in  which  year  he  settled  in  the  village;  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1813,  and  continued  in  active  practice  until  his  death,  March 
27,  1835.  He  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  Council  of  Appoint- 
ment January  10,  1822,  and  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  in  1819. 
He  served  on  the  staff  of  General  Hurd  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  on 
January  9,  1830,  he  was  appointed  bank  commissioner,  which  office  he 
held  ten  years.     He  was  father  of  five  children.     He  died  in  1835. 

Justin  Dwindle  was  another  prominent  lawyer  of  Cazenovia,  who 
graduated  at  Yale  in  1805  and  settled  in  the  village  before  1815,  and 
continued  until  his  death,  September  15,  1850,  aged  sixty-six  years.  He 
was  in  the  Assembly  in  1821-22;  was  appointed  county  judge  February 
7,  1833;  served  in  Congress  in  1833-35,  and  was  appointed  district  at- 
torney in  1837. 

Charles  Stebbins  was  born  in  Williamstown,  Mass.,  in  May,  1789. 
He  graduated  at  Williams  College  in  1808,  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  and 


504  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

in  1810  removed  to  Cazenovia.  He  was  admitted  in  1813.  He  died 
here  March  23,  1873.  He  served  in  the  war  of  1812  as  aide-de  camp  to 
General  Hurd.  He  was  elected  State  senator  in  opposition  to  Gerrit 
Smith  in  1835,  and  served  four  years.  January  9,  1830,  he  was  ap- 
pointed bank  commissioner,  and  held  that  office  till  1840.  In  1819  he 
he  married  Eunice,  daughter  of  Josiah  Masters,  of  Schaghticoke,  N.Y., 
who  was  born  in  1794,  and  died  in  Cazenovia,  May  5,  1871.  They  had 
five  children. 

Jonathan  Denise  Ledyard,  son  of  Benjamin,  was  born  at  Middletown 
Point,  N.  J.,  June  10,  1793,  and  died  in  Cazenovia,  January  7,  1874. 
His  father  served  with  credit  as  an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary  army 
and  in  1794  settled  at  Aurora,  now  in  Cayuga  county.  His  mother  was 
sister  to  Gen.  Jonathan  Forman  and  to  Maj.  Samuel  S.  Forman,  who 
accompanied  Col.  John  Lincklaen  in  the  settlement  of  Cazenovia  in 
1793.  After  the  death  of  his  mother  in  1798,  Jonathan  D.  Ledyard  was 
adopted  by  his  sister  Helen,  wife  of  Col.  John  Lincklaen,  and  given  ex- 
ception educational  opportunities,  which  he  fully  employed,  and  gradu- 
ated from  LTnion  College  in  1812.  He  read  law  in  the  office  of  Childs 
&  Stebbins  in  Cazenovia,  and  in  Utica  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1815.  Soon  after  attaining  his  majority  he  entered  the  land  office  of 
Colonel  Lincklaen,  whom  he  succeeded  in  the  management  of  the  Hol- 
land Land  Company's  business  in  this  vicinity,  and  in  1823  he  pur- 
chased the  remaining  lands.  These  affairs  prevented  him  from  engag- 
ing to  any  important  extent  in  the  practice  of  law.  Throughout  his  life 
he  was  a  broad-minded  and  public  spirited  citizen. 

The  first  regular  attorney  in  the  town  of  De  Ruyter  .was  Abraham 
Payne,  son  of  Elisha  Payne,  of  Hamilton,  whence  he  removed  about 
1834.  After  practicing  about  ten  years  he  removed  to  Seneca  Falls, 
where  he  extensively  engaged  in  the  milling  business.  Martin  P. 
Sweet,  of  Onondaga  county,  settled  in  De  Ruyter  in  1833  and  practiced 
about  four  years,  when  he  removed  to  the  vicinity  of  Auburn.  In  his 
office  as  a  student  was  Lorenzo  Sherwood,  of  Hoosick,  N.  Y.,  who  com- 
pleted his  studies  and  practiced  in  De  Ruyter  from  1834  to  about  1839, 
when  he  went  to  Hamilton,  taking  with  him  James  W.  Nye,  then  a 
student  in  his  office.  With  Mr.  Sherwood,  while  in  De  Ruyter,  was 
his  brother,  Luman,  then  recently  admitted,  who  practiced  with  him 
until  1839,  went  he  went  to  Auburn. 

Zadock  T.  Bentley  was  a  son  of  Jonathan  Bentley,  a  pioneer  of  De 
Ruyter,  and  was  born  in  Washington  county,  August  8,  1807.     After 


THE  JUDICIARY  AND  BAR.  505 

graduating  from  the  Hamilton  Academy  he  began  the  study  of  law  at 
Berlin,  N.  Y. ,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Madison  county  in  1833. 
In  that  year  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Martin  P.  Sweet  which  con- 
tinued three  years,  when  Mr.  Sweet  left  the  town.  Mr.  Bentley  con- 
tinued in  practice  until  184:4,  when  he  removed  to  Morrisville  to  assume 
the  office  of  county  clerk  to  which  he  had  been  elected.  He  remained 
at  the  county  seat  after  his  term  expired,  practicing  until  about  1862 
when  he  removed  to  Oneida  and  died  there  July  4,  1870.  George  W. 
Stone,  a  young  lawyer  from  Cortland  county,  formed  a  partnership  with 
Mr.  Bentley  about  1836,  which  continued  until  1839,  when  ill  health 
compelled  Mr.  Stone  to  go  south.  He  died  in  Homer.  Artemas  V. 
Bentley  was  a  brother  of  Zadock  T.  and  read  law  with  him.  He  was 
admitted  in  1841,  began  practice  in  De  Ruyter  which  he  continued  un- 
til 1861,  when  he  was  appointed  postmaster,  an  office  which  he  held 
many  years. 

Andrew  Scott  Sloan,  born  in  Morrisville,  son  of  Judge  Andrew  S. 
Sloan,  before  mentioned,  studied  law  in  that  village  and  in  1844  settled 
in  De  Ruyter,  where  he  continued  in  practice  ten  years  and  removed  to 
Beaver  Dam,  Wis.  His  younger  brother,  Ithamar  C.  Sloan,  studied 
with  him  in  De  Ruyter,  was  admitted  about  1846,  and  practiced  till 
1854,  when  he  removed  to  Janesville  Wis. 

Among  the  leading  lawyers  of  Madison  county  for  many  years,  was 
Harris  Coats  Miner,  who  was  born  in  Pharsalia,  N.  Y.,  August  31, 
1817.  In  1838  he  went  to  De  Ruyter  to  attend  school.  Being  offered 
a  position  as  head  clerk  in  a  store  there,  he  took  it  and  remained  in  the 
business  several  years.  On  January  1,  1844,  he  removed  to  Morrisville 
to  accept  the  office  of  deputy  county  clerk,  to  which  he  was  appointed 
by  Zadock  T.  Bentley.  During  his  three  years  of  service  in  this  posi- 
tion he  devoted  his  energies  and  spare  hours  to  the  study  of  law,  and 
his  strength  of  intellect  and  perseverance  enabled  him  to  so  master  the 
subject  that  he  was  admitted  in  December,  1849.  Forming  a  partner- 
ship with  Andrew  S.  Sloan,  they  practiced  together  until  Mr.  Sloan  re- 
moved west,  after  which  Mr.  Miner  was  associated  with  his  brother, R. 
L.  Miner,  and  with  Lambert  B.  Kern. 

Lambert  B.  Kern  was  born  in  Eaton,  Madison  county,  November  28, 
1833.  He  obtained  an  academical  education  and  studied  law  in  the  of- 
fice of  Sidney  T.  Holmes  in  Morrisville,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1858.  In  1865  he  was  elected  district  attorney  and  served  one  term.  In 
1878  he  was  elected  to  the  Assembly.     Daniel  Q.  Mitchell,  a  brother  of 


506  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

David  J.  Mitchell,  before  mentioned,  was  born  in  De  Ruyter  September 
16,  1823,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  18(50,  from  which  time  he 
practiced  successfull)'  in  De  Ruyter  many  years. 

The  town  and  village  of  Madison  had  an  early  and  reputable  attor- 
ney in  the  person  of  Phineas  L.  Tracy,  who  was  born  before  the  close  of 
the  last  century  in  Norwich,  Conn.,  graduated  from  Yale  in  1806  and 
engaged  in  practice  in  1811.  His  brother,  Albert,  born  June  17, 
1793,  came  to  Madison  county  at  the  same  time.  He  had  studied  med- 
icine with  his  father,  took  up  the  legal  profession  and  was  admitted  in 
1815  Thsir  practice  in  Madison  continued  only  a  few  years,  when 
Phineas  removed  to  Batavia  and  Albert  H.  to  Buffalo. 

Edward  Rogers,  a  graduate  of  Yale  College  and  a  man  of  superior 
mental  qualifications,  was  born  in  Cornwall,  Conn.,  May  30,  1787,  re- 
moved to  Madison  about  the  close  of  the  war  of  1812  and  continued 
prominent  in  his  profession  during  about  thirty  years.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Constitutional  Convention  in  1831  and  represented  the  23d 
District  in  Congress  in  1839—41.  He  also  served  several  years  as  a  judge 
of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas.  David  Woods  and  his  son  Jonathan 
were  contemporary  practitioners  with  Judge  Rogers,  coming  originally 
from  Vermont.     They  did  not  long  remain  in  tliis  county. 

Thomas  J.  Yaw  practiced  law  in  Brookfield  (Clarkville)  from  about 
1830  until  his  death  in  1863.  In  that  village  also  Pardon  Davis  was  in 
practice  in  the  30's.  George  W.  Gray  settled  there  about  1845  and 
practiced  a  few  years.  Henrj'  M.  Aylesworth,  who  afterwards  removed 
to  Leonardsville,  practiced  in  Clarkville  a  part  of  the  year  1867.  Sam- 
uel D.  White,  who  removed  to  Hamilton,  was  in  practice  in  Clarkville 
from  1857  to  1866.  George  M.  Havens  also  practiced  there  about  a 
year  before  his  removal  to  New  York  about  1845.  Sherman  Daboll, 
who  came  into  Brookfield  with  his  parents  when  young,  studied  law  at 
New  Berlin,  practiced  in  Clarkville  several  years,  and  removed  to  ^lich- 
igan.  Barna  J.  Stimson  practiced  there  from  1867  to  1874,  and  removed 
to  Hamilton.  Frederick  Clarke,  a  native  of  the  town  of  Brookfield, 
studied  law  with  Sherman  Daboll,  began  practice  about  1876  and  soon 
afterward  removed  to  Cazenovia.  In  Leonardsville,  in  this  town,  Anson 
Harder,  from  Little  Falls,  settled  about  1853,  practiced  about  three 
years  and  removed  to  Jefferson  county. 

The  first  lawyer  in  Earlville,  town  of  Lebanon,  was  probably  Joseph 
Whitmore,  who  removed  there  from  Rome  in  1843,  and  continued  in 
practice   five  or   six  years,  when   he   removed   to  Michigan.      Alfred 


THE  JUDICIARY  AND  BAR.  507 

Nichols  settled  there  in  1851  and  practiced  until  1859,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Sherburne. 

The  pioneer  attorney  in  the  town  of  Lenox  was  George  Ager,  but  it 
is  not  known  in  just  what  year  he  settled  there.  The  next  one  was 
Ichabod  S.  Spencer,  who  moved  from  Massachusetts  to  the  town  of 
Madison  in  1802.  He  began  law  practice  in  1808  and  attained  unusual 
success.  He  was  the  first  postmaster  in  Canastota,  in  1839.  Judge 
Thomas  Barlow  was  a  son  of  Thomas  and  was  born  in  Duanesburgh, 
Schenectady  county,  March  14,  1807.  After  receiving  an  academical 
education  he  studied  law  in  Little  Falls,  Rochester  and  Herkimer,  and 
at  the  July  term  of  the  Supreme  Court  in  1831  was  admitted  as  an  at- 
torney; at  the  July  term  in  1834  he  was  admitted  as  counselor  of  that 
court,  and  in  January,  1835,  was  admitted  solicitor  and  counselor  of  the 
Court  of  Chancery.  He  settled  in  Canastota  in  the  fall  of  1831,  and  in 
the  fall  of  1842  was  appointed  superintendent  of  schools  in  Madison 
county.  He  gained  a  large  practice  in  his  profession  and  a  high  repu- 
tation throughout  the  county.  In  February,  1843,  he  was  elected  first 
judge  of  the  Court  of  Conmon  Pleas  and  served  acceptably  in  that 
office  until  January,  1848.  In  1844  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate 
and  served  faithfully  and  ably  four  years.  Judge  Barlow  indulged  his 
natural  taste  for  historical  research  and  writing,  and  in  May,  1841,  was 
made  a  corresponding  member  of  the  New  York  Historical  Society. 
In  1853  he  was  elected  a  metnber  of  the  American  Association  for  the 
Advancement  of  Science.  In  1854  he  was  elected  corresponding  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Historical  Society  of  Wisconsin  and  in  the  same  year 
was  made  corresponding  member  of  the  New  Orleans  Academy  of 
Sciences.  He  made  a  fine  collection  of  natural  history  specimens  that 
was  particularly  rich  in  insects.  As  a  scientific  lecturer  Judge  Barlow 
was  popular.      He  died  in  Canastota. 

Other  comparatively  early  attorneys  of  Canastota  were  Curtis  C. 
Baldwin,  Israel  S.  Spencer,  Hiram  Bennett,  William  H.  Kinney  and  I. 
N.  Messenger.  vStephen  Chapman  settled  in  Clockville,  town  of  Lenox, 
about  1820  as  the  first  attorney  in  that  place.  B.  F.  Chapman  was  also 
in  practice  there  many  years,  to  1880,  when  he  removed  to  Oneida  and 
was  succeeded  by  George  W.  Chapman.  Joshua  A.  Spencer,  brother 
of  Ichabod  S.,  was  an  early  practitioner  in  this  town  and  subsequently 
attained  eminence  in  the  profession. 

Hon.  Timothy  Jenkins,  although  he  resided  in  Oneida  county,  was 
still  a  well  known  and  honored  practitioner  at  the  Madison  county  bar 


508  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

and  was  thoroughly  well  known  in  this  county  where  he  had  many 
interests  He  was  a  native  of  New  England,  a  descendant  from  the 
hardy,  conscientious,  devout  first  settlers  of  that  seminal  part  of  our 
country.  He  was  born  in  the  town  of  Barre,  Mass.,  January  39,  1799, 
of  parents  whose  genealogy  showed  them  to  be  allied  to  the  early 
Puritans  of  Plymouth.  They  were  farmers  and  intended  for  their  son 
no  other  occupation  in  life.  It  was  their  wish  that  he  and  his  only 
brother  should  own  and  till  the  same  farm  which  had  been  bequeathed 
to  them  by  their  father.  Ere  he  had  attained  his  sixteenth  year  his 
father  had  beea  removed  by  death.  From  that  day  he  was  left  to 
maintain  himself  and  mark  out  and  pursue  his  own  plan  of  life.  He 
soon  determined  to  seek  a  higher  intellectual  culture,  to  penetrate  some 
of  the  regions  of  science  and  learning  of  which  he  had,  in  his  element- 
ary studies,  caught  some  glimpses.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  Mr.  Jenk- 
ins removed  to  Washington  county,  this  State;  there  he  resided  two 
years  attending  the  academies  at  Salem  and  White  Creek.  During 
that  time  he  devoted  himself  assiduously  to  the  attainment  of  classical 
and  scientific  learning.  He  then  entered  upon  and  pursued  for  three 
years  the  honorable  employment  of  school  teacher,  in  the  prosecution 
of  which  he  was  continually  extending  and  perfecting  his  acquaintance 
with  several  sciences  and  classical  literature.  At  that  time  he  com- 
menced the  study  of  the  law,  the  practice  of  which  he  had  determined 
should  be  his  profession  in  life.  Afterwards  having  prosecuted  his 
studies  the  required  term  under  two  distinguished  lawyers  in  Utica, 
Mr.  Jenkins  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1835.  Soon  after  he  opened  an 
office  in  the  adjoining  village  of  Vernon,  and  in  1832  removed  and  set- 
tled at  Oneida  Castle.  From  that  time  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
December  34,  1859,  he  was  constantly  engaged  in  an  ever  increasing 
legal  business  extending  into  adjacent  counties  and  often  into  more 
distant  parts  of  the  State. 

In  1840  Mr.  Jenkins  was  appointed  the  prosecuting  attorney  of 
Oneida  county,  and  held  that  responsible  office  five  years.  During  his 
term  of  service  the  criminal  business  of  the  county  was  unusually  large, 
but  his  onerous  duties  were  discharged  with  signal  ability,  and  to  the 
entire  satisfaction  of  his  legal  brethren  and  to  the  people  generally. 
For  ten  years,  under  the  appointing  power  of  the  State,  Mr.  Jenkins 
held  the  office  of  attorney  to  the  Oneida  Indians,  and  to  this  remnant 
of  a  once  noble  tribe  of  aborigines  of  our  country  he  faithfully  extended 
the  benefits  of  his  talents  and  influence.     In  1844  he  was  elected  a  rep- 


THE  JUDICIARY  AND  BAR.  609 

resentative  to  the  Congress  of  the  United  States;  also  in  1846,  and 
again  in  1850.  During  those  six  years  in  that  exalted  station,  Mr. 
Jenkins  served  his  constituents,  his  State,  the  Republic,  and  the  cause 
of  humanity  with  a  fidelity  to  principle  and  independence  of  party  that 
gained  for  him  universal  respect  and  made  him  a  still  greater  favorite 
of  the  people.  He  is  believed  to  have  been  one  of  those  who  devised 
the  "Wilmot  Proviso."  If  he  did  not  originate  the  measure  he  was 
early  in  the  counsel  of  those  who  did.  He  supported  it  with  great 
earnestness,  although  he  knew  it  was  displeasing  to  many  of  his  own 
party.  Mr.  Jenkins  was  from  early  life  a  Democrat  in  his  political 
belief  ;  he  nevertheless  opposed  the  Kansas  Nebraska  Act  of  1854, 
which  repealed  the  Missouri  Compromise.  In  1856  he  joined  the 
Fremont  movement,  and  ever  afterward  acted  with  the  Republicans. 
In  fact  he  was  a  delegate  at  large  to  the  convention  which  met  in  Phila- 
delphia in  1856  to  form  the  Republican  party. 

Mr.  Jenkins  was  a  man  positive  in  intellect,  disposition,  and  in  heart. 
He  commenced  life  under  disadvantageous  circumstances,  but  there 
was  no  man  who  enjoyed  more  entirely  the  confidence  and  respect  of 
the  whole  community.  He  was  highly  distinguished  for  his  learning 
and  industry  in  his  profession,  his  great  personal  resolution  and  perse- 
verance, and  he  maintained  a  position  in  the  very  first  rank  at  the  bar. 
Although  not  an  orator  as  the  term  is  generally  understood,  his 
speeches  were  always  sound,  logical,  and  to  the  point,  and  in  the  prep- 
aration of  his  cases  he  had  no  superior.  In  his  religious  convictions  he 
was  earnest  and  decided,  and  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  formation 
of  a  Unitarian  Society  in  Vernon  and  the  erection  of  an  edifice.  To 
those  who  knew  him  slightly  he  appeared  distant  and  very  dignified, 
but  a  better  acqaintance  proved  him  genial  and  communicative,  with  a 
heart  full  of  love  and  kindness  to  all. 

Ex-Postmaster-General  James  at  a  meeting  of  the  Oneida  County 
Society  in  New  York  held  in  that  city  March  15,  1897,  said  :  "As  the 
name  of  Timothy  Jenkins  comes  to  my  recollection  I  see  a  tall,  digni- 
fied, impressive  man,  the  very  type  of  a  lawyer  and  statesman,  a  man 
whom  in  my  younger  days  I  was  led  to  regard  as  one  of  the  ablest  men 
I  had  ever  met,  and  I  was  gratified  years  after  to  learn  that  Hannibal 
Hamlin,  vice-president  of  the  United  States,  one  who  had  served  in 
Congress  with  him,  declared  that  to  be  his  opinion." 

In  1822  Mr.  Jenkins  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Florilla  Tuttle 
of  Vernon,  which  marriage  was  terminated  by  the  death  of  the  wife 


510  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

about  a  year  afterwards.  In  1829  Mr.  Jenkins  married  Miss  Harriet 
Tuttle,  a  sister  of  his  deceased  wife.  Their  children  were  :  Charles  M., 
born  Sept.  1,  1830,  died  Dec.  20,  1856;  Hiram  T.,  born  April  8,  1833, 
died  July  29,  1868;  Florilla,  widow  of  W.J.  Hickox,  only  surviving 
child;  Albert  Timothy,  born  April  10,  1845,  died  April  29,  1846. 

James  B.  Jenkins  has  practiced  law  in  this  vicinity  nearly  fifty  years. 
He  was  born  in  Onondaga  county,  N.  Y.,  a  son  of  Josiah  and  Harriet 
A.  (Fay)  Jenkins,  a  daughter  of  Major  Joseph  Fay,  aide  to  General 
Wilkinson  in  the  War  of  1812.  Josiah  Jenkins  was  a  graduate  of  Yale 
College  and  a  man  of  scholarly  attainments.  With  his  brother,  Timo- 
thy, he  removed  from  Massachusetts  to  Albany  where  for  several  years 
they  were  engaged  in  perfecting  astronomical  apparatus;  both  were 
teachers  and  lecturers  on  astronomy.  Josiah  Jenkins  was  for  some 
years  and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  superintendent  of  the  State  Salt 
Works,  living  at  Syracuse .  He  had  proceeded  to  Montezuma  to  inspect 
the  State  Salt  Works  there,  and  while  there  contracted  a  fever  from  the 
effects  of  which  he  died.  Timothy  Jenkins  was  a  man  of  national  rep- 
utation ;  he  was  frequently  mentioned  at  one  time  for  the  gubernatorial 
nomination,  which  he  declined.  He  represented  his  district  in  Congress 
several  terms.  The  subject  of  this  notice  was  prepared  for  college  at 
the  old  Oneida  Castle  Academy,  and  entered  Hamilton.  In  1847  he 
began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  his  uncle,  Timothy  Jenkins, 
taking  charge  of  the  latter's  legal  business  in  his  absence  at  Washing- 
ton. He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1850  and  began  practice  in  Oneida 
Castle.  For  several  years  he  was  associated  with  Hiram  T.  Jenkins, 
who  was  district  attorney  of  Oneida  county  for  nine  years,  during  most 
of  which  period  Mr.  Jenkins  acted  as  his  assistant,  and  for  about  eight- 
een months  as  acting  district  attorney.  He  remained  in  Oneida  Castle 
until  1862,  and  in  that  year  located  in  Oneida  where  he  has  since  prac- 
ticed. For  nine  years,  and  during  the  Civil  War,  he  was  associated 
with  the  late  I.  Newton  Messinger,  and  both  gave  material  aid  to  the 
Union  cause  by  raising  troops  in  this  locality.  He  next  associated  with 
T.  A.  Devereaux,  esq.,  under  the  firm  name  of  Jenkins  &  Devereaux, 
which  continued  twenty  years;  they  formed  a  partnership  with  Joseph 
I.  Sayles  of  Rome,  and  as  Sayles,  Jenkins  &  Devereaux  conducted  two 
offices,  one  in  Rome  and  one  in  Oneida  for  nearly  three  years.  Mr. 
Devereaux  withdrew  from  the  firm  of  Jenkins  &  Devereaux  in  the  spring 
1897,  and  Mr.  Jenkins  has  since  practiced  alone.  From  time  to  time  he 
has  been  engaged  on  many  cases  of  unusual  interest  and  prominence. 


THE  JUDICIARY  AND  BAR.  511 

including  Elkins  vs  Kilburn,  and  Others,  which  was  fought  vigorously 
for  some  years  and  carried  to  the  Court  of  Appeals  where  Mr.  Jenkins 
argued  against  Senator  Kernan  of  Utica,  and  obtained  a  judgment  of 
$17,000.  His  famous  case  of  the  Six  Nations  of  New  York  Indians 
against  the  United  States  Government  has  taken  a  large  portion  of  his 
time.  Under  the  treaty  of  Buffalo  Creek  in  1838  the  New  York  Indians 
ceded  or  traded  to  the  United  States  a  large  tract  of  land  in  Wiscon- 
sin, and  were  to  receive  in  return  1,834,000  acres  in  Indian  Territory 
and  $423,000  in  money.  During  the  Kansas  Border  war  and  the 
struggle  to  make  Kansas  a  free  State  many  people  squatted  on  these 
lands,  and  later  obtained  deeds  from  the  Government  which  intended 
to  pay  the  New  York  Indians,  an  intention  which  was  never  realized. 
Mr.  Jenkins  commenced  the  prosecution  of  the  claim  of  the  Indians  in 
the  fall  of  1859,  and  it  was  fought  before  the  different  departments  of 
Government  until  1884,  when  he  secured  a  bill  from  Congress  sending 
it  to  the  Court  of  Claims.  Here  the  case  was  tried  and  argued,  result- 
ing in  a  decision  for  the  Indians  of  a  little  less  than  $2,000,000.  It  was 
reopened  and  fought  several  years  until  in  1897  Mr.  Jenkins  appealed 
to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  where  he  argued  the  case 
twice,  and  on  November  14,  1898,  a  judgment  was  obtained  for  $1,999,- 
210.85.  Mr.  Jenkins  was  for  many  years  an  ardent  advocate  of  the 
cause  of  temperence,  and  prominent  in  temperance  work.  He  is  one 
of  the  oldest  and  best  known  practitioners  of  the  Madison  bar.  He 
married,  June  28,  1876,  Carrie  A.  Lockwood,  a  daughter  of  Hon.  S.  M. 
Lockwood  of  New  Caanan,  Conn.  Of  this  union  is  one  son,  Harry  M. 
Jenkins. 

Hiram  L.  Rockwell,  son  of  Thomas  B.  and  Lucy  (Lindley)  Rock- 
well, was  born  in  the  town  of  Stockbridge,  this  county,  February  21, 
1833.  His  father  was  engaged  extensively  in  farming  and  was  at  one 
time  captain  of  a  company  of  N.  Y.  State  artillery;  his  grandfather, 
Thomas  Rockwell,  came  from  Connecticut  and  was  among  the  earliest 
settlers  of  the  present  town  of  Stockbridge.  Mr.  Rockwell  was  edu- 
cated in  the  district  schools,  and  at  the  Albany  Normal  school,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1855.  For  one  year  he  taught 
a  Union  school  in  the  town  of  Dryden,  Tompkins  county,  N.  Y.,  and 
the  following  year  held  a  position  as  instructor  in  the  Brooklyn  Poly- 
technic Institute.  In  1857  he  entered  the  Albany  Law  School  where 
he  was  graduated  LL.  B.  in  1859.  In  the  same  year  he  was  admitted 
to  the   bar    and  took   up    his  residence   in  the  village  of   Munnsville, 


512  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

where  he  continued  in  active  practice  until  1867.  For  a  period  of  five 
years  following  he  was  engaged  in  the  raising  of  grapes  and  other  fruits 
in  the  town  of  Vernon,  Oneida  county,  and  in  1872  came  to  Oneida 
where  he  has  since  resided.  Mr.  Rockwell  has  of  late  confined  his  at- 
tention chiefly  to  insurance  and  real  estate  business.  He  has  been 
prominent  in  the  support  of  many  worthy  public  enterprises  and  at  dif- 
ferent periods  has  been  honored  with  positions  of  public  trust.  He 
served  six  years  as  school  commissioner  of  the  second  district  of  Mad- 
ison county,  embracing  the  townships  of  Stockbridge,  Smithfield,  Fen- 
ner,  Sullivan  and  Lenox;  as  justice  of  the  peace  in  the  town  of  Stock- 
bridge  six  years;  in  1877  as  supervisor  of  the  town  of  Lenox;  for  six 
years  as  a  member  of  the  Oneida  Board  of  Education;  one  term  as 
village  trustee;  and  was  a  member  of  the  first  sewer  commission  for 
four  years,  a  position  to  which  he  has  lately  been  reappointed.  For  a 
number  of  years  he  has  been  a  member  and  served  as  trustee  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church.  Mr.  Rockwell  married  in  1861,  Esther  A. 
Halt,  and  four  children  have  been  born  to  them:  Adaline  Benson, 
Mrs.  George  Schubert,  Grace  H.  (deceased  December  11,  1888),  and 
Charles  W.  Rockwell. 

C.  Carscadden,  who  has  practiced  law  in  Oneida  since  1858,  was  born 
in  Black  Rock,  Erie  county,  in  1834.  He  was  educated  in  Oneida 
Creek  common  school,  Oneida  Castle  Academy,  Clinton  Liberal  Insti- 
tute, and  Hamilton  College.  He  studied  law  at  Hamilton  College  Law 
School  and  in  the  office  of  Shoecraft  &  Snow  in  Oneida;  was  admitted 
to  the  bar,  and  as  above  stated  has  practiced  in  Oneida  since  1858,  a 
period  of  forty-one  years.  Mr.  Carscadden  was  appointed  register  in 
bankruptcy  in  1874,  and  held  that  office  until  the  bankruptcy  law  was 
repealed. 

Edwin  J.  Brown,  son  of  Edwin  C.  and  Mary  Jane  (Wells)  Brown, 
was  born  in  Verona,  Oneida  county,  November  .30,  1842.  Alpheus 
Brown,  his  parental  great-grandfather,  came  from  Pawtucket,  R.  L,  to 
Brookfield,  this  county,  among  the  earliest  settlers.  On  the  maternal 
side  he  is  descended  from  William  Wells  who  came  from  England  in 
1630.  Mr.  Brown's  father  was  in  business  in  Oneida  Castle  for  several 
years  as  a  harness  maker  and  dealer  and  later  in  Oneida  until  1864. 
He  was  a  musician  of  no  mean  ability  and  while  a  resident  of  Oneida 
formed  the  first  band  organized  in  the  village  called  the  Oneida  Sax- 
horn band.  A  man  of  active  enterprise  and  considerable  business 
ability,  he  was  among  the  first  to  go  to  the  Pennsylvania  oil  fields  where 


THE  JUDICIARY  AND  BAR.  513 

he  established  an  extensive  stage  route  with  headquarters  at  Titusville, 
in  which  place  he  also  conducted  large  livery  stables,  a  driving  park, 
etc.  He  became  a  prominent  member  of  the  oil  exchange,  and  died  at 
Titusville  in  1881,  almost  in  the  prime  of  life.  Edwin  J.  Brown  was 
educated  in  the  Morrisville  Union  .School;  a  private  school  in  Oneida; 
Onondaga  Academy;  Oneida  Seminary,  and  Hamilton  College  where 
he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1867.  Immediately  after  taking  his 
degree  he  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Shoecraft  &  Snow 
with  whom  he  remained  until  his  admission  to  the  bar  in  May,  1868. 
In  the  same  year  he  began  practice  in  Oneida  where  he  has  since  con- 
tinued, a  period  of  over  thirty  years.  In  politics  Mr.  Brown  has  been 
a  life-long  and  active  Democrat ;  he  frequently  serves  as  a  delegate  to 
party  conventions,  both  county  and  state,  and  has  never  missed  a  pri- 
mary caucus.  He  has  served  for  a  long  term  as  justice  of  the  peace 
and  frequently  as  village  attorney.  Mr.  Brown  was  appointed  by  Gov- 
ernor David  B.  Hill  to  prosecute  charges  of  exacting  extortionate  fees 
against  Sheriff  Leander  Burroughs  of  Madison  county,  and  was  suc- 
cessful in  his  case,  which  as  the  first  of  this  kind  in  the  state  attracted 
widespread  attention.  During  the  first  year  of  his  practice  he  was  as- 
sociated with  M.  J.  Shoecraft,  but  has  since  formed  no  partnerships. 
He  is  a  member  of  Oneida  Lodge,  No.  70,  F.  and  A.  M.  ;  Doric  Chap- 
ter, No.  193,  R.  A.  M.,  and  Alpha  Delta  Phi  fraternity.  In  1869  he 
married  Kate  A.,  daughter  of  Col.  John  Barstow  of  Bridgeport,  Conn., 
and  one  child,  a  daughter,  Mary  Irene,  was  born  to  them,  who  died  in 
1895. 

Benjamin  Rush  Wendell,  who  died  in  Cazenovia,  October  24,  1884, 
was  one  of  the  most  prominent  men  of  this  community  for  many  years. 
He  was  born  at  Albany,  in  1823,  a  son  of  Dr.  Peter  Wendell,  one  of 
the  first  chancellors  of  the  State  Regents.  He  studied  law  with  Judge 
M.  T.  Reynolds  and  after  his  admission  came  to  Cazenovia  and  was  for 
one  year  in  the  office  of  Stebbins  &  Fairchild.  He  then  succeeded 
Charles  Dudley  Miller  as  cashier  of  the  old  Madison  County  Bank  (1845). 
This  position  he  held  until  the  charter  of  the  bank  expired  in  1859,  and 
not  being  renewed  he  occupied  the  old  bank  building  as  a  private  office 
until  his  death.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Republican  party 
and  a  delegate  to  the  first  Republican  convention  held  in  the  state  of 
New  York.  Mr.  Wendell  was  a  man  of  quiet,  retiring  disposition,  but 
withal  of  uncommonly  good  judgment  and  his  assistance  and  advice  in 
business  matters  were  sought  by  many.      He  married,   September  8, 

33 


514  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

1847,  Margaret  Ten  Eyck  Burr,  daughter  of  William  M.  Burr  of  Caz- 
enovia,  and  three  children  were  born  to  them,  Burr,  Benjamin  Rush 
and  Ten  Eyck  Wendell,  all  of  whom  reside  in  Cazenovia.  Burr  Wen- 
dell was  educated  at  Cazenovia  Seminary  and  began  the  study  of  law 
in  the  office  of  D.  W.  Cameron.  He  subsequently  entered  Albany  Law 
School;  was  graduated  from  that  institution  in  1878  and  admitted  to 
practice.  Mr.  Wendell  has  served  in  various  town  and  village  offices. 
He  has  given  little  time  to  general  practice  and  confines  his  attention 
to  property  interests. 

Joseph  D.  Senn  was  born  in  the  town  of  Verona,  Oneida  county, 
April  18,  1860,  a  son  of  Frederick  and  Mary  (Fessman)  Senn.  He  was 
educated  in  the  district  schools  in  the  vicinity  of  his  father's  farm,  and 
also  attended  the  Oswego  State  Normal  School.  For  a  period  of  three 
years  he  engaged  in  teaching  in  the  town  of  Rome,  and  in  April,  1883, 
began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Edwin  J.  Brown,  of  Oneida,  with 
whom  he  remained  until  April,  1895.  At  this  time  he  entered  the  office 
of  S.  Peri'y  Smith  in  Morrisville  and  in  April  of  the  following  year  was 
admitted  to  practice.  For  one  year  he  held  the  position  of  managing 
clerk  in  the  office  of  John  E.  Smith,  and  in  1887  began  practice  alone 
in  Morrisville,  where  he  remained  nine  years.  In  November,  1896,  he 
removed  to  Oneida  and  associated  with  J.  T.  Durham,  forming  the 
present  firm  of  Senn  &  Durham.  Mr.  Senn  was  elected  district  attor- 
ney of  Madison  county  in  1893  on  the  Republican  ticket  and  held  the 
office  during  the  years  1893-94-95.  During  his  incumbency  the  first 
trial  of  the  Corey  murder  case  occurred,  attracting  widespread  atten- 
tion. Mr.  Senn  conducted  the  prosecution  alone  and  secured  a  convic- 
tion. He  has  served  five  years  as  a  trustee  of  the  Morrisville  Union 
School,  and  is  a  member  of  Wewana  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows  in  Morris- 
ville. He  married  in  July,  1888,  Mabel  Dunham,  daughter  of  A. 
Soraers  Dunham,  of  Verona,  and  two  children  have  been  born  to  them. 
Ivers  Munroe,  who  died  at  Oneida,  July  4,  1899,  in  the  seventy- 
seventh  year  of  his  age,  was  a  gentleman  of  high  standing  in  this  com- 
munity, and  one  of  the  leading  members  of  the  Madison  Bar.  He  came 
of  an  old  New  England  family,  and  his  grandfather,  Lieutenant  Eben- 
ezer  Munroe,  is  credited  by  historians  with  having  fired  the  first  gun 
for  the  American  side  in  the  War  for  Independence;  his  father,  Charles 
Munroe,  was  a  soldier  of  the  war  of  1812,  serving  with  the  Ashburn- 
ham  Light  Infantry.  Mr.  Munroe  was  born  at  Ashburnham,  Mass., 
in  1833,  and  in  1846  removed  to  Camden,  N.  Y.,  where  he  studied  law 


THE  JUDICIARY  AND  BAR.  515 

in  the  office  of  Stephen  Cromwell.  He  was  admitted  to  practice  two 
years  later,  and  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  Cromwell,  which  con- 
tinued more  than  twenty  years.  During  his  residence  at  Camden  he 
was  elected  justice  of  the  peace,  and  from  1862  to  1865  was  commis- 
sioner of  drafts  for  the  twentieth  district,  having  his  office  in  that  of  the 
provost  marshal  in  Utica;  it  was  through  Hon.  Roscoe  Conklin,  with 
whom  he  was  on  terms  of  intimate  friendship,  that  he  received  this  ap- 
pointment. In  1868  he  went  West,  and  located  in  Iowa,  where  he  con- 
tinued the  practice  of  law  and  was  honored  with  various  positions  of 
public  trust,  ever  discharging  his  duties  with  ability  and  fidelity. 
Though  a  stalwart  Republican,  he  was  not  a  politician  in  the  accepted 
sense  of  the  term,  and  was  never  a  seeker  for  political  preferment.  In 
1882  he  located  in  Oneida,  where  he  practiced  until  his  death.  Soon 
after  his  arrival  here  he  was  made  attorney  for  the  Oneida  Savings 
Bank,  in  which  capacity  he  served  continuously  until  December,  1898, 
when,  on  account  of  ill  health,  he  resigned.  He  was  also  one  of  the 
trustees  of  that  institution.  Mr.  Munroe  was  a  genial,  affable  gentle- 
man, whose  presence  is  much  missed  in  businsss  and  social  circles.  On 
the  day  following  his  death  a  meeting  of  the  bar  was  held  at  the  office 
of  James  B.  Jenkins.  County  Judge  Smith  presided,  and  the  minutes 
were  recorded  by  Wilfred  A.  Leete.  Judge  Smith,  Mr.  Jenkins,  Mr. 
Senn  and  Mr.  Hunt,  who  succeeded  Mr.  Munroe  as  the  attornej'  for  the 
Oneida  Savings  Bank,  eulogized  the  deceased  member  of  the  associa- 
tion, and  the  following  resolution  presented  by  a  committee  composed 
of  ex-District  Attorney  Joseph  D.  Senn,  Mr.  Jenkins  and  Village  At- 
torney E.  Leland  Hunt  was  adopted  as  expressive  of  the  sentiment  re- 
garding the  simplicity  and  integrity  of  the  deceased: 

Resolved,  That  we,  the  members  of  the  bar  of  Madison  county,  assembled  at  the 
office  of  James  B.  Jenkins,  in  the  village  of  Oneida,  hereby  attest  our  high  regard 
for  the  professional  character  and  ability  of  our  deceased  brother.  He  was  a  care- 
ful, painstaking  practitioner,  faithful  to  his  clients,  courteous  to  his  opponents, 
candid  and  honest  with  all.  Judged  by  the  high  standard  of  manhood,  his  life  was 
a  success.     His  record  was  worthy  of  emulation. 

It  was  further  resolved  that  the  bar  should  attend  the  funeral  in  a 
body.  Similar  action  was  also  taken  at  a  meeting  of  the  trustees  of  the 
Savings  Bank,  with  which  Mr.  Munroe  was  for  several  years  actively 
identified. 

Mr.  Munroe  married  twice;  he  is  survived  by  his  second  wife.  Miss 
Jane   Chapin,    a  daughter  of  Samuel   Chapin  of   Oneida,  and  by  one 


516  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

daughter,  Mrs.  Homer  Chapin  of  Oneida,  and  one  son,  Charles  Munroe, 
of  Hackensack,  N.  J. 

Michael  H.  Kiley,  district-  attorney  of  Madison  county,  was  born  at 
Horicon,  Warren  county,  N.  Y.,  August  28,  1861,  a  son  of  William  and 
Mary  (Cronin)  Kiley.  His  father,  a  native  of  Ireland,  came  to  this 
country  in  early  life,  and  followed  the  occupation  of  farming.  Mr. 
Kiley  was  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  seven  children  and  early  had  to  con- 
tribute to  the  general  support.  When  a  mere  youth  he  jtaught  in  a  dis- 
trict school  during  the  winter  months  and  worked  on  the  farm  in  sum- 
mer. In  the  fall  of  1880  he  went  to  Chittenango,  where  he  attended 
the  Yates  Academy,  working  for  his  board  in  the  family  of  Dr.  John  R. 
Eaton.  The  following  spring  he  went  to  work  on  the  farm  of  the  late 
Charles  Peck  in  Manlius,  Onondaga  county,  and  in  the  fall  entered 
Cazenovia  Seminary,  where,  during  his  entire  course  he  worked  for  his 
board  and  tuition.  He  was  graduated  with  the  Latin-Scientific  class  of 
1883,  and  began  his  legal  studies  in  the  office  of  Hon.  D.  W.  Cameron 
of  Cazenovia,  acting  as  instructor  of  beginning  Latin  classes  at  the 
seminary  during  the  first  year.  He  remained  with  Mr.  Cameron  as  a 
student  for  three  years  and  in  April,  1886,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 
He  then  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  Cameron  under  the  firm  name 
of  Cameron  &  Kiley,  which  continued  \  ntil  the  fall  of  1891,  since  which 
time  Mr.  Kiley  has  practiced  alone,  having  gained  an  excellent  success 
and  standing  in  his  profession.  As  a  criminal  lawyer  he  has  been 
highly  successful ;  he  has  also  given  considerable  attention  to  fraudu- 
lent transfers  of  real  estate,  and  it  is  no  idle  compliment  to  say  that  as 
a  jury  lawyer  he  takes  a  front  rank  among  the  practitioners  of  this  sec- 
tion, having  been  possessed  even  in  his  student  days  of  considerable 
oratorical  ability.  His  politics  are  Republican ;  he  served  for  several 
years  on  the  town  committee  and  has  been  a  frequent  delegate  to  party 
conventions.  His  first  political  preferment  was  his  election  to  the  of- 
fice of  justice  of  the  peace  in  1887.  In  1888  he  was  nominated  for 
school  commissioner  of  the  Second  Madison  county  district,  but  was  de- 
feated, the  campaign  having  been  conducted  on  lines  which  looked  not 
to  the  qualifications  of  the  man,  but  to  his  nationality  and  religious  be- 
lief. In  1895  he  was  nominated  for  the  office  of  district  attorney  and 
carried  the  county  against  James  E.  Brewer  of  Oneida,  by  a  majority  of 
3,070,  said  to  be  the  largest  ever  given  to  a  local  candidate.  In  1898 
he  was  renominated  without  opposition  and  without  making  an  effort. 
Mr.  Kiley  married,  in  1887,  Chloe  Celia  Staring,  daughter  of  Nicholas 


THE  JUDICIARY  AND  BAR.  511 

J.  Staring  of  Schuyler,  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  and  a  descendant  of 
Hon.  Henry  M.  Staring,  an  early  judge  of  Herkimer  county.  Their 
children  are  Marguerite  E.,  Gertrude  H.  F.  I.,  and  William  H.  N. 

L.  A.  Parkhurst,  was  born  at  Hobokenville,  Madison  county,  N.  Y., 
February  23,  18G6.  His  father,  E.  Walker  Parkhurst,  was  a  native  of 
the  same  town,  where  Orrin  W.  Parkhurst  was  one  of  the  pioneer  set- 
tlers. E.  Walker  Parkhurst  married  Victois  L.,  daughter  of  George 
W.  Eddy,  and  was  engaged  through  life  in  farming.  L.  A.  Parkhurst 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools  andCanastota  Academy.  He  was 
graduated  from  the  law  department  of  the  Georgetown  University  in 
1891,  and  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1893.  In  1898  Mr.  Parkhurst  married 
L.  Mande,  daughter  of  Mr.  Nichols.  Mr.  Parkhurst  is  one  of  the  pro- 
gressive men  of  Madison  county,  was  elected  school  commissioner  in 
1893  and  re-elected  in  1896. 

G.  Wells  Smith,  of  Morrisville,  son  of  Judge  John  E.  Smith,  was 
born  at  Morrisville,  July  5,  1868.  He  was  educated  at  Morrisville  Un- 
ion School,  Cazenovia  Seminary,  and  Albany  Law  School.  He  also 
read  law  in  Judge  Smith's  office  and  was  admitted  November  33,  1894, 
at  Syracuse.  He  has  since  practiced  at  Morrisville,  first  with  his  father, 
and  at  present  with  B.  Fitch  Tompkins.  Mr.  Smith  is  one  of  the  prom- 
ising young  attorneys  of  the  county.  He  is  a  man  of  good  address, 
ready  in  debate;  is  a  fine  musician,  and  possesses  a  keen  and  inventive 
mind. 

Nathaniel  Foote,  senior  member  of  the  Madison  county  bar,  was  born 
at  Sherburne,  Chenango  county,  N.  Y.,  July  9,  1813.  He  was  educated 
in  the  Sherburne  district  and  select  schools  and  at  Hamilton  Academy. 
In  1837  he  began  to  read  law  in  the  office  of  Henry  Bennett  at  New 
Berlin,  and  completed  his  studies  with  J.  Whipple  Jenkins  of  Vernon, 
Oneida  county,  in  1840.  For  a  period  of  three  years  Mr.  Foote  was  in 
partnership  with  Hon.  John  E.  Smith.  He  has  practiced  at  Morris- 
ville from  1840  until  the  present  time,  and  although  a  man  of  advanced 
age  retains  his  faculties  to  a  remarkable  degree.  From  1846  until  the 
abolishment  of  the  office  by  the  new  constitution  he  served  as  examiner 
in  Chancery. 

Harrison  W.  Coley  of  Oneida,  was  born  at  New  Woodstock,  N.  Y.,  May 
4,  1865.  He  gained  his  preliminary  education  at  Cortland  Normal  School 
and  was  graduated  from  Cornell  University  with  the  class  of  1887. 
He  read  law  with  George  B.  Davis  of  Ithaca;  Eggleston  &  Crombie  of 
Cortland  ;  Franklin  Pierce  of  Homer ;  and  Edward  F .  Haskell  of  Oneida. 


518  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

He  was  admitted  in  September,  1889,  and  has  since  practiced  in 
Oneida.  From  October  15,  1889  to  November  3,  1892  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Haskell  &  Coley. 

Thomas  A.  Devereaux,  who  has  practiced  law  in  Oneida  for  the  past 
twenty-three  years,  was  born  at  Utica,  N.  Y. ,  March  1,  1850,  a  son  of 
Patrick  and  Sarah  (McQuade)  Devereaux,  both  natives  of  Ireland,  who 
came  to  this  country  early  in  life.  Mr.  Devereaux  was  educated  at  the 
old  Oneida  Seminary,  Holy  Cross  Jesuit  College  at  Worcester,  Mass., 
and  the  Christain  Brothers  School  at  Utica.  He  began  the  study  of 
law  in  the  office  of  James  B.  Jenkins  in  Oneida  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  September  7,  1876.  He  was  associated  with  Mr.  Jenkins  as 
clerk  and  partner  for  a  period  of  nearly  twenty  years,  and  since  1895 
has  practiced  alone.  During  a  portion  of  his  partnership  with  Mr. 
Jenkins  they  were  associated  with  J.  I.  Sayles  of  Utica,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Sayles,  Jenkins  &  Devereaux,  and  the  firm  was  reputed  one 
of  the  strongest  in  this  section.  Mr.  Devereaux  has  been  closely  affili- 
ated with  the  Democratic  party,  but  with  the  exception  of  two  terms 
as  corporation  counsel  of  the  village  of  Oneida  has  never  held  public 
office. 

Wilfred  A.  Leete,  son  of  Wilbur  F.  and  Antonette  (Church)  Leete, 
was  born  at  Potsdam,  N.  Y.,  April  27,  1873.  He  was  educated  at  the 
Oneida  High  School.  Mr.  Leete  was  for  eight  years  engaged  in  news- 
paper work,  serving  on  the  Utica  Herald,  the  Norwich  Telegraph,  as 
World's  Fair  special  correspondent  of  the  Railway  Times,  as  a  special 
correspondent  of  the  New  York  Times,  and  on  the  Oneida  Dispatch. 
He  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  B.  A.  Ransom,  and  after 
the  latter's  death  continued  in  the  office  of  T.  A.  Devereaux.  He  was 
admitted  at  Albany  in  March,  1897,  and  has  since  practiced  in  Oneida. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  In  1897  he  served  as  special  attorney 
of  the  Department  of  Excise. 

George  W.  Chapman  of  Canastota,  son  of  William  H.  and  Mary 
(Sayles)  Chapman,  was  born  at  Clockville,  October  11,  1847.  He  was 
educated  at  Cazenovia  Seminary,  and  read  law  with  Judge  B.  F.  Chap- 
man of  Clockville  and  Hon.  Gerrit  F.  Forbes  of  Canastota,  with  both  of 
whom  he  was  subsequently  associated  in  practice .  Mr.  Chapman  served 
for  some  time  as  attorney  of  the  West  Shore  Railroad,  and  also  for  the 
Lehigh  Valley.     For  twelve  years  he  was  a  justice  of  the  peace. 

Le  Grand  Colton  of  Canastota  was  born  in  that  village  August  6, 1849, 
a  son  of  Clinton  L.  and  Augustine  (Chapman)  Colton.     He  was  edu- 


THE  JUDICIARY  AND  BAR.  519 

cated  at  Cazenovia  Seminary  and  Columbia  College  Law  School,  and 
also  read  law  in  the  office  of  Church  Forbes,  and  with  Senator  Hiscock. 
He  was  admitted  in  May,  1876,  and  has  since  practiced  in  Canastota. 
Mr.  Colton  is  president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Canastota. 

Albert  O.  Briggs  of  Canastota  was  born  at  Otego,  N.  Y.,  June  18, 
1853.  He  was  educated  at  the  Albany  State  Normal  College,  and  read 
law  at  Leonardsville  and  Hamilton.  He  was  admitted  in  May,  1880, 
and  has  practiced  at  Canastota  since  1883.  Mr.  Briggs  is  now  serving 
as  referee  in  Bankruptcy.  He  is  a  past  master  of  Canastota  Lodge 
No.  231,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  a  member  of  Doric  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.  On 
his  father's  side  Mr.  Briggs  descends  from  the  Briggs  family  of  Rhode 
Island,  and  on  the  maternal  side  from  the  noted  Welsh  family  of 
Potter. 

Joseph  Beal  of  Oneida  was  born  in  Hamilton,  January  10,  1856,  a  son 
of  John  and  Catherine  (Code)  Beal.  He  was  educated  at  Colgate  Uni- 
versity and  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Edwin  J.  Brown  of  Oneida.  He 
was  admitted  in  September,  1881,  and  has  since  practiced  in  Oneida. 
Mr.  Beal  is  a  Republican  in  politics;  he  served  as  justice  of  the  peace 
four  years  and  is  now  a  member  of  the  village  board  of  education.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  Oneida  Lodge  No.  270,  F.  &  A.M.,  and  Eumenia 
Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows. 

Daniel  C.  Burke,  son  of  Jeremiah  and  Ellen  (O'Brien)  Burke,  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Vernon,  Oneida  county,  June  6,  1851.  He  was  ed- 
ucated at  Vernon  Academy,  and  for  several  years  taught  school  in  win- 
ter and  worked  at  various  occupations  during  the  summer  months.  He 
read  law  in  the  office  of  Hon.  Ralph  Mcintosh  of  Vernon,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  practice  at  Buffalo  in  June,  1880.  Mr.  Burke  began  practice 
at  Vernon  where  he  remained  until  January,  1886,  when  he  came  to 
Oneida.  For  some  time  he  was  in  partnership  with  Hon.  R.J.  Fish, 
and  later  with  J.  E.  Brewer.  For  a  period  of  four  years  Mr.  Burke  ed- 
ited the  Oneida  Post.  He  has  also  served  as  police  justice  of  the  village 
of  Oneida. 

Josiah  E.  Ferry,  son  of  Sanders  and  Lydia  (Eaton)  Ferry,  was  born 
in  the  town  of  Vernon,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  October  22,  1829.  He 
read  law  in  the  office  of  Nye  &  Whitmore  of  Hamilton,  and  later  with 
Simeon  E.  Church  of  Hamilton,  and  Cook  &  Bruin  of  Kingston,  N.  Y. 
He  was  admitted  at  Albany  in  1853  and  began  practice  at  Ellenville, 
Ulster  county.  He  came  to  Oneida  in  1855  and  has  ever  since  resided 
in  that  village.     He  is  one  of  the  oldest  attorneys  of  the  county. 


530  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

E.  Leiand  Hunt,  son  of  Warren  and  Belinda  (Leland)  Hunt,  was  born 
near  Stillwater,  Saratoga  county,  June  14,  186-1.  His  mother  was  a 
daughter  of  Judge  Leland  of  Albany.  Mr.  Hunt  was  educated  at  Col- 
gate Academy,  and  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Risley,  Quinn 
&  Perry  at  Utica.  Later  he  read  in  the  office  of  Fish  &  Burke  of  Oneida. 
He  was  admitted  in  December,  1889,  and  began  practice  in  Oneida.  Mr. 
Hunt  is  now  village  attorney.  He  is  also  attorney  for  the  Oneida  Sav- 
ings Bank.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  Eumenia  Lodge  of  Odd 
Fellows. 

James  E.  Brewer,  son  of  Edward  E.  and  Amelia  (Eigabroadth) 
Brewer,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Verona,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  October 
7,  18G4.  He  was  educated  at  Cazenovia  Seminary,  and  studied  law  with 
Sheldon  S.  Judson  of  Vernon.  After  his  admission  in  1880  he  began 
his  present  practice  in  Oneida.  In  politics  Mr.  Brewer  is  a  Democrat; 
has  served  as  village  trustee  and  is  now  police  justice. 

William  K.  Jenny,  son  of  William  T.  and  Susan  S.  (Kenyon)  Jermy, 
was  born  at  Hammond,  St.  Lawrence  county,  N.  Y.,  Febi:uary  17,  1875. 
He  was  educated  at  Cayuga  Lake  Military  Academy,  Oneida  High 
School,  New  York  Military  Academy,  and  Cascadilla  School  at  Ithaca 
(class  of  1894).  He  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  T.  A.  Dever- 
eaux  of  Oneida,  and  took  the  LL.  B.  degree  from  Syracuse  University. 
He  was  admitted  to  practice  in  March,  1899. 

Stephen  Mead  Wing  of  Canastota  is  one  of  the  best  known  attorneys 
of  the  Madison  county  bar.  He  prepared  for  his  profession  at  Hamil- 
ton College  and  in  the  office  of  Hon.  Gerrit  Forbes.  Mr.  Wing  was 
admitted  to  practice  in  June,  1885,  and  has  ever  since  enjoyed  an  active 
practice  at  Canastota. 

Clarence  L.  Hobart,  son  of  George  A.  and  Alice  (Harp)  Hobart,  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Lenox  May  8,  1871.  He  was  educated  at  Yates 
Academy  and  began  the  study  of  law  with  A.  O.  Briggs  of  Canastota  in 
1892.  He  was  admitted  to  practice  in  1896  and  has  since  that  time 
practiced  in  Canastota.  He  serves  as  secretary  of  the  water  depart- 
ment, and  clerk  of  the  Union  school  district. 

George  B.  Russell,  son  of  Thomas  R.  and  Maria  (Barnard)  Russell, 
was  born  at  Cleveland,  Oswego  county,  August  31,  1863.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools  and  at  Rome  Academy,  and  began  the 
study  of  law  with  Hon.  John  E.  Smith  of  Morrisville.  Since  his  ad- 
mission in  1894  he  has  practiced  at  Canastota.  In  politics  Mr.  Russell 
is  a  Republican ;  he  has  served  two  terms  as  justice  of  the  peace. 


THE  JUDICIARY  AND  BAR.  521 

M.  Eugene  Barlow,  son  of  Thomas  and  Cornelia  G.  (Rowe)  Barlow, 
was  born  in  Canastota,  October  31,  1839.  Hon.  Thomas  Barlow,  his 
father,  was  a  judge  of  Common  Pleas,  a  state  senator,  and  a  member  of 
the  Court  for  the  Correction  of  Errors  which  was  supplanted  by  the 
amendment  to  the  constitution  organizing  the  Court  of  Appeals.  M. 
Eugene  Barlow  was  educated  at  Whitestown  Seminary  and  read  law 
with  his  father  and  in  the  office  of  Judge  Alfred  Kennedy.  He  was  grad- 
uated at  Albany  Law  School  in  1862,  and  admitted  the  same  year. 
From  1865  to  1868  he  practiced  in  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  and  has  ever 
since  practiced  in  Canastota.  He  was  for  some  years  in  partnership 
with  Loring  Fowler.  Mr.  Barlow  was  postmaster  at  Canastota  during 
both  administrations  of  Cleveland,  and  served  as  United  States  Com- 
missioner from  1870  to  188G. 

Robert  J.  Fish,  member  of  Assembly  from  this  district,  is  of  mixed 
New  England  and  Irish  parentage.  He  was  born  in  the  town  of  Au- 
gusta a  little  over  fifty  years  ago,  and  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  Augusta  and  Vernon,  and  at  Vernon  Academy. 
Prior  to  becoming  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  worked  on  a  farm  and 
taught  school.  After  he  attained  his  majority  he  engaged  in  farming 
with  his  brother  William,  and  continued  in  that  business  and  in  teach- 
ing school  until  he  began  the  practice  of  law.  While  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  teaching  he  managed  to  read  law  with  R.  Mcintosh  at  Vernon, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1870.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  began 
practice  at  Rome  where  he  remained  until  coming  to  Oneida  in  1872. 
Although  actively  engaged  in  politics  he  never  held  any  office  except 
Member  of  Assembly.  Mr  Fish  has  been  a  prolific  and  successful 
legislator  and  has  succeeded  in  passing  all  the  acts  in  the  interests  of 
his  county  he  has  introduced  except  the  Oneida  Normal  School  Bill. 
Important  acts  which  he  has  passed  include:  The  bill  for  the  improve- 
ment of  the  Oneida  Feeder;  the  bill  authorizing  the  construction  of  a 
hoist  bridge  over  the  canal  at  Canastota,  and  the  bill  for  refunding  to 
the  county  the  state  tax  paid  on  bonded  railroads  during  the  past  thirty 
years,  amounting  to  about  $30,000. 

Charles  Shumway,  son  of  Sylvanus  and  Maria  (Phillips)  Shumway, 
was  born  at  Guilford,  Chenango  county,  June  10,  1847.  His  father  has 
served  for  several  years  on  the  Chenango  county  board  of  supervisors. 
Mr.  Shumway  was  educated  at  Norwich  Academy,  and  Cortland  Acad- 
emy. In  1867  he  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Merritt  & 
Prindle  of  Norwich,  and  remained  with  E.  H.  Prindle  until  his  admis- 


523  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

sion  in  December,  1870.  He  began  practice  at  Norwich,  and  located  in 
Oneida  in  the  spring  of  1884. 

C.  H.  Perry,  M.  D.,  was  born  at  Woodstock,  Vermont,  June  25,  1844, 
a  son  of  Thomas  J.  and  Mary  (Atherton)  Perry.  He  took  the  M.  D. 
degree  at  Dartmouth  College  in  1866,  and  began  practice  at  Perkinsville 
in  his  native  state,  removing  to  Oneida  in  1873.  Dr.  Perry  studied  law 
with  J.  B.  Jenkins  in  Oneida,  securing  a  regular  certificate  of  clerkship, 
and  was  admitted  in  November,  1897.  He  has  gained  considerable 
reputation  as  a  medico-legal  expert.  He  has  served  as  health  officer  of 
the  village  of  Oneida,  and  as  president  of  the  Madison  County  Pension 
Board  two  terms. 

Matthew  J.  Shoecraft  was  born  in  Herkimer  county  in  the  year  1818, 
a  son  of  Joseph  and  Lana  (Calkins)  Shoecraft.  His  father  was  a  noted 
mathematician.  Mr.  Shoecraft  was  educated  at  Belleville  Academy  and 
at  Union  College  where  he  was  graduated  in  1846.  While  engaged  in 
the  profession  of  teaching  he  began  the  study  of  law,  and  was  admitted 
in  1849.  He  began  practice  in  Oneida  where  he  has  since  resided  the 
following  year.  Mr.  Shoecraft  has  been  a  staunch  Democrat,  and  has 
been  honored  by  his  party  with  nominations  as  district  attorney,  mem- 
ber of  assembly,  and  member  of  Congress.  He  served  several  years 
as  president  of  the  village  of  Oneida,  and  has  been  an  official  member 
of  the  State  Bar  Association. 

Charles  F.  Kellogg  of  Chittenango  was  born  in  Mindon,  Montgom- 
ery county,  December  4,  1839,  a  son  of  Daniel  Kellogg,  a  contractor 
and  member  of  Assembly.  Mr.  Kellogg  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  and  read  law  with  W.  E.  Lansing  of  Chittenango.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  State  Senate  in  1874-75.  He  married  Lydia  Moody  of 
Fulton,  N.  Y.,  and  of  this  union  are  two  children:  Daniel  Fiske  Kellogg 
and  Bessie  Kellogg.  The  former  is  city  editor  of  the  New  York  Sun. 
He  went  through  Candida  with  William  O'Brien  the  Irish  agitator,  as 
correspondent  of  that  paper. 

Samuel  D.  White  of  Hamilton  was  born  in  the  town  of  Nelson,  Feb- 
ruary 16,  1836.  He  was  educated  in  Hamilton  Academy.  Mr.  White 
studied  law  in  Hamilton  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  October,  1857. 
The  following  year  he  began  practice  at  Brookfield  and  in  1866  re- 
moved to  Hamilton  where  he  has  enjoyed  an  active  practice. 

Edward  Stanley  More,  son  of  John  S.  and  Elizabeth  (Cole)  More, 
was  born  in  New  York  city  October  31,  1853.  He  is  a  lineal  descend- 
ant in  the  fourth  generation  of  John  More,  a  native  of  Scotland,  who 


THE  JUDICIARY  AND  BAR.  523 

was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Delaware  county,  a  soldier  in  the  Conti- 
nental Army,  and  father  of  the  first  white  child  born  in  Delaware 
county.  E.  S.  More  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  at  Cort- 
land Normal  School.  For  a  period  of  seven  years  he  taught  school  in 
Cortland,  Chenango  and  Broome  counties,  meantime  reading  law.  He 
was  admitted  in  May,  1879,  and  the  following  year  began  practice  at 
Cazenovia.  In  politics  he  is  a  staunch  Democrat;  he  has  served  one 
term  as  justice  of  the  peace. 

Albert  Smith  Sheldon,  of  Hamilton,  was  graduated  from  Colgate 
University  in  1873,  studied  law  at  Hamilton  where  he  has  always  prac- 
ticed, and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1877. 

J.  H.  Pool  of  De  Ruyter,  was  born  at  Fabius,  Onondaga  county, 
March  20,  1866,  and  was  educated  at  DeRuyter  Union  School  and  Cor- 
nell University.  He  studied  law  at  the  latter  institution  and  in  the 
office  of  L.  B.  Kern  at  De  Ruyter  and  was  admitted  in  November,  1891. 
For  a  period  of  five  3'ears  he  practiced  in  association  with  Mr.  Kern, 
they  using  the  same  office  although  not  in  partnership. 

Ralph  Hopson  Woolver  of  Munnsville,  was  born  at  Mohawk,  Her- 
kimer county,  N.  Y.,  September  6,  1865.  He  is  a  direct  descendant  of 
Peter  Woolver,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  the  Mohawk  Valley,  who 
served  through  the  Oriskany  campaign  and  at  the  battle  of  Oriskany 
under  General  Herkimer.  Mr.  Woolver  was  born  and  reared  on  a 
farm  and  earned  the  money  with  which  to  school  himself  and  get  his 
law  education.  He  was  admitted  in  March,  1892,  at  Syracuse,  and 
after  practicing  a  few  months  in  Oneida,  removed  to  Munnsville  where 
he  has  since  resided.  Mr.  Woolver  has  traveled  quite  extensively  over 
the  United  States,  particularly  in  the  West  and  South. 

Wallace  E.  Burdick  of  De  Ruyter,  was  born  at  Burlington, Vermont, 
August  7,  1848.  He  read  law  in  the  office  of  Miner  &  Kern;  was  ad- 
mitted November  17,  18G9,  and  has  always  practiced  at  De  Ruyter. 

William  E.  Lownsbury,  special  deputy  county  clerk  since  January, 
1892,  was  born  in  Fenner,  October  31,  186-4,  and  educated  at  Cazenovia 
Seminary.  He  began  to  read  law  in  July,  1886,  in  the  office  of  Hon. 
John  E.  Smith  at  Morrisville,  and  was  admitted  May  3,  1889,  at  Syra- 
cuse.    He  practiced  for  a  time  with  Joseph  D.  Senn. 

Adon  P.  Brown  of  the  firm  of  Aylesworth  &  Brown  of  Leonardsville, 
was  born  at  South  Brookfield  October  12,  1873,  and  educated  at  Brook- 
field  Union  School.  From  April,  1893,  to  April,  1894,  he  read  law  at 
Brookfield,  N.  Y.,  with  N.  A.  Crumb,  and  from  October,  1894,  to  Oc- 


524  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

tober,  1897,  at  Leonardsville  with  H.  M.  Aylesworth,  He  was  ad- 
mitted November  9,  1897,  and  since  January,  1899,  has  been  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Aylesworth  &  Brown.  From  1889  to  1893  he  served  as 
deputy  postmaster  at  Brook  field. 

Harlan  D.  Preston  of  De  Ruyter,  was  born  at  Lincklaen,  Chenango 
county,  N.  Y.,  February  14,  1848.  He  was  graduated  from  De  Ruyter 
Institute  in  18G9  and  from  Hamilton  College  in  1873.  He  studied  law 
at  Hamilton  Law  vSchool,  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in  June,  1874. 
From  June,  1874,  to  December,  1881,  he  practiced  in  Syracuse,  and  has 
since  resided  in  De  Ruyter.  He  served  as  president  of  De  Ruyter  vil- 
lage in  1895,  1896  and  1898. 

A.  E.  Fitch,  attorney  at  law,  and  clerk  of  the  village  of  Cazenovia, 
was  born  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  August  30,  1870.  He  removed  when  an 
infant  to  Mooers,  Clinton  county,  N.  Y. ,  where  he  attended  the  com- 
mon schools.  Later  he  came  to  Cazenovia,  entered  the  seminary,  and 
was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1889.  Mr.  Fitch  is  remembered  by 
his  fellow  students  as  an  athlete  who  won  considerable  distinction  for 
the  institution  in  field  sports.  Following  his  graduation  Mr.  Fitch  was 
engaged  for  some  time  in  clerical  positions.  He  began  his  legal  studies  at 
Champlain,  Clinton  county,  N.  Y.,  in  the  office  of  Wilmer  H.  Dunn,  then 
district  attorney.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Saratoga  Springs  and 
in  April,  1895,  came  to  Cazenovia,  formed  a  law  partnership  with  D. 
W.  Cameron,  and  engaged  in  general  practice.  The  firm  of  Cameron 
&  Fitch  continued  until  March,  1896,  since  which  time  Mr.  Fitch  has 
practiced  alone.  Mr.  Fitch  was  appointed  clerk  of  the  village  in  1897, 
and  still  holds  the  office.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Citizens' 
Club,  of  which  he  is  now  a  member  and  secretary. 

B.  Fitch  Tompkins  was  born  at  Morrisville  June  20,  1875,  and  re- 
ceived his  education  at  Morrisville  Union  School,  Olivet,  Michigan, 
Preparatory  School,  and  Olivet  College.  He  studied  law  for  three 
years  in  the  office  of  Hon.  John  E.  and  G.  Wells  Smith  at  Morrisville, 
and  was  admitted  to  practice  November  15,  1898,  at  Albany.  Since 
the  appointment  of  Hon.  John  E.  Smith  as  county  judge  he  has  been 
in  partnership  with  G.  Wells  Smith.  He  is  a  man  of  many  pleasing 
qualities,  a  forcible  public  speaker  and  ready  in  debate.  While  a 
freshman  at  college  he  took  second  prize  in  a  prize  debate  in  which 
higher  classmen  participated.  Mr.  Tompkins  is  assistant  foreman  of 
the  Morrisville  Hook  and  Ladder  Company  of  which  he  was  one  of  the 
organizers. 


THE  JUDICIARY  AND  BAR.  525 

Sidney  B.  Cloyes  of  Earlville,  was  born  at  Morrisville  September  6, 
1868.  He  was  educated  at  Morrisville  Union  School  and  Cazenovia 
Seminary,  and  began  the  study  of  law  at  Columbia  Law  School,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.  Subsequently  he  read  in  the  office  of  H.  B.  Coman  at 
Morrisville  for  two  years  and  was  admitted  September  16,  1892.  From 
September,  1892,  to  January,  1894,  he  practiced  at  Morrisville,  and 
since  the  latter  date  has  resided  at  Earlville  where  he  is  now  postmaster 

Norman  A.  Crumb  of  Brookfield  was  born  January  15,  1866,  and  re 
ceived  his  education  at  Brookfield  High  School  and  Cazenovia  Semi 
nary.  He  studied  law  with  S.  Perry  Smith  at  Morrisville,  and  with  A, 
O.  Briggs  at  Canastota  and  was  admitted  at  Syracuse,  May,  3,  1889 
He  has  always  practiced  at  Brookfield.  Mr.  Crumb  is  town  clerk  of 
Brookfield,  and  has  served  as  clerk  of  the  village  for  several  years.  He 
has  been  an  active  Republican  and  was  chairman  of  the  Republican 
County  Nominating  Convention  in  1896.  He  is  a  member  of  and  has 
held  every  elective  office  in  Brookfield  Lodge,  No.  632,  L  O.  O.  F.  He 
is  also  secretary  of  the  Agricultural  Society. 

B.J.  Stimson,  Hamilton,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Nelson,  Madison 
county,  N.  Y.,  April  24,  1837,  a  son  of  James  H.  and  Cornelia  (Button) 
Stimson.  His  grandfather,  Barna  Stimson,  was  a  native  of  Massachu- 
setts and  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  the  town  of  Nelson.  When 
seven  years  of  age  Mr.  Stimson  removed  to  Michigan  with  his  parents, 
and  subsequently  returned  to  Brookfield,  N.  Y.,  and  studied  law  in  the 
office  of  Samuel  White,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1865  at  the  General 
Term  in  Binghamton.  In  1873  he  came  to  Hamilton  and  opened  a  law 
office  and  has  been  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  ever  since. 
Mr.  Stimson  was  justice  of  the  peace  in  Brookfield  for  two  terms  and 
justice  of  sessions  one  term.  He  has  been  village  clerk  of  Hamilton 
since  1885  and  town  clerk  since  1891,  except  the  year  1892;  he  was  also 
justice  of  the  peace  two  terms  at  Hamilton  and  justice  of  sessions  one 
term.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  the  Blue  Lodge  and 
Chapter,  and  in  politics  has  always  been  an  ardent  Republican.  He 
has  also  been  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  for  three  terms. 
Mr.  Stimson  married  Rosalia  Green  of  Herkimer  county,  and  they  have 
one  son,  William  D.,  who  is  a  jeweler  in  North  Carolina. 

John  A.  Johnson,  Morrisville,  an  active  practicing  attorney  of  the 
county  seat,  is  a  native  of  Sweden,  born  near  Stockholm,  August  15, 
1862.  He  was  the  third  of  six  children  of  James  and  Mary  Christina 
Johnson.      His  father  came  to  the  United  States  in  1869,  locating  first 


526  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

at  Norwich,  from  which  place  he  removed  to  Rome,  where  he  was  a 
contractor.  Here  the  greater  portion  of  John  A.  Johnson's  early  life 
was  spent.  He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools,  but  in  1876  came 
to  Morrisville,  where  he  found  work  in  a  meat  market,  then  farmed  it 
for  two  years  and  later  entered  a  drug  store  as  a  clerk.  Determining 
upon  the  legal  profession,  he  began  reading  law  with  Nathaniel  Foote 
of  Morrisville.  About  this  time  he  was  elected  constable  of  the  town 
and  was  also  appointed  deputy  sheriff,  from  which  position  he  earned 
sufficient  means  to  educate  himself  for  professional  life.  In  October, 
1884,  he  was  admitted  to  practice  law  and  began  his  career  as  a  lawyer 
on  January  1st  following.  For  one  year  he  practiced  in  partnership 
with  Hon.  E.  F.  Haskell,  but  after  the  removal  of  the  latter  to  Oneida 
Mr.  Johnson  continued  alone.  He  has  always  been  an  earnest  Repub- 
lican, but  only  during  the  last  si.K  or  eight  years  has  he  been  active  in 
politics.  He  is  an  active  member  of  the  Masonic  and  Odd  Fellows  or- 
ders. Mr.  Johnson  has  been  village  trustee  eight  years  and  chief  of  the 
fire  department  two  years.  On  November  11,  1891,  Mr.  Johnson  mar- 
ried Sarah  E.,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Rachel  Brown. 

W.  H.  Manchester,  Morrisville. — Joseph  Manchester,  who  settled  in 
Madison  about  1800,  and  was  one  of  the  pioneers  in  this  part  of  the 
State,  was  a  patriot  of  the  Revolution,  having  entered  the  service  at 
the  age  of  sixteen  and  was  promoted  to  the  captaincy  of  his  company. 
He  wintered  with  Washington's  army  at  Valley  Forge  and  served 
throughout  the  war,  re-enlisting  twice.  When  he  came  into  this  State 
Capt.  Manchester  opened  up  a  200  acre  farm  in  Madison,  the  same  hav- 
ing been  owned  by  his  descendants  until  about  ten  years  ago.  He  died 
in  1841.  In  his  family  were  four  children:  Gideon,  who  lived  on  the 
old  farm  until  his  death;  Electa,  who  was  twice  married  and  died  in 
the  present  year;  Judith,  who  married  Isaac  Taylor;  and  Martha,  who 
died  young.  Gideon  Manchester  married  Maria  Tompkins,  by  whom 
he  had  these  children:  William  T.,  Julia  M.,  Mary  and  Harriet.  Will- 
iam T.  Manchester,  the  greater  part  of  whose  life  was  spent  in  Hamil- 
ton, was  one  of  the  prominent  men  of  the  county  in  his  time.  He  was 
a  large  farmer,  was  once  sheriff  of  the  cojinty,  and  also  deputy  canal 
commissioner.  His  wife  was  Lydia  A.  Mitchell  of  De  Ruyter,  sister  of 
David  J.  Mitchell  of  the  Madison  county  bar,  and  their  only  child  was 
William  H  Manchester,  a  graduate  of  Colgate  Academy  (1880),  who 
read  law  with  Hon.  Joseph  Mason  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in 
1891.     From  1886  to  1888  he  was  principal  of  the  academy  at  Smith- 


THE  JUDICIARY  AND  BAR.  527 

ville  Flats,  Chenango  county.  On  January  1,  1890,  Mr.  Manchester  was 
appointed  clerk  of  the  Surrogate's  Court  of  this  county  and  has  since 
lived  in  Morrisville.  On  February  2,  1887,  he  married  Annie  C.Wagen- 
hurst.  They  have  two  children,  Constance  M,  Manchester  and  Mitchell 
W.  Manchester, 

D.  G.  Wellington,  Hamilton,  was  born  at  Cazenovia,  January  8,  1838. 
He  was  educated  at  Union  College,  but  left  there  to  enter  upon  his 
legal  studies  which  he  pursued  in  the  office  of  J.  Sterling  Smith.  He 
then  took  a  course  in  the  Albany  Law  School  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  at  the  General  Term  in  1863.  He  immediately  opened  an  office  at 
Hamilton,  and  has  continued  his  practice  here  ever  since,  excepting 
two  years  spent  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion.  Mr.  Wellington  enlisted 
in  November,  1863,  in  Company  A,  176th  Infantry,  and  served  under 
Gen.  Banks  until  taken  prisoner  at  Brasher,  in  Louisiana.  He  was  held 
at  Tyler,  Texas,  for  thirteen  months  and  when  released  returned  home. 
He  was  justice  of  the  peace  from  1865  to  1869  and  member  of  the  As- 
sembly in  1868  and  1874.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  Constitutional 
Convention  held  at  Albany  in  1894.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics 
and  highly  esteemed  by  his  party.  Mr.  Wellington's  parents  were 
Luther  and  Amy  Wellington.  His  grandfather,  David  Wellington,  was 
an  early  settler  in  the  town  of  Nelson,  where  he  went  with  an  ox  team 
in  1798. 

Capt.  Charles  W.  Underhill,  Hamilton,  was  born  at  Bedford,  West- 
chester county,  N.Y. ,  and  was  educated  at  Madison  University  (now 
Colgate),  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1863.  He  is  a 
member  of  D.  K.  E.  fraternity  and  is  a  Phi  Beta  Kappa.  On  July  6, 
1852,  he  raised  Company  G,  114th  Regiment,  N.  Y.  Vols.,  and  served 
with  that  rank  either  at  the  head  of  his  company,  or  on  staff  duty,  until 
the  close  of  the  war.  He  saw  service  in  Louisiana,  Texas  and  the 
Shenandoah  Valley  and  participated  in  thirty  battles,  and  was  thanked 
by  name  in  General  Division  orders  after  the  battle  of  Winchester  and 
also  after  the  battle  of  Cedar  Creek.  He  was  taken  prisoner  at  Cedar 
Creek  and  was  held  a  while  in  Libby  prison.  After  the  war  Capt. 
Underhill  read  law  in  the  office  of  Judge  Mason  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  at  the  general  term  in  Binghamton  in  1867,  since  which  date  he 
has  been  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Hamilton.  In 
1872  Capt.  Underhill  married  Marian  E.  Root,  and  they  have  four 
children:  Carrie  Wager,  Mary  Bogardus,  Frank  Root,  and  Genevieve 
Louise.  Frank  R.  Underhill  was  a  soldier  in  Co.  G,  203d  Regiment, 
N.  Y.  Vols.,  during  thej^Spanish  war. 


528  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Capt.  Underbill  served  as  judge  advocate  of  the  1st  Div.,  19th  Army 
Corps,  for  two  years  during  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  and  be  has  twice 
been  president  of  the  village  of  Hamilton.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
G.  A.  R.  No.  272,  Arthur  L.  Brooks,  and  in  October,  1898,  delivered 
the  address  at  the  dedication  of  a  monument  to  his  old  regiment  at 
Winchester,  Va. 

Joseph  J.  L.  Baker,  the  well-known  attorney  of  Chittenango,  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Nelson,  this  county,  November  24,  1833. 
His  father,  Abraham  Baker,  was  a  pioneer  settler  from  Connecticut 
and  came  into  Nelson  when  it  was  yet  an  unbroken  forest.  Mr.  Baker 
began  his  education  in  the  common  schools  of  Nelson,  taught  with 
success  for  several  years,  and  attended  Cazenovia  Seminary  until  1859, 
when  he  entered  the  Albany  School  of  Law,  graduating  in  1860.  He 
then  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  the  office  of  William  E. 
Lansing,  where  he  remained  five  years.  Mr.  Baker  has  practiced  con- 
tinuously here  for  nearly  forty  years.  He  claims  to  be  the  oldest  Re- 
publican in  the  county,  as  in  1855  he  attended  the  first  Republican  con- 
vention held  at  Eaton,  while  of  his  nine  or  ten  associates  in  that  local 
organization,  all  but  himself  are  deceased.  During  the  civil  war  he  was 
assistant  provost  marshal,  also  a  deputy  sheriff,  and  has  served  not  less 
than  thirteen  years  as  a  justice.  Various  other  local  offices  attest  his 
personal  popularity  and  public  spirit.  In  1860  he  married  Angeline  L. 
Nourse  of  Cazenovia,  and  has  one  daughter. 

Arthur  A.  Foote,  Morrisville,  who  since  1879  has  been  clerk  of  the 
board  of  supervisors,  and  since  1874  an  active  practicing  lawyer  of  the 
county  seat,  was  a  native  of  Morrisville,  born  Octo.ber  18,  1851,  and  is 
the  son  of  Nathaniel  Foote,  the  latter  the  senior  member  of  the  bar  in 
the  county.  Arthur  A.  Foote  was  educated  at  Morrisville  Academy 
and  the  Clinton  Rural  High  School.  He  read  law  under  his  father's 
direction,  after  which  he  entered  the  Albany  Law  School,  and  was 
graduated  in  May,  1874.  He  has  since  practiced  at  Morrisville,  devot- 
ing his  time  and  energies  to  the  profession  in  general,  but  in  addition 
to  the  duties  of  clerk  of  the  board  of  supervisors  he  has  been  justice  of 
the  peace  since  1880.  On  June  13,  1877,  Mr.  Foote  married  Katie  C. 
Lewis  of  Stratford  Street.  Five  children  were  born  of  this  marriage: 
Robert  Nathaniel,  who  died  August  34,  1895;  Leon  Laertes,  who  died 
December  9,  1898;  Louis  Arthur,  Millie  Althea,  and  Ethel  Knox 
Foote. 

J.  T.  Durham,   attorney  at   law,   was  born  in  Verona,   this  county, 


THE  JUDICIARY  AND  BAR.  589 

October  18,  1865,  a  son  of  Daniel  H.  and  Ellen  (French)  Durham. 
His  father  was  a  farmer,  a  resident  and  well  known  citizen  of  Verona 
for  many  years.  Mr.  Durham  was  educated  in  the  Oneida  High  School 
and  Yates  Union  School  at  Chittenango.  He  read  law  in  the  Oneida 
office  of  Sayles,  Jenkins  &  Devereaux,  and  in  the  office  of  Sayles, 
Searle  &  Sayles  at  Rome.  In  November,  1887,  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  and  the  following  year  began  practice  in  Rome,  forming  a  partner- 
ship with  A.  D.  Kneeland.  This  association  continued  but  a  year  and 
at  the  end  of  that  period  Mr.  Dunham  came  to  Oneida  where  he  has 
since  been  in  practice.  He  has  been  active  in  Republican  political  cir- 
cles, but  has  never  held  public  office  except  as  justice  of  the  peace 
(1889-1897.)  In  fraternal  matters  he  has  been  prominent;  is  a  past 
master  of  Oneida  Lodge,  No.  370,  F.  and  A.  M. ;  member  of  Doric 
Chapter,  No.  193,  R.  A.  M.;  Rome  Commandery,  No.  45,  K.  T.,  and 
present  district  deputy  of  the  27th  Masonic  district,  comprising  the 
counties  of  Madison,  Onondaga,  and  Cortland,  and  composed  of  twenty- 
six  lodges  and  nearly  3,500  Masons.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Eumenia 
Lodge,  No.  196,  I.  O.  O.  F.  Mr.  Durham  was  married  in  1891  to  Miss 
Alice  Twogood,  of  Rensselaer  county. 

H.  B.  Coman,  Morrisville.  —  Winsor  Coman,  the  pioneer  head  of  a 
highly  respected  and  once  large  family  in  Eaton,  was  born  in  Provi- 
dence, R.  I.,  in  1776,  and  died  in  Eaton  in  1860.  In  1796  he  came  with 
a  party  of  relatives  and  acquaintances  to  this  State,  stopping  for  a  short 
time  at  Whitestown,  from  which  place  he  soon  came  to  Eaton  and 
located  south  of  the  village,  and  was  a  man  of  prominence  in  the  county. 
He  served  at  Sackets  Harbor  during  the  war  of  1812-15,  and  in  1814  15 
represented  this  county  in  the  Assembly.  After  making  a  beginning 
in  this  then  new  region  the  pioneer  returned  east  and  married  Kesiah 
Smith,  and  with  her  came  on  horseback  to  their  wilderness  home. 
The  children  in  this  family  were  Stephen,  who  lived  and  died  on  the 
old  farm;  Ziba,  who  lived  nearly  all  his  life  in  Eaton;  Smith,  once  a 
well  known  merchant  and  distiller  at  Morrisville,  but  who  went  to 
California  a  "'49er  "  and  died  there  ;  Lydia,  who  married  Benjamin  L. 
Choate;  and  Benjamin  F.,  whose  life  was  spent  in  Eaton  as  farmer, 
justice  of  the  peace  in  Morrisville,  and  also  postmaster.  All  these 
children  of  the  pioneer  raised  families,  but  the  surname  has  few  repre- 
sentatives in  the  county.  Samuel,  Ziba,  and  Benjamin  Coman  were 
brothers  of  Winsor,  the  pioneer,  and  followed  him  into  this  region 
within  a  year  or  two  after  his  arrival.     All  of  them  raised  families,  but 

34 


530  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

few  indeed  now  remain.  Henry  B.  Coman,  grandson  of  Winsor  Coman, 
and  the  youngest  of  three  children  of  Benjamin  F.  Coman,  was  born  in 
Eaton,  December  8,  1858.  He  was  educated  in  the  Morrisville  Union 
School  and  Cazenovia  Seminary,  after  which  he  read  law  in  the  office 
of  Henry  Barclay  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in  May,  1880.  For  ten 
years  after  admission  he  was  clerk  of  the  surrogate's  court,  but  on 
January  1,  1890,  he  began  general  practice  at  the  county  seat,  where  he 
has  since  resided  and  practiced  his  profession.  He  has  not  been  an 
active  figure  in  county  politics,  yet  he  has  been  more  than  a  passive 
factor  in  the  councils  of  the  Republican  party.  He  was  village  presi- 
dent five  years  and  is  now  serving  his  second  term  as  a  member  of  the 
Morrisville  Board  of  Education.  On  September  25,  1888,  Mr.  Coman 
married  Lucy  S.,  daughter  of  Lorenzo  D.  and  Lucy  (Sandford)  Dana. 
They  have  two  children. 

E.  Watts  Cushman,  of  Hamilton,  was  born  in  that  village  March  1, 
1854,  and  was  educated  at  the  Hamilton  High  vSchool.  He  read  law  in 
his  native  village,  beginning  in  1876,  and  in  1879  was  admitted  to  the 
bar.  He  has  since  his  admission  practiced  in  Hamilton,  from  188G  to 
1894  as  the  partner  of  Hon.  Joseph  Mason.' 


CHAPTER  XXVL 
THE  MEDICAL  SOCIETIES  AND    PROFESSION. 

Previous  to  the  year  1806  persons  in  this  State  who  desired  to  prac- 
tice "  physic  and  surgery, "  could  do  so  by  presenting  evidence  of  their 
competency  to  the  chancellor,  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  or  Common 
Pleas  Court,  or  to  a  master  in  chancery,  for  which  a  certificate  would  be 
given  which  was  to  be  filed  in  the  county  clerk's  office.  The  penalty 
for  non-compliance  with  this  regulation  was  that  no  remuneration  could 
be  collected  for  service,  or  a  fine  of  $35  where  remuneration  was  col- 
lected. This  rather  loose  method  of  authorizing  men  to  practice  medi- 
cine led  to  extended  abuse  by  unscrupulous  and  ignorant  persons.  Cer- 
tificates were  frequently  granted  to  unqualified  practitioners,  through 

'  The  very  few  members  of  the  present  Madison  county  bar  who  are  not  represented  in  the 
foregoing  pages,  failed  to  supply  the  necesssry  data  for  biographic  sketches. 


MEDICAL  SOCIETIES  AND  PROFESSION.  531 

which  the  health  and  lives  of  the  community  were  endangered  and  the 
standard  of  the  profession  lowered. 

An  act  of  the  Legislature  of  1806  authorized  the  formation  of  medi- 
cal societies  and  conferred  on  them  broad  powers,  at  the  same  time  im- 
posing upon  them  certain  duties.  The  chief  usefulness  of  these  societies 
in  early  years,  if  not  in  more  recent  times,  was  in  preventing  unquali- 
fied and  unscrupulous  persons  from  engaging  in  medical  practice. 

Under  this  act  mentioned  the  physicians  of  Madison  county  took 
prompt  action  and  on  July  29,  1806,  organized  under  its  provisions.  At 
the  organization  meeting  held  in  Sullivan  the  following  persons  were 
present  and  took  part  in  the  proceedings  which  brought  to  life  the  Madi- 
son County  Medical  Society:  Drs.  Israel  Farrell,  Jonas  Fay,  James 
Moore,  James  Pratt,  John  D.  Henry,  John  Dorrance,  Jonathan  Pratt, 
William  P.  Cleveland,  Elijah  Putnam,  Elijah  Pratt,  Thomas  Greenly, 
Amos  S.  Amsden,  Constant  Merrick,  Stephen  Percival,  Zadock  Parker, 
Rufus  Holton,  Asa  B.  Sizer,  and  Asahel  Prior.  An  election  of  officers 
was  held  and  Israel  Farrell  was  chosen  the  first  president;  Jonas  Fay, 
vice-president;  Elijah  Pratt,  secretary;  James  Pratt  treasurer;  James 
Moore,  delegate  to  the  State  Society;  Asa  B.  Sizer,  James  Moore, 
Asahel  Prior,  Jonathan  Pratt,  and  Elijah  Putnam,  censors. 

At  an  adjourned  meeting  held  October  26,  1807,  Drs.  Jonas  Fay,  A.  S. 
Amsden,  and  John  Dorrance  were  appointed  a  committee  to  report  all 
practitioners  who  were  working  without  a  license.  This  action  shows 
the  existing  feeling  at  that  time  among  reputable  physicians  regarding 
the  operations  of  charlatans  and  quacks.  The  good  work  went  on  and 
on  April  26,  1808,  the  president,  secretary,  and  treasurer  were  jointly 
delegated  to  "summon  Hubbard  Smith,  William  Patrie  (Petrie  ?)  and 
David  Williams  to  appear  and  show  that  they  are  legally  qualified  to 
practice  Physic  and  Surgery  in  this  State." 

Efforts  to  gather  the  nucleus  of  a  library  were  early  put  forth,  and 
some  money  subscribed  for  the  purpose.  The  amended  by-laws  of  1819 
specify  that  the  surplus  money  in  the  treasury  be  not  expended  for 
library  purposes  until  they  amount  to  $75.  In  the  same  year  steps 
were  taken  to  introduce  the  description  of  cases  by  the  members  for 
mutual  improvement  and  elevation.  It  was  provided  that  every  mem- 
ber should  present  at  the  semi-annual  meeting  or  soon  thereafter,  one 
case,  both  in  its  symptoms  and  method  of  treatment,  to  a  committee  of 
three,  who  were  to  select  such  as  seemed  most  important  to  be  recorded 
in  a  book  to  be  read  at  the  annual  meeting,  or  otherwise  treated. 


532  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

On  July  28,  1820,  the  by-laws  relating  to  a  library  were  abolished  and 
Drs.  John  L.  Cazier,  Peter  B.  Havens,  and  Thomas  Spencer  were  di- 
rected to  purchase  periodicals  for  the  U'  e  of  the  society.  In  July,  1821, 
Drs.  Havens,  Spencer  and  Clarke  were  appointed  a  committee  to 
formulate  a  plan  for  the  production  and  reading  of  prize  dissertations, 
and  subjects  were  offered  for  one  each  to  be  delivered  at  the  ensuing 
semi-annual  and  the  annual  meeting. 

The  purchase  of  books  and  periodicals  continued,  the  records  show- 
ing that  a  committee  was  appointed  in  July,  1824,  for  that  purpose, 
while  in  1835,  $30  were  appropriated  for  books  and  $10  for  periodicals. 
At  the  meeting  of  July  26,  1825,  Drs.  Bailey,  Mead  and  Silsby  were  ap- 
pointed "  to  consider  the  most  effectual  method  to  suppress  Quackery." 
This  is  another  indication  that  the  society,  like  those  of  all  other  coun- 
ties, found  their  utmost  efforts  were  necessary  to  rid  the  profession  of 
ignorant  practitioners. 

In  1826,  and  other  years  down  to  recent  times,  further  sums  were  de- 
voted to  the  purchase  of  medical  literature.  Dr.  Thomas  Spencer  being 
delegated  to  expend  the  money.  This  practice  continued  down  to  Jan- 
uary, 1849,  when  it  was  ordered  that  the  library  of  the  society  be  sold 
at  auction  at  the  next  meeting,  July  21,  1849.  At  that  date  the  sale 
was  postponed  and  the  records  show  no  further  action  regarding  the 
library. 

This  was  evidently  a  period  of  sluggishness  in  the  society,  as  at  the 
meeting  last  named  it  was  resolved  "  to  put  forth  endeavors  to  sustain 
the  society,"  and  to  "  make  an  effort  to  form  a  District  Association 
with  Otsego  and  Chenango  counties." 

In  1832-33  further  efforts  were  made  to  relieve  the  county  from  the 
operations  of  quacks  and  to  draw  into  its  membership  all  qualified  phy- 
sicians in  the  county.  Between  1830  and  1840,  a  few  papers  were  read 
before  the  society  by  members  which  attracted  attention  and  discussion. 
In  1834  a  committee  was  appointed  to  examine  the  medical  botany  of 
Madison  county.  The  society  also  took  its  share  about  that  time  in  the 
prevailing  temperance  movement,  adopting  the  following  resolution  on 
the  subject: 

Resolved,  That  it  is  the  deliberate  conviction  of  this  Society  that  the  common  use 
of  distilled  spirits  has  heretofore  been  a  productive  source  of  disease,  crime,  poverty 
and  premature  death ;  that  it  is  entirely  unnecessary  for  men  in  health ;  and  that  it 
might  be  dispensed  with  in  the  treatment  of  disease. 

An  important  step  was  taken  at  the  same  time  designed   to  elevate 


MEDICAL  SOCIETIES  AND  PROFESSION.  533 

the  standard  of  scholarship  in  the  profession,  as  seen  in  the  following 
resolution : 

Resolved,  That  in  the  present  advanced  state  of  the  science  of  medicine  this  So- 
ciety regards  the  legal  term  of  study  too  short,  and  think  it  ought  to  be  extended 
one  year,  and  that  some  care  [should]  be  taken  to  fix  preliminary  studies. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  about  1840-45  the  subject  of  mesmerism 
and  clairvoyance  came  prominently  before  the  public,  creating  no  little 
interest.  The  members  of  the  society  proclaimed  their  views  on  the 
matter  in  a  series  of  lengthy  resolutions,  wherein  they  ridiculed  the 
whole  theory  as  "all  fallacious  and  unworthy  to  be  countenanced  by 
members  of  our  profession."  During  the  same  period.  Homoeopathy 
began  to  make  itself  felt  in  the  community,  and  the  members  of  the 
society,  at  first,  had  little  more  respect  for  it,  apparently,  than  they  had 
for  mesmerism.  A  resolution  on  the  subject  was  offered  at  the  meeting 
of  July  30,  1844,  and  after  discussion  was  laid  on  the  table.  But  the 
new  practice  gained  more  and  more  adherents,  and  on  January  38, 
1845,  it  wa^  the  subject  of  an  address  by  Dr.  George  S.  Loomis,  after 
which  the  following  interesting  resolutions  were  offered,  earnestly  dis- 
cussed, and  finally  adopted  with  only  one  dissenting  voice : 

Whereas,  A  few  of  the  members  of  this  Society  have  repudiated  the  doctrines  and 
practice  which  are  are  almost  universally  taught  in  the  Medical  schools  throughout 
the  civilized  world  and  have  adopted  the  theory  and  practice  of  medicine  called 
Homoeopathy;  therefore. 

Resolved,  That  in  our  opinion  the  so-called  system  of  Homoeopathy  is  irrational 
and  delusive  and  its  believers,  however  high  may  be  their  intelligeace  or  moral 
standing,  are  deceived  by  the  specious  reasoning  by  which  it  is  attempted  to  be 
supported. 

Resolved,  That  in  our  opinion  the  practice  of  Homoeopathy  is  highly  fraught  with 
danger  to  the  community,  and  that  our  duty  to  the  public  imperiously  demands  an 
exposure  of  its  fallacies;  therefore. 

Resolved,  That  we  as  a  Society  disclaim  all  participation  in  the  peculiar  doctrines 
of  Homeopathy. 

The  protracted  conflict  between  the  two  schools  of  medicine  is  well 
remembered  by  most  persons  to-day.  Broader  and  more  liberal  views 
at  last  prevailed  until  the  differences  that  once  existed  on  the  subject 
have  mostly  passed  away.  That  this  result  was  approached  earlier  than 
in  most  localities  is  indicated  in  a  resolution  offered  by  Dr.  V.  W.  Mason 
on  January  26,  1847,  two  years  after  the  foregoing  series  was  adopted: 

Resolved,  That  a  committee  be  appointed  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  investigate  the 
theory  of  medical  practice  called  Homoeopathy,  to  tests  its  medicines  by  actual  ex- 
periment and  report  to  this  society. 


534 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


If  this  action  was  taken  the  records  do  not  show  its  results.  In  more 
recent  years  the  society  has  kept  abreast  of  the  advancement  in  general 
medical  science  and  practice,  and  placed  itself  on  record  on  all  subjects 
of  importance  in  relation  to  the  profession. 

Following  is  a  complete  list  of  all  the  physicians  who  have  at  any 
time  been  members  of  the  Society,  with  the  dates  when  they  joined,  as 
shown  in  the  record  book: 


Abell, 

Adams,  Homer, 

Allen,  J.  B.,  _. 

Amsden,  Amos  S. , 

Antes,  , _ 

Babcock,  Benjamin  W.,  .. 

Babcock,  H.  E., 

Babcock,  John, _ 

Bailey,  E.  P., 

Bailey,  Eli  S., 

Bailey,  Silas, 

Ballaou,  •,  

Ballon,  Russell 

Banning,  George  W. , 

Barber,  Philo  J _ 

Barber,  Samuel, 

Barker  Daniel, 

Barnett,  Milton, 

Barrow, , 

Bass,  Henry, _ 

Beardsley,  Henry  G. , 

Beardsley,  L. ,  Oneida 

Beebe,  F.  D.,  Lebanon,.. _ 

Beebe,  F.  G 

Beebe,  Loren  C, 

Billington,  Merchant, 

Birdsall,     Gilbert,    North 

Brookfield, 

Blakeslee,    A 

Boden,  Edwin  R., .v.. 

Bradley,  Samuel  B., 

Brooks,  Nelson  O., 

Brown,  N.  Clift 

Buckingham,  E.  D.,  

Bullock.  C.  N 

Bushyte.  OrlandoW., 

Burrough,  Erastus  B. . 

Bush,  Edwin  D,,  Madison, 


July  27 

1824 

July  27, 

1852 

1891 

July  29, 

1806 

Jan.  28, 

1840 

July  27, 

1824 

1884 

July  31, 

1822 

1888 

July  28, 

1818 

July  26, 

1836 

Jan.  28, 

1834 

July  12, 

1859 

1896 

July  29 

1834 

Apr.  29, 

1807 

July  28 

1820 

Dec.  24, 

1833 

Jan.  25 

1825 

Jan,  30, 

1810 

July  31, 

1832 

July  7, 

1857 

July  7 

1857 

1889 

1898 

Jan.  13, 

1874 

Jan.  19, 

1864 

July  27, 

1841 

1894 

July  28 

1819 

1896 

1881 

Jan.  27 

1835 

1883 

1880 

Jan.  31, 

1827 

Oct.  6 

1857 

Carpenter,  E.  H., 

Carpenter,  H,  W.,  Oneida, 

Carpenter,  Wesley  M. , 

Carter,  H.  T., 

Cavana,  M., 

Cazier,  John  LeConte, 

Chamberlayne,  J.  K. , 

Chase,  D.  D.,  Morrisville,. 

Cheesbrough,  Amos, 

Clarke,  Isaac,  ._ __ 

Clarke,  John, 

Clarke,  Samuel  R. , 

Clarke,  Silas  S.,  De  Ruyter 

Clarke,  Welcome  A. , 

Cleaveland,  Benjamin  F. ,  . 

Cleveland,  William  P. , 

Colegrove,  C.  M. , 

Collins,  D.  S.  P., 

Collins,  Nathan,... 

Collister,  Samuel, 

Cook,  Orange  R 

Corcoran,  James  A., 

Cornell,  Alanson, 

Coy,  William  B 

Crandall.  H.  S.,  Leonards- 

ville, 

Cunningham,  Hugh 

Curtis,  Seymour,  

Davis,  George  W. , 

Davis,  Lavinia  R., 

Davis,  W.  A., 

Decker,  John  J., 

Didama,  John, 

Dodge,  A.  A 

Douglas,  A.S., 

Douglas,  James  S., 

Douglass.  W.  H., 

Dorrance,  John 


July  12, 
July  14, 


July  28 
July  2' 
July  11 
July  12 
July  31 
Apr.  — 
July  25 
Oct.  11 
July  28 
July  25 
July  29, 

July  25 
July- 
July  27 
July  - 

Jan.  31 
July  31 

July  7 
July  29 
July  30 


Jan.  26, 

July  9. 
Jan.  28, 

July  29, 


1894 
1870 
1863 
1888 
1894 
1819 
1852 
1871 
1859 
1838 
1809 
1826 
1859 
1818 
1826 
1806 
1895 
1826 
1830 
1824 
1829 
1898 
1832 
1838 

1857 
1828 
1839 
1889 
1899 
1889 
1898 
1819 
1895 
1872 
1834 
1892 
1806 


MEDICAL  SOCIETIES  AND  PROFESSION. 


586 


Drake,  F.  C. , 

Eaton,  John  R., 

Farnsworth,  Charles Jan.  29 

Farrell,  Andrew... July  25 

Farrell,  Israel July  29, 

Fay,  Jonas, July  29 

Fisk,  Joshua  M., Jan.  26, 

Fitch,  W.  R Oct.  13 

Foord,  Alvin Jan.  27 

Foord,  Henry, Jan.  22, 

Foote,  David  Y., July  36, 

Foote,  Noah  B.,  _ July  30, 

French,  John  H.,  W.  Eaton  July 

Fuller,  Edward, July — , 

Fuller,  Samuel Jan.  26 

Furnian.  Charles  L.,  Ham- 
ilton,   --  July    8 

Galloway,  E.  H., __. 

Germain,  Morris. July  28, 

Germer,  Hermann  G., 

Gibbs,  Levi July  28 

Gillett,  Jacob, J uly  29, 

Goff,  I.  N.,Cazenovia, Feb.  18, 

Goodell,  John, July  29, 

Goodwin,  Timothy,. Jan.  25 

Goslee,  James  P., July  25 

Gray,  R.  H., July  10, 

Greene,  Carl  D. , July  10, 

Greenly,  Thomas July  29, 

Greenwood,  Levi  P., Jan.  25 

Griffith,  W.  H., 

Guernsey,  Jonathan, July  31 

Guernsey,  Sylvanus, July  31 

Guthrie,  Jarvis  Moore, July  25, 

Halbert,  H., 

Hamer,  J..  Oneida, July  13, 

Harris,  George  W. ,  July  12 

Havers,  Peter  B., July  28 

Head,  A.  D 

Heffron,  John July  27 

Henry,  John  D July  29 

Holmes,  A.  M.,  Morrisville  Oct.    6 

Holton,  Rufus, July  29 

Hoskins,  A.  N., 

Hovey,  Isaac, July  28, 

Howland,  Perez, July  38, 

Hubbard,  F.H 


1894      Huntley.  J.  F., Jan.  22,  1878 

1880       Huntley,  J    F., 1892 

1828  Hurd, , July  38,  1840 

1837  Hurd,  D.  E., July  25,  1843 

1806      Joy,  Milton  R. , 1887 

1806       Kennedy,  James, July  39,  1828 

1819       Kennedy,  Samuel, July  31,  1831 

1858       Kenney,  July  35,  1837 

1829  Knapp,  J.  W., 1884 

1878  Knowlton.  Josiah, July  31,  1831 

1835       Lane,  Ebenezer Jan,  30,  1809 

1821  Langworthy,  O.  S. , 1891 

18.56       Lee.  , July  27,  1835 

1839       Lewis,  Birdseye, July  36,  1825 

1819  Litchfield,  W.  M 1893 

Lloyd,  Frederick  O., 1898 

1879  Lloyd,  G.F 1887 

1885       Lockwood,  Henry. July  30,  1833 

1830  Loomis,  George  S., July  — .  1829 

1898       Loomis,  Joseph July  28,  1840 

1818  Loveland,  E.  W..  Oneida,.  Jan.  10,  1871 

1818  Lull,  Almond, Jan.  — ,  1833 

1863  Lull,  Ansel. July  31,  1822 

1838  Lum,  W.  Tappan 1896 

1825       Marsh,  M.  M. , July  27,  1841 

1837      Mason,  Adolphus  A.,  Jan.  29,  1838 

1860      Mason,  V.W., Jan.  31,  1837 

1877       Mayberry,  F.  T.,. July  29,  1845 

1806  McClelland,  — ,  De  Ruyter  July  13,  1875 

1842  Mead,  Henry  M., July  25,  1843 

1888  Mead.  H.  P., Oct.  13,  1858 

1822  Mead,  Onesimus. July  29,  1817 

1822      Mead,  Powers  R., Jan.  28,  1834 

1843  Mead.  Thompson,  Jr., July  30,  1839 

1889  Merrick.  Constant July  29.  1806 

1858       Messenger,  E.  G., Jan.  27,  1835 

1864  Messenger,  M.  P., 1895 

1820  Miller,  Edgar  L  ,  Eaton,..  July    8,  1879 

1874      Miller,  H.  P.,  Eaton, July  12.  1870 

1813       Mills,  George  VV., 1890 

1806       Mitchell,  David, July  29,  1817 

1857      Mitchell,  David, Jan.  26,  1841 

1806       Moffett,  Joseph, July  29,  1817 

1892       Moore, -,  Munnsville,  July  13,  1875 

1819  Moore,  E.  M., Jan.  36,  1847 

1830      Moore,  J., Jan.  37,  1835 

1888      Moore,  James July  39,  1806 


536 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


Morey,  Zabina  M., ..  Jan.  29, 

Mumford,  E.  S., _  July    8 

Munger,  G.  B.,. July  13 

Nash,   Rivera, Oct.  27, 

Nichols,  , Jan.  25 

Nicholas,   A.  S., July  25^ 

Norton,  Joel, July  29 

Norton,  Samuel,. July  26, 

Noyes,  Helon  Fay, July  — 

Oaks,  William July    8, 

Orton,  , Jan.  28 

Palmer,  Benjamin July  31 

Parker,  Zadoc,  . .  _ _  July  29 

Patrie,  William, Oct.  25, 

Payne,  John, Jan.  29, 

Peck,  Daniel, July  29, 

Peck,  S.  W July  30 

Percival,  Stephen, July  29, 

Perry,  C.  H., Jan.  13, 

Pfaflf,  Otto 

Pierce,  Jeremiah  B., July  — 

Potter,  S.  M.,.__ July  30, 

Powers,  Isaac, April  29, 

Powers,  N.  C _  Jan.  26, 

Pratt,  Daniel, July  28 

Pratt,  Elijah, July  29 

Pratt  James,  _ July  29 

Pratt,  Jonathan, July  29 

Prior,  Asahel July  29, 

Purdy,  Albert  G. , July  — , 

Putnam,  Elijah July  2! 

Putnam,  John, July  31 

Rankin,  J., Jan.  27 

Rankin,  Jairus, _.  July  — 

Ransom,  C.  H.,. _ 

Ransom  D., Jan.  25 

Reed,  Amos, _ July  30, 

Ressinger,  J.  A July  10 

Rockwell,  AlvaW., Jan.  28 

Rogers,  A.  C.,. 

Root,  F.  W., July    8, 

Root,  R.  B.,. Jan.  31 

Sammis,  O.K.,Warapsville,    July  8, 

Saunders,  A.  L. , July  30, 

Scott,  , 

Seamans,   Horace, July  — 


1828  Sexton,  E.  H.,   Oneida,...  July  11, 

1862      Sherman,  Jonathan, July  28, 

1864       Silsby,  Jonathan, July  29, 

1807  Sizer,  AsaB., July  29, 

1843  Smith,  A.  D.,  New  Wood- 

1843  .stock, July  14, 

1817      Smith,  Hubbard Oct.  25, 

1836      Smith,  J.  W July    9, 

1830      Spence.   Ira, ...Jan.  28, 

1862  Spence,  Ira,  De  Ruyter,  ..  Oct.  11, 

1840  Spencer,  Thomas, July  28, 

1821       Spooner,  Stillman Jan.  26, 

1806      Stacy,  Consider  H July  28, 

1808  Stowell,  Joseph . Jan.  30, 

1828  Sumner,  Henry  T.,..^ July  26, 

1817       Taylor  William, Jan.  27, 

1839  Taylor,  William, Munnsville  July  12, 

1806  Teft,  Joseph _.  July  30, 

1874       Teller,  J.  T., July  25, 

1894  Throop,  J.  Motte,  Lebanon  July  14, 

1810  Tompkins,  A.Miss,  Hamil- 

1839  ton, July    8, 

1807  Treadway,  , July  25, 

1841  Trevor,  J  , July  25, 

1819      Tucker,  Laban, July  31, 

1806      Upham,  Jan.  37, 

1806       Ure,  H.  D., 

1806       Usher,  Nathaniel, July  31, 

1806  Van  Wagner,  L.  A.,  North 

1830  Brookfield, July  11, 

1806  Warner,  N.  P.,  NewWood- 

1827  stock, July    8, 

1835       Warner,  William,.. July  31, 

1829  Webster,  , Jan.  27, 

1874       Wells,  J.  R., Jan.  31, 

1842  White,  Adonijah, Jan.  26, 

1839      White,  A.  N., 

1866      White,  Homer  H., 

1823       Whitford,  James July  31, 

1874  Whitmore,  Theophilus,. ..  Jan.  30, 

1862  Wilcox,  O.  B.,  Earlville,..  July    8, 

1832       Wilson,  S.  J 

1862       Wilson, , July  26, 

1839      Woods,  Harvey May    8, 

1896      Youngs,  John  T., Jan.  28, 

1829 


1871 
1807 
1817 
1806 


1808 
1872 
1834 
1859 
1818 
1830 
1820 
1809 
1825 
1818 
1870 
1833 
1843 
1868 

1879 
1842 
1843 
1838 
1818 
1874 
1827 

1871 

1879 
1.S33 
1818 
1843 
1819 
1890 
1891 
1838 
1809 
1879 
1896 
1814 
1810 
1834 


MEDICAL  SOCIETIES  AND  PROFESSION.  537 

The  Madison  County  Homoeopathic  Medical  Society. — Many  years 
passed  after  the  introduction  of  homoeopathy  in  New  York  in  1825,  be- 
fore any  organized  society  existed.  The  new  school  met  with  deter- 
mined opposition,  and  in  1830  there  were  only  six  homoeopathic  phy- 
sicians in  the  whole  country,  and  almost  all  of  these  were  practicing  in 
New  York  city.  When  Dr.  George  W.  Roberts  introduced  the  practice 
into  the  neighboring  county  of  Chenango,  in  1841,  there  were  not  prob- 
ably forty  homoeopathic  doctors  yet  in  the  country,  and  none  at  all  in 
Madison  county. 

Previous  to  1857  there  were  homoeopathic  medical  societies,  but  they 
were  mere  gatherings  of  physicians  without  any  legal  standing  what- 
ever. An  act  of  the  Legislature  of  April  13,  of  that  year,  authorized 
the  formation  of  such  societies  with  the  same  privileges  and  immunities 
enjoyed  by  those  of  the  older  school.  In  1862  the  Legislature  incor- 
porated the  Homoeopathic  Medical  Society  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
and  under  this  act  county  societies  became  auxiliary  to  the  State  society. 

The  organization  of  the  Madison  County  Homoeopathic  Medical  So- 
ciety was  effected  at  a  meeting  of  the  Oneida  County  Society,  held  in 
Utica,  October  18,  1S64,  Drs.  E.  A.  Munger  and  George  B.  Palmer 
acting  as  the  committee  of  organization  of  a  society  in  both  Madison 
and  Chenango  counties.  This  committee  issued  an  invitation  and  on 
Januar)-4,  1865,  the  following  physicians  met  at  the  office  of  Dr.  D.  D. 
Loomis  in  Morrisville:  D.  D.  Loomis,  W.  B.  Brown,  of  Hamilton;  G. 
L.  Gifford,  of  Hamilton;  A.  E.  Wallace,  of  Brookfield;  Ira  C.  Owen,  of 
Sherburne;  George  B.  Palmer,  of  East  Hamilton;  E.  A.  Munger,  of 
Waterville;  George  W.  Bailey,  of  Waterville,  and  H.  M.  Paine,  of  Al- 
bany. The  formal  organization  under  the  act  then  took  place.  Dr. 
Munger  acting  as  temporary  chairman,  and  Dr.  George  B.  Palmer  as 
secretary.  Drs.  Loomis,  Owen  and  Wallace  were  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  report  a  form  of  constitution  and  by  laws.  When  these  were 
reported  they  were  discussed  and  finally  adopted  at  the  same  meeting. 
The  first  officer.=,  also  elected  at  that  time,  were  as  follows: 

Dr.  D.  D.  Loomis  was  elected  president;  Ira  C.  Owen,  vice-president; 
George  B.  Palmer,  secretary  and  treasurer;  and  Drs.  A.  E.  Wallace, 
G.  L.  Gifford  and  George  B.  Palmer,  censors. 

Drs.  E.  A.  Munger,  H.  M.  Paine  and  G.  W.  Bailey  were  elected  hon- 
orary members. 

During  the  period  since  the  organization  of  the  society  it  has  been 
kept  in  %  fair  state  of  activity  and  accomplished  much  for  the  benefit  of 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


Its  members.  Valuable  papers  have  been  read  at  its  meetings  and  the 
many  able  and  honorable  men  who  have  been  and  are  members  of  this 
school  of  medicine  in  the  county,  have  labored  unselfishly  for  the 
afflicted. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  members  of  this  society  from  its  formation 
to  the  present  time  with  dates  of  election: 


Isaac  Clark,  Eaton, June  27 

H.  F.  Adams,  Canastota, _ _ June  27 

John  P.  Hunting,   Brookfield, October  2 

Henry  F.  Adams,  Canastota October  2 

Stillman  Spooner,  Oneida, October  3 

Harrison  Willis,  Clinton,  (honorary)  October  2 

Edgar  C.  Bass,  Cazenovia,  June  25 

A.  A.  Lewis,  De  Ruyter, June  35 

Edward  Loomis,  Oneida, June  33 

H.  P.  Mera,  Canastota, _ _.June  23 

John  W.  Brown,  Morrisville, _ June  22 

M.  M.  Catlin,  Brookfield, June  23 

L.  C.  Crowell,  Morrisville, June 

E.  L.  Coon,  De  Ruyter _June 

W.  H.  Griffith,  Chittenango, June, 

J.  T.  Wallace,  Oneida 

E.  P.  Hussey, 

J.  E.  Slaught,  Hamilton, _ 

George  E.  Sanford,  Eaton,   _ 

Melvin  E.  Edgerton,  Canastota, 


1865 
1866 
1866 
1866 
1866 
1866 
1867 
1867 
1869 
1869 
1869 
1869 
1873 
1873 
1875 
1876 
1876 
1881 
,1882 
.1882 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— BROOKFIELD.  539 


CHAPTER  XXVTI. 

GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS. 

The  Town  of  Brookfield. 

This  town  was  set  off  from  Paris  March  5,  1795,  and  originally  in- 
cluded Nos.  17,  18,  and  19  of  the  Chenango  Twenty  Townships.  Of 
these  No.  17  was  taken  off  to  form  the  town  of  Columbus  in  February, 
1805.  Brookfield  is  the  southeast  corner  town  of  the  county  and 
bounded  north  by  Oneida  county,  east  by  Edmeston  and  Plainfield, 
south  by  Columbus,  and  west  by  Hamilton  and  Madison.  Its  surface 
is  hilly  and  rugged,  with  soil  principally  of  gravelly  loam,  well  adapted 
to  grazing;  in  the  valleys  is  found  a  rich  alluvium.  Hops  have  been 
raised  in  large  quantities  in  past  years  in  the  northwest  part.  There 
are  abundant  springs  throughout  the  town  and  the  Unadilla  River 
forms  the  eastern  boundary  and  receives  numerous  tributaries,  the 
principal  one  of  which  is  Beaver  Creek  which  flows  south  through  the 
central  part  of  Brookfield,  along  a  beautiful  valley  and  furnishing  many 
mill  sites.  The  east  branch  of  the  Chenango  crosses  the  northwest 
part,  rising  in  the  so-called  Terrytown  swamp,  which  covers  a  consid- 
erable area  in  that  part  and  takes  its  name  from  the  Terry  family. 
Gorton  Lake,  a  small  body  of  water  in  the  north  part,  takes  its  name 
from  the  Gorton  family  of  settlers.  What  was  formerly  the  Utica, 
Chenango  and  Susquehanna  Valley  Railroad,  now  a  branch  of  the  D., 
L.  and  W.,  crosses  the  northwest  corner  of  the  town,  along  the  valley 
of  the  Chenango  branch. 

The  population  of  Brookfield  on  the  dates  given  in  the  census  taken 
at  intervals  is  shown  in  the  following  figures: 

1835     1840    1845     1850    1855     1860    1865     1870    1875    1880     1890     1892 
3959    3695    3623    3585    3770    3729    3593    3565    3511     3685    3262    3235 

The  number  of  inhabitants  in  Brookfield  has  fluctuated  and  declined 
less  than  in  many  of  the  other  towns  of  the  county,  a  fact  due  partly, 
at  least,  to  the  extent  and  variety  of  manufacturing  operations  that 
have  been  carried  on  in  past  years.  These  industries  were  once  of  real 
importance,  especially  in  the  village  of  Leonardsville.     The  lumber  in- 


540  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

dustry  was  also  of  considerable  magnitude,  but  is  now  confined  to  a 
small  trade  in  hemlock.  From  the  large  cedar  swamp  near  Clarkville, 
a  great  quantity  of  that  wood  has  been  taken,  as  well  as  large  numbers 
of  hop  poles.  In  comparatively  recent  years  the  dairying  interest  has 
been  large  and  profitable.  E.  D.  Lamb  was  for  some  years  an  exten- 
sive manufacturer  of  cheese  and  owned  several  factories  near  the 
Otsego  county  line;  but  the  building  of  the  railroad  through  the  Una- 
dilla  valley  and  the  establishment  along  its  line  of  numerous  milk  sta- 
tions, where  the  farmers  shipped  their  milk  to  the  large  markets,  has 
greatly  depreciated  this  industry.  The  manufacture  of  furniture  on  an 
extensive  scale  was  once  prosecuted  at  South  Brookfield  by  George  W. 
Bentley,  and  other  industrial  operations  gave  the  town  prosperity  in 
early  years,  as  noticed  further  on. 

Settlement  in  Brookfield  began  in  1791  by  Stephen  Hoxie  and  Phin- 
eas  Brown,  whose  operations  and  those  of  other  early  settlers  have  been 
described  in  earlier  chapters.  In  the  same  year  Samuel  H.  Burdick 
and  Samuel  Billings  settled  at  the  site  of  Five  Corners,  and  Stephen 
Collins  on  Beaver  Creek  below  Clarkville.  In  1792  John  and  Elias 
Button,  Lawton  Palmer,  Thomas  and  James  P..ogers,  Paul  and  Perry 
Maxson,  Eleazer  and  Simeon  Brown,  Samuel  Langworthy,  Elder 
Henry  Clark  and  Phineas  Rogers  settled  in  the  town.  In  1793  David 
Gates  and  Ethan  Babcock  located  in  the  town,  and  in  179 i  Zadock 
Beebe,  Joshua  Whitford,  John  York  and  a  few  others  became  settlers. 
During  the  next  ten  years  and  before  the  formation  of  the  county  are 
found  among  the  names  of  pioneers  those  of  Samuel  Gorton,  and  his 
sons  Varnum  aud  Benjamin,  Asa  Frink,  Nathaniel,  Joseph  and  George 
Denison,  Thompson  Burdick,  Thomas  Keith,  Elisha  Burdick,  Augustus 
Saunders,  Elisha  Johnson,  Harris  Chesebrough,  Joseph  Livermore, 
Nathan  Brown,  and  others  whose  names  appear  in  subsequent  pages. 

The  first  town  meeting  in  Brookfield  was  held  at  the  house  of  Capt. 
Daniel  Brown,  April  7,  1795,  and  the  following  ofificers  elected: 
Stephen  Hoxie,  supervisor;  Elisha  Burdick,  clerk;  Clark  Maxson, 
Joshua  Whitford  and  John  Stanton,  assessors;  Powel  Hall,  Joel  But- 
ler and  John  Chesebrough,  commissioners  of  highways;  Daniel  Brown 
and  Simeon  Brown,  poormasters;  Elijah  Palmer  and  Oliver  Brown, 
constables;  Oliver  Brown,  collector;  David  Convers,  Jaba  Brown  and 
Benedict  Babcock,  fenceviewers;  Ashbe  Kellogg,  Ephraim  Waldo, 
George  Palmer  and  Jonathan  Bedford,  pathraasters;  Daniel  Brown, 
John  Wilber  and  Willard  Convers,  poundmasters. 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— BROOKFIELD.  541 

Following  is  a  list  of  supervisors  from  the  erection  of  the  town  to  the 
present  time,  with  the  dates  of  their  election:  1795-1807,  Stephen 
Hoxie;  1808-10,  Jonathan  Morgan;  1811,  Samuel  H.  Coon;  1812-16, 
Joshua  Morgan;  1817-19,  Samuel  H.  Coon;  1820-33,  Henry  Clark,  jr. ; 
1833-39,  Joseph  Clark;  1830,  Patten  Fitch;  1831,  John  Hoxie;  1833, 
John  Davis;  1833-37,  Wait  Clarke;  1838,  Andrew  Babcock;  1839, 
Waite  Clarke;  1840,  John  De  Lancy;  1841,  Dennis  Hardin;  1843,  Ben- 
jamin Burdick;  1843,  Cyrus  Clark;  1844,  Ira  Crane;  1845,  Joseph 
Clark;  1846,  Benjamin  Burdick;  1847-48,  Nathan  T.  Brown;  1849, 
Hosea  B.  Clarke;  1850,  John  T.  G.  Bailey;  1851,  Dennis  Hardin;  1852, 
Elisha  G.  Babcock;  1853-54,  J.  V.  R.  Livermore;  1855,  John  Babcock; 
1856-57,  Dennis  Hardin ;  1858-59,  Thomas  R.  Gorton;  1860-61,  Luke 
Hoxie;  1863-64,  Calvin  Whitford;  1865-66,  Luke  Hoxie;  1867-70, 
William  H.  Brand;  1871-73,  John  T.  G.  Bailey;  1873-75,  Thomas  R. 
Gorton;  1876-79,  Augustus  L.  Saunders;  1880,  Oliver  T.  Brown; 
1881-83,  S.  A.  Fitch;  1884,  Arthur  J.  Stillman;  1885-89,  William 
Stanbro;  1890-93,  Arthur  J.  Stillman;  1894-97,  Emory  D.  Morgan. 

There  were  formerly  four  post-offices  in  this  town — at  Clarkville, 
Leonardsville,  De  Lancy  and  South  Brookfield;  only  the  two  former 
are  now  open.  Clarkville  is  an  active  village  near  the  center  of  the 
town  on  Beaver  Creek.  It  was  known  in  early  years  as  Bailey's  Cor- 
ners, from  Dr.  Eli  S.  Bailey,  the  first  physician  there.  The  post-office 
was  established  about  1830  with  the  name,  Beaver  Creek,  with  Joseph 
Clark,  postmaster;  he  was  succeeded  by  Andrew  Babcock  in  about 
1840,  and  he  by  Varnum  Crumb,  Maxson  Clark,  jr.,  Lucius  P.  Clark, 
John  T.  G.  Bailey,  Benjamin  Gorton,  Richard  Stillman,  A.  G.  Still- 
man, Charles  J.  Elliot,  H.  L.  Spooner,  F.  D.  Rogers,  and  H.  L. 
Spooner,  incumbent. 

The  first  merchant  was  Reuben  Leonard  who  built  a  store  just  before 
the  war  of  1812.  Other  early  merchants  were  Sheffield  Collins,  Henry 
Holmes,  Chester  Palmiter,  Varnum  Crumb,  Andrew  Babcock,  John  T. 
G.  Bailey,  Nathan  Brownell  and  his  sons,  Mattison  Clarke  and  Leroy 
Babcock.  The  present  merchants  are  A  J.  Stillman,  general  store; 
D.  F.  Main,  hardware;  F.  D.  Gould,  H.  H.  Elliot  and  A.  C.  Tuttle, 
grocers;  A.  C.  Miller,  druggist;  M.  H.  Brown,  bakery  and  groceries; 
J.  T.  Stillman,  hardware;  W.  M.  Crane,  flour  and  feed,  and  also  oper- 
ates a  saw  mill;  G.  T.  Whitford,  merchant  tailor;  E.  A.  Pope,  jeweler; 
H.  E.  Maxson,  livery.  Calvin  Whitford  established  a  banking  busi- 
ness in  1871   and  in   1873  erected  a  building  for  its  accommodation. 


543  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  bank  is  still  in  existence  and  his  son,  Edward  C.  Whitford,  is  asso- 
ciated with  him. 

The  first  manufacturing  industry  in  the  town  was  a  saw  mill  built  by 
Oliver  Babcock,  father  of  Ethan  and  Oliver,  in  1795;  it  was  on  the  site 
of  the  Elijah  Clark  mill,  the  property  passing  into  his  possession  in 
1857.  He  soon  built  a  grist  mill  in  connection  with  the  saw  mill;  the 
latter  fell  into  decay  long  ago.  Samuel  Jordan  built  a  grist  mill  and  a 
tannery  in  1865,  which  he  operated  more  than  fifteen  years;  they  are 
now  owned  by  William  Crane,  who  uses  the  old  tannery  building  as  a 
repair  shop.  Jonathan  Babcock  carried  on  an  extensive  tanning  busi- 
ness here  in  early  years. 

The  other  industries  of  the  present  are  the  blacksmith  shops  of  Will- 
iam Crane,  W.  M.  Clarke  and  C.  Morgan,  the  wood  repair  shop  of 
Adelbert  Crandall,  the  new  creamery  of  Dart  &  Wallace  who  started  it 
in  1898,  and  the  photograph  gallery  of  H.  A.  Fitch. 

The  Central  Hotel  was  built  in  1815  by  Ethan  Babcock  who  con- 
ducted it  until  1833;  it  was  the  first  public  house  in  the  village,  and 
later  passed  to  Joseph  Clark  who  sold  it  in  1843  to  his  son-in-law, 
Henry  Keith.  It  was  conducted  by  him  forty  years  or  more,  and 
passed  to  the  present  proprietor,  Lyman  Brown,  who  changed  the 
name  to  Brown's  Hotel. 

A  Union  free  school  was  established  in  the  village  in  1875.  The 
school  building  was  enlarged  in  1894.  The  present  Board  of  Educa- 
tion are  H.  E.  Kingsley,  president;  J.  L.  vStillman,  secretary;  C.  C. 
Chandler,  M.  L.  Fisk  and  A.  C.  Miller.  Brookfield  Academy,  estab- 
lished in  1847,  is  properly  described  in  chapter  XXIV. 

The  first  physician  in  the  village  was  Dr.  Eli  S.  Bailey,  from  whom 
the  place  took  the  name  of  Bailey's  Corners;  he  settled  in  1809  and 
died  in  Brookfield  in  1864.  A.  E.  Wallace  practiced  a  few  years,  as 
also  did  a  Dr.  Catlin  about  two  years.  Dr.  Augustus  L.  Saunders 
practiced  many  years  and  until  his  death,  and  Dr.  Nelson  B.  Parr  the 
same.  Dr.  Albert  C.  Rogers  practiced  a  number  of  years  and  removed 
to  California.  The  present  physicians  are  Dr.  O.  W.  Bushy te  and  Dr. 
H.  C.   Brown. 

The  first  attorney  in  the  village  was  Thomas  J.  Yaw,  who  practiced 
from  about  1830  until  his  death  in  1863.  .Other  early  lawyers  were 
Pardon  Davis,  George  W.  Gray,  Henry  M.  Aylesworth,  Samuel  D. 
White,  William  H.  Davis,  George  M.  Havens,  Barna  J.  Stimson,  Sher- 
man Daboll,   Frederick  Clarke,   Israel  Wilkinson,   Duane  B.    Stillman 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— BROOKFIELD.  643 

and  Lewis  H.  Eddy.  The  only  attorney  now  in  the  place  is  N.  A. 
Crumb,  a  native  of  the  town,  who  began  practice  in  1891,  removing 
from  Canastota.  Duane  B.  Stillman,  before  mentioned,  is  now  State 
Excise  Commissioner. 

Brookfield  village  is  incorporated  under  the  general  law,  and  the  first 
president  was  H.  L.  Spooner,  who  served  several  years.  Other  presi- 
dents were  P.  Fitch,  A.  J.  Stillman  and  Herbert  E.  Kingsley,  presenc 
incumbent.  In  1897  the  question  of  establishing  a  water  system  was 
agitated,  but  meeting  with  determined  opposition,  the  matter  was 
abandoned.  The  village  has  no  fire  department,  and  when  the  Clarke 
opera  house  burned  in  1898,  the  destruction  of  much  of  the  place  was 
averted  apparently  only  by  a  heavy  fall  of  snow. 

The  Brookfield  Agricultural  .Society  was  incorporated  in  1849  and 
has  had  a  long  and  successful  existence  and  been  of  great  benefit  to  the 
village  and  the  vicinity.  Annual  fairs  were  at  first  held  on  the  land 
now  owned  by  F.  M.  Spooner,  and  later  on  a  tract  just  north  of  the 
village.  In  1884  the  society  purchased  the  present  grounds  comprising 
about  seventeen  acres,  erected  good  buildings  and  constructed  a  race 
track. 

The  Brookfield  Courier  was  founded  in  1876  by  Frank  M.  Spooner, 
who  was  associated  with  his  father,  H.  L.  Spooner,  several  years.  In 
1883  they  sold  the  paper  to  W.  E.  Phillips  and  B.  G.  Stillman,  jr.,  who 
conducted  it  as  Phillips  &  Siillman  until  the  following  year,  when  the 
Messrs.  Spooner  purchased  the  interest  of  Mr.  Phillips  and  the  firm 
name  took  its  present  form  of  Stillman  &  Spooner.  In  1898  F.  M. 
Spooner,  founder  of  the  paper,  took  the  management  of  the  Afton  En- 
terprise, H.  L.  Spooner  continued  in  this  business  and  Mr.  Stillman  re- 
maining the  active  partner.  The  paper  is  a  four-page  nine-column 
weekly,  independent  in  politics,  and  has  found  a  large  list  of  readers  in 
its  field. 

Clarkville  is  connected  by  stage  with  Leonardsvilleand  with  the  sta- 
tion on  the  D.  L.  &  W.  railroad  at  North  Brookfield. 

There  are  three  churches  in  Clarkville,  Methodist,  First-Day  Baptist, 
and  Seventh- Day  Baptist,  all  of  which  have  been  noticed  in  an  earlier 
chapter. 

Leonardsville. — This  village  is  pleasantly  situated  on  the  east  border 
of  the  town,  in  the  beautiful  Unadilla  valley,  on  the  line  of  the  Unadilla 
Valley  Railroad,  which  connects  at  the  north  with  the  D.,  L.  &W.  road 
at  Bridgewater,  and  on  the  south  with  the  Ontario  and  Western  road  at 


544  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

New  Berlin.  The  village  took  its  name  from  the  pioneer  Reuben  Leon- 
ard, the  first  merchant  and  postmaster  and  a  leading  citizen.  The  vil- 
lage now  contains  a  Seventh  Day  Baptist  Church,  a  Methodist  Church, 
a  Union  School,  one  hotel,  kept  by  W.  L.  Switzer,  the  grist  mill  of  B. 
C.  Steer,  the  saw  mill  and  lumber  business  of  A.  Whitford,  several 
stores,  three  blacksmith  shops,  four  wagon  shops,  a  shoe  shop,  a  can- 
ning factory,  a  milk  station,  etc.  Early  merchants  following  Reuben 
Leonard  were  Ethan  Burdick,  David  and  Charles  O.  Munson,  Otis  Eddy, 
James  Van  Valen,  William  H.  Brand,  Dennis  Hardin,  Daniel  Hardin, 
Charles  R.  Maxson,  and  possibly  a  few  others.  The  merchants  of  the 
present  are  Irving  A.  Crandall,  a  native  of  the  town  who  bought  out 
Daniel  Hardin  in  1867;  E.  Frank  Champlain,  drugs  and  groceries;  W. 
W.  Coon,  groceries;  O.  O.  Saunders,  general  store;  W.  D.  Crandall, 
hardware;  G.  H.  St.  John,  cold  storage  and  shipper  of  produce;  Arvilla 
Burdick,  millinery;  E.  L.  Worden,  furniture  and  undertaking;  Elmer 
Ellsworth,  meats  and  buyer  of  produce. 

There  is  a  milk  station  at  the  depot  of  the  Unadilla  Valley  railroad, 
from  which  forty  to  one  hundred  cans  of  milk  are  shipped  daily  and 
cheese  is  extensively  manufactured. 

In  past  years  Leonardsville  was  the  site  of  a  number  of  important  in- 
dustries. The  manufacture  of  hoes  and  scythes  was  begun  about  1808- 
09  by  Hazzard  P.  Clarke,  who  continued  to  1820  and  sold  to  Samuel 
Brand  ;  he  continued  to  about  1848  and  sold  to  his  son,  Nathan  V.  Brand. 
The  firm  of  Nathan  Brand  &  Co.  in  1853  transferred  the  works  to  the 
Leonardsville  Manufacturing  Company,  which  also  acquired  the  grist 
mill  and  saw  mill,  then  owned  by  Luke  and  Tiiomas  Hoxie,  a  horse 
rake  factory  and  wagon  shop,  then,  operated  by  John  Babcock  &  Co.,  a 
foundry  and  machine  shop,  then  operated  M.  W.  &  H.  C.  St.  John,  all 
of  whom  combined  to  form  the  new  company.  The  whole  was  under 
superintendence  of  Washington  S.  Greene;  the  company  continued  un- 
til 1858,  when  it  was  dissolved  and  the  several  industries  were  con- 
ducted separately,  the  manufacture  of  agricultural  implements  being 
discontinued.  In  1856  the  grist  mill,  saw  mill  and  agricultural  imple- 
ment manufactory  were  burned,  and  all  were  soon  rebuilt.  A  grist 
mill  was  built  in  1803  a  mile  above  the  site  of  the  one  above  named  by 
Joseph  Crumb  and  Stephen  Clark;  the  history  of  this  mill  has  been 
given  in  an  earlier  chapter.  It  is  now  operated  by  B.  Steers.  The 
saw  mill  adjacent  thereto  was  built  in  1856  on  the  site  of  the  one  burned 
that  year  and  is  now  operated  by  Albert  Whitford.     The  horse  rake 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— BROOKFIELD.  545 

factory  passed  to  Erastus  E.  Greene,  is  now  the  property  of  H.  D.  Bab- 
cock,  who  makes  agricultural  implements,  mainly  on  contract.  The 
old  fork  factory  passed  to  the  widow  of  M.  W.  St.  John,  the  making  of 
forks  was  discontinued;  it  was  used  as  a  foundry  and  machine  shop, 
and  added  to  the  plant  of  the  agricultural  works. 

In  1891  a  company  was  formed  called  the  Otsego  Furnace  Company, 
for  the  manufacture  of  the  so-called  Otsego  furnace.  Among  those  in- 
terested in  the  project  were  H.  D.  Babcock,  G.  O.  Wheeler,  I.  A. 
Crandall,  A.  W.  Daggett,  and  G.  C.  Rogers.  The  financial  revulsion 
of  1893  contributed  largely  to  the  failure  of  this  enterprise,  which  other- 
wise might  have  been  a  source  of  prosperity  to  the  village.  A  reor- 
ganization of  the  company  is  a  future  possibility. 

In  1894  the  Leonardsville  Canning  Company  was  organized  and 
erected  a  building  near  the  railroad  station  in  which  was  placed  modern 
canning  machinery.  Fifty  or  sixty  hands  are  employed  in  the  season 
in  canning  corn. 

The  blacksmiths  of  the  village  are  E.  Quinn,  C.  K.  Burdick,  and  A. 
Meaker.  The  wagon  makers  are  C.  H.  Williamson,  C.  K.  Burdick,  W. 
H.  Burdick,  A.  Markel,  and  I.  Parks.  Oscar  L.  Southworth  is  the 
only  physician  in  the  village.  Henry  M.  Aylesworth  has  practiced  law 
many  years,  and  Adon  P.  Brown  is  also  in  practice.  The  present  post- 
master is  I.  A.  Crandall,  who  succeeded  O.  Tully. 

The  Leonardsville  Bank  was  established  in  1856  and  became  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Leonardsville;  it  was  subsequently  merged  in 
the  Ilion  National  Rank.  Dennis  Hardin,  who  had  been  cashier,  then 
established  a  private  bank  which  he  conducted  until  his  death  in  1873. 

The  Leonardsville  Union  School  comprises  the  joint  districts  of  the 
towns  of  Brookfield  and  of  Plainfield  in  Otsego  county;  it  was  organ- 
ized in  1875  and  is  fully  described  in  Chapter  XXIV.  The  present 
Board  of  Education  are  Irving  A.  Crandall,  president;  Almeron  M. 
Coon,  secretarj^;  E.  Frank  Champlin,  treasurer;  and  Dr.  O.  L.  South- 
worth,  H.  M.  Aylesworth,  and  Arthur  S.  Hoxie.  The  principal  is 
Arthur  T.  Hamilton. 

North  Brookfield. — This  is  a  small  village  in  the  northwest  part  of 
the  town,  a  mile  east  of  the  railroad  station  of  the  same  name.  Samuel 
Marsh  opened  a  store  there  in  1804  about  a  mile  and  a  half  southeast  of 
the  village,  but  failed  in  business.  Samuel  Livermore  was  the  first 
merchant  on  the  village  site,  beginning  about  1809,  and  was  succeeded 
by  a  man  named  Mills.     Laban  Olby,  a   colored  man,    kept  a  grocery 


546  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

from  1815  to  about  1844.  Other  merchants  were  Isaac  Marsh,  J.  V.  R. 
Livermore,  Lucius  E.  Beebe,  S.  A.  Fitch,  Dr.  Lewis  A.  Van  Wagner, 
and  E.  C.  Bennett.  The  present  merchants  are  W.  Squires  and  Hib- 
bard  &  York. 

The  only  physician  practicing  there  is  Dr.  Gilbert  Birdsall.  Dr.  L. 
A.  Van  Wagner  removed  to  Sherburne. 

The  grist  mill  was  built  in  1860  by  Timothy  H.  Peck  and  in  1879  it 
passed  to  Hiram  Collins;  it  is  now  operated  by  Orvillo  Kling.  Wagon 
manufacturing  was  formerly  an  extensive  industry,  but  has  greatly 
declined.  Avery  Brothers  are  now  engaged  in  the  business  in  a  small 
way. 

The  hotel  was  built  about  1844  by  Laban  Olby,  who  kept  it  five  or 
six  years;  it  has  had  numerous  landlords  and  is  now  kept  by  Sherman 
Faulkner. 

There  is  a  shoe  shop  by  James  Humphrey,  two  blacksmiths,  John 
Gray  and  Albert  Morgan,  two  wagon  shops  besides  that  of  Avery 
Brothers;  a  cheese  factory  formerly  owned  by  Henry  Keith  and  now  by 
I.  A.  Wager. 

South  Brookfield. — This  is  a  hamlet  situated  five  miles  south  of  Clark- 
ville  on  Beaver  creek.  It  was  formerly  widely  known  as  Babcock's 
Mills.  It  contains  a  Union  church,  the  pulpit  being  supplied;  a  grist 
mill  on  the  site  of  one  built  in  the  early  history  of  the  town,  now  oper- 
ated by  Corry  Maxson ;  a  creamery,  established  in  1879  by  Abel  Avery, 
now  operated  by  Mr.  Sargent ;  a  blacksmith  shop  by  George  Ayles- 
worth;  a  general  store  formerly  by  Henry  Brown,  now  by  Frank  Hunt- 
ington, who  is  also  postmaster.  There  was  in  past  years  some  manu- 
facturing here.  George  W.  Bentley  had  a  large  furniture  factory,  the 
neighboring  forests  supplying  good  hard  wood  for  the  purpose  and  a 
saw  mill  cutting  the  lumber. 

De  Lancy. — This  is  a  name  applied  to  a  post-office  and  little  settle- 
ment in  the  west  part  of  the  town,  where  there  was  a  gathering  of 
Quakers.  In  early  times  there  were  a  number  of  the  ordinary  shops 
and  a  store.  All  these,  as  well  as  the  post-office,  have  gone  out  of 
existence. 

The  village  of  West  Edmeston  is  situated  mostly  in  the  town  of  Ed- 
meston,  Otsego  county.  A  grist  and  saw  mill  are  in  Madison  county 
and  have  long  been  owned  by  Truman  Maxson;  the  remainder  of  the 
business  interests,  consisting  principally  of  two  stores  kept  by  Orson 
Champlain  and  Albert  Felton  respectively;  a  hotel,  blacksmith  shop 
and  wagon  shop,  are  outside  of  this  county. 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— CAZENOVIA.  547 

The  Town  of  Cazenovia. 

Cazenovia  is  one  of  the  five  towns  that  were  organized  previous  to  the 
erection  of  Madison.  It  was  formed  from  Whitestown  and  Paris  on 
March  5,  1795,  and  was  originally  of  very  large  area,  containing  the 
territory  of  what  are  now  the  towns  of  Georgetown,  German,  Linck- 
laen,  Otselic  and  Pitcher,  taken  ofif  in  1798;  Sullivan,  then  includ- 
ing Lenox,  taken  off  in  1803;  Smithfield  in  1807,  and  a  part  of 
Fenner  in  1823.  The  town  is  on  the  west  border  of  the  county  and 
is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Sullivan,  east  by  Fenner  and  Nelson, 
south  by  De  Ruyter,  and  west  by  Onondaga  county.  The  surface  is 
high  and  rolling,  through  which  extend  the  valleys  of  the  Chittenango 
and  Limestone  creeks.  Cazenovia  Lake  is  a  beautiful  body  of  water 
in  the  north  part,  four  miles  long  and  from  half  a  mile  to  a  mile  in 
width.  Chittenango  Falls  is  a  picturesque  cascade  on  that  creek  where 
the  water  falls  136  feet.  The  soil  is  gravelly  loam  in  the  north  and 
central  parts,  and  clay  loam  underlaid  with  hardpan  in  the  southern 
part.  Most  of  the  town  is  underlaid  with  the  rocks  of  the  Hamilton 
group,  with  the  Onondaga  limestone  appearing  in  the  northeast  part, 
where  it  has  been  extensively  quarried  for  lime  and  building  purposes. 

There  are  three  post-offices  in  the  town  of  Cazenovia,  one  at  Caze- 
novia village,  one  at  New  Woodstock,  and  one  at  Chittenango  Falls. 
The  population  of  Cazenovia  village  was  1,918  in  1880,  and  in  1890  it 
was  1,987,  showing  a  small  increase. 

Cazenovia  village  is  beautifully  situated  on  Chittenango  Creek  and  at 
the  foot  on  the  east  shore  of  the  lake  which  bears  the  same  name.  It 
is  located  a  little  northeast  of  the  center  of  the  town  and  is  a  station  on 
both  railroads  named  below,  giving  it  connection  with  Canastota,  with 
Syracuse,  and  with  Cortland  and  Elmira.  The  village  was  incorporated 
on  February  7,  1810,  the  first  corporation  meeting  being  held  on  May 
10  of  that  year  at  the  house  of  Eliphalet  S.  Jackson.  Elisha  Farnham, 
a  justice  of  the  peace,  presided,  and  A.  D.  Van  Home  acted  as  clerk. 
The  following  were  elected  the  first  officers:  Elisha  Farnham,  P.  G, 
Childs,  Jonas  Fay,  E.  S.  Jackson,  and  Samuel  Thomas,  trustees;  J.  N. 
M.  Hurd,  treasurer;  Jacob  A.  Dana,  bailiff  and  collector.  Jonas  Fay 
was  chosen  the  first  president  of  the  village,  and  Caleb  Ledyard,  clerk. 

Following  is  a  statement  of  the  population  of  this  town  as  shown  by 
the  census  taken  at  different  dates : 

1835.     1840.      1845.     1850.     1855.      1860.      1865.     1870.     1875.      1880.     1890.     1892. 
4,047    4,153     4,675    4,813    4,495     4,343     4,157    4,265    4,240      4,363    4,182    3,803 


548  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

These  figures,  like  the  record  in  most  rural  towns  in  the  State,  show 
a  small  decrease  in  population,  the  causes  of  which  are  now  well  under- 
stood. ' 

The  chief  agricultural  interest  of  the  town  at  the  present  time  is 
dairying  in  its  various  features.  Much  of  the  land  is  well  adapted  for 
grazing  and  the  production  of  hay,  large  quantities  of  which  aie 
shipped  to  distant  markets.  Along  the  lines  of  railroad  are  a  number 
of  milk  stations,  and  a  large  part  of  the  milk  produced  is  taken  to  them, 
for  shipment  to  New  York  and  other  points.  Cheese  and  butter  are 
also  manufactured  at  these  stations  from  the  surplus  milk.  Hops,  the 
great  staple  of  this  county,  have  been  raised  in  past  years  in  Cazenovia, 
but  not  so  largely  as  in  many  other  towns,  especially  in  recent  years. 
The  various  grains  and  vegetables  are  produced  for  home  consumption 
and  to  a  limited  extent  for  outside  sale. 

The  first  records  for  this  town  that  are  in  existence  are  for  the  year 
1804,  when  the  following  officers  were  elected:  Supervisor,  James 
Green ;  town  clerk,  Eliphalet  S.  Jackson;  assessors,  Ebenezer  Lyon, 
Oliver  Bugbee,  and  Asa  Dana;  commissioners  of  highways,  Isaac 
Morse,  Asahel  Jackson,  Asa  Dana;  collector,  Elisha  Williams. 

At  that  meeting  it  was  voted  that  the  clerk  should  procure  books  for 
the  use  of  the  town,  and  twenty  dollars  was  appropriated  for  the  pur- 
pose. The  clerk  was  also  directed  to  transcribe  from  the  old  books 
such  matter  as  he  deemed  advisable.  It  is  probable  that  he  did  not  do 
so,  as  the  existing  book,  as  before  stated,  begins  with  1804.  The  pro- 
ceedings of  the  first  meeting  of  which  there  is  a  record  are  given  in 
earlier  chapters. 

Following  is  a  list  of  supervisors  of  Cazenovia  from  1806  to  the  pres- 
ent time: 

1807,  Lemuel  Kingsley,  1808-11,  Eliphalet  Jackson  ;  1812-13,  Samuel 
S.  Forman;  1814,  E.  S.  Jackson;  1815,  A.  D.  Van  Home;  1816,  Samuel 
Thomas;  1817,  William  Sims;  1818-34,  E.  S.  Jackson;  1835-28,  Samuel 
Thomas;  1839-31,  Newell  Wright;  1833-33,  Elihu  Severance;  1834-38, 
John  F.  Hicks;  1839-45, Talcott  Backus;  1846-50,  Albert  Card;  1851-53, 
Charles  Stebbins;  1853-54,  Lewis  Raynor;  1855,  John  C.  Loomis;  1856, 
Albert  Card;  1857,  John  F.  Fairchild ;  1858-59,  John  Stebbins;  1860  63. 
Silas  L.  Loomis;  1863,  D.  E.  Haskell;  1864-06,  C.  H.  Beckwith;  1867, 
Charles  Stebbins,  jr. ;  1868-69,  Silas  L.  Loomis;  1870,  Charles  Steb- 
bins, jr. ;  1871-73,  Marcus  L.  Underwood;  1873-78,  Willard  A.  Crandall; 
1879-81,  J.  Harvey  Nourse;  1883-83,  John  Stebbins;  1884-91,  William 
C.  Sherman;  1893-97,  Chauncey  B.  Cook. 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— CAZENOVIA.  549 

According  to  the  State  census  of  1892  Cazenovia  town  has  a  popula- 
tion of  3,803.  The  census  of  1890  gives  the  number  as  4,182,  showing 
a  loss  of  nearly  200  during  the  preceding  decade.  The  town  is  divided 
into  fifteen  school  districts,  with  school  houses  in  each,  in  which  were 
employed  in  1897  twenty-four  teachers;  all  the  schools  are  flourishing 
and  notably  well  conducted.  The  whole  number  of  children  taught  in 
1897  was  718. 

The  Chenango  Valley  branch  of  the  West  Shore  Railroad  crosses 
Cazenovia  from  northwest  to  southeast,  and  the  branch  of  the  Lehigh 
Valley  road  which  was  formerly  the  Cazenovia  and  Canastota  Railroad, 
crosses  the  town  in  a  southerly  direction,  the  two  forming  a  junction 
about  a  mile  south  of  Cazenovia  village.  This  branch  was  extended  to 
De  Ruyter  in  1877  and  subsequently  continued  on  to  Cortland,  Ithaca, 
and  Elmira.  The  town  was  bonded  in  aid  of  this  road  to  the  amount  of 
$160,000.     The  present  bonded  indebtedness  is  $111,000. 

That  part  of  Cazenovia  included  within  the  Gore,  which  was  more 
than  one-half  in  the  southern  part,  was  comprised  in  the  purchase  made 
by  the  Holland  Land  Company  of  about  120,000  acres,  through  the 
agency  of  John  Lincklaen,  in  1792-3.  Mr.  Lincklaen  procured  the  sur- 
vey of  the  Road  Township  (so  called  from  the  fact  that  the  proceeds  of 
the  sale  of  lands  therein  were  to  be  applied  to  the  construction  of  roads), 
and  in  1794  built  mills  near  the  site  of  Cazenovia  village.  Other  settlers 
in  the  town  in  1793  were  Archibald  Bates,  Day  Fay,  William  Miles, 
Noah  Taylor,  Isaac  Nichols,  Ira  Peck,  Nathan  Webb,  Shubael  Brooks, 
Samuel  Tyler,  and  one  Augur.  In  the  next  year  David  Smith  and 
Lewis  Stanley  settled  in  the  town  and  were  soon  followed  by  Jonathan 
Smith,  brother  of  David,  William  Sims,  Isaac  Morse,  Chandler  Webber, 
Abraham  Tillotson,  Walter  Childs,  Jacob  Ten  Eyck,  Jeduthan  Perkins, 
Francis  Norton,  James  Covell,  Hendrick  De  Clercq  (from  Holland), 
Levi  Burgess,  Joseph  Holmes,  Caleb  Van  Riper,  Edward  Parker,  Phin- 
eas  Southwell,  Robert  Fisher,  Isaac  Warren,  John  Savage,  Samuel 
Thomas,  Deacon  Isaiah  Dean,  William  Moore,  Christopher  Webb,  Eben- 
ezer  Knowlton,  all  of  whom  settled  before  or  in  the  year  of  the  forma- 
tion of  Madison  county,  locating  in  various  parts  of  the  town.  After 
that  date  settlement  was  very  rapid,  many  of  the  incomers  being  noticed 
in  earlier  chapters  and  in  Part  III  of  this  work. 

The  first  merchant  in  the  village  of  Cazenovia  was  Samuel  S.  Forman, 
who  came  to  the  place  in  the  employ  of  John  Lincklaen  in  1793,  in  the 
interest  of  the  Holland  Land  Company.     The  store  was  for  a  time  car- 


550  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ried  on  by  Mr.  Forman  with  Mr.  Lincklaen,  representing  the  company 
as  a  partner.     Mr.  Forman  subsequently  took  the  business  alone. 

Other  early  merchants  were  Jabish  N.  M.  Hurd,  who  came  about  1800; 
Jesse  Kilborn,  William  M.  and  JosephBurr,  Benjamin  T.  Clarke,  E.  B. 
and  E.  D.  Litchfield,  brothers;  William  Greenland  and  his  son,  William 
S. ;  William  Mills,  Charles  Crandall  and  Frank  Moseley  who  formed  a 
partnership  and  conducted  a  bookstore  from  1834;  John  C.  Reymon, 
L.  G.  Wells,  Henry  Groff,  John  Hobble,  and  others.  The  business  of 
L.  G.  Wells  was  transferred  in  1878  to  his  sons,  Dwight  W.  and  Ed- 
ward G.,  and  is  now  conducted  by  the  latter.  George  Morse,  dealer  in 
drugs,  began  business  in  1847  with  John  F.  Irons  and  purchased  his 
partner's  interest  two  years  later;  the  firm  is  now  George  Morse  &  Son. 
Ebenezer  Knowlton  began  the  jewelry  business  about  1848  and  con- 
tinued more  than  thirty  years;  the  business  is  now  carried  on  by  C.  M. 
Knowlton.  E.  A.  Blair  purchased  the  harness  and  saddlery  business 
of  T.  S.  Whitnall  in  1863  and  continues  to  the  present  time;  Bowman 
Stanley,  grocer,  started  in  1863  in  company  with  his  brother,  Benjamin 
F. ;  Tillotson  &  Nichols,  who  succeeded  J.  D.  Beach  about  1861  in  a 
general  store;  H.  B.  Thomas,  a  pioneer  and  early  harness  maker;  Jesse 
W.  Hall,  groceries,  etc.,  who  sold  out  in  1869  to  David  P.  and  James 
C.  Dean;  Will  H.  Cruttenden,  jeweler,  began  in  1870;  Nichols  &Covell, 
clothiers,  began  in  1871;  Colton'&  Webber,  hardware,  began  trade  in 
1877,  succeeding  Colton,  Johnson  &  Co.  ;  Wells  Bros.,  general  mer- 
chants since  1872;  J.  W.  T.  and  William  Rice,  druggists,  began  in  1873; 
Henry  A.  Rouse,  general  merchant;  Samuel  T.  Jackson,  hats  and  caps, 
commenced  in  1877,  with  his  cousin,  Frank  E.  Jackson,  and  others  who 
have  been  noticed  in  the  earlier  town  history. 

The  present  merchants  and  business  men  of  Cazenovia  village  are  as 
follows:  E.  G.  Wells,  furniture  and  undertaking;  H.  B.  Thomas,  har- 
ness and  trunks;  Curtis  Brothers,  drugs;  George  Morse  &  Son,  drugs; 
J.  W.  Howson,  coal  dealer;  F.  E.  Wilson,  baker;  G.  H.  Atwell  &  Son, 
flour  and  feed;  Mrs.  F.  D.  Holdridge,  and  Mrs.  L.  M.  White,  millinery; 
Marshall  &  Bumpus,  Aikman  &  Norton,  DriscoU  &  Marshall,  and  H. 
H.  Colton,  hardware;  Holdridge  &  De  Clercq,  musical  instruments;  S. 
B.  Allen,  news  room  and  cigars;  William  Watkins,  and  H.  F.  Green- 
land, books  and  stationery ;  Charles  R.  Parkinson,  bakery;  W.  W.  Rice, 
drugs;  W.  S.  Greenland  &  Son,  merchant  tailors;  J.  W.  Hall,  jeweler; 
H.  N.  Clark,  jeweler;  F.  C.  Phelps,  general  store;  H.  H.  Hamilton, 
meats;    W.    W.    Rainey,   harness;    R.   A.  Niles  &  Co.,  clothing;  E.  L. 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— CAZENOVIA.  551 

Riggall,  meats;  F.  E.  Richardson,  grocer;  C.  W.  Covell,  boots,  shoes, 
clothing,  etc. ;  B.  Vollmer,  general  store;  D.  S.  Reidy,  harness;  Nichols 
&  Loomis,  general  merchants;  J.  D.  Warner,  meats;  H.  A.  Rouse 
estate,  general  store  (managed  by  C.  H.  Rouse);  Tillotson  &  Needham, 
house  furnishings;  Wells  Brothers,  dry  goods  and  groceries;  P.  H. 
Donnelly,  groceries;  Clark  &  Mulligan,  dry  goods  and  general  mer- 
chandise; Enright  &  Barrett,  furniture  and  undertaking;  Jackson 
Brothers,  meats;  John  Wilson,  ice. 

The  early  manufactu;es  established  on  the  water  power  of  Cazeno- 
via  comprised  the  trip  hammer  forge  of  Luther  Bunnell,  established  as 
early  as  1811;  Nehemiah  White's  chair  shop;  a  woolen  mill  built  by 
John  Lincklaen  and  Elisha  Starr,  which  soon  passed  to  Matthew  Chan- 
dler &  Son;  a  tannery  started  by  Thomas  Williams  and  his  son,  John, 
which  was  sold  to  R.  &  R.  G.  Allen;  the  .saw  mill  of  David  B.  Johnson; 
the  fulling  mill  of  Sidney  Roberts;  a  tannery  established  by  Elisha 
Farnham;  the  Cazenovia  paper  mill  built  about  1810  by  Zadock  Sweet- 
land,  which  was  burned  in  1859  and  rebuilt;  the  Cedar  Grove  woolen 
mill;  the  Fern  Dell  mills,  originally  built  for  a  woolen  mill,  but  not 
used  for  that  purpose ;  the  Crawford  mower  and  reaper  works,  removed 
from  Ilion  in  1875;  the  Lake  Mills,  built  by  Dr.  Jonas  Fay  in  an  early 
time;  an  oil  mill  operated  by  Edward  Knowlton;  a  saw  and  planing 
mill  operated  by  S.  F.  Chaphe  and  Reuben  Parsons,  all  of  which  have 
been  fully  described. 

The  present  manufactures  of  Cazenovia  consist  of  the  carriage  shop 
of  J.  H.  O'Neil;  the  establishment  of  the  Cazenovia  Wool  and  Felt 
company,  employing  several  men;  the  sash,  door  and  blind  factory  of 
T.  W.  Thayer  &  Co.  ;  Albert  Chaphe's  flouring  mill ;  the  foundry  and 
machine  shop  of  Marshall  &  Card;  the  planing  mill  established  by  S. 
F.  Chaphe,  recently  partially  burned  and  rebuilt;  blacksmith  shops  of 
P.  H.  Calhoun,  Charles  Bordwell,  Martin  McCabe  and  Barney  Oiley; 
and  the  Brooklyn  Creamery. 

A  private  banking  business  was  established  by  J.  H.  Ten  Eyck  Burr 
in  1880,  and  is  still  in  prosperous  existence. 

The  village  has  three  hotels — the  Lincklaen  house,  built  in  1835,  now 
conducted  by  Walter  H.  Young;  the  Cazenovia  House,  built  many  years 
ago,  now  conducted  by  Charles  E.  Pratt;  and  the  Stanton  House,  for- 
merly until  1879  the  Lake  House,  conducted  by  C.  M.  Stanton. 

The  Cazenovia  Republican  is  an  able  country  weekly  newswaper,  es- 
tablished in  1854  by  W.  H.  Phillips,  and  now  conducted  by  J.  A.  Loy- 
ster,  who  purchased  the  establishment  in  1890. 


552  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

There  are  five  churches  in  Cazenovia,  as  follows:  Presbyterian, 
founded  in  1798,  with  Rev.  Joshua  Leonard  the  first  pastor;  the  church 
was  built  in  180G  and  extensively  repaired  in  1834.  Present  pastor,  S. 
E.  Persons.  The  Methodist  church,  formed  as  part  of  the  Cortland 
Circuit  in  1816,  and  incorporated  in  1830;  first  meeting  house  erected 
in  1833,  and  the  present  one  in  1873.  The  Baptist  church,  built  in 
1817,  organized  in  1820;  church  extensively  repaired  in  1868,  burned 
in  1871,  and  i-ebuilt  of  brick  in  1871  at  a  cost  of  $15,200;  completed 
in  1880.  St.  Peter's  Episcopal  Church,  organized  1844  and  incorpor- 
ated 1845;  church  erected  in  1848.  St.  James's  Catholic  Church,  or- 
ganized 1849  by  Rev.  Michael  Hayes;  brick  church  erected  in  1849-52. 
The  Universalist  church  was  organized  in  1853,  and  after  many  years 
of  somewhat  feeble  existence,  declined  and  ceased  to  exist. 

Cazenovia  is  the  seat  of  the  well  known  seminary,  which  has  had 
an  existence  of  about  seventy-five  years  and  is  fully  described  in  Chap- 
ter XXIV  of  this  work.  In  the  same  chapter  will  be  found  an  account 
of  the  Union  school  of  the  village,  which  was  established  in  1874. 

The  first  physician  to  settle  in  the  village  was  Dr.  Isaac  Lyman,  who 
continued  in  practice  from  1799  until  his  death  in  1854.  Dr.  Theo- 
philus  Wilson  settled  in  the  village  in  1814,  and  Dr.  Jonathan  Silsby 
in  about  1816,  about  which  time  Dr.  David  Mitchell  located  in  the 
place. 

The  first  lawyers  in  the  village  were  Schuyler  Van  Rensselaer  and 
Samuel  Sidney  Breese,  who  settled  there  before  the  close  of  the  last 
century;  Van  Rensselaer  remained  only  a  short  time.  David  Dearborn, 
David  B.  Johnson,  and  possibly  others  who  remained  only  for  brief 
periods,  settled  in  the  village  during  the  first  decade  of  this  century. 
Perry  G.  Childs  located  in  the  village  about  1807,  and  was  prominent 
in  the  profession.  Charles  Stebbins  was  a  settler  in  1810,  and  Justin 
Dwinelle  and  William  J.  Hough  a  little  later.  Later  lawyers  were 
Charles  H.  S.  Williams,  Levi  Gibbs,  Sidney  T.  Fairchild,  Calvin  Car- 
penter, Richard  Thomas  and  Robert  G.  Paddock.  The  present  attor- 
neys in  the  village  are  Burr  Wendell,  M.  H.  Kiley,  and  A.  E.  Fitch. 

The  post-office  at  Cazenovia  was  probably  established  and  main- 
tained by  John  Lincklaen  at  his  personal  expense  until  there  was 
sufficient  revenue  to  support  it.  Records  of  its  early  history  are 
wanting.  It  was  kept  for  a  time  in  Mr.  Forman's  store  and  in  that 
of  his  successor,  J.  N.  M.  Hurd,  who  was  postmaster  until  1821, 
when  he  was  succeeded  by  Jesse  Kilborn,  who  held  the  office  nineteen 
years. 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— CAZENOVIA.  553 

The  first  fire  engine  in  Cazenovia  was  purchased  in  1810  at  a  cost  of 
flOO,  and  a  company  was  organized  the  same  year  consisting  of  twelve 
members.  The  usual  village  regulations  regarding  the  keeping  of  fire 
buckets  by  citizens  were  adopted,  and  as  years  passed  the  apparatus 
was  slowly  increased.  The  first  hooks  and  ladders  were  purchased  in 
1827  at  a  cost  of  $20.  Old  companies  were  from  to  time  disbanded  and 
new  ones  organized  as  fully  described  in  earlier  chapters.  Previous  to 
the  establishment  of  the  present  water  works,  there  were  two  engine 
companies  and  a  hose  company  maintained  in  the  village,  with  ade- 
quate auxiliary  apparatus.  The  department  as  now  existing,  estab- 
lished in  1893,  comprises  two  hose  companies  and  a  hook  and  ladder 
company,  with  adequate  apparatus  for  fire  purposes.  Alarms  are 
sounded  on  the  bell  of  the  Baptist  church  by  push  buttons  in  different 
parts  of  the  village,  through  electrical  connections. 

The  Cazenovia  water  works  were  established  in  1890,  and  up  to  the 
present  have  cost  about  $42,000.  A  reservoir  has  been  constructed 
with  capacity  of  8,000,000  gallons,  elevated  178  feet  above  the  lake. 
This  is  fed  by  springs  and  by  a  pumping  station,  with  capacity  of  280,- 
000  gallons  a  day,  taken  from  driven  wells.  The  water  is  pure  and  am- 
ply supplied  for  public  purposes. 

Cazenovia  village  supports  an  excellent  public  library  containing 
about  5,000  volumes.  It  was  formerly  maintained  by  private  subscrip- 
tions. The  building  in  which  it  is  located  was  given  to  the  authorities 
by  R.  H.  Hubbard, 

New  Woodstock. — This  is  a  pleasantly  situated  village  in  the  south 
part  of  the  town,  and  a  station  on  the  Lehigh  railroad.  Early  merchants 
there  were  Harvey  and  Alvin  Smith,  brothers,  who  were  in  trade  from 
about  1816  to  1830,  and  also  operated  a  distillery.  Joseph  F.  Clark  was 
contemporary  with  the  Smiths.  Jesse  B.  Worden  was  an  early  mer- 
chant, and  Harvey  Morris  opened  a  store  about  1834. 

The  village  now  contains  two  churches.  Baptist  and  Methodist.  The 
former  was  organized  in  1800,  with  Elder  James  Bacon,  pastor;  a  log 
meeting  house  was  built  in  1802,  and  a  little  latter  joined  with  the 
Presbyterians  in  building  a  frame  edifice.  The  Baptists  erected  a  larger 
church  of  their  own  in  1816.  This  old  society  has  ever  since  main- 
tained its  existence.     The  Methodist  Church  was  organized  in  1830. 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


The  Town  of   De  Ruyter. 


This  is  one  of  the  five  towns  that  were  formed  previous  to  the  erec- 
tion of  the  county  and  was  set  off  from  Cazenovia  March  15,  1798;  it 
then  contained  the  territory  of  the  present  townsof  German,  Lincklaen, 
Otselic  and  Pitcher,  in  Chenango  county,  and  Georgetown  in  Madison 
county.  The  town  received  its  name  in  honor  of  Admiral  De  Ruyter, 
of  the  Dutch  navy.  It  is  the  southwest  corner  town  in  the  county.  It 
presents  a  hilly  surface  which  is  broken  by  the  valley  of  the  Tiough- 
nioga  River,  which  with  numerous  small  tributaries,  drains  and  waters 
the  town.  The  soil  is  of  a  general  good  quality,  sandy  and  gravelly 
loam  on  the  hills  and  rich  alluvium  in  the  valleys.  The  village  of  the 
same  name  as  the  town  is  situated  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  town  ; 
it  was  incorporated  in  1833.  There  are  only  two  post-offices  in  the 
town — De  Ruyter  and  Sheds  (Shed's  Corners.)  The  population  of  the 
town  as  shown  by  the  census  taken  at  various  dates  from  1835  was  as 
follows : 

1835       1840       1845     1850       1855      1860      1865      1870      1875     1880      1890      1892 
1,563       1,799      1,839     1,931      1,931     1,817     1,830     2,009     1,609     1,584     1,500     1,480 

The  principal  occupation  of  the  farmers  of  the  town  is  dairying  to 
which  general  farming  has  largely  given  place  in  recent  years.  Some 
twenty- five  years  ago,  when  the  manufacture  of  cheese  in  factories  was 
made  a  prominent  industry,  five  factories  were  established  in  the  town; 
but  there  are  only  three  now  in  operation — one  a  mile  and  a  half  north 
of  the  village,  one  four  miles  north  of  the  village  and  one  at  vShed's 
Corners.  Large  quantities  of  e.Kcellent  butter  are  made  by  individual 
farmers  throughout  the  town.  The  raising  of  potatoes  for  market  has 
taken  on  considerable  importance  within  quite  recent  years  and  at  fair 
prices  are  a  profitable  crop.  The  numerous  saw  mills  of  early  times  are 
nearly  all  idle.  Considerable  hardwood  lumber  is  still  cut,  most  of 
which  goes  to  the  Bryant  Furniture  Company,  which  operates  a  steam 
saw  mill  in  the  village  and  has  a  large  factory  in  Truxton. 

The  destruction  of  the  records  of  this  town  renders  it  impossible  to 
give  the  date  and  proceedings  of  the  early  town  meetings,  and  doubt- 
less deprives  us  of  much  important  and  interesting  material.  The  town 
constitutes  a  part  of  the  second  school  commissioner's  district  of  the 
county  and  is  divided  into  ten  school  districts  with  a  school  house  in 
each,  in  which  are  employed  fifteen  teachers  in  1897,  to  teach  a  total  of 
340  children.     The  present  value  of  school  buildings  and  sites  is  nearly 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— DE  RUYTER.  555 

$10,000.  An  excellent  high  school  is  conducted  in  the  village  of  De 
Ruyter,  which  is  the  direct  successor  of  the  old  De  Ruyter  Institute, 
founded  in  1836  by  the  Seventh- Day  Baptists.  It  became  a  Union  free 
school  in  1874,  and  the  name,  De  Ruyter  Union  School  and  Academy 
was  adopted  in  1877.  The  present  faculty  includes  Irving  Smith  Sears, 
principal ;  Jennie  Van  Demark  Sheely,  preceptress,  and  four  assistants. 
The  attendance  at  the  present  time  is  about  270. 

As  at  present  bounded  the  town  lies  wholly  within  the  Gore,  de- 
scribed in  an  early  chapter.  Settlement  began  in  1793  by  Elijah  and 
Elias  Benjamin  and  Eli  Colegrove.  Both  the  Benjamin  brothers  had 
families,  members  of  which  and  their  descendants  have  been  prominent 
in  the  community.  Joseph  Messenger,  Samuel  Thompson,  and  William 
and  Thompson  Burdick  became  settlers  in  1795,  and  Daniel  Page,  Gid- 
eon Foster  and  Eleazer  Gage  a  little  later.  In  1800,  or  within  a  year 
or  two  thereafter,  Matthew  Wells,  Jonathan  Shed,  Darius  Benjamin, 
Samuel  Bowen,  Levi  Wood,  Sylvester  Crumb  and  probably  a  few 
others  located  in  different  parts  of  the  town.  Among  other  settlers 
previous  to  or  about  the  time  of  the  formation  of  the  county  in  1806 
were  Joseph  Rich,  Jonathan  Bentley,  Benjamin  Merchant,  Job  Webb, 
Benjamin  Stratton,  Abram  Sutton,  John  Shepard,  James  Hunt,  Na- 
thaniel Wright,  John  Pierce,  Reuben  Burnard,  John  Gifford,  Ephraim 
Arnold,  Beman  Hoag,  David  Wood,  John  Hewitt,  Joseph,  Thomas  and 
Benjamin  Mitchell,  Dr.  Ephraim  Otis,  Stephen  Bogardus,  Benjamin 
Wybert,  Enos  and  Amos  Peasley,  Elijah  Cornell,  Joseph  and  Benjamin 
Tripp,  and  Joseph  Underwood.  Many  in  this  list  were  Quakers,  who 
established  a  Meeting  about  1806,  and  have  always  been  numerous  and 
influential  in  the  community.  These  and  the  settlers  who  came  in 
later  soon  cleared  parts  of  their  farms,  built  saw  mills  and  grist  mills, 
opened  roads,  established  the  schools  and  churches  and  gradually  sur- 
rounded themselves  with  the  comforts  and  advantages  of  the  older  set- 
tled localities  further  east. 

De  Ruyter  Village. — -This  village  is  pleasantly  situated  on  the  Tiough- 
nioga  on  the  western  border  of  the  town  and  is  a  station  on  the  Lehigh 
Valley  railroad.  The  early  gathering  at  this  point  was  due  mainly  to 
the  building  of  a  saw  mill  immediately  after  the  arrival  of  the  first 
settlers;  this  was  soon  followed  by  a  grist  mill,  and  in  1800  Samuel 
Bowen  opened  the  first  store.  Two  or  three  other  merchants  began 
trading  before  the  erection  of  the  county  in  1806.  The  post-office  was 
established  in  1810.      Ephraim  Arnold  established  an  early  tannery,  and 


556  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Daniel  Page  built  the  first  public  house  in  the  corporation  as  early  as 
the  beginning'  of  the  century.  Later  merchants  were  Nathan  B.  Wil- 
bur, James  Benjamin,  Eli  Spear,  Col.  Elmer  D.  Jencks,  Sylvester 
Aylsworth,  John  Elmore,  Martin  Spear,  Crandall  &  Alvord,    H.   A,   & 

F.  C.  Dillaye,  Bradley  Merchant,  Noah  T.  Coleman  and  others.  The 
present  merchants  of  the  place  are  H.  B.  Griffiths,  started  in  1883;  F. 
S.  Mitchell,  drugs,  began  in  1883;  Hardy  &  Orvis,  dry  goods,  1894;  H. 
C.  Blanchard,  clothing,  1895;  C.  E.  Maxson,  jewelry,  1893;  M.  R. 
Smith,  clothing,  1881;  E.  S.  Norton,  hardware  and  groceries,  bought 
the  A.  M.  Purchase  store  in  1894;  W.  W.  Rainey,  harness,  1893;  Eugene 
Ryder,  varieties,  1895;  W.  G.  Weed,  baker,  1870;  F.    L.    Haskins  and 

G.  M.  Foster,  meats;  W.  B.  Ryan,  general  store,  1895;  H.  S.  Walker, 
hardware,  in  trade  more  than  thirty-five  years;  E.  H.  Lee,  general 
store,  1874;  S.  W.  Fiske,  grocer;  R.  F.  Clark,  grocer,  1898;  E.  M. 
Stanton,  general  store,  1895;  F.  M.  Russell,  groceries  and  hardware, 
1887;  A.  W.  Francis,  flour  and  feed,  1885;  R.  E.  Smith,  furniture  and 
undertaking,  succeeded  J.  H.  Crumb,  188G;  Thompson  &  Church,  mill- 
ers; Stanton  &  Nichols,  millinery,  1898;  J.  D.  Allen,  plumber;  M.  E. 
Tallet,  produce,  lime  and  coal;  H.  P.  Mitchell,  insurance,  1881;  E.  D. 
Benjamin,  photographer,  1883 ;  the  Cazenovia  Coal  and  Lumber  Com- 
pany carries  on  business  here.  John  Rice  Rider  established  a  banking 
business  in  1864,  and  in  1870,  E.  B.  Parsons  and  E.  B.  Crandall  opened 
the  E.  B.  Parsons  &  Co.'s  bank,  with  $15,000  capital.  This  institution 
subsequently  failed.  In  1889  the  De  Ruyter  Banking  Company  was 
organized  by  B,  S.  Bryant,  president;  M.  E.  Teller,  vice-president;  F. 
S.  Mitchell,  treasurer  and  cashier.     The  capital  is  $10,000. 

The  village  fire  department  had  its  inception  in  1833,  when  the  first 
engine  was  purchased,  and  measures  adopted  for  building  an  engine 
house  and  town  hall ;  the  latter  was  erected  in  1839  and  was  sold  in  1855 
and  a  new  one  built.  The  department  now  consists  of  a  hose  company 
and  engine  company  of  seventy  men.  A  system  of  water  works  was 
established  in  1897,  which  supplies  the  public  with  pure  spring  water 
and  gives  a  pressure  in  pipes  of  134  pounds  to  the  square  inch;  twenty 
eight  hydrants  have  been  set  in  the  village,  thus  rendering  the  fire  en- 
gine substantially  useless. 

Physicians  practicing  in  the  village  are  Drs.  Silas  Clarke,  Edwin  M. 
Coon,  James  E.  McClellan,  C.  P.  Monro,  and  J.  H.  Shaffer,  the  latter 
a  dentist.  De  Ruyter  has  had  two  or  three  lawyers  of  more  than  or- 
dinary ability  and    repute,   who  are    noticed   in    chapter  XXV.     The 


*i  "*!>, 


ELISHA  PAYNE. 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— DE  RUYTER.  557 

present  attorneys  are  Wallace  E.  Biirdick,  J.  H.  Poole  and  H.  D.  Mes- 
senger. 

De  Ruyter  has  had  several  newspapers  which  are  now  extinct.  The 
first  was  the  De  Ruyter  Weekly  News,  started  in  1862  by  J.  E.  N. 
Backus;  it  lived  about  two  years.  The  De  Ruyter  New  Era  was 
founded  by  John  R.  Beden  in  1870.  The  De  Ruyter  American  was  es- 
tablished in  Decembei,  1896,  by  N.  E.  Bugbee  and  was  discontinued  in 
November,  1897.  The  De  Ruyter  Gleaner  was  established  September 
18,  1878,  by  W.  W.  Ames;  it  absorbed  the  New  Era  in  1889  and  is  still 
continued  as  a  healthy,  ably  conducted  journal. 

The  Taber  House,  built  in  1849,  is  now  conducted  by  John  Coye;  the 
Central  Hotel  was  changed  in  name  to  the  Park  Hotel  and  much  im- 
proved and  is  now  conducted  by  W.  W.  Owens.  The  De  Ruyter 
Hotel  was  built  for  a  dwelling  by  M.  R.  Merchant;  it  passed  to  Isaac 
Samson,  who  sold  it  to  M.  W.  Baldwin;  he  changed  it  to  a  hotel  in 
1893. 

There  are  four  churches  in  the  village — Congregational,  organized  in 
1897  and  built  an  edifice  in  the  same  year;  Baptist,  organized  in  1798; 
Seventh- Day  Baptist,  formed  within  a  short  time  after  settlement  be- 
gan; Methodist,  organized  before  1817. 

De  Ruyter  village  was  incorporated  April  15,  1833;  reincorporated 
December  7,  1847,  and  again  February  18,  1878,  under  the  law  of  April 
20,  1870.  A  list  of  the  officers  from  its  incorporation  to  the  present 
time  is  given  in  chapter  XVHI. 

Shed's  Corners. — This  is  a  mere  hamlet  in  the  northeast  part  of  the 
town  on  the  Tioughnioga,  which  took  its  name  from  Jonathan  Shed, 
the  pioneer  of  that  locality.  The  post-office,  which  has  been  in  exist- 
ence there  many  years,  was  changed  in  name  recently  by  the  Depart- 
ment, to  Sheds.  There  was  formerly  a  Universalist  church  which  has 
become  extent;  a  Methodist  church  has  been  in  existence  many  years. 
A  hotel  was  kept  by  Allen  Randall,  which  was  burned  and  not  rebuilt. 
One  of  the  cheese  factories  and  milk  stations  of  the  town  is  in  opera- 
tion here,  and  one  store. 

Following  is  a  list  of  supervisors  from  1807  to  the  present  time: 
1807-09,  Jeremiah  Gage;  1810-13,  Eli  Gage;  1814-17,  James  Nye; 
1818-19,  Nathan  B.  Wilbur;  1820-23,  Jeremiah  Gage;  1824-26,  Elias 
P.  Benjamin;  1827,  Hubbard  Smith;  18-^8,  E.  P.  Benjamin;  1829-30, 
Abraham  Sutton;  1831,  John  Hewit;  1832-34,  Le  Baron  Goodwin; 
1835-36,  Bradley  Merchant;  1837,  Benjamin  Enos;  1838,  Abraham  Sut- 


558  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ton;  1839-40,  Ira  Gage  Barnes;  1841-43,  David  Maine,  jr.;  1844-45, 
Jonathan  Brainard;  1846-47,  D wight  Gardner;  1848-49,  Abijah  N. 
Annas;  1850-51,  Lewis  Sears;  1852-53,  William  Hunt;  1854,  John  R. 
Rider;  1855,  Albert  G  Burdick;  185G,  Ira  Spencer;  1857,  J.  Henry  De 
Lamater;  1858,  Simeon  Rider;  1859,  David  Maine;  1860,  William  C. 
Crumb;  1862,  Daniel  Q.  Mitchell;  1863,  H.  C.  Miner;  1864,  Daniel  Q. 
Mitchell;  1865-66,  J.  W.  Merchant;  1867-68,  Newell  Reeve;  1869-70, 
A.  N.  Annas;  1871-73,  Alverson  B.  White;  1874-76,  Daniel  Q.  Mitch- 
ell; 1877-80,  Joseph  H.  Crumb;  1881-83,  Charles  H.  Maxson;  1884, 
Edward  B.  Parsons;  1885-86,  Charles  F.  Maxson;  1887,  George  F. 
Annas;  1888-91,  Byron  S.  Bryant;  1892-93,  John  Hunt;  1893-97,  War- 
ren W.  Ames. 

The  Town  of  Eaton. 

Eaton  was  formed  from  Hamilton  on  February  8,  1807,  and  is  one  of 
the  five  towns  organized  in  that  year.  It  is  situated,  near  the  center  of 
the  county  and  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Smithfield  and  Stockbridge, 
on  the  east  by  Madison,  on  the  south  by  Lebanon,  and  on  the  west  by 
Lebanon.  When  organized  its  area  was  placed  at  28,000  acres,  but  the 
assessed  area  in  recent  years  is  placed  at  less  that  26,000.  The  surface 
of  the  town  is  composed  largely  of  the  valley  of  the  Chenango  River 
which  flows  across  the  town  from  northwest  to  southeast,  through  a 
beautiful  valley  which  is  bordered  by  picturesque  and  fertile  slopes. 
On  the  hillsides  the  soil  is  gravelly  or  clayey  mixture,  while  in  the  bot- 
to  n  lands  it  is  a  lighter  loam.  In  the  north  part  of  the  town  the  gen- 
eral slope  is  northward  towards  the  St.  Lawrence  River.  No  rock  is 
accessible  for  quarrying  that  is  valuable.  A  number  of  mineral  springs 
are  found  near  Eaton  village,  their  principal  constituent  being  sulphur. 
The  whole  town  is  well  watered  with  springs  and  brooks  of  pure  water, 
and  in  early  years  the  natural  water  power  was  used  at  many  points 
for  running  the  pioneer  mills.  The  largest  stream  other  than  the  Che- 
nango, is  called  Alder  Brook,  which  has  been  given  wide  notoriety 
through  the  writings  of  Fanny  Forrester;  it  rises  in  Nelson  and  flows 
easterly  through  the  southern  part  of  Eaton  and  empties  into  the  river 
at  Eaton  village.  Leland's  Ponds  and  Woodman's  Lake,  once  favorite 
fishing  resorts  of  the  Oneidas,  are  situated  in  picturesque  locations  at 
the  divergence  of  the  Chenango  and  Oriskany  valleys  and  are  the  head- 
waters of  one  of  the  branches  of  the  Chenango.  These  ponds  were  util- 
ized in   1836  as   one  of  the  sources  of  supply  for  the  Chenango  canal. 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— EATON.  559 

which  extends  in  a  curve  into  the  southeastern  part  of  the  town.  Hatch's 
Lake  is  a  beautiful  body  of  water  in  the  southwest  part,  and  once  con 
stituted  the  headwaters  of  one  of  the  Otselic  branches,  its  outlet  being 
at  its  western  end.  When  the  canal  was  constructed  this  outlet  was 
closed  and  the  water  directed  through  Bradley  Brook  reservoir  to  the 
canal.  The  lake  covers  about  136  acres  and  is  almost  wholly  fed  by 
springs  in  its  bed.  Eaton  reservoir  is  on  the  west  border  of  the  town 
and  covers  284  acres;  from  this  flows  Alder  Brook  (or  Eaton  Brook), 
through  a  narrow  valley,  supplying  in  its  fall  numerous  mill  sites. 

At  the  present  time  and  for  three-fourths  of  a  century,  dairying  has 
been  the  principal  industry  of  Eaton,  while  at  the  same  time  it  has  long 
been  one  of  the  most  important  in  the  county,  particularly  in  early 
years,  in  a  manufacturing  and  commercial  sense.  Previous  to  about 
1850  cattle  raising  was  quite  extensively  carried  on  and  mixed  farming, 
the  raising  of  cereals,  was  an  important  part  of  the  agriculture  of  the 
town;  but  in  more  recent  years  these  features  have  greatly  declined. 
Eaton  first  introduced  into  the  county  the  cheese  factory  and  creamery 
system,  which  within  a  few  years  created  a  revolution  in  the  farming 
industry.  The  first  cheese  factory  was  established  at  Eaton  village,  in 
1861,  by  George  Morse,  and  at  one  period  later  on  there  were  eight  fac- 
tories in  successful  operation  in  the  town.  This  town  also  was  the  first 
to  witness  the  use  of  horse  hay  rakes  and  mowing  machines,  as  else- 
where described. 

Settlement  began  in  1792  with  the  arrival  of  John  and  James  Salis- 
.bury,  who  came  from  Vermont  in  the  fall,  made  a  clearing  in  the  south 
part,  which  they  abandoned  on  account  of  extreme  cold  weather  and 
did  not  return.  Joshua  Leland  was  the  first  permanent  settler,  coming 
in  1793;  he  at  once  began  clearing  a  farm,  and  was  soon  joined  by  John 
H.  and  Benjamin  Morris,  who  aided  him  in  his  work.  He  brought  his 
family  in  the  spring  of  1794,  the  Morrises  having  improved  his  place 
during  the  preceding  winter.  This  settlement  was  made  on  lot  94,  on 
what  has  been  known  as  the  Dunbar  farm.  The  Leland  Ponds  took 
their  name  from  this  pioneer.  In  his  early  home  he  kept  the  first  tav- 
ern in  the  town  and  one  of  the  first  m  the  county.  He  also  built  and 
operated  the  first  grist  mill  at  the  foot  of  the  upper  lake ;  that  was  done 
in  1795,  and  in  the  same  year  he  added  a  saw  mill,  to  the  great  conven- 
ience of  the  incoming  settlers.  Mr.  Leland  was  killed  in  1810  by  fall 
ing  from  a  load  of  potash  near  Cherry  Valley,  the  barrels  rolling  upon 
him.     He  had  seven  sons  and  three  daughters.      He  was  the  means  of 


560  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

several  other  settlers  coming  in  at  that  time,  among  whom  were  Ben- 
jamin Morse,  Simeon  Gillett,  Lsvi  Bonney,  Elijah  Hayden,  and  a  few 
others,  who  took  up  land  in  the  vicinity  of  E  iton  village  site.  Simeon 
Gillett  died  in  1796,  the  first  death  in  the  town,  and  in  the  same  year 
his  daughter  married  Lewis  Wilson,  a  newcomer,  which  was  the  first 
marriage  in  the  town. 

Settlers  of  1796  were  Samuel  Sinclair,  Joseph  Moss,  William  Mills, 
Humphrey  Palmer,  Deacon  McCrellis,  and  several  others  whose  names 
are  not  known.  Thaxter  Dunbar  came  in  1799  and  lived  to  nearly  a 
hundred  years  old.  Benjamin,  Windsor,  Stephen  and  Ziba  Coman 
settled  in  1797  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Center,  and  many  others  arrived 
during  the  early  years  of  the  century,  whose  pioneer  labors,  as  far  as 
known,  have  been  described  in  earlier  chapters.  Bennett  Bicknell  came 
to  the  town  in  1808  and  became  one  of  the  leading  business  men  of  the 
town,  and  was  honored  with  high  office.  David  Darrow  was  also  a  set- 
tler of  that  year.  Thomas  Lumbard,  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  came  in 
1803,  and  the  town  thenceforth  rapidly  filled  up  with  an  excellent  class 
of  settlers  from  the  New  England  States,  whose  sturdy  labor  amid 
privations  in  the  wilderness  laid  the  foundations  of  the  later  prosperous 
community. 

The  first  town  meeting  was  held  March  3,  1807,  at  the  "school  house 
near  James  Pratt's,"  and  the  following  officers  were  elected:  Robert 
Avery,  supervisor;  David  Gaston,  town  clerk;  Martin  Roberts,  collector; 
Josiah  Wilcox,  poundkeeper;  Ziba  Coman,  Benjamin  Morse,  and  John 
Hall,  assessors;  Hezekiah  Morse  and  Abram  Ellis,  poormasters;  Seth 
Hitchcock,  John  Pratt,  and  Robert  Avery,  highway  commissioners; 
Martin  Roberts  and  Nathan  Mixer,  constables. 

In  this  list  are  the  names  of  several  other  pioneers  who  have  not  be- 
fore been  mentioned.  Following  is  a  list  of  supervisors  of  Eaton  from 
the  time  of  its  formation  to  the  present  with  the  years  of  their  service: 
Robert  Avery,  1807;  Joseph  Morse,  1808-09;  Hezekiah  Morse,  1810-15; 
Bennett  Bicknell,  1816-17;  Windsor  Coman,  1818;  Bennett  Bicknell, 
1819;  Rufus  Eldred,  1820-1821;  Samuel  W.  Osgood,  1822;  Stephen 
Fitch,  1823;  Artemas  Ellis,  1824-35;  David  Gaston,  1826-27;  Robert 
Henry,  1828-31;  Uriah  Leland,  1832-1835;  Perley  Munger,  1836; 
George  Ellis,  1837;  Windsor  Coman,  1838;  Ichabod  Amidon,  1839-41; 
Moses  Bicknell,  1842-43;  Windsor  Coman,  1844;  Yale  Leland,  1845-46; 
Ellis  Morse,  1847-50;  Hiram  D.  Cloyes.  1851-52;  Ambrose  Y.  Smith, 
1853-54;  Calvin  Morse,  1855-56;  Francis  H.  Stevens,  1857;  Albert  W. 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— EATON.  561 

Morse,  1858-59;  Benjamin  F.  Coman,  1860-61;  Edward  C.  Philpot, 
1862-63;  Horace  M.  Kent,  1864;  George  E.  Morse,  1865-66;  Alexan- 
der M.  Holmes,  1867-99. 

The  population  of  Eaton  is  shown  in  the  following  figures  by  the 
census  taken  in  the  various  years  named : 

1835  1840  1845  1850  1855  1860  1865  1870  1875  1880  1890  1893 
3,758     3.409      3,444     3,944     4,061     3,871     3,861     3,690    3,644    3,799    3,131     2,875 

The  town  of  Eaton,  with  Brookfield,  De  Ruyter,  Georgetown,  Hamil- 
ton, Lebanon,  Madison  and  Nelson,  constitute  the  First  School  Com- 
missioner District  of  the  county.  In  this  district  are  119  school  dis- 
tricts, eighteen  of  which  are  in  Eaton,  all  having  school  buildings. 
Morrisville  has  a  Union  School,  the  organization  of  which  is  described 
in  chapter  XXIV.  In  the  school  year  of  1897-98  the  number  of  teachers 
employed  in  the  town  was  twenty-six,  and  the  whole  number  of  chil- 
dren attending  school  was  602. 

There  are  five  post-offices  in  Eaton — Morrisville,  the  county  seat, 
Eaton,  West  Eaton,  Pratt's  Hollow,  and  Pine  Woods.  Morrisville  is 
the  largest  village  in  the  town  and  since  1817  has  been  the  county  seat, 
which  in  that  year  was  removed  from  Cazenovia.  The  village  was 
named  from  its  founder,  Thomas  Morris,  and  in  early  times  previous  to 
its  incorporation  as  Morris  Flats.  The  first  incorporation  took  place 
under  special  act  of  the  Legislature  passed  April  13,  1819.  The  first 
village  president  was  Deacon  Abel  De  Forest,  who,  it  is  related,  built 
the  first  sidewalk  in  the  place  and  was  rewarded  with  the  office  of  presi- 
dent. The  village  records  under  the  first  incorporation  are  lost,  it  being 
supposed  they  were  carried  away  by  the  last  clerk,  Alexander  Donald- 
son, jr.,  who  died  many  years  ago  in  New  York  city.  Mr.  De  Forest 
was  kept  in  the  office  of  president  ten  years,  after  which  the  charter  and 
the  village  government  was  permitted  to  fall  into  disuse.  Under  the 
general  act  for  incorporating  villages  Morrisville  was  re-incorporated 
in  1848,  and  the  following  were  elected  as  the  first  board  of  trustees: 
A.  B.  De  Forest,  B.  Tillinghast,  Franklin  T.  Maybury,  Luman  E.  Cole 
and  E.  Norton.  A.  B.  De  Forest  was  chosen  president  of  the  board; 
James  Norton,  clerk;  A.  S.  vSloan,  treasurer. 

David  Gaston  kept  the  first  store  in  Morrisville,  which  he  opened  in 
1804.  Bennett  Bicknell  began  trading  in  1808.  Present  merchants  are 
W.  P.  Chambers,  general  store,  established  in  1850  and  the  oldest  mer- 
chant in  the  town;  H.  P.  Mead,  drugs  and  medicines,  succeeded  Wind- 


562  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

sor  Coman  in  1873,  with  H.  E.  Chapin  as  partner,  who  retired  in  1884; 
M.  L.  Field,  furniture,  established  1895,  succeeding  George  Wilbur;  E, 
N.  Dexter,  department  store,  established  1887;  James  HoUenbeck,  gen- 
eral store  since  1890;  W.  B.  Stewart  &  Son,  bakery;  P.  A.  Hart,  market; 
Burden  &  Poyle,  market;  E.  M.  &  F.  Sanford,  variety  store;  J.  H. 
Parker,  hardware  and  tin ;  W.  P.  Jones,  general  store,  succeeded  H.  G. 
Phelps  in  1878;  C.  M.  Seymour,  general  store,  succeeding  Storrs  & 
Seymour  (Otis  Storrs);  John  Reidy,  harness  shop,  succeeding  Edwin 
Barnard  in  1877;  C.  M.  Seymour,  clothing  and  furnishings  (under  man- 
agement of  F.  H.  Southworth),  established  in  1895;  Mrs.  B.  Wiltse, 
millinery;  W.  R.  Kimball,  general  store,  began  in  1883,  succeeded  his 
father,  B.  N.  Kimball. 

The  first  hotel  in  the  village  stood  on  the  site  of  the  new  Reidy  block 
and  was  established  in  1815;  it  was  partly  burned  in  1859.  John  Far- 
well  was  proprietor,  and  Thomas  Farwell  resided  in  the  house  after  the 
fire,  it  having  been  repaired.  The  Bicknell  House  was  built  on  the  op- 
posite corner,  and  is  now  the  Burden  House,  with  John  Burden  pro- 
prietor. The  Exchange  Hotel  was  built  for  a  store  by  Samuel  Shepard, 
and  was  converted  into  a  hotel  about  1826;  it  has  had  a  number  of  pro- 
prietors and  is  now  conducted  by  B.  A.  Wilbur.  The  old  Madison 
County  Hotel  stood  on  the  site  of  the  Barker  House  and  was  burned  in 
1868.  The  present  structure  was  built  in  1873  by  Edwin  R.  Barker, 
who  kept  the  house  several  years.  After  several  changes  it  passed  to 
the  present  proprietorship  of  Charles  Beekman. 

The  post-office  here  was  opened  about  1808.  The  successive  post- 
masters have  been  as  follows:  Bennett  Bicknell,  Moses  Bicknell,  John 
Farwell,  Hiram  Lewis,  F.  T.  Newell,  James  Norton,  E.  Norton,  J.  W. 
Hatch,  W.  H.  Pilch,  M.  M  Chubbuck,  W.  P.  Cleveland,  B.  F.  Coman, 
P.  B.  Townsend,  Wilbur  Henderson,  John  H.  Reidy,  and  John  H. 
Broad,  the  present  incumbent. 

About  1815  Lonson  Stillwell  began  tanning  leather  and  manufactur- 
ing shoes  near  the  site  of  the  later  tannery,  which  passed  to  possession 
of  Clark  Tillinghast  and  Dr.  Isaac  Hovey,  who  purchased  the  old  build- 
ing and  operated  an  ashery.  Stillwell  returned  from  Manlius  whither 
he  had  removed,  and  built  another  small  tannery  a  short  distance  west 
of  the  first  one.  In  1830  Bradley  Tillinghast  bought  his  brother's  ash- 
ery and  established  a  tanning  business  which  grew  to  large  proportions, 
and  made  and  dealt  in  boots  and  shoes.  The  business  was  finally 
abandoned  and  a  wagon  and  blacksmith  shop  occupies  the  building. 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— EATON.  563 

The  buildings  of  the  silk  factory,  noticed  here,  were  purchased  by 
Stephen  Coman  and  in  the  spring  of  1862  were  converted  into  a  cheese 
factory.  After  a  few  changes  in  ownership,  J.  B.Wadsworth  purchased 
the  factory  in  1880;  it  was  sub-^equently  burned.  At  the  present  time 
the  only  cheese  factory  in  the  village  is  owned  and  operated  by  D.  A. 
Hopkins  and  R.  D.  Champlin,  who  purchased  it  in  1898;  it  was  built  in 
1894  by  a  stock  company. 

The  old  sawmill,  now  rapidly  going  to  ruin,  was  owned  by  the  sons  of 
William  R.  Jones.  It  was  built  by  Abel  De  Forest  about  1830  and  was 
sold  to  Mr.  Jones  in  1860;  it  is  now  owned  by  Thomas  Green.  The 
other  mill  is  operated  by  William  Field.  Other  industries  of  the  past 
in  Morrisville  were  the  silk  factory  established  about  1853  and  continued 
about  five  years;  the  Bicknell  comb  factory,  continued  to  about  1840; 
the  distillery  of  Bicknell,  Coman  &  Norton,  built  in  4  836  and  discon- 
tinued in  1860;  the  grist  mill  built  in  1830  and  long  operated  by  Ben- 
jamin Graham,  later  by  his  son  and  now  by  F.  Cook;  Nathan  vShepard's 
woolen  mill  of  1836,  which  failed  in  1850;  Torrey's  machine  shop,  built 
in  1841;  the  saleratus  manufactory  operated  a  number  of  years  previous 
to  1840  by  Babbitt  &  Darling,  and  the  foundry  built  by  Jefferson  Cross 
in  1830,  afterwards  carried  on  by  his  sons,  Jefferson  and  George,  in  the 
manufacture  of  stoves,  etc.  ;  is  now  operated  by  D.  C.  Bennett  in  cus- 
tom work. 

The  Congregational  Church  in  Morrisville  was  organized  in  1805  and 
built  a  meeting  house  in  1817,  which  has  on  several  occasions  been 
greatly  improved.  Rev.  Thomas  A.  Fenton  is  the  present  pastor.  The 
First  Baptist  Church  was  formed  in  1809  and  a  small  meeting  house 
was  soon  built.  A  more  suitable  site  was  given  the  society  in  1836  by 
Bennett  Bicknell  and  to  that  the  building  was  removed  and  enlarged. 
The  present  edifice  was  erected  in  1848  and  the  old  one  sold.  The 
present  pastor  is  Rev.  Enoch  Powell.  The  Methodist  Church  of  Morris- 
ville was  organized  in  1834  and  built  its  house  of  worship  in  the  follow- 
ing year. 

The  First  National  Bank  of  Morrisville  was  established  December 
26,  1863,  with  a  paid  up  capital  of  $65,000;  this  was  increased  to 
$100,000.  The  first  officers  were  Daniel  Stewart,  president;  Sidney  T. 
Holmes,  vice-president;  Lorenzo  D.  Dana,  cashier.  The  present  of- 
ficers are  Alexander  M.  Holmes,  president;  H.  P.  Mead,  vice-presi- 
dent; B.  Tompkins,  cashier.  The  directors  are  H.  E.  Aton,  F.  S. 
Harwood,  C.  M.  Seymour,  W.  E.  Brown.  The  capital  was  reduced  to 
$50,000  in  1897. 


564  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  Madison  County  Leader  is  an  enterprising  modern  country 
newspaper,  which  was  established  as  an  exponent  of  Republican  prin- 
ciples in  1885,  by  Stillman  &  Spooner  (W.  E.  Stillman  and  F.  S. 
Spooner).  This  partnership  continued  two  years,  when  Mr.  Stillman 
became  sole  proprietor  and  so  continued  until  1890,  when  F.  W.  Nash 
purchased  a  half  interest,  Mr.  Stillman  having  received  the  appoint- 
ment of  clerk  in  the  New  York  sub-treasury.  In  the  fall  of  1890  John 
H.  Broad  bought  a  one-fourth  interest  of  Nash  and  the  firm  was  during 
one  year,  Stillman,  Nash  &  Broad.  Mr.  Broad  then  purchased  Nash's 
remaining  interest  and  a  year  later  bought  also  Stillman's  interest  and 
since  has  conducted  the  business  alone.  In  July,  1896,  the  Leader  ab- 
sorbed the  old  Observer,  established  in  1821.  The  Leader  is  a  progres- 
sive, vigorously  edited  journal,  and  is  welcomed  in  many  homes. 

The  village  has  an  excellent  system  of  gravity  water  supply,  the 
source  being  from  pure  springs  and  stored  in  a  reservoir  situated  a 
fourth  of  a  mile  southwest  of  the  corporation.  The  capacity  of  the 
reservoir  is  7,000,000  gallons,  and  the  pressure  about  eighty  pounds. 
Twenty-seven  hydrants  are  employed  for  fire  extinguishment.  The 
construction  of  the  works  was  begun  in  the  fall  of  1894  and  completed 
in  the  next  year.  Bonds  to  the  amount  of  $15,000  were  issued  to  pay 
for  the  system,  which  is  under  charge  of  a  board  of  three  commission- 
ers; they  are  Dr.  H.  N.  Aldrich,  L,  W.  Burroughs,  and  David  D. 
Jones. 

The  fire  department  as  at  present  organized  comprises  the  Morrisville 
Hook  and  Ladder  Company  of  twenty-two  members,  equipped  with  a 
Rumsey  truck.  The  old  Croton  Fire  Company  was  disbanded  after  the 
water  works  were  established. 

An  electric  lighting  system  was  put  in  operation  in  the  village  in 
1897,  previous  to  which  several  attempts  had  been  made  to  properly 
light  the  streets,  but  generally  without  success.  The  present  plant  is 
owned  by  the  D.  A.  Schuyler  estate.  The  village  pays  $500  annually 
for  public  lightning.  Families  are  also  provided  with  light  and  a  sta- 
tion is  maintained  at  the  hamlet  of  Pierceville,  a  mile  below  Morris- 
ville. 

Eaton  Village. — -This  beautifully  situated  and  attractive  village  is 
situated  five  miles  south  of  Morrisville  in  the  midst  of  a  fertile  and 
prosperous  agricultural  district,  on  the  old  Skaneateles  turnpike,  with 
a  nearby  station  on  the  New  York,  Ontario  and  Western  railroad.  The 
village  was  known  many  years  as  Log  City.     It  was  early  and  rapidly 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— EATON.  565 

settled  as  a  result  of  the  efforts  of  Joshua  Leland  and  his  immediate 
followers,  and  the  water  power  of  Eaton  brook. 

The  water  power  on  the  brook  and  several  buildings  used  in  past 
years  for  manufacturing  purposes  have  recently  been  acquired  by  E. 
Tupper,  who  now  operates  a  planing-  mill  and  conducts  a  cheese  factory. 
A.  D.  Norton  is  a  manufacturer  of  furniture,  using  both  water  and 
steam  power  and  employing  several  hands.  For  many  years  the  chief 
manufacturing  industry  was  the  extensive  steam  engine  works  of  Wood, 
Tabor  &  Morse.  This  establishment  originated  in  1848,  when  Enos 
and  Allen  Wood  began  making  machinery  for  woolen  and  cotton  mills, 
which  continued  about  ten  years,  when  the  business  was  removed  to 
Utica.  In  1859  A.  N.  Wood  returned  to  Eaton  and  the  firm  of  Wood, 
Tabor  &  Morse  was  at  once  organized  and  a  very  large  business  was 
soon  built  up  in  the  manufacture  of  portable  steam  engines.  The  in- 
dustry closed  in  1890,  though  the  buildings  are  standing  and  the  ma- 
chinery is  still  in  place. 

Joseph  Morse  was  the  founder  of  Eaton  village  and  the  first  to  utilize 
the  power  of  Eaton  brook.  He  built  the  old  mill  in  1800  and  about  1812 
Ellis  Morse  erected  a  distillery  near  by,  which  was  operated  until  1857. 
A  small  tannery  was  built  in  the  village  in  1807  by  B.  Carter,  which 
was  in  existence  fifty  years.  Cast  iron  plows  were  made  many  years 
ago  by  Alpheus  and  Ellis  Morse.  A  small  powder  mill  was  built  in 
1806  and  the  Eaton  Woolen  Manufacturing  Company,  Dr.  James  Pratt 
and  Joseph  Morse  at  its  head,  built  a  mill  in  1817.  It  was  afterwards 
changed  to  a  cotton  mill  and  was  burned  in  1845. 

The  present  merchants  of  Eaton  are  Morse  Brothers,  who  established 
a  general  store  in  1871,  succeeding  C.  N.  Burritt;  E.  B.  Robie,  drugs, 
groceries,  etc.,  succeeded  Charles  T.  Hamlin  in  1895;  H.  R.  Hamilton, 
groceries,  established  1896 ;  Thompson  &  Barber  (L.  C.  Thompson,  G. 
A.  Barber),  general  store,  succeeding  Arnst  &  Thompson,  who  began 
in  1894;  John  Heron,  shoes;  Andrew  Pettit,  harness  shop.  There  are 
two  hotels  in  the  village;  the  Exchange  Hotel  was  kept  by  G.  D.  Rich- 
ardson for  a  time,  who  was  succeeded  by  Byron  Wilbur,  John  Richard- 
son, Sidney  Curtis  and  others;  the  Eaton  House  has  been  long  kept  by 
Norman  Hunt. 

There  is  a  milk  station  at  the  railroad  depot  and  the  Madison  County 
Poor  Farm,  elsewhere  described,  is  situated  a  little  south  of  the  village. 
The  post-office  here  was  established  in  very  early  years,  with  Dr. 
Charles   Hall  postmaster.      His  successors  have  been  John  G.  Curtis, 


566  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Sylvester  Thayer,  Calvin  Morse  (two  or  three  terms),  Alpheus  Morse, 
John  Whitney,  Charles  Burritt,  Frank  Morse,  Col.  S.  White,  Frank 
Morse,  E.  A.  Richardson,  and  Frank  Morse  again,  the  present  official. 

The  Baptist  Church  of  Eaton  village  was  organized  in  1816,  services 
being  held  in  the  brick  school  house  until  1820  when  the  house  of  wor- 
ship was  finished;  it  has  been  greatly  improved  at  various  times.  Rev. 
J.  W.  Thorn  is  the  present  pastor. 

The  Congregational  Church  was  partially  organized  November  22, 

1831,  with  eight  members.  On  the  27th  of  the  following  month  it  was 
reorganized   with   its   present  name.     The  church  edifice  was   built  in 

1832.  Rev.  John  Bamford  is  the  present  pastor. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Eaton  was  organized  in  1856  and 
the  meeting  house  was  erected  in  the  same  year.  Rev.  S.  S.  Pratt  is 
the  present  pastor. 

West  Eaton. — This  is  a  small  village  situated  two  and  a  half  miles 
west  of  Eaton  village.  As  far  as  its  business  interests  are  concerned 
it  is  a  place  of  comparatively  modern  growth.  The  post-office  was  es- 
tablished in  1852  and  has  had  the  following  postmasters:  Joseph  Dar- 
row,  Isaac  Hopkins,  Erastus  Wellington,  Marion  Beebe,  Albert  Tayn- 
tor,  Harvey  Miller,  L  L.  Palmer  and  others;  C.  D.  Tracy  is  the  present 
incumbent. 

The  village  was  many  years  ago  a  manufacturing  point  of  impor- 
tance, but  in  late  years  its  industries  have  declined.  A  grist  will  was 
built  and  in  operation  here  before  1808  and  a  distillery  in  1815.  In  1830 
John  Brown  began  manufacturing  augurs.  A  clothing  or  cloth  works 
was  established  before  1820  by  Abner  Isbell,  who  sold  in  1840  to  A.  Y. 
Smith  &  Son,  who  enlarged  the  works.  They  were  burned  in  1852, 
but  were  rebuilt.  After  various  changes  the  property  was  bought  in 
1879  by  H.  I.  Howe. 

The  Eureka  woolen  mills  originated  in  a  carding  mill  built  about 
1845.  The  property  passed  through  various  changes  in  ownership,  as 
elsewhere  detailed,  and  is  now  operated  on  a  large  scale  by  a  company 
in  which  Richard  and  Thomas  Jones,  Wallace  Frasier  and  Edward 
Peno  are  interested.  A  saw  mill  is  operated  by  Philip  Walden  and 
there  are  two  grist  mills,  one  of  which  is  situated  half  a  mile  east  of 
the  village  and  the  other  a  mile  west.  The  only  hotel  in  the  village  is 
conducted  by  Everett  Mack,  who  succeeded  his  brother,  Edward  Mack. 
There  are  two  general  stores,  one  conducted  by  Arthur  Howe,  who 
succeeded  B.  Davis,  and  the  other  by  Clarence  Omans. 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— EATON.  567 

The  Baptist  Church  of  West  Eaton  was  organized  in  1820  and  reor- 
ganized in  1853,  and  a  house  of  worship  erected  in  the  same  year. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  organized  in  1841  and  a  small 
meeting  house  erected  in  1843.  This  was  superseded  in  1869  by  the 
existing  handsome  edifice.     The  society  is  prosperous. 

A  Catholic  Church  was  organized  in  1879  as  a  branch  of  the  Hamilton 
Church,  and  a  house  of  worship  was  erected  in  1880-81. 

School  district  No.  3,  which  includes  the  village,  was  organized  as  a 
union  school  in  1874  and  a  convenient  school  house  built  at  a  cost  of 
$3,600. 

Eaton  Center  (Eagleville)  is  a  small  settlement  near  the  center  of  the 
town,  where  it  was  hoped  by  the  pioneers  the  business  and  manufac- 
turing industries  would  mainly  be  located.  One  of  the  first  woolen 
mills  in  the  county  was  established  here  by  Perley  Ayer,  which  was 
afterwards  operated  by  Clarke  Tillinghast.  The  dam  was  ultimately 
destroyed.  A  machine  shop  was  opened  many  years  ago  and  in  1879 
Dwight  Graham  &  Co.,  its  proprietors,  began  manufacturing  an  agri- 
cultural steam  engine.     The  business  was  subsequently  given  up. 

Pierceville. — A  small  hamlet  named  from  J.  O.  Pierce,  who  in  1844 
formed  a  company  and  purchased  a  tract  of  land  and  erected  a  woolen 
manufactory,  which  was  prosperously  operated  until  1850.  The  finan- 
cial stringencj''  of  1857  caused  the  business  to  fail.  A  cotton  mill  also 
was  operated  here  previous  to  1844,  and  a  planing  mill  was  a  later  in- 
dustry. A  hotel  was  built  by  Samuel  Chubbuck  previous  to  1825.  The 
old  cotton  mill  is  now  owned  by  Le  Roy  Cook  and  is  in  use  as  a  cider 
mill;  he  also  has  a  carding  mill  in  operation.  Healy  Brown  runs  the 
saw  mill  and  John  Copley  a  planing  mill.     There  is  also  a  grist  mill. 

Pratt's  Hollow. — This  is  a  hamlet  and  post-office  in  the  northeastern 
corner  of  the  town  which,  in  early  years,  was  a  place  of  considerable 
business  importance.  Here  John  and  James  Pratt  made  their  settle- 
ment, built  a  grist  mill,  saw  mill,  distillery,  woolen  mill,  etc.,  and 
opened  a  store.  J.  F.  Chamberlain  built  another  woolen  mill  as  early 
as  1809  and  in  1824  a  large  cotton  factor)'  was  established,  as  described 
in  earlier  chapters.  All  of  these  industries  passed  away  in  course  of 
time.  A  general  store  is  now  kept  by  W.  W.  Lewis,  and  a  hotel  by 
Adelbert  Cole.  A  milk  station  is  located  half  a  mile  away  on  the  rail- 
road, the  station  bearing  the  name  of  Pratt's.  A  mile  distant  on  the 
railroad  is  a  station  called  White's  Corners,  where  a  saw  mill  is  oper- 
ated by  Amos  Avery. 


568  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

A  Methodist  class  was  formed  at  Pratt's  Hollow  in  1808  and  a  society 
was  organized  a  few  years  later.  The  church  building  was  erected  in 
1838. 

Pine  Woods  is  the  name  of  a  post-office  and  a  little  settlement  at  the 
junction  of  the  Cherry  Valley  Turnpike  and  the  Munnsville  road  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  town.  It  takes  its  name  from  the  pine  forests  that 
originally  crowned  the  nearby  hills.  A  tavern  was  built  here  in  1834 
by  James  Madison.  A  public  house  is  still  kept,  and  a  general  store  is 
conducted  by  E.  P.  Embury.  Benjamin  Knoff  has  been  postmaster 
many  years. 

At  Morrisville  Station  is  a  post-office  bearing  that  name,  with  Z.  A. 
Todd,  postmaster,  who  also  has  a  small  store  and  a  lumber  business. 

The  Town  of  Fenner. 

This  town  was  not  organized  until  April  33,  1833,  lies  northwest  of 
the  center  of  the  county  and  is  bounded  north  by  Lincoln  and  Sullivan, 
east  by  Smithfield,  south  by  Nelson,  and  west  by  Cazenovia.  Its  sur- 
face is  rolling  upland,  which  includes  the  most  elevated  parts  of  the 
ridge  which  divides  the  waters  of  the  county.  A  branch  of  Chittenango 
Creek,  which  forms  a  large  part  of  the  western  boundary,  rises  in  the 
eastern  part,  and  the  headwaters  of  Canaseraga  Creek  and  a  minor 
branch  of  Cowasselon  Creek  are  in  the  northern  part.  Perry  ville  Falls, 
on  the  Canaseraga,  are  somewhat  remarkable,  the  water  having  a 
descent  of  about  150  feet,  into  a  large  basin  hollowed  from  the  rock. 

The  underlying  rock  of  the  town  is  mostly  of  the  Hamilton  group  and 
the  limestone  crops  out  in  the  north  and  northwest  parts;  this  stone  has 
been  quarried  to  some  extent.  Marl  deposits  are  found  in  the  north- 
west part  from  which  lime  is  made.  The  soil  is  gravelly  loam  and  well 
adapted  to  mixed  farming. 

Fenner  was  first  settled  about  1793,  in  the  west  part,  but  not  per- 
manently until  two  years  later,  when  the  New  Petersburgh  Tract  had 
been  leased  to  Peter  Smith.  Among  the  families  who  came  into  the 
town  in  the  closing  years  of  the  last  century  were  those  of  Jonathan  and 
James  Munger,  Alpheus  Twist,  John  Needham,  Thomas  Cushing, 
Davis  Cook,  Lt,  David  Hutchinson,  Seneca  Robinson  and  John  Barber. 
Other  pioneers  of  a  little  later  date  were  Enos  Wells,  William,  Arnold 
and  George  Ballou,  James  Cameron,  John  Douglass,  John  Robertson, 
Robert  Stewart,  Guy  Hatch,  Gideon  Parsons,  Joel  Downer,  Hezekiah 
Hyatt,  David  Baldwin,   J.    D.    Turner,    Martin   and   Daniel    M.   Gillet, 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— FENNER.  569 

Thomas  Wilson,  Wallace  Woodworth,  Benjamin  Woodworth,  Col.  Elisha 
Farnham,  Ithuriel  Flower,  Amos  Webster,  Samuel  and  Zattti  Payne, 
Timothy  Foster,  Drake  Sellick,  Russell  Ransom,  Asa  Dana,  and  others 
noticed  more  fully  in  an  earlier  chapter. 

The  first  town  meeting  was  held  in  the  school  house  near  David  Cook, 
jr's,  May  0,  1823,  and  the  following  named  officers  were  elected:  Daniel 
M.  Gillet,  supervisor;  Sardis  Dana,  clerk;  John  Needham,  William 
Esselstyne  and  Ralph  J-  Gates,  assessors;  John  F.  Hicks,  collector; 
John  Needham  and  Samuel  Nichols,  overseers  of  the  poor;  Samuel 
Ives,  Amasa  Ives,  jr.,  and  Noah  Blakeslee,  commissioners  of  highways; 
John  F.  Hicks  and  William  Nichols,  constables;  Sardis  Dana,  William 
Doolittle  and  Daniel  Pratt,  commissioners  of  common  schools;  John 
Needham,  jr..  Federal  Dana  and  Erastus  E.  Park,  inspectors  of  com- 
mon schools;  David  Cook,  poundmaster. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  supervisors  of  the  town  of  Fenner  from  its 
formation  to  the  present  time: 

1823,  Daniel  M.  Gillet;  1824-26,  Czar  Dykeman;  1827,  Nathaniel 
Hazelton;  1828-31,  Daniel  M.  Gillet;  1832-3,  Nathaniel  Hazelton;  1834, 
Asa  Blakeslee;  1835-6,  John  Needham;  1837-9,  Sardis  Dana;  1840, 
Charles  G.  Dibble;  1841-2,  Walter  Clough;  1843-8,  Robert  G.  Stewart; 
1849,  David  Hess;  1850,  Sergeant  Britt;  1851,  R.  G.  Stewart;  1852, 
Jesse  Watson;  1853,  D.  Miner  Gillet;  1854,  John  Hill;  1855,  Harvey 
W.  Kendall;  1856.  Thomas  Marshall;  1857-8,  Asa  R.  Maine;  1859, 
Asahel  A.  Annas;  1860-1,  James  Monroe  Lownsbery;  1862-3,  L.  Van- 
der  C.  Hess;  1864-6,  Orra  B.  Hamblin;  1867,  L.  Vander  C.  Hess;  1868, 
John  Woodcock;  1869,  Theodore  Meade;  1870,  John  Wilson;  1871, 
John  Woodcock;  1872-3,  J.  Somers  Hill;  1874-5,  Norman  B.  Hill; 
1876-7,  Charles  W.  Barrett;  1878-81,  Andrew  Whipple;  1882-86,  Paul 
S.Maine;  1887,  Andrew  Whipple;  1888-91,  Paul  vS.  Maine;  1892-93, 
R.  Duncan  Robertson;  1894-97,  Paul  S.  Maine. 

Following  is  a  statement  of  the  population  of  the  town  since  1835  as 
shown  by  the  census  of  various  decades  and  semi-decades: 
1835       1840       1845       1850       1855      1860     1865      1870      1875      1880      1890      1893 
1,972      1,997      1.833      1,690     1,623    1,649    1,887    1,881     1,365    1,373     1,040       999 

The  decrease  in  population  in  this  town  is  seen  to  be  as  great,  or 
a  little  greater,  than  that  of  any  other  town  in  the  county.  The  causes 
are  the  same  as  have  been  mentioned  elsewhere,  and  need  not  be  fur- 
ther noticed. 

There  are  only  two  post-offices  in  this  town ;  one  at  Perryville  and  the 


570  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Other  at  Fenner  Corners,  with  the  name  of  Fenner.  Perry ville  is  the 
most  important  village  and  lies  partly  in  three  towns — Fenner,  Sullivan, 
and  Lincoln.  The  post-office  was  established  probably  in  1816,  with 
Oren  S.  Avery,  postmaster.  He  held  the  office  until  he  died,  in  1836. 
His  successors  have  been  as  follows :  Silas  Judd,  to  about  1845 ;  Leonard 
Gough,  Ira  Bates,  Mr.  Judd,  again,  O.  J.  Woodworth,  Joseph  V.  Wells, 
Webster  C.  Hill,  H.  L.  Keeler,  John  Hill,  Paul  S.  Maine,  Leon  Berson, 
Duane  Chapman,  Paul  S.  Maine,  James  Wells,  and  again  Paul  S.  Maine. 

Among  the  early  merchants  here  were  Tyre  &  Cole,  about  1811;  the 
Weeks  Brothers,  about  1812;  William  Doolittle,  about  1820;  Samuel  Hill 
and  a  Mr.  Stillson,  succeeding  Doolittle;  Leonard  Gough,  1835-50;  John 
Hill,  1839-59  (also  a  tavern  keeper  and  distiller) ;  Webster  C.  Hill,  son 
of  John;  H.  L.  Keeler,  1864,  sold  to  Paul  S.  Maine  in  1876,  who  is  still 
in  trade. 

The  Perryville  House  was  built  about  1825  by  Simeon  Jenkins.  It 
has  had  a  number  of  proprietors  and  is  now  kept  by  F.  F.  Hamilton. 

The  early  physicians  of  the  village  and  town  were  Dr.  John  Didama, 
Dr.  N.  C.  Powers,  Dr.  Powers  R.  Mead,  Dr.  Theodore  Mead,  and  at  later 
dates  Drs.  John  H.  Ramsey,  Sylvanus  Guernsey,  George  B.  Munger, 
Benjamin  R.  Mead,  George  W.  Miles,  and  M.  R.  Joy.  The  present 
physician  of  Perryville  is  Dr.  Nelson  O.  Brooks. 

The  first  church  in  Perryville  was  St.  Stephen's,  formed  in  September, 
1816.  It  passed  out  of  existence  many  years  ago.  The  Methodist 
Church  was  organized  in  1831,  and  the  edifice  was  built  in  1839. 

There  are  eleven  school  districts  in  this  town,  and  in  1897  the  Union 
School  District  of  Perryville  was  incorporated.  This  school  occupies  the 
old  Episcopal  church  building. 

Fenner  Corners  is  a  hamlet  in  the  central  part  of  the  town,  where 
Martin  and  Daniel  M.  Gillet  opened  the  first  store.  Other  early  mer- 
chants were  Charles  F.  Kellogg,  Hiram  Preston,  Martin  Woodworth, 
Perry  Tibbits,  and  Augustus  Daniels.  Benjamin  Pearlman  is  the  pres- 
ent merchant.  The  post-office  was  established  some  time  between  1820 
and  1825,  with  Ebenezer  Dunton,  postmaster.  The  Fenner  Baptist 
Church  was  organized  here  in  1801. 

A  part  of  the  hamlet  of  Chittenango  Falls  is  in  the  western  part  of 
the  town,  and  has  been  sufficiently  described  in  an  earlier  chapter. 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— GEORGETOWN.  571 

The  Town  of  Qeorgetown. 

Georgetown  was  set  off  from  De  Ruj'ter  April  7,  1815,  and  lies  west 
of  the  center  of  the  south  line  of  the  county.  It  is  bounded  north  by 
Nelson,  east  by  Lebanon,  south  by  Chenango  county,  and  west  by  De 
Ruyter.  It  was  named  at  the  suggestion  of  the  Legislature,  instead  of 
being  called  Washington,  which  was  the  preference  of  the  inhabitants. 
The  surface  of  the  town  is  mainly  hilly  upland.  The  valley  of  Otselic 
Creek  extends  across  it  from  north  to  south  in  the  eastern  part,  break- 
ing the  surface  into  two  ridges  which  rise  from  400  to  500  feet  above  the 
valley  bottom.  Otselic  Creek  is  the  principal  stream  and  its  many  small 
tributaries  drain  most  of  the  town.  The  headwaters  of  the  Tioughnioga 
touch  the  northwest  corner.  The  soil  is  a  yellow  loam  on  the  hills  and 
and  a  gravelly  alluvium  in  the  valley.  The  Syracuse  and  Chenango 
Valley  branch  of  the  West  Shore  Railroad  crosses  the  northeast  part, 
with  a  station  three  miles  east  of  Georgetown  village.  The  principal 
industries  of  the  town  are  dairying  and  hop  growing;  the  latter  has  lost 
its  pre-eminence  in  comparatively  recent  years.  Mixed  farming  is  also 
carried  on  to  a  sufficient  extent  for  home  consumption  and  in  recent 
years  potatoes  have  been  marketed  to  a  considerable  extent.  There  are 
two  cheese  factories  in  the  town,  one  of  which  is  situated  at  George- 
town village,  operated  by  C.  Stevens,  and  the  other  two  miles  south  of 
the  village,  by  E.  W.  Brown  &  Co.  The  lumber  industry  still  continues 
important  in  this  town  and  large  quantities  have  been  shipped  away  in 
comparatively  recent  years.  A  steam  saw  mill  is  operated  by  E.  W. 
Pease  a  half  mile  south  of  Georgetown  village;  another  one  in  the 
southern  part  by  Van  Ness  Baldwin,  and  another  near  the  Otselic  town 
line  by  M.  C.  Aiken.  There  are  also  three  water  power  mills,  one  of 
which  is  at  the  railroad  station,  owned  by  E.  E.  Collins;  one  by  E.  C. 
Hart  and  one  by  W.  &  E.  V.  Brown. 

The  first  settlement  in  Georgetown  was  made  in  1801  by  William 
Sexton,  who  located  on  lot  58.  Others  who  came  in  that  year  were 
John  C.  Payne,  on  lot  115;  Elijah  Olmstead,  who  soon  sold  to  Josiah 
Purdy,  a  blacksmith;  Apollos  Drake,  father  of  a  large  family;  Joseph 
Bishop,  and  Eleazer  Hunt,  on  the  site  of  the  village;  Bethel  Hurd,  on 
lot  69;  Olmstead  Brown,  on  lot  115.  In  1805  there  came  into  the  town 
Mitchell  Atwood,  who  settled  two  and  a  half  miles  from  the  village; 
Matthew  Hollenbeck,  in  the  north  part  of  the  town ;  Bailey  Carter,  ad- 
joining the  John  C.  Payne  farm;  William  Payne,  on  lot  45;  Joseph  P. 


572  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Harrison,  in  the  north  part;  Calvin  Cross,  in  the  northwest  part;  Capt. 
Samuel  White  (settled  about  this  year)  also  in  the  northwest  part. 
Weston  H.  Payne,  son  of  William  Payne,  was  the  first  white  child  born 
in  the  town,  his  birth  being  in  1805. 

Other  early  settlers,  most  of  whom  came  in  at  a  little  later  date,  were 
Elijah  Brown,  Ebenezer  Hall,  Jesse  Jerrold,  Zadock  Hawks,  John  Gib- 
son, Charles  Belden,  David  Parker,  Philetus  Stewart,  Benjamin  Bonney, 
Reuben  Buckingham,  James  McElwain,  Asa  West  and  a  few  others. 
The  settlement  here  for  a  few  years  of  the  French  refugee,  who  called 
himself  Louis  A.  Muller,  has  been  described  in  an  earlier  chapter. 

The  first  town  meeting  for  Georgetown  was  held  at  the  house  of  John 
Holmes  on  March  5,  18  L6,  the  proceedings  of  which  and  the  officers 
elected  will  be  found  in  Chapter  IX.  Following  is  a  list  of  the  super- 
visors of  the  town  from  its  formation  to  the  present  time,  with  the 
dates  of  their  election:  1816-23,  William  Payne;  1824-25,  E.  Whit- 
more;  1826,  Daniel  Alvord;  1827,  S.  B.  Hoffman;  1828,  Hanford 
Nichols;  1839-30,  William  Payne;  1831-34,  Peter  Nichols;  1835-37,  W. 
F.  Bostwick;  1838-40,  Horace  Hawks;  1841,  Elijah  Brown;  1842,  Tru- 
man Amsbry;  1843,  Truman  Amsbry;  1844,  Samuel  Wickwire;  1845, 
Elijah  Brown;  1846-47,  Samuel  Wickwire;  1848-49,  Zinah  J.  Moseley; 
1850,  Truman  Amsbry;  1851-52,  Enoch  L.  Savage;  1853-54,  Zinah  J. 
Moseley;  1855-56,  W.  P.  Bonney;  1857-58,  Robert  Utter;  1859-60, 
Elijah  W.  Brown;  1861-62,  C.  M.  Amsbry;  1863-65,  Alfred  A.  Brown; 
1866-67,  John  W.  Northrop;  1868-69,  Elijah  W.  Brown;  1870-71,  John 
W.  Dryer;  1872-73,  1876,  Elijah  W.  Brown;  1874-75,  Andrew  McCoy; 
1877,  Asa  Pritchard;  1878,  Alfred  A.  Brown;  1879,  Elijah  W.  Brown; 
1880-81,  Russell  Whitmore;  1882-83,  Charles  C.  Wagner;  1884-89,  W. 
Albert  Hare;  1890-91,  Albert  A.  Stoddard;  1892-93,  Eugene  M.  Perry; 
1894-97,  Joel  J.  Parker. 

Georgetown  Village. — This  is  the  only  village  in  the  town  and  is 
pleasantly  situated  in  the  Otselic  valley  a  little  southeast  of  the  center, 
and  nearly  three  miles  from  the  station  of  the  same  name  on  the  rail- 
road. 

For  many  years  the  village  bore  the  local  name  of  Slab  City,  which 
even  yet  still  clings  to  it;  this  rather  belittling  title  is  said  to  have  been 
suggested  by  Apollos  Drake  when  he  and  his  neighbors  were  raising  the 
frame  of  the  first  saw  mill  in  the  town.  Messrs.  Bemiss  and  Dudley 
were  the  first  merchants  of  the  village  and  left  the  business  some  time 
before  1817.      In  that  year  John  F.  Fairchild  opened  a  store  and  also 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— GEORGETOWN.  573 

kept  a  tavern  many  years.  Other  early  merchants  were  Ira  B.  Howard, 
Albert  C.  Stanton,  James  Wesson,  Samuel  and  Charles  Wickwire,  Zinah 
J.  Moseley,  who  was  a  partner  with  Samuel  Wickwire,  Samuel  Ballard, 
Elnathan  Ellis,  Nelson  Parmelee,  Enoch  L.  Savage,  John  Clough, 
Jerome  A.  Norton,  John  Northrop,  Northrup  &  Way,  Northrop  & 
Priest,  Northrop  &  Henry,  Zinah  N.  Button  and  S.  C.  Whitmore. 
Merchants  now  engaged  in  trade  are  J.  F.  Stoddard,  opened  a  general 
store  in  1884;  H.  J.  Evans,  hardware,  established  in  1884;  Floyd  Cur- 
rier, opened  a  general  store  in  1892,  and  also  succeeded  to  the  under- 
taking business  of  J.  Q.  Hawks  in  1897;  J.  J.  Parker  &  Co.,  formed  a 
partnership  in  1893,  succeeding  W.  A.  Hare;  Noel  E.  Jackson,  general 
store;  George  M.  Griffith,  flour  and  feed,  and  insurance,  established  in 
1801  with  S.  M.  Faulkner,  who  retired  in  1873;  S.  G.  Holmes,  flour 
and  feed;  Mrs.  C.  H.  Rice,  dry  goods  and  millinery;  E.  D.  Halbert, 
meat  market;  formerly  with  E.  C.  Hart  and  later  with  Van  Ness  Peck- 
ham  ;  L.  Edgerton  is  a  blacksmith,  and  C.  R.  Rice  carries  on  a  livery 
business. 

The  first  postmaster  in  Georgetown  was  probably  John  F.  Fairchild, 
who  was  succeeded  by  David  Parker,  Alexander  McElwain.  Dr.  Whit- 
more, who  held  the  office  ninteen  years,  Zinah  J.  Moseley,  William  W. 
Hare,  James  Hare,  William  H.  Johnson,  Harvey  Robie,  William  Way, 
W.  A.  Hare,  A.  A.  Stoddard,  W.  A.  Hare  again,  Leslie  Hare,  A.  A. 
Stoddard,  and  W.  A.  Hare,  who  again  has  the  office. 

Physicians  of  past  years  were  Dr.  Epaphroditus  Whitmore,  settled 
in  1810,  also  taught  the  first  winter  school;  Drs.  Guthrie,  Blakeslee, 
Truman,  and  Elliott  Stewart,  each  practiced  here  only  a  short  time; 
Dr.  Babcock;  Dr.  Reynolds,  a  short  time  in  company  with  Dr.  George 
W.  Harris,  who  continued  here  until  his  death;  Dr.  Benjamin  Fi-anklin, 
practiced  until  his  death;  Albright  Dunham,  here  a  short  time  and  re- 
moved to  West  Eaton;  Charles  M.  White,  in  practice  here  since  1844, 
and  Dr.  E.  F.  Lamb. 

A  tannery  was  established  many  years  ago  which  passed  to  posses- 
sion of  Christian  Hartgen  in  1875,  and  upon  his  death  in  1879,  was 
operated  by  his  widow  a  short  time  when  the  business  was  abandoned ; 
the  building  is  now  in  use  as  a  barn.     It  was  built  about  1859. 

A  half  mile  north  of  the  village  is  a  saw  mill  operated  by  Edward 
Hart;  it  was  originally  built  in  1853  by  Bradford  Payne;  Mr  Hart  also 
operates  a  grist  mill.  There  was,  many  years  ago,  a  carding  mill  in 
operation  here.     Two  miles  south  of  the  village  is  a  grist  and  saw  mill 


574  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

now  owned  by  E.  W.  Brown  &  Co.,  and  conducted  by  W.  F  Cossett; 
a  saw  mill  was  built  on  this  site  as  early  as  1819  by  Manning  Drake. 

What  was  formerly  called  the  Blakesley  House  has  been  kept  since 
1876  by  Oscar  M.  Stewart,  and  is  called  the  Stewart  House. 

At  the  railroad  depot  is  a  milk  station,  a  blacksmith  shop,  a  flour 
and  feed  store  conducted  by  the  station  agent,  H.  C.  Allen,  and  a  post- 
office  with  the  name  of  Georgetown  Station,  which  is  in  charge  of 
Charles  Wagoner,  postmaster.  A  steam  saw  mill  and  stave  mill  were 
established  here  by  W.  H.  Lynn;  the  property  is  now  owned  by  a  non- 
resident and  only  small  business  is  done  here. 

The  Methodist  Church  was  organized  about  1830,  and  the  meeting 
house  was  built  by  the  Free  Church,  organized  in  1845  by  a  part  of  the 
members  of  the  now  extinct  Presbyterian  church,  and  was  purchased 
by  the  Methodists.  The  building  was  greatly  improved  several  years 
ago  and  the  society  is  prosperous  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  E.  E. 
Benson. 

The  Baptist  Church  was  organized  in  1831  and  the  edifice  was  erected 
in  1834  This  building  was  purchased  in  recent  years  by  Clark  San- 
ford,  who  moved  it  to  another  point  where  it  was  burned.  The  present 
church  was  built  in  1885.      Rev.  George  Bowler  is  pastor. 

The  Union  school  in  Georgetown  was  organized  in  1897  and  is  fully 
described  in  chapter  XXIV.  There  are  eleven  school  districts  in  the 
town,  employing  twelve  teachers.  For  the  school  year  ending  in  July, 
1897,  there  were  235  children  attending  these  schools.  The  value  at 
present  of  the  school  buildings  and  sites  is  $4,645. 

The  town  hall  is  a  frame  building  of  two  stories,  which  was  built  in 
1894,  by  private  enterprise. 

The  Town  of  Hamilton. 

Hamilton  was  set  off  from  Paris  on  March  5,  1795,  and  received  its 
name  in  honor  of  Alexander  Hamilton.  It  originally  included  Nos.  2, 
3,  4,  and  5  of  the  Twenty  Townships,  and  was  reduced  to  its  present 
limits  by  the  erection  of  Eaton,  Lebanon,  and  Madison  in  1807.  It  lies 
on  the  south  border  of  the  county  east  of  the  center  and  is  bounde  1  on 
the  north  by  Madison,  east  by  Brookfield,  south  by  Chenango  county, 
and  west  by  Lebanon.  It  contains  nearly  24,000  acres,  about  20,000  of 
which  are  improved.  The  surface  is  rolling  or  hilly,  broken  by  the 
valleys  of  the  Chenango  and  its  eastern  branch ;  the  former  skirts  the 
western  boundary,  and  the  latter  crosses  the  town   from  northeast  to 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— HAMILTON.  575 

southwest  and  unites  with  the  main  river  at  Earlville.  These  streams 
have  numerous  smaller  tributaries.  The  town  is  wholly  covered  with 
the  Hamilton  group  of  rocks  which  have  been  quarried  somewhat  ex- 
tensively for  building  and  other  purposes.  The  soil  is  rich  and  produc- 
tive, consisting  of  sandy  and  gravelly  loam.  The  old  Chenango  Canal 
crosses  the  northwest  and  southwest  corners  of  the  town.  The  Utica, 
Chenango  and  Susquehanna  Valley  Railroad,  now  a  branch  of  the  D., 
L.  and  W.,  follows  the  valley  of  the  east  branch  of  the  Chenango  across 
the  town,  through  a  fertile  region.  The  Utica,  Clinton  and  Bingham- 
ton  Railroad  crosses  the  northwest  corner  of  the  town  through  Hamil- 
ton village,  connecting  at  Smith's  Valley  with  the  New  York,  Ontario 
and  Western  road,  and  is  also  a  part  of  the  D.,  L.  and  W.  system. 

The  first  settlement  was  made  on  the  east  branch  of  the  Chenango 
near  Earlville  in  the  spring  of  1792  by  John  Wells,  Abner  Nash,  Pat- 
rick W.  Shields,  and  John  Muir,  who  came  in  company.  Reuben  Ran- 
som settled  in  1793  and  Samuel  Payne,  Theophilus  and  Benjamin  Pierce 
in  1794.  Jonathan  Olmstead,  Daniel  Smith,  Joseph  Foster,  James 
Cady,  and  Elisha  Payne  in  1795.  Other  early  settlers  were  William 
Pierce,  brother  of  Theophilus  and  Benjamin,  DaVid  Dunbar,  Dan 
Throop,  Col.  Bigelow  Waters,  Charles  Otis,  Reuben  Foote,  Ezra  Fuller, 
George  Bigsby,  James  Williams,  Samuel  Stower,  William  Hatch,  Cal- 
vin Ackley,  the  Nash  family,  Stephen  and  Daniel  Brainard,  Ebenezer 
Colson,  Roswell  and  Lucas  Craine  and  another  brother,  William  Lord, 
Andrew  Beach,  and  many  others  who  have  been  mentioned  more  in  de- 
tail in  early  chapters  and  in  Part  IIL 

The  first  town  meeting  for  Hamilton  was  held  at  the  house  of  Elisha 
Payne,  where  the  following  officers  were  elected:  Joshua  Leland,  su- 
pervisor; Elijah  Blodgett,  clerk;  Samuel  demons,  Samuel  Berry, 
Simeon  Gillet,  jr.,  Luther  Waterman  and  Elisha  Payne,  assessors; 
James  Collister,  David  Hartshorn  John  Barber,  and  Elijah  Hayden, 
constables  and  collectors;  Joshua  Smith  and  William  McCrellis,  pour- 
masters;  Josiah  Brown,  Samuel  Payne  and  Ephraim  Blodgett,  commis- 
sioners of  highways;  Stephen  F.  Blackstone,  William  McClanathan, 
John  H.  Morris,  Isaac  "Amedown,"  Samuel  Brownell,  Augustus  W. 
Bingham,  Bigelow  Waters,  Abner  Nash,  Nathaniel  Collins  and  Theo- 
philus Pierce,  pathmasters;  Nicanor  Brown,  Samuel  "Sincler, "  (St. 
Clair),  Benjamin  Pierce  and  David  Felt,  fence  viewers;  Henry  W. 
Bond,  poundkeeper.  The  first  school  commissioners  elected,  in  179(3, 
were  Samuel  Payne,  Elijah  Blodgett,  and  under  the  act  of  the  Legisla- 


576  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ture  of  June  19,  1812,  for  the  establishment  of  common  schools,  John 
Kennedy,  Daniel  A  Brainard,  and  Reuben  Ransom  were  chosen  school 
commissioners,  and  Roswell  Craine,  Abraham  Payne,  Erastus  Daniels, 
and  Nathaniel  Stacy,  inspectors  of  schools. 

Following  is  a  list  of  supervisors  of  the  town  from  its  incorporation 
to  the  present  time,  with  their  years  of  service:  1795-96,  Joshua  Leland; 
1797-98,  Luther  Waterman;  1799-1801,  Reuben  Ransom;  1802-06, 
Erastus  Cleveland;  1807-16,  Reuben  Ransom;  1817,  Jonathan  Olm- 
stead;  1818-25,  Thomas  Dibble;  1826-29,  Lucas  Craine;  1830,  Ben- 
jamin Bonney;  1831,  Lucas  Craine;  1832-37,  William  Lord;  1838, 
Amos  Crocker;  1839-40,  Charles  G.  Otis;  1841,  Thomas  Dibble;  1842- 
43,  John  Muzzy;  1844,  no  record;  1845,  John  Muzzy;  1846-47,  Thomas 
'].  Hubbard;  1848,  William  G.  Brainard;  1849,  Calvin  Loomis;  1850-53, 
Charles  Green;  1854,  John  J.  Foote;  1855,  Omri  Willey;  1856,  John  J. 
Foote;  1857-58,  Abner  W.  Nash;  1859,  James  H.  Dunbar;  1860-61, 
Linus  H.  Miller;  1862-67,  Nathan  Brownell,  jr.  ;  1868-70,  Zenas  L. 
Fay;  1871-75  Clark  R.  Nash;  1876-91,  Melvin  Tripp;  1892-93,  H. 
Clay  Ackley;   1894-95.  Le  Roy  Nash;  1896-98,  H.  Clay  Ackley. 

The  population  of  Hamilton,  according  to  the  census  taken  in  various 
years  is  shown  in  the  following  figures : 

1835  1840  1845  1850  1855  1860  1865  1870  1875  1880  1890  1893 
4,032     3,738     3,878     3,599     3,737     3,894    3,434    3,687    3,711     3,912    3,923    4,110 

The  town  was  divided  into  school  districts  early  in  the  century  and 
for  many  years  the  number  has  been  seventeen;  previous  to  that  for 
some  years  there  was  one  less.  At  the  present  time  the  town,  with 
Brookfield,  De  Ruyter,  Eaton,  Georgetown,  Lebanon,  Madison  and 
Nelson  constitutes  the  First  Commissioner's  district  of  the  county. 
There  are  119  districts  under  this  commissioner,  of  which  Hamilton 
has  seventeen,  two  of  which  are  joint  districts  with  Sherburne.  For 
the  school  year  ending  1897  there  were  twenty-eight  teachers  employed 
and  the  whole  number  of  pupils  attending  was  822.  In  1853-4  a  Union 
school  district  was  formed  of  the  three  districts  in  Hamilton  village, 
which  is  fully  described  in  Chap  er  XXIV. 

This  town  has  always  been  one  of  the  foremost  in  hop  growing,  but 
in  recent  years,  as  in  most  of  the  towns,  this  industry  has  been  some- 
what neglected  in  favor  of  dairying,  to  which  the  soil  and  water  are 
admirably  adapted.  Large  quantities  of  milk  are  shipped  to  market 
from  the  several  railroad  stations  where  milk  stations  have  been  estab- 
lished. 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— HAMILTON.  577 

Hamilton  Village. — This  is  the  largest  village  in  the  town  of  Hamil- 
ton, and  is  a  beautiful  and  active  place.  It  is  situated  in  the  Chenango 
valley,  which  here  widens  into  a  beautiful  and  fertile  plain.  It  includes 
within  its  limits  lots  1,  3,  19  and  20  of  the  fourth  of  the  Twenty  Town- 
ships, which  occupy  the  northwest  corner  of  the  town.  The  village 
was  incorporated  April  12,  1816,  but  the  early  records  were  to  some 
extent  lost  and  the  remainder  by  the  great  fire  of  1895,  with  the  town 
records,  were  almost  destroyed.  Although  kept  in  a  fireproof  safe,  the 
latter  fell  into  a  large  cistern  and  the  water  rendered  most  of  the  writ- 
ing illegible,  causing  an  irreparable  loss.  The  first  completely  pre- 
served record  that  was  in  existence  previous  to  the  fire  was  dated  May  2, 
1819,  at  which  time  Thomas  Cox  was  president  of  the  village;  William 
Pierce,  2d,  Esek  Steere  and  Thomas  H.  Hubbard,  trustees;  and  J. 
Foote,  clerk.  Proceedings  of  the  various  boards  of  trustees,  if  they 
were  available,  would  doubtless  supply  interesting  facts,  even  though 
they  were  not  of  paramount  importance. 

The  earliest  mercantile  operations  in  Hamilton  were  probably  the 
stores  of  Charles  Clark  and  Joseph  Colwell,  who  located  there  while 
they  were  young  men  about  1800.  James  Dorrance  joined  Clark  in 
business  about  1805,  and  Charles  T.  Deering  afterwards  traded  in 
the  same  place.  Other  early  merchants  were  Esek  Steere,  Henr}^  M. 
Graves,  Samuel  Dascom,  Lewis  B.  Goodsell,  Joseph  Mott,  John  Foote 
and  his  on  John  J.,  Benjamin  F.  Bonney,  James  K.  Welton,  O.  L.  Wood- 
ruff, Robert  Patterson,  Orr  F.  Randolph,  Melvin  Tripp,  W.  K.  Lippitt, 
J.  M.  Banning  &  Co.,  John  Harmon,  Joseph  L.  Kelly,  James  Thomp- 
son, A.  E.  B.  Campbell,  Burnap  &  Fairchild,  A.  W.  Bartle,  E.  E.  Enos, 
McMorrow  &  Co.,  F.  N.Tompkins,  James  L.  Bright,  J.  P.  Butler  and 
possibly  a  few  others. 

The  present  merchants  of  the  village  are  the  following:  Charles  S. 
Orvis,  dry  goods;  George  E.  Sperry,  dry  goods,  carpets,  etc.  ;  Hamil- 
ton &  Co.,  Beal  &  Beebe  and  Elmer  C.  Root,  druggists;  J.  F.  Rogers, 
Beal  &  Beebe,  Mrs.  John  J.  Abel  &  Co.,  Elmer  C.  Root,  L.  M.  Royce, 
A.  J.  Newton,  E.  B.  Sheldon,  John  Brown  and  M,  W.  Wilcox,  grocers; 
Charles  G.  Gulbran  and  A.  N.  Smith,  hardware;  Matterson  &  Tooke, 
harness  and  carriages;  J.  B.  Grant  and  A.  H.  Stock,  books  and  station- 
ery; Carl  Baum  &  Sons,  A.  E.  Lewis  &  Son  and  F.  Piotrow,  clothing; 
L.  M.  Royce,  crockery ;  N.  R.  Wickwire,  flour  and  feed;  Rowlands  & 
Beal,  furniture  and  undertaking;  Mrs.  M.  E.  Grosvenor,  millinery; 
Van  Vleck  &  Baker,  marble  and  granite;  George  F.  Blum,  Charles  B. 
37 


578  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Saaford,  F.  N.Tompkins  and  Herbert  Tompkins,  jewelry;  Mrs.  J.  G. 
Abel  &  Co.,  variety  store;  D.  M.  Fairchild,  florist;  C.  W.  Lamphere, 
coal. 

The  industries  of  the  village  comprise  several  blacksmiths,  the  foun- 
dry of  Frank  Wilcox,  the  mills  and  wood  working  plane  of  the  Hamil- 
ton Lumber  Company,  the  machine  shop  of  Dwight  Graham,  several 
shoemakers,  wagonmakers,  etc. 

The  Park  Hotel  was  built  soon  after  1800  by  Artemas  Howard  who 
kept  it  many  years.  The  house  is  still  in  existence  with  several  addi- 
tions, and  W.  G.  Lippitt,  proprietor.  The  Eagle  Hotel  was  built  in 
1834  by  a  stock  company;  it  had  many  proprietors,  but  in  recent  years 
has  been  closed.  The  Maxwell  House  was  built  in  1895  and  opened  by 
M.  F.  Maxwell;  he  was  succeeded  by  his  widow  and  she  by  John  Kee- 
gan,  the  present  proprietor. 

The  Hamilton  Bank  began  business  in  1853  with  the  following  direc- 
tors: Adon  Smith,  John  Mott,  Alvan  Pierce,  Henry  Tower,  Lewis 
Wickwire,  Delos  De  Wolf,  John  J.  Foote,  Artemas  Osgood,  Smith  Mott, 
D.  B.  West,  Alonzo  Peck,  William  Cobb,  and  William  Felt.  The  first 
president,  Adon  Smith;  cashier,  D.  B.  West.  The  institution  was  or- 
ganized as  a  national  bank  May,  1865,  with  its  present  title.  The  pres- 
ent officers  are  Gen.  William  M.  West,  president;  Adon  N.  Smith,  vice- 
president;  Leroy  Fairchild,  cashier. 

The  Hamilton  Republican  was  founded  by  Nathaniel  King,  under  the 
original  title  of  The  Madison  Farmer,  in  1828.  With  many  changes  of 
ownership  it  still  continues  as  one  of  the  leading  country  newpapers  of 
the  State.  The  present  proprietors  of  the  establishment  are  H.  H. 
Hawkins,  of  the  Waterville  Times,  and  F.  M.  Elliott,  of  Hamilton. 

The  Hamilton  Recorder  was  started  in  1817  by  John  G.  Stower  and 
Dr.  Peter  B.  Havens;  it  was  removed  to  Morrisville  in  1829  and  was 
merged  with  the  Madison  Observer,  which  is  elsewhere  noticed.  The 
Civilian  was  started  in  July,  1830,  by  Lauren  Dewey;  it  was  discon- 
tinued the  following  year.  The  Hamilton  Courier  was  founded  in  1834 
by  G.  R.  Waldron  and  lived  until  1838.  In  that  year  the  Hamilton 
Palladium  began  its  career  of  six  years.  In  1839  G.  R.  Waldron  started 
the  Hamilton  Eagle,  which  did  not  long  survive.  The  Democratic 
Reflector  was  established  in  1842  by  Mr.  Waldron  and  Wallace  W. 
Chubbuck;  after  several  changes  it  was  merged  with  the  Madison 
County  Journal,  which  was  started  in  1849  by  E.  F.  &  C.  B.  Gould,  and 
the  name  was  changed  to  the  Democratic  Republican,  as  above  stated 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— HAMILTON.  579 

The  Democratic  Union  was  started  in  October,  1856,  by  Levi  S. 
Backus,  and  in  the  following  year  it  was  removed  to  Oneida  and  is  no- 
ticed in  connection  with  the  history  of  that  place.  The  Independent 
Volunteer  was  started  in  July,  1863,  by  George  R.  Waldron  and  J.  M. 
Chase,  and  issued  simultaneously  here  and  at  Morrisville.  In  1866  the 
name  was  changed  to  the  Democratic  Volunteer  and  it  was  continued 
until  the  fire. 

The  churches  of  Hamilton  comprise  the  First  Baptist,  which  was  or- 
ganized in  1796,  and  the  first  meeting  house  was  erected  in  1810.  Two 
others  have  been  built,  the  first  in  1819  and  the  other  in  1843.  In  1819 
the  Second  Baptist  Church  was  organized  in  the  east  part  of  the  town 
by  members  dismissed  from  the  first  church. 

The  Congregational  Church  was  organized  in  1828  and  the  first  house 
of  worship  was  built  on  the  present  site  in  the  same  year.  This  was 
burned  in  1851  and  the  second  structure  was  finished  in  1853;  it  was 
greatly  improved  in  1871.     Pastor,  Rev.  Lathrop  C.  Grant. 

St.  Thomas'  Episcopal  Church  was  organized  in  1835.  The  present 
church  was  built  in  1846-47.  Present  rector,  Rev.  Frank  P.  Harring- 
ton. 

A  Methodist  Church  was  formed  here  in  early  years,  of  which  there 
is  no  available  record.  For  many  years  prior  to  1836  the  society  wor- 
shiped in  a  small  chapel  two  miles  northeast  of  the  village.  The  pres- 
ent edifice  stood  on  the  corner  of  John  and  Charles  streets  many  years 
and  was  removed  to  its  present  site  in  1867. 

St.  Mary's  Catholic  Church  was  organized  in  1869,  between  which 
date  and  1878,  various  tracts  of  land  were  purchased  adjacent  to  each 
other.  A  frame  structure  was  erected  on  the  site,  which  was  blown 
down  within  a  few  years.  The  corner  stone  of  the  beautiful  stone 
edifice  was  laid  in  1875.     The  present  pastor  is  Rev.  J.  V.  MacDonnell. 

The  schools  and  college  in  this  village  are  adequately  described  in 
another  place  in  this  work. 

The  fire  department  in  Hamilton,  as  far  as  shown  by  records,  was 
first  formally  organized  by  the  appointment  of  a  fire  company  on  May 
19,  1833,  consisting  of  seventeen  members.  From  that  small  beginning 
the  department  was  gradually  increased  to  its  present  magnitude.  The 
department  of  to-day  was  organized  in  1873,  and  is  at  the  present  time 
under  reorganization  to  adapt  it  to  the  new  water  supply  system.  On 
February  19,  1895,  nearly  the  whole  of  the  business  part  of  the  village 
was  destroyed  by  fire,  as  elsewhere  more  fully  described.     Since  that 


580  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

time  the  water  works  have  been  installed  on  the  gravity  plan,  the 
supply  being  pumped  into  a  stand  pipe  of  200,000  gallons  capacity, 
giving  a  pressure  in  the  mains  of  100  pounds.  This  assures  the  best 
protection  from  fire  in  future.  The  works  are  owned  and  operated  by 
the  village  government.  A  modern  electric  lighting  plant  has  also 
been  established,  under  control  of  the  authorities,  by  which  streets  and 
buildings  are  adequately  illuminated.  The  present  commissioners  who 
have  the  immediate  charge  of  both  of  these  plants  are  William  M.West, 
president;  James  M.  Taylor,  secretary;  Melvin  Tripp,  treasurer. 

A  Village  Improvement  Association  was  formed  in  1884,  with  about 
twenty  members,  which  is  still  in  existence,  and  which  has  accomplished 
much  in  beautifying  streets,  parks,  and  other  public  places.  The  pres- 
ent officers  are  B.  F.  Bonney,  president;  Melvin  Tripp,  vice-president; 
Le  Roy  Fairchild,  treasurer;  E.  P.  Sisson,  secretary. 

Earlville  has  suffered  seriously  in  the  past  from  destructive  fires.  The 
greatest  of  these  took  place  August  33,  1886  when  most  of  the  business 
part  of  the  village  and  many  dwellings  were  destroyed.  This  fire 
started  in  Kinney's  hotel  barn.  Another  fire  occurred  four  years  later 
which  burned  many  of  the  principal  business  establishments.  On  March 
28,  1894,  a  third  destructive  conflagation  took  place,  burning  a  number 
of  the  largest  business  places;  it  was  caused  by  lightning.  After  the 
first  fire  the  village  was  rebuilt,  mainly  of  wood,  and  many  of  the  new 
structures  were  destroyed  by  the  second  and  third  fires.  The  present 
village  is  largely  built  of  brick  in  its  central  part. 

Brown's  Hotel,  as  it  was  long  known,  was  built  about  1836  by  Oran 
H.  Waite.  Nicanor  Brown  purchased  it  in  January,  1868,  and  con- 
ducted the  house  ten  years  and  was  succeeded  by  his  sons,  Lyman  and 
Frank  Brown.  The  hotel  was  burned  in  the  first  fire  and  rebuilt  and 
during  eleven  years  past  has  been  conducted  by  Fay  Sawdy,  as  the 
Sawdy  House.  The  Earlville  House  v/as  built  in  1833  by  Gardner 
Waters.  On  May  1,  1868,  it  was  bought  by  William  H.  Jones  who  kept 
it  until  his  tragic  death,  July  5,  1876,  when  his  widow  succeeded,  who 
subsequently  sold  to  Hoyt  Kinney.  Five  years  later  he  sold  to  Edward 
D.  Avery  who  now  conducts  it  as  the  Avery  House.  The  East  End 
Hotel  was  built  in  1897;  A.  M.  Sly  is  the  present  proprietor.  The 
West  End  Hotel  was  built  in  1889  by  Nicanor  Brown  who  sold  to  Al- 
bert Bennett  in  1897. 

An  early  industry  in  the  village  was  the  tannery  established  in  1851 
by  a  Mr.  Merrills.     He  sold  it  before  its  completion  to  W.    K.    Nash. 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— HAMILTON.  581 

After  nine  years  in  his  possession  he  sold  to  J.  C.  Torrey  who  conducted 
it  seven  years  and  was  succeeded  by  his  brother,  N.  W.  Torrey  and  G. 
P.  Wilson.  Mr.  Wilson  sold  his  interest  to  his  partner,  who  carried  on 
the  business  alone.  The  building  was  burned  in  the  first  fire,  it  having 
been  idle  for  some  time.  On  the  site  of  this  tannery  was  a  still  earlier 
one,  built  about  the  beginning  of  the  war  of  1812  by  Jared  Pardee. 

The  Earlville  grist  and  saw  mills  were  built  in  1839  by  William  Felt, 
who  operated  them  twenty-seven  years;  he  died  in  1860  and  left  the 
property  to  William  Babcock,  son  of  Thomas,  who  had  been  miller  dur- 
ing the  whole  period.  The  mills  are  still  in  existence  and  the  building 
occupied  by  the  Parsons  Low-down  Wagon  Works.  This  industry  was 
established  in  1887  by  J.  R.  Parsons  and  was  incorporated  in  1891  with 
capital  stock  of  $30,000.  In  1898  the  company  was  transformed  into  a 
private  industry. 

The  Earlville  Furniture  Works  were  established  by  S.  Bentley,  E.  C. 
Bently  and  G.  D.  Bentley  in  1886;  they  were  from  New  Berlin  where 
members  of  the  family  had  previously  been  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  furniture.  The  present  buildings  were  erected  in  1893.  The  firm 
failed  in  189G  and  the  plant  is  idle. 

The  C.  L.  Cotton  Perfume  and  Extract  Company  originated  with 
C.  L.  Cotton,  a  former  druggist  of  the  village,  in  1878.  In  that  year 
he  begaa  the  manufacture  of  extracts  and  later  added  perfumes  to 
his  output.  The  present  stock  company  was  incorporated  in  1893, 
with  a  nominal  capital  stock  of  $50,000.  Five  traveling  salesmen  are 
employed  and  several  hands  in  the  plant.  Board  of  directors — C.  L. 
Cotton,  president;  Henry  G.  Green,  vice-president;  F.  E.  Williams, 
secretary  and  treasury;   F.   C.   Devallant,   H.  C.   Allen. 

J.  N.  Holmes  carries  on  a  wagon  shop  and  J.  D.  Washburn  has 
a  carriage  and  blacksmith  shop.  A  milk  station  is  operated  at  the 
railroad  depot  by  the  McDermott-Bunger  Co.,  at  which  about  7,000 
pounds  of  milk  are  taken  daily. 

The  Arnold  Furniture  Manufacturing  Company  removed  from  Fay- 
etteville  in  1890  and  built  the  present  factory.  Desks  and  book  cases 
are  made,  employing  about  thirty  men.  Officers  of  the  company  are 
L.  S.  Arnold,  president;  H.  C.  Allen,  vice-president;  L.  W.  Arnold, 
secretary  and  treasurer. 

The  first  merchants  in  the  village  were  Marvin  Tanner  and  Henry 
Waters  who  were  in  business  before  1840.  Other  early  merchants  were 
Orange  Waite,  Sidney    B.  Webb,  Thomas   Kershaw,    Higgins  &   Hen- 


582  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

drick,  Horace  A.  Campbell,  Webb  &  Kershaw,  Henry  R.  .Long,  Span 
cer  and  Ely  Willis,  Charles  G.  Otis,  Job  Collins,  Otis  B.  Howe,  Benja- 
min F.  Skinner,  Wolcott  Leavenworth,  Charles  Billings,  Nicanor 
Brown,  E.Volney  Chapin,  William  O.  Bancroft  and  perhaps  a  few  others. 
The  present  merchants  of  the  village  are  as  follows:  Cushman  & 
Brainard,  C.  W.  Smith,  R.  H.  Williamson,  Casety  &  Miller,  and  R.  R 
Hal],  general  stores;  F.  C.  Buell,  L.  W.  Parr,  and  F.  D.  Morgan,  hard- 
ware; Jennings  &  Taylor,  confectionery  and  cigars  (wholesale);  L.  L. 
Sawdy,  meats;  Eugene  Pierce,  harness;  A.  M.  Hoadley,  clothing;  N. 
L.  Douglafs,  drugs;  J.  L.  Rowe,  groceries,  etc.;  Todd  &  Gurney,  lum- 
ber, etc.;  C.  F.  Foster,  furniture  and  undertaking;  George  E.  Bergen, 
jewelry.  Parker  Newton  and  S.  B.  Cloyes  carry  on  the  insurance  busi- 
ness in  the  village. 

The  First  National  Bank  of  Earlville  was  incorporated  December  15, 
1890,  with  capital  stock  of  $50,000.  The  first  officers  were  H.  G.  Green, 
president;  George  B.  Whitmore,  vice-president;  G.  H.  Clark,  cashier. 
George  E.  Nash  is  now  vice-president,  the  other  officers  remaining  the 
same. 

It  is  not  now  known  just  when  the  post-office  was  established  here, 
but  it  was  as  early  as  1824.  Dr.  Consider  H.  Stacy  was  the  first  post- 
master. An  earlier  office  had  been  open  a  half  mile  north  of  Earlville, 
near  the  old  tannery,  where  James  B.  Eldridge  kept  a  tavern.  Recent 
postmasters,  beginning  with  1880  have  been  C.  L.  Cotton,  Newell 
Douglass,  r.  W.  Rowe,  L.  K.  Nash,  B.  B.  Wilcox,  and  S.  B.  Cloyes, 
incumbent. 

The  Earlville  Recorder,  a  weekly  newspaper,  was  started  December 
9, 1876,  by  Frank  W.  Godfred,  who  continued  it  only  a  few  weeks.  The 
Enterprise  was  founded  April  5,  1878,  by  Eugene  M.  Lansing.  The 
paper  was  ably  conducted  and  was  repeatedly  enlarged.  It  was  ulti- 
mately discontinued.  The  Earlville  Standard  was  established  in  1886 
by  L.  D.  Blanchard,  who  sold  it  to  Burch  &  Briggs  in  November,  1895. 
It  is  an  independent  weekly. 

The  present  attorneys  of  the  village  are  S.  B.  Cloyes  and  E.  N.  Cush- 
man. The  first  law3^er  in  the  village  was  probably  Joseph  Whitmore, 
who  settled  here  in  1846  and  a  few  years  later  removed  to  Michigan ; 
other  attorneys  were  Alfred  Nichols  and  Ernest  C.  Dart.  The  present 
physicians  are  H.  H.  White  and  Earl  Wilcox ;  Dr.  D.  B.  Payne  is  the 
dentist.  Joseph  Stowell  was  an  early  physician  here  and  others  of  the 
past  were  Drs.  Consider  H.  Stacy,  James  Sheffield,  Laban  Tucker,  D. 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— HAMILTON.  583 

Ransom,  A.  S.  Nichols,  Dr.  Babcock,  J.  A.  Ressegieu,  Hull  S.  Gardner, 
Andrew  S.  Douglass,  and  possibly  a  few  others. 

Profiting  by  the  lessons  of  the  past,  an  excellent  fire  department  is 
maintained  comprising  three  companies — Douglass  Hose  Company, 
Cotton  Hose  Company  and  a  hook  and  ladder  company.  The  use  of 
engines  is  not  necessary  since  1894,  when  a  complete  water  supply  sys- 
tem was  established,  with  a  pressure  on  hydrants  of  about  100  pounds. 
An  electric  lighting  system  was  established  in  1894  by  the  Parsons  Low- 
down  Wagon  Company,  and  the  village  is  lighted  from  that  plant. 
Earlville  was  incorporated  in  1887. 

The  First  Baptist  Church  in  Sherburne  is  located  at  Earlville,  and 
was  organized  in  June,  1803,  with  fifteen  members.  The  first  meeting 
house  was  built  on  the  hill  east  of  Earlville  in  1818  and  the  second  one 
in  1835.  This  was  removed  to  the  south  side  of  Main  street  and  re- 
modeled into  an  opera  house.  The  present  handsome  church  was 
erected  in  1887-88. 

The  Methodist  Church  of  Earlville  was  originally  a  class  formed  in 
1802.  The  first  society  was  formed  in  1815,  and  measures  were  at  once 
adopted  to  raise  money  for  a  meeting  house.  .  The  building  was  erected 
in  1810  and  was  extensively  repaired  and  improved  in  1871.  This  was 
burned  in  the  great  fire  and  the  present  edifice  was  erected  soon  after- 
ward. 

The  Episcopal  Church  of  Earlville  was  organized  in  1877  and  the 
house  of  worship  erected  in  the  same  year.      It  is  a  mission  station. 

Poolville. — This  is  a  small  village  and  post-ofifice  on  the  east  branch 
of  the  Chenango  a  little  southwest  of  the  center  of  the  town,  and  a 
station  on  the  Utica,  Clinton  and  Susquehanna  branch  of  the  D.,  L. 
&  W.  Railroad.  The  place  takes  its  name  from  a  family  named  Pool 
who  settled  here  in  early  years,  among  whom  was  Abijah  Pool,  the 
l)ioneer,  who  came  about  1810,  with  his  sons  Abijah  and  Isaac.  Rela- 
tives of  this  family  came  in  later.  Abijah  located  midway  between 
Earlville  and  Poolville  and  established  a  carding  and  cloth-dressing  fac- 
tor3^  Gideon  Randall  Pool,  cousin  of  Isaac,  became  a  partner  in  the 
business  and  it  was  transferred  to  Poolville  in  1825.  The  post  office  was 
opened  in  1830.  The  old  carding  mill  was  closed  in  1835.  The  same 
kind  of  business  was  re-established  by  Nathan  B.  Eaton,  who  also 
started  a  store  and  an  ashery ;  he  failed  about  1850.  The  Eaton  woolen 
mill  was  originally  a  grist  mill  and  after  Eaton's  failure,  was  again  used 
for  that  purpose  by  Elihu  Thompson  and  William  G.  Brainard.     This 


584  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

mill  is  now  operated  by  George  W.  Berry.  On  the  same  dam  was  a 
saw  mill  which  was  owned  by  various  persons  and  was  finally  demol- 
ished. 

A  tannery  was  built  in  1831  by  Loomis,  Lowd  &  Co.,  which,  after 
various  changes,  passed  to  Henry  Berry  in  1855;  the  building  is  now  in 
use  as  a  cold  storage  warehou.se  by  George  W.  and  Frank  O.  Berry,  sons 
of  Henry. 

Enos  Wood  established  a  machine  shop  in  1830,  which  was  removed 
to  Pierceville  in  1835. 

A  milk  station  is  located  at  the  railroad  under  control  of  the  Empire 
State  Dairy  Company,  with  H.  J.  ispencer,  local  manager.  About  8,000 
pounds  of  milk  are  taken  daily. 

A  hotel  was  built  in  1832  by  Samuel  Pool,  which  was  burned  in  1879. 
F.  H.  Kinney  built  another  on  the  same  site  which  also  burned.  The 
present  hotel  was  built  in  1884-85  by  Dr.  C.  D.  Green  and  is  now  con- 
ducted by  his  widow.  The  Railroad  Hotel  was  built  in  1868  by  An- 
drew Forbes.  It  had  several  different  proprietors,  and  was  burned 
April  37,  1898. 

The  Methodist  Church  of  Poolville  was  organized  between  1850  and 
1860,  and  the  house  of  worship  was  built  soon  after.  The  building  was 
repaired  in  1869  and  again  in  recent  years.  The  present  pastor  is  Rev. 
Mr.  Knapp,  who  also  has  charge  of  the  church  at  East  Hamilton.  A 
Universalist  society  at  Poolville  was  organized  by  the  members  of  the 
church  at  Hubbardsville,  with  Rev.  Mr.  Ballon  as  first  pastor.  The 
meeting  house  was  erected  in  1886. 

One  of  the  first  merchants  here  succeeding  Mr.  Eaton,  before  men- 
tioned, was  George  E .  Nash,  who  began  in  1860,  in  company  with  H. 
H.  Kinney,  whose  interest  he  purchased  two  years  later.  Mr.  Nash  is 
still  in  business  and  for  many  years  past  has  been  postmaster. 

Cook  &  Dunham  keep  a  general  store,  succeeding  J.  M.  Jennings; 
he  was  preceded  by  D.  W.  Hyland,  who  began  trade  in  1885.  There 
are  the  usual  small  shops  in  the  village. 

Hubbardsville. — This  is  a  small  village  situated  on  the  Chenango  in 
the  northeast  part  of  the  town  and  is  a  post-office  and  station  on  the 
D.,  L.  &  W.  Railroad.  It  derives  its  name  from  Calvin  Hubbard,  who 
settled  there  about  1813.  He  operated  an  early  tannery  and  distillery 
and  died  at  an  advanced  age.  The  first  merchant  here  was  Ephraim 
Chamberlain,  who  was  in  trade  before  1835;  other  early  merchants  were 
Sherebiah  S.  Hunt  and  Elias  K.  Hart,  Charles  Green,  Gideon  Manches- 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— HAMILTON.  585 

ter,  Nathan  Peck,  Clark  R.  Nash,  WiUiam  T.  Manchester,  Dr.  Julius 
Nye,  Francis  G.  Shepardson,  C.  D.  Nash,  Nathan  Brownell  and  his 
son,  Nicanor,  John  O.  Wallace  and  others.  There  are  at  the  present 
time  two  general  stores,  one  of  which  is  conducted  by  D.  D,  Livermore 
and  the  other  by  Wilmer  Rhodes.  H.  J.  Kinney  sells  meat  and  Ells- 
worth Dart  has  a  blacksmith  shop. 

The  Dunbar  Mills  were  built  in  1850  by  James  H.  Dunbar  and 
Charles  Blanchard,  on  the  site  of  an  earlier  mill.  They  are  now  oper- 
ated by  W.  M.  Jennings.  A  hotel  is  kept  at  the  station  by  John  Green. 
The  post-office  here  was  established  in  1849  by  removal  from  East 
Hamilton,  and  retained  that  name  until  1856,  when  it  was  changed  to 
Hubbard's  Corners.  William  T.  Manchester  was  the  first  postmaster 
and  William  T.  Rhodes  is  the  present  incumbent. 

The  first  Universalist  Church  at  Hubbardsville  was  organized  in  1808 
and  built  their  meeting  house  in  1833-34. 

East  Hamilton. — A  small  settlement  which  was  known  many  years  as 
Colchester  Settlement,  is  situated  about  a  mile  south  of  Hubbardsville, 
on  the  east  side  of  the  river.  It  was  one  of  the  points  at  which  it  was 
proposed  in  the  first  decade  of  the  century  as  the  site  of  the  county  seat. 
There  was  at  that  time  considerable  business  carried  on  here,  which 
has  mostly  passed  away.  A  general  store  is  kept  by  Chauncey  Mun- 
son,  a  hotel  by  Frank  Kinney,  a  restaurant  by  Frank  Cummings,  and 
there  are  two  blacksmiths,  Elliott  Fitch  and  Stephen  Underdown. 

South  Hamilton  is  a  settlement  in  the  southeast  part,  where  there 
is  a  post-office  with  vSamuel  B.  Munson  postmaster,  a  grist  mill,  a  saw 
mill  and  a  few  shops. 

The  vicinity  of  the  center  of  the  town,  which  has  been  known  as 
Hamilton  Center,  has  no  business  interests,  but  was  chosen  in  early 
years,  according  to  the  prevailing  custom,  as  the  site  of  the  First  Con- 
gregational Church,  which  was  built  here  in  1800.  The  society  was 
incorporated  as  the  Second  Congregational  Society  of  Hamilton  in 
1798.  The  building  was  removed  to  Poolville  about  1842  and  finally 
was  transformed  into  dwellings. 

The  Second  Baptist  Church  of  Hamilton  was  organized  in  1810  and 
the  meeting  house  erected  a  mile  southeast  of  Poolville.  The  meeting 
house  was  built  in  1835. 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


The  Town  of    Lebanon. 


This  town  was  formed  from  Hamilton  on  February  6,  180?,  and  is 
one  of  the  five  towns  of  the  county  erected  in  that  year.  It  is  the 
center  town  on  the  south  border  of  the  county,  bounded  north  by 
Eaton,  east  by  Hamilton,  south  by  Chenango  county,  and  west  by 
Georgetown.  It  contains  a  little  more  than  26,000  acres,  about  four- 
fifths  of  which  is  improved.  The  surface  is  hilly  and  lies  mostly  be- 
tween the  valleys  of  the  Chenango  and  the  Otselic;  the  first  of  these 
streams  flows  through  the  eastern  part  of  the  town,  its  valley  compris- 
ing a  fertile  and  beautiful  region,  expanding  to  nearly  a  mile  in  width 
and  bordered  by  the  steep  slopes  of  the  hills,  which  rise  500  to  800  feet 
above  the  valley  bottom.  The  town  is  underlaid  mostly  by  the  Ham- 
ilton group  and  some  good  stone  has  been  quarried  for  building  pur- 
poses. The  soil  on  the  hills  is  gravelly  loam  underlaid  with  hardpan, 
and  in  the  valleys  alluvium  It  is  almost  exclusively  an  agricultural 
district,  dairying  being  extensively  followed,  with  hop  growing  to  a 
limited  extent.  The  New  York,  Ontario  and  Western  Railroad  crosses 
the  town  along  its  east  border  in  the  Chenango  valley,  connecting  at 
Smith's  Valley  with  the  Utica,  Clinton  and  Binghamton  road,  and  at 
Earlville  with  the  Syracuse  and  Chenango  branch  of  the  West  Shore 
road. 

Lebanon  was  one  of  the  six  towns  originally  patented  to  Col  William 
S.  Smith,  who  soon  transferred  the  most  of  it  to  Sir  William  Pultney, 
reserving  a  tract  on  the  Chenango  River.  Settlement  began  under  the 
auspices  of  those  men  through  the  direct  agency  of  Justus  B.  Smith, 
brother  of  Colonel  Smith  and  others.  Joshua  Smith  was  sent  in  to  the 
town  in  1791  to  prospect,  built  a  log  house  near  the  Smith's  Valley  set- 
tlement, returned  to  report  to  his  principal,  but  subsequently  came 
back  to  Lebanon  and  settled  here  permanently.  Justus  B.  Smith,  the 
agent,  also  settled  with  his  brothers,  John  and  James,  and  five  sisters. 
Jonathan  Bates,  Enoch  Stowell,  and  John  and  James  Salisbury  came  on 
in  the  fall  of  1792,  the  Salisburys  settling  in  Eaton,  and  Bates  and 
Stowell  in  Lebanon;  during  that  fall  they  cleared  twenty  acres  of  land. 
In  the  spring  of  1794  David  Hartshorn  and  Samuel  Felt,  with  his 
brother  David,  became  settlers.  Lent  Bradley  and  Solomon  Jones  set- 
tled as  early  as  1797,  John  W.  Bulkley  about  the  same  time  and  David 
and  Dunham  Shapley  and  Arunah  Moseley  as  early  as  1798. 

As  early  as  1800  nine  separate  families  of  Campbells  came   into  the 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— LEBANON.  587 

town,  locating  at  Campbell's  Settlement  in  the  north  part.  Daniel  and 
Elisha  Wheeler  settled  about  1798  and  soon  built  the  first  grist  and  saw 
mills  in  the  town  on  the  Chenango.  Settlers  at  about  the  beginning  of 
the  century  were  Malatiah  Hatch,  Dane  Ballard,  Elihu  Bosworth,  Jabin 
Armstrong,  Thomas  Buell,  and  Abraham  Webster.  Silas  Seymour,  a 
Revolutionary  soldier,  settled  in  the  town  in  1800,  Rev.  Matthias  Cazier 
in  1803,  and  Orsamus  Gilbert  and  Francis  Whitmore  in  1805.  Other 
pioneers  were  Ephraim  Gray,  Benjamin  Hewes,  Thomas  Hueston,  Daniel 
Stowell,  Deacon  Asa  Tenney,  Capt.  Roderick  Moore,  Philip  Kibbie, 
Captain  Truman  and  Jabez  Billings,  John  Sheldon,  Giles  Collins,  and 
Richard  Taylor,  all  of  whom  have  been  noticed  more  in  detail  in  an 
earlier  chapter. 

The  first  town  meeting  for  Lebanon  was  held  on  March  3,  1807,  in 
the  red  school  house  and  the  following  officers  elected:  John  W.  Bulk- 
ley,  supervisor;  Silas  Seymour,  clerk;  Giles  Collins,  Josiah  Lasel  and 
Jacob  Kennedy,  assessors;  Malatiah  Hatch  and  Roderick  Moore,  over- 
seers of  the  poor;  Jacob  Kennedy,  Daniel  Clark  and  Roderick  Moore, 
commissioners  of  highways;  David  Hartshorn  and  Joseph  Hitchcock, 
constables;  Joseph  Hitchcock,  collector;  George  Morey,  Walter  Baker, 
Clark  "Willcocks,"  Stephen  James,  Orsamus  Gilbert,  Samuel  Lewis, 
Abraham  Webster,  Jacob  Hartshorn,  Justus  B.  Smith,  Ezra  Gates,  John 
W.  Bulkley,  Elisha  Wheeler,  Darius  Sperry,  Sheldon  Smith,  Gardner 
Salsbury,  Moses  Pomeroy,  William  Taggart,  James  Dorrance,  Roder- 
ick Moore,  Archibald  Campbell,  David  B.  Hitchcock,  Aaron  Davies, 
Giles  Collins  and  William  Sloan,  overseers  of  highways  and  fence  view- 
ers; Charles  S.  Campbell,  poundkeeper. 

A  special  town  meeting  was  held  November  33,  1807,  at  which  John 
W.  Bulkley,  Constant  Merrick,  Jacob  Kennedy,  Moses  Wylie  and  Rod- 
erick Moore  were  appointed  a  committee  to  select  the  place  for  "cen- 
tering the  town,"  as  it  was  expressed.  A  little  later  steps  were  taken 
to  raise  funds  by  subscription  with  which  to  build  a  town  house;  this 
purpose  was  never  carried  out. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  supervisors  of  this  town  from  its  formation 
to  the  present  time,  with  the  years  of  their  service:  1807-9,  John  W. 
Bulkley ;  1810-11,  James  Campbell ;  1812-14,  Francis  Whitmore ;  1815-19, 
Amos  Crocker;  1820-31,  Francis  Whitmore;  1833-28,  Daniel  Clark; 
1829-30,  Josiah  Lasell;  1831-34,  Francis  Whitmore;  1835-36,  Jacob 
Hartshorn;  1837,  Erastus  B.  Burroughs;  1838-40,  Curtis  Hoppin; 
1841-42,   Jeremiah    Ballard;    1843-44,     David    Clark;    1845-46,   Curtis 


588  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Hoppin;  1847,  Joseph  A.  Norton;  1848-49,  David  Clark;  1850,  Joseph 
A.  Norton;  1851-52,  David  Clark;  1853-55,  Jason  Owen;  1856-58, 
David  Clark;  1859,  Aylmer  Ballard;  1860-61,  John  C.  Head;  1862-65, 
E.  M.  Lamb;  1866-67,  George  W.  Baker;  1868-69,  Henry  Seymour; 
1870,  Albert  O.'  Pierce;  1871,  Edwin  M.  Lamb;  1872-75,  Ephraim 
Fisk;  1876-77,  Ladurna  Ballard;  1878,  John  S.  Ross;  1879-80,  Sidney 
D.  Smith;  1881,  Herman  Snell;  1883-83,  Edwin  M.  Lamb;  1884-85, 
Morris  N.  Campbell;  1886-88,  Stephen  R.  Campbell;  1889-95,  De  For- 
est A.  Wilcox;   1896-99,  Stephen  R.  Campbell. 

There  are  only  two  post  villages  in  Lebanon — the  village  of  Lebanon, 
which  is  the  largest,  and  Smith's  Valley,  the  post-office  here  bearing 
the  name  of  Randallsville.  Lebanon  was  locally  known  in  past  years 
as  "  Toad  Hollow;"  it  is  situated  about  a  mile  west  of  the  center  of  the 
town  and  is  a  station  on  the  railroad.  Justus  B.  Smith  was  the  first  to 
sell  goods  here,  keeping  a  small  stock  in  the  basement  of  his  house. 
The  first  merchant  to  trade  in  a  regular  store  building  was  Jonathan 
Thayer,  jr.,  who  continued  until  his  death  in  1830.  Other  early  mer- 
chants were  Orson  and  William  L.  Sheldon,  who  traded  in  the  Gilbert 
store;  after  a  year  or  two  William  withdrew;  Curtis  Hoppin,  who  bought 
out  Orson  Sheldon;  Joseph  A  Norton,  Edwin  M.Lamb,  Joseph  D.Avery, 
Fisk  &  Gilbert,  Pike  &  Seymour,  Abraham  Martin,  and  a  few  o:hers. 
The  present  merchants  are  S.  W.  Seymour,  succeeded  Pike  &  Sey- 
mour, general  store;  J.  H.  Poole,  boots  and  shoes;  Irving  Collins,  es- 
tablished flour  and  feed  store  in  1889  and  afterwards  added  a  general 
stock ;  W.  S.  Niles,  boots  and  shoes  and  hardware,  succeeded  Niles 
Brothers  in  May,  1898;  their  general  stock  was  taken  by  Frank  D.  Lyon 
who  conducts  a  store.     C.  M.  Henry  has  a  blacksmith  shop. 

Horace  A.  Campbell  built  the  upright  part  of  the  original  hotel  about 
1834  for  a  store  and  a  little  later  converted  it  into  a  hotel,  which  he 
kept  until  about  1853;  the  house  afterwards  had  several  proprietors 
and  is  now  called  the  Currier  House,  and  kept  by  George  M.  Currier. 

The  old  saw  mill  built  many  years  ago  at  Lebanon  still  stands,  but 
is  now  in  use  only  as  a  storehouse  by  L.  Ballard ;  the  dam  is  gone.  A 
tannery  was  established  here  in  1838  by  Thomas  Bright  and  passed 
through  several  hands  until  1884  when  it  was  burned.  It  was  rebuilt 
the  next  year  and  is  now  owned  by  S.  B.  David  and  T.  A.  Beach;  it 
was  used  for  a  time  as  a  saw  and  grist  mill,  but  is  now  idle. 

The  first  physician  here  was  Joseph  Stowell,  who  came  from  Stowell, 
Mass.,  and  about  1799  settled  on  the  southeast  corner  lot  in  this  town, 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— LEBANON.  589 

near  Earlville,  and  there  practiced  until  his  death  in  1831  or  1832.  His 
son,  Kittridge,  succeeded  to  the  horastead.  Dr.  Constant  Merrick 
from  Lanesboro,  Mass.,  settled  about  180'^  about  two  miles  southeast  of 
Lebanon,  and  about  1806  removed  to  the  village  and  practiced  until  his 
death  in  1828.  Other  former  physicians  were  Drs.  John  Clarke,  Eras- 
tus  B.  Burroughs,  Lyman  O.  Horton,  John  Baker  and  his  brother 
Cyrus,  homoeopathists,  Frank  D.  Beebe,  Elam  Root,  and  the  late  James 
Mott  Throop.     The  physician  now  in  practice  is  Dr.  M.  D.  French. 

The  first  postmaster  at  Lebanon  was  Jonathan  Thayer,  appointed 
about  1814  and  held  the  office  until  his  death  in  1830.  His  son  Sylves- 
ter succeeded  him  until  1833,  when  Orrin  Thayer,  another  son  of  Jona- 
than, was  appointed.  He  was  followed  about  1836  by  Horace  A.  Camp- 
bell. Orrin  Gilbert  was  the  next  incumbent  for  a  short  period  and  was 
succeeded  by  William  L.  Sheldon  who  continued  until  near  his  death  in 
18-47.  H.  A.  Campbell  was  the  successor  and  was  followed  in  1853  by 
Edwin  M.  Lamb.  About  1858  Reuben  S  Hall  was  appointed  and  was 
succeeded  by  Joseph  D.  Avery  in  1861,  and  he  by  Milton  E.  Danforth 
in  1865.  Charles  W.  Brasse  was  appointed  about  1870  and  in  1873  was 
succeeded  by  John  D.  Gilbert.  He  held  the  office  until  1876,  when  he 
was  succeeded  by  Silas  W.  Seymour,  who  has  held  the  office  in  all  Re- 
publican administrations  since,  while  James  Mosher  has  been  the  in- 
cumbent in  Democratic  administrations. 

The  Congregational  Church  at  Lebanon  was  organized  October  2, 
1802,  as  the  Third  Congregational  Church  of  Christ  in  the  town  of  Ham- 
ilton, with  fifteen  members.  The  first  settled  pastor  was  probably  not 
ordained  until  1825,  when  Rev.  S.  Scott  was  called.  The  meeting 
house  was  built  in  1825  a  mile  north  of  the  Center  and  in  1839  was  re- 
moved to  its  present  site,  where  it  has  been  greatly  improved  according 
to  modern  ideas.  The  society  is  now  prospering  under  the  ministrations 
of  Rev.  Hugh  Ivey. 

Steps  were  taken  early  in  the  century  that  resulted  in  the  organization 
of  a  Baptist  Church  in  June,  1816.  In  November,  1819,  it  was  agreed 
to  build  a  house  of  worship  24  by  23, feet  in  size.  The  site  was  a  little 
south  of  the  site  of  the  second  edifice,  which  was  finished  in  1835  and 
was  there  occupied  until  1889,  when  it  was  removed  to  its  present  site 
in  the  village  and  remodeled  and  substantially  rebuilt.  The  society  is 
now  in  an  active  and  prosperous  condition  and  the  pulpit  is  supplied 
chiefly  from  Colgate  University. 

A  Universalist   society  had   a  brief  existence  many  years  ago  and 


590  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

erected  a  church  about  a  mile  east  of  the  village;  the  church  long  ago 
passed  out  of  existence  and  the  building  is  now  in  use  as  a  store- 
house. 

South  Lebanon. — This  is  a  small  hamlet  a  mile  and  a  half  south  of 
Lebanon  village,  containing  a  school  house,  a  blacksmith  shop  by  Cor- 
nelius Downey;  a  steam  saw  mill  operated  by  Charles  Bills;  a  paint 
shop  by  Samuel  Benedict,  and  a  general  store  by  Sidney  Catlin.  There 
is  not  and  never  has  been  a  pjst-office  here.  The  first  store  at  this 
point  was  opened  by  W.  H.  Williamson,  a  native  of  Lebanon,  who  re- 
moved from  Hamilton  about  1871;  he  sold  out  to  Lewis  H.  Wedge  in 
1870,  who  continued  the  business  a  number  of  years.  The  main  part 
of  the  saw  mill  was  built  about  1860  by  Sidney  Bills  for  a  carriage 
shop  and  was  used  for  that  purpose  until  1871,  when  it  was  converted 
to  its  present  use.  An  addition  containing  a  feed  grinding  mill,  was 
built  in  1858  for  a  cider  mill  and  was  removed  to  the  side  of  the  main 
building  when  that  was  erected. 

Smith's  Valley  (Randallsville  P.  O. ) — This  is  a  hamlet  in  the  east 
part  of  the  town,  the  southern  terminus  of  the  Utica,  Clinton  &  Bing- 
hamton  Railroad  and  a  station  on  the  New  York,  Ontario  &  Western. 
It  was  once  a  place  of  considerable  business  importance,  as  the  reader 
has  learned  in  an  earlier  chapter;  but  trade  and  industry  were  attracted 
elsewhere  in  the  natural  course  of  development  and  the  little  village 
settled  down  into  rural  quite  until  reawakened  by  the  incoming  rail- 
roads. Here  was  established  the  first  store  in  the  town  by  the  Smith 
family  of  pioneers,  and  near  by  were  built  mills  and  shops  of  various 
kinds.  The  first  merchant  here  under  the  second  stage  of  business  ac- 
tivity was  J.  Dayton  F.  Smith,  who  began  trade  in  1870,  was  associated 
with  his  son,  Adon  N.,  from  1873,  and  sold  out  in  the  next  year  to 
Charles  E.  Montgomery.  A  year  and  a  half  later  he  sold  to  Sidney  D. 
Smith,  who  continued  several  years.  The  present  merchants  are  George 
Waite  and  Riley  Arnst.  Peter  L.  Beers  was  appointed  postmaster  just 
previous  to  the  opening  of  the  railroad  and  was  succeeded  by  Henry  T. 
Robinson,  J.  D.  F.  Smith,  C.  Montgomery  Smith,  Sidney  D.  Smith, 
and  Mary  C.  Hutchings,  who  has  been  in  charge  about  ten  years. 

About  a  mile  and  a  quarter  east  of  Lebanon  is  a  grist  and  saw  mill, 
operated  by  water,  built  many  years  ago  and  now  operated  by  George 
W.  Phillips.  The  grist  mill  has  existed  since  about  1810.  About 
a  mile  southwest  of  Smith's  Valley  is  a  saw  and  planing  mill  and  cheese 
box  factory,  built  by  Erastus  Clark   about  1860  and  still  operated  by 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— LENOX.  591 

him.  In  the  north  part  of  the  town,  a  mile  from  Smith's  Valley,  a  saw 
mill  was  built  many  years  ago  which  has  gone  to  decay.  About  a  mile 
and  a  half  west  of  Lebanon  were  two  saw  mills,  one  of  which  was  last 
operated  by  Clinton  Stowell;  in  the  same  vicinity  is  a  carding  machine, 
which  is  now  operated  by  Mr.  Stowell,  who  has  also  a  large  cold  stor- 
age business.  Another  small  saw  mill  a  mile  above  South  Lebanon, 
and  still  another  a  mile  below  that  place,  the  latter  built  about  1887  by 
Marvin  Torrey,  have  both  fallen  into  decay. 

-Lebanon  was  early  divided  into  school  districts  and  the  first  commis- 
sioners, chosen  in  1813,  were  Constant  Merrick,  Amos  Crocker,  and 
Mosis  Wylie;  the  school  inspectors  were  James  Campbell,  Curtis  Hop- 
pin,  and  Francis  Whitmore.  This  town  now  forms  a  part  of  the  First 
Commissioner  District  of  the  county,  and  has  twelve  districts  with 
school  houses,  employing  in  1897  twelve  teachers.  The  number  of 
pupils  attending  in  that  year  was  251. 

The  Old  Town  of  Lenox  and  Its  Subdivisions. 

The  old  town  of  Lenox  was  formed  from  Sullivan  March  3,  1809,  and 
at  the  time  of  its  formation  contained  54,500  acres  of  land.  About  5,000 
acres  were  taken  off  and  added  to  Stockbridge  in  1836.  In  1896  the  old 
Lenox  was  divided  into  three  towns,  named  Lenox,  Lincoln  and  Oneida. 
This  division  is  fully  treated  in  an  earlier  chapter  and  for  gazetteer  pur- 
poses the  three  new  towns  will  be  described  as  a  whole.  The  old  Lenox 
was  bounded  on  the  north  by  Oneida  Lake,  east  by  Oneida  Creek,  south 
by  Stockbridge,  and  west  by  Sullivan.  The  surface  is  level  in  the 
northern  part  and  moderately  hilly  in  the  southern  part,  which  now 
constitutes  the  town  of  Lincoln.  The  soil  in  the  northern  part  is  allu- 
vium throughout  the  great  swamp  in  that  region,  and  gravelly  and 
clayey  loam  in  the  southern  part. 

Se.tlement  in  Lenox  began  in  1793,  with  the  arrival  of  the  Klock 
family  on  the  site  of  Clockville.  To  the  same  locality  came  the  Snyder, 
Moot,  Forbes,  Tultle,  Bruyea,  Kilt  and  Betsinger  families  at  an  early 
day.  Early  settlers  on  Quality  Hill  were  Sylvanus  Smalley,  Dr.  Asahel 
Prior,  David  Barnard,  Aaron  Francis,  Abiel  Fuller,  David  Barnard,  jr., 
Dea.  Ebenezer  Cadwell,  Isaac  Senate,  Samuel  Louder,  Nehemiah 
Smalley,  Selah  Hills,  Job  Lockwood,  Nash  Mitchell,  Ichabod  Buell, 
and  a  few  others,  all  of  whom  had  located  prior  to  1803.  Other  early 
settlers  were  Jason  Powell,  Joseph  Phelps,  Joseph  Bruce,  Col.  Zebulon 
Douglass,  Reuben  Hale,   Gen.    Ichabod  S.   Spencer,   Col.   Thomas  W. 


593  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Phelps,  Harve}'  G.  Morse,  Edward  Lewis,  William  I.  Hopkins,  Thomas 
Spencer,  Walter,  Hezekiah  and  Linus  Bee:her,  John  Hall,  Nathaniel 
Hall,  Everard  Van  Epps,  John  and  Gift  Hills,  Martin  Vrooman,  Will- 
ard  Cotton,  Benjamin  Smith,  Capt.  William  Jennings,  and  others  to  be 
mentioned. 

The  early  records  of  this  town  were  destroyed  in  the  great  Canastota 
fire  in  1873,  and  it  is  impossible  to  give  proceedings  of  town  meetings. 
A  complete  list  of  the  supervisors  has  been  compiled  from  the  records 
of  the  county  clerk's  ofifice  and  is  as  follows: 

1810,  Joseph  Palmer;  1811-12, Walter  Beecher;  1813, William  Hallock; 
1814,  Asa  Dana;   1815-16,  William  Hallock;  1817,  Sylvester  Beecher; 
1818-19,  William  Hallock;  1820-22,   John   Whitman;  1823-27,  Pardon 
Barnard;  1828,  John  Whitman;    1829,  Samuel   Hitchcock;  1830,   John 
Whitman;  1831-32,  William  Hallock;  1833-34,  Sylvester  Beecher;  1835, 
Nathan  T.    Cady;  1836,    William   Spencer;   1837-39,    Giles  Whitman 
1840-41,  Martin  Lamb;  1842,. Ambrose  Hill;  1843-44,  Joshua  Duncan 
1845,  Charles  Stroud;  1846-47,  Gideon  Raymond;  1848-49,  J.  N.  Whit 
man;  1850-51,  N.  S.  Cady;  1852-53,  Lucius  Brooks;  1854,  E.  R.White 
1855,  John  Montrose;  1856,  Duncan  McDougall;  1857,  Sanford  P.  Chap 
man;  1858,  Ralph  H.  Avery;  1859-60,  Duncan  McDougall ;  1861,  R.  H 
Avery;  1862,  D.  W.  C.  Stevens;  1863,  Perkins  Clark;  1864,  J.  A.  Ben 
nett;  1865,  Duncan  McDougall;  1866,  J.  A.  Bennett;  1867-69,  D.  Mc 
Dougall;  1870,  George  B.  Cady;  1871,  George  Berry;  1872,.G.  B.  Cady 
1873-74,  George  Berry ;  1875,  Fred  C.  Fiske ;  1876,  B.  F.  Chapman  ;  1877 
H.  L.  Rockwell;  1878-79,  Walter  E.  Northrup;  1880,  Lormg  Munroe 
1881-84,  Walter  E.  Northrup;  1885-87,  Fred  C.  Fiske;  1888,  Charles  E. 
Remick;  1889,  E.  Emmons  Coe;  1890,  Charles  E.  Remick;  1891,  Fred 
C.  Fiske;  1892-95,  Francis  Stafford;  1896-97,  Francis  W.  Doolittle. 

Canastota. — -This  is  a  thriving  and  active  village  on  the  line  of  the 
New  York  Central  railroad,  and  within  the  boundaries  of  the  new  town 
of  Lenox.  It  was  first  incorporated  in  April,  1835,  and  again  reorgan- 
ized on  April  12,  1870,  under  the  general  law.  The  first  election  was 
held  on  the  first  Tuesday  of  May,  1835.  Among  the  early  merchants 
of  the  place  were  James  Graham,  who  kept  a  grocery  on  the  canal  bank 
in  1817.  Reuben  Hawley  and  his  brother  John  kept  a  store  soon  after- 
ward. Frost  &  Kibbe,  the  Crouse  Brothers,  and  others  followed.  Lead- 
ing merchants  of  the  present  are  the  Farr  Brothers,  hardware,  started 
in  1879;  J.  E.  Warrick,  furniture;  H.  C.  Brown's  Sons,  general  stock; 
P.  T.  Weaver,  crockery;  J.  W.  Wilson,  drugs;  C.  F.  McConnell,  drugs, 
and  C.  A.  Jones,  in  the  same  business. 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— LENOX.  593 

The  Canastota  National  Bank  was  established  in  1856,  and  went  into 
voluntary  liquidation  in  1890.  The  present  First  National  Bank  was 
established  in  September,  1890,  with  capital  of  $50,000.  The  State 
Bank  of  Canastota  succeeds  the  private  banking  business  established  by 
Milton  De  Lano  in  1876. 

Within  comparatively  recent  years  the  village  has  become  an  impor- 
tant manufacturing  center,  the  leading  establishments  being  the  Can- 
astota Glass  Company,  organized  in  1881;  the  wheel  rake  manufactory 
of  Patten  &  Stafford,  brought  from  Clockville  in  1882;  the  Smith  & 
Ellis  Company,  makers  of  desks,  book  cases,  etc. ;  the  Watson  Wagon 
Company ;  the  cider  and  vinegar  works  of  Harrison  &  Co. ;  the  Lee 
Chair  Company,  and  the  canning  factory  of  Fred  F.  Hubbard. 

The  post-oiifice  was  established  in  1829,  with  Ichabod  S.  Spencer, 
postmaster.  The  Canastota  Herald  was  started  in  1865  and  is  now  con- 
ducted by  the  Bee  Publishing  Company,  in  connection  with  the  Bee, 
with  which  paper  it  was  consolidated.  The  Canastota  Journal  was 
started  as  the  Canastota  News  in  1881.  It  is  successfully  conducted  by 
P.  F.  Milmoe.  The  principal  hotels  are  the  Twogood  House  and  the 
Lewis  House. 

Canastota  has  a  good  fire  department,  an  excellent  water  supply,  and 
electric  light  service.  The  churches  of  the  village  are  the  Baptist,  or- 
ganized about  1819;  the  Episcopal,  organized  in  1883;  the  Reformed 
Protestant,  organized  1833,  which  became  the  Presbyterian;  a  second 
Baptist  church,  organized  m  1868,  and  the  Catholic  society. 

Oneida. — This  thriving  and  enterprising  village  in  the  new  town  of 
the  same  name,  which  was  set  off  from  the  old  town  of  Lenox  in  1896, 
is  situated  on  the  Central  railroad,  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town.  Its 
early  business  interests  were  established  as  a  result  of  the  open 
ing  of  the  railroad,  trade  in  that  vicinity  having  previous  to  that 
time  been  mainly  centered  at  Oneida  Castle  and  at  Durhamville.  vSands 
Higinbotham  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  of  the  early  settlers  on 
the  village  site,  where  he  was  a  large  landowner,  as  before  described. 
He  built  the  Railroad  House  and  sold  lands  to  settlers  on  such  terms 
as  to  attract  residents  and  develop  the  place.  John  B.  Cole  built  the 
first  store,  which  was  opened  by  Amos  Story.  George  Hamilton, 
Newman  Scofield,  Stoddard  &  Lype,  Lyman  Morse,  S.  H.  Goodwin  & 
Co.,  Ambrose  Hill,  and  others  were  among  the  early  merchants  in  the 
village. 

The  post-office  was  established  in   18-11,  with   Erasmus   Stone,    post- 
38 


594  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

master,  whose  successors  have  been  Asa  Smith,  I.  N.  Messinger, 
Ephraim  Beck,  John  Crawford,  Watson  A.  Stone,  Walter  E.  Northrup, 
John  J.  Hodge,  Richard  M.  Baker,  and  again  John  J,  Hodge. 

The  first  resident  attorney  in  the  village  was  Isaac  Newton  Mes- 
singer, who  died  here  in  1895.  The  first  physician  was  Dr.  Earl  Loomis. 
The  later  and  present  professional  men  are  noticed  in  the  preceding 
chapters  on  the  bar  and  the  medical  societies. 

Until  comparatively  recent  years  manufacturing  in  Oneida  was  not 
extensive,  but  at  the  present  time  such  important  industries  as  the 
National  Casket  Company,  the  Oneida  Iron  Works,  the  Westcott  Chuck 
Company,  the  Oneida  National  Chuck  Company,  the  Oneida  Silver  Ware 
Manufacturing  Company,  and  many  less  important  establishments  con- 
tribute materially  to  the  growth  and  activity  of  the  place.  The  mer- 
cantile interests  are  also  extensive  and  prosperous,  as  elsewhere  shown. 

The  Oneida  Valley  Bank  was  incorporated  in  1851  and  in  1865  be- 
came the  Oneida  Valley  National  Bank,  as  at  present;  capital  $105,000. 
The  First  National  Bank  of  Oneida  was  incorporated  October  1,  1865, 
with  capital  of  $125,000.  It  went  into  liquidation  January  1,  1874,  and 
was  succeeded  by  what  is  now  the  National  State  Bank  of  Oneida,  with 
capital  of  $60,000.  The  Farmers  and  Merchants  State  Bank  was  organ- 
ized June  3,  1892,  with  capital  of  $50,000.  The  Oneida  Savings  Bank 
is  a  very  prosperous  institution,  which  was  incorporated  February  19, 
1866.  The  Central  Bank  is  a  private  institution  which  was  established 
in  1870,  with  William  E.  Northrup,  president. 

The  first  school  in  Oneida  was  opened  in  1841,  and  from  that  small 
beginning  and  through  much  opposition,  the  present  splendid  educational 
system  of  the  village  has  been  developed.  There  are  now  a  well  con- 
ducted High  school,  a  Union  school  district,  established  in  1882,  and 
adequate  buildings  for  the  large  attendance  of  pupils.  In  the  old  town 
of  Lenox,  previous  to  the  division,  there  were  twenty-four  school  dis- 
tricts with  school  houses,  and  the  report  of  1895  shows  an  attendance 
of  2,700  pupils.  The  report  of  1898  shows  attendance  in  the  new  Lenox 
of  910;  in  Lincoln,  193,  and  in  Oneida  1,498.  The  value  of  school 
buildings  and  sites  in  the  old  town  was  $63,864;  in  the  new  Lenox,  ac- 
cording to  the  report  of  1898,  the  value  was  $38,588;  in  Lincoln,  $2,850; 
in  Oneida,  $34,039. 

Oneida  village  has  a  sewer  system  which  is  now  well  advanced  to- 
wards completion,  and  several  of  the  principal  streets  are  well  paved. 
Gas  and  electric  light  is  supplied  and   a   street   railway  runs  from   the 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— LENOX.  595 

village  to  near  Oneida  Castle;  this  was  constructed  in  1885.  A  public 
water  supply  was  installed  in  1883,  by  private  enterprise  and  the  works 
were  purchased  by  the  village  in  1895.  The  efficient  fire  department 
has  grown  from  the  usual  small  beginning,  and  since  the  establishment 
of  the  water  works  has  consisted  chiefly  of  hose  companies  and  adequate 
equipment,  and  a  hook  and  ladder  company  with  truck,  etc.  The  prin- 
cipal hotels  are  the  Allen  House,  which  is  the  same  as  the  old  Railroad 
House,  built  by  Sands  Higinbotham  many  years  ago;  the  Madison 
House,  the  Brunswick,  and  a  few  smaller  houses. 

The  Oneida  Dispatch  is  a  flourishing  weekly  newspaper,  which  is  the 
descendent  of  the  Oneida  Telegraph,  established  in  1851.  It  is  now 
published  by  the  Dispatch  Company,  with  Charles  E.  Roberts,  editor 
and  manager.  The  Democratic  Union  is  published  by  Baker  &  Maxon, 
and  is  now  one  of  the  best  weekly  newspapers  in  the  State.  It  was 
started  in  Hamilton  in  1856,  but  was  removed  in  1863  by  W.  H.  Baker 
to  Oneida.  The  Oneida  Post  is  published  every  Saturday,  by  Hugh 
Parker.     It  was  founded  in  1883  by  the  Post  Publishing  Company. 

St.  John's  Episcopal  Church  was  organized  in  May,  1843,  and  the 
present  edifice  was  erected  in  1895.  The  Oneida  Presbyterian  Church 
was  formed  in  1844,  and  a  house  of  worship  was  built  in  1845;  it  was 
superseded  by  the  one  now  in  use.  The  Baptist  Society  was  organized 
in  1842  at  Oneida  Castle,  and  took  up  its  existence  in  the  village  of 
Oneida  in  1848.  This  present  edifice  superseded  the  first  one  in  1888. 
The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  organized  in  November,  1850,  and 
soon  afterward  the  first  meeting  house  was  erected,  which  was  super- 
seded by  the  present  edifice.  St.  Joseph's  Catholic  Church  was  erected 
in  1893  and  a  school  building  in  1898.  St.  Patrick's  Catholic  Church 
was  formed  in  1843  and  a  small  meeting  house  built.  The  old  St.  Pat- 
rick's church  was  built  in  1851  and  the  present  beautiful  edifice  in 
1888-89.  St.  Paul's  Evangelical  Church  was  organized  in  1890  and  the 
meeting  house  was  dedicated  in  1891.  A  Free  Methodist  Society  was 
formed  about  1875. 

Clockville. — This  is  a  mere  hamlet  about  two  miles  south  of  Canas- 
tota,  and  now  in  the  new  town  of  Lincoln.  The  post-office  was  opened 
many  years  ago,  with  Peleg  Card  postmaster.  There  was  formerly 
considerable  manufacturing  and  mercantile  business  here,  as  before 
described,  but  most  of  it  has  disappeared.  The  grist  mill  was  burned 
in  1896,  and  an  old  saw  mill,  with  a  cheese  box  factory  and  a  cider  mill 
in  connection  are  still  in  operation.  There  is  one  hotel  kept  by  Charles 
Suits,  and  Frank  Clow  and  John  Ritter  are  merchants. 


596  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  Methodist  Church  at  Clockville  was  organized  in  1848  and  the 
present  meeting  house  was  erected  in  1894.  The  Baptist  Church  was 
organized  in  1847  and  long  ago  passed  out  of  existence. 

Wampsville  is  a  hamlet  and  post-office  on  the  Central  Railroad  in  the 
southeastern  part  of  the  town  of  Lenox.  There  is  at  the  present  time 
only  one  store  kept  by  A.  A.  Loucks.  The  Wampsville  Presbyterian 
Society  was  organized  in  1828;  the  first  meeting  house  was  built  in 
1832  and  was  remodeled  in  its  present  condition  in  1872. 

Other  hamlets  in  the  new  town  of  Lenox  are  Oneida  Valley,  in  the 
extreme  notheastern  part,  with  post-office  in  which  Fred  C.  Parker  is 
postmaster,  and  a  store  and  hotel;  the  Presbyterian  Church  here  was 
organized  in  1847;  and  Oneida  Lake,  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the 
town. 

The  Town  of  Hadison. 

Madison  was  set  off  from  Hamilton  on  February  6,  1807,  and  is  one 
of  five  towns  erected  in  the  year  following  the  formation  of  the  county. 
It  lies  on  the  east  border  of  the  county  south  of  the  center  and  corre- 
sponds with  No.  3  of  the  Twenty  Townships.  Its  surface  consists 
chiefly  of  a  rolling  upland,  with  intervening  valleys  along  the  course 
of  a  branch  of  the  Chenango  River  and  a  branch  of  Oriskany  Creek, 
which  are  the  principal  streams;  the  former  flows  south  and  the  latter 
north.  The  town  is  abundantly  watered  with  small  brooks  and  springs. 
There  are  several  small  ponds,  the  principal  body  of  water  now  being 
the  Madison  Brook  Reservoir,  in  the  south  part,  which  covers  235  acres, 
and  was  connected  with  the  Chenango  Canal  by  a  feeder.  The  ponds 
in  the  north  part  of  the  town  have  largely  filled  with  marl,  but  the  sur- 
roundings are  such  that  it  could  not  be  recovered  for  lime  economically. 
The  soil  is  gravelly  loam  on  the  hills  and  clayey  loam  in  the  valleys 
and  is  rich  and  productive  as  a  rule.  The  rocks  of  the  Hamilton  group 
underlie  the  whole  town,  but  are  so  deeply  covered  with  drift  that  they 
are  not  quarried  for  building  purposes.  The  Utica,  Clinton  and  Bing- 
hamton  Railroad  runs  diagonally  across  the  town  from  northeast  to 
southwest  closely  following  the  line  of  the  abandoned  Chenango  Canal, 
and  has  stations  at  Solsville  and  Bouckville.  According  to  the  census 
of  1892  the  town  has  a  population  of  2,251. 

The  territory  of  Madison  forms  part  of  the  great  tract  in  which  Sir 
William  Pultney  had  an  interest,  and  through  his  agents  the  early 
settlements  were  promoted.      Prospectors  came  in  in  1791  and  the  next 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— MADISON.  597 

year  the  first  permanent  settlement  was  made  by  Daniel  Perkins,  who 
took  up  two  lots  near  the  site  of  Madison  village,  parts  of  which  he 
afterwards  sold  to  other  poineers.  Jesse  Maynard  also  settled  in  that 
year,  and  his  brothers,  Amos  and  Moses,  somewhat  later.  John  Berry 
came  about  the  same  time.  Gen.  Erastus  Cleveland,  who  was  for  many 
years  the  leading  citizen  of  the  town,  came  in  1792,  built  mills  near  the 
site  of  Solsville,  a  woolen  factory  at  that  point,  and  other  mills  on  the 
Oriskany,  and  engaged  in  potash  making,  store  keeping,  and  in  many 
ways  advanced  the  welfare  of  the  growing  community,  as  elsewhere 
explained.  Settlers  of  1793  included  Col.  Samuel  Clemens,  Thomas 
McMullen,  Stephen  F.  Blackstone,  Russell  Barker,  Warham  Wilhams, 
William  and  David  Blair,  James  Collister,  Henry  W.  and  Israel  Bond, 
Elijah  Blodgett,  Joel  Crawford,  John  Niles,  Francis  Clemens  and  Seth 
Snow. 

In  1794  settlement  was  begun  by  a  colony  from  Rhode  Island  in  the 
southwest  quarter  of  the  town,  among  whom  were  Charles  and  George 
Peckham,  Samuel  Coe,  Joseph  Manchester,  Samuel  Brownell  and  the 
Simmons  families.  Nicanor  Brown  and  Samuel  Rowe  were  settlers  of 
about  that  year.  In  1795  Abial  Hatch,  Elijah  Thompson,  Israel  Rice, 
James  and  Alexander  White,  Abizar  and  David  Richmond,  and  William 
McClenathan  came  into  the  town,  and  were  followed  in  the  next  year 
by  Dr.  Jonathan  Pratt  and  his  brothers,  James  and  Daniel,  and  Nathan- 
iel Johnson ;  at  about  that  period  also  came  in  Gideon  Lowell,  William 
Sanford,  Judson  W.  Lewis,  Nehemiah  Thompson,  Peter  Tyler  and 
Thomas  Dick.  Other  pioneers  who  came  to  the  town  mostly  before 
the  erection  of  the  county  were  Capt.  Seth  Blair,  Joseph  Head,  Samuel 
Collister,  Joseph  Curtis,  Deacon  Prince  Spooner,  Robert,  Samuel  and 
Timothy  Curtis,  Reuben  Brigham,  Agur  Gilbert,  Joseph  and  Job 
Manchester,  Abijah  Parker,  Paul  Hazard,  Jared  and  Samuel  Wickwire, 
Nehemiah  Fairchild,  Paul  Greenwood,  Jonas  Banton,  John  Edgarton, 
Eli  Bancroft,  Abner  Burnham,  Luther  Rice,  Dr.  Samuel  McClure, 
David  Peebles,  James  D.  Coolidg,-  Solomon  Root,  Capt.  Gilbert  Tomp- 
kins, Ralph  Tanner,  an  early  tavern  keeper  at  Madison  village,  Samuel 
Goodwin,  early  stage  proprietor,  Solomon  Alcott,  Daniel  Holbrook  and 
perhaps  a  few  others,  all  of  whom  have  been  noticed  more  in  detail  in 
earlier  chapters. 

The  town  of  Madison  is  one  of  the  foremost  in  the  great  hop  growing 
industry  of  this  county,  and  James  D.  Coolidg_  and  Solomon  Root, 
above  mentioned,  were  the  first  in  the  business  in  this  section. 


598  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  first  town  meeting  for  Madison  was  held  March  3,  1807,  and  the 
officers  elected  whose  names  have  already  been  given.  Following  is 
a  list  of  the  supervisors  of  the  town  from  its  formation  to  the  present 
time: 

1807-8,  Erastus  Cleveland;  1809-11,  Seth  Blair;  1812-18,  Levi  Mor- 
ton; 1819,  William  Manchester;  1820-21,  Edward  Rogers;  1822-24, 
Rutherford  Barker;  1825-27,  Samuel  Goodwin;  1828,  Levi  Morton; 
1829-40,  William  Manchester;  1841,  Samuel  White;  1842-43,  Samuel 
White,  2d;  1844,  Samuel  White;  1845-46,  Samuel  White,  2d;  1847, 
Hiram  L.  Root;  1848,  Samuel  White,  2d;  1849,  William  Manchester; 
1850-55,  Samuel  White,  2d;  1856-58,  Gilbert  Tompkins;  1859-61,  Allen 
Curtis;  1862-77,  John  W.  Lippett;  1878-83,  David  Z.  Brockett;  1884, 
Joseph  W.  Forward;  1886-87,  Albert  R.  Nicholson;  1888-97,  Samuel 
R.  Mott. 

The  population  of  Madison  on  the  dates  when  the  census  has  been 
taken  is  shown  in  the  following  figures : 

1835    1840      1845      1850      1855      1860      1865      1870      1875      1880      1890      1893 

3655    3344     3313     3405     3483      3457     3414     2402     2434     3474     3316     2351 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  number  of  inhabitants  in  Madison  has  fluctu- 
ated and  declined  less  than  in  most  other  towns  of  the  county.  In  a 
general  way  this  may  be  taken  as  an  evidence  of  prosperity  and  con- 
tentment among  the  people. 

There  are  three  post-offices  in  Madison — Madison  village  with  the 
same  name,  Solsville  and  Bouckville.  The  largest  village  is  Madison 
which  was  incorporated  April  17,  1810.  The  first  trustees  were  Samuel 
Goodwin,  Trumam  Stafford,  Alfred  Wells,  Edward  Rogers,  and  Adin 
Howard.  The  first  merchant  in  the  place  was  John  Lucas,  who  began 
business  before  1800  at  the  "  Opening  "  and  moved  it  to  the  site  of  the 
village  about  1807,  when  the  Cherry  Valley  turnpike  was  constructed. 
Other  early  merchants  were  Alanson  B.  Coe,  a  partner  with  Lucas,  Rob- 
ert B.  Lane,  H.  C  &  O.  C.  Bicknell,  Truman  Stafford,  Gen.  Erastus 
Cleveland,  Benjamin  F.  Cleveland,  E.  F.  Gaylord,  Lyman  Root  and 
Henry  Lewis,  partners,  James  D.  and  Robert  W.  Lane,  and  Horace  C. 
Bailey  (firm  of  Lane,  Bailey  &  Co.),  A.  S.  Ackerman,  Henry  Hull, 
Adin  Howard,  John  Morgan  and  others.  The  present  merchants  are: 
F.  H.  Bicknell,  who  in   1896  succeeded  O.C.  Bicknell,  successor  of  H. 

C.  &  O.  C.  Bicknell;  Louis  Fuess,  successor  of  Davis  &  Fuess,  who  fol- 
lowed Harry  Morgan;  George  H.  Root,  successor  of  Cushman  &  Root; 

D.  E.  Smith,  E.  B.  Wells,  drugs  and  medicines,  established  in  1888;  I. 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— MADISON.  599 

L.  Dunster  &  Son,  groceries,  traded  since  1896;  Thomas  Terry  and  H. 
Morgan  (Terry  &  Morgan),  meat  market;  Thomas  A.  Ferguson,  shoe 
shop;  John  Bensted,  harness  shop;  John  Salisbury  and  F.  Collister, 
blacksmiths. 

The  present  hotel  is  the  Madison  House,  kept  by  F.  B.  Howard.  At 
Madison  Lake,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  village  and  near  the  line 
of  the  Ontario  and  Western  railroad,  are  two  summer  hotels  kept  by  D, 
W.  Leland  and  White  &  Lewis  respectively.  This  beautiful  spot  has 
many  attractions  for  those  seeking  rest  and  recreation  and  is  attaining 
considerable  popularity. 

The  post-office  was  established  at  the  "Opening"  at  an  early  date, 
but  it  is  not  known  just  when.  Dr.  Asa  B.  Sizer  was  the  first  post- 
master, and  was  succeeded  bj'  Ralph  Tanner,  the  early  tavern  keeper. 
He  had  the  position  until  about  1840,  when  he.  was  succeeded  both  as 
postmaster  and  tavern  keeper  by  Isaac  Curtis,  who  filled  both  positions 
to  about  1861.  James  Brown  was  then  postmaster  until  his  death  in 
1874,  and  was  succeeded  by  A.  J.  Cushman;  the  officials  since  have 
been  O.  C.  Bicknell,  G.  C.  White,  both  of  whom  again  alternated  in  the 
office. 

The  first  physician  was  Dr.  Jonathan  Pratt,  whose  early  settlement 
has  been  noticed;  others  have  been  Drs.  Zadock  Parker,  Daniel  Barker, 
Asa  B.  Sizer,  John  Putnam,  Marcus  H.  Sutcliffe,  Elisha  B.  Hopkins, 
still  in  practice,  B.  R.  Gifford,  and  Dr.  Hammond.  There  is  no  lawyer 
in  the  town. 

Union  Free  School  District  No.  1  of  Madison  was  formed  December 
7,  1878.  The  faculty  is  now  headed  by  William  D.  Miller,  and  about 
139  students  are  enrolled  in  the  various  departments.  A  library  of 
about  400  volumes  is  connected  with  the  school.  The  present  Board  of 
Education  is  composed  of  Louis  Fuess,  president;  G.  H.  Barker,  clerk; 
O.  C.  Bicknell,  A.  J.  Cushman,  and  F.  S.  Collister. 

There  are  four  churches  in  the  village — the  Congregational,  organized 
in  1796,  and  the  First  Baptist,  organized  in  1798;  both  are  now  in  a 
prosperous  condition.  A  Universalist  Church  was  formed  here  in  July, 
1828,  with  Rev.  Nathaniel  Stacy,  the  first  pastor.  The  society  was  not 
formally  organized  until  1852,  and  was  reorganized  and  incorporated  in 
18G6.  The  meeting  house  was  built  in  1831  and  is  still  standing,  but 
services  are  not  now  held.  The  Wesleyan  Chapel  (Methodist)  was  or- 
ganized about  1833  with  a  class  of  nine  members,  and  meetings  were 
held  in  the  small  chapel  in  the  east  edge  of  Eaton  about  a  mile  west  of 


600  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Bouckville  for  a  few  years  when  the  church  in  Madison  was  built ;  it 
was  remodeled  and  improved  about  1871.  In  1888  the  name  of  the 
church  was  changed  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Madison;  it 
is  a  very  prosperous  organization. 

Bouckville. — This  is  a  small  village  near  the  western  border  of  the 
town  on  the  line  of  the  Utica,  Clinton  and  Binghamton  Railroad.  The 
first  settler  on  its  site  was  John  Edgarton,  and  the  first  merchant  was 
Dr.  Samuel  McClure;  other  early  traders  were  Ira  Burhans,  his  son, 
Lindorf,  William  Coolidg,  and  Lewis  E.  Coe.  With  the  opening  of  the 
Chenango  Canal  this  place  assumed  considerable  mercantile  and  manu- 
facturing importance,  but  in  recent  years  both  of  these  branches  have 
declined.  H.  I.  and  E.  L.  Peet  as  a  firm,  established  the  extensive 
manufacture  of  cider  about  1860,  in  a  storehouse  built  by  Moses  May- 
nard ;  they  also  operated  a  saw  mill  and  cheese  box  factory.  Samuel 
R.  Mott  also  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  cider  before  1870.  This 
business  and  also  that  of  Peet  Brothers  was  taken  by  J.  C.  Mott,  son  of 
Samuel,  and  carried  on  for  a  time.  In  1890  the  Genesee  Fruit  Com- 
pany took  the  business,  which  is  conducted  during  the  apple  season  on 
a  large  scale ;  they  also  manufacture  cider  and  whiskey  barrels.  The 
mercantile  business  established  in  1876  by  Lewis  E.  Coe  is  now  con- 
ducted by  his  wife  in  company  with  H.  D.  Brockett,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Coe  &  Brockett. 

The  post-office  at  this  place  was  opened  about  1837,  with  Moses  May- 
nard,  postmaster;  he  was  then  keeping  the  tavern  which  he  built  about 
that  date.  William  Coolidg  held  the  office  from  about  1861  until  his 
death  in  1875,  when  Lewis  E.  Coe  took  it.  Several  years  later  he  was 
succeeded  by  Isaac  Forward,  A.  J.  Wiltse,  and  F.  Parker,  the  incum- 
bent. 

The  Methodist  Church  here  was  organized  in  1853  and  the  meeting 
house  was  erected  in  the  same  year.  There  is  only  one  hotel,  called 
the  White  House,  kept  by  D.  T.  Livermore.  A  steam  saw  mill  and 
cheese  box  factory  is  operated  by  Leo  Phelps. 

Solsville. — This  is  a  hamlet  in  the  northwest  part  of  the  town  two 
miles  below  Bouckville,  on  the  railroad  and  formerly  on  the  canal.'  It 
is  in  the  deep  valley  of  the  Oriskany  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile 
north  of  Madison  village.  The  excellent  water  power,  as  has  been 
shown,  has  been  used  for  various  manufactures.  The  abandonment  of 
the  canal  and  opening  of  the  railroad  seriously  affected  its  prospects. 
Nathaniel  S.  Howard,  who  formerly  owned  the  mill  property,  had  also  a 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— NELSON.  601 

small  store  in  company  with  his  brother  Ambrose,  from  about  1831  to 
1839.  Other  former  merchants  were  Abel  and  Thompson  Curtis,Mars- 
den  Kershaw,  Benjamin  S.  Bridge,  Augustus  N.  Peckham,  John  Har- 
ris, and  Warren  H.  Benjamin  &  Sons  (Frank  H.  and  Will  H.),  who 
began  in  1875  and  still  continue. 

The  first  postmaster  here  was  Albert  Hall;  others  have  been  Mars- 
den  Kershaw,  Agur  Gilbert,  Isaac  Phelps,  W.  H  Benjamin,  Rodney 
Bridge,  W.  L.  D.  Lewis,  and  George  R.  Smith. 

The  old  grist  mill  built  by  Gen.  Erastus  Cleveland,  as  before  de- 
scribed, with  the  improvements  subsequently  made,  is  now  operated  by 
Smith  &  Spooner.  Another  grist  mill  is  in  operation  a  mile  below  the 
village  by  F.  M.  Fisher  L.  D.  Lewis  has  a  general  store;  T.  B.  Man- 
chester a  blacksmith  shop,  and  the  hotel  conducted  by  Newton  Liver- 
more.  A  milk  station  is  located  at  the  railroad  depot  which  is  con- 
ducted by  the  Mutual  Milk  and  Cream  Company,  with  A.  D.  Eames 
local  manager.  About  1,000  pounds  of  milk  are  taken  in  daily  and  con- 
siderable cheese  is  made. 

Pecksport  is  a  flag  station  on  the  railroad  in  the  west  part  of  the 
town,  which  was  formerly  an  important  shipping  point  for  the  town  of 
Eaton. 

The  Town  of  Nelson. 

This  is  one  of  the  five  towns  in  Madison  county  that  were  formed  in 
the  year  following  its  organization.  It  was  set  off  from  Cazenovia  on 
the  13th  of  March,  1807,  and  received  its  name  in  honor  of  Lord  Nel- 
son, the  great  English  admiral.  It  is  number  one  of  the  Chenango 
Twenty  Townships,  is  situated  southwest  of  the  center  of  the  county, 
and  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Fenner  and  Smithfield,  on  the  east  by 
Eaton,  on  the  south  by  Georgetown,  and  on  the  west  by  Cazenovia. 
The  town  has  a  population  of  1,350  according  to  the  United  States  cen- 
sus of  1890,  and  1,339  by  the  State  census  1893.  This  is  a  considerable 
decrease  from  the  number  in  1880,  which  was  1,649.  Nelson  is  divided 
into  fourteen  school  districts  that  have  a  school  house  in  each,  in  which 
were  employed  in  1897  fifteen  teachers.  The  value  of  the  school  build- 
ings is  about  $5,000. 

The  surface  of  this  town  consists  chiefly  of  a  hilly  upland,  broken  by 
ridges  having  a  general  north  and  south  direction.  It  occupies  part  of 
the  elevated  watershed  between  streams  flowing  north  into  Oneida  Lake 
and  south  into  the  Susquehanna.     The  principal  stream  is  the  Chitten 


602  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ango  Creek,  two  branches  of  which  join  near  the  west  line  of  the  town. 
The  northern  and  larger  branch  rises  in  the  town  of  Fenner,  enters  Nel- 
son near  the  center  of  the  north  boundary  and  flows  across  the  north- 
west part  in  a  southwesterly  direction.  The  smaller  branch  rises  in  the 
south  central  part  and  flows  in  a  northwesterly  direction  to  its  union 
with  the  main  stream ;  this,  with  a  more  northerly  tributary,  flowing 
from  the  east  forms  the  Erieville  reservoir,  constructed  in  1850,  to  feed 
the  Erie  Canal;  it  covers  340  acres,  and  cost  $36,837.03.  The  Eaton 
reservoir,  constructed  for  a  feeder  for  the  abandoned  Chenango  Canal, 
is  partly  in  this  town.  The  old  canal  touched  the  southwest  part  of  the 
town. 

Nearly  the  whole  area  of  Nelson  is  underlaid  with  the  Tully  lime- 
stone, the  Genesee  slate,  and  the  Ithaca  group.  The  Hamilton  group 
shows  at  the  surface  in  a  small  part  of  the  northeast  and  southwest  cor- 
ners of  the  town.  Quarries  have  been  opened,  but  no  stone  suitable 
for  building  purposes  is  obtainable.  The  soil  is  a  gravelly  loam,  well 
adapted  to  grazing,  and  dairying  is  extensively  carried  on. 

The  territory  of  the  town  of  Nelson  was  patented  to  Alexander  Web- 
ster on  June  4,  1793,  and  was  purchased  in  the  same  year  by  Col.  John 
Lincklaen .  In  that  year  Jedediah  Jackson  and  Joseph  Yaw  bought 
land  in  the  north  part  of  the  town  in  the  interest  of  a  Vermont  company 
and  during  the  succeeding  two  years  twenty-six  families,  coming  mostly 
from  Pownal,  Vt.,  settled  on  that  purchase  and  in  other  parts  of  the 
town.  The  names  of  the  heads  of  those  families  were  as  follows:  Jed- 
ediah and  Asahel  Jackson,  Joseph  Yaw,  Ebenezer  Lyon,  Daniel  Adams, 
Sylvanus  Sayles,  Oliver  Alger,  Daniel  and  Isaac  Coolidge,  Levi  Neil, 
Thomas  Swift,  Roger  Brooks,  Ethan  Howard,  Robert  and  Solomon 
Brown,  Thomas  and  Jesse  Tuttle,  Luther  Doolittle,  Joseph  Cary,  Jesse 
Clark,  James  Green,  Eliphalet  Jackson,  John  Everton,  Amos  Rathbone, 
David  Nichols,  and  Rufus  Weaver.  Other  early  settlers  were  James 
Annas,  Levi  Brown,  Richard  Karley,  John  Hamilton,  sr. ,  Moses  Smith, 
Enos  Chapin,  Erastus  Grover,  Richard  Wilber,  Ezra  and  Isaac  Love- 
joy,  Asa  Carey,  Haven  White,  and  the  Richardson  and  Wells  families; 
these  came  about  1796  and  were  mostly  from  Massachusetts.  David 
Wellington,  Simeon  Haskell,  Jesse,  Abner  and  Seth  Bumpus,  Aaron 
Lindsley,  Moses  and  Solomon  Clark,  Paul  Griffiths,  Isaiah  and  Ezra 
Booth,  Joseph,  Chauncey  and  David  Case,  William  Knox,  David  Ham- 
ilton, Jeremiah  Clark  (who  built  the  first  saw  mill  in  the  town),  Will- 
iam and  Jeremiah   Whipple,  Thomas  Ackley,  Benjamin   Hatch,   Dyer 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— NELSON.  603 

Matteson,  Jesse  Carpenter,  Robert  Hazard,  all  of  whom  settled  prior  to 
the  town  organization  in  1807.  These  and  many  others  are  mentioned 
more  in  detail  in  earlier  chapters  and  in  Part  III  of  this  volume. 

The  first  town  meeting  in  Nelson  was  held  at  the  house  of  Rufus 
Weaver,  April  7,  1807.  The  first  town  officers  elected  were  as  follows: 
Ebenezer  Lyon,  supervisor;  John  Rice,  clerk;  Jeremiah  Clark,  Simeon 
Marshall,  and  Thaddeus  Hazleton,  assessors;  Thomas  Holdridge,  Moses 
Boardman  and  John  Knox,  commissioners  of  highways;  Day  Fay  and 
Moses  Boardman,  overseers  of  the  poor;  Eri  Richardson,  Asahel  Wood, 
Alvan  Henry,  and  Benjamin  Bumpus,  constables;  Alvan  Henry,  col- 
lector; James  Bacon  and  John  Jackson,  poundkeepers;  Elijah  Daniels, 
Daniel  Butler,  Silas  Reeves,  Joseph  Sims,  Rufus  Weaver,  James  Annas, 
Benjamin  Turner,  Uriah  Annas,  Robert  Hazard,  George  Tibbits,  Eldad 
Richardson,  Jonathan  Wellington,  David  Smith,  Abraham  Parker, 
Ephraim  Cone,  David  Nichols,  Daniel  Coolidge,  Richard  Green,  John 
Rice,  Stephen  Kingsley,  Dyer  Matteson,  Francis  Wood,  John  Knox 
and  Warham  Chapman,  overseers  of  highways  and  fenceviewers. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  supervisors  of  the  town  from  its  organization 
to  the  present  time:  Ebenezer  Lyon,  1807-10;  John  Rice,  1811-13; 
Ebenezer  Lyon,  1813-17;  Jabez  Wright,  1818;  Jeremiah  Whipple,  1819; 
Ebenezer  Lyon,  1820;  Edward  Hudson,  1831-23;  Eri  Richardson,  1823- 
26;  Oliver  Pool,  1837-32;  Daniel  Lobdell,  1833-35;  Benjamin  Turner, 
1836-38;  George  Rich,  1839-41;  A.sa  Richardson,  1842;  Oliver  Pool, 
1843;  Jeremiah  Blair,  1844;  John  Donaldson,  1845;  Oliver  Pool,  1846- 
48;  Alfred  Medbury,  1849;  G.  D.  Richardson,  1850-51;  Palmer  Bald- 
win, 1852;  Jonathan  Wells,  1853-54;  George  Irish,  1855;  David  A.  Ham- 
ilton, 1856;  G.  D.  Richardson,  1857;  Artecas  L.  Sims,  1858-60;  Nelson 
Richardson,  1861;  S.  Perry  Smith,  1862-66;  Charles  K.  Knox,  1867; 
Levi  P.  Greenwood,  1870;  Isaac  A.  Blair,  1871-73;  Merritt  L.  Lyon, 
1874;  Isaac  A.  Blair,  1875;  George  E.  Gaige,  1876-78;  Peter  R.  Duffy, 
1879-86;  Jeremiah  Blair,  1887;  Peter  R.  Duffy.  1888;  Horace  K.  Smith, 
1889-97. 

Following  is  a  statement  of  the  population  of  Nelson  as  shown  by  the 
census  of  various  decades  and  semi-decades: 

1835     1840     1845     1850      1855      1860      1865      1870      1875      1880      1890      1893 
3,231     2,100    1,976    1,965    1,876    1,797     1,717    1,780     1,649     1,350     1,350     1,339 

These  figures  indicate  a  slow  but  gradual  decrease  in  population  in 
the  town.  This  is  not  due  to  its  being  in  any  sense  an  unattractive  or 
unprofitable  locality  for  the  prudent,  industrious  and  economical  farmer. 


604  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

mechanic  or  tradesman.  It  is,  rather,  in  keeping  with  the  conditions 
in  many  other  towns  in  the  State  and  county,  in  which  in  the  passing 
years,  there  has  developed  among  the  young  men  a  desire  to  leave  the 
homesteads  of  their  ancestry  for  the  alluring  attractions  and  occupa- 
tions of  cities  and  large  villages. 

As  before  indicated  this  town  is  a  profitable  dairying  region.  There 
are  four  cheese  factories  within  its  limits,  one  on  the  Richards  estate 
farm,  one  in  Nelson  village,  one  at  Erieville,  and  one  four  miles  north- 
east of  Nelson.  The  factory  at  Nelson  was  established  in  1868  by  A. 
T.  Gaines  and  was  later  conducted  during  a  period  of  more  than  fifteen 
years  by  William  Richards,  who  at  that  time  operated  four  other  fac- 
tories in  this  vicinity.  The  factory  northeast  of  Nelson  is  conducted 
by  J.  P.  Davis.  A  large  part  of  the  farmers  of  the  town  at  the  present 
time  are  engaged  in  the  production  of  milk,  which  goes  to  these  facto- 
ries or  to  distant  market.  The  fattening  of  veal  has  also  in  recent  years 
become  quite  an  important  feature  of  the  agricultural  intereht.  Among 
the  leading  farmers  of  the  town  are  Ward  Smith,  Orson  Graves,  W.  L. 
Richards,  D.  M.  Jones,  Morey  Brothers,  W.  D.  Brown,  M.  D.  Lyon,  H. 
K.  Smith,  S.  L.  Jones,  Abelbert  Howard,  Charles  E.  Richards,  John 
H.  Richards  and  Evan  D.  Davis. 

There  is  a  grist  mill  a  half  mile  east  of  Nelson  village,  with  which  is 
connected  a  saw  mill  and  cider  mill,  operated  by  L.  H.  Hutchinson;  it 
was  formerly  for  many  years  owned  by  H.  P.  Hutchinson,  an  old  and 
respected  citizen  who  died  in  1897.  There  is  also  an  old  grist  mill  on 
the  road  from  Erieville  to  Nelson,  formerly  operated  by  S.  E.  Bump, 
but  now  idle. 

Erieville. — There  are  only  two  post  offices  in  Nelson,  one  of  which 
is  in  the  village  of  Erieville,  the  largest  settlement  in  the  town.  It  is  situ- 
ated in  the  south  part  of  the  town,  with  a  station  on  the  railroad.  It 
contains  a  hotel  on  the  site  of  the  one  built  in  1820.  The  present  four- 
story  frame  building  was  erected  in  1883,  soon  after  the  burning  of  the 
first  structure;  the  house  is  now  occupied  by  Mrs.  H.  T.  Griffin,  who 
succeeded  her  husband.  There  are  three  general  stores  in  the  village, 
kept  by  C.  E.  Maynard,  E.S.  Jillson  and  G.  C.  Moore;  two  blacksmiths, 
two  steam  saw  mills,  a  cooper  shop  where  James  Stevenson  worked  for 
many  years,  a  cheese  factory  and  a  milk  station.  The  village  is  an  im- 
portant milk  shipping  point,  being  situated  in  the  midst  of  an  exten- 
sive and  productive  dairying  region.  The  village  has  two  churches; 
the  Baptist,  which  is  supplied  from  Hamilton  College,  and  a  Methodist 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— SMITHFIELD.  605 

Episcopal,  over  which  Rev.  A.  W.  Battey  is  pastor;  he  also  has  charge 
of  a  church  in  Nelson  village. 

An  extensive  milk  business  is  carried  on  here  by  C.  E.  Maynard,  who 
in  1897  handled  3,946,065  pounds  of  milk,  making  324,435  pounds  of 
cheese,  23,693  pounds  of  butter,  and  shipping  to  the  New  York  market 
4,623  forty-quart  cans  of  milk.  Mr.  Maynard  is  one  of  the  leading 
business  men  of  this  section  and  served  the  district  in  the  Assembly 
two  terms. 

An  undertaking  business  is  conducted  by  D.  P.  Maynard,  and  E.  S. 
Jillson  has  a  flour  and  feed  business  in  addition  to  his  general  store. 
G.  C.  Moore,  successor  to  G.  C.  Moore  &  Co.,  in  a  general  store,  is  post- 
master. The  village  has  a  Grange  Hall,  a  post  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  and  the 
lines  of  the  Central  New  York  Telephone  and  Telegraph  Company  pass 
through  the  village,  having  a  local  office  in  the  store  of  G.  C.  Moore. 

Nelson  (Nelson  Flats). — This  is  a  small  hamlet  in  the  north  part  of 
the  town,  containing  a  small  collection  of  houses,  a  Methodist  church, 
of  which  Rev.  A.  W.  Battey  is  pastor,  a  school  house,  two  general 
stores,  one  conducted  bj'  W.  R.  Richards,  succeeding  Gage  &  Whitney, 
and  the  other  by  W.  H.  James,  a  blacksmith  shop,  and  a  post-office, 
which  is  located  in  the  store  of  Mr.  James,  with  George  W.  Holmes, 
postmaster.  This  store  formerly  contained  a  stock  of  hardware  and 
tin,  and  before  that  was  a  hotel  in  which  Myron  Hutchinson  was  the 
last  landlord.  Several  years  ago  a  large  evaporator  was  established  by 
C.  E.  Gaines,  and  the  building  is  still  standing  in  the  main  street  of 
the  village.  In  the  fall  of  1885  a  large  building  was  erected  for  a  saw 
mill,  grist  mill  and  cider  mill,  a  wagon  shop  and  blacksmith  shop,  by 
the  Nelson  Manufacturing  Company,  in  which  L.  C.  Barnes,  Arthur 
Bailey,  Frank  Taylor,  S.  N.  Judd  and  Charles  Judd  were  interested. 
Unfortunately  for  the  place  this  building  was  burned  in  1887  and  not 
rebuilt. 

The  Town  of  Smithfield. 

Smithfield  was  one  of  the  towns  organized  in  the  year  1807  and  was 
set  off  from  Cazenovia  on  the  13th  of  March.  It  was  named  in  honor 
of  Peter  Smith,  its  proprietor.  It  is  situated  in  the  central  part  of  the 
county  and  bounded  on  the  north  by  Lenox  and  Stockbridge,  on  the 
east  by  Stockbridge,  on  the  south  by  Eaton  and  Nelson,  and  on  the 
west  by  Fenner.  It  contains  about  15,630  acres.  When  organized  it 
included  what  is  now  Fenner,  which  was  taken  off  in   1833.     The  sur- 


606  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

face  is  mostly  rolling,  with  a  large  cedar  swamp  extending  through  the 
town  from  north  to  south,  much  of  which  is  uncultivated.  The  soil  on 
the  hills  is  sandy  and  gravelly  loam.  The  drainage  of  the  town  to  the 
north  is  into  the  Chittenango  and  the  Cowasselon  Creeks,  and  from  a 
small  part  in  the  south  into  the  Chenango.  The  old  Oneida  turnpike 
traverses  the  town,  going  from  Vernon  to  Cazenovia,  while  the  Stone 
road  from  Morrisville  to  Canastota  crosses  it  from  north  to  south. 
Smithfield  is  wholly  isolated  from  railroads  and  canals,  and  receives  its 
mail  from  Canastota  by  stage.  The  principal  industry  at  the  present 
time  is  dairying;  hops  are  grown  to  considerable  extent  and  mixed 
farming  is  also  followed  in  most  parts  of  the  town. 

The  territory  of  Smithfield  constituted  a  part  of  the  great  purchase 
made  from  the  State  in  1795  by  Peter  Smith,  after  having  procured  a 
lease  in  the  preceding  year  of  the  Oneida  Indians  of  the  same  lands 
for  a  term  of  999  years.  The  price  paid  to  the  State  was  $350  for  the 
whole,  comprising  more  than  50,000  acres.  It  became  and  is  still  known 
as  the  New  Petersburgh  Tract.  Jasper  Aylesworth  was  sent  on  by  Mr. 
Smith  in  1795  to  begin  the  permanent  settlement  on  his  purchase,  and 
he  located  on  and  cleared  the  land  on  which  the  village  of  Peterboro 
stands.  John  Taft  was  a  settler  near  by  not  long  after  Aylesworth, 
and  the  latter  married  his  daughter  in  1797;  this  was  the  first  marriage 
on  Smithfield  territory.  In  1798  Oliver  Trumbull  came  in  and  settled 
on  fifty  acres  a  half  mile  south  of  Aylesworth's  clearing  and  there  lived 
and  reared  his  family.  Between  1797  and  1799  inclusive  the  numerous 
and  prominent  family  named  Bump  settled  in  the  town  and  took  up 
farms;  the  father's  name  was  Ichabod,  but  the  son,  Ithamar,  was  the 
pioneer;  he  was  soon  followed  by  his  father  and  his  brothers,  Moses, 
Nathan,  David,  Jonathan,  Gideon,  Jacob,  and  a  sister  who  married 
Ebenezer  Bronson,  father  of  Greene  C.  Bronson. 

Among  the  settlers  of  1800  were  Solomon  Merrill,  David  Shipman, 
Samuel  and  Jacob  Walker,  Jabez  Lyon,  Robert  Streeter,  Shadrach 
Hardy,  Gideon  Wright,  Ezra  Chaffee,  David  Tuttle,  Mrs.  Moody  and 
her  sons,  Samuel  and  David,  Mrs.  Mattison  and  her  sons,  John,  Abraham, 
Eli  and  Nathan,  the  Northrup  and  Matthewson  families,  Francis  Dodge, 
Salmon  Howard,  Stephen  Risley,  Moses  Howe,  John  Forte,  Reuben 
Rich,  David  Blodgett,  Daniel  Petrie,  who  became  the  first  sheriff  of  the 
county,  and  Capt.  Joseph  Black.  Other  early  settlers  are  mentioned 
and  more  at  length  in  an  earlier  chapter. 

Peter  Smith  came  on  from  Utica  with   his  family  in  1806  and  soon 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— SMITHFIELD.  607 

afterward  began  the  erection  of  the  plain  wooden  structure  which  has 
been  known  as  the  Smith  mansion,  which  was  remodeled  in  1854  by  his 
son,  Gerrit  Smith,  and  is  still  standing.  Peter  Smith  was  the  first 
supervisor  of  the  town  and  in  June,  1807  was  elected  associate  judge  of 
the  county.  Judge  Smith  in  1810  transferred  all  of  his  property  to  his 
noted  son,  Gerrit,  and  in  1825  removed  to  Schenectady,  where  he  died 
in  1837. 

The  first  town  meeting  for  Smithfield  was  held  April  7,  1807,  "in  the 
school  house  near  David  Cook's";  this  was  in  that  part  of  the  town  now 
included  in  Fenner.  The  polls  were  open  three  days  and  the  vote  cast 
numbered  over  300.  Daniel  Petrie  was  chosen  the  first  town  clerk. 
At  this  meeting  there  was  an  active  rivalry  between  the  eastern  and 
the  western  parts  of  the  town,  two  tickets  having  been  nominated;  the 
details  of  the  contest  are  given  in  the  early  history  of  the  town  of 
Fenner. 

There  are  two  post-offices  in  Smithfield,  one  of  which  is  at  Peterboro, 
the  only  village  of  importance  in  the  town.  The  village  was  an  im- 
portant one  in  its  very  early  history  as  the  site  of  a  glass  factory  and  a 
little  later  by  two,  which  at  one  period  employed  a  hundred  or  more 
hands.  It  was  established  about  1808.  A  distillery  was  built  in  1803, 
which  was  succeeded  by  a  second  one  in  1814.  A  tannery  was  estab- 
lished in  1810  by  Benjamin  Wilber  and  another  by  Abner  Hall  &  Son 
in  1836;  both  long  ago  disappeared.  A  small  grist  and  saw  mill  was 
built  about  1802  by  William  Sayles  which  was  owned  by  Peter  Smith; 
it  was  superseded  by  second  mills  in  1850,  which  are  not  now  in 
existence. 

Samuel  Stranahan  built  a  dam  across  the  stream  here  in  1807,  erected 
a  fulling  mill  and  sold  that  and  his  privelege  in  1816  to  Perry  Palmer 
and  Wolcott  Skidmore.  The  latter  soon  sold  to  his  partner  who  in  1825 
took  down  the  building  and  erected  near  by  a  saw  mill  and  shingle  mill 
which  he  operated  more  than  twenty  years.  George  Peck  had  an  early 
machine  and  woodworking  shop,  where  he  invented  the  stave  cutting 
machine  which  revolutionized  the  cooperage  business.  There  is  no 
manufacturing  industry  of  account  in  the  town  at  the  present  time. 

This  town  was  one  of  the  first  to  adopt  the  manufacture  of  cheese  in 
factories,  and  one  was  built  at  Peterboro,  which  was  undoubtedly  the 
first  in  the  county.  It  was  begun  in  the  spring  of  1861  at  Peterboro 
and  was  the  second  one  in  the  State.  It  was  erected  under  direction 
of  Mr.  Williams,  of  Rome,  who  was  the  pioneer  in  this  business.     The 


608  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

proprietor  was  Harry  Blodgett.  The  business  increased  and  before 
many  years  passed  there  were  five  factories  in  successful  operation  in 
the  town.  One  of  these  was  at  Peterboro,  one  at  Siloam,  one  near  the 
southeast  corner  of  the  town,  one  at  Mile  Strip  and  one  on  the  farm  of 
Frederick  Putnam.  At  the  present  time  only  three  factories  are  in 
operation — one  at  Siloam  by  Albert  Miller ;  one  at  Peterboro  by  Robert 
Warcup,  and  one  in  the  west  part  of  the  town  by  Levi  Miller. 

The  first  store  in  the  town  was  opened  by  James  Livingston  in  the 
same  building  in  which  he  kept  a  tavern  in  1801.  In  the  same  year 
Daniel  Petrie  opened  a  second  store.  Among  other  merchants  of  the 
place  have  been  William  Solon  and  Myron  Taylor,  Elisha  Carrington, 
Royal  and  Dorman  Cooper,  Asa  Raymond,  Charles  H.  Cook,  Peter  S. 
Smith,  Samuel  Forman,  Dunham  &  Clink,  Harry  Curtis,  J.  G.  Curtis, 
Eliphalet  Aylesworth,  Ives  &  Woodbury,  Dr.  N.  C.  Powers,  Andrew 
S.  Douglass,  Dr.  A.  C.  Baum,  James  R.  Harnett,  Charles  Cutler,  John 
A.  Campbell,  William  T.  Marcey,  W.  C.  Ives,  Charles  N.  Snow,  W.  E. 
Coe,  Thomas  O.  Taylor,  J.  N.  Woodbury,  Lucius  P.  Faulkner,  and 
possibly  a  few  others.  The  present  mercantile  business  of  the  village 
includes  the  following:  J.  N.  Woodbury,  who  has  conducted  a  general 
store  more  than  forty  years;  W.  E.  Coe,  has  sold  drugs  and  groceries 
sixteen  years;  J.  O.  Wright  has  conducted  a  general  store  more  than 
twenty  years;  Geo.  W.  Davis,  druggist  and  physician,  nine  years;  T. 
O.  Taylor,  clothing;  Charles  E.  Wagoner,  confectionery,  etc.;  A.  M. 
Bump  operates  the  saw  and  grist  mills;  William  Johnson,  a  tin  shop; 
wagon  shops  by  Wiley  Conine  and  David  Devan,  and  blacksmith  shops 
by  William  Ginney  and  Timothy  Ginney;  M.  L.  Dennison  sells  agri- 
cultural implements,  etc.  The  present  physicians  are  Dr.  F.  E.  Dewey 
and  Dr.  G.  W.  Davis. 

The  first  hotel  in  the  place  was  the  one  before  mentioned  as  built  in 
1801  by  James  Livingston,  in  which  he  kept  also  a  store.  This  house 
passed  through  many  hands  and  was  occupied  as  a  hotel  until  after  1850. 
It  is  now  used  for  a  residence.  D.ivid  Ambler  built  a  hotel  in  1830, 
which  was  the  first  temperance  house  in  the  State.  Gerrit  Smith  sub- 
sequently purchased  it  to  prevent  liquor  being  sold  there,  removed  the 
building  and  added  the  site  to  his  grounds.  At  about  the  same  time  he 
built  another  hotel  which  he  offered  free  of  rent  to  any  one  who  would 
keep  it  without  selling  liquor;  it  shared  the  fate  of  its  predecessor. 
What  is  now  the  hotel  was  opened  about  1876  and  had  a  license  for  the 
sale  of  beer  and  wine,  the  first  license  granted  in  the  town  since  1846. 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— SMITHFIELD.  609 

It  is  kept  by  Frank  Martindale.  The  Cameron  House  was  built  in  re- 
cent years  and  is  kept  by  Charles  Cameron.  The  village  is  connected 
with  Canastota  by  daily  stages. 

Peterboro  Academy  was  built  in  185:5  with  about  $2,500,  which  was 
raised  by  subscription  The  buildings  now  occupied  as  the  Orphan's 
Home  were  erected  for  its  accommodation  and  the  school  opened  in 
that  )'ear.  The  site  was  donated  by  Gerrit  Smith.  In  1864  the  insti- 
tution received  an  endowment  of  |15,000.  Like  most  other  academies 
this  one  subsequently  began  to  decline,  and  in  1871  Gerrit  Smith  pur- 
chased all  of  the  stock  at  29  per  cent,  and  transferred  the  property  to 
the  Home,  which  was  then  being  organized.  He  then  bought  the 
Presbyterian  church  edifice,  which  was  not  in  use,  and  expended  $7,000 
in  fitting  it  for  a  school  building,  with  a  public  hall  above.  This  prop- 
erty he  deeded  to  the  academy  trustees,  under  provision  that  it  should 
revert  to  his  estate  whenever  it  should  be  used  for  any  other  purpose. 
It  is  still  in  use  for  the  school.  The  Union  School  in  Peterboro  was 
incorporated  in  1896.  The  first  Board  of  Trustees  were  Garrett  G.  Mil- 
ler, W.  C.  Dorrance,  J.  O.  Wright,  W.  E.  Coe  and  John  N.  Woodbury. 
The  board  is  still  in  office,  excepting  John  N.  Woodbury,  who  was 
superseded  by  A.  M.  Bump.  The  present  principal  is  Arthur  H.  Jack- 
son, who  has  two  assistants.  The  school  is  kept  in  the  old  Presbyterian 
church  building,  which  has  been  refitted  for  the  purpose.  The  town 
has  thirteen  school  districts  with  school  houses,  the  value  of  the  prop- 
erty being  about  $10,000.     The  number  of  teachers  is  sixteen. 

Three  different  newspapers  have  been  published  in  Peterboro,  among 
them  the  first  one  in  Madison  county;  all  of  them  long  ago  passed  out 
of  existence.  The  first  one  was  the  Madison  Freeholder,  established 
in  1808  by  Peter  Smith  and  continued  to  about  1819.  The  Washing- 
tonian  temperance  movement  brought  into  existence  the  Madison 
County  Temperance  Union,  which  died  in  1853  after  only  a  few  years 
of  feeble  support.  In  1854  the  Christian  and  Citizen  was  founded  and 
lived  about  three  years. 

Peterboro  is  a  quiet  and  attractive  village,  built  about  the  public 
"Green,"  in  the  center  of  which  stands  a  handsome  monument  which 
was  presented  to  the  town  by  Aaron  T.  Bliss  of  Michigan,  who  was  for- 
merly a  resident  of  Smithfieldand  joined  the  Union  army.  The  monu- 
ment was  unveiled  July  4,  1893,  and  bears  this  inscription  :  "  Erected  in 
honor  of  the  men  of  Madison  county  who  served  their  country  in  the  war 
which  preserved  the  Union,  destroyed  slavery,  and  maintained  the  con- 
stitution." 

39 


610  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Siloam. — This  is  the  name  of  a  hamlet  and  post-office  on  the  Oneida 
turnpike  two  and  a  half  miles  east  of  Peterboro.  A  tavern  was  built 
here  as  early  as  1804  by  Joseph  Black,  and  in  1808  a  second  was  built 
and  kept  by  Samuel  Ellinwood  and  John  Black.  In  1810  Jeremiah 
Ellinwood  and  Elijah  Manly  built  a  grist  mill  and  a  saw  mill  was  added 
in  the  same  year.  A  store  soon  followed  by  Mr.  Black  and  Alexander 
Ostrander,  and  the  post-office  was  established.  The  construction  of 
the  Chenango  Canal  and  other  general  causes  made  a  large  demand  for 
beer  and  whiskey  in  this  vicinity  and  in  1880  there  were  here  three  dis- 
tilleries and  two  breweries.  The  post-office  was  abandoned  for  a  time, 
but  was  subsequently  re-established.  One  store  is  kept  here  by  Fran- 
cis Wright,  and  no  hotel.  There  is  no  grist  mill  now,  but  a  saw  mill 
and  distillery  are  operated  by  Harmon  Holmes,  who  is  also  postmaster. 

About  half  a  mile  from  the  northern  line  of  the  town  on  the  Stone 
road  at  a  four  corners  is  a  postal  station  called  Mile  Strip.  In  1813  a 
young  mechanic  who  had  a  small  shop  here  made  the  first  steel  hay 
forks  turned  out  in  this  State.  His  name  was  Oren  Soper,  and  he 
gained  fame  and  made  money  in  this  work.  The  post-office,  with  Ros- 
coe  Gates  in  charge,  is  over  the  line  in  the  town  of  Lincoln.  Mr.  Gates 
conducts  a  store. 

The  first  church  organized  in  Smithfield  was  the  Presbyterian,  at 
Peterboro,  formed  in  1806.  For  a  number  of  years  it  prospered  and  at 
one  period  had  a  membership  of  200.  It  finally  declined  and  in  1870 
was  dissolved. 

The  Baptist  Church  was  organized  in  1807  and  also  had  an  active  ex- 
istence many  years,  its  membership  reaching  at  one  time  about  260;  but 
it  also  fell  into  decline  and  its  services  closed  in  1866. 

Siloam  was  originally  known  as  Ellinwood  Hollow,  and  in  1820  the 
the  Baptist  Church  of  Ellinwood  Hollow  was  organized  and  an  edifice 
was  erected  in  the  next  year.  This  passed  out  of  active  existence. 
The  Methodist  Church  at  Siloam  was  erected  in  1896.  It  is  a  branch 
of  the  Stockbridge  society. 

The  Mile  Strip  Methodist  Church  was  organized  in  1830  and  after 
1865  was  attached  to  the  Peterboro  charge.     It  is  still  in  existence. 

What  was  known  as  the  Church  of  Peterboro,  organized  in  1843  at 
the  instigation  of  Gerrit  Smith,  was  free  from  sectarian  ruling,  as  he 
believed  all  churches  should  be.  In  1847  he  built  a  chapel  and  offered 
its  use  to  all  clergymen.  It  was  long  used  as  a  free  church,  but  was 
ultimately  converted  into  a  dwelling. 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— STOCKBRIDGE.  611 

The  Methodist  Church  of  Peterboro  was  organized  in  1854,  and  ser- 
vices were  held  at  various  places  until  1858  when  a  small  church  was 
built.  This  society  has  maintained  its  existence  and  improved  the 
edifice  in  recent  years.     Rev.  George  W.  Reynolds  is  pastor. 

The  Home  for  Destitute  Children  of  Madison  County  is  situated  in 
Peterboro,  and  is  fully  described  in  a  previous  chapter. 

The  population  of  Smithfield  in  the  years  when  the  census  has  been 
taken  is  shown  in  the  following  figures: 

1835      1840     1845     1850     1855     1860      1865      1870      1875      1880      1890     1892 
3,750    1,699    1,629    1.669    1,514     1,509     1,366    1,227    1,247    1,226     1,043    1,015 

Following  is  a  list  of  supervisors  of  this  town  from  its  organization  to 
the  present  time  with  the  dates  of  their  election: 

1807,  Peter  Smith,  Roswell  Glass;  1808-10,  Asa  Dana;  1811-13, 
Elisha  Carrington;  1814-19,  Nehemiah  Huntington;  1820,  Daniel  M. 
Gilbert;  1821-34,  Nehemiah  Huntington;  1835,  Elisha  Carrington; 
1836-39,  Nehemiah  Huntington;  1830-34,  Daniel  Dickey;  1835,  John 
M.  Messinger;  1836-38,  Czar  Dikeman;  1839,  Daniel  Dickey;  1840-42, 
John  G.  Curtis;  1843,  Stafford  Green;  1844,  George  W.  Ellinwood; 
1845,  Silas  W.  Tyler;  1846-47,  James  Barnett;  1848-49,  Alexander 
McGregor;  1850,  Amzi  G  Hungerford;  1851-53,  Caleb  Calkins;  1854, 
Isaac  Bartlett;  1855-56,  Charles  D.  Miller;  1857-58,  Joseph  E.  Morgan; 
1859-60,  Abi  A.  Phipps;  1861-63,  James  Riley  Stone;  1863,  Alex.  Mc- 
Gregor; 1864r-66,  Abi. A.  Phipps;  1867-69,  Edward  Bliss;  1870,  W.  J. 
Wilbur;  1871,  Gerrit  S.  Miller;  1873-74,  R.  J.  Hollenbeck;  1875-77, 
James  G.  Messinger;  1878-79,  Alex.  O.  Johnson;  1880,  R.  J.  Hollen- 
beck; 1881-83,  Leander  W.  Burroughs;  1884-91,  W.  Emmet  Coe,  1893- 
98,  Albert  L.  Cameron. 

The  Town  of  Stockbridge. 

With  the  exception  of  the  two  towns  of  Oneida  and  Canastota,  erected 
from  Lenox  in  1896,  Stockbridge  was  the  latest  formed  town  in  Madi- 
son county.  It  was  set  off  from  Vernon  and  Augusta  in  Oneida  county, 
and  Smithfield  and  Lenox  in  Madison  county  on  May  20,  1836.  Of 
course  most  of  its  early  history  is  embodied  in  that  of  those  towns.  It 
lies  on  the  east  border  of  the  county  and  is  bounded  on  the  north  by 
Lenox  and  Vernon,  on  the  east  by  Vernon  and  Augusta,  on  the  south 
by  Eaton  and  Madison,  and  on  the  west  by  Lenox  and  Smithfield.  It 
contains  nearly  19,000  acres,  of  which  more  than  15,000  are  improved. 


612  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  surface  is  high  upland,  broken  by  the  beautiful  valley  of  Oneida 
Creek,  which  extends  north  and  south  through  the  central  part  of  the 
town,  the  hills  on  either  side  rising  in  continuous  ranges  to  the  height  of 
from  500  to  800  feet.  These  hills,  while  steep  in  many  places  and  dif- 
ficult to  work,  are  tillable  to  their  summits.  The  valley  broadens  to- 
wards the  north  and  becomes  merged  in  the  plain  that  characterizes  the 
northern  part  of  Lenox.  The  soil  is  gravelly  and  clayey  loam,  fertile 
in  most  parts.  Hops  have  been  in  the  past  and  still  are  in  a  compara- 
tive sense  a  large  product.  For  a  number  of  years  it  was  second  in  the 
county  in  the  quantity  of  this  crop;  in  recent  years  the  production  has 
somewhat  declined,  while  more  attention  is  given  to  dairying,  in  the 
products  of  which  the  town  ranks  high.  Large  quantities  of  milk  are 
shipped  to  the  eastern  markets  from  the  railroad  stations  at  Munnsville 
and  Valley  Mills.  There  were  twenty  years  ago  five  cheese  factories 
in  the  town.  Considerable  attention  is  given  in  some  localities  to  the 
growing  of  small  fruits,  and  the  apple  crop  in  good  years  is  large. 

Oneida  Creek  is  the  only  principal  stream  in  Stockbridge,  the  main 
branch  of  which  rises  in  Smithfield,  traverses  that  town  from  northwest 
to  southeast  and  enters  Stockbridge  in  the  southwest  part,  uniting  with 
the  direct  branch  south  of  the  center  of  the  town.  As  it  flows  down  the 
west  hill  to  the  valley  bottom  it  forms  many  falls  and  cascades,  which 
add  beauty  to  the  scenery  and  in  the  past  years  turned  many  industrial 
wheels. 

There  are  extensive  deposits  of  limestone  and  gypsum  in  this  town, 
both  of  which  are  quarried.  The  gypsum  is  found  in  the  east  ridge  in 
the  north  part  of  the  town,  around  Valley  Mills;  the  limestone  in  the 
hills  on  both  sides  of  the  valley  in  the  southern  and  central  parts;  it  has 
been  quarried  and  burned  at  various  points.  A  number  of  caves  are 
open  in  the  limestone,  in  some  of  which  noxious  gases  exist,  prevent- 
ing their  full  exploration.  In  the  bed  of  a  small  stream  that  flows  down 
the  east  hill  in  the  vicinity  of  Munnsville,  were  found  years  ago  certain 
identations  which  local  discussion  characterized  as  the  foot  prints  of  an- 
imals and  men.     This  theory  is  now  dispelled. 

The  New  York  Ontario  and  Western  Railroad  extends  along  the 
slope  of  the  east  hill  from  north  to  south  across  the  town,  giving  a  fine 
view  of  the  beautiful  valley  from  its  cars.  There  are  stations  at  Munns- 
ville (now  called  Munns),  at  Valley  Mills  and  at  Pratts.  The  popula- 
tion of  the  town  by  census  of  1893  was  1,704,  about  fifty  less  than  the 
census  of  1890  and  about  300  less  than  the  census  of  1880. 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— STOCKBRIDGE.  613 

The  first  settlers  in  Stockbridge  were  Nathan  Edson  and  his  sons, 
John,  Barney  and  Calvin,  who  located  in  the  southeast  part  in  1791. 
There  were  also  four  daughters  in  the  family,  one  of  whom  was  the  wife 
of  Robert  Seaver.  Descendants  of  the  pioneer  long  remained  in  the 
town.  Oliver  Stewart  came  in  a  little  later  than  Edson  and  located 
near  him.  Jonathan  Snow  also  settled  about  the  same  time  on  the 
southeast  corner  lot  of  the  town.  William  Sloan,  George  Bridge,  and 
James  Taft  were  pioneers  of  the  last  century,  Sloan  settling  on  a  part  of 
the  Edson  lot  and  Taft  on  part  of  the  Oliver  Stewart  lot.  Descendants 
of  Mr.  Bridge  still  live  in  town.  Matthew  Rankin,  father  of  Jairus, 
who  was  the  first  physician  in  the  town,  and  Aaron,  a  justice  of  the 
peace,  settled  early  on  a  part  of  the  Snow  lot  in  the  southeast  corner  of 
the  town.  Benajah  House  was  a  pioneer  in  the  south  part.  Many  per- 
sons leased  lands  of  the  Indians  in  this  town  and  finally  became  per- 
manent residents;  but  most  of  them  came  in  between  about  1820  and 
1830. 

The  first  town  meeting  in  Stockbridge  was  held  at  Munnsville  on 
June  7,  1836,  when  the  following  officers  were  elected:  Henry  T.  Sum- 
ner, supervisor;  Hiram  Whedon,  clerk;  Orin  Wright,  justice;  Elisha  A. 
Clark,  William  Page  and  James  Cowen,  assessors;  John  Hadcock  and 
Thomas  Wilson,  poormasters;  Jesse  Bridge,  Luther  Hathaway,  and 
John  Potter,  commissioners  of  highways;  Orange  R.  Cook,  Danforth 
Armour,  and  Albert  G.  Bartholomew,  school  commissioners;  William 
Temple,  collector;  William  Temple,  Levi  Johnson,  and  Jonathan  Car- 
ter, constables;  Aaron  Rankin,  Ores  Ranney,  and  Ephraim  C.  Brown, 
school  inspectors;  Clark  Buck,  sealer  of  weights  and  measures. 

These  men  were  almost  without  exception  prominent  in  the  com- 
munity and  mostly  members  of  leading  families  whose  members  had 
in  earlier  years  aided  materially  in  developing  the  town  and  founding 
its  institutions. 

Among  the  prominent  and  successful  farmers  in  this  town,  many  of 
whom  have  passed  away,  may  be  mentioned  the  following:  McGee 
Wilson,  deceased;  Williams  Bridge,  deceased;  Addison  Snell,  deceased; 
Emerson  Quackenbush,  a  large  hop  producer;  Waterman  Simonds,  who 
built  the  stone  house  on  the  east  road  south  of  Munnsville;  Captain 
Strong,  who  also  built  a  stone  house  south  of  Munnsville  and  was  a 
successful  farmer;  Fred  Marshall  and  J.  W.  Rockwell,  both  large  hop 
producers;  Robert  Clark,  Samuel  Spaulding,  deceased;  Lewis  Hinman, 
deceased;  Mackey  Brothers,   on  the  old   Hinman  farm;   Adelbert  Par- 


614  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

dee,  George  Miller,  Warren  J.  Gilbert,  Andrew  Perry,  Nathaniel  Har- 
rington, Rensselaer  Coe,  John  L.  Foster,  Austin  Carver,  Elbert  Foster, 
Amos  Bridge,  John  Hadcock,  all  dead;  C.  W.  Dexter,  Adelbert  Ward, 
Orrin  Porter,  E:  J.  Spooner,  Albert  Lindsley,  Charles  Bunch,  Norman 
Randall,  Eri  Day,  and  others  who  are  living. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  supervisors  of  Stockbridge  from  the  forma- 
tion of  the   town  to  the  present  time,  with  the  dates   of  their  election 
1836-37,  Henry  T.  Sumner;  1838,  Asaph  Pratt;  1839,  Elisha  A.  Clark 
1840,    Oren  Wright;    1841,    Samuel  W.    Hull;    1842,   William    Smith 
1843-46,  Ebenezer   Porter;   1847,  Grove  Hinman;  1848,  John  McPher- 
son;  1849-50,  John  Potter;  1851.  Jonathan  M.  Forman ;  1852,  Peter  H. 
Smith;  1853,  William  Stringer;  1854,  Abel  H.  Rawson ;  1855,  James  H. 
Gregg;  1856,  John  Cleveland ;  1857,  Jonathan  M.  Wilson;   1858,  Alvin 
Strong;  1859-60,  Jonathan  M.  Wilson;  1861,  Alvin  Strong;   1862,  Jon- 
athan  M.  Wilson;   1863,  James   H.  Gregg;  1864,  Jonathan  M.  Wilson; 
1865-68,  Robert   S.  Barr;   1869-70,   Julius  Treat;  1871-72,  A.  Watson 
Armour;  1873-75,  William  H.  Stringer;  1876-78,  A.  Watson  Armour; 
1879,  Roberts.  Barr;  1880-82,  Grove  S.  Hinman;  1883-95,  George  E. 
Woods;  1896-98,  J.  E.  Quackenbush. 

The  population  of  Stockbridge  as  shown  by  the  census  of  different 
dates,  has  been  as  follows: 

1840        1845        1850        1855        1860        1865        1870        1880        1890        1892 

3,330       3,315       2,081       2,052       2,068       1,925       1,847       2,033       1,845       1,704 

Munnsville. — This  is  the  largest  of  the  three  post  villages  in  Stock 
bridge,  and  is  situated  in  the  southern  part  of  the  town  in  the  Oneida 
valley.  The  first  mercantile  business  here  was  the  store  of  Asa  Munn, 
who  removed  from  Augusta  in  1817  and  soon  afterward  built  a  small 
store;  he  also  engaged  in  milling  and  distilling.  Later  merchants  were: 
Charles  Chandler  and  his  son  Henry,  Matthew  Pratt,  Hiram  Whedon, 
William  O.  Sumner  and  Lorenzo  Frost  and  James  H.  Lillibridge,  who 
traded  three  years  from  1870.  George  Colburn  was  then  in  trade  about 
a  year  and  sold  to  Clarence  W.  Dexter,  a  native  and  prominent  citizen 
of  this  town.  He  enlarged  the  old  store  and  has  continued  in  business 
ever  since.  Nine  years  ago  he  took  as  a  partner  Clark  W.  Davis  and 
the  firm  now  is  Dexter  &  Davis. 

A.  H.  Owen  began  hardware  trade  in  1866  and  has  ever  since  continued, 
his  son  now  being  a  partner.  C.  D.  Jacobs  was  a  former  dealer  in 
boots  and  shoes.  George  F.  Griner  is  in  the  grocery  and  drug  trade, 
succeeding  William  J.  Lyndon,  who  began  in  1876.     Julius  Treat  was 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— STOCKBRIDGE.  615 

a  physician  in  practice  from  1851  to  1877,  and  began  mercantile  trade  in 
1878.  W.  T.  Walker  has  a  general  store,  succeeding  F.  L.  Van  Slyke. 
C.  H.  S.  Lowe  has  a  general  store,  succeeding  his  father,  James  Lowe, 
with  whom  he  was  a  former  partner;  Henry  Freeman  was  a  member  of 
the  firm  at  one  period.  Dr.  S.  P.  Moore,  who  has  practiced  since  1873, 
also  conducts  a  drug  store.      Mrs.  George  Cook  keeps  a  variety  store. 

There  are  two  hotels  in  the  village — the  Hotel  Rightmyer,  kept  by 
Dennis  Rightmyer,  who  took  the  house  in  1874;  the  Central  Hotel, 
conducted  by  Kelly  &  Burke,  who  succeeded  Rudolph  Zimmer,  the  first 
landlord. 

What  are  now  the  works  of  the  Munnsville  Plow  Co.  were  established 
in  1853  by  Daniel  Holmes,  William  Stringer,  Solomon  Van  Brocklin 
and  R.  S.  Barr  under  the  name  of  Holmes,  Stringer  &  Co.,  and  so  con- 
tinued a  few  years  in  the  manufacture  of  plows  and  other  agricultural 
implements.  After  various  changes  in  proprietorship,  which  have  been 
described  in  detail  in  an  earlier  chapter,  the  company  was  incorporated 
in  1893  as  the  Munnsville  Plow  Company,  with  a  capital  of  $50,000. 
J.  E.  Sperry  is  president;  W.  R.  Paul,  vice-president;  W.  F.  Bridge, 
secretary  and  treasurer. 

The  grist  mill  is  now  operated  by  C.  M.  Merrill  &  Son,  who  in  1898 
succeeded  J.  H.  Merrill.  Before  that  Jerome  Merrill,  father  of  J.  H., 
operated  it  a  number  of  years;  the  mill  was  built  in  1822.  There  was 
an  early  saw  mill,  but  it  long  since  disappeared  to  make  room  for  a 
woolen  mill  built  by  Eben  and  Whedon  Blakeman;  the  woolen  factory 
was  not  successful  as  a  business.  Henry  Stewart  also  had  an  early 
wool  carding  mill  which  was  used  in  recent  years  for  a  creamery.  A 
Mr.  Buck  established  a  tannery  at  an  early  day,  which  was  afterwards 
operated  by  James  Hazeltine  and  others  before  noticed.  There  are 
two  blacksmiths  in  Munnsville,  L.  P.  Van  Slyke  and  Joseph  Carlton 
George  Frost  is  operating  an  evaporator  and  a  cider  mill,  and  C.  J. 
Bradner  has  a  harness  shop. 

The  first  permanently  located  physician  in  this  town  was  Jairus  Ran- 
kin, who  began  practice  about  1812.  Later  ones  were  Orange  Russell 
Cook,  Henry  T.  Sumner,  Julius  Treat,  and  William  Taylor.  The  only 
present  physician  besides  Dr.  Miller  is  William  H.  Griffiths,  who  has 
practiced  many  years.  R.  H.  Woolver  is  the  only  attorney  in  the 
town. 

Stockbridge  Village. — This  little  village  is  beautifully  situated  on  the 
lower  slope  of  the   west  hill  about  a  mile  above  Munnsville,  and  has  a 


616  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

station  nearly  a  mile  distant  across  the  valley.  The  place  was  early 
and  long  known  as  Knoxville,  from  Hermon  Knox,  who  was  the  first 
merchant  there.  Other  early  merchants  were  David  Wood,  who  bought 
out  Knox;  Hiram  Whedon,  for  a  time  a  partner  with  Wood;  Amadeas 
Hinman,  Andrew  J.  Hinman,  Matthew  Pratt  and  Carlos  Atkins.  James 
H.  Lillibridge  began  trade  in  1877,  buying  the  business  of  W.  J.  Nash, 
and  continued  fifteen  years.  C.  C.  White  carried  on  a  cabinet  making 
business  a  number  of  years  and  sold  to  C.  E.  Love  in  1891,  who  still 
continues  it  in  connection  with  undertaking.  C.  C.  White  now  con- 
ducts a  hardware  trade.  Charles  White  has  a  general  store  in  which 
he  succeeded  S.  M.  Davidson  in  1898;  he  is  also  postmaster.  The  only 
public  house  is  the  Hotel  de  Van  Loon,  which  has  been  kept  by  David 
Van  Loon  since  1883.  Wadsworth  Lyman  and  Luther  Elphick  were 
former  blacksmiths;  F.  W.  Cook  began  cabinet  making  in  the  village 
about  fifty  years  ago  and  subsequently  changed  his  business  to  wagon 
making,  which  he  still  continues. 

The  first  physician  in  the  place  was  Dr.  Henry  T.  Sumner,  who  began 
practice  soon  after  1830  and  continued  until  his  death.  Dr.  Fayette  F. 
Elphick  succeeded  and  at  the  present  time  Dr.  A.  E.  Broga  is  prac- 
ticing. 

Valley  Mills  is  a  hamlet  in  the  northern  part  of  the  town,  where  a 
post-office  was  established  in  1870,  with  J.  D.  Dunham  postmaster. 
The  grist  mill  there  was  built  about  1848  by  Ebenezer  Ranney  for  a 
woolen  factory  and  was  operated  as  such  by  him  a  few  years,  when 
William  Bridge  and  Nathan  Hayes  acquired  the  property;  since  that 
time  it  has  had  several  proprietors.  It  is  now  owned  by  C.  W.  Dexter, 
the  Munnsville  merchant,  and  the  firm  of  Dexter  &  Davis  have  a  branch 
store.     A  cider  mill  and  plaster  mill  is  connected  with  the  grist  mill. 

When  this  town  was  formed  it  was  divided  into  fifteen  school  dis- 
tricts, the  same  number  in  existence  at  the  present  time.  There  were 
then  in  the  town  803  children  between  the  ages  of  five  and  sixteen 
years.  There  is  only  one  Union  school  in  the  town,  which  was  organ- 
ized at  Munnsville  in  1894  as  district  No  1.  The  present  handsome 
building  was  erected  in  the  same  year  at  a  cost  of  about  $4,000,  besides 
heating  and  furnishing.  Frank  M.  Wiggins  has  been  principal  from 
the  first  and  gives  eminent  satisfaction  to  the  district.  The  school  went 
under  the  Regents  in  1896. 

The  Congregational  church  at  Munnsville  was  organized  in  1838  and 
the  meeting  house  built  about  1834.  In  1868  about  $3,000  was  ex- 
pended in  improving  the  building.      Rev.  Roland  A.  Farnham  is  pastor. 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— SULLIVAN.  617 

The  Methodist  church  at  Stockbridge  was  organized  as  a  station  in 
1827  and  has  had  a  prosperous  existence  since,  as  before  noticed.  The 
building  has  recently  been  improved.  A  Universalist  church  that  was 
organized  at  Stockbridge  about  1837,  disbanded  about  1865  and  the 
building  was  removed  to  Munnsville  where  the  upper  part  is  now  in 
use  as  a  public  hall.  There  was  also  in  former  years  a  Congregational 
church,  organized  in  1834  and  a  house  of  worship  erected;  but  the 
society  soon  disbanded  and  the  building  was  demolished. 

The  Town  of  Sullivan. 

This  town  was  set  off  from  Cazenovia  in  1803,  February  22,  and  in 
1809  its  territory  was  greatly  reduced  bj'  the  formation  from  it  of  Lenox. 
The  town  was  named  from  Gen.  John  Sullivan.  It  is  bounded  north 
by  Oneida  Lake,  west  by  Lenox  and  the  new  town  of  Lincoln,  south  by 
Fenner,  Cazenovia  and  Onondaga  county,  and  west  by  Onondaga 
county.  It  contains  44,680  acres,  with  level  surface  in  the  northern 
part  and  rolling  in  the  southern  part.  A  large  area  in  the  northern 
part,  bordering  on  the  lake,  is  low  and  swampy,  through  which  flows 
the  Canaseraga  Creek,  augmented  by  the  waters  of  the  Cowasselon. 
Chittenango  Creek  flows  through  the  town,  forming  a  part  of  its  west- 
ern boundary,  and  supplying  splendid  water  power.  Gypsum  is  found 
and  has  been  extensively  quarried,  and  water  lime  is  also  manufactured. 
The  soil  in  the  north  part  is  a  clayey  loam  alternating  with  muck  and 
marl;  in  the  south  part  it  is  gravelly  loam.  The  somewhat  celebrated 
White  Sulphur  Springs  are  near  Chittenango  village,  and  other  mineral 
springs  exist.  The  territory  of  this  town  possesses  great  historic  inter- 
est in  connection  with  the  Indian  wars  and  the  Revolution. 

Settlement  in  Sullivan  territory  began  in  1790  with  the  arrival  of  nine 
families  in  the  vicinity  of  Canaseraga,  whose  names  are  given  in  the 
preceding  general  history  of  the  town.  Most  of  these  settled  perma- 
nently and  descendants  of  some  of  them  are  still  resident  in  the  vicinity. 
The  pioneers  were  soon  followed  by  John  G.  Moyer,  Capt.  Timothy 
Brown,  Col.  Zebulon  Douglass,  long  the  most  prominent  figure;  John 
Matthews,  Philip  Daharsh,  Peter  Dygart,  Timothy  Freeman,  Martin 
Vrooman,  Capt.  Rosel  Barnes,  Robert  Carter,  Joseph  and  Benjamin 
Hosley,  Jacob  Patrick,  John  Knowles,  John  Adams,  Robert  Riddell, 
John  Smith,  John  Walrath,  the  Beebe  families,  John  Lower,  Peter  Ehle, 
David  Burton,  William  Miles,  John  Keller,  Ovid  Weldon,  Nicholas 
Pickard,  John  Owen  French,  Rev.  Austin  Briggs,  Reuben  Haight,  and 
perhaps  a  few  others. 


618  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  first  mills  were  built  near  the  site  of  Chittenango  by  John  G. 
Moyer,  the  grist  mill  being  converted  into  a  plaster  mill  about  1815; 
later  it  was  made  into  a  woolen  cloth  factory  and  burned  about  1826. 
It  was  rebuilt  by  John  Knowles.  John  Matthews  owned  in  early  years 
the  well  known  Matthews  mills  on  Chittenango  Creek,  which  passed  to 
his  brother  Samuel,  of  Salina. 

Capt.  Rosel  Barnes  built  the  first  frame  house  near  Bridgeport  and 
kept  the  first  tavern.  John  Knowles  became  a  prominent  citizen  and 
held  the  office  of  judge.  John  Smith  kept  an  early  tavern  at  Chitte- 
nango, where  he  took  up  200  acres  including  the  village  site.  Robert 
Riddell,  son  of  Robert,  was  an  early  tanner  and  was  associated  with  his 
brother  David ;  they  succeeded  Vincent  Wilber. 

Reuben  Hawley  and  William  Malcoln  were  early  settlers  in  the  town 
and  both  kept  stores  at  Canaseraga  as  early  as  1805.  Richard  Lower, 
son  of  John,  was  the  pioneer  blacksmith  in  the  town.  The  first  phy- 
sician in  the  town  was  a  Dr.  Weed,  who  removed  to  Manlius.  The 
next  ones  were  Drs.  Amos  Amsden  and  John  P.  Kennedy.  The  first 
lawyers  were  William  K.  Fuller  and  John  B.  Yates,  who  settled  in 
Chittenango  in  1810. 

The  early  records  of  this  town  are  lost,  hence  the  only  matters  rela- 
tive to  town  officers  that  can  be  given  is  the  following  list  of  supervisors, 
which  has  been  compiled  from  the  archives  in  the  county  clerk's  office : 

1807-09  inclusive,  Jacob  Patrick;  1810-14,  Solomon  Beebe;  1815, 
John  Lee;  1810-18,  John  Knowles;  1819,  Horatio  G.  Douglass;  1820- 
22,  John  Knowles;  1823-24,  H.  G.  Douglass;  1825,  John  Adams;  1826, 
Job  Wells;  1827-31,  William  K.  Fuller;  1832,  John  Adams,  1833, 
GeorgeGrant;  1834,  John  Knowles;  1835-36,  Job  Wells;  1837,  John 
Knowles;  1838,  Daniel  Walrath;  1839,  John  Knowles;  1840,  Peter  Van 
Valkenburgh;  1841-42,  George  Grant;  1843-44,  George  K.  Fuller; 
1845-46,  Daniel  F.  Kellogg;  1847-48,  James  Beebe;  1849-50,  John 
Knowles;  1851-52,  Damon  Wells;  1853-54,  David  Dunham;  1855-57, 
Albert  Mabie;  1858,  George  Grant;  1859,  Ebenezer  Pennock;  1860,  R. 

B.  Tuttle;  1861,  Albert  Mabie;  1862,  Alvin  Keller;  1863,  W.  E.  Barn- 
ard; 1864,  D.  D.  Walrath;  1805,  Timothy  S.  Brown;  1866-70,  Marcus 

C.  Walrath;  1871-75,  William  Lincoln;  187G,  D.  D.  Walrath;  1877-81, 
Francis  H.  Gates;  1882-89,  Albert  B.  Dunham;  1890-91,  Abram  Wal- 
rath; 1892-93,  Fritz  C.  Block;  1894-95,  Philip  H.  Wager;  1896-97, 
Fritz  C.  Block. 

Canaseraga  is  the  oldest  village  settlement  in   the   town,   and   is  the 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— SULLIVAN.  619 

site  of  one  of  the  ancient  Tuscorara  Indian  villages.  It  is  situated 
where  the  Chittenango  Creek  crosses  the  .Seneca  turnpike  a  little  to  the 
northeast  of  Chittenango.  A  post-office  was  early  established  with  the 
name  of  Sullivan,  as  at  the  present  time,  but  it  was  closed  many  years. 
Mills  were  built  previous  to  1805.  Early  settlers  here  were  Timothy 
Brown,  John  Dennie,  who  built  the  first  frame  house  and  kept  a  tavern, 
a  Mr.  Drake,  also  a  tavern  keeper,  Solomon  Beebe,  another  landlord, 
David  Burton,  and  others  before  mentioned.  The  present  mills  were 
built  in  1855  by  Simon  D.  Paddock.  Frank  has  a  store  and  is  post- 
master. 

Chittenango. — The  early  development  of  this  village  was  due  more 
to  John  B.  Yates  than  to  any  other  one  man.  He  opened  a  large  store, 
built  a  plaster  mill  in  1818,  carried  on  transportation  business  on  the 
canal,  manufactured  lime,  etc.  Robert  and  David  Riddell  established 
a  tannery  in  1815  in  the  building  formerly  occupied  in  the  same  busi- 
ness by  Vincent  Wilber.     John  Bouck  built  another  tannery  in  1817. 

The  village  was  incorporated  in  1842  and  the  names  of  the  first 
officers  and  all  of  the  village  presidents  are  given  in  an  earlier  chapter. 
The  post  office  was  probably  opened  in  181G,  with  William  K.  Fuller 
postmaster. 

Later  merchants  in  the  village  were  Fuller  &  Clary,  Yates  &  Cobb, 
James  and  George  Crouse,  John  A.  Lamphere,  F.  H.  Hutchinson, 
James  S.  Atwell,  Ambrose  E.  Gorton  (still  in  trade),  Robert  and  Daniel 
Stewart,  A.  J.  and  R.  B.  French,  Thomas  Clark,  John  Williams,  Will 
iam  Bates,  Mitchell  &  Sims,  Moses  Parmalee  and  Albert  Dunham, 
Hezekiah  Beecher,  Hugh  White,  the  Atwater  Brothers,  Curtis  &  Steele, 
James  Walrath,  Richard  Walrath,  Benjamin  Jenkins,  Richard  R.  Wal- 
rath  and  C.  V.  Harbottle  (partners),  L.  E.  Shepard,  Robert  Kennedy, 
Lyman  Gay  (father  of  Harlan  L.  Gay,  the  present  merchant),  Nicholas 
Greminger,  Joseph  H.  Walrath.  H.  M.  Barrett,  John  Colyer,  and  a  few 
others.  Besides  those  mentined  as  now  in  business  there  are  stores  by 
A.  N.  Chariton,  Abner  Hatch,  W.  I.  Tyler,  George  C.  Clark,  Costello 
&  Root,  and  a  few  small  shops. 

Manufacturing  in  Chittenango  has  not  been  extensive.  The  grist 
mill,  after  having  been  transformed  into  a  roller  mill,  is  now  operated 
by  Frank  Suiter.  John  B.  Yates  had  an  oil  mill  on  the  site  of  the  later 
paper  mill,  into  which  it  was  converted.  Mr.  Yates  built  astone  woolen 
factory  on  the  site  of  the  later  cotton  mill ;  the  latter  was  operated  suc- 
cessfully for  a  time,  but  was  finally  closed.     The  old  Walrath  foundry, 


620  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

established  by  Daniel  Walrath,  is  operated  now  by  Peter  Walrath.  The 
works  of  the  Chittenango  Pottery  Company  were  established  at  the  Land- 
ing in  1897;  after  being  twice  burned,  the  present  brick  structure  was 
erected.  The  large  canning  works  of  Merrell  &  Soule  (of  Syracuse)  are 
also  located  at  the  Landing. 

The  well  known  Yates  House  was  built  in  its  first  form  early  in  the 
century,  but  is  lost  sight  of  in  the  present  structure;  Clark  Wheeler, 
proprietor.  The  Dixon  House,  built  in  1827  by  Timothy  Pratt,  is  con- 
ducted by  O.  A.  Russell. 

The  Chittenango  Bank  began  business  in  1853,  with  capital  of  $110,- 
000,  increased  to  $150,000;  closed  its  business  in  1864.  The  First  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Chittenango  was  organized  in  December,  1863,  with 
capital  of  $50,000,  increased  to  $150,000.  It  went  into  voluntary  liqui- 
dation in  1883.  The  private  bank  of  Walter  H.  Stewart  was  opened  in 
1886. 

The  first  newspaper  in  the  village  was  the  Chittenango  Herald,  estab- 
lished in  1833  by  Isaac  Lyon.  After  two  or  three  changes  in  name  and 
proprietor,  it  was  discontinued  in  1856.  The  Madison  County  Times 
was  founded  in  August,  1870,  by  Arthur  White.  Luke  McHenry  has 
owned  it  since  1883. 

Soon  after  the  incorporation  of  the  village,  a  fire  company  and  a 
hook  and  ladder  company  were  appointed,  and  apparatus  purchased  for 
fire  protection.  An  engine  house  was  built  in  1843.  After  gradual 
changes  made  at  different  times  the  department  now  consists  of  one  en- 
gine company,  with  hand  engine;  Yates  Hose  Company,  Fuller  Hose 
Company,  and  hook  and  ladder  company. 

The  celebrated  Yates  Polytechnic  Institute  was  founded  by  John  B. 
Yates  in  1824,  and  was  long  a  successful  educational  institution.  It  is 
now  occupied  by  the  Union  school,  organized  in  1871. 

There  are  four  churches  in  Chittenango — -Presbyterian,  Baptist,  Epis- 
copal and  Catholic.  The  Presbyterian  society  is  the  successor  of  the 
Reformed  Church,  and  built  in  1838  a  house  of  worship,  the  Presby- 
terians of  that  time  uniting  with  the  Reformed  congregation  in  the 
work.  This  building  was  ultimately  sold  to  the  Baptists,  by  them  to 
the  Catholics  and  burned.  Previous  to  that  year  the  several  denom- 
inatioiis  had  held  services  in  what  was  called  the  Bethel,  a  small  meet- 
ing house,  which  was  used  for  school  and  religious  purposes  and  was 
built  about  1816.  The  Presbyterians  withdrew  from  all  connection 
with  the  Reformed  society  soon  after  the  latter  was  organized.  The 
Reformed  society  erected  the  stone  church  now  in  use. 


GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS— SULLIVAN.  681 

The  Baptist  Church  was  organized  here  in  1841  and  continued  in  ex- 
istence until  about  1860.  In  1868  the  present  First  Baptist  Church  was 
organized,  and  in  1870-71  built  its  present  house  of  worship. 

The  First  Methodist  Church  was  organized  in  1833,  and  their  meet- 
ing house  built  in  the  following  year.  It  was  burned  in  1863,  soon 
after  which  the  later  building  was  erected. 

St.  Paul's  Episcopal  Church  was  organized  in  1855  and  a  church 
building  erected  in  1865 ;  the  Bethel  was  used  for  services  up  to  that 
date.  Services  were  long  maintained  with  regularity,  but  in  recent 
years  the  society  has  declined. 

St.  Patrick's  Church  was  formed  soon  after  1850,  and  in  1859  the 
meeting  house,  formerly  occupied  by  the  Presbyterians  and  later  by  the 
Baptists,  was  purchased.  After  this  was  burned  the  present  edifice 
was  erected. 

Chittenango  Station  on  the  Central  Railroad  has  a  post-office,  with 
George  W.  Carpenter  postmaster,  and  stores  kept  by  A.  W.  Green, 
George  W.  Carpenter  and  William  Hurlburt.  The  first  merchant  here 
was  J.  T.  Burton.  The  Webb  House,  kept  by  F.  L.  Webb,  and  a  hotel 
by  Charles  P.  Eaton,  with  a  few  shops,  complete  the  settlement. 

The  village  of  Bridgeport  is  situated  in  the  northwest  part  of  the 
town  and  is  partly  in  Onondaga  county.  Early  settlers  here  were  Isaac 
and  John  Delamater  (1803),  John  Knowles,  John  Adams,  and  the  Briggs, 
White,  Eastford,  Owen,  Crownhart  and  other  families.  A  hotel  was 
built  here  long  ago  and  burned  in  1867;  the  site  is  still  occupied  by  a 
hotel  and  another  one  is  kept  in  the  place;  Gilbert  Singerland  and  Hol- 
den  Bushnell  are  the  landlords.  The  Bridgeport  Mills  were  built  very 
early  in  the  century  and  now,  after  many  changes  in  ownership,  are 
operated  by  the  Snyder  Brother.  Stores  are  kept  by  Lewis  V.  Conk- 
lin,  John  Nichols,  Wallace  Billington  and  David  H.  Brown.  Older 
merchants  were  Dunham  &  Sharpe,  JohnO.  Terpenny,  Charles  Billing 
ton  and  his  brother,  and  Horace  O.  Draper,  who  now  has  a  hardware 
and  tin  shop. 

Lakeport  is  a  small  post  hamlet  five  miles  east  of  Bridgeport.  Reu- 
ben vSpencer  was  the  first  settler  here  and  built  a  mill  on  the  brook 
which  took  his  name.  Reuben  Bushnell  was  another  early  settler;  also 
William  Williams,  Richard  Chapman  and  Zina  Bushnell.  A  saw  mill 
was  built  about  1850  by  W.  H.  .Snedeker,  now  owned  by  Charles  F. 
Pennock.  A  store  building  was  erected  about  1855  by  Perry  Edwards, 
where  several  merchants  have    done  business.     J.  W.   Phillips  is  the 


632  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

present  merchant  and  postmaster.  The  Larkin  House  was  built  about 
1850  as  the  Lakeport  House;  it  took  its  present  name  from  David  Lar- 
kin and  is  now  kept  by  Edward  Jacobs.  The  Avon  House  was  built  in 
1877  by  John  Dempsey;  it  is  now  unoccupied. 

The  Spencer  Brook  Cheese  Factory,  a  half  mile  west  of  Lakeport, 
was  transformed  into  the  Spencer  Brook  House  and  is  kept  by  Edward 
F.  Sternbergh.  Charles  F.  Pennock  has  another  cheese  factory  in  this 
vicinity. 

The  First  Congregational  Church  of  Oneida  Lake  was  organized  in 
1846  and  services  were  held  in  the  old  house  built  in  1824  but  unfin- 
ished until  the  organization;  it  was  much  improved  in  1876. 

The  Union  Congregational  Society  was  organized  in  1834  in  the  north 
part  of  the  town  and  retained  its  existence  until  about  1842.  There  is 
a  Free  Methodist  Society  which  has  a  small  church  about  three-fourths 
of  a  mile  east  of  Lakeport. 


PART  II. 

BIOGRAPHICAL 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


JONATHAN  D.   LEDYARD.' 

Jonathan  Denise  Ledyard  was  born  at  Middletown  Point,  in  the 
State  of  New  Jersey,  on  the  10th  day  of  June,  1793,  and  died  in  Caze- 
novia  on  the  7th  day  of  January,  1874. 

His  father,  Benjamin  Ledyard,  a  native  of  Groton,  in  the  State  of 
Connecticut,  was  a  near  relative  of  John  Ledyard,  the  distinguished 
traveler,  as  well  as  of  Col  Ledyard,  who  was  treacherously  slain  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  after  a  gallant  defense  of  Fort  Griswold.  Benja- 
min Ledyard  himself  served  with  credit  as  a  major  during  the  same 
struggle,  bemg  present  at  the  battles  of  Monmouth,  White  Plains  and 
others,  and  after  the  war  settled  in  Middletown  Point,  being  engaged, 
however,  in  business  in  the  city  of  New  York  as  a  hardware  merchant. 
In  1794,  having  been  appointed  by  Gov.  George  Clinton  to  the  county 
clerkship  of  the  newly-erected  county  of  Onondaga,  then  embracing  a 
large  portion  of  western  New  York,  he  removed  his  family,  consisting 
of  his  wife,  eight  children  and  numerous  negroes,  to  Aurora,  on  the 
shore  of  Cayuga  Lake,  making  the  journey  from  New  York  to  Albany 
in  a  sloop,  thence  by  wagon  to  Schenectady,  there  taking  Durham 
boats  or  batteaux  on  the  Mohawk,  and  through  Wood  Creek,  Oneida 
Lake,  the  Seneca  River  and  Cayuga  Lake  to  his  destination,  where  a 
log  house,  erected  upon  the  very  bank  of  the  lake,  was  ready  to  receive 
him.  At  the  tavern  at  Fort  Schuyler,  kept  by  John  Post,  the  party 
were  met  by  Peter  Smith  and  James  S.  Kip,  and  the  former  took  the 
family  to  his  house,  Mr.  Kip  carrying  the  baby,  then  ten  months  old, 
up  the  hill,  and  finding  him  no  light  burden. 

The  mother  of  Jonathan  D.  Ledyard  was  Catherine  Forman,  a  sister 
of  General  Jonathan  Forman,  also  of  Revolutionary  memory,  who  died 
in  Cazenovia  soon  after  the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  and  whose 

'  From  Cazenovia  Republican,  January  32, 1874,  by  Charles  Stebbins,  esq. 
in 


636  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

tombstone  is  perhaps  the  oldest  in  the  village  cemetery,  and  also  of 
Maj.  Samuel  vS.  Forman,  who  came  to  Cazenovia  with  Col.  John  Linck- 
laen  in  1793,  and  who,  after  residing  here  many  years,  removed  to  Sy- 
racuse, where  he  died  a  few  years  since  at  a  very  advanced  age 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  upon  the  death  of  his  mother,  which  oc- 
curred about  17'.)8,  became  a  member  of  the  family  of  his  brother-in- 
law,  the  late  Col.  Lincklaen,  and  since  that  time  has  been  a  resident  of 
Cazenovia,  and,  for  many  years  past,  its  most  conspicuous  citizen. 

At  a  very  early  age  he  was  sent  to  a  family  school  at  Albany,  then 
kept  by  the  celebrated  Dr.  Nott,  and  was  afterward  placed  in  a  school 
at  Whitesboro,  under  the  charge  of  Dr.  Halsey.  He  then  attended  the 
grammar  school  of  Union  College,  after  which  he  followed  the  regular 
course  at  that  institution,  under  the  presidency  of  his  old  preceptor. 
Dr.  Nott,  graduating  in  1813.  He  pursued  the  study  of  law  in  the 
offices  of  Childs  &  Stebbins  of  Cazenovia,  and  of  General  Kirkland  of 
Utica,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1815. 

He  never,  however,  engaged  in  the  active  practice  of  his  profession, 
but  soon  after  arriving  at  his  majority  entered  the  land  office  of  Col. 
Lincklaen,  the  agent  of,  and,  in  a  small  share,  proprietor  in  the  Holland 
Land  Company  in  Cazenovia.  He  was  soon  associated  with  Col.  Linck- 
laen in  the  agency,  and  afterward,  in  connection  with  him,  purchased 
the  interest  of  the  company  in  the  unsold  lands  and  debts  of  the  estab- 
lishment. The  increasing  infirmities  of  Col.  Lincklaen,  followed  by  his 
lamented  death  in  1832,  cast  upon  Mr.  Ledyard,  then  a  very  young 
man,  the  burden  of  the  entire  property,  consisting  of  about  150,000 
acres  of  land,  lying  in  the  counties  of  Madison  and  Chenango.  The 
depressing  effect  of  the  war  of  1812  upon  the  commercial  interests  of 
the  country,  the  severity  of  several  untoward  seasons,  and  the  opening 
of  the  western  country  to  settlement,  in  consequence  of  the  projection 
and  construction  of  the  Erie  Canal,  made  his  task  a  very  heavy  one. 
By  great  energy,  untiring  industry  and  strict  probity  he  succeeded  in 
meeting  his  obligations  to  the  company  in  such  a  manner  as  to  leave  a 
moderate  competence  for  himself  and  his  family.  Heat  once  perceived 
that  a  coercive  policy  would  result,  not  only  in  the  ruin  of  many  set- 
tlers upon  the  tract,  but  would,  in  the  end,  retard  the  growth  of  the 
country,  by  driving  them  to  settle  upon  the  better  but  more  distant 
lands  of  the  new  States.  Accordingly,  he  forebore,  encouraged,  as- 
sisted, sometimes  threatened,  but  rarely  prosecuted,  until,  in  1844,  he 
was  enabled,  from  the  payments  made  to  him,   to  discharge  the  last 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  637 

installment  of  the  very  large  debt  to  the  company,  incurred  upon  the 
purchase  of  the  propert)^  and  received  a  conveyance  of  the  lands  not 
previously  deeded.  He  made  himself  acquainted  with  the  character, 
habits,  and  the  business  and  family  relations  of  his  clientage,  many  of 
whom  owe  their  prosperity,  in  large  measure,  to  his  judicial  counsel, 
his  gentle  reproof,  or  his  warm  words  of  encouragement.  He  was  re- 
garded by  the  people  upon  his  tract  more  as  their  friend  and  adviser 
than  as  their  creditor,  and  there  were  few  who  did  not  look  forward  to 
a  business  visit  to  him  with  the  pleasurable  anticipation  with  which  one 
expects  to  meet  a  valued  friend.  For  half  a  century  his  name  has  been 
a  household  word  in  hundreds  of  homes,  and  his  character,  manners 
and  sayings  discussed  at  their  firesides  and  always  with  feelings  of  af- 
fection and  reverence.  Of  many  hundreds  of  purchasers  of  land  from 
him  there  are  very  few  with  whom  he  ever  had  any  dispute,  and  almost 
none  with  whom  he  ever  had  any  litigation. 

From  his  earliest  manhood  he  was  largely  interested  in  improving 
the  thoroughfares  of  the  country.  He  succeeded  Col.  Lincklaen  as 
president  of  the  Third  Great  Western  Turnpike  Co.,  a  work  which  was 
completed  in  1810  at  a  cost  of  over  $90,000,  a  colossal  sum  for  those 
days,  and,  until  its  dissolution,  superintended  its  affairs  with  great  care 
and  faithfulness.  In  connection  with  his  son,  Ledyard  Lincklean,  he 
was  largely  instrumental  in  the  construction  of  the  plank  road  from 
Caz.enovia  to  Chittenango,  and  he  took  a  warm  interest  in  the  comple- 
tion of  the  railroad  from  here  to  Canastota. 

He  was  largely  interested  in  agricultural  pursuits,  and  was  the  first 
president  of  the  Madison  County  Agricultural  Society,  formed  in  1841, 
and  many  persons  now  living  will  remember  with  what  zeal  and  effi- 
ciency he  executed  the  functions  of  that  position. 

In  early  life,  like  most  young  men  of  that  day,  he  entered  the  militia 
of  the  State,  then,  in  consequence  of  its  meritorious  service  during  the 
war  of  1813,  an  organization  of  great  influence  and  standing.  At  the 
annual  musters  he  was  brought  in  close  contact  with  the  leading  men 
of  this  and  the  adjoining  counties,  and  formed  many  strong  and  life-long 
attachments.  He  took  great  pride  in  discharging  the  duties  belonging 
to  his  several  commissions,  and  rose  to  the  rank  of  brigadier-general, 
resigning  his  commission  in  1828. 

But  it  was  not  in  his  business  and  public  relations  that  Mr.  Ledyard's 
character  was  best  exhibited.  His  local  and  personal  attachments  were 
unusually  strong,  and  it  is  for  his  personal  traits  that  he  will  be  longest 
remembered  in  this  community. 


638  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Occupying  the  conspicuous  position  in  the  village  which  he  greatly 
loved,  he  fairly  discharged  the  obligations  connected  with  his  station. 
He  was  ever  foremost  in  the  support  of  every  project  calculated  to  pro- 
mote the  prosperity  or  to  enhance  the  beauty  of  the  place.  Indeed,  it 
may  well  be  said  of  him,  "  Si  monumetilum  quaeris,  circumspice"  for 
there  has  been  scarcely  an  improvement  made  in  or  near  the  village 
which  does  not  owe  its  origin  to  his  forethought,  assistance,  influence 
or  example. 

In  every  charitable  enterprise  he  was  always  counted  upon  as  a  cer- 
tain and  liberal  contributor,  and  his  heart  and  purse  was  ever  open 
to  the  call  of  every  worthy  applicant . 

Simple  in  his  personal  habits,  and  unostentatious  in  his  mode  of  life, 
he  ever  exercised  a  generous  and  graceful  hospitality,  and,  for  the  last 
half  century,  his  mansion  has  not  been  a  day  without  a  fire  on  its  hearth 
or  a  hospitable  host  to  welcome  a  neighbor  or  a  passing  traveler  within 
its  doors. 

His  mental  and  moral  qualities  were  such  as  to  attach  to  him  the 
warm  affection  of  those  with  whom  he  was  brought  in  immediate  con- 
tact. His  kind  heart  went  out  to  his  kinsfolk  and  friends  with  a  wealth 
of  affection  which  secured  a  corresponding  return.  Gentle  in  his  man- 
ners, sympathizing  in  his  emotions,  magnanimous  in  his  feelings,  just 
in  his  dealings  and  frank  in  his  bearing,  he  possessed,  in  an  extraordin- 
ary degree,  the  affection  of  his  family  and  friends,  which  in  the  latter 
years  of  his  life  ripened  into  a  loving  veneration. 

Descendants  of  Jonathan  Denise  Ledyard,  and  Jane  Strawbridge,  his 
wife.     Children : 

Lincklaen  Ledyard  (name  reversed  by  Act  of  Legislature,  30  March, 
1844,  to  Ledyard  Lincklaen),  married  Helen  C.  vSeymour  (only  child, 
Helen,  wife  of  Charles  S.  Fairchild). 

John  Denise  Ledyard,  married  Elizabeth  Fitz-Hugh  (no  children 
survived  them). 

George  Strawbridge  Ledyard,  married  Anne  Fitz-Hugh.     Children: 
John  Denise,  Richard  Fitz-Hugh,  Jane,  wife  of  Eliphalet  Reming- 
ton; Mary  Fitz-Hugh,  Helen  Seymour,  Wolters  (of  whom  the  first  two 
are  no  longer  living). 

Helen,  married  John  F.  Seymour;  no  descendants. 

L.  Wolters,  married  Elizabeth  Vail;  only  one  daughter,  Murray. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  629 

JOHN  LINCKLAEN. 

The  name  of  this  native  Hollander  stands  prominent  among  those  of 
the  distinguished  men  who  opened  the  lands  of  the  Empire  State  to 
settlement  and  promoted  the  welfare  of  the  pioneers.  John  Lincklaen 
was  born  in  Amsterdam,  Holland,  on  December  34,  1768.  His  early 
years  were  passed  in  Switzerland  where  he  received  education  from  a 
private  tutor.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  years  he  entered  the  navy  of 
Holland,  remaining  in  the  service  several  years  and  receiving  promo- 
tion to  the  rank  of  lieutenant.  During  this  period  of  service  he  was 
called  upon  to  travel  extensively  in  Europe  and  Asia,  and  visited  Cey- 
lon and  Smyrna.  In  1790,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years,  he  came  to 
America  in  the  interest  of  Peter  Stadnitzki,  one  of  the  members  of  the 
great  syndicate  known  as  the  Holland  Land  Company.  Bearing  letters 
of  introduction  to  Theophilus  Cazenove,  then  of  Philadelphia,  Mr. 
Lincklaen  arrived  in  that  city  in  due  time  and  there  completed  arrange- 
ments for  a  journey  of  exploration  into  the  wilderness  of  central  New 
York.  In  the  month  of  September,  1792,  he  started,  in  company  with 
two  experienced  woodsmen,  and  journeyed  northwards  towards  the 
Chenango  Twenty  Towns,  contemplating  the  purchase  of  one  or  more 
of  them.  His  journal  kept  on  that  journey  is  in  existence  and  is  of 
deep  interest.  He  reached  the  east  line  of  the  Gore  on  the  8th  of  Oc- 
tober, carefully  investigated  its  natural  advantages,  and  on  the  11th  of 
that  month,  as  he  recorded,  he  encamped  at  the  foot  of  Cazenovia  lake. 
After  thoroughly  exploring  the  surrounding  region,  he  reported  to  Mr. 
Stadnitzki,  the  result  of  which  was  the  purchase  by  the  Holland  Com- 
pany of  Road  Township  and  No.  1  of  the  Twenty  Towns,  comprising 
in  all  about  130,000  acres.  Mr.  Lincklaen  was  appointed  agent  of  the 
company. 

In  the  winter  of  1793  Samuel  S.  Forman  became  acquainted  in  Phil- 
adelphia with  both  Mr.  Lincklaen  and  Mr.  Cazenove,  and  engaged  with 
them  to  come  into  the  new  purchase,  on  the  site  of  Cazenovia  village 
and  act  as  clerk  in  the  conduct  of  the  company's  store.  The  story  of 
his  early  experiences  in  that  capacity  has  been  told  in  this  work.  Mr. 
Forman  met  Mr.  Lincklaen  by  appointment  in  New  York  in  April, 
1793,  where  a  large  stock  of  goods  was  purchased  and  brought  on  to 
Utica,  whence  instalments  were  transported  to  Cazenovia.  Mr.  Linck- 
laen came  on  with  a  number  of  settlers,  as  elsewhere  related.  On  the 
afternoon  of  the  8th  of  May  the  little  company  encamped  at  the  south 


630  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

end  of  the  lake,  where  tents  were  pitched  and  steps  taken  for  the  build- 
ing of  houses.  Mr.  Lincklaen  entered  with  energy  and  efficiency  upon 
the  sale  of  the  lands,  and  so  liberal  were  the  arrangements  for  payment 
made  by  him,  that  settlers  came  in  rapidly.  Roads  were  laid  out, 
bridges  built,  mills  erected  and  by  his  zealous  activity,  unfailing  good 
judgment,  and  unceasing  labor  he  was  soon  surrounded  by  a  prosper- 
ous community  of  which  he  was  the  founder.  His  service  as  agent  of 
the  land  company  continued  for  a  number  of  years,  during  all  of  which 
period  he  was  esteemed  for  his  liberality,  his  integrity,  and  his  ability. 

Mr.  Lincklaen  was  also  associated  during  one  period  with  the  Hol- 
land company  in  their  ownership  of  the  great  purchase  in  the  western 
part  of  the  State.  Through  his  native  qualifications,  his  habits  of  ac- 
curate observation,  and  his  extensive  reading,  he  acquired  a  large  fund 
of  information  and  was  always  especially  conversant  with  the  current 
affairs  of  the  world.  His  tastes  were  scholarly  and  refined  and  his 
demeanor  and  social  conduct  that  of  the  courteous  gentleman.  His 
stately  brick  mansion  overlooking  the  lake,  built  in  the  first  decade  of 
the  century,  and  now  the  home  of  Charles  S.  Fairchild,  was  noted  for 
its  generous  hospitality. 

Mr.  Lincklaen  married  a  sister  of  Jonathan  Denise  Ledyard  in  1797, 
and  to  his  brother-in-law  the  land  business  passed  in  course  of  time. 
Mr.  Lincklaen  was  a  consistent  and  broad  minded  Christian.  For  some 
years  he  leaned  towards  the  Unitarian  faith,  in  which  several  of  his  in- 
timate friends  were  believers;  but  later  in  life  he  was  led  to  adopt  the 
Trinitarian  belief,  to  which  he  adhered  until  his  death.  He  was  fore- 
most among  the  founders  of  the  old  church  in  Cazenovia. 

In  1820  Mr.  Lincklaen  was  stricken  by  paralysis,  and  he  died  on  the 
9th  of  February,  1822,  at  the  comparatively  early  age  of  fifty-four 
years,  leaving  no  descendants. 


ELISHA  PAYNE. 

Elisha  Payne  was  a  lineal  descendant  of  one  of  three  brothers  by 
the  name  of  Payne,  who  settled  in  Plymouth  as  early  as  1621,  and  who 
were  forced  to  leave  England  for  the  same  cause  that  drove  the  Pil- 
grims to  find  a  home  in  the  New  World.  He  was  born  in  North  East, 
Dutchess  county,  N.  Y.,  December  3,  1762.  His  parents,  Abram  and 
Rebecca  Payne,  were  natives  of  Connecticut.     The  former  was  born  in 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  631 

1722,  and  died  in  Hamilton,  April  31,  1801,  in  his  eightieth  year.  The 
latter  died  in  the  same  place  December  25,  1810,  aged  eighty-six  years. 
They  settled  in  Dutchess  county  about  1760.  They  had  four  sons  and 
four  daughters.  Elisha  was  the  youngest  of  the  children  and  the  only 
one  that  left  issue.  In  consequence  of  the  misfortune  that  befel  their 
parents  in  the  loss  of  their  property,  Elisha  and  vSamuel  cared  for  and 
supported  them  until  they  died.  Elisha  had  but  few  advantages  for 
an  education,  such  only  as  were  afforded  by  the  common  schools  of 
his  town,  but  his  habits  were  studious  and  he  was  fond  of  reading. 
Every  good  book  that  he  was  able  to  get  he  read  carefully,  and  so 
stored  his  mind  with  valuable  information  that  enabled  him  to  compe- 
tently discharge  the  duties  of  the  various  offices  of  trust  and  responsi- 
bility that  were  confided  to  him  by  his  townsmen  and  those  in  authority 
in  after  years.  On  the  17th  of  September,  1787,  he  was  married  to 
Polly  Brooks,  a  native  of  Essex,  Conn.  She  was  born  January  12,  1706, 
and  died  May  4,  1796.  By  her  he  had  four  children,  three  sons  and 
one  daughter,  viz. :  Abram,  John,  Samuel  and  Mary. 

August  17,  1797,  he  married  Esther  Douglass,  daughter  of  Rev.  Caleb 
Douglass  of  Whitestown,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  that  section,  and  a  de- 
scendant of  the  Douglass  family  of  Scotland.  Esther  was  born  July  25, 
1778,  and  died  at  Hamilton  September  12,  1853.  By  her  he  had  four- 
teen children,  twelve  sons  and  two  daughters,  two  of  whom  died  in  in- 
fancy. The  names  of  those  that  grew  to  maturity  are  here  given  in  the 
order  of  their  birth  :  Elijah,  Elisha,  Mansfield,  Joseph,  Nelson,  Charles 
C,  Thomas,  Maria,  Henry  B.,  William,  Esther  and  Edwin. 

In  1794  Samuel  Payne  settled  in  the  dense  forest  near  what  is  now 
the  south  line  of  the  village  of  Hamilton.  Elisha  came  in  the  next 
year  and  bought  lot  No.  2,  on  which  more  than  half  of  the  village  of 
Hamilton  is  situated.  The  name  of  Payne  Settlement  was  given  to 
this  locality,  and  a  few  years  thereafter  Elisha  changed  it  to  Hamilton, 
in  honor  of  one  he  greatly  admired,  Alexander  Hamilton. 

Elisha  built  a  rude  log  cabin  near,  in  which  he  lived  a  short  time, 
but  the  influx  of  New  England  people  who  came  as  actual  settlers,  or 
with  a  view  to  settlement,  demanded  a  larger  and  more  commodious 
building  in  which  they  could  find  a  temporary  home.  Accordingly, 
Mr.  Payne  built  a  large  frame  house,  which  he  kept  as  a  tavern  for 
several  years,  and  until  another  building  was  put  up  for  that  purpose 
in  1812.  Mr.  Payne  was  anxious  that  a  village  of  importance  should  be 
built  up  here,  and  as  an  inducement   to  mechanics   and  others  whose 


633  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

presence  would  help  to  bring  about  that  result,  he  gave  them  land  and 
helped  them  build  their  homes  on  the  same.  He  gave  the  land  for  the 
park  that  now  greatly  beautifies  the  village,  and  the  same  was  used 
many  years  by  the  militia  of  the  adjoining  towns  as  a  parade  ground. 
Mr.  Payne  thoroughly  identified  himself  with  every  enterprise  that 
seemed  to  him  would  be  of  permanent  benefit  to  Hamilton.  He  in- 
vested largely  of  his  means  in  the  construction  of  a  turnpike  from 
Cherry  Valley  through  Hamilton  to  Skaneateles,  the  successful  com- 
pletion of  which  was  mainly  due  to  his  influence.  He  was  the  friend 
of  education,  and  was  one  of  the  few  who  were  instrumental  in  estab- 
lishing an  academy,  which  flourished  here  many  years.  It  was  owing 
to  his  influence  and  his  great  success  in  securing  subscriptions  to  the 
Society  that  the  Seminary  was  finally  located  at  Hamilton. 

In  politics  Mr.  Payne  was  a  Federalist,  and  afterwards  a  Whig,  and 
always  took  a  great  interest  in  his  party's  success.  He  was  one  of  the 
first  judges  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  appointed  by  Morgan  Lewis, 
governor,  March  31,  1806,  and  held  that  ofifice  about  nine  years. 

In  the  early  years  of  his  residence  here  the  people  bestowed  on  him 
several  offices  of  trust  and  honor,  but  in  the  closing  years  of  his  life  he 
declined  all  offices  of  a  public  nature.  Mr.  Payne  was  devoted  to  the 
cause  of  Christianity.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Baptist 
Church  in  Hamilton  and  one  of  its  earnest  supporters,  and  assisted  in 
building  three  churches  in  Hamilton.  In  his  domestic  life  Mr.  Payne 
was  a  kind  husband  and  loving  father,  teaching  his  children  by  his  up- 
right life  the  value  and  importance  of  virtue,  and  inspiring  them  with 
the  worthy  ambition  to  be  men  and  women  in  the  loftiest  sense  of  the 
word.  His  teachings  were  not  forgotten,. but  are  fully  exemplified  in 
the  lives  of  his  children. 

Elisha  Payne  died  February  4,  1843. 


BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN  CHAPMAN, 

Well  known  during  all  of  his  mature  life  as  a  successful  attorney  and 
a  public  spirited  citizen  of  the  old  town  of  Lenox,  was  born  at  Clock- 
ville,  March  24,  1817.  He  was  a  son  of  Col.  Stephen  Chapman,  the 
Clockville  pioneer,  and  his  wife,  Keturah  Palmer,  who  was  a  native  of 
Stonington,  Conn.  The  family  migrated  to  Madison  county  in  1812. 
Stephen  Chapman  was  a  mechanic,   but  being  a  ready  speaker  and 


B.  F.  CHAPMAN. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  633 

making  himself  familiar  with  the  common  forms  of  law,  he  was  early 
employed  in  the  trial  of  minor  cases  in  the  community  and  finally 
studied  law  in  the  office  of  Israel  S.  Spencer.  He  was  an  influential 
citizen  of  the  town  and  secured  the  establishment  of  the  first  post-office 
at  Clockville  in  1814,  in  which  he  was  postmaster  from  that  year  until 
1847,  with  only  a  brief  interval. 

Benjamin  F.  Chapman  was  endowed  by  nature  with  marked  charac- 
teristics and  on  the  death  of  his  brother  Stephen  in  1831,  who  had 
already  been  admitted  to  the  bar,  his  father  decided  that  he  should 
study  law.  He  entered  Stockbridge  academy  in  1834  and  the  next 
spring  began  attendance  at  the  Hudson  River  seminary,  where  he 
showed  remarkable  aptitude  for  mathematics.  In  the  fall  of  1835  he 
began  the  study  of  languages  in  Fayetteville  academy,  remaining  there 
until  he  entered  Hamilton  college  in  August,  1836,  graduating  in  1839. 
He  was  a  ready  speaker  and  the  prize  orator  in  his  junior  year.  Upon 
his  graduation  he  was  one  of  the  honor  speakers,  delivering  the  philo- 
sophical oration.  Entering  his  father's  office  he  pursued  law  study 
until  his  admission  to  the  bar  in  1841  and  subsequently  to  practice  in 
all  the  courts.  In  the  course  of  his  educational  career  he  became  a 
skilled  surveyor  and  was  engaged  in  that  profession  to  a  considerable 
extent.  He  was  also  a  popular  lecturer,  and  took  an  active  part  in 
local  politics,  holding  a  number  of  town  offices,  and  was  also  district 
attorney  for  the  county.  Mr.  Chapman  married  in  1841  Huldah  Wil- 
cox, and  was  father  of  three  children.  In  1880  he  took  up  his  residence 
in  Oneida,  and  died  May  39,  1893. 


PERRY  G.  CHILDS. 

Perry  G.  Childs,  one  of  the  early  settlers  and  long  a  prominent  citi- 
zen of  Cazenovia  village,  was  born  in  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  in  1779.  He 
was  a  son  of  Dr.  Timothy  and  Rachel  Easton  Childs,  and  married  in 
1807,  Catharine  Ledyard,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Ledyard,  of  Aurora, 
N.  Y.  Mr.  Childs  received  a  liberal  education  and  early  in  his  life  took 
up  the  study  of  law  and  was  in  due  time  admitted  to  the  bar.  He  was 
possessed  of  exceptional  intellectual  attributes,  as  well  as  a  high  sense 
of  personal  honor  and  integrity,  and  soon  after  his  settlement  in  Caz- 
enovia became  a  successful  practitioner  and  one  of  the  foremost  men  of 
the  town  in  respect  of  its  public  affairs.     When  the  village  was  incor- 


C34  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE, 

porated  in  1810  he  was  chosen  one  of  the  first  board  of  trustees,  and 
his  name  appears  in  the  tax  list  of  1811  as  owner  of  property  valued  at 
$1,50).  More  than  eighty  years  ago  he  built  the  fine  old  residence  in 
Cazenovia  which  is  now  occupied  by  Mrs.  John  Stebbins,  who  is  his 
granddaughter.  Mr.  Childs  was  called  to  fill  various  positions  of  re- 
sponsibility, for  which  his  excellent  judgment,  wise  foresight,  and  con- 
servative consideration  eminently  fitted  him.  When  the  old  Madison 
County  Bank  began  business  on  the  1st  of  January,  1832,  Mr.  Childs 
was  chosen  its  president,  a  position  which  he  occupied  many  years  to 
the  entire  satisfaction  of  all  who  were  interested  in  the  institution.  Mr. 
Childs  died  in  1835  while  still  at  the  height  of  his  mental  and  bodily 
powers.  His  wife  died  in  1849.  They  left  seven  children,  as  follows: 
Catharine  Rachel,  who  married  Augustus  W.  Smith;  Helen,  who  mar- 
ried Sidney  T.  Fairchild,  father  of  Charles  S.  Fairchild;  Henry,  who 
died  in  1837;  Sophia  Ledyard,  who  married  Rev.  George  S.  Boardman; 
Perry  G.  Childs,  jr.,  who  died  in  California  in  18.93;  Jane  S.,  who  mar- 
ried K.  N.  Guiteau  and  resides  in  Minnesota;  and  J.  D.  Ledyard  Childs, 
who  died  in  1858. 


C.  WILL  CHAPPELL. 

C.WiLL  Chappell  was  born  in  Cazenovia,  Madison  county,  April  5, 
1845,  a  son  of  Chester  L.  and  S.arah  M.  (Jackson)  Chappell.  His  grand- 
father was  one  of  the  earlier  settlers  of  Cazenovia  whither  he  removed 
from  Andovor,  Mass.  Mr.  Chappell  was  educated  at  Cazenovia  Sem- 
inary but  began  active  life  at  the  early  age  of  fourteen  as  a  clerk  in 
Charles  Crandall's  Cazenovia  bookstore.  In  this  business  he  was  sub- 
sequently associated  with  William  Watkins  under  the  firm  name  of 
Chappell  &  Watkins  for  about  one  year.  At  the  end  of  that  period 
Mr.  Chappell  took  a  position  with  a  New  York  publishing  house  whose 
output  was  principally  school  text  books,  and  remained  in  their  em- 
ploy as  a  traveling  salesman  until  1869.  In  that  year  he  went  West, 
locating  in  Atchison,  Kansas,  where  for  a  few  months  he  held  a  part- 
nership in  a  book  and  stationery  business.  Returning  East  in  January, 
1870,  he  settled  in  Oneida  where  he  has  since  resided.  On  his  arrival 
here  he  engaged  in  a  clothing  business  in  the  opera  house  block  on 
Main  street  (Chase  &  Chappell).  This  business  was  continued  until 
1879.      In  1877  the  firm  of  Chappell,  Tuttle  &  Co.  purchased  the  busi- 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  635 

ness  of  E.  W.  Jones  who,  some  years  previously,  had  established  a 
business  in  Oneida  as  a  dealer  and  jobber  in  undertakers'  supplies. 
Chappell,  Tuttle  &  Co.  continued  this  trade  for  two  years  and  in  1879 
purchased  the  business  of  Maxwell,  McWeeney  &  Co.  of  Rochester, 
Mr.  Maxwell  retaining  his  interest  and  the  firm  becoming  Chappell, 
Chase,  Maxwell  &  Co.  This  firm,  which  became  known  as  one  of  the 
largest  in  this  country,  began  the  manufacture  of  caskets  and  under- 
takers' supplies  at  Oneida  September  1,  1879.  The  jobbing  house  in 
Rochester  was  continued  for  some  years,  and  in  1883  a  branch  was  es- 
tablished at  New  York  city.  In  1890,  b}^  the  consolidation  of  the  three 
largest  and  most  prominent  casket  houses  in  the  United  States,  namely, 
Chappell,  Chase,  Maxwell  &  Co.,  Hamilton,  Lemon,  Arnold  &  Co.,  and 
the  Stein  Manufacturing  Co.  of  Rochester,  the  National  Casket  Com- 
pany was  formed  with  a  capital  stock  of  $3,000,000,  which  was  after- 
wards increased  to  $6,000,000.  Mr.  Chappell  was  made  first  vice-pres- 
ident of  the  corporation,  and  general  manager  of  these  large  interests, 
a  position  he  still  retains.  Some  idea  of  the  proportions  of  this  business 
may  be  gained  from  the  fact  that  it  gives  employment  to  from  1,500  to 
2,000  skilled  mechanics,  as  well  as  a  large  force  of  clerks  and  salesmen, 
and  that  customers  are  found  in  every  State  in  the  Union.  At  the 
Oneida  plant  are  from  350  to  300  employees  with  a  yearl}'  output  of 
about  30,000  caskets.  In  addition  to  the  cares  which  are  involved  in 
the  management  of  a  business  of  this  scope,  Mr.  Chappell,  who  has 
been  a  busy  man  all  his  life,  has  been  interested  as  a  stockholder  or 
director  in  most  of  the  manufacturing  enterprises  of  Oneida.  He  has 
served  as  a  director  of  the  Oneida  Valley  National  Bank,  and  for  sev- 
eral years  as  trustee  of  the  Oneida  Savings  Bank  of  which  he  is  now 
president.  As  a  citizen  he  has  shown  no  lack  of  zeal  in  promoting 
the  welfare  of  this  village,  and  was  especially  active  in  forwarding  the 
high  school  project.  He  was  also  interested  in  the  inception  of  the 
Warner  Water  Works,  and  was  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  street 
railroad.  Mr.  Chappell  has  served  for  upwards  of  twenty  years  as  super- 
intendent of  the  Sunday  school  of  the  Cochran  Memorial  Presbyterian 
church,  of  which  he  is  also  a  trustee.  The  Chappell  residence  on  Eliza- 
beth street,  which  is  an  ornament  to  the  village,  was  built  by  Mr.  Chap- 
pell in  1886,  and  in  1896  he  further  beautified  the  grounds  by  the 
addition  of  a  park  on  the  site  of  the  old  Seminary  buildings  which  he 
had  purchased  and  demolished.  Mr.  Chappell  is  a  Mason  of  the  thirty- 
second  degree,  holding  membership  in  Doric  Chapter  of  Oneida,  and 


636  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Central  City  Commandery,  and  Syracuse  Consistory  of  Syracuse.  He 
has  served  as  president  of  the  National  Burial  Case  Association,  and  is 
now  president  of  the  Eastern  Burial  Case  Association.  For  a  period  of 
four  years  he  acted  as  trustee  of  Cazenovia  Seminary.  Politically  he  is 
a  Democrat,  and  has  frequently  served  as  a  delegate  to  county  and 
State  conventions;  he  was  an  active  supporter  of  Cleveland  in  1884  and 
1888,  and  in  those  years  campaigned  the  county.  After  the  Chicago 
convention  of  1896  he  took  a  stand  with  the  sound  money  Democrats 
and  at  once  organized  a  sound  money  club  in  Oneida,  the  second  in  this 
State,  the  first  having  been  formed  by  the  late  Roswell  P.  Flower.  Mr. 
Chappell  has  found  much  recreation  in  travel,  and  has  visited  at  differ- 
ent periods  old  Mexico,  Bermuda,  and  the  West  Indies.  In  1896  he 
made  a  Mediterranean  trip,  his  itinerary  including  the  Holy  Land, 
Egypt,  Greece,  and  Turkey.  He  first  married  in  1869,  Emily,  daugh- 
ter of  Lewis  S.  Bridger  of  Oneida  Castle.  In  1874  he  married  Mary 
E.,  daughter  of  Calvin  Wells  of  Oneida  Castle. 


S.  ALLEN  CURTIS. 

Among  the  pioneers  of  the  town  of  Madison  who  came  into  the  county 
just  before  the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  were  members  of  the 
Curtis  family,  whose  settlement  has  been  noticed  in  the  history  of  that 
town.  From  one  of  these  is  descended  S.  Allen  Curtis,  a  lifelong  and 
respeted  citizen  of  Madison.  He  was  born  at  Erieville  December  24, 
1846,  and  is  a  son  of  Allen  Curtis,  who  still  lives  in  the  town,  where  he 
was  born  September  11,  1811,  a  son  of  the  pioneer.  Allen  Curtis  is 
now  serving  his  fiftieth  year  as  Justice  of  the  Peace,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-nine — an  official  record  which  for  length  of  duration,  cannot  be 
equaled  in  the  State  During"  his  long  life  in  Madison  he  has  been 
closely  identified  with  its  growth  and  progress  and  his  influence  has 
ever  been  exerted  for  the  welfare  of  the  community. 

S.  Allen  Curtis  remained  on  the  home  farm  until  he  was  twenty-four 
years  old,  when  he  was  appointed  station  agent  on  the  railroad  at  Sols- 
ville,  and  where  he  also  established  a  coal  business.  Eight  years  later, 
in  1879,  he  received  the  appointment  of  keeper  at  the  county  poor  farm, 
in  which  capacity  he  served  four  and  a  half  years,  when  he  resigned  to 
engage  in  the  coal  business  at  Eaton  station,  as  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  Bonney  &  Curtis.     In   1886  he  was  elected   Superintendent  of  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  637 

Poor  of  Madison  county  and  four  times  has  been  re-elected  to  this  office. 
He  is  regarded  throughout  the  county  as  a  prudent  and  competent  public 
officer,  under  whose  care  the  unfortunate  poor  are  comfortably  main- 
tained and  the  interests  of  the  county  carefully  guarded.  Mr.  Curtis  is 
a  staunch  Republican  and  wields  a  wholesome  influence  in  the  local 
councils  of  that  party. 

On  November  38,  1878,  Mr.  Curtis  was  married  to  Gertie  M.  Bridge, 
of  Madison.  Two  children  have  been  born  to  them — M.  Ethel,  aged 
fourteen  years,  and  Elma,  aged  thirteen  years. 


EDWARD  F.   HASKELL. 

Edward  Frost  Haskell,  who  died  in  Oneida  November  2,  1892,  in 
the  thirty-ninth  year  of  his  age,  was  an  honored  member  of  the  Madison 
County  Bar,  and  a  man  who,  although  in  the  prime  of  life  when  he  died, 
had  already  made  a  wide  reputation.  He  was  born  at  Orange,  N.  J., 
October  31,  1853,  a  son  of  Llewellyn  and  Marianna  (Frost)  Haskell. 
His  father,  a  New  York  merchant  of  large  interests,  resided  at  Orange, 
and  was  the  owner  and  founder  of  Llewellyn  Park  in  that  place,  where 
he  was  an  esteemed  and  prominent  citizen.  The  people  of  Orange  have 
honored  his  memory  by  placing  his  bust  (by  Powers)  at  the  entrance 
of  Llewellyn  Park.  His  mother  was  a  native  of  Charleston,  N.  C. ,  and 
came  of  the  old  Southern  family  of  Frost;  her  great  grandfather  was 
the  first  Governor  of  South  Carolina.  Mr.  Haskell  was  prepared  for 
college  at  Fort  Edward  Collegiate  Institute,  and  entered  the  University 
of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor.  He  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of 
Hon.  John  E.  Smith  of  Morrisville,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1887. 
Following  his  admission  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Judge  Smith 
which  continued  five  years,  or  until  Mr.  Haskell's  election  to  the  State 
Legislature  in  1883.  During  their  association  Mr.  Haskell  acted  as 
assistant  district  attorney,  Mr.  Smith  being  then  the  prosecuting  officer. 
Mr.  Haskell  served  two  consecutive  years  in  the  Assembly,  and  was 
chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Railroads,  being  perhaps  the  youngest 
man  who  has  held  that  position.  He  was  a  man  of  brilliant  ability  and 
wide  attainments,  and  possessed  social  qualities  which  gained  for  him 
many  warm  friends.  After  his  retirement  from  the  Legislature  he  set- 
tled in  Oneida  where  he  enjoyed  a  large  and  lucrative  practice  until  his 
untimely  death.      He  was  a  member  and  for  some  years  vestryman  of 


638  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

St.   John's   Episcopal  Church;  he  was  also  a  Knight  Templar  Mason. 
Mr.  Haskell  married  in  1873,  Mary  E.  Howe,  daughter  of  Henry  Clin 
ton  Howe,  for  nearly  forty  years  a  woolen  manufacturer  in  Madison 
county.     Three  children  were  born  to  them:   Edna  Rutledge,  Florence, 
and  Edward  Llewellyn. 


VERY  REV.  JAMES  A.  KELLEY. 

Very  Reverend  James  A.  Kelley,  dean  of  this  Diocese,  and  pastor 
of  St.  Patrick's  Church  in  Oneida  for  nearly  fourteen  years,  was  born 
at  Waterloo,  N.  Y.,  September  15,  1850.  He  received  the  rudiments 
of  his  education  in  the  public  and  select  schools  of  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  and 
having  completed  the  course  at  Niagara  College,  entered  St.  John's 
Jesuit  College  at  Fordham,  N.  Y.,  where  he  took  the  usual  course  and 
graduated  as  Medal  Man,  the  first  of  his  class.  He  was  ordained  to  the 
priesthood  at  the  Seminary  at  Troy,  N.  Y.,  May  30,  1874,  and  was  im- 
mediately delegated  by  his  bishop  to  perform  the  duties  of  his  sacred 
calling  as  pastor  in  the  Adirondack  region  of  Northern  New  York, 
where  he  labored  about  seven  and  one-half  years  in  the  erection  of 
churches,  five  of  which  he  brought  to  completion.  Later  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  pastorate  of  St.  Mary's  Church  at  Baldwinsville,  N.  Y., 
and  remained  there  lour  years  and  a  half,  during  which  time  he  re- 
modeled and  enlarged  the  church  edifice,  and  was  prominent  in  numer- 
ous works  for  the  general  welfare  and  advancement  of  his  congregation 
He  came  to  Oneida  in  1886  and  his  indefatigable  labor  here  in  the  build- 
ing up  of  his  parish  speaks  for  itself;  he  believes  in  work  rather  than 
words.  Known  of  all  men,  he  is  daily  accomplishing  work  that  will 
stand  as  an  honor  to  the  village,  a  pride  to  all  its  citizens,  a  beacon  light 
of  religious  zeal  and  generosity,  and  a  monument  to  Catholicity  that 
will  live  in  testimony  of  its  founder  and  his  people  for  generations  to 
come.  To  his  energy  is  largely  due  the  erection  of  the  new  St.  Pat- 
rick's. On  May  30th,  1899,  Father  Kelley  celebrated  his  twenty-fifth 
anniversary,  his  silver  jubilee.  His  parish  extends  twelve  miles 
south,  eight  miles  north,  and  five  miles  east  and  west  of  Oneida  village, 
and  numbers  about  350  families.  The  church  property  includes  the 
handsome  new  church  edifice,  dedicated  in  1889,  the  parochial  residence 
adjoining  which  was  erected  in  1897  and  is  an  ornument  to  the  village, 
and  the  beautiful  parish  cemetery  of  thirty-five  acres.     The  history  of 


GEORGE  H.  ENSIGN. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  639 

the  growth  and  development  of  the  parish  is  given  elsewhere  in  this 
volume.  At  the  time  of  this  writing  (1899),  the  tenth  anniversary  of 
the  dedication  of  the  church  is  approaching,  and  in  preparation  the  in- 
terior of  the  edifice  is  being  redecorated,  and  a  pipe  organ  and  three 
marble  altars  are  now  being  erected.  The  work  of  Father  Kelley  in 
this  community  has  not  only  endeared  him  to  his  own  people,  but  has 
gained  for  him  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  all. 


GEORGE  H.   ENSIGN, 

PROPRIETOR  OF  MAPLE  GROVE  STOCK  FARM, 

Of  the  town  of  Nelson,  Madison  county,  N.  Y.,  was  born  in  that  town 
March  2,  1852.  He  is  a  son  of  Thomas  Ensign  and  Laura,  daughter  of 
James  and  Betsey  Bailey.  Thomas  Ensign  was  born  in  Hartford,  Conn., 
October  37,  1812,  and  is  a  son  of  Isaiah  and  Eunice  (Vining)  Ensign, 
who  came  to  this  county  about  1833  and  was  soon  followed  by  his  fam- 
ily of  eight  children,  named  as  follows:  Louisa,  Alma,  William,  Hul- 
dah,  Sally,  Willis,  and  two  others  (Isaiah  and  Eunice)  who  died  in  Sims- 
bury,  Conn.  Thomas  Ensign's  children  were  James,  Albert,  Anson, 
Amelia  (wife  of  Minor  Anderson),  George  H.  (the  subject),  and  Cor- 
nelia. 

George  H.  Ensign  was  educated  in  his  native  town,  at  the  same  time 
sharing  in  the  farm  life  of  the  homestead,  in  which  occupation  he  be- 
came well  know  as  one  of  the  progressive  and  successful  farmers  of  the 
county.  In  addition  to  his  dairying  interests,  he  has  given  a  large 
share  of  his  attention  to  the  raising  of  Holstein  cattle,  of  which  he  has 
one  of  the  finest  herds  in  the  country.  The  name  of  Maple  Grove 
Stock  Farm,  the  homestead,  is  now  widely  known  and  its  pure  blooded 
stock  finds  an  extensive  sale.  Mr.  Ensign  is  a  public  spirited  citizen, 
has  shown  an  active  interest  in  the  advancement  of  education  in  his 
town  and  in  the  general  welfare  of  the  community,  but  has  not  aspired 
to  political  honor. 

Mr.  Ensign  married  Carrie  Louise,  daughter  of  Ralph  Ross  Wallace, 
on  July  6,  1886.  He  has  four  children:  Anna  Laura,  Charles  Sidney, 
Belle  Elizabeth  and  Wendall  George. 


640  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

GERRIT   A.    FORBES. 

Gerrit  a.  Forbes,  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  was  born  May  30,  1836,  near  Clockville,  Madison  county,  a  son 
of  Isaac  J.  and  Abigail  (Sayles)  Forbes.  His  grandfather  was  Jacob 
Forbes,  a  farmer  of  the  town  of  Lenox,  who  reared  a  family  of  ten  sons 
and  three  daughters,  of  whom  Isaac  J.  was  the  youngest.  He  died  in 
Clockville  at  the  age  of  eighty-six. 

The  father  of  Jacob  Forbes  was  a  Scotchman,  who  came  to  Mohawk 
valley  at  the  time  of  its  early  settlement.  The  family  name,  although 
known  as  Forbes  in  Scotland,  in  the  Mohawk  valley  took  the  form  of 
Forbush.  Isaac  J.  Forbes,  the  father  of  the  subject,  was  born  at  Clock- 
ville, Madison  county,  and  died  at  La  Fayette,  Ind. ,  when  about  fifty 
years  of  age.  His  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Silas  Sayles  and  a  grand- 
daughter of  William  Sayles,  formerly  of  Connecticut,  who  came  to  this 
part  of  the  State.  Silas  Sayles  was  at  one  time  postmaster  at  Peter- 
boro.  To  Isaac  J.  Forbes  and  his  wife  were  born  eleven  children,  three 
sons  and  eight  daughters,  of  whom  Gerrit  A.  was  the  sixth  in  order 
of  birth.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  in  1852,  at  the  age  of 
forty-six.  She  had  been  a  schoolmate  of  the  famous  American  philan- 
thropist, Gerrit  Smith.  Oaly  two  of  her  daughters  are  now  living, 
namely  Mary  A.  H.,  widow  of  Daniel  King,  residing  at  Syracuse, 
N.  Y.,  and  Harriet  T.,  widow  of  Darius  Johnson,  Canastota,  N.  Y. 

Judge  Forbes  was  reared  a  farmer  boy  and  received  a  common  school 
education.  In  1860,  feeling  a  strong  inclination  toward  the  legal  pro- 
fession, he  began  the  study  of  law  with  the  Hon.  B.  F.  Chapman  of 
Clockville,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  May  13,  1863,  and  became  the  law 
partner  of  Judge  Chapman  August  1,  1863.  From  January  1,  1871,  to 
January  1,  1874,  he  occupied  the  office  of  district  attorney  for  Madison 
county  and  was  elected  to  the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  in 
November,   1887. 

July  10,  1862,  Mr.  Forbes  married  Ellen  Brooks  of  Clockville,  N.  Y., 
daughter  of  Colon  and  Matilda  (Hills)  Brooks.  She  is  the  mother  of 
two  children,  Maude  I.,  wife  of  Daniel  Fiske  Kellogg,  city  editor  of 
the  New  York  Si:n,  and  Claude  L.,  a  graduate  of  Yale  University, 
attorney  at  law,  Syracuse,  N.  Y.  Mrs.  Kellogg  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Canastota  Academy  and  her  husband  of  Amherst  College.  He  was 
valedictorian  of  the  class  of  1881 ;  they  have  one  son,  Daniel  Fiske 
Kellogg,  jr. 


^^"^^^^^^  ,k^^ay^ory:J 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  641 

Judge  Forbes  has  practiced  law  in  Canastota  since  1868,  where  he 
settled  in  1873.  In  1884  he  became  the  head  of  the  law  firm  of  Forbes, 
Brown  &  Tracy  at  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  having  taken  the  place  of  the  Hon. 
George  N.  Kennedy  in  the  firm  of  Kennedy  &  Tracy.  Mr.  Brown 
was  of  the  old  law  firm  of  Pratt,  Mitchell  &  Brown.  Mr.  Pratt  was 
justice  of  the  iSupreme  Court  and  attorney-general  of  the  State.  Judge 
Kennedy  was  retired  by  age  from  the  Supreme  Court  bench  January 
1,  1893. 

Judge  Forbes  is  a  Republican  and  in  fraternal  matters  is  a  Mason  and 
an  Odd  Fellow.  He  was  president  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  Can- 
astota for  twelve  years,  and  has  been  prominently  connected  with  all 
public  enterprises  and  all  movements  having  for  their  aim  the  material 
prosperity  and  moral  advancement  in  the  community  in  which  he  lives. 


W.  JEROME  HICKOX. 

W.  Jerome  Hickox,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Oneida  Castle,  March 
4,  1894,  in  the  fifty-fifth  year  of  his  age,  was  one  of  Oneida's  most 
valued  and  influential  citizens.  He  was  born  in  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  Octo- 
ber 24,  1839,  and  until  he  reached  young  manhood  resided  in  that  city. 
He  then  located  in  New  York  where  he  was  engaged  for  several  years 
in  a  commission  business.  Previously  he  had  been  for  a  considerable 
period  in  the  employ  of  the  Syracuse  and  Oswego  Freight  Company. 
In  1873  he  located  in  Oneida,  and  two  years  later  at  Oneida  Castle, 
where  he  resided  until  his  death.  Mr.  Hickox  was  identified  with  most 
of  the  leading  business  enterprises  of  this  community;  he  built  the 
handsome  block  on  Madison  Square  which  is  an  ornament  to  the  village 
of  Oneida;  was  a  director  of  the  Oneida  Valley  Bank,  the  Oneida  Sav- 
ings Bank,  and  in  numerous  local  corporations  from  which  he  withdrew 
finally  on  account  of  increasing  business  cares.  He  was  a  large  holder 
of  real  estate  in  and  about  Oneida;  a  man  of  great  public  spirit  he 
showed  no  lack  of  zeal  in  promoting  the  welfare  of  the  village  and  will 
be  remembered  as  an  exemplary  citizen;  he  did  much  to  beautify 
the  streets  and  adorn  the  parks  of  the  village.  Mr.  Hickox  was 
a  man  of  sterling  integrity,  and  excellent  executive  ability,  a  genial 
and  whole  hearted  friend,  and  possessed  of  sympathetic  qualities  of 
heart  and  mind  which  caused  his  untimely  death  to  be  mourned  by  a 
wide  circle.     As  a  business  man  he  was  eminently  well  fitted  to  control 


642  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

large  interests,  being  keen  of  perception  and  prompt  of  action.  Mr. 
Hickox  possessed  a  fine  physique  and  was  a  man  of  commanding  pres- 
ence and  gentlemanly  bearing.  During  the  Civil  war,  he  was  stationed 
at  City  Point,  Va.,  with  Colonel  Bradley  of  Syracuse,  in  the  Commis- 
sary Department,  whom  he  assisted  for  some  time.  Endowed  with  all 
those  qualities  of  character  which  command  respect,  few  citizens  of 
Oneida  have  attained  a  more  honored  name  than  he.  Mr.  Hickox  mar- 
ried, June  9,  1875,  Florilla,  daughter  of  the  late  Timothy  Jenkins,  who 
survives  him. 


EDGAR  LAKE  MILLER,   M.  D. 

This  well  known  physician  is  a  son  of  Hiram  and  Susan  (Powers) 
Miller,  is  the  second  of  their  seven  children,  and  was  born  in  Columbus, 
Chenango  county,  October  11,  1839.  His  father  was  also  a  native  of 
that  town,  where  he  was  born  in  1808.  He  was  an  intelligent  farmer 
and  taught  school  in  the  winter  seasons.  He  died  at  Oelwein,  Iowa,  at 
the  age  of  eighty  years.  His  father,  Drake  Miller,  was  born  at  Catskill, 
N.  Y. ,  in  1775,  and  after  spending  a  few  years  at  Sharon  Springs  he  re- 
moved to  Columbus,  N.  Y.,  where  he  cleared  a  large  farm  and  reared 
a  family  of  six  boys  and  six  girls.  Drake  Miller's  father  was  Lemuel 
Miller,  a  son  of  Stephen  Miller,  both  of  whom  passed  their  lives  on  the 
Hudson  river.  Stephen  Miller's  father  was  Johaan  Mueller,  who  came 
to  this  country  from  Holland  and  settled  on  what  was  then  the  Tappan 
Zee,  near  Tarrytown,  on  the  Hudson  river. 

Edgar  L.  Miller  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  and  in  Professor 
Lamb's  select  school  at  West  Edmeston,  N.  Y.  Whan  he  was  eighteen 
years  old  he  taught  a  school  of  seventy  scholars  at  Burdick  Settlement, 
Chenango  county.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  went  to  Iowa,  where  he 
worked  as  clerk  in  a  store  at  Coytown,  Fayette  county,  and  taught  school 
during  the  years  1859-60.  On  September  30,  1861,  he  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  Co.  F,  13th  Wisconsin  Infantry.  He  served  one  year  when 
an  attack  of  malaria  fever  compelled  his  discharge,  in  September,  1862, 
and  he  returned  home.  In  July,  1863,  he  again  enlisted  in  Co.  D,  15th 
New  York  Cavalry,  as  sergeant,  and  for  "bravery  in  action"  was 
promoted  to  Second  Lieutenant,  and  later  to  First  Lieutenant  of 
his  company.  He  was  finally  mustered  out  of  the  service  October  1, 
1865,  after  which  he  took  a  course  in  the  Bryant  &  Stratton  college  at 


EDGAR  L.  MILLER,  M.  D. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  643 

Buffalo,  N.  Y.  He  then  went  to  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  and  was  en- 
gaged in  insurance  business  about  two  years;  but  in  1869,  determining 
to  enter  the  regular  army,  he  enlisted  in  the  1st  United  States  Artillery, 
from  which  he  was  soon  transferred  to  the  General  Service  Corps  and 
stationed  in  the  Adjutant- General's  office  in  Detroit.  He  regularl}'  ap- 
plied for  an  army  appointment,  but  owing  to  his  disabilities  incurred 
in  previous  service  he  was  disqualified;  he  was,  however,  retained  in 
the  paymaster's  department  until  March  1,  1874.  He  then  came  east 
and  settled  in  Eaton,  where  he  studied  medicine  with  his  brother,  Dr. 
H.  P.  Miller,  for  one  year.  He  then  took  a  two  year  course  at  the 
Syracuse  University  and  was  one  year  in  the  Long  Island  Hospital 
Medical  Colledge,  graduating  June  21,  1877.  Dr.  Miller  at  once  began 
practice  at  Eaton  and  is  at  the  present  time  one  of  the  most  widely 
known  and  successful  physicians  of  the  town.  He  has  been  attending 
physician  to  the  Madison  county  hospital  and  insane  asylum  for  twenty- 
two  years. 

On  October  17,  1875,  Dr.  Miller  married  Adelaide  White.     They  have 
one  son,  James  Edgar  Miller,  a  student  in  Colgate  University. 


CALVIN  HUBBARD. 

The  subject  of  this  brief  memoir  from  whom  the  village  of  Hubbards- 
ville  was  named,  was  born  in  Sunderland,  twelve  miles  from  Northamp- 
ton, Mass.,  February  16,  1784.  He  was  the  son  of  Jonathan  and  Hannah 
(Barnard)  Hubbard.  But  little  is  known  of  his  boyhood  days,  except 
at  the  age  of  fourteen  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  what  was  then 
Litchfield,  Herkimer  county,  N.Y.,  and  that  he  learned  the  shoemaker's 
trade  at  Warren,  in  the  same  county.  At  the  last  named  place  he  mar- 
ried Susannah  Allen,  daughter  of  Amasa  and  Susannah  (Fish)  Allen. 
Her  father  was  born  at  Petersham,  Mass.,  October  9,  1753,  and  was  a 
son  of  Edward  and  Mary  Allen,  who  were  settlers  there  in  1750.  The 
late  Dr.  Samuel  Allen  of  Copenhagen,  Lewis  county,  N.  Y.,  for  many 
years  agent  there  of  the  late  Abram  Varick,  of  Utica,  and  in  the  war  of 
1812,  of  the  firm  of  Allen  &  Canfield  of  that  place,  merchants  and  con- 
tractors for  the  fleet  at  Sackett's  Harbor,  was  her  brother.  She  died 
December  16,  1863,  aged  seventy-six  years,  eight  months  and  six  days. 
By  her  Mr.  Hubbard  had  two  children:  Emily,  born  November  4,  1808, 
and  Corydon,  born  June  5,  1814;  the  latter  died  at  four  years  of  age, 


644  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

and  Emily  married  Elias  K.  Hart,  of  Oneida  county,  and  died  Septem- 
ber 10,  1853. 

In  1808  Mr.  Hubbard  went  to  Sherburne,  Chenango  county,  where 
he  remained  five  years,  and  in  June,  1813,  settled  on  the  site  of  Hub- 
bardsville,  where  he  engaged  in  farming,  distilling  and  tanning.  He 
was  successful  in  his  business  and  followed  it  until  his  final  retirement 
from  active  life  in  1853.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  convictions,  fearless 
in  expressing  them,  and  of  great  energy.  His  integrity  was  never 
questioned  and  he  always  stood  high  in  the  respect  of  his  fellow  towns- 
men. Originally  a  Whig,  he  later  became  an  ardent  Abolitionist,  and 
was  instrumental  in  aiding  many  poor  slaves  to  reach  a  land  of  freedom. 
When  the  Republican  party  was  formed  he  joined  its  ranks  and  was 
active  in  promoting  its  interests.  He  lived  to  see  the  triumph  of  the 
Union  and  the  downfall  of  slavery.  Mr.  Hubbard  died  on  May  17, 
1876,  at  the  age  of  ninety-two  years. 


STEPHEN  H.  FARNAM. 

Stephen  H.  Farnam,  who  died  in  Oneida,  November  17,  1897,  in  the 
seventy-fifth  year  of  his  age,  was  for  many  years  a  well  known  and 
highly  esteemed  citizen  and  merchant  of  this  village.  He  was  born  in 
Hartwick,  Otsego  county,  N.  Y.,  May  22,  1822,  a  son  of  Noah  and 
Rhoda  (Bancroft)  Farnam.  When  quite  young  he  took  up  his  residence 
in  Little  Falls,  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  engaged  for 
many  years  in  a  manufacturing  business,  his  principal  product  being 
axes.  At  one  time  his  factory  was  entirely  demolished  by  high  water, 
but  he  demonstrated  his  excellent  business  ability  and  characteristic 
energy  by  at  once  rebuilding,  and  few  knew  or  realized  the  blow  his 
interests  had  suffered.  Mr.  Farnam  conducted  this  factory  for  some 
time  after  his  removal  to  Oneida  in  the  spring  of  1862.  On  his  arrival 
here  he  bought  the  hardware  business  of  Saunders  &  Barnett,  forming 
a  copartnership  with  A.  R.  Turner.  This  association  continued  until 
1867  when  Mr.  Turner  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Farnam's  son,  W.  J. 
Farnam,  and  the  business  was  conducted  under  the  firm  name  of  S.  H. 
Farnam  &  Co.,  until  1890  when  Mr.  Farnam  retired,  having  gained  a 
competency  and  well  merited  rest,  for  he  was  essentially  a  self-made 
man,  and  the  architect  of  his  own  fortunes,  having  started  in  life  at 
the  early  age  of  thirteen  years  with  no  capital.     During  his  residence 


STEPHEN  H.  FARNAM. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  645 

in  Oneida  he  was  identified  with  many  prominent  local  enterprises.  At 
the  time  of  his  death  he  was  president  of  the  National  State  Bank, 
having  been  one  of  the  original  directors  of  the  old  First  National  Bank. 
He  was  also  president  of  the  Glenwood  Cemetery  Association,  and  to 
him  and  T.  F.  Hand,  and  the  late  Hon.  George  Berry,  are  the  public 
indebted  for  one  of  the  handsomest  burial  grounds  in  Central  New 
York.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  first  directors  of  the  Oneida 
Gas  Light  Company,  and  served  on  its  board  of  directors  until  his 
death.  Mr.  Farnam  was  a  valued  citizen,  and  on  every  occasion  pos- 
sessed and  exhibited  the  most  genial  and  manly  traits  of  character;  he 
gave  earnest  and  faithful  service  to  many  of  the  town's  enterprises,  and 
was  generous  in  his  support  of  all  public  institutions.  He  was  a  regu- 
lar attendant  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church,  and  a  member  of  Oneida 
Lodge,  No.  270,  F.  &  A.  M.  Mr.  Farnam  first  married  Elizabeth 
McChesney,  and  four  children  were  born  to  them,  two  of  whom  sur- 
vive: W.  J.  Farnam,  and  Mrs.  James  Selkregg.  In  1886  he  married 
Sarah  Lara  way  Newkirk  of  Leeds,  N.  Y. ,  who  survives  him. 


JAMES  COOLIDG, 

James  Coolidg,  of  Bouckville,  Madison  county,  was  born  in  Box- 
borough,  Massachusetts,  July  33,  1786.  He,  with  his  father,  James  D. 
Coolidg,  came  to  Madison  county  in  1806,  and  settled  on  a  farm  near 
the  present  village  of  Bouckville.  J.  D.  Coolidg  was  the  first  person 
who  owned  a  hop  yard  in  the  county,  and  the  success  and  growth  of 
that  business  dates  back  to  the  early  period  of  his  settlement.  He  was 
a  successful  farmer  and  April  11,  1844,  owned  five  hundred  acres  of 
land. 

James  Coolidge,  when  a  youth,  assisted  his  father  in  all  the  arduous 
duties  of  the  farm,  and  as  was  too  often  the  case  in  these  early  pioneer 
days,  his  advantages  for  securing  an  education  were  extremely  limited, 
not  being  able  to  attend  school  more  than  five  or  six  weeks  during  the 
winter.  After  his  marriage  he  fitted  himself  for  a  surveyor,  giving 
proof  of  severe  application  and  praiseworthy  ambition.  In  after  years  he 
devoted  much  time  to  the  work  of  surveyor.  Mr.  Coolidg,  in  early  life, 
worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  and  was  always  quite  ingenious 
in  the  use  of  carpenters'  tools.  He  served  his  town  in  many  ways,  and 
gained  the  respect  of  all.     He  was  a  magistrate  twenty-four  years.     He 


646  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

engaged  in  farming  until  about  1860,  when  he  sold  his  farm  and  en- 
gaged in  lighter  occupation,  until  his  death.  His  first  wife,  Janet  Ken- 
dall, was  born  in  1792,  married  1814,  died  1816.  Second  wife,  Sophia 
Stebbins,  born  1798,  married  1819,  and  died  January  26,  1832.  Third 
wife,  Sallie  Simmons,  born  1801,  married  1833,  and  died  September  24, 
1834.  Fourth  wife,  Harriett  Hazzard,  born  1802,  married  1834,  and 
died  1838.  Fifth  wife,  Phoebe  Thompkins  Lawrence,  born  1798,  mar- 
ried 1842,  and  died  January  6,  1849.  Sixth  wife,  Mary  Coburn  Smith, 
born  1803,  married  1851,  and  died  May  11,  1877.  He  had  four  children, 
three  dying  in  infancy  and  one  son,  Francis  Coolidg,  born  December, 
1814,  who  removed  to  Kansas. 


JOHN  E.   SMITH. 

It  has  been  truthfully  said  that  Judge  Smith  knows  personally  more 
people  in  Madison  county  than  any  other  resident.  He  was  born  in 
the  town  of  Nelson,  and  Madison  county  has  been  the  scene  of  his  boy- 
hood ;  of  the  struggles  of  his  young  manhood,  and  of  the  well  earned 
success  of  his  maturity.  His  father,  James,  was  a  native  of  Massachu- 
setts and  lived  several  years  while  a  boy  at  New  Lebanon,  N.Y.  After 
attaining  his  majority  he  purchased  fifty  acres  of  woodland  in  the  town 
of  Nelson,  built  a  log  house  thereon,  and  cleared  a  farm  to  which  he 
gradually  added.  He  had  eight  children  by  his  first  wife  and  after  her 
death  married  Susan  Tackabur}'.  Of  this  union  two  sons  were  born: 
James  W. ,  and  John  E.  Smith.  When  the  latter  was  ten  months  old 
the  mother  died,  the  father  followed  a  few  years  later,  and  these  two 
sons  were  left  with  their  half  brother,  S.  Perry  Smith.  John  E.  Smith 
early  decided  to  embrace  the  profession  of  law,  and  when  21  years  old 
borrowed  money  and  began  to  read  with  Lucius  P.  Clark.  In  1867  he 
was  graduated  from  the  Albany  Law  School,  and  immediately  opened 
an  office  at  Morrisville,  where  he  has  ever  since  resided.  He  assisted 
his  brother  James  to  acquire  a  professional  education  and  that  gentle- 
man until  the  time  of  his  death  was  a  successful  physician.  He  later 
assisted  his  half-brother  Perry  to  acquire  a  professional  education. 

In  the  fall  of  1877  Mr.  Smith  was  elected  district  attorney  of  the 
county  on  the  Republican  ticket.  He  was  succeeded  by  Henry  Barclay, 
who  became  ill,  and  Mr.  vSmith  consequently  continued  to  officiate,  be- 
ing appointed  to  succeed  Mr.  Barclay,  after  the  latter's  resignation,  by 


IPLE. 

'°^,V«.183J.  Third 

"'^^'Iw™  1758,  ma, 
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knows  personally  more 
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to  tie  scene  of  bis  boy- 
ai  0!  the  well  earned 
sanaiiveofMassacbB' 
fL«bajoii,X.Y.  After 
t  woodland  in  the  town 
1  a  farm  to  which  he 
W  wife  and  after  her 
1  two  sons  were  born: 
I  was  ten  months  old 
later,  and  these  two 
imith.  John  E,  Smith 
lad  when  21  years  old 
Clark.  In  1887  he 


resided.  He  assisted 
adon  and  that  gentle' 
physician.  He  later 
sional  education, 
trict  attorney  of  the 
led  by  Henry  Barclay, 
iinned  to  officiate,  be- 
latier's  resignation,  hy 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  647 

Governor  Cornell.  In  the  fall  of  1885  he  was  elected  to  the  New  York 
State  Senate  from  the  twenty-third  district,  comprising  the  counties  of 
Herkimer,  Madison  and  Otsego.  While  serving  this  term  he  was  on 
the  committees  on  Judiciary,  Privileges  and  Elections,  Commerce  and 
Navigation,  and  others.  During  the  first  winter  as  chairman  of  the 
committee  on  Privileges  and  Elections,  he  heard  and  decided  the  con- 
test made  by  Judge  Yates  for  the  senatorial  seat  occupied  by  Senator 
Wemple.  A  good  deal  of  partisan  feeling  was  engendered  and  although 
he  was  politically  opposed  to  Senator  Wemple,  Mr.  Smith  decided  in 
his  favor.  He  introduced  many  important  bills,  and  took  an  active 
part  in  the  contests  between  Morton  and  Miller,  supporting  the  latter 
gentleman  to  the  last.  In  debate  he  spoke  frequently  and  effectively. 
In  1887  he  formed  a  co-partnership  with  C.  V.  Kellogg  and  E.  M.  Wells 
of  Syracuse,  which  continued  until  July,  1889,  when  he  was  appointed 
First  Assistant  United  States  Attorney  for  the  Northern  District  of 
New  York.  In  this  responsible  position  he  served  until  July,  1891,  and 
during  his  incumbency  prepared  the  Gould  Bank  cases  and  tried  and 
convicted  William  Gould.  He  was  also  connected  with  the  Faulkner 
cases  at  Danville,  and  briefed  and  argued  in  the  United  States  Circuit 
Court  the  noted  opium  cases  of  the  northern  part  of  the  State  in  which 
Gardner  was  convicted,  although  defended  by  Richard  Crowley  of 
Lockport.  He  also  briefed  and  argued  several  other  important  cases 
in  that  court,  among  them  that  of  Stephen  A.  Merzan,  who  was  tried 
and  convicted  in  the  United  States  Ministerial  Court  at  Alexandria, 
Egypt,  for  muder.  He  also  briefed  and  argued  the  case  of  Charles  M. 
Ross,  a  British  subject  sailing  on  the  vessel  "  Bullion,"  who  murdered 
the  second  mate,  Kelly,  in  the  waters  of  Japan.  Intricate  questions 
involving  international  constitutional  law  were  involved.  Upon  his 
conviction  being  sustained,  the  case  was  appealed  to  the  United  States 
Supreme  Court.  The  Attorney- General,  in  arguing  the  case,  used 
Judge  Smith's  brief,  and  the  court  affirmed  the  decision  of  the  lower 
tribunal.  In  1889  he  again  became  a  candidate  for  State  Senator.  At 
first  Hon.  S.  R.  Mott  made  a  vigorous  contest  against  him  for  the 
delegation  of  the  county,  but  finally  withdrew.  In  the  convention,  how- 
ever, he  was  opposed  by  Wilbur  of  Otsego,  and  Sheard  of  Herkimer. 
The  balloting  continued  for  seven  days;  on  the  938th  ballot  Mr.  Smith 
was  nominated.  He  ran  against  John  Henderson  on  the  Democratic 
ticket,  and  Professor  Green  on  the  Prohibitionist  ticket,  and  was  elected 
by  about  2,100  plurality.     During  this  term  he  served  on  the  Finance 


648  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

General  Laws,  and  Poor  Laws  committees,  and  was  conspicuous  in  dis- 
cussions and  general  work. 

As  a  lawyer  Judge  Smith  has  been  for  years  a  leader  of  the  county 
bar,  and  has  figured  in  many  important  trials,  including  several  murder 
cases.  He  usually  goes  on  the  stump  during  gubernatorial  and  presi- 
dential contests,  and  also  frequently  speaks  on  other  public  occa- 
sions. He  possesses  a  pleasing  personality,  an  affable  manner,  and  as 
above  stated,  there  are  few  people  in  Madison  county  whom  he  cannot 
call  by  name.  For  fourteen  consecutive  years  he  served  as  one  of  the 
examiners  of  applicants  for  admission  to  the  bar,  first  in  the  third  and 
afterwards  in  the  fourth  department;  therefore  most  of  the  younger 
attorneys  of  this  section  know  him  well.  In  March,  1899,  Governor 
Roosevelt  appointed  him  judge  of  Madison  county,  to  fill  the  vacancy 
caused  by  the  death  of  Judge  Kennedy,  and  at  the  Republican  County 
Convention  of  1899  he  was  unanimously  nominated  to  this  high  posi- 
tion. Judge  Smith  married  in  March,  1864,  Mary  E.  Osborne,  daughter 
of  Wells  Osborne  of  Smithfield.  Three  sons  have  been  born  of  this 
union:  G.  Wells,  of  the  county  bar;  Edwin  Dudley,  who  died  when 
about  five  years  of  age,  and  Kenneth  O.  Smith,  now  preparing  for 
college  at  Colgate  academy. 


JACOB  TEN  EYCK. 

In  the  past  history  of  the  town  of  Cazenovia  the  Ten  Eyck  family 
has  occupied  a  conspicuous  and  honorable  place.  Jacob  Ten  Eyck  re- 
moved from  Albany  to  Cazenovia  about  the  year  1807,  when  only 
twelve  years  of  age  and  found  employment  in  the  pioneer  store  man- 
aged by  Samuel  Forman,  which  has  been  noticed  in  Chapter  VI.  This 
store  had  then  been  open  only  a  few  years  and  the  little  settlement 
around  the  beautiful  lake  was  in  its  early  infancy.  Mr.  Ten  Eyck 
came  to  his  mercantile  occupation  endowed  with  those  native  qualities 
that  never  fail  to  win  success.  In  the  year  following  his  arrival  in 
Cazenovia  he  purchased  the  stately  mansion,  which  was  then  incom- 
plete, built  by  Mr.  Forman,  which  he  finished  and  occupied,  and  which 
has  ever  since  remained  in  the  family.  He  remained  in  the  store  five 
or  six  years,  enjoying  the  confidence  of  his  employers  and  acquiring  a 
thorough  business  knowledge.  At  the  close  of  that  period  he  estab- 
lished a  mercantile  business  on  his  own  account,  which  he  successfully 


HENRY  TEN  EYCK. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  649 

conducted  until  about  1830.  While  thus  engaged  he  also  became  in- 
terested in  extensive  business  undertakings  in  the  western  part  of  the 
State.  When  he  closed  his  mercantile  career  in  Cazenovia  Mr.  Ten 
Eyck  was  widely  known  as  a  prosperous,  enterprising  and  honorable 
merchant  whose  business  standing  was  the  highest  and  whose  practical 
financial  judgment  and  foresight  were  unquestioned. 

The  old  Madison  County  Bank  was  organized  in  1831,  as  elsewhere 
noticed,  and  Mr.  Ten  Eyck  was  chosen  as  one  of  the  first  board  of  di- 
rectors. Perry  G.  Childs  was  elected  the  first  president  of  the  bank,  in 
which  office  he  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Ten  Eyck.  He  held  this  position 
until  near  the  time  of  his  death  and  was  succeeded  by  the  late  B.  Rush 
Wendell,  Mr.  Ten  Eyck  married  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Burr  and  both 
he  and  his  wife  died  in  Savannah,  Ga.,  in  1853,  within  three  days  of 
each  other,  of  yellow  fever.  They  left  one  son,  Henry  Ten  Eyck,  and 
two  daughters. 

Henry  Ten  Eyck  married  Elizabeth  Wendell  and  occupied  the  beau- 
tiful homestead  on  the  shore  of  the  lake,  where  his  widow  now  resides. 
Mr.  Ten  Eyck  died  on  April  4,  1884.  They  had  an  adopted  daugh- 
ter who  is  now  the  widow  of  Capt.  Theodore  C.  Rogers,  of  the 
United  States  army.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rogers  had  a  daughter,  who  is  now 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Ten  Eyck  Carpenter. 

B.  Rush  Wendell,  before  mentioned,  came  to  Cazenovia  in  1846  and 
was  the  founder  of  the  family  in  Madison  county.  He  was  then  a 
young  law  student.  He  married  Margaret  (Ten  Eyck)  Burr  and  to 
them  were  born  four  sons,  one  of  whom  is  deceased.  The  living  are 
Burr  Wendell,  Rush  Wendell,  and  Ten  Eyck  Wendell,  all  residents  of 
Cazenovia.  In  the  social  and  business  life  of  the  village  these  families 
have  occupied  positions  of  distinction. 

42 


PART  Hi. 

PERSONAL  REFERENCES. 


PERSONAL   REFERENCES. 


Abbott,  William  Wallace,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Nelson,  December  30,  1844.  a 
son  of  William  B.  and  Esther  (Walsworth)  Abbott,  who  had  three  children:  William 
Wallace,  Elizabeth  L.  (born  December  26,  1846),  Emma  E.  (born  July  18.  1848),  all 
natives  of  the  town  of  Nelson.  William  B.  followed  farming  and  was  a  son  of  Caleb 
and  Lucinda  Odell  Abbott,  who  had  six  children  named  William  B. ,  Charity  Ann, 
Chancey  H.,  Lucinda.  Caleb,  jr..  and  Marsha  Elvira.  Lncinda's  first  husband  was 
Bolivar  Schermerhorn  and  they  had  one  son,  Simeon  Schermerhorn.  William  B. 
came  from  Sullivan  county  and  settled  in  Madison  county  about  1818,  where  he  car- 
ried on  general  farming.  William  Wallace  Abbott  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  the  town  of  Nelson  and  was  associated  with  his  father  in  business  until  his 
father's  death  on  November  14,  1883.  After  his  death  he  to  k  full  charge  of  the 
business.  February  21,  186G,  he  married  Martha,  daughter  of  James  Ham,  and  they 
have  one  son,  Chauncey.  Mr.  Abbott  has  been  active  in  town  affairs,  has  been  in- 
spector, and  excise  commissioner  nine  years,  and  has  zealously  supported  the  schools. 


Abbott,  Frank  J.,  p.  o.  Munnsville,  was  born  in  Lebanon,  MadLson  county,  Sep- 
tember 1.5,  1845,  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Esther  (Holt)  Abbott.  Daniel  was  a  native  of 
Lebanon,  born  in  1805,  a  son  of  Daniel  Abbott,  born  in  Massachusetts  and  came  to 
Lebanon  about  1800,  where  he  spent  his  last  days.  The  father  of  Frank  J.  Abbott 
was  a  blacksmitli  by  trade  and  settled  on  the  farm  Frank  J.  now  owns  in  December, 
1858,  and  here  died  in  1891.  His  wife  died  in  1883,  and  they  had  five  children,  three 
now  living.  Frank  J.  was  reared  and  educated  in  Lebanon,  and  since  twelve  years 
of  age  has  lived  on  the  farm  he  now  owns.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He  was 
married  in  1875  to  Sarah  Blair,  who  was  born  in  Madison  Center,  October  4,  1853; 
they  have  had  two  children:  Rinaldo  and  Herman  F.,  both  deceased.  Mrs.  Abbott 
is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church,  which  the  family  attend  and  support.  Mr.  Ab- 
bott's great-grandfather  was  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 


Abell,  JabezW.,  son  of  Horatio  and  Aurilla  (Whitney)  Abell,  was  born  in  Caze- 
novia  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  September  13, 1841.  The  deed  of  this  place 
given  to  his  grandfather,  also  Jabez,  in  1793,  has  never  gone  out  of  the  possession  of 
the  family.  The  last  named  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  the  town  of  Cazenovia 
and  a  man  of  importance  in  his  time.  Horatio  Abell  was  all  his  life  a  farmer  in 
Cazenovia  and  a  man  universally  liked  and  esteemed  by  his  associates.  He  was  born 
on  the  home  farm,  August  8,  1802,  and  died  there  May  30,  1852.     Of  his  union  with 


4  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Aurilla  Whitney  only  one  son  was  born,  Jabez  W.  Abell,  The  latter  was  educated 
at  Cazenovia  Seminary;  has  been  principally  occupied  in  farming,  and  is  one  of  the 
representative  men  of  the  town.  He  is  a  member  of  Cazenovia  Lodge,  No.  616, 
F.  &  A.  M. ;  Manhus  Chapter  No  72,  R.  A.  M.  ;  and  for  some  time  of  the  Central 
City  Masonic  Veterans  Association.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  married, 
September  37,  1866,  Mary  A.  Jones,  daughter  of  Thomas  Jones  of  Cazenovia.  Of 
this  union  is  one  son,  Jabez  W.  Abell,  jr. 


Adams.  Herbert  E.,  son  of  George  M.  and  Miriam  L.  (Switzer)  Adams,  was  born 
in  Cazenovia  on  the  farm  which  has  always  been  his  home  on  February  !?>,  1859.  His 
father  was  a  native  of  Dutchess  county,  whence  he  came  to  Cazenovia  with  his 
parents  among  the  earlier  setilers.  He  died  in  May,  1887,  in  the  71st  year  of  his 
age.  Of  his  union  with  Miriam  L.  Switzer  were  five  children,  four  of  whom  are  now 
living:  Charles  H.,  Frank  S..  Herbert  E.,  and  Cora  B.,  wife  of  John  H.  Jones  of 
Cazenovia.  Herbert  E.  Adams  has  always  been  engaged  in  farming,  and  is  one  of 
the  representative  citizens  of  the  town  of  Cazenovia.  He  married  in  1880,  Cassie  E. 
Harter,  daughter  of  Philip  J.  Harter  of  Cazenovia.  Of  this  union  are  three 
daughters:     Jessie  M.,  Inez  B  ,  and  Florence  E.  R   Adams. 


Andrews,  Calvin  G.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Arlington,  Bennington  county,  Vt., 
July  37,  1833,  a  son  of  Calvin  and  Amy  (Weaver)  Andrews,  who  were  residents  of 
Vermont  and  had  eight  children:  Joseph,  Caleb,  Mary  Williams,  Alraira  Wilcox, 
Calvin  G.,  Sarah  Ann  Moore  Daniel  E.  and  Amy  Colwell.  Mr.  Andrews's  father 
died  September  8,  1841,  and  his  mother  .February  4,  1841.  After  the  death  of  his 
parents  he  lived  with  his  brother  until  he  was  about  seventeen  years  of  age,  when 
he  started  in  life  for  himself  as  a  farm  laborer.  September  10,  1856,  he  married 
Nancy  A.,  daughter  of  Collins  and  Ermina  Andrews,  and  they  have  one  child  liv- 
ing: Lora  E.,  wife  of  Frank  A.  Wagner.  In  1858  Mr.  Andrews  purchused  a  saw 
mill  in  Vermont,  which  he  operated  about  six  years,  when  he  moved  to  the  town  of 
Nelson  and  settled  on  a  farm,  where  he  carried  on  general  farming  until  five  years 
ago,  since  which  time  he  has  lived  retired.  He  has  always  taken  an  active  interest 
in  school  and  educational  work  and  was  trustee  of  the  school  in  his  district  many 
years. 


Atkinson,  John,  son  of  William  and  Mary  (Saxton)  Atkinson,  was  born  in  York- 
shire, England,  and  came  to  this  country  with  his  parents  in  1830.  They  located 
first  at  Manlius  and  the  following  year  came  to  the  town  of  Cazenovia,  where  Mr. 
Atkinson  took  charge  of  the  mill  at  Bingley  which  had  been  erected  by  George  Rob- 
erts four  years  previous.  The  mill  had  then  only  two  run  of  stones.  For  a  time  Mr- 
Atkinson  managed  the  mill  at  Cazenovia  village  and  subsequently  bought  the  mill 
at  Bingley,  which  has  ever  since  been  owned  by  the  Atkinson  family.  William  At. 
kinson  died  m  1873  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son  James.  John  Atkinson  became  a 
farmer  in  the  town  of  Wayne,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  and  afterward  removed  to  Nelson, 
where  he  conducted  a  farm  for  a  period  of  eight  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he 
returned  to  Cazenovia  and  bought  the  interest  of  his  brother  James  in  the  Bingley 
mills.     Mr.  Atkinson  has  served  as  assessor  three  years  and  justice  of  the  peace  in 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  5 

the  town  of  Nelson  four  years.  He  married,  in  1849,  Lucelia  Morse,  daughter  of 
Abner  Morse  of  Nelson.  Of  this  union  there  are  five  children:  Mary,  wife  of  Will- 
iam Lucas;  Mercy,  wife  of  Frank  Brown  of  Iowa;  Florence,  Glendora  and  William. 
The  latter  was  born  in  Wayne,  Pa.,  August  28,  1854,  and  is  a  well-known  citizen  of 
Cazenovia,  being  engaged  in  milling  and  other  interests.  He  married,  in  December, 
1890,  Ella  Wheeler,  daughter  of  Oscar  Wheeler  of  Sheds  Corners. 


Audas,  Garritt,  who  has  been  in  business  in  Oneida  for  sixteen  years  as  a  funeral 
director  and  undertaker,  was  born  in  Vienna,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y. ,  June  3,  183.5,  a 
son  of  Peter  and  Mary  (Hailstone)  Audas.  His  parents,  who  were  both  natives  of 
Yorkshire,  England,  came  to  this  country  in  the  early  twenties,  and  settled  in  Clin- 
ton, N.  Y.,  thence  removing  to  Western  Pennsylvania,  and  later  to  Vienna  in  Oneida 
county.  Peter  Audas  who  was  a  farmer  and  millwright  died  December  10,  1890, 
having  reached  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-one  years.  Garritt  Audas  was  educated 
in  the  common  schools  and  until  he  was  eighteen  years  old  assisted  in  the  conduct  of 
his  father's  farm,  also  learning  the  carpenter's  trade.  He  then  went  to  Cleveland. 
Oswego  county,  N.  Y.,  where  for  two  years  he  was  employed  in  a  box  factory.  Later 
he  worked  as  a  carpenter  and  boat  builder  in  that  town  and  built  many  boats  for  the 
Erie  Canal.  When  the  Ontario  &  Western  railroad  was  built  he  engaged  in  the  busi- 
ness of  contractmg  to  construct  bridges,  and  built  most  of  the  bridges  in  this  section 
as  well  as  many  on  the  Auburn  Branch.  He  then  engaged  in  business  in  the  town 
of  Cleveland  as  a  furniture  dealer  and  undertaker.  During  his  residence  there  he 
served  as  justice  of  the  peace,  as  village  trustee  several  terms,  and  as  deputy  sheriff 
of  Oswego  county  four  years.  In  May,  1883,  Mr.  Audas  purchased  the  undertaking 
business  of  W.  R  Thompson  in  Oneida  where  he  has  since  resided.  For  a  time  he 
was  the  only  undertaker  in  town  and  by  virtue  of  his  long  establishment  he  is  well 
known  in  this  vicinity.  He  married.  Novembers,  1857,  Jerusha  H.  Covell,  and  three 
children  have  been  born  to  them:  Anna  M.,  wife  of  Prof.  N.  Knight  of  Johns  Hop- 
kins University:  Edward  N.  and  Jessie  E.  (who  died  June  8,  1883). 


Austin,  Harvey  O. ,  p.  o.  Peterboro,  was  born  in  Stockbridge,  August  3,  1821,  a  son 
of  Orrin,  son  of  Amos  Austin,  born  in  Connecticut  in  1752.  and  who  came  to  Stock- 
bridge  about  18'J0,  where  he  cleared  a  farm ;  he  died  in  Smithfield,  May  15,  1833. 
Orrin  Austin  was  born  May  26,  1792,  and  came  to  Smithfield  about  1834.  where  he 
lived  until  his  death  in  1879;  he  married  Lucy  Edson,  born  in  Stockbridge,  June  8, 
1802,  daughter  of  Calvin  Edson,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Stockbridge.  Nathan  Ed- 
son,  father  of  Calvin,  was  an  early  settler  of  Madison,  N.  Y. ,  and  died  in  Stockbridge, 
August  16,  1825.  Calvm  Edson  married  Dolly  C.  May,  born  in  Massachusetts,  De- 
cember 5,  1783,  and  died  December  12,  1882.  Harvey  O.  Austin  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  and  carries  on  farming,  having  a  farm  of  108  acres.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Republican.  July  3,  1884.  Mr.  Austin  married  Lillis  A.  Inman,  born  in  Fenner, 
December  27,  1844,  a  daughter  of  George  and  Aurilla  (Edson)  Inman.  Her  parents 
were  among  the  early  settlers  of  Fenner,  her  father  died  in  1853  and  her  mother  now 
lives  in  Smithfield.  They  had  five  children,  Mrs.  Austin  the  only  one  now  living. 
Mrs.  Austin  was  educated  in  Cazenovia  Seminary  and  Utica  Academy  and  followed 
teaching  for  about  nine  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Austin  have  an  adopted  son,  Grover 
P.  Trowbridge. 


(I  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Avery,  George  F.,  son  of  James  R.  and  Sarah  M.  (Fowler)  Avery,  was  born  in 
Stittville,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  August  30,  1849.  His  father  was  a  farmer  and  also 
a  native  of  Stittville  where  he  resided  all  his  life.  Mr.  Avery  received  an  education 
confined  to  the  district  schools  and  the  Holland  Patent  graded  school.  At  the  age  of 
twenty  he  began  to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade  which  he  followed  in  Marcy  and  Utica. 
Later  he  removed  to  lUion,  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  where  he  remained  three  years 
engaged  in  contracting  and  building,  erecting  numerous  buildings  for  the  Remington 
Company.  From  Illion  he  removed  to  his  native  place  where  he  followed  the  con- 
tracting business  about  one  year,  and  at  the  end  of  that  period  went  to  Fall  City, 
Neb.  Here  he  was  engaged  in  building  and  contracting  and  also  for  a  time  con- 
ducted a  mercantile  business  and  dealt  extensively  in  live  stock.  In  1884  Mr.  Avery 
settled  in  Oneida  where  be  has  since  resided  He  has  erected  numerous  residences 
in  the  village,  including  those  owned  by  John  Maxwell ;  Theodore  Hand;  Charles 
PoUey ;  R.  B.  Downing;  and  H.  C.  Stone;  he  has  also  erected  the  German  Catholic 
Church;  the  Cree  &  Crandall  Block;  and  St.  Patrick's  parochial  residence.  Mr. 
Avery  has  also  been  engaged  extensively  in  fire  appraising  for  individuals  and  insur- 
ance companies.  He  is  a  member  of  Eumenia  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  a  member 
and  trustee  of  the  Methodist  Church.  He  married  in  1874,  Emma  J.  Cronk,  daughter 
of  Jasper  Cronk  of  Boonville,  Seven  children  have  been  born  to  them  two  of  whom 
survive;  Charles  R.,  and  Edward  E. 


Boardman,  Rev.  Dr.  George  Smith,  who  died  at  Cazenovia,  February  7,  1877,  in 
the  eightieth  year  of  his  age,  was  for  fourteen  years  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
m  Cazenovia.  He  was  born  in  Albany,  N.  Y. ,  December  29,  1796,  and  was  gradu- 
ated from  Union  College  in  1816  and  at  Princeton  Theological  Seminary  in  1819.  In 
1821  he  took  up  a  pastorate  in  Watertown,  N.  Y.,  which  continued  for  sixteen  years, 
at  the  end  of  which  period  he  accepted  a  call  from  a  Rochester  church,  where  he  re- 
mained six  years,  with  the  exception  of  six  months  in  1842  when  he  labored  at  Colum- 
bus, Ohio,  in  connection  with  a  very  marked  revival  of  religion  in  that  place.  In 
1843  he  took  charge  of  the  cburch  of  his  denomination  at  Rome,  N.  Y.,  which  he  left 
in  1847  to  enter  upor;  a  short  pastorate  at  Cherry  Valley.  He  entered  upon  his  long 
and  fruitful  pastorate  in  Cazenovia  in  1850.  Dr.  Boardman  was  thrice  married  and 
three  children  were  born  to  him:  Derick  Lane,  John,  and  George  Brayton  Board- 
man.  His  third  wife,  who  survives  him,  was  Miss  Sophia  Ledyard  Childs,  of  Caze- 
novia, a  daughter  of  Hon.  Perry  G.  Childs. 


Bulger.  Edward,  was  born  in  Stockbridge,  this  county,  February  22,  1830,  a  son  of 
Patrick  and  Mary  Ann  (Kern)  Bulger.  His  father,  a  native  of  Ireland,  came  to  this 
country  in  early  life  and  settled  first  in  Clinton,  thence  removing  to  Stockbridge, 
where  he  became  a  very  successful  farmer,  bujnng  land  until  he  owned  several  hun- 
dred acres;  he  gained  the  confidence  and  respect  of  the  entire  community  and  died 
in  1877,  honored  and  esteemed  by  all  who  had  known  him.  Of  his  union  with  Mary 
Kern  ten  children  were  born,  seven  of  whom  survive:  Mrs.  Martin  Stisserof  Oneida; 
Mrs.  Philip  McCabe;  Mrs.  'Williara  Dailey;  Mrs.  Daniel  Santry;  Edward;  James  of 
Willow  Spring,  Mo. ;  and  Andrew  of  Smithfield.  The  subject  of  this  notice  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools  of  the  town  of  Stockbridge,  and  has  followed  the  oc- 
cupation of  farming  all  his  life.     He  left  Stockbridge  and  came  to  his  present  farm 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  7 

in  the  year  1857.  Here  he  has  124  acres,  all  under  cultivation  with  the  exception  of 
twenty-five  acres  of  woodland.  Mr.  Bulger  has  been  a  large  hop  grower,  but  in  re- 
cent years  has  given  his  attention  to  other  crops.  By  virtue  of  his  long  residence 
here  he  is  well  known  in  this  vicinity,  and  at  different  times  has  served  in  minor  pub- 
lic offices.  He  married  in  1857,  Lucy  A.  Allen,  daughter  of  Daniel  Allen  of  the  town 
of  Lenox.     Two  children  have  been  born  to  them;  Allen  E.,  and  Carrie  D.  Bulger. 

Baker,  Richard  M.,  son  of  Matteson  and  Sophia  E.  (Byer)  Baker,  was  born  in  Clin- 
ton, N.  Y.,  July  29,  1843.  His  father  was  a  Methodist  minister  and  a  prominent  ad- 
vocate of  the  cause  of  temperance;  for  some  years  he  published  a  temperance  organ 
at  Utica,  called  the  Washingtonian  News.  Richard  M.  Baker  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Utica,  and  at  Whitestown  Seminary.  He  learned  the  printing 
trade  in  the  office  of  the  Utica  Observer  where  he  remained  two  years,  and  then  went 
to  Hamilton  as  foreman  of  the  Democratic  Union  which  W.  H.  Baker  had  established 
in  that  village.  He  continued  in  that  position  until  the  death  of  W.  H.  Baker,  which 
occurred  in  1873,  and  then,  in  company  with  S.  A.  Maxon,  purchased  the  paper.  Mr. 
Baker  has  been  identified  with  the  Union  since  its  establishment,  and  is  consequently 
well  known  throughout  the  county.  He  served  four  and  a  half  years  as  postmas- 
ter in  Cleveland's  last  administration.  He  is  a  stockholder  and  director  of  the 
Oneida  Valley  National  Bank;  a  vestryman  of  St.  John's  Episcopal  Church;  and  a 
member  of  Oneida  Lodge,  No.  270,  F.  &  A.  M.  He  married,  in  1862,  Frances  M., 
daughter  of  Warren  M.  Rice  of  Hamilton.  Four  children  have  been  born  of  this 
union;  Clinton  R.  ;  Mrs.  H.  L.  Sanford;  Mabel  A. ;  and  Richard  M.,  Jr. 


Burdick,  James  F. ,  who  died  at  South  Bay,  February  18,  1873,  in  the  40th  year  of 
his  age,  kept  the  only  hotel  at  South  Bay  for  many  years,  and  was  well  known 
throughout  Madison  county.  He  was  born  March  23,  1833,  in  Columbia  county,  N. 
Y.  Mr.  Burdick  was  a  man  of  quiet  tastes  and  generous  impulses.  He  possessed 
all  of  the  qualifications  of  a  good  landlord,  and  is  remembered  for  his  genial  cour- 
tesy and  warm  hearted  friendliness.  He  spent  all  of  his  life  at  South  Bay.  October 
13,  1861,  he  married  Charlotte  Ostrander,  a  daughter  of  Philip  Ostrander  of  Jordan, 
N.  Y.  Of  their  union  four  children  were  born,  only  one  of  whom  survives;  Mrs. 
David  C.  Armbrust  of  Oneida. 


Betsinger,  Peter,  who  died  in  Oneida,  November  6,  1876,  in  the  75th  year  of  his 
age.  was  a  lifelong  resident  and  well  known  citizen  of  this  vicinity.  He  was  born  in 
Clockville.  this  county,  January  13,  1801,  a  son  of  John  Betsinger.  His  father  was 
one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  this  region  and  of  Mohawk  Dutch  descent.  Mr.  Bet- 
singer was  all  his  life  a  farmer  in  the  town  of  Lenox,  being  located  near  Clockville. 
He  removed  to  Oneida  in  1871  and  resided  in  that  village  until  his  death.  He  was  a 
man  of  genial  nature  and  drew  to  himself  many  warm  friends.  For  many  years  he 
was  a  regular  attendant  of  the  Methodist  Church.  He  first  married  Catharine  Forbes 
and  twelve  children  were  born  to  them,  of  whom  six  survive:  Mrs.  Salina  Keller  of 
Perry,  Iowa;  Mrs.  Catharine  Randall  of  Russell,  Pa.;  Mrs.  Dianna  Palmer,  and  Mrs. 
Clara  A.  Palmer,  both  of  Michigan;  Nicholas  N. ,  of  Marcellus,  N.  Y.  ;  and  Daniel 
L.,  who  resides  on  the  home  farm  near  Clockville.     On  May  24,  1863,  Mr.  Betsinger 


8  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

married  Sarah  E.  Whaley,  daughter  of  Samuel  P.  and  Sarah  (Knapp)  Whaley,  who 
survives  him. 


Behr,  Joseph,  member  of  the  Oneida  village  board  of  trustees,  was  born  in  Rome, 
N.  Y.,  June  27,  1856.  His  father,  a  native  of  Germany,  came  to  this  country  in 
early  life  and  settled  near  New  York  city,  thence  removing  to  Rome,  and  later  to 
Verona,  Oneida  county.  Mr.  Behr  was  educated  in  the  common  schools,  and  assisted 
in  the  conduct  of  his  father's  farm  until  he  reached  his  majority.  He  was  employed 
for  a  period  of  two  years  in  the  cheese  factory  at  Verona  Landing,  and  later  for 
five  years  at  the  casket  factory  in  Oneida.  In  1887  he  began  business  as  a  grocer, 
forming  a  partnership  with  George  Dradell  under  the  firm  name  of  Dradell  &  Behr. 
Their  association  continued  five  years,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  Mr.  Behr  sold  his 
interest  and  established  his  present  business  at  No.  Ill  Elm  street,  where  he  has 
been  located  seven  years.  Mr.  Behr  is  now  serving  as  a  member  of  the  village  board 
of  trustees.  He  married  in  1882  Miss  Emma  Dick,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Dick  of 
Oneida. 

Barton,  Avery,  was  born  in  Schoharie  county,  N.  Y.,  September  9,  1852.  a  son 
of  Jacob  Perry  Barton,  a  farmer  and  lifelong  resident  of  Schoharie  county.  Mr. 
Barton  spent  his  boyhood  on  his  father's  farm  and  when  fifteen  years  old  came 
to  Oneida  to  enter  the  employ  of  George  Lawrence,  for  whom  he  subsequently  be- 
came a  traveling  agent.  Later  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Robert  A.  Stewart, 
which  is  still  continued,  deahng  in  malt,  grain,  etc.,  the  firm  name  being  now  Stew- 
art, Barton  &  Co.  Mr.  Barton  now  looks  after  the  Utica  business  of  the  firm.  He 
has  resided  in  Oneida  many  years,  has  served  as  collector,  and  is  a  well  known 
citizen.  He  married  in  1876,  Louisa,  daughter  of  the  late  Christian  Harp,  and  one 
daughter  has  been  born  to  them,  Nellie  Louisa  Barton. 


Harp,  Christian,  who  died  in  Oneida  September  17,  1886,  in  the  83d  year  of  his 
age,  was  a  well  known  and  highly  respected  citizen  of  Madison  county  for  many 
years.  He  was  born  in  the  town  of  Lenox  May  2,  1804,  and  during  his  active  life 
followed  the  occupation  of  farming.  In  1883  he  removed  to  Oneida,  where  he  lived 
quietly  until  his  death.  Mr.  Harp  held  the  office  of  poormaster  several  years,  and 
also  served  as  assessor  and  collector.  Although  a  man  of  quiet  nature  he  became 
well  known  in  the  county.  He  was  a  man  of  the  strictest  integrity,  and  gained  the 
confidence  and  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  He  married  first  Han- 
nah Ratnour,  and  eight  children  were  born  to  them,  five  of  whom  survive;  A.  Jack- 
son Harp  of  Oneida;  George  Harp  of  Pratt's  Hollow;  Martin  Harp  of  Oneida;  Bar- 
ney Harp  of  Cleveland,  N.  Y.  ;  and  Mrs  Catharine  Miller  of  Kansas  City.  His  sec- 
ond wife  was  Perlina  Baldwin  Holdridge,  and  of  this  union  were  four  children  : 
Warren  C,  Helen,  and  Amelia,  all  deceased;  and  Mrs.  A.  Barton  of  Oneida. 


Brown,  Brewster  S.,  who  has  been  in  the  drug  trade  in  Oneida  for  twenty- five 
years  at  one  location,  was  born  in  New  York  city,  May  13,  1850,  a  son  of  P.  H.  and 
Julia  Ann  (Seely)  Brown.  When  he  was  four  years  old  his  parents  died  and  he  came 
to  Oneida  to  reside  with  his  maternal  grandmother.     He  received  his  education  in 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  9 

the  Oneida  public  schools  and  at  the  old  Oneida  Seminary.  In  1875  he  began  to 
learn  the  drug  business  with  John  H.  Rogers,  who  in  that  year  established  the  store 
at  No.  64  Main  street  now  conducted  by  Mr.  Brown.  In  1886  he  purchased  a  half 
interest  in  the  business  and  the  firm  of  Rogers  &  Brown  continued  until  the  death 
of  Mr.  Rogers  in  the  fall  of  1890.  Dr.  F.  C.  Drake  now  came  into  the  firm  (Brown 
&  Drake)  and  withdrew  January  1,  1895,  since  which  time  Mr.  Brown  has  conducted 
the  business  alone,  having  completed,  as  above  stated,  a  term  of  twenty-five  years 
in  one  location.  Mr.  Brown  married  in  1887  Margaret  Louise,  daughter  of  Samuel 
Morrell  of  Canajoharie,  and  of  their  union  is  one  daughter. 


Baker,  William  M.,  son  of  William  H.  and  Catherine  (Simmons)  Baker,  was  born 
in  the  village  of  Hamilton,  this  county,  January  31,  1863.  His  father  was  a  news- 
paper man  of  large  acquaintance  in  this  county,  and  for  many  years  editor  of  the 
Democratic  Union,  which  he  moved  from  Hamilton  to  Oneida.  He  died  in  Oneida 
in  June,  1872.  William  M.  Baker  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  this  village 
and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  entered  the  banking  house  of  E.  C.  Stark  &  Co.,  where 
he  remained  for  a  period  of  six  years.  In  1885  he  formed  a  partnership  with  W.  E. 
Hazeltine  for  the  conduct  of  a  general  dry  goods  business  under  the  firm  name  of 
Hazeltine  &  Baker.  Mr.  Hazeltine  retired  from  active  interest  in  1896,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Thomas  F.  Reidy,  forming  the  present  firm  of  Hazeltine,  Baker  &  Reidy. 
Mr  Baker  has  served  one  term  as  village  trustee  and  three  terms  as  village  presi- 
dent, and  during  his  incumbency  did  much  to  forward  the  recent  far  reaching  im- 
provements in  this  village,  being  a  prominent  member  of  the  so  called  reform 
administration.  With  his  associates  in  the  village  government  he  was  instrumental 
in  placing  the  Warner  water  works  under  control  of  the  village,  and  personally 
attended  to  floating  the  bonds,  securing  exceedingly  advantageous  terms;  took  steps 
towards  discharging  the  Ontario  &  Western  debt;  built  the  trunk  sewers;  organized 
the  board  in  charge  of  the  lateral  sewers ;  put  in  ornamental  drinking  fountains ;  began 
the  paving  of  the  village  streets;  agitated  the  question  of  all  night  electric  lights,  and 
was  chairman  of  the  committee  which  secured  the  new  village  charter,  providing  for 
the  paid  fire  department,  police  force,  etc.  It  is  not  the  intention  or  purpose  of  this 
work  to  give  individual  praise,  but  it  is  a  safe  and  conservative  statement  to  affirm 
that  through  the  efforts  of  Mr.  Baker  and  his  associates  the  village  of  Oneida  has 
taken  a  leading  position  among  the  foremost  of  the  larger  cities  of  the  State  in  point 
of  modern  public  improvements.  In  politics  Mr.  Baker  has  been  a  Democrat,  though 
not  a  politician  in  the  usually  accepted  sense  of  the  term.  He  married,  in  August, 
1884,  Fannie  E.  Wallace,  daughter  of  Dr.  Jason  T.  Wallace  of  Oneida.  Six  children 
have  been  born  of  this  union,  five  of  whom  survive. 

Boden,  Edwin  R..  M.  D.,  has  practiced  medicine  in  this  county  since  1881,  and  in 
the  village  of  Oneida  since  1885.  He  was  born  in  Southfields,  Orange  county,  N.  Y. , 
January  14,  1860,  and  obtained  his  education  in  Trinity  School,  New  York  city,  and 
at  the  Long  Island  College  Hospital,  from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  M.  D., 
in  the  class  of  1881.  He  began  practice  the  same  year  in  the  village  of  Munnsville. 
this  county,  where  he  remained  four  years.  In  the  fall  of  1885  he  came  to  Oneida 
where  he  has  since  been  in  active  practice.     Dr.  Boden  is  a  Republican  in  politics 


10  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

and  has  served  as  village  auditor,  health  officer  and  village  clerk.  He  is  a  member 
of  Oneida  Lodge,  No.  270,  F  &  A.  M..  and  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows. He  married,  in  1885,  Lena  L.  Rockwell,  daughter  of  Francis  F.  Rockwell,  of 
Oneida.    Two  children  have  been  born  of  this  union;  John  F. ,  and  Frank  R.  Boden. 


Burr,  William  M.,  president  of  Cazenovia  village  three  years,  and  a  lifelong  resi- 
dent and  prominent  citizen,  was  born  in  Cazenovia,  a  son  of  William  M.  and  Cather- 
ine (Ten  Eyck)  Burr.  His  father,  one  of  the  first  merchants  of  this  village,  came 
from  Hartfbrd,  Conn.,  when  seventeen  years  of  age,  in  the  year  1811.  He  engaged 
in  general  produce  and  commission  business  and  became  one  of  the  strongest  busi- 
ness men  of  the  community.  For  many  years  he  served  as  president  of  the  old  Mad- 
ison County  Bank  and  his  advice  and  counsel  regarding  business  transactions  were 
widely  sought.  Although  one  of  the  wealthiest  men  in  this  section  he  was  a  man  of 
quiet  tastes.  Of  his  union  with  Catherine  Ten  Eyck  were  born  four  children :  Mar- 
garet Ten  Eyck,  born  March  38,  1827,  married  September  8,  1847,  Benjamin  Rush 
Wendell  of  Albany;  Catalina  Ten  Eyck,  born  September  4,  1830,  died  August  4, 
1832;  William  M.,  born  June  15,  1831;  and  Anna  Foster,  born  May  10,  1837,  married 
September  30,  1863,  Robert  J.  Hubbard  of  New  York,  and  died  July  28,  1884.  Mr. 
Burr  died  in  January,  1869,  in  his  seventy-sixth  year.  William  M.  Burr,  jr.,  was 
educated  at  Union  College  and  with  the  exception  of  farming  has  never  engaged  in 
active  business.  He  married  Emily  K.  Wilkinson,  daughter  of  John  and  Mary 
(Holden)  Wilkinson  of  Germantown,  Pa.  They  had  six  children:  Mary  Louise,  born 
February  32,  1855,  married  June  38,  1888,  William  M.  Gibson,  M.  D.,  of  Utica,  N.  Y.  ; 
Jacob  H.  Ten  Eyck,  born  October  3,  1856.  married  February  14,  1885,  Katherine 
Stebbins  of  Cazenovia,  and  for  a  number  of  years  has  been  a  banker  in  Cazenovia ; 
Catherine  Ten  Eyck,  born  March  10,  1859,  married  September  17,  1885,  Richard  Fitz 
Hugh  Ledyard,  who  died  August  16,  1892;  Anna  Foster,  born  February  28,  1867,  died 
September  30,  1867;  William  M.,  jr.,  born  November  6,  1868,  died  in  New  York  city 
in  his  twenty  third  year;  and  Margaret  Wendell,  born  January  22,  1871. 


Bonney,  Col.  Benjamin  F.,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  was  born  on  a  farm  at  Hamilton,  N.Y., 
Mav  24,  1818.  and  educated  in  the  schools  of  Hamilton  and  Homer.  He  grew  up  on 
the  farm  and  after  his  school  days  became  a  clerk  in  a  dry  goods  store.  In  1834  he 
enlisted  in  a  company  of  "  Light  Infantry,"  and  in  1838  was  chosen  colonel  of  the  4th 
Regiment.  He. followed  clerking  more  of  less  until  1844,  when  he  conducted  a  store- 
house for  three  years,  then  managed  a  hotel  for  a  year,  and  in  1850  entered  the  drug 
store  of  John  J.  Foote,  becoming  a  partner  in  1854,  which  partnership  continued 
until  1866,  when  Mr.  Bonney  went  south  and  spent  two  years.  Returning  he  pur- 
chased the  business  from  Mr.  Foote  and  associated  with  him  James  K.  Welton.  This 
partnership  continued  until  1887,  when  Mr.  Welton  died,  but  the  business  still  con- 
tinued under  the  old  name  until  April,  1893,  when  he  sold  the  business  of  the  firm  and 
retired  from  active  business  life.  Mr.  Bonney  was  postmaster  at  Hamilton  from 
1869  to  1883;  he  is  president  of  the  village  improvement  association,  and  has  been 
since  its  organization.  He  has  also  been  president  of  the  Woodlawn  Cemetery  As. 
sociation  for  six  years  and  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  education  of  "  The  Baptist  Ed- 
ucation Society  of  the  State  of  New  York;"  is  also  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Na- 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  11 

tional  Hamilton  Bank  and  has  been  for  twenty  years;  was  a  trustee  of  the  first  Bap- 
tist church  for  some  j-ears.  In  1847  Mr.  Bonney  married  Augusta  C.  Allen  and  they 
have  one  son,  J.  Franklin  Bonney.  Mrs.  Bonney  died  in  1888  Mr.  Bonney's  pa- 
rents were  Col.  Benjamin  and  Lucinda  (Wilder)  Bonney.  The  Bonneys  are  an  old 
American  family  and  Mr.  Bonney's  grandfather,  Benjamin  Bonney,  was  a  member 
of  the  Massachusetts  Assembly  durmg  the  Revolutionary  war.  The  family  came  to 
Hamilton,  Madison  county,  in  1808.  Col.  Benjamin  Bonney  was  for  many  years 
connected  with  the  militia,  and  promoted  to  the  rank  of  colonel ;  he  served  in  the  war 
of  1813,  was  first  stationed  at  Sacketts  Harbor.  Mr.  Bonney's  grandfather,  Abel 
Wilder,  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier  and  fought  at  Bunker  Hill.  He  was  beside 
Gen.  Warren  when  that  celebrated  soldier  was  shot  in  that  battle. 


Betts,  W.  D.,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Lebanon,  Madison  county, 
N.  Y.,  November  9,  1859.  He  was  a  farmer's  son  and  worked  on  the  farm  until 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  when  he  went  into  the  meat  business  at  Hamilton.  This 
business  he  has  conducted  with  great  energy  and  marked  .success  and  to-day  there  is 
not  a  more  thoroughly  equipped  meat  establishment  in  the  county  than  he  has  in  the 
Betts  block.  This  building  is  111  x  25  feet  in  dimensions  and  is  equipped  with  all 
the  accessories  neces.sary  to  a  first-class  meat  business,  including  cooler,  ice  house, 
engine  and  boiler,  steam  sausage  cutter  with  capacity  of  600  pounds  of  meat  per 
hour,  steam  jacket  kettle,  cellar,  elevator,  etc.  He  makes  all  his  own  sausages,  lard, 
etc.,  and  also  does  a  substantial  pork  packing  business.  His  customers  are  always 
assured  of  the  best  and  his  business  is  consequently  the  leader  in  this  part  of  the 
county.  This  fine  business  Mr.  Betts  has  built  entirely  upon  his  own  efforts  and 
ability.  The  lodge  room  for  Hamilton's  various  societies  is  situated  in  the  Betts 
block.  Mr.  Betts  is  himself  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  the  Odd  Fellows, 
the  fire  department  and  the  Select  Knights.  In  1884  he  married  Delia  M.  Kimball; 
they  have  three  children:  William  H.,  Mabel  D.  and  Ernest.  Mr.  Betts's  parents 
were  James  and  Selina  (Baker)  Betts,  both  natives  of  England,  but  who  came  to 
America  when  young  and  were  married  in  Madison  county. 

Bridge.  William  L. ,  was  born  in  Lincoln,  September  17,  1844,  a  son  of  Orange  and 
Laura  Armour  Bridge.  Orange  Bridge  was  born  in  Augusta,  Oneida  county,  and 
was  reared  a  farmer.  He  was  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  at  Canastota  and 
had  a  blast  furnace  at  MerrillsviUe,  and  for  twelve  years  a  grist  mill  at  Lenox.  He 
spent  his  last  days  at  Warapsville,  where  he  died  October  8,  1882.  William  L.  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools  and  Whitesboro  Academy,  and  was  in  business 
with  his  father  four  years.  He  now  has  a  farm  of  135  acres  and  owns  a  wood  lot  of 
ten  acres.  In  1885  he  erected  a  large  barn,  which  burned  in  1894,  and  in  1895  he  re- 
built and  now  has  a  barn  40  x  80,  with  wing  26  x  49.  In  1870  Mr.  Bridge  married 
Florence  Nichols  of  Vernon,  Oneida  county ;  they  had  three  children:  Milton  Jay, 
Clifford  (deceased)  and  Louis  Armour.  Mr.  Bridge  was  a  Republican  and  has  been 
assessor  three  years  in  Lenox.  He  enlisted  in  September,  1864,  and  served  until 
October.  1865,  in  Co.  D,  1st  N.  Y.  Mounted  Rifles. 


Baldwin,  Charles  C,  was  born  in  Fenner,  October  15,  1833,  a  son  of  Moses,  born 


12  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

March  31,  1798,  a  son  of  Jonathan  Baldwin,  who  lived  and  died  in  Massachusetts. 
Moses  Baldwin  came  to  Lenox  and  soon  to  Fenner,  where  he  was  one  of  the  leading 
farmers  for  a  number  of  years.  He  came  to  Lincoln  and  bought  the  place  Charles 
C.  now  owns  and  here  died  March  22.  1869.  November  20,  1823,  he  married  Ruth 
Miles,  born  in  Massachusetts,  March  29,  1802,  and  they  had  four  children:  Mary  J., 
born  May  28,  1830,  died  November  11,  1873;  Charles  C.  (as  above);  Sallie  M.,  born 
June  13,  1836,  died  November  10,  1878;  and  William  W..  born  September  33.  1838, 
and  now  lives  in  Kidder.  Mo.  Mrs.  Baldwin  died  February  36,  1885.  Charles  C. 
Baldwin  was  educated  in  the  common  schools,  is  a  farmer  and  owns  188  acres  of 
land.  He  has  one  of  the  best  dairy  farms  in  Lincoln  and  has  twenty  thoroughbred 
Holstein  cattle;  he  is  also  a  breeder  of  thoroughbred  Chester  white  hogs.  Mr.  Bald- 
win is  a  Republican,  but  not  an  aspirant  to  office.  April  12,  1871,  he  married  Sarah, 
daughter  of  Elnathan  and  Sallie  (Reeves)  Hatch,  natives  of  Nelson.  The  Hatch 
family  came  from  Connecticut  and  the  Reeves  from  Long  Island.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Baldwin  have  one  daughter,  Lamira,  educated  in  Canastota  Academy  and  resides  at 
home. 

Burroughs,  Lorenzo  J.,  trustee  of  Cazenovia  village,  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Stockbridge,  Madison  county,  N.  Y.,  September  20,  1847,  a  son  of  William  J.  and 
Laura  (Parker)  Burroughs.  His  father,  a  substantial  farmer,  was  a  native  and  re- 
spected citizen  of  Stockbridge  for  many  years;  he  died  in  February,  1870,  in  the 
sixty-sixth  year  of  his  age.  He  had  been  one  of  the  largest  business  men  of  the 
section,  extensively  manufactured  cheese  boxes,  operated  a  grist  and  saw  mill  and 
at  one  time  managed  three  cheese  factories  in  that  region.  For  some  years  he  was 
in  association  with  Andrew  Parker,  under  the  firm  name  of  Parker  &  Burroughs. 
Lorenzo  J.  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Stockbridge  and  Hamilton.  After  com- 
pleting his  education  he  assisted  in  the  conduct  of  his  father's  extensive  interests  and 
also  spent  one  year  in  northern  Michigan,  being  engaged  in  getting  out  and  shipping 
hop  poles  to  this  vicinity,  an  industry  which  was  then  of  considerable  magnitude.  In 
1873  he  went  to  Smilhfield  and  engaged  in  business  as  a  hop  grower  and  dealer  and 
farmer.  Here  he  remained  about  ten  years,  removing  to  Cazenovia  in  the  spring  of 
1884,  when  he  bought  a  farm  just  outside  the  corporation  (the  old  Loomis  farm),  and 
until  1893  was  actively  engaged  in  hop  growing  and  general  farming;  he  then  re- 
moved to  Cazenovia  village.  In  politics  he  has  been  a  Republican ;  he  has  served  as 
assessor  for  a  term  of  four  years,  and  as  trustee  of  Cazenovia  village  for  two  years. 
Mr.  Burroughs  has  been  one  of  the  leading  hop  growers  and  dealers  of  this  section. 
He  is  a  member  of  Cazenovia  Lodge  of  Masons.  In  1871  Mr.  Burroughs  married 
Harriet  Gostling,  daughter  of  John  Gostling  of  Fenner.  Of  their  three  children  only 
one  survives — Mabel  A.  Burroughs. 


Buckingham,  C.  A.,  supervisor  of  the  town  of  Cazenovia.  was  born  in  Otselic, 
Chenango  county,  October  22,  1853,  a  son  of  Joel  and  Sally  (Card)  Buckingham.  His 
father  was  a  native  of  Georgetown,  and  a  son  of  Reuben,  who  came  to  Georgetown 
with  his  parents,  who  were  among  the  earliest  settlers  of  this  town.  Joel  Bucking- 
ham was  a  Jeffersonian  Democrat,  and  a  prominent  citizen  for  many  years  of  Otselic, 
holding  office  as  town  clerk,  postmaster,  collector,  etc.     He  built  the  cheese  factory 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  13 

at  Otselic  in  1867,  and  was  largely  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  cheese  and  butter, 
and  also  conducted  a  like  business  for  several  years  in  the  town  of  De  Ruyter.  Of 
his  union  with  Sally  M.  Card  four  children  were  born:  Jenette,  who  married  David 
Newitt  of  Otselic;  Cassius  M.,  now  of  Utica;  Clayton  A  ,  now  of  New  Woodstock, 
and  Arthur  A.  (deceased).  C.  A.  Buckingham,  the  subject,  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Otselic  and  assisted  in  the  management  of  his  father's  business  interests 
for  some  time,  finally  purchasing  the  De  Ruyter  cheese  factory,  which  he  conducted 
six  years.  In  1885  he  purchased  the  cheese  factory  at  New  Woodstock,  which  he 
still  conducts,  being  now  one  of  the  largest  manufacturers  in  the  county;  the  weekly 
output  of  his  factory  is  about  20,000  pounds  of  cheese,  and  3,500  pounds  of  butter,  and 
his  shipments  of  milk  to  the  New  York  and  Brooklyn  markets  average  about  200  cans 
daily.  He  has  been  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  never  held  public  office  until  elected 
supervisor  m  February,  1898.  He  is  a  member  of  De  Ruyter  Lodge  of  Masons.  In 
1882  he  married  Maud  L.  Perkins,  a  daughter  of  Tracy  K.  Perkins  of  South  Otselic; 
their  children  are  Roy  C. ,  Rena  M.,  Leon  D.,  Lulu  A.,  and  Arthur  F. 


Barkinson,  Theodore  Joseph,  was  born  near  Oswego,  of  English  parentage,  and 
died  at  Chittenango  Falls,  May  9,  1892.  In  early  childhood  after  the  death  of  his 
mother  he  came  to  live  in  the  family  of  his  uncle,  William  Atkinson,  of  Bingley,  where 
he  grew  to  manhood  and  learned  the  milling  business.  The  older  inhabitants  of  the 
surrounding  county  still  speak  of  him  as  a  good  boy  and  a  good  miller.  Soon  after 
the  close  of  the  war  he  went  to  Oswego  into  the  confectionery  store  of  his  brother-in- 
law,  Manister  Worts,  and  after  the  death  of  William  Atkinson  he  returned  to  the 
mill  at  Bingley,  where  he  remained  until  he  bought  out  the  general  store  at  Chitte- 
nango Falls  and  was  appointed  postmaster  at  that  place.  In  October,  1875,  he 
married  Sophia  E.  Lucas,  who  succeeded  him  in  the  post-office,  which  office  she  still 
holds.  Mr.  Parkinson  had  many  rare  traits  of  character  and  his  death  was  mourned 
by  a  wide  circle  of  friends.  An  agreeable  temper  was  his  most  marked  characteristic, 
and  his  uniform  kindness  and  ever  ready  helpfulness  in  all  emergencies  endeared 
him  to  all. 


Bass,  Edgar  C,  M.  D.,  has  practiced  medicine  in  the  village  of  Cazenovia  since 
1866  He  was  born  in  Warren,  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  May  29,  1831,  a  son  of 
Lovell  and  Mary  (Harwick)  Bass.  He  was  educated  at  Oxford  Academy,  Chenango 
county,  and  began  his  medical  studies  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  John  Swinburne  of 
the  city  of  Albany.  Subsequently  he  entered  the  Albany  Medical  College  from 
which  he  was  graduated  M.  D.  with  the  class  of  1858.  He  began  practice  the  same 
year  in  the  village  of  New  York  Mills,  Oneida  county,  where  he  remained  until  the  out- 
break of  the  Civil  war.  Dr.  Bass  went  out  as  assistant  surgeon  of  the  146th  N.  Y. 
Vols.,  and  after  serving  over  a  year  was  discharged  from  held  service  owing  to  dis- 
ability, and  entered  the  hospital  service.  He  served  at  Harwood  and  Campbell  hos- 
pitals in  Washington,  remaining  in  the  latter  until  1866,  when,  as  above  stated,  he 
began  practice  in  Cazenovia.  Dr.  Bass  has  been  a  staunch  Republican  in  politics; 
has  served  as  president  of  the  village  three  terms ;  as  a  member  of  the  board  of 
trustees  twelve  years,  and  as  president  of  the  water  board  since  the  installation  of 
the  system.     He  is  also  a  member  of  the  United  States  Pension  Examining  Board; 


14  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  Madison  County  Medical  Society;  New  York  State  Medical  Association,  and  is 
the  veteran  of  Cazenovia  Lodge  F.  &  A.  M. ;  also  holding  membership  in  Manlius 
Chapter,  R.  A.  M.  Dr.  Bass  married  in  18.59,  Lucy  L.  Brand,  daughter  of  Nathan 
Brand  of  Leonardsville,  this  county,  who  died  March  33,  1894. 


Bumpus,  Pearl  D.,  p.  o.  Nelson,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Fenner,  December  1  1869, 
a  son  of  Augustus  H.  and  Martha  E  (Lombard)  Bumpus.  They  had  three  children: 
Merchant  Z.,  Pearl  D.,  and  Jessie  D.  Augustus  H.  was  born  April  35,  1833,  on  the 
farm  where  Pearl  D.  now  lives.  He  was  married  March  27,  1867,  and  died  January 
19,  1891.  By  occupation  he  was  a  farmer  and  was  a  public  spirited  man,  holding 
the  offices  of  overseer  of  the  poor,  collector,  and  constable.  Augustus  H.  was  a  son 
of  James  and  Eliza  Ann  (Caswell)  Bumpus.  Their  children  were  James,  William, 
Polly  M.,  Peleg,  Enoch  D.,  Augustus  H.,  Merchant  B.,  Henry  A.,  and  Charles  W., 
all  born  on  the  farm  where  Pearl  D.  now  lives,  and  all  dead  with  the  e.xception  of 
Henry  A.  and  Enoch  D.  The  first  of  the  family  to  come  to  the  town  of  Fenner  was 
James,  who  came  from  Nelson  about  1825.  Pearl  D.  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  the  town  of  Fenner  and  in  Cazenovia  Seminary.  His  early  life  was  spent 
with  his  father  on  the  farm.  When  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age  his  father  died 
and  he  remained  on  the  farm  which  he  worked  with  his  brother,  Merchant  Z.  When 
he  was  twenty-five  years  of  age  he  purchased  his  father's  estate  from  the  heirs  and 
now  lives  on  the  old  homestead.  He  has  always  taken  an  interest  in  town  and  county 
affairs,  in  educational  matters,  and  has  held  several  of  the  appointive  offices. 


Black,  L.  D.,p.  o.  Pratt's  Hollow,  was  born  in  Smithfield,  September  2,  1844,  a  son 
of  Samuel,  and  grandson  of  John  Black,  who  came  from  Massachusetts  to  Smithfield 
among  the  first  settlers.  Samuel  Black  was  born  in  Smithfield  and  died  there  in 
1889.  His  wife  was  Freelove  Wright  and  they  had  six  children ;  she  died  in  1875. 
L.  D.  Black  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  educated  in  the  common  schools.  He  is  a 
farmer  and  has  112  acres  in  Eaton  and  has  since  bought  a  farm  of  106  acres  in  Stock- 
bridge.  He  has  a  dairy  of  twenty  cows,  and  is  also  a  successful  hop  grower.  He 
married  Lucinda  Ingalls  and  they  have  two  children:  Pernie,  wife  of  Albert  Cam- 
eron of  Peterboro,  an  extensive  farmer  and  supervisor  of  Smithfield;  and  Frank  S. , 
at  home,  who  married  Flora  Field. 


Beal,  George,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  the  popular  postmaster  of  Hamilton,  N.  Y., was  born 
in  this  village  and  received  his  education  in  the  local  schools.  He  learned  the  trade 
of  cabinet  maker  and  pursued  that  vocation  for  seven  years,  when  he  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Bartle  &  Beal,  bakers,  which  existed  for  ten  years,  doing  a  large 
business  until  forced  out  by  the  syndicate.  Mr.  Beal  then  entered  the  partnership  of 
Rowlands  &  Beal,  furniture  dealers  and  undertakers,  which  firm  still  exists.  In  1894 
Mr.  Beal  was  appointed  postmaster  at  Hamilton  by  President  Cleveland,  and  his 
conduct  of  the  office  has  been  highly  acceptable  to  both  political  elements.  He  has 
given  his  whole  attention  to  the  duties  of  his  office  and  it  is  worthy  of  note  that  when 
the  great  fire  of  1895  destroyed  Hamilton,  the  post-office  building  also  being  burned, 
the  public  of  Hamilton  got  their  mail  just  as  before  with  the  slight  exception  that 
only  one  mail  was  delayed  a  few  minutes.     Mr.  Beal  has  been  a  member  of  the  board 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  15 

of  education  fourteen  years  and  has  also  served  as  loan  commissioner.  He  married 
Elisa  Agnes  Wahn  of  Preston,  Ont.,  September  5,  1876;  they  have  two  sons,  Fred- 
erick W.,  and  George  M.  Mr.  Beal  is  a  prominent  Mason  and  is  justly  regarded  as 
one  of  the  representative  citizens  of  the  county. 


Barrett,  Gerry  P.,  p.  o.  Fenner,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Smithfield,  September 20, 
1827,  a  son  of  William  P.  and  Electa  (Soper)  Barrett.  William  P.  came  from  Kill- 
ingly,  Conn.,  and  settled  near  Peterboro  when  a  young  man.  He  had  six  children: 
James  S,,  Haskell,  Frederick,  Gerry  F.,  Lucy  Jane  and  Hilah  Louise.  Mr.  Barrett 
followed  wagon  making  and  repairing  and  in  1834  moved  to  the  town  of  Fenner, 
where  he  engaged  in  lumbering  and  farming.  He  took  an  active  part  in  public  life 
and  was  known  as  a  strong  Abolitionist.  He  died  in  1867,  at  sixty-five  years  of  age. 
Gerry  F.  Barrett  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Fenner.  His  early  life  was 
spent  with  his  parents,  with  whom  he  was  associated  until  their  death.  While  Mr. 
Barrett  has  always  taken  an  active  part  in  town  and  county  affairs,  he  has  never 
aspired  to  political  honors.  His  father  enlisted  in  the  war  of  1812  when  sixteen  years 
of  age,  and  was  stationed  at  New  London,  Conn. 


Baum,  Carl,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  was  born  in  Heidelberg,  Germany,  and  came  to  Amer- 
ica in  1866.  He  resided  in  New  York  city  until  1871,  when  he  returned  to  Germany 
for  two  years,  then  returned  to  America  in  1873,  and  remained  in  New  York  until 
1875,  when  he  settled  in  Hamilton.  In  1895  he  established  the  clothing  and  merchant 
tailoring  house  of  Carl  Baum  &  Sons,  which  became  Carl  Baum  &  Son  in  March, 
1897,  the  junior  partner  being  Carl  W.  Baum.  In  1865  Mr.  Baum  married  Anna 
Marie  Doersam,  and  they  have  four  children:  Mary  W.,  Louis  Philip,  Carl  W.,  and 
Louisa  A.  Mr.  Baum  is  a  master  Mason  and  a  member  of  the  Select  Knights.  He 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Hamilton  fire  department  for  twenty-two  years;  was  fore- 
man three  years,  and  is  president  at  the  present  time.  Carl  W.  Baum  is  a  member 
of  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows. 


Beal,  Thomas  H.,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  was  born  in  Hamilton,  N.  Y.,  December  29,  1852, 
a  son  of  John  Beal,  a  native  of  Wexford,  Ireland,  who  came  to  America  in  1848,  and 
Catherine  Code,  his  wife.  Thomas  H.  was  educated  in  his  native  village,  and  began 
the  active  duties  of  life  as  a  clerk,  in  which  capacity  he  continued  for  twelve  years, 
when  he  formed  a  partnership  with  J.  M.  Banning,  which  existed  seven  years  and 
was  dissolved  in  1884.  In  July,  1885,  he  was  appointed  postmaster  at  Hamilton  by 
President  Cleveland  and  occupied  that  office  until  May,  1890.  Soon  after  entering 
upon  his  duties  as  postmaster  he  moved  the  office  to  the  Smith  Block  and  equipped  it 
with  a  modern  outfit;  the  people  of  Hamilton  are  indebted  to  him  more  than  anyone 
else  for  the  fine  post-office  accommodations  they  now  enjoy.  In  1891  he  purchased 
the  old  Banning  drug  business  and  conducted  it  one  year,  when  he  took  O.  S.  Nichols 
as  partner  and  bought  out  Bonney  &  Weltou's  drug  business.  In  1896  Mr.  Nichols 
died  and  Mr.  Beal  conducted  the  business  alone  until  May  1,  1898,  when  the  firm  be- 
came Beal  &  Beebe.  In  1882  Mr.  Beal  was  nominated  for  the  assembly  by  the  Dem- 
ocratic party  and  made  a  splendid  contest  in  a  Republican  district,  and  was  again 
nominated  in  1883.     In  1892  Mr.  Beal  was  put  forward  by  his  party  for  Congress  and 


16  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

cut  down  a  regular  Republican  majority  of  8,000  to  3,500.  He  has  always  been  an 
ardent  Democrat  and  has  frequently  been  a  delegate  to  county  and  State  conventions, 
as  well  as  chairman  of  the  county  committee.  He  is  a  prominent  Mason  ;  a  member 
of  the  Blue  Lodge,  Chapter,  Commandery,  Shrine  and  Veiled  Prophets,  and  has 
been  high  priest  of  the  chapter  for  the  past  ten  years.  He  is  chief  engineer  of  the 
Hamilton  fire  department  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  department  for  twenty-five 
years. 


Blair,  Seth,  was  one  of  the  foremost  men  among  the  pioneers  of  Madison,  and 
came  to  the  region  with  an  honorable  personal  and  military  record.  He  was  born  in 
western  Worcester  county,  Mass  ,  and  on  September  1,  1776,  enlisted  in  Capt.  Ly- 
man's Co.,  Dike's  Regiment,  but  later  on  enlisted  in  Col.  Craft's  Artillery  Regiment, 
serving  for  a  time  in  each  command.  On  July  3,  1777,  he  enlisted  in  Col.  Keyes's 
Regiment  and  marched  to  Rhode  Island,  serving  to  January  1,  1778.  In  1798  Patriot 
Blair  came  to  Madison  and  bought  and  paid  for  the  land  claimed  to  be  owned  by 
another  person,  but  a  little  later  the  real  owner  appeared  and  Blair  was  obliged  to 
pay  again  for  his  property.  It  was  near  the  center  and  here  the  pioneer  afterward 
lived,  one  of  the  prominent  men  of  the  town ;  he  was  the  first  assessor  of  Madison 
and  served  two  years;  was  supervisor  in  1809-11;  overseer  of  the  poor  1813-17; 
assessor  again  m  1815-17;  several  years  judge  of  elections,  and  was  one  of  the  com- 
missioners to  locate  the  county  seat  in  1810.  He  was  pensioned  as  a  Revolutionary 
soldier  May  12.  1883,  and  received  $46.60  annually  until  his  death  on  May  6,  1852, 
aged  ninety-one  years  and  six  months.  He  brought  to  this  locality  a  wife  and  five 
clildren,  the  latter  being  named  Elam,  Fanny,  Polly  (who  married  Isaac  Taylor), 
Harvey  and  Sophia,  and  the  children  born  in  this  town  were  Adolphus,  Louisa,  Seth, 
Hannah,  Mary  Ann  and  Janette,  the  last  mentioned  of  whom  still  survives  and  en- 
joys the  pleasant  distinction  of  a  membership  in  the  "  Daughters  of  the  American 
Revolution."  Thomas  Taylor  came  from  Essex,  England,  in  1795,  and  settled  in 
Bloomfield,  Mass.  ;  his  children  were  Isaac,  Sally,  Eliza,  George  Theobold  and 
Thomas,  jr.  The  family  came  among  the  pioneers  and  settled  in  Madison,  where 
the  pioneer  provided  each  of  his  children  with  a  good  farm.  He  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Congregational  church  and  for  many  years  was  a  deacon.  Isaac 
Taylor,  who  was  born  in  England,  January  26,  1789,  came  to  America  with  his 
father  in  1794  and  married  Judith  Manchester;  they  had  one  daughter,  Judith.  The 
wife  died  in  1814  After  Mrs.  Taylor's  death  he  married  Polly  Blair;  they  had  five 
children:  Thomas,  Samuel,  Fanny.  Harvey  I.  and  Mary  J.,  each  of  whom  was  a 
useful  person  in  some  walk  in  life.  Harvey  I.  Taylor  was  born  in  Madison  in  1825 
and  still  lives  in  the  town.  He  has  always  been  a  farmer  and  successful  in  his  en- 
deavors in  life.  Mr.  Taylor  has  been  active  in  the  cause  of  temperance  and  prohibi- 
tion. He  was  also  an  abolitionist  and  his  zeal  and  conscientious  efforts  on  these  lines 
have  often  met  with  opposition.  During  the  Cleveland-Blaine  campaign  this  oppo- 
sition found  satisfation  in  girdling  the  trees  in  front  of  his  residence.  In  1850  he 
married  Rebecca  House,  daughter  of  J  iraes  House;  they  have  one  child.  Nellie, 
who  married  Herbert  Cleveland.  Mr.  Taylor  was  brought  up  under  Congregational 
influences,  but  for  more  than  thirty  years  has  been  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church 
and  has  held  the  office  of  trustee,  treasurer,  steward  and  class  leader. 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  17 

Benjamin.  Frank  M.,  was  born  in  Monroe  county,  January  24,  1851.  His  father, 
Marcus  O.  Benjamin,  was  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  and  married  Mary  C. 
Hooker.  Frank  M.  Benjamin  was  educated  in  Lewisburg  Academy  and  afterwards 
learned  the  profession  of  telegraphy  and  railroad  transportion  business  in  Oberlin, 
Ohio.  He  was  engaged  for  a  number  of  years  as  telegraph  operator  at  Albion,  Lock- 
port,  Suspension  Bridge,  Niagara  Falls,  Rochester  and  Syracuse  on  the  N.  Y.  C.  and 
H.  R.  Railroad.  When  the  N.  Y.  W.  S.  and  B.  Railroad  was  opened  from  New  York 
to  Syracuse  in  1883  Mr.  Benjamin  came  to  Wampsville  as  agent  for  that  company, 
and  in  1897  was  appointed  agent  for  the  N.  Y.  C.  and  H.  R.  Railroad  Company.  In 
188.5  he  engaged  in  the  coal,  wood  and  fertilizer  business  and  by  strict  attention  to 
business  has  built  up  a  large  and  profitable  trade.  In  188.5  Mr.  Benjamin  married 
M.  Ada  Avery,  daughter  of  Lyman  Avery;  they  have  one  daughter,  Ruth  A.  Mr. 
Benjamin  is  one  of  the  self-made  men  of  Madison  county,  taking  an  active  interest 
in  educational  and  church  affairs. 


Burchard,  Slyvester,  p.  o.  Hamilton.. — Jabez  Burchard  was  the  pioneer  head  of 
one  of  the  most  respected  early  families  in  the  southeast  part  of  Eaton.  Some  time 
between  1810  and  1815  he  left  his  native  place,  Granby(near  Springfield),  Mass.,  and 
purchased  some  three  or  four  hundred  acres  of  the  historic  Baron  Steuben  tract  of 
land  in  the  Mohawk  valley.  Here  he  was  a  farmer  and  blacksmith,  but  after  about 
ten  3-ears  he  removed  to  Marshall,  and  thence  to  Remsen,  where,  with  his  son  Syl- 
vester, he  carried  on  his  business  of  blacksmithing.  In  the  meantime  Theodore  and 
Seneca  Burchard,  sons  of  Jabez,  came  to  Eaton  and  occupied  farms.  Here  also  soon 
came  Sylvester  Burchard  with  his  family  and  settled  on  the  land  now  comprising  the 
farms  of  Sylvester  Burchard  and  W.  J.  Buell,  on  which  he  passed  the  remainder  of 
his  days.  He  died  December  30,  1851.  His  wife  was  Anna  Piatt  (whose  parents 
came  from  New  Canaan.  Conn.),  by  whom  he  had  these  children:  Esther,  who  mar- 
ried Warren  J.  Buell;  Lucina,  who  married,  first,  Newton  Richards,  and  second, 
Sidney  Tompkins;  Sylvester,  who  now  owns  a  part  of  the  old  home  farm;  Samuel,  of 
Oswego;  Louise,  who  married  Frank  Pierce  of  Hamilton:  and  Cynthia,  who  married 
Dr.  N.  L.  Andrews  of  Colgate  University.  Sylvester  Burchard,  present  occupant  of 
the  old  farm,  and  who,  perhaps,  is  one  of  the  best  and  most  successful  Holstein  cattle 
growers  and  judges  in  this  State,  was  born  September  17,  1834,  and  has  spent  his 
life  thus  far  in  farm  work.  His  father  started  the  first  large  dairy  in  this  county, 
securing  sixty  cows  from  the  northern  counties  of  the  State,  and  so  successful  were 
his  efforts  that  he  paid  for  half  of  his  land  (-300  acres)  with  the  profits  of  the  venture. 
His  herd  was  comprised  almost  wholly  of  short-horned  grade  cattle,  but  in  1878  the 
son  Sylvester  replaced  them  with  Holsteins.  Slyvester,  junior,  and  Mr.  Buell  suc- 
ceeded to  the  stock  growing  business  on  the  death  of  Sylvester,  senior  (1851),  and 
from  that  time  to  1872  they  were  partners.  Then  the  farm  was  divided  and  the 
partnership  relation  ended.  In  1880  an  association  of  cattle  breeders  was  formed, 
comprising  five  members,  and  Mr.  Burchard  was  chosen  manager,  having  charge  of 
from  forty  to  sixty  head  of  superior  stock.  In  1882,  in  company  with  Solomon  Hoxie, 
he  went  to  Europe  and  purchased  for  different  parties  throughout  the  United  States, 
317  head  of  thoroughbred  Holsteins  and  delivered  them  to  their  owners.  After  some 
six  or  seven  years  the  association  above  mentioned  was  dissolved,  since  which  time 


1«  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PP:OPLE. 

Mr.  Burchard  has  bred  cattle  entirely  on  his  own  account.  His  present  herd  num- 
bers about  sixty  head.  He  has  been  president  of  the  Holstein-Fresian  Cattle  Asso- 
ciation of  America,  and  also  a  member  of  the  State  Grange.  On  November  5,  1856, 
Mr.  Burchard  married  Terressa  Joslin  of  Eaton,  who  died  in  1859.  His  second  wife 
was  AUie  Morse  of  Eaton,  and  to  them  were  born  four  children;  Seneca  Barton, 
Herbert  Morse,  Anna  Terressa,  and  .Sarah  Louise.  Mr.  Burchard  is  an  earnest  Re- 
publican, yet  not  active  in  politics.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church  of  Hamil- 
ton, and  for  twenty  years  has  been  one  of  its  deacons.  He  has  also  been  for  many 
years  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  in  connection  with  Colgate  University  and 
a  member  of  its  executive  committee, 


Broad,  John  H.,  p.  o.  Morrisville,  publisher  of  the  Madison  County  Leader,  and 
under  whose  management  the  paper  has  been  established  upon  a  substantial  basis 
and  has  become  recognized  as  one  of  the  best  general  and  family  publications  in  the 
county,  was  born  at  Lee  Center,  Oneida  county,  January  14,  1871.  He  was  the  son 
of  William  H.  and  Hannah  (Harris)  Broad,  and  the  eighth  of  their  ten  children.  In 
1870  the  parents  came  from  the  Cornish  Cliffs  of  Cornwall,  England,  and  settled  at 
Lee  Center.  The  father  was  a  currier  by  trade.  He  removed  to  Morri.sville  in  1875 
and  for  many  years  had  charge  of  the  finishing  departments  in  the  Tillinghast  tan- 
nery. John  H.  Broad  received  his  early  education  in  the  Morrisville  Union  School 
and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years  entered  the  office  of  the  old  Madison  Observer  to 
learn  the  printer's  trade.  Later  on  he  worked  in  Oneida  about  two  years  and  for  a 
time  in  New  York  on  the  Ledger.  He  then  returned  to  Morrisville  and  in  the  fall  of 
1890  became  owner  of  a  fourth  interest  in  the  Leader,  at  that  time  published  by 
Stillman  &  Nash ;  later  he  secured  a  half  interest  and  eventually  the  entire  business. 
Even  then  Mr.  Broad  was  not  of  full  age  and  the  wiseacres  predicted  his  early  down- 
fall, but  the  paper  still  lives  and  flourishes  under  his  management,  while  the  office 
and  mechanical  equipment  is  one  of  the  most  complete  in  the  county.  Best  of  all, 
whatever  success  the  Leader  and  its  owner  have  achieved,  has  been  due  wholly  to 
the  energy,  perseverance  and  capacity  of  Mr.  Broad.  The  paper  is  thoroughly  Re- 
publican and  one  of  the  influential  organs  of  the  party  in  the  county.  In  1898  Mr. 
Broad  was  appointed  by  President  McKinley  postmaster  at  Morrisville.  On  May  26, 
1894,  Mr.  Broad  married  Mary  G.,  daughter  of  the  late  James  S.  Stewart,  the  latter 
a  well  known  lawyer  in  this  county,  and  for  several  years  county  clerk. 


Brown,  Eugene,  p.  o.  Eaton,  was  born  in  Eaton,  May  5,  1842,  and  was  the  son  of 
John  and  the  grandson  of  Capt.  Chad  Brown,  the  latter  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the 
region,  who  is  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Eugene  was  brought  up  on  the 
farm,  and  on  August  5,  1863,  enlisted  in  Co.  D,  114th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  serving  until  June 
8,  1865,  when  he  was  mustered  out  as  corporal.  He  was  wounded  at  Port  Hudson, 
but  after  a  few  months  in  the  hospital  he  rejoined  his  regiment.  After  his  military 
service  Mr.  Brown  spent  two  years  in  Illinois,  then  returned  to  Eaton  and  in  1871 
purchased  the  village  creamery  of  Avery  &  Wadsworth,  of  which  he  was  the  owner 
and  successful  proprietor  until  the  spring  of  1898.  In  his  business  life  and  endeav- 
ors Mr.  Brown  has  been  abundantly  successful,  a  result  due  entirely  to  his  own  per- 
sonal effort  and  industry.     In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat  and  has  occasionally  been  the 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  19 

candidate  of  his  party  for  town  office.     In  18()9  Mr.  Brown  married  Delia  A.,  daugh- 
ter of  Adon  Brown  of  Eaton. 


Buell,  Warren  J.,  p.  o.  Hamilton. — Thomas  Buell  came  from  New  Hampshire  with 
his  family  in  1795,  and  settled  in  the  south  part  of  Lebanon.  All  his  goods  and 
property  were  loaded  on  wagons  drawn  by  two  ox  teams,  while  one  or  two  cows 
were  driven  along  the  route  by  sons  of  the  pioneer.  He  built  a  log  house  and  opened 
a  fine  farm  on  which  he  lived  until  his  death  October  1,  1830.  The  children  in  this 
notable  family  were  Darius,  who  died  in  18G3;  Samuel,  who  died  in  1850;  Thomas, 
who  died  in  1873;  Roxa.  who  married  John  Boutwell  and  died  in  1864;  Eli,  who  was 
a  teacher  of  vocal  music  and  died  in  1869;  Ira,  who  died  in  1874;  Elijah,  who  died 
in  1854;  Irene,  who  died  young;  Joseph,  who  died  May  34,  1837;  Irene,  3d,  who 
married  Rufus  Dunham  and  died  in  1864;  John,  who  died  in  1877;  Chauncey,  who 
died  on  the  old  home  farm  in  1864;  and  Orrin,  who  died  in  1880.  Joseph  Buell  mar- 
ried Permelia  Stowell.  He  was  born  in  Lebanon,  May  31,  1796.  and  died  there  in 
1837.  His  children  were  Angeline,  Jenette,  John,  Warren  J.,  Thomas,  Leroy,  Fay- 
ette and  William,  all  of  whom  except  William,  are  now  living,  and  are  useful  men 
and  women  in  their  respective  walks  of  life.  Warren  J.  Buell  was  born  in  Lebanon, 
September  13,  1836,  and  has  nearly  always  been  a  farmer.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one 
he  began  work  for  himself.  On  March  34,  1853,  he  married  Esther  Burchard  of 
Eaton,  and  then  became  a  resident  in  that  town,  living  on  a  part  of  the  splendid 
Burchard  farm,  of  which  he  is  now  the  owner.  He  was  partner  with  Sylvester  Burch- 
ard in  cattle  breeding  and  farming  from  1853  to  1878.  but  since  the  last  mentioned 
year  has  operated  without  a  partner.  He  is  an  earnest  member  of  the  Hamilton 
Baptist  church,  having  been  deacon  seven  years,  and  is  a  member  of  the  educational 
board  of  Colgate  University.  The  children  of  Warren  and  Esther  Buell  were  Jennie, 
who  married  Prof.  E.  P.  Sisson  of  Colgate  Academy  ;  and  Samuel,  who  died  an  infant. 
George  C.  Buell,  one  of  the  most  thorough  an  d  en  terprising  farmers  of  the  town,  is  the 
son  by  adoption  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  J.  Buell.  Dr.  Joseph  and  Content  (Alexander) 
Stowell  came  from  New  Hampshire  in  1803,  and  settled  near  Earlville.  Dr.  Stowell 
practiced  medicine  and  was  also  a  farmer.  He  died  in  1843,  and  his  wife  in  1863. 
Their  children  were  Permelia,  who  married  Joseph  Buell ;  Eunice,  who  married  Aaron 
Lawton ;  Jeremiah  Kittridge,  who  died  in  Michigan ;  Caroline,  who  married  Orrin 
Bull;  Alexander,  who  died  in  Michigan;  Cynthia,  who  married  Warren  Felt;  and 
also  Hannah,  George,  Sanford,  Semantha  and  Nancy  Stowell,  of  whom  no  accurate 
date  is  obtainable. 


Bicknell,  Bennett,  came  from  Mansfield,  Conn.,  to  Morrisville,  and  was  among  the 
early  settlers  in  that  interesting  village.  He  was  also  one  of  the  most  active  busi- 
ness men  of  the  locality,  having  been  a  merchant,  distiller,  and  proprietor  of  a  grist 
mill.  In  1838  he  purchased  and  edited  the  Observer  and  Recorder,  and  almost  at 
once  made  that  one  of  the  most  influential  papers  of  the  region.  In  March,  1830, 
Harrison  C.  Bicknell  became  associated  with  his  father  in  the  publication,  but  after 
several  years  the  younger  Bicknell  and  Edward  Norton  became  owners  and  publish- 
ers. About  the  time  the  elder  Bicknell  bought  the  paper  he  was  one  of  the  leading 
Democratic  political  factors  in  this  part  of  the  State  and  was  member  of  Assembly  in 


20  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

1812  and  State  Senator  from  1814  to  1818;  also  member  of  Congress  in  1827  and  in 
1833.  During  the  war  of  1812-15  he  was  in  service  at  Sackett's  Harbor,  and  held  a 
major's  commission.  His  children  were  Moses,  Harriet,  Louisa  and  Harrison  C. 
The  latter  was  born  and  always  lived  in  Morrisville,  and  like  his  father  was  a  man  of 
influence  in  the  county,  though  perhaps  less  prominent  in  politics.  His  first  wife 
was  a  Miss  Chambers,  by  whom  he  had  two  children:  Byron  and  Mary.  His  second 
wife  was  Eliza  Ann  Cloyes,  by  whom  he  had  five  children:  Otis  C.  (who  died  in  in- 
fancy), Lucinda,  Ann  Eliza,  Harrison  C. ,  and  Otis  C.  Otis  C.  was  born  April  1, 
1849,  and  in  December  foUowmg  his  father  died,  but  the  mother  kept  the  family  to- 
gether for  six  years,  when  she  married  again.  When  about  fourteen,  Otis  began  life 
as  a  clerk  and  so  continued  until  the  spring  of  1866,  when  he  came  to  Madison  and 
was  employed  by  Lucas  &  Lane  until  1871.  He  then  became  partner  with  Mr.  Lucas, 
but  in  1879  Mr.  Lucas  died,  and  the  firm  then  became  Bicknell  Brothers.  In  1885  the 
brother  went  west  and  Otis  C.  succeeded  and  has  been  in  active  business  to  the  pres- 
ent time.  Like  his  ancestors,  Mr.  Bicknell  has  always  been  a  firm  Democrat  and  his 
name  has  frequently  been  found  on  his  party's  ticket  as  the  candidate  for  some  im- 
portant office.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of  education  four  years,  and  dur- 
ing the  two  administrations  of  President  Cleveland  Mr.  Bicknell  was  postmaster  of 
Madison.  He  married  Josephine  Curtis,  by  whom  he  had  five  children,  four  of  whom 
are  now  living:  F.  Hyatt,  Curtis,  Blanche,  and  Harold. 


Barker,  George  H.,  p.  o.  Madison. — Russell  Barker  was  the  pioneer  head  of  a  not 
large,  but  generally  thrifty,  progressive  and  respected  family  of  descendants  in  Mad- 
ison county.  He  came  from  New  England  and  was  of  the  same  sturdy  class  of 
pioneers  as  were  the  majority  of  colonists  in  this  part  of  the  county.  Rutherford 
Barker,  son  of  Russell,  was  born  December  17.  1779;  his  wife  was  Hannah  Wood- 
hull,  by  whom  he  had  ten  children:  Nancy,  born  1802,  married  Isaac  Coe  and  died 
April  21,  1885;  Sally  E.,  born  1803.  married  Dr.  John  Putnam,  and  died  in  1848;  Nel- 
son, born  1805,  died  1806;  Rus.sell,  born  1807,  died  1810;  Mariette,  born  1809,  died 
1870;  Henry  R.,  born  August  5,  1812,  and  died  July  31,  1856;  Julia  Ann,  born  1815, 
married  Amos  Locy,  and  died  1849;  Maria,  born  1818,  married  Daniel  Locy,  and  died 
1894;  Hannah,  born  1820,  married  Lyman  Harding,  and  died  1897;  Leverett  W., 
born  1823,  and  died  1854.  On  October  13,  1838,  Henry  R.  Barker  married  Ann  C. 
White,  who  was  born  July  22,  1810.  He  was  a  speculator  and  dealer,  an  upright, 
honest  business  man,  one  whose  efforts  in  life  were  amply  rewarded.  His  life  was 
spent  in  Madison.  In  his  family  were  two  children:  Samuel  R.,  born  February  22, 
1842,  and  died  September  14,  1851,  and  George  H.,  born  February  3,  1844.  George 
H.  Barker's  life  has  been  spent  almost  wholly  in  Madison  and  his  time  has  been  given 
largely  to  dealing  and  speculating  in  whatever  promises  a  fair  return.  He  is  known 
as  one  of  the  safest  hop  buyers  in  the  region.  For  about  ten  years  he  has  been  one 
of  the  directors  of  the  National  Hamilton  Bank.  He  is  also  interested  in  local  affairs 
in  Madison  village,  is  a  conservative  Democrat,  yet  in  no  sense  an  office  seeker.  His 
wife  was  Rosalia,  daughter  of  Henry  Risley,  and  descended  from  one  of  the  most  re- 
spected families  of  the  town. 


Brockett,  H.  D.,  p.  o.  Bouckville. — David  Zelora  Brockett  was  a  native  of  Herkimer 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  31 

county,  and  when  about  twenty-five  years  old  came  to  Madison  and  purchased  what 
is  now  known  as  the  C.  Z.  Brockett  farm,  and  vyhich,  both  then  and  now,  is  regarded 
as  one  of  the  best  farms  in  this  county.  Later  on  Mr.  Brockett  owned  what  is  known 
as  the  "Prize  farm,"  presumably  the  best  piece  of  agricultural  land  in  this  region. 
After  about  fifteen  years  on  this  farm  Mr.  Brockett  moved  to  Madison  village,  where 
he  died  in  1891.  His  first  wife  was  Elizabeth  Cole,  by  whom  he  had  one  daughter 
who  died  young.  His  second  wife  was  Fanny  Hale.  No  children  were  born  of  this 
marriage,  but  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brockett  had  a  daughter  by  adoption:  Minnie,  wife  of 
A.  L.  Brigham  of  Madison,  and  also  a  sou,  Hurd  D.  Brockett,  merchant  at  Bouck- 
ville.  Hurd  D.  Brockett  was  boru  in  Syracuse,  September  13,  1859,  and  when  five 
years  old  came  to  live  in  the  family  of  D.  Z.  Brockett,  of  which  family  he  was  after- 
ward a  member.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  started  out  for  himself,  and  after  working 
for  a  time  as  a  farm  hand  he  was  employed  as  clerk  by  Cushraan  &  Ives  of  Madison. 
From  there  he  came  to  work  for  L.  E.  Coe,  at  Bouckville,  and  on  March  1,  1883,  he 
became  a  partner  in  the  firm  of  Coe  &  Brockett,  which  firm  is  known  at  the  present 
time,  although  the  senior  member  is  now  dead.  In  the  meantime,  however,  Mr. 
Brockett  sold  out  and  was  for  three  years  in  the  drug  trade  in  Madison  village;  but 
at  the  end  of  that  time  he  returned  to  the  firm  at  the  urgent  request  of  Mr.  Coe. 
The  latter  died  February  38,  1897,  since  which  time  Mr.  Brockett  has  continued  the 
business  for  the  firm.  On  December  16,  1882,  Mr.  Brockett  married  Cora  A.,  daugh- 
ter of  Allen  Curtis.     They  have  one  child. 


Benjamm,  Warren  H.,  p.  o.  Solsville,  who  for  more  than  forty  years  has  been 
identified  with  business  interests  in  Madison  and  Solsville,  was  born  in  Truxton,  and 
was  the  son  of  Charles  Benjamin,  a  shoemaker,  who  settled  in  De  Ruyter  in  1831. 
At  the  age  of  seventeen  years  Warren  began  work  as  apprentice  to  the  tinsmithing 
trade,  and  in  April,  1845,  began  work  for  Ayer  &  Arnold.  He  afterward  found  em- 
ployment at  Waterville,  where  he  worked  two  years  and  in  the  spring  of  1854  located 
in  Madison  village  and  worked  for  John  Morgan  till  1864.  He  soon  left  the  shop  and 
worked  four  years  on  a  farm  in  Eaton,  but  in  December,  1868,  returned  and  worked 
one  year  in  Mr.  WoodhuU's  shop.  After  a  year  he  and  John  Morgan  bought  out  the 
WoodhuU  shop  and  carried  on  a  general  tinsmithing  business  till  1871,  when  the  firm 
dissolved.  Mr.  Benjamin  then  worked  two  years  for  Mr.  Morgan  and  in  the  spring 
of  1875  settled  m  Solsville  and  established  a  business  for  himself,  dealing  m  general 
hardware,  groceries  and  doing  a  tinsmithing  business.  From  the  outset  the  venture 
has  been  successful  and  Mr.  Benjamin  is  now  regarded  as  one  of  the  solid  business 
men  of  the  town.  The  firm  of  W.  H.  Benjamin  &  Sons  comprises  Mr.  Benjamin  and 
sons  Frank  H.  and  Will  H.  On  January  1,  1849,  Mr.  Benjamin  married  Mary  J. 
Waters  of  Fabius.  The  children  of  this  marriage  were  Frank  H.,  Fred  D.  and  Will  H. 
Frank  H.  benjamin  has  been  town  clerk  of  Madison  for  twenty-seven  years  and  is 
one  of  the  active  Republicans  of  the  town  and  county. 


Brown,  Everett,  p.  o.  Peterboro,  was  born  in  Smithfield,  March  10,  1836,  a  son  of 
Othniel,  and  grandson  of  David  Brown,  born  in  Connecticut,  September  4,  1761,  and 
spent  his  last  days  near  Binghamton,  N.  Y.  His  wife  was  Abigail  Dexter.  Othniel 
Brown  came  came  to  Smithfield  about  1820  and  here  he  lived  until  his  death  on  Jan- 


22  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

uary  5,  1880.  His  wife  was  Hannali  Elting,  whom  he  married  March  15,  1820,  and 
had  seven  children,  five  now  living.  Mr.  Brown  was  a  teacher  for  some  time,  and 
also  a  farmer.  Mr.=.  Brown  died  in  1868.  Everett  Brown  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon and  select  schools.  He  is  a  farmer  and  owns  190  acres  of  land,  but  has  lived 
retired  since  1865.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  His  father  was  captain  in  the 
State  militia.  His  mother,  Hannah  Elting,  was  a  daughter  of  Henry  Elting,  and 
Catharine  Burhonce,  his  wife,  of  Holland  descent.  Henry  Elting  and  wife  had 
eight  children,  none  of  whom  is  now  living.  William  H.  Elting  was  a  prominent 
lawyer  in  New  York  City.  Mr.  Brown's  brother,  E.  Dexter  Brown,  of  Rhinelander, 
Wis.,  was  a  prominent  lumberman.  His  son,  Anderson  Wesley  Brown,  was  the 
originator  of  Rhinelander,  Wis.  Mr.  Brown's  great-grandfather,  Chad  Brown,  was 
a  colonel  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  He  lived  in  Providence,  R.  I.,  and  married 
Zermiah  Evans. 


Bruce,  E.  N.,  was  born  at  Quality  Hill,  June  7,  1816.  His  father,  Joseph  Bruce, 
was  a  native  of  Ro.xbury,  born  January  1,  1789.  and  came  to  Madison  county  in 
1805;  he  was  the  first  postmaster  in  the  town  of  Leno.x.  In  1810  he  married  Maria, 
daughter  of  John  D.  Nellis,  and  through  life  was  identified  with  mercantile  business 
and  farming.  He  was  a  prominent  man  in  the  growth  and  early  settlement  of  his 
town,  a  man  of  great  energy  and  sterling  integrity,  and  widely  known  and  respected. 
He  died  January  27,  1872.  E.  N.  Bruce  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  at 
Quality  Hill  and  taught  school  for  several  years.  In  1839  he  married  Sarah  A.  Cran- 
son,  who  died  August  17,  1859,  and  December  21,  1861,  he  married  Charlotte  Markell, 
who  died  September  19,  1865.  Ou  March  21,  1866,  he  married  Mrs.  Sarah  Clark, 
daughter  of  John  Green,  who  died  September  10,  1891;  their  only  child,  Cornelia  A., 
married  John  W.  Stanton.  Mr.  Bruce  is  one  of  the  progressive  men  of  Madison 
county.     In  1888  he  erected  the  opera  house  which  bears  his  name. 


Barrett,  Adelbert  M.,  was  born  in  Westmoreland,  Oneida  county,  November  5, 
1844.  His  father,  Edwin  R.  Barrett,  was  a  native  of  Oswego  count)-,  where  his 
father,  Morrison  Barrett,  was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers.  His  father  served  seven 
years  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  Edwin  R.  Barrett  married  Sevilla  Isbell,  and 
through  life  was  engaged  as  a  contractor  and  builder.  A.  M.  Barrett  was  educated 
in  the  common  schools  and  Eastman's  Business  College  at  Poughkeepsie.  He  learned 
the  carpenter's  trade  and  in  1870  moved  to  Cana.stota  and  in  1875  established  his  coal 
and  lumber  business  and  planing  and  saw  mill.  In  1868  Mr.  Barrett  married  An- 
nette, claughter  of  Amzi  Ellis;  they  have  two  daughters.  Flora  F. ,  and  Lena  S.  Mr. 
Barrett  is  one  of  the  progressive  men  of  Madison  county,  taking  an  active  interest  in 
school  and  church  matters  and  is  recognized  as  a  man  of  high  character,  who  enjoys 
the  respect  of  his  associates.  In  1862  Mr.  Barrett  enlisted  in  Co.  B.,  117th  N.  Y. 
Vol.  Infantry,  and  took  part  in  the  siege  of  Fort  Wagner,  the  battles  of  Drury's 
Bluff,  Petersburg  Heights,  Chapin's  Farm  and  Fort  Fisher.  He  served  until  the  end 
of  the  war  in  1865. 


Barott,  W.  E. ,  was  born  in  Westmoreland,  Oneida  county,  October  2,  1851.     His 
father,  Edwin  R.  Barott,  was  a  native  of  Oswego  county  and  his  grandfather  Barott 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  23 

served  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  Edwin  R.  married  Sevilla,  daughter  o£  Chauncey 
Isbell,  and  through  life  was  engaged  as  a  contractor  and  builder.  W.  E.  Barott 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  learned  the  carpenter's  trade  with  his  father. 
In  1882  he  came  to  Canastota  and  has  erected  many  fine  buildings  in  that  place.  In 
1877  Mr.  Barott  married  Gertrude,  daughter  of  Edgar  Williams,  and  they  had  four 
sons,  Chauncey  E.,  Ernest  I.,  William  E.,  and  Roger  B.  Mr.  Barott  is  one  of  the 
leading  men  of  his  town,  taking  an  active  interest  in  school  and  public  matters,  and 
has  ever  advanced  the  best  interest  of  his  town  and  town's  people. 


Brown,  William  Delos,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Nelson,  November  20,  1831,  a  son 
of  Zedock  and  Mary  Ann  (Alger)  Brown,  who  had  six  children,  viz.  •.  Edward,  Lorey, 
William  Delos,  Abigail,  Adelaide  and  Betsey  Maria,  all  born  in  the  town  of  Nelson 
except  Adelaide,  who  was  born  m  Erie  county,  N.  Y.  Zedock  was  a  son  of  Robert 
and  Betsey  Brown,  who  had  nine  children:  Cortes,  William,  Russel,  Zedock,  Henry, 
George,  Nancy,  Betsey  and  Jane.  Zedock  was  a  blacksmith  and  tool  worker,  and 
his  father  followed  farming  and  settled  in  Nelson  about  1793.  William  Delos  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools  of  the  town  of  Nelson.  His  father  died  when  he 
was  about  ten  years  of  age  and  he  was  thrown  on  his  own  resources,  starting  in  life 
as  a  farm  laborer.  When  he  was  twenty-seven  years  of  age  he  purchased  a  farm 
where  he  now  resides  and  carries  on  general  and  hop  farming.  In  1859  he  married 
Mary  Etta,  daughter  of  Elisha  and  Lucy  Dryer  Whipple;  they  have  one  child, 
Charlotte,  wife  of  Frank  D.  Hamilton.  Mr.  Brown  is  active  in  all  public  spirited  en- 
terprises, such  as  schools  and  churches,  of  which  he  has  been  a  contributing  and 
supporting  member  for  the  past  fifty  years. 


Cody,  Francis  A.,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Oneida  Castle,  September  34,  1898,  in 
the  seventy-eighth  year  of  his  age,  was  during  all  his  life  a  resident  of  this  region. 
He  was  born  in  Vernon,  Oneida  county,  January  14,  1821,  a  son  of  Samuel  and 
Clarissa  (Hitchcock)  Cody.  His  father  was  an  early  settler  of  the  town  of  Vernon 
and  a  man  of  considerable  wealth  and  influence.  Mr.  Cody  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  town,  and  during  all  of  his  active  life  was  a  successful  farmer. 
He  was  one  of  the  first  hop  growers  of  this  section,  and  also  dealt  largely  in  live 
stock,  especially  cattle  and  Canadian  horses,  frequently  bringing  large  droves  to  this 
market.  He  removed  to  Oneida,  near  Oneida  Castle,  in  1879,  and  at  his  pleasant 
home  there  lived  quietly  until  his  death.  Mr.  Cody's  home  farm  was  located  near 
Vernon  Centre,  but  he  owned  several  farms  in  Oneida  and  Madison  counties.  In 
politics  he  was  a  Republican,  but  never  sought  nor  held  public  office.  He  was  a 
man  of  strong  convictions  from  which  he  could  not  readily  be  swerved,  but  withal  a 
staunch  and  warm  hearted  friend.  In  his  business  relations  he  was  strictly  honor- 
able and  honest.  He  had  a  generous  nature,  and  was  a  man  of  charitable  impulses 
and  not  afraid  to  count  as  friends  those  among  the  humble  and  lowly.  Mr.  Cody 
first  married  Phoebe  Faulkner  and  six  children  were  born  to  them,  four  of  whom 
survive:  James  F.  Cody  and  Mrs.  Jane  Miller  of  Oneida,  Francis  Cody  of  Vernon 
Centre,  and  Kendall  Cody  of  Fanner.  In  1871  Mr.  Cody  married  Welthia  A.  Wilcox, 
who  survives  him.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Erasmus  D.  and  Sarah  (Gibson)  Wilcox, 
and  her  grandfather  was  one  of  the  "  six  "  first  settlers  of  the  town  of  Vernon  and 


24  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

assisted  in  felling  the  first  tree  cut  in  that  town.     Three  daughters  were  born  of  this 
union:  Cora  P.,  Neva  E. ,  and  Clarissa  Belle,  who  died  in  1887. 

Cheney,  Prentice  D.,  son  of  Timothy  C.  and  Ann  Belden  (Cook)  Cheney,  was  born 
in  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  April  30,  1836.  His  father  was  a  mason  contractor  and  one  of  its 
citizens  in  the  infancy  of  the  city.  He  served  as  supervisor;  erected  the  first  Wiet- 
ing  Block  and  the  old  Penitentiary  and  Court  House.  Prentice  D.  Cheney  is  a  lineal 
desceudent  in  the  eighth  generation  of  John  Cheney  who  settled  in  Roxbury,  Mass., 
in  1635,  held  large  allotments  and  is  recorded  as  having  frequently  held  public  office 
in  the  Colonial  Government.  Mr.  Cheney  was  educated  in  public  and  private  schools 
in  Syracuse,  and  learned  the  mason's  trade  under  his  father,  with  whom  he  worked 
about  five  years.  In  1856  he  began  business  as  a  contractor  in  Syracuse,  where  he 
resided  until  1862.  While  there  he  built  the  City  Hall,  an  engine  house  and  several 
private  residences.  Mr.  Cheney  has  served  as  president  of  the  village,  and  as  a 
member  of  the  board  of  trustees  several  terms.  He  married  first  Sarah  F.  Bristol, 
niece  of  Rev.  Dr.  Bristol  of  Syracuse,  and  of  this  union  four  children  were  born, 
two  of  whom  survive;  Mrs.  E.  E.  French  of  Albany  and  Frank  P.  Cheney  of  Sy- 
racuse. For  his  second  wife  he  married  Carrie  A.  Barnett,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Milton 
Barnett  of  Morrisville. 


Chapin,  Samuel,  jr.,  who  has  been  in  the  jewelry  trade  in  Oneida  nearly  fifty  years, 
was  born  in  Vernon,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  May  18,  1831,  the  oldest  son  of  Samuel  and 
Fannie  (Sage)  Chapin.  His  education  was  limited  to  the  common  schools,  and  at  an 
early  age  he  entered  his  father's  jewelry  store  in  Vernon  to  learn  the  trade,  which 
he  has  always  followed.  His  father  had  previously  been  a  wagon  maker,  but  gradu- 
ally took  up  the  jewelry  business,  at  which  he  finally  became  expert,  having  learned 
the  trade  from  the  various  watchmakers  he  had  employed.  He  came  to  Oneida  in 
December,  1848,  and  started  the  first  jewelry  store  in  the  village,  still  continuing  his 
store  in  Vernon.  In  1850  he  disposed  of  this  business  and  brought  his  family  to 
Oneida,  where  he  is  still  living  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-three  years.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  notice  purchased  his  father's  business  in  company  with  Ephraim  Beck, 
forming  the  firm  of  Chapin  &  Beck.  Mr.  Beck  retired  after  one  year  and  Mr.  Cha- 
pin continued  alone.  His  father  had  meantime  decided  to  engage  in  business  and 
for  a  time  they  were  in  friendly  competition,  later  combining  their  stocks  and  form- 
ing the  present  well-known  firm  of  S.  Chapin  &  Son.  Mr.  Chapin  is  a  well-known 
and  valued  citizen  of  Oneida.  He  has  never  sought  nor  held  public  office  of  any 
kind.  He  married  in  1891  Miss  Carrie  De  Pledge  of  Oneida  and  one  son  has  been 
born  to  them,  Stewart  Lyle  Chapin. 


Coe,  E.  Emmons,  cashier  of  the  Farmers'  and  Merchants'  State  Bank  of  Oneida, 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Smithfield,  this  county,  April  24,  1845,  a  son  of  E.  E.  and 
Susan  (Matthewson)  Coe.  His  grandfather,  David  Coe,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  was 
one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  the  town  of  Smithfield,  coming  when  there  was  but  one 
frame  house  between  the  villages  of  Peterboro  and  Vernon.  He  built  the  first  saw 
mill  of  the  town,  cleared  his  own  farm,  and  was  named  as  the  wealthiest  man  in 
town,  with  the  exception  of  Peter  Smith  (father  of  Gerrit  Smith).     He  was  a  man  of 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  25 

the  hardy  pioneer  type,  industrious,  and  of  rugged  honesty.  He  gained  the  respect 
and  confidence  of  all  his  fellow  citizens  and  died  honored  and  respected  by  all  who 
had  known  him.  E.  Emmons  Coe  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  in  the  vicinity 
of  his  home,  and  at  Clinton  Liberal  Institute  at  Clinton,  N.  Y.  Before  he  was  eight- 
een years  old  he  taught  school  in  winter  and  worked  on  his  father's  farm  in  the  sum- 
mer months.  He  was  engaged  in  farming  until  he  was  twenty-four  years  of  age.  In 
1869  he  came  to  Oneida,  and  in  company  with  Charles  O.  Loomis  established  a 
wholesale  leather  busmess  under  the  firm  name  of  Loomis  &  Coe.  Mr.  Loomis  re- 
tired after  four  years,  and  Mr.  Coe  conducted  the  business  with  good  success  until 
1888  when  he  sold  out.  Mr.  Coe  organized  the  Farmers'  and  Merchants'  State  Bank 
in  1893  with  a  capital  stock  of  $50,000,  and  a  surplus  now  of  815,000;  he  has  served 
as  cashier  of  the  bank  since  the  organization.  Mr.  Coe  has  shown  no  lack  of  zeal  in 
supporting  public  enterprises,  and  has  represented  the  old  town  of  Lenox  as  super- 
visor; he  is  a  trustee  of  the  Oneida  Savings  Bank;  and  a  member  and  past  grand  of 
Eumenia  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows,  which  he  joined  over  thirty  years  ago.  He  married 
in  1864,  Eliza  M.  Kerr,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Robert  Kerr  of  Oneida  county.  Of  this 
union  is  one  daughter,  Mrs.  F.  M.  Hamlin  of  Rome,  N.  Y. 


Cavana,  Martin,  a  physician  and  surgeon  of  more  than  local  reputation,  and  a 
practitioner  in  Oneida  village  since  1875,  was  born  at  Marcy,  N.  Y..  February  24, 
1849,  a  sm  of  M.  P.  and  Mary  (Hughes)  Cavana,  and  grandson  of  Martin  Cavana. 
He  was  educated  at  Whitestown  Seminary,  and  the  University  of  Michigan,  and 
began  the  study  of  medicine  at  Holland  Patent,  N.  Y. ,  under  Norton  Wolcott,  M.  D. 
Later  he  attended  two  regular  courses  and  one  preliminary  course  of  lectures  at  Ann 
Arbor,  Michigan,  and  at  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  College  of  New  York  city,  where 
be  was  graduated  M.  D.  in  February,  1872.  In  the  winter  of  1893-93  he  took  a  post 
graduate  course  in  operative  gynecology  at  the  New  York  Post  Graduate  College. 
Ur.  Cavana  commenced  practice  at  Oneida  Castle  in  May,  1872,  and  three  years 
later  removed  to  Oneida  where  he  has  practiced  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  New  York  State  Medical  Association,  and  an  e.i£-member  of  its 
council;  New  York  State  Association  of  Railway  Surgeons,  its  secretary  in  1892  and 
1893,  and  its  president  in  1894;  National  Association  of  Railway  Surgeons ;  American 
Academv  of  Railway  Surgeons;  Medico-Legal  Society  of  New  York ;  ex-member  of 
United  States  Board  of  Pension  Surgeons;  and  Surgeon  of  the  New  York,  Ontario  & 
Western  Railroad,  northern  division.  He  has  served  as  captain  of  the  Oneida  Bat- 
tery, Light  Artillery,  for  several  years ;  as  chairman  of  the  Madison  County  Repub- 
lican Committee,  and  on  the  village  board  of  Police  and  Fire  Commissioners.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Republican  Club  of  the  City  of  New  York;  the  Oneida  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  and  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason.  In  1890  Dr.  Cavana  established  the 
Oneida  Private  Hospital  at  Oneida,  and  the  Oneida  Sanitarium  at  Sylvan  Beach,  of 
both  institutions  of  which  he  is  proprietor  and  manager.  He  has  gained  a  wide  rep- 
utation in  the  medical  world  as  an  expert  in  gynecological  surgery.  He  married, 
June  5,  1872,  Miss  Sarah  J.  Robinson  of  Holland  Patent,  N.  Y.  Their  only  child, 
Martin  Cavana,  jr.,  aged  seventeen  years,  died  in  1894. 


Cramer,  Norman  L. ,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Fenner,  this  county,  October  15, 


26  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

1844,  a  son  of  Andrew  F.,  and  Caroline  (Button)  Cramer.  He  was  educated  at  Caz- 
enovia  Seminary,  and  at  the  Wesleyan  University,  Middletown,  Conn.,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1873.  Mr.  Cramer  was  engaged  in  the  profession 
of  teaching  for  a  period  of  twelve  years,  his  first  position  being  that  of  instructor  in 
the  Ripley  Female  College  at  Poultney,  Vt. ,  where  he  remained  one  year.  For  three 
years  he  served  as  principal  of  the  High  School  at  Portland,  Conn. ;  was  principal  of 
the  High  School  at  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  one  year;  and  for  seven  years  was  princi- 
pal of  different  schools  in  the  State  of  Connecticut.  Following  this  period  he  was 
engaged  for  three  years  in  the  office  of  the  Shaler  &  Hall  Quarry  Company  at  Port- 
land, Conn.  In  1886  he  came  to  Oneida  and  bought  an  interest  in  the  leather  goods 
business  of  E.  E.  Coe  who  had  started  in  the  early  seventies.  They  continued  one 
year  under  the  firm  name  of  Coe  &  Cramer,  and  Mr.  Coe  was  succeeded  by  W.  E. 
Phillips,  forming  the  firm  of  Cramer  &  Phillips.  After  six  years  Mr.  Phillips  with- 
drew and  was  succeeded  by  Nelson  G.  Stark,  forming  the  present  firm  of  Cramer  & 
Stark.  In  August,  1864,  Mr.  Cramer  enlisted  in  Co.  M  of  the  Harris  Light  Cavalry, 
and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  is  a  member  of  John  R.  Stewart  Post,  No. 
170,  G.  A.  R  ,  and  has  served  in  nearly  all  the  offices  of  this  organization.  Mr.  Cramer 
married,  in  1878,  M.  Josephine  Cady,  a  daughter  of  Rev.  William  O.  Cady,  of  Port- 
land, Conn.     Of  this  union  is  one  son,  Myron  C.  Cramer. 


Coles,  Theodore,  son  of  Amos  and  Agnes  (Troth)  Coles,  was  born  in  Medford.  N. 
J.,  October  6,  1845.  He  was  educated  at  Medford  Academy,  and  until  he  reached 
his  majority  assisted  in  the  conduct  of  his  father's  farm.  He  gained  his  first  business 
e.Kperience  at  Bordentown,  N.  J  ,  as  a  clerk  in  a  shipping  office,  and  after  one  year 
took  a  position  in  the  oflBce  of  an  agricultural  implement  factory  in  Philadelphia, 
where  he  remained  two  years.  Subsequently  he  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business 
in  Chicago,  and  later  in  an  architectural  iron  business  in  San  Francisco.  From  the 
latter  city  he  came  to  Durhamville,  Oneida  county,  to  take  a  position  as  superintend- 
ent of  the  Durhamville  Glass  Works.  He  resigned  this  position  to  become  treasurer 
of  the  Canastota  Knife  Co.,  where  he  remained  until  1896.  In  that  year  Mr.  Coles 
established  the  Oneida  Rubber  Tire  Works  which  he  still  continues.  In  1898  he  pur- 
chased the  plant  previously  owned  by  the  Oneida  Gas  Works,  and  rebuilt  the  same 
for  the  better  accommodation  of  his  own  business.  Mr.  Coles  has  been  actively  in- 
terested in  and  a  prominent  supporter  of  the  Madison  County  Historical  Society.  He 
married  Frances  Newton  Messinger,  daughter  of  the  late  [.  Newton  Messinger  of 
Oneida. 


Chapiii,  Dvvight,  son  of  Samuel  and  Fannie  (Sage)  Chapin  (a  sister  of  Russell 
Sage),  was  born  in  Vernon,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  April  25,  1837.  His  father  was  a 
jeweler,  a  native  of  Ballston  Spa,  Saratoga  county,  N.  Y.  He  lived  in  Vernon  sev- 
eral years,  and  removed  to  Oneida  in  1850  and  established  the  first  jewelry  store  in 
this  village.  He  is  still  living  in  his  ninety-third  year,  and  his  wife  in  her  ninety- 
first  year.  Mr.  Chapin's  education  was  limited  to  the  district  schools.  He  was  thir- 
teen years  old  when  the  family  came  to  Oneida,  and  shortly  after  went  in  the  office 
of  the  Oneida  Telegraph,  established  by  David  Frost,  and  the  first  paper  in  the  vil- 
lage.    Mr.  Chapin  assisted  in  the  preparation  of  the  first  issue  published.     He  re- 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  27 

mained  in  the  printing  business  seven  years,  three  years  in  Oneida,  and  later  in 
Utica,  Buffalo,  Erie,  Pa.,  and  Auburn,  N.  Y.  In  1848  he  began  a  small  business  in 
Oneida  as  a  dealer  in  books,  stationery  and  periodicals.  This  he  continued  until  the 
outbreak  of  the  civil  war,  vyhen  on  August  10,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  the  Oneida  Cav- 
alry Company  (only  independent  cavalry  company  in  the  service).  This  company 
was  always  connected  with  headquarters  and  was  escort  successively  to  Generals 
McClellan,  Hooker,  Meade,  and  Grant.  Mr.  Chapin  was  Quartermaster  Sergeant 
during  his  entire  term  of  service.  He  was  honorably  discharged  September  13, 1864, 
and  again  took  up  his  business  in  Oneida  which  had  been  continued  during  his  ab- 
sence by  his  father  and  brother.  He  has  ever  since  conducted  this  business  which 
has  become  one  of  the  landmarks  of  the  town.  Some  years  ago  he  added  wall  paper 
and  picture  frames  to  his  stock.  The  "  Dwight  Chapin  Book  Store"  is  the  oldest  es- 
tablishment of  its  kind  in  central  New  York  and  one  of  the  oldest  in  the  State.  Mr. 
Chapin  married,  in  1866  Hannah  Dyer,  daughter  of  Benjamin  W.  Dyer.  Three  ch;l  • 
dren  have  been  born  of  this  union :  Mrs.  Charles  B  Wilbur,  of  Boston  ;  Mrs.  Nelson 
D.  Bonney;  and  Sara  D.  Chapin. 


Coe,  D.  R.,  son  of  Albert  E.  and  Charlotte  (Read)  Coe,  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Smithfield,  this  county,  in  1846.  His  father  was  a  farmer  and  subsequently  a  mei  - 
chant  and  broker  in  Oneida,  becoming  well  known  throughout  this  section.  He  died 
in  1887.  Mr.  Coe  was  educated  in  the  old  Oneida  Seminary  and  at  Madison  Univer- 
sity, now  Colgate  University,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1872. 
Soon  afterward  he  was  appointed  deputy  clerk  of  the  United  States  Circuit  Court  at 
Utica,  a  position  which  he  held  for  eight  years  and  then,  after  a  short  western  trip, 
returned  to  Oneida  to  care  for  his  father's  extensive  interests  during  the  latter's  ill- 
ness. After  his  father's  death  Mr.  Coe  took  charge  of  the  estate  as  administrator. 
In  1890  he  engaged  in  the  hardware  business,  buying  an  interest  in  the  firm  of  H. 
M.  Reynolds  &  Co.,  which  on  his  admission  became  Millspaugh  &  Coe,  and  so  con- 
tinued until  the  spring  of  1896  when  Mr.  Millspaugh  retired.  In  the  fall  of  the  same 
year  the  present  firm  of  Coe  &  Timerman  was  formed  by  the  admission  of  G.  A. 
Timerman.  Mr.  Coe  married,  in  1885,  Sarah  Allan,  daughter  of  Moses  Allan  of 
Utica.  Three  sons  have  been  born  of  this  union:  Allan  Read;  Stanley  Campbell; 
and  David  Donald. 


Chapin,  Frank  W.,  was  born  in  Vernon,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  October  20,  184.3,  a 
son  of  Samuel  and  Fannie  (Sage)  Chapin.  He  received  an  education  limited  to  the 
district  schools  and  early  learned  the  trade  of  painting  and  paper  hanging,  which  he 
has  followed  all  his  life.  In  May,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  H.,  3oth  N.  Y.  Vols,  and 
served  two  years.  In  January,  1864,  he  re-enlisted  in  the  157th  N.  Y.  Vols. ;  was 
transferred  in  1865  to  the  54th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  and  honorably  discharged.  April  14, 1866, 
after  a  service  of  four  years.  He  then  returned  to  Oneida,  where  he  has  since,  with 
the  exception  of  a  few  years,  followed  his  trade.  In  April,  1892,  he  formed  a  part- 
nership with  his  brother,  Fremont  Chapin,  and  under  the  name  of  Chapin  Brothers 
established  his  present  wall  paper  and  paint  business  at  No.  36  Madison  street.  Mr. 
Chapin  is  a  member  of  John  R.  Stewart  Post  No.  170.  G.  A.  R.  He  married,  in  1876, 
Ada  F.  Hitchcock,  daughter  of  J    N.  Hitchcock  of  Flat  Rock,  Michigan. 


28  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Conniff,  Thomas,  who  has  been  in  the  shoe  business  at  one  location  in  Oneida  for 
thirty-two  years,  was  born  in  Ireland,  December  14,  1837,  a  son  of  John  and  Martha 
(Brennan)  Conniff.  His  father  was  extensively  engaged  in  shoe  manufacturing  in 
the  old  country  and  employed  several  men.  He  came  to  this  country  with  his  family 
in  1846  and  settled  in  New  York  city.  In  1852  he  removed  to  Canaseraga,  and  in  the 
spring  of  the  following  year  to  Oneida.  Thomas  Conniff  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  and  learned  the  trade  of  boot  and  shoemaking  under  his  father.  In  1865 
he  engaged  in  this  business  in  Oneida,  and  in  1867  built  the  block  on  the  north  side 
of  Madison  street,  where  he  has  since  conducted  his  business.  He  formed  a  partner- 
ship in  1893  with  William  F.  Toher,  which  still  continues  under  the  firm  name  of 
Conniff  S:  Toher.  In  politics  Mr.  Conniff  has  been  a  consistent  Democrat;  he  has 
served  as  overseer  of  the  poor  two  years,  and  as  village  trustee  one  term.  In  June, 
1867,  he  married  Ellen  M.  Kelly,  and  of  their  union  five  children  were  born,  four  of 
whom  survive;  Mrs.  Henry  M.  White,  Jennie  H.,  Paul  R.,  and  Thomas  J.  Two 
children,  Jennie  H.  and  Paul  R.,  have  taken  the  orders  of  the  church;  the  former  is 
a  member  of  the  Order  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  and  the  latter  of  the  Jesuit  Order;  both 
were  graduates  of  the  Oneida  High  School  with  the  class  of  1888. 


Carl,  Peter  P.,  p.  o.  Chittenango,  a  highly  esteemed  and  widely  known  citizen  of 
Chittenango,  was  born  in  that  village  in  1834.  His  father  was  Andrew  Carl,  by  trade 
a  blacksmith,  who  came  here  from  Danbury,  Conn.,  in  1830.  Peter  Carl  learned  the 
wagon  making  trade  at  Canastota  in  18.10  and  1852;  during  the  latter  year  he  estab- 
lished himself  in  business  in  Chittenango.  In  July,  1862,  he  enlisted  as  second  ser- 
geant in  the  157th  Regiment,  N.  Y.  Volunteers;  served  as  wagon  master  in  Siegel's 
11th  Corps  until  Septeml^er  1,  1862,  and  was  promoted  to  A.  Q.  M.  S.,  September  1, 
1863,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  Mr.  Carl  then  resumed  his  business  in 
Chittenango,  where  by  enterprise  and  integrity  he  has  built  up  a  large  trade  in 
wagons,  etc.  One  son  is  engaged  in  the  business  with  him,  Randall  Carl,  now 
thirty-eight  years  of  age  Mr.  Carl's  first  wife  was  Louisa  S.  Plank  of  Chittenango, 
who  died  in  1870,  leaving  three  children.  He  was  married  again  in  1878  to  Lizzie 
Barnes  Mr.  Carl  has  for  forty  si.x  years  been  chief  engineer  of  the  local  fire  depart- 
ment and  from  1870  to  1877  was  trustee  of  the  village.  In  1870  Carl's  Opera  House 
was  erected,  a  handsome  and  commodious  structure,  still  owned  and  managed  by 
himself.  It  is  the  only  public  hall  of  consequence  in  the  locality,  and  capable  of 
accommodating  nearly  500  people. 


Curtis,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  G.,  p.  o.  Madison.— 'Whiting  J.  Lewis  was  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  Madison,  and  came  to  the  town  from  Stratford,  Conn.,  about  1796.  He 
was  a  farmer  and  a  man  greatly  respected  in  the  locality.  His  children  were  Sally, 
Henry,  Judson  ,S..  Stiles  and  Angenette.  Henry  Lewis  was  born  near  Solsville  in 
1806,  and  spent  the  greater  portion  of  his  business  life  in  the  town.  He  engaged  in 
farming  and  speculating  and  became  the  most  wealthy  man  in  Madison.  Moreover, 
he  was  generous  and  public  spirited,  and  much  respected  wherever  known.  He  died 
in  1894.  His  first  wife  was  Susan  Root,  daughter  of  pioneer  Solomon  Root;  they 
had  two  children:  Heber,  who  lived  to  about  twenty-five  years  of  age;  and  Irving, 
who  died  in  childhood.     Mr.   Lewis's  second  wife  was  Mrs.  Harriet  (Slocum)  Drake 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  2,9 

of  Wilkesbarre,  Pa.  The  children  by  adoption  of  Henry  Lewis  were  Ella  Bailey, 
who  married  Henry  Schanzlin  of  Buffalo  and  Ernest  G.  (Johnson)  Lewis,  a  native  of 
Madison.  The  latter  married  Elizabeth  Gifford.  He  died  in  November,  1892,  and 
his  widow  afterward  married  Louis  A.  Curtis  of  Madison. 


Coe,  Mrs.  Mary, — Lewis  Elliott  Coe,  who  for  more  than  twenty  years  was  engaged 
in  successful  mercantile  business  in  Bouckville,  and  who  was  looked  upon  as  one  of 
the  self-made  men  of  the  village,  was  born  in  Hamilton,  November  9.  1847,  and  was 
the  oldest  of  two  children  of  William  Church  Coe.  His  father  died  when  Lewis  was 
eleven  years  old,  upon  which  the  boy  went  to  live  with  the  family  of  an  uncle  in 
Augusta.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  came  to  Bouckville.  where  he  was  clerk  for 
Milton  Danforth,  remaining  with  him  until  he  failed  in  business  and  then  succeeding 
him  in  the  store.  Mr.  Coe  became  proprietor  January  1,  1875,  and  was  in  trade  to 
the  time  of  his  death,  February  28,  1897.  The  firm  of  Coe  &  Brockett  was  formed  in 
1883  and  the  name  is  still  known  to  the  trade.  Mr.  Coe  v.'as  a  strong  Republican 
and  a  generous,  public  spirited  man  in  all  things.  From  1874  to  1886  he  was  post- 
master at  Bouckville.  On  October  23,  1872,  he  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Marcius 
Washburn,  by  whom  he  had  three  children;  Dr.  Charles  M.  Coe  of  Rochester;  Edna 
L. ,  and  Lillian  A.  Mr.  Coe  was  brought  up  under  Universalist  influence,  but  was  a 
liberal  supporter  of  the  local  M.  E.  church. 


Clark,  Ira,  was  born  two  and  one-half  miles  west  of  Morrisville,  February  24,  1822. 
a  son  of  Ira  (a  native  of  Connecticut)  and  Lydia (Dunham)  Clark;  their  children  were 
Orsmus,  Edward,  Lonson,  Jcseph  P.,  Ira,  Millie,  Laurie,  Cornelia,  Fidelia,  and 
Lydia,  all  born  in  Madison  county.  The  first  two  sons  were  drowned  in  Leiand 
Pond  about  1825.  By  occupation  Ira  Clark,  sr. ,  followed  hotel  keeping  and  farming. 
Ira  Clark,  jr.,  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Madison  county.  His  early 
life  was  spent  with  his  parents,  and  when  sixteen  years  of  age  he  started  in  life  for 
himself  as  a  farm  laborer.  In  1843  he  married  Marsha  Elvira,  daughter  of  Caleb 
Abbott,  and  they  have  one  son,  William  I.,  who  married  Lucy  Blowers;  they  have 
four  children:  Claud,  Efiie,  Irving  and  Walter.  In  the  fall  after  Mr.  Clark  was  mar- 
ried he  moved  to  Michigan,  where  he  purchased  a  farm  and  remained  eleven  years 
there;  he  then  returned  and  purchased  a  farm  near  Fenner  Corners,  where  he  re- 
mained six  years  and  then  removed  to  a  farm  near  Nelson.  Here  he  remained  until 
1878,  when  he  purchased  land  in  the  village  of  Nelson  and  built  the  house  in  which 
he  now  lives  and  follows  general  farming.  Mr.  Clark  is  a  public  spirited  man  and 
takes  an  interest  in  town  affairs.  He  was  assessor  one  term  and  is  interested  in 
educational  work. 


Childs,  Walter,  was  born  in  Woodstock,  Conn.,  November  15,  1776,  a  son  of 
Thomas  Childs.  He  came  to  Cazenovia  in  1788  and  worked  for  Captain  Abbott  by 
the  month,  clearing  thirty  acres  of  ground  where  the  Ledyard  residence  now  stands. 
Returning  to  Connecticut,  he  married  February  8,  1801,  Rhoda  Burleigh,  who  was 
born  in  Union,  Conn.,  August  12,  1780,  and  in  the  same  year  brought  his  young  wife 
to  Cazenovia,  locating  four  miles  west  of  the  village  on  what  is  now  the  Cherry  Val- 
ley Turnpike.     Six  children  were  born  to  them,   five  of  whom  reached  maturity: 


30  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Esther,  born  January  16,  1803  (deceased);  Aldis,  bom  November  3,  1804,  and  still 
living  in  Cazenovia  at  the  age  ninety-five  years;  Walter  B.,  born  July  36,  1807; 
Samantha,  born  November  37.  1819;  Williard  T.,  born  October  27,  1813,  and  died  in 
infancy;  and  Thomas,  born  April  8,  1816  Walter  Childs  was  a  man  of  many  esti" 
mable  qualities  and  a  large  and  successful  farmer.  He  died  in  Cazenovia,  December 
14,  1857.     His  wife  died  April  1,  1839. 


Clements,  Prof.  Isaac  N.,  was  born  January  3,  1843,  at  Somersetshire,  England. 
In  1843  his  parents  left  England  and  found  a  new  home  in  Marcellus,  N.  Y.  In  1860 
he  entered  Cazenovia  Seminary  and  in  1863  was  graduated  in  the  College  Prepara- 
tory Course.  Then  came  President  Lincoln's  call  for  volunteers,  and  he  willingly 
gave  his  services  to  his  beloved  country  as  a  private  in  the  133d  Regiment,  N.  Y.  S. 
Volunteers-  He  participated  in  the  hard-fought  battles  of  Antietam,  Fredericks- 
burg, Chancellorsville  and  Gettysburg.  In  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness  he  was 
wounded  and  taken  prisoner,  and  after  five  months  of  suffering  was  exchanged.  In 
1866  he  entered  Wesleyan  University  and  completed  his  course  there  in  four  years, 
his  rank  in  scholarship  giving  him  an  election  to  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Fraternity. 
His  first  professorship  was  at  Chamberlain  Institute,  Randolph,  N.Y.,  where  he 
taught  successfully  for  three  years.  At  the  end  of  this  time  he  was  elected  to  the 
chair  of  Latin  and  Greek  in  Cazenovia  Seminary.  In  1884  he  was  elected  principal 
to  succeed  Prof.  J.  D.  Phelps.  Under  his  management  the  Seminary  had  marked 
prosperity  and  added  several  thousand  dollars  to  the  permanent  endowment.  In  no 
year  of  his  administration  did  the  trustees  have  a  deficit  to  provide  for,  and  at  the 
same  time  they  were  able  to  make  additions  and  improvements  to  the  buildings  and 
grounds.  Prof.  Clements  was  married  July  10,  1873,  to  Miss  Abbie  Smith  of  East 
Bridge  water,  Mass.,  who  was  called  from  him  by  death  in  1876.  In  1881  he  married 
Miss  Harriet  C.  Alvord  of  Cazenovia.  In  1877  he  was  licensed  to  preach  and  in  Sep- 
tember, 1878,  he  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Central  New  York  Annual  Conference. 
His  novitiate  was  duly  passed  and  he  was  ordained  deacon  by  Bishop  Foss.  After 
two  years  he  received  elder's  orders  at  the  hands  of  Bi.shop  Peck.  In  his  relation  to 
the  Seminary  Prof.  Clements  was  distinguished  by  eminent  financial  ability.  He 
held  the  office  of  principal  longer  than  any  of  his  predecessors.  This  circumstance 
testifies  to  the  high  appreciation  in  which  he  was  held  by  the  board  of  trustees. 
Professor  Clements  has  served  two  years  as  a  village  trustee,  and  for  three  years  as 
president  of  the  village  board  of  education. 


Cunningham,  Edwin  R.,  was  born  in  Cazenovia  on  the  old  homestead  farm,  near 
the  village  of  New  Woodstock,  January  26,  1843,  a  son  of  William  L.  and  Sarah 
(Wales)  Cunningham.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  born  in  Shutes- 
bury,  a  son  of  Dr.  Hugh  Cunningham,  who  practiced  medicine  there  many  years. 
He  moved  in  early  life  to  this  town  and  first  lived  on  Perkins'  Hill,  later  buying  the 
homestead  farm.  He  died  in  December,  1893,  having  reached  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-four  years.  Edwin  R.  Cunningham  was  the  youngest  of  five  children,  and 
during  his  earlier  years  worked  on  the  farm  and  attended  the  schools  of  the  vicinity. 
He  has  been  engaged  in  farming  all  his  life,  with  the  exception  of  a  period  of  eight 
years,  when  he  was  employed  in  the  village  of  New  Woodstock.     Mr.  Cunningham 


PERSONAL. REFERENCES.  81 

is  a  member  of  the  Pleasant  Valley  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows  (Delphi)  and  of  the  A.O. 
U.W.  In  politics  he  has  been  a  staunch  Democrat.  He  married,  in  1861,  Maria  J. 
Churchward,  a  daughter  of  R.  R.  Churchward  of  Cazenovia,  and  three  children  have 
been  born  to  them:  William  E.,  who  died  in  infancy;  Etta  J.,  wife  of  Gardner  Free- 
born; and  Frank  L.  of  New  Woodstock,  who  was  postmaster  in  that  village  from 
1894  to  1898  and  is  now  deputy  in  that  ofifice.  He  has  a  wife,  Lena  A.,  and  two  sons, 
Walhs  C.  and  Edwin  L. 


Case,  Lester  M.,  son  of  Joseph  and  Ursulla  (Humphrey)  Case,  was  born  in  Nelson, 
August  13,  1817.  His  father  was  a  farmer  and  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Nelson  ' 
township;  he  was  a  native  of  Connecticut.  Of  his  union  with  Ursulla  Humphrey 
four  children  were  born:  Milton,  Lucia,  Luna  and  Lester.  Joseph  Case  reached  the 
venerable  age  of  eighty-nine  years  and  died  in  1855.  Lester  M.  Case  was  educated 
at  Homer  Academy  and  all  his  life  followed  the  occupation  of  farming.  He  repre- 
sented his  district  in  the  Legislature  one  term  and  was  a  member  of  the  Constitu- 
tional Convention  in  18G8..  Mr.  Case  was  a  staunch  Whig  and  Republican.  He  was 
a  man  of  excellent  habits,  strict  integrity  and  most  kindly  disposition.  He  was  a 
member  a  few  years  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  November  35,  1S45,  he  married 
Huldah  Backus,  daughter  of  Judge  Talcott  Backus  of  Cazenovia,  who  survives  him. 
Two  children  were  born  of  this  union,  Edward  Lester,  died  at  the  age  of  five  years; 
Amelia  died  in  her  fourteenth  year.     Mr.  Case  died  Octobers,  1874. 


Comstock,  Julius  C,  who  died  in  Cazenovia,  April  16,  1884,  in  the  sixty- third  year 
of  his  age,  was  one  of  the  most  respected  citizens  of  the  community.  He  was  born 
in  July,  1830,  in  the  house  east  of  Cazenovia  village  which  was  always  his  home. 
His  father,  Zephaniah  Comstock,  came  from  Connecticut  into  this  region  among  the 
earlier  settlers,  taking  up  the  home  farm,  while  Samuel  Bordwell,  who  came  with 
him,  took  up  the  farm  adjoining.  Zephaniah  Comstock  was  a  fine  type  of  the  sturdy, 
honest  and  God-fearing  pioneer  and  died  in  1877,  honored  and  respected  by  the  entire 
community.  Julius  C.  Comstock  was  reared  on  the  farm,  receiving  the  educational 
advantages  afforded  by  the  country  schools  of  those  days.  All  his  life  he  followed 
the  occupation  of  farming.  He  served  the  town  as  assessor  several  terms  and  also  as 
highway  commissioner ;  in  politics  he  was  a  consistent  Republican.  In  all  his  relations 
with  his  fellowmen  during  his  long  residence  in  this  community,  his  character  was 
above  reproach.  Mr.  Comstock  married  Martha  Root,  a  daughter  of  Edward  Root 
of  Fenner,  who  survives  him. 


Clarke,  M.  J.,  one  of  the  leading  business  men  of  Hamilton,  was  born  in  Earlville, 
N.  Y. ,  June  14,  1863,  and  educated  in  the  Earlville  schools.  He  remained  at  home 
on  the  farm  until  twenty-one  years  of  age,  when  he  moved  to  Hamilton  and  pur- 
chased the  mail  and  passenger  stage  route  to  Poolville  and  the  D.  L.  &  W.  Railroad ; 
he  next  purchased  the  baggage  express  and  bus  business  in  Hamilton  and  conducted 
that  for  a  year.  He  then  purchased  the  new  rink  building  and  converted  it  into  a 
livery  and  sale  stable,  which  was  destroyed  by  tire  on  February  19,  1895,  and  replaced 
by  a  model  brick  structure  with  a  basement  the  following  year.  He  still  retains  the 
passenger  express  and  baggage  business  with  pleasure  to  himself,  and  a  great  accom- 


32  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

modation  to  the  resident  and  passenger  public.  Mr.  Clarke  is  always  one  of  the  first 
to  suggest  and  assist  in  all  the  village  improvements,  being  assistant  foreman  in  the 
Fountain  Hose  Co.,  and  near  by  has  the  steamer  at  the  fire  in  a  moment's  notice  and 
the  hydrants  ready  to  turn  on  the  flames  in  a  few  seconds  after  the  tap  of  the  fire 
bell.  Socially,  he  is  in  with  the  boys  in  every  good  work  for  the  upbuilding  of 
humanity,  being  a  member  of  Tu.scarora  Lodge,  No.  669,  L  O.  O.  F.  and  Wakesha 
Encampment  No.  101 ;  he  is  also  a  memher  of  Hamilton  Hive  No.  540,  K.  O.  T.  M. ; 
Hamilton  Lodge  No.  208,  A.  O.  U.  W. ;  and  Hamilton  Grange  No.  648,  F.  H.  In 
December,  1883,  Mr.  Clarke  married  Hattie  L.  Wilcox  of  Earlville;  they  have  one 
daughter.  Lulu  L. ,  born  in  January,  1888.  Mr.  Clarke's  parents.  Whitman  and 
Frances  E.  (Hitchcock)  Clarke,  and  grandmother,  Eliza  C.  Clarke,  are  still  living. 
His  grandfather,  Whipple  Clarke,  a  native  of  Rhode  Island,  came  to  this  county  in 
1812  and  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  county;  he  died  at  his  home  in  Lebanon, 
March  28,  1888. 


Conley,  Frank  P.,  was  born  in  Sullivan,  Madison  county,  January  9,  1850,  a  son  of 
Anthony  Conley,  a  native  of  Ireland,  who  came  to  Madison  county  in  about  1848, 
where  he  resided  twenty-five  years,  then  returned  to  Ireland  to  spend  his  last  days ; 
his  wife  was  Mary  Fitzpatrick.  Frank  P .  Conley  is  a  farmer  by  occupation,  a  Re- 
publican m  politics  and  a  member  of  Morrisville  Lodge  Wewana  No.  678,  I.  O.  O.  F. 
On  March  4,  1885,  he  married  Lora  A.  Berry,  daughter  of  John  R.  Berry,  and  grand- 
daughter of  Devan  Berry,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  who  first  settled  in  this  county,  in 
the  town  of  Madison,  coming  from  there  to  Smithfield  in  1819,  in  which  town  he  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  life,  dying  in  1864,  at  the  home  of  his  son,  John  R.  Berry,  with 
whom  he  resided  on  the  farm  Mr.  Conley  now  occupies.  Mr.  Berrj'  married  Hannah 
Golding;  they  had  eight  children,  two  of  whom  are  now  living:  Mrs.  A.  J.  Beach  of 
Milton  Junction,  Wis.,  and  George  Berry  of  Fenner.  Devan  Berry  had  a  brother, 
Samuel,  and  a  sister,  Mrs.  Erastus  Cleveland,  who  resided  m  Madison.  John  R. 
Berry  was  born  in  the  town  of  Madison  in  1812,  and  was  seven  years  of  age  when  he 
came  with  his  parents  to  Smithfield,  where  he  spent  most  of  his  life.  On  March  11, 
1846,  he  married  Almena  L.  Dickey;  they  had  two  children:  James  E. ,  born  Decem- 
ber 4,  1847,  died  September  9,  1887,  and  Lora  A,  Mr.  Berry  was  one  of  the  leading 
farmers  of  Smithfield;  he  had  200  acres  of  land  which  was  gained  by  hard  labor  and 
economy.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republican  and  served  as  assessor  of  his  town ; 
he  died  July  11,  1894.  Mrs  Berry  died  August  29,  1897.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
Joseph  Dickey,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Smithfield,  and  granddaughter  of  Daniel 
Dickey,  whom  many  of  the  older  residents  remember,  as  he  was  one  of  the  leading 
men  in  this  vicinity ;  he  served  as  justice  for  several  years  and  was  familiarly  known 
as  "Squire  Dickey".    He  was  also  at  one  time  member  of  Assembly ;  he  died  in  1858. 


Cody,  Kendall,  p.  o.  Cazenovia,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Vernon,  Oneida  county, 
N.  Y.,  April  27,  1850,  a  son  of  Francis  A.  and  Phoebe  (Faulkner)  Cody.  They  had 
six  children:  Jennie,  Samuel,  James  F.,  Kendall,  Frances  and  Eva  P.,  all  natives 
of  Vernon.  Francis  A.  by  occupation  followed  farming,  and  also  speculated  in  live 
stock,  horses,  cattle,  sheep,  etc.  About  1883  he  moved  from  the  town  of  Vernon  and 
settled  near  Oneida  Castle,  Madison  county.     Kendall  Cody  was  educated  in  the 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  33 

schools  of  the  town  of  Vernon,  in  Cazenovia  Seminary  and  Whitestown  Seminary. 
When  he  was  about  eighteen  years  of  age  he  started  in  life  for  himself  as  a  laborer 
and  speculator  in  horses,  cattle,  etc.  When  he  was  twenty-three  years  of  age  he 
purchased  the  farm  where  he  resides,  which  contains  500  acres  of  land  and  follows 
general  farming  and  hop  growing.  February  26,  1872,  he  married  Martha  J.,  daugh- 
ter of  Jerome  J.  Deland,  and  they  have  two  children  living  and  one  deceased: 
Maude  P.,  Mildred  (deceased)  and  Stanley,  all  born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  lives. 
Mr.  Cody  has  always  taken  an  active  part  in  town  and  county  affairs;  liberally  sup- 
ports educational  institutions,  and  is  a  useful  and  respected  citizen. 


Cumniings,  Lincoln  L. ,  p.  o.  Munnsville,  was  born  in  Oneida  county,  November 
2.5,  1824,  a  son  of  Nichols  and  Amelia  (Gould)  Cummings,  both  natives  of  Massachu- 
setts. They  had  thirteen  children  and  came  to  Oneida  about  1.822;  he  died  in  Stock- 
bridge  in  1863  and  his  wife  in  188.5.  Lmcoln  L.  Cummings  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  and  Munnsville  Academy.  Mr.  Cummings  taught  schools  eight  win- 
ters and  followed  the  trade  of  stone  mason  for  a  short  tmie.  At  present  he  has  sixty- 
nine  acres  of  land  which  he  bought  in  18.50.  In  18.58  he  patented  the  first  portable 
hop  press  ever  used.  On  March  17,  18.50,  he  married  Martha  J.  Bridge  of  Stockbridge, 
and  has  three  children:  Elbert  L.  (deceased),  James  B.,  born  July  14,  1856,  educated 
in  the  common  schools;  and  Andrew  L.  (deceased).  Mr.  Cummings  was  originally  a 
Whig,  and  now  a  Republican;  he  has  been  town  auditor  seven  years,  commissioner 
two  years  and  assessor  nine  years.     Mrs.  Cunmings  died  September  3,  1896. 


Chesebro,  J.  H.  and  A.  D  ,  p.  o.  BrookHeld,  N.  Y.,  represent  one  of  the  oldest  and 
most  respected  families  of  the  town.  Christopher  Chesebro  was  a  farmer  in  colonial 
days.  He  had  a  son  Harris,  born  February  9,  1769,  a  sailor  and  also  a  tailor,  who 
came  to  Brookfield  about  1800,  was  married  to  Patty  Champlain,  and  had  a  son  Jared; 
Harris  died  in  1838.  Jared  Chesebro  was  born  in  180S  in  Brookfield.  married  Sarah 
(born  in  1809  in  Brookfield).  daughter  of  Zebulon  Brown,  who  bore  him  two  children, 
J.  H  and  Rhoda  L. ,  who  died  at  two  years  of  age;  they  also  had  one  adopted  daugh- 
ter, Elizabeth  Johnson,  wife  of  Maxon  Crumb  of  Bridgewater,  N.  Y. ;  Jared  was 
highway  commissioner  six  years.  Zebulon  Brown,  maternal  grandfather  of  J.  H. 
Chesebro.  came  to  Brookfield  about  1807  and  cut  off  the  timber  on  the  site  of 
the  village  of  Brookfield;  he  was  a  great  student  of  the  Scriptures  and  something 
of  a  prophet,  saying  that  in  time  the  people  of  Brookfield  would  hold  conversation 
with  those  in  New  York  city;  his  wife  was  Sarah  Lewis,  born  March  12,  1791; 
Mr.  Brown  died  February  8,  1875,  and  his  wife  June  28,  1872.  J.  H.  Chesebro 
was  born  in  Brookfield,  April  3,  1833,  and  he  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools.  He  was  married  to  Harriet  S.  Williams  of  Brookfield,  and  of  their 
union  there  are  three  children:  Alvin  Duane,  Orra  D.,  wife  of  Arthur  D.  Page 
(who  have  two  children,  Alvin  W.  and  Floyd  W.).  and  Ida  L. ,  wife  of  Fred 
White,  all  of  Brookfield.  Mr.  Chesebro  is  a  Republican  and  has  been  assessor  nine 
years;  he  has  a  farm  of  300  acres  and  a  dairy  of  twenty-five  cows,  which,  in  partner- 
ship with  his  son  Alvin  D.,  he  conducts  in  a  highly  successful  manner.  Alvin  Duane 
Chesebro  was  born  March  3,  1.855,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools ;  at  the  age 
of  eighteen  he   took  charge  of    the  farm  and  was  married  to  Hattie,  daughter  of 


34  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE, 

Daniel  Hinkley;  they  have  one  adopted  son,  William  Le  Roy.  His  health  failing, 
he  removed  to  the  village  of  Brookfield,  and  for  a  short  time  was  engaged  with  D. 
F.  Maine  in  his  hardware  store,  but  he  soon  returned  to  the  farm,  which  he  since, 
with  his  father,  has  managed.  He  is  a  Republican,  and  has  been  collector  and  high- 
way commissioner  two  years.  J.  H.  and  Alvin  D.  have  been  members  of  the  board 
of  the  Agricultural  Society  of  Brookfield,  in  which  they  take  great  interest. 


Crandall,  Irving  A.,  p  o.  Leonardsville,  N.  Y.,  was  born  in  Brookfield,  N.  Y.,  Au- 
gust 5,  1848.  His  grandfather  was  William  Crandall,  a  son  of  Henry  and  Mary 
(Greenman)  Crandall,  who  were  pioneers  near  Cazenovia,  where  they  both  died.  He 
was  born  in  Rhode  Island  during  the  Revolution  and  when  a  young  man  came  to 
De  Ruyter,  where  he  resided  through  life;  he  was  married  to  Lydia  Greenman,  and 
of  their  six  children  one  son  and  one  daughter  survive;  he  died  in  1856  and  his  wife 
in  1829.  His  son,  Darwin  S.  Crandall,  father  of  Irving  A.,  was  born  in  De  Ruyter, 
January  32,  1810,  and  was  a  builder  and  contractor.  He  removed  to  Brookfield  in 
1838,  and  in  1848  to  Leonardsville,  where  he  resides.  In  1838  he  was  married  to 
Alzina,  daughter  of  Phineas  Babcock  (a  pioneer  of  Brookfield)  and  their  children 
were  four:  Sarah  A.  (deceased),  Irving  A.,  Arthur  W.  and  Alice  W.,  wife  of  D.  V. 
St.  John  of  Plainfield,  N.  J.  Irving  A.  Crandall  was  reared  and  educated  in  Leon- 
ardsville and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  began  as  a  clerk  for  N.  V.  &  W.  H.  Brand,  with 
whom  he  remained  two  years,  was  wit'a  North  &  Babcock  one  year,  a  short  time  as 
assistant  clerk  in  the  county  clerk's  office,  and  in  1867  engaged  in  mercantile  trade  as 
a  partner  in  the  firm  of  Kinney  &  Crandall ;  after  a  year  he  bought  his  partner's  m- 
terest  and  has  since  been  the  leading  merchant  in  this  section,  having  a  trade  of 
from  $30,000  to  $40,000  yearly.  Mr.  Crandall  is  a  Republican,  is  serving  his  fourth 
term  as  postmaster,  has  been  a  member  of  the  school  board  since  the  organization  of 
the  union  school,  and  a  deacon  and  trustee  of  the  Leonardsville  Seventh  Day  Bap- 
tist Church.  In  1870  he  was  married  to  Algerose,  daughter  of  John  F.  Higley  of 
Syracuse,  N.  Y. ;  they  have  four  children:  Elva  E.,  educated  at  Vassar  College  and 
wife  of  E.  F.  Champlain,  druggist  of  Leonardsville;  Ralph  E.,  a  student  at  Yale 
University;  Mabel  M.,  a  graduate  of  Leonardsville  union  school,  and  Blanche,  at 
home. 


Carpenter,  Austin  B.,  p.  o.  Morrisville,  sheriff  of  Madison  county,  was  born  in  old 
historic  Pompey,  Onondaga  county,  July  3,  1861,  and  was  the  son  of  Major  and  Abi- 
gail Carpenter  of  that  town.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  Austin  left  home  and  went 
to  De  Ruyter,  remaining  one  year,  and  them  came  to  Morrisville,  where  he  was 
jailor  under  Sheriff  Underwood  about  eighteen  months;  later  on  he  was  village  dep- 
uty sheriff  and  constable  four  years  and  then  removed  to  Cazenovia,  where  he  was 
deputy  sheriff',  town  constable,  and  policeman  for  a  term  of  eight  years.  In  the  fall 
of  1896  he  was  elected  sheriff  and  according  to  the  unanimous  e.^pression  of  the  bar 
of  the  county  is  one  of  the  most  competent  officers  who  ever  filled  that  office.  He 
thoroughly  understands  all  the  duties  of  the  position,  having  been  deputy  sheriff  thir- 
teen years.  Of  course  Mr.  Carpenter  is  a  strong  Republican.  In  1885  he  married 
Anna,  daughter  of  Bartlett  Fitzgerald  of  Morrisville.  They  have  two  children: 
Jennie  L.  and  Blanche  J. 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  35 

Calkins,  Caleb,  a  native  of  Holland,  Erie  county,  N.  Y.,  was  born  February  28, 
1814,  and  in  1839  settled  in  Peterboro,  Madison  county.  His  father  was  David  Cal- 
kins, who  was  a  pioneer  in  Erie  county,  but  removed  to  Iowa  where  he  died.  When 
Caleb  Calkins  located  at  Peterboro  he  entered  the  employ  of  Gerrit  Smith,  son  of 
the  founder  of  the  town  of  Smithfield  and  the  village  of  Peterboro.  His  excellent 
busmess  ability,  his  industry  and  sterling  integrity  soon  won  the  confidence  of  Mr. 
Smith,  whose  large  landed  and  other  interests  required  just  such  services  as  Mr. 
Calkins  was  able  to  render.  He  remamed  in  Mr.  Smith's  employ  until  his  death, 
January  24,  1892.  Mr.  Calkins  was  a  Republican  and  was  earnest  and  active  in  sup- 
port of  the  principles  of  the  party.  He  served  his  town  as  Supervisor  and  in  1866 
was  a  member  of  the  State  Legislature,  in  both  of  which  positions  he  gained  the 
commendation  of  his  constituents.  He  married  Mary  W.  Tracy  and  they  had  two 
children:  Mary  L.  (deceased)  and  Tracy  Calkins.  Tracy  Calkins  was  educated  in 
Peterboro  and  in  Allen's  (West  Newton)  classical  school.  He  assisted  his  father  a 
number  of  years  in  connection  with  the  affairs  of  Mr.  Smith,  and  also  was  engaged 
for  a  time  in  the  oil  business.  He  is  a  respected  citizen  of  Peterboro.  He  married 
June  6,  1888,  Maggie  E.  Chalmers  of  Detroit,  Mich. 


Cleveland,  C.  A.,  p.  o.  Morrisville. — Dr.  William  Pitt  Cleveland,  who  is  recalled  as 
one  of  the  early  and  prominent  physicians  of  Morrisville.  was  educated  at  Philadel- 
phia and  came  to  Madison  county  about  1807.  He  lived  at  the  county  seat  until  his 
death,  just  previous  to  IS.'iO.  He  married  in  1808  Polly  Lumbard,  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  Lumbard,  the  latter  one  of  the  pioneers  who  came  to  Eaton  in  1803.  Dr. 
Cleveland's  children  were  Mary,  who  married  William  H.  Chambers;  Thomas  L., 
and  Sarah,  the  latter  the  wife  of  Harry  Bicknell.  Thomas  L.  Cleveland  was  a  mer- 
chant at  Eaton  for  a  few  years  and  then  located  at  the  county  seat,  where  he  was  in 
busmess  about  thirty-five  years.  His  wife  was  Susan  Palmer,  by  whom  he  had  four 
children:  Mary  L. .  William  Pitt,  Charles  A.,  and  Susie.  Charles  A.  Cleveland  has 
been  one  of  the  successful  farmers  of  the  town  several  years,  but  is  best  known  as 
jailer  in  Morrisville,  in  which  capacity  he  has  served  six  years.  He  was  constable  of 
the  town  three  years  and  in  whatever  position  a  trusted  competent  official.  In  1880 
he  married  Mary  Wagner  of  Georgetown;  they  have  three  children. 


Carpenter,  George  W.,  p.  o.  Chittenango  Station,  postmaster  and  merchant  at  Chit- 
tenango  Station,  was  born  at  Orwell,  Oswego  county,  N.Y.,  November  37,  1844,  a 
son  of  Hannah  and  Reuben  S.  Carpenter.  His  paternal  ancestors  were  from  Con- 
necticut, and  his  parents  were  among  the  earliest  settlers  in  Hamilton  county.  They 
came  to  this  county  in  1846,  where  Reuben  died  June  26,  1898,  his  wife  still  living  at 
the  old  homestead.  Mr.  Carpenter's  education  was  acquired  chiefly  at  the  common 
schools  in  this  vicinity  and  in  1877  he  opened  a  general  store  at  Port  Byron,  N.Y., 
remaining  there  until  1887,  when  he  engaged  in  business  at  this  place.  He  has  been 
successful  in  business  and  enjoys  the  esteem  of  all  who  know  him.  Various  minor 
official  positions  had  come  to  him  prior  to  his  appointment  as  postmaster  at  Chitte- 
nango Station  in  May,  1888.  August  27,  1865,  he  married  Mary  E.  Shaver  of  Sodus, 
N.Y.  Their  children  are  as  follows:  Kittie,  born  October  18,  1867;  Frank  B.,  born 
April  8,  1878;  Elmer  R.,  born  April  16,  1878,  and  Charles  S.,  born  October  7,  1871, 


36  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

and  who  died  March  11,  1872.  Mr.  Carpenter's  father,  Reuben  S.  Carpenter,  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Hope,  Montgomery  county,  N.V.,  August  6,  1821.  At  the  age 
of  nineteen  he  purchased  his  time  from  his  father  and  started  in  business  for  himself. 
He  was  a  stonecutter  by  trade  and  went  to  work  for  the  State  on  the  Black  River 
Canal,  where  he  worked  about  a  year.  He  then  removed  to  Orwell,  Oswego  county, 
where  he  remained  about  two  years.  While  at  Orwell  he  was  married  to  Hannah  C. 
Pennock  (a  sister  of  the  late  Ebenezer  Pennock).  From  Orwell  he  removed  to  Three 
River  Point,  where  he  resided  about  a  year,  removing  from  that  place  to  Oak  Hill. 
Here  Mr.  Carpenter  was  employed  by  Captain  Cady,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  this 
town.  When  the  Erie  Canal  was  enlarged  Mr.  Carpenter  removed  to  Bolivar,  where 
he  had  charge  of  the  work  of  obtaining  stone  for  the  bridge  and  culvert  at  that 
place.  From  Bolivar  he  removed  to  his  late  residence  north  of  Chittenango  Station, 
where  he  resided  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  The  "Squire,"  as  Mr.  Carpenter  was 
known  hereabouts,  was  in  early  life  a  Democrat,  but  became  a  Republican  at  the 
formation  of  that  party  and  has  since  been  an  active  member.  Some  years  ago  he 
was  elected  justice  of  the  peace,  which  was  the  only  office  he  ever  held.  The  im- 
mediate vicinity  of  the  "Station"  at  the  time  he  came  here  was  practically  an  un- 
broken forest,  and  Mr.  Carpenter's  reminiscences  of  the  early  days  of  his  residence 
here  were  very  interesting.  In  186'3  Mr.  Carpenter  went  to  the  State  of  Ohio,  re- 
maining thei-e  until  1864,  when  he  was  employed  by  the  United  States  Government 
as  foreman  (with  the  rank  of  captain)  in  the  government  shipyards  at  Chattanooga, 
Tenn.,  where  he  remained  until  the  close  of  the  war,  after  which  time  he  fol- 
lowed the  business  of  carpenter  and  builder.  Mr.  Carpenter  was  the  father  of  eight 
children,  five  of  whom,  George  W..  Mrs.  Mathew  Chapley,  Mrs.  George  Bender, 
Mrs.  George  Olmstead,  and  William  E.  Carpenter,  together  with  his  wife  and  a 
brother,  George  H.  Carpenter  of  Sheboygan,  Wis.,  survive  him. 


Cooper,  Frank,  p.  o.  Perryville,  was  born  at  Sharon,  Wisconsin,  February  9,  1849. 
When  a  boy  his  parents  settled  in  Clockville,  this  county,  where  his  boyhood  was 
chiefly  passed.  He  was  educated  at  Yates  Institute,  Chittenango,  then  one  of  the 
foremost  educational  institutions  of  the  county.  Mr.  Cooper's  principal  business  is 
farming  and  he  has  speculated  a  good  deal  in  live  stock,  etc.  He  was  largely  in- 
strumental in  the  erection  of  the  handsome  union  school  building  and  other  enter- 
prises at  Perryville.  Mr.  Cooper  is  active  in  local  politics,  yet  by  no  means  a  parti- 
san. Various  official  positions  have  come  to  him,  which  he  fills  with  dignity  and 
credit.  He  was  town  assessor  for  six  years,  is  now  clerk  of  the  Board  of  Education, 
a  director  of  the  Madison-Onondaga  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company,  steward  and 
trustee  of  the  M.  E.  Church  of  Perryville,  and  for  several  years  notary  public.  He 
married,  October  5,  1876,  Hattie  P.  Hamblen  of  Fenner,  and  their  daughter.  May, 
is  now  a  teacher  in  Perryville  Union  School. 

Couch,  Mrs.  Elsena  M.,  p.  o.  Madison. — Anthony  Howd  came  from  Connecticut 
and  setted  in  Stephentown,  from  which  place  he  removed  toCazenovia.  He  was  an 
early  and  successful  farmer  and  also  made  potash,  but  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  a 
leg  through  accident.  He  is  also  remembered  as  an  early  postman,  carrying  the  mail 
over  one  of  the  stage  routes.      He  married  Martha  Harrington  of  Rhode  Island,  and 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  37 

came  to  Cazenovia  on  horseback ;  his  children  were  Hannah,  Laura,  Harriet,  Elsena, 
Samuel,  Amy,  Harry,  John,  EH,  and  one  other  who  died  in  infancy.  Deacon  Har- 
rington Marshall,  who  was  born  in  Rhode  Island  in  1793,  married  Laura  Hovvd  and 
for  a  time  lived  in  Cazenovia,  removing  thence  to  Chenango  county,  where  he  lived 
forty  years  and  then  returned  to  Cazenovia  and  there  died  in  1886.  Their  children 
were  Sidney;  Albert  H.,  who  entered  the  Universalist  ministry  and  was  for  thirty- 
three  years  pastor  of  the  church  in  Madison  village  and  died  February  16,  1892; 
Harriet  E.,  Luther  L.,  Elsena,  who  married  Seymour  Couch,  the  latter  the  eldest  of 
seven  children  of  Bradley  Couch;  Franklin  A.  of  Co.  I,  185th  N.  Y.  Inf.,  who  was 
killed  in  about  the  last  battle  of  the  war;  William  Harrison  Anthony  of  Co  B,  3d  N. 
Y.  Cavalry,  and  killed  in  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness.  Mrs.  Couch  is  the  last  of 
the  family  living,  excepting  her  father's  youngest  brother,  George  Marshall  of  Chit- 
tenango. 


Chafee,  Hiram  E.,  p.  o.  Siloam,  was  born  in  Eaton,  July  19,  1851,  a  son  of  Thomas 
G.  and  Cassandria  W.  (Stone)  Chafee,  natives  of  Madison  county,  N.Y.  Thomas  G. 
was  born  at  Westmoreland  in  1833,  and  was  a  son  of  Joseph  M.  and  Elizabeth  (Grant) 
Chaphe,  early  settlers  of  Madison  county.  He  was  a  farmer  and  died  January  33, 
1897.  His  wife  survives  him  and  lives  at  Morrisville.  Hiram  E.  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools  and  is  engaged  in  farming,  making  a  specialty  of  fruit  growing 
and  berry  raising.  In  January,  1873,  he  married  Annie  E. ,  daughter  of  Edwin  and 
Chloe  (Hitchcock)  Hinman,  he  a  son  of  Grove  and  Cyrene  (Palmer)  Hiuman,  early 
settlers  of  Stockbridge,  coming  from  Goshen,  Conn.  Edwin  died  June  15,  1859,  and 
his  wife  March  35,  1858.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chafee  had  nine  children:  Grace  B. ,  Cassan- 
dria A.,  Elsie  M  .  Sylvia  E.,  Arthur  E.,  Thomas  B..  Gertrude  B.,  Florence  R.  and 
Robert  M.  Grace  B.  is  a  graduate  of  Oneonta  Normal  School  and  is  a  teacher  at 
Port  Chester,  Westchester  county,  N.Y.  Cassandria  was  graduated  from  Eastman's 
Business  College  and  is  now  a  teacher  in  Eastman's  Business  Institute  at  New  York 
city.  Elsie  M.  was  educated  in  Morrisville  Union  School  and  Oneonta  Normal,  and 
is  now  a  teacher.     Sylvia  E.  was  educated  at  Morrisville  and  is  now  teaching. 


Coe,  Duane  W.,  p.  o.  Peterboro,  was  born  in  Smithfield,  January  3,  1847,  a  son  of 
Eliashub  E.,  and  grandson  of  David  Coe,  who  was  born  in  Connecticut  September 
10,  1784,  and  came  to  Smithfield  in  1802,  where  he  died  July  6,  1855;  his  wife  was 
Ora  Ellen  wood,  born  in  Clinton,  N.  Y.,  August  15,  1789,  and  died  in  Smithfield  Feb- 
ruary 4,  1869.  Eliashub  E.  was  born  on  the  old  homestead  in  Smithfield.  June  16, 
1816.  His  wife  was  Susan  D.  Mathewson,  born  in  Smithfield,  October  28,  1817,  a 
daughter  of  Winchester  Mathewson,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Smithfield.  To  Eli- 
ashub E.  Coe  and  wife  were  born  six  children:  Dumois  H.,  born  May  10,  1840,  died 
November  5,  1841 ;  Renaldo  O.,  born  September  6, 1843,  and  now  lives  in  California; 
E.  Emmons,  born  April  34,  1845;  Duane  W.  (the  subject);  S.  Cordelia,  born  June  15, 
1849,  married  F.  D.  Miller  of  New  York  city;  and  J.  Henrietta,  born  May  4,  1851, 
died  December  30,  1855.  Mr.  Coe's  maternal  grandparents  had  fourteen  children, 
twelve  of  whom  grew  to  maturity.  Eliashub  E.  Coe  died  December  31,  1887;  his 
wife  July  28,  1871.  Duane  W.  Coe  was  educated  in  Peterboro  Academy  and  con- 
ducts a  farm  of  153  acres,  following  dairying  and  sheep  raising.     March  33,  1869,  he 


38  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

married  Florence  J.,  daughter  of  Hugh  and  Mary  McWilliatns ;  they  have  three  chil- 
dren: Augusta  M. ,  wife  of  Dr.  H.  C.  Eschbach  of  Albia,  Iowa  (who  have  three 
children:  Florence,  Barbara  and  Martha);  Florence  C. ,  and  Hugh  E.  at  home.  Mr. 
Coe  was  a  Democrat  in  early  life,  but  a  Republican  since  Garfield's  administration. 
He  has  been  justice  of  the  peace  sixteen  years  and  attends  and  supports  the  M.  E. 
church. 


Cronk,  Jeremiah,  Leno.x,  was  born  in  Columbia,  August  16,  1832,  a  son  of  John 
(who  died  in  Columbia  county,  N.  Y.),  and  grandson  of  John  Cronk,  who  spent  his 
last  days  in  Yates  county.  John  Cronk,  jr.,  was  born  in  Columbia  county,  and  died 
1827.  His  wife  was  Maria  Shaver;  they  had  five  children.  Mrs.  Cronk's  second  hus- 
band was  Henry  Coon ;  they  had  three  children.  Jeremiah  Cronk  was  reared  on  a 
farm  and  educated  in  the  common  schools.  In  1855  he  came  to  Lenox  and  bought 
the  farm  he  now  owns  of  115  acres,  and  in  1877  built  a  fine  residence.  In  1844  Mr. 
Cronk  married  Almira  Wentworth.  born  in  Schoharie  county.  May  2,  1822,  a  daughter 
of  Henry  Wentworth,  and  to  them  were  born  four  children:  John  H.,  Edgar  A.. 
Theodore  and  Charles  W.  (deceased).  In  politics  Mr.  Cronk  is  a  Democrat.  John 
H.  Cronk  married  Elsie  Prosser  and  they  have  two  children:  Clifford  W.,  and  Wal- 
ter H.  Edgar  A.  married  Libbie  Petrie  and  they  have  three  children:  Almira, 
Edgar  and  Asa  R.  Theodore  married  Mary  Lewis  and  they  have  four  children: 
Roy,  Audry,  Bessie  and  Clarie  M. 


De  Lano,  Milton,  of  Madison  county,  N.  Y.,  son  of  Henry  and  Elizabeth  De 
Lano,  was  born  near  Wampsville,  Madison  county.  N.  Y.,  August  11,  1844.  His 
mother  was  born  but  a  short  distance  from  his  birthplace  in  1813.  His  father  died 
at  Canastota  on  Milton's  fourteenth  birthday,  since  which  time  the  latter  has  wholly 
maintained  himself.  He  received  an  ordinary  education  and  was  brought  up  a  mer- 
chant's clerk  and  conducted  a  store  for  eight  years.  He  was  three  times  elected  clerk 
of  his  native  township,  serving  in  1807,  1868  and  1869,  and  was  twice  elected  sheriff 
of  his  native  county,  serving  in  1873,  1874,  1875,  1879,  1880,  and  1881 ;  he  was  a  dele- 
gate from  his  native  district  to  the  National  Republican  Convention  in  1884,  his  col- 
league being  United  States  Senator  Thomas  C.  Piatt.  He  organized  the  Canastota 
Banking  House  m  August,  1876,  which  he  individually  conducted  until  August, 
1887,  when  he  reorganized  under  the  laws  of  New  York  State,  naming  the  same 
"State  Bank  of  Canastota,"  taking  the  cashiership  thereof,  which  be  has  held  since. 
He  was  elected  from  the  Twenty-sixth  New  York  District  to  the  Fiftieth  Congress 
and  re  elected  to  the  Fifty-first  Congress  as  a  Republican  from  his  native  district, 
embracing  the  counties  of  Broome,  Chenango,  Madison  and  Tioga.  During  the 
Fifty-first  Congress  he  was  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Pensions,  and  declined  to 
be  a  candidate  for  renomination.  He  aided  in  enlarging  the  Canastota  High  School 
district  m  1883,  when  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  thereof 
and  has  been  elected  every  three  years  to  the  same  position,  serving  for  eighteen 
consecutive  years;  since  1893  he  has  been  president  of  said  Board  of  Education. 


Dyer,    Benjamin  W.,  who  died  in  Oneida,  February  17,  1888,  m  the  ninety-first 
year  of  his  age,  was  for  many  years  a  well  known  and  esteemed  resident  and  citizen 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  39 

in  this  vicinity.  He  was  born  in  Petersburg,  N.  Y. ,  in  the  year  1797,  and  when  he 
was  yet  an  infant  his  parents  removed  to  the  State  of  Vermont.  He  obtained  the 
educational  advantages  afforded  by  the  country  schools  of  those  days,  and  assisted 
in  the  conduct  of  his  father's  farm.  In  1818,  when  twenty-one  years  old,  he  rode  a 
horse,  which  was  about  his  only  possession,  into  Central  New  York,  and  secured  em- 
ployment on  the  construction  of  the  Erie  Canal,  under  Cobb  &  Sage,  well  known 
contractors  at  Chittenango.  It  is  related,  that  having  constructed  a  section  large 
enough  to  make  it  practicable  to  use  a  work  boat  or  scow,  they  could  find  no  one  who 
possessed  sufficient  experience  to  operate  the  boat.  It  was  suggested,  however,  that 
young  Dyer  could  succeed  if  anybody,  and  he  undertook  the  task,  thus  earning  the 
title  of  "  Captain  "  Dyer,  by  which  fie  was  known  throughout  the  rest  of  his  life.  He 
was  one  of  the  first  men  to  operate  a  boat  on  the  canal,  and  of  his  experience  with 
the  work  scow  of  Cobb  &  Sage,  it  said  that  he  started  with  a  team  from  Chittenango, 
but  for  three  days  did  not  get  far  enough  away  to  prevent  his  returning  to  Chitten- 
ango to  spend  the  night.  For  six  years  he  was  captain  of  a  boat  on  the  canal  owned 
by  Cobb  &  Sage.  At  that  time  the  canal  was  used  by  many  travellers,  and  he  gained 
a  wide  acquaintance.  He  spent  his  winters  at  Albany,  and  in  his  wanderings  through- 
out the  capital  grew  to  know  by  sight  and  even  personally  many  of  the  great  men 
of  the  time,  including  Aaron  Burr,  of  whom  he  often  related  anecdotes.  Subse- 
quently he  was  employed  for  a  period  by  his  brother-in-law,  Harvey  J.  Cobb,  as 
overseer  on  the  Seneca  Turnpike,  and  finally  settled  permanently  in  Wampsville, 
where  he  resided  twenty-five  years.  During  the  first  four  years  of  this  period  he 
conducted  a  hotel,  but  this  he  closed,  giving  most  of  his  attention  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits. Mr.  Dyer  was  a  man  of  excellent  judgment,  and  obtained  a  comfortable  com- 
petency. He  was  a  man  of -more  than  ordinary  mind  and  ability;  a  great  reader  in 
his  early  life  ;  his  education  was  largely  obtained  from  observation  and  practical  ex- 
perience; he  was  deeply  interested  in  affording  to  his  children  the  best  educational 
advantages.  He  removed  to  Oneida  in  1870,  and  lived  quietly  there  until  his  death, 
makmg  many  friends,  for  he  was  a  man  of  very  genial  nature.  He  was  a  lifelong 
Democrat  but  never  sought  or  held  public  office.  Mr.  Dyer  married  in  1833,  Mahala, 
a  daughter  of  Pardon  Barnard,  an  honored  resident  of  the  town  of  Lenox  who  lived 
and  died  at  Quality  Hill;  was  one  of  the  earlier  sheriffs  of  the  county,  and  served 
two  terms  in  the  State  Legislature.  Six  children  were  born  of  this  union:  Benjamin 
Nichols,  for  several  years  a  druggist  in  Oneida,  where  he  died;  Hannah,  who  mar- 
ried Dwight  Chapin  of  Oneida;  Annette,  who  married  Albert  Purdy,  a  native  of  the 
town  of  Eaton,  and  now  an  artist  of  considerable  reputation  at  Ithaca;  Mary,  who 
married  Darius  D.  Jackson,  a  native  of  Oneida  county  who  became  a  business  man 
in  New  York  city,  where  he  died;  Julia  Dyer,  first  wife  Darius  D.  Jackson,  and  Frank 
Dyer,  both  of  whom  died  in  1870.  Benjamin  W.  Dyer  was  a  lineal  descendant  of 
William  Dyer  who  emigrated  from  England  in  1660  and  settled  in  Providence,  R.  I. 
He  married  Mary  Dyer,  adopted  daughter  of  his  parents,  who  is  strongly  put  forth 
by  students  of  genealogy  and  historians  as  a  daughter  of  Lady  Arabella  Stuart.  If 
this  supposition  be  correct  the  descendants  of  William  and  Mary  Dyer  are  also  de- 
scended from  the  noble  family  of  Stuart.  The  Dyers  were  Quakers,  and  the  Mary 
Dyer  above  mentioned  was  put  to  death  on  Boston  Common  for  her  firm  and  unyield- 
ing adherence  to  her  religious  beliefs. 


4n  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Dunlap,  Edward  H..  who  died  on  his  farm  three  miles  southwest  of  the  village  o£ 
Vernon,  February  28,  1889,  in  the  sixty-sixth  year  of  his  age,  was  well  known  in  this 
vicinity.  He  was  born  July  8,  1833,  in  Whitestown,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  a  son  of 
Job  and  Sara  (Baker)  Dunlap.  His  father  was  a  farmer  and  also  conducted  a  gen- 
eral store  at  Bennett's  Corners  for  several  years.  Mr.  Dunlap  resided  on  his  father's 
farm  until  he  was  a  young  man,  and  attended  the  district  schools.  He  finally  went 
to  Madison,  'Wis.,  where  for  several  years  he  conducted  a  general  store  with  his 
brother,  Sylvester  Dunlap.  After  his  father's  death  he  returned  east  and  purchased 
the  home  farm,  to  which  he  added  from  time  to  time  until  he  possessed  376  acres. 
He  also  held  considerable  land  in  the  'West.  Mr.  Dunlap  was  a  man  of  good  busi- 
ness ability  and  posses.sed  the  power  of  making  money.  He  was  engaged  in  a  paint 
and  wall  paper  business  in  the  village  of  Oneida  for  about  five  years,  after  which  he 
returned  to  his  farm  where  he  resided  until  his  death.  He  was  a  Free  and  Accepted 
Mason,  and  a  man  of  genial  nature,  well  liked  by  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact. 
He  married  Tryphena,  daughter  of  Josiah  Rawson  of  Bennett's  Corners  and  one 
daughter  was  born  to  them:   Ella  Josephine,  widow  of  Henry  Thompson  of  Oneida. 


Rawson,  Josiah,  who  was  a  justice  of  the  peace  at  Bennett's  Corners  for  many 
years,  and  a  well  known  and  highly  respected  citizen  of  Madison  county,  died  May 
8,  1861.  He  was  a  lineal  descendant  in  the  sixth  generation  from  Edward  Rawson, 
who  came  from  England  in  1636  and  settled  in  Newbury  in  Massachusetts  Bay 
Colony;  was  a  man  of  importance  in  the  colony,  serving  in  many  positions  of  public 
trust;  town  clerk,  selectman,  deputy  to  the  General  Court,  etc.,  and  held  large  grants 
of  land.  The  line  is  as  follows:  Josiah  (6):  Josiah  (5);  Josiah  (4);  David  (3);  'William 
(3);  and  Edward  (1).  Mr.  Rawson  was  a  native  of  New  England;  he  married  at  Rich- 
mond, N.  H.,  and  later  went  to  Richmond,  Vermont,  where  he  was  several  times  a 
member  of  the  State  Legislature.  He  removed  to  Madison  county  in  1828  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  near  Bennett's  Corners,  where  he  resided  until  his  death.  Nine 
children  were  born  to  him,  only  one  of  whom  survives,  Tryphena,  who  resides  in 
Oneida,  the  widow  of  Edward  Dunlap. 

Drake.  Frank  C,  M.  D.,  who  has  practiced  medicine  in  Oneida  for  the  past  thir- 
teen years,  was  born  in  Topeka,  Kansas,  October  31,  1861,  a  son  of  D.  D.  and  Rachel 
(Campbell)  Drake.  His  father,  also  a  physician,  was  a  native  of  Oswego  county,  N. 
Y. ,  and  is  now  in  practice  at  Johnstown,  N.  Y.  Dr.  Drake  was  educated  at  Colgate 
Academy  and  Syracuse  University  Medical  Department,  from  which  he  was  grad- 
uated M.  D.  with  the  class  of  1886.  After  taking  his  degree  he  at  once  began  prac- 
tice in  Oneida.  During  1893  he  served  as  president  of  the  village,  and  is  now  serv- 
ing as  a  member  of  the  board  of  police  and  fire  commissioners.  He  is  a  trustee  of 
the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Oneida;  a  member  of  the  New  York  State  Medical 
Association,  and  member  and  for  the  past  three  years  secretary  of  the  Madison 
County  Medical  Society.  He  married  in  1881  Ella  De  Forest  Bates,  daughter  of 
James  N.  Bates  of  Oneida.     One  son  has  been  born  to  them,  James  D.  Drake. 


Dewey,  Manford  J.,  son  of  Joel  and  Eliza  (Greene)  Dewey,  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Adams,  Jefferson  county,  N.  Y.,   February  22,  1839.     His  father  was  a  general 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  41 

merchant  and  prominent  citizen  of  Adams,  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  for  a  period 
of  fourteen  years,  and  held  other  positions  of  public  trust.  Of  his  union  with  EHza 
Greene  five  children  were  born,  four  of  whom  are  now  living;  Marion  M.,  widow  of 
Julius  Tanner;  Marissa  E. ,  widow  of  D.  M.  Greene;  Melvil  Dewey,  the  well  known 
secretary  of  the  State  Board  of  Regents,  and  originator  of  the  modern  public  library 
system ;  and  the  subject  of  this  notice.  M.  J.  Dewey  received  an  education  confined 
to  the  common  schools  of  his  native  town,  and  at  an  early  age  entered  his  father's 
business,  becoming  a  salesman  and  book  keeper.  As  a  youth  he  evinced  much 
natural  musical  ability,  and  his  father  sent  him  to  Boston  where  he  received  a  thor- 
ough musical  training,  and  before  he  reached  his  majority  became  well  known  in  the 
vicinity  of  Adams  as  a  talented  musician  and  a  teacher  of  ability.  He  came  to  Oneida 
in  May,  186G,  and  for  a  period  of  two  years  was  employed  as  a  salesman  and  teacher 
by  William  E.  Pratt  &  Co.  ;  giving  lessons  on  the  piano,  organ,  cornet,  guitar,  and 
violin,  besides  training  different  bands  in  the  vicinity.  In  1868,  he  severed  his  con- 
nection with  this  firm,  began  a  similar  business  on  his  own  account,  and  by  industry 
and  perseverance  gained  a  flattering  success  in  a  surprisingly  short  time.  He  con- 
ducted his  business  in  a  systematic,  thorough,  and  above  all  honest  manner,  from 
time  to  time  added  different  lines  to  his  stock,  and  is  now  one  of  the  largest  dealers 
in  musical  merchandise  in  Central  New  York.  In  connection  with  his  Oneida  store, 
he  has  also  conducted  branches  in  Utica.  Lowville,  Clayton,  Hamilton,  Cazenovia, 
and  Camden.  In  1872  he  bought  a  plot  of  ground  on  the  west  side  of  Main  street 
and  erected  the  brick  building  known  as  the  Dewey  block,  where  he  has  .since  con- 
ducted his  business.  In  1884,  while  still  engaged  in  building  up  his  Oneida  business, 
he  purchased  a  factory  at  Blooraingdale,  N.  J.,  buying  old  rubber,  which  was  ground 
to  powder,  vulcanized,  and  sold  to  manufacturers  of  rubber  goods  throughout  the 
country  to  be  mixed  with  new  gum.  In  this  enterprise  he  met  with  a  large  financial 
success.  By  virtue  of  his  experience  as  a  teacher  and  from  the  nature  of  his  business, 
Mr.  Dewey  is  well  known  throughout  the  wide  area  of  the  territory  surrounding 
Oneida.  He  has  been  a  recognized  leader  in  musical  circles,  and  for  over  a  quarter 
of  a  century  has  played  the  organ  professionally  in  different  churches.  He  al.so  lead 
the  Oneida  band  for  a  period  of  ten  years.  As  a  citizen,  he  has  been  identified  with 
and  a  generous  supporter  of  the  best  interests  of  the  village,  especially  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association,  of  which  he  has  been  a  prominent  promoter.  He  was 
appointed  president  of  the  Sewer  Commission  in  1892,  and  served  in  that  capacity 
five  years.  Since  boyhood  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church  and  is  now 
serving  as  trustee  and  deacon  of  the  Oneida  church.  Mr.  Dewey  first  married  in 
February,  1860,  Almira  R.  Hall,  daughter  Thomas  Hall  of  Wilna,  N.  Y.,  and  of  this 
union  one  daughter  was  born,  now  wife  of  Prof.  Asa  O.  Gallup,  president  of  the  New 
York  Preparatory  School.  In  October,  1873,  he  married  Charlotte  Augusta  Allen  of 
Eaton,  better  known  as  Lottie  Allen.  Mrs.  Dewey  is  a  woman  of  great  natural  gifts 
and  estimable  character.  She  is  widely  known  as  a  church  and  temperance  worker, 
and  served  as  president  of  the  Oneida  Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union  for 
thirteen  years.     They  have  four  children:   Harry  M.,  Agnes,  George  A.  and  Alta. 


Dodge,  Amos  P.,  M.  D. ,  has  practiced  medicine  in  this  vicinity  for  twenty-two 
years.     He  is  a  native  of  Herkimer  county,  born  in  Winfield,  December  16,  1854,  a 


43  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

son  of  Sanders  and  Elizabeth  (Prescott)  Dodge.  Dr.  Dodge  received  his  preparatory 
education  at  Clinton  Liberal  Institute,  and  in  1874  was  graduated  M.  D.  from  the 
University  of  Maryland.  He  served  as  resident  physician  at  the  Albany  City  Hos- 
pital for  one  year;  for  one  year  in  the  hospitals  of  New  York  city;  and  began  active 
practice  in  Oneida  Castle,  where  he  remained  seventeen  years,  removing  to  Oneida 
village  in  1895.  He  has  served  as  division  surgeon  of  the  West  Shore  Railroad  since 
it  began  operation ;  was  pension  examiner  in  this  district  for  a  period  of  eight  years, 
and  is  at  present  health  officer  of  the  village  of  Oneida.  He  holds  membership  in 
the  American  Medical  Association,  New  York  State  Medical  Association,  New  York 
State  Society  of  Railroad  Surgeons,  and  the  Madison  County  Medical  Society.  For 
seventeen  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Oneida  County  Medical  Society  which  he 
served  as  vice-president.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Oneida  Lodge,  No.  370,  F.  &  A.  M. ; 
Doric  Chapter,  No.  180,  R.  A.  M.  ;  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  Dr.  Dodge  married 
in  1881,  Hattie  A.  Wells,  daughter  of  C.  H.  Wells  of  Oneida  Castle.  One  daughter 
was  born  of  this  union,  Marion  Prescott  Dodge. 


Davis,  Ward  Adams. — Joseph  Davis,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  the  town  of  Caz- 
enovia,  was  born  in  Shutesbury,  Mass.,  November  20,  1800.  In  1826  he  came  to 
Cazenovia  and  purchased  a  farm  one  and  one-half  miles  south  of  Cazenovia  village, 
since  known  as  the  Davis  farm,  and  in  1837  brought  his  family  to  the  farm  where 
they  lived  and  died.  Mr.  Davis  married  Mary  Adams  and  eleven  children  were  born 
to  them,  ten  grew  to  maturity  and  eight  are  living  at  this  date  1899.  Two  sons, 
William  and  Seymour,  enlisted  in  the  Civil  war  and  Seymour  died  in  November, 
1863,  of  disease  contracted  in  the  army;  William  served  through  the  war  and  was 
honorably  discharged  at  the  close.  He  is  now  living  in  Lekonsha,  Mich.,  a  farmer 
and  respected  citizen  of  his  tovVn.  Three  other  sons  live  in  Michigan,  two  sons  and 
one  daughter  in  Onondaga  county,  N.  Y.,  and  one  daughter  in  Hadley,  Mass.,  aged 
sixty  years.  Mrs.  Davis  died  October  22,  1846,  and  Mr.  Davis  married  second, 
Abbey  Shapley.  who  now  survives  him;  Mr.  Davis  died  September  28,  1856.  He  was 
a  kind  neighbor  and  highly  respected  in  his  town.  Ward  Adams  Davis,  son  of 
Joseph,  was  born  September  14,  1835,  and  after  his  father's  death  assumed  the  man- 
agement of  the  home  farm,  which  after  a  few  years  became  his  own.  In  September, 
1858,  Mr.  Davis  married  Lucy  S.  Johnson,  daughter  of  Henry  A.  Johnson  of  Cazeno- 
via; four  children  were  born  to  them;  Henry  Ward,  Harriet  Ingersoll,  William 
Adams  and  Seymour  Harlam.  Henry  Ward  is  living  in  Syracuse,  a  teacher  of  music 
and  is  one  of  the  finest  organists  in  central  New  York ;  Harriet  was  educated  in  Caze- 
novia Seminary,  taught  school  several  years,  was  graduated  from  the  Boston  Cook- 
ing School  and  taught  cooking  in  the  Boston  high  schools  until  her  death  on  March 
14,  1893.  She  was  greatly  loved  by  all  who  knew  her.  William  was  educated  in 
Cazenovia  Seminary,  studied  medicine  in  the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor 
for  two  years  and  Bellevue  Medical  College  (N.  Y.)  one  year.  After  receiving  his 
diploma  he  practiced  in  Lebanon  for  less  than  one  year  and  then  removed  to  New 
Woodstock  in  the  spring  of  1890,  and  died  there  the  following  October.  Seymour  is 
assisting  on  the  home  farm.  Mrs.  Davis  died  June  18,  1872;  she  was  a  kind  and 
faithful  wife  and  mother  and  was  greatly  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  her.  On  Janu- 
ary 31,  1877,  Mr.  Davis  married  Maria  S.  Jones;  they  have  one  daughter.  Flora  Spen- 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  43 

cer,  born  December  20,  1879.  Mr.  Davis  is  an  active,  industrious  farmer  and  takes 
pride  in  having  his  place  look  tidy  and  neat.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  having 
voted  for  all  the  Republican  candidates  for  president  since  the  formation  of  the 
party,  from  John  C.  Fremont  to  William  McKinley.  Mr.  Davis  has  served  his  town 
twelve  years  as  highway  commissioner  and  has  been  identified  with  the  Presbyterian 
church  for  nearly  half  a  century. 


Damon,  Edwin  S. ,  Cazenovia,  only  son  of  O.  Putnam  and  Cecilia  (Perkins)  Damon, 
was  born  in  the  house  which  has  always  been  his  home,  March  32,  1850.  His  grand- 
father, Daniel  Damon,  who  purchased  the  farm  where  Luther  Thompson  now  lives, 
was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  this  town,  coming  in  from  Massachusetts.  He 
became  a  large  farmer  and  a  man  of  importance  in  the  community.  Edwin  S.  Damon 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  at  Cazenovia  Seminary.  He  has  always 
been  engaged  in  farming,  living  on  a  farm  of  195  acres  and  doing  a  large  dairy  busi- 
ness. In  politics  Mr.  Damon  is  a  Republican  and  has  held  various  town  offices.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  New  Woodstock  Baptist  church,  and  one  of  the  representative 
citizens  of  the  town  of  Cazenovia.  He  married,  in  1873,  Mary  L.  Freeborn,  daughter 
of  Leonard  Freeborn  of  Cazenovia.  Of  this  union  are  two  sons-  Frank  L.  and  E. 
Glen,  both  of  whom  reside  at  home.  O.  Putnam  Damon  was  born  in  Cazenovia, 
where  he  always  lived,  October  21,  1815,  and  died  honored  and  respected  by  all  who 
had  known  him.  May  30,  1884,  aged  sixty-eight  years. 


Davis,  I.  Willis,  p.  o.  Cazenovia,  was  born  February  35,  1839,  on  the  farm  where 
he  resided  until  his  death,  March  3,  1899,  a  son  of  Joel  and  Phoebe  (Lounsberry) 
Davis.  They  had  three  children:  I.  Willis,  Annie  D.,  wife  of  Samuel  Cody,  and 
Alta,  all  born  on  the  farm  where  I.  Willis  resided.  Joel  was  a  son  of  Isaac  and  Eunice 
Davis,  who  came  from  Connecticut  and  settled  on  the  farm  where  Mr.  Davis  lived 
about  1779.  They  had  four  children:  Joel,  Calvin,  Mary  and  Candica.  Isaac  and 
Moses  Davis,  two  brothers,  came  from  Connecticut  and  took  up  about  200  acres  of 
land,  which  is  the  farm  on  where  Mr.  Davis  resided.  Isaac  was  m  the  war  of  1812 
and  contracted  a  disease  from  which  he  died  in  1831.  I.  Willis  Davis  was  educated 
in  the  schools  of  Fenner  and  Cazenovia  .Seminary.  His  early  life  was  spent  on  the 
farm  with  his  father,  who  died  in  1881  and  Willis  took  charge  of  the  estate.  Decem- 
ber 21,  1864,  he  married  Helen  L.,  daughter  of  Ross  and  Betsey  (Gates)  Wilber  and 
had  six  children;  Herbert  C,  J.  Ross,  Mary  E.,  Henry  W.,  Byron  B.,  and  Robert 
W.,  who  were  all  born  on  the  homestead.  Mr.  Davis  was  a  public  spirited  man  and 
always  took  an  active  part  in  town  and  county  affairs;  he  was  also  active  in  school 
and  educational  work;  was  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church  of  Fanner  and  its  oldest 
deacon,  which  position  he  held  for  twenty  years;  he  was  also  its  trustee  many  years 
and  a  teacher  in  the  Sunday  school. 


Danehy,  John,  p.  o.  Peterboro,  was  born  in  Ireland,  November  16,  1860,  a  son  of 
Cornelius  and  Nora  (Walsh)  Dauehy,  who  came  to  Madison  county  with  their  family 
about  1865.  They  had  nine  children:  John,  Thomas,  Nora,  William,  Peter,  Timothy, 
Mary  Ellen,  Julia,  and  Cora,  all  of  whom  were  natives  of  the  county  with  the  excep- 
tion of  John  and  Thomas.     They  located,  when  they  came  from  Ireland,  near  Peter- 


44  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

boro,  and  followed  farming.  John  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Smithfield 
and  Peterboro  Academy.  His  early  life  was  spent  on  the  farm  with  his  father,  and 
when  he  was  twenty-five  years  of  age  he  started  in  life  for  himself  as  a  farmer.  In 
1890  he  married  Julia,  daughter  of  Timothy  and  Julia  Danehy,  and  they  have  four 
children:  Anges,  Cornelius,  Esther,  and  Lester,  aud  one  deceased,  named  Leo,  all 
of  whom  were  born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides.  Mr  Danehy  is  interested  in 
town  and  county  affairs  and  has  held  several  of  the  appointive  offices.  He  has  been 
active  in  school  work,  having  held  most  of  the  school  offices.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Catholic  church  of  Cazenovia,  in  which  his  family  takes  a  deep  interest. 


Darrow,  J.  J.,  p.  o  West  Eaton. — David  Darrow  was  the  pioneer  head  of  one  of 
the  most  respected  of  the  early  families  in  this  county,  and  was  a  native  of  Columbia 
county,  born  in  March,  1782.  He  was  the  son  of  George  Darrow,  a  native  of  Con- 
necticut and  a  patriot  of  the  Revolution,  but  a  resident  of  New  York  after  about  1750. 
David  Darrow  contracted  for  land  in  Eaton  in  1804,  then  returned  east  to  marry  and 
bring  back  to  the  new  country  a  young  wife;  but  sickness  detained  him  until  1806, 
and  when  he  finally  came  to  this  vicinity  he  was  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  their 
infant  child,  Sophronia.  Mr.  Darrow  lived  on  the  old  farm  until  1834,  then  removed 
to  West  Eaton,  where  he  died  in  1870.  He  was  a  successful  farmer  and  acquired  a 
competency,  and  in  town  affairs  he  was  one  of  the  prominent  figures  of  the  locality. 
His  wife  was  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Joseph  Enos;  she  died  in  1839.  Their  children 
were  Sophronia,  who  married  Anthony  Hopkins,  and  who  died  in  1896,  aged  ninety- 
one;  Joseph  E.,  whose  early  life  was  spent  on  the  farm,  but  who  was  a  prosperous 
merchant  at  West  Eaton  nearly  fifty  years,  and  who  died  in  1892;  Henrietta,  who 
married  and  still  lives  in  the  town;  George  W.,  who  went  to  Buffalo  in  1864  and  met 
a  tragic  death  in  1871 ;  Caroline,  who  married  Ira  B.  Tayntor  and  died  in  1857;  Fred- 
erick M.,  a  farmer,  who  died  in  1896;  David  M.,  a  farmer,  who  died  in  1888;  William, 
who  died  in  infancy;  Mary  E.,  who  was  twice  married  and  now  lives  in  Hamilton; 
William  H.,  who  lived  in  Eaton,  then  removed  to  Cazenovia  and  died  there  in  1878, 
and  John  J.,  a  successful  farmer  of  Eaton.  In  1840  David  Darrow  married  Thankful 
Bigelow,  who  bore  him  no  children.  She  died  in  1882.  John  J.  Darrow,  who  now 
owns  the  old  homestead  formerly  occupied  by  his  father,  was  born  in  Eaton,  October 
28,  1830,  and  was  educated  at  Morrisville,  Eaton  and  De  Ruyter  academies  and  Caze- 
novia Seminary.  He  taught  school  several  years  and  has  since  been  a  farmer,  being 
recognized  as  one  of  the  most  industrious  and  successful  agriculturists  in  the  county. 
In  1859,  he  married  Laura,  daughter  of  Daniel  Fuller  of  Eaton.  His  wife  died  in 
1860,  after  which  he  married  Marcia  V.  Blair  of  Cazenovia,  by  whom  he  had  five 
children,  four  of  whom  are  now  living.  His  second  wife  died  in  1880,  and  in  1889 
Mr.  Darrow  married  Lucinda  Morse  Bailey  of  Eaton.  Mr.  Darrow  was  one  of  the 
original  members  of  the  Republican  party  in  his  town,  and  has  held  the  offices  of 
town  superintendent  of  schools,  justice  of  the  peace,  assessor  and  railroad  commis- 
sioner for  thirty  years.  For  more  than  fifty  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  M.  E. 
church,  having  been  trustee  and  treasurer  and  also  having  been  superintendent  of 
the  Sunday  school  forty-two  years. 


Dexter,  Edwin  N. ,  p.  o.  Morrisville,  who  since  1887  has  been  in  general  mercantile 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  45 

business  at  Morrisville,  and  who  during  that  time  has  established  one  of  the  most 
substantial  interests  of  the  county  seat,  was  the  youngest  of  the  children  in  the  fam- 
ily of  William  Dexter  of  Stockbndge.  William  Dexter  came  to  the  county  when'  a 
young  man,  and  is  remembered  as  a  cabinet  maker  and  undertaker  in  his  town.  His 
wife  was  Fanny  Harrington,  and  to  them  these  children  was  born:  Florence  of  Mor- 
risville; Clarence  W..  of  Munnsville;  Charles  H.,  a  well  known  school  teacher; 
Fanny,  wife  of  Rev.  J.  H.  Zartman ;  Eunice,  who  died  when  a  child,  and  Edwin  N., 
now  of  Morrisville.  The  well  known  firm  of  C.  W.  Dexter  &  Bro.  was  established  at 
Munnsville  in  1883,  and  was  continued  with  good  results  until  1887,  when  Edwin  N. 
Dexter  sold  out  and  came  to  Morrisville.  He  first  bought  a  small  store  "on  the  hill," 
where  he  did  business  until  1890,  when  he  removed  to  the  old  Townsend  site  "  on  the 
flats,"  in  the  village  and  where  his  greatest  business  success  has  been  achieved;  it  is 
not  an  idle  compliment  to  say  that  Mr.  Dexter  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  pros- 
perous merchants  in  this  county.  On  July  23,  1885,  he  married  Dora  H.  Lyman  of 
Stockbridge,  by  whom  he  has  four  children.  Mr.  Dexter  is  a  firm  Republican,  but 
not  active  in  politics.     He  is  a  member  and  trustee  of  the  Congregational  Church. 


Darrow,  C.  F. ,  p.  o.  Middletown,  N.  Y. — William  Harrison  Darrow.  the  youngest 
of  the  children  of  David  and  Elizabeth  (Enos)  Darrow,  was  born  at  West  Eaton,  N. 
Y. ,  in  1836  and  died  in  1878,  at  Cazenovia.  His  early  life  was  spent  in  Eaton  as  a 
farmer  on  the  old  homestead  until  about  1866,  when  he  became  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  Barnes,  Mitchell  &  Darrow,  who  for  some  time  operated  the  lower  woolen  mill  at 
West  Eaton.  He  then  sold  out  his  interest  and  removed  to  a  farm  near  Cazenovia, 
where  he  engaged  extensively  in  agricultural  pursuits.  He  was  a  progressive  and 
very  successful  farmer  and  an  upright  and  respected  citizen.  His  wife  was  Margaret 
A.,  daughter  of  James  Tackabury  and  Anna  Belton,  one  of  the  old  and  respected 
families  of  the  county,  of  Scotch  Irish  descent.  They  had  children:  Charles  F. ,  born 
18.57,  of  Middletown,  N.  Y.,  who  is  secretary  of  The  Breed  Publishing  Co.  ;  Robert 
Irving,  born  1860,  who  has  a  position  on  the  editorial  staff  of  the  Denver  Republican, 
Denver,  Col. ;  William  J.,  born  186S,  a  successful  teacher  at  Westwater,  Utah;  and 
George  Harrison,  and  Frank  D. ,  twin  sons  born  1870.  The  latter  are  treasurer  and 
secretary  of  the  Westwater  Irrigation  and  Land  Co.,  a  corporation  which  is  exten- 
sively engaged  in  developing  a  large  fruit  tract  in  the  Grand  Valley  and  in  cattle 
raising;  this  corporation  is  controlled  by  the  sons  of  William  Harrison  Darrow,  who 
also  conduct  a  general  mercantile  busine.ss  under  the  firm  name  of  Darrow  Bros 
Their  mother,  a  woman  of  strong  intellect  and  beautiful  character,  resides  (1899)  at 
Denver,  Colo. 


De  Witt,  George  W.,  p.  o.  Chittenango,  the  popular  and  efficient  town  clerk  of  Sul- 
livan, was  born  in  this  vicinity  May  5,  1837.  His  father,  William  De  Witt,  a  mer- 
chant, died  on  January  6,  1860.  Mr  De  Witt  has  been  a  resident  of  the  village  of 
Chittenango  about  seven  years.  Formerly  he  conducted  a  grocery  at  Bolivar,  on  the 
line  of  the  Erie  Canal,  and  did  a  large  business  in  the  palmier  days  of  that  great 
waterway.  Mr.  De  Witt  has  always  resided  in  the  town  of  Sullivan  and  has  filled 
various  public  offices  with  credit,  the  first  being  that  of  town  collector  in  1866,  He 
was  elected  town  clerk  in   1896  and  has  continued  to  hold  that  position.     February 


46  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

36,  1862,  he  married  Mary  E.  Myers  of  Frankfort,  Herkimer  county.    Her  father  was 

D.  H.  Myers  and  her  maternal  grandfather  was  the  late  Judge  Sterling  of  that  county. 
It  is  related  of  Mrs.  De  Witt's  grandmother  that  when  about  four  j-ears  of  age  she 
was  captured  by  the  predatory  Mohawks,  but  was  rescued  after  some  weeks  of  aborig- 
inal life.  Their  children  are  George  M.  De  Witt,  of  this  place,  and  Ella  M.  De  Witt, 
who  has  become  a  successful  teacher,  now  in  charge  of  a  normal  training  class  at 
Johnstown,  N.  Y. 

Dunster,  John  L.,  was  born  near  Wood  Church,  England.  March  3,  1846,  and  was 
the  fifth  of  a  family  of  eight  children  of  Charles  and  Ann  Dunster.  The  family  came 
to  America  in  1849  and  settled  in  Camden,  and  thence  removed  to  Augusta  in  two  or 
three  years.  Still  later  they  came  to  Madison  and  from  the  latter  town  removed  to 
Cayuga  county.  From  1859  to  1864  John  L.  Dunster  lived  chiefly  in  Clinton,  but  in 
September,  1864,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  C,  1st  N.  Y.  Light  Artillery,  and  served  until 
the  general  muster  out  in  1865.  He  then  came  to  Madison,  worked  on  a  farm  a  few 
years  and  then  opened  a  market  in  the  village.  In  January.  1897,  he  started  a  gro- 
cery business  and  has  built  up  an  extensive  trade.  The  Dunster  building  was  erected 
in  1894.  In  politics  Mr.  Dunster  is  a  firm  Republican,  but  is  almost  wholly  without 
political  aspirations.     For  more  than  thirty  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  M. 

E.  Church,  holding  the  offices  of  trustee  and  steward.  On  October  15, 1867,  Mr.  Duns- 
ter married  Anna,  adopted  daughter  of  James  House.  Four  children  have  been 
born  to  them:  Sarah  (wife  of  Herbert  Stowell),  James  H.,  Harry  and  Gertrude. 


Denison,  Milton  L.,  p.  o.  Peterboro,  was  born  in  Oneida  county,  N.  Y. ,  October 
18,  1844,  a  son  of  George  T.,  son  of  Latham  M  ,  son  of  Daniel  Denison,  who  came 
from  Scotland  and  settled  in  Roxbury,  Mass.  The  family  trace  their  ancestry  to 
William  Denison.  who  came  from  England  about  1631.  Latham  M.  and  brother, 
Samuel  Deni.son,  came  to  Oneida  in  1800,  being  among  the  first  settlers  and  there 
lived  and  died.  Latham  M.  was  a  farmer;  his  wife  was  Eleanor  Tifft;  he  died  in 
1847  and  his  wife  in  1846.  George  T.  Denison  was  born  in  Oneida  county,  January 
23,  1813,  aid  educated  in  the  common  schools.  He  was  a  contractor  and  builder, 
also  an  extensive  farmer  in  Oneida  county.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republican,  and 
was  supervisor  of  Lee,  Oneida  county.  His  wife,  Arabell  Davis,  was  born  in  Hol- 
land Patent,  N.  Y.,  a  daughter  of  Barney  Davis,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Oneida 
county.  M.  L.  Denison  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  Delta  High  School 
and  Cazenovia  Seminary.  In  1863  he  enlisted  in  Capt.  Mann's  Independent  Com- 
pany of  Cavalry  and  served  one  year  and  nine  months.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he 
came  to  Smithfield  and  married  Helen  Berry,  daughter  of  Hiram  Berry;  they  have 
three  children:  George  M  ,  a  farmer  on  the  farm  of  his  father;  William  H.  and  Ma- 
bel L.  George  M.  married  Julia  Bennett;  William  H.  married  Anna  Moon,  and 
Mabel  L.  married  Robert  C  Avery  of  Perryville.  She  died  in  April,  1894,  leaving 
two  children:  Clark  M.  and  Ruble  M.  In  1879  Mr.  Denison  engaged  in  the  selling 
of  musical  instruments  and  sewing  machines,  in  which  he  has  been  very  successful. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  but  not  an  aspirant  to  office.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Smithfield  Lodge  No.  120,  I.  O.  O.  F. 

Enos,  W.  E.,  p.  o.  West  Eaton. — Joseph,  Benjamin  and  David  C.  Enos,  brothers 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  47 

and  pioneers  in  this  county,  were  sons  of  Col.  Joseph  Enos,  a  Revolutionary  officer 
and  patriot.  They  came  from  New  Lebanon,  Joseph  to  Eaton  village  (then  called 
Log  City),  Benjamin  to  De  Ruyter  and  David  C.  to  West  Eaton.  Joseph's  family  is 
not  now  represented  in  the  county.  Benjamin  reared  two  children;  Samuel  D.  and 
Sena  Ann.  David  C.  settled  on  the  hill  in  West  Eaton  and  brought  to  the  town  a 
wife  and  two  children.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1813  and  served  at  Sacketts 
Harbor.  In  1813  he  married  Mary  Judson,  by  whom  he  had  six  children:  Emilius 
J,,  Mary  Jane,  David  C,  De  Witt  C.  (better  known  as  Dr.  D.  C.  Enos,  professor  of 
anatomy  in  Long  Island  College  Hospital,  and  whose  widow  generously  donated  his 
splendid  library  to  that  institution),  Annette  Elizabeth  (married  S.  W.  Lawrence), 
and  William  Edwin.  The  latter,  now  one  of  the  few  surviving  members  of  the 
family  in  the  county,  was  born  in  De  Ruyter,  July  2,  1826,  and  since  1828  has  lived 
in  Eaton.  He  has  engaged  in  various  business  enterprises  and  occupations,  but 
since  1856  has  been  a  farmer.  On  February  10,  1864,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  D,  10th  N. 
Y.  Cavalry;  was  wounded  April  7,  1864,  at  Kelley's  Ford  while  trying  to  release  his 
nephew  from  an  unfortunate  position  under  a  fallen  hor.se;  was  sent  to  Campbell 
Hospital  for  two  months;  transferred  to  Grant's  U.  S.  Hospital  at  Willett's  Point; 
was  mustered  out  on  account  of  disabilities  September  13,  1864.  He  then  returned 
to  the  farm  he  now  owns  and  occupies.  On  May  14,  1848,  Mr.  Enos  married  Lu- 
cinda  M.  Barrett,  who  died  August  13,  1898.  and  by  whom  he  has  two  children ; 
Wdliam  Diverson  and  Edwin  Newell,  the  latter  of  whom  manages  the  farm  in 
Eaton. 


Evans,  Lewis  Vincent,  p.  o.  Chittenango  Station,  agent  for  the  N.  Y.  C.  &  H.  R.  R. 
at  Chittenango,  is  a  native  of  Oneida  county.  He  was  born  at  Remsen,  N.  Y. ,  Sep- 
tember 13,  1859.  His  father,  of  the  same  name,  and  now  deceased,  was  born  in 
Wales  and  came  to  America  when  about  twenty  years  of  age.  Finding  a  home  with 
relatives  near  Rome,  he  took  advantage  of  the  superior  educatio::al  facilities  there 
afforded,  as  we  note  his  name  in  the  roster  of  students  at  the  old  Rome  Academy  for 
the  year  1848.  He  died  at  Rome  in  1894,  aged  seventy-four  years.  The  present 
Lewis  Evans  also  received  his  education  at  Rome,  and  shortly  before  attaining  his 
majority  he  became  manager  of  the  Atlantic  &  Pacific  Telegraph  office.  In  1881  he 
went  west,  spending  nearly  a  year  in  Missouri,  then  in  1882  became  telegraph  oper- 
ator and  freight  clerk  at  Rome,  N.  Y  ,  during  which  engagement  he  made  another 
western  tour,  this  time  to  Illinois,  returning  in  1883.  During  the  succeeding  four 
years  he  was  freight  clerk  and  operator  at  Rome,  and  ticket  and  freight  agent  at 
Pierrepont  Manor,  N.  Y.  In  June,  1888,  he  assumed  the  duties  of  agent  and  operator 
here  and  upon  the  decease  of  the  acting  freight  agent  in  1891,  took  charge  of  that 
office  also.  He  proves  a  most  efficient  and  popular  official.  Soon  after  locating  here 
he  became  a  Mason  and  was  for  two  years,  189G  and  1897,  master  of  the  local  lodge, 
SulUvan  No.  148. 


Edgarton,  John,  came  from  Shirley,  in  the  vicinity  of  Boston,  Mass.,  was  a  pioneer 
on  the  site  of  Bouckville  in  1798,  and  spent  his  life  in  the  town.  His  son,  Jackson, 
moved  to  Wisconsin  in  1858 ;  his  other  children  were  Caroline,  Abbie,  Betsey,  Lucetta, 
Mary,  Ann,  Jackson  and  Joseph,  but  none  of  them  or  their  descendants  is  now  in  the 


48  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

town  except  Libbie,  wife  of  J.  W.  Townsend,  and  daughter  of  Abbie.  William  Ed- 
garton  came  in  1801.  and  occupied  a  log  cabin  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  William  W. 
Edgarton  ;  here  he  died  in  1863,  his  wife  having  died  1858.  Of  their  eleven  children, 
only  one  now  survives.  They  were  Sally.  Benjamin,  James.  Allaseba,  Dorinda, 
Arabella.  Dorinda  2d,  William  1st,  Miranda,  Sylvia  and  William  W.  2d.,  the  first 
child  of  this  christian  having  died  young.  The  pioneer  William  was  both  farmer  and 
brickmaker,  and  his  only  living  son,  William  W. ,  is  a  farmer  and  one  of  the  most 
substantial  men  of  the  town.  He  was  born  July  22,  1825,  and  has  spent  almost  his 
whole  life  on  the  same  farm.  The  farm  he  purchased  from  his  father,  and  it  has  not 
in  any  sense  lost  Its  productiveness  under  his  management;  indeed,  in  one  season, 
(1886)  he  alone  raised  the  only  crop  of  hops  in  the  county.  Mr.  Edgarton  is  a  sub- 
stantial Democrat  and  one  whose  name  is  frequently  found  on  his  party's  ticket  for 
some  important  town  office.  In  1850  he  married  Maria  W.  Howard,  by  whom  he  had 
two  children:  A.  Lawrence,  who  died  at  twenty-one  years,  and  Clara,  wife  of  George 
Groves,  station  agent  at  BouckviUe.  His  wife  died  in  1868,  and  in  1872  Mr.  Edgar- 
ton married  Elsie  Keyes,  by  whom  he  had  two  children;  William  W.  jr.,  and  Sylvia 
E.,  both  of  BouckviUe. 


Eisaman,  Willard,  p.  o.  Peterboro,  was  born  in  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  April  9, 
1849,  a  son  of  Jeremiah,  son  of  Peter  Eisaman,  whose  father  was  born  in  Germany 
and  was  an  early  settler  in  the  State  of  New  Yord.  Peter  Eisaman  lived  and  died 
in  Little  Falls,  N.  Y.  Jeremiah  Eisaman  was  born  in  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  in 
1820,  and  came  to  Smithfield  in  18.54  and  purchased  the  farm  Willard  now  owns.  He 
spent  his  last  twenty-five  years  in  Canastota,  retired,  where  he  died  in  1897.  In 
politics  he  was  a  Republican,  and  held  the  office  of  street  commissioner  a  number  of 
years.  His  wife  was  Lucinda  Ritter,  born  in  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  a  daughter  of 
Joseph  Ritter,  who  lived  and  died  in  Canastota.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eisaman  had  three 
children,  two  now  living.  Willard  Eisaman  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
and  Evans  Academy.  He  is  a  farmer  and  owns  225  acres  of  land.  April  6,  1870,  he 
married  Victoria  Benn  of  Madison  county,  a  daughter  of  Peter  P.  Benn,  and  grand- 
daughter of  Peter  P.  Benn,  an  early  settler  of  Lenox.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eisaman  had 
two  daughters:  Lena,  born  March  8,  1871,  married  Frank  Wellerof  Lincoln,  a  farmer; 
and  Mabel,  born  July  17,  1872,  married  Albert  Henderson  and  has  two  sons:  Willard 
D.  and  Eugene  C.  Mr.  Eisaman  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  but  not  an  aspirant  to 
office.     He  is  a  member  of  Smithfield  Lodge,  No.  120,  I.  O.  O.  F. 


English,  George  E. ,  was  born  in  the  central  part  of  the  town  of  Nelson,  December 
4,  1834.  a  son  of  Samuel  Ellis  and  Lavina  Smith  English,  who  had  six  children:  Cor- 
nelia, Wilson,  George  E. ,  Lucius  D.,  Henry  C,  and  Flora,  all  born  in  that  town. 
Samuel  E.  followed  farming  and  was  the  son  of  Joseph  English,  whose  children 
were  William.  Joseph,  Thomas,  Mary,  Abigail.  Nancy  and  Elizabeth.  George  E. 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  the  town  of  Nelson,  and  his  life  was  spent 
with  his  parents  until  he  was  twenty-two  years  of  age,  when  he  married  and  started 
in  life  as  a  farmer  and  carpenter.  He  married  Ellen  M. .  daughter  of  Seth  and  Lydia 
Bates  Dawson;  they  have  four  children  living:  Charles  D.,  Nellie,  Ellis  S.,  and  Lill- 
ian.    Mr.  English  first  rented  the  farm  where  Horace  K.  Smith  now  lives,  but  later 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  49 

moved  on  to  the  Asa  Coville  farm.     In  1860  he  moved  on  to  the  farm  where  he  now 
resides  and  follows  general  and  dairy  farming.     He  is  interested  in  town  and  county 

affairs. 


English,  Henry  Charles,  was  born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  February  9, 
1843,  a  son  of  Samuel  Ellis  and  Lavina  (Smith)  English.  He  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  of  the  town  of  Nelson  and  his  early  life  was  spent  on  the  homestead 
with  his  parents,  where  he  now  resides.  April  18,  1866,  he  married  Harriet  A., 
daughter  of  David  A.  and  Lucy  (Chaffee)  Hamilton,  who  died  November  29,  1896; 
they  had  four  children:  James  D.,  who  married  Hattie  Judd;  Fred  E.,  who  married 
Mamie  Roberts;  Blanch  E..  who  married  Dexter  P.  Maynard;  and  Fayette  H. 
Henry  C.  is  a  public  spirited  man  and  takes  a  great  interest  in  school  and  educa- 
tional work. 


Fox,  Eugene  C,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Lenox,  February  34,  1867,  a  son  of 
Solomon  and  Elizabeth  (Bellenger)  Fox.  His  father,  who  is  still  living  and  active, 
although  of  advanced  age,  was  born  in  Montgomery  county  where  the  family  were 
among  the  earliest  settlers,  and  came  to  this  vicinity  in  1865,  and  has  made  many 
friends  here,  being  known  as  a  man  of  strict  integrity  and  honorable  dealing.  He 
first  bought  what  is  called  the  Morrison  farm,  of  fifty-three  acres,  and  later  added 
the  present  farm,  making  a  total  of  1.1.5  acres,  all  of  which  is  under  fine  cultivation. 
He  has  been  a  lifelong  Democrat  but  has  never  sought  or  held  public  office.  Eugene 
C.  Fox,  who  now  conducts  the  home  farm,  was  educated  in  the  Oneida  common 
.schools,  and  has  always  been  engaged  in  farming.  He  is  a  member  of  Eumenia 
Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows.  Of  the  union  of  Solomon  and  Elizabeth  (Bellenger)  Fox  are 
three  children:  Eugene  C,  Alfred  D.,  and  Addie  E. 


Ferguson,  Alniira,  who  died  in  Oneida,  June  3,  1899,  in  the  seventy-sixth  vear  of 
her  age,  was  for  many  years  a  resident  of  this  village  where  she  made  many  friends. 
She  was  b  )rn  in  the  town  of  Springfield,  Otsego  county,  N.  Y. ,  one  of  a  family  of 
eight  children,  three  of  whom  resided  m  Oneida.  Her  family  was  somewhat  re- 
markable in  genealogy  and  history.  Silas  Ferguson,  her  father,  was  a  minute  man 
in  the  Revolutionary  period,  and  a  native  of  Pelham,-  Mass.  He  moved  to  Otsego 
county,  this  State,  among  the  earliest  settlers,  and  became  a  man  of  considerable 
local  importance;  he  was  a  Free  and  Accepted  Mason.  Her  mother  was  Elizabeth 
Wilson,  daughter  of  Abner  Wilson  of  Otsego  county,  and  on  the  maternal  side,  a 
a  lineal  descendant  of  the  house  of  Campbell  of  Scotland.  In  fact  her  branch  of  the 
family  was  considered  of  sufficient  importance  to  be  recognized  by  Victoria's  invita- 
tion when  there  was  a  wedding  in  the  royal  family.  Miss  Ferguson  was  of  Scotch- 
Irish  and  Pilgrim  stock  ;  her  grandfather  fled  to  this  country  at  an  early  date  in  its 
history  to  escape  religious  persecution.  She  came  to  Oneida  to  reside  in  1875,  with 
her  sister,  Eleanor  Young  Ferguson,  who  died  April  1,  1898,  in  her  seventy-sixth 
year,  and  her  brother,  Augustus  B.  Ferguson.     All  three  were  unmarried. 


Frost,  Clark  A.,  son  of  Josiah  A.  and  Adelle  (Wood)  Frost,  was  born  in  Oneida, 
N.  Y.,  September  13,  1852.    His  grandfather,  Jacob  G.  Frost,  came  from  Stockbridge, 


50  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Mass.,  to  this  region  among  the  earliest  settlers,  driving  an  ox  team  and  bringing 
his  family.  He  settled  on  East  Hill  in  the  present  town  of  Stockbridge,  and  bought 
land  of  the  Indians  for  which  he  was  afterwards  compelled  to  pay  the  State.  His 
son,  Josiah  A.,  was  in  early  life  a  farmer,  and  subsequently  a  builder  and  contractor 
in  Oneida,  erecting  the  Oneida  Seminary.  He  died  June  18.  1890.  Clark  A.  Frost 
attended  the  old  Oneida  Seminary,  and  began  business  as  a  clerk  in  the  Oneida  jew- 
elry store  of  Henry  Williams.  Later  he  worked  in  like  capacity  for  Dwight  Chapin, 
in  whose  store  he  bought  an  interest,  forming  the  firm  of  Chapin  &  Frost  which  con- 
tinued fifteen  years.  For  two  years  following  this  period  Mr.  Frost  was  employed  as 
a  traveling  salesman  for  the  Smith  Granite  Co.,  of  Westerly,  R.  I.,  said  to  be  the 
largest  concern  of  its  class  in  the  country.  He  formed  his  present  co  partnership 
with  W.  E.  Hazeltine  in  July,  1897.  Mr.  Frost  has  served  six  years  as  a  member  of 
the  village  board  of  education.  He  married,  in  1881,  Alice  Bender,  daughter  of 
Silas  Bender  of  Oneida.     One  .son  has  been  born  of  this  union,  Clayton  Frost. 


Fitch,  Jared  W.,  M.  D.,  who  died  in  Oneida,  December  8,  1881,  in  the  seventy- 
fourth  year  of  his  age,  was  for  years  a  prominent  and  highly  respected  citizen  of 
this  village.  He  was  a  native  of  Clinton,  Oneida  County,  N.  Y. ,  where  he  was  born 
in  1807,  a  sou  of  Dr.  John  Fitch,  a  practicing  physician  of  that  village.  He  was 
graduated  M.  D.  at  the  Berkshire  Medical  College,  Mass..  in  1829,  and  soon  there- 
after commenced  practice  about  thirty  miles  east  of  St.  Louis  in  Illinois.  Thence, 
after  a  few  years,  he  removed  to  New  York  State,  and  engaged  in  a  manufacturing 
enterprise  in  the  city  of  Rochester.  In  1851  he  removed  to  Oneida,  being  interested 
for  a  time  in  the  manufacture  of  the  Northrup  printing  press.  Later  he  resumed  the 
practice  of  medicine  which  he  continued  almost  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  being  at 
the  same  time  associated  with  two  of  his  sons  in  the  manufacture  of  drain  tile.  The 
foregoing  covers  the  general  record  of  his  active  life — -a  life  that  won  for  him  a  large 
measure  of  the  respect  and  esteem  of  his  fellows.  Few  men  have  secured  a  more 
honored  name  in  this  community;  possessed  of  a  warm  social  nature,  he  naturally 
drew  the  affection  of  others ;  honorable  and  upright  he  was  trusted  by  all ;  a  Chris- 
tian man,  conscientiously  but  firmly  discharging  his  duties,  his  influence  for  good  was 
widely  felt,  and  as  an  exemplary  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  he  was  always 
active  in  all  that  pertained  to  its  prosperity. 

Fox,  Charles  A.,  a  son  of  Hubbard  and  Maria  (Finch)  Fox,  was  born  in  De  Ruy- 
ter,  April  4,  1844.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Sherburne,  Chenango  county,  and  for 
some  years  was  engaged  in  business  as  a  harness  maker  and  dealer.  In  1857  he  was 
licensed  to  preach  the  Gospel  and  joined  the  Oneida  Conference,  and  from  that  time 
until  his  death  in  1893  was  a  preacher  of  the  Methodist  faith,  holding  pastorates  in 
Borodino,  Fayetteville  and  Amber  in  Onondaga  county;  Preble  and  Marathon  in 
Cortland  county ;  Westford,  Otsego  county ;  Whitney's  Point,  Broome  county  ;  Smyrna 
and  Sherburne  in  Chenango  county ;  and  at  Eaton  and  New  Woodstock  in  Madison 
county.  The  family  originally  came  from  Connecticut  and  settled  first  in  Sherburne, 
Chenango  county,  then  removed  to  Pitcher  in  the  same  county,  where  they  lived  on 
the  "old  Fox  farm."  Charles  A.  Fox  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  at 
Cazenovia  Seminary.     For  about  fifteen  years  he  was  engaged  in  farming  at  Preble, 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  51 

and  in  1877  removed  to  New  Woodstock  and  established  the  general  store  which  he 
still  continues.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  has  held  several  town  offices.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W  ,  and  for  many  years  has  been  an  official  member  of 
the  New  Woodstock  Methodist  church.  He  married,  in  1863,  Helen  Banks,  daugh- 
ter of  Alanson  Banks  of  Preble,  Cortland  county. 


Fuller,  John  H.,  who  died  in  New  Woodstock,  June  7,  1890,  on  his  eighty-first  birth- 
day, was  for  a  number  of  years  one  of  the  leading  business  men  and  representative 
farmers  of  the  vicinity.  He  was  born  in  the  town  of  Nelson,  near  the  Cazenovia 
line,  June  7,  1810,  a  son  of  Ebenezer  and  Hannah  (Howe)  Fuller.  His  father  was  a 
native  of  Connecticut  and  an  early  settler  of  Nelson,  where  he  purchased  a  farm 
which  became  known  as  the  Fuller  farm  and  remained  in  possession  of  the  family 
until  its  recent  purchase  by  Seymour  Holmes.  John  H.  spent  his  boyhood  upon  this 
farm  and  obtained  his  education  in  the  schools  of  the  vicinity.  He  was  possessed  of 
much  natural  business  ability  and  early  began  the  business  of  buying  live  stock  and 
wool,  which  he  followed  all  his  life.  For  over  thirty  years  he  was  associated  in  this 
business  with  Wells  Richmond,  and  they  annually  bought  thousands  of  dollars  worth 
of  live  stock  and  large  quantities  of  wool.  Mr.  Fuller  was  a  Republican  in  politics, 
but  never  held  a  public  office,  although  his  friends  often  endeavored  to  persuade  him 
to  do  so.  He  was  a  man  of  the  strictest  integrity  and  had  a  plea.sing  manner  and 
di.sposition,  which  won  for  him  many  warm  friends.  He  was  twice  married,  first  to 
Wilhemina,  daughter  of  Thomas  Tucker  of  Cazenovia,  and  they  had  one  daughter 
who  died  in  infancy.  His  second  wife  was  Susan  Gardner,  daughter  of  Dwight 
Gardner  of  De  Ruyter.  They  had  three  children,  all  deceased.  In  1854  Mr.  Fuller 
adopted  Ella  S.  Ham,  a  niece  of  his  first  wife,  who  was  only  one  year  old.  She 
always  lived  in  his  family  until  she  married  Irving  A.  Savage  of  New  Woodstock  in 
1874.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Savage  and  their  two  children,  Carrol  H.  and  Laura  I.,  are  now 
living  m  Syracuse. 


Freeborn,  Leonard  W.,  a  substantial  farmer  and  almost  lifelong  resident  of  the 
town  of  Cazenovia,  was  born  here  May  27,  1819,  a  son  of  Stephen  and  Lucy  (White) 
Freeborn.  His  mother's  father,  Joseph  White,  fought  vpith  the  Continental  army 
during  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  and  later  moved  from  Connecticut  to  this  vicinity, 
bringing  his  household  goods  and  family  with  an  o.k  team.  He  died  in  Cazenovia  in 
1830.  Stephen  Freeborn  had  five  brothers,  David,  Gideon,  Noel,  who  was  killed  in 
the  war  of  1813,  Christopher  and  Jonathan.  They  came  originally  from  Rhode  Island, 
where  their  progenitors  had  settled  on  coming  from  England.  They  were  among  the 
earliest  settlers  in  Cazenovia,  Gideon  Freeborn  having  driven  the  ox  team  for  John 
Lincklaen  when  he  first  penetrated  the  wilderness.  Stephen  Freeborn  built  a  log 
house  about  two  miles  north  of  the  present  village  of  New  Woodstock,  and  cleared 
large  tracts  of  land  in  the  vicinity,  not  only  for  himself,  but  by  contract  for  others. 
He  lived  on  his  farm  of  fifty  acres  in  Cazenovia  until  1830,  and  then  removed  to  a 
farm  of  some  lOO  acres  near  Erieville  in  Nelson,  where  he  lived  until  his  death  in 
1852.  Leonard  W.  Freeborn  was  the  third  son  and  eighth  child  of  Stephen  Free- 
born's family,  in  which  were  eleven  children.  During  his  youth  he,  like  the  others, 
was  obliged  to  contribute  to  the  support  of  the  family  by  hard  work  at  farming,  and 


53  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

clearing  limber  lands.  His  father  was  not  a  man,  however,  to  neglect  the  education 
of  his  family,  and  he  found  time  to  attend  the  district  schools  and  also  the  Eaton  vil- 
lage school  one  term.  He  has  been  engagecj  in  farming  all  his  life,  but  having  a 
Yankee  shrewdness  and  business  ability  has  also  engaged  extensively  in  business 
enterprises  of  various  kinds.  For  a  number  of  years  he  was  quite  extensively  en- 
gaged in  baying  and  shipping  to  outside  markets  butter  and  cheese,  often  handling 
over  $100,000  worth  of  these  products  in  a  single  year.  He  also  bought  pork,  dried 
apples  and  other  farm  products,  acquiring  by  industry,  frugality  and  the  exercise  of 
his  native  ability,  a  goodly  competence.  His  first  farm  was  in  the  town  of  De  Ruy- 
ter,  where  he  lived  about  fifteen  years.  In  1866  he  bought  180  acres  of  the  farm  on 
which  he  now  resides,  and  has  since  added  to  his  possessions  by  purchase  until  he 
now  owns  some  700  acres,  divided  into  three  farms.  Mr.  Freeborn  has  always  been 
a  Whig  or  a  Republican,  and  has  held  several  minor  town  offices.  He  cast  his  first 
vote  for  "Tippecanoe  and  Tyler  too."  He  married,  in  1847,  Ruby  Louisa  >Iorse, 
daughter  of  Gershora  Morse  of  Nelson,  and  nine  children  were  born  to  them:  Mary 
Louisa,  wife  of  Edward  S.  Damon;  Frank  L..  John  C,  Etta,  wife  of  Deacon  L.  H. 
Slocum;  Gardner  Morse.  Emmett  Dayton,  Dora  Lucy,  wife  of  J.  A.  Loyster,  and 
Ella  Josephine,  allot  Cazenovia.    George  Roselle,  their  seventh  child,  died  in  infancy. 

Faurot,  Captain  Henry,  p.  o.  Stockbridge,  was  born  in  Canandaigua,  Ontario 
county,  N.  Y. ,  September  9,  1828,  was  educated  in  his  native  town  and  was  gradu- 
ated from  the  Albany  Law  School  and  practiced  his  profession  in  partnership  with 
his  brother,  J.  P.  Faurot  of  Canandaigua.  When  the  war  broke  out  he  raised  the 
first  company  organized  in  his  county,  was  chosen  captain,  and  on  May  13  1861,  his 
company  was  attached  to  the  18th  Regiment,  N.  Y.  Vols.,  Col.  W.  A.  Jackson  com- 
manding. He  was  in  the  Peninsula  campaign  and  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Bull 
Run,  Mann's  Junction,  Bailey's  Cro.ss  Roads,  Gaines  Mills,  the  siege  of  Richmond, 
and  on  account  of  incapacity  through  illness  was  honorably  discharged  in  August, 
1862.  For  three  years  after  his  discharge  from  the  army  he  served  as  clerk  of  the 
Court  of  Appeals.  Then,  his  health  having  failed  as  a  result  of  army  service,  he 
went  to  Gaines,  Mich.,  where  he  engaged  in  real  estate  and  mercantile  business  un- 
til his  death  on  July  8,  1869.  He  married  Theresa  D.  Hadcock  of  Stockbridge,  N.  Y. , 
on  June  3,  1861,  and  they  had  one  son  Henry,  who  is  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  felt  in  Chicago.  Henry  married  Catherine  Silverthorne  of  Chicago  and  they  have 
four  children:  Henry,  Frances  de  Ferrier,  Julia  Belle  and  William  Silverthorne. 
Mrs.  Faurot  was  a  daughter  of  John  and  Nancy  Hadcock  who  were  among  the  first 
settlers  of  Stockbridge.  He  was  a  farmer  and  settled  on  a  farm  which  has  since 
been  in  the  family;  he  was  agent  for  the  Indians  for  a  number  of  years;  was  a  Dem- 
ocrat in  politics  and  captain  of  State  militia.  He  and  his  wife  had  ten  children  of 
whom  six  are  now  living.  Mrs.  Faurot  and  her  sister,  L.  Jeannette  Hadcock,  have 
the  old  homestead  of  two  hundred  acres  and  follow  dairying  and  hop  raising. 


Fisk,  David  L.,  p.  o.  North  Brookfield,  N.  Y.,  was  born  in  Brookfield,  January  1, 
1829.  John  Fisk,  great-grandfather  of  David  L.,  was  born  in  Worcester,  Mass.,  on 
August  16,  1749,  and  on  August  30,  1777,  he  was  married  to  Irena  Buck.  His  build- 
ings were  burned  during  the  Revolutionary  war  while  he  was  in  the  service.   David, 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  53 

son  of  John,  was  born  in  Worcester,  November  12,  1782,  and  came  to  Brookfield  in 
1797,  and  his  son  Dennison,  father  of  David  L..  was  born  in  Brookfield  in  1807,  and 
was  married  to  Polly  P.,  daughter  of  John  Bush  (who  lived  and  died  in  Sangerfield, 
N.  Y.);  they  were  members  of  the  M.  E.  Church;  he  died  March  7,  1883,  and  his 
widow  January  6,  1892.  David  L.  Fisk  was  eduated  at  Brookfield  Academy,  Ham- 
ilton Academy  and  De  Ruyter  Institute.  Mr.  Fisk  is  a  farmer,  operating  300  acres 
of  land,  chiefly  devoted  to  hop  culture.  He  has  been  a  lifelong  Republican,  has 
been  justice  of  the  peace  many  years,  justice  of  sessions  one  term,  county  coro- 
ner for  some  years,  and  in  1871  served  as  member  of  assembly.  He  is  a  member  of 
Hamilton  Lodge  No.  120,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  of  Cyrus  Chapter  No.  50,  R.  A.  M.  He  was 
married  to  Frances  E.  Green  of  Brookfield,  February  24,  1880. 

Francis.  Adelbert  W. ,  p.  o.  De  Ruyter,  one  of  the  most  active  and  successful  busi- 
ness men  of  Madison  county,  now  a  resident  of  De  Ruyter,  is  a  son  of  James  and 
Amanda  (Schofield)  Francis.  His  father  was  a  successful  miller  in  Georgetown  for 
many  years  prior  to  his  death  in  1872.  His  grandfather.  Job  Francis,  was  an  officer 
in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Adelbert  W.  was  born  in  Vernon,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y. , 
September  12,  1840.  His  boyhood  was  spent  in  school  and  in  August,  1863,  filled 
with  the  patriotic  desire  of  serving  his  country,  he  resolved  to  consecrate  his  young 
life  to  the  cause  of  liberty  and  to  the  preservation  of  the  Union,  and  enlisted  in  Co. 
A,  117th  N.Y.Vols.,  serving  his  country  faithfully  until  June  8,  1865.  when  he  was 
discharged.  He  then  returned  to  Georgetown,  where  his  father  then  lived,  and  en- 
tered the  milling  business  with  him,  where  he  remained  until  1871,  then,  in  company 
with  Elisha  Green,  bought  the  stone  mills  at  Lebanon,  which  firm  was  known  as 
Francis  &  Green  until  1875.  Mr.  Francis  then  disposed  of  his  interest  there  and  re- 
moved to  Tru.xton,  where  he  carried  on  the  milling  business  for  three  years.  In 
1881  he  removed  to  Preble  and  after  two  years  there  located  in  De  Ruyter,  where  he 
has  since  resided.  On  January  1,  1867,  Mr.  Francis  married  Sarah  M  .  daughter  of 
William  and  Charlotte  (Way)  Peirce  of  Otselic.  A  well  informed  man,  one  who 
reads  the  papers,  is  interested  in  public  affairs  and  keeps  abreast  of  the  times,  affa- 
ble in  manners  and  a  general  favorite  in  social  circles,  Mr.  Francis  is  possessed  of  a 
happy  faculty  for  making  and  retaining  friends  and  is  one  of  the  most  popular  of 
De  Ruyter's  citizens.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Republican  County  Central 
Committee  for  the  past  five  years;  is  president  of  the  board  of  water  works  and  has 
served  as  assessor  of  the  town  of  Lebanon.  In  social  and  fraternal  matters  he  is 
a  member  of  De  Ruyter  Lodge  No.  393,  F.  &  A.  M.,  A.  O.  U.  W.  No.  223,  and  W.  E. 
Hunt  Post  No.  853,  G.  A.  R.  As  a  public  man,  of  high  standing  in  the  county,  Mr. 
Francis  has  been  faithful  to  every  trust  confided  to  his  care  and  the  citizens  recog- 
nize in  him  one  to  whom  they  may  safely  confide  the  highest  public  interests. 


Goodwin,  Sands  H  ,  president  and  manager  of  the  Westcott  Chuck  Co.,  was  born 
in  Oneida  March  18,  1845,  a  son  of  Stephen  H.  and  Abbie  J.  (Higinbotham)  Good- 
win. His  father  came  here  from  Vernon  in  1843,  and  was  an  honored  resident  of 
Oneida  until  his  death  in  1881.  He  wa.s  associated  with  many  of  the  pioneer  busi- 
ness men  of  the  village  in  various  enterprises  which  helped  to  build  up  the  town. 
Sands  H.  Goodwin  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Oneida,  and  in  the  Hudson 


54  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

River  Institute  at  Claverack,  N.  Y.  He  early  entered  his  father's  dry  goods  store, 
and  in  1866  was  taken  into  partnership,  the  firm  name  becoming  S.  H.  Goodwin  & 
Sons.  After  his  father's  death  he  continued  the  business  alone  for  about  seven  years 
and  then  sold  out.  In  1887  Mr.  Goodwin  became  manager  of  the-Westcott  Chuck 
Company,  and  five  years  later  was  made  president  and  manager.  He  married  in 
1868,  Anna  S.  Backus,  daughter  of  M.  M.  Backus  of  New  York  city.  Of  this  union 
is  one  daughter,  Mrs.  C.  R.  Baker  of  Oneida. 


Griswold,  John  D.,  who  has  resided  in  Cazenovia  since  1885,  was  born  In  Benning- 
ton, N.  H.,  1843,  a  son  of  Lucius  P.  and  Jane  E.  (Schoonmaker)  Griswold.  His  father 
was  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  powder  from  1825  to  1876.  and  for  many  years 
was  superintendent  of  the  Laflin-Rand  Company.  He  died  at  Rosendale,  N.  Y.  in 
1877.  Under  him  at  the  early  age  of  fourteen  years  Mr.  Griswold  began  to  learn  the 
powder  business,  in  which  he  has  been  engaged  all  his  active  life.  He  has  been  con- 
nected with  most  of  the  important  manufacturers  of  the  country,  including  the  Haz- 
ards; Duponts;  and  the  Laflm-Rand  Company.  He  built  his  Cazenovia  plant  in 
1887,  three  and  one-half  miles  .south  of  the  village  and  began  the  manufacture  of 
powder  on  an  extensive  scale.  This  plant  has  blown  up  three  times,  last  in  October, 
1898;  since  which  time  it  has  not  been  rebuilt. 


Gardiner,  Hull  S. ,  M.  D. ,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  was  born  in  Smyrna,  Chenango  county, 
N.  Y. ,  October  38,  1840,  but  has  lived  in  Madison  county  since  his  infancy.  He  was 
educated  in  the  Hamilton  Union  School  from  which  he  graduated  in  the  first  class 
from  that  school.  He  succeeded  Prof.  Sherrill  as  the  second  principal  of  the  school 
and  also  taught  successfully  in  Smyrna  and  Madison.  He  entered  Bellevue  Hospital 
Medical  College  and  graduated  in  1868.  He  then  practiced  in  Jersey  City  for  four 
years  and  Earlville  three  years,  after  which  he  established  himself  in  Hamilton  in 
1875.  He  was  at  first  a  partner  with  Dr.  Beebe,  but  this  partnership  was  dissolved 
in  1880.  Dr.  Gardiner  has  twice  been  coroner  and  twice  trustee  of  the  village  of 
Hamilton.  He  is  examiner  for  many  insurance  companies  and  is  a  prominent  Mason. 
In  1876  Dr.  Gardiner  married  Miss  Calista  R.  Head  of  Lebanon,  N.  Y.,  daughter  of 
Sandford  Head.  Mrs.  Gardiner  died  March  23,  1869,  leaving  two  daughters,  Calista 
R.,  and  Rebecca  S.  Dr.  Gardiner's  parents  were  Charles  B.  and  Melvina  T.  (Slocum) 
Gardiner.  Charles  B.  Gardiner  was  a  native  of  Smyrna,  N.  Y. ,  and  his  wife  was  a 
native  of  Massachusetts.  Charles  B.  Gardiner's  ancestors  were  owners  of  Gardiner's 
Island.  Mrs.  Gardiner's  grandmother  was  a  Ballard  and  both  the  Ballards  and 
Heads  were  patriots  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 


Gulbran,  Charles  G.,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  was  born  in  Sweden,  October  16,  1848,  and 
came  to  America  in  1869.  After  remaining  in  New  York  a  few  months  he  took  up 
railroading  for  a  time,  working  at  Bouckville.  Otselic,  and  Oriskany  Falls.  In  1871 
he  settled  in  Hamilton  and  worked  for  Adon  Smith  for  two  years,  and  for  his  son  one 
year.  He  then  clerked  for  Foot  &  Gaskill  ten  years  and  after  that  for  Adon  N.  Smith 
for  ten  years.  In  1895,  just  after  the  great  fire,  he  opened  up  business  for  himself  in 
an  old  dwelling  house.  This  was  on  March  16,  of  that  year,  and  on  May  30,  1895,  he 
moved  into  his  present  fine  store,  where  he  carries  a  large  line  of  builders'  hardware 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  55 

and  stoves  and  makes  a  specialty  of  plumbing  and  heating.  Mr.  Gulbran  married 
Augusta  Leonardson  in  1869.  They  have  two  children:  Alice  C,  and  Charles  E. 
Mr.  Gulbran  has  built  up  his  business  prosperity  by  his  own  efforts  and  is  a  promi- 
nent member  of  the  Congregational  Church.  He  has  been  a  deacon  and  trustee  of 
that  church  many  years. 


Garrett,  J.  F.,  p.  o.  Brookfield,  was  born  in  Brookfield,  April  5,  1820,  a  sou  of 
Elisha,  son  of  Francis,  who  came  from  Connecticut  about  1800,  as  one  of  the  early 
settlers.  Elisha  Garrett  was  born  in  Connecticut  and  came  to  Brookfield  when  a 
young  man  and  here  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days.  His  wife  was  Polly  Treat, 
born  in  Brookfield,  and  daughter  of  John  Treat,  an  early  settler  from  Connecticut; 
they  had  only  one  son,  J.  F.  Garrett,  the  subject,  who  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  and  began  working  by  the  month  on  a  farm  when  sixteen  years  of  age  and 
supported  his  parents,  his  father  being  an  invalid.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  began 
selling  school  books  and  followed  that  occupation  for  four  years,  when  he  bought  the 
farm  of  sixty  acres  where  he  resides,  and  has  added  to  it  until  he  owns  160  acres  of 
land.  He  has  been  for  many  years  one  of  the  large  hop  growers  of  Brookfield  and 
has  also  a  large  dairy.  He  has  always  been  an  ardent  Republican,  but  not  an  aspir- 
ant to  public  office;  he  has  been  notary  public  for  several  years  and  is  a  member  of 
Sanger  Lodge,  No.  129,  F.  &  A.  M.  In  1847  Mr.  Garrett  married  Statira,  daughter 
of  Martin  Mason,  an  early  settler  of  Stockbridge.  Mr.  Garrett  has  one  adopted 
daughter,  Hattie,  wife  of  James  Sloan,  a  farmer,  and  who  resides  with  Mr.  Garrett. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Garrett  are  members  of  the  First  Baptist  church. 


Gill,  Edgar  D.,  p.  o.  Pratt's  Hollow,  was  born  on  the  farm  he  owns,  April  9,  1861, 
a  son  of  Sumner  and  Lavena  (Brigham)  Gill,  both  born  on  the  farm  where  Edgar  D. 
lives.  His  father  has  always  been  a  farmer  with  the  exception  of  two  years  in  Can- 
astota  when  he  was  engaged  in  grocery  business.  He  and  his  wife  had  five  children, 
four  now  Uving.  His  wife  died  in  1893.  Edgar  D.  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  and  Cazenovia  Seminary  and  Mead's  Business  College,  Syracuse.  He  owns 
155  acres  of  land  and  follows  general  farming,  hop  growing  and  dairying.  In  poli- 
tics he  is  a  Democrat.  He  is  a  member  of  Morrisville  Lodge,  No.  658,  F.  &  A.  M., 
and  Wewana  Lodge  No.  678,  I.  O.  O.  F.  November  9,  1891,  he  married  Harriet  E. 
Smith,  daughter  of  Leonard  and  Cora  Smith  of  Rochester.  Mrs.  Gill  is  a  member 
of  the  Episcopal  church.     They  have  one  son,  Sumner  S. 


Hall,  Jesse  Wilson,  is  one  of  the  leading  merchants  of  Cazenovia  village,  where  he 
has  been  engaged  in  the  jewelry  business  for  a  quarter  of  a  century.  Mr.  Hall  was 
born  in  New  Berlin,  Chenango  county,  N.  Y.,  November  5,  1850.  His  father,  also 
named  Jesse  W.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Brookfield,  Madison  county.  He  settled 
in  Cazenovia  in  1858,  where  he  died  in  1874.  He  was  for  eight  years  steward  of 
Cazenovia  Seminary.  He  was  the  .son  of  Stephen  R.  Hall,  a  native  of  Dracut,  Mid- 
dlesex county,  Mass.,  an  early  settler  of  Brookfield,  who  removed  to  that  town  in 
1803,  in  a  wagon,  bringing  his  wife  and  family  and  was  one  of  the  earlier  settlers  of 
that  town.  Jesse  W.  was  educated  at  Cazenovia  Seminary  and  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen began  to  learn  the  jeweler's  trade  with  John  Greenland,  with  whom  he  remained 


56  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

one  year,  and  was  then  for  six  years  in  the  employ  of  W.  H.  Cruttenden,  watchmaker 
and  jeweler.  He  resided  in  Sherburne  one  year  and  in  1878  bought  the  jewelry  busi- 
ness of  the  estate  of  John  Greenland.  In  his  store,  which  he  purchased  in  1882,  he 
has  done  a  successful  business.  He  is  an  Odd  Fellow  of  h  gh  standing  and  in  politics 
has  always  been  a  staunch  Republican.  Mr.  Hall  served  as  town  clerk  fifteen  con- 
secutive years.  In  1896  he  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace.  He  has  served  as  trus- 
tee of  the  village,  trustee  of  Cazenovia  Seminary,  and  member  of  the  Board  of  Edu- 
cation. He  married,  in  1880,  Lucy  Nichols  Bailey,  daughter  of  Lewis  and  Marietta 
(Nichols)  Bailey. 

Hubbard,  Robert  J.,  son  of  Thomas  H.  and  Phoebe  (Hubbard)  Hubbard,  was 
born  in  Utica,  May  31,  1830.  His  father,  Thomas  Hill  Hubbard,  was  born  in  New 
Haven,  Conn.,  December  6,  1781,  a  son  of  Rev.  Bela  Hubbard,  D.  D. ,  for  many 
years  and  until  his  death,  rector  of  Trinity  church  of  that  city.  Thomas  H.  Hub- 
bard graduated  at  Yale  in  the  class  of  1799.  After  taking  his  degree  he  began  the 
study  of  law  with  John  Woodworth  of  Troy,  then  attorney-general  of  the  State,  and 
afterwards  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court,  who  was  a  family  connection.  After  his 
admission  to  the  bar  Mr.  Hubbard  proceeded  to  Hamilton  to  begm  life  without  for- 
tune or  any  other  advantages  except  strong  natural  talents,  a  careful  education,  cor- 
rect habits,  sterling  principles,  and  high  hopes.  He  rapidly  acquired  success,  tak- 
ing a  position  in  the  front  rank  of  his  profession,  and  gaining  a  large  and  profitable 
practice.  As  an  adviser  in  questions  of  difficulty  and  as  a  correct  and  intelligent 
man  of  business,  he  had  no  superior:  and  as  an  advocate  he  was  highly  persuasive 
and  successful.  At  an  early  period  he  was  appointed  the  prosecuting  attorney  of  a 
district  embracing,  not  as  at  present  a  single  county,  but  several  adjoining  ones,  and 
in  this  character  it  became  his  duty  to  conduct  several  trials  for  capital  offenses.  He 
held  the  office  of  surrogate  ten  years,  from  1806  to  1816.  In  1817  he  was  chosen  a 
representative  in  Congress  and  after  one  term  had  intervened  was  again  chosen, 
thus  serving  four  years.  In  1812  he  was  chosen  a  presidential  elector  and  voted  for 
Madison  at  his  election  for  a  second  term.  In  1824  he  removed  from  Hamilton  to 
Utica  and  there  formed  a  professional  connection  with  Greene  C.  Bronson,  but 
shortly  afterwards  abandoned  the  practice  of  law.  He  was  the  first  clerk  in  equity 
under  the  constitution  of  1822,  and  succeeded  Arthur  Breese  as  clerk  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  which  position  he  held  until  1837.  At  this  time  he  designed  finally  to  relin- 
quish public  life,  but  was,  however,  afterwards  twice  chosen  presidential  elector. 
He  was  the  first  president  of  the  New  York  State  Lunatic  Asylum,  at  Utica.  While 
a  resident  of  Madison  county  and  as  early  as  1818  he  was  chosen  a  director  of  the 
Bank  of  Utica,  and  on  the  organization  of  the  Utica  Savings  Bank  was  made  a  trus- 
tee of  that  institution,  holding  both  positions  until  his  death.  For  several  j'ears  he 
was  a  trustee  of  Hamilton  College.  In  all  the  positions  Mr.  Hubbard  filled,  his 
duties  were  performed  with  marked  fidelity  and  honor.  A  predominant  trait  in  his 
character  was  the  habitual  kiodness  and  courtesy  of  his  manners  and  his  circle  of 
friends  was  a  wide  one.  His  death  occurred  at  Utica,  May  22,  1857.  He  married 
Phoebe  Hubbard  and  of  their  union  were  eleven  children,  of  whom  only  one  survives, 
Robert  J.  Hubbard.  The  latter  was  for  many  years  engaged  in  business  in  New 
York  city  and  for  the  past  twenty-five  years  has  been  a  resident  of  Cazenovia.  He 
has  served  as  president  of  the  village  one  year  (1879),  and  in  various  ways  has  shown 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  57 

an  interest  in  public  affairs.  For  many  years  he  has  been  a  member  and  vestryman 
of  St.  Peter's  Episcopal  church.  He  married  in  1863,  Anna  F.  Burr,  daughter  of 
William  M.  Burr  of  Cazenovia.  Of  this  union  is  one  son,  Robert  F.  Hubbard  of  Caz- 
enovia. 


Hubbard,  John  F.,  a  very  extensive  farmer  and  hop  grower,  and  one  of  the  truly 
representative  citizens  of  Madison  county,  is  a  son  of  John  and  Harriett  (Russell) 
Hubbard.  His  father  was  bjrn  in  England  and  in  1838  came  with  his  parents  to 
this  country  and  settled  in  Waterville,  where  he  resided  until  his  marriage.  He 
afterward  removed  to  Morrisville,  where  John  F.  was  born,  April  4,  1846.  He  re- 
mained at  home  until  December  31.  1868,  having  m  the  meantime  received  a  good 
education  in  the  district  schools  and  the  Hamilton  Union  School.  He  then  married 
Helena,  daughter  of  Ephraim  and  Lucy  (Perkins)  Keeck,  the  former  of  whom  was  a 
successful  farmer  of  Stockbridge.  They  have  had  four  children;  Charles  (deceased), 
Fred  (deceased),  Hattie  (Mrs.  Charles  Smith  of  De  Ruyter),  and  Lewis.  Politically 
Mr.  Hubbard  affiliates  with  the  Democratic  party,  and  while  leading  a  quiet  and 
uneventful  life  enjoys  that  most  independent  and  in  many  respects  enviable  station 
of  a  farmer  owning  his  own  lands.  By  his  own  energy  and  industry  Mr.  Hubbard 
has  established  himself  comfortably  and  with  pleasant  surroundings 


Hyatt,  Hon.  Frances  A.,  p.  o.  Perry ville,  was  born  in  Ridgefield,  Fairfield  county. 
Conn.,  August  5,  1828,  a  son  of  Aaron  S.  and  Electa  (Keeler)  Hyatt.  His  father 
settled  in  Madison  county  in  1832.  The  first  of  the  Hyatt  family  to  come  to  this  country 
from  England,  was  Thomas  Hyatt,  who  settled  in  Stamford,  Conn.,  in  1641,  and  was 
founder  of  this  branch  of  the  family  in  America.  Francis  A.  Hyatt  began  business 
on  the  farm  in  1850,  and  has  since  resided  in  the  town  of  Fenner.  He  was  elected 
town  clerk  in  1856  and  several  terms;  justice  of  the  peace  in  1859  and  held  that  oflSce 
eight  years;  was  elected  road  commissioner,  but  declined  to  serve;  was  member  of 
Assembly  in  1861  and  again  represented  the  district  in  the  Legislature  in  1873;  was 
a  delegate  to  the  Republican  State  conventions  of  1861,  1872,  1881,  1883,  and  1895, 
and  for  many  years  was  a  notary  public  and  often  employed  in  the  settlement  of 
estates.  He  is  a  member  of  Sullivan  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  No.  148.  Mr.  Hyatt  is 
one  of  the  best  known  men  in  Madison  county,  a  representative  citizen  and  although 
in  a  measure  retired  from  active  public  dut)',  is  still  interested  in  everything  pertain- 
ing to  the  general  welfare  of  the  county.  While  courteous  and  liberal  in  his  attitude 
towards  the  opinion  of  others,  he  holds  firmly  his  own  views,  and  acts  upon  them  in 
a  conscientious  manner. 


Huyck,  Philip  J.,  p.  o.  Perry  ville,  was  born  in  Kinderhook,  N.  Y.,  October  21,  1825, 
a  son  of  Jacob  P.  and  Maria  (Harder)  Huyck,  the  only  son  of  ten  children  as  follows: 
Ann,  Catherine,  Maria,  Philip  J.,  Christiana,  Sarah,  Elizabeth,  Cynthia,  Harriet,  and 
Calista,  all  of  whom  were  residents  of  this  county.  Jacob  P.  came  to  the  town  of 
Lenox  with  his  family,  where  he  lived  until  his  death  and  followed  farming.  In  his 
early  life  he  was  a  cloth  dresser  and  wool  carder.  He  took  an  active  part  in  public 
affairs  and  was  poormaster  of  his  town  several  terms.  Philip  J.  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  of  the  town  of  Lenox  and  his  early  life  was  spent  on  the  farm  with 


58  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

his  father.  When  he  was  twenty-eight  years  of  age  he  purchased  a  farm  in  the  town 
of  Fanner,  near  where  he  now  Hves,  and  moved  there.  When  twenty-seven  years  of 
age  he  married  Luzetta  A.,  daughter  of  Lyman  and  Lucy  (Smith)  Robinson,  she  a 
native  of  the  town  of  Feuner;  they  have  two  children:  Libbie,  wife  of  Dempster 
Tooke,  and  Willis  P..  whose  first  wife  was  Kittie  J.  Lansing  (deceased);  they  had  one 
child,  Harry  W.  Later  he  married  Cora  B.  Watkins  of  Chittenango.  Willis  P.  is  serv- 
ing his  .second  term  on  the  board  of  education  of  the  Perryville  Union  School ;  also  a 
trustee  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  Perryville  cemetery  association,  of 
which  his  father  is  president;  he  has  also  been  a  collector  of  his  town.  Philip  J. 
Huyck  has  always  taken  an  active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  town  and  for  several 
years  was  assessor.  Mrs.  Huyck's  four  brothers,  James  S.,  Smith  L. .  Serg't  Theo- 
dore V.  and  Dr.  Reuben  H.,  were  volunteers  in  the  war  of  the  rebellion,  and  Theo- 
dore was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Winchester,  from  the  effects  of  which  he  died  at 
Baltimore,  December  13,  1804. 


Hamblin,  Lucian  D. ,  p.  o.  Chittenango  Falls,  was  born  at  Chittenango  Falls,  N.  Y. , 
December  7,  1833,  a  son  of  David  and  Harriet  (Humeston)  Hamblin,  who  had  five 
children:  Julia,  Harriet,  Lucian  D.,  Jane  E.  and  William  M.,  all  natives  of  the  town 
of  Fenner.  David  was  a  native  of  Genesee  county  and  came  to  Madison  county  with 
his  father  when  a  young  man,  settling  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Charles  Cooper, 
and  was  one  of  the  early  settlers.  Harriet  was  a  daughter  of  A.sof  and  Harriet 
Humeston.  They  were  natives  of  England,  settled  in  Northfield,  Conn.,  and  in  1806, 
when  she  was  seven  years  of  age  moved  to  Madison  county.  Lucian  D.  Hamblin 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  the  town  of  Fenner  and  also  spent  two  years 
at  the  polytechnic  .school  in  .Chittenango.  He  lived  with  his  father  until  he  was 
twenty-four  years  of  age,  when  he  started  in  life  for  himself  as  a  farmer,  which  busi- 
ness he  has  carried  on  to  the  present  time.  He  married  Helen  A.,  daughter  of  Ben- 
jamin and  Sophia  Putnam,  and  has  two  children;  Cora,  wife  of  Noah  Davis,  and 
Charles  A.,  who  married  Calla,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Dina  Slee.  Charles  has  two 
children:  Anna  H.  and  Milton  L.,  who  are  natives  of  the  town  of  Fenner.  Mr. 
Hamblin  has  taken  an  active  part  in  town  and  county  affairs ;  has  been  assessor  of 
his  town  two  terms,  and  justice  of  the  peace.  He  is  public  spirited  and  is  interested 
in  schools,  education,  churches,  etc. 


Hunt,  Frank  L.,  son  of  Luther  and  Jane  (Scott)  Hunt,  was  born  in  Cazenovia 
August  7,  1854.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Nelson,  but  for  many  years  lived  in  the 
town  of  Cazenovia,  where  he  died  in  December,  1897,  in  the  seventy-eighth  year  of 
his  age.  The  family  are  of  New  England  pioneer  stock  and  came  into  this  region  at 
an  early  date  from  Massachusetts.  Of  the  union  of  Luther  and  Jane  (Scott)  Hunt, 
three  children  were  born:  Cora,  wife  of  James  Webber;  Nellie,  wife  of  Edwin  Web- 
ber, both  of  Cazenovia;  and  Frank  L.  Hunt.  The  latter  was  educated  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  and  at  Cazenovia  Seminary.  He  has  been  a  farmer  all  his  life,  now 
owning  240  acres  less  than  a  mile  south  of  New  Woodstock  village.  Mr.  Hunt  is  one 
of  the  progressive  farmers  of  this  town,  believes  in  modern  methods,  and  by  his 
superior  business  ability,  is  thoroughly  successful.  He  has  given  much  attention  to 
the  breeding  of  thoroughbred  and  high  grade  cattle,  and  does  a  large  dairy  business. 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  59 

In  politics  he  is  a  staunch  Republican.  He  married,  in  1875,  Anna  M.  Morse,  daugh- 
ter of  Devolson  Morse,  of  Cazenovia.  Their  children  are  Ivan  H.,  Inez  J.,  Earl  M., 
and  Clayton  Hunt. 


Hyatt,  Smith  K.,  p.  o.  Fenner,  was  born  in  Connecticut,  August  21,  1824,  a  son  of 
Charles  S.  and  Rachael  (Smith)  Hyatt.  They  had  six  children  as  follows:  Jane 
Ann,  Mary,  Helen,  Smith  K.,  John,  and  Charles,  jr.  By  occupation  Charles,  sr., 
followed  farming  and  settled  in  this  county  about  1827.  Smith  K.  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools  of  Madison  county.  His  early  life  was  spent  on  the  farm  with 
his  parents.  In  1849  he  married  Clarinda,  daughter  of  George  and  Delia  Wood- 
worth,  and  they  had  six  children:  J.  Wilson,  Newel  W.,  Ida,  wife  of  John  Harter, 
Lee,  Eddie,  and  Rachael,  wife  of  F"red  Tooke,  all  of  whom  were  born  on  the  farm 
where  Mr.  Hyatt  now  lives.  When  Mr.  Hyatt  was  married  he  purchased  the  farm 
where  he  now  lives  and  has  since  followed  general  farming.  He  has  been  active  in 
town  affairs,  having  been  elected  assessor,  loan  commissioner,  pathmaster,  etc. ;  he 
also  has  taken  an  active  part  in  school  and  educational  work  and  is  a  contributing 
and  supporting  member  of  the  Fenner  church. 


Harrington,  Giles,  was  born  in  the  old  town  of  Lenox  in  that  portion  which  is  now 
the  town  of  Lincoln,  April  T,  1843,  a  son  of  Giles  and  Mary  (Merrill)  Harrington. 
His  father,  a  farmer  and  a  captain  in  the  militia,  was  a  native  of  Connecticut,  but 
came  to  Madison  county  with  his  parents  when  an  infant.  His  maternal  grandfather 
Solomon  Merrill,  built  one  of  the  fii-st  frame  houses  at  Merrillsville.  Mr.  Harrington 
was  engaged  in  farming  until  he  reached  the  age  of  thirty.  In  1877  he  came  to 
Oneida  and  in  1880  established  a  livery  business  in  the  Eagle  Hotel  barns,  removing 
to  his  present  location  in  1894.  He  is  conducting  the  largest  business  of  this  class  in 
Madison  county.  Mr.  Harrington  has  held  many  positions  of  public  trust;  he  has 
served  as  highway  commissioner  of  the  old  town  of  Lenox,  as  overseer  of  the  poor, 
assessor  four  years,  chief  of  police  one  year;  deputy  sheriff  of  Madison  county  six 
years,  and  as  trustee  of  the  village  several  years.  He  is  a  member  of  Oneida  Lodge, 
No.  270,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  EumeniaLodge  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  married  in  July,  1863, 
Lucinda  J.  Pierce,  daughter  of  Darius  Pierce  of  Augusta,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  and 
of  this  union  two  sons  survive:  Fenton  N.,  and  Fred  G.,  both  associated  with  their 
father  in  the  conduct  of  his  business. 


House,  Charles,  was  born  in  Newark,  N.  J.,  July  22,  1851,  a  son  of  George  and  Mary 
(Raymond)  House.  He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen 
began  an  apprenticeship  to  the  glass  blowing  trade  at  Ellenville,  Ulster  county,  N. 
Y.  He  followed  this  trade  about  twelve  years,  and  1S78  removed  to  Buffalo,  N.  Y. , 
where  he  engaged  in  the  bottling  business  in  which  he  continued  successfully  until 
1881,  when  he  removed  to  Oneida  where  he  has  since  resided.  On  his  arrival  here 
he  began  his  present  bottling  business  and  has  been  at  his  present  location  for  the 
past  twelve  years.  By  virtue  of  his  successful  business  Mr.  House  is  well  known 
throughout  Madison  county.  He  has  served  as  overseer  of  the  poor  three  terms;  as 
trustee  of  the  village  two  years;  as  president  of  the  village  one  year;  and  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  sewer  board  two  years,  a  position  he  resigned  when  elected  president  of 


GO  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  village;  he  is  now  a  member  of  the  board  of  education.  Mr.  House  is  a  member 
of  Eumenia  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Encampment.  He  married  in  1875,  Miss 
Margaret  Keating,  daughter  of  John  Keating,  of  Lockport,  N.  Y.  Four  children 
have  been  born  to  them;  Minnie  E.,  Charles  Will,   Emma  E.,  and  Nellie  A. 


Hill,  Charles  A  ,  who  died  at  his  home  south  of  Oneida  Castle,  January  2,  1895,  in 
the  sixty-fifth  year  of  his  age,  was  a  resident  for  many  years  of  this  vicinity,  and 
known  as  a  man  of  sterling  integrity  and  a  Christian  gentleman.  He  was  born  in 
Western,  Oneida  county,  N.Y.,  January  12,  1830,  a  son  of  David  and  Laura  (Turner) 
Hill.  Both  his  father  and  his  grandfather  (the  latter  one  of  the  earliest  settlers) 
were  natives  of  Western  and  farmers.  Mr.  Hill  was  educated  in  the  district  schools, 
and  at  an  early  age  learned  the  carpenters'  trade,  which  he  followed  some  years. 
For  seventeen  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  cheese  at  the  Hill  Cheese 
Factory  near  Oneida  Castle.  In  1884  he  bought  the  farm  of  forty  acres  just  south  of 
Oneida  Castle,  where  he  resided  until  his  death.  Mr.  Hill  was  a  man  well  fitted  to 
gain  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact,  and  frequently 
held  positions  of  public  trust.  He  was  for  some  years  a  member  and  a  trustee  of  the 
Cochran  Memorial  Presbyterian  Church  at  (Jneida  Castle.  He  married  July  2,  1850, 
Miss  Achsah  Paddock,  daughter  of  Peter  Paddock  of  the  town  of  Western,  Oneida 
county,  N.Y.     One  daughter  was  born  to  them,  Mrs.  John  W.  Lewis. 

Huntley,  James  F. ,  M.D. ,  sou  of  James  F.  and  Esther  E.  (Freeman)  Huntley,  was 
born  in  Durhamville,  Oneida  county,  N.Y. ,  June  19,  1855.  His  father,  who  was  also 
a  physician,  practiced  in  Durhamville  over  thirty  years,  and  in  Oneida  from  1873 
until  his  lamented  death  (1887).  James  Huntley  (great-grandfather),  was  one  of  the 
earliest  settlers  of  Otsego  county,  locating  in  the  extreme  northern  part.  Dr.  Hunt- 
ley received  his  preliminary  education  in  the  Falley  Seminary  and  Whitestown  Sem- 
inary. He  was  gradua,ted  with  the  degree  M.D.  from  the  Medical  Department  of 
the  University  of  the  City  of  New  York  in  the  class  of  1876.  In  the  same  year  he 
began  practice  in  West  Winfield,  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  associated 
for  several  years  with  Dr.  James  LT.  Rose.  He  removed  to  Oneida  in  1889.  and  has 
since  been  in  active  practice  in  this  village.  Dr.  Huntley  is  a  member  of  the  Madi- 
son County  Medical  Society;  of  the  New  York  State  Medical  Association ;  and  of 
Doric  Chapter  of  Oneida,  R.  A.  M.  He  married,  in  1879.  Nellie,  daughter  of  Col. 
Alonzo  Wood  of  West  Winfield,  Herkimer  county,  N.Y.  Four  children  have  been 
born  of  this  union:     Esther  F. ,  Harold  W. ,  Kate  E. ,  and  James  Warren. 


Hazeltine,  William  E.,  son  of  James  A.  and  Nancy  (Overacre)  Hazeltine,  was  born 
in  Munnsville,  this  county,  July  3,  1852.  His  father  conducted  the  tannery  at  Munns- 
ville  for  several  years  and  was  well  known  througliout  this  region.  He  died  in 
1854.  Mr.  Hazeltine  was  educated  in  the  common  .schools  and  Oneida  Seminary. 
During  most  of  his  business  life  he  has  been  in  the  dry  goods  business.  He  was  first 
employed  as  a  clerk  in  the  dry  goods  store  of  S.  H.  Goodwin's  Sons,  with  whom  he 
remained  six  years.  For  two  years  subsequent  he  was  employed  in  like  capacity  by 
Charles  E.  Remick,  and  in  1883  with  J.  E.  Preston  and  J.  T.  Deering,  formed  the 
firm  of  Preston,  Hazeltine  &  Deering  for  the  conduct  of  a  general  dry  goods  business. 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  61 

After  two  years  Mr.  Hazeltine  withdrew  to  associate  with  William  M.  Baker  in  a 
similar  business,  forming  the  firm  of  Hazeltine  &  Baker,  which  became  Hazeltine, 
Baker  &  Reidy  in  1896  by  the  admission  of  Thomas  F.  Reidy.  Mr.  Hazeltine  is  not 
now  an  active  partner.  The  present  firm  of  Hazeltine  &  Frost,  dealers  in  coal,  wood, 
etc.,  was  formed  in  July,  1897.  Mr.  Hazeltine  has  been  identified  with  many  impor- 
tant public  movements,  has  served  as  a  director  of  the  Y.  M.C.A.  three  years,  and  is 
member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum.  He  married,  in  1887,  Minnie  E.  Warren,  daughter 
of  Lealdis  N.  Warren  of  Stockbridge.  Of  this  union  are  five  children:  Warren  J., 
Roy  S.,  Doratha  N.,  Sarah  L.,  and  Gertrude. 


Higginbotham,  Niles,  who  died  in  Oneida,  March  17,  1890,  in  the  seventy-seventh 
year  of  his  age,  was  for  years  one  of  the  foremost  citizens  of  that  village  and  a  man 
who  bore  the  respect  and  unqualified  esteem  of  the  entire  community.  He  was  a  son 
of  Sands  Higmbotham  and  was  born  in  Vernon,  Oneida  county,  March  9,  1813.  In 
1827  he  was  sent  by  his  father  to  the  well  known  school  of  Mr.  Morse  in  Hamilton, 
and  at  the  age  of  nineteen  entered  the  store  of  Alexander  Seymour  at  Utica,  where 
he  remained  about  one  year.  In  March,  1834,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  entered 
the  store  of  his  uncle,  Isaac  Carpenter  of  Ithaca,  with  whom  he  later  formed  a  part- 
nership. When  twenty  four  years  old  he  severed  this  connection,  and  taking  his 
little  fortune  went  West  with  his  close  friend,  Samuel  Breese.  They  spent  about  two 
years  buying  large  tracts  of  land  which  in  after  years  became  quite  valuable.  In 
the  spring  of  1840  Mr.  Higinbotham  and  J.  P.  Manrow  took  a  contract  on  the  old 
Erie  railroad  from  Owego  to  Corning;  the  railroad  company  failed  in  le.ss  than  two 
years,  owing  the  young  contractors  about  §100,000.  of  which  they  only  received 
about  $30,000.  In  the  spring  of  1849  they  received  their  balance  and  paid  their  men 
in  full  with  interest ;  Mr.  Higinbotham  often  said  that  he  never  knew  a  prouder 
day  than  when  these  waiting  men  were  paid,  Mr.  Sands  Higinbotham,  having 
bought  from  the  State  a  large  tract  of  unimproved  land  where  Oneida  now  stands, 
had  removed  thither  from  Vernon  as  early  as  1834,  giving  to  the  village  its  first  im- 
petus by  presenting  to  the  railroad  (now  the  New  York  Central)  lands  and  right  of 
way,  on  condition  that  it  should  stop  all  passenger  trains  at  Oneida,  a  contract  ob- 
served until  late  in  the  Fifties  Some  years  later  Niles  Higinbotham  bought  large 
portions  of  land  here  from  his  father,  and  in  1844  built  and  commenced  business  in 
the  old  Goodwin  store  on  Madison  street.  There  he  remamed  as  silent  partner  with 
his  brother-in-law.  Mr.  Goodwin,  for  some  years.  In  December,  1851,  he  organized 
the  Oneida  Valley  Bank  with  Sands  Higinbotham  and  Samuel  Breeze.  This  was 
the  first  bank  opened  in  Oneida,  and  was  incorporated  as  a  State  bank  in  1852,  and 
as  a  National  bank  in  1865.  Mr.  Higinbotham  was  elected  first  president  and  re-' 
tained  that  position  until  the  day  of  his  death.  There  were  some  traits  of  character 
very  strongly  marked  in  Mr.  Higinbotham  even  as  a  young  man.  To  the  most  trans- 
parent honesty  and  uprightness  in  small,  as  well  as  great  transactions,  he  added  an 
independence  which  made  him  courageous  in  striking  out  for  himself  in  any  line  of 
action  where  his  judgment  was  once  convinced  as  to  the  duty  or  reasonableness  of 
the  undertaking,  and  he  was  persevering  and  hopeful  to  a  degree  which  never  ad- 
mitted in  his  often  self-imposed  tasks,  either  weariness  or  discouragement.  These 
qualities  eminently  fitted  him  to  join  in   and  carry  to  even  higher  fulfillment  the 


63  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

plans  of  his  wise  and  public- spirited  father,  for  whom  he  had  the  most  beautiful  feel- 
ings of  trust  and  affection.  Together  they  labored  for  the  development  of  the  little 
hamlet,  and  even  in  its  early  days  Oneida  began  to  be  known  as  a  busy  and  public- 
spirited  village  attracting  to  itself  men  of  integrity  and  good  character.  Mr.  Hig- 
inbotham's  efforts  were  put  forth  in  behalf  of  religion,  of  education,  of  increased 
business  and  railroad  facilities,  of  wide  streets,  and  town  extension  on  every  side. 
In  particular,  he  labored  long  and  patiently  to  arouse  public  interest  in  the  cause  of 
higher  education.  It  was  one  of  the  deepest  wishes  of  his  heart  that  Oneida  should 
have  an  academic  boarding  and  day  school  of  the  highest  order,  and  he  spared 
neither  time,  pains  or  money  in  the  effort  to  establish  the  Oneida  Seminary  on  an 
honorable  and  scholarly  basis.  Again  and  again  he  came  to  the  rescue  when  the 
seminary  was  in  need;  started  subscriptions,  at  times  guaranteed  and  even  paid  from 
his  own  purse,  the  salaries  of  the  teachers,  and  spent  time  and  thought  in  securing 
fine  school  grounds,  a  good  building,  library,  and  apparatus,  and  became  the  per- 
sonal friend  and  adviser  of  the  teachers  in  everything  that  looked  to  the  better 
equipment  of  the  school,  and  the  interest  of  the  young  people  of  Oneida  and  vicin- 
ity. In  these  labors  were  associated  with  him  as  trustees  of  the  seminary  (which 
was  opened  in  1858),  such  men  as  Messrs.  Breese,  Hand,  EUinwood,  Goodwin,  Stone 
and  others.  In  everything  that  he  did,  Mr.  Higinbotham  had  always  in  his  mind  to 
do  that  which  should  be  best  for  the  poor  as  well  as  the  rich,  and  in  many  unosten- 
tatious ways  he  gave  help  to  those  whom  he  saw  struggling  under  adverse  circum- 
stance.s.  The  park  on  lower  Broad  street  near  the  Central  railroad,  and  the  lands 
upon  which  stood  all  the  church  buildings  except  one,  were  given  by  Mr.  Higinbot 
ham.  On  March  1,  1874,  he  was  baptized  in  and  united  with  the  Presbvterian 
church,  of  which  many  of  his  relatives  were  members,  and  he  was,  all  his  life,  a  rev- 
erent and  constant  reader  of  the  Bible.  During  all  his  long  life  he  preserved  habits 
of  temperance,  purity  and  regularity,  and  he  enjoyed  almost  uniformly  good  health 
until  within  a  few  years  of  his  death.  Mr.  Higinbotham  married,  in  1849,  Eliza, 
daughter  of  Nicholas  P.  Randall,  an  eminent  member  of  the  Onondaga  county  bar. 
Of  their  union  three  daughters  were  born:  Julia  Randall,  died  February,  1895; 
Louise  Adelaide,  and  Eliza  Rhobie- 


Hinman,  William  J.,  who  has  been  in  the  jewelry  business  in  Oneida  since  1886, 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Augusta,  Oneida  county,  July  4,  1858,  a  son  of  William  and 
Abbie  (Vaughn)  Hinman.  The  family  is  of  old  New  England  stock  and  his  great- 
grandfather, Grove  Hinman,  came  from  Connecticut  to  Oneida  county  among  the 
earliest  settlers.  Mr.  Hinman  was  educated  in  the  Knoxboro  Union  School,  and 
until  he  reached  his  majority  assisted  in  the  conduct  of  his  father's  farm.  During 
the  year  1880  he  conducted  a  saw  mill  and  lumber  j'ard  owned  by  his  father  in  the 
town  of  Lee,  Oneida  county,  and  in  1881  went  to  Fonda  to  begin  an  apprenticeship 
to  the  jewelers'  trade.  The  following  year  he  came  to  Oneida  and  for  about  four 
years  was  employed  in  the  jewelry  store  of  C.  J.  Wells.  He  began  his  present  busi- 
ness in  1886.  Mr.  Hinman  has  served  as  village  trustee  two  terms;  is  a  member  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Royal  Arcanum.  He  married,  in 
1885,  Cora  Harp,  daughter  of  Christian  Harp,  of  Macedon,  Wayne  county,  N.  Y. 
Two  children  have  been  born  to  the.-n:  Ethel  M.,  and  Alta  M. 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  63 

Hay,  Arthur,  son  of  Alexander  and  Ann  (Stanbury)  Hay,  was  born  in  Jersey  City, 
N.  J.,  March  6,  1859.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Scotland  and  followed  the  business 
of  expert  accounting.  For  a  short  time  he  was  engaged  in  Oneida  with  the  Banking 
House  of  Barnes,  Stark  &  Munroe,  and  subsequently  removed  to  Chicago  where  he 
died  in  1874,  leaving  a  widow  and  three  children  Arthur  Hay  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  New  York  City  and  Oneida.  In  his  fourteenth  year  he  began  an 
apprenticeship  to  the  machinist's  trade  in  the  Westcott  Chuck  Works  where  he  was 
employed  ten  years.  Following  this  period  he  was  associated  with  his  brother,  John 
S.  Hay,  in  a  florist  and  seed  business  in  Oneida  for  a  short  time.  In  the  fall  of  1886 
he  established  a  small  variety  store,  out  of  which  has  grown  his  present  business. 
Ever  since  he  reached  his  majority  Mr.  Hay  has  been  actively  interested  in  the  cause 
of  temperance.  For  a  number  of  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Direc- 
tors of  the  Oneida  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and  an  active  member  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
church ;  is  superintendent  of  the  North  Side  Chapel  Sunday  School,  and  an  active 
official  member  of  the  Y.  P.  S.  C.  E.  He  married  in  June,  1886,  Helen  D.  E.  Dodge, 
daughter  of  the  late  George  W.  Dodge  of  the  town  of  Augusta,  N.  Y.  Although  he 
began  in  a  small  way,  Mr.  Hay's  business  has  developed  rapidly,  especially  in  the 
department  of  books  and  stationery.  In  the  latter  trade  he  now  conducts  an  exten- 
sive wholesale  business. 


Hill,  John,  p.  o.  Perryville,  was  born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  March  1, 
1863,  a  son  of  Norman  B.  (deceased)  and  Mary  (Keyes)  Hill,  who  had  three  children ; 
John,  Fred  C.  and  Carrie.  Norman  was  a  son  of  John  Hill,  who  settled  in  the  town  of 
Fenner  about  1824,  and  Isyphena  (Annas)  Hill,  a  native  of  the  town  ot  Nelson.  John 
Hill,  the  subject,  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  the  town  of  Fenner  aod  also  in  the 
Academy  at  Little  Falls.  He  was  associated  with  his  lather  until  his  father's  death, 
when  he  took  full  charge  of  the  estate.  When  twenty-five  years  of  age  he  married 
Inez,  daughter  of  Austin  K.  and  Marie  (Worden)  Hall,  and  they  have  two  children: 
Grace  Irma  and  Gladys  May.  Mr.  Hill  has  been  active  in  town  and  county  affairs, 
and  at  the  present  time  is  justice  of  the  peace  and  has  been  collector  and  held  several 
other  appointive  offices.  He  has  been  active  in  educational  work  and  was  a  member 
of  the  first  board  of  education  of  Perryville  Union  School,  which  position  he  now 
holds.  His  wife  is  a  graduate  of  Chittenango  High  School.  Fred  C.  Hill  was  edu- 
cated in  the  schools  of  the  town  of  Fenner,  also  graduated  at  Chittenango  High 
School.  He  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Judge  Parker  of  Tioga  Co.,  N.  Y. ,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1888.  He  married  Grace  Hibberd,  August  22,  1890,  and  is 
located  at  Owego,  N.  Y.  Carrie  Hill  in  1885  maaried  Elmer  E.  Shaut,  a  merchant 
of  Little  Falls,  where  she  resided  until  his  death  in  1889,  since  which  time  she  has 
made  her  home  at  Perryville.     They  had  one  child,  Norma. 


Hollenbeck,  J.  W.,  p.  o.  Munnsville,  was  born  in  Smithfield,  January  26,  1858,  a 
son  of  Francis  F.  and  grand.son  of  an  early  settler  of  Oswego  county.  Francis  F. 
was  born  in  Oswego,  N.  Y.,  in  1882;  he  married  Harriet  Buyea,  born  in  Lenox  in 
1835,  and  they  have  five  children,  four  now  living.  Mr.  Hollenbeck  settled  in  Smith- 
field  when  a  young  man,  where  he  spent  his  days  and  died  in  Stockbridge.  J.  W. 
Hollenbeck  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  has  lived  on  the  farm  he  owns 


64  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

thirty-three  years.  He  has  ninety-four  acres  of  land  and  follows  hop  growing  and 
dairying.  December  30.  1880,  he  married  Rosalie  Rowe,  who  lived  in  Cleveland, 
Oswego  county,  born  in  Greene  county,  and  who  came  to  Oswego  county  with  her 
parents,  Isaac  and  Hannah  J.  Rowe,  then  to  Stockbridge,  where  her  father  died 
August  31,  1898.  and  her  mother  March  1.5,  1898.  Mr.  Hollenbeck  and  wife  attend 
the  M.  E.  Church  at  Stockbridge. 

Hicko.x,  Remington  B.  p.  o.  Munnsville,  was  born  in  Munnsville,  April  20,  1854,  a 
son  of  Seva  P.  Hickox,  who  was  born  in  Vergenne.s,  Vt.,  and  came  to  Pratt's  Hollow 
when  a  boy,  then  to  Munnsville,  where  he  spent  his  married  life.  He  died  in  1893, 
aged  seventy-eight  years;  his  wife  was  Wealthy  O.  Frost  of  Munnsville,  daughter  of 
Jacob  G.  Frost,  an  early  settler  of  that  place.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frost  both  died  on  the 
farm  Mr.  Hickox  now  owns.  Remington  B.  Hicko.x  was  educated  in  the  schools  in 
Munnsville  and  is  a  farmer.  He  has  219  acres  of  land  where  he  lives  and  a  dairy  of 
thirty  cows;  he  is  also  a  hop  grower.  October  5,  1881,  he  married  Mildred  A.  Alden, 
born  in  Munnsville,  August  12  1854,  a  daughter  of  Chester  and  Matilda  (Ingraham) 
Alden,  and  they  had  five  children:  Charles  A.,  Edwin  R.,  Leon  B.,  Mildred  A.  (de- 
ceased), and  Leander  M.  Mr.  Hickox  is  an  ardent  Republican  and  a  member  of 
Prosperity  Lodge  No.  484,  I.  O.  O.  F.  Mr.  Hickox's  father  was  a  wagon  maker  by 
trade,  was  proprietor  of  the  American  House  at  Munnsville  and  also  an  extensive 
dealer  in  poultry  and  eggs. 

Hamlin,  George  N.,  p.  o.  Solsville. — William  Hamlm  came  from  Farmington, 
Conn.,  in  1810,  but  on  account  of  his  father's  death  he  soon  returned  east  and  re- 
mained a  few  years,  when  he  came  again  to  Madison,  bringmg  his  goods  in  a  wagon 
drawn  by  an  ox  team.  He  settled  on  land  now  owned  by  his  grandson,  George 
Hamlin.  He  brought  a  wife  and  two  children,  Caroline  and  William  S.  His  other 
children,  Julia,  Chauucey  and  Oliver,  were  born  in  Madison.  William  S.  Hamlin 
married  Nancy  Taylor,  by  whom  he  had  four  children:  George  N.,  a  farmer  on  the 
land  purchased  by  his  father  in  1834;  Mary  E.,  who  married  Daniel  Richards;  Car- 
oline, who  died  young;  and  Harriet,  who  married  Alfred  McNiel.  He  also  had  one 
daughter  by  adoption,  Alice,  wife  of  William  P.  Sheldon.  George  Hamlin  was  born 
in  1835  and  is  one  of  the  successful  farmers  of  Madison.  He  married  Louise  Bar- 
ker, who  died  in  1886.  He  has  one  son,  Edwin  B.  Hamlin,  who  lives  in  Cleveland, 
Ohio.  Nathan  Taylor,  born  1784,  came  from  Danbury,  Conn.,  and  settled  in  Madi- 
.son  village,  where  he  lived  many  years  and  was  a  hatter  by  trade.  Later  on  he  re- 
moved to  Ohio,  and  lived  with  his  son,  John  Taylor.  His  wife  was  Sylvia  Gibbs, 
daughter  of  an  old  Revolutionary  soldier.  Their  children  were  Harriet  T.,  Nancy 
(who  married  William  S    Hamlin),  John,  Julia,  Eliza  and  Calvin. 


House,  Eliphalet,  with  his  son  Eliphalet,  jr. ,  came  from  East  Windsor,  Conn.,  to 
Eaton  in  1795,  hence  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  region.  His  log  cabin  had  a 
blanket  over  the  door  opening,  and  on  one  occasion  when  his  son's  wife  was  left  alone 
one  night,  she  was  much  frightened  by  the  breathing  of  a  strange  animal  at  the  in- 
secure opening;  but  her  fears  were  wholly  removed  when  she  discovered  the  intruder 
to  be  nothing  more  than  a  large  dog  instead  of  a  supposed  panther  or  unfriendly 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  65 

Indian.  The  welcomed  canine  remained  with  heron  guard  during  the  lonely  hours 
of  the  long  night.  The  family  soon  left  Eaton  and  made  a  settlement  at  the  "  Indian 
Opening  "  in  Madison,  where  the  pioneer  died,  March  12,  1804,  and  where  he  was 
buried  in  private  grounds.  In  the  family  there  were  three  children:  Mary,  Eliphalet 
(who  died  in  infancy);  Eliphalet  (the  second  child  so  named);  Eleazer,  James,  and 
Henry.  James  became  a  graduate  of  West  Point.  He  served  in  the  army  until  he 
attained  the  rank  of  colonel.  His  commission,  on  parchment,  constituting  him 
"  Captain  in  the  Regiment  of  Artillerists,"  dated  March  14,  1806,  and  signed  by 
Thomas  Jefferson,  is  now  in  the  possession  of  Edward  E.  House.  He  died  at  George- 
town, near  Washington,  D.C. .  in  1834.  Eliphalet,  jr.,  was  born  March  2,  1759,  and 
spent  his  later  life  as  a  blacksmith  at  the  "  Opening  "  in  Madison.  He  died  August 
8,  1816,  and  was  buried  in  the  private  grounds  at  the  "Opening."  His  wife  was 
Rebecca  Rockwell.  She  came  from  East  Windsor,  Conn.,  and  died  at  the  "  Open- 
ing" in  1843.  They  had  nine  children:  Eleazer,  Polly,  Nancy,  Clarissa,  Henry, 
Polly  (second),  Henry  (second),  James,  and  Orin.  Eleazer  House,  who  was  born  in 
1782  and  died  in  1827,  was  a  blacksmith  and  made  edge  tools  for  the  settlers.  He 
also  carried  on  a  small  farm,  and  by  thrift  became  comfortably  well  off.  His  wife 
was  Mary  Porter,  who  came  to  this  county  with  her  parents  from  East  Windsor, 
Conn.,  drawn  by  an  ox  team.  She  died  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  in  1855.  Her  remains 
were  brought  to  Madison  and  interred  in  the  village  cemetery.  Their  children,  who 
reached  maturity,  were  Eliphalet,  Samuel,  Henry  and  Edward  E.  Edward  E.,  the 
only  survivor,  was  born  in  Madison  village.  May  28  1827,  and  spent  his  early  life  in 
the  town.  In  1844  he  went  to  Hamilton  and  served  at  the  printer's  trade  with  John 
and  David  Atwood,  but  in  1845  removed  to  Utica  and  worked  in  the  office  of  H.  H. 
Curtiss,  book  and  job  printer.  One  of  his  young  associates  here  was  Thomas  L. 
James,  ex-postmaster-general,  and  now  president  of  the  Lincoln  Bank  of  New  York. 
This  acquaintance  has  ever  been  maintained,  and  is  one  of  the  pleasant  memories 
of  Mr.  House's  career.  Mr.  House  left  Utica  in  1847.  Part  of  the  time  between  1847 
and  the  late  spring  of  1853,  he  was  employed  on  the  Ohio  State  Journal  of  Colum- 
bus, O. ,  and  another  part  of  the  time  on  the  Savannah  Republican,  Savannah,  Ga. 
He  left  Savannah  in  1853  and  went  to  New  York,  where  he  followed  his  occupation 
until  1860.  From  that  time  he  became  an  e.Ktensive  traveler  on  business  for  himself, 
until  at  last  he  settled  down  in  his  native  place,  where  he  now  lives  in  comfortable 
retirement,  enjoying  the  fruits  of  early  industry  and  frugality.  Mr.  House  (in  Nov- 
ember, 1854),  married  Mary  Dudley,  daughter  of  Rev.  Ira  J.  Dudley.  They  have  no 
children.  Mr.  Dudley  came  to  Madison  about  1845.  He  was  a  Methodist  local 
preacher  of  some  note.  His  wife  was  Laura  Hurd,  who  died  June  4,  1899,  in  the 
ninety-fifth  year  of  her  age.  He  died  in  Madison  in  1881.  Mr.  House's  brothers, 
whom  he  survives,  were  all  financially  well  to  do  at  the  time  of  their  death.  Samuel 
and  Henry  were  in  business  in  New  York.  Both  left  wives  (who  are  still  living)  but 
no  children.  Henry's  remains  were  brought  to  Madison  for  interment.  Samuel  was 
buried  at  Flushing,  L.I.  Eliphalet  died  at  West  WiHiamsfield,  Ohio.  His  remains 
were  also  brought  to  Madison.  He  died  single.  James  House,  son  of  Eliphalet  and 
Rebecca  House,  was  a  life  long  prominent  and  useful  citizen  of  Madison  village, 
where  he  manufactured  and  repaired  edge  tools  for  the  inhabitants  of  the  village  and 
surrounding  country.  He  was  born  in  1800  and  died  in  1881.  His  wife  was  Sally 
Berry.     She  was  born  in  Madison  in   1803,  and  died  there  in   1897.     They  had  two 


66  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

children :  Rebecca  and  Martha,  who  reside  in  Madison  village  with  their  husbands, 
respectively,  Mr.  Harvey  Taylor  and  Mr.  Dwight  Leland.  His  brother  Orin  in 
early  life  removed  to  Sandy  Creek,  Oswego  county,  and  followed  the  mercantile 
business  there  until  his  death. 


Holdridge,  Reuben,  p.  o.  Oneida,  was  born  in  Herkimer  county,  N.Y.,  in  1845,  a 
son  of  Asa,  who  came  to  Stockbridge  in  18.')4  and  died  in  Verona,  Oneida  county, 
N.Y. ;  his  wife  was  Priscilla  Crossman,  and  they  had  seven  children.  Mr.  Holdridge's 
grandfather  spent  his  last  days  in  Herkimer  county.  Reuben  Holdridge  was  reared 
on  a  farm,  and  educated  in  the  common  schools.  He  is  a  grower  of  peas  and  corn 
for  canning  factories ;  also  keeps  a  dairy  and  is  a  hop  grower.  His  wife  was  Sarah, 
daughter  of  Philander,  and  granddaughter  of  John  Spaulding,  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
Stockbridge.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Holdridge  had  seven  children:  Merton,  Mott,  Nellie, 
Orville  (deceased),  Grace,  Hazel,  and  Ruby  (deceased).  In  politics  Mr.  Holdridge  is 
a  Democrat. 


Hammond.  Willis  A.,  M.  D.,  p.  o.  Madison,  was  born  in  Eaton,  April  17,  1853,  and 
was  the  eldest  of  three  children  born  to  Amos  and  Luna  M.  (Chase)  Hammond.  His 
father  was  a  farmer  in  modest  circumstances  and  his  mother  was  the  author  of  what 
is  commonly  called  "Mrs.  Hammond's  History  of  Madison  County,"  a  work  which 
was  a  faithful  record  of  the  county's  annals  to  the  date  of  publication,  but  the  true 
genius  of  which  has  never  been  fully  appreciated  by  the  reading  public  until  of  late. 
The  young  life  of  Willis  was  spent  in  Pierceville  in  the  factory  during  the  summer 
months  and  attending  the  district  school  in  winter,  until  about  eighteen  years  of  age, 
when  he  attended  two  terms  in  the  Morrisville  Union  School.  He  then  taught  school 
three  winters,  but  determining  to  enter  the  medical  profession  he  read  medicine  with 
his  uncle.  Dr.  D.  D.  Chase,  one  year,  doing  chores  during  the  period  to  pay  for  his 
board.  He  then  went  to  Auburn  and  worked  for  James  Roy  &  Co.,  and  at  the  same 
time  continued  his  medical  studies  with  Dr.  Crevelin.  He  then  took  a  two  years' 
course  in  Columbus  (Ohio)  Medical  College  and  was  graduated  in  March,  1881.  Thus 
equipped  for  professional  life  Dr.  Hammond  began  practice  at  Summer  Hill,  Cayuga 
county,  remaining  two  and  one-half  years,  then  removed  to  Paris  Hill,  Oneida  county, 
where  he  lived  nearly  ten  years  and  from  whence  he  came  to  Madison  county  in  the 
fall  of  1893.  Of  course  Dr.  Hammond's  practice  is  general  and  his  ride  somewhat 
extended.  On  November  12,  1881,  Dr.  Hammond  married  Zilpah  A.  Keyes;  three 
children  have  been  born  of  this  marriage. 


Hecox,  Charles  L.,  p.  o.  Peterboro,  was  born  on  the  farm  he  owns  in  1854,  a  son  of 
John,  and  grandson  of  Obed  Hecox  and  Emily  Kenyon ;  he  was  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  Oneida  county,  where  he  lived  and  died.  John  A.  Hecox  came  from 
Oneida  county  March  1,  1848,  to  the  town  of  Smithfield  and  settled  on  the  farm 
Charles  L.  now  owns,  about  1849,  and  here  lived  until  his  death,  November  10,  1898, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years.  He  married  Sybil  Neal,  daughter  of  Martin  Neal 
and  Roxy  Porter,  early  settlers  in  Oneida  county  and  who  now  resides  with  her  son 
on  the  homestead.  Charles  L.  Hecox  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  is  a 
farmer.     He  is  a  natural  born  machinist  and  has  been  engaged  in  threshing  for 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  67 

twenty-seven  years.  He  also  owns  on  his  farm  a  mill  for  grinding  feed  and  conducts 
quite  an  extensive  business  in  that  line.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  though  not  an 
aspirant  to  office,  preferring  to  live  the  life  of  an  independent  farmer.  In  1876  he 
married  Florence  E.  Wever  of  Nelson,  daughter  of  Delos  Wever  and  Hannah  Bates  of 
Nelson,  and  granddaughter  of  Rufus  Wever,  sr.,  and  Amy  Smith  on  her  father's 
side,  and  of  Archibald  Bates,  sr. ,  and  Anna  Clough  on  her  mother's  side;  they  had 
two  children:  Albert  E.,  born  July  13,  1878,  (deceased)  and  Caroline  B.,  born  June 
14,  1884. 

Haines,  E.  A.,  was  born  in  Prussia,  April  12,  1842  and  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1854  with  his  parents,  Anton  and  Genevieve  Haines,  who  settled  in  the  town  of 
Herkimer,  where  Anton  died  in  1856.  E.  A.  Haines  was  educated  in  Germany  and 
in  1861  engaged  in  the  grocery  business,  in  which  he  still  continues.  In  1882  he 
built  the  block  in  Canastota  which  bears  his  name.  In  1866  Mr.  Haines  married  Mary 
Agan,  who  died  in  1867,  leaving  one  child  who  died  about  six  months  later ;  and  later  he 
married  Mary  Allen  of  Herkimer,  who  died  in  1894,  leaving  three  daughters,  one  yet 
living — Genevieve.  Mr.  Haines  is  one  of  the  self-made  men  of  Madison  county,  serv- 
ing as  town  clerk  three  years  and  poorraaster  two  years,  and  is  always  interested  in 
any  good  public  enterprise.  He  holds  at  present  the  office  of  treasurer  in  a  number 
of  different  organizations  and  societies. 


Hubbard,  F.  F. ,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Sullivan,  September  30,  1848.  His  father, 
Gilbert  S.  Hubbard,  was  a  native  of  Pompey,  and  his  father,  Eli,  was  one  of  the  first 
settlers  in  Onondaga  county.  Gilbert  S.  married  Jane  G.,  daughter  of  Rev.  Charles 
F.  Butler,  and  has  been  engaged  through  life  in  farming.  He  was  very  active  in  re- 
ligious matters  and  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  the  11th 
ward  in  Syracuse.  F.  F.  Hubbard  was  educated  in  Cazenovia  Seminary  and  in  1882 
established  his  present  business  in  Canastota,  as  packer  of  choice  canned  vegetables, 
having  in  1882  an  output  of  5,000  cases  and  in  1898  of  40,000  cases.  He  was  also  one 
of  the  charter  members  of  the  New  York  State  Canned  Goods  Packers'  Association, 
its  vice-president  a  number  of  years,  and  president  for  eight  years;  also  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  Atlantic  States  Canned  Goods  Packers'  Association.  He  was  always  in 
attendance  at  all  of  the  meetings  of  the  different  associations,  and  has  taken  a  great 
interest  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  canning  business.  In  1879  Mr.  Hubbard 
married  Florence  E.,  daughter  of  Thomas  N.  Jarvis;  they  have  three  daughters: 
Edith,  Arline  and  Doris.  Mr.  Hubbard  is  one  of  the  progressive  business  men  of 
his  town,  trustee  of  his  village  and  president  of  the  water  board. 


Holmes,  George  W.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Georgetown,  March  15,  1860,  the  .son 
of  Abel  S.  and  Alzina  B.  (Chase)  Holmes.  George  W.  Holmes  was  educated  in  the 
Georgetown  schools.  His  early  life  was  spent  upon  the  farm.  When  about  twenty- 
one  years  of  age  he  started  out  in  life  for  himself.  In  1889  he  entered  the  employ 
of  D.  H.  Burrell  &  Co.,  which  position  he  now  holds.  He  has  taken  active  part  in 
politics  and  was  appointed  postmaster  of  Nelson  by  President  McKinley  on  March 
17,  1898. 


68  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Howard,  Adelbert  H.,  was  born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  August  18, 
1858,  a  son  of  Alvin  H.  and  Betsey  (Lindsley)  Howard,  who  had  two  children:  Al- 
bertus  F. ,  and  Adelbert  H.  Alvin  was  a  son  of  Arad  and  Sarah  (Smith)  Howard; 
their  children  were  Alvin,  Edwin,  Arad.  Nathan,  Samantha,  and  Lucy.  Sarah 
(Smith)  Howard  was  a  sister  of  Allen  Smith,  a  prominent  citizen  of  the  town,  and 
hence  a  relative  of  Horace  K  Smith,  the  present  supervisor  of  Nelson.  After  Arad 
Howard's  death,  Sarah  married  Judah  Lindsley,  by  whom  she  had  two  sons,  Cyrenus 
and  Franklin.  Alvin,  during  his  early  life,  worked  at  carpenter's  work  with  his 
father-in-law,  Simeon  Lindsley,  until  his  marriage,  when  he  purchased  the  farm 
where  Adelbert  H.  now  lives,  and  followed  farming  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He 
was  a  public  spirited  man  and  took  a  great  interest  in  church  and  temperance  work. 
Adelbert  H.  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  the  town  of  Nelson.  He  was 
associated  with  his  father  until  his  father's  death  on  December  37,  1879,  when  he 
took  charge  of  the  estate.  October  18,  1881,  he  married  Ida  L.,  daughter  of  Hiram 
P.  and  Annie  (Rice)  Hutchinson,  and  they  have  three  children  Floyd,  Glenn,  and 
Ray.  Mr.  Howard  has  been  active  in  town  and  county  affairs  and  has  held  the  office 
of  assessor;  he  has  been  connected  with  educational  work  for  many  years  as  trustee 
and  collector  of  the  school.  He  is  a  member  of  Nelson  Grange  No.  615.  David  and 
Simeon  Lindsley,  two  brothers,  came  from  near  Merrillsville  and  settled  in  the 
northeastern  part  of  the  town  of  Nelson.  They  married  two  sisters,  Fannie  and 
Jerusha  Merrill.  Simeon's  children  were  Adelia,  Cuiderilla,  Jerusha,  Amelia  and 
Betsey,  all  now  deceased,  David's  children  were  Simeon,  Allen,  Abijah,  Loren  and 
Wallace.     Abijah  and  Wallace  are  still  living. 


Hughes,  John  Charles  was  born  in  the  village  of  Chittenango,  January  1,  1860,  a 
son  of  Evan  D.  and  Elizabeth  (Evans)  Hughes,  who  had  two  sons;  John  C. ,  and 
Walter  E.  Evan  D.  came  from  Wales  and  settled  in  the  town  of  Chittenango,  where 
he  was  employed  in  a  brewery  for  about  ten  years.  About  1863  he  moved  to  the 
town  of  Nelson  and  purchased  a  farm  near  where  John  C.  now  lives,  and  carried  on 
general  farming  in  that  vicinity  until  his  death  on  February  1,  1884.  He  took  an  act- 
ive part  in  church  work  and  was  a  very  temperate  man.  John  C.  Hughes  was  edu- 
cated in  the  town  of  Nelson  and  Cazenovia  Seminary.  His  early  life  was  spent  with 
his  father,  with  whom  he  was  associated  until  his  father's  death.  His  mother  died 
November  9,  1886,  at  which  time  John  C.  purchased  the  estate.  March  13,  1887,  he 
married  Maggie,  daughter  of  David  E.  and  Annie  Jones;  they  have  three  children: 
Flossie  Elizabeth,  Charles  John,  and  Anita.  Mr.  Hughes  is  a  public  spirited  man  and 
takes  an  active  interest  in  town  and  county  affairs,  especially  in  school  and  educa- 
tional work.  He  has  been  connected  with  the  schools  in  an  official  way  for  the  past 
ten  years;  he  is  also  a  contributing  and  supporting  member  of  the  Welsh  Congrega- 
tional Church. 


Hutchinson,  Leroy  H.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Cazenovia,  August  28,  1843,  a  son 
of  Hiram  P.  and  Annie  (Rice)  Hutchinson,  who  had  four  children :  Leroy  H,  Frances, 
Ellen,  and  Ida,  all  natives  of  Madison  county.  Hiram  P.  was  a  .son  of  Philo  Hutch- 
inson, whose  children  were  Hiram  P.,  Joseph,  George,  Charlotte,  and  Elizabeth. 
In  early  life  Hiram  P.  followed  farming  and  in  the  latter  part  of  his  life  was  engaged 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  69 

in  lumbering  and  milling.  Leroy  H.  Hutchinson  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Nel- 
son and  when  fifteen  years  of  age  started  in  life  for  himself  as  a  farm  laborer.  He 
learned  the  milling  and  lumbering  business  from  his  father,  which  he  now  follows. 
He  is  a  public  spirited  man  and  has  held  some  of  the  town  offices,  such  as  constable. 
His  father  was  constable  for  twenty-four  years  and  deputy  sheriff  eighteen  years ;  he 
was  also  active  in  educational  work  and  the  M.  E.  church 


Ingalls,  Albert,  p.  o.  Peterboro,  was  born  in  Lenox,  July  1,  1849,  a  son  of  Conrad, 
son  of  James,  who  came  from  Schoharie  county,  N.  Y. ,  to  Leno.x,  about  1800,  and  here 
lived  and  died.  Conrad  Ingalls  was  born  in  Lenox  in  December,  1818,  and  in  1852 
settled  in  Smithfield,  where  he  owns  200  acres  of  land  and  follows  general  farming. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  served  as  assessor  and  highway  commissioner;  he 
married  Lydia  Tucker,  who  died  in  November,  1865:  they  had  three  children.  Al- 
bert Ingalls  was  reared  on  a  farm,  was  educated  in  Peterboro  Academy  and  has  fol- 
lowed farming.  He  is  a  Republican  and  has  served  as  highway  commissioner.  He 
married  Ella  McDermott  of  Peterboro,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Gladys  M.  Mr. 
Ingalls  is  a  member  of  the  Morrisville  Lodge,  No.  658,  F.  &  A.  M. 


Isaacs,  I.  Henry,  was  born  February  20,  1841,  a  son  of  David  and  Winnefred  (Jones) 
Isaacs,  who  came  from  Wales  and  settled  in  the  town  of  Floyd,  Oneida  county,  in 
1833.  They  moved  to  the  town  of  Nelson  about  1851,  and  had  ten  children:  Ellen, 
wife  of  Edward  Jones  of  Rome,  N.  Y.  ;  Annie,  wife  of  Hon.  T.  D.  Roberts  of  Floyd, 
N.  Y.  ;  Jane,  wife  of  Joseph  Jones  of  Utica ;  Margaret,  wife  of  Thomas  Winston  of 
New  York  city;  I.  Henry;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  William  George;  Catherine,  wife  of  D. 
K.  Davis  of  Unadilla  Forks;  Mary,  wife  of  Thomas  Morris  of  Utica;  John  of  New 
York  city  and  David  of  Middle  Granville.  David  Isaacs  was  a  farmer  all  of  his  life 
with  the  exception  of  two  years,  when  he  worked  in  Utica  in  a  mill  stone  factory. 
1.  Henry  Isaacs  was  educated  in  the  Morrisville  high  school.  He  remained  with  his 
parents  until  sixteen  years  of  age,  when  he  started  in  life  as  a  farm  laborer.  On 
August  8,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  B,  44th  Regiment  (the  Ellsworth  Volunteers)  and 
represented  the  town  of  Nelson.  May  27,  1862,  he  was  wounded  at  Hanover  Court 
House,  and  again  at  Fredericksburgh,  December  13,  1862,  where  he  lost  the  second 
finger  on  his  left  hand;  he  was  mustered  out  March  9,  1864.  He  was  the  first  com- 
mander of  Morrisville  Post  No.  548,  and  has  held  many  of  its  offices ;  also  a  delegate 
to  the  State  encampment  two  years  and  has  attended  seventeen  State  encampments. 
After  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to  the  town  of  Nelson  and  on  January  20,  1865, 
married  Jennett,  daughter  of  Liberty  and  Lydia  Cutler  Hall.  In  1868  he  moved  to 
Iowa  and  two  years  later  to  New  York  city,  where  he  formed  a  copartnership  with 
his  brother  John  in  the  carting  business.  Four  years  later  he  entered  the  employ  of 
the  United  Sates  as  a  letter  carrier  in  New  York  city.  In  1884  he  moved  to  Smith- 
field  and  purchased  the  hotel  where  he  remained  two  years,  then  returned  to  the 
farm  and  six  years  later  purchased  the  hotel  at  Morrisville,  which  he  sold  in  1897  and 
purchased  the  farm  where  he  now  lives.  He  held  the  position  of  deputy  sheriff 
under  Barker  and  Burroughs. 


Johnson,  William  J.,  p.  o.  Solsville. — James  Johnson  was  born  in  May  field,  Mont- 


70  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

gomery  county,  but  spent  a  part  of  his  young  life  in  Herkimer  county,  where  he  was 
a  good  and  successful  farmer.  He  married,  June  29,  1846,  Sally  Ann  Lamphere,  and 
came  to  Eaton,  where  he  was  also  a  farmer  and  where  he  died  in  1894.  He  had 
two  children:  William  J.,  and  Romelia,  the  latter  of  whom  married  Henry  Maynard 
of  Eaton,  and  ditd  in  1893.  William  J.  Johnson  was  born  September  6,  1849,  and 
was  brought  up  on  a  farm  in  Eaton.  In  1875  he  was  appointed  station  agent  at 
Pecksport  and  served  in  that  place  seven  years.  In  June,  1833,  he  came  to  the  more 
important  station  at  Solsville  and  has  since  lived  in  that  hamlet,  attending  strictly 
to  his  duties  and  enjoying  the  confidence  both  of  the  railroad  company  and  of  the 
patrons  of  the  road.  On  April  8,  1883,  Mr.  Johnson  married  Ella  L.  Hyde,  by  whom 
he  had  five  children:  Mabel  G.,  born  March  15,  1883;  W.  Lisle,  born  January  24, 
1885;  Elma  M.,  born  November  7,  1889;  Elva  S.,  born  November  7,  1889;  and  Bessie 
May,  born  May  2,  1893.  Daniel  Hyde,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  was  an  early  settler 
in  Brookfield,  but  died  in  Hamilton.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812  and  served 
at  Sackett's  Harbor.  His  wife  was  Miss  Holcomb,  by  whom  he  had  five  children: 
Eveline,  Nelson,  Philander.  Jared  and  Newell.  Philander  Hyde  has  always  lived 
in  this  county  and  has  been  a  farmer.  He  married  Maria  Alby  and  had  four  children  ; 
Nettie,  Ella  L.  (wife  of  William  J.  Johnson),  and  two  others  who  died  in  infancy. 
Mr.  Hyde's  second  wife  was  Mary,  widow  of  Dwight  Smith,  by  whom  he  had  one 
son,  Frank  Hyde. 


Jessup,  Rev.  Samuel,  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Oneida  since  1872,  was 
born  in  Florida,  Orange  county,  N.  Y.,  May  23,  1833,  a  sou  of  Daniel  and  Martha 
(Seeley)  Jessup.  He  was  graduated  at  Princeton  College  with  the  class  of  1854,  and 
for  one  year  taught  in  the  Academy  at  Mayville,  Chautauqua  county,  N.  Y.  In  1858 
he  was  graduated  from  the  Union  Theological  Seminary,  and  the  following  year  was 
ordained  to  the  ministry.  He  served  the  Congregational  Church  at  Berkshire,  Tioga 
county,  N.  Y.,  one  year,  and  for  a  few  months  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Amity, 
N  Y.  In  1860  he  became  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Dansville,  N.  Y.,  and 
in  1871  came  to  his  present  charge.  In  1889  Mr.  Jessup  served  as  Moderator  of  the 
Synod  of  New  York  and  in  1887  Hamilton  College  conferred  upon  him  the  honorary 
degree  of  D.  D.  He  married  in  1863,  Caroline  E.  Pierson,  daughter  of  Rev.  George 
Pierson  of  Florida.  N.  Y.  Of  their  union  are  two  children:  George  P.,  a  practicing 
physician  of  New  Dorp,  Staten  Island ;  and  Mary  R. 


Jurden,  Thomas  H.  ,  was  born  m  the  town  of  Verona,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  De- 
cember 25,  1843,  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Sarah  A.  (Jurden)  Jurden.  Until  he  was 
eighteen  years  old  he  a'ssisted  in  the  conduct  of  his  father's  farm,  and  his  education 
was  limited  to  the  district  schools.  In  1861  he  came  to  Verona  Landing  and  took  a 
position  as  clerk  in  the  grocery  store  of  E.  C.  Stark  which  he  held  three  years.  For 
one  year  following  he  filled  a  position  as  clerk  in  a  hotel  at  Hudson  City,  N.  J.,  and 
then  returned  to  Verona  Lar.ding  and  the  employ  of  Mr.  Stark,  with  whom  he  soon 
formed  a  partnership  under  the  firm  name  of  E.  C.  Stark  &  Co.,  for  the  conduct  of 
a  general  grocery  business;  they  were  also  extensively  interested  in  building  and 
operating  canal  boats.  In  the  spring  of  1873  Mr.  Stark  withdrew  and  Mr.  Jurden 
conducted  the  business  alone  until  the  spring  of  1876.     After  a  business  trip  of  a 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  71 

few  months'  duration  to  the  city  of  Buflfalo,  principally  to  close  up  his  canal  interests, 
he  went  into  the  Oneida  banking  house  of  E.  C.  Stark  &  Co.  as  teller,  a  position  he 
held  until  the  failure  of  the  bank  in  July,  1891.  For  some  months  he  remained  with 
the  assignee,  whom  he  succeeded,  and  was  later  employed  at  the  Central  Bank. 
When  the  Farmers'  and  Merchants'  Bank  was  organized  in  June,  1893,  Mr.  Jurden 
took  his  present  position  as  teller.  He  is  well  known  to  the  entire  business  commu- 
nity, served  six  years  as  village  trustee,  on  the  Board  of  Education  three  years,  and 
for  twenty  consecutive  years  as  collector's  clerk  of  the  town  of  Verona.  He  married, 
December  35,  1872,  Josephine  L.  Wettling,  daughter  of  Martin  Wettling  of  Verona. 
Three  children  have  been  born  to  them:  Theodore  H.,  Emily  M.  and  Grace  I. 


Joy,  Milton  R.,  M.  D. ,  was  born  in  Remsen,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  December  7, 
1861,  a  son  of  Henry  L.  and  Mary  (Paine)  Joy.  When  he  was  an  infant  the  family 
removed  to  Ilion,  Herkimer  county,  where  he  attended  the  high  school ;  later  he  at- 
tended Cazenovia  Seminary  and  Syracuse  University.  He  began  his  medical  studies 
under  Dr.  H.  B.  Maben  of  Ilion,  and  was  graduated  from  the  Long  Island  College 
Hospital  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  in  1884.  Following  his  graduation  he  settled  in 
Perryville,  where  he  practiced  for  seven  years  removing  to  Cazenovia  in  1891.  Dr. 
Joy  has  been  health  officer  of  the  village  for  the  past  seven  years.  He  is  a  company 
surgeon  of  the  West  Shore  Railroad,  a  trustee  of  the  high  school  and  of  Cazenovia 
Seminary,  member  of  the  Cazenovia  Lodge  of  Masons  and  the  Chapter,  of  Syracuse 
Commandery  of  Knights  Templar,  of  Madison  County  Medical  Society,  Syracuse 
Academy  of  Medicine,  International  Association  of  Railroad  Surgeons,  and  the 
American  Medical  Association.  In  1886  Dr.  Joy  married  Meta  James,  daughter  of 
Theodore  James  of  Utica.  Of  this  union  two  children  were  born:  Genevieve  F.  and 
Henry  H. 


Jones,  Richard  T.,  p.o.  Morrisville,  whose  well  tilled  farm  is  admirably  located  be- 
tween the  county  seat  and  Morrisville  station,  was  born  in  Wales  in  August,  1822, 
and  came  to  the  United  States  when  twenty-seven  years  old.  He  located  in  Oneida 
county,  working  at  whatever  he  could  find  to  do,  after  which  he  bought  a  farm  in 
the  northwest  part  of  Eaton.  'Here  he  began  life  earnestly,  and  although  the  farm 
was  said  to  be  of  poor  quality,  he  labored  earnestly  in  developing  the  land  and  not 
only  succeeded  in  paying  the  purchase  price,  but  also  accumulated  some  money  be- 
sides. He  lived  in  this  locality  twenty  years  and  then,  in  1870,  bought  the  Col.  Le- 
land  farm  east  of  Morrisville  containing  223  acres  and  for  which  he  agreed  to  pay 
$22,300.  This  consideration  was  paid  more  than  fifteen  years  ago,  and  in  addition 
to  the  land  Mr.  Jones  also  possesses  a  comfortable  competency.  A  portion  of  the 
farm,  however,  is  now  owned  by  John  W.  Jones.  In  Wales  Mr.  Jones  married 
Sarah  Williams,  by  whom  he  had  nine  children,  three  of  whom  died  in  infancy. 
The  surviving  children  were  Catherine,  John  W.,  Thomas,  Jennie,  Sarah  and  Nettie. 
His  wife  died  in  1877  and  in  December,  1878,  Mr.  Jones  married  Maria  Gostling, 
daughter  of  William  Gostling  of  Morrisville. 


Johnston,  A.  S.,  p.  o.  Peterboro,  was  born  in  Smithfield,   May  27,  1827,  a  son  of 
Samuel,  son  of  Samuel  Johnston,  born  in  Ireland  and  who  came  to  the  United  States 


72  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

in  1806,  settling  in  Smithfield  soon  thereafter.  His  wife  was  Sarah  Anderson,  born 
in  Ireland,  and  died  in  Smithfield  about  1830.  He  died  in  1827.  They  had  four  sons 
and  four  daughters;  the  youngest  was  born  in  America.  Samuel  Johnston  was  born 
in  Ireland  in  1797  and  died  in  Smithfield  in  1844.  His  wife  was  Sophronia  Chaffee, 
born  in  Madison  county,  daughter  of  Walter  and  Anna  (Hyde)  Chaffee,  who  were 
among  the  early  settlers  of  Smithfield.  A.  S.  Johnston  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
educated  in  the  common  schools.  He  has  been  engaged  in  farming  and  real  estate 
business,  but  for  the  last  twenty-one  years  has  lived  retired  in  the  village  of  Peter- 
boro.  January  10,  1867,  he  married  Isabella  Johnston,  born  March  15,  1842,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Alexander  Johnston.  Mr.  Johnston  and  wife  had  two  children:  Adison  and 
Edward,  both  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Johnston  was  a  Republican  until  recently  and  is 
now  a  Prohibitionist.  He  has  served  as  highway  commissioner  for  several  years, 
also  as  assessor.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnston  are  both  interested  in  temperance  work. 


Jones,  David  W.,  was  born  in  Wales,  April  1,  1849,  a  son  of  Thomas  J.  and 
Hannah  Jones,  who  had  eight  children:  Annie  E. ,  David  W.,  Esther,  (wife  of 
Evan  Williams  of  Iowa  City),  James  T.,  of  Columbus,  Ohio,  Margaret,  (wife  of  Sam- 
uel G.  Jones),  John  L.  of  Waterville.  N.  Y. ,  Mary,  (wife  of  Rev.  Harry  Roberts  of 
Iowa  City),  and  William  B.,  of  Brooklyn,  who  is  a  teacher  in  an  industrial  school. 
Thomas  J.  and  Hannah  Jones  came  to  Oneida  county  in  1850  with  their  family  which 
consisted  of  Annie  and  David  W. ,  one  year  later  they  removed  to  the  town  of  Nel- 
son, where  the  remainder  of  the  children  were  born.  Thomas  was  a  farm  laborer 
until  1853,  when  he  purchased  the  farm  known  as  the  Jones  homestead.  He  was  a 
public  spirited  man  and  took  an  active  part  in  public  affairs.  He  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Welsh  church  and  was  sexton  of  the  church  and  cemetery  for  many 
years.  During  the  late  rebellion  he  championed  the  northern  cause  in  which  he  took 
an  active  interest.  David  W.  Jones  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  the  town 
of  Nelson  and  Cazenovia  Seminary.  When  about  thirteen  years  of  age  he  started 
in  life  for  himself  as  a  laborer  and  school  teacher.  October  12,  1876,  he  married 
Jennie,  daughter  of  Levi  and  Persis  (Payne)  Keith;  they  have  one  child,  Keith  Wal- 
ton Jones.  In  1878  he  took  charge  of  the  Keith  homestead,  where  he  has  lived  to 
the  present  time  and  follows  general  farming.  He  has  been  active  in  town  and 
county  affairs  and  has  held  the  offices  of  inspector  of  elections  and  supervisor,  and 
at  the  present  time  is  railroad  commissioner  and  county  committeeman.  He  has 
been  active  in  school  and  educational  work  and  at  the  present  time  is  superintendent 
of  the  Sunday  school.  He  is  a  charter  member  of  Nelson  Grange  No.  615,  of  which 
he  was  its  first  master  and  has  also  been  its  secretary,  and  also  lecturer  of  the  Madi- 
son County  Pomona  Grange  and  served  as  a  State  delegate  two  years.  His  first  wife 
died  November  23,  1886.  On  September  24,  1895,  he  was  married  to  Ida,  only  daugh- 
ter of  Spencer  and  Minerva  (Hamblin)  Smith,  who  died  March  27,  1897. 


Keith,  Frank,  was  born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  April  14,  1851,  a  son  of 
John  and  Sarah  (Weber)  Keith.  His  father  was  born  on  the  same  farm  in  June, 
1818,  and  died  November  24,  1880;  he  was  twice  married;  his  second  wife  was  born 
in  1825,  and  died  December  6,  1861.  Two  daughters  were  born  to  the  first  wife: 
Caroline,  born  January  1,  1843,  and  Mary,  born  April  16,  1847,  died  in  1876.     By  the 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  73 

second  wife  were  born,  Frank  (as  above),  and  Luella,  wife  of  Frank  Whitney;  she 
died  December  31,  1890.  Frank  Keith  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  the 
town  of  Nelson  and  Cazenovia  Seminary.  His  early  life  was  spent  on  the  homestead 
with  his  parents.  He  married  Antoinette,  daughter  of  John  and  Sarah  Coulter,  and 
they  have  three  children;  Gertrude  May,  Annie  Luella  and  Alma  E.  About  the 
time  of  Mr.  Keith's  marriage  he  purchased  a  part  of  the  homestead  and  follows  gen- 
eral farming  and  dairying.     He  is  interested  and  active  in  school  and  church  work. 


Knox,  William,  and  his  wife  Hannah  (Hamilton)  Knox,  were  among  the  early  set- 
tlers of  the  town  of  Nelson.  They  came  from  Bradford,  Mass.,  in  1805,  and  had 
children  named  Polly,  Mila,  Hannah,  Rachel,  Alvin  William,  Artemissia  Louisa. 
Charles  Hamilton,  Nancy  Louisa,  and  Lucius  Delos,  all  natives  of  Nelson.  Charles 
Hamilton  took  a  very  active  part  in  public  affairs.  He  was  railroad  commissioner 
and  was  interested  in  all  public  spirited  enterprises.  Lucius  Delos  was  a  self-edu- 
cated man  and  was  one  of  the  most  influential  in  the  town.  He  held  most  of  the 
town  offices  and  was  justice  of  the  peace  for  thirty  years,  and  also  justice  of  sessions. 
He  was  associated  with  his  father  until  his  father's  death  on  April  17,  1850.  On 
March  24,  1873,  he  married  Helen  M.  Smith,  daughter  of  Elisha  and  Lucy  Whipple 
of  Fenner.  Mrs.  Knox  was  formerly  married  to  William  C.  Smith,  by  whom  she 
had  one  child,  Lellaene,  who  is  now  wife  of  Dallas  Wells;  they  have  one  child,  Ethel 
L.  William  C.  Smith  enlisted  in  Co.  D,  114th  Reg.  in  186'J.  He  returned  home  on 
a  furlough  and  died  November  33.  1863,  at  Fenner,  from  disease  contracted  in  the 
army.     He  was  the  son  of  Robert  and  Mary  Etta  Card  Smith. 


Kling  &  Payne,  p.  o.  Brookfield,  N.  Y.,  flour,  feed,  salt,  grass  seed  and  custom  mill- 
ing.— This  firm  is  composed  of  A.  Kling  and  W.  A.  Payne.  Mr.  Payne  was  born  at 
West  Eaton,  N.  Y.,  May  5,  1855.  His  grandfather,  Abial  Payne,  was  a  pioneer  of 
West  Eaton,  where  he  was  a  farmer;  his  wife  was  Eunice  Grant,  who  bore  him  eight 
children.  One  of  these  children  was  Truman  Payne,  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
article,  who  was  married  to  Olive  Damon,  who  bore  him  three  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters. For  many  years  he  conducted  a  saw  mill  and  manufactured  cheese  boxes  at 
West  Eaton,  where  he  died  in  August,  1875,  aged  fifty-five.  W.  A.  Payne  was  edu- 
cated at  the  West  Eaton  Union  school,  and  for  thirteen  years  was  employed  by 
Wood,  Taber  &  Morse  at  Eaton.  In  1891  he  came  to  North  Brookfield  and  purchased 
a  half  interest  in  the  flour  and  feed  mill  of  Kling  &  Miller.  The  firm  conducts  an 
extensive  business,  besides  custom  work  at  milling,  having  a  feed  store  and  ware- 
house at  the  railroad  station.  Mr.  Payne  is  a  Republican  and  has  been  inspector  of 
elections;  he  is  a  member  of  Sanger  Lodge  No.  129,  F.  &  A.  M..  at  Waterville.  On 
April  22,  1886,  he  was  married  to  Lizzie,  daughter  of  James  and  Mary  (Tew)  Bay- 
liss,  who  were  natives  of  England,  coming  to  Eaton  in  1845,  where  Mrs.  Bayliss  died 
in  1894.  Mrs.  Payne  died  September  14,  1899,  aged  thirty-seven  years.  She  was 
highly  respected  in  the  community.  Mr.  Payne  has  one  daughter,  Ethel  M.,  born 
January  17,  1897,  and  one  adopted  daughter,  Edna  Mae.  They  attend  the  Baptist 
church  of  North  Brookfield. 


Kinney,  Calvin  T.,  p.  o  Sheds,  is  a  fine  sample  of  the  self-made  man.     He  has 


74  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

pushed  his  way  to  the  front  among  the  enterprising,  prosperous  farmers  of  this 
county,  while  still  in  the  prime  of  life,  and  has  a  valuable,  well-conducted  farm  in 
the  town  of  De  Ruyter.  He  is  a  son  of  George  T.  and  Mary  (Davis)  Kinney,  and 
was  born  about  a  half  mile  south  of  his  present  home,  June  28,  1855.  His  boyhood 
was  spent  in  the  district  schools  and  having  grown  to  manhood  he  early  turned  his 
attention  to  farming,  which  vocation  he  has  since  followed.  On  December  30,  1875, 
he  married  Ida  L.,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Polly  M.  (Holmes)  Scott.  They  have 
two  children;  Clarence,  born  June  7,  1880,  and  Mertie,  born  January  28,  1886.  In 
politics  Mr.  Kinney  is  a  Republican  and  has  held  the  office  of  highway  commissioner 
three  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  De  Ruyter  Lodge,  No,  693,  F.  &  A.  M.  His 
standing  in  his  party  and  his  fraternity  is  high,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  are  among 
the  respected  people  of  their  town  and  community. 


Kennedy,  Mrs.  Harriet,  p.  o.  Chittenango,  widow  of  the  late  Robert  Kennedy,  is  a 
daughter  of  Daniel  Walrath,  concerning  whose  life  material  will  be  found  elsewhere 
in  this  work.  She  was  born  in  Chittenango,  one  of  nine  children,  of  whom  seven  yet 
reside  in  the  place.  Robert  Kennedy,  whose  wife  she  became  in  1871,  was  born  at 
Canaseraga,  December  6,  1835.  He  was  during  his  mature  years  identified  with  the 
grocery  trade,  having  spent  many  years  in  the  employ  of  the  Grouses,  the  grocer 
princes  of  Syracuse.  When  his  brother,  the  late  Judge  Charles  L.  Kennedy,  re- 
moved from  Syracuse  to  Morrisville,  Robert  returned  to  Chittenango  and  opened  a 
store  on  a  site  just  above  the  old  Yates  Hotel,  which  he  occupied  not  less  than  twenty 
years.  He  became  a  very  influential  and  prorament  citizen  here.  In  politics  a  strong 
Republican,  he  was  not  desirous  of  office,  but  was  an  active  and  powerful  factor  in 
town  and  village  affairs.  For  many  years  he  was  justice  of  the  peace.  In  his  later 
years  he  led  a  retired  life,  which  was  suddenly  terminated  by  apoplexy  May  6,  1893. 
His  father.  Doctor  Samuel  Kennedy,  and  his  brother,  the  well  known  Judge,  died 
from  the  same  cause  and  at  about  the  same  age.  He  was  a  man  greatly  esteemed 
by  all  classes  of  people  but  perhaps  among  his  many  virtues,  that  which  most  calls 
for  admiration  was  his  unswerving  fealty  to  his  friends.  His  earnest  convictions 
were  the  outcome  of  a  calm  judgment  and  while  steadfast  in  his  beliefs  and  conclu- 
sions, he  yet  held  the  even  tenor  of  his  way,  with  charity  for  all  and  malice  toward 
none. 


Keith,  Ambrose,  p.  o.  North  Brookfield,  N.  Y.,  was  born  in  Brookfield,  May  8,  1827, 
a  son  of  John  and  Sally  (Mason)  Keith,  and  grandson  of  John,  a  native  of  either  New 
Hampshire  or  Maine,  and  who  came  to  Brookfield  about  1813.  John  (father  of  Am- 
brose) Keith  was  born  in  Maine,  was  a  farmer,  and  married  Sally  Mason  of  Swansea, 
Mass.  ;  their  children  were  Betsey,  Myron,  Ambrose,  Guilford,  Abigail,  Aberdeen 
and  Harriet,  of  whom  only  Myron,  Ambrose,  and  Harriet  survive.  Mr.  Keith  died 
April  9,  1865,  and  his  wife  April  11,  1851.  Ambrose  Keith  was  reared  on  a  farm,  ob- 
tained his  education  in  the  district  schools  and  at  Hamilton  Academy,  and  for  twenty 
winters  taught  school  in  connection  with  farming.  In  1851  he  was  married  to  Eleanor, 
daughter  of  Nathaniel  (born  in  Connecticut  and  died  in  Brookfield  in  1871)  and  Clar- 
issa (Clark)  Maine,  (born  in  Rhode  Island  and  died  in  Brookfield  in  1875).  Their 
children  were  John,  Clarissa  and  Frank,  both  deceased;  John  was  educated  in  the 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  75 

union  school  of  Waterville,  taught  school  and  is  now  a  farmer;  was  married  to  Rode- 
lia  Baldwin,  who  has  borne  him  two  daughters  and  one  son ;  Irving  and  Libbie,  de- 
ceased, and  Nellie.  Mr.  Keith  and  his  son  John  have  210  acres  of  land,  have  been 
hop  growers,  but  are  now  raising  sheep  and  dairying.  He  is  a  Republican,  and  has 
been  highway  commissioner  two  terms,  assessor  three  years,  and  coroner  six  years. 


Kelly,  Dennis,  p.  o.  Mile  Strip,  was  born  in  Ireland,  December  22,  1840,  a  son  of 
Michael  and  Mary  (Kinney)  Kelly.  They  had  six  children  as  follows:  Bridget,  John, 
Dennis,  Margaret,  Maria,  and  Michael.  Later  in  life  Michael  married  for  his  second 
wife  Jane  Hayes,  and  they  had  eight  children:  Annie,  Mary,  Frank,  James,  Thomas, 
Jane,  Julia,  and  Kate.  Michael  came  to  Madison  county  about  1847,  and  was  fol- 
lowed about  two  years  later  by  his  family  of  children,  his  wife  being  dead.  By  oc- 
cupation he  followed  farming  and  worked  as  a  laborer.  After  his  marriage  with 
Jane  Hayes  he  moved  to  Iowa,  where  he  took  up  land  and  has  since  lived.  Dennis 
was  eleven  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  Madison  county  and  started  m  life  for  him- 
self as  a  laborer.  When  he  was  about  twenty-two  years  of  age  he  married  Abbie. 
daughter  of  Jeremiah  and  Catherine  (Dady)  O'Connor.  They  have  had  these  chil- 
dren: Jeremiah  M.,  of  Virginia;  John  F.,  a  grocer  of  Oneida;  Theresa  of  Oneida; 
Helen  R.,  Frances  M.,  Joseph  D. ,  Charles  L.,  Dennis,  Edward,  Mary  A.,  and  three 
deceased,  named  Mary,  Michael  and  Catherine.  Soon  after  Dennis  married  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  in  the  town  of  Cazenovia,  where  he  remained  about  four  years,  when 
he  moved  on  to  a  farm  near  Fenner  Corners.  Here  he  lived  about  twenty-one  years, 
when  he  moved  to  the  farm  where  he  last  resided.  Mr.  Kelly  never  aspired  to  politi- 
cal honors,  but  always  took  an  active  part  in  town  and  county  affairs  and  in  school 
and  educational  work.  Himself  and  family  have  been  active  workers  in  the  Catholic 
church. 

Kennedy,  John  M.,  son  of  James  Harvey  and  Susan  H.  (Dow)  Kennedy,  was  born 
at  Voluntown,  Windham  county.  Conn.,  May  25,  1829.  His  father  was  also  a  native 
of  Voluntown,  and  a  woolen  manufacturer  of  considerable  prominence.  Mr.  Ken- 
nedy was  educated  at  Lisbon,  Conn.  He  has  been  principally  engaged  in  farming 
but  has  also  conducted  a  produce  business,  and  for  some  time  was  associated  with 
Mr.  Angel  in  a  market  business  in  Oneida.  He  has  been  a  resident  of  the  village  of 
Oneida  since  March,  1855,  and  is  well  known  in  this  vicinity.  He  married  June  17, 
1851,  Phoebe  C.  Gallup,  daughter  of  Francis  S.  Gallup  of  Sterling,  Windham  county. 
Conn.  Of  this  union  they  have  five  children:  Horace  M.,  John  H.,  Susan  D.,  wife 
of  John  C.  Brauner  of  Palo  Alto,  Cal.  ;  Hattie  L. ,  wife  of  James  M.  Markham  of 
Dayton,  Ohio;  and  Frank  G.  Kennedy. 


Keeler,  James  R.,  son  of  Alanson  and  Anna  (Woodworth)  Keeler,  was  born  in 
Cortland.  November  30,  1839.  His  father,  also  a  native  of  Cortland,  was  always  a 
farmer.  On  the  paternal  side  Mr,  Keeler  descends  from  New  England  pioneer  stock 
and  on  the  maternal  side  he  is  of  Mohawk  Dutch  ancestry.  He  has  been  a  farmer 
all  his  active  life.  The  family  removed  to  Fenner  when  he  was  seventeen  years  old. 
For  six  years  Mr.  Keeler  lived  on  what  is  known  as  the  Tuttle  place  and  then  moved 
to  his  present  farm  of  200  acres  two  miles  north  of  the  village  of  Cazenovia.     He  is 


76  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

considered  one  of  the  representative  citizens  of  the  town  and  by  virtue  of  his  long 
residence  is  well  known  to  all.  He  married,  in  1861,  Almira,  daughter  of  John  Ste- 
vens of  Sullivan.  Of  this  union  there  are  two  daughters:  Clara  M.,  wife  of  Frank- 
lin Parsons,  and  Grace  A.,  wife  of  Irving  Mclntyre,  both  of  Cazenovia. 


Keith,  Watson  D.,  son  of  Lincoln  and  Submit  (Doolittle)  Keith,  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Nelson,  this  county,  June  36,  1824.  His  father,  a  native  of  Massachusetts, 
was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Nelson  and  cleared  the  farm  on  which  he  resided 
until  his  death.  He  held  various  minor  town  offices  and  was  a  man  well  esteemed 
in  the  community.  In  addition  to  extensive  general  farming  he  was  also  engaged 
iu  public  work,  principally  ia  contracts  on  the  Erie  Canal.  Of  his  union  with  Sub- 
mit Doolittle  eight  children  were  born:  Levi,  Selura,  Lorenda,  John,  Jane,  Lydia, 
Watson  D.  and  Perry.  Only  two  of  these  survive:  Jane,  who  married  Abel  Bennett 
of  Ontario  county,  and  Watson  D.  Keith  of  Cazenovia.  The  latter  was  educated  in  • 
the  common  schools  and  has  always  followed  the  occupation  of  farming.  He  came 
to  Cazenovia  to  reside  permanently  in  November,  1880.  Mr.  Keith  first  married 
Ellen  M.  Dana,  daughter  of  Federal  Dana.  For  his  second  wife  he  married  Cather- 
ine Card  Holdridge. 


Lamb,  Calvin  Augustus,  son  of  Wilson  Hayward  and  Lucinda  (Gardner)  Lamb, 
was  born  in  Cazenovia,  May  30,  1845.  His  grandfather.  Dyer  Lamb,  was  a  native 
of  Connecticut  and  became  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  this  region.  He  located  on 
"  Lamb  Hill  "  and  became  a  large  and  successful  farmer,  finally  removing  to  the 
village,  where  he  died  respected  by  all  who  had  known  him.  Wilson  H.  Lamb,  his 
only  son,  and  a  representative  farmer  of  the  town  of  Cazenovia  for  many  years,  died 
in  June,  1892.  His  oaly  son  is  the  subject  of  this  notice.  Calvin  A.  Lamb  was  ed- 
ucated in  the  schools  of  New  Woodstock  village  and  succeeded  his  father  on  the 
home  farm.  He  now  owns  300  acres  of  land  and  is  chiefly  occupied  in  dairy  farm- 
ing. In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  although  widely  and  favorably  known 
throughout  this  vicinity,  has  never  sought  nor  held  public  office.  Mr.  Lamb  has 
been  twice  married,  first  to  Ellen  Webber,  daughter  of  Winthrop  Webber  of  Caze- 
novia, and  second  to  Maud  Wilber,  daughter  of  Samuel  Wilber  of  Fenner.  They 
have  one  sou,  Fordyce  Wilson  Lamb. 


Lype,  Norman,  son  of  Daniel  Y.  and  Elizabeth  Schuyler  (Wack)  Lype,  was  born  in 
Mmdon,  Montgomery  county,  N.  Y.,  November  19,  1834.  When  he  was  ten  years 
old  the  family  removed  to  Oneida  where  his  father  started  a  wagon  shop,  the  first  in 
this  village.  Subsequently  he  engaged  in  a  dry  goods  business  (Stoddard  &  Lype), 
and  later  in  building  and  contracting,  erecting  many  of  the  present  buildings  of  this 
village.  He  died  July  6,  1852.  Norman  Lype  was  educated  in  the  Oneida  public 
schools,  and  learned  the  carpenter's  trade  under  his  father.  He  followed  this  trade 
about  five  years  and  in  1856  began  an  apprenticeship  to  the  tinsmithing  trade,  work- 
ing first  for  Oscar  Bennett;  later  he  worked  at  this  trade  in  the  city  of  Rochester  for 
a  period  of  four  years,  and  in  18T8  established  his  present  business  at  No.  30  Phelps 
street  in  Oneida.  He  was  associated  seventeen  years  with  Edward  Header  under 
the  firm  name  of  Meader  &  Lype.     Mr.  Meader  retired  in  April,  1895,  and  since  this 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  77 

time  Mr.  Lype  has  conducted  the  business  alone.  He  has  served  as  village  trustee 
four  terras:  1875-85-90-91;  and  as  village  treasurer  one  term  (1877)  He  holds  mem- 
bership in  Oneida  Lodge,  No.  370,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Doric  Chapter,  No.  193,  R.  A.  M. 
Mr.  Lype  has  been  for  a  number  of  years  prominent  in  musical  circles;  sang  in  the 
choir  of  the  Baptist  Church  over  twenty-five  years;  acted  for  some  time  as  leader  of 
the  Oneida  Baud;  and  organized  and  taught  many  bands  in  this  vicinity.  He  mar- 
ried, March  28,  1858,  Marietta  Morse,  daughter  of  Gersham  Morse  of  Feterboro  Of 
this  union  are  three  sons  who  are  his  associates  in  business;  John  H.,  Harvey  D. 
and  Allan  R, ;  and  one  daughter,  Mrs.  C.  J.  Wells  of  Utica. 


Loomis,  Edwin  Dwight,  who  died  in  Cazenovia,  January  8,  1897,  in  the  seventy- 
sixth  year  of  his  age.  enjoyed  the  respect  and  confidence  of  the  entire  village  of 
which  he  was  a  life-long  resident.  He  was  a  son  of  Seba  and  Jerusha  (Brewster) 
Loomis,  and  was  born  April  28,  1821,  in  the  house  one  mile  south  of  the  village 
which  was  always  his  home.  On  the  maternal  side  he  was  a  direct  descendant  of 
William  Brewster  of  the  Mayflower.  His  father,  a  man  of  prominence  in  his  time, 
held  a  commission  as  lieutenant  in  the  Connecticut  militia.  He  came  into  this  region 
from  Connecticut  in  1818  and  lived  on  the  home  farm  until  his  death  at  the  advanced 
age  of  ninety-three  years,  February  8,  1870.  Of  his  union  with  Jerusha  Brewster 
six  children  were  born,  all  of  whom  are  now  deceased  except  Lathrop  Loomis,  a 
venerable  and  respected  resident  of  Cazenovia.  Edwin  Dwight  Loomis  was  always 
a  farmer  and  held  various  minor  town  offices.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  united  with 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  he  was  an  honored  member,  holding  the  office  of 
elder  from  1869  until  his  death.  In  June,  1848,  he  married  Mary  J.  Root,  daughter 
of  Thomas  Root  of  Mexico,  Oswego  county,  N.  Y. ,  who  survives  him. 


Loomis,  Silas  L.,  son  of  Seba  and  Jerusha  (Brewster)  Loomis,  and  a  venerable  and 
respected  resident  of  the  town  of  Cazenovia,  was  born  in  Hebron,  Conn.,  March  28, 
1809.  Most  of  his  life  has  been  spent  in  this  town  whither  he  came  with  his  parents 
when  a  youth.  Mr.  Loomis  was  educated  at  Cazenovia  Seminary,  at  which  institu- 
tion he  was  one  of  the  first  students.  He  has  been  a  farmer  all  his  life;  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics  and  has  long  been  numbered  among  the  foremost  men  in  this  com- 
munity. He  has  served  several  terms  as  supervisor  of  the  town  of  Cazenovia,  and 
also  as  inspector  and  commissiner  of  schools.  For  over  a  half  a  century  he  has  been 
a  deacon  of  the  Cazenovia  Presbyterian  church.  Mr.  Loomis  married  first,  in  1838, 
Mary  Jerome,  daughter  of  Ira  Jerome  of  Pompey  Hill.  Of  this  union  were  two 
children:  Mary,  who  died  in  infancy;  and  Helen,  wife  of  Henry  Hannum  of  Cazeno- 
via. In  1859  he  married  Harriet  C.  Johnson,  daughter  of  David  Johnson  of  Clinton, 
Oneida  county. 


Loyster,  J.  A.,  editor  and  publisher  of  the  Cazenovia  Republican,  was  born  in 
Niles,  Cayuga  county,  N.  Y.,  June  22,  1866,  a  son  of  L.  B.  and  Lucy  A.  (Howland) 
Loyster.  He  was  educated  in  a  private  school  at  Moravia,  N.  Y.,  and  at  Cazenovia 
Seminary,  where  he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1888.  Mr.  Loyster  was  for  about 
four  years  associated  with  the  firm  of  T.  W.  Thayer  &  Co.,  in  the  manufacture  of 
sash,  doors  and  blinds.     He  assumed  the  management  of  the  Republican  in  1890. 


78  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

His  politics  are  Republican.     He  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  school  board  for 
the  past  five  years. 


Ledyard,  George  S.,  who  died  in  Cazenovia,  November  3.  1890,  in  the  sixty-fifth 
year  of  his  age,  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  citizens  of  Madison  county,  and  a 
member  of  one  of  the  oldest  families  of  the  State.  He  was  the  third  son  of  General 
J.  D.  Ledyard.  His  older  brothers  were  Lincklaen  and  John  Denise,  and  after  their 
death  George  S.  and  L.  Wolters  succeeded  to  the  business  of  the  Holland  Land 
Company.  Thus,  connected  with  one  of  the  earliest  business  enterprises  of  this 
country  he  lived  as  did  his  father  before  him,  a  life  of  great  usefulness  and  unswerv- 
ing integrity.  Mr.  Ledyard  was  a  native  of  Cazenovia  and  although  he  spent  much 
time  in  travel  always  kept  his  residence  in  that  village.  No  public  improvement  of 
importance  was  made  during  his  lifetime  with  which  his  name  was  not  connected, 
and  he  was  foremost  in  every  movement  for  the  welfare  of  the  village.  Many  evi- 
dences of  his  public  spirit  and  private  generosity  are  in  existence.  He  held  at  dif- 
ferent periods  various  village  offices,  the  duties  of  which  were  invariably  discharged 
with  fidelity  and  ability.  Mr.  Ledyard's  great  business  capabilities,  his  strict  integ- 
rity, and  staunch  uprightness  of  character,  and  withal  his  gentleness  and  unassuming 
manner  won  for  him  a  place  in  the  hearts  of  all  who  knew  him. 

Lippitt,  W.  G.,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  proprietor  of  the  Park  House,  the  leading  hotel  at 
Hamilton,  N.  Y.,  was  born  in  this  village  and  educated  here  and  in  the  academy  at 
Norwich.  He  there  learned  the  jeweler's  trade  in  his  father's  store,  and  pursued 
that  business  until  1894.  From  1887,  the  date  of  his  father's  death,  until  1894  he 
conducted  the  business.  In  the  latter  year  he  came  to  Hamilton  as  proprietor  of  the 
Park  House  and  after  reconstructing  it  he  has  since  made  it  one  of  the  leading  up- 
to  date  hotels  in  every  way  and  in  every  department.  In  July,  1892,  Mr.  Lippitt 
married  Sarah  G.  Thompson,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Marian  Grant  Lippitt. 
Mr.  Lippitt  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  a  popular  gentleman. 


Lindsley,  A.  W.,  p.  o.  Stockbridge,  was  born  in  Stockbridge,  October  28,  1847,  a 
son  of  Aldin,  and  grandson  of  Elias  Lindsley,  who  lived  and  died  in  Sullivan  county. 
Aldin  was  born  in  Connecticut  and  came  to  Stockbridge  about  1837,  where  he  died  in 
1876;  his  wife  was  Mary  Rockwell,  daughter  of  Thomas  Rockwell  of  Stockbridge; 
they  had  four  sons  and  one  daughter.  Mrs.  Lindsley  died  April  15,  1893.  A.  W. 
Lindsley  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  Oneida  high 
school.  He  commenced  business  life  by  working  out  by  the  month  and  UDwhas  fifty- 
eight  acres  of  land  where  he  lives  and  is  one  of  the  well-to-do  farmers  of  Stock- 
bridge.  He  has  been  a  hop  grower,  and  also  follows  dairying,  but  makes  a  specialty 
of  small  fruit  and  manufactures  considerable  maple  syrup.  March  6,  1878,  Mr.  Linds- 
ley married  Etta  E.  Mallery  of  Columbia  county,  and  they  had  three  children: 
Anson  (deceasad),  Alma  B.,  and  Emma  G.  Mr.  Lindsley  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
but  not  an  aspirant  to  office.     He  is  a  member  of  P.  of  I.  at  Stockbridge. 

Love,  Charles  E.,  p.  o.  Stockbridge,  was  born  in  Walworth,  Wayne  county,  N.  Y., 
March  16,  1859,  a  son  of  John,  whose  father  lived  and  died  in  England.     About  1850 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  79 

John  Love  came  from  England  to  Walworth,  N.  Y.,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He 
is  a  nurseryman  and  fruit  grower.  His  wife  was  Mary  Burr,  born  in  England  and 
came  to  Wayne  county  with  her  parents,  Edward  and  Elizabeth  Burr.  Her  father 
died  at  ninety  years  of  age  and  her  mother  at  the  age  of  forty-eight.  Charles  E.  Love 
was  educated  in  Marion  Collegiate  Institute  and  Medina  Free  Academy;  he  was  also 
graduated  from  Rochester  Business  College  in  1881,  He  was  a  successful  teacher 
for  nine  years  and  in  1891  engaged  in  the  furniture  and  undertaking  business  at 
Stockbridge,  where  he  has  resided  since  1881.  He  has  an  extensive  business  and  is 
very  successful.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  but  not  an  aspirant  to  office.  Mr. 
Love  married  Emma  L.  Strong,  daughter  of  Arvine  Strong ;  they  have  two  children ; 
Frank  Strong,  born  June  16,  1895,  and  Marjorie  Fidelia,  born  August  10,  1897.  Mrs. 
Love's  father  was  born  in  Connecticut,  August  31,  1823,  a  son  of  Alexander,  son  of 
Alexander  Strong,  who  lived  and  died  in  Connecticut.  Mr.  Strong's  wife  was  Abi- 
gail Rice,  who  also  died  in  Connecticut.  Alexander  Strong,  jr.,  was  born  in  Con- 
necticut, April  22,  1792.  In  1816  he  married  Lucinda  Griggs,  of  Tolland  county, 
Connecticut,  and  in  1837  came  to  Stockbridge  and  bought  the  farm  Mr.  Strong  now 
owns  and  here  died  January  9,  1881.  His  wife  passed  away  one  week  later,  aged 
eighty-seven  years.  They  had  seven  children,  si.x  of  whom  survive  them.  Arvine 
Strong  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  educated  in  the  common  schools.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Republican  and  has  been  inspector  of  election.  November  29.  1866,  Mr.  Strong 
married  Fidelia  Belfield,  born  in  Madison  in  1837,  a  daughter  of  Isaiah  and  Electa 
(Tift)  Belfield;  they  had  two  children,  Emma,  wife  of  C.  E.  Love  and  Burel  A.,  born 
April  8,  1874,  educated  in  Oneida  High  School,  a  farmer  and  works  the  home  farm. 
He  married  Inis  Dodge;  they  have  one  daughter,  Leona  M.,  born  August  22,  1897. 


La  Munion.  A.  J.,  p.  o.  Munnsville,  was  born  in  Stockbridge,  on  the  farm  his 
father  settled,  February  28,  1846,  a  son  of  Philip,  and  grandson  of  Thomas  La  Mun- 
ion, who  was  born  in  Vermont  and  came  to  Madison  county  about  1820,  later  settling 
"on" the  farm  A.  J.  La  Munion  now  occupies  and  the  farm  has  remained  in  the  family 
ever  since.  Philip  La  Munion  was  first  a  Whig,  then  a  Republican,  and  held  the 
office  of  assessor  and  excise  commissioner.  He  and  his  wife  had  thirteen  children, 
seven  now  living.  He  died  in  March,  1898.  A.  J.  La  Munion  was  reared  on  the 
farm  and  educated  in  the  common  schools.  At  seventeen  years  of  age  he  engaged 
as  a  clerk  and  after  one  year  took  up  mercantile  business,  but  his  principal  occupa- 
tion is  farming.  He  has  charge  of  the  homestead  as  executor  for  the  estate,  keeps  a 
dairy  of  twenty-three  cows  and  is  also  a  hop  grower.  He  is  a  member  of  Prospect 
Lodge,  No.  484,  I.  O.  O.  F.  He  married  Ophelia  Barrett  (deceased),  and  for  his 
second  wife  married  Lavina  Bonney.  Mr.  La  Munion  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
has  been  collector,  highway  commissioner.and  at  present  is  one  of  the  town  auditors. 
Mr.  La  Munion  has  been  manager  of  the  La  Munion  &  Clark  cheese  factory  for  five 
years,  a  factory  which  has  been  in  existence  about  thirty-four  years  under  the  same 
name ;  it  was  the  first  or  the  second  factory  built  in  the  town. 


Lewis,  A.  E.  &  Son,  p.  o.  Hamilton.— A.  E.  Lewis  was  born  in  Madison,  Madison 
county,  in  1840,  and  educated  in  the  schools  of  Madison  and  Hamilton.  He  began 
active  business  in  life  as  a  clerk,  but  after  four  years  established  his  present  clothing 


80  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

business.  This  was  in  1868,  and  in  1893  he  associated  his  son,  A.  P.  Lewis,  with 
him  in  the  business,  forming  the  present  firm  of  A.  E.  Lewis  &  Son.  In  1866  Mr. 
Lewis  married  Margaret  Potter,  and  they  have  one  son,  Albert  Potter  Lewis  Mr. 
Lewis  is  not  a  politician,  but  has  twice  been  elected  trvistee  of  the  village  and  has 
also  served  on  the  board  of  education.  Mr.  A.  P.  Lewis  was  educated  at  Hamilton 
and  St.  John's  Military  School,  near  Syracuse,  N.  Y.  He  is  a  prominent  Mason,  a 
member  of  the  Blue  Lodge,  Chapter,  and  Veiled  Prophets,  and  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Maccabees,  the  I.  O.  O.  F. ,  and  Hamilton  Fire  Department.  He  is  a  reputable 
representative  of  what  may  properly  be  called  the  younger  circle  of  Madison  county's 
enterprising  business  men.  A.  E.  Lewis's  parents  were  Albert  and  Emeline  (Gif- 
ford)  Lewis.  Albert  Lewis  was  born  and  reared  in  Madison  county,  and  died  April 
5,  1899,  over  ninety-two  years  of  age.  He  was  a  colonel  in  the  State  militia  when 
the  Chenango  Canal  was  being  built. 


Langworthy,  Orthello  S.,  M.  D.,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  was  born  at  West  Edmeston,  Ot- 
sego county,  and  received  his  literary  education  at  Colgate  Academy  and  Colgate 
University,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1889.  He  then  took  a  course 
in  the  University  of  the  City  of  New  York,  Medical  Department,  and  was  graduated 
in  1891  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  After  a  short  partnership  with  Dr.  Frank  D.  Beebe 
he  opened  his  present  office  and  has  acquired  a  flattering  practice.  Dr.  Langworthy 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  also  of  the  Odd  Fellows.  He  married 
Josephine  Richardson,  who  died  in  August,  1897,  leaving  one  son,  Orthello  R.  Lang- 
worthy. Dr.  Langworthy's  parents  were  HoUum  and  Rosina  (Pope)  Langworthy. 
The  family  is  an  old  American  one.  Dr.  Langworthy's  great-grandfather  settled  in 
Madison  county  in  1802. 


Larkin,  Leroy,  p.  o.  Brookfield,  N.  Y. ,  was  born  in  Brookfield,  December  16,  1837. 
His  great-grandfather,  Kenyon  Larkin,  came  to  Brookfield  about  1800,  where  he 
died.  His  grandfather,  James  Larkin,  was  a  native  of  Rhode  Island  and  his  wife 
was  Nancy  Berry  of  the  same  State.  His  father  was  Richard  B.  Larkin,  who  mar- 
ried Lucy  Reynolds,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  Brookfield;  he  was  a  farmer  and 
politically  a  Whig  and  Republican.  His  death  occurred  in  1883  at  the  age  of  seven- 
ty-seven years,  and  that  of  his  wife  in  1871  at  the  age  of  seventy.  Of  their  seven 
children  only  three  survive,  Leroy  Larkin  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and 
has  always  been  a  farmer.  He  has  a  farm  of  300  acres,  and  a  half  interest  with  his 
brother  James  in  another  330  acres,  and  keeps  a  dairy  of  forty  cows  with  considera- 
ble young  stock.  He  is  a  Republican.  On  March  13,  1855,  he  was  married  to  Mary 
A.,  daughter  of  Solomon  Collins  (born  August  18,  1796),  son  of  Solomon  (born  in 
1765).  They  had  four  children:  S.  Collins,  who  manages  the  farm;  Emily  L.,  ed- 
ucated in  the  common  schools;  Etta  O.,  graduate  of  the  Brookfield  Union  School  in 
1883  and  teacher  for  a  number  of  years;  and  Annie  E.,  wife  of  George  Stanton  of 
Earlville,  N.Y.  Mrs.  Larkin  died  November  4,  1869.  S.  Collins  Larkin  was  mar- 
ried to  Cora  Davis,  who  has  borne  him  four  children:  MaryT.,  Richard  B.,  E.  Leroy 
and  Willie  W.  Leroy  Larkin  has  a  brother,  James  C,  and  a  sister,  Luanna,  who 
live  in  Brookfield.  James  C.  is  a  farmer,  owning  300  acres  and  a  half  interest  in  230 
acres  with  Leroy.  He  was  married  to  Mary  E.  Darling,  who  bore  him  two  daugh- 
ters; Lena  T.  and  Vinnie  M.     His  wife  died  September  3,  1882. 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  81 

Loucks,  Howard,  p.o.  Chittenango,  was  born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  lives  May 
!),  1870.  Mr.  Loucks  operates  150  acres  devoted  to  general  farming,  but  his  specialty 
is  potatoes,  in  which  line  he  has  an  enviable  record.  At  the  World's  Fair  of  1893  he 
took  medal  and  diploma  for  the  best  and  largest  yield  of  marketable  tubers.  He 
exhibited  thirteen  varieties,  of  which  the  average  yield  was  490  bushels  per  acre. 
He  is  a  son  of  Charles  Loucks  of  Holland  Dutch  ancestry.  He  is  a  5'oung  man  of 
marked  ability,  above  the  average  of  those  who  choose  agriculture  as  an  avocation, 
and  is  assured  of  a  prosperous  future.  He  is  a  Republican  and  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  August  35,  1897,  he  married  Sarah  E.  Tyler,  daughter 
of  Casper  T)-ler  of  Chittenango,  now  superintendent  of  the  West  Hill  Butter  and 
Cheese  Factory.  Mrs.  Loucks  was  born  at  Cedarville,  in  the  great  dairy  region  of 
Herkimer  county,  June  1,  1875,  and  was  a  resident  of  Frankfort  prior  to  her  marriage 
to  Mr.  Loucks. 


Lewis,  Benjamin,  the  ancestor  in  America  of  the  Lewis  family,  came  from  Ded- 
ham,  England,  and  settled  in  Wallingford,  Mass.,  where  he  was  one  of  forty  free- 
holders to  settle  that  historic  town.  In  1687  he  removed  to  Stratford,  Conn.  Judson 
Lewis,  the  pioneer  of  one  of  the  most  respected  families  in  this  town,  was  the  son  of 
John,  the  grandson  of  James,  and  the  great-grandson  of  Benjamin  Lewis,  the  Amer- 
ican colonist.  Judson  Lewis  purchased  a  farm  on  Stratford  street  in  Madison  in 
1798,  but  had  previously  lived  in  the  town  and  worked  on  the  land  now  owned  by  Le 
Roy  Curtis.  The  children  of  Judson  were  Charles,  Isaac,  Silas,  Whiting  J.,  Will- 
iam, Catherine,  Betsey,  and  perhaps  one  or  two  others  whose  names  are  now  lost. 
William  Lewis  was  one  of  the  best  representatives  of  the  family  in  the  town,  and  at 
one  time  owned  the  tract  of  land  where  Solsville  is  now  built  and  kept  a  hotel  there. 
He  died  about  1870.  His  wife  was  Atlanta  Curtis,  daughter  of  pioneer  Samuel  Cur- 
tis. Their  children  were  Alonzo,  Alfred,  John  H  ,  Amanda,  Jerome  and  Imogene, 
all  of  whom  grew  to  maturity  and  were  useful  persons  in  some  walk  of  life.  John 
H.  Lewis  was  a  successful  farmer,  a  strong  Whig  and  Republican  and  an  active 
man  in  town  affairs.  His  wife  v.'as  Sarah  Washburn,  by  whom  he  had  four  children: 
Layton  D.,  Ellen  D.,  William  B.  and  Edith  I.  Of  these  only  Lay  ton  D.  and  Will- 
iam B.  are  now  living.  Layton  D.  lived  on  the  old  home  farm  until  about  1870, 
when  he  started  out  for  himself.  He  worked  at  farming  six  years,  then  came  to 
Solsville  and  conducted  the  hotel  several  years.  In  1892  he  engaged  in  mercantile 
business  and  is  now  one  of  the  village  merchants.  He  was  postmaster  from  1894  to 
1898,  and  unlike  the  other  members  of  the  Lewis  family,  is  a  Democrat  in  politics. 
His  wife  was  Mary  J.,  daughter  of  Rodney  Bridge,  former  proprietor  of  the  Sols- 
ville Hotel.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lewis  have  two  children.  William  B.  Lewis  was  born 
on  the  farm  where  he  now  lives,  August  27,  1855,  and  has  always  been  a  farmer  and 
hop  grower,  and  during  the  last  several  years  he  has  been  one  of  the  political  factors 
of  his  town  and  always  on  the  Republican  side.  He  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools.  Clinton  Liberal  Institute  and  at  Eastman's  Business  College  at  Poughkeep- 
sie  He  is  now  trustee  of  his  school  district,  was  once  constable,  and  for  the  last 
two  years  has  been  superintendent  of  reservoirs  in  one  of  the  districts  of  the  county. 
On  February  13,  1880,  Mr.  Lewis  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  Jason  and  Caroline 
(Tyler)  Anson.     They  have  three  children:  Imogene,  John  L.  and  Minnie. 


83  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Lynch,  James  C,  p.  o.  Peterboro,  was  born  in  Eaton,  Madison  county,  N.  Y.,  Sep- 
tember 1,  1819,  a  son  of  Terrence  and  Jane  (Kern)  Lynch,  natives  of  Ireland.  Ter- 
rence  Lynch  came  to  New  York  in  1801 ;  he  was  father  of  eleven  children,  four  now 
living.  He  died  in  1853.  James  C.  Lynch  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and 
came  to  Smithfield  in  1847,  where  he  bought  the  farm  he  now  owns  and  has  here  since 
resided.  He  has  146  acres  of  land  and  follows  general  farming.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican  and  served  as  highway  comraissionor  for  six  years.  April  27,  1847,  he 
married  Lucinda  Marshall,  by  whom  he  had  two  children :  Flora  (deceased)  and  Lu- 
cinda,  who  lives  at  Pratt's  Hollow.  Mrs.  Lynch  died  January  14,  1853,  and  on  March 
22,  1854,  he  married  Maria  Abbott.  They  had  four  sons:  Terrence,  Eddie  (deceaaed), 
James  and  Lafayette.  His  second  wife  died  August  12,  1863,  and  he  married  again 
February  9,  1866,  Hannah  M.  Eddie  of  Fenner.  Terrence  Lynch  was  born  April  19, 
1855;  he  is  a  farmer  in  Oneida.  James  was  born  August  9,  1858,  educated  in  the 
common  schools  and  Evans  Academy,  is  a  farmer,  and  married  Ella  Danehy ;  they 
had  two  children;  May  and  Eva.  Mrs.  Lynch  died  April  27,  1886.  In  politics  Mr. 
Lynch  is  a  Republican,  has  been  highway  commissioner  three  years  and  is  now  serv- 
mg  his  second  term.  He  is  a  member  of  Peterboro  Lodge  No.  120,  I.  O.  O.  F.  La- 
fayette was  born  May  30,  1862,  educated  in  Evans  Academy  and  is  a  farmer.  He 
married  Lillie  Snell,  by  whom  he  had  two  children:  Ernest  and  Earla.  James  and 
Lafayette  have  charge  of  the  farm  and  keep  a  dairy  of  fifteen  cows. 


Morgan,  Francis  A.,  son  of  Augustus  H.  and  Maria  (Norton)  Morgan,  was  born  at 
Morrisville,  this  county,  July  19,  1852.  His  father  was  for  twenty  years  in  charge  of 
the  old  Morrisville  tannery,  and  under  him  the  sun  learned  the  trade  of  tanner  and 
currier  at  which  he  worked  for  a  period  of  eleven  years.  Mr.  Morgan  took  up  his 
present  farm  of  185  acres  in  1879,  and  is  known  as  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  the 
town  of  Cazenovia.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  married,  in  1875,  Bessie  C. 
Parslow,  daughter  of  Peter  Parslow  of  Pompey  Hill.  Of  this  union  eight  children 
have  been  born:  Addie  B.,  wife  of  W.  I.  Durfee;  Mabel  S. ,  Bertha  M. ,  Clara  S. , 
Maud  H.,  Francis  P.,  Burr  C,  and  Mildred  Anita. 

Miller,  Jacob  H.,  son  of  Peter  and  Catherine  (Feterly)  Miller,  was  born  in  Warren, 
Herkimer  county,  N.  Y. ,  January  1,  1841.  His  grandfather,  also  named  Jacob,  was 
the  first  settler  of  the  hamlet  of  Miller's  Mills  in  that  county.  Mr.  Miller  was  ed- 
ucated in  the  common  schools  of  Herkimer  and  Otsego  counties,  and  at  a  very  early 
age  began  to  take  care  of  himself;  he  has  been  the  architect  of  his  own  fortunes. 
In  1862  he  enlisted  in  the  121st  N.  Y.  Volunteers  and  served  three  years,  participat- 
ing in  the  battles  of  South  Mountain,  Antietara,  Chancellorsville,  and  Fredericks- 
burg. In  1868  he  bought  the  Moses  Scouten  farm  in  the  town  of  Cazenovia,  four 
and  one-half  miles  north  of  the  village.  This  farm  is  now  managed  by  his  son.  Wil- 
liam. Mr.  Miller  is  well  known  in  this  section  as  a  man  of  integrity  and  a  represen- 
tative farmer.  He  retired  in  1898  and  took  up  his  residence  in  Syracuse.  In  politics 
he  has  been  a  consistent  Republican,  but  has  never  sought  or  held  public  office.  He 
married  in  1806,  Amanda  Dayger,  daughter  of  Valentine  Dayger  of  German 
Flats,  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.  Of  this  union  there  are  four  children:  Emma,  wife 
of  Oscar  Mann  of  Cazenovia;  Mary,  William,  and  Nettie  J. 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  83 

Marshall,  Charles  P.,  was  born  in  La  Fargeville,  Jefferson  county,  N.  Y.,  Septem- 
ber 12,  1861,  a  son  of  Guvera  H.  and  Ellen  Frances  (Rood)  Marshall.  His  father,  a 
veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  captain  of  Company  G,  10th  N  Y.  Heavy  Artillery,  at 
that  time  conducted  a  general  store  in  La  Fargeville.  Mr.  Marshall  was  educated  in 
the  schools  of  his  native  place  and  at  the  Watertown  Academy.  After  completing 
his  education  he  followed  an  inherent  artistic  temperament  by  learning  the  wood 
engraving  profession,  together  with  printing.  In  becoming  proficient  he  removed 
to  New  York  city  with  the  intention  of  pursuing  his  profession,  but  just  at  this  time 
the  half-tone  process  was  invented  and  employment  for  the  old  process  engravers 
became  scarce.  He,  however,  followed  it  with  a  fair  success  for  a  short  time,  but 
finally  returned  to  the  drug  business,  his  original  vocation.  After  a  period  of  two 
years  he  returned  to  his  town  and  began  the  study  of  photography  in  the  Watertown 
.studio  of  Arthur  A.  John.son.  Poisessed  of  natural  artistic  ability,  augmented  by 
practical  experience  as  an  engraver,  and  in  addition  a  druggist's  knowledge  of 
chemistry,  it  will  be  seen  that  he  was  well  fitted  to  enter  the  photographic  profession. 
He  continued  with  Mr.  Johnson  in  Watertown  about  two  years,  in  the  meantime 
having  partial  charge  of  the  Cazenovia  studio  which  was  Mr.  Johnson's  original 
studio.  Later  he  purchased  this  business  through  his  brother  and  has  since  con- 
tinued it.  He  was  for  a  time  associated  with  his  brother,  a  landscape  and  portrait 
painter.  An  artistic  temperament,  combined  with  originality  of  ideas,  and  energetic 
business  ability,  have  placed  Mr.  Mar.shall  in  the  vanguard  of  American  photogra- 
phers, and  without  question  he  has  gained  a  reputation  national  in  its  scope.  Medals 
and  diplomas  of  excellence  have  been  bestowed  upon  him  from  enviable  sources,  and 
he  has  been  the  originator  of  many  pleasing  designs  in  mounts  and  prints  which  have 
been  widely  copied.  His  politics  are  Republican,  but  he  has  never  held  public  office 
or  been  active  in  party  work.  In  1885  Mr.  Marshall  married  Martha  C.  Reynolds, 
daughter  of  Charles  Morris  Reynolds  of  De  Pauville,  and  one  daughter  has  been 
born  to  them.  Margaret  Elizabeth  Marshall. 


Morse,  George,  one  of  the  oldest  merchants  of  Madison  county,  was  born  in  Nel- 
son, April  1,  1817,  a  son  of  Abner  and  Matilda  (Brown)  Morse.  His  father  was  a 
native  of  Vermont,  a  member  of  the  old  New  England  pioneer  family  of  Morse,  and 
one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  the  town  of  Nelson.  His  grandfather  also  lived  in 
Nelson.  Mr.  Morse  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  and  received  the  limited  educa- 
tional advantages  afforded  by  the  common  schools  of  those  days.  At  the  age  of 
.seventeen  he  began  to  learn  the  painting  trade  at  which  he  worked  in  Nelson  and 
Hamilton,  locating  in  Cazenovia  in  1838.  Until  186.5  he  followed  the  business  of  a 
contracting  painter  and  in  that  year  bought  the  drug  stock  of  L.  D.  Colburn.  This 
business  he  still  continues  and  on  the  admission  of  his  son,  George  H.  Morse,  the  firm 
name  took  its  present  form  of  George  Morse  &  Son.  Mr.  Morse  is  a  Republican  in 
politics,  has  served  as  village  trustee,  and  is  considered  one  of  the  representative 
citizens  of  the  place.  He  married  in  1847  Minerva  Mann  of  Nelson.  Of  this  union 
three  children  have  been  born:     George  H.,  Charles  F..  Emma  A.,  who  died  in  1879. 


Maine,  Paul  S.,p.  o.  Perryville,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Fenner,  December  13.  1847, 
a  son  of  Asa  R.  and  Lucy  (Ray)  Maine.     Asa  R.  was  a  son  of  Paul  R.  and  Lydia 


84  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

(Randall)  Maine,  who  came  from  Stonington,  Conn.,  about  1810  and  by  occupation 
followed  farming.  Paul  S.  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  the  town  of  Fennei",  also 
in  Cazenovia  Seminary.  He  was  one  of  five  children  as  follows;  Marian  A.,  de- 
ceased, Paul  S.,  Frank  L.  of  Manlius,  N.  Y. ,  Nellie  A.,  deceased,  and  Ida  P.,  wife  of 
Charles  H.  Dick  of  Jefferson  county,  N.  Y.  Mr.  Maine's  father  died  when  he  was 
fifteen  years  of  age  and  he  being  the  oldest  son  the  charge  of  his  father's  business 
naturally  fell  on  him.  He  worked  the  farm  summers  and  at  seventeen  began  teach- 
ing winters,  continuing  until  he  was  twenty-four  years  of  age  when  he  was  appointed 
school  commissioner  and  was  afterward  elected  for  a  full  term.  In  1876  he  entered 
the  general  merchandise  business  at  Perryville,  which  he  has  carried  on  to  the  pres- 
ent time  with  the  exception  of  from  1883  to  1885;  is  postmaster  at  that  place  having 
held  that  position  except  from  1883  to  1889  and  from  1894  to  189S  since  1876.  He  was 
one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Perryville  Milk  Association  and  has  been  its  secretary 
and  treasurer  since  its  organization  as  a  .stock  company.  In  1872  Mr.  Maine  married 
Florence  A.,  daughter  of  Harvey  L.  and  Lauraett  (Allen)  Keeler;  they  have  one 
daughter,  L.  Ethelyn  Maine.  Mr.  Maine  has  represented  his  town  on  the  board  of 
supervisors  twelve  years,  and  was  chairman  of  the  board  two  years,  in  1896  and 
1897,  which  position  he  resigned  when  he  was  elected  county  clerk,  the  term  of  office 
commencing  January  1,  1898. 


Miller,  Albert  E.,  p.  o.  Siloam,  was  born  in  Smithfield,  September  7,  18.')4,  a  son  of 
Levi,  son  of  John  Miller,  who  came  to  Lincoln  and  there  lived  and  died.  Levi  Miller 
was  born  in  Madison  county  and  has  here  since  lived.  He  is  a  farmer,  cheese  maker 
and  merchant,  and  now  lives  at  Clockville.  He  married  Marion  M.  Adams,  daughter 
of  Harry  W.  Adams,  of  Madison  county,  N.  Y.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican  and 
has  held  minor  offices.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  M.  E.  church,  Albert 
E.  Miller  was  educated  in  the  common  schools.  He  is  a  cheese  maker  and  has  for 
fourteen  years  conducted  a  cheese  factory  at  Siloam,  where  he  makes  about  100,000 
pounds  of  cheese  yearly.  He  is  a  Republican  and  has  been  collector  of  the  town. 
He  is  a  member  of  Prosperity  Lodge,  No.  434,  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  of  the  P.  of  I.  He 
married  Mina  Cramer,  daughter  of  William  Cramer  of  Smithfield. 


McCarthy,  James,  p.  o.  Stockbridge,  was  born  in  Oneida  county,  town  of  Vernon, 
N.  Y. ,  May  15,  1857.  His  parents  were  natives  of  Ireland  and  settled  in  Vernon, 
later  came  to  Stockbridge.  where  his  father  died  in  November,  1898,  and  his  mother 
in  1895.  Mr.  McCarthy  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  educated  in  the  common  schools. 
He  is  a  farmer  and  has  130  acres  of  land;  is  a  hop  grower  and  dairyman.  He  mar- 
ried Jennie  Gregg,  born  May  13,  1859,  a  daughter  of  David  and  Delia  (Linkenfelter) 
Gregg.  Mr.  Gregg  was  born  in  Stockbridge  and  his  wife  in  Smithfield.  He  was  a 
son  of  Absalom  Gregg,  an  early  settler  in  Stockbridge  from  Massachusetts,  a  son  of 
John  Gregg,  who  settled  in  Smithfield  in  1802.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCarthy  were 
born  five  children:  Tacy,  Lilly,  Armour,  Parnell,  and  Genevieve.  Mr.  McCarthy  is 
a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  was  deputy  sheriff:  eleven  years;  has  been  constable  and 
inspector  of  election,  and  was  appointed  Columbia  Guard  at  the  World  s  Fair. 


Morse,  Silas  E.,  is  one  of  the  oldest  business  men  of  this  section,  having  conducted 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  85 

a  carriage  manufactory  in  New  Woodstock  over  half  a  century.  He  was  born  in 
Wallingford,  Conn.,  in  1824,  and  removed  to  this  vicinity  with  his  father,  who  for 
many  years  manufactured  shooks  and  barrels  on  the  farm  at  the  "Four  Corners" 
near  the  old  school  house.  Street  Hall  Morse  had  at  one  time  been  a  man  of  con- 
siderable means,  but  met  with  reverses  which  led  to  his  removal  from  Connecticut  to 
Chenango  county  and  later  to  this  town.  The  family  came  from  England,  their  ad- 
vent to  this  country  being  about  1635.  At  Medfield,  Mass. , a  monument  has  been  erected 
to  the  seven  Morse  brothers  who  were  the  progenitors  cf  most  of  the  name  in  Amer- 
ica. Silas  E.  Morse  early  developed  the  habits  of  self-reliance,  industry,  persever- 
ance, and  rectitude,  which  have  followed  him  all  his  life.  He  learned  the  wagon  and 
carriage  maker's  trade  when  a  young  man  and  for  some  years  was  a  partner  in  the 
business  with  Ralph  Bell,  his  wife's  father.  He  conducted  his  business  in  New 
Woodstock  over  half  a  century  as  stated  above.  In  politics  Mr.  Morse  has  been  a 
Democrat  and  at  different  times  has  held  offices  of  public  trust.  In  Buchanan's  ad- 
ministration he  was  postmaster  at  New  Woodstock.  For  many  years  he  served  on 
the  school  board  and  as  trustee  of  the  cemetery  association.  He  has  long  been  a 
member  of  the  New  Woodstock  Baptist  church,  and  served  the  society  for  a  long 
period  as  trustee.  Of  his  marriage  to  Sarah  J.  Bell,  one  daughter  was  born,  Hattie, 
wife  of  Richard  J.  Miller  of  De  Ruyter. 


Marshall,  James  W. ,  son  of  John  and  Jane  (Nailer)  Marshall,  was  born  near  Pratt's 
Hollow  in  the  town  of  Eaton,  November  26,  1820.  His  father,  a  native  of  Ireland, 
came  to  this  country  in  middle  life ;  he  was  a  tailor  by  trade  and  lived  and  died  in 
the  town  of  Eaton.  James  W.  Marshall  received  an  education  confined  to  the  dis- 
trict schools  and  was  early  inured  to  hard  labor,  working  on  a  farm  by  the  month 
when  he  was  yet  a  youth.  He  has  been  engaged  in  farming  all  his  life,  and  for  a 
period  of  thirty-six  years  lived  on  his  farm  in  the  southern  part  of  the  town  of  Stock- 
bridge,  near  the  Eaton  line.  Here  he  served  as  school  trustee  and  was  a  well  known 
and  esteemed  citizen.  In  1888  Mr.  Marshall  removed  to  Oneida  where  he  has  since 
re.^ided.  He  married  first  in  1857,  Susannah  Tackabury,  and  five  children  were  born 
to  thera,  three  of  whom  survive:  Melva,  wife  of  Dr.  F.  Crounce  of  Albany  county; 
Fred  W.  and  C.  Burton,  both  of  Madison  county.  In  1889  he  married  Jane  Gilbert 
Forrester. 


Morse,  Walter,  p.  o.  Eaton. — Joseph  Morse  came  from  Natick,  Mass.,  in  1797, 
and  took  up  land  in  the  south  part  of  Eaton,  where  now  stands  the  village  of  that 
name.  Here  the  pioneer  spent  his  days,  living  the  life  of  a  farmer,  and  also  dealing 
exten.sively  in  cattle  and  produce.  He  was  a  prominent  figure  in  town  affairs  and 
one  of  the  leading  men  of  the  county  in  his  time.  His  wife,  Eunice  (Bigelow)  Morse, 
was  a  noted  woman  in  the  town  and  raised  to  maturity  a  large  family  of  children, 
who  were  in  later  years  useful  and  prominent  men  and  women  in  business  and  social 
life.  In  her  house  Dr.  Kendrick  was  a  frequent  visitor  and  here  through  their  dis- 
cussions were  taken  the  first  steps  which  led  to  the  founding  of  Colgate  University, 
and  it  was  for  some  time  a  question  whether  that  institution  should  be  established  at 
Eaton  village  or  at  Hamilton.  The  children  of  Joseph  and  Eunice  (Bigelow)  Morse 
were  Ellis ;  Eunice,  who  married  Dr.  Pratt  and  removed  to  Missouri ;  Joseph,   who 


86  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

started  the  first  grist  mill  in  Eaton  on  the  site  of  the  present  mill;  Sophia,  who  mar- 
ried George  Ellis;  Lucy,  who  married  Rev.  Joseph  Griswold;  Calvin  who  died  in 
Eaton;  Alpheus,  who  was  one  of  the  most  active  and  energetic  men  in  the  county, 
and  who  with  his  brother  Ellis  were  among  the  foremost  business  men  of  the  region  _ 
they  having  built  a  hotel  and  three  store  buildings,  and  as  well  were  instrumental  in 
founding  schools,  churches  and  other  institutions;  Bigelow,  who  died  in  Fabius. 
Ellis  Morse  was  born  in  1789  and  spent  almose  his  entire  life  in  this  town.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  interests  previously  noted,  he  founded  and  built  the  once  famous  Eaton 
Academy  and  was  for  many  years  its  mainstay  and  support.  Ellis  Morse's  first  wife 
wasLoraAyer;  their  children  were  Jane  M.,  of  Eaton;  Janette  S.,  who  n-arried 
Rollin  Coman;  Gardner,  who  died  in  1897;  Martha  A.,  who  married  Dr.  W.  C.  Tenney, 
and  Andrew  B.,  who  entered  the  Presbyterian  ministry.  Mr.  Morse's  second  wife 
was  Adeline  Bagg,  by  whom  he  had  these  children:  Adeline,  wife  of  Amos  O.  Os- 
borne; Walter  of  Eaton;  Henry  B.,  lieutenant-colonel  114th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  and  who 
died  in  1874,  then  being  circuit  judge  m  Arkansas;  Alfred  A.,  who  also  served  in  the 
114th  Regiment  and  received  his  death  wound  at  Cedar  Creek;  and  Hartwell  Morse, 
who  has  lived  m  Binghamton  since  1864,  and  for  many  years  has  been  cashier  of  the 
City  National  Bank.  Ellis  Morse  died  October  15,  1869.  Walter  Morse  was  born 
February  2.i,  183.5.  and  has  been  a  life-long  resident  of  Eaton  village.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  academy  founded  by  his  father,  after  which  he  worked  six  years  as  clerk 
for  Butler  &  Burritt.  On  February  23,  1859,  in  company  with  A.  N.  Wood,  he  be- 
gan building  portable  and  agricultural  steam  engines,  the  concern  being  the  third  of 
its  kind  in  the  United  States.  The  business  had  been  established  by  Mr.  Wood  in 
1852,  and  from  the  outset  was  a  successful  enterprise.  In  1860  Loyal  C.  Taber  came 
into  the  business  and  then  was  established  the  firm  of  Wood,  Taber  &  Morse,  one  of 
the  bestknown  firms  in  engine  building  in  the  country.  It  continued  until  1892, 
when  both  Messrs.  Wood  and  Taber  died,  whereupon  Mr.  Morse  closed  the  works  in 
the  year  following.  When  running  at  full  capacity  about  seventy-five  men  were 
employed,  and  an  engine  was  turned  out  daily.  Aside  from  his  active  business  life 
Mr.  Morse  has  ever  taken  an  earnest  interest  in  all  that  pertained  to  the  welfare  of 
the  town  and  has  always  been  regarded  as  an  upright,  public  spirited  citizen.  He 
has  always  been  a  Republican,  though  taking  no  active  part  in  politics.  He  has 
been  one  of  the  deacons  of  the  Eaton  Congregational  church  since  1877.  On  Febru- 
ary 3,  1862,  Mr.  Morse  married  H.  Celeste,  daughter  of  Richard  M.  Davis  of  Eaton. 
Their  children  are  Ellis  W.  Morse,  treasurer  of  the  Binghamton  Wagon  Co.,  and  Ada 
R  ,  wife  of  O.  Webster  Mott  of  the  Standard  Harrow  Co.  of  Utica. 


Maxwell,  John,  son  of  James  and  Jane  (Tait)  Maxwell,  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Lindon,  Cattaraugus  county,  N.  Y.,  March  31,  1845.  His  father,  a  native  of  Edin- 
burgh, Scotland,  came  to  this  country  in  1835,  and  .settled  in  Lindon  upon  the  farm 
where  he  resided  until  his  death.  He  was  a  well  known  citizen  and  served  frequently 
as  supervisor  and  in  other  town  offices.  John  Maxwell  received  an  education  con- 
fined to  the  district  schools,  and  assisted  in  the  conduct  of  his  father's  farm  until  he 
was  twenty-one  years  old.  He  then  went  to  Cuba,  Alleghany  county,  where  he  re- 
mained six  years  in  the  employ  of  S.  K.  Cutter,  a  builder,  lumber  dealer,  and  con- 
tractor,  with  whom  he  learned  that  business.     In  January,  1873,   he  removed  to 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  87 

Rochester  and  wus  engaged  by  the  Empire  Moulding  Works  as  superintendent  of 
the  manufacture  of  moulding,  lumber  buyer,  etc.  He  began  business  for  himself  in 
1874  as  a  manufacturer  of  caskets  and  mouldings  in  the  Michaels  building  on  Mill 
street  with  store  rooms  on  State  street.  After  the  first  year  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  C.  H.  Newman  and  James  T.  McManus  under  the  firm  name  of  Maxwell,  New- 
man &  McManus.  The  growth  of  the  business  was  rapid,  and  it  being  found  neces- 
.sary  to  secure  larger  quarters,  a  factory  in  the  rear  of  number  23  and  34  South  St. 
Paul  street  was  leased,  the  entire  building  above  the  first  floor  being  utilized.  After 
a  short  period  Mr.  Newman  retired  and  was  succeeded  in  the  firm  by  P.  J.  McWeeney 
and  Hosea  Rogers,  forming  the  firm  of  Maxwell,  McWeeney  &  Co.  About  sixty  men 
were  employed  with  an  average  weekly  output  of  350  caskets  and  the  firm  continued 
in  successful  and  constantly  growing  business  until  1879.  In  that  year  a  consolida- 
tion was  effected  with  Chappel,  Tuttle  &  Co.,  jobbers  in  undertakers'  supplies  at 
Oneida,  and  the  plant  was  removed  to  that  village,  business  being  conducted  under 
the  firm  name  of  Chappel,  Chase,  Maxwell  &  Co.  The  growth  and  development  of 
the  business  in  Oneida  is  elsewhere  noticed.  When  the  National  Casket  Company 
was  formed  in  1890,  Mr.  Maxwell  became  a  director  and  manager  of  the  Oneida 
plant.  He  has  never  held  public  office,  with  the  exception  of  one  term  as  village 
trustee,  but  has  been  actively  interested  in  many  enterprises  tending  to  promote  the 
welfare  of  the  village,  especially  the  Oneida  Savings,  Building,  and  Loan  Associa- 
tion which  he  organized  and  served  as  president  seven  years.  Mr.  Maxwell  mar- 
ried in  1867,  Frances  A.  Harris,  daughter  of  Thomas  Harris  of  his  native  town. 


Marcellus,  Albert,  who  died  in  Oneida  June  11,  1899,  in  the  fifty-ninth  year  of  his 
age,  was  one  of  Oneida's  most  prominent  business  men  and  a  valued  citizen.  He 
was  born  in  Auriesville,  Montgomery  county,  N.  Y.,  March  31,  1840,  and  passed  the 
greater  part  of  his  boyhood  days  in  his  native  village,  being  afforded  hberal  educa- 
tional advantages  which  well  fitted  him  for  the  practical  business  career  he  followed. 
He  came  to  Oneida  from  Pittsford,  Monroe  county,  N.  Y. ,  about  thirty  years  ago, 
and  in  company  with  his  father,  the  late  Albert  Marcellus,  sr. ,  constructed  several 
miles  of  the  Midland  railroad  south  of  Oneida.  Later  (in  1871-72)  he  took  the  con- 
tract of  laying  the  two  freight  tracks  on  the  Central  railroad  between  Oneida  and 
Cauaseraga,  and  subsequently  held  large  contracts  with  that  company  for  construc- 
tion work,  which  was  proof  that  he  performed  his  obligations  faithfully  and  honor- 
ably. For  upwards  of  twenty  years,  in  addition  to  his  other  business,  he  conducted 
an  extensive  lumber  trade  in  Oneida  and  vicinity.  Mr.  Marcellus  was  reliable  and 
thorough  in  everything  he  undertook,  and  was  usually  successful  in  his  fenterprises. 
He  was  a  man  of  strong  convictions  and  could  not  be  swerved  from  what  he  consid- 
ered honorable  and  just,  but  withal  was  a  genial  man  and  a  warm  hearted  friend.  In 
politics  he  was  a  true  Democrat  but  by  no  means  a  narrow  partisan.  Contrary  to  his 
expressed  wishes  he  was  elected  a  village  trustee  in  1895  and  served  two  years.  As 
chairman  of  the  street  committee  he  proved  one  of  the  most  efficient  and  practical 
officers  that  ever  acted  in  that  capacity,  and  as  member  of  several  other  important 
committees  he  showed  no  lack  of  zeal,  ever  being  keenly  alive  to  public  interests.  He 
was  an  esteemed  member  of  Oneida  Lodge,  No.  370,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  of  Doric  Chap- 
ter, No.  193.  R   A.  M.    Mr.  Marcellus  married  in  1873,  Miss  Mary  Gors  of  Dansville, 


88  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

N.  Y. ,  who  survives  him.  He  is  succeeded  in  business  by  his  son,  George  A.  Mar- 
cellus,  who  was  born  in  Oneida,  December  4,  1873;  was  graduated  from  Yale  College 
with  the  class  of  1896 ;  and  was  associated  with  his  father  in  business  until  the  lat- 
ter's  death. 


Mott,  David  C. ,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  was  born  at  Hamilton,  N.  Y. ,  and  was  educated  in 
Madison  University  (now  Colgate  University)  He  then  studied  law  in  the  ofBce  of 
Conklin  &  Throop,  Utica,  N.  Y.,  for  a  year,  attended  the  \a.Tf  department  of  Colum- 
bia College,  N.  Y  ,  a  year  under  Theodore  Dwight,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at 
the  General  Term  in  Syraeuse  in  1860.  After  residing  several  years  in  St.  Louis  and 
a  short  time  in  Utica,  he  returned  to  Hamilton,  where  he  has  since  resided.  Mr. 
Mott  was  for  years  largely  interested  in  real  estate  in  Hamilton  and  built  some  of 
the  substantial  old  blocks.  He  has  been  clerk  of  the  village  for  three  years,  presi- 
dent of  the  village  a  year  and  a  member  of  the  board  of  education  nine  years  Mr. 
Mott  married  Mary  E.  Hughes,  and  they  have  two  children:  Joseph  Addison  and 
Caroline  Jane.  His  parenis  were  Joseph  Addison  and  Caroline  L.  (Crocker)  Mott.  His 
grandfather,  Amos  Crocker,  was  a  member  of  the  legislature  in  1820  On  his  moth- 
er's side  Mr.  Mott  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  John  Howland,  who  came  over  in  the 
the  Mayflower.  He  married  Elizabeth  TiUey,  and  their  daughter,  Hannah  Howland, 
married  Jonathan  Crocker.  Their  son,  James  Crocker,  was  the  father  of  Jonathan 
Crocker,  who  was  the  father  of  David  Crocker,  whose  son,  Amos  Crocker,  was  the 
grandfather  of  Mr.  Mott.  John  Howland  was  a  prominent  man  in  the  early  days, 
came  over  as  a  man  of  affairs  for  Governor  Carver,  and  was  one  of  the  first  of  the 
settlers  to  resist  the  invasion  of  the  Indians. 


Maxon,  Samuel  A.,  son  of  Lewis  and  Betsey  (Caldwell)  Maxon,  was  born  in  Verona, 
Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  January  11,  1841.  His  grandfather,  Ethan  Maxon,  was  one 
of  the  early  settlers  of  Oneida  county  whither  he  came  from  Rhode  Island  in  the 
year  1811.  Mr.  Maxon's  early  education  was  confined  to  the  common  schools,  and 
he  is  mainly  self  educated.  His  first  employment  was  as  a  clerk  in  which  capacity 
he  served  several  firms,  having  charge  for  a  time  of  the  store  of  Seeley  &  Armitage 
at  Munnsville.  In  1864  he  enlisted  in  Company  K,  5th  N.  Y.  Heavy  Artillery,  and 
served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  then  engaged  in  real  estate  business  in 
the  State  of  New  Jersey  for  a  time  and  later  went  to  Lawrence,  Kansas,  whence  he 
came  to  Oneida  in  February,  1872.  On  his  arrival  he  assumed  the  editorship  of  the 
Oneida  Union,  and  in  the  following  August  purchased  the  paper  in  company  with 
Richard  M.  Baker,  forming  the  present  firm  of  Baker  &  Maxon  which  has  conducted 
the  Union  upwards  of  twenty-seven  years.  Mr.  Maxon  has  interested  himself  deeply 
in  educational  matters;  was  one  of  the  chief  promoters  of  the  Oneida  Union  School; 
and  has  served  on  the  Board  of  Education  for  thirteen  consecutive  years.  He  is  a 
man  of  much  public  spirit,  and  has  always  been  prompt  to  give  his  time  and  influence 
in  promoting  worthy  public  enterprises.  He  married,  June  3,  187.5,  Sylvia  L. 
Stringer,  daughter  of  William  Stringer  of  Munnsville,  and  three  children  have  been 
born  to  them;  William  R.,  S.  Lynn  and  Bessie  S.  Ma.xon. 

Moore,  Sidney  W.,  son   of  Eli  G.   and  Adeline  (Weaver)  Moore,  was  born  in  the 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  89 

town  of  Stockbridge,  this  county,  October  6,  1859.  His  grandfather,  El;  Moore,  was 
a  native  of  Union,  Conn.,  and  removed  thence  to  Stoclsbridge  among  the  earliest 
settlers,  driving  an  ox  team  and  bringing  his  young  wife,  Rebecca  (Gail)  Moore,  and 
their  son,  Eli  G.  They  located  at  Valley  Mills,  near  the  Lenox  line  on  the  farm  now 
owned  by  Mr.  Moore,  and  which  has  never  been  deeded  out  of  the  possession  of  the 
family.  Sidney  W.  Moore  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  in  the  vicinity  of  his 
home  and  at  Whitestown  Seminary.  When  eighteen  years  old  he  went  west  but  re- 
turned in  two  years,  and  for  six  years  following  remained  at  home.  In  1883  he  went 
to  Lyons,  N.  Y.  to  engage  in  the  drug  business  with  Dr.  C.  A.  Moore  under  the  firm 
name  of  Moore  &  Moore.  He  retired  from  active  interest  in  this  firm  in  1892,  having 
become  interested  in  the  manufacture  of  silverware  in  Lyons.  In  1893  he  removed 
his  plant  to  Oswego,  N  Y.,  where  he  sold  out  the  following  year  and  came  to  Oneida. 
He  at  once  organized  the  Oneida  Silverware  Manufacturing  Company  with  a  capital 
stock  of  $10,000,  (afterwards  increased  to  §50,000,)  and  erected  the  present  building 
and  plant  of  the  company.  Mr.  Moore  acts  as  president  and  manager  of  the  corpora- 
tion, which  manufactures  a  full  line  of  silver  plated  ware,  employing  upwards  of 
seventy-five  people,  and  is  rapidly  increasing  its  trade  and  output.  Mr.  Moore  mar- 
ried in  1884,  Nellie  S.  Baker,  daughter  of  D.  C.  Baker  of  Fulton,  N.  Y.  Of  this  union 
are  two  sons:  Alfred  D.  and  S.  Gail. 


Morgan,  John,  who  for  more  than  sixty  years  has  been  identified  with  business  life 
in  Madison  village,  and  who  during  that  period  has  always  been  regarded  as  one  of 
the  foremost  men  of  the  town,  was  born  in  Clinton,  Conn.,  April  20,  1821,  and  was  , 
one  of  four  children  in  the  family  of  John  and  Esther  (Parsons)  Morgan.  At  the  age 
of  sixteen  he  started  out  to  make  his  own  way  in  life,  coming  to  Madison,  where  he 
learned  the  trade  of  tinsmithing  with  Henry  Hull,  who  knew  the  young  man  and  was 
naturally  attracted  by  his  frank,  manly  demeanor.  In  the  first  year  of  his  apprentice- 
ship John  Morgan  earned  $29  and  saved  $7  of  the  amount;  when  twenty-one  years 
old  he  had  saved  §100.  His  very  first  sixpence  was  earned  in  helping  to  unload 
hay.  This  was  the  foundation  of  his  later  success  m  business  life,  for  Mr.  Morgan 
became  forehanded  as  the  result  of  energy,  perseverance  and  honesty;  he  has 
always  made  generous  use  of  his  means  for  the  benefit  of  family  and  friends. 
After  his  apprenticeship  was  ended  Mr.  Morgan  worked  three  years  as  "boss"  in 
Mr.  Hull's  shop  and  for  the  next  three  years  was  his  partner  in  business.  After 
Mr.  Hull's  death  Mr.  Morgan  continued  alone  for  a  time,  but  later  was  associated 
with  his  sons,  to  whom  he  eventually  sold  out  his  interest  and  devoted  himself  to 
farming  and  caring  for  his  other  property.  He  is  still  an  active  man,  notwith- 
standing his  seventy-eight  years  of  life  and  in  Madison  no  man  is  more  highly 
respected  than  he.  He  has  always  taken  an  earnest  interest  in  the  welfare  of 
the  town,  is  an  active  Republican,  though  never  seeking  political  honors.  He 
has  been  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church  more  than  forty  years,  and  has  held  the 
positions  of  trustee  and  class  leader.  Of  his  means  he  has  generously  contributed 
to  the  support  of  the  church  and  to  other  worthy  causes.  Mr.  Morgan  has  been 
thrice  married;  his  first  wife  was  Pamelia  J.  Merchant,  who  died  soon  after  mar- 
riage; his  second  wife  was  Phoebe  Hazard,  daughter  of  Paul  and  Lucretia  Haz- 
ard.    She  died  four  years  after  marriage.     His   third  wife  was  Lucretia  Hazard, 


90  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

sister  to  his  second  wife.     Three  children  were  born  of  the  last  marriage:  Leverett 
J.,   Harry  and  Albert. 


Moody,  Adelbert,  p.  o  Peterboro,  was  born  in  Sraithfield,  February  13,  1823,  a 
son  of  David  and  Sabrina  (Chauncey)  Moody.  His  father  was  born  is  Mass- 
achusetts in  1771  and  came  to  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  early  and  finally  to  Smith- 
field,  where  he  died  in  1846.  He  was  a  farmer;  in  politics  a  Whig.  His  wife 
was  born  in  Massachusetts  in  1781,  and  they  had  three  children,  Adelbert  the  only 
one  now  living.  Adelbert  Moody  was  educated  in  the  common  .schools.  He  has 
been  a  great  reader  and  is  well  informed.  He  owns  eighty  arces  of  land,  a  part 
of  the  old  homestead,  and  follows  dairying  and  farming.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
politics,  but  not  an  aspirant  to  office. 


Miller,  Levi,  jr.,  p.  o.  Peterboro,  was  born  in  Lenox.  Madison  county,  N.  Y. ,  July 
28,  1848,  a  son  of  Levi  Miller.  He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and 
learned  the  trade  of  cheese  making  with  his  father,  which  he  has  followed  during 
his  married  life,  with  the  exception  of  three  years  spent  at  farming.  He  was  in 
Fenner  one  year,  four  years  at  Putnam  factory,  four  years  at  the  Mile  Strip,  three 
years  at  Peterboro,  and  then  located  where  he  now  lives  and  built  a  cheese  factory, 
which  he  has  operated  eleven  years.  He  has  been  very  successful,  having  a  yearly 
output  of  100,000  pounds,  which  is  handled  mostly  by  Hunter,  Walton  &  Co.  of  New 
York.  Mr.  Miller  was  married  January  31,  1871,  to  Jennie  Wright,  born  at  Siloam, 
June  13,  1850,  a  daughter  of  Isaac  J.  Wright,  and  they  have  one  adopted  son,  Alfred 
S.,  a  son  of  Morris  E.  Wright,  a  brother  of  Mrs.  Miller.  In  politics  Mr.  Miller  is  a 
Republican  since  Cleveland's  administration,  previous  to  which  time  he  was  a  Dem- 
ocrat. He  has  served  as  constable;  is  a  member  of  Smithfield  Lodge  No.  120, 
I.  O.  O.  F.  and  has  been  chaplain  of  the  lodge  since  it  was  started.  He  and  wife 
are  members  of  the  M.  E.  church,  and  Mrs.  Miller  has  been  president  of  the  Ep- 
worth  League. 


Marquisee,  Lewis,  p.  o.  Peterboro,  was  born  on  the  farm  he  now  owns,  October  26, 
1843,  a  son  of  Timothy  and  Lydia  Goff  (widow  of  Gaylord  Mattison)  Marquisee.  His 
father  left  home  at  twelve  years  of  age  and  came  to  Smithfield  in  1837  from  Bouck- 
ville,  Madison  county,  where  he  learned  the  trade  of  scale  making.  He  followed 
farming  and  blacksmithing,  also  scale  making.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republican  and 
held  office  of  highway  commissioner  for  many  years.  He  died  March  15,  1887,  aged 
eighty-seven  years,  and  his  wife  died  April  33,  1892,  aged  eighty-nine  years.  Lewis 
Marquisee  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  follows  farming.  He  owns  eighty 
acres  where  he  lives  and  126  acres  near  Peterboro,  following  dairying  and  general 
farming.  March  12,  1861,  Mr.  Marquisee  married  Martha  A.  Woodworth.  daughter 
of  Ephraim  and  granddaughter  of  Ephraim  Woodworth,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of 
Smithfield.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Marquisee  had  two  children;  Celia  A.,  wife  of  Elmer 
Cramer,  a  farmer  of  Sraithfield.  They  have  three  children;  Cora  M.,  Lewis  E.  and 
Hazel  A.  Mr.  Marquisee  is  a  Republican  and  has  been  justice  of  the  peace  about 
twenty  years,  which  office  he  now  holds. 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  91 

Northrup,  Joel,  was  born  on  the  farm  he  owns,  June  7,  1824,  a  son  of  Stephen  and 
grandson  of  Stephen  Northrup,  who  spent  his  last  days  in  Lenox,  and  died  in  1840; 
his  wife  was  Rhoda  Benedict,  who  died  in  Lenox  in  1841,  and  they  had  a  family  of 
ten  children.  Stephen  Northrup,  jr.,  was  born  in  Nassau,  Rensselaer  county,  Feb- 
ruary 15,  1783.  came  to  Lenox  in  1820  and  bought  the  farm  Joel  now  owns,  where  he 
died  May  3,  1859.  His  wife  was  Sallie  Benedict,  born  in  Sherburne  in  1790,  by 
whom  he  had  nine  children,  three  of  whom  are  now  living.  Joel  Northrup  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  school,  is  a  farmer  and  has  thirty-five  acres  of  land.  July  1, 
1858,  he  married  Sara  Hatmaker,  born  in  Sullivan,-  Madison  county,  N.  Y.,  October 
29,  1819,  a  daughter  of  George  and  Margaret  (Shute)  Hatmaker,  early  settlers  of 
Sullivan.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Northrup  had  one  daughter,  Anna  E  ,  born  July  28,  1859, 
educated  in  the  common  schools,  and  married,  in  1880,  C.  B.  Waterbury,  a  farmer  of 
Lenox;  they  had  the  following  children:  Estella,  Newel  J.,  S.  Esther,  Eugene  C, 
Bertha,  Joel,  Herbert  and  Howard.  In  politics  Mr.  Northrup  is  a  Republican,  and 
he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  he  has  been  an 
elder  for  some  years ;  Mr.  Northrup  is  also  society  clerk  of  the  church. 


Near,  William  S. ,  p.  o.  Canastota,  was  born  in  Lenox,  N.  Y.,  December  13,  1863,  a 
son  of  Timothy  and  grandson  of  Jasper  Near,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  the  town. 
Timothy  Near  was  born  in  Lincoln,  May  9,  1838.  educated  at  Syracuse,  and  for 
many  years  was  a  teacher.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat  and  was  assessor  nine 
years.  March  11.  1850,  he  married  Lucretia  Baum,  who  died  June  1,  1874;  they  had 
SIX  children,  three  now  living.  Mr.  Near  wasamember  of  Canastota  Lodge  No.  231, 
F.&  A  M.  At  the  time  of  his  death.  December  29,  1890,  he  owned  125  acres  of  land. 
William  S.  Near  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  educated  in  Canastota  Academy.  He 
owns  the  homestead  and  carries  on  general  farming.  September  29,  1886,  Mr.  Near 
married  Elizabeth  D..  daughter  of  George  Loucks,  and  they  have  one  daughter, 
Wmifred  S. ,  born  October  30,  1897.  George  Loucks  was  a  son  of  Abram,  son  of 
John,  who  lived  and  died  in  Schoharie  county,  and  came  to  Oneida  in  a  very  early 
day,  where  he  died.  His  wife  was  Elizabeth  Ten  Eyck,  born  in  Schoharie  county 
and  died  in  Oneida  county.  George  was  educated  at  Oneida  Castle,  came  to  Lenox 
in  1868  and  bought  seventy-two  acres  where  he  now  lives.  In  politics  he  is  a  Demo- 
crat, but  not  an  aspirant  to  public  office.  He  married  Solinda  Ritter,  by  whom  he 
had  three  children:  Arthur  G.  (deceased),  Milton  A.  and  Elizabeth  D. 


Near,  J.  De  Forest,  p.  o.  Canastota,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Lenox,  Madison  county, 
July  31,  1858.  His  father  was  Timothy  Near,  a  farmer,  and  at  one  time  engaged  in 
the  grocery  business  at  Canastota.  He  died  aged  sixty-two  years  in  1891.  De 
Forest  Near  is  engaged  in  the  cultivation  of  hay,  grain,  onions  and  dairying,  and  is 
recognized  as  a  citizen  of  sterling  worth.  He  was  bereft  of  his  father  and  of  his 
wife  in  the  same  year,  1891.  She  was.  before  marriage,  Minnie  E.  Hettinger.  She 
left  two  sons,  Arthur  and  Harlow  Near.  In  1893  Mr.  Near  married  his  present 
wife,  Louisa  Hill,  daughter  of  a  well-known  family  of  Perryville,  and  they  have  one 
daughter,  Minnie,  now  three  years  of  age. 

Northrup,  Irving  J.,  p.  o.  Chittenango,  grocer  at  Chittenango  Landing,  is  an  El- 


92  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

miran  by  birth  (December  28,  1850),  and  a  son  of  Jerome  B.  Northrup.  The  latter 
was  a  native  of  Montgomery  county  and  died  there  in  1885,  aged  fifty-five  years.  In 
the  civil  war  he  served  in  Co.  E,  122d  Regt.  N.  Y.  S.  Volunteers,  6th  Corps.  The 
business  now  conducted  by  Irving  J.  Northrup  since  1887,  was  established  by  Jacob 
Walker  in  1872.  Mr.  Northrup  deals  largely  m  fine  groceries,  making  a  specialty  of 
canal  supplies.  In  1885  he  married  Mane,  daughter  of  his  predecessor  in  business, 
Jacob  Walker,  and  has  one  daughter,  Anna  M.  Northrup.  Mr.  Walker  died  in  1893 
aged  eighty.  Nr.  Northrup  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  a  most  genial  and  popu- 
lar citizen. 


Nichols,  Orville  A.,  p.  o.  Mile  Strip,  was  born  at  Mile  Strip,  May  13, 1841,  a  son  of 
Rufus  H.  and  Tacey  (Culver)  Nichols,  who  had  six  children  named  Diederick  R., 
Frances  M.,  Riley  Ne\<'ton  (deceased),  Riley,  Samuel  C,  and  Orville  A.  By  occupa- 
tion Rufus  H.  followed  farming,  with  the  exception  of  six  years,  when  he  was  at 
Peterboro  and  worked  as  a  miller.  Rufus  H.  was  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Catharine 
(Hess)  Nichols.  They  had  two  children:  Rufus  H.  and  Catherine,  wife  of  Samuel 
Frisbee.  Orville  A.  Nichols  was  educated  in  the  town  of  Fenner  and  in  Peterboro 
Academy.  His  early  life  was  spent  on  the  farm  with  his  father,  with  whom  he  has 
been  associated  in  business  many  years.  When  about  twenty-five  years  of  age  he 
married  Lovisette  Jenette,  daughter  of  Nathan  Lamb,  and  they  have  two  children: 
Fred  F.,  and  Florence  M.,  wife  of  Herbert  A.  Bristol,  and  one  deceased,  Claude. 
Samuel  Nichols,  sr.,  was  in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  was  wounded  in  the  right  leg 
at  the  battle  of  Monmouth.  His  first  wife  was  Hannah  Resigue,  who  was  Samuel, 
jr.'s  mother.  He  later  married  Sybil  Baldwin  and  she  was  a  widow  of  David  Cran- 
sou.  August  ly,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  B,  157th  Regiment  and  was  wounded  at  the 
battle  of  Chancellorsville  in  the  right  forearm  and  was  discharged  for  disability  m 
October,  1863.  He  is  a  member  of  Reese  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  No.  34,  of  Canastota.  He 
has  always  taken  an  active  part  in  town  affairs,  has  been  justice  of  the  peace  for 
twenty  years,  and  also  collector.  He  has  always  taken  a  great  interest  in  the  school 
of  which  he  has  been  tru.stee  many  terms  and  was  its  trustee  when  the  school  house 
was  rebuilt.     He  is  a  contributing  and  supporting  member  of  churches. 


Newton,  Alfred  J.,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  was  born  in  Canada,  but  was  brought  to  the 
United  States  by  his  parents,  Byron  F..  and  Margurite  (Wahn)  Newton,  when  an 
infant.  They  settled  at  Hamilton,  N.  Y.,  and  this  has  been  Mr.  Newton's  home 
since.  He  was  educated  here  and  then  began  the  active  duties  of  life  as  a  clerk,  in 
which  capacity  he  passed  eleven  years.  On  January  20,  1897,  he  opened  his  grocery 
store  in  Hamilton,  which  has  been  a  successful  business  venture  from  the  first.  Mr. 
Newton's  enterprise  and  honorable  business  methods  stamp  him  as  one  of  the  repre- 
sentative young  business  men  of  Madison  county.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  both  subordinate  lodge  and  encampment,  and  also  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity. 


Nixdorf,  William  G.,  who  has  served  on  the  village  board  of  trustees  eight  years, 
was  born  in  Oneida,  March  26,  1861.  His  father,  Herman  C.  Nixdorf,  a  native  of 
Germany,  came  to  this  country  when  a  young  man,  and  settled  first  in  Rome,  thence 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  93 

removing  to  Oswego,  and  in  1861  to  Oneida  where  he  resided  until  his  death.  For 
many  years  he  conducted  a  business  on  James  street  in  Oneida  as  a  shoemaker  and 
dealer.  William  G.  Ni.xdorf  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Oneida  and  has 
always  been  engaged  in  the  grocery  and  liquor  business  in  this  town.  He  erected 
the  building  where  he  has  conducted  his  business  for  the  past  sixteen  years  in  1882. 
Mr.  Nixdorf  has  served  as  a  village  trustee  eight  years,  and  as  sewer  commissioner 
two  years  (1896-97).  He  is  a  member  of  Eumenia  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows.  In  1891 
he  married  Charlotte  Bieseigel  and  of  their  union  are  five  children:  Catherine  M., 
A.  J.  Herman,  NelHe  M.,  Karl  W.,  and  William  B. 


Niles,  R.  Olmstead,  son  of  S.  Russell  and  Sophia  M.  (Drake)  Niles,  was  born  in 
the  town  of  Lebanon,  this  county,  January  20,  1835.  His  father,  also  born  in  Leb- 
anon, died  in  Cazenovia  in  the  sixty-eighth  year  of  his  age.  He  was  a  man  of  strong 
character,  strict  integrity,  and  is  highly  respected  m  this  community.  He  was  a  son 
of  Isaac  Niles,  a  native  of  Massachusetts  and  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  the  town 
of  Madison,  whence  he  removed  to  Lebanon.  R.  Olmstead  Niles  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools  and  has  followed  the  occupation  of  farming  all  his  life.  He 
owns  a  farm  of  100  acres  one  mile  south  of  Cazenovia  village  on  the  west  road  to 
New  Woodstock  and  has  given  much  attention  to  the  breeding  of  fine  cattle.  In 
politics  Mr.  Niles  is  a  Prohibitionist;  he  is  a  member  of  the  Cazenovia  Baptist 
church.  In  1863  he  married  Mary  E.  Kingsley,  daughter  of  A.  Z.  Kingsley  of  Leb- 
anon; three  children  have  been  born  to  them:  Charles  O.,  engaged  in  farming;  R. 
Avery,  who  conducts  a  furnishing  goods  business  in  Cazenovia;  and  Mav  A.  Niles, 
music  teacher. 


Nourse,  J.  Harvey,  was  born  in  Cazenovia,  in  the  place  which  has  always  been  his 
home,  February  9  1834,  a  son  of  Solomon  and  Savilla  (Case)  Nourse.  His  grand- 
father, Joel  Nourse,  was  an  early  settler  of  the  town  of  Fenner,  and  q  man  of  prom- 
inence in  his  time.  His  father  was  born  in  Fenner,  just  across  the  line  from  the 
farm,  June  8,  1806,  and  died  May  30,  1877.  Of  his  union  with  Savilla  Case  were  four 
children:  Loren  C,  who  died  January  29,  1840;  Angeline  L.,  wife  of  Jo.seph  J.  L. 
Baker  of  Chittenango;  J.  Harvey,  and  Clinton  K.  of  Otselic,  Chenango  county.  J. 
Harvey  Nourse  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  at  Cazenovia  Seminary. 
He  has  followed  the  occupation  of  farming  all  his  life.  In  politics  Mr.  Nourse  is  a 
Republican  and  he  has  served  his  town  with  fidelity  in  many  offices  of  public  trust; 
as  assessor  one  year  to  fill  a  vacancy;  highway  commissioner  six  years;  supervisor 
four  successive  years;  and  as  justice  of  the  peace  eight  years.  Mr.  Nourse  married 
March  15,  1860,  Carrie  J.  Elmore,  daughter  of  Horace  Elmore  of  Fenner;  they  have 
one  daughter,  Nellie  F.  Nourse. 


O'Brien,  Thomas,  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1837,  and  came  to  this  country  with  his 
parents  when  ten  years  old.  They  settled  in  Cazenovia  where  his  father  resided 
until  his  death  in  1870,  gaining  the  respect  and  confidence  of  all  his  fellow  citizens. 
Mr.  O'Brien  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Cazenovia,  and  at  an  early  age 
entered  the  woolen  mill  there,  owned  by  R.  Jackson.  This  mill  afterwards  came 
into  the  possession  of  Henry  Ten  Eyck  for  whom  he  worked  until  it  was  destroyed 


94  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

by  fire.  In  1853  he  went  to  Utica  where  he  had  charge  of  the  carding  department  in 
a  woolen  mill  for  a  period  of  five  years.  At  the  end  of  this  period  he  removed  to 
Pittsfield,  Mass.,  where  he  held  a  similar  position  about  two  years.  In  1858  he  re- 
turned to  Madison  county,  and  in  1864  in  company  with  Charles  Stewart  purchased 
the  woolen  mill  at  Eaton  which  they  conducted  about  eight  years.  At  the  end  of 
that  time  Mr  O'Brien  settled  permanently  in  the  village  of  Oneida,  and  for  twenty- 
five  years  was  engaged  in  buying  and  shipping  wool.  In  1893  he  became  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Stewart  Barton  &  Co.  In  politics  Mr.  O'Brien  has  been  a  consistent 
Democrat;  he  has  served  as  village  trustee  three  years,  as  assessor  two  years,  and  is 
now  a  member  and  president  of  the  sewer  board.  He  married,  in  1863,  Margaret 
McLaughlin,  a  daughter  of  Patrick  McLaughlin  of  Holland  Patent,  N.  Y. 


Owens,  William  W.,  p  o.  De  Ruyter,  proprietor  of  the  well  known  hotel  that  bears 
his  name  in  the  village  of  De  Ruyter,  is  a  native  of  Broome  county,  born  in  Deposit. 
Decembers,  1858.  He  is  a  son  of  Spender  and  Lavina  (Peters)  Owens.  His  parents 
removed  to  Massachusetts  when  he  was  quite  young  and  where  he  attended  the  pub- 
lic schools.  Later  they  returned  to  New  York  State  and  settled  in  Oneida  county, 
where  William  and  his  father  were  engaged  in  the  tannery  business  for  a  period  of 
twenty  years.  In  April,  1891,  Mr.  Owens  removed  to  De  Ruyter  and  succeeded  Lee 
Stebbins  in  the  hotel  business,  in  which  he  has  since  been  engaged.  In  September, 
1881,  Mr.  Owens  married  Julia,  daughter  of  Alman  and  Ann  (Carlisle)  Beckwith, and 
they  have  one  son,  Wesley,  born  May  25,  1883.  Mr.  Owens  has  prospered  in  his  new 
business,  his  genial,  courteous  manners  and  straightforward  business  methods  serv- 
ing not  only  to  retain  the  old  patrons,  but  winning  him  many  new  ones. 


Potter,  George  H.,  was  born  in  Lodi,  California,  May  17,  1864,  a  son  of  George  M. 
and  Lucinda  (Rhodes)  Potter.  His  father  was  a  "  forty-niner,"  a  native  of  the  State 
of  Connecticut.  Mr.  Potter  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  the  village  of 
Phoenix,  Oswego  county,  N.  Y.  His  first  employment  was  as  clerk  in  a  men's  fur- 
nishing goods  store;  subsequently  he  was  employed  as  a  clerk  in  a  grocery  store; 
and  later  as  postal  clerk  in  the  Phoenix  post-office.  He  came  to  Oneida  in  1896,  and 
purchased  the  grocery  and  variety  business  of  R.  A.  Stowell  which  he  has  since  suc- 
cessfully conducted.  Mr.  Potter  married,  in  1889,  Miss  Mary  Keller,  and  of  this 
union  is  one  daughter,  Ola  M.  Potter. 


Phipps,  David  H.,  who  died  in  Oneida,  April  7,  1889,  in  the  ninety-second  year  of 
his  age,  was  born  in  Connecticut,  October  7.  1807,  but  came  to  this  State  at  an  early 
age,  and  in  1861  to  Oneida  where  he  resided  until  his  death.  Mr.  Phipps  was  a  man 
of  integrity  and  not  easily  swerved  from  what  he  believed  to  be  right.  He  was  a 
good  neighbor  and  a  genial,  kind  hearted  friend  who  is  missed  by  a  wide  circle  of 
acquaintances.  Mr.  Phipps  married,  December  19,  1831,  Eliza  H.  Brown,  whom  he 
survived  some  years. 


Pfaff,  Otto,  M.  D. ,  son  of  Jacob  and  Anna  Katherine  (Pfaff)  Pfaff,  was  born  in 
Croghan,  Lewis  county,  N.  Y. ,  January  9,  1864.  His  parents  were  both  natives  of 
Germany,  came  to  this  country  in  1851  and  settled  in  Lewis  county.     Dr.  Pfaff  was 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  95 

educated  in  the  Carthage  (Jefferson  county)  Union  Free  School,  and  began  the  study 
of  medicine  in  the  University  of  the  City  of  New  York,  Medical  Department,  taking 
the  M.  D.  degree  in  1888.  He  at  once  began  practice,  locating  in  Turin,  Lewis 
county,  where  he  remained  three  years,  and  thence  removed  to  Oneida  in  1891  to  be- 
gin his  present  practice.  Dr.  Pfaff  served  for  some  time  as  president  of  the  Lewis 
County  Medical  Society;  is  a  member  of  the  American  Medical  Association ;  Oneida 
Lodge,  No.  370,  F.  &  A.  M.  ;  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows;  and  the  Knights 
of  Pythias.  In  politics  he  has  been  an  active  Democrat  and  is  now  serving  as  village 
trustee.  He  married  in  1891.  Adella  T.  Williams,  daughter  of  William  R.  Williams 
of  Oneida. 


Parsons,  Cyrus,  for  many  years  vice-president  of  the  National  Bank  of  Cazenovia, 
was  a  native  of  Massachusetts  and  removed  when  a  youth  to  this  vicinity  with  his 
parents.  The  family  were  among  the  early  settlers  of  this  town,  and  Mr.  Parsons 
possessed  an  inexhaustible  fund  of  anecdotes  of  life  in  the  settlement  at  that  time. 
His  parents  were  poor  and  as  a  boy  he  worked  a  greater  part  of  his  time  for  the 
neighboring  farmers,  finding  little  opportunity  to  acquire  an  education,  but  amply 
remedying  this  defect  m  after  life.  In  1843  he  bought  what  was  known  as  the  Mil- 
ton Humphrey  farm  just  outside  of  Cazenovia  village,  on  the  Nelson  road.  Here  he 
resided  until  his  death,  being  engaged  in  general  farming  and  also  for  many  years 
in  the  Cazenovia  Bank,  in  the  capacity  of  vice-president.  He  was  always  a  Whig 
and  Republican,  but  never  held  public  office  with  the  exception  of  an  appointment 
as  deputy  sheriff.  In  this  community  where  he  resided  from  boyhood  he  was  uni- 
versally esteemed  as  a  useful  citizen,  and  a  man  of  the  strictest  integrity  and  love  of 
justice.  He  always  enjoyed  a  wide  friendship  and  even  in  his  advanced  age  kept 
well  in  touch  with  the  life  of  the  community.  Mr.  Parson  married,  in  February, 
1834,  Harriet  M.  Witherbury,  and  five  children  were  born  to  them,  only  two  of  whom 
now  survive:  Edward  B.,  and  Charles  C.  both  of  Cazenovia.  He  died  in  March, 
1898.  having  reached  his  ninety-third  year. 


Pratt,  Charles  E. ,  son  of  Edward  J.  and  Harriet  (Partridge)  Pratt,  was  born  in 
Fayetteville,  Onondaga  county,  N.  Y.,  December  24,  1853  His  father,  Edward  J. 
Pratt,  was  born  on  the  old  homestead  at  Pratt's  Falls  purchased  by  Daniel  Pratt  and 
still  in  the  possession  of  the  family.  During  the  greater  part  of  his  active  life  he  was 
engaged  in  the  hotel  business,  and  at  different  times  conducted  the  Grove  House  in 
Fayetteville,  Pompey  House  at  Pompey  Hill,  Oran  House  at  Oran,  and  the  Cazeno- 
via House  at  Cazenovia.  The  family  had  originally  settled  in  Connecticut,  and 
Daniel  Pratt  removed  from  that  State  to  the  site  of  the  present  settlement  of  Pratt's 
Falls  in  1796.  He  built  a  saw  and  grist  mill  and  became  one  of  the  influential  men 
of  the  region.  He  is  recorded  as  having  been  a  pensioner  of  the  war  of  1813. 
Charles  E.  Pratt  was  educated  in  Fayetteville  and  Auburn,  and  spent  three  years  in 
and  near  Lincoln,  Neb.  Following  this  period  he  became  station  agent  of  the  Che- 
nango Valley  Railroad  at  Oran,  and  later  was  connected  with  the  old  Remington 
Hotel  m  Syracuse,  then  owned  by  the  Syracuse  University.  He  came  to  Cazenovia 
in  1877  to  take  a  position  as  clerk  in  the  Cazenovia  House,  then  conducted  by  Perry 
Crandall,  with  whom  he  remained  until  the  latter's  death  in  1884.     At  this  time  he 


96  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

assumed  the  management  of  the  Cazenovia  House,  being  associated  with  his  father 
until  1894,  since  which  time  he  has  conducted  the  business  alone ;  his  hostelry  is  one 
of  the  landmarlis  of  Cazenovia  and  has  always  had  a  fair  share  of  patronage.  In 
politics  Mr.  Pratt  has  been  a  Democrat  and  has  served  in  both  the  town  and  county 
committees  for  upwards  of  ten  years.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  school  board 
two  years  and  of  the  sewer  commission  since  the  inauguration  of  the  system.  He 
was  a  charter  member  of  Cazenovia  Lodge,  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  for  a  number  of 
years  a  member  of  Ledyard  Hose  of  the  old  Volunteer  Fire  Department.  He  mar- 
ried, in  1881,  Pearl  Clarke,  daughter  of  Lewis  Clarke,  and  their  children  are  Edward 
L.,  Homer  D.,  Lena  and  Eugene  B. 


Perkins,  Gai-dner  H.,  a  respected  resident  of  Cazenovia  village  and  inventor  of  the 
"  Perkins  Patent  Perfect  Truss  Wire  Fence,"  was  born  in  Cazenovia  two  and  one- 
half  miles  south  of  the  village,  February  33,  1841,  a  son  of  Stillman  Perkms  and 
Delana  Squier,  born  March  8,  1800,  died  July  6,  1878.  The  family  were  among  the 
earliest  settlers  of  this  region,  coming  from  Massachusetts,  and  is  of  New  England 
pioneer  stock.  Stillman  Perkins  reared  a  family  of  nine  children,  eight  of  whom 
lived  to  maturity.  He  was  born  July  7,  1796,  and  died  in  1863,  honored  and  respected 
by  all  who  had  known  him.  Gardner  H.  Perkins  was  educated  at  Cazenovia  Sem- 
inary and  has  been  principally  engaged  in  farming.  He  has  been  a  prolific  inventor 
and  is  the  patentee  of  a  hay  knife  named  the  ' '  Diamond  "  ;  a  combined  fork  hook ;  a 
pulverizer  and  reversible  harrow;  and  the  Perkins  Patent  Perfect  Truss  Wire  Fence. 
The  last  named  patent  is  a  valuable  one  and  the  wonder  is  that  a  fence  of  so  much 
merit  and  evident  superiority  has  not  already  come  into  more  general  use.  Many 
property  owners  in  this  vicinity  have  erected  sections  of  the  fence  and  as  all  are  en- 
thusiastic in  their  endorsement  of  its  superior  points  and  stable  qualities,  it  is  be- 
lieved that  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when  Mr.  Perkins's  fence  will  have  a  wide  sale. 
Its  double  truss  form  makes  it  non-sagging,  economizes  posts,  enhances  its  beauty, 
and  makes  gates  in  keeping  with  the  fence.  The  invention  has  three  merits:  first, 
it  successfully  repels  all  stock ;  second,  it  is  rapidly  made  without  any  special  tools 
and  therefore  costs  much  less  to  build  than  other  fences;  third,  it  can  be  easily  taken 
down  and  put  up  in  another  place  and  is  readily  repaired.  Without  doubt  Mr.  Per- 
kins will  eventually  be  successful  in  securing  a  large  market  for  his  patent,  as  he  has 
more  fence  in  his  immediate  vicinity  than  all  other  patent  fences  combined.  He  has 
never  held  public  office  of  any  kind,  being  no  aspirant  in  that  direction.  He  mar- 
ried September  23,  1868,  Lucretia  S.  Niles,  daughter  of  Russell  Niles  of  the  town  of 
Lebanon. 


Perry,  nee  Anna  H.  Wells,  p.  o.  Chittenango,  N.  Y. ,  born  March  6,  1825,  eldest 
daughter  of  Ozias  and  Mary  (Kennedy)  Wells,  a  prominent  family  in  years  gone  by. 
Both  the  Wells  and  Kennedy  families  came  from  New  England.  The  Wells  family 
trace  their  descent  back  to  Elder  John  White,  who  came  from  England  and  landed 
in  Boston  on  ship  "  Lyon,"  September  16,  1633.  They  are  also  closely  related  to  the 
well-known  Thurston  and  Green  families,  so  prominent  in  Revolutionary  days.  De- 
cember 24,  1848,  Anna  H.  Wells  married  St.  George  Talbot  Perry.  He  was  the 
fourth  in  direct  line  to  bear  the  name.     His  mother  was  Amanda  Herkimer,  grand- 


PERSONAL  REFERRNCKS.  »7 

daughter  of  Capt.  George  Herkimer,  who  fought  with  his  brother,  Gen.  Nicholas  Her- 
kimer, in  the  noted  battle  of  Oriskany.  The  Perrys  came  from  England  and  settled 
in  Rhode  Island  some  time  in  the  year  1600.  To  (ieorge  T.  and  Anna  II.  Perry 
were  born  three  children;  Hattie  Sims,  now  the  wife  of  Hon.  R.  C.  Briggs,  resident 
of  Rome,  N.Y.  ;  Georgia  Talbot,  now  the  wife  of  Charles  S.  Button  of  Chittenango; 
Edward  Sims,  named  in  honor  of  good  old  Deacon  .Sims  whose  wife  was  cousin  of 
Mrs.  Perry,  and  in  whose  family  much  of  her  childhood  was  spent;  he  died  January 
31,  1864,  aged  four  years.  Mr.  Perry  in  early  life  was  associated  in  business  with 
the  late  Alfred  Bellamy  in  Chittenango.  For  over  twenty  years  he  was  engaged  in 
business  in  New  York  city  where  his  abilities  commanded  the  highest  salaries.  He 
was  a  conspicuous  example  of  a  self-made  man  and  won  the  respect  and  friendsliip 
of  a  very  large  circle  of  friends.  In  politics  he  was  a  steadfast  Republican.  He 
was  an  active  member  of  Strong  Place  Baptist  Church,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  His  death 
occurred  November  15,  1865.  Since  then  Mrs.  Perry  has  made  her  home  in  Chit- 
tenango. 


Peet,  Mrs.  Mary  A.,  p.  o.  Bouckville  — Moses  Phelps  came  from  Charlestown,  Mass.', 
about  1800,  and  settled  on  land  in  Madison  now  occupied  l)y  Benjamin  Phelps. 
There  he  lived  and  died  in  1854.  His  farm  was  small  and  Mr.  Phelps  combined 
shoemaUing  with  farmmg,  but  he  died  comparatively  ])o()r.  His  children  were  Ruth, 
Isaac,  Elias  Smith,  Ambrose,  Angeline.  Pliney,  Olive,  Polly  Ann  and  Andrew  J. 
Ambrose  Phelps,  who  is  remembered  as  one  of  the  largest  and  mcjst  successful  farm- 
ers of  the  county,  was  born  August  9,  1804.  In  his  early  farming  life  he  was  asso- 
ciated with  his  brother,  Elias  S. ,  but  about  1830  he  bought  out  the  brother's  interest 
and  conducted  the  business  alone  until  1874,  when  he  came  to  live  in  Bouckville, 
where  he  died  February  10,  1880.  His  wife  was  Sally  Edgarton,  whom  he  married 
in  1831,  and  by  whom  he  had  five  chddren:  Benjamin  E.,  AUaseba  M.,  Mary  A. 
(who  married  E.  L.  Peet),  Anah  M.  and  William  J.  Elsie  M.  Leonard  was  a  daugh- 
ter by  adoption  of  Ainbro.se  Phelps  and  wife.  Edwin  L.  Peet  was  born  in  Pratt's 
Hollow  in  18'i3  and  spent  his  young  life  in  that  vicinity.  Edwin  and  his  brother 
came  to  Bouckville  and  bought  a  lumber  mill  and  bo.t  factory  owned  and  operated 
by  Elisha  Root,  and  engaged  in  an  extensive  and  profitable  business  under  the  name 
of  Peet  Brothers.  The  firm  was  in  business  .several  years,  beginning  about  1838, 
and  a  comfortable  fortune  rewarded  their  efforts  Later  on  Edwin  L.  Peet  retired 
and  enjoyed  the  fruits  of  early  industry  until  his  death  April  32,  1893.  They  also 
operated  a  large  cider  mill  in  connection  with  their  other  mill,  making  a  choice 
brand  of  cider,  cider  brandy  and  cider  vinegar.  Mr.  Peefs  first  wife  was  Angerose 
Brigham,  by  whom  he  had  two  children:  Frank  and  Winifred.  His  second  wife 
was  Mary  A.  Phelps,  whom  he  married  March  16,  1873,  Rose  Mary  Peet  was  the 
child  by  this  marriage. 


Preston,  George,  was  born  in  Seneca  county,  N.Y,,  September?,  1841.  His  father, 
John  Preston,  was  a  native  of  Yorkshire,  England,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1836,  He  married  Elizabeth  Swales,  and  through  life  was  engaged  in  farming  and 
milling;  he  died  in  1880,  George  Preston  was  educated  in  the  common  schools,  and 
learned  the  milling  trade  of  his  father.     In  1863  he  established  a  business  for  him- 


98  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

self  in  Sodus,  Wayne  county,  N.  Y.  ;  in  1878  he  went  to  Belleville,  Ont.,  in  1888  to 
Oswego,  and  in  1890  came  to  Canastota  and  purchased  the  Eagle  Mills  and  is  mak- 
ing a  si)ecialty  of  high  grade  flour.  In  1870  Mr.  Preston  married  Annie  E.,  daughter 
of  Stephen  G.  Weaver.  Mr.  Preston  is  one  of  the  .self-made  men  of  Madison  county, 
taking  an  active  interest  in  school  and  church  matters,  and  is  recognized  as  a  man  of 
conservative  character  and  sterhng  integrity,  who  has  ever  advanced  the  best  inter- 
est of  his  town  and  town's  people. 


Perry,  Eugene  M.,  p.  o  Georgetown. — Prominent  among  the  successful  business 
men  of  the  village  of  Georgetown  none  is  more  conspicuous  than  Eugene  M.  Perry. 
He  is  a  native  of  Madison  county,  born  m  Georgetown,  July  11,  1845,  the  only  son  of 
Charles  L.  and  Charlotte  C.  (Niles)  Perry.  His  father  was  born  in  Fabius,  Onon- 
daga county,  and  his  grandfather.  John  Perry,  a  native  of  New  England,  was  one  of 
the  early  settlers  of  Fabius.  Charles  L. ,  father  of  Eugene  M.,  spent  his  boyhood  on 
the  farm  and  later  learned  the  harness-making  trade  in  Pompey.  after  which  he 
carried  on  a  business  for  himself  in  Georgetown  and  later  in  De  Ruyter.  He  also 
kept  a  public  house  while  a  resident  of  De  Ruyter.  From  there  he  removed  to  Ham- 
ilton and  kept  the  Park  Hotel  for  two  years,  when  he  returned  to  Georgetown  and 
opened  and  conducted  a  harness  shop,  m  which  he  was  engaged  a  number  of  years. 
He  afterward  returned  to  De  Ruyter,  where  he  died  in  May,  1887,  from  the  effects 
of  a  kick  from  a  horse.  He  married  Charlotte  C.  Niles,  a  native  of  Lebanon,  and 
daughter  of  Luther  and  Chloe  C.  (Gray)  Niles,  who  were  pioneers  of  that  town. 
They  had  two  children:  Chloe  Adellah  (Mrs.  T.  A.  Wilson)  of  Hamilton,  and  Eu- 
gene M.  Until  nineteen  years  of  age  Eugene  M.  Perry  lived  at  home,  attending 
school  and  assisting  his  father  in  his  shop.  The  war  of  the  Rebellion  was  now  in 
progress  and  young  Eugene,  animated  by  patriotic  ardor  and  enthusiasm,  enlisted 
in  the  Oneida  Cavalry,  his  regiment  being  stationed  for  a  time  at  City  Point,  Va. 
This  was  in  August,  1864,  and  in  the  spring  of  1865  they  marched  to  Richmond, 
and  thence  to  Washington.  The  following  May  he  was  honorably  discharged  and 
returned  home.  He  then  entered  his  father's  shop  where  he  worked  until  1870,  and 
in  1871  opened  a  harness-making  .shop  on  his  own  account,  which  he  successfully 
conducted  until  December,  1893.  Having  been  elected  sheriff  of  the  county  the 
month  previous  he,  in  January,  removed  to  Morrisville  to  assume  the  duties  of  his 
office.  On  January  19,  1871,  he  married  Achsah  A.,  daughter  of  Edwin  R.,  and 
Mary  J.  (Sherril)  Niles.  They  have  one  child,  a  son,  Harold  R.,  born  September  24, 
1882,  who  is  now  attending  the  Georgetown  Union  Free  School.  On  January  1,  1897, 
Mr.  Perry  returned  to  Georgetown  and  resumed  his  harness  business,  in  which  he 
has  since  been  successfully  engaged.  He  is  in  the  full  prime  of  manhood,  active, 
energetic  and  of  unmistakable  business  ability;  he  is  a  man  of  genial  and  pleasing 
manner  and  the  highest  personal  integrity.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican  and  has 
held  the  office  of  town  collector,  constable,  clerk  and  supervisor.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Republican  county  committee  three  years,  elected  supervisor  in  1892,  and  re- 
elected in  1893,  serving  on  the  committees  on  equalization,  sheriff's  and  jailer's  ac- 
counts, apportionments  and  loans,  etc.  He  was  a  charter  member  of  Cautious 
Lodge,  No.  726;  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  its  master  for  two  years.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
Carey  W.  Miner  Post,  No.  624,  G.  A.  R. ,  was  officer  of  the  day  for  two  years,  after 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  99 

which  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  senior  vice-commander,  after  which  he  was 
elected  to  the  office  of  commander.  Mr.  Perry  takes  an  active  interest  in  all  matters 
pertaining  to  the  advancement  of  education,  and  was  one  of  the  prime  movers  in  the 
establishment  of  the  Georgetown  Union  Free  School,  and  has  since  been  elected  one 
of  the  board  of  trustees.  Of  Mr.  Perry,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Georgetown,  it 
should  be  further  said  that  his  record  as  a  county  and  town  official  has  always  been 
of  the  highest  character. 

Price,  George  H.,  p.  o.  Sheds. — New  York  State  is  probably  the  leading  Slate  in 
the  Union  in  hop  culture,  and  Madison,  moreover,  one  of  its  most  productive  coun- 
ties. Prominent  among  the  most  successful  hop  growers  of  this  county  none  is  more 
conspicuous  than  George  H.  Price.  He  is  a  son  of  William  E.  and  Jane  (Colier) 
Price,  and  was  born  in  the  town  of  Otselic,  Chenango  county,  N.  Y.,  January  17, 
1856.  The  rudimentary  education  of  the  district  school  was  all  that  he  was  able  to 
obtain,  but  he  made  the  best  use  of  his  limited  opportunities  and  at  least  laid  a  sub- 
stantial foundation  for  the  fund  of  information  which  he  has  since  acquired  by  ex- 
perience and  observation.  He  assisted  his  father  in  the  farm  work  until  he  was  mar- 
ried, when  he  started  out  for  himself.  He  married,  March  6,  1878,  Anna  Maxson, 
who  died  in  October,  1881.  There  were  born  to  them  two  children:  Lena,  born  Feb- 
ruary 5,  1879,  and  Eva,  born  September  8,  1880.  On  July  3,  1883.  Mr.  Price  married 
Rebecca,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Ann  (Evans)  Jones,  who  has  borne  him  three 
children:  Jennie  A.,  born  February  3,  1883;  Nina  M.,  born  April  27,  1887;  and  Flor- 
ence, born  February  27,  1889.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Price  are  members  of  the  M.  E.  church. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  but  is  not  an  office  seeker.  An  upright,  honorable, 
conscientious  man,  he  has  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens,  irrespec- 
tive of  creed  or  party. 


Rouse,  H.  J.,  justice  of  the  peace,  was  born  in  Cazenovia,  July  31,  1856,  the  oldest 
son  of  George  L.  and  Jane  (Corwin)  Rouse.  He  was  educated  at  Cazenovia  Semi- 
nary and  for  a  number  of  years  was  engaged  in  the  wholesale  dry  goods  business  in 
New  York  city.  In  1888  he  returned  to  Cazenovia  to  assist  in  the  management  of 
his  father's  business  interests,  and  since  the  latter's  death  has  been  manager  for  the 
Cazenovia  Coal  &  Lumber  Co. 

Rouse,  George  L. ,  who  died  in  Cazenovia  October  5,  1889,  was  one  of  Cazenovia's 
foremost  citizens  and  business  men,  a  member  of  the  old  firm  of  Hobbie  &  Rouse. 
For  many  years  he  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  men  of  the  village;  a  trustee  for 
a  long  period  of  the  seminary  to  which  he  gave,  not  only  faithful  service  as  trustee, 
but  material  aid  in  times  of  need;  a  member  of  the  board  of  education  for  many 
years;  and  the  representative  of  this  district  in  the  State  Legislature  for  one  term. 
He  also  held  at  various  times  village  offices,  but  in  his  later  years  became  displeased 
with  the  current  political  methods  and  refused  to  accept  office  of  any  kind.  In  his 
business  life  he  was  all  that  could  be  desired,  and  the  firm  of  Hobbie  &  Rouse  at- 
tained considerable  success  and  popularity  throughout  the  entire  region.  He  was  a 
faithful  citizen,  full  of  public  spirit  and  possessed  of  qualities  which  endeared  him  to 
all.     After  his  death  the  trustees  of  the  seminary  and  the  village  paid  him  merited 


100  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

tributes,  for  his  usefulness  to  both  had  been  great.  He  was  a  consistent  christian, 
a  member  of  the  Baptist  church.  Of  his  union  with  Jane  Corwin  three  sons  were 
born:  H.  J.  and  E.  C.  Rouse,  both  in  business  in  Cazenovia,  and  George  H.  Rouse, 
(deceased). 


Rich,  James  W. ,  p.  o.  Peterboro,  was  born  in  Smithfield,  May  35,  1849,  a  son  of 
Reuben,  and  grandson  of  Reuben  Rich,  born  in  Connecticut,  October  5,  1779,  who 
came  to  Smithfield  when  a  young  man  and  there  died  in  1854;  his  wife  was  Lucinda 
Ford,  born  March  17,  1781.  Mr.  Rich's  father,  Reuben  Rich,  was  born  in  Smithfield, 
November  12,  1805,  and  was  a  farmer.  He  married  Charlotte  Coeman,  daughter  of 
Samuel  Coeman,  by  whom  he  had  five  children,  four  now  living.  Mr  Rich  died  in 
August,  1883,  and  his  wife  July  4,  1862.  James  W.  Rich  was  reared  on  a  farm,  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools  and  has  been  engaged  in  farming,  hop  growing  and 
dairying,  having  a  farm  of  116  acres.  In  politics  Mr.  Rich  is  a  Republican  and  has 
served  as  highway  commissioner.  September  19,  1877,  he  married  Abbie.  daughter 
of  Monroe,  and  granddaughter  of  Giles  Harrington,  an  early  settler  in  Lenox.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Rich  had  two  children:  Ximena  L. ,  born  November  24,  1883,  and  Stewart 
C,  born  December  13,  1886. 


Richardson,  A.  E.,  p.  o.  Eaton. — Lemuel  Richardson  was  born  in  Keene,  N.  H., 
August  22,  1771,  and  emigrated  to  New  York  previous  to  the  opening  of  the 
present  century  in  company  with  his  four  brothers,  Benjamin,  Eri,  Asa,  and  Eldad. 
They  settled  in  Nelson  and  were  pioneers  in  that  town.  All  were  young  and  un- 
married men  and  were  descendants  of  Samuel  Richardson  who  came  to  America 
from  Kent,  England,  in  1630,  in  Gov.  Winthrop's  historic  company,  landing  at  Salem, 
Mass. ,  and  thence  removing  to  Charlestown.  The  brothers  who  settled  in  Nelson  were 
five  generations  from  the  American  colonizer.  Lemuel  and  Eldad  settled  on  the  lot 
on  which  they  ever  afterward  lived ;  Lemuel  became  forehandtd  and  died  August  7, 
1832.  His  wife  was  Cynthia  Buck,  and  these  children  were  born  to  them:  Laura, 
Julia,  Louisa,  Mary,  Lucinda,  Harriet,  Ira  and  Albert  F.  The  latter  of  these  chil- 
dren married  Lucetta  Colson  and  died  October  13,  1856;  his  life  was  spent  in  Nelson. 
His  only  child  was  Albert  Eugene  Richardson,  one  of  the  best  known  citizens  of 
Eaton  and  for  many  years  connected  with  the  once  noted  engine  works  of  that  vil- 
lage. He  was  born  June  8,  1848,  and  passed  his  young  life  on  a  farm.  His  father 
died  when  Albert  E.  was  eight  years  old,  upon  which  the  family  came  to  Eaton  and 
afterward  lived  in  the  village.  Albert  was  educated  in  the  union  .school  and  also  at 
Waterville  Academy,  after  which  hd  was  employed  as  clerk  in  a  drug  store  and  also 
worked  on  a  farm  at  $4  per  month.  When  seventeen  he  began  work  for  Wood, 
Tabor  &  Morse  at  seventy-five  cents  per  day,  doing  chores  and  boy's  work  about  the 
shops,  but  his  industry  and  aptness  were  rewarded  by  promotion  through  various 
grades  of  mechanical  work  until  1874,  when  he  was  made  superintendent  of  the  en- 
tire mechanical  department  and  was  an  important  factor  in  the  company's  success, 
having  during  three  years  become  a  practical  and  skilled  engine  builder  and  also  a 
draftsman  of  considerable  at^ility.  The  works  were  closed  in  1898  and  in  the  follow- 
ing year  he  was  President  Cleveland's  appointee  as  postmaster  at  Eaton  village, 
holding  office  until  April   15,  1898,     Mr.   Richardson  has  always  been  a  Democrat. 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  101 

firm  though  consistent,  but  never  intruding  with  his  views  upon  unwilling  listeners. 
For  twenty  years  he  was  a  trustee  of  his  school  district ;  was  one  of  the  advocates  of 
the  present  union  school  system  and  since  its  inauguration  has  been  president  of  the 
board  of  education  Both  he  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Baptist  church.  On 
April  5,  1871,  Mr.  Richardson  married  Emeline  Ophelia,  daughter  of  Rev.  M.  L. 
Bennett.  They  have  one  son,  Linnwood  A.  Richard.son.  Benjamin  Richardson,  the 
pioneer,  married  Dolly  Olcott,  and  lived  and  died  in  Nelson.  His  children  were  Ira, 
Eri,  Nelson,  Benjamin,  Barzilla,  William,  Dolly,  James  and  Savilla.  Asa,  the 
pioneer,  married  Roxana  Mor.se;  their  children  were  Roena,  Cromwell,  Arabella, 
Angeline,  Chancellor,  Jane,  Roxana,  Hiram,  and  Emeline.  Eri,  the  pioneer,  mar- 
ried Polly  Brown;  their  children  were  Eri,  Polly,  Alvin,  Edward,  Eldad,  Benjamin, 
Hiram,  Cynthia,  Miranda  and  John.  Eldad,  the  pioneer,  married,  first,  Lydia  Fisk, 
and  had  one  child..  His  second  wife  was  Happy  Brown,  by  whom  he  had  Ira, 
Rhoda,  Levi,  George  and  Johanna. 

Rowlands,  J.  W.,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Eaton,  Madison  county, 
N.  Y. ,  a  son  of  William  O. ,  and  Mary  (Richards)  Rowlands,  natives  of  Wales,  who 
came  to  America  in  June,  1843,  J.  W.  Rowlands  was  educated  in  the  district  schools 
and  Utica  Business  College.  He  then  followed  farming  for  ten  years,  after  which  he 
was  a  cattle  dealer  for  two  years,  then  embarking  in  the  furniture  and  undertaking 
business,  of  which  he  has  made  a  marked  success.  He  carried  on  the  business  alone 
for  a  time  and  then  in  partnership  with  W.  E.  Brown  for  seven  years.  After  this 
partnership  was  dissolved  the  firm  of  Rowlands  &  Beal  was  formed,  the  junior  part- 
ner being  George  Beal.  Mr.  Rowlands  is  a  member  of  both  the  Masonic  fraternity 
and  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows.     In  1867  he  married  Elizabeth  C.  Van  Heusen. 

Roberts,  De  Witt  Clinton,  p.  o.  Peterboro,  was  born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  re- 
sides, June  3,  1842,  a  son  of  Hiram  and  Thankful  (Humphrey)  Roberts.  They  had 
seven  children:  Susanna  H.  (deceased);  Lucretia  L.  (deceased),  who  married  Cor- 
poral Stephen  L.  Smith,  who  was  killed  at  the  siege  of  Knoxville,  Tenn. ,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  8th  Michigan  Regiment  of  Infantry  in  the  war  of  1861-65;  George 
W.  (deceased);  Irving  L.,  Jay  H.,  Lorain  A.,  and  De  Witt  C.  Hiram  Roberts  was 
a  native  of  the  town  of  Fenner  and  born  on  the  farm  where  De  Witt  C.  now  lives; 
he  was  a  son  of  Amasa  and  Keturah  (Lindsey)  Roberts,  Their  children  were  Jesse, 
born  October  9,  1788,  died  June  24,  18,52;  Alvory,  born  December  1,  1790,  died  Feb- 
ruary 14,  1849;  Susanna,  born  November  3,  1793,  died  January  19,  1855;  Alice,  born 
February  6,  1795,  died  June  1,  1869;  Amasa,  jr.,  born  December  5.  1796,  died  April 
2,  1849;  Hiram,  born  August  31,  1798,  died  June  20,  1874;  and  Jared,  born  February 
8,  1804,  died  April  15,  1885.  Amasa,  senior,  moved  from  Bristol,  Hartford  county, 
Conn.,  with  his  three  oldest  children  and  settled  at  Brothertown,  N.  Y.,  between 
1792  and  1795,  and  shortly  after  moved  to  Madison  county,  where  he  died  in  1810,  at 
fifty-two  years  of  age.  Alvory  was  in  the  war  of  1813  and  was  located  at  Sackets 
Harbor.  Jay  H.  enlisted  in  1861  in  the  13th  N.  Y.  Regiment,  but  was  discharged  in 
a  short  time  on  account  of  ill  health.  De  Witt  C.  Roberts  was  a  member  of  the 
State  National  Guards.  He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  the  town  of  Fenner  and 
Cazenovia  Seminary.     He  was  associated  with  his  father  in  business  until  his  father's 


102  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

death,  when  he  purchased  the  estate  from  the  heirs,  where  he  now  resides  and  fol- 
lows general  farming.  He  has  been  actively  interested  in  town  and  county  affairs 
and  has  been  assessor  of  his  town  three  years;  has  always  been  active  in  promoting 
education  and  has  been  clerk  of  the  school  board  for  about  twenty  years. 


Rightmyer.  Dennison  R.,  p.  o.  Munnsville,  was  born  in  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y., 
in  1833,  a  son  of  John  D.,  and  grandson  of  David  C.  Rightmyer,  a  native  of  Scho- 
harie county,  who  came  to  Herkimer  county  in  1800.  The  family  is  of  Holland  de- 
scent and  were  among  the  first  settlers  of  Albany.  John  D.  was  a  farmer  by  occu- 
pation and  died  in  Little  Falls  in  1861 ;  his  wife  was  Nancy  Staring.  Dennison  R. 
Rightmyer  received  a  limited  education  and  at  twelve  years  of  age  started  in  life  for 
himself.  He  was  on  the  canal  for  several  years  and  also  spent  several  years  in  New 
York  city.  In  1868  he  located  in  Onondaga  county  and  engaged  in  hotel  work  in  the 
town  of  Manlius,  at  Fayetteville  and  Kirkville.  In  187.5  he  came  to  Munnsville  and 
bought  tne  American  Hotel  which  is  now  known  as  Hotel  Rightmyer.  Mr.  Right- 
myer married  Louisa  Hall,  who  died  August  34,  1898.  Mr.  Rightmyer  is  a  member 
of  Oneida  Lodge,  No.  370,  F.  &  A.  M.  and  Oneida  Chapter  R.  A.  M. ;  also  of  Pros- 
perity Lodge  No.  484,  I.  O.  O.  F. ,  being  a  charter  member.  In  politics  he  is  inde- 
pendent, but  not  an  aspirant  to  office.  Mr.  Rightmyer's  father  was  supervisor  of 
Manheim,  Herkimer  county,  and  a  justice  about  thirty  years.  His  great-grand- 
father was  a  captain  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 


Rogers,  J.  F.,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  was  born  in  Chenango  county,  N.  Y.,  a  son  of  Jo- 
seph F.  and  Catherine  (Pickett)  Rogers.  His  grandfather,  Joseph  S.  Rogers,  was  a 
native  of  Connecticut.  Mr.  Rogers  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  and  at  O.x- 
ford  Academy.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  pursued  that  vocation  until  Decem- 
ber 1,  1884,  when  he  located  in  Hamilton  and  entered  the  employ  of  Bartle  &  Beal, 
remaining  with  them  five  years.  He  was  subsequently  associated  with  his  brother 
in  the  meat  business  for  two  years,  and  on  August  1,  1893,  he  embarked  in  the  bak- 
ery business.  He  now  conducts  the  only  bakery  and  ice  cream  parlor  in  Hamilton. 
Mr.  Rogers  is  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  and  the  Select  Knights.  He  married 
Lois  M.  Miner,  and  they  have  one  daughter.  Bertha  M. 


Robbins,  Herman  D.,  son  of  De.xter  and  Hannah  (Robbins)  Robbins,  was  born 
near  Durhamville.  this  county,  November  19,  1858.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Duns- 
table, Mass.,  and  his  grandfather  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  this  region, 
whither  he  removed  from  Springfield,  Mass.,  in  1838;  he  cleared  part  of  a  farm  of 
sixty  acres,  and  afterward  purchased  forty  acres  of  the  Hulbert  farm,  making  his 
holdings  about  one  hundred  acres.  Of  the  union  of  De-\ter  Robbins  and  Hannah 
Robbins  two  children  were  born;  Ella,  who  married  in  April,  1887,  Fred  Metz  of 
Minoa;  she  died  August  3,  1889,  leaving  one  child,  Eldred  Robbins  Metz,  and  the 
subject  of  this  notice.  Herman  D.  Robbins  was  educated  at  the  Cherry  street 
school  in  Oneida  and  later  graduated  from  the  Utica  Business  College.  During  his 
life  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  occupation  of  farming,  and  now  owns  and  occupies 
the  farm  purchased  by  his  grandfather  in  1838  and  which  has  often  been  called  the 
"banner  farm"  of  that  section.     In  politics  he  has  been  a  consistent  Democrat  and 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  103 

has  served  in  minor  town  offices.  He  married,  in  1883,  Martha  Belle  Olcott,  a 
daughter  of  Gurdon  Olcott  of  Durhamville.  Five  children  have  been  born  of  this 
union'  Florence  Bertha,  Herman  Dexter,  Harriet  Frances,  Hulbert  Olcott  and  Sarah 
Belle. 


Reidy,  John,  p.  o.  Morrisville.^David  Reidy  was  a  native  of  County  Kerry,  Ire- 
land, and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1837,  settling  at  Eaton  village,  where  he  was 
a  cattle  buyer  for  Alpheus  Morse  &  Brother.  After  about  five  or  six  years  he  moved 
to  Morrisville  and  was  connected  with  the  Tillinghast  tannery  seventeen  years. 
Later  on  he  was  sexton  of  the  village  cemetery  and  also  worked  a  small  farm ;  he 
died  in  the  village  October  19,  1882,  and  is  remembered  as  an  industrious,  upright 
citizen.  His  wife  was  Mary  Yoar  of  Cazenovia.  Their  children  were  John,  William 
H.,  David  S.,  Patrick  H.,  Mary,  Thomas  F. ,  Catherine  Y.  and  Alice  M.  John  Reidy 
was  born  m  Eaton,  March  18,  1855.  He  was  educated  in  the  Morrisville  Union 
School,  after  which  he  learned  the  harness  maker's  trade  with  Edward  Barnard.  In 
1877  he  began  business  for  himself  as  one  of  the  firm  of  Stevenson  &  Reidy,  but  four 
years  later  Mr.  Reidy  succeeded  the  firm.  He  has  since  conducted  the  business 
with  a  fair  degree  of  success  and  in  1895  erected  the  Reidy  Block,  the  largest  and 
most  pretentious  business  building  in  the  village.  In  political  life  Mr.  Reidy  has 
not  been  a  passive  factor,  and  while  he  is  a  member  of  the  minority  party  in  the 
county  and  town  where  he  has  been  the  candidate  of  his  party  for  public  office,  he 
has  invariably  run  ahead  of  his  ticket.  On  December  9,  1893,  he  was  appointed 
postmaster  of  Morrisville  and  served  until  July  1,  1898.  On  October  21,  1880  Mr. 
Reidy  married  Lilla  S. ,  daughter  of  Joseph  Tooke,  and  they  have  one  child. 


Riddell,  Mrs.  E.  L.,  p.  o.  Chittenango,  is  the  widow  of  the  late  William  Wallace 
Riddell,  who  was  born  and  died  in  that  village  and  spent  most  of  his  life  there. 
Mr.  Riddeli  was  a  man  of  sterling  worth,  quiet  and  unassuming.  His  business 
was  farming  and  he  was  successful  in  acquiring  a  competence  and  left  a  pleasant 
home  to  the  companion  of  his  mature  years.  While  he  was  politically  a  strong 
partisan,  yet  to  him  men  and  measures  were  always  more  than  party.  In  every 
way  he  was  an  honorable  and  respected  citizen.  His  death  occurred  April  11, 
1888,  at  sixty-seven  years  of  age.  Mrs.  Riddell  was  before  her  marriage  Elizabeth  L. 
Ellis,  daughter  of  Ira  and  Mercy  Ellis  of  Athol,  Mass.  Mrs.  Ellis  was  the  sister  of 
Hon.  Timothy  Jenkins  of  Oneida  Castle,  N.  Y.  She  has  always  resided  in  Chitte- 
nango since  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Riddell  in  1880. 


Root,  Solomon,  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Madison,  having  come  from  Connecti- 
cut with  one  Coolidge,  at  a  very  early  day  and  made  a  settlement  at  Bouckville.  He 
was  also  the  pioneer  of  the  hop  industry  in  the  town  and  in  all  respects  an  earnest, 
worthy  developer.  He  died  in  the  town.  His  children  were  Lyman,  Hiram  (who 
died  in  the  army  during  the  war  of  1861-65),  Solomon,  jr.,  Susan  (who  married  Henry 
Lewis),  Mary  (who  married  Rev.  Mr.  Peck),  and  Ann  (who  married  Rev.  Thomas  H. 
Pearue).  Solomon  Root  was  the  founder  of  the  M.  E.  church  in  Bouckville  and  in 
allusion  to  him  the  first  house  of  worship  was  known  as  "  Root's  Chapel."  He  was 
also  prominent  in  all  public  affairs  and  one  of  the  foremost  men  of  the  town  for  many 


104  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

years.  Lyman  Root,  son  of  the  pioneer,  was  an  early  village  merchant  and  built 
the  store  now  occupied  by  his  son.  He  was  in  trade  about  twenty  years  and  had 
several  partners.  His  first  wife  was  Miss  Putnam,  who  bore  him  no  children;  his 
second  wife  was  Phoebe  Gernsey,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  Frances  (now 
Mrs.  A.  J.  Cushman),  George  H.,  and  one  who  died  in  infancy.  Lyman  Root  died 
in  1855.  Ge6rge  H.  Root  was  born  May  18,  18.50,  and  acquired  his  early  education 
in  Hamilton  Union  School.  He  obtained  a  mercantile  education  as  clerk  for  Lane 
&  Higgins,  R.  B.  Lane  and  J.  S.  Lucas.  He  then  spent  four  years  in  Wisconsin,  re- 
turning to  Madison  in  1875,  and  in  the  next  year  formed  a  mercantile  partnership 
with  A.  J.  Cushman  that  continued  until  1893,  when  Mr.  Root  became  sole  proprie- 
tor. He  is  a  strong  Republican,  active  in  town  and  village  affairs,  but  seeks  no  polit- 
ical office.  He  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  education  eight  years  and  is  now  its 
treasurer.  For  many  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church.  On  Janu- 
ary 20,  1876,  Mr.  Root  married  Eda,  daughter  of  Benjamin  King  of  Chenango  county. 
They  have  two  sons:  Charles  and  Walter,  both  students  in  Syracuse  University. 
Justus  Root,  brother  to  Solomon,  was  also  an  early  settler  near  Bouckville  and  lived 
and  died  in  that  vicinity.  His  wife  was  Sally  Griswold;  their  children  was  Justus, 
jr.,  Aurora,  Daniel,  Josiah,  Lucinda,  Lurancy,  Reuben  and  George,  nearly  all  of 
whom  emigrated  to  other  localities  and  settled. 


Richards,  Wellington  R. ,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Nelson,  August  7,  1855,  a  son  of 
William  and  Margaret  (Roberts)  Richards,  who  had  ten  children  as  follows:  Edward 
(who  died  in  infancy);  Nelson  E. ,  Wellington  R. ,  Edwin  W.,  Newton  D.,  Milton  H., 
W.  Lincoln,  EveretB.,  Margaret  E.,  and  John  G.  Mr.  Richards's  grandfather,  Ed- 
ward Richards,  emigrated  to  Oneida  county  from  Wales  in  1840.  William  and  Mar- 
garet moved  from  Oneida  county  and  settled  near  the  eastern  Welsh  Church  about 
1854.  By  occupation  he  followed  farming,  and  speculated  in  farm  produce,  making 
a  specialty  of  dairy  products.  He  was  the  owner  of  seven  creameries  in  Madison 
county;  also  interested  in  commission  business  with  F.  W.  Moore  of  Syracuse,  and 
ran  a  general  store  at  Nelson.  Mr.  Richards  was  active  in  town  affairs,  being  asses- 
sor of  Nelson  many  years.  Wellington  R.  Richards  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  the  town  of  Nelson  and  Cazenovia  Seminary.  He  was  associated  with  his 
father  until  his  father's  death  on  June  19,  1894.  In  1889  he  formed  a  co-partnership 
with  his  father  in  general  merchandise  business  at  Nelson,  which  continued  until  his 
father's  death,  since  which  time  he  has  carried  on  the  business  alone.  Mr.  Richards 
is  the  executor  of  his  father's  estate,  which  consists  of  a  large  amount  of  property 
Mr.  Richards  is  a  member  of  the  Welsh  Congregational  church,  and  interested  in 
school  and  educational  work.  In  his  early  life  when  associated  with  his  father,  he 
was  his  bookkeeper  and  head  manager  of  his  creamery  business. 

Reeve,  Jonas  L. ,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Nelson,  August  14,  1838,  a  son  of  James 
and  Malinda  (Lovejoy)  Reeve,  who  had  three  children:  Remsey,  Jonas  L. ,  and  Silas 
A.,  all  born  in  the  town  of  Nelson.  Mr.  Reeve's  early  life  was  spent  on  the  farm 
with  his  father.  He  was  educated  in  the  Temple  school,  and  also  attended  at  Morris- 
ville.  When  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  married  Maranda,  daughter  of  Abner  Love- 
joy  and  Maranda  (Reeve)  Lovejoy;  they  have  one  child,  Minnie,  who  was  educated 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  105 

at  Erieville,  and  De  Ruyter.  Mr.  Reeve  is  a  farmer  and  builder,  James  was  a  son 
of  Silas  and  Phoebe,  who  came  from  Long  Island.  Silas's  father  was  one  of  three 
brothers  who  came  from  England  and  during  the  Revolutionary  war  were  residents 
of  Long  Island.  Silas's  children  were  Keturah,  born  November  35,  1793,  died  May 
39,  1830;  Huldah,  born  August  36,  1795,  died  September  15,  1796;  James  born  Sep- 
tember 14,  1797,  died  January  4,  1856;  Harriet,  born  November  1,  1799,  died  Septem- 
ber 13,  1879;  Herman,  born  January  8,  1803,  died  June  1,  1848;  Maria,  born  June  35, 
1804,  died  September  11,  1855;  Maranda,  born  April  13,  1806,  died  November  21  1830; 
Mary,  born  June  12,  1808,  died  June  1,  1838;  and  Sally,  born  May  1,  1813,  died  No- 
vember 16,  1877.  Silas  by  trade  was  a  wheelwright  and  cabinet  maker,  which  trade 
he  taught  his  sons.  He  was  also  interested  in  farmmg.  He  was  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  the  town  of  Nelson.  He  was  also  prominent  in  church  circles,  and  was  a 
deacon  in  the  Baptist  church  in  this  place  a  good  many  years,  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  September  38,  1851. 

Richardson,  Sidney  J, ,  p.  o.  Sheds,  the  oldest  son  of  Austin  and  Laura  (Dailey) 
Richardson,  was  born  at  Whitehall,  Washington  county  N.  Y.,  October  11,  1833. 
His  father  was  a  native  of  the  Green  Mountain  State  and  settled  in  Washington 
county  in  1831.  When  Sidney  J.  was  but  four  years  of  age  his  parents  removed  to 
Cattaraugus  county,  where  his  boyhood  was  spent  in  school  and  having  acquired  a 
good  education  at  the  early  age  of  sixteen,  he  was  engaged  as  a  teacher,  which  oc- 
cupation he  followed  until  his  enlistment  in  Co.  C,  130th  N.  Y.  Vol.  Infantry,  which 
was  afterward  the  1st  N.  Y.  Dragoons.  He  enlisted  as  a  private  in  August,  1863, 
and  in  .September,  1863,  was  appointed  bugler  and  served  in  that  capacity  until 
his  discharge  on  June  30,  1865.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  went  to  St.  Louis,  Mich., 
and  engaged  in  the  insurance  business,  where  he  remained  for  a  time,  then  removed 
to  Nebraska,  and  took  up  farming.  After  ten  years  residence  in  the  west  he  returned 
to  New  York  State  and  was  engaged  in  farming  in  Madison  county  until  June  15, 
1891,  when  he  was  appointed  agent  for  the  Elmira,  Cortland  &  Northern  R.  R.)  now 
the  Lehigh  Valley)  at  Sheds,  where  he  has  since  been  employed.  Mr  Richardson  is 
also  agent  for  the  U.  S.  E.^press  Company  and  manager  for  the  Western  Union 
Telegraph  Company.  In  January,  1866,  he  married  Sarah  Van  Dyke,  who  bore  him 
one  daughter,  Anna  (now  Mrs.  Edwin  Harris).  Mrs.  Richardson  died  in  May.  1869, 
and  in  July,  1873,  he  married  Arline,  daughter  of  George  and  Eliza  (Lamb)  Soule, 
and  they  had  four  children:  Fred,  L.  Mae,  Minnie  and  Francis  (deceased).  Mr. 
Richardson  is  a  member  of  W.  E.  Hunt  Post,  No.  376,  G.  A.  R.  ,and  affiliates  with 
the  Republican  party,  the  principles  of  which  he  warmly  advocates  and  supports. 


Root,  Samuel,  who  died  in  Cazenovia,  August  23,  1891,  in  the  seventy-first  year  of 
his  age,  was  for  many  years  a  substantial  farmer  and  leading  business  man  of  the 
town  of  Cazenovia.  He  was  born  in  1820  in  the  town  of  Fenner,  a  son  of  Ed- 
ward and  Hannah  (Turner)  Root.  He  was  a  member  of  an  old  New  England 
family,  representatives  of  which  were  among  the  first  settlers  of  this  region.  His 
grandmother,  Nancy  Turner,  was  the  second  white  woman  to  come  to  Cazenovia. 
Mr.  Root  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Fenner  and  at  Cazenovia  Seminary.  He 
was  engaged  in  farming  all  his   life,  and  also  interested  m  other  business  enter- 


106  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

prises  and  was  one  of  the  pioneer  cheese  manufacturers  in  the  county.  In  poli- 
tics he  was  a  strong  Republican,  but  could  never  be  induced  to  accept  public 
office.  He  married  Miss  Sarah  Comstock,  daughter  of  Zephaniah  Comstock,  and 
four  children  were  born  to  them:  Charles  Z.  (deceased),  Anna  Averill,  wife  of  Dr. 
J.  F.  Clays  of  Binghamton,  N.  Y.  ;  Martha,  and  Sarah  Grace  (deceased). 


Roberts,  Thomas  R..  was  born  in  Fenner,  a  son  of  Amasa,  son  of  Amasa  Roberts, 
a  native  of  Connecticut,  who  came  to  Madison  county  at  an  early  day  and  here  died. 
His  wife  was  Keturah  Roberts.  Amasa  Roberts,  jr.,  was  born  in  Connecticut  and 
spent  his  last  days  in  Fenner,  where  he  died  in  1849.  His  wife  was  Phoebe  Reynolds, 
daughter  of  Thomas  Reynolds,  who  came  from  Connecticut  to  Lenox ;  she  died  in 
1880.  Thomas  R.  Roberts  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  educated  in  the  common 
schools.  He  is  a  farmer  and  owns  the  old  Palmer  homestead.  In  1885  he  married 
Amorette,  davighter  of  George  and  Julia  (Forte)  Reynolds.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Roberts 
have  had  four  children:  Julia,  educated  at  Peterboro  and  Canastota,  died  in  1886; 
Clarence,  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  Peterboro  Academy ;  Alice,  educated 
in  Peterboro  and  Canastota  and  died  in  1889;  and  Nellie  J.,  educated  in  Canastota, 
married  in  1887,  Esquire  Faulkner  of  Fenner,  and  has  one  daughter,  Lena  N.  Mr. 
Faulkner  was  educated  at  Cazenovia.  is  a  farmer  and  Republican,  and  has  been 
constable  for  several  years. 


Salisbury,  George  W.,  postmaster  of  Cazenovia,  was  born  m  Otselic,  Chenango 
county,  N.  Y.,  March  1,  1843,  a  son  of  Horace  and  Wealthy  (Wells)  Salisbury.  When 
he  was  an  infant  the  family  removed  to  Nelson,  near  the  village  of  Erieville,  where 
he  was  educated,  later  attending  the  Cazenovia  Seminary  and  Elgin  Academy  at 
Elgin,  111.  Much  of  his  time  in  early  life  was  employed  in  school  teaching.  In  1864 
he  enlisted  from  Elgin,  111.,  in  Company  A,  144th  Illinois  Volunteers,  and  served  un- 
til honorably  discharged  at  Camp  Frye,  Chicago.  He  was  a  non-commissioned 
officer,  but  during  his  service  was  detailed  at  different  times  to  act  in  every  company 
office.  After  receiving  his  discharge  he  returned  to  Earlville  and  married  Mary  Ann 
Wells,  a  daughter  of  Clarke  Wells  of  that  place.  For  a  time  he  taught  the  Erieville 
school  and  was  also  engaged  in  farming  In  1869,  he,  with  Peter  R.  Duffy,  bought 
the  Erieville  cheese  factory,  and  conducted  it  until  1871,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Duffy  &  Salisbury.  In  1871  he  purchased  his  father-in-law's  farm,  but  rented  it  the 
same  year  and  went  into  the  insurance  business,  having  been  offered  a  position  as 
traveling  agent  by  C.  W.  Hatch  of  Cazenovia.  Later  he  was  employed  by  the  insur- 
ance firm  of  Carpenter  &  Mallory  for  a  short  time,  and  in  1877  opened  an  agency  of 
his  own,  covering  Erieville  and  vicinity.  In  1882  he  began  an  insurance  business  in 
Cazenovia,  which  he  still  continues.  In  politics  Mr.  Salisbury  has  been  a  Democrat, 
and  has  frequently  served  on  the  Democratic  county  committee.  He  was  a  justice 
of  the  peace  eight  years.  In  1896  he  was  appointed  by  President  Cleveland  post- 
master of  the  village  of  Cazenovia.  He  holds  membership  in  Knowlton  Post,  No. 
160,  G.  A.  R',  and  in  Cazenovia  Lodge  of  Masons,  Chapter,  Council,  Commandery 
and  Veiled  Prophets.  Of  his  union  with  Mary  A.  Wells  two  sons  were  born:  Homer 
W.  and  C.  Birney  Salisbury. 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  107 

Smith,  Horace  K  ,  was  born  in  the  northern  part  of  the  town  of  Nelson,  March  6, 
1857,  a  son  of  S.  Allen  and  Mary  Ann  (Hotchkis)  Smith,  who  had  six  children:  Irving 
S.,  Esther  Ann  (deceased),  wife  of  W.  J.  Knox ;  J.  Emory,  Ward  W.,  Horace  Kellogg 
and  Charles  A.,  all  bora  on  the  Smith  homestead.  S.  Allen  Smith  was  a  son  of 
Aristabulus  and  Experience  (Kellogg)  Smith,  who  moved  to  the  town  of  Nelson  soon 
after  they  were  married  and  settled  on  the  old  Smith  homestead ;  their  children 
were  Mary  1st,  Marella,  Delia,  Aristabulus,  Horace,  Whiting,  S.  Allen,  Mary  2d,  and 
Experience.  By  occupation  Aristabulus  followed  farming.  S.  Allen  was  in  early  life 
a  Methodist  minister,  confining  his  church  work  to  Madison  and  Onondaga  counties; 
in  the  latter  part  of  his  life  he  followed  farming.  Horace  K.  Smith  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools  of  the  town  of  Nelson,  in  what  is  known  as  the  Togg  Hill  dis- 
trict and  in  Cazenovia  seminary.  His  early  life  was  spent  on  the  farm  with  his 
parents.  When  a  young  man  he  commenced  teaching  school,  and  when  twenty-four 
years  of  age,  on  May  11,  1881,  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Merritt  D.  and  Frances 
(Weaver)  Lyon;  they  have  two  children:  Mary  F.  and  Merritt  A.  Soon  after  his 
marriage  he  purcha.sed  the  farm  where  he  has  since  lived.  Mr.  Smith  has  always 
taken  an  active  interest  in  town  affairs,  and  when  twenty-one  years  of  age  was  elected 
inspector.  In  1888  he  was  elected  supervisor  of  the  town  of  Nelson,  which  position 
he  has  held  continuously  to  the  present  time,  and  is  now  chairman  of  the  board.  In 
1897  and  1898  he  held  a  position  as  assistant  superintendent  of  documents  in  the 
capitol  at  Albany,  and  in  1899  was  a  Senate  door-keeper.  He  is  a  supporting  and 
contributing  member  of  the  Nelson  M.  E.  church.  Merritt  D.  Lyon  was  a  son  of 
Ebenezer,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  enlisting  from  the  State  of 
Connecticut.  Mr.  Smith's  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Daughters  of  the  Revolution, 
Ovvahghena  Chapter  of  Cazenovia,  N.  Y.  'Mr.  Smith  is  a  member  of  Grange  Lodge 
No.  615,  of  Nelson,  also  Cazenovia  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  No.  616  and  Mornsville  I.  O.  O.  F. 
He  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Grange,  both  in  the  county  and  subordinate  lodge 
and  has  also  been  president  of  the  Patron's  Fire  Relief  Association  since  its  organ- 
ization. 


Stillman,  Arthur  J.,  p.  o.  Brookfield,  the  leading  merchant  of  Brookfield,  was  born 
in  this  place  February  25,  1841,  a  son  of  Ethan  and  grandson  of  Nathan  Stillman, 
who  came  from  Rhode  Island  to  Brookfield  at  an  early  day.  Ethan  Stillman  was 
boru  in  Brookfield,  N.  Y. ,  learned  the  trade  of  cabinet  making  and  after  a  few  years 
engaged  in  the  tin  and  hardware  business,  from  which  he  retired  several  years  be- 
fore his  death.  Arthur  J.  Stillman  was  educated  in  the  Brookfield  academy  and 
clerked  in  Brookfield  several  years,  then  started  in  business  for  himself,  and  after 
three  years  sold  out  and  went  to  New  York,  working  in  a  wholesale  notion  store. 
In  1869  he  returned  to  Brookfield  and  engaged  in  the  grocery  business,  and  located 
in  his  present  store  about  1874.  Mr.  Stillman  married  Marie  A.  Clarke,  daughter  of 
R,  Leroy  and  Angeline(Crandall)  Clarke:  they  have  one  daughter,  Mattie  A.,  wife  of 
Charles  A.  Teflft,  and  they  also  have  one  daughter.  Vera  Adell.  Mr.  Stillman  and 
wife  attend  the  Baptist  Church.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican  ;  was  supervisor  in 
1884,  1890  and  1893,  and  for  seven  years  was  clerk  of  the  board  of  education.  Mr. 
Stillman's  mother  was  Clarissa,  daughter  of  Eli  S.  Bailey,  who  came  from  Plain- 
field,  Conn.,  to  the  town  of  Brookfield  in   1808.     He  was  a  physician  and  Seventh 


108  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Day  Baptist  minister.  He  also  owned  a  large  farm  in  Brookfield  and  was  an  Aboli- 
tionist. R.  Leroy  Clarke  was  born  in  Brookfield,  a  son  of  Hosea  B.  Clarke,  son  of 
Capt.  Samuel  Clarke  of  Revolutionary  fame.  The  wife  of  Hosea  B.  Clarke  was 
Lura,  daughter  of  Oliver  Babcock,  one  of  the  pioneers  who  came  from  Massachu- 
setts. 

Sheldon,  William  P. ,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  was  a  native  of  Oneida  county,  and  a  success- 
ful farmer  and  dealer  in  farm  lands.  In  1854  he  bought  and  occupied  a  farm  in 
Madison,  on  Howe's  Hill.  Ten  or  twelve  years  later  he  came  to  the  Center  and  a 
little  later  located  on  Tyler  street.  His  last  years  of  life  were  passed  in  Hamilton, 
where  he  died.  His  wife  was  Mary  A.  Beebe,  by  whom  he  had  ten  children,  six  of 
whom  are  now  living;  they  were  Asa  P..  Augusta,  William  P.,  jr.,  Ida,  Edwin  B., 
Charles  (formerly  a  professor  in  Colgate  and  who  died  a  few  years  ago),  Alice,  Ada, 
W.  Scott  (of  Co.  D,  9th  Regt.,  U.  S.  A.)  and  John  J.  Mr.  Sheldon  died  June  5,  1881, 
and  his  wife  June  30,  1890.  William  P.  Sheldon  was  born  May  16,  1849,  and  has 
lived  in  Madison  since  he  was  four  years  old.  He  came  to  his  present  farm  near 
Hamilton  in  1878,  and  in  1886  purchased  the  milk  route  previously  owned  by  Charles 
Osborn.  In  Republican  politics  he  takes  an  earnest  interest  and  has  held  several 
town  offices.  He  is  a  member  of  Hamilton  Lodge  No.  120,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Cyrus 
Chapter  R.  A.  M.,  of  Tuscarora  Lodge  I.  O.  O.  P.,  and  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  all  of 
Hamilton.  On  August  9,  1870,  Mr.  Sheldon  married  Alice  Hamlin.  They  have  no 
children. 


Smith,  Joseph,  p.  o.  Munnsville,  was  born  in  Oneida,  N.  Y.,  February  17,  1845,  a 
son  of  George  and  grandson  of  George  Smith,  born  in  England  and  who  came  to 
Oneida  about  1820;  his  wife  was  Elizabeth  Smith,  and  they  had  a  family  of  five 
sons.  Mr.  Smith's  father  was  a  farmer,  and  a  tailor  by  trade  in  England;  his  wife 
was  Martha  Cliff,  and  they  had  five  sons  and  three  daughters.  Mrs.  Smith  died  in 
1880.  Joseph  Smith  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  educated  in  the  common  schools. 
He  has  made  his  own  property  and  is  one  of  the  well-to-do  farmers  of  Stockbridge, 
having  106  acres  of  land  and  a  dairy  of  twenty-one  cows;  he  is  also  engaged  in  hop 
raising.  In  politics  he  is  independent  and  has  b^-en  assessor  three  years.  The  fam- 
ily attend  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  his  grandfather  preached  some  in  early 
life.  Mr.  Smith  married  Emogene  Spaulding,  and  they  have  had  four  children: 
Martha,  Samuel,  Fannie  L.  and  Jo.seph. 


Scott,  Loren  R.,  p.  o.  Unadilla  Forks,  was  born  in  Brookfield,  November  24,  1846, 
a  son  of  Giles,  son  of  Marvin  Scott,  who  came  from  New  England  to  Brookfield  at 
an  early  day.  He  had  eleven  brothers  and  sisters  and  several  came  to  Brookfield, 
and  the  vicinity  where  Mr.  Scott  lives  was  known  as  Scott  street;  his  wife  was  Julie, 
daughter  of  Joel  Ives,  one  of  the  earlier  settlers  of  Bridgewater.  The  father  of 
Marvin  Scott  was  Amos,  2d,  who  spent  his  last  days  in  Brookfield.  His  father,  Amos 
Scott,  1st,  died  in  Brookfield  and  was  buried  in  Bridgewater.  Six  children  were 
born  to  Marvin  and  Julia  (Ives)  Scott.  Giles  Scott  was  born  in  Brookfield,  October 
13,  1818,  and  here  lived  and  died.  He  was  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  the  town; 
was  first  a  Democrat  and  after  the  organization  of  the  Republican  party  joined  that 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  109 

side  and  was  once  assessor  and  a  captain  of  militia.  His  wife  was  Elizabeth  Bab- 
cock,  daughter  of  Martin  Babcock,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Bridgewater,  coming 
from  New  England  in  an  ox  cart.  They  had  two  sons:  W.  I.  of  Bridgewater  and 
Loren  R.  Mr.  Scott  died  in  1892,  aged  seventy-four  years,  and  his  wife  died  in  July, 
1892.  Loren  R.  Scott  was  reared  on  a  farm,  educated  in  the  common  schools  and 
Clinton  Liberal  Institute  and  has  always  been  a  farmer;  he  is  one  of  the  leading 
agriculturists  in  Unadilla  valley  and  follows  dairying  and  hop  growing.  He  is  a  Re- 
publican in  politics,  but  not  an  aspirant  to  office.  November  23,  1870,  Mr.  Scott  mar- 
ried Clara  Ferris,  and  they  have  had  six  children;  Giles  F. ,  born  November  17,  1871, 
educated  in  the  common  schools  and  Clinton  Liberal  Institute;  Fred  L. ,  born  Sep- 
tember 14,  1877,  educated  m  Clinton  Liberal  Institute,  graduated  from  Fairfield  Mil- 
itary Academy  and  enlisted  in  Co.  D,  1st  Florida  Regiment  in  the  Spanish  war; 
Charles  T.,  born  July  26,  1881,  at  home;  Earl  B.,  born  August  20,  1884,  at  home; 
Irving  N.,  born  April  26,  1887;  and  Elizabeth,  born  August  8,  1892.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Scott  are  members  of  the  Universalist  Church  of  Bridgewater.  Mrs.  Scott  gradu- 
ated from  Clinton  Institute  in  1868  and  followed  teaching  a  short  time. 

Snell,  Morey,  p.  o.  Valley  Mills,  was  born  in  Stockbridge,  April  19,  1841,  a  son  of 
George,  son  of  Joseph  Snell,  who  came  from  Herkimer  county  to  Stockbridge 
about  1818  and  here  died ;  his  wife  was  Elizabeth  Snell,  who  also  died  in  Stock- 
bridge  George  Snell  was  born  in  Herkimer  county  and  came  to  Stockbridge 
when  a  boy.  where  he  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-six  years.  His  wife  was  Betsey 
Stam,  born  in  Herkimer  county,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Stam,  who  came  to  Stock- 
bridge  about  1818.  Morey  Snell  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  educated  m  the  common 
schools.  He  is  a  farmer  and  has  140  acres  of  land  and  follows  hop  growing  and 
dairying.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat  and  has  been  highway  commissioner  for 
three  years.  He  martied  Louisa  Childs  of  Nelson,  and  they  have  two  children; 
Emory  E.,  born  in  1873,  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  Utica  Business  Col- 
lege, married  Lillie  Parker;  and  EvaL.,  born  in  1884.  The  family  attend  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  of  which  Mrs.  Snell  is  a  member. 


Stafford,  Henry  M.,  was  born  in  Fenner,  August  20,  1839,  a  son  of  John,  son  of 
David,  born  in  Connecticut,  and  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Fenner.  John  Stafford 
was  born  July  27,  1800;  he  married  Malissa  Hutchinson,  and  they  had  four  sons  and 
four  daughters.  He  died  April  26,  1878,  and  his  wife  July  2,  1874.  Henry  M.  Staf- 
ford was  educated  in  Cazenovia.  He  was  a  carpenter  until  1878,  when  he  bought 
the  farm  he  now  owns  of  ninety-five  acres  of  land.  He  makes  a  specialty  of  onion 
raising.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  was  town  clerk  for  five  years,  collector  one 
year,  and  has  now  held  the  office  of  assessor  four  years  in  succesbion.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Perryville  Lodge  No.  690,  I.  O.  O.  F.  May  8,  1867.  he  married  Louisa  M. 
Davis  of  Fenner;  they  had  three  children;  Eddie  E.,  born  March  13,  1868,  and  died 
September  25,  1869;  Smith  H. ,  born  August  13,  1869,  educated  at  Chittenango  union 
free  school  and  academy;  and  Fred  F. ,  born  June  24,  1874,  educated  in  Cazenovia 
high  school.  Smith  H.  Stafford  is  a  farmer,  with  a  farm  of  fifty-five  acres;  he  mar- 
ried, October  17,  189.5,  Louisa  D.  Inman  of  Fenner,  and  they  have  one  son,  Louis  E. 
He  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  a  member  of  the  A.O.U.W.     Fred  F.  is  employed 


110  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

in  the  Cazenovia  sash,  door  and  blind  factory,  and  is  a  member  of  Perrj'ville  Lodge 
No.  690,  I.  O.  O.  F.  Mrs.  Henry  M.  Stafford  died  in  1877  and  in  1879  Mr.  Stafford 
married  Alice  Selleck  of  Lincoln,  by  whom  he  has  had  three  sons;  William  S.,  born 
April  16,  1880;  Frank  J.,  born  December  6,  1882;  and   Milton   D.,  born  May  2,  1889. 


The  Stisser  Family — Dr.  John  H.  C.  Stisser  was  born  in  Brunswick,  Germany,  in 
1745,  and  came  to  America  in  1775,  and  some  years  afterward  performed  efficient 
service  in  the  revolutionary  war  as  a  surgeon  In  one  of  the  skirmishes  of  the 
war,  he  was,  with  two  other  comrades,  taken  prisoner.  His  two  friends  were  killed, 
and  only  his  medical  ability,  which  he  had  occasion  to  prove,  saved  him  from  shar- 
ing their  fate.  For  six  weeks  he  was  a  prisoner,  watched  night  and  day  and  sub- 
jected to  many  indignities;  but,  fortunately,  finding  his  guard  very  drunk  one  night, 
he  stole  away,  and  once  again  reached  the  camp  of  his  friends.  He  came  with  his 
family  to  Madison  county  in  1830,  and  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  this  region. 
Of  his  children  the  last,  Solomon  Stisser,  died  in  Orleans  county  in  1888,  at  a  very 
old  age.  Dr.  John  H.  C.  died  at  the  house  of  his  son,  John,  on  Cole  Hill,  at  the  age 
of  ninety- six.  His  wife  died  in  1828  in  her  eightieth  year.  It  is  related  that  Dr. 
John  Stisser  had  come  to  this  country  to  fight  with  the  Germans,  but  being  captured 
at  the  battle  of  Saratoga,  he  took  the  oath  of  allegiance.  After  his  marriage,  and 
previous  to  his  removal  to  Madison  county,  he  settled  near  what  is  now  the  village 
of  Amsterdam  where  at  one  time  he  owned  about  three  hundred  acres  of  land.  His 
youngest  son,  named  John  Stisser,  was  born  near  Amsterdam  March  21,  1801,  and 
married  in  1825,  at  Lenox  Furnace,  Delilah  Buyea  of  Lenox.  He  rented  a  little  log 
house  on  Cole  Hill  and  engaged  in  the  business  of  burning  coal  for  the  furnace  com- 
pany;  his  earlier  years  were  full  of  toil  and  privation,  but  by  thrift  and  industry  he  ac- 
quired a  competency  and  one  time  was  the  owner  of  800  acres  of  land  in  this  vicinity. 
He  became  a  man  of  prominence,  and  held  various  positions  of  public  trust,  serving 
as  road  commissioner  three  terms  of  three  years  each,  and  as  assessor  nine  years;  he 
was  also  the  founder  of  what  is  still  called  the  Stisser  school  district.  He  removed 
to  the  farm  where  his  son  John  Stisser  now  resides  in  1852,  and  built  the  house  there 
where  he  resided  until  his  death  which  occurred  April  7,  1881,  at  the  age  of  eighty. 
His  wife  died  July  20,  1885,  in  the  eighty-second  year  of  her  age.  Of  their  children, 
only  three  are  now  living:  Maria,  wife  of  John  Davis,  who  is  a  farmer  in  the  town  of 
Oneida;  John,  who  resides  on  the  old  homestead;  and  Augustus,  who  resides  on  his 
farm  near  Wampsville.  Augustus,  the  oldest  living  son,  has  been  a  resident  farmer 
in  Wampsville,  over  a  quarter  of  a  century.  He  was  born  on  Cole  Hill  in  1826,  and 
reared  on  a  farm,  early  learning  to  help  in  the  farm  work,  and  receiving  a  good  edu- 
cation in  the  district  school.  He  remained  with  his  parents  until  his  marriage.  Jan- 
uary 12,  1S53,  to  Miss  Asenath  Clement  of  Stockbridge,  this  county,  a  daughter  of 
Lewis  and  Dorothea  (Vedder)  Clement.  Lewis  Clement  was  a  farmer  in  Stock- 
bridge  where  he  died  in  the  seventy-fifth  year  of  his  age,  and  his  wife  six  years  later, 
in  1884.  at  the  age  of  eighty-one.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stisser  have  seven  children,  namely: 
Charles  A  ,  of  Tacoma;  Lewis  J.,  who  resides  at  home;  Ellen  M.,  wife  of  Franklin 
Pine,  a  farmer  in  Oneida  county;  Albert  E.,  who  resides  at  home;  Andrew  J.,  a 
farmer  in  the  town  of  Lenox;  William  H.,  who  resides  at  home;  Adelia  wife  of 
Robert  Tuft,  a  farmer  in   this  town.     Mr.  Stisser  has  been  in  politics  a  consistent 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  Ill 

Democrat,  but  has  never  sought  or  held  public  office.  He  is  large  farmer,  and  owns 
several  farms  in  this  vicinity;  he  has  made  a  specialty  of  stock  raising  and  dairying. 
He  is  well  known  throughout  the  county,  and  as  a  citizen  is  highly  respected  and  es- 
teemed. John  Stisser  was  born  on  Cole  Hill  September  12,  1835,  and  obtained  his 
education  in  the  old  Stisser  school  district,  later  attending  the  polytechnic  school  at 
Chittenango.  After  leaving  this  institution  he  remained  on  the  home  farm  two 
years,  and  then  went  west,  locating  finally  in  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed as  a  traveling  agent  by  a  wholesale  dry  goods  firm.  He  returned  east  in 
March,  1864,  soon  afterward  married  and  has  ever  since  resided  on  the  home  farm. 
By  virtue  of  his  long  residence  Mr.  Stisser  is  well  known  in  this  vicinity  and  through- 
out Madison  county.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  but  has  never  held  public  office. 
He  is  a  member  of  Oneida  Lodge,  No.  370.  F.  &  A.  M.  ;  Doric  Chapter,  No.  196,  R. 
A  M. ;  and  of  Eumenia  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  married  in  1864,  Minerva  P. 
Gridley,  a  daughter  of  Warren  Gridley,  of  Clinton,  N.  Y.  Two  children  have  been 
born  to  them :  Delia  Orila,  who  married  Frank  E.  Conley  of  Utica,  and  has  one 
daughter,  Mildred;  and  Warren  J.,  who  married  Lena,  daughter  of  D.  L.  Davis  of 
Munnsville,  and  has  three  sons:  Clarence,  Wesley,  and  Frank.  Warren  J.  Stisser 
conducts  the  home  farm. 


Stewart,  John  G,,  who  died  at  his  farm  on  Fairview  street  near  the  village  of 
Oneida,  April  13,  1897,  in  the  sixty-fifth  year  of  his  age,  was  a  native  and  lifelong 
resident  of  Madison  county.  He  was  born  near  the  village  of  Peterboro  and  all  his 
life  was  engaged  in  farming.  His  father,  George  .Stewart,  was  a  native  of  Scotland, 
and  undoubtedly  a  descendant  of  the  noble  Scottish  family  of  Stuart.  He  came  to 
this  country  in  early  life  and  located  near  Peterboro,  where  he  was  one  of  the  earli- 
est settlers.  Here  he  bought  and  cleared  a  farm,  and  became  a  man  of  considerable 
prominence  in  his  time,  frequently  holding  positions  of  public  trust.  Some  sixty 
years  ago  he  removed  from  Peterboro  to  the  present  Stewart  farm  which  he  bought 
and  cleared,  John  G.  Stewart  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  of  the  vicinity  and, 
as  above  stated,  never  engaged  in  any  other  occupation  but  farming  in  which  he  was 
very  successful.  He  was  well  known  throughout  Madison  county  and  gained  an  en- 
viable reputation  as  a  man  of  the  strictest  integrity,  dying  honored  and  respected  by 
all  who  had  known  him.  He  married  in  1864,  Eleanor  Butterfield,  daughter  of 
Samuel  Butterfield  of  Oneida  county,  and  two  children  were  born  to  them:  George 
Lester,  and  Elizabeth  M.  George  Lester  Stewart  was  born  on  the  home  farm  Octo- 
ber 7,  1805,  and  was  educated  at  the  Rome  deaf  mute  institution.  He  has,  like  his 
father,  always  been  engaged  in  farming,  and  now  conduct  the  home  farm.  Mr.  Stew- 
art married  October  7,  1896,  Hester  J.  Roraback,  whose  home  was  in  Brockport, 
N.  Y.  Two  daughters  have  been  born  to  them,  Edith  Amy,  and  Elizabeth  H. 
Stewart. 


Sherman,  William  C,  who  died  in  Cazenovia,  September  25,  1898,  in  the  seventieth 
year  of  his  age,  was  one  of  the  prominent  citizens  of  that  village,  and  a  man  well 
known  and  respected  throughout  the  whole  county.  He  was  born  December  15, 
1828,  in  a  house  but  a  few  rods  from  the  one  where  he  died,  spending  the  early  and 
later  days  of  his  life  on  the  same  farm.     Mr.  Sherman  was  typical  of  the  solid,  sub- 


112  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

stantial,  intelligent  farming  community  in  which  he  lived.  He  was  conscientious  to 
the  last  degree,  a  good  business  man,  and  possessed  of  unerring  good  judgment  and 
executive  ability.  For  twenty-four  years  he  served  his  town  in  some  office  within  the 
gift  of  the  people.  For  eight  successive  years  he  was  supervisor  and  during  all  that 
time  he  enjoyed  to  the  fullest  e.Ktent  the  confidence  of  his  townsmen  and  the  esteem 
of  his  fellow  members  of  the  board.  It  was  a  matter  of  sincere  regret  when  on  ac- 
count of  impaired  health  he  declined  to  serve  the  town  longer.  There  was  no  resi- 
dent of  the  town  of  Cazenovia  who  had  more  friends,  or  who  was  more  highly  and 
universally  esteemed  than  Mr.  Sherman.  He  lived  his  entire  life  in  the  community 
and  no  one  can  point  to  a  single  act  not  compatible  with  the  life  of  a  Christian  man. 
In  1860  Mr.  Sherman  married  Miss  Maria  Goodrich,  who  survives  him. 


Stone,  John  E.,  .son  of  Erasmus  and  Helen  Ten  Eyck  (Schuyler)  Stone,  was  born 
in  Salina,  Onondaga  county,  N.  Y.,  November  16,  1833.  His  father  was  in  early  life 
a  contractor,  and  later  a  merchant  in  Syracuse;  he  moved  his  family  to  Oneida  in 
1840,  and  kept  the  Railroad  House  until  1844.  Subsequently  he  established  himself 
in  the  drug  and  grocery  trade  in  Oneida,  and  also  was  extensively  engaged  in  sup- 
plying wood  to  the  New  York  Central  railroad  company.  He  established  the  post- 
office  in  Oneida  and  was  the  first  postmaster;  he  also  served  as  justice  of  the  peace, 
and  was  a  man  of  importance  in  his  time.  He  died  in  November,  1878,  in  the 
seventy-ninth  year  of  his  age.  John  E.  Stone  was  educated  in  the  public  schools, 
and  at  the  old  Oneida  Academy.  When  twenty  years  old  he  engaged  in  the  business 
of  supplying  the  Central  railroad  with  wood  for  engines,  and  ties,  an  enterprise  in 
which  he  continued  successfully  seven  years,  supplying  partially  the  stations  at  Chit- 
tenango,  Canaseraga  and  Oneida.  Following  this  period  he  was  for  two  years  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  lumber  in  the  northern  part  of  Madison  county  where 
he  had  acquired  considerable  woodland.  Mr.  Stone  had  a  large  amount  of  real 
estate  m  the  county,  and  his  deals  in  real  estate  have  been  extensive.  He  purchased 
the  block  on  Madison  street  where  his  store  is  now  located  in  1865,  and  the  following 
year  began  the  dry  goods  business  which  he  has  ever  since  continued.  By  the  ad- 
mission of  his  son,  Willard  E.  Stone,  in  1889,  the  firm  name  took  its  present  form  of 
John  E.  Stone  &  Co.  Mr.  Stone  is  one  of  the  oldest  business  men  in  the  village,  and 
a  valued  citizen.  He  has  avoided  all  public  office,  having  given  all  his  time  and  at- 
tention to  the  development  of  his  business.  In  1860  he  married  Henrietta  F.  Har- 
den, and  three  children  have  been  born  to  them:  WiUard  E. ,  Charles  M.,  and  Mrs. 
W.  G.  Hill. 


Sawyer,  Ambrose  E.,  was  born  in  Watertown,  Jefferson  county,  N.  Y. .  August  16, 
1838,  a  son  of  Rev.  Elisha  Sawyer,  a  Baptist  clergyman,  and  Clarissa  (Baker)  Saw- 
yer. He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  at  the  Parma  Institute,  Parma,  N. 
Y.  For  some  years  he  followed  the  profession  of  teaching,  and  subsequently  became 
engaged  in  business  in  both  eastern  and  western  New  York.  He  served  two  years 
in  the  13th  N.  Y.  Volunteers  during  the  Civil  war;  was  taken  sick  in  Virginia  and 
sent  to  the  hospital  where  he  suffered  a  severe  attack  of  typhoid  fever.  In  1875  he 
was  elected  school  commissioner  of  Jefferson  county,  which  office  he  held  six  years. 
In  1879  he  formed  one  of  a  syndicate  of  five  in  purchasing  Round  Island  in  the  St. 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  113 

Lawrence  River  and  in  forming  what  is  known  as  Round  Island  Park.  This  com- 
pany was  incorporated  with  a  capital  stock  of  $50,000,  and  Mr.  Sawyer  became  its 
secretary,  continuing  until  1888,  when  he,  with  his  associates,  sold  their  holdings  to 
New  York  capitalists.  With  L.  V.  Rathbun,  he  purchased  the  Oneida  flouring  mills 
in  1888.  The  mill  was  then  in  poor  condition,  the  equipment  being  antiquated  and 
practically  useless.  They  at  once  introduced  the  most  modern  machinery  and  made 
other  improvements  in  the  property,  with  the  result  that  this  plant  is  now  one  of  the 
most  perfect  in  Central  New  York,  and  the  business  one  of  the  important  enterprises 
of  Madison  county.  In  March,  1893,  the  Rathbun-Sawyer  Company  was  incorpor- 
ated with  a  capital  stock  of  $50,000.  Mr.  Sawyer  serves  as  vice-president,  treasurer, 
and  local  manager,  giving  his  entire  time  to  the  business.  Mr.  Sawyer  is  well  known 
to  the  business  community  as  a  man  of  ability  and  integrity.  He  has  been  for  many 
years  an  official  member  of  the  Baptist  church,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic.  He  married  Frances  E.  Cox.  of  Byron,  Genesee  county,  and  two 
children  were  born  to  them.  Both  his  wife  and  children  are  now  deceased.  In  the 
spring  of  1899,  he  married  Miss  Alice  Lincoln  Decker,  daughter  of  A.  L.  Decker  of 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 


Scheifele,  George  L.,  was  born  in  Verona,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  February  1,  1865, 
son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Uhl)  Scheifele.  His  parents,  who  were  both  natives  of 
Germany,  came  to  this  country  in  the  early  fifties  and  settled  first  in  Oneida,  thence 
removing  to  the  town  of  Verona.  Mr.  Scheifele  was  educated  in  the  Oneida  public 
schools,  and  for  a  period  of  three  years  was  employed  as  clerk  in  the  grocery  store  of 
Douglass  &  Cowles.  In  the  fall  of  1887  he  began  the  grocery  business  for  himself, 
forming  a  partnership  with  Adam  Neir  under  the  firm  name  of  Neir  &  Scheifele 
which  continued  about  eighteen  months.  Mr.  Scheifele  then  sold  his  interest  and 
associated  in  a  similar  business  with  F.  B.  Petrie,  (Scheifele  &  Petrie).  Mr.  Petrie 
retired  from  this  firm  in  1894,  and  since  that  time  Mr.  Scheifele  has  continued  the 
business  alone.  He  has  been  at  his  present  location  eleven  years.  Mr.  Scheifele 
has  served  two  years  as  village  trustee.  1896-97;  he  is  a  member  of  the  K.  O.  T.  M. 
and  of  Eumenia  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  married.  October  14,  1893,  Mary  E. 
Wilbur,  daughter  of  Samuel  Wilbur  of  Fenner.  Of  this  union  are  two  children : 
Mildred  and  Harry. 

Scott,  Henry,  son  of  Samuel  and  Rosina  Scott,  was  born  in  Cazenovia,  June  25, 
1828.  His  father  came  from  Ireland  when  a  young  man  and  worked  for  John  Linck- 
laen  until  he  bought  a  farm  in  the  town  of  Nelson,  where  he  lived  one  summer,  then 
bought  the  farm  on  which  Henry  now  lives,  and  died  there  May  15,  1876.  His  chil- 
dren were  Willis,  Helen,  John,  Charles,  Walter,  and  Cyrus  (deceased),  Henry,  Jona- 
than, Lucinda  of  Cazenovia  and  Andrew  of  Minnesota.  Henry  Scott  was  educated 
in  the  district  schools  and  has  always  followed  farming,  having  a  farm  of  130  acres 
three  miles  south  of  Cazenovia  village  on  which  he  was  born.  In  politics  Mr.  Scott 
is  a  Democrat  and  well  known  in  this  vicinity  as  a  man  of  strict  integrity.  On  Sep- 
tember 19,  1871,  he  married  Polexina  Slocum,  who  died  March  6,  1897. 


Stebbins,  John,  son  of  Hon.  Charles  and   Eunice  (Masters)  Stebbins,  was  born  in 


114  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Cazenovia,  October  20,  1825,  and  resided  there  all  his  life.  He  was  a  lineal  descend- 
ant of  Rowland  Stebbins,  who  came  from  Ipswich,  England,  in  1634,  and  .settled  in 
Springfield,  Mass.,  later  removing  to  Northampton.  The  family,  it  will  thus  be  seen, 
were  of  old  Puritan  stock ;  many  representatives  were  prominent  in  the  earlier  Indian 
wars  and  in  the  wars  of  the  Revolution  and  of  1813.  John  Stebbins's  father  was  one 
of  the  earlier  residents  of  this  vicinity,  whither  he  had  removed  from  Massachusetts  m 
1810.  He  entered  the  law  office  of  Hon.  Perry  G.  Childs  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1813.  On  the  maternal  side  John  Stebbins  came  of  remote  English  ancestry. 
His  maternal  grandfather,  Hon  Josiah  Masters,  was  a  prominent  citizen  of  Schaghti- 
coke,  Rensselaer  county,  and  held  several  positions  of  public  trust,  serving  as  county 
judge,  member  of  assembly,  and  congressman.  Mr.  Stebbins  was  educated  in  his 
native  town  and  at  the  Bartlett  collegiate  institution,  Poughkeepsie.  For  many 
years  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  woolen  goods  and  also  gave  some  attention 
to  farming.  He  was  for  a  time  president  and  superintendent  of  the  Chittenango 
Turnpike  Company  and  later  superintendent  of  the  Cazenovia  and  Canastota  rail- 
road. He  was  for  a  number  of  terms  a  trustee  and  also  president  of  the  village  of 
Cazenovia;  served  the  town  as  supervisor  in  1858,  1859.  1882,  and  1883  and  from 
1878  to  1881,  and  from  1884  to  1890  was  assistant  State  superintendent  of  public 
works,  having  under  his  direct  supervision  the  middle  division  of  the  Erie  Canal  ex- 
tending from  the  west  side  of  Oneida  county  to  Wayne  county,  and  including  the 
Oswego,  Cayuga,  Seneca,  and  Black  River  Canals.  Mr.  Stebbins  married,  in  1860, 
Katharine  Fairchild,  daughter  of  Sidney  T.  Fairchild,  and  they  had  two  daughters; 
Katharine,  wife  of  J.  H.  Ten  Eyck  Burr,  and  Helen  Lucy,  wife  of  Arthur  W.  Ken- 
nard  of  Boston,  Mass.  Mr.  Stebbins  died  at  Boston,  Mass.,  April  29,  1892,  in  the 
sixty-seventh  year  of  his  age. 


Fairchild,  Sidney  T. ,  who  died  in  Cazenovia,  February  16,  1889,  in  the  eighty-first 
year  of  his  age,  was  for  many  years  a  leading  member  of  the  New  York  bar.  He 
was  born  in  Norwich,  Chenango  county,  N.  Y.,  November  15,  1808,  a  son  of  John  F. 
and  Flavia  (Merrill)  Fairchild.  He  was  educated  at  Cazenovia  Seminary  and  at 
Hamilton  and  Union  Colleges,  graduating  from  the  latter  in  1839.  He  began  his 
legal  work  with  Childs  &  Stebbins  of  Cazenovia,  and  later  studied  under  Joshua  A. 
Spencer  at  Utica,  where  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1831,  and  began  practice  in 
association  with  E.  P.  Hurlbut.  In  1835  he  returned  to  Cazenovia  and  formed  a  law 
partnership  with  Charles  Stebbins.  Both  gained  a  reputation  as  corporation  lawyers 
and  in  1858  Mr.  Fairchild  became  general  attorney  of  the  New  York  Central  railroad 
company,  having  his  office  at  Albany.  He  was  also  a  director,  secretary  and  treas- 
urer of  the  Third  Great  Western  Turnpike  Company.  During  the  last  twenty-five 
years  of  its  existence  he  was  a  director  of  the  Madison  County  Bank,  trustee  for 
many  years  of  the  Union  Trust  Company  of  New  York,  and  president  for  a  time  of 
the  Cazenovia  and  Canastota  railroad  company.  Mr.  Fairchild's  politics  were  Dem- 
ocratic, and  he  was  a  valued  worker  in  the  party,  the  friend  and  adviser  of  Cleve- 
land, Cassidy,  Hoffman,  Richmond,  Seymour,  and  Tilden.  Notwithstanding  all  of 
this  he  never  sought  political  preferment  and  never  held  a  public  oflice  except  that 
of  clerk  and  president  of  his  village.  In  this  brief  notice  we  could  not  give  adequate 
mention  of  his  personal  character.     He  was  a  man  of  modest  and  unassuming  tastes 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  115 

and  without  a  spark  of  personal  vanity.  It  is  enough  to  say  that  he  is  remembered 
in  Cazenovia  as  a  man  of  absolute  integrity  and  justice.  Mr.  Fairchild  married,  in 
1834,  Helen  Childs,  second  daughter  of  Hon.  Perry  G.  Childs.  Three  children  were 
born  to  them:  Katharine,  who  married  John  Stebbins  of  Cazenovia;  Charles  S.,  late 
secretary  of  the  United  States  treasury ;  and  Sophia,  who  married  Rev.  T.  G.  Jack- 
son. 


Shute,  George  S.,  was  born  in  Chittenango,  February  24,  1842,  a  son  of  Stephen 
and  Caroline  (Parmlee)  Shute.  The  family  is  of  New  England  stock,  Stephen  Shute, 
having  been  a  native  of  Bridgeport,  Madison  county,  where  several  generations  of 
the  family  lived  and  died.  At  the  time  of  his  death  Stephen  Shute,  a  cultured  and 
earnest  educator,  was  an  instructor  in  Cazenovia  Seminary.  On  the  maternal  side 
Mr.  Shute  descends  from  Moses  Parmlee,  remembered  as  one  of  the  leading  business 
men  of  his  time  in  this  region  and  Chittenango.  Mr.  Shute  was  educated  at  the 
Chittenango  polytechnic  institute  and  Cazenovia  district  schools.  In  1859  he  com- 
menced to  drive  the  stage  from  Cazenovia  to  the  New  York  Central  railroad  at 
Chittenango,  a  distance  of  twelve  miles.  Three  stages  made  this  trip  daily,  the  first 
mail  leaving  Cazenovia  at  5:30  A.  M.,  and  the  last  arriving  at  8:00  p.  m.  This  line 
was  owned  by  Keller  &  Hubbard  and  he  drove  a  stage  on  it  until  the  latter  part  of 
1860,  when  he  went  on  the  line  from  Cazenovia  to  Syracuse,  where  he  remained  until 
1865,  H.  J.  Mowry  proprietor.  He  then  drove  a  stage  to  Chittenango  until  the  rail- 
road was  built,  and  then  went  into  the  employ  of  O.  W.  Sage,  for  whom  he  worked 
several  years.  November  18,  1876,  Mr.  Shute  established  his  present  stage  line  and 
baggage  transfer  in  Cazenovia  village,  and  has  now  conducted  it  for  a  period  of  over 
twenty- two  years.  By  virtue  of  his  life-long  employment-in  this  vocation  he  has  be- 
come well  known  to  both  residents  of  and  visitors  to  Cazenovia,  and  has  many 
friends.  He  married  Harriet  Rogers,  a  daughter  of  John  Rogers,  and  a  member  of 
a  family  of  early  settlers  near  Chittenango.  Four  sons  and  one  daughter  have  been 
born  to  them.  He  still  has  one  of  the  old  fashioned  Concord  coaches  in  his  posses- 
sion such  as  were  used  in  the  early  days. 


Sheldon,  E.  B.,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  was  born  near  Madison  village,  Madison  county, 
N.  Y.,  December  18,  1855,  a  son  of  William  F.,  and  Adeline  (Beebe)  Sheldon,  and 
has  lived  in  Hamilton  since  his  boyhood.  He  was  educated  here  and  afterwards 
spent  four  years  in  the  west.  Returning  to  Hamilton  at  the  age  of  twenty-one 
years,  he  embarked  in  the  grocery  business,  which  he  has  since  successfully  con- 
ducted and  has  to-day  the  leading  grocery  establishment  in  Hamilton  and  vicinity. 
He  is  also  builder  and  owner  of  the  fine  opera  block,  which  he  erected  after  the  fire 
of  1895.  Mr.  Sheldon  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  of  the  Odd  Fellows, 
and  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen.  He  is  one  of  the  progressive,  enter- 
prising men  to  whom  Hamilton  owes  its  beauty  and  prosperity.  He  married  Katie 
Piotrow,  of  Hamilton,  and  they  have  two  children:  Frederica  and  Victor. 


Smith,  Adon  N.,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  one  of  the  enterprising  business  men  of  Hamil- 
ton, was  born  in  that  village  and  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  that  place  and 
New  York.     He  began  the  active  business  of  life  as  a  clerk,  in  which  capacity  hp 


116  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

passed  seven  years,  when  he  embarked  in  the  grocery  business  in  V.  milton  and  con- 
ducted it  three  years.  He  then  ran  a  mill  and  feed  business  seven  years,  when  he 
established  his  pre.sent  hardware  hou.se,  the  leading  one  in  Hamilton.  Mr.  Smith 
has  long  been  an  important  factor  in  the  business  and  public  life  of  Hamilton.  He 
was  trustee  of  the  village  eight  years  and  has  been  president  of  the  school  board 
nine  years.  He  is  also  vice-president  of  the  National  Hamilton  Bank  and  has  occu- 
pied that  position  since  1892.  He  is  a  prominent  Mason,  a  member  of  the  Blue 
Lodge,  Chapter,  Council,  Norwich  Commandery,  Knights  Templar,  Ziyara  Temple, 
Mystic  Shrine  and  Veiled  Prophets.  Mr.  Smith  married  Ella  J.Tompkins;  their 
children  are  Adon,  Philip  T.,  Alice  L,  Herbert  L,  and  Le  Roy  F.  Mr.  Smith's  par- 
ents were  J.  D.  F.  and  Martha  (Snow)  Smith.  His  grandmother  was  a  daughter  of 
Rufus  King,  whose  name  is  familiar  in  connection  with  both  the  Revolutionary  war 
and  King  Philip's  war. 


Southworth,  O.  W.,  p.  o.  Brookfield,  N.  Y. ,  was  born  in  Otsego  county,  N.  Y., 
July  28,  1843,  a  son  of  Horace  Southworth.  He  obtained  his  education  in  Leonards- 
ville,  N.  Y.  His  chief  occupation  has  been  the  manufacture  of  revolving  horserakes. 
He  resides  on  a  farm  of  forty  acres  near  the  village  of  Brookfield;  he  also  owns  a 
farm  of  175  acres,  on  which  perhaps  is  the  best  barn  in  the  town ;  he  is  also  engaged 
in  the  sale  of  wall  paper.  He  is  a  Prohibitionist,  and  firm  in  his  advocacy  of  tem- 
perance principles.  On  July  2,  1882,  Mr.  Southworth  was  married  to  Bertha  Hill ; 
they  have  had  three  children:  Wallace  H.,  born  September  22  1883;  Wiot  C. ,  born 
August  33,  1885,  died  in  1895;  and  Eva  May,  born  December  20,  1894.  Mrs.  South- 
worth  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church,  which  the  members  of  the  family  attend. 


Stanbro,  William,  p.  o  Brookfield,  N.  Y.,  was  born  in  that  place,  July  24,  1865. 
He  is  a  grandson  of  Peleg  Stanbro  (born  m  Stonington,  Conn.,  March  28,  1790,)  who 
came  to  Brookfield  when  a  young  man,  was  married  to  Rhoda  Collins,  a  native  of 
Rhode  Island  (born  August  19,  1798,  died  December  21,  1849),  and  lived  in  Brook- 
field till  his  death.  March  2,  1888.  William  Stanboro,  son  of  Peleg  and  father  of 
William,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  Brookfield,  October  15,  1829.  He 
was  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  the  town,  cultivating  416  acres  of  land.  He  was  a 
prominent  member  of  the  Republican  party  in  his  town,  serving  as  assessor  twelve 
years,  supervisor  seven  years,  justice  of  the  peace  four  years,  and  many  years  on  the 
Republican  county  committee.  He  was  a  member  of  Brookfield  Lodge  No.  632,  I.  O. 
O.  F.  In  1852  he  was  married  to  Phoebe,  daughter  of  Hoxie  Collins,  who  bore  him 
six  children:  Elmer,  J.  Duane,  and  Jennie,  (all  deceased,)  William,  Frank,  and  Jay 
(deceased).  Mrs.  Stanbro  died  in  1872,  and  he  was  married  to  Esther  Palmiter;  he 
died  June  16,  1898.  William  Stanbro,  jr.,  was  educated  m  Brookfield  union  school, 
taught  school  four  winters,  was  a  cheese  maker  three  seasons,  and  is  now  engaged 
in  farming,  living  on  the  homestead  and  keeping  about  fifty  head  of  cattle.  He  is  a 
Republican,  has  represented  his  town  in  county  conventions  and  at  present  is  a  jus- 
tice of  the  peace.  In  1886  he  was  married  to  Maud  Poppleton  of  Brookfield;  of  their 
union  there  are  are  three  children,  Leon  E.,  Jennie  E.  and  William  Hallard. 


Southworth,  Oscar  L.,  M.  D.,  p.  o.  Leonardsville,  N.  Y.,  was  born  at  Edmeston, 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  117 

Otsego  county,  >  Y.,  July  21.  1839,  a  son  of  Horace  and  Sophronia  (Crumb)  South- 
worth.  He  is  a  representative  of  the  fifth  generation  from  the  original  Southworths 
who  emigrated  from  England  to  Plymouth,  Mass.,  in  1628.  Joseph  Southworth. 
grandfather  of  the  Doctor,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  and  died  in  Ed- 
meston.  Horace  Southworth,  father  of  the  Doctor,  was  born  April  30,  1809.  He 
was  a  prominent  temperance  man,  a  Wliig,  and  later  an  Abolitionist ;  was  a  Captain 
in  the  Militia;  and  cast  his  first  Presidential  vote  for  William  Henry  Harrison.  He 
was  an  excellent  mechanic,  and  was  engaged  in  the  extensive  manufacture  and  sale 
of  farming  implements.  He  was  married  to  Sophronia,  daughter  of  Joseph  Crumb, 
one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Plainfield,  N.  Y.  Their  children  were  Horace,  jr.,  Lucy 
A.  (both  deceased),  Susan  L.,  Oscar  Lemuel,  and  Orville  W.  Dr.  O.  L.  Southworth 
received  his  primary  education  at  South  Trenton  Academy,  after  which  he  worked 
on  a  farm  for  his  father  one  year  and  was  engaged  as  clerk  in  a  store  at  Leonards- 
ville  for  several  years,  paying  over  the  principal  part  of  his  wages  for  that  time  for 
the  support  of  his  parents.  At  the  age  of  twenty-three  he  began  the  study  of  medi- 
cine with  D.  Chauncey  Perkins,  of  Columbus,  N.  Y. ;  and  in  1866  was  graduated  from 
the  Philadelphia  University  of  Medicine  and  Surgery,  since  which  time  he  has  been  in 
active  practice  at  Leonardsville,  and  has  been  eminently  successful.  In  1867  he  be- 
came a  member  of  the  Eclectic  Medical  Society  and  later  served  as  its  vice-president. 
He  is  a  Mason,  a  Republican,  is  president  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  Leonardsville 
Union  School,  and  served  as  Supervisor  of  Plainfield,  Otsego  county,  in  1885  and  1886. 
October  2,  1862,  Dr.  .Southworth  was  married  to  Isiphire  J.,  daughter  of  Dr.  Chaun- 
cey Perkins.  They  have  one  son,  Horace  C,  who.  after  graduating  from  Leonards- 
ville School,  entered  the  Medical  Department  of  the  University  New  York  City  ;  at  the 
end  of  two  years  failing  health  compelled  him  to  forego  his  studies,  but  after  recover- 
ing his  health,  resumed  his  studies,  and  graduated  at  the  Medical  Department  of  the 
University  of  Chicago.  He  is  also  a  registered  pharmacist,  of  admitted  ability,  and  a 
member  of  the  N.  Y.  State  Pharmaceutical  Association.  At  present  he  is  meeting 
with  success  in  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  Dr.  Southworth's  Remedies,  and  in 
treating  cases  by  correspondence.  He  was  married  to  Maud  Burdick,  and  they  have 
one  daughter,  Mertie  Lee. 


Stoddard,  S.  J.,  p.  o.  Merrillsville,  was  born  in  Lenox,  Madison  county,  October 
30,  1847,  a  son  of  Preston  M.,  and  grandson  of  Mitchell  Stoddard,  a  native  of  Eng- 
land, born  June  80,  1792.  Preston  M.  Stoddard  was  born  in  Madison  county.  May  1, 
1815.  He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  and  a  farmer.  He  married  Diantha  Strong, 
born  May  16,  1820,  in  Connecticut,  a  daughter  of  Alexander  Strong,  mentioned  in 
this  work.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stoddard  had  twelve  children:  Anna  L. ,  born  January  1, 
1843,  died  September  25,  1851;  Mitchell  P.,  born  December  25,  1844,  died  April  7, 
1899;  Thaddeus  A.,  born  February  25,  1846,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war;  Schuyler 
J.  (as  above);  William  D.,  born  February  12,  1849,  died  November  1,  1874;  Albert 
W.,  born  May  1,  1850;  Emma  L.,  born  October  3,  1851,  married  E.  O.  Moore  of  Sid- 
ney; Alviu.  born  August  1,  1853.  died  in  infancy;  Clara  A,,  born  March  23,  1855, 
died  July  12,  1872;  Joseph  D.,  born  September 23,  1856;  Edward,  born  June  28,  1858; 
and  Hattie  M. ,  born  March  8,  1860,  wife  of  De  Forest  Rutman  of  Syracuse.  Mr. 
Stoddard  died  February  24,  1875,  and  his  wife  October  29,  1888.     Schuyler  J.  Stod- 


118  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

dard  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  is  a  farmer.  He  owns  146  acres  where 
he  lives  and  forty-four  in  the  town  of  Oneida.  December  23,  1874,  he  married  Ellen 
A.,  daughter  of  Emerson  Stone.  Mrs.  Stoddard  was  educated  in  Oneida  Seminary 
and  taught  for  four  years ;  she  is  a  writer  for  the  Oneida  Union.  They  had  three 
children:  Nora  D.,  born  March  23.  1876,  educated  at  Peterboro  Academy,  and  taught 
school  five  years,  and  on  December  22,  1898,  married  Frank  Moon;  Grove  S.,  born 
October  27,  1878,  at  home;  and  Harry  D.,  born  May  11,  1882.  Mr.  Stoddard  is  an 
ardent  Democrat  and  has  been  as.sessor  of  Lincoln  one  year,  being  one  of  the  first 
of  the  town,  and  was  highway  commissioner  one  term.  Mrs.  Stoddard's  grandfather, 
Joseph  Stone,  came  from  Hadley,  Mass.,  and  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  town 
of  Lincoln.  He  married  Wealthy  Bennett  and  they  had  six  children,  of  whom  four 
are  now  living.  Both  were  members  of  the  M.  E.  church  and  spent  their  last  days 
in  Lincoln.  Emerson  Stone  was  born  in  Lincoln,  and  carried  on  farming;  at  the 
time  of  his  death  he  was  owner  of  266  acres  of  land,  having  accumulated  his  own 
property.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republican.  In  1846  he  married  Diana  Ward,  born 
in  Massachusetts,  a  daughter  of  Haden  and  Chloe  (Ward),  natives  of  Massachusetts, 
and  who  were  early  settlers  of  Lincoln.  He  was  a  leader  in  the  M  E.  church  for 
many  years.  Emerson  Stone  and  wife  had  four  children:  Edwin,  born  in  Novem- 
ber, 1847,  died  in  infancy;  Dwight,  born  November  26,  1849;  Ellen,  born  March  22, 
1853;  and  Elnora,  born  November  17,  1857,  and  died  at  the  age  of  ten.  Mr.  Stone 
died  May  21,  1891,  and  his  wife  December  10.  1883. 

Sabine,  A.  M..  p.  o.  West  Eaton. — Ethan  Sabine  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  in 
Lebanon,  to  which  town  he  came  from  the  East.  He  was  a  farmer  and  worthy  citi- 
zen ;  he  died  in  1830.  His  children  were  Phoebe,  Ezra,  Chester,  Stephen  and  Alonzo 
Sabine.  Ezra  was  born  January  4,  1806,  and  died  July  17,  1871.  His  wife  was 
Harriet  Wadsworth,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children:  Henry  E. ,  Sullivan.  Austin 
M.,  Harriet  E..  Phoebe  C.  Caroline  A.,  and  Ann  O.  Sabine,  all  of  whom  except  one 
grew  to  maturity  and  raised  families,  but  of  whom  only  Austin  M.  lives  in  this 
county.  He  was  born  in  Lebanon,  July  10,  1833,  and  came  to  live  in  Eaton  in  1854. 
In  1859  he  bought  the  Miles  farm  of  eighty  acres  on  which  he  has  since  lived.  On 
April  6,  1856,  he  married  Elgirtha  Wilcox,  by  whom  he  has  four  children  living: 
George  W..  Lena  M.,  Gertie  E..  and  Austin  M.  Sabine,  jr.  George  W.  married  Cora 
M.  Suits;  Lena  M.  married  George  Sternberg;  Gertie  E.  married  Frank  E.  Tooker. 
Isaiah  Wilcox,  one  of  the  early  settlers  in  this  region,  was  born  in  Rhode  Island.  He 
married  Amanda  Darrow  and  in  1853  settled  in  Eaton  where  both  afterward  lived 
and  died.     Their  children  were  Ethel  B.,  Morris,  Elgirtha,  Lester  H.,  and  Mary  F. 


Stebbins,  H.  L.,  p.  o.  Hamilton.— Gilbert  Stebbins  was  born  in  Wilbraham,  Mass., 
March  11.  1769,  and  was  one  of  the  pioneers  in  Madison,  as  the  history  of  that  town 
shows,  though  the  exact  year  of  his  settlement  is  not  now  recalled.  He  had  two 
children:  Betsey  and  William.  The  latter  married  Nancy  Murdock ;  their  children 
were  Rufus  L.,  Betsey  H..  William  E..  Nelson  G.,  and  Hamilton  M.  Rufus  Stebbins 
married  Sarah  M.  Woodard,  July  11,  1837,  and  both  spent  their  early  married  life  on 
the  old  Stebbins  home  farm.  Later  on  they  removed  to  Hamilton,  where  Mr.  Steb- 
bins was  a  cabinet  maker  and  undertaker,  as  well  as  farmer.     He  died  December  18, 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  119 

1891,  and  is  remembered  as  being  a  generous  and  public  spirited  man;  a  prominent 
Mason  and  worthy  citizen  His  only  child  was  Horace  L.  Stebbins,  born  May  28, 
1850,  a  prosperous  farmer  in  Eaton.  His  wife  was  Ella  C.  Ackley,  by  whom  he  has 
two  children:     William  A.,  and  Alice  M. 


Sherman,  William  C. ,  p.  o.  West  Eaton. — Knowles  Sherman  was  born  in  New  Leb- 
anon, Columbia  county,  and  about,  or  soon  after  1830  settled  in  Nelson,  west  of  Erie- 
ville.  He  was  then  a  young  man  and  well  equipped  with  determination  to  open  and 
develop  a  new  farm.  In  this  he  was  successful,  but  died  when  only  thirty-seven 
years  old.  His  wife  was  Amanda,  daughter  of  Cyrus  Finney  of  Eaton.  Their  chil- 
dren were  William  C,  Elias,  Seth,  Henry  G.,  Eunice,  and  one  other  who  died  in 
infancy.  After  the  death  of  Mr.  Sherman  his  widow  remarried  and  went  west  and 
ihe  only  member  of  this  old  and  respected  family  now  living  in  this  county  is  Wil- 
liam C.  Sherman  of  West  Eaton.  He  was  born  in  Nelson,  September  7,  1824,  and 
has  always  been  a  farmer.  At  the  age  of  twenty-three  he  went  to  Chenango  county 
and  began  his  life  work  there.  On  January  12,  1848,  he  married  Amanda  Leonard, 
daughter  of  Abial  Leonard  of  Lebanon.  Of  this  marriage  two  children  have  been 
born:  Theresa,  who  married  Edwin  Stanton,  and  Addie,  who  married  Clarence 
Brown.  Mr.  Sherman  began  life  with  small  means  and  by  industry  and  frugality 
gained  a  comfortable  property.  In  Eaton  he  is  a  highly  respected  and  worthy  citi- 
zen. Abial  Leonard  came  to  this  county  from  Mayfield,  N.  Y.,  in  1836,  and  worked 
in  several  places  before  settling  in  Georgetown.  He  later  on  lived  at  Lebanon  Cen- 
ter and  died  there  about  ten  years  ago.  He  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade  and  an  hon- 
est industrious  man.  By  his  first  marriage  he  had  one  son,  Joseph ;  his  second  wife 
was  Lois  Hall,  by  whom  his  children  were  Amanda  (Mrs.  William  C.  Sherman),  Ade- 
line (Mrs.  William  Morris).  Oresta  (Mrs.  Elias  Sherman),  Emeline  (Mrs.  Russell 
Sherman),  and  Mary  (Mrs.  Devillo  Robinson,  and  later  Mrs.  Sidney  Dart). 


Stafford,  Norman,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Fenner,  February  10,  1840.  His  father, 
Joseph  Stafford,  jr.,  was  also  born  in  the  town  of  Fenner,  where  his  father,  Joseph 
Stafford,  settled  in  1815.  Joseph  Stafford,  jr.,  married  Cornelia,  daughtgr  of  Ste- 
phen Hill,  and  through  life  was  engaged  in  farming;  he  died  in  1846.  Norman 
Stafford  was  educated  in  Peterboro  and  Cazenovia,  entering  into  partnership  with 
his  father  and  brother  in  farming  and  dealing  in  stock.  In  1873  he  formed  a  part- 
nership with  W.  H.  Patten  for  the  manufacture  of  horse  rakes  at  Clockville,  having 
an  output  of  300  rakes  and  employing  ten  men  in  that  year,  and  in  1898  an  output 
of  8,000  and  employing  100  men,  the  firm  now  being  located  in  Oneida,  where  their 
business  is  one  of  the  leading  industries  of  Madison  county.  In  1873  Mr.  Stafford 
married  Nettie,  daughter  of  William  Smith,  who  died  in  1878;  later  he  married  Jen- 
nie, daughter  of  George  Bull.  Mr.  Stafford  is  one  of  the  progressive  men  of  Madison 
county,  taking  an  intelligent  interest  in  educational  and  religious  institutions.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  board  of  education  for  nine  years,  of  the  water  board  eight 
years,  president  of  the  village  in  1898  and  1899  and  vice-president  of  the  State  Bank. 


Sadler,  George  S.,  was  born  in  Ingham  Mills,  August  31,  1845.     His  father.  Samuel 
Sadler,  was  a  native  of  England  and  came  to  the  United  States,  settling  in  the  town 


130  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

of  Elmira  with  his  parents.  Later  he  moved  to  Herkimer  and  in  1844  purchased 
Ingham  Mills  and  was  one  of  the  pioneer  millers  of  the  Mohawk  valley.  He  mar- 
ried Lavinia,  daughter  of  John  F.  Bellinger.  George  S.  Sadler  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  and  the  Little  Falls  Academy.  In  1873  he  became  interested  in 
railroad  building  and  was  engaged  with  the  Lehigh  Valley  road  for  twenty-hve 
years.  In  1868  Mr.  Sadler  married  Melissa  C,  daughter  of  Ephraim  Glaus.  Mr. 
Sadler  was  one  of  the  progressive  business  men  of  Madison  county,  serving  as  pres- 
ident of  the  village,  water  commissioner  eight  years  and  was  elected  supervisor  in 
1898. 


Stroud.  Hon.  R.  W. ,  was  born  at  Canastota,  town  of  Lenox,  Madison  county,  N.  Y. , 
February  13,  1842,  where  his  father  and  grandfather  were  early  settlers.  He  was 
educated  in  Canastota  and  McGrawville,  and  was  prepared  for  civil  engineer  under 
the  personal  supervision  of  Hon.  John  B.  Jervis,  an  eminent  and  widely  known 
member  of  the  profession,  whom  he  succeeded  as  chief  engineer  of  the  Canastota 
and  Cazenovia  Railroad.  Two  years  before  the  completion  of  the  Chenango  Valley 
road  he  accepted  the  position  of  chief  engineer,  and  in  1872  was  nominated  and 
elected  canal  commissioner.  In  1872  he  married  Ella,  daughter  of  Gen.  B.  F.  Bruce. 
He  died  in  Syracuse  December  2,  1875.  Mr.  Stroud's  strong  individuality,  and  en- 
ergy, with  superior  judgment,  were  characteristics  which  contributed  largely  to  the 
rare  qualifications  which  made  his  comparatively  young  life  unusually  successful. 
His  acquaintance  was  broad  especially  among  public  men  and  his  genial  nature  and 
fidelity  to  friends  made  him  universally  popular. 


Bikes,  John  H.,  p.  o.  Canastota,  was  born  in  Waterville,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  Oc- 
tober 26,  1801,  a  son  of  Daniel  and  grandson  of  Judge  Reuben  Sikes  of  Somers. 
Conn. ;  his  brother,  J.  Warren  Sikes,  started  the  first  stage  in  the  United  States. 
Daniel  Sikes  was  born  in  Somers,  Conn.,  removed  to  Waterville  Oneida  county, 
and  in  1811  to  Lenox,  where  he  lived  and  died.  John  H.  Sikes  came  to  Lenox  when 
ten  years  old  and  died  there  March  25,  1889;  his  wife  was  Ruth  Darby  of  Tolland, 
Conn.  Mr.  Sikes  was  a  farmer  and  brick  maker;  he  and  his  wife  had  three  chil- 
dren: Reuben  C.  of  Stockbridge;  Ellen  L.,  wife  of  Merton  Smith  of  Syracuse,  and 
Nancy  L.,  wife  of  McCleary  Lockhart  who  was  born  in  Albany  county.  May  31,  1840, 
a  son  of  WiUiam  and  Sarah  (McCleary)  Lockhart,  and  came  to  Madison  county  in 
1843,  and  later  to  Lenox,  where  he  died  in  1886,  and  his  wife  May  16,  1877.  To  Mr. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lockhart  were  born  three  children;  Ella  R.,  Ernest  W. ,  and  Louis  M. 


Stephens,  Albert  G.,  was  born  in  Durhamville.  December  6,  1844.  His  father, 
Dewitt  C.  Stephens,  was  born  in  Stephensville,  Albany  county,  in  1810,  which  town 
was  named  after  Archibald  Stephens.  Dewitt  C.  married  Sarah,  daughter  of 
Thomas  Conkling.  He  came  to  Durhamville  in  1826.  where  he  built  the  glass 
works,  a  twenty-five  mile  section  on  the  Erie  Railroad,  and  a  section  of  the  Erie 
Canal,  through  the  Montezenma  marshes.  He  was  member  of  Assembly  and 
supervisor  of  his  town.  In  1865  he  moved  to  Oneida,  where  he  died  in  1889.  Albert 
G.  Stephens  was  educated  in  Cazenovia  Seminary,  and  entered  upon  the  glass 
trade  in  Constantia,  taking  charge  of  the   works  and  purchasing  one-half  of  the 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  121 

plant,  which  he  operated  until  1876.  In  1877,  with  his  brother  Clinton  he  purchased 
his  father's  property  of  700  acres.  In  1870  he  married  Mary  A.,  daughter  of  John 
R.  Mitchell;  their  children  are  Dewitt  C. ,  Mrs.  D.  G.  Chrisnjan,  and  Irma.  Mr. 
Stephens  is  one  of  the  progressive  business  men  of  Madison  county,  taking  an  intelli- 
gent interest  in  school  and  church  matters,  and  has  ever  advanced  the  best  interests 
of  his  town  and  townspeople. 


Souter,  John  W.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  SulUvan,  December  13,  1865.  His 
father,  William  Souter,  was  a  native  of  Johnstown,  and  his  father,  Isaac,  of  Germany. 
Isaac  first  settled  in  Johnstown  and  came  to  Canastota  in  1802,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  the  jewelry  business.  His  son  William  followed  him  in  the  business,  and  was  one 
of  the  first  to  build  a  boat  on  the  old  canal ;  he  was  engaged  in  canal  transportation 
up  to  1880.  He  married  Matilda,  daughter  of  Leonard  Whitney;  he  died  January  2, 
1894.  John  W.  Souter  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  at  Chittenango.  He 
engaged  in  the  produce  business  at  Clockville  in  1886,  and  in  1892  came  to  Canastota, 
where  at  the  present  time  he  is  one  of  the  largest  shippers  in  New  York  State  of  hay. 
grain,  potatoes,  apples,  onions  and  other  produce.  In  1885  Mr.  Souter  married 
Martha,  daughter  of  E.  A.  Bridge,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Myrtle.  Mr.  Souter 
is  one  of  the  progressive  business  men  of  Madison  county,  served  as  trustee  of  the 
village  two  terms,  and  merits  and  receives  the  respect  of  the  community. 


Stimson,  John  E.,  was  born  in  Caughdenoy,  N.  Y. ,  October  4,  1854.  His  father. 
John  F.  Stimson,  was  a  native  of  Chittenango,  N.  Y. ,  born  in  1822,  and  his  father, 
Jonathan,  was  a  native  of  Scotland  and  came  to  the  town  of  Canastota,  settling  at 
Ouality  Hill,  when  a  boy,  being  one  of  the  first  white  people  to  come  to  the  Mohawk 
valley,  and  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  Madison  county ;  he  died  in  1833,  in  his  94th 
year.  John  F.  Stimson  married  Nancy,  daughter  of  Elder  Deacon.  John  E.  Stim- 
son was  educated  in  the  common  schools,  and  engaged  in  dealing  in  hay  and  grain 
and  canal  transportation.  In  1871  he  married  Lydia  A.,  daughter  of  Christopher 
Van  Slyke,  and  they  have  two  sons,  William  H.  and  Reuben  L.  Mr.  Stimson  is  one 
of  the  self-made  men  of  Madison  county,  serving  as  deputy  sheriff  and  chief  of  the 
police  force  twenty  years  and  deputy  U.  S.  marshal  for  eight  years. 


Sherwood,  J.  T.,  was  born  at  Oneida  Lake,  February  14,  18.55.  His  father,  Joseph 
Sherwood,  was  a  native  of  England  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1850,  settling 
in  Madison  county;  he  married  Ann  Rhodes,  and  through  life  was  engaged  in  deal- 
ing in  live  stock ;  he  died  in  1862.  J.  T.  Sherwood  was  educated  at  Oneida  Valley 
and  was  engaged  in  canal  transportation.  In  1892  he  established  his  coal  business, 
handling  2,000  tons  per  year.  In  1875  Mr.  Sherwood  married  Flora  A.,  daughter  of 
Harrison  Allen,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Grace,  aged  fifteen.  Mr.  Sherwood  is 
one  of  the  self-made  men  of  Madison  county,  and  has  served  as  street  commis- 
sioner, trustee  and  poormaster  of  his  town. 


Stanton,  Albert  C,  p.  o.  Georgetown. — William  A.  Stanton's  genealogy  of  the 
Stanton  family  in  America,  to  which  we  are  indebted  for  the  following  particulars, 
shows  Albert  C.   Stanton  to  be  a  descendant,  in  the  eighth  generation,  of  Thomas 


122  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Stanton,  the  emigrant  ancestor,  who  came  to  this  country  m  1635  on  the  merchant- 
man Bonaventura,  being  then  twenty  years  of  age.  He  first  located  in  Virginia,  but 
the  records  show  that  in  1636  he  was  serving  as  a  magistrate  in  Boston.  He  served 
through  the  Pequot  War,  acting  as  an  Indian  interpreter.  He  married  Ann,  eldest 
daughter  of  Dr.  Thomas  and  Dorothy  Lord.  The  exact  date  is  not  known,  but  it 
was  between  the  years  1638  and  1639.  They  had  ten  children,  one  of  whom  was 
Capt.  John,  the  subject's  lineal  ancestor.  He  was  born  in  Hartford,  Conn.,  in  1641, 
and  married  Hannah  Thompson  in  1664.  February  18,  1675,  he  was  commissioned 
captain  of  one  of  the  four  Connecticut  regiments  in  Kmg  Philip's  War.  There  were 
six  children  born  of  this  union:  Joseph,  son  of  Capt.  John,  was  born  June  23  1868, 
married  Margaret,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  and  Hannah  (Denison)  Chesebro.  They 
had  nine  children.  Lieut.  Joseph  Stanton,  seventh  child,  was  born  May  1,  1712, 
married  Ann  Wheeler  of  Stonington,  Conn.,  November  6,  1735,  and  died  March  14, 
1778.  Their  issue  was  eleven  children.  Joseph,  born  May  31,  1739,  married  Han- 
nah Chesebro,  April  22,  1767,  and  died  in  1832.  Amos,  son  of  Joseph,  was  born  in 
Groton,  Conn.,  June  10,  1773,  married  Sabra  Palmer  of  Edraeston,  N.  Y.,  December 
13,  1795.  AmosC,  father  of  the  subject,  was  born  in  Otselic,  N.  Y.,  May  7,  1798. 
He  married  and  by  his  first  wife  had  children,  Samuel  and  Sally.  He  married  sec- 
ond, Azubah  Duncan  in  February,  1818.  To  this  union  were  born  two  children :  Har- 
rison M.,  and  Albert  C,  the  latter  being  born  in  Otselic,  July  30,  1835.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  district  schools  and  when  he  was  twelve  years  old  his  father  died  and 
he  with  his  mother  removed  to  Georgetown,  He  was  thrown  on  his  own  resources 
and  served  an  apprenticeship  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he  afterward  followed 
until  1867,  when  he  retired  from  active  work.  On  January  29,  1853,  he  married 
Susan  Brown  of  Georgetown.  She  was  born  March  30.  1837,  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Emily  (Hawks)  Brown.  They  have  two  children :  Mary  E.  (who  married  Har- 
vey E.  Priest),  and  died  November  3,  1884,  and  Minna  B.  (now  Mrs.  Charles  E. 
Thompson).  Mr.  Stanton  is  a  prominent  member  of  Cautious  Lodge  No.  736,  A.  F. 
&  A.  M.  He  has  a  pleasant  home  in  the  village  of  Georgetown.  He  has  been  a 
most  successful  business  man  and  has  accumulated  a  handsome  competency  wholly 
by  his  own  energy  and  industry,  and  enjoys  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  all  those 
who  know  him  and  especially  those  who  have  had  business  dealings  with  him.  Po- 
litically he  supports  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party.  He  has  held  the  office 
of  justice  of  the  peace  for  eighteen  years  and  town  clerk  for  ten  years.  Mr.  Stanton 
has  been  faithful  to  every  trust  confided  to  his  care,  and  the  citizens  recognize  in  him 
one  to  whom  they  may  .safely  confide  the  highest  public  interests. 


Stoddard,  Albert  A.,  p.  o.  Georgetown,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Otselic,  Chenango 
county,  N.  Y.,  March  9,  1838.  He  is  a  descendant  in  the  eighth  generation  of  John 
Stoddard,  who  is  known  to  have  been  a  large  landholder  in  Welhersfield,  Conn.,  as 
early  as  1639.  The  line  of  descendants  is  as  follows:  (1)  John,  (3)  John,  (3)  John, 
(4)  Moses,  who  was  one  of  the  petitioners  for  the  incorporation  of  Newington  as  a 
separate  ecclesiastical  society,  (5)  Aaron,  who  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and 
was  captured  by  the  British,  and  died  a  prisoner;  he  was  born  in  Litchfield,  July  15, 
1739;  (6)  David,  born  in  Litchfield,  Conn.,  November  15,  1773;  in  1803  came  to  New 
York  with  his  family,  bringing  his  household  effects  in  a  covered  wagon  drawn  by 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  123 

oxen,  and  his  wife,  Dorcas  Kent  Stoddard,  rode  horseback,  carrying  her  youngest 
child  in  her  arms.  They  were  the  second  family  that  settled  in  what  is  now 
the  town  of  Otselic,  Chenango  county;  (7)  Harmon,  father  of  the  subject  of  the 
sketch,  born  in  Litchfield,  Conn.,  June  27,  1797,  and  was  but  six  years  of  age  when 
he  came  to  this  State  with  his  parents.  He  married  Clarissa  Maria  Brown,  who  was 
born  in  Stephentown,  Rensselaer  county,  and  they  had  eight  children;  Albert  A,, 
Clarissa  Maria,  Cordelia,  Sarah,  Mary  L.,  Noyes  W. ,  Elvira  M.,  and  Dever.  Albert 
A.  was  educated  at  the  common  schools  of  his  district,  afterward  at  De  Ruyter  In- 
stitute, and  at  seventeen  commenced  teaching  in  a  neighboring  district,  receiving 
eleven  dollars  per  month  and  board.  He  was  thus  engaged  until  March  11,  1851, 
when  he  married  Julia  A.,  daughter  of  William  P.  and  Betsey  (Bartlett)  Hare  A 
year  later  he  engaged  in  farming  and  kept  a  public  house  in  Otselic  on  the  farm 
on  which  his  grandfather  first  settled.  Mr.  Stoddard  was  successfully  engaged  in 
farming  until  1870,  when  he  retired  and  removed  to  the  village  of  Georgetown, 
where  he  has  since  resided.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stoddard  have  an  onlj'  child,  a  son.  J. 
Floyd,  a  successful  merchant  in  Georgetown.  Politically  he  is  a  Democrat.  At  the 
age  of  twenty  one  years  Mr.  Stoddard  was  elected  superintendent  of  common  schools 
of  the  town  of  Otselic  for  a  term  of  two  years,  and  was  re-elected  for  the  two  suc- 
ceeding terms.  He  was  elected  supervisor  of  the  same  town  in  the  spring  of  1860, 
defeating  the  popular  young  Republican,  David  B.  Parce  by  twenty-three  majority; 
he  was  re-elected  in  1861  by  an  increased  majority,  although  the  town  was  largely 
Republican  at  that  time.  He  refused  a  renomination  in  1862.  He  served  as  chair- 
man of  the  railroad  commissioners  of  the  town  of  Otselic,  and  as  such  signed  the 
coupons  of  the  railroad  bonds  of  that  town.  He  represented  Georgetown  two  years 
as  a  member  of  the  Madison  county  bnard  of  supervisors.  He  was  elected  justice  of 
the  peace  in  1873,  but  refused  to  qualify.  Under  each  of  President  Cleveland's  terms 
he  held  the  office  of  postmaster  of  Georgetown.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  Cau- 
tious Lodge  No.  736,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  was  its  first  master.  An  upright,  honorable 
and  conscientious  man  he  has  the  esteem  and  good-will  of  all  who  know  him. 


Stoddard,  J.  Floyd,  p.  o.  Georgetown,  a  public-spirited  and  useful  citizen  of  Mad- 
ison county,  an  enterprising  merchant  of  the  village  of  Georgetown,  is  the  only  son 
and  child  of  Albert  A.  and  Julia  A.  (Hare)  Stoddard,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Otse- 
lic, Chenango  county,  N.  Y.,  July  24,  1857.  His  education  was  begun  in  the  district 
schools  of  his  native  town  and  in  1870,  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Georgetown, 
where  he  attended  the  public  schools.  He  afterward  took  a  5'ear's  course  at  the 
Utica  high  school,  and  subsequently  at  the  Cazenovia  seminary.  After  finishing  his 
schooling  he  engaged  in  the  flour  and  feed  business  in  Georgetown,  which  business 
he  conducted  two  years.  He  then  sold  his  business  and  removed  to  Otselic  on  his 
father's  farm,  where  he  was  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  three  years;  but  not  be- 
ing satisfied  with  that  vocation  he  returned  to  Georgetown  and  in  1884  established 
what  is  now  the  leading  mercantile  house  in  Georgetown.  In  1890,  in  company  with 
Arthur  E.  Drake,  he  bought  another  stock  of  goods  belonging  to  W.  A.  Hare  and 
the  two  were  consolidated.  The  firm  of  Stoddard  &  Drake  carried  on  business  un- 
til April  5,  1895,  when  Mr.  Stoddard  succeeded  the  firm  and  has  since  conducted  the 
business  alone.     Mr.  Stoddard  is  a  good  business  man  and  his  prosperity  is  largely 


124  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

due  to  his  own  industry  and  thrift.  He  is  held  in  high  esteem  by  a  large  circle  of 
social  and  business  acquaintances.  On  February  15,  1877,  he  married  Nettie  A., 
youngest  daughter  of  Epaphroditus  and  Susan  (Conant)  Whitmore.  They  have  two 
children-  Lonnelle  M.,  born  May  2,  1880,  and  W.  Marie,  born  June  23.  1893.  Mr. 
Stoddard  has  been  shown  the  high  appreciation  in  which  he  is  held  by  his  towns- 
men, by  being  elected  to  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  three  terms,  justice  of  ses- 
sions two  terms,  and  three  years  inspector  of  election.  He  is  now  serving  his  third 
year  as  secretary  of  the  Board  of  Education  in  this  village.  Fraternally  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Cautious  Lodge,  No.  726,  F.  &  A.M.,  and  the  Mystic  Order  of  Veiled  Prophets, 
Hamilton,  N.  Y.  In  every  department  of  life  Mr.  Stoddard  has  ably  filled  the  sta- 
tion in  which  he  has  been  placed,  and  is  regarded  by  his  townspeople  as  a  thoroughly 
honorable  and  upright  man. 


Smith,  Ira  E. ,  belongs  to  a  family  originally  from  Holland,  who  were  settled  in 
the  eastern  part  of  this  State  at  an  early  period  of  its  history.  His  immediate  pro- 
genitors lived  in  Chatham,  Columbia,  county,  N.  Y.,  and  afterward  removed  to  De 
Ruyter  and  then  to  Lincklai^n,  Chenango  county,  where  he  was  born  August  29,185.5. 
His  grandfather,  Henry  Smith,  was  born  in  Chatham  and  died  at  the  ripe  old  age  of 

ninety-one  years.     He  married  Margaret ,  who  was  also  born  in  Chatham,  and 

they  had  nine  children,  one  of  whom  was  Richard  P.,  father  of  Ira  E.  Richard  P. 
Smith  was  born  August  16,  1806,  in  Chatham,  and  died  October  6,  1883,  at  Lincklaen. 
He  married  Eliza,  daughter  of  Luther  and  Elizabeth  (Wagner)  Justice,  December  31, 
1835.  She  was  born  November  28,  1817,  and  died  July  3,  1892.  To  this  union  were 
born  ten  children:  Mary  J.  (Mrs.  W.  S.  Haskell);  Pheba  M,  (widow  of  Albert  Bald- 
win); Philip  N.,  who  married  Ellen  Williams;  Spencer  (deceased);  Byron  B.,  who 
married  Emmer  Williams;  Marcia  E.,  married  William  Dana;  Nelson  A.  (deceased); 
Eunice  L.  (deceased);  Frank  A  ,  who  married  Ida  Wells;  Ira  E.,  and  Kitty  A. 
(widow  of  Samuel  G.  Keim).  Ira  E.  Smith  received  a  good  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  and  remained  at  home  on  his  father's  farm  until  December  6.  1886, 
when  he  removed  to  De  Ruyter  and  engaged  in  the  furniture  and  undertaking  busi- 
ness, which  he  still  carries  on  with  unusual  success.  On  October  2,  1889,  he  married 
Blanche  M.,  daughter  of  Frank  D.,  and  Nancy  (Angell)  Wire.  Mr.  Smith  in  politics 
is  a  sound  Republican  and  has  held  the  ofKce  of  town  clerk  two  terms.  Fraternally 
he  is  a  member  of  De  Ruyter  Lodge,  No.  692,  F.  &  A.  M.  He  is  a  trustee  of  the 
village  corporation,  one  of  the  originators  of  the  village  water  works,  and  a  stock- 
holder in  the  village  gas  plant.  Mr.  Smith  is  a  man  of  good  business  qualifications 
and  of  industrious  and  thrifty  habits.  He  is  popular  among  his  townspeople  and  is 
well  known  as  a  wide-awake,  enterprising  merchant,  looking  not  only  to  his  own  in- 
terests, but  to  the  advancement  and  progress  of  his  town. 


Spear,  Mrs.  Annie  Augusta,  a  resident  of  the  village  of  De  Ruyter,  and  widow  of 
the  late  Lyman  F.  Spear,  and  was  born  in  Cayuga,  N.  Y.,  October  4,  1848.  Her 
grandfather,  David  Reynolds,  was  a  native  of  Rhode  Island,  who  with  his  wife, 
Susan  (Bentley)  Reynolds,  came  to  New  York  State  at  an  early  date.  Mrs.  Spear  is 
a  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Schuyler  and  Amanda  A.  (Johnston)  Reynolds.  When  she 
was  a  child  of  thirteen  she  went  to  live  with  the  family  of  Joseph  Stafford,  and  on 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  125 

November  24,  1865,  at  the  age  of  twenty,  married  Leroy  P.,  a  son  of  Joseph  and 
Polly  A.  (Jones)  Stafford.  He  was  for  many  years  a  dealer  in  horses,  grain,  produce, 
etc.,  and  died  May  21,  1891.  On  November  19,  1892,  she  married  Lyman  F.  Spear, 
who  was  for  a  number  of  years  or  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  a  successful  harness 
dealer  in  the  village  of  De  Ruyter.  Mr.  Spear  was  a  prominent  member  of  De  Ruy- 
ter  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  the  fire  department.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  August,  1897.  Mrs.  Spear  is  a  lady  posse.ssed  of  all  true  womanly  virtues 
and  one  of  those  that  prefers  the  quiet  of  home  life  to  the  empty  honors  and  exacting 
demands  of  social  life.  She  is  an  active  member  of  the  Congregational  church,  has 
a  wide  circle  of  friends  in  her  town  and  county,  and  the  good  will  and  esteem  of  all. 


Scoville,  J.  Edward,  is  a  native  of  Pompey,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  born  January  17, 
1860.  His  father  was  Charles  Edwin  Scoville,  a  contractor  on  the  Syracuse,  Bing- 
hamton  &  New  York  Railroad,  and  latterly  a  farmer.  The  Scoville  genealogy  is 
traceable  to  Sir  Arthur  Scoville  of  the  fourteenth  century,  in  England.  The  first 
American  ancestor  was  James  Scoville,  who  settled  in  Pompey,  Onondaga  county, 
at  an  early  date.  J.  E.  Scoville  spent  his  boyhood  in  Manlius,  N.  Y. ,  where  his  father 
had  purchased  what  is  known  as  the  Scoville  homestead  in  1864,  and  is  now  occu- 
pied by  a  brother,  Addison  E.  Scoville.  His  mother  was  Mary  Putnam  Gould,  a 
lineal  descendant  on  her  maternal  side  of  the  famous  Gen.  Israel  Putnam,  and  a 
daughter  of  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  county  of  Onondaga.  Mr.  Scoville  early 
showed  a  marked  genius  for  the  mechanical  arts  and  for  adventure.  He  came  to 
Canaseraga  in  1888  and  operated  a  general  milling  business,  having  previously  been 
engaged  in  the  same  line  at  Chittenango  and  elsewhere.  In  1895  he  installed  a  tele- 
phone line  from  mill  to  mill,  now  grown  into  a  large  system,  having  lines  to  Lake- 
port,  Bridgeport  and  to  Syracuse,  in  all  no  less  than  sixteen  long  distance  lines.  In 
July,  1897,  he  went  into  the  Klondike  region  and  established  a  telephone  exchange 
at  Dawson,  the  first  one  in  that  territory,  and  the  most  northerly  exchange  in  the 
world.  He  is  now  general  manager  of  the  Yukon  telegraph  and  telephone  company, 
also  owning  several  undeveloped  gold  claims.  After  a  winter  within  the  Arctic  cir- 
cle Mr.  Scoville  was  suddenly  recalled  by  the  illness  of  his  wife,  who  died  here 
August  4,  1898.  She  was  Eva,  daughter  of  Horace  Wheeler  of  Fayetteville,  and 
left  two  children. 


Smith.  Lucian  B.,  son  of  William  and  Lovina  (Conglin)  Smith,  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Taylor,  Cortland  county,  N.  Y.,  June  10,  1844.  His  father,  who  was  a  tan- 
ner and  currier  by  trade,  was  a  native  of  Chatham,  Mass  ,  and  one  of  the  early 
settlers  in  Corland  county.  Of  his  union  with  Lovina  Conglin  eleven  children  were 
born,  of  whom  .seven  survive;  Maria,  wife  of  James  Allen  of  New  Woodstock; 
Emeline,  wife  of  William  Petrie  of  Cuyler,  Cortland  county;  Harriet,  widow  of  Dr. 
L.  Greene  of  Taylor,  Cortland  county;  Willis,  of  Chenango  county;  Gerrett,  of 
Ellenville,  Ulster  county,  and  Lucian  B.  Smith.  The  latter  was  educated  at  De 
Ruyter  academy  and  has  always  followed  the  occupation  of  farming.  He  located 
on  his  present  farm  of  200  acres  near  New  Woodstock  village  in  1875.  A  Republi- 
can in  politics,  Mr.  Smith  is  one  of  the  representative  men  of  the  town  of  Cazenovia. 
He  has  served  the  town  as  highway  commissioner  three  years,  and  while  a  resident 


126  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

of  the  town  of  Lincklaen,  Chenango  county,  served  as  assessor  three  years.  He  is 
a  member  of  De  Ruyter  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.  Mr.  Smith  married  Eunice  A.  Barber, 
daughter  of  George  Barber  of  Cazenovia.  They  have  one  son,  William  H.  Smith,  a 
resident  of  New  Woodstock  village. 


Smith,  Charles  Edward,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  was  born  at  Mobile,  Ala.  At  fifteen  years 
of  age  he  left  the  South  and  was  educated  at  the  Troy  Polytechnic  School.  When 
the  war  of  the  rebellion  broke  out  he  went  with  the  Confederate  army  as  a  lieuten- 
ant of  engineers  and  served  through  the  entire  war.  After  the  war  he  located  in 
New  York  and  resided  there  until  1889,  when  he  settled  in  Hamilton.  Mr.  Smith  is 
a  prominent  Mason,  being  a  member  of  the  Blue  Lodge,  Chapter,  Council,  and  Com- 
mandery  and  of  the  Veiled  Prophets.  His  parents  were  Charles  and  Martha  B. 
(Todd)  Smith.  His  great-great-grandfather  was  in  the  French  and  Indian  wars,  and 
Capt.  Abijah  Smith  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 

Thompson,  Luther  Brownell,  son  of  Jervis  J.,  and  Jane  (Brownell)  Thompson,  was 
born  m  Cazenovia,  November  21,  1833.  He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  and 
has  always  been  a  farmer,  cultivating  seventy-five  acres.  Mr.  Thomp.son  enjoys  a 
large  measure  of  the  respect  and  esteem  of  his  fellow  townsmen  and  as  a  citizen  is 
actively  interested  in  all  measures  designed  to  promote  the  welfare  of  the  town.  He 
is  a  Democrat  in  politics  but  never  held  public  office.  He  married,  in  1861,  Joanna 
A.  Wagner,  daughter  of  Aaron  Wagner  of  Cazenovia.  Of  this  union  four  children 
were  born:  Jennie  E.,  wife  of  Norton  S.  Hall  of  Norwich;  Hattie  E.,  wife  of  Her- 
man Woodworth  of  Cornwall-on-the-Hudson  ;  Fannie  E.  and  Cora  A.  Thompson. 


Truax,  James,  was  born  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  in  1804,  and  when  a  boy  came  to  reside 
on  the  farm  of  Gerrit  Smith,  at  Peterboro,  where  he  remained  until  1833.  In  that 
year  he  purchased  a  farm  in  Peterboro  and  conducted  it  until  1843,  when  he  removed 
to  Cazenovia  and  for  about  five  years  lived  in  what  was  known  as  the  Krumbahr  cot- 
tage, having  the  care  of  General  Ledyard's  farm.  Then  for  twenty  years  he  owned 
and  occupied  the  farm  on  the  east  shore  of  the  lake  which  became  known  as  the 
Truax  farm.  In  1867  he  retired,  owing  to  advancing  age,  and  took  up  his  residence 
in  Cazenovia  village,  where  he  became  known  to  almost  everjf  resident  as  a  genial 
and  kindly  gentleman.  After  his  death  Rev.  Lyman  Eddy,  who  had  known  him 
well,  pronounced  the  following  eulogy  of  him:  "I  should  do  violence  to  my  own 
feelings  were  I  to  let  this  opportunity  pass  without  offering  a  grateful  tribute  to  his 
memory,  in  view  of  the  evidence  which  many  years'  residence  opposite  my  own 
dwelling  have  furnished  of  his  sterling  integrity  in  his  business  transactions  the 
excellence  of  his  character  as  a  peace  maker,  as  a  sympathizer  and  helper  in  afflic- 
tion, and  as  an  unostentatious  good-doer  in  behalf  of  the  needy.  More  than  once  have 
I  seen  him  quietly,  I  had  almost  said  stealthily,  ministering  to  the  suffering  and 
feeding  the  hungry,  and  when  doubtless  he  was  unaware  that  any  eye,  save  that  of 
the  Infinite  one,  was  witness  to  his  kindness."  Mr.  Truax  married,  in  1832,  Lovina 
Cleveland,  daughter  of  Neheraiah  Cleveland  of  Peterboro,  who  belonged  to  an 
ancient  English  family  and  numbered  Sir  Guy  Cleveland  among  his  ancestors.  Of 
their  union  three  children  were  born:  Mrs.  M.  L.  IngersoU  of  Ilion,  N.  Y.,  James  C. 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  127 

Truax  of  Ilion,  and  Florence  B.  Truax  of  Cazenovia  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Truax  were 
the  first  family  in  Cazenovia  to  receive  into  their  home  people  in  search  of  the  quiet 
of  country  life.  Their  farm  by  the  lake  was  beautiful  for  situation  and  natural 
charms  and  many  guests  found  a  welcome  there.  Thus  they  were  the  practical 
founders  of  Cazenovia  as  a  summer  residence  village. 


Thompson,  Gideon,  son  of  Jervis  J.  and  Jane  (Brownell)  Thompson,  was  born  in 
Cazenovia,  March  8,  1832.  The  family  is  of  Dutch  and  Scotch  origin  and  Gideon 
Thompson's  grandfather,  also  named  Gideon,  was  a  life-long  resident  and  highly 
respected  citizen  of  the  town  of  Beekman,  Dutchess  county,  N.  Y.  Here  Jervis  J. 
Thompson  was  born  and  when  he  was  a  young  man  came  into  Cazenovia  to  locate 
on  a  farm  of  140  acres  in  the  Belmont  district  which  had  been  acquired  by  his  father. 
He  died  August  2,  1879,  ia  the  eighty-second  year  of  his  age.  Of  his  union  with 
Jane  Brownell  seven  children  were  born:  Dewitt  C.  (deceased);  George  W.  (deceased); 
Caroline,  widow  of  J.  Tucker;  Gideon,  Luther  B.,  A.  J.,  and  Jane  A.  (deceased). 
Gideon  Thompson  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  of  this  town  and  has  always 
followed  the  occupation  of  farming.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  is  one  of  the 
representative  men  of  this  section  and  enjoys  an  enviable  reputation  as  a  man  of 
strict  integrity.  Mr.  Thompson  married,  in  1872,  Mary  Stockham,  daughter  of  John 
Stockham,  a  native  of  Fabius,  N.  Y. 


Tillotson  Family,  The. — Abraham  Tillotson  was  a  native  of  Connecticut  and  in  the 
year  1795  came  into  Madison  county  with  a  team  and  covered  wagon,  bringing  his 
family.  Their  first  night  within  the  limits  of  the  town  of  Cazenovia  was  passed  in 
an  unoccupied  log  house  in  the  Perkins  district,  and  on  the  following  day,  having 
inquired  for  a  farm  which  included  a  brick  yard,  they  were  directed  to  Pompey  Hol- 
low and  there  located  on  what  became  the  home  farm.  Here  Abraham  Tillotson 
made  most  of  the  brick  used  for  chimneys  in  this  region  and  also  those  used  in  the 
construction  of  the  Lincklaen  Hou,se.  He  became  a  man  of  considerable  local  promi- 
nence and  died  honored  and  respected,  September  23,  1819.  About  the  year  1816 
his  son  Ephraim  (who  was  a  youth  of  nine  years  when  the  family  settled  here),  pur- 
chased a  large  farm  on  the  west  side  of  the  lake  now  known  as  the  Burr  Wendell 
farm,  and  became  a  large  and  successful  cattle  dealer  and  farmer.  After  many 
years  of  hard  work  he  retired  and  for  a  period  of  twenty  years  resided  in  Cazenovia 
village.  He  married  Lodema  Cowls  and  three  children  were  born  to  them,  only  one 
of  whom  now  survives:  Jabez  C.  Tillotson,  a  venerable  and  respected  resident  of 
Cazenovia.  The  latter  was  born  July  11,  1812,  and  on  the  west  side  of  the  lake  where 
Burr  Wendell  now  lives  and  lived  there  with  his  father  for  twenty-one  years  He 
worked  the  place  on  shares  for  three  years  and  was  married  for  the  first  time  to 
Samantha  Childs  of  Cazenovia,  N.  Y.,  in  1836.  About  this  time  he  bought  the  farm 
near  the  head  of  the  lake  now  owned  by  Sylvester  Norton,  on  which  he  lived  for 
twenty-four  years.  In  1860  he  left  the  farm  and  has  since  been  a  resident  of  Caze- 
novia village.  Mr.  Tillotson  has  held  many  offices  of  public  trust  and  has  always 
faithfully  discharged  his  duties.  He  was  elected  town  assessor  in  1844,  and  was  re- 
tained in  that  capacity  for  twenty-three  years,  until  1867.  In  that  year  he  was  ap- 
pointed revenue  assessor  and  served  as  such  twelve  years.     In  1872  he  was  elected 


1?8  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

loan  commissioner,  serving  as  such  twenty  years,  but  was  relieved  of  the  duties  of 
that  office  through  the  kindness  of  Governor  Flower  in  1892.  He  was  elected  trustee 
of  the  Seminary  in  1870  continuing  in  that  office  twenty  years,  and  was  trustee  of 
the  Methodist  church  and  chairman  of  the  executive  committee  at  the  lime  the 
present  church  edifice  was  constructed.  Mr.  Tillotson  has  also  had  a  large  experience 
in  the  .settlement  of  estates  and  assignments.  In  1876  he  was  appointed  receiver  of 
the  Cazenovia  Bank,  under  bonds  of  $300,000,  and  successfully  conducted  the  work 
of  adjusting  its  affairs.  Few  men  live  to  attain  the  years  and  prominence  which 
have  been  accorded  to  Mr.  Tillotson.  Ephraim  Tillotson  married  for  his  second 
wife  Rachel  Wadsworth;  seven  children  were  born  of  the  union,  only  two  of  whom 
are  now  living;  Mrs.  Orange  Atwell,  and  A.  W.  Tillotson,  both  now  residing  in 
Cazenovia.  Leslie  B.  Tillotson,  son  of  Ephraim  B.  and  Harriet  (Allen)  Tillotson, 
was  born  in  De  Ruyter  in  1841.  In  that  town  his  father  served  as  assessor  and  poor- 
master  for  over  thirty  years.  Mr.  Tillotson  was  educated  at  Cazenovia  Seminary 
and  Poughkeepsie  Business  College.  For  a  period  of  fifteen  years  he  was  success- 
fully engaged  in  the  dry  goods  trade  in  Cazenovia  and  for  the  past  eight  years  in  the 
coal  business  (Tillotson  &  Howson).  Mr.  Tillotson  is  a  member  of  Cazenovia  Lodge, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Manlius  Chapter  R.  A.  M.  He  has  served  as  railroad  commissioner 
for  the  town  and  on  the  board  of  cemetery  commissioners  for  several  years;  has  also 
filled  the  offices  of  trustee,  secretary,  and  treasurer  for  many  years  and  is  at  present 
a  trustee  of  the  Baptist  church.  He  married  Alice  N.,  daughter  of  Alexander  Nichols 
of  Cazenovia,  and  four  children  have  been  born  to  them:  Florence  A.,  wife  of  O.  E. 
Webster  of  Mt.  Vernon,  N.  Y. ;  Harriet  N.,  wife  of  E.  J.  Dimraick  of  Chicago,  III.  ; 
Arthur  L.  and  Laura  N.  of  Cazenovia 


Tripp,  Melvin,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  was  born  on  the  border  of  Madison  county  and  has 
been  a  life-long  resident  thereof.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  began  to  learn  the  cabinet 
making  trade  and  after  completing  his  apprenticeship  he  came  to  Hamilton  and  pur- 
sued a  liberal  course  of  studies  in  both  the  academy  and  university.  Subsequently 
he  embarked  in  the  grocery  business  and  continued  therein  twenty-five  years  in 
Hamilton.  He  was  afterwards  in  the  furniture  business  for  five  years.  Mr.  Tripp 
has  always  taken  a  great  interest  in  the  welfare  of  Hamilton  and  has  acted  a  promi- 
nent part  in  both  business  and  public  affairs.  He  has  been  trustee  of  the  village 
eight  years,  village  treasurer  twenty  years,  town  clerk  two  years,  and  supervisor  of 
the  town  sixteen  years.  He  is  an  ardent  Republican  and  has  for  many  years  sat  in 
the  councils  of  his  party  and  been  delegate  to  many  county  and  congressional  con- 
ventions. He  is  one  of  the  men  who  have  been  the  builders  of  Hamilton,  both  be- 
fore and  after  the  disastrous  fire  in  1895.  He  erected  the  first  opera  house  here,  known 
as  Tripp's  Hall,  which  went  down  in  the  aforementioned  fire,  and  many  fine  dwell- 
ings besides  his  brick  block,  burned  down  and  rebuilt.  He  has  been  one  of  the  com- 
missioners on  the  water  and  light  plant  since  its  organization  and  was  treasurer  of 
the  board  for  many  years.  Mr.  Tripp  married  Hattie  E.  Holmes,  a  native  of  Ham- 
ilton, N.  Y.  His  parents  were  Jonathan  and  Euphemia  (Van  Dyke)  Tripp.  His 
grandfather,  Israel  Tripp,  was  a  native  of  New  England,  of  Scotch  descent  and  his 
grandfather  Van  Dyke  was  of  Holland  extraction.  Mr.  Tripp  was  one  of  the  orig- 
inators and  promoters  of  Woodlawn  cemetery,  of  which  Hamilton  is  justly  proud. 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  129 

for  few  places  of  its  size  have  such  an  attractive  necropolis,  and  acting  both  as  secre- 
tary and  treasurer  of  the  association  he  has  expended  a  great  deal  of  time  and  work 
to  the  cemetery. 


Tooke,  James  N.,  p  o.  Pratt's  Hollow. — Michael  Tooke  was  one  of  the  early  set- 
tlers in  the  northeast  part  of  Eaton,  to  which  locality  he  came  in  1809,  from  Arklow, 
Ireland,  as  one  of  the  colony  of  Protestant  Irish  families,  who  about  that  time  settled 
in  this  county,  and  who  were  afterward  among  its  best  citizens.  In  the  family  of 
pioneer  Tooke  were  several  children  who  afterward  became  prominent  persons  in 
business  and  social  life.  Among  them  were  John,  who  entered  the  ministry  and  re- 
moved to  Canada;  Esther,  who  married  George  Kern;  Mary,  who  married  George 
Philpot;  Frank,  who  lived  and  died  in  Eaton;  Joseph,  who  settled  in  Canada;  and 
Michael  and  James,  both  of  whom  settled  in  Madison  county.  Michael  Tooke,  son  of 
the  pioneer,  was  born  May  11,  1793,  and  when  twenty-five  years  old  was  connected 
and  united  with  the  M.  E.  church.  In  1819  he  was  an  authorized  local  preacher  and 
was  regularly  licensed  to  preach  June  18,  1831 ;  was  ordained  deacon  June  14,  1839, 
and  elder  August  35,  1840.  He  was  always  active  in  church  work,  and  an  instru- 
ment of  great  good  in  the  community.  His  useful  career  terminated  in  death  De- 
cember 30,  1870.  In  1833  he  married  Sarah  Tackabury,  by  whom  his  children  were 
Rachel,  who  married  John  Stringer ;  Michael  of  Eaton  ;  Nathanielof  Clinton  ;  Francis, 
who  entered  the  M.  E.  ministry;  Sarah,  who  married  Henry  Burns;  Wesley  F.,who 
entered  the  M.  E.  ministry;  John  D.  of  Chittenango  Falls;  James  N.  of  Eaton;  Mary 
Jane,  who  married  Rev.  Solomon  McGinniss;  Summerfield  of  Illinois.  James  N. 
Tooke  was  born  January  33.  1837,  on  the  farm  where  he  now  lives  and  has  always 
lived.  After  the  pioneer  died  his  son  Michael  bought  the  farm  and  at  the  death  of 
the  latter  James  bought  the  interests  of  the  other  heirs.  He  is  a  farmer,  thrifty  and 
successful  and  enjoys  a  large  acquaintance  in  this  part  of  the  county.  He  is  a  young, 
yet  prominent  Odd  Fellow  and  is  deeply  interested  in  lodge  work.  On  July  14,  1859, 
Mr.  Tooke  married  Helen  Margaret,  daughter  of  William  Stevenson  of  Sherburne. 
They  had  three  children :  Chandler  of  Syracuse;  Arthur  of  Eaton;  and  Helen  lona, 
who  died  in  infancy. 


Tallett,  Morell  E.,  p.  o.  De  Ruyter,  dealer  in  coal,  lime,  brick  and  produce,  is  a 
son  of  John  and  Julia  Tallett,  and  was  born  in  Otselic,  Chenango  county,  N.  Y. , 
April  10,  1858.  His  education  was  received  in  the  common  schools  and  the  De  Ruy- 
ter Institute.  Having  successfully  passed  a  teacher's  examination  he  taught  school 
for  a  number  of  terms,  and  then  entered  the  employ  of  the  Ontario  &  Western  rail- 
road as  station  agent  at  Otselic;  while  there  he  learned  telegraphy.  He  was  also 
engaged  in  the  produce  and  grain  business  during  this  timei  In  March,  1879,  he  re- 
moved to  De  Ruyter  and  became  agent  for  the  U.  I.  &  E.  railroad,  afterward  the  E. 
C.  &  N. ,  and  now  the  Lehigh  Valley,  where  he  has  since  resided.  Mr.  Tallett  has 
had  large  experience  in  business  and  through  strictlj'  honorable  methods  and  close 
attention  to  the  wants  of  the  community,  has  built  up  a  trade  that  is  creditable  to  his 
ability  and  sagacity  and  which  constitutes  a  fair  share  of  that  which  naturally  comes 
to  the  pleasant  and  thriving  village  of  De  Ruyter.  On  March  4,  1873,  he  married 
Nellie  A.,  daughter  of  Alden  and  Rhoda  (Dunbar)  Mason.     During  their  residence 


130  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

in  Otselic,  Mrs.  Tallett  also  learned  telegraphy  and  she  is  now  manager  for  the 
Western  Union  Telegraph  Co.  at  this  place.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tallett  have  no  children. 
They  reside  in  their  beautiful  home  at  De  Ruyter,  surrounded  by  a  host  of  friends 
and  are  deservedly  esteemed.  Mr.  Tallett  is  a  member  of  De  Ruyter  Lodge,  No. 
659,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Cortland  Chapter  and  Knights  Templar.  He  takes  a  prominent 
rank  among  the  business  men  of  the  county  and  with  his  estimable  wife,  who  is  the 
embodiment  of  womanly  virtue  and  housewifely  qualities,  leads  a  happy  and  con- 
tented life. 


Tuttle,  Irving,  was  born  on  the  farm  he  owns,  February  5,  1844,  a  son  of  Cornelius 
and  Anna  (Buyea)  Tuttle.  Cornelius  Tutlle  was  born  in  Lincoln  and  there  lived  and 
died.  He  was  a  farmer,  also  owned  a  plaster  mill  at  Lenox,  N.  Y.  His  wife  was  a 
daughter  of  Conrad  Buyea,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Madison.  Mrs.  Tuttle  died 
in  1891,  aged  eighty-nine  years.  Irving  Tuttle  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  educated 
in  the  common  schools  and  Eastman's  business  college  at  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.  He 
conducts  a  farm  of  120  acres,  also  owns  the  plaster  mill,  where  he  does  an  extensive 
busine.ss.  He  has  a  hop  yard  of  three  acres  and  a  dairy  of  sixteen  cows,  also  raised 
considerable  for  the  McKinley  canning  factory.  In  1875,  Mr.  Tuttle  married  Harriet 
Wemple,  daughter  of  A.  A.  Wemple  of  WampsviUe,  N.  Y.  ;  they  had  one  son,  Willis 
I.  Mrs.  Tuttle  died  October  17,  1878,  and  in  1893  he  married  Alpheretta  Thornton 
of  Lenox.  Mr.  Tuttle  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  has  been  collector.  He  is  a 
member  of  Oneida  Lodge,  No.  270,  F.  &  A.  M. 


Tuttle,  Abraham,  p.  o.  Clockville,  was  born  in  Lenox,  March  5,  1820,  a  son  of 
Abram,  grandson  of  Gehiel  Tuttle,  of  French  extraction,  and  who  in  a  very  early 
day  came  to  Lenox  and  here  lived  until  his  death  in  1824.  Abram  Tuttle  was  born 
in  Connecticut  and  died  at  Lenox  at  the  age  of  forty-six  years;  he  married  Betsey 
Keller,  born  in  Montgomery  county,  and  who  died  in  1871.  Abraham  Tuttle  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools.  He  taught  school  for  several  years,  but  his  principal 
occupation  has  been  farming,  in  which  he  has  been  very  successful.  At  present  he 
owns  .587  acres  of  land  and  follows  dairying  and  mixed  farming  and  is  a  large  hop 
grower.  In  1841  Mr.  Tuttle  married  Armenia  Snyder,  by  whom  was  born  three 
children ;  J.  Otis,  Stillman.  and  Jeanette.  His  second  wife  was  Jane  Clock,  by  whom 
he  had  one  son,  De  Forest  Tuttle.  Mr.  Tuttle  was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  but  since 
Cleveland's  first  administration  has  been  a  Republican,  and  has  been  justice  eight 
j'ears  and  assessor  nine  years.  In  1862  he  raised  Co.  G  of  the  157th  regiment 
N.  Y.  v.,  and  served  honorably  as  its  captain. 


Timmerman,  Silas,  p.  o.  Clockville,  was  born  in  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  October 
9,  1835,  a  son  of  Levi  and  Margaret  (Burkdorff)  Timmerman.  In  1854  Levi  Timmer- 
man came  to  Madison  county,  and  bought  the  farm  Silas  now  owns;  later  he  moved 
to  Clarkson,  Monroe  county,  where  he  died  April  11,  1889,  and  his  wife  died  in  Lin- 
coln, March  23,  1860.  S  las  Timmerman  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  educated  in  the 
common  schools.  He  has  a  farm  of  188  acres  and  follows  dairying,  keeping  about 
twenty  cows,  and  also  mixed  farming.  In  1879  he  built  a  large  barn,  120x86.  March 
19,  1857,  he  married  Sarah  J.  Betsinger,  and  they  had  four  children:   Ella  A.,  wife  of 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  131 

Jasper  Thorn  ;  Alice,  wife  of  Thomas  M.  Gordon  ;  Levi,  who  married  Phoebe  Allen 
of  Nebraska;  and  Frank,  who  lives  in  Onondaga  county,  N.  Y.  In  politics  Mr. 
Timmerman  is  a  Democrat,  and  was  chairman  of  the  board  when  the  town  of  Lin- 
coln was  formed. 


Tifft,  W.  A.,  p.  o.  Pratt  s  Hollow. — Jonathan  TifiCt  was  the  pioneer  head  of  a 
family  of  enterprising  descendants  who  came  from  Connecticut  many  years  ago  and 
settled  in  Sangerfield,  whence  they  moved  to  Madison  county.  Among  the  children 
of  the  pioneer  were  Amaziah,  who  is  remembered  as  one  of  the  best  farmers  of 
Eaton;  Joseph,  who  was  accidentally  killed  about  twenty-five  years  ago;  Electa, 
who  married  Isaiah  Bellfield  and  lived  in  Stockbridge;  Lorenzo,  who  died  in  Rome; 
Lydia,  who  now  lives  in  Waterville.  Amaziah  Tifft  came  to  Eaton  about  1838,  but 
from  early  childhood  had  made  his  own  way  in  life.  In  this  town  he  bought  the  Asa 
Clark  farm,  which  he  cleared  up  and  improved.  His  wife  was  Martha  Pierce, 
daughter  of  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Oneida  county,  by  whom  he  had  three  children : 
William  A.,  who  now  lives  in  comfortable  retirement  on  the  old  farm  in  Eaton,  and 
James  A.  of  the  famous  "Black  Horse  Cavalry,"  who  was  killed  in  the  year  1861-65; 
and  one  other  child  who  died  in  infancy.  Amaziah  Tifft's  wife  died  comparatively 
early  and  their  children  were  reared  by  "Aunt  Eunice  "  Pierce,  a  woman  of  splendid 
qualities  and  excellent  capacity. 


Tucker,  Mrs.  Eliva  B.,  p.  o.  Hamilton. — Adoniram  Tucker  was  born  in  Cherry  Val- 
ley, N.  Y.,  and  came  to  Madison  county  when  only  sixteen  years  old,  having  then 
only  the  clothes  he  wore  and  a  few  shillings  in  his  pocket.  He  located  in  Hamilton 
and  hired  out  to  work  on  a  farm  at  $50  per  year.  He  learned  shoemaking  and  worked 
at  the  trade  several  years,  previous  to  1840,  when  he  and  Mr.  Pool  opened  a  shop  in 
Hamilton  village  and  continued  in  business  many  years.  In  1873  he  bought  the  Col. 
Herman  Howe  farm  in  Madison  and  lived  there  until  the  time  of  his  death  in  1894. 
In  many  respects  Adoniram  Tucker  was  a  noble  man.  one  of  his  generous  traits  be- 
ing his  ever  ready  hand  to  help  a  poor  and  less  unfortunate  fellow  being.  He  had 
little  early  education,  but  learned  much  by  observation  and  association  with  men  of 
education.  As  a  result  of  economy  and  industry  he  gained  a  competency.  In  1838 
he  married  Mary  L.  Pool,  but  never  had  children.  His  wife  died  m  1860.  and  in 
1867  he  married  Eliva  B. ,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Almira  Thompson,  of  Hamilton. 
No  children  were  born  of  this  marriage.  In  1853,  Mr.  Tucker  adopted  Elizabeth 
Hooker,  who  has  since  been  a  member  of  his  family.  He  was  a  strong  Abolitionist 
and  later  on  a  Republican  of  much  influence.  He  was  reared  under  Presbyterian 
influences,  but  an  incident  changed  his  views  and  he  became  a  Universalist.  He 
once  said:  "I  always  aimed  to  get  something  to  ease  me  through  life  and  now  I  am 
contented."  So  he  died  comfortable  and  contented.  Samuel  Thompson  was  one  of 
the  sons  of  Samuel  Thompson,  sr.,  a  New  Englander  and  a  pioneer  in  Hamilton. 
The  younger  Samuel  married  Almira  Tinkham,  and  had  three  children;  Samuel  A., 
Eliva  B. ,  and  Charles  P.  Thompson. 


Taylor,   Dr.   William,   was  born  in  the  town  of  Nelson,  January  18,  1839.     His 
father,  William  Taylor,  was  a  native  of  Fenner,  where  his  father,  Thomas  Taylor, 


132  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

settled  in  1803;  he  married  Alpha,  daughter  of  William  Ballon,  and  through  life  was 
a  farmer.  William  Taylor  married  Betsey,  daughter  of  Samuel  Putney,  who  was  a 
farmer  and  lumberman  in  the  town  of  Nelson  ;  he  died  in  1869,  the  result  of  an  acci- 
dent. Dr.  William  Taylor  was  educated  at  Fenner  and  Peterboro.  He  attended 
lectures  at  the  University  of  Buffalo  and  was  graduated  from  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  New  York  in  March,  1863.  He  was  appointed  assistant 
surgeon  of  the  33d  N.  Y.  Infantry  and  was  mustered  out  in  1863  with  the  regiment. 
He  was  then  commissioned  in  the  80th  Regiment,  N.  Y.  Infantry,  was  mustered  out 
in  1866,  and  returned  to  Madison  county  locating  in  Pompey  in  1867  and  in  Stock- 
bridge  in  1869,  where  he  remained  until  1873.  He  then  came  to  Canastota  and  en- 
gaged in  general  medical  and  surgical  practice.  In  1864  Dr.  Taylor  married  Jennie, 
daughter  of  Alexander  McGregor,  who  died  in  1866,  and  in  1869  he  married  Sarah, 
daughter  of  John  N.  Brewster;  their  children  are  William  B.  E.,  and  Marguerite  H. 
Dr.  Taylor  is  one  of  the  progressive  men  of  his  town,  was  coroner  nine  years,  mem- 
ber of  the  pension  examining  board  from  1889  to  1894,  and  reappointed  in  1897; 
member  of  the  board  of  education  twelve  years  and  of  Reese  Post,  No.  49,  G.  A.  R., 
the  first  established  in  Madi-son  county,  and  which  he  materially  aided  in  organizing. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  of  the  State  medical  society,  and  Central 
New  York  and  Madison  county  medical  societies. 


Ufford,  Joel,  was  born  in  Vermont,  December  9,  1823,  and  came  to  the  town  of 
Lenox  in  1834  with  his  father,  Joel  Ufford,  who  bought  his  farm  of  Peter  Smith.  In 
1848  Mr.  Uiford  married  Huldah  Marble,  and  their  children  are  George,  Curtis, 
Emma,  and  Mrs.  Mrs.  Ella  Shea.  Mr.  Ufford  is  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Madi- 
son county,  and  has  served  as  assessor.     He  is  a  progressive  and  respected  citizen. 


Watts,  John  R.,  was  born  in  the  county  of  Kent,  England,  September  13,  1829,  a 
son  of  John  and  Mary  (Watts)  Watts.  When  twenty  years  old  he  came  to  this  country 
arriving  in  New  York,  September  4,  1850,  and  in  Cazenovia  four  days  later.  For  a 
period  of  four  years  he  worked  at  the  book  binding  trade  under  the  firm  of  Mills, 
Crandall  &  Mosley.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  went  West,  working  at  the  book 
binding  trade  in  Madison,  Wis.  ;  Janesville,  Wis. ;  and  Chicago,  111.  He  returned 
east  in  1857,  was  in  a  hotel  in  Chittenango  about  two  years,  and  in  1860  located  in 
Cazenovia  in  painting  business.  In  the  fall  of  1863  Mr.  Watts  went  to  the  defense 
of  his  adopted  country,  enlisting  in  Company  K,  commanded  by  Seneca  Lake,  of 
the  114th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  and  serving  three  years.  For  a  period  of  over  ten  years  Mr. 
Watts  was  in  the  grocery  trade  in  Cazenovia  and  during  this  time  had  as  partners  at 
various  periods,  R.  K.  Blair,  Eber  D.  Peet,  and  Peter  P.  Cobb.  In  politics  Mr.  Watts 
has  been  a  consistent  Republican ;  has  served  the  village  as  fire  warden  three  years 
and  took  the  census  of  the  Second  election  district  in  1890.  He  is  a  member  of  Caz- 
enovia Lodge  No.  616,  F.  &  A  M.,  of  which  he  was  treasurer  fifteen  years;  and  Man- 
lius  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.  For  many  years  he  has  been  a  vestryman  and  is  now  treas- 
urer of  St.  Peter's  Episcopal  church.  In  January,  1890,  Mr.  Watts,  in  company  with 
William  Watkins,  purchased  the  old  concert  hall  called  the  "  Cazenove,"  which  they 
conducted  until  the  building  was  burned  in  1895.  He  is  now  secretary  and  treasurer 
nf  the  Cazenovia  Hall  Association.     Mr.  Watts  married  in  1860,  Mary  Jane  Powell 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  133 

Cobb,  and  of  this  union  is  one  son,  Willis  E.  Watts,  a  practicing  dentist  in  Lyons, 
France. 


Watkins,  William,  came  to  Cazenovia  March,  1863,  and  entered  the  general  store 
of  Hobbie,  Rouse  &  Clark  as  clerk.  He  remained  with  them  until  October,  1866, 
when  he  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Chappell,  Watkins  &  Co.,  publishers,  book- 
sellers and  stationers.  Two  years  later  he  bought  the  other  partners'  interests,  and 
has  conducted  the  business  successfully  ever  since,  and  thousands  of  students  all 
over  the  country  remember  Watkins's  bookstore  with  pleasure,  as  it  always  has  been 
a  center  of  student  life.  Mr.  Wattins  has  taken  a  just  pride  in  his  business  and 
aimed  to  elevate  it  to  the  dignity  of  a  profession.  He  is  widely  known  among  the 
publishers  of  the  country,  and  respected  for  his  prompt  and  honorable  methods.  He 
has  been  a  trustee  of  Cazenovia  Seminary  many  years,  and  always  sought  to  ad- 
vance its  mterests.  He  has  been  treasurer  of  the  public  school  over  twenty  years, 
and  been  treasurer  and  director  of  several  important  corporations,  and  been  found 
competent  and  faithful  in  all.  Mr.  Watkins  is  a  member  of  St.  Peter's  Episcopal 
church,  and  has  long  be^n  a  member  of  its  vestry.  He  was  born  at  Elmira,  N.  Y. , 
March  24,  1842.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  he  became  a  clerk  in  the  general  store  of 
Booth,  Watkins  &  Munson,  and  has  been  in  active  business  life  ever  since.  Mr. 
Watkins,  while  never  seeking  political  honors,  has  served  the  village  as  trustee,  pres- 
ident and  water  commissioner,  and  has  represented  his  party  both  at  county  and 
State  conventions.  Mr.  Watkins  is  president  of  the  Masonic  Veterans'  Association 
of  Central  New  York   and  a  charter  member  of  Cazenovia  Lodge. 


Winchell,  Wallace  M.,  son  of  Luman  and  Mary  (Wood)  Winchell,  was  born  in  the 
house  which  has  always  been  his  home,  September  19,  1833.  His  father,  who  was 
born  in  this  town  near  New  Woodstock,  was  a  man  of  prominence  in  his  time  and 
held  the  rank  of  captain  in  the  militia.  He  died  in  July,  1883.  John  (grandfather) 
Winchell  was  a  soldier  of  the  war  of  1812  and  died  from  exposure  endured  in  the 
service.  He  was  a  native  of  Connecticut  and  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  this  town. 
Wallace  M.  Winchell  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  has  always  been  a 
farmer.  He  succeeded  to  the  homestead  farm  of  240  acres  in  1858.  In  politics  he  is 
a  Democrat.  He  has  been  twice  married,  first  in  1865  to  Francis  Ingalls.  daughter 
of  Joseph  Ingalls  of  Lenox ;  his  second  wife  was  Arietta  Woodcock,  daughter  of 
John  Woodcock  of  Fenner.  Of  this  union  are  two  children:  Floyd  and  Flossie 
Winchell. 


Wells,  Edward  G.,  son  of  Lester  G.  and  Sarah  (Watson)  Wells,  born  October  10_ 
1857,  is  a  native  and  lifelong  resident  of  the  village  of  Cazenovia,  where  he  has  been 
in  the  furniture  and  undertaking  business  many  years;  succeeding  his  father  who 
began  trade  in  1843.  He  was  educated  in  the  Elllis  private  school  and  Cazenovia 
Seminary,  and  by  virtue  of  the  nature  of  his  business  and  long  residence  is  well 
known  throughout  the  vicinity.  He  married,  September  20,  1883,  Clara,  daughter 
of  Robert  Hammond  of  Osceola,  Tioga  county,  Pa.  ;  and  two  children  have  been 
born  of  this  union:  Margaret  S.  and  Lester  G.  Few  business  men  have  obtained  a 
better  name  in  this  community  than  did  Lester  G.  Wells.     He  was  born  in  Phelps, 


134  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Ontario  county,  N.  Y. ,  May  5,  1817;  being  the  son  of  Silas  and  Emily  (Royce)  Wells: 
and  died  in  Cazenovia  in  the  seventy-second  year  of  his  age  (November,  1889).  His 
father  was  a  tailor  by  trade  and  lived  in  Norwich,  N.  Y.,  Phelps,  N.  Y.,  and  later  in 
Cavenovia,  where  both  he  and  his  wife  were  buried.  The  family  were  poor  and 
Lester  G.  Wells  received  onlv  a  limited  education,  much  of  his  boyhood  being  spent 
in  the  employ  of  farmers  in  this  vicinity.  He  was  finally  apprenticed  to  Benjamin 
T.  Clark  under  whom  he  learned  the  cabinet  making  trade  and  to  whose  business  he 
eventually  succeeded,  taking  into  the  business  his  sons  D wight  W.  and  Edward  G., 
as  they  reached  maturity.  Mr.  Wells  was  a  man  of  excellent  business  qualifications 
and  most  exemplary  character.  The  Cazenovia  Republican  gives  him  the  following 
tribute  in  an  obituary:  "He  was  what  might  be  termed  a  strong  man.  Firm  in  his 
convictions  of  right  and  wrong  he  swerved  neither  to  the  right  or  left;  honorable  in 
all  his  dealings;  a  thorough  disciplinarian;  a  true  Christian  gentleman — this  was  his 
character  and  by  these  he  won  the  confidence,  respect  and  esteem  of  his  fellowmen. 
Of  a  naturally  affectionate  disposition  his  love  for  children  was  marked;  it  was  sel- 
dom his  large  wagon  passed  through  our  streets  without  containing  a  number  of 
happy  childish  faces.  By  these  and  all  others  who  knew  hira  this  worthy  man  will 
be  sadly  missed."  Mr.  Wells  married  June  3,  1846,  Sarah  Watson  (who  died  Decem- 
ber 15,  1898),  daughter  of  David  Watson  of  Hamilton.  Five  children  were  born  to 
them:  Silas  Dwight  and  Mary  V. ,  who  died  in  infancy;  D wight  Watson,  who  died 
in  1887;  Edward  G.,  and  Mrs.  Alfred  C.  Stoddard  of  Camden,  N.  Y.  The  Wells 
family  is  of  New  England  pioneer  stock  and  had  its  origin  in  this  country  in  the 
vicinity  of  New  London,  Conn.  Records  are  in  existence  which  show  that  members 
of  the  family  served  in  the  Continental  army  during  the  war  of  the  Revolution. 


Weaver  Bros.,  p.  o.  Valley  Mills. — This  firm  is  composed  of  Jacob  J.  and  Haripon 
Weaver,  sons  of  Jacob  J.,  who  was  born  in  Albany  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1801,  and  came 
to  Stockbridge  about  1840  and  settled  the  farm  the  Weaver  Bros,  now  own,  and  here 
died  July  29,  1875.  His  wife  was  Louisa,  daughter  of  Zachariah  Weaver,  an  early 
settler  of  Vernon.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weaver  had  eleven  children,  of  whom  eight  are 
now  living.  Jacob  J.  Weaver,  jr.,  was  born  in  Stockbridge,  March  13,  1855,  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools,  and  on  February  8,  1888,  married  Ida  Larapson, 
daughter  of  Ira  M.  and  Julia  A.  (Miller)  Lampson,  who  came  from  Utica  to  Oneida. 
N.  Y.  Harmon  Weaver  was  born  January  1,  1853,  and  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools.  He  married  Maria  Veeder  and  they  have  three  children:  Ella,  Mary  and 
Willie.  The  Weaver  Bros,  have  180  acres  of  land  and  follow  hop  growing  and 
dairying. 


White,  C.  C  ,  p.  o.  Stockbridge,  one  of  the  most  successful  business  men  of  Stock- 
bridge,  was  born  in  that  town,  November  19,  1834,  a  son  of  Henry  and  Hettie  (Ben- 
nett) While,  natives  of  Oswego  county,  N.  Y.  In  1834  they  came  to  Stockbridge, 
where  he  died  in  1847,  aged  fifty-two  years,  and  his  wife  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-one. 
Mr.  White's  grandfather  was  Zadoc  White,  who  lived  and  died  in  New  York  State. 
C.  C.  White  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  began  life  as  a  cabinet  maker 
and  undertaker,  which  business  he  followed  very  successfully  thirty-nine  years.  He 
was  very  popular  and  his  business  extended  over  considerable  territory.     Not  being 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  135 

able  to  endure  the  work  he  sold  out  in  1891  and  in  1896  engaged  in  the  hardware 
business.  Mr.  White  is  an  ardent  Democrat  and  has  been  assessor  five  years.  He 
is  a  member  of  Prosperity  Lodge  No.  484,  I.  O.  O.  F.  He  has  been  twice  married; 
first,  to  Eliza  Cramer,  by  whom  he  had  two  children :  Mary  A.  and  Theodore.  His 
second  wife  was  Lucy  C.  Bishop,  by  whom  one  child  has  been  born  to  them.  Alma 
B.  Mr.  White  owns  a  farm  of  168  acres  of  land,  besides  his  property  in  Stockbridge. 
He  started  in  a  poor  boy,  but  by  attending  strictly  to  business  has  become  one  of 
the  well-to-do  men  of  his  town. 


West,  Gen.  W.  M. ,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  was  born  at  Hamilton,  N.  Y.,  November  13, 
1858,  and  was  educated  at  the  parish  school  of  St.  Thomas  Episcopal  Church,  the 
public  school  and  Colgate  University.  He  entered  the  National  Hamilton  Bank  as 
office  boy  and  has  filled  all  positions  therein  up  to  president,  which  office  he  has 
held  since  1894;  he  was  cashier  previously  for  several  years.  General  West's  history 
forms  a  vital  part  of  the  recent  history  of  Hamilton.  He  has  always  taken  a  hearty 
and  intelligent  interest  in  the  welfare  and  progress  of  the  place,  and  after  the  disas- 
trous fire  no  one  was  more  active  than  he  in  building  up  the  beautiful  Hamilton  of 
today.  He  has  for  some  years  baen  treasurer  of  Colgate  University  and  is  naturally 
a  strong  friend  of  his  alma  mater.  He  has  also  served  as  president  of  the  board  of 
water  and  light  commissioners  since  its  organization.  In  politics  General  West  is  a 
Democrat  and  was  quartermaster-general  of  the  State  of  New  York  on  the  staff  of 
Governor  Flower.  In  1883  General  West  married  Alice  Gray,  and  they  have  one 
son,  David  Belford  West.  Mr.  West's  parents  were  David  Belford  and  Eliza  (Mott) 
West.  David  Belford  West  was  a  prominent  man  in  Hamilton,  and  was  president 
of  the  National  Hamilton  Bank  many  years;  he  died  in  1894.  Few  men  of  General 
West's  age  have  attained  such  prominence  and  success  in  so  many  different  lines;  a 
banker  of  high  standing,  a  distinctively  successful  quartermaster-general,  an  able 
business  man,  the  treasurer  of  a  great  university,  and  a  politician  who  has  repre- 
sented his  party  at  prominent  conventions  and  presided  at  their  counsels. 


Walrath,  George,  p.  o.  Chittenango,  belonging  to  one  of  the  most  prominent  and 
well-known  families  of  Chittenango,  and  a  son  of  the  late  Daniel  Walrath,  men- 
tioned elsewhere  in  this  work,  was  born  in  this -village  July  36,  1843,  He  has  always 
lived  in  the  town  of  his  birth,  except  for  a  residence  of  two  years  at  Bay  City,  Mich., 
where  he  was  engaged  in  the  grocery  business;  this  was  in  1869  and  1870.  February 
2,  1869,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Sarah  Comstock,  daughter  of  John  Comstock. 
Mr.  Walrath  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  was  president  of  the  village  for  six  years. 
He  is  not  now  engaged  in  any  business.  For  a  number  of  years  he  was  associated 
with  his  brother,  Peter  Walrath,  in  the  foundry,  and  was  at  one  time  engaged  in 
carriage  building,  etc. 


Woodbury,  John  N.,  merchant  and  farmer,  living  in  the  village  of  Peterboro,  born 
in  Peterboro  November  5,  1838,  son  of  Noah  Woodbury.  Noah  Woodbury,  father  of 
our  subject,  was  born  in  Leverett,  Mass.,  in  1805  and  came  to  the  town  of  Sraithfield 
when  a  young  man  and  settled  in  Peterboro  where  he  died  in  1880.  His  wife  was 
Betsey  Robertson  who  was  born  in  Fenner,    Madison  county  in  1810  and  died  in 


136  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Peterboro  in  1874.  They  left  four  children:  Mary  J.,  wife  of  Charles  H.  0.strander; 
John  N.,  Margaret  L.,  and  Helen  Place  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.  Jbhn  N.  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools  and  Peterboro  Academy ;  commenced  business  in  Peterboro  in 
1859  with  William  C.  Ives  and  has  continued  in  the  business  to  the  present  time,  ex- 
cepting three  years  while  acting  as  county  clerk.  On  June  14,  1864,  Mr.  Woodbury 
married  Ann  J.  Morison,  of  the  town  of  Lenox,  Madison  county,  and  they  have  three 
children:  Will  G.,  of  Council  Bluflfs,  Iowa;  Grace  M.,  wife  of  H.  W.  Ingalls;  Edith 
L. ,  wife  of  Harry  Ingalls.  Mrs.  Woodbury's  parents  were  Alexander  and  Margaret 
Robertson  Morison.  Her  father  was  born  on  board  vessel  at  Sandy  Hook  in  1806 
and  died  in  the  town  of  Lenox  in  1852.  Her  mother  born  in  Fenner,  N.  Y.,  in  1815, 
died  in  Lenox  in  1880;  all  were  of  Scotch  parentage.  Mr.  Woodbury  has  been  a  Re- 
publican since  the  organization  of  the  party;  was  town  clerk  of  his  town  four  years, 
justice  of  the  peace  eight  years,  county  clerk  three  years,  and  has  been  a  trustee  of 
Evans  Academy  twenty  years. 


Wright,  De  Estin,  p.  o.  Siloam,  was  born  in  Smithfield.  May  18,  1845,  a  son  of 
Isaac  J.,  son  of  Gideon  Wright,  who  came  from  Massachusetts  to  Madison  county  at 
an  early  day  and  here  died;  his  wife  was  Lydia  Shipman,  who  died  in  Smithfield. 
Isaac  J.  was  born  in  Smithfield,  May  28,  1813;  died  July  13,  1886.  He  was  a  car- 
penter by  trade;  his  wife  was  Fannie  Parks  of  Smithfield.  born  April  29,  1814,  and 
died  April  17,  1888.  Her  father,  Barnabas  Parks,  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of 
Smithfield.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wright  had  nine  children,  eight  now  living.  De  Estin 
Wright  was  educated  in  the  common  schools,  is  engaged  in  farming  and  is  also  a 
carpenter  by  trade.  In  1893  he  married  Fannie  E.  Apker,  born  in  Wisconsin,  a 
daughter  of  Henry  P.,  and  Betsey  E.  Apker,  and  they  have  two  children:  Henry  J., 
born  February  10,  1894.  and  Harold  D.,  born  September  5,  1895.  In  politics  Mr. 
Wright  is  a  Republican  and  has  been  justice  of  the  peace  seven  years,  which  office 
he  now  holds ;  he  has  been  notary  public  eight  years. 


Wilson,  John  H.,  was  born  in  Canastota,  September  29,  1856..  His  father,  Theo- 
dore A.  Wilson,  was  a  native  of  Windsor,  and  came  to  Madison  county  in  1847,  set- 
tling m  the  town  of  Lenox.  He  married  Elvira  F. ,  daughter  of  Capt.  Daniel  Lewis, 
who  was  superintendent  for  years  on  the  Erie  Canal,  and  superintendent  of  the 
Utica  and  Syracuse  railroad.  Theodore  A.  Wilson  was  identified  with  mercantile 
circles  and  m  the  later  years  of  life  in  farming;  he  was  prominent  in  the  history  of  the 
M.  E.  church,  of  which  he  was  trustee  and  treasurer,  and  was  interested  in  its  Sun- 
day suhool ;  he  died  October  14,  1898.  John  H  Wilson  was  educated  in  Canastota 
and  Rochester.  In  1883  he  married  Julia  E.,  daughter  of  Cyrus  Clark  Williams,  a 
native  of  Cooperstown ;  they  have  one  son,  Clark.  Mr.  Wilson  is  one  of  the  progres- 
sive men  of  his  town,  taking  an  active  interest  in  school  and  church  matters,  and  has 
served  as  trustee  of  the  M.  E.  church.  He  has  aimed  to  promote  the  best  interests  of 
his  town  and  is  a  respected  citizen. 


White,  Charles  M.,  M.  D.,  p.  o.  Georgetown,  a  widely  known  citizen  of  George- 
town, held  in  much  re.spect  for  professional  skill  and  for  the  active  interest  he  has 
taken  in  matters  pertaining  to  the  public  good,  is  a  son  of  Elijah  and  Betsey  (Madi- 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  137 

son)  White,  born  in  the  town  of  Nelson,  Madison  county,  N.  Y. ,  September  15,  1829. 
While  his  remote  ancestors  were  of  German-English  descent,  his  parents  were  born 
in  Massachusetts.  Dr.  White's  boyhood  was  spent  in  school  and  his  father's  black- 
smith shop,  which  trade  he  learned  and  followed  for  some  time.  On  January  1,  1850, 
he  married  Wealthy  L. ,  daughter  of  Leander  Edgerton.  Not  long  after  his  marriage 
he  began  to  read  medicine  and  later  entered  the  office  of  Dr.  John  Heffron,  and  in 
1863  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  company  with  Dr.  Hiram  Scranton,  with 
whom  he  was  associated  eight  years.  In  1870  this  copartnership  was  dissolved,  since 
which  time  Dr.  White  has  been  engaged  in  practice  alone.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Central  New  York  Medical  Society:  he  is  no  aspirant  for  political  office,  finding  in 
the  delights  of  his  home  life  and  the  duties  of  his  practice  more  pleasure  than  in  the 
turmoil  of  civic  affairs.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  White  have  had  four  children;  Charles  R., 
Anna  V.  (deceased),  Emma  F.  (Mrs.  Simon  Duell),  and  Eva  (deceased).  Dr.  White 
has  never  been  a  professed  member  of  any  church,  but  is  broad-minded,  liberal,  and 
just  toward  all  creeds.  He  and  his  wife  have  had  many  friends  and  admirers  and 
both  occupy  a  place  among  the  best  society  of  Madison  county.  Mrs.  White  died 
March  19,  1899. 


Wood,  Fred  R.,  p.  o.  Sheds,  a  resident  farmer  of  the  town  of  De  Ruyter,  which 
has  been  his  home  for  thirty-four  years,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Georgetown,  N.  Y. . 
October  19,  18B1,  a  son  of  Erastus  and  Seloria  (Richardson)  Wood.  When  he  was 
three  years  of  age  his  parents  removed  to  Shed's  Corners,  where  his  father  kept  a 
hotel  for  fifteen  years.  Mr.  Wood  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  De 
Ruyter,  but  learned  more  by  actual  contact  with  the  world  than  from  books.  The 
habits  formed  in  early  life  have  remained  with  him  and  still  influence  his  conduct. 
In  January,  1883,  he  married  Jennie,  daughter  of  Levi  and  Marie  (Wilson)  Cook,  and 
they  have  three  children:  Maud,  Earl  and  Grace.  In  politics  Mr.  Wood  uniformly 
supports  the  Republican  party,  which  finds  him  a  hard  worker  and  firm  in  his  adhe- 
rence to  its  principles.  He  has  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  since  1888. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  De  Ruyter  Lodge,  No.  692,  F.  and  A.  M. 


Wager,  Philip  H.,  p.  o.  Chittenango,  was  born  on  the  homestead  farm  where  he 
now  resides,  September  9,  1838.  Alexander  S.  Wager,  his  father,  of  Holland-Dutch 
ancestry,  came  here  among  the  pioneer  settlers  from  Columbia  county  when  a  young 
man.  The  first  American  ancestor  was  Peter  Wager,  a  wine  merchant  of  Philadel- 
phia. Philip  H.  Wager  is  largely  engaged  in  farming,  having  200  acres  of  arable 
land  about  two  miles  from  Chittenango.  In  politics  he  is  not  a  partisan, _  but  he 
always  promoted  the  best  public  interests  of  the  community.  Nominally  a  staunch 
Republican,  he  represented  the  town  of  Sullivan  on  the  board  of  supervisor?  in  1893 
and  1894,  commanding  the  respect  of  his  political  opponents  and  the  strong  fealty  of 
his  constituents.  October  7,  1863,  he  married  Emily  M.  Annas  of  Cazenovia,  daughter 
of  Alanson  Annas,  a  pioneer  farmer  of  that  town:  they  have  had  three  daughters: 
Susie  A.,  Maria  A.,  and  Louise  A.,  all  of  whom  have  become  successful  teachers  of 
youth. 


Judson  W.  Warner,  third  son  and  fifth  child  of  William  and  Electa  (Harrington) 


138  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE 

Warner,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Van  Buren,  Onondaga  county,  N.  Y. ,  November  5, 
1837.  His  ancestry  is  traced  through  nine  generations  in  this  country  to  1650.  The 
family  originated  in  Kent,  Essex,  and  Leicester,  England.  The  line  to  which  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  belongs  originated  in  this  country  in  Woodbury,  Conn.,  and  is 
thus  delineated:  First,  John;  .second,  John;  third.  John;  fourth.  Dr.  Ebenezer ; 
fifth,  Thomas;  si.xth,  Samuel;  seventh,  Seth ;  eighth,  William;  and  ninth,  Judson 
W.  The  Seth  of  the  seventh  generation  was  first  cousin  of  Col.  Seth  Warner,  the 
famous  Vermont  hero  of  the  Revolution,  and  was  christened  by  him.  Samuel  of  the 
sixth  generation  served  and  was  wouuded  in  the  Revolution.  Seth  of  the  seventh 
generation  was  a  captain  in  the  war  of  1812.  Dr.  Ebenezer  of  the  fourth  generation 
was  one  of  eight  in  his  hue  who  won  excellent  repute  in  the  practice  of  medicine. 
William  of  the  eighth  generation  was  born  in  Van  Buren,  Onondaga  county,  N.  Y., 
in  1807,  and  Electa  Harrington,  his  wife,  was  born  in  the  same  town.  They  married 
May  8,  1827.  Electa  Harrington  was  a  lineal  descendant  in  the  fourth  generation  of 
Rev.  Jones,  a  Baptist  minister  who  came  to  this  country  soon  after  the  arrival  of  the 
Mayflower.  Her  grandfather,  Silas  Brown,  served  with  honor  in  the  Revolutionary 
war,  and  her  father,  Dr.  Lionel  Harrington,  won  fame  and  an  uutiraely  death  in  the 
war  of  1812.  Judson  W.  Warner  was  educated  in  the  district  schools,  and  at  the 
Union  School  in  Jordan,  N.  Y.  He  learned  surveying  and  engineering  at  the  acad- 
emy of  Dr.  T.  K.  Wright  at  Elbridge,  N.  Y.  In  the  spring  of  1857  he  went  West 
and  found  a  position  as  deputy  county  surveyor  of  Ramsey  county,  Minnesota,  with 
headquarters  at  St.  "Paul.  Here  he  assisted  in  laying  out  three  additions  to  the  city 
of  St.  Paul,  and  in  other  work  of  like  nature  throughout  the  county.  He  also  per- 
sonally laid  out  what  is  now  the  main  highway  from  St.  Paul  to  Minneapolis,  which 
reaches  the  river  opposite  Fort  Snelling.  After  relinquishing  this  position  he  went 
to  the  State  of  Illinois  and  engaged  in  teaching  school  one  winter,  taking  a  position 
the  following  spring  with  a  firm  of  marble  dealers  at  Peoria,  111.,  with  whom  he  re- 
mained about  eighteen  months.  In  the  fall  of  1859  he  returned  East,  and  after 
looking  about  for  some  time  engaged  in  a  hardware  business  at  Canastota  in  the 
spring  of  1861,  thus  beginning  his  long  and  honorable  business  career  in  Madison 
county.  He  soon  rented  a  store  in  Oneida  and  began  a  similar  business,  conducting 
both  stores  two  years,  at  the  end  of  this  period  selling  the  Canastota  store  and  loca- 
ting permanently  in  Oneida  (1863)  Until  January,  1868,  he  successfully  conducted 
a  hardware  and  house  furnishing  goods  business,  and  also  dealt  extensively  in  coal, 
wood,  and  lumber  in  Oneida.  In  February,  1868,  Mr.  Warner  purchased  the  lot  on 
the  corner  of  Main  street  and  Vanderbilt  avenue  where  the  Warner  block  now  stands, 
and  began  the  erection  of  a  business  block.  To  further  occupy  his  time  while  build- 
ing he  purchased  the  old  established  hardware  business  of  James  A.  Bennett  which 
he  conducted  three  years.  In  the  fall  of  1869,  having  completed  the  four  story  build- 
ing up  to  a  point  ready  to  receive  the  roof,  a  severe  storm  demolished  the  structure 
to  such  an  extent  that  eventually  every  brick  had  to  be  replaced.  The  sympathy  of 
the  entire  community  was  aroused  in  Mr.  Warner's  behalf,  and  while  he  was  on  top 
of- the  building  busily  engaged  in  trying  to  secure  it,  a  subscription  of  nearly  $3,000 
was  raised  among  the  onlookers  on  the  impulse  of  the  moment.  Upon  learning  the 
facts  Mr.  Warner  requested  that  the  matter  should  be  dismissed  at  once,  saying  he 
could  not  afford  to  accept  contributions,  however  great  his  loss.  This  affords  a  good 
illustration    of   the  independence  and  self-reliance  which  have   characterized  Mr. 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  139 

Warner  during  all  of  his  business  life.  During  the  following  summer  he  rebuilt  the 
edifice  on  a  much  larger  scale  and  with  the  addition  to  the  opera  house  it  is  now  one 
of  the  finest  business  blocks  of  Madison  county.  In  May.  1871,  Mr.  Warner  moved 
his  business  into  the  second  store  of  the  block,  and  in  the  following  year  he  engaged 
in  the  safe  business  with  his  brother,  H.  H.  Warner,  under  the  firm  name  of  Warner 
&  Brother,  taking  the  eastern  portion  of  the  United  States,  with  branch  stores  at 
New  York  and  Boston.  He  retained  his  home  and  interests  in  Oneida.  When  H. 
H  Warner  established  his  famous  Safe  remedy  business  at  Rochester,  N.  Y. ,  the 
safe  business  was  discontinued.  In  starting  the  proprietary  medicine  business  Mr. 
Warner,  although  not  a  partner,  gave  valuable  service  in  looking  after  various  de- 
tails, including  advertising,  the  purchase  of  material  and  the  sale  of  goods,  while 
his  brother  did  the  general  planning  of  the  great  enterprise.  In  looking  after  these 
details  Mr.  Warner  was  called  to  all  parts  of  the  United  States,  and  portions  of  Can- 
ada, and  probably  no  man  engaged  in  this  line  of  business  has  covered  more  terri- 
tory, north,  south,  east,  and  west  than  he;  on  one  of  his  trips  he  travelled  7,288 
miles.  In  the  fall  of  1883  Mr.  Warner,  wishing  to  escape  such  active  life,  gave  up 
the  busmess  and  returned  to  Oneida,  soon  afterward  building  his  beautiful  residence 
on  Main  street.  In  1883,  realizing  the  great  need  of  a  pure  water  supply  for  the  vil- 
lage, he  began  the  construction  of  a  water  works  system,  one  of  the  best  of  his  many 
contributions  to  the  advancement  of  this  village.  The  system  was  built  after  his 
own  survey  and  under  his  management,  and  because  of  this  the  corporate  name  was 
adopted  as  the  Warner  Water  Works.  After  years  of  trial  the  system  has  proven  to 
be  one  of  the  best  in  the  State;  it  was  acquired  by  the  village  in  1895.  Soon  after 
the  completion  of  the  water  works,  a  hose  company  composed  of  many  leading  citi- 
zens was  organized  and  in  his  honor  named  the  Warner  Hose  Company,  which,  on 
account  of  the  prominence  of  its  members,  stimulated  interest  in  the  fire  department. 
Mr.  Warner,  in  order  to  occupy  one  of  the  vacant  stores  in  his  block,  formed  a  co- 
partnership with  S.  Allen  Clark,  a  practical  dry  goods  dealer,  and  A.  S.  Whitman, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Clark,  Whitman  &  Warner  for  the  conduct  of  a  general  dry 
goods  business.  This  enterprise,  now  one  of  the  largest  of  its  kind  in  the  county,  is 
conducted  under  the  firm  name  of  S.  Allen  Clark  &  Co.  In  1884  Mr.  Warner  rebuilt 
the  three  story  brick  building  on  Madison  street  known  as  the  Sheppard  Block,  and 
after  the  destruction  of  the  Oneida  Mills  by  fire  he  purchased  the  site  and  rebuilt 
the  mills  which  he  operated  about  one  year,  selling  to  Rathburn  &  Sawyer,  who 
formed  the  present  Rathburn-Sawyer  Co.  In  1887  Mr.  Warner  engaged  in  another 
enterprise  which  gave  to  Oneida  a  place  among  the  foremost  villages  of  the  State  in 
point  of  modern  improvements.  At  that  time  the  use  of  electricity  for  lighting  was 
not  common,  but  after  considerable  investigation  he  decided  to  install  an  electric 
lighting  system  in  Oneida,  and  built  his  plant  on  the  site  of  his  present  building  on 
Vanderbuilt  avenue.  In  1891  he  erected  the  four  story  Warner  industrial  building, 
fronting  fifty  feet  on  Vanderbilt  avenue,  eighty-four  feet  on  Central  avenue,  and  120 
feet  deep,  directly  over  and  inclosing  the  first  plant.  This  building  is  said  to  be  one 
of  the  finest  manufacturing  buildings  of  New  York  State,  and  the  plant  is  considered 
equal  to  many  in  the  larger  cities.  In  1892  he  began  a  business  in  plumbing  sup- 
plies and  heating  apparatus  and  again  demonstrated  his  native  ability,  for  in  his  in- 
vestigation of  different  heating  apparatus,  he  was  led  to  invent  many  improvements 
on  which  he  secured  valuable  patents.     A  company  was  formed  under  the  title,  The 


140  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Warner  Safety  Boiler  Co.,  of  which  he  is  the  principal  owner,  and  the  "  Warner 
Safety  Boilers"  have  attained  a  large  sale.  These  boilers  were  exhibited  at  the 
World's  Columbian  Exposition  and  obtained  the  highest  award  granted.  For  years 
Mr.  Warner  agitated  the  building  of  the  horse  street  railroad  through  the  village, 
and  that  it  was  largely  due  to  his  persistence  that  a  company  was  finally  formed  and 
the  road  constructed.  The  foregoing  is  but  a  brief  synopsis  of  the  active  and  useful 
life  of  one  of  the  most  prominent  citizens  of  Oneida  and  Madison  county.  During 
his  entire  career  Mr.  Warner  has  been  a  man  of  large  affairs,  for  the  development 
of  which  he  seems  to  have  been  eminently  well  fitted  by  nature  and  experience.  A 
man  of  perfect  habits,  pos.sessed  of  excellent  ability,  keen  foresight,  and  rugged 
honesty,  it  is  not  difficult  to  determine  the  causes  of  his  success.  Mr.  Warner  is  the 
largest  individual  taxpayer  of  the  village;  he  is  a  man  of  great  public  spirit  v.'hich 
has  been  manifested  not  in  words,  but  in  deeds,  and  enjoys  the  respect  and  confi- 
dence of  his  fellow  citizens.  For  many  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Oneida 
Baptist  church.  He  married  January  20,  1886,  Mary  E.  Dodge,  daughter  of  Morris 
E.  Dodge,  an  old  resident  and  respected  citizen  of  the  town  of  Vernon,  Oneida 
county.  Mrs.  Warner  enjoys  much  social  popularity  in  Oneida,  and  has  been  active 
in  church  and  charitable  work. 


Witter,  William  E.,  .son  of  Russell  G.  and  Sarah  (Williams)  Witter,  was  born  at 
Adams,  Jefferson  county,  N.  Y.,  July  8,  1832.  His  father,  a  farmer,  subsequently 
removed  to  Verona,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y. ,  where  he  died.  Mr.  Witter  was  educated 
in  the  district  schools  and  assisted  in  the  conduct  of  his  father's  farm.  When  still  a 
youth  he  began  work  on  the  canal,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty  purchased  a  boat,  which 
he  ran  for  one  season  and  then  sold,  returning  to  the  farm  where  he  remained  until 
18G9.  In  that  year  he  removed  to  Durhamville  where  he  resided  upwards  of  seven- 
teen years,  following  the  business  of  boat  building,  canal  forwarding,  and  keeping  a 
canal  supply  store.  Mr.  Witter  has  been  engaged  in  the  canal  forwarding  business 
nearly  all  his  active  life,  and  is  well  known  to  those  having  canal  interests  through- 
out the  State.  For  many  years  he  made  his  headquarters  at  Buffalo.  In  the  fall  of 
1886  he  settled  permanently  in  Oneida,  where  he  has  since  resided.  Mr.  Witter  mar- 
ried, in  1861,  Louisa,  daughter  of  Joseph  Lawton,  and  eight  children  were  born  to 
them,  five  of  whom  survive:  MrS;  W.  A.  Brundage  of  Durhamville,  Mrs.  W.  M.  Price 
of  St.  Louis,  Mrs.  S.  A.  Campbell  of  Oneida,  Mrs.  E.  H.  Carpenter  of  Oneida,  and 
Carrie  B.  Witter. 


Williams,  William  R.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Trenton,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y. 
March  26,  1828,  a  son  of  Robert  Z.  and  Eliza  (Guthrie)  Williams.  His  father  was 
born  in  Wales  and  came  to  this  country  with  his  parents  in  1802  when  about  two 
years  old.  They  settled  first  in  Philadelphia  where  they  made  the  acquaintance  of 
Barton  Steuben,  who  induced  them  to  remove  to  Oneida  county,  whither  they  went 
in  1816,  traveling  all  the  way  by  team.  Robert  Z.Williams  was  educated  in  Philadel- 
phia and  afterward  attended  Hamilton  Theological  Seminary,  He  was  ordained  at 
the  Baptist  Church  in  Steuben,  Oneida  county,  and  was  pastor  at  different  places  in 
that  county,  remaining  in  the  ministry  until  his  death  at  the  age  seventy-three  years. 
William  R.  Williams  attended  a  school  known  as  Hobart  Hall  at  Holland  Patent,  the 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  141 

Oneida  Castle  Seminary  and  Whitestown  Seminary.  At  eighteen  he  commenced 
teaching  school  and  until  he  reached  his  twenty-fifth  year  taught  each  winter,  em- 
ploying his  spare  time  learning  the  carpenters'  trade.  In  1865  he  located  in  Oneida 
and  began  business  as  a  contractor  and  builder.  Mr.  Williams  has  built  numerous 
public  and  private  buildings  in  Oneida;  he  has  always  been  an  active  man,  and  is 
considered  one  of  the  prominent  and  valuable  citizens  of  this  village.  He  has  long 
been  a  staunch  Republican,  and  is  a  member  of  long  standing  of  the  First  Baptist 
Church.  He  married  in  September,  18!51,  Mary  L.  Kingsbury,  a  native  of  Hartford, 
Conn.,  and  daughter  of  Flavel  Kingsbury.  Four  children  have  been  born  to  them: 
Henry  J.,  George  S.,  Frank  P.  and  Delia  T.,  wife  of  Dr.  Otto  Pfaff  of  Oneida. 


Westcott,  James  H.,  son  of  John  H.  and  Helen  (Williams)  Westcott,  was  born  in 
Oneida,  November  17,  1861.  His  father  was  a  native  of  the  village  of  Lafayette, 
near  Syracuse,  and  learned  the  machinists'  trade  at  Providence,  R.  I.  He  removed 
to  Oneida  and  became  foreman  of  the  works  of  the  Oneida  Steam  Engine  Company, 
formed  by  Henry  Wilson  for  the  manufacture  of  steam  engines.  Here  he  perfected 
his  invention  of  the  "  Westcott  Chuck,"  which  was  manufactured  for  a  time  by  that 
company.  In  1885  the  Westcott  Chuck  Company  was  incorporated  for  the  manu- 
facture of  this  device,  with  a  capital  stock  of  §50,000.  which  was  later  increased  to 
§150,000.  Mr.  Westcott  died  December  29,  1886.  James  H.  Westcott  was  educated 
in  the  Oneida  public  schools  and  when  fifteen  years  of  age  began  to  learn  the  ma- 
chinist's trade  in  the  works  of  the  company.  He  has  spent  his  life  m  this  plant,  be- 
ing now  superintendent  of  the  Westcott  Chuck  Company.  Mr.  Westcott  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Oneida  Lodge  No.  370,  F.  &  A.  M.  He  married,  in  1881,  Nellie,  daughter  of 
Henry  Burdick  of  South  Bay. 


(  Waterman,  Stephen  C. ,  son  of  Rehal  and  Susan  (Colvin)  Waterman,  was  born  in 
the  town  of  Lenox,  this  county,  May  16, 1843.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools, 
and  Monroe  county  academy  at  East  Henrietta.  In  1862  he  enlisted  in  Co.  A.,  11 1th 
N.  Y.  Volunteers,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  participating  in  the  Wilder- 
ness campaign,  the  engagements  before  Richmond  and  at  Appomattox.  He  was 
honorably  discharged  June  13,  1865,  and  came  to  Oneida  where  for  one  year  he  was 
employed  as  a  clerk  in  the  grocery  store  of  A.  Hill  &  Son.  Subsequently  he  worked 
as  a  clerk  in  D.  C.  Colvin'sshoe  store  five  years,  and  following  this  period  established 
a  boot  and  shoe  store  in  association  with  J.  F.  Cody  (1871)  forming  the  firm  of  Cody 
&  Waterman.  After  six  years  Mr.  Cody  retired  and  for  five  years  subsequent  Mr. 
Waterman  conducted  the  business  alone.  In  1883  he  bought  the  clothing  business  of 
C.  I.  Walrath  &  Sons,  in  which  enterprise  he  was  associated  with  F.  P.  Klock,  form- 
ing the  firm  of  Waterman  &  Klock.  In  1889  Mr.  Klock  was  succeeded  by  Fred 
Hodges,  forming  the  present  firm  of  Waterman  &  Hodges.  Mr.  Waterman  has  been 
in  business  at  his  present  location  eighteen  years.  He  has  been  active  in  Republican 
politics  and  has  frequently  held  positions  of  public  trust,  serving  as  village  clerk  one 
year,  town  clerk  one  year,  and  as  village  trustee  two  years.  In  1895  he  was  elected 
supervisor  of  the  new  town  of  Oneida,  and  still  holds  this  office  to  which  he  has  been 
elected  three  successive  times.  In  April,  1899.  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of 
canals  for  Section  5,  extending  from  Canastota  to  Herkimer.     Mr.  Waterman  is  a 


143  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

member  of  Oneida  Lodge,  No.  270,  F.  &  A.  M.  ;  and  a  charter  member  John  R.  Ste- 
ward Post  No.  174,  G.  A.  R.,  which  he  has  served  as  trustee  for  the  past  twelve 
years.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  a  continuous  director  of  the  Farmer's  and 
Merchant's  Bank ;  is  a  stockholder  of  the  Rathbun  Sawyer  Company,  the  Oneida 
Silver  Plating  Works,  and  the  National  Chuck  Company.  Mr.  Waterman  married 
in  1871,  Maggie  A.  Walrath,  daughter  of  C.  I.  Walrath  of  Oneida.  Two  children 
have  been  born  to  them:  Flora  A.,  and  Charles  I.  Waterman. 


Wentz,  George,  who  has  been  a  resident  farmer  near  Oneida  Castle  for  many 
years,  was  b^rn  in  Binghamton,  N.  Y.,  May  19,  1840,  a  son  of  Peter  Wentz.  His 
father  was  engaged  during  the  civil  war  in  building  military  railroads,  and  in  this 
sometimes  exiting  and  dangerous  work  the  son  assisted.  Mr.  Wentz  is  of  German 
descent.  He  was  educated  m  the  common  schools  of  Binghamton,  where  he  resided, 
with  the  exception  of  the  war  period,  until  1881.  In  that  year  he  removed  to  his 
present  farm  near  the  village  of  Oneida  Castle  where  he  has  resided  for  a  period  of 
eighteen  years;  he  is  well  known  in  this  vicinity.  Mr.  Wentz  married,  in  1879,  Helen 
Forbes  Hopcraft. 

Hopcraft,  Thomas,  born  October  31,  1844,  and  died  April  2,  1875,  was  the  first 
telegraph  operator  at  the  Ontario  and  Western  depot  in  Oneida.  He  was  born  in  Ox- 
fordshire, England,  a  son  of  George  and  Maria  (Price)  Hopcraft,  and  when  he  was 
an  infant  his  parents  removed  to  this  country,  settling  in  Oneida.  Mr.  Hopcraft  at- 
tended the  common  schools  of  Oneida,  and  later  the  Syracuse  Business  College. 
When  only  eighteen  years  old  he  enlisted  in  Co.  G.,  82d  N.  Y.  Volunteers,  and  after 
serving  three  years,  was  wounded  and  for  eleven  months  was  in  the  Elmira  Hospital. 
He  was  the  first  ticket  agent  and  operator  at  Oneida,  Ontario  and  Western,  at  a  sta- 
tion near  Elmira,  and  later  at  Binghamton.  where  he  died.  Mr.  Hopcraft  married 
Helen  Forbes,  and  of  this  union  is  one  daughter.  Miss  Eva  Hopcraft,  an  artist  of 
Oneida  and  New  York  city.  The  father  of  Helen  Forbes  was  George  Forbes,  born 
in  Hartford,  Conn.,  in  June,  1811;  married  in  1830,  Clarissa  Webster.  At  eighteen 
years  of  age  he  became  a  glass  blower  at  Redwood,  N.  Y. ,  continuing  many  years. 
Later  he  removed  to  Oneida,  settled  on  a  farm  and  also  conducted  a  livery  stable  un- 
til his  death,  September  6.  1894.  Clarissa,  his  wife,  died  at  the  age  of  forty-two 
years,  January  15,  1856,  leaving  seven  children ;  one  died  in  infancy. 


Brown,  H.  Clifft,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Brookfield,  February  14,  1857,  a  son  of 
Stephen,  a  son  of  Justice  H.,  son  of  Elder  Simeon  Brown,  a  native  of  North  Stoning- 
ton.  Conn.,  and  a  son  of  Elder  Simeon  Brown,  who  was  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church 
at  North  Stonington  for  fifty  years.  The  family  is  of  English  descent  and  date  back 
to  one  John  Brown,  who  settled  at  Stonington.  Elder  Simeon  Brown  came  to 
Brookfield  in  1791  and  was  a  licensed  missionary  from  North  Stonington,  and  in  1798 
founded  the  Baptist  church  of  Brookfield,  where  he  spent  his  days  and  died  in  1836. 
This  church  was  the  second  organized  in  the  town  of  Brookfield,  the  first  being  the 
First  Seventh  Day  Baptist  church  of  Brookfield,  organized  at  Leonardsville  in  1797, 
by  Elder  Henry  Clarke.  Elder  Brown  located  on  land  that  has  since  remained  in 
the  family  and  Stephen  Brown  owns  a  part  of  said  land.     Justice  H.  Brown  became 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  143 

heir  to  most  of  the  homestead;  his  wife,  Susanah  Main,  was  a  daughter  of  Deacon 
Daniel  Main,  an  early  settler  of  the  town.  Stephen  Brown  was  born  in  Brooktield, 
November  37,  1824,  and  educated  in  the  Brookfield  Academy.  He  is  a  farmer  by 
occupation,  his  farm  of  100  acres  which  is  a  part  of  the  Elder  Simeon  Brown  home- 
stead. Mr.  Brown  and  his  family  attend  the  Seventh  Day  Baptist  church  at  Leon- 
ardsville.  His  wife  was  Lucinda  A.  Ellison,  born  May  30,  1832.  a  daughter  of  Stephen 
Ellison,  who  came  from  Brookfield,  Mass.,  about  1840;  they  had  three  children;  H. 
Clift,  Cora  J.,  wife  of  C.  M.  Bassett,  who  lives  with  her  father  on  the  homestead,  and 
Addie,  wife  of  Samuel  Spring  of  Colorado.  Mrs.  Brown  died  November  30,  1897. 
Dr.  H.  C.  Brown  was  reared  in  Brookfield  on  the  old  farm,  and  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools,  Brookfield  Academy  and  Alfred  University.  After  pursuing  his 
studies  in  Alfred  University  at  Alfred.  N.  Y. ,  about  two  years,  he  began  teaching  in 
his  native  town.  Although  a  very  successful  teacher,  he  decided  to  make  medicine 
his  life  work,  and  began  reading  with  Dr.  A.  L.  Saunders  of  Brookfield,  afid  by  hard 
work,  teaching  during  the  day  and  studying  nights,  he  entered  Syracuse  University, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  M.  D.  in  1881.  He  began  his  practice  that  same  year 
at  South  Brookfield,  and  in  1885  removed  to  Brookfield,  where  he  is  now  practicing. 
Dr.  Brown  is  a  man  of  strong  character,  yet  retiring  in  disposition,  believing  that 
faithful,  untiring  work  brings  its  sure  reward.  His  large  and  lucrative  practice  built 
on  such  a  foundation  is  unquestionable  proof  of  its  truth.  The  Madison  County 
Medical  Society  has  honored  him  by  making  him  its  president  and  vice-president. 
He  is  a  close  student  and  in  order  to  keep  abreast  of  the  times  takes  as  occasion  per- 
mits post-graduate  instruction  in  the  New  York  Post-Graduate  Schools.  Politically, 
Dr.  Brown  is  a  lifelong  Republican,  well  posted  in  political  history  and  believing 
that  the  principles  advocated  by  the  Republican  party,  when  honestly  and  faithfully 
carried  out,  will  always  bring  national  prosperity.  In  1877  Dr.  Brown  married  Car- 
oline Babcock,  daughter  of  Gideon  Babcock  of  Plainfield,  N.  Y. ;  they  have  had  four 
children:  Hubert  J.  (deceased),  Kearn  B.,  Ruth  L.,  and  Elston  S.  (deceased).  The 
Doctor  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Second  Seventh  Day  Baptist  church  of  Brook- 
field and  are  both  are  very  active  in  church  and  charitable  work. 


Langworthy,  William  F.,  A.  M.,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  was  born  at  West  Edmeston, 
Otsego  county,  N.  Y.,  May  4,  1864,  a  son  of  Hollum  and  Rosina  (Pope)  Langworthy. 
His  great  grandfather,  Nathan  Langworthy,  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Madi- 
son county,  having  come  from  Rhode  Island  to  Brookfield  in  1806.  Prof.  Lang- 
worthy was  prepared  for  college  at  Brookfield  Academy,  and  then  entered  Colgate 
University,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1887.  He  then  began  his 
career  as  a  teacher,  his  first  position  being  in  the  Keystone  Academy,  Factoryville, 
Pa.,  where  he  remained  three  years.  lu  1890  he  accepted  the  position  of  professor 
of  science  in  Colgate  Academy,  which  position  he  still  occupies.  In  1890  Prof.  Lang- 
worthy married  Lois  C.  Babcock  of  Hamilton,  and  they  have  two  daughters:  Caro- 
line Pearl  and  Margaret  B. 


Stone,  Rev.  Lewis  B.,  who  died  in  Cazenovia,  August  17,  1866,  in  the  sixtieth  year 
of  his  age,  was  born  in  Massachusetts  in  1806.  In  1832  he  removed  to  Schoharie 
county," N.  Y.     He  had  begun  to  interest  himself  in  religious  work  in  1833,  and  in 


144  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

1842,  after  having  served  the  church  for  some  time  as  an  exhorter,  he  was  licensed 
as  a  local  preacher,  in  virhich  capacity  he  remained  until  his  death.  He  served  the 
church  as  a  traveling  preacher  under  the  presiding  elder  within  the  rounds  of  the 
New  York  conference,  for  some  time  on  the  Delaware  mission  and  for  three  years 
on  the  Cohocton  circuit.  He  then  retired  from  the  itinerant  work  and  opened  a  gen- 
eral store  at  Harpersfield,  Delaware  county,  and  while  thus  engaged  lost  an  arm 
through  a  railroad  accident.  In  1855  he  removed  to  Cazenovia,  and  while  living 
here  served  with  acceptability  and  profit  the  charges  of  Delphi,  Bethel  and  Peck's 
Hill,  where  he  labored  three  years.  As  a  citizen  he  was  honored  with  several  public 
offices  which  he  filled  with  fidelity  and  usefulness;  as  a  business  man  he  was  char- 
acterized by  promptitude  and  energy,  and  as  a  pastor  loved  the  principles  of  the 
gospel  and  attempted  to  exemplify  them  in  his  life,  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was 
president  of  the  village.  He  married,  in  1843,  Samantha  Hartwell,  daughter  of  Sol- 
omon Hartwell  of  Schoharie  county,  N.  Y. 


Mat.son,  William  E.,  p.  o.  Peterboro,  was  born  in  Cambridgeshire,  England,  No- 
vember 4,  1829,  a  son  of  William  and  Alice  (Rowling)  Matson,  who  lived  and  died  in 
England,  his  mother  in  1895,  at  the  age  of  eighty-eight.  Mr.  Matson  was  reared  in 
England  and  educated,  with  the  exception  of  four  winters,  in  the  United  States. 
January  12,  1854,  he  came  to  Peterboro,  N.  Y.,  where  he  has  since  resided  and  fol- 
lowed farming.  October  11,  1865,  he  married  Eliza  Bayliss,  born  in  England,  a 
daughter  of  Benjamin  B.  and  Mary  (Skinner)  Bayliss,  natives  of  England  and  who 
came  to  the  United  States  July  26,  1836.  Mrs.  Bayliss  died  in  Smithfield  September 
15,  1874,  and  Mr.  Bayliss  February  37,  1885.  Mrs.  Matson  died  May  3,  1895.  Au- 
gust 22,  1862,  Mr.  Matson  enlisted  in  Co.  F,  157th  N.  Y.  State  Vols.,  and  was  dis- 
charged July  25,  1865.  He  was  in  the  battles  of  Chancellorville,  Gettysburg,  Ha- 
gerstown.  Honey  Hill,  siege  of  Morris  Island,  and  several  raids  near  Charleston. 
He  is  a  member  of  O.  H.  Tillinger  Post  No.  548,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Morrisville.  To  Mr. 
and  Mr.  Bayliss  were  born  two  children;  Eliza  (as  above),  and  Mary,  wife  of  Virgil 
M.  Armour,  a  son  of  Preston  Armour,  who  is  an  uncle  of  P.  D.  Armour  of  Chicago. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Virgil  M.  Armour  were  born  six  children,  two  now  living:  William 
W.,  Eliza  E.,  Isabel  B.,  Adelphia  J.  (all  deceased),  Mary  E.,  wife  of  Jay  Curtis  of 
West  Winfield,  and  Minnie  B.,  wife  of  Dr.  W.  J.  Reeve.  Mrs.  Armour  died  Septem- 
ber 22,  1868. 


Frink,  George  W.,  a  well  known  farmer,  residing  on  his  200  acre  farm  in  the  town 
of  De  Ruyter,  is  a  son  of  Ephraim  and  Luciuda  (Ferguson)  Frink,  born  in  the  town 
of  Solon,  Cortland  county,  N.  Y.,  October  26,  1850.  His  father  was  also  a  native  of 
this  town,  born  in  1816,  and  is  still  living  in  his  eighty-second  year.  He  was  a  son 
of  Charles  and  Jane  Frink.  His  mother  was  born  in  Broome  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1814. 
Her  people  came  from  Rhode  Island  and  settled  in  Broome  county  at  a  very  early 
date.  George  W.  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  De  Ruyter,  his  pa- 
rents having  removed  to  this  town  when  he  was  three  years  of  age.  He  remained 
at  home  on  the  farm  until  he  was  married,  March  21,  1870,  to  Ann  Eliza,  daughter 
of  Alfred  and  Waity  (Sherman)  Sweet.     To  them  have  been  born  one  daughter. 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  145 

Blanche,  wife  of  Clayton  Davis  of  Syracuse.  They  have  one  daughter,  Leah  Clare, 
who  is  attending  school  in  De  Ruyter.  George  W.  follows  the  example  of  his  father 
and  grandfather  in  politics,  being  a  strong  adherent  of  the  Republican  party,  and 
earnest  and  hearty  in  the  advocacy  of  its  principles.  He  has  held  the  office  of  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  for  two  terms.  He  takes  a  prominent  rank  among  the  farmers  of 
his  county  and  with  his  estimable  wife  leads  a  happy  and  contented  life. 


Stanley,  C.  M.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Scott,  Cortland  county,  N.  Y. ,  in  1859,  a 
son  of  Bowman  H.  and  Elizabeth  (Smith)  Stanley.  "When  he  was  an  infant  the  fam- 
ily removed  to  Cazenovia,  where  his  father  became  a  leading  merchant  and  promi- 
nent citizen,  holding  several  village  offices.  Before  the  days  of  railroads  he  ran  an 
overland  express  to  Syracuse.  Mr.  Stanley  was  educated  in  the  village  schools  of 
Cazenovia,  and  at  the  seminary.  He  began  biismess  life  in  association  with  his 
father,  with  whom  he  continued  for  a  number  of  years.  In  1894  he  engaged  in  the 
insurance  business  and  now  has  probably  the  largest  and  strongest  line  of  companies 
represented  by  any  one  man  in  Central  New  York.  Some  of  the  stronger  companies 
of  which  he  holds  the  agency  for  Cazenovia  and  vicinty  are  the  Continental  and 
Home  of  New  York;  Hartford  of  Hartford,  Conn.  ;  Liverpool,  London  and  Globe,  of 
Liverpool  and  London ;  North  British  and  Mercantile  of  London ;  and  Fire  Associa- 
tion of  Philadelphia.  Mr.  Stanley  has  always  been  a  Democrat.  He  is  a  member 
of  Cazenovia  Lodge  No.  616,  F.  &  A.  M.  In  October,  1881,  he  married  Harriet  M. 
Smith,  daughter  of  Phineas  Smith  of  Brocketts  Bridge,  now  Dolgeville,  N.  Y. 

Cook,  Chauncey  B.,  supervisor  of  the  town  of  Cazenjvia  si.K  years,  was  born  on  the 
farm  in  Cazenovia  which  has  always  been  his  home.  May  3,  1843,  a  son  of  Wolcott 
and  Nancy  A.  (Gilbert)  Cook.  The  family  is  of  New  England  pioneer  stock,  and  Mr. 
Cook's  great-grandfather  held  the  rank  of  captain  in  the  Revolutionary  army.  His 
grandfather,  Serad  Cook,  was  also  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  and  one  of  the  first  set- 
tlers of  the  town  of  Sullivan.  He  subsequently  removed  to  Cazenovia  and  settled  on 
the  farm  which  Mrs.  Robert  Stewart  now  owns,  and  became  a  man  of  considerable 
prominence  in  the  early  history  of  the  town.  Wolcott  Cook  was  born  in  Great  Bar- 
rington,  Mass.,  and  was  twelve  years  of  age  when  his  parents  came  to  this  region. 
He  died  in  April,  1879,  aged  eighty  years.  Of  his  union  with  Nancy  A.  Gilbert 
were  three  children ;  Gilbert,  deceased ;  Burr  W. ,  of  Brockport ;  and  Chauncey  B. 
Cook.  The  latter  was  educated  at  Cazenovia  Seminary,  and  has  always  been  en- 
gaged in  farming.  He  is  also  well  known  throughout  this  region  as  an  auctioneer. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He  is  a  member  and  past  master  of  the  Madi,son 
County  Grange,  and  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  He  married  in  1863,  Agnes  Mar- 
tin, and  four  children  have  been  born  to  them-  Leora  A.,  who  died  in  childhood; 
Edith  May,  wife  of  John  Bennett  of  Cazenovia;  Daniel  C,  who  resides  on  the  home 
farm ;  and  Theodotia,  wife  of  G.  Ray  Nichols  of  Cazenovia. 


Maynard,  Charles  E.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Fenner,  November  5,  1846,  a  son  of 
Joseph  and  Sarah  A.  (Sherman)  Maynard.  Joseph  was  born  October  19,  1819,  and 
died. January  36,  1892,  and  Sarah  A.,  his  wife,  died  on  the  37th  of  April,  1881. 
Charles  E.  married,  on   October  8,   1867,  Charlotte  J.,  daughter  of  James  A.  and 


146  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Sarah  M.  Parmelee  of  Smithfield,  and  they  have  three  children:  Dexter  P.,  born 
February  11,  1873,  married  Blanche  E.  English;  Agnes  E.,  born  January  1,  1879; 
and  Elsie  De  R. ,  born  April  26,  1883.  Agnes  E.  was  graduated  from  the  Cazenovia 
Seminary,  class  of  1898.  Elsie  De  R.  is  a  member  of  the  class  of  1900.  Joseph  and 
Sarah  Maynard's  children  were  Charles  E.,  Henry  S.,  Edward  H.,  and  Frank  J. 
Joseph  was  a  son  of  Nathan  F.  and  Polly  Putney  Maynard.  Nathan's  children  were 
Joseph,  Theodosia,  Everson  P.,  Ezra  T.,  and  Nathan  F.  Sarah  A.  was  a  daughter 
of  Richard  Sherman,  who  was  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  was  located  at  Sackets  Har- 
bor. Charles  E.  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  the  town  of  Fenner  and 
Cazenovia  Seminary.  His  early  life  was  spent  with  his  parents.  When  about 
twenty-one  years  of  age  he  started  in  the  general  merchandise  business  at  Erievi'le, 
N.  Y. ,  where  he  has  continued  to  the  present  time.  He  is  also  owner  of  the  cream- 
ery and  cheese  factory  at  that  place,  and  which  is  one  of  the  most  complete  of  its 
kind  in  the  country.  He  has  always  taken  an  active  part  in  public  affairs  and  rep- 
resented his  district  in  the  Assembly  in  1888  and  1889. 

Wood,  M.  C,  justice  of  the  peace  and  miller  in  the  town  of  New  Woodstock,  was 
born  in  the  town  of  De  Ruyter,  October  80,  18'11,  a  son  of  Lewis  and  Esther  A. 
(Merrill)  Wood.  His  father,  who  died  in  1881,  in  the  seventy-second  year  of  his  age, 
was  a  native  and  life-long  resident  of  De  Ruyter,  and  a  prominent  farmer  of  the 
town.  The  family  were  early  settlers  in  this  vicinity,  coming  from  Springfield,  Mass. 
M.  C.  Wood  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  in  early  life  worked  on  his 
father's  farm.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  in  Co.  A,  157th  N.  Y. 
Volunteers,  and  served  three  years.  On  obtaining  his  discharge  he  returned  to  De 
Ruyter  and  engaged  in  farming  until  1871,  when  he  came  to  New  Woodstock,  and 
entered  into  partnership  with  James  J.  Randall,  who  conducted  the  New  Woodstock 
mill.  Their  association  continued  under  the  firm  name  of  Randall  &  Wood  until  the 
former's  death,  when  Mr.  Wood  succeeded  to  the  business  and  conducted  it  alone 
until  the  admission  of  his  son,  Charles  M.  Wood,  forming  the  present  firm  of  M.  C. 
Wood  &  Son.  In  1896  the  old  mill  burned  and  although  it  was  at  once  rebuilt  they 
have  not  since  been  engaged  in  manufacturing,  but  deal  quite  extensively  in  flour, 
feed,  salt,  shingles,  and  poultry  supplies.  Mr.  Wood  has  been  a  staunch  Republican 
and  has  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  member  of  the  town  board  for  .several 
years.  He  is  a  Chapter  Mason,  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W. ,  and  of  Knowlton 
Post,  No.  160,  G.  A.  R.  He  married,  in  1866,  Ruth  C.  Randall,  daughter  of  J.  J. 
Randall.     One  son  has  been  born  to  them,  Charles  M.  Wood. 


Block.  Fritz  C,  supervisor  of  the  tovi-n  of  Sullivan,  was  born  in  Germany,  Novem- 
ber 34,  1854,  a  son  of  Frederick  and  Sophia  (Schrom)  Block.  When  he  was  fourteen 
years  old  his  parents  came  to  this  country,  settling  at  Chittenango  Station,  whtre 
his  father  still  lives  at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy-two  years.  Mr.  Block  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools  and  began  his  bu.siness  experience  in  the  general,  store 
of  James  T.  Burton,  for  whom  he  worked  some  time.  He  subsequently  went  into 
business  for  himself,  and  conducted  a  general  store  at  Chittenango  several  years. 
Mr.  Block  is  now  manager  of  the  Madison  County  Celery  Company,  is  extensively 
engaged  in  handling  country  produce,  and  also  deals  in  coal.     He  is  widely  known 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  147 

in  this  section,  and  is  considered  one  of  the  representative  citizens  of  the  county. 
His  townsmen  have  frequently  honored  him  with  positions  of  public  trust;  he  has 
served  as  collector,  as  highway  commissioner  several  times,  and  as  supervisor  of 
Sullivan  township,  an  office  he  still  fills.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the 
A.  O.  U.  W.  He  married,  in  1893,  Margaret  M.  Smith,  daughter  of  Patrick  Smith 
of  De  Ruyter.  Two  sons  have  been  born  of  this  union:  Frederick  Carl  and  Burton 
Smith  Block. 


Brooks,  Nelson  O. ,  M.  D.,  who  has  practiced  at  Perry ville  since  Jime,  1894,  was 
born  three  miles  southwest  of  Peterboro.  June  13,  1868,  a  son  of  William  and  Mary 
(Griffiths)  Brooks.  His  grandfather,  Orrin  Brooks,  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of 
the  town  of  Smithfield,  where  he  cleared  large  tracts  of  land  and  became  a  man  of 
considerable  prominence.  His  father  was  one  of  the  representative  farmers  of 
Smithfield.  Dr.  Brooks  gained  his  preliminary  education  at  Cazenovia  Seminary 
and  prepared  for  his  profession  at  the  University  of  Buffalo,  Medical  Department, 
taking  the  M.  D.  degree  from  that  institution  in  May,  1894.  In  June  of  the  same 
year  he  began  his  practice  in  Perryville.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican ;  he  has 
served  as  health  officer  of  the  town  of  Fenner  for  five  years.  He  is  a  member  of 
Perryville  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows.  Mr.  Brooks  has  been  the  architect  of  his  own  for- 
tunes, and  gained  his  professional  education  entirely  by  his  own  efforts.  He  married 
in  October,  1894,  Aileen  M.  Campbell,  daughter  or  Ambrose  Campbell  of  Oneida. 
One  son  has  been  born  to  them :  LeRoy  Eugene. 


Stisser,  William  H.,  was  born  in  Lenox  (now  Oneida),  December  28,  1864,  a  son  of 
Augustus  and  grandson  of  John  Stisser.  John  Stisser  was  a  farmer  and  died  on  the 
old  homestead.  Augustus  Stisser  was  born  in  Lenox,  educated  in  the  common 
schools  and  is  a  well- to-do  farmer;  he  married  Aseyueth  Clement  of  Stockbridge, 
and  they  had  seven  children,  all  living.  William  H.  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  Oneida  and  Cazenovia  Seminary.  He  has  a  farm  of  110  acres  and  follows 
general  farming,  October  16,  1893,  he  married  Ora  G.  Miller,  daughter  of  John  and 
Julia  (Wilkinson)  Miller  of  Wampsville;  they  had  four  children :  Pearl  E.,  Mearl  J. 
and  Earl  A,  (twins),  and  Florence  N.     In  politics  Mr.  Stisser  is  a  Democrat. 


Adams,  Edmund,  a  well  known  resident  of  the  town  of  Sullivan,  of  which  he  is  a 
native,  was  born  July  24,  1840,  a  son  of  Vespesian  and  Calista  (Dewev)  Adams  His 
paternal  grandfather,  John  Adams,  was  a  public  surveyor  appointed  by  Governor 
DeWitt  Clinton.  He  came  to  Sullivan  in  1802  on  a  hunting  expedition,  and  being 
pleased  with  the  country  became  a  permanent  settler  in  1806.  His  father,  Elisha 
Adams,  had  been  deeded  lot  55  for  his  services  in  the  revolutionary  war,  and  this,  no 
doubt,  influenced  his  decision.  Edmund  Adams  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
of  his  native  town ;  at  Cazenovia  Seminary,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1862;  and  at 
the  University  of  Michigan,  which  he  attended  one  year.  In  politics  he  is  a  staunch 
Republican.  He  has  been  principally  engaged  in  farming,  but  served  an  apprentice- 
ship with  both  his  grandfather,  and  his  uncle,  James,  as  a  surveyor,  and  in  this  busi- 
ness has  gained  an  enviable  reputation.  Almost  a  century  covers  the  professional 
experience  of  these  three  men  in  Madison  and  Onondaga  counties.     Mr.  Adams  has 


148  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

recently  been  engaged  in  surveying  for  ditches  in  the  great  swamp.  He  married,  in 
1865,  Helen  A.  Wild,  daughter  of  Allen  Wild,  who  owned  farms  in  Otsego  and  Dela- 
ware counties,  and  was  a  man  of  prominence  in  his  day.  Three  children  have 
been  born  of  this  union:  Kate,  wife  of  Rev.  Charles  Bassett;  Robert  B.,  and  Caryl. 


Crayter,  Lucian  A.,  was  born  in  Sullivan,  February  26, 1851,  a  son  of  Conrad  Cray- 
ter,  born  in  1801,  and  who  came  to  Madison  county  when  a  young  man,  where  he 
died  in  1878 ;  he  married  Mary  Van  Valkenburg,  daughter  of  an  early  settler  of  Mad- 
ison county,  and  they  had  thirteen  children.  Lucian  A.  was  reared  a  farmer  and 
educated  at  Chittenango.  In  1879  he  bought  the  farm  he  now  owns  of  300  acres 
and  follows  general  farming;  he  also  has  a  milk  route  in  Canastota  which  he  has  had 
for  ten  years.  Mr.  Crayter  married  Mary  E.  Deevendorf  of  Herkimer  county  and 
they  had  four  children;  Henry,  Conrad,  Jessie  and  Mable.  Mr.  Crayter  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics;  he  is  a  member  of  the  Canastota  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  of  the 
A.  O.  U.  W. 


Andrews,  David,  was  born  where  he  now  resides,  July  30,  1863,  a  son  of  Morris 
and  Mary  (Hughes)  Andrews.  Morris  Andrews  was  born  in  Wales,  where  he  worked 
in  the  slate  mines;  he  came  to  this  country  and  settled  in  Steuben,  Oneida  county, 
and  also  worked  in  the  coal  mines  in  Pennsylvania.  After  his  mother's  death  in 
March,  1877,  he  purchased  a  farm  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town  of  Nelson,  which 
he  sold  and  afterward  purchased  the  farm  where  David  was  born.  David  Andrews 
was  educated  in  the  town  of  Nelson  in  the  Togg  Hill  district.  On  January  7,  1886, 
he  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Mrs.  Ann  Parry;  they  have  four  children:  Morris  J., 
Evan  D.,  Robert  and  Walter.  Soon  after  his  marriage  he  took  charge  of  the  farm 
which  he  has  since  carried  on.  Mr.  Andrevifs  is  active  in  town  and  county  affairs, 
and  has  been  elected  inspector  two  terms  Is  also  active  in  educational  and  school 
work  and  a  supporting  and  contributing  member  of  the  Welsh  Congregational 
Church.     He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Nelson  Grange  No.  615. 


Angel,  George  F.,  son  of  George  W.  and  Mary  (Morse)  Angel,  was  born  in  Little 
Falls,  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y. ,  Octobers,  1835.  His  paternal  and  maternal  grand- 
fathers were  both  early  settlers  on  the  Mohawk  River,  the  former  coming  from  Prov- 
idence, R.  I.,  and  the  latter  from  Windsor  county,  Vermont.  Mr.  Angel  received  a 
common  school  education  and  served  an  apprenticeship  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  at 
which  he  worked  about  three  years.  He  then  entered  the  employ  of  the  New  York 
Central  and  Hudson  River  Railroad  Company,  for  which  corporation  he  worked 
nearly  half  a  century,  retiring  June  9,  1898.  From  1865  until  that  time  Mr.  Angel 
was  a  road  master,  first  from  Utica  to  Little  Falls,  then  extended  to  St.  Johnsville, 
and  subsequently  from  Utica  to  the  Dewitt  Tunnel.  In  politics  he  has  been  a  Dem- 
ocrat; he  is  a  member  of  Little  Falls  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.  ;  Little  Falls  Chapter,  R.  A. 
M.  ;  and  Utica  Commandery  No.  3,  K.T.  Mr.  Angel  married  first  Hannah  E.  Loomis, 
daughter  of  Russell  Loomis  of  Little  Falls;  si.\  children  were  born  of  this  union: 
Willis C,  an  engineer  on  the  New  York  Central;  Mariam  L.,  wife  of  Nathan  Levy 
of  Utica;  Zenas  C,  an  engineer  on  the  New  York  Central;  Henry  S.,  of  the  New 
York  Custom  House;  George  R.,  for  six  years  assistant  road  master  under  Mr.  Angel 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  149 

and  now  on  the  Midland;  and  Margaret,  wife  of  W.  H.  Jones  of  Clinton,  N.  Y.  For 
his  second  wife  he  married  Miss  Mary  Shaffer,  daughter  of  George  Shaffer  of 
Herkimer,  and  of  this  union  there  is  one  daughter,  Florence  Laura  Angel. 


York,  Jared  F.,  p.  o.  North  Brookfield,  was  born  in  Brookfield,  February  23,  1860, 
a  son  of  Leland  C.  and  Mary  L.  (Brown)  York.  His  father  was  Leland  C.  York, 
born  in  Brookfield,  January  31,  1815,  a  farmer  and  cheese  maker,  and  died  Septem- 
ber 16,  1897;  the  mother  was  born  February  24,  1823.  They  had  six  children:  Alonzo 
L.,  born  February  13,  1846;  Mary  S.  Burk,  born  December  12,1848;  Flora  E.  Belden, 
born  March  22,  1852;  Mahlon  D.,  born  March  27,  1858;  Jared  F.,  born  February  23, 
1860;  Eva  F.  Hunt,  born  January  31,  1864.  His  grandfather  was  Yeomans  York,  a 
native  of  Stonington,  Conn  ,  who  married  for  his  first  wife.  Prudence  Chapman,  who 
died  soon  after  he  came  to  Brookfield,  1793;  his  second  wife  was  Amy  Rogers,  who 
bore  him  one  son ;  his  third  wife  was  Catherine  Collins  (born  January  24,  1789),  who 
bore  him  eight  children.  Catherine  was  the  daughter  of  Hezekiah,  born  January  15, 
1765,  and  Mary  (Hoxie)  Collins,  horn  December  8,  1767.  They  had  ten  children. 
Mary  was  the  daughter  of  Stephen  (born  May  8,  1738,  old  time),  who  lived  101  years, 
4  months  and  16  days,  and  Elizabeth  (Tift)  Hoxie,  (born  February  10,  1744.)  Hezekiah 
was  the  son  of  Joseph  (born  April  29,  1738),  and  Bathsheba  (Hoxie)  Collins  (born 
January  15.  1765).  Bathsheba  was  the  daughter  of  Solomon  and  Mary  Hoxie.  Joseph 
was  the  son  of  Hezekiah  (born  August  29,  1707),  and  Catherine  (Gifford)  Collins  (born 
June  15,  1718)  Hezekiah  was  the  son  of  John  and  Susanna  (Dagget)  Collins.  John 
was  the  son  of  John  Collins  (born  1632),  and  he  the  son  of  Henry  Collins  (born  1606), 
embarked  from  London  in  the  ship  Abigail  on  June  30,  1635.  Mary  L.  (Brown)  York 
was  the  daughter  of  Zebulon  (born  June  30,  1782),  and  Sarah  (Lewis)  Brown  (born 
March  12,  1792).  They  had  nine  children;  he  was  a  native  of  Stonmgton,  Conn., 
and  she  of  Rensselaer  county,  N.Y.  They  were  pioneers  of  Brookfield.  Zebulon 
was  the  son  of  Zebulon  and  Theda  (York)  Brown ;  she  a  sister  of  Yeomans  York. 
Zebulon  was  the  son  of  Zebulon  Brown ;  Sarah  was  the  daughter  of  Zebulon  and 
Mary  (York)  Lewis,  and  she  a  sister  of  Yeomans  York.  Jared  F.  York  was  educated 
at  Brookfield  Union  School  and  commenced  business  in  butter  and  cheese  making, 
but  he  engaged  in  farmmg  and  operated  a  steam  saw  mill.  On  April  10,  1882,  Mr. 
York  was  married  to  Anna  D  (born  October  27,  1856),  daughter  of  John  (born  August 
7,  1816),  and  Sarah  J.  (Hubbard)  Smith  (born  April  15,  1822).  Sarah  was  the 
daughter  of  David  and  Lucy  (John.son)  Hubbard.  John  was  the  son  of  Aaron  and 
Sarah  (Thetga)  Smith.  Aaron  was  the  son  of  Samuel  Smith.  Jared  F.  York  and 
Anna  D.  have  four  children:  Frank  D. ,  born  January  21,  1883;  Vern  Bell,  born 
October  30,  1888;  Neta  V.  and  Neva  Lewis,  born  November  14,  1892. 

Snyder  Brothers,  merchantmillers,  Bridgeport. — This  important  and  widely  known 
family  dates  locally  to  Philip  Snyder,  the  grandfather  of  the  two  gentlemen  compos- 
ing the  present  firm:  W.  J.  and  C.  D.  Snyder.  Philip  Snyder  came  from  Holland 
and  settled  first  near  Sandlake,  on  the  east  shore  of  the  Hudson.  He  was  an  ardent 
sportsman  and  not  only  delighted  especially  in  the  gentle  art  of  fishing,  but  gained 
his  livelihood  in  that  way.  After  several  years  in  that  locality,  during  which  time 
he  married,  he  began  to  look  still  further  toward  the  setting  sun  and  with  the  hope. 


150  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

not  ungratiKed,  of  finding  still  more  prolific  and  lucrative  fishing  grounds.  It  was  in 
the  autumn  of  1825  that  he  purchased  an  uncleared  piece  of  land  on  the  shore  of 
Oneida  Lake,  near  the  mouth  of  Chittenango  Creek,  consisting  of  108  acres.  Here  he 
began  the  erection  of  a  log  house,  which  he  completed  the  next  spring,  bringing  his 
family  from  the  canal  at  Kirkville  by  the  primitive  ox  team,  but  was  stricken  with 
fever  and  died  in  the  ensuing  autumn.  At  that  epoch  he  bore  the  repute  of  having 
become  the  wealthiest  man  in  town.  He  left  a  large  family,  of  whom  the  eldest  son 
was  John  (the  father  of  W.  J.  and  C.  D.  Snyder),  and  of  whom  the  youngest  was  Jacob, 
now  an  honored  resident  of  Bridgeport,  and  whose  personal  memories  of  those  early 
times  are  of  much  interest  John  Snyder  was  about  eleven  years  of  age  when  his 
father  settled  here,  and  grew  up  to  spend  most  of  his  life  here,  chiefly  engaged  in 
farming.  In  1814  he  married  Elizabeth  Hines.  who  bore  him  four  children:  \V.  J. 
Snyder,  Mrs.  Henrietta  S.  Brown  of  Cicero;  Mrs.  Cora  L.  Sharpe  of  Syracuse,  and 
C.  DeWitt  Snyder,  junior  member  of  the  firm.  Mr.  Snyder  died  in  1874,  at  sixty 
years  of  age,  having  accumulated  a  large  property  and  also  bequeathing  to  his  chil- 
dren the  heritage  of  an  unspotted  name.  W.  J.  Snyder  was  born  August  24,  1848,  on 
the  old  homestead  by  the  lake.  He  has  remained  intimately  identified  with  the 
Ijcality.  Completing  his  education  at  Cazenovia,  he  first  engaged  in  farming,  and 
in  1879  became  associated  with  C-  D.  Snyder  in  the  purchase  of  the  Bridgeport  Flour 
Mills,  itself  a  historic  old  structure,  and  which  is  still  operated  with  success  by  the 
brothers.  Their  mill  is  eligibly  situated  on  Chittenango  Creek,  and  upon  the  oppo- 
site side  in  Onondaga  county,  they  have  a  large  sawmill.  W.  J.  Snyder  has  long 
been  identified  with  public  affairs  in  the  town  of  Cicero,  where  he  resides,  and  where 
he  also  owns  several  farms.  Always  a  Republican  he  served  a  term  of  four 
years  as  assessor,  and  before  vacating  that  office  in  1890,  was  elected  supervisor, 
which  office  he  filled  with  much  credit  for  the  years  1890,  1891  and  1892.  He  has 
been  bereaved  of  two  wives;  the  first,  Anna  E.  Crownhart,  to  whom  he  was  married 
September  10,  1879,  and  who  died  August  1,  1881;  and  the  second,  Anna  L.  John- 
son, married  February  2,  1887,  and  died  May  23,  1890.  The  younger  member  of  the 
firm,  Clinton  De  Witt  Snyder,  was  born  on  the  old  homestead  farm,  October  17, 
1857,  and  like  his  brother  received  his  education  at  Cazenovia  Seminary.  Since  their 
purchase  of  their  milling  business  in  1879,  he  has  made  that  his  vocation.  He,  too, 
is  a  staunch  Republican  in  politics,  but  cherishes  no  desire  for  public  life.  Hospitable 
and  domestic  in  his  tastes,  his  elegant  home  on  the  Main  street  of  the  village,  is 
presided  over  by  a  wife  who  may  trace  her  own  ancestry  lineage  to  the  oldest  local 
records.  Her  father  was  the  late  Cornelius  Rector  of  Bridgeport.  She  was  before 
ma'riaaje  Mary  Jane  Rector,  and  became  Mrs.  Snyder  December  22,  1881.  It  seems 
eminently  proper  to  conclude  this  sketch  with  the  general  statement  that  both  the 
brothers  have  always  been  identified  with  the  best  interests  of  the  community  and 
are  recognized  in  both  counties  as  citizens  of  sterling  worth. 


Tayntor,  Joseph,  the  pioneer  of  one  of  the  most  substantial  families  of  descendants 
in  central  New  York,  was  six  generations  removed  from  Joseph  Tayntor,  the  Ameri- 
can colonist,  who  came  to  this  country  in  1638,  in  the  good  ship  Confidence,  and  set- 
tled in  Massachusetts.  Joseph,  the  pioneer,  .settled  in  thispartof  the  State  (probably 
in  Lebanon)  in  1808,  and  with  him  also  came  his  father,  Benjamin,  and  other  mem- 


PKRSONAL  REFERENCES.  IT)! 

bers  of  the  family.  Joseph  died  December  22,  1847.  His  children  were  Abigail, 
Joseph,  jr.  (Deacon  Tayntor),  Patty,  Orsamus,  Lucy,  Ira  B.,  Erastus  P.,  Cyrus  K., 
and  Rufu?  H.  Orsamus  Tayntor  was  born  February  2.5,  1808,  and  entered  the  Bap- 
tist ministry;  he  married  first,  Roxanna  Daniels  who  born  him  five  children:  Sarah 
L, ,  Caroline  M. ,  Emma,  Ellen  A. ,  and  Lucy  R. ;  his  second  wife  was  Sophia  Deramon  ; 
their  children  were  Flora  S.  and  Albert  O.  Benjamin  Tayntor,  son  of  Benjamin  and 
nephew  of  Joseph,  was  born  in  Worcester,  N.  Y. ,  and  died  in  Eaton  in  18.55.  He 
married  Eliza  Foster;  their  children  were  Guilford,  who  died  in  Minnesota,  aged 
seventy-one;  Mary  Ann,  who  died  in  Russia,  N.  Y.,  aged  forty-seven;  and  Alanson. 
Alanson  Tayntor  is  one  of  the  oldest  living  members  of  the  family,  and  is  also  one  of 
the  most  substantial  farmers  of  Eaton  ;  he  was  born  February  12.  1829.  In  1853  he  mar- 
ried Mary  L.  Tayntor,  who  died  January  25,  1892,  by  whom  he  had  two  children; 
Luella  E. ,  and  Clarence  B.  Lorenzo  Tayntor  was  perhaps  one  of  the  most  prosper- 
ous farmers  of  Eaton  and  one  of  the  most  highly  respected  men  of  the  town ;  he  was 
born  April  17,  1813,  and  died  January  24,  1892.  He  was  reared  by  Benjamin  Tayn- 
tor and  began  his  life  as  a  farmer  near  Hatch's  Lake,  where  he  always  afterward 
lived  and  developed  one  of  the  best  farms  in  the  county.  On  July  9,  1832.  he  mar- 
ried Louisa  Foster,  who  died  January  22.  1894;  to  them  were  born  Mary  L. ,  Ursula, 
Marshall  L. ,  Emma  L.,  Helen  C. ,  Homer  L..  Margaret  E.,  Asa  D.,  Irving  and  Mel- 
\-\n  B.  Asa  D.  was  born  October  17,  1852,  and  is  now  one  of  Eaton's  best  general 
farmers.  On  August  27,  1879,  he  married  Elizabeth  P.  Brown,  daughter  of  Healey 
and  granddaughter  of  pioneer  John  Brown ;  their  children  are  Leon  B  ,  born  Sep- 
tember 80,  1880;  Ada  E..  born  June  14,  1882;  Herbert  A.,  born  January  29,  1885; 
and  Gerturde  H  ,  born  December  14,  1893.  Irving  Tayntor  was  born  October  26, 
1855,  and  lives  an  the  homestead  farm  near  the  lake.  On  June  3,  1877,  he  married 
Flora  S. ,  daughter  of  Rev.  Orsamus  Tayntor.  Mr.  Asa  D.  is  erecting  a  fine  farm 
house  with  all  modern  conveniences.  Pioneer  John  Brown  helped  to  clear  the  land 
where  the  Bradley  Brook  reservoir  now  stands;  also  to  build  the  large  cotton  mill 
situated  at  Pierceville  and  a  large  stone  woolen  mill  one-half  mile  above. 


Howard,  F.  H.,  A.  M.,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  was  born  in  Syracuse,  N.  Y. ,  and  was  edu- 
cated in  the  Syracuse  University,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1881. 
with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  In  1896-97  he  studied  at  the  Universities  of  Gottingen  and 
Leipsic.  He  taught  for  four  years  in  the  Methodist  Seminary  at  Montpelier,  Vt. ,  and 
one  year  in  the  Greylock  Institute,  South  Williamstown,  Mass.  From  1886  to  1889 
he  was  classical  instructor  in  the  Syracuse  High  School,  and  from  1889  to  1893  he 
taught  in  the  Friends'  School  at  Providence,  R.  I.  In  1893  he  came  to  Colgate  Acade- 
my, where  he  has  charge  of  the  Greek  and  German  departments.  In  1886  Mr.  How- 
ard married  Ella  Boomer,  and  they  have  one  son,  Oscar  Howard.  Mr.  Howard 
takes  a  deep  interest  in  his  profession  and  is  a  crontributor  to  various  school  journals. 


Stradling,  Thomas,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  was  born  in  England  and  came  to  America 
in  1863.  He  settled  at  Hamilton,  N.  Y.,  and  worked  and  attended  the  academy  for 
six  terms.  He  then  went  to  work  at  farming  and  worked  by  the  day  or  month  until 
1869,  when  he  became  associated  with  Deacon  Charles  Payne  and  his  son  and  estab- 
lished the  first  creamery  in   this  part  of  the  country.         Mr.  Stradling  continued  in 


152  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  creamery  business  for  twenty-four  years,  sometimes  operating  several  factories. 
In  1876  he  purchased  property  on  Hamilton  street  and  built  a  home  there.  In  1886 
he  added  to  his  creamery  interests  the  old  grist  mill  on  Eaton  street  and  fitted  it  up 
as  a  creamery,  putting  in  the  first  cream  separator  used  in  this  vicinity.  This  cream- 
ery he  developed  into  an  extensive  business,  running  three  separators  and  using  the 
milk  produced  from  sixty  different  farms.  In  189-1  he  disposed  of  his  creamery  in- 
terests and  went  into  the  clothing,  furnishing  and  shoe  business,  which  he  still  con- 
ducts. In  1866  Mr.  Stradling  married  Ellen  Thompson,  a  native  of  England.  Their 
children  are  Ira  T.,  William  H.,  Jessie  Elizabeth,  wife  of  William  W.  Smith  of  North 
Norwich,  N.  Y.,  Samuel,  Frank,  Charles  P.  and  George  F.  Mr.  Stradling  has  been 
a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church  since  he  came  to  Hamilton.  He  has  also  been  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Education  and  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W. , 
of  which  he  has  been  deputy  grand  master  for  the  county.  He  is  a  thorough,  enter- 
prising and  successful  business  man,  and  has  used  his  fine  natural  abilities  with  great 
success.  He  is  descended  from  fighting  English  stock,  his  ancestors  having  fought 
under  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  against  Napoleon  during  the  campaign  that  culmi- 
nated at  Waterloo.  His  combativeness  and  pluck  explain  in  a  measure  his  success. 
It  is  said  of  him  that  he  never  knows  when  he  is  beaten,  but  for  all  that  he  has  a 
fine  sense  of  justice  and  is  never  otherwise  than  fair  and  liberal.  He  fully  identified 
himself  with  his  adopted  country  and  became  a  citizen  as  a  soon  as  the  time  limit 
allowed. 


Clarke,  William  Newton,  D.  D.,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  was  born  in  Cazenovia,  Madison 
county,  N.  Y.,  December  2,  1841,  and  was  educated  at  Colgate  University  and  Ham- 
ilton Theological  Seminary,  graduating  from  the  college  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  in 
1861,  and  from  the  seminary  in  1863.  He  then  entered  the  ministry,  his  first  pas- 
torate being  with  the  Baptist  church  of  Keene,  N.  H.,  where  he  remained  six  years. 
He  then  accepted  a  call  to  Newton  Centre,  Mass.,  where  he  spent  eleven  years,  after 
which  he  was  pastor  in  Montreal  for  three  years.  He  next  went  to  McMaster  Hall, 
Toronto.  Canada,  as  professor  of  New  Testament  Interpretation,  and  then  came  to 
Hamilton,  as  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church.  After  three  years  of  ministerial  work 
here  he  was  appointed,  in  1890,  to  the  chair  of  Christian  Theology,  which  he  has 
since  occupied.  Dr.  Clarke  has  published  "A  Commentary  on  the  Gospel  of  Mark" 
(Philadelphia,  1881);  "An  Outline  of  Christian  Theology  "  (Charles  Scribner's  Sons, 
New  York,  1898),  "What  shall  we  Think  of  Christianity?"  and  "  Can  I  Believe  in 
God  the  Father?"  (the  same  publishers,  both  1899).  Dr.  Clarke  married  Emily  A. 
Smith  in  1869.  His  parents  were  Rev.  William  and  Urania  (Miner)  Clarke.  Rev. 
William  Clarke  was  a  Baptist  minister,  and  was  pastor  of  the  church  at  Cazenovia 
for  twenty-five  years  in  two  pastorates,  1836-1851,  and  1854-1864.  He  was  born  in 
Rhode  Island,  but  came  in  his  childhood  to  Brookfield,  Madison  county,  of  which 
town  his  wife  was  a  native. 


Gifford,  Dr.  Barton  R. ,  p.  o.  Madison. — Richard  Hubbard  Gifford  came  from  Con- 
necticut and  settled  in  Herkimer  county,  thence  removed  to  Onondaga  county  and 
eventually  located  in  Madison  county,  living  in  the  towns  of  Madison,  Smithfield, 
and  Eaton.     His  wife  was  Nancy  Barton,   daughter  of  Hale  Barton,  the  latter  a 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  153 

brother  of  Gen,  Joseph  Barton,  a  hero  of  the  war  of  1812.  The  children  of  Rich- 
ard and  Nancy  GifiEord  were  Emeline,  Mary  Ann,  Abel  M.,  Rosalie  and  Joseph 
Orlando.  The  latter  entered  the  ministry  and  served  as  such  to  the  time  of  his  death 
in  1883.  His  wife  was  Lucinda  Root,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  Barton  Root, 
Ehzabeth,  and  Lucian  Orlando.  Barton  R.  Gifford  was  born  in  Eaton,  June  21, 
1856,  and  spent  his  young  life  with  his  father,  the  latter  a  clergyman  of  the  M  E. 
church.  He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  in  Colgate  Academy,  after 
which  he  read  medicine  with  Dr.  George  B.  Palmer  of  East  Hamilton.  He  attended 
lectures  in  the  Cleveland  Homeopathic  Medical  College  and  was  graduated  February 
14,  1878.  He  practiced  for  a  time  with  Dr.  Palmer,  and  in  February,  1880.  located 
in  Madison  village,  where  he  stands  prominent  in  his  profession.  In  1889-91  he  was 
one  of  the  coroners  of  the  county.  In  March,  1885,  Dr.  Gifford  married  Florence 
Bayliss,  who  died  October  18,  1888.  On  December  38,  1893,  he  married  Alice  Lucas, 
by  whom  he  has  two  children.  Dr.  Gifford  is  a  member  of  the  County  and  State 
Homeopathic  Medical  Societies. 


Griffith,  William  H.,  M.  D.,  p.  o.  Munnsville,  was  born  in  Oneida  county,  N.  Y. , 
May  3,  1853,  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Esther  (Martin)  Griffith.  His  father  was  a  native 
of  Wales  and  at  the  age  of  nineteen  came  to  America,  and  in  early  life  was  an  engi- 
neer on  a  boat  on  the  Mississippi  River.  He  married  his  wife  in  Brooklyn  and  for 
a  few  years  was  engaged  in  the  milk  business,  then  came  to  Utica,  later  to  Nelson, 
and  lived  in  Madison  about  twenty  years.  He  died  in  Rome  in  1884  and  his  wife 
died  in  1888.  Dr.  Griffith  was  educated  at  Cazenovia  Seminary,  studied  medicine 
with  Dr.  J.  linger  of  Waterville,  N.  Y.,  and  was  graduated  from  the  New  York 
Medical  College  in  1874.  He  began  his  practice  at  Chittenango,  where  he  remained 
four  years,  then  had  charge  of  a  hospital  in  Albany  one  year  and  in  Rome  two  years. 
In  1883  he  settled  in  Munnsville,  where  he  has  since  had  a  successful  practice.  Dr. 
Griffith  is  a  member  of  Madison  County  Medical  Society,  Central  New  York  Medical 
Society,  and  of  Sullivan  Lodge  No.  148,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Chittenango,  N.  Y.  Novem- 
ber 23,  1883,  he  married  Caroline  Eastman  of  Stockbridge,  and  they  have  two  chil- 
dren: Lulu  J.  and  Edith  W.  The  family  attend  the  Congregational  church,  of 
which  his  wife  is  a  member.  In  politics  Dr.  Griffith  is  a  Republican  and  is  now  serv- 
ing his  second  term  as  coroner  of  Madison  county;  he  has  also  served  as  president  of 
Madison  County  Medical  Society  one  year  and  four  years  as  treasurer. 


Baker,  J.  S.,  was  born  in  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  October  1,  1843,  a  son  of  James 
and  Sarah  Baker,  natives  of  England.  His  father  came  to  America  in  1839  and  his 
mother  in  1825;  they  were  married  in  Vernon,  Oneida  county,  and  had  six  children, 
two  now  living.  Mr.  Baker  died  in  1882  and  his  wife  in  1860.  J.  S.  Baker  was  ed- 
ucated in  Vernon  academy  and  Rome  business  college  He  began  life  as  a  carriage 
trimmer  and  at  twenty-five  years  of  age  engaged  in  milling  and  manufacturing  at 
Stockbridge,  and  has  had  an  extensive  business.  He  also  handles  flour  and  feed  and 
manufactures  cheese  boxes  extensively.  In  1872  Mr  Baker  married  an  adopted 
daughter  of  Charles  L.  Anderson  of  Stockbridge,  N.  Y. ,  by  whom  he  had  two  chil- 
dren: Wilton  L.,  born  in  January,  1873,  and  Jeannette  A.,  born  in  1875.  married  A. 
W.  Sigmore  and  died  in  1897,  leaving  one  child,  James  A.     In  politics  Mr.  Baker  was 


154  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE 

a  Republican  until  the  Greeley  time,  and  since  then  has  been  a  Gold  Democrat  or 
independent.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Patrons  of  Industry  of  Stockbridge  and  liberal 
in  religious  views.     His  wife  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church. 


Dunham,  E.  E.,  p.  o.  Munnsville,  was  born  in  Lincoln,  N.  Y.,  November  13,  1862, 
a  son  of  Jerome  B.,  son  of  Richard  Dunham,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Lenox. 
Jerome  B.  was  born  in  Lenox  in  1819,  and  there  spent  his  days  as  a  farmer.  His 
wife  was  Elizabeth  Archer  and  they  had  three  sons.  Mr.  Dunham  lives  with  his  son, 
E.  E.  Dunham;  his  wife  died  November  33,  1888.  E.  E.  Dunham  was  reared  on  a 
farm  and  educated  in  the  common  schools.  In  1898  he  came  to  Stockbridge  and 
bought  a  farm  of  seventy  five  acres  in  the  village  of  Munnsville,  where  he  follows 
hop  growing  and  dairying.  In  politics  be  is  a  Republican  and  has  been  inspector  of 
election.  February  4,  1885,  Mr.  Dunham  married  Etta  M.  Poland,  born  in  Oneida 
Valley,  October  5,  1868,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Eliza  (Adams)  Poland,  and  they 
have  three  daughters:  Stella  M.,  Ina  B.,  and  Leta  A. 


Coe,  W.  Emmett,  p.  o.  Peterboro,  was  born  in  Peterboro,  March  37,  1851,  a  sou  of 
George  W. ,  and  grandson  of  David  Coe,  born  in  Connecticut,  September  10,  1784, 
who  came  to  Smith  field  in  1803.  and  there  lived  and  died  July  6,  1855;  his  wife  was 
Ora  Ellenwood,  born  in  Clinton,  N.  Y.,  August  15,  1789,  and  died  in  Smithfield,  Feb- 
ruary 4,  1869  George  W.  Coe  was  born  in  Peterboro,  N.  Y.,  April  18  1828,  educated 
in  the  common  schools  and  has  always  followed  farming.  He  married  Rosa  P.  Dorn, 
born  in  Smithfield  in  1828,  a  daughter  of  John  I.  Dorn,  who  came  to  Smithfield  about 
1830.  Mr.  Coe  was  first  a  Whig,  and  a  Republican  since  the  organization  of  the  party. 
He  has  been  justice  of  the  peace  sixteen  years  and  assessor  four  years.  He  is  a  Free 
Mason,  a  member  of  Morrisville  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.  W.  Emmett  Coe  was  educated 
in  the  common  schools  and  Evans  Academy.  In  1873  he  engaged  in  the  drug  busi- 
ness at  Earlville,  and  after  two  years  moved  to  Peterboro,  where  he  has  since  been 
engaged  in  the  same  business.  He  owns  a  farm  in  Fenner  of  seventy-five  acres.  In 
1875  Mr.  Coe  married  Carrie  E.  Mudge,  daughter  of  William  Mudge,  a  druggist  of 
Earlville.  In  politics  Mr.  Coe  is  a  Republican  and  was  town  clerk  about  four  years. 
In  1875  he  was  appointed  postmaster  and  held  the  office  until  Cleveland's  first  ad- 
ministration and  was  reappointed  again  under  Harrison  and  again  under  McKinley 
in  1898.  He  was  supervisor  of  Smithfield  nine  years  in  succession  previous  to  1891 
and  that  year  was  elected  county  clerk  and  re-elected  again  in  1894.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Smithfield  Lodge,  No.  120,  I.  O.  O.  F.  Mr.  Coe  has  two  sisters;  Addie,  ed- 
ucated at  Evans  Academy,  has  been  recording  clerk  in  the  county  clerk's  office  seven 
years;  and  Maud,  educated  at  Evans  Academy,  at  home. 


Bliss,  Norton  A.,  p.  o.  Peterboro,  was  born  on  the  farm  he  owns,  March  21,  1843, 
a  son  of  Lyman  Bliss.  He  was  reared  on  the  farm,  educated  in  the  common  schools 
and  Peterboro  academy.  He  has  210  acres  of  land  and  follows  general  farming, 
keeping  a  dairy  of  twenty-five  cows.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican  and  has  been 
excise  commissioner  for  several  years.  He  is  a  member  of  Peterboro  Lodge,  No. 
130,  I.  O.  O,  F.  In  1864  Mr.  Bliss  married  Sallie  M.,  daughter  of  Philander  Brown 
of  Stockbridge,  and  they  have  had  three  children:   Eli   J.,  educated  in   Peterboro 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  155 

academy,  a  farmer,  and  followed  teaching  for  two  winters;  married  Augusta  Butler 
and  have  three  children:  Fenton,  Stanley  and  Lilla  M. ;  May,  educated  in  Peterboro 
academy,  married,  in  1887,  John  L.  Warner,  a  farmer  of  Lincoln ;  and  Nellie,  de- 
ceased. 


Johnston  Bros.,  p.  o.  Peterboro.— This  firm  is  composed  of  W.  and  B.  Johnston. 
Barton  Johnston  was  born  in  Smithfield,  on  the  homestead,  in  1844,  a  son  of  Alex- 
ander, son  of  Samuel  Johnston,  whose  sketch  appears  in  this  work.  Alexander  was 
born  February  18,  1803.  He  was  a  farmer  and  a  Republican ;  he  married  Lois 
Matherson,  born  February  21,  1813,  and  he  died  August  21, 1850;  his  wife  died  August 
31,  188-5.  They  had  eight  children.  Winchester  Johnston  was  born  March  1,  1840, 
and  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  Peterboro  academy.  He  is  a  farmer  and 
he  and  his  brother  have  151  acres  and  a  dairy  of  twenty  cows.  March  24,  1864.  he 
married  Nancy  Davis,  daughter  of  Daniel  J.  Davis  of  Peterboro.  Barton  Johnston 
was  educated  in  Peterboro  academy.  Winchester  is  a  Free  Mason  and  attends  and 
supports  the  M.  E.  church.  Daniel  J.  Davis  was  born  in  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y., 
August  25,  1815,  a  son  of  Daniel,  and  grandson  of  Jacob  Davis,  who  lived 
and  died  in  Herkimer  county.  Daniel  Davis  was  born  in  Herkimer  county  and 
there  lived  and  died.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  a  Democrat  in  politics. 
His  wife  was  Catherine  Ritter.  daughter  of  Frederick  Ritter,  of  Revolutionary  fame. 
Daniel  J.  Davis  came  to  Smithfield  in  1847  and  engaged  in  farming  and  dealing 
in  real  estate.  He  owns  about  500  acres  of  land  and  now  lives  retired  in  Peterboro, 
where  he  has  resided  for  twenty-seven  years.  In  1840  he  married  Catherine  Hart, 
born  in  Herkimer  county,  September  27,  1821,  a  daugter  of  George  and  Nancy  (Adle) 
Hart.  Daniel  J.  Davis  and  wife  had  five  children:  Mary  C,  Ezra,  Nancy,  Reuben 
S.,  and  Daniel  F. 


Eisaman  Bros. — The  firm  is  composed  of  M.  and  J.  Eisaman,  sons  of  Jacob  and 
Ann  (Keller)  Eisaman,  natives  of  Herkimer  county,  who  came  to  Smithfield  in  1852. 
M.  and  J.  Eisaman  own  125;^  acres  of  land  in  Smithfield,  came  to  Lincoln  in  1895  and 
bought  twenty-two  acres  at  Lenox  Furnace  and"  are  engaged  in  raising  small  fruit 
and  garden  truck.  They  built  a  fine  barn  in  1898,  one  of  the  best  in  the  town,  70x40 
feet  in  dimensions.  Melcher  Eisaman,  the  oldest  member  of  the  firm,  was  born 
March  20,  1844,  in  Herkimer  county,  and  educated  in  the  common  schools.  January 
26,  1867,  he  married  Susanna  Loucks,  of  Canada,  by  whom  was  birn  one  child,  Leo 
F. ,  educated  in  Peterboro  academy  and  Oneida  academy.  October  5,  1893,  Leo  F. 
married  Lena  Weaver,  and  they  have  one  son,  Derwood.  John  Eisaman,  the 
younger  member  of  the  firm,  was  born  in  Herkimer  county,  August  9,  1840,  educated 
in  the  common  schools,  and  married  in  1869,  Lottie  Siver,  daughter  of  Robert  and 
Betsey  Siver  of  Madison  county.  The  grandfather  of  the  Eisaman  brothers  was 
Peter  Eisaman,  who  lived  and  died  in  Herkimer  county. 

Hathaway,  Henry  H.,  was  born  in  Stockbridge,  February  8,  1829.  a  son  of  Luther 
Hathaway,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Augusta,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y  ,  coming  from 
Connecticut.  The  Hathaway  family  were  the  first  smelters  of  iron  ore  in  the  United 
States.     Three  brothers  came  to  New  York  State  in  1790,  settling  in  Albany  county. 


156  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

and  in  1793  Phineas  Hathaway,  father  of  Luther,  came  to  Augusta  with  his  family. 
He  married  Miss  Stafford,  and  raised  a  family  of  ten  children.  Luther  Hathaway 
came  to  Stockbridge  in  1812,  and  was  active  in  the  formation  of  that  town,  where  he 
was  a  large  land-holder  and  farmer;  he  died  in  Augusta  in  1885.  His  wife  was  Polly 
Harrington,  daughter  of  Capt.  Harrington  of  Onondaga  county.  Luther  Hathaway 
married  three  times  and  was  the  father  of  twenty  children.  Henry  H.  Hathaway 
was  reared  on  a  farm,  and  educated  in  the  common  schools.  He  has  a  farm  of  135 
acres  in  Lincoln.  He  rebuilt  the  grist  mill  in  Clockville  in  1859,  and  operated  it 
twenty  five  years,  doing  a  large  business.  He  also  engaged  extensively  in  farming 
and  hop  growing,  and  built  many  buddings.  He  is  at  present  engaged  in  operating 
a  saw  mill.  He  married  Nancy  Seeber,  daughter  of  Judge  Sylvanus  Seeber,  one  of 
the  first  settlers  of  Lenox  (now  Lincoln);  they  had  two  daughters;  Honora  H.,  wife 
of  Charles  N.  Tuttle  of  Clockville,  N.  Y.,  and  Frances  N.,  wife  of  Edward  S.  Brew- 
ster, of  the  International  Seed  Co.  of  Rochester,  N.  Y.  Mrs.  Nancy  Hathaway  died 
December  6,  1894.  Mr.  Hathaway  is  independent  in  politics,  and  is  the  man  who 
created  the  town  of  Lincoln  and  named  it;  he  was  the  first  supervisor  in  1896  and 
1897,  also  justice  of  the  peace  some  years  and  justice  of  sessions.  He  is  quite  an  m- 
ventor,  making  improvements  on  machinery  and  has  patented  four  hay  rakes;  also  a 
hay  fork  and  a  hop  picking  machine,  manufacturing  the  same  for  a  number  of  years 
successfully,  besides  a  number  of  other  useful  articles.  Mr.  Hathaway  is  well  known 
throughout  Madison  county  as  one  of  the  most  active  business  men  and  has  quite  a 
reputation  throughout  the  United  States  as  an  inventor. 


Tuttle,  Charles  N. ,  was  born  in  Lincoln,  October  14,  1850.  a  son  of  William  L. ,  son 
of  Abraham  Tuttle,  mentioned  in  this  work.  William  L.  Tuttle  was  born  m  Lincoln, 
February  8,  1823;  he  was  a  farmer  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  owned  625  acres  of 
land.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republican  and  was  once  assessor.  He  died  May  30,  1895. 
His  wife  was  Susan  Rebecca  McGregor,  born  in  18i2.  a  daughter  of  John  McGregor. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tuttle  were  born  four  sons  and  all  are  now  living.  Mrs.  Tuttle 
died  in  1893.  Charles  N.  was  reared  on  a  farm,  educated  at  Oneida  Seminary  and 
Cazenovia  Seminary.  He  has  always  been  a  farmer  and  owns  150  acres  of  land.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican  and  is  now  serving  as  town  clerk.  He  is  a  member  of 
Canastota  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Clockville  Lodge,  No.  313,  I.O.  O.  F.  Mr.Tuttle 
was  married  October  20,  1880.  He  has  one  son,  born  April  3,  1883,  William  Henry 
Richard  Tuttle,  who  is  attending  school  in  Rochester  at  the  present  date. 


Eaton,  Henry  E.,  p.  o.  Eaton. — Allen  Nelson  Wood,  senior  partner  of  the  firm  of 
Wood,  Tabor  &  Morse,  long  manufacturers  of  portable  and  agricultural  steam  en- 
gines, was  born  in  Smith  Valley,  August  14,  1818,  and  was  the  son  of  Captain  Allen 
and  Lucinda  (Newcomb)  Wood.  Captain  Wood  was  one  of  the  early  notable  char- 
acters in  this  county,  a  prominent  Mason  and  by  trade  a  spinner  in  the  mills  at 
Smith  Valley.  A  Masonic  funeral  was  held  on  the  occasion  of  his  death  in  1833. 
The  Newcombs  were  descended  from  an  honored  English  family,  Captain  Newcomb, 
father  of  Mrs.  A.  N.  Wood,  having  been  a  man  of  considerable  distinction.  Allen  N. 
Wood  spent  his  early  life  in  Smith  Valley  and  when  about  eighteen  years  old  went 
to  Poolville  and  started  a  machine  and  repair  shop  in  company  with  his  uncle,  Enos 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  157 

Wood.  In  1843  they  went  to  Pierceville  and  set  up  the  machinery  in  the  mill  at  that 
place,  but  in  1845  located  permanently  at  Eaton  village,  where  they  began  experi- 
mentmg  and  making  in  a  small  way  portable  engines,  retaining,  however,  the  ma- 
chine repair  shops  to  maintain  them  in  business.  In  1857  the  business  was  removed 
to  Utica  and  continued  until  February,  1859,  when  Mr.  Wood  retur;.ed  to  Eaton  and 
established  the  firm  of  A.  N.  Wood  &  Co.,  succeeded  by  Wood,  Tabor  &  Morse, 
builders  of  portable  and  agricultural  engines,  which  was  one  of  the  leading  indus- 
tries of  its  time  in  the  country,  contributed  greatly  to  the  prosperity  of  the  village 
and  yielded  a  fortune  to  its  proprietors.  Jlr.  Wood  was  the  practical  mechanic  and 
manager  of  the  business,  the  latter  being  perhaps  his  special  field,  for  he  could  not 
only  build  engines,  but  could  and  did  transact  the  outside  business,  selling  the  en- 
gines with  remarkable  success  and  was  equally  successful  in  getting  pay  for  them 
when  other  similar  industries  were  suffering  losses  through  insolvent  debtors.  Alto- 
gether Mr.  Wood  was  one  of  the  best  men  in  the  business  history  of  Eaton  village, 
and  his  unfortunate  death  (September  32,  1892)  together  with  the  death  of  Mr.  Tabor 
in  the  same  year,  resulted  in  closing  the  shops  in  1893  by  Walter  Morse,  the  only 
surviving  partner  of  the  firm.  In  1842,  on  January  11,  Mr.  Wood  married  Calista 
M.  Eaton,  by  whom  he  had  one  daughter,  Olivia  C. ,  wife  of  Henry  E.  Eaton,  a  na- 
tive of  Fayetteville,  for  sixteen  years  a  druggist  in  Syracuse,  a  student  in  Hamilton 
College,  who  left  his  class  and  on  September  5,  1864,  enlisted  as  private  in  Co.  H, 
2d  N.  Y.  Vol.  Cav. ,  promoted  quartermaster-sergeant  and  was  mustered  out  June  5, 
1865. 


Blair,  Charles  C,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Nelson,  May  16,  1832,  a  son  of  Jeremiah 
and  Susan  (Clark)  Blair,  who  had  eight  children;  Susan  Jeanette,  wife  of  Levi  P. 
Greenwood;  Jeremiah,  jr.,  Henry  C,  Isaac  A.,  Charles  C. ,  Arvin  H.,  Edmon  F., 
and  Addison  D.  Mr.  Blair's  early  life  was  spent  with  his  parents  and  when  a  young 
man  he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade  and  followed  contracting  and  building  twenty- 
five  years.  October  6,  1863,  he  married  Mary  E.,  daughter  of  Harvey  and  Betsey 
(Norton)  Everts.  They  have  two  children-  Frances  Carroll,  wife  of  Frank  O.  Jack- 
son, and  L.  Greenwood  Blair,  who  married  Lydia,  daughter  of  Lester  and  Jennie 
Slocum  Mills;  they  have  one  daughter,  Mary  Camilla.  In  1879  Mr.  Blair  purchased 
a  farm  near  the  village  of  Erieville,  and  carried  on  dairying  and  general  farming 
until  1898,  since  which  time  he  has  lived  retired.  He  has  always  been  interested  in 
town  and  county  affairs  and  in  educational  work,  having  been  school  trustee  many 
years.  Jeremiah  was  a  son  of  Enoch,  who  was  a  native  of  Blandsford,  Conn.  B\' 
trade  he  was  a  stone  mason.  Enoch's  children  were  Jeremiah,  Alvin,  Orie,  Jane, 
Isaac,  and  Philo. 


Blowers,  Truman  S.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Fenner.  December  25,  1836,  son  of 
Clark  and  Almira  Fuller  Blowers,  who  came  from  Vermont  and  settled  in  that  town 
with  their  family,  which  consisted  of  Hiram,  Phoebe  Ann,  Mercy,  Daniel  and  John. 
After  they  carre  to  Fenner  the  following  children  were  born:  Truman  S.,  Angelina, 
Emeline,  William,  Charles,  Frances,  Maria  and  Adelbert.  Truman  S.  Blowers  was 
educated  in  the  schools  of  Fenner.  He  and  his  brothers  Charles  and  John  enlisted 
in   Co.  E,  81st  Reg.  N.  Y.  Volunteers,    and  he  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Fair 


158  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Oaks  and  his  brother  John  at  the  same  battle.  They  were  discharged  in  1863,  and 
he  then  married  Ruth,  daughter  of  Albert  Wilcox;  they  have  three  children:  Lizzie, 
wife  of  Chauncey  Redfield ;  Lottie,  wife  of  Christian  Tusch ;  and  Eva.  Mr.  Blowers 
followed  farming  until  1876,  when  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  N.  Y.  C.  R.  R.  as  car 
inspector  and  was  employed  by  them  sixteen  years.  In  1896  he  returned  to  the  town 
of  Nelson  and  follows  general  farming.  He  is  a  public  spirited  man,  interested  in 
educational  matters.     His  children  were  educated  in  the  rchools  at  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

Davis,  John  H.,  son  of  Joseph  and  Anna  (Adele)  Davis,  was  born  in  Manheim, 
Herkimer  county,  N.  Y. ,  July  27,  1828.  His  great-grandfather  was  one  of  the  earliest 
settlers  of  Herkimer  county,  coming  from  Manheim  in  Germany,  which  country  he 
left  on  account  of  political  trouble;  he  was  a  man  of  importance  in  his  time,  both  in 
Germany  and  in  Herkimer  county  where  he  often  held  positions  of  public  trust.  He 
was  of  good  birth,  and  is  said  to  have  been  a  man  of  strong  and  interesting  charac- 
ter. John  H.  Davis,  the  subject  of  this  notice,  was  educated  in  the  common  schools, 
and  has  been  engaged  in  farmmg  all  his  life.  He  came  to  Madison  county 
where  he  has  since  resided,  and  located  on  a  farm  of  147  acres  near  the  village  of 
Peterboro.  He  removed  to  his  present  farm  one  and  one-half  miles  north  of  the  vil- 
lage of  Oneida  in  1851,  and  has  here  112  acres  all  under  cultivation.  By  virtueof  his 
long  residence  in  this  vicinity  Mr.  Davis  is  well  known,  and  is  esteemed  by  all  with 
whom  he  has  come  in  contact  as  a  man  of  integrity  and  upright  character.  January 
1,  1851,  he  married  Maria  Stisser,  daughter  of  John  Stisser,  an  early  resident,  and 
prominent  citizen  of  the  town.  Six  children  have  been  born  of  this  union:  Charles 
J.,  of  Peterboro;  William  Harvey,  who  assists  in  the  conduct  of  the  home  farm; 
John  Andrew,  who  died  in  1861;  George  Asa,  who  died  in  1880;  Anna  D.,  wife  of 
Charles  Terrell  of  Stockbridge;  and  Nancy  Jane,  wife  of  Newton  Porter  of  Oneida. 


Hubbard,  Edward  G.,  son  of  Seth  and  Anna  (Tanner)  Hubbard,  was  born  in  Steu- 
ben, Oneida  county,  January  16,  1858.  His  father,  also  a  native  of  Steuben,  born  in 
1828,  was  for  many  years  a  resident  farmer  near  the  village  of  Oneida,  whither  he 
removed  from  Steuben  in  1889.  He  was  a  man  of  genial  nature  and  strict  integrity, 
and  made  many  friends  in  this  vicinity,  dying  honored  and  respected,  in  the  sixtieth 
year  of  his  age  in  July,  1888.  Jacob  Hubbard,  grandfather  of  Edward  G.  Hubbard, 
was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  the  town  of  Steuben,  whither  he  came  from  Middle- 
town,  Connecticut.  The  family  is  of  old  New  England  pioneer  stock,  and  of  Eng- 
lish origin.  Of  the  union  of  Seth  Hubbard  and  Anna  (Tanner)  Hubbard  five  chil- 
dren were  born,  four  of  whom  survive:  Mrs.  Charles  Allen  of  Oneida;  Ella;  Horace, 
who  lives  at  Victor,  Colorado;  and  Edward  G.  Hubbard  who  conducts  the  home  farm. 
The  latter,  who  has  resided  in  this  vicinity  since  early  boyhood,  and  in  consequence 
is  well  known  throughout  the  county,  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Oneida  and  at 
Cazenovia Seminary.  He  has  always  been  engaged  in  farming  in  which  he  has  been 
very  successful.  For  some  years  he  has  served  as  highway  commissioner  of  this 
town.     He  is  unmarried. 


Marble,  Fred,  who  has  been  a  resident  farmer  near  Oneida  Castle  since  1854,  was 
born  in  Augusta,  Oneida  county,  December  21,  1821.     His  father,  a  native  of  Con- 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  159 

necticut,  came  to  Oneida  county  among  the  earliest  settlers,  bringing  his  family  and 
settling  in  Augusta.  Fred  Marble  received  the  educational  advantages  afforded  by 
the  country  schools  of  those  days,  and  was  reared  on  the  farm.  He  purchased  the 
farm  on  which  he  has  since  resided  in  1854,  containing  about  120  acres,  most  of  which 
is  under  fine  cultivation.  Mr.  Marble  has  been  engaged  in  farming  all  of  his  active 
life  and  was  one  of  the  first  and  largest  hop  growers  in  this  section.  He  is  well 
known  and  universally  respected  throughout  the  vicinity;  in  politics  he  has  been  a 
consistent  Democrat,  but  has  never  sought  public  office.  He  married,  March  17, 
1847,  Emeline,  a  daughter  of  Walter  Powers,  of  Augusta.  Ojeida  county,  N.Y.  Six 
children  have  been  born  to  them:  Eugene  V.,  who  died  July  10,  1853;  Hortense  I., 
who  died  June  26,  1853;  Ada  Virginia,  who  died  July  8,  1853;  Jennie  C,  who  died 
March  6,  1857;  Hassan  R. ,  who  now  resides  in  Kenwood,  and  Fred  Marble,  who  now 
conducts  the  home  farm.  The  latter  married  Lucy,  daughter  of  Robert  Wilson,  an 
old  and  respected  citizen  of  Vernon,  Oneida  county. 

Richmond,  Asa  N.,  son  of  Sylvester  and  Christina  (Walter)  Richmond,  was  born 
in  Stockbridge,  Septeml)er  8,  1836.  His  father,  a  lifelong  farmer,  was  a  native  of 
Franklin  county,  Mass.,  and  removed  from  Deerfield  in  that  State  to  Troy  in  early 
life.  He  settled  in  the  town  of  Stockbridge  just  south  of  the  Five  Chimneys  in  1832, 
and  cleared  the  farm  where  he  lived  and  died.  He  was  a  man  of  importance  in  his 
time  and  was  commissioned  a  captain  in  the  old  State  militia  by  Governor  Marcy. 
Of  his  union  with  Christina  Walter  two  sons  were  born:  Anthony  Augustus,  who 
removed  to  the  State  of  Missouri,  where  he  died,  and  Asa  N.,  the  subject  of  this 
notice.  Asa  N.  Richmond  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  and  received  the  educa- 
tional advantages  afforded  by  the  district  schools  of  the  neighborhood.  He  has  been 
engaged  in  farming  all  his  life.  From  the  home  farm  in  Stockbridge  he  removed  to 
a  farm  of  200  acres  two  miles  west  of  the  village  of  Canastota,  where  he  resided  a 
period  of  si.'cteen  years,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  came  to  his  present  farm  four 
and  one-half  miles  south  of  the  village  of  Oneida,  where  he  has  ever  since  resided. 
At  his  farm  near  Canastota  Mr.  Richmond  was  one  of  the  fir.st  to  engage  in  hop 
growing.  He  is  well  known  and  universally  respected  in  this  region,  and  holds 
membership  in  Oneida  Lodge.  No.  270,  F.  &  A.  M.  Mr.  Richmond  married,  March 
22,  1859,  Mary  Virginia  Nelson,  a  daughter  of  Elisha  Nelson  of  Vernon.  Of  this 
union  are  two  children:  Gertrude  Marion  Richmond,  and  Leroy  C.  Richmond,  who 
assists  in  the  conduct  of  his  father's  farm. 


Tabor,  Byron,  was  born  on  Quality  Hill,  town  of  Lenox,  December  19,  1860.  His 
father,  George  Tabor,  was  a  native  of  Georgetown,  and  Jonathan  Tabor  came  from 
the  east  to  Madison  before  1800.  George  Tabor  married  Alma,  daughter  of  Dr. 
Asahel  Pryor,  who  practiced  medicine  at  Quality  Hill  in  the  early  history  of  the 
county  and  who  was  the  first  man  to  erect  a  frame  house  at  that  place.  George 
Tabor  through  life  was  a  farmer  and  took  an  active  interest  in  the  growth  and  pro- 
gress of  his  town.  He  died  in  1836.  Byron  Tabor  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools.  In  1890  he  married  Lucy,  daughter  of  William  T.  Northrup.  Mr.  Tabor  is 
one  of  the  progressive  business  men  of  his  town,  has  served  as  county  committeeman, 
and  is  active  and  influential  in  all  local  affairs. 


160  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Ellis,  Ferrand  F..  machine  foreman  of  the  Oneida  Community,  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Cambridge,  Vt.,  October  22,  1852,  a  son  of  James  and  Auriella  (Montague) 
Ellis.  His  father  was  for  many  years  a  resident  of  the  town  of  Cambridge  where  he 
was  a  prominent  citizen,  serving  as  postmaster  and  in  other  local  offices.  He  was  a 
carpenter  and  joiner  by  trade  and  in  1808  removed  to  northern  Wisconsin,  where  he 
still  resides.  F.  F.  Ellis  descends  from  an  old  New  England  family  of  English  and 
Welsh  origin.  On  his  mother's  side  he  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  Richard  Montague, 
who  was  born  in  Buckinghamshire,  England,  in  1640,  and  was  one  of  the  earliest 
settlers  of  Boston.  Mr.  Ellis  attended  the  common  schools,  but  his  education  has 
been  largely  gained  by  observation  and  practical  experience.  He  early  learned  the 
carpenter's  trade  under  his  father  and  followed  that  business  about  eight  years.  In 
June,  1868  he  came  to  the  Oneida  Community,  but  left  in  September  of  the  same  year, 
and  after  a  trip  to  his  old  home  in  Vermont,  removed  to  northern  Wisconsin  where 
he  remained  until  1874.  In  that  year  he  returned  to  the  Oneida  Community  where 
he  has  ever  since  been  engaged.  He  first  took  up  iron  work  and  for  a  time  was  an 
ordinary  iron  worker;  later  he  engaged  in  pattern  making,  both  wood  and  metal, 
and  also  learned  the  machinist's  trade.  In  189.5  he  became  machine  foreman,  but 
for  some  time  prior  to  this  he  had  been  in  entire  charge  of  the  machine  building  and 
the  department  of  designing.  Mr.  Ellis  has  been  a  prolific  inventor,  and  has  built  a 
number  of  valuable  automatic  machines  for  the  community.  He  has  taken  out  eight 
patents,  comprising  a  chain  swivel,  cut  instead  of  cast;  a  soldering  device;  an  auto- 
matic adjustable  mouthpiece  for  brass  instruments;  a  correlative  micrometer  meas- 
uring tool;  and  a  buffing  machine  for  buffing  table  ware.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Royal  Arcanum.  Mr.  Ellis  married,  in  June,  1882,  Catherine  Fahrenshone  of  Oneida, 
and  three  children  have  been  born  to  them:  Rosamond  E.,  who  died  September  10, 
1883;  Catherine  A.  ;  and  Clara  Louise. 


Faulkner,  Ephraim,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Brookfield,  January  21,  1835.  His 
father,  Sherman  Faulkner,  was  also  a  native  of  that  town,  where  his  father,  Friend 
L. ,  settled  in  1795.  Sherman  married  Armenia  Higgins,  and  through  life  was  a  well 
known  farmer;  he  died  in  1873.  Ephraim  Faulkner  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools.  In  1863  he  married  Julia  A  Buyer;  they  had  three  children;  Charles  E., 
Edward  H.,  and  Mrs  Louie  A.  Donnelly.  Mr.  Faulkner  is  one  of  the  practical  and 
successful  farmers  of  Madison  county,  taking  an  intelligent  interest  in  school  and 
church  matters,  and  is  recognized  as  a  man  of  sterling  integrity. 


Bamber,  Robert,  was  a  native  of  Belfast,  Ireland,  born  in  1816,  and  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1827,  with  his  parents,  Thomas  and  Letitia  Bamber,  who  settled  in 
Boonville,  Oneida  county.  Robert  Bamber  was  identified  through  life  with  the  mer- 
cantile circles  of  Chicago  and  at  Cairo,  111.  He  was  an  intimate  friend  of  Potter 
Palmer,  and  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Wabash  Avenue  M.  E.  church  of  Chicago. 
He  came  to  Knoxboro  in  1870  and  in  1876  to  Canastota.  In  1864  he  married  Isabella, 
daughter  of  William  and  Mary  A.  Stewart;  they  had  two  daughters:  Isabella  M.  and 
Mary  J.,  and  an  only  sou,  Oliver  Stewart  Bamber,  a  practicing  physician  in  Roches- 
ter, where  he  died  in  1896,  in  his  thirty-first  year.     Mr.  Bamber  was  one  of  the  self- 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  161 

made  men  of  the  country,  and  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1890,  was  a  loss  not  only 
to  his  family,  but  to  all  who  knew  him. 


New,  Jefferson,  was  born  at  Clockville,  January  8,  1838.  His  father,  Simon  P. 
New,  was  a  native  of  Columbia  county  and  came  to  Madison  county  in  1835.  He 
married  Sarah,  daughter  of  Zachariah  and  Sarah  Link.  He  was  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  Oneida,  and  died  in  1860.  Jefferson  New  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools  and  in  1861  he  married  Mary  E. ,  daughter  of  Garrett 
and  Regma  Van  Brocklin ;  their  children  are  Charles  E.,  Herman  V.,  Tilden  G.,  and 
Sarah  R.  Mr.  New  is  one  of  the  practical  and  successful  farmers  of  the  county,  has 
been  collector  and  is  influential  in  school  and  public  affairs.  He  served  as  trustee  of 
the  Presbyterian  church  of  Canastota  for  six  years,  and  is  recognized  as  a  man  of 
sterling  integrity. 


Bitz,  John,  p.  o.  Bridgeport,  the  efficient  and  popular  commissioner  of  highways 
of  the  town  of  Sullivan,  was  born  at  Cleveland,  Oneida  county,  August  23,  1857. 
Elias  Bitz,  his  father,  was  born  in  the  city  of  Paris,  France,  and  came  to  America 
when  about  twenty-four  years  of  age.  He  lived  many  years  in  Bridgeport,  engaged 
chiefly  in  farming  and  died  there  December  13.  1887.  John  Bitz  completed  his  edu- 
tion  at  Fayetteville  and  became  a  farmer,  locating  near  Bridgeport.  Democratic  in 
politics,  he  has  filled  many  positions  of  responsibility  at  various  times,  such  as  school 
trustee,  town  collector,  and  overseer  of  the  poor.  He  is  now  serving  his  second 
term  as  commissioner  of  roads. 


Haywood,  Mrs.  Isyphene,  p.  o.  North  Manlius. — John  Haywood,  late  husband  of 
Mrs.  Haywood,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Sullivan,  March  26,  1826.  He  was  for  many 
years  the  sole  survivor  of  the  paternal  line,  down  to  the  fourth  generation.  Thomas 
Haywood  of  England,  located  in  the  valley  of  the  Mohawk  about  1800  and  had  three 
sons;  Thomas,  William  and  James.  William,  born  in  1798,  was  the  father  of  John, 
and  died  in  1829.  John  Haywood  was  a  diligent  and  successful  farmer.  He  was 
born  on  the  farm  on  which  he  died,  which  he  had  owned  for  more  than  forty  years, 
and  had  improved  and  enlarged.  In  1868  he  built  the  elegant  residence  now  the 
home  of  Mrs.  Haywood;  he  died  December  18.  1894.  His  success  in  business  was 
the  direct  result  of  industry  and  wise  management.  His  honor  and  integrity  were 
beyond  question.  April  6,  18.54,  he  married  Isyphene,  daughter  of  John  Hill  of  Perry- 
ville,  who  survives  him  with  three  children:  J.  W.  Haywood,  the  coal  merchant, 
Syracuse;  Mrs.  George  H.  Lewis  of  Jackson,  Mich.  ;  and  Mrs.  D.  C.  Kinch  of  Port 
Huron,  Mich. 


Campbell,  John  A.,  p.  o.  Mile  Strip,  was  born  at  Avon,  Livingston  county,  N.  Y. , 
May  19,  1840,  a  son  of  John  and  Maria  (Rich)  Campbell.  He  was  one  of  eight  chil- 
dren as  follows:  Mary  E. ,  wife  of  George  M.  Curtis;  Arthur  M.,  John  A.,  James  W., 
Florence  A.,  wife  of  Nelson  Beebe ;  Marinette  Ann  (deceased),  Daniel  D.,  and 
Henry  R.,  all  born  in  Madison  county,  with  the  exception  of  John  A.  John,  sr. ,  was 
born  in  Scotland  and  came  to  this  county  when  about  seven  years  of  age,  settling  in 
the  town  of  Smithfield,  where  he  lived  for  about  twenty  years,  then  moved  to  Liv- 


162  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ingston  county  and  worked  as  a  clerk  in  a  grocery  store.  After  two  years  he  re- 
turned to  Madison  county  and  settled  in  the  town  of  Smithfield,  where  he  lived  until 
his  death  in  1888,  at  seventy-eight  years  of  age.  When  he  returned  to  Madison 
county  he  entered  the  general  merchandise  business  at  Peterboro  and  later  in  life 
followed  farming.  John  A.  Campbell  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  the  town  of 
Smithfield  and  Cazenovia  Seminary.  When  he  was  about  seventeen  years  of  age  he 
started  in  life  for  himself  as  a  clerk  in  a  general  merchandise  store  at  Peterboro, 
which  business  he  followed  in  Canastota  and  Oneida.  On  September  19,  1862,  he 
enlisted  in  the  157th  Regiment  and  was  mustered  out  July  10,  1865.  He  was  wound- 
ed in  the  left  thigh  at  the  battle  of  Gettysburgh.  He  enlisted  as  a  private  and  for 
services  and  bravery  was  advanced  through  successive  positions  and  returned  to  his 
home  in  1865  as  a  first  lieutenant.  When  he  returned  from  the  army  he  entered  the 
general  merchandise  busmess  at  Canastota.  In  1867  he  married  Emma  J.,  daughter 
of  Harry  and  Laurie  Cotton  and  they  have  two  sons:  John  Wendall,  who  is  in  the 
grocery  and  meat  business  at  Peterboro,  and  Harry.  Mr.  Campbell  is  a  member  of 
Reese  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  N'o.  34,  of  Canastota.  He  has  always  been  active  in  town 
affairs  and  has  been  justice  of  the  peace,  also  takes  an  active  part  in  school  and  edu- 
cational work,  having  been  connected  with  the  school  most  of  the  time  since  he  has 
resided  in  the  town.  He  purchased  the  farm  where  now  lives  at  the  time  of  his 
marriage,  where  he  has  resided  and  followed  general  farming  to  the  present  time. 


Keeler,  Charles  F.,  p.  o.  Chittenango  Falls,  was  born  in  Truxton,  Cortland  county, 
N.  Y.,  June  33,  1834,  a  son  of  Lansing  and  Fannie  (Woodruff)  Keeler,  who  had  eleven 
children:  Charles  F.,  Girden,  Leroy,  James,  Darwin,  Bedette,  Jane,  Emma,  Genette, 
and  two  deceased.  By  occupation  Lansing  followed  farming.  Charles  F.  was  edu- 
cated in  the  schools  of  Truxton,  and  started  for  himself  as  a  laborer  when  twelve 
years  of  age.  When  he  was  a  young  man  he  was  one  of  the  most  active  business 
men  in  the  town  of  Fenner,  and  is  strictly  a  self-made  man.  He  has  a  farm  of  350 
acres  of  land ;  also  owns  a  grist  mill  and  carries  on  the  cement  and  plaster  manufac- 
ture. He  has  always  been  an  active  supporter  of  all  worthy  public  enterprises.  In 
1850  he  married  Polly,  daughter  of  Joseph  Twogood,  and  has  four  children:  Ella, 
Addie,  Ettie  and  Charles  E.,  all  born  in  the  town  of  Fenner. 


Crumb,  Joseph  H.,  p.  o.  De  Ruyter. — This  memoir  of  one  of  the  most  prominent 
and  respected  citizens  of  De  Ruyter  has  been  furnished  by  his  devoted  wife.  He 
was  for  many  years  closely  identified  with  the  industrial  interests  of  De  Ruyter,  an 
earnest  advocate  of  all  measures  conducive  to  its  growth  and  prosperity,  and  his 
death  was  deemed  a  loss  to  the  village  and  community,  as  well  as  to  his  immediate 
family.  He  was  born  in  Brookfield,  Madison  county,  N.  Y.,  July  26,  1828.  His 
parents  were  natives  of  New  England  and  settled  in  Madison  county  about  1825. 
Joseph  H.  located  in  De  Ruyter  in  1848,  and  succeeded  the  firm  of  A.  S.  &  H.  A. 
Gardner,  who  were  engaged  in  the  carriage  and  cabinet  manufacturing  business  in 
connection  with  a  real  estate  and  undertaking  business.  Mr.  Crumb  was  thus  suc- 
cessfully engaged  until  a  short  time  prior  to  his  death.  He  held  the  office  of  super- 
visor for  five  years,  the  duties  of  which  he  discharged  with  honesty  and  fidelity  to 
his  townsmen.     He  was  a  man  of  enterprise  and  sagacity,  possessing  excellent  judg- 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  163 

ment  in  financial  affairs.     He  led  a  long  and  useful  life,  honorable  in  every  respect, 
dying  at  his  home  in  the  village  of  De  Ruyter. 


Baldwin,  Walter  M. ,  p.  o.  De  Ruyter,  who  has  just  reopened  the  De  Ruyter  Hotel, 
is  one  of  the  most  respected  and  successful  business  men  of  that  place.  He  is  the 
son  of  Joseph  and  Mary  (Newell)  Baldwin,  and  was  born  in  the  town  of  Lincklaen, 
Chenango  county,  N.  Y.,  July  31,  1852.  He  was  reared  to  farm  life  and  labor,  acquir- 
ing strength  of  body  and  habits  of  industry  and  economy,  which  have  been  of  great 
use  to  him  through  life.  He  received  a  good  education  in  the  district  schools  of  his 
native  town  and  in  a  select  school  of  South  Otselic.  He  then  engaged  in  teaching 
for  a  number  of  terms  during  the  winter  months  and  in  the  summer  was  employed 
on  the  farm  and  in  making  cheese.  For  a  number  of  years  subsequent  to  this  he  was 
engaged  in  the  lumber  business  on  his  own  account.  In  October,  1898,  he  removed  to 
the  village  of  De  Ruyter  and  reopened  the  Hotel  De  Ruyter,  where  he  has  since  re- 
sided. Mr.  Baldwin  prospered  in  his  new  venture,  his  genial,  courteous  manners  and 
straightforward  busmess  methods  serving  not  only  to  retain  the  old  patrons,  but 
winning  him  many  new  ones.  He  has  accommodations  for  about  one  hundred  guests. 
On  November  5,  1876,  he  married  Ella  Parker,  by  whom  he  had  two  children:  Ray 
and  Ella.  Mrs.  Baldwin  died  August  11,  1885,  and  on  November  11,  1887,  Mr.  Bald- 
wind  married  Agnes,  daughter  of  Cornehus  Steel  of  Cuyler,  N.  Y.  They  have  one 
daughter,  Rena.  In  politics  Mr.  Baldwin  has  always  been  a  Republican,  believing 
in  that  party's  principles  and  taking  pride  in  its  history  and  achievements.  Fratern- 
ally he  is  a  member  of  Tioughinoga  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F. 


Ingalls,  B  Frankhn,  was  born  in  Lincoln,  December  13,  1843,  a  son  of  James  and 
grandson  of  James  Ingalls,  born  in  Schoharie  county,  and  who  came  to  Lincoln 
about  1810,  where  he  died  in  1867  at  the  age  of  eighty-five ;  his  wife  was  Nancy  Moot, 
daughter  of  Conrad  Moot.  They  had  seven  children.  James  Ingalls,  jr.,  was  born 
June  23,  1810,  and  died  in  1893.  He  was  a  Republican  in  politics  and  served  as  as- 
sessor in  Lenox;  his  wife  was  Jennie  Rice,  and  they  have  had  seven  children,  six 
now  living.  B.  Franklin  Ingalls  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  is  a  farmer. 
He  has  a  dairy  of  twenty  cows  and  is  a  breeder  of  Holstein  cattle.  January  15,  1869, 
he  married  Mary  A.,  daughter  of  William  and  Amelia  Marshall,  who  came  to  Scho- 
harie county,  N.Y.,  and  to  Lincoln  about  1838.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ingalls  were  born 
three  children:  HoUis,  born  in  1870,  educated  at  Peterboro  and  Oneida,  and  married 
Grace  Woodbury;  James,  born  October  23,  1873,  educated  in  Peterboro;  and  Harry, 
born  May  5,  1878,  educated  at  Canastota  and  Peterboro;  he  married  Edith  Wood- 
bury, daughter  of  John  N.  Woodbury,  mentioned  in  this  work.  Mr.  Ingalls  is  a  Re- 
publican in  politics. 


Kenyon,  A.  E.,  p.  o.  South  Hamilton,  was  born  in  Brookfield,  January  21,  1846,  a 
son  of  Elijah  and  Eliza  (Knowles)  Kenyon,  both  born  in  Hopkmton,  R.  I.,  he  a  son 
of  Gideon  Kenyon,  who  came  from  Rhode  Island  to  Brookfield  about  1813,  and  here 
lived  and  died.  Eliza  Knowles,  daughter  of  Rodman  Knowles,  also  came  from  Rhode 
Island  and  settled  in  Plymouth,  N.  Y.,  and  died  in  Brookfield  in  1894.  Elijah  Ken- 
yon died  in  1891 ;  they  had  five  children,  but  A.   E.  Kenyon  was  the  only  one  who 


164  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

grew  to  manhood.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  educated  in  the  common  schools 
and  Brookfield  Academy.  He  is  a  farmer  and  owns  440  acres,  of  land,  keeps  forty 
cows  and  considerable  j'oung  stock;  he  is  also  a  hop  grower.  Mr.  Kenyon  is  a  Re- 
publican and  has  been  inspector  of  election  several  years.  In  1867  he  married  Sarah 
Beecher  of  Brookfield,  and  they  have  three  children:  Carrie  (deceased),  Clyde  B., 
educated  in  the  common  schools  and  Brookfield  Academy,  Fairfield  Seminary,  at 
Baltimore,  Md.,  and  New  York  city,  and  is  now  salesman  for  Hull  &  Dalton  of  Cleve- 
land, Ohio.  He  worked  two  years  in  New  York  before  going  to  Cleveland;  his  wife 
was  Clara  B.  Livermore  of  Oneida  county;  and  Algene,  who  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  and  lived  at  home.  Mrs.  Kenyon  is  a  member  of  the  First  Baptist 
church.  Mr.  Kenyon' s  grandfather,  Gideon  Kenyon,  was  father  of  eighteen  children 
who  settled  in  Madison  county. 


Brown,  Enoch  D.,  was  born  in  Perry ville,  August  7,  1833.  His  father,  Walter 
Brown,  was  a  native  of  Connecticut,  and  his  grandfather  was  one  of  the  first  settlers 
in  the  town  of  Fenner.  Walter  Brown  married  a  daughter  of  Enoch  Dykeman  and 
learned  the  cabinet  maker's  trade;  he  died  in  1850.  Enoch  D.  Brown  was  educated 
in  the  common  schools  and  Cazenovia  Seminary.  He  entered  mercantile  circles  and 
in  1853  went  to  California,  in  1854  to  Missouri,  and  in  1857  settled  in  Canastota.  In 
1854  Mr.  Brown  married  Catherine,  daughter  of  William  Thompson,  and  their  chil- 
dren are  Norton,  Charles  and  Mrs.  E,  M.  Petrie.  Mr.  Brown  is  one  of  the  progres- 
sive men  of  his  town;  takes  an  intelligent  interest  in  public  affairs  and  enjoys  the  re- 
spect of  the  community. 


Fearon,  George  T.,  p.  o.  Pratt's  Hollow,  who  is  known  throughout  this  section  of 
the  State  as  one  of  the  largest  and  most  successful  fruit  growers  of  the  region,  was 
born  in  the  vicinity  of  his  present  splendid  residence,  April  21,  1835,  and  was  the 
grandson  of  George  Fearon,  the  latter  one  of  the  respected  early  settlers  of  this  part 
of  Eaton :  he  is  the  son  of  Robert  and  Ann  (Christian)  Fearon,  and  lived  at  home 
with  his  parents  until  1860,  when  he  began  work  for  himself  by  setting  out  a  ten  acre 
lot  with  apple  and  pear  trees  in  Pratt's  Hollow.  Four  years  later  he  bought  his 
father's  160-acre  farm  and  began  developing  it  as  a  fruit  farm.  As  years  passed  the 
fruit  acreage  was  increased  and  in  1876  Mr.  Fearon  discontinued  hop  growing  and 
devoted  his  energies  wholly  to  fruit  growing  and  farming.  The  result  of  this  busy 
life  is  now  seen  in  a  vast  orchard  and  vineyard,  of  which  fifty  acres  are  devoted  to 
berries  and  sixteen  acres  to  grapes.  On  his  land,  and  his  son's  adjoining,  are  1,000 
cherry  trees,  1,000  peach  trees,  200  plum  trees  and  several  thousand  apple  trees,  con- 
stituting one  of  the  largest  orchards  in  the  State.  Mr.  Fearon  is  known  as  a  pro- 
gressive and  successful  business  man.  He  is  a  Prohibitionist  from  principle,  inter- 
ested in  all  worthy  causes,  yet  takes  no  active  part  in  public  affairs.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Independent  church  at  Kenwood.  On  June  25,  18(50,  Mr.  Fearon  married 
Adella  Thurston,  and  to  her  earnest  co-operation  has  in  good  part  been  due  his  suc- 
cess in  life.  Of  their  three  children,  two  are  still  living:  David  C,  and  Fred  M., 
the  latter  of  whom  lives  on  the  old  Fearon  homestead  farm. 


Gostling,  G.  &  E.,  p.  o.  Morrisville. — William  Gostling  came  to  this  country  from 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  165 

Norfolk,  England,  in  1867,  and  brought  with  him  three  sons  and  two  daughters. 
The  family  first  settled  in  Pratt's  Hollow,  but  at  the  end  of  the  year  Mr.  Gostling 
bought  a  forty-acre  farm  west  of  Morrisville,  on  which  he  afterward  lived  and  died. 
In  England  he  had  been  an  extensive  farmer,  managing  900  acres  of  land,  and  he 
was  well  on  in  years  when  he  came  to  the  United  States.  He  died  in  1878,  aged 
eighty-four  years,  and  his  wife  in  1883.  The  children  in  this  family  were  John,  who 
lives  in  Fenner;  Maria,  who  married  R.  T.  Jones;  Susanca,  widow  of  Alva  Cole; 
Mary,  who  married  Charles  T.  Bicknell;  and  George  and  Edward  Gostling,  both  of 
Eaton  and  among  that  town's  most  industrious  and  thrifty  farmers.  Their  present 
farm  was  purchased  about  1881,  and  is  well  located  at  Williams'  Corners.  It  con- 
tains 140  acres; 


Coons,  Charles  A.,  p.  o.  Morrisville. — Darius  Coons  was  born  of  sturdy  Dutch 
stock  in  the  Mohawk  valley,  and  removed  with  his  parents  to  Smithfield  many  years 
ago.  The  older  generations  of  the  family  are  now  passed  away,  and  distinct  recol- 
lections of  them  are  meagre.  Darius  was  a  farmer  and  lived  in  Smithfield  until 
about  a  year  before  his  death  in  1879.  His  wife  was  Susan  Perkins,  by  whom  he 
had  three  children:  Charles  A.,  Samuel  H.,  and  Jane.  Charles  A.  Coons  was  born 
in  Smithfield  in  1860,  and  spent  much  of  his  early  life  on  a  farm.  In  1881  he  came 
to  Morrisville,  and  for  the  last  thirteen  years  has  been  connected  with  the  sheriff's 
office,  having  served  under  Sheriffs  Burroughs,  Manchester,  Perry,  and  Carpenter. 
He  is  a  strong  Republican,  and  in  whatever  duties  have  fallen  to  his  lot  he  has  been 
an  active  and  reliable  official.     In  1879  Mr.  Coons  married  Margaret  Caton. 


Kelloway,  W.  M.,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  was  born  in  Hamilton,  Madison  county,  N.  Y., 
a  son  of  Isaac  and  Ann  Maria  (Elliot)  Kelloway,  natives  of  England.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  old  academy  under  Professor  Campbell,  and  began  his  business  career 
as  a  dry  goods  clerk  for  A.  T.  Slocum,  and  subsequently  studied  medicine  for  a  time 
with  Dr.  Oakes;  but  the  death  of  this  physician  terminated  Mr.  Kelloway's  medical 
studies.  He  then  opened  a  restaurant  and  became  a  prominent  caterer.  In  1882  he 
embarked  in  the  grocery  business,  which  he  has  since  conducted  successfully.  Mr. 
Kelloway  is  one  of  the  oldest  Masons  in  Hamilton,  having  joined  that  order  when 
twenty-one  years  of  age.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Blue  Lodge,  Chapter,  Command- 
ery  and  is  a  thirty-second  degree  Scottish  Rite  Mason ;  he  is  also  a  member  of  the 
order  of  Odd  Fellows  On  June  28,  1872,  Mr.  Kelloway  married  Hattie  M.  Foster, 
and  they  have  one  daughter,  Lyra  C  ,  who  is  a  trained  nurse  in  the  Utica  hospital. 

Coman.  E.  R.,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  was  born  at  Morrisville,  N.  Y.,  October  26,  1840,  and 
reared  on  his  father's  farm.  In  1872  he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he  has 
since  pursued  with  such  success  that  he  is  the  leading  man  in  that  business  in  Ham- 
ilton to-day.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  is  an  active  Republi- 
can, having  served  as  delegate  to  many  conventions.  In  1862  Mr.  Coman  married 
Maria,  daughter  of  Sheriff  W.  F.  Bonney.  They  have  four  children:  Mary,  Cath- 
erine, Harriet,  and  Grace.  Catherine  Coman  is  a  teacher  in  the  high  school  at  East 
Orange,  N.  J.  Mr.  Coman's  parents  were  Stephen  and  Dorothea  (Phelps)  Coman. 
His  mother  was  a  native  of  Connecticut,  and  some  of  her  ancestors  were  Revolution- 


166  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ary  soldiers.     His  father  was  a  New  York  State  man  and  his  grandfather,  Winsor 
Coman,  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts. 


Tackabury,  N.  J.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Eaton,  May  28, 1831.  His  father,  James 
Tackabury,  was  a  native  of  Ireland  and  settled  in  the  town  of  Eaton  in  1805,  with 
his  parents,  Nathaniel  and  Sarah  Tackabury.  James  Tackabury  married  Ann  Bel- 
ton  and  through  life  was  a  farmer.  He  was  prominent  m  the  growth  and  develop- 
ment of  his  town,  in  both  school  and  church,  and  was  trustee  of  the  M.  E.  church 
for  many  years;  he  died  in  1885.  N.  J.  Tackabury  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  and  Cazenovia  Seminary.  In  1848  he  married  Ellen,  daughter  of  Robert 
Bowers,  and  their  children  were  John  B.,  I.  Newton,  Julia  I.  Mofifet,  Elizabeth  G., 
and  Anna  A.  Avery.  Mr.  Tackabury  is  one  of  the  self-made  men  of  Madison  county, 
serving  as  assessor  and  taking  an  intelligent  interest  in  school  and  church  matters. 
He  is  a  man  of  high  character,  and  is  respected  and  esteemed  by  the  community. 

Tyler,  W.  I.,  p.  o.  Chittenango,  the  progressive  and  successful  funeral  director  of 
Chittenango,  has  been  a  resident  here  but  six  years,  but  is  already  counted  among 
tlie  representative  business  men  of  the  place.  He  has  no  competitor  as  undertaker, 
and  carries  a  large  and  elegant  stock  of  furniture.  Of  an  old  Connecticut  family, 
his  father,  the  late  D.  C.  Tyler,  was  a  clergyman  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Mr. 
Tyler  was  born  in  this  town  November  4,  1868.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and 
when  placed  in  nomination  last  year  for  the  position  of  collector  of  taxes,  was  the 
only  successful  nominee  of  that  party.  Mr.  Tyler  recently  graduated  from  the 
Champion  School  of  Embalming. 


Green,  A.  W.,  p.  o.  Chittenango  Station,  for  the  last  twenty-one  years  a  merchant 
at  Chittenango  Station,  was  born  at  Lakeport,  Madison  county,  March  1,  1840.  His 
father,  William  L.  Green,  by  trade  a  carpenter,  came  here  from  England,  the  land 
of  his  birth.  Mr.  Green  had  just  attained  his  majority  when  the  urgent  call  for  vol- 
unteer soldiers  came  in  1862,  and  he  at  once  enlisted,  ranking  as  a  corporal.  After  a 
little  more  than  a  year's  service  he  was  discharged  by  reason  of  serious  illness.  After 
the  war  he  engaged  in  mercantile  business  at  Lakeport  for  several  years,  then  for 
about  six  years  he  conducted  a  farm  in  the  same  vicinity.  On  November  1,  1865, 
he  married  Gertrude  E.  Sayles,  daughter  of  Brown  Sayles,  a  contractor  of  Bridge- 
port. Mr.  Green  conducted  a  general  store  at  Cicero  two  years  and  another  at  Can- 
aseraga  about  the  same  length  of  time,  and  in  1877  opened  a  store  at  Chittenango 
Station,  at  his  present  location.  Here  he  deals  in  dry  goods,  groceries,  hats  and 
caps,  boots  and  shoes,  etc.  Mr.  Green  is  a  stalwart  Republican  in  politics  and  one 
of  the  representative  men  of  his  party.  For  fifteen  years  he  has  officiated  as  notary 
public  and  for  nearly  five  years  as  justice  of  the  peace. 


Knowles,  James  H.,  p.  o.  Chittenango,  one  of  the  old  time  residents  of  the  town 
of  Sullivan,  was  born  in  this  town  on  the  farm  which  he  yet  owns,  November  1, 
1837.  His  father  was  James  Knowles,  a  farmer,  who  was  an  early  settler  near 
Bridgeport,  subsequently  locating  in  the  southern  part  of  the  town,  where  he  died  in 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  167 

1871.  His  paternal  grandfather,  John  Knowles,  was  captain  of  a  merchant  ship. 
James  H.  Knowles  learned  the  trade  of  wagon  making  when  a  young  man ;  also 
operating  a  farm  until  quite  recently,  when  he  removed  to  the  village  of  Chittenango, 
having  a  wagon  repair  shop  next  Carl's  Opera  House.  He  is  a  Repuhlican,  but  not 
an  active  politician.  Hi?  wife  was  Olive  C.  Yorke  of  Cazenovia,  and  they  have  four 
children. 


Beckwith,  Brevet  Brigadier  General  Edward  Griffin,  son  of  Judge  Barack  Beck- 
with,  and  Polly  (Kennedy)  Beckwith,  his  wife,  was  born  in  Cazenovia,  January  S."), 
1818.  His  father  came  into  Cazenovia  in  1803,  bringing  his  own  family  and  also  his 
father.  Rev.  Roswell  Beckwith,  a  Presbyterian  minister,  who  afterwards  affiliated 
with  the  Baptists.  Roswell  was  a  son  of  Elisha,  who  was  killed  at  the  battle  of 
White  Plains,  whereupon  his  four  sons  immediately  enlisted,  including  the  minister, 
an  uncommon  procedure.  Judge  Barack  Beckwith  took  up  a  farm  on  the  lake  which  is 
the  only  one  adjoining  the  lake  still  owned  in  the  name  of  the  original  settler.  He 
became  a  man  of  prominence  in  this  region,  representing  the  district  in  the  State 
Legislature  and  holding  various  local  positions  of  public  trust;  he  died  in  the  prime 
of  life,  in  1844.  General  Beckwith  obtained  his  preliminary  education  at  Cazenovia 
Seminary  and  entering  West  Point  in  1838,  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1842.  He 
was  assigned  to  the  3d  Artillery,  a  regiment  which  was  officered  by  many  men  who, 
during  the  civil  war,  became  conspicuouson  both  the  Federal  and  Confederate  sides. 
He  served  throughout  the  Mexican  war;  in  1849  commanded  the  escort  to  the  first 
governor  of  California,  and  in  1853  was  appointed  to  succeed  Captain  Gunnison,  who 
had  been  killed  by  the  Indians,  as  commander  of  the  survey  of  the  Union  Pacific 
railroad.  During  the  civil  war  he  served  as  chief  commissary  on  the  staffs  of  Gen- 
erals Patterson,  Pope  and  Banks  and  was  three  times  breveted  for  meritorious  services. 
After  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  brought  to  Washington  to  settle  the  claims  held 
against  the  commissary  department  throughout  the  country.  His  record  of  fidelity 
and  ability  in  the  accomplishment  of  this  arduous  task  is  too  well  known  to  need 
comment.  He  was  retired  upon  his  own  application  in  1879  and  died  in  Washington 
in  1881,  in  the  sixty-third  year  of  his  age.  General  Beckwith  married  in  June,  IS.'iO, 
Cornelia  Williamson,  daughter  of  John  P.  Williamson  of  Savannah,  Georgia.  Two 
children  were  born  to  them:  Madeline  Beckwith  and  Nellie  Beckwith. 


Mitchell,  Thomas  H.,  p.  o.  Chittenango,  the  enterprising  and  popular  proprietor 
of  the  Mitchell  &  French  market  in  Chittenango,  was  born  in  this  vicinity  November 
24,  1855.  His  father,  the  late  Benjamin  C.  Mitchell,  was  of  English  birth  and  by 
trade  a  miller.  He  came  to  this  country  in  1854  and  after  leaving  Chittenango  in 
1866  operated  custom  and  flouring  mills  at  Little  Falls  and  at  Middleville,  N.  Y. 
Thomas  H.  Mitchell  lived  at  Little  Falls  from  1866  to  1873,  when  he  returned  to  this 
place  and  learned  the  machinist's  trade  with  Hon.  Peter  Walrath,  in  whose  employ 
he  remained  until  1880.  At  that  date  he  went  into  the  market  then  conducted  and 
owned  by  Clement  Cook  and  soon  took  charge  of  the  business,  Mr.  Cook  retiring  re- 
cently by  reason  of  increasing  age.  December  24,  1879,  Mr.  Mitchell  married  Nellie 
L.,  daughter  of  Mr.  Cook.  They  have  one  daughter,  Clara  L.  Mitchell,  born  June 
13, 1883.     All  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Chittenango.     Mr.  Mitch- 


168  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ell  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  has  filled  several  minor  offices  with  credit.  He  is 
recognized  as  a  citizen  of  sterling  worth,  and  commands  a  large  proportion  of  busi- 
ness patronage. 


Van  Valkenburgh,  A.  T.,  D.  D.  S.,  was  born  in  Chatham,  October  9,  1829.  His 
father.  Burger  Van  Valkenburgh,  was  a  native  of  New  York  State,  his  ancestors  com- 
ing from  Holland.  He  was  a  tanner  and  currier.  A.  T.  Van  Valkenburgh  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  at  Stittville  and  Holland  Patent.  He  studied  dentistry 
with  Dr.  D.  W.  Perkins  of  Rome.  In  1881  he  came  to  Canastota  He  has  one  son,  J. 
G.  Van  Valkenburgh,  a  graduate  from  the  Buffalo  Dental  College  and  now  practicing 
in  Canastota.  Dr.  Van  Valkenburgh  is  one  of  the  progressive  men  of  Madison 
county,  serving  as  president  of  his  village  and  taking  an  active  interest  in  the  build- 
ing of  the  Canastota  and  Camden  Railroad.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Canastota  Lodge 
No.  S31,  F.  &  A.  M.,  the  Camden  Chapter  and  Rome  Commandery  No.  45. 


Fort,  William  M.,  Ph.  B.,  p.  o.  Chittenango,  the  efficient  principal  of  Yates  High 
School.  Chittenango,  was  born  at  Stamford,  Conn.,  January  18,  1867.  The  nativity 
of  the  family  is  Norman-French,  and  his  Huguenot  ancestors  accepted  the  hospitali- 
ty of  American  shores  about  1735.  Soon  after  this  time  Abram  Fort,  the  progenitor 
of  that  branch  of  the  family  now  found  in  the  Mohawk  and  upper  Hudson  valleys, 
located  near  Troy,  N.  Y. ,  from  whom  the  subject  of  our  sketch  is  descended.  Prof. 
Fort's  father,  Louis  H.  Fort,  now  resides  near  Schenectady.  His  boyhood  was  spent 
in  Saratoga  county,  and  his  education,  begun  in  the  vicinity  of  Schenectady  and  con- 
tinued in  Troy  Conference  Academy,  was  completed  at  the  Albany  Normal  College 
and  the  Illinois  .Wesleyan  University,  from  which  institution  he  took  his  degree. 
Meantime  he  had  acquired  invaluable  experience  in  teaching  in  the  district  schools 
of  Saratoga  and  Schenectady  counties,  which  led  him  upon  the  completion  of  his 
education  to  choose  the  profession  of  teaching  as  his  life  work  His  first  work  after 
his  graduation  was  as  an  instructor  in  the  Adelphi  Academy  of  Brooklyn.  The  year 
following  this  he  took  charge  of  the  union  school  at  Baldwin,  L.  I.,  and  in  1895  came 
here  as  principal  of  Yates  High  School,  where  his  success  has  been  marked  and  sub- 
stantial October  20,  1896,  he  married  Grace  O.  Denny  of  Cold  Spring,  Putnam 
county,  N.  Y.  Prof.  Fort  hold  high  standing  in  the  fraternity  of  Masons,  the  Knights 
of  Pythias,  the  Independent  Order  of  Good  Templars,  and  of  various  educational 
societies,  among  the  latter  the  Onondaga  County  Educational  Council,  and  the  As- 
sociation of  Academic  Principals  of  New  York.  He  esteems  it  not  the  least  among 
his  honors  to  be  president  of  the  local  chapter  of  the  Theta  Phi  Fraternity,  main- 
tained by  the  young  men  of  Yates  High  School. 


Matterson,  H.  H.,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  was  born  in  Otsego  county,  N.  Y.,  a  son  of  Nel- 
son W.  Matterson,  a  native  of  New  York  State,  and  Sophia  Hall,  his  wife,  a  native 
of  New  England.  Mr.  Matterson  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and  subsequently  went  into 
the  mercantile  business  and  in  1887  came  to  Hamilton,  where  he  established  the 
business  of  which  he  is  now  the  head.  In  September,  1897,  he  associated  with  him 
Frank  Tooke,  under  the  firm  name  of  Matterson  &  Tooke.  They  are  dealers  in  all 
kinds  of  wagons,  cutters  and  sleighs,  harnesses  of  every  kind,  robes  and  blankets 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  169 

and  are  the  only  house  of  their  kind  in  Hamilton.  Mr.  Matterson  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  is  a  Republican  in  politics.  He  married  Harriet  M. 
Prosser  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Florence  S.,  now  Mrs.  F.  B.  Soden  of  Bain, 
bridge. 

Bushnell  Addison,  p.  o.  Lakeport,  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  prominent  citizens 
of  I^akeport,  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  his  present  home,  March  26,  1818.  His  fam- 
ily is  one  which  has  been  identified  with  local  history  since  the  earliest  settlement  of 
northern  Sullivan.  His  father  was  Reuben  Bushnell,  of  Connecticut  birth,  and  the 
family  nativity  is  English.  Mr.  Bushnell  has  passed  so  much  of  a  long  and  useful 
life  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Lakeport  and  owing  to  hereditary  powers,  as  well 
as  to  pure  and  wholesome  habits  of  life,  carries  his  more  than  eighty  years  lightly. 
Always  engaged  in  farming,  he  has  prosecuted  that  avocation  with  the  result  of  accu- 
mulating a  large  property  and  a  cluster  of  choice  farms  aggregating  over  400  acres. 
His  lands  have  been,  and  still  are,  devoted  largely  to  cattle  and  dairy  products. 
When  Reuben  Bushnell  first  settled  on  the  shores  of  Oneida  Lake  the  primeval  for- 
est was  yet  practically  unbroken  ;  now  it  is  a  smiling  expanse  of  arable  fields.  Mr. 
Bushnell's  handsome  home,  built  about  thirty  years  ago  and  on  a  site  which  has 
been  his  home  for  nearly  half  a  century,  commands  a  delightful  expanse  of  lake  and 
shore  from  its  verandas.  Mr.  Bushnell  first  married,  in  1843,  Amelia  Keeler  of 
Chatham,  Columbia  county;  she  died  m  1877  One  daughter  was  born  to  them,  who 
died  in  1861.  The  lady  who  since  1878  has  dispensed  the  hospitalities  of  his  home, 
was  before  her  marriage,  Mrs.  Emma  C.  Harpham  She  yet  mourns  the  loss  of  an 
only  son  by  a  former  marriage,  Herraon  Harpham.  Mr.  Bushnell  was  formerly  a 
Republican,  but  for  nearly  thirty  years  has  been  an  active  and  consistent  member  of 
the  Prohibition  party.  Despite  his  many  years,  those  who  count  a  full  score  less 
might  well  envy  him  his  physical  stamina  and  unclouded  intellect. 


Shepardson,  Frank  Lucius,  A.  M.,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  principal  of  Colgate  Academy, 
was  born  at  Princeton,  Me.,  April  10,  1861,  a  son  of  Rev.  L.  F.  Shepardson,  a  Bap- 
tist minister  in  New  Hampshire,  and  Maria  L.  (Gage)  Shepardson.  Prof.  Shepard- 
son was  prepared  for  college  at  the  high  school  in  Providence,  R.  L,  and  after  grad- 
uating from  that  institution  in  1879  he  entered  Brown  University,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  with  honors  in  the  class  of  1883.  In  his  junior  year  he  was  made  a 
member  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa,  an  honor  conferred  for  the  highest  scholarship.     In 

1884  Mr.  Shepardson  taught  in  a  private  school  at  Cumberland,  and  in  the  fall  of 

1885  he  became  instructor  in  Worcester  Academy.  In  1887  he  was  elected  assistant 
principal.  He  remained  in  the  Worcester  Academy  until  1896,  and  during  1894  and 
1895  he  was  acting  principal  and  in  that  capacity  demonstrated  his  high  abilities  as 
an  executive  as  well  as  an  educator.  In  1806  Prof.  Shepardson  became  principal  of 
Colgate  Academy,  and  the  institution  is  expanding  in  every  way  under  his  able  di- 
rection. 


Warrick,  J.  C,  was  born  in  Albany  county,  February  27,  1831.  His  father,  Asa 
T.  Warrick,  was  a  native  of  the  same  county  and  the  family  trace  their  descent  from 
Asa  Warrick,  who  came  from  England  about  1780.     Capt.  Asa  T.  Warrick  married 


170  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Elnora,  daughter  of  Ezra  Champion,  and  was  a  prominent  man  in  Albany  county. 
J.  C.  Warrick  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  in  1851  went  to  Syracuse 
and  worked  with  his  brother  Harvey  in  the  wagon  making  business,  learning  the 
trade.  In  1857  he  came  to  Canastota  and  worked  at  his  trade  until  1861,  when  he 
enlisted  in  Co.  C,  101st  N.  Y.  Volunteers,  served  six  months,  when  he  resigned  and 
returned  to  Canastota.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  engaged  as  a  furniture  dealer 
and  undertaker.  He  is  now  employing  the  most  approved  and  scientific  methods  for 
the  care  and  preservation  of  the  dead  ;  he  also  carries  a  full  line  of  carpets.  In  1854 
Mr.  Warrick  married  Sarah  Lawrence,  who  died  in  1885,  and  later  he  married  Jennie 
Spencer.  Mr.  Warrick  is  one  of  the  leading  business  men  of  his  town,  and  has 
served  as  trustee  and  treasurer  of  his  village. 


Rockwell,  Hiram  L. ,  son  of  Thomas  B.  and  Lucy  (Lindley)  Rockwell,  was  born  in 
the  town  of  Stockbndge,  this  county,  February  21, 1833.  His  father  was  an  extensive 
farmer,  known  throughout  a  large  section  of  Madison  county  as  Captain  Rockwell, 
having  commanded  a  company  of  artillery  in  the  State  militia.  His  grandfather, 
Thomas  Rockwell,  came  from  Connecticut  and  was  among  the  earliest  settlers  of  the 
present  town  of  Stockbridge.  Mr.  Rockwell  was  educated  in  the  district  schools, 
and  at  the  Albany  Normal  School,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of 
1855.  For  one  year  he  taught  a  union  school  in  the  town  of  Dryden,  Tompkins 
county,  N.  Y.,  and  the  following  year  taught  in  the  Brooklyn  Polytechnic  Institute. 
In  1857  he  entered  the  Albany  Law  School  where  he  was  graduated  LL.  B.  in  1859. 
In  the  same  year  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  took  up  his  residence  in  the  village 
of  MunnsviUe,  where  he  continued  in  active  practice  until  1867.  Subsequently  he  en- 
gaged in  teaching  and  in  fruit  culture.  In  1873  he  moved  to  Oneida  where  he  has 
since  resided,  and  has  given  his  attention  to  insurance  and  real  estate.  He  has  been 
prominent  in  support  of  many  worthy  public  enterprises  and  at  different  periods  has 
been  honored  with  positions  of  public  trust.  He  served  six  years  as  School  Com- 
missioner of  the  second  district  of  Madison  county,  embracing  the  towns  of  Stock- 
bridge,  Smithfield,  Cazenovia,  Fenner,  Sullivan  and  Lenox;  in  1877  as  supervisor  of 
the  town  of  Lenox ;  for  six  years  as  a  member  of  the  Oneida  Board  of  Education ; 
one  term  as  village  trustee;  and  was  a  member  of  the  first  sewer  commisson  four 
years,  a  position  to  which  he  has  lately  been  reappointed.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  church,  and  has  officiated  as  one  of  its  trustees.  Mr.  Rockwell 
married  in  1861,  Esther  A.  Hait,  and  four  children  have  been  born  to  them:  Adeline 
Benson;  Mrs.  Mabel  H.  Schubert;  Grace  H.  (deceased  December  11,  1888);  and 
Charles  W.  Rockwell. 


Eggleston,  Jerome,  who  died  in  Cazenovia,  February  23,  1898,  in  the  seventy-fifth 
year  of  his  age,  was  for  many  years  a  respected  and  useful  citizen  of  Cazenovia.  He 
was  born  in  Morrisville  in  1824,  a  son  of  Amos  and  Polly  (Anderson)  Eggleston.  His 
father  died  when  he  was  a  youth,  and  his  education  was  limited,  for  he  early  had  to 
contribute  to  the  support  of  his  mother  and  the  family,  consisting  of  three  younger 
children.  At  the  early  age  of  eight  he  worked  on  a  farm  and  secured  enough  money 
to  partially  buy  a  team.  He  then  moved  with  his  mother  and  her  children  to  Caze- 
novia, and  found  employment  drawing  ashes  from  the  surrounding  country  to  the 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  171 

ashery  in  Cazenovia  village.  This  occupation  afforded  him  a  livelihood,  as  well  as 
enabling  him  to  entirely  support  the  family  and  he  continued  in  it  until  the  decline 
of  the  potash  business.  He  was  proprietor  of  the  old  Park  House  two  years.  He 
then  removed  to  Morrisville,  where  he  engaged  in  the  livery  business,  having  ob- 
tained enough  capital  to  enable  him  to  start  on  a  small  scale.  He  gradually  enlarged 
his  business  as  his  means  warranted  and  continued  successfully  for  about  fifteen 
years,  when  he  sold  out  and  removed  to  Peterboro  to  take  the  management  of  the 
Gerrit  Smith  Hotel  which  he  conducted  for  over  ten  years.  The  State  of  Wisconsin 
was  then  largely  undeveloped  and  with  his  characteristic  enterprise  he  decided  to 
locate  there,  settling  at  Oak  Grove,  in  Dodge  county,  and  taking  up  some  250  acres 
of  land.  Here  he  lived  about  ten  years  and  then  returned  to  the  east,  coming  again 
to  Cazenovia,  the  scene  of  his  earlier  struggles.  For  a  time  he  had  charge  of  the 
Ten  Eyck  farm,  later  conducted  a  restaurant  for  about  four  years,  and  still  later  en- 
gaged in  the  grocery  business  in  company  with  a  brother,  Dwight  W.  Eggleston, 
under  the  name  of  Eggleston  Brothers.  In  time  they  added  a  livery  business  and 
continued  their  association  until  187.5,  when  the  grocery  and  livery  establishments 
were  disposed  of  and  they  dissolved  partnership.  In  the  same  year  Mr.  Eggleston 
took  the  stable  in  the  rear  of  the  Lincklaen  House,  which  he  conducted  until 
his  death,  when  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  his  sons,  A.  L.  and  C.  M.  Eggleston,  who 
conduct  it  under  the  name  of  Eggleston  Brothers.  Mr.  Eggleston  was  a  Republican 
in  politics.  He  was  an  honorable  and  upright  man  and  held  to  the  strictest  integrity 
in  his  business  transactions.  He  was  well  known  throughout  Madison  county  and 
made  many  strong  friends.  He  married  Enieline  Fitch,  a  daughter  of  Captain  Der- 
rick Fitch,  a  veteran  of  the  war  of  1812.  Of  this  union  were  born  four  children, 
three  of  whom  survive:  Adelbert  L.,  Charles  M.,  and  Caroline  J. 


Salsbury,  Julius  Eugene,  M.  D.,  son  of  Minzo  W.,  and  Lany  (Bowman)  Salsbury, 
was  born  in  Theresa,  Jefferson  county,  N.  Y.,  September  28,  1855.  His  father  was  a 
farmer,  and  when  Dr.  Salsbury  was  thirteen  years  of  age  removed  to  Palermo, 
Oswego  county,  N.  Y.,  where  he  resided  until  his  death  in  1873.  Julius  Eugene 
Salsbury,  M.  D.,  was  educated  at  Mexico  academy,  and  began  his  medical  studies 
in  the  Eclectic  Medical  Institute  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
M.  D.  in  1883.  He  also  attended  the  Pulte  Medical  College  (homeopathy),  from 
which  he  received  an  ophthaloraological  and  otological  certificate.  Dr.  Salsbury 
prepared  himself  for  his  profession  entirely  by  his  own  efforts  and  during  the  time 
which  elapsed  between  his  graduation  from  Mexico  academy  and  his  entrance  to  the 
Eclectic  Medical  Institute  engaged  in  teaching  in  the  schools  of  Oswego  county,  and 
in  clerical  work,  to  obtain  funds  sufficient  for  his  purpose.  He  began,  at  the  age  of 
eighteen,  with  a  dollar,  but  by  rigid  economy  succeeded  in  qualifying  for  his  chosen 
profession.  After  obtaining  his  degree  he  settled  in  Cazenovia  and  at  once  began 
practice.  He  has  served  as  coroner  one  term,  and  as  a  member  of  the  school  board 
three  years,  one  term  (1896-97)  as  president  of  the  body.  He  was  also  a  member  of 
the  first  board  of  sewer  commissioners.  Dr.  Salsbury  married,  in  1885,  Nellie  J. 
Chappel,  daughter  of  Chester  L.  Chappel  of  Cazenovia.  Three  children  have  been 
born  to  them  1  Helen  Viola,  Marjorie  Jiloise,  and  Howard  Eugene  Salsbury. 


172  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Blodgett,  Ludrum,  proprietor  of  the  Brooklyn  creamery  in  Cazenovia,  was  born  in 
the  town  of  Nelson,  July  30,  1838,  a  son  of  Arba  and  Adeline  D.  (Wilbur)  Blodgett. 
Arba  Blodget  was  a  native  of  the  town  of  Eaton,  and  later  resided  in  Nelson  and 
Smithfield.  He  removed  to  Cazenovia  m  1866  and  engaged  in  farming  and  the 
manufacture  of  cheese.  He  was  one  of  the  first  citizens  of  Cazenovia  to  receive 
summer  residents  into  his  home.  It  is  also  given  upon  reliable  authority  that  he 
built  and  operated  the  first  cheese  factory  in  Madison  county  at  ?eterboro.  He  died 
September  14,  1891,  in  the  eighty-fifth  year  of  his  age.  Ludrum  Blodgett,  the  sub- 
ject of  the  sketch,  received  a  good  common  school  education  and  was  associated  in 
the  management  of  his  father's  business  interests  until  1876,  when  he  purchased  a 
farm  on  the  west  side  of  Cazenovia  lake  and  conducted  it  for  twelve  years,  during  a 
greater  part  of  the  time  operating  a  creamerv  on  the  property.  In  1888,  he  pur- 
chased the  Hersey  property,  at  the  foot  of  Albany  street  in  Cazenovia  village,  and 
established  a  creamery  which  he  still  continues,  manufacturing  cheese,  butter  and 
ice  cream,  and  retailing  pasteurized  milk  and  cream.  For  some  time  he  was  engaged 
in  the  grocery  business  on  the  property.  Mr.  Blodgett  married,  in  1861,  Celia  A. 
Cloyes,  a  daughter  of  B.  F.  Cloyes,  of  Morrisville.  It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  they 
were  married  in  the  first  frame  house  built  in  the  town  of  Eaton,  by  the  Cloyes  fam- 
ily, who  were  among  the  early  settlers  of  that  town.  Five  children  have  been  born 
to  them:  Dollie  E.,  wife  of  W.  H  Dodge,  of  Cazenovia;  Arba  D.,  Franklin  C. , 
Mortimer  L.,  and  Harry  G. 


Brown,  Oliver  T.,  of  Unadilla  Forks,  N.  Y.,  was  born  in  Brookfield,  March  16. 
1823.  He  was  a  son  of  Nathan  and  grandson  of  another  Nathan  Brown,  who  came 
from  Stonington,  Conn.,  about  1794,  and  lived  and  died  in  Brookfield.  His  wife  was 
Marcy  Kinney,  daughter  of  Ezra  Kmney,  and  was  married  to  Oliver  Babcock  in  1767; 
they  had  one  daughter  who  married  Jabish  Brown,  the  history  of  the  families 
including  eight  generations.  After  the  death  of  Oliver  Babcock,  Marcy  (Kinney) 
Babcock  married  Nathan  Brown,  as  before  noted.  The)'  had  five  children,  of  whom 
Nathan  Brown,  3d,  was  one.  He  was  a  respected  and  thorough  farmer;  was  deacon 
of  the  Baptist  church  about  sixty  years  and  died  at  the  age  of  ninety-two  years.  He 
came  from  Conneticut  with  his  father  when  fifteen  years  old.  He  was  a  Democrat 
during  his  life.  Oliver  T  Brown  was  an  active  farmer;  was  chosen  supervisor  of 
Brookfield  in  1880,  by  a  large  majority,  and  was  called  upon  to  settle  several  estates, 
He  was  a  deacon  of  the  Baptist  church  at  Unadilla  Forks  for  many  years,  and  a 
Democrat  until  about  1882,  since  which  date  he  has  been  an  active  Prohibitionist. 
He  married  Armenia  Beckwith,  of  E.-jeter,  Otsego  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1849;  they  had 
one  daughter,  Minnie  B. ,  wife  of  F.  A.  Scnbner,  who  had  one  daughter,  Marie. 
Oliver  T.  Brown  now  lives  on  the  Mountain  View  Farm,  Marcom's  Mountain,  300 
feet  above  the  pond. 


Edgerton,  Frank  L.,  son  of  Walter  N.  and  Laura  C.  (Damon)  Edgerton,  was  born 
in  the  town  of  Sullivan,  June  18,  1858.  The  Edgerton  family  have  always  been 
among  the  representative  residents  of  this  section,  and  Ezekiel  Edgerton  (grand- 
father) was  one  of  the  first  settlers.  Mr.  Edgerton's  father  was  born  at  Sangerfield, 
and  died  at  Minoa,  Onondaga  county,  whither  he  had  removed  in  1896,  January  8, 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  173 

1898.  He  was  well  known  to  his  fellow  townsmen  as  a  man  of  the  strictest  integrity, 
and  his  death  was  mourned  by  a  wide  circle  of  friends.  Of  his  union  with  Laura  C. 
Damon  seven  children  were  born:  Charles  E.,  of  Bergen,  Genesee  county,  N.  Y. ; 
Frank  L.,  Carrie  M.,  wife  of  F.  W.  Balch  of  Utica;  Clayton  W.,  ct  Solvay,  N.  Y. ; 
Lewis  G. ,  of  Syracuse;  Alice,  who  died  in  infancy;  and  Bertha  E.,  who  resides' with 
her  mother  at  Minoa.  Frank  L.  Edgerteu  was  educated  in  the  common  schools,  and 
has  always  been  engaged  in  farming,  now  cultivating  the  home  farm  near  Bridge- 
port. In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  Mr.  Edgertou  married,  in  189.5,  Laura  V. 
Scott,  daughter  of  Thomas  H.  Scott  of  Cicero,  Onondaga  county,  N.  Y.  One  son 
has  been  born  to  them:  Frank  Howard  Edgerton. 


Burt,  Abram  L.,  son  of  Jonathan  and  Lorinda(Lee)  Burt,  was  born  in  Chittenango, 
January  17,  1833.  His  father  was  a  mechanic,  and  a  native  of  Long  Meadow,  Mas- 
sachusetts; he  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Oneida  Community,  owning  the  ground 
where  the  community  first  started.  Mr.  Burt  was  fourteen  years  of  age  when  his 
parents  removed  to  Kenwood,  and  he  has  ever  since  resided  at  that  place.  At  an 
early  age  he  began  to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade,  and  he  is  also  a  skilled  mechanic, 
a  patternmaker  and  millwright.  Mr.  Burt  has  gained  a  wide  reputation  for  the  ex- 
cellence of  the  water  wheels  he  has  installed  at  different  points.  He  has  entire 
charge  of  the  Oneida  Community  buildings.  In  1850  he  married  Fidelia  A.  Dunn, 
daughter  of  Norman  B.  Dunn  of  Bakersfield,  Vt.  One  son  has  been  born  of  this 
union,  Horatio  T.,  of  New  York  city. 


White,  Samuel,  and  his  brother,  John,  were  pioneers  in  Madison,  coming  from 
Petersham,  Mass.,  at  a  very  early  day.  Samuel  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  having 
entered  the  army  at  the  age  of  sixteen  and  was  stationed  at  West  Point  in  1779-80. 
He  was  there  at  the  time  of  Arnold's  treachery  and  was  one  of  the  guards  at  An- 
dre's execution.  He  married  in  1786  and  in  1798  came  to  Madison.  His  children 
were  Hipzebeth,  Ira,  Clara,  Mary,  Abigail.  Samuel,  Grace  and  Anna,  the  latter  of 
whom  became  the  wife  of  Henry  R.  Barker.     He  died  April  27,  1894. 


Curtis,  Samuel,  came  from  Stratford,  Conn.,  about  1796,  and  settled  in  Madison. 
He  was  a  farmer  and  carpenter.  His  children  were  Atlanta,  who  married  William 
Lewis;  Amanda,  wife  of  Dr.  Collister;  Isaac,  Abner,  Uri,  Joel,  Ann,  Homer,  Allen 
and  Samuel,  jr.  Allen  Curtis  was  born  September  13,  1811,  and  except  ten  years 
has  spent  his  whole  life  in  Madison.  Since  1858  he  has  held  the  office  of  justice  of 
the  peace  and  when  living  in  Erieville  held  the  same  office  in  Nelson.  This  record 
is  seldom  equalled.  On  January  8,  1834,  Mr.  Curtis  married  Arabella  A.  Richard- 
son. Their  children  were  Martin  V.  B.,  Adelia  L,,  Abner,  Marion,  Rispha,  Lucinda 
R. ,  vS.  Allen,  Herbert  G.,  Josephine  S.,  Ida  D.,  Louis  A.,  and  Cora  A.  Mr.  Curtis's 
wife  died  in  August,  1898.     Since  1834  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church. 


Cotton,  Hamilton,  p.  o.  Canastota,  representing  one  of  the  pioneer  local  families, 
was  born  at  Oak  Hill,  Lenox,  Madison  county,  August  3,  1821.  His  father  and 
grandfather  bore  the  same  name,  Willard  Cotton.     The  grandfather  was  a  native  of 


174  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Vermont,  who  in  his  early  travels  westward  settled  for  a  time  in  Chenango  county, 
then  came  to  New  Boston  and  Oak  Hill.  He  was  a  zealous  churchman  of  the  Univer- 
salist  faith,  and  built  a  chapel  for  the  promulgation  of  that  doctrine  near  New  Bos- 
ton. Hamilton  Cotton's  boyhood  was  spent  in  the  vicinity  of  Oak  Hill,  now  called 
"Cottons"  in  honor  of  his  father,  who  was  the  first  postmaster  there.  The  family 
were  originally  from  England  and  some  of  his  parental  ancestors  who  settled  in  Bos- 
ton, Mass.,  soon  after  Mayflower  times,  now  lie  buried  in  the  historic  churchyard  in 
the  heart  of  that  city.  In  1846  Mr.  Cotton  married  Mary  Adams  of  Canastota,  who 
died  in  1884,  leaving  two  children:  Charles  H.  Cotton,  a  merchant  in  Syracuse,  and 
Mary  E.,  wife  of  Adolph  Schansenbach.  a  wholesale  grocer  in  Ogden  City,  Utah. 
Hamilton  Cotton's  present  wife  was  Sarah  E.  Simonds,  of  Herkimer  county. 


Hubbard,  John  F. ,  a  very  e.Ktensive  farmer  and  hop  grower,  and  one  of  the  repre- 
sentative citizens  of  Madison  county,  is  a  son  of  John  and  Harriett  (Russell)  Hub- 
bard. His  father  was  born  in  England  and  in  1828  came  with  his  parents  to  this 
country  and  settled  in  Waterville,  where  he  resided  until  his  marriage.  He  after- 
ward removed  to  Morrisville,  where  John  F.  was  born,  April  4,  1846.  He  remained 
at  home  until  December  31,  1868,  having  in  the  meantime  received  a  good  education 
in  the  district  schools  and  the  Hamilton  Union  School.  He  then  married  Helena, 
daughter  of  Ephraim  and  Lucy  (Perkins)  Keeck,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  success- 
ful farmer  of  Stockbridge.  They  have  had  four  children:  Charles  (deceased),  Fred 
(deceased),  Hattie  (Mrs.  Charles  Smith  of  De  Ruyter),  and  Lewis.  Politically  Mr. 
Hubbard  aflfiliates  with  the  Democratic  party,  and  while  leading  a  quiet  and  un- 
eventful life  enjoys  the  most  independent  and  in  many  respects  enviable  station  of  a 
farmer,  owning  his  own  lands.  By  his  own  energy  and  industry  Mr.  Hubbard  has 
established  himself  comfortably  aud  with  pleasant  surroundings. 


Chasmer,  George  W. ,  a  resident  of  Sullivan  for  fifty  years,  or  since  1838,  was 
born  at  Athens,  Greene  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1838.  His  father,  Thomas  A.  Chasraer, 
was  of  English  birth  and  by  trade  a  bnckmaker.  He  settled  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Lakeport  in  1838.  being  twenty-seven  years  of  age  at  that  time,  and  engaged  in 
farming  and  the  manufacture  of  brick.  George  Chasmer  is  considered  one  of  the 
representative  men  of  his  town  and  has  filled  many  positions  of  trust  and  responsi- 
bility. His  large  farm  of  nearly  300  acres  just  east  of  Lakeport,  is  devoted  chiefly  to 
dairy  products  and  is  operated  by  his  only  son,  Jerome  Chasmer.  Mr.  Chasmer  is  a 
staunch  supporter  of  Democratic  doctrines  and  has  served  as  town  auditor  since  1885. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Madison-Onondaga  Mutual  Fire  In- 
surance Company.  In  1853  he  married  Elizabeth  Petrie  of  Vernon,  N.  Y.  Both  are 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 


De  Clercq,  Gilbert  C. ,  was  born  in  Cazenovia,  November  29,  1846,  a  son  of  Peter 
and  Laura  (Mason)  de  Clercq,  and  a  lineal  descendant  in  the  ninth  generation  of  (1) 
Pieter  de  Clercq,  (2)  Lucas,  (8)  Pieter,  (4)  Pieter,  (5)  Jacob,  (6)  Peter,  (7)  Hendrick,  (8) 
Peter,  (9)  Gilbert  C.  Portraits  of  Lucas  (3)  de  Clercq  and  Feryntze  Steenkiste,  his 
wife  (1635),  by  Frans  Hals,  are  found  in  the  national  gallerj'  at  Amsterdam.  Hen- 
drick (7)  de  Clercq,  born  in  Amsterdam,  October  30,  1776,  was  one  of  the  earliest 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  175 

settlers  in  the  town  of  Cazenovia,  locating  on  land  just  south  of  the  farm  now  owned 
by  Gilbert  C.  de  Clercq.  He  was  a  large  farmer  and  a  man  of  prominence  in  his 
time.  He  married  at  Cazenovia,  February  10.  1799,  Mary  Ledyard,  a  daughter  of 
the  brave  Captain  Ledyard,  whose  tragic  death  in  defense  of  Fort  Griswold  during 
the  Revolutionary  war  is  indissolubly  connected  with  the  history  of  our  country. 
Their  children  were  Peter,  Charles,  Eliza.  Youngs,  Julia,  Rebecca,  Hendnck,  Mary 
and  Louisa.  Peter  (8)  de  Clercq,  father  of  the  subject  of  this  notice,  was  all  his  life 
a  farmer  in  Cazenovia.  He  was  born  July  19,  1800,  and  died  June  16,  1873,  honored 
and  respected  by  all  who  had  known  him.  March  21,  1826,  he  married  Laura  Mason 
of  Whitestown,  and  ten  children  were  born  to  them;  Gysbert,  Augustus  Hervey, 
Sarah  Louisa,  Susah  Rebecca,  Isaac  Ledyard,  Arnold  Mason,  Julia  Katherine,  Car- 
oline Amelia,  Mary  Elizabeth  and  Gilbert  Coman.  The  latter  was  educated  in  Caz- 
enovia Seminary  and  has  always  been  a  farmer.  In  polities  he  is  a  Republican.  He 
married,  November  17,  1869,  Nancy  Richmond,  daughter  of  Wells  Richmond  of 
New  Woodstock;  six  children  have  been  born  of  this  union;  Laura  Mason,  Caroline 
B.,  Harriet  May  (who  died  in  infancy),  Nathan  Ray  of  Lebanon,  Wells  Richmond 
and  Clarence  E.,  both  of  whom  reside  at  home. 


Carpenter,  Henry  W. ,  M.  D.,  is  one  of  the  oldest  practitioners  of  medicine  in  Mad- 
ison county.  He  was  born  in  Marcy,  Oneida  county,  N.Y. ,  June  36,  1834,  a  son  of 
Albert  and  Maria  (Ashby)  Carpenter.  His  great-grandfather,  Deacon  Stephen  Car- 
penter was  a  Revolutionary  soldier  of  English  parentage,  a  native  of  Cheshire, 
Mass.,  where  he  died  in  1827.  George  W.  Carpenter,  a  son  of  Deacon  Stephen  Car- 
penter, was  born  in  Cheshire,  Mass.,  June  8,  1780.  He  married  Mary  Horton  of 
Scituate,  R.  I.,  and  with  his  young  bride  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Oneida 
county  Albert  Carpenter,  their  son,  was  the  father  of  Dr.  Carpenter.  He  was 
born  and  reared  on  a  farm  near  Whitesboro  and  died  in  middle  life.  Of  his  union 
with  Maria  Ashby  were  four  children;  George  W.,  a  banker  in  Fargo,  N.D. ;  Henry 
W.,  Deloss  A.,  who  resides  in  Rome,  N.  Y.  ;  and  Amy  J.,  Mrs.  Kirkland,  living  in 
Forest  Port,  N.Y.  As  a  youth  Dr.  Carpenter  attended  the  district  schools  and  as- 
sisted in  the  farm  work ;  at  the  age  of  seventeen  he  began  to  teach  school,  and  dur- 
ing his  third  term,  while  in  Rome,  began  the  study  of  medicine  under  Dr.  Sturde- 
vant.  In  the  fall  of  18.53  he  went  to  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  where  he  attended  a  course 
of  lectures,  and  in  the  following  spring  went  to  Holland  Patent  in  which  place  he 
continued  his  medical  studies  with  Dr.  Crane,  later  taking  a  course  in  medicine  at 
Albany.  In  1857-58  he  attended  the  University  of  the  City  of  New  York,  where  he 
graduated,  M.  D.,  with  the  class  of  1858.  He  began  practice  in  Holland  Patent  the 
same  year,  forming  an  association  with  Dr.  Crane  which  lasted  four  years.  During 
the  Civil  war  he  served  as  assistant  surgeon  and  surgeon  of  the  117th  N.  Y.  Vols. ;  he 
also  served  as  acting  brigade  surgeon  and  was  president  of  a  medical  examining 
board.  When  peace  was  declared  he  returned  home,  and  in  March,  1865,  settled  in 
Oneida,  where  he  has  enjoyed  a  lucrative  practice ;  he  has  achieved  wide  reputation 
as  an  expert  in  difficult  cases  of  surgery  and  his  practice  extends  over  a  considerable 
amount  of  territory.  Dr.  Carpenter  is  well  known  to  the  profession  and  has  been  a 
frequent  contributor  to  medical  publications,  especially  the  American  Medical  Asso- 
ciation Journal  and  the  New  York  Medical  Record.     He  is  a  member  of  the  Oneida 


17fi  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

County  Medical  Society,  the  Madison  County  Medical  Society,  of  which  he  has  been 
vice-president  and  president,  the  New  York  State  Medical  Association,  Medical  So- 
ciety of  the  State  of  New  York,  the  American  Medical  Association,  Central  New 
York  Medical  Association  (president  in  1897),  the  Pan-American  Medical  Congress, 
and  the  International  Medical  Congress.  As  a  citizen  he  has  been  prominent  in  pro- 
moting the  prosperity  of  Oneida,  and  has  held  many  positions  of  public  trust,  serv- 
ing as  village  trustee  and  president;  for  six  years  as  coroner  of  the  county,  as  pen- 
sion examiner  on  the  Oneida  board  for  fifteen  years,  and  in  1874  as  member  of 
Assembly  from  this  district.  He  has  also  served  as  president  of  the  Oneida  Business 
Mens'  Club,  as  president  of  the  Oneida  Chamber  of  Commerce,  (1890-94)  as  president 
of  the  Glenwood  Cemetery  Association,  and  in  1898  was  elected  president  of  the 
Madison  County  Historical  Society.  Fraternally  he  is  a  Mason  of  high  degree,  hold- 
ing membership  in  Doric  Chapter  of  Oneida  and  Rome  Commandery.  He  has  also 
been  prominent  in  the  G.  A.  R. ,  served  on  the  staff  of  State  Commander  General 
Harrison  Clark,  and  in  1890  was  elected  medical  director  of  the  State  of  New  York. 
He  has  done  much  to  promote  the  welfare  of  the  veterans.  Dr.  Carpenter  first  mar- 
ried Augusta  La  Moiue  RoUo,  who  died  leaving  one  daughter,  the  late  Mrs.  Freder- 
ick B.  Cheney  of  Oneida.  About  two  years  after  the  death  of  his  first  wife  he  mar- 
ried her  sister,  Emma  Louisa  Rollo. 


Gorton,  Ambrose  E.,  p.  o.  Chittenango,  leading  merchant  of  the  village  of  Chit- 
tenango,  deals  largely  in  a  general  line  of  goods,  such  as  dry  goods,  groceries,  boots 
and  shoes,  and  clothing.  He  was  born  at  Brookfield,  Madison  county,  in  1833.  His 
father  was  Benjamin  Gorton,  a  manufacturer  and  merchant.  Mr.  Gorton  completed 
a  good  business  education  at  Cazenovia  Seminary  and  soon  embarked  in  business  at 
this  place,  in  fact,  as  early  as  1856,  and  has  been  so  engaged  continuously  since.  In 
1853  he  married  Fanny  E.  Atwell,  daughter  of  Rev.  James  Atwell,  and  also  a  gradu- 
ate of  Cazenovia  Seminary.  Their  daughter,  Fanny  E.  Gorton,  became  the  wife  of 
I.  B.  A.  Taylor  of  Middletown,  N.  Y.,  a  prosperous  merchant  and  holding  the  office 
of  city  clerk.  Mr.  Gorton  coramnads  a  large  measure  of  the  esteem  and  confidence  of 
his  townspeople.  A  Republican  in  politics;  has  been  a  member  of  school  board,  is 
now  corporation  treasurer;  he  was  postmaster  at  Chittenango  for  ten  years. 


Newton,  Alfred  J.,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  was  born  in  Canada  but  was  brought  to  the 
United  States  by  his  parents,  Byron  F.  and  Margaretha  (Wahn)  Newton,  when  an 
infant.  Byron  F.  Newton  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Hamilton  and  a  son  of  one 
of  the  men  who  aided  in  throwing  British  tea  into  Boston  harbor.  Alfred  J.  Newton 
was  educated  here  and  then  began  the  active  duties  of  life  as  a  clerk,  in  which  capa- 
city he  passed  eleven  years.  On  January  20,  1897,  he  opened  his  grocery  store  in 
Hamilton,  which  has  been  a  successful  business  from  the  first.  Mr.  Newton's  enter- 
prise and  honorable  business  methods  stamp  him  as  one  of  the  representative  young 
business  men  of  Madison  county  He  is  a  member  of  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows,  both 
subordinate  lodge  and  Encampment,  and  also  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 


Crandall,  Franklin   R.,  the  well  known  music  dealer  of  Oneida,  was  born   near 
State  Bridge,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  July  5,  1851.    He  was  the  second  sou  in  a  family 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES. 


177 


of  four  children.  His  parents  were  both  of  New  England  ancestry.  His  father, 
William  G.  Crandall,  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  Utica  N.  Y.,  and  married  Miss  Eliza 
Wright,  of  Edmeston,  Otsego  county,  N.  Y.,  soon  after  purchasing  the  farm  in 
Verona  township,  where  his  children  were  born  and  reared  and  he  himself  resided 
uutil  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1880.     After  attending  the  district  school  near  his 


home,  F.  R.  Crandall  completed  his  education  at  the  Oneida  Seminary.  He  remained 
on  his  father's  farm  until  he  attained  his  majority,  when  he  entered  the  employ  of 
the  Oneida  firm  of  Benson  &.  Cree.  Subsequently  he  went  into  business  on  his  own 
account,  traveling  and  selling  watches,  jewelry  and  silverware.  He  then  decided  to 
make  the  jewelry  business  his  calling,  and  entered  the  employ  of  Leiter  Brothers, 
extetensive  dealers  in  pianos  and  other  musical  merchandise  in  Syracuse,  where  he 
learned  the  music  business  in  its  various  branches.  After  this  he  established  himself 
in  the  music  trade  in  Oneida,  continuing  the  same  up  to  the  present  time.  In  1885 
he  married  Miss  Inez  M.  Cree,  who  was  born  in  Vermont  and  whose  ancestors  were 
among  the  "Pilgrim  Fathers"  who  came  to  America  in  the  historic  Mayflower  m 
1620.     Five  children  have  been  born  of  this  union:  Emma  May,  Charles  Arthur, 


178  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Clayton  Wells,  Franklin  R.,  and  Florence  B.  In  1892,  in  association  with  his  father- 
in-law,  the  late  Charles  B.  Cree  of  Oneida,  he  built  the  handsome  Cree-Crandall 
building  on  Main  street,  where  he  now  has  his  music  store.  As  a  business  man  Mr. 
Crandall  has  been  active  and  enterprising,  having  introduced  new  and  original 
methods  into  the  music  trade.  By  his  just  and  considerate  dealing  he  has  secured 
the  friendship  and  good  will  of  a  wide  circle  of  patrons,  extending  beyond  his  own 
community  into  many  other  cities  and  counties  of  the  State. 


McGregory,  J.  F.,  A.  M.,  F.  C.  S.,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  was  born  at  Wilbraham,  Mass.. 
a  son  of  Joseph  and  Emeline  (Fuller)  McGregory.  He  was  prepared  for  college  at 
the  Wesleyan  Academy,  Wilbraham,  and  then  entered  Amherst  College,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1880.  The  years  1880  to  1881,  and  1883  to  1884  he 
passed  in  Germany,  taking  post-graduate  courses  at  Goettingen.  He  has  since  spent 
two  semesters  at  Heidelberg,  the  winter  of  1890-91  and  the  summer  of  1896.  From 
1881  to  1883  he  taught  chemistry  in  Amherst  College.  In  1884  he  came  to  Colgate 
University  as  professor  of  chemistry  and  mineralogy  and  has  since  held  that  posi- 
tion. Prof.  McGregory  is  a  prominent  Mason ;  a  member  of  the  Blue  Lodge  and 
Chapter  at  Hamilton  ;  of  the  Utica  Council ;  of  the  Norwich  Commandery  and  of  the 
Order  of  Veiled  Prophets.  His  college  fraternity  is  the  Delta  Upsilon.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  American,  the  London  and  the  German  Chemical  Societies,  and  of 
the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science.  In  1883  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Emma  Hodgkins  of  Amherst,  Mass. 


Crawshaw,  W.  H.,  A.  M.,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  professor  of  English  lilerature  and  dean 
of  Colgate  University,  was  born  at  Newburg,  N.  Y.,  and  was  educated  at  Colgate 
Academy  and  Colgate  University,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of 
A.  B.  in  1887.  In  1889  he  received  his  degree  of  A.  M.  After  graduating  he  began 
to  teach  in  Colgate  University  as  instructor  in  English  and  French.  In  1889  he  was 
made  associate  professor  of  English  and  in  1894  became  professor  of  English  litera- 
ture. He  was  elected  dean  of  the  faculty  in  1897.  Prof.  Crawshaw  is  the  author  of 
an  excellent  work  on  the  "  Interpretation  of  Literature"  (The  Macmillan  Co.,  1896), 
and  he  has  also  edited  a  text  of  Dryden's  Palamon  and  Arcite.  In  1888  Prof.  Craw- 
shaw married  Jennie  L.  Broughton.  His  parents  were  Charles  and  Mary  (Lodge) 
Crawshaw.  His  father  was  an  Englishman  by  birth  and  came  to  America  at  thir- 
teen years  of  age  with  his  parents. 


Smith,  Sidney  D. ,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  was  born  October  5,  1849,  at  Hamilton,  N.  Y., 
and  was  educated  at  Colgate  and  Columbia  College  Grammar  Schools  and  Cornell 
University,  being  one  of  the  first  students  in  the  latter  institution.  After  leaving 
college  he  went  railroading  for  a  time  and  then  came  back  and  started  the  first  ex- 
press business  running  out  of  Hamilton  to  Midland  Railroad  at  Randallsville,  in 
1869.  In  1873  he  opened  a  general  store  at  Randallsville,  and  also  engaged  in  the 
produce  business.  In  1880  he  went  out  of  business  for  a  time  on  account  of  his 
health  and  in  1881  went  to  Kansas  City.  In  1882  he  returned  to  Hamilton  and  has 
since  been  largely  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business  and  building.  In  1899  he  as- 
sumed the  management  of  the  Hamilton  Lumber  and  Manufacturing  Companj'.    Mr 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  179 

Smith  is  a  prominent  Mason  and  also  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows.  He  is  grand 
secretary  of  the  Veiled  Prophets  and  has  been  since  the  organization  of  Mystic  Order. 
Veiled  Prophets  in  New  York  State.  He  is  a  member  of  the  fire  company  and  was 
on  the  original  committee  to  establish  the  Hamilton  water  works.  He  has  been  a 
trustee  of  the  village  many  years  and  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  trade;  a  director 
of  the  Hamilton  National  Bank,  and  a  trustee  of  the  Congregational  church.  In 
1873  Mr.  Smith  married  Mary  M.  Hopkins  of  Georgetown,  South  Carolina,  and  they 
have  two  children:  Dayton  F. ,  a  law  student,  and  George  H.,  a  student  in  Colgate 
University.  Mr.  Smith's  parent's  were  J.  D.  F.  and  Martha  (Snow)  Smith.  His 
grandfather,  Adon  Smith,  resided  in  New  York  and  was  a  business  man  there ;  his 
wife  was  Louisa  Fuller.  Mr.  Smith's  maternal  grandparents  were  Nathan  and 
Hannah  Snow. 


Knapp,  Dr.  James  W.,  was  born  m  Jamesville,  N.  Y.,  December  25,  18.53.  His 
father.  Dr.  Edwin  A.  Knapp,  was  a  native  of  Rome,  where  his  father,  Ezra  Knapp, 
was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers.  The  latter  bought  a  farm  and  cleared  it  up  and  was 
afterwards  identified  with  the  town  of  Westmoreland,  Oneida  county.  Dr.  Edwin 
A.  Knapp  was  a  physician  in  Jamesville  for  nearly  forty  years.  He  was  appointed 
surgeon  of  the  133d  N.  Y.  Vols.,  and  was  afterwards  appointed  president  of  the  pen- 
sion board  in  Syracuse;  he  died  November  8,  1890.  James  W.  Knapp  was  graduated 
from  Whitestown  Seminary  in  1873.  He  taught  until  1878,  in  which  year  he  entered 
the  Syracuse  Medical  College,  graduating  in  1881.  and  began  his  practice  in  Canas- 
tota.  In  1883  he  married  Mrs.  Delia  Benedict,  of  Jamesville.  Dr.  Knapp  is  one  of 
the  progressive  men  of  his  town,  serving  as  president  of  the  village  in  1894,  presi- 
dent of  the  board  of  auditors  of  the  town  of  Lenox  in  1897,  and  was  elected  coroner 
in  the  same  year,  which  office  he  still  holds;  he  is  past  master  of  Canastota  Lodge, 
No.  231,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows. 


Dr.  James  W.' Smith,  son  of  James  and  Susan  Tackabury  Smith,  was  born  in  Nel- 
son, August  18.  1841 ;  he  was  a  brother  of  John  E.  Smith,  now  of  Morrisville  and  re- 
sided with  him  on  their  father's  homestead,  with  his  half  brother,  S.  Perry  Smith,  of 
whom  a  sketch  is  given  in  the  chapter  on  the  bar  in  this  work.  Soon  after  attaining 
his  majority  he  married  Mary  L.  Boughton,  of  Parish,  Oswego  county,  N.  Y. ,  and 
began  the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  L.  P.  Greenwood,  then  of  Erieville.  He  at- 
tended the  Medical  Department  of  Michigan  University  and  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons  in  the  city  of  New  York,  graduating  from  the  latter.  During  several 
years  he  was  in  sucessful  practice  in  Erieville,  removing  thence  to  Morrisville,  where 
he  enjoyed  a  large  and  successful  practice  until  failing  health  compelled  him  to 
abandon  business  activity.  He  died  of  consumption,  his  widow  and  one  son,  Floyd 
B.  Smith,  who  now  reside  in  Chicago,  surviving  him  Dr.  Smith  was  not  only  a 
highly  qualified  member  of  his  profession,  but  also  a  man  of  high  character,  admir- 
able social  qualities,  and  enjoyed  the  friendship  of  all  with  whom  he  became  ac- 
quainted. 


Allen,  Spencer  B.,  son  of  Eli  Eastman  and  Sophrona  E.  (Parsons)  Allen,  was  born 
in  Lincklaen,  Chenango  county,  N.  Y.,  Octobers,  1836.     He  is  a  descendant  of  the 


180  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

old  Puritan  family  of  Aliens  and  numbers  Ethan  Allen  among  his  ancestors.  His 
father,  Eli  Eastman  Allen,  was  born  at  Sackett's  Harbor  and  later  removed  to  Linck- 
laen.  His  grandfather,  Jacob  Allen,  was  born  in  Cape  Cod,  Barnstable  county, 
Mass.,  and  came  to  New  York  State  with  the  early  settlers.  On  the  maternal  side 
Mr.  Allen  descends  from  the  old  New  England  family  of  Parsons,  representatives  of 
which  were  early  settlers  of  the  town  of  Fenner.  He  was  educated  in  Morrisville, 
whither  the  family  had  removed  when  he  was  an  infant.  After  leaving  school  he 
engaged  in  the  dry  goods  business;  later  in  the  drug  business  and  in  various  other 
occupations.  Several  years  of  his  life  have  been  spent  in  Michigan;  he  was  also  a 
resident  for  a  time  of  Canastota,  this  State.  Mr.  Allen  came  to  Cazenovia  in  1870, 
and  for  a  year  was  employed  in  the  lumber  yard  at  the  sash  factory;  later  he  was 
employed  at  the  grist  mill,  and  for  three  years  was  station  agent  at  the  Chenango 
Valley  Railroad  depot.  In  September,  1895.  he  established  the  news  room  in  Albany 
street,  which  he  now  conducts.  Mr.  Allen's  politics  have  always  been  Republican. 
He  has  never  held  public  office,  with  the  exception  of  several  terms  as  inspector  of 
elections.  In  1868  he  married  Olivia  L.  Morgan,  daughter  of  John  Morgan  of  Brook- 
field.     Two  children  have  been  born  to  them:  Henry  M. ,  and  Shirley  C.  (deceased). 


Potter,  Henry  H.,  son  of  Merritt  M.  and  Mary  Ann  (Root)  Potter,  was  born  in 
Cazenovia,  March  25,  1849.  His  father,  who  died  November  16,  1859,  was  born  near 
Manlius,  January  20,  1807,  and  for  many  years  carried  on  farming  in  the  south  part 
of  this  town.  Mr.  Potter  descends  from  old  New  England  pioneer  families.  On  the 
paternal  side  his  grandfather,  Benjamin  Potter,  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  this 
region,  coming  from  Massachusetts  before  March,  1793.  and  settling  in  Pompey.  He 
was  a  native  of  Dartmouth,  Mass.,  born  September  26,  1764,  and  died  in  Cazenovia 
where  he  was  buried  October  30,  1851.  In  his  early  life  be  was  a  sea  captain  and  a 
soldier  in  the  Revolution.  In  his  later  life  he  was  a  prosperous  farmer,  where  he 
lived  respected  and  died  regrett.ed.  His  grandfather,  Moses  Root,  was  one  of  the 
earliest  settlers  in  this  section,  coming  to  Cazenovia  from  Massachusetts  before  June, 
1793.  He  was  a  native  of  Montague,  Mass.,  born  January  2,  1774,  and  died  in  Caze- 
novia. where  he  was  buried,  July  5,  1834.  He  was  a  man  of  considerable  prominence 
in  his  time,  a  large  farmer,  and  possessed  of  many  fine  traits  of  character.  Of  the 
union  of  Merritt  M.  and  Mary  Ann  (Root)  Potter,  seven  children  were  born:  Mary 
A.,  deceased;  Laura  E.,  deceased;  Benjamin,  deceased;  Amy  Caroline,  deceased  ; 
Merritt  Sidney  of  Syracuse;  Charles  M.  of  Colorado  Springs,  Col.  ;  and  Henry  H. 
Potter  of  Cazenovia.  The  latter  was  educated  at  Cazenovia  Seminary  and  learned 
the  carpenter's  trade  under  Christopher  Newton  of  Cazenovia.  Mr.  Potter  has  been 
an  extensive  building  contractor  and  during  the  past  twenty  years  has  erected  most 
of  the  finer  residences  of  the  village.  He  has  served  two  years  as  a  village  trustee; 
is  a  member  of  Cazenovia  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Manlius  Chapter,  R.  A.  M. ;  and 
a  member  and  clerk  of  the  vestry  of  St.  Peter's  Episcopal  church.  He  married,  Sep- 
tember 14,  1872,  Anna  N.  Burns,  daughter  of  Henry  Burns  of  Pitcher,  Chenango 
county,  N.  Y.     One  daughter  has  been  born  to  them :  Ethel  A.  Potter. 


Hutchinson,  Nathan  Bailey,  son  of  David  and  Amy  (Bailey)  Hutchinson,  was  born 
in  the  town  of  Fenner,  this  county,  December  31,  1853.    His  father  was  a  farmer  and 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  181 

also  conducted  a  saw  mill  in  Fenner  for  many  years.  He  was  born  in  Fenner  in 
1807  and  died  in  November,  1889,  aged  eighty-two  years.  The  Hutchinson  family  is 
of  New  England  pioneer  stock  and  its  representatives  were  among  the  earliest  set- 
tlers of  Fenner.  Loring  Hutchinson,  grandfather  of  Nathan  B.  Hutchinson,  born 
July  30,  1788,  was  a  colonel  in  the  Continental  array  during  the  Revolutionary  war 
and  one  of  the  foremost  citizens  of  the  town  of  Fenner,  a  man  of  unusual  prominence 
in  his  time  and  especially  devoted  to  church  work.  He  married  Nancy  Woodworth, 
burn  November  3,  1788,  and  reared  a  large  family,  thirteen  in  number,  of  whom  only 
two  survive:  Myron  L.  Hutchinson  of  Cazenovia,  and  Alvah  P.  Hutchinson  of  Fen- 
ner. The  other  children  were  David,  born  October  13,  1807;  Allen,  born  December 
10.  1809;  Lydia  Ann,  born  August  23,  1813;  Charles,  born  October  15,  1815;  Melissa, 
born  September  3,  1817;  Irene,  born  June  27,  1819;  Harriet,  born  March  1,  1824. 
Four  died  in  infancy.  Nathan  Bailey  Hutchinson  was  reared  on  the  farm  and 
received  his  education  in  the  common  schools  and  at  Cazenovia  Seminary.  He 
taught  school  seven  winters  in  the  schools  of  the  township  of  Fenner.  Mr.  Hutchin- 
son came  to  Cazenovia  to  reside  permanently  in  1879,  and  for  a  period  of  twelve 
years  has  been  foreman  of  the  blind  room  of  the  Fern  Dell  mill.  He  married,  in 
1876,  Eudora  Lame,  and  of  their  union  are  two  children:  Clarence  F.  and  Nina 
Isabelle. 


Goff.  I.  Newton,  M.  D.,  who  has  practiced  in  Cazenovia  over  forty  years,  was  born 
at  Perryville,  May  26,  1833,  a  son  of  Oliver  and  Elvira  (Davis)  Goff.  He  is  a  descend- 
ant of  the  old  Rehoboth  (Mass.)  GofEs.  Dr.  Goff's  father  was  a  native  of  Rehoboth, 
but  early  in  life  removed  to  Windham  county,  Conn.,  and  thence  to  Perryville,  where 
he  resided  many  years,  and  was  known  as  a  substantial  farmer  and  useful  citizen. 
Dr.  Goff  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  in  the  vicinity  and  worked  on  his 
father's  farm.  Later  he  attended  Cazenovia  Semi'hary,  and  in  1854  began  his  medi- 
cal studies  at  Syracuse  under  Drs.  Hoyt  and  Mercfer.  He  was  graduated  with  the 
degree  of  M.  D.  from  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  New  York  city  in 
1858,  and  shortly  after  began  practice  in  Cazenovia.  During  the  Civil  war  Dr.  Goff 
went  out  as  assistant  surgeon  and  was  assigned  to  the  17th  N.  Y.  Infantry.  He 
served  for  some  time  in  the  hospital  at  Washington,  and  then  went  to  the  front, 
taking  part  in  the  battles  of  Fredericksburg  and  Chancellorsville.  After  the  expira- 
tion of  his  enlistment  he  returned  to  his  private  practice,  but  shortly  after  again  went 
to  the  front  as  a  State  agent,  serving  from  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness  until  Sep- 
tember of  that  year.  Dr.  Goff  is  a  member  of  the  New  York  State  Medical  Society, 
Central  New  "York  Medical  Society,  Madison  County  Medical  Society,  and  the  Syra- 
cuse Academy  of  Medicine.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Cazenovia  Lodge,  No  616, 
F.  and  A.  M.,  and  medical  examiner  for  several  fraternal  and  insurance  corpora- 
tions. He  married,  in  18G4,  Delia  M.  Clarke,  daughter  of  Rev.  William  Clarke  of 
Cazenovia.     Of  their  union  are  two  children:   Robert  J.  and  Marian  Ruth  Goff. 


Faulkner,  Alonzo,  p.  o.  North  Brookfield,  was  born  in  Brookfield,  in  1823,-  a  son  of 
Friend  L.,  and  grandson  of  Charles  Faulkner,  who  died  in  Guilford,  Conn.  Friend 
L.  Faulkner  came  to  Brookfield  about  1800  and  took  up  a  farm  in  the  wilderness  and 
here  lived  and  died  on  "the  farm   Alonzo   now  owns.     His  wife  was  Zubie   Fisk, 


183  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

daughter  of  John  Fisk,  one  of  the  first  settlers.  Alonzo  Faulkner  was  reared  on  the 
farm  and  educated  in  the  common  schools.  He  has  made  his  own  property  and  has 
about  600  acres  of  land;  he  has  been  one  of  the  large  hop  growers  and  an  extensive 
cattle  dealer  in  connection  with  his  brother  Charles,  under  the  firm  name  of  Faulk- 
ner Brothers.  Charles  died  in  1894.  Mr.  Faulkner  married  Rebecca  Mattison  in 
1848,  and  they  had  two  children:  Adaline,  wife  of  Lyman  Fitch  of  Brookfield,  and 
Helen,  at  home.  Mr.  Faulkner  died  in  1887.  In  politics  Mr.  Faulkner  is  a  Repub- 
lican, and  is  one  of  the  well-to-do  farmers  who  has  made  his  own  property. 


Warner,  A.  J.,  was  born  in  Oneida  county,  February  6.  1837.  His  father,  Austin 
Warner,  was  a  native  of  Connecticut  and  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Oneida ;  he 
married  Pheobe  Griswold.  A.  J.  Warner  was  educated  at  Oneida  and  Whitesboro. 
He  entered  mercantile  business  in  Utica,  and  from  there  went  to  Louisville,  Ky. , 
where  he  remained  until  he  came  to  Canastota,  and  is  now  engaged  in  raising  onions 
and  celery.  In  1878  Mr.  Warner  married  Jennie  K.  Fowler;  their  children  are  John 
I.  and  Jennie.  Mr.  Warner  is  one  of  the  progressive  business  men  of  his  town,  tak- 
ing an  intelligent  interest  in  school  and  church  matters,  and  has  ever  advanced  the 
best  interests  of  his  town  and  town's  people. 


Brown,  C.  P.,  was  born  in  Dolgeville,  Herkimer  county,  October  5,  1858.  His 
father,  H.  C.  Brown,  was  a  native  of  the  same  place,  where  James  Brown  was  one 
of  the  pioneers;  he  married  Sophia,  daughter  of  Zepha  Brockett.  H.  C.  Brown 
married  Cornelia,  daughter  of  John  Van  Valkenburg,  and  came  to  Madison  county 
in  1868,  and  was  identified  in  the  mercantile  circles;  he  died  in  1889.  C.  F.  Brown 
was  educated  in  the  Canastota  school  and  entered  mercantile  life  in  Williamston  and 
Syracuse,  and  for  three  years  was  engaged  in  public  works  in  New  York  as  time 
keeper.  In  1889  Mr.  Brown  came  to  Canastota  and  organized  the  firm  of  H.  C.  & 
Edgar  Brown,  succeeding  and  continuing  his  father's  business.  In  1886  Mr.  Brown 
married  Sophia,  daughter  of  Antoine  Kinney;  their  children  are  Le  Roy,  Helena, 
Louise  and  Jennie.  Mr.  Brown  is  one  of  the  progressive  men  of  Madison  county, 
serving  as  collector  and  taking  an  active  part  in  school  and  church  matters. 


Lee,  Charles  A.,  was  born  in  Boonville,  Oneida  county,  June  20,  1860.  His  father, 
Albert  Lee,  was  a  native  of  Utica,  where  the  family  were  among  the  pioneers;  he 
married  Sarah  Hurlburt,  and  through  life  was  identified  m  the  storage  and  forward- 
ing business  with  Alden  Lee,  running  a  Ime  of  packet  boats  from  Albany  to  Bufiialo. 
Later  he  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  in  Boonville,  dealing  mostly  in  spruce  and 
hemlock;  he  was  also  prominent  in  the  milling  business.  Charles  A.  Lee  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools  and  at  twelve  years  of  age  entered  a  planing  mill  and 
also  learned  the  cheese  making  business.  In  1885  he  went  to  Herkimer  and  in  1886 
established  his  chair  business,  securing  a  patent  on  the  Lee  reclining  chair.  In  1893 
he  came  to  Canastota  and  at  the  present  time  is  employing  160  men.  He  has  added  to 
and  rebuilt  the  plant  and  has  a  capacity  of  50,000  reclining  chairs  per  year.  In  1884 
Mr.  Lee  married  Julia  E.,  daughter  of  I.  S.  Weller.  Mr.  Lee  is  one  of  the  progress- 
ive business  men  of  Madison  county,  taking  an  intelligent  interest  in  educational 
and  religious  institutions  and  has  ever  received  and  merited  the  respect  of  his  asso- 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  183 

ciates.     He  is  a  member  of  the  Smith-Lee  Co.,  manufacturers  of  the  health  cap  for 
milk  bottles. 


Harris,  Frederick  D.,  son  of  Jason  L.  and  Sarah  A.  (Bentley)  Harris,  was  born  in 
Pulaski,  Oswego  county,  N.  Y.,  August  20,  1853.  His  father  was  a  shoe  dealer  in 
Pulaski  before  the  Civil  war  in  which  he  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Fredricksburg. 
Mr.  Harris  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  at  Cazenovia  Seminary.  He 
came  to  Oneida  in  October,  1876,  and  began  an  apprenticeship  to  the  tinsmithing 
trade  under  C.  D.  Cree  with  whom  he  remained  some  time,  finally  becoming  a  part- 
ner under  the  firm  name  of  Cree  Sz  Harris.  Mr.  Harris  established  his  present  busi- 
ness as  a  tin  roofer  and  furnacer  in  1892  and  in  1895  took  into  partnership  his  brother, 
Edward  Harris,  forming  the  present  firm  of  Hams  Brothers.  He  married  in  1883, 
Olive,  daughter  of  C.  B.  Cree  of  Oneida,  and  of  this  union  is  one  daughter.  Al- 
berta M. 


Sherman,  Edgar  D.,  son  of  Isaac  C,  and  Catharine  E.  (HoUister)  Sherman,  was 
born  in  the  village  of  Oneida,  October  7,  1842.  His  father,  a  native  of  Massachusetts, 
died  in  Oneida  June  1,  1896,  in  the  eighty-second  year  of  his  age;  he  had  been  a  res- 
ident of  the  village  of  Oneida  for  a  period  of  fifty-four  years,  and  was  well  known 
and  universally  esteemed  throughout  Madison  county,  serving  frequently  in  posi- 
tions of  public  trusts.  Mr.  Sherman  was  educated  at  Theodore  Camp's  school  in 
Oneida,  and  when  twenty-two  years  of  age  engaged  in  business  as  a  dairy  farmer  in 
Sherrill,  Oneida  county,  where  he  had  a  farm  of  100  acres.  He  settled  in  Oneida 
where  he  now  re.sides  in  the  fall  of  1897.  In  politics  Mr  Sherman  has  been  a  Demo- 
crat; he  has  never  held  public  office  of  any  kind.  He  first  married  in  1868,  Augusta, 
daughter  of  John  Sturtevant,  of  Augusta,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  and  of  this  union 
are  three  children:  Clarence  E.,  of  Rochester;  Harry  A.,  of  Oneida;  and  Edna  M. 
For  his  second  wife  he  married  Miss  Mary  Weaver,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Weaver  of 
Utica,  N.  Y. 


Spaulding,  Philander,  son  of  John  and  Margaret  (Peterson)  Spaulding,  was  born  in 
Chenango  county,  N.  Y.,  February  9,  1818.  His  father,  a  lifelong  farmer,  was  a 
native  of  the  State  of  Vermont,  and  an  early  settler  in  Chenango  county.  Mr. 
Spaulding  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  received  his  education  in  the  district  schools. 
During  the  greater  part  of  his  active  life  he  has  been  engaged  in  farming.  He  was 
for  a  period  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  cheese  boxes  at  Pratt's  Hollow,  and  in 
company  with  Milton  Barnard,  J.  D.  Kilburn,  and  Walter  E.  Northrup,  was  one  of 
the  founders  of  the  Central  Bank  of  Oneida;  he  withdrew  from  this  firm  in  the  year 
1897.  Mr.  Spaulding  bought  his  present  farm,  then  containing  108  acres  and  now  by 
addition  160  acres,  in  1863.  He  has  been  a  large  farmer  and  owns  considerable  land 
in  this  vicinity.  Mr.  Spaulding  is  one  of  the  oldest  resident  farmers  of  this  region, 
and  is  well  known  throughout  the  county ;  he  has  often  held  positions  of  public  trust, 
serving  as  constable,  deputy  sheriff,  collector,  and  deputy  revenue  collector  of  this 
district.  In  politics  he  has  been  a  staunch  Republican.  He  first  married  Miranda 
Parker,  and  of  this  union  are  four  children:  Rosalia,  wife  of  David  L.  Davis  of 
Munnsville;  Adelia,  wife  of  Herman  Cooper  of  Oneida;  Sarah  V.,  wife  of  Reuben 


184  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Hoklridge;  and  Mrs.  Emeline  Vedder  of  Munnsville.  For  his  secoud  wife  he  mar- 
ried Sarah,  daughter  of  John  Marshall  of  Eaton,  and  of  this  union  are  two  sons; 
William  P.,  and  Judd  Spaulding. 


Keating,  Daniel,  has  been  one  of  the  leading  educators  of  Madison  county  for  many 
years.  He  was  born  about  two  miles  north  of  the  village  of  Cazenovia,  November 
21,  1854.  His  father,  Maurice  Keating,  was  a  native  of  County  Kerry,  Ireland, 
where  he  was  born  August  1,  1820.  In  1849  he  came  to  this  country  in  a  sailing  ves- 
sel and  on  his  arrival  found  himself  with  little  more  than  enough  money  to  pay  his 
expenses  to  Troy,  where  he  soon  found  employment  by  the  month.  He  worked  some 
years  for  wages,  and  was  married  in  1853  to  Mary  Bagley,  who  was  born  in  his  na- 
tive county,  and  came  over  in  1843.  They  soon  started  for  themselves,  and  by  in- 
dustry and  frugality  secured  a  pleasant  home  about  one  mile  west  of  Chitteuango 
Falls.  Daniel  Keating,  their  eldest  son,  was  reared  to  habits  of  industry  and  until 
he  reached  his  twentieth  year  assisted  in  the  conduct  of  his  father's  farm.  He  re- 
ceived his  primary  education  in  the  public  schools  and  later  attended  Cazenovia 
seminary,  beginning  his  chosen  profession  of  teaching  when  in  his  twenty  third 
year.  Since  then  he  has  made  school  work  his  business.  He  was  first  elected  to  the 
office  of  School  Commissioner  in  1888,  in  a  hotly  contested  triangular  fight,  he,  a 
Democrat  in  a  Republican  district,  receiving  a  handsome  majority  over  the  Republi- 
can and  Prohibition  nominees.  His  second  term  was  secured  by  astill  larger  major- 
ity— some  800  votes.  Mr.  Keating  has  made  a  most  efficient  commissioner  and  has 
proved  the  possession  of  unquestioned  ability  in  educational  work.  He  married, 
November  25,  1891,  Ida  L.  Griffin,  daughter  of  Henry  L.  and  Lovina  (Oilman)  Grif- 
fin, of  Jefferson  county.  Until  her  marriage  Mrs.  Keating  was  also  engaged  in 
teaching,  and  enjoys  the  distinction  of  being  the  first  lady  school  commissioner  elected 
in  the  State  of  New  York. 


Stewart,  Robert  A  ,  son  of  James  and  C.  Elizabeth  (Clark)  Stewart,  was  born  in 
the  town  of  Lenox,  this  county,  October  10,  1843.  His  father  v.-asa  native  of  Fenner, 
this  county,  and  was  always  a  farmer;  his  grandfather,  Robert  Stewart,  came  from 
Scotland  to  this  country  in  early  life  and  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  the  town  of 
Fenner;  he  had  come  with  his  father,  and  both  lie  buried  m  Peterboro  Cemetery. 
Mr.  Stewart  was  educated  m  the  old  Oneida  Seminary  and  remained  upon  the  farm 
until  1873.  In  that  year  he  removed  to  Mohawk,  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  and  was 
engaged  in  a  malting  business  there  about  two  years.  In  the  fall  of  1875  he  began 
a  similar  business  in  Oneida  in  company  with  A.  C.  Stewart  and  W.W.Warr,  under 
the  firm  name  of  R.  A.  Stewart  &  Co.  Later  this  was  changed  to  Stewart,  Tibbits 
&  Warr,  and  upon  the  death  of  A.  C.  Stewart  to  Stewart  &  Barton.  The  firm  took 
its  present  name  of  Stewart,  Barton  &  Co.  on  the  admission  of  Thomas  O'Brien. 
The  business  comprises  malting,  dealing  in  grain,  etc.  Mr.  Stewart  has  served  four 
years  as  village  trustee,  and  is  a  valued  citizen  of  Oneida.  He  married  in  Novem- 
ber, 1868,  Anna  Eliza  Merrill,  and  one  daughter  has  been  born  to  them,  Mrs.  Wal- 
ter S.  Ryan  of  Oneida. 


Ratnour,  Barney,  president  of  the  village  of  Oneida,  was  born   in   the  town  of 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  185 

Lenox,  June  1,  1830,  a  son  of  Abram  and  Barbara  (Pease)  Ratnour.  His  father,  a 
farmer,  was  of  Mohawk  Dutch  descent,  and  an  early  settler  of  the  town  of  Lenox; 
he  gained  considerable  reputation  on  account  of  his  ability  as  a  drummer  in  the  old 
State  militia.  Barney  Ratnour  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  has  always 
been  a  farmer:  he  has  also  dealt  to  a  considerable  extent  in  real  estate.  He  settled 
permanently  in  Oneida  village  in  1867.  Mr.  Ratnour  is  a  well-known  and  valued 
citizen  of  Oneida,  and  has  frequently  served  in  positions  of  public  trust.  He  has 
held  the  office  of  excise  commissioner,  was  member  of  the  town  board  of  the  old  town 
of  Lenox,  and  for  the  past  two  years  has  been  president  of  the  village  of  Oneida. 
He  married  in  May,  1870,  Harriet  E.  Davis,  a  daughter  of  George  Davis  of  the  town 
of  Vernom,  Oneida  county.  Of  this  union  are  two  children;  Fred  B.  and  Florence 
May. 


Bliss,  Russell  Joseph,  was  born  in  Smithfield,  May  28,  1863,  a  son  of  Joseph  Hunt- 
ington, son  of  Lyman,  who  was  bora  in  Smithfield  in  1802,  a  son  of  Ephraim  Bliss, 
who  was  one  of  the  party  of  ventursome  pioneers  who  came  to  Smithfield  in  1799  and 
1800.  Ephraim  Bliss,  like  nearly  all  the  early  settlers,  cleared  some  land  and  made 
farming  his  occupation.  The  land  he  then  cleared  is  now,  after  one  century  of  occu- 
pancy, still  owned  in  the  Bliss  family.  In  1801  Ephraim  Bliss  went  to  Massachu- 
setts and  brought  back  a  bride.  Lyman,  the  eldest  son,  was  born  in  1802.  Upon 
reaching  manhood  Lyman  married  Ann  Chaffee  of  Smithfield  and  purchased  the 
homestead;  to  them  were  born  seven  sons  and  two  daughters,  who  reached  maturity 
and  married.  Lyman  Bliss  was  commissioned  by  Governor  Clinton  captain  in  State 
militia;  he  died  in  1875.  His  wife  died  in  1876.  Joseph  H.,  the  fourth  child,  was 
born  April  8,  1831,  educated  in  the  local  schools  and  Peterboro  Academy.  He 
taught  school  a  few  terms  then  married  and  purchased  a  farm  in  Smithfield.  To 
them  were  born  two  children,  one  now  living,  a  daughter.  In  1857  he  married  for 
h;s  second  wife,  Clarissa  M.  Brown  of  Stockbridge,  N.Y.,  a  great-granddaughter  of 
Keziah  Cushman  Brown  of  Vermont,  who,  while  her  husband  was  away  serving  in 
the  American  army  under  Gen.  Stark  in  1777,  was  visited  by  a  foraging  party  from 
Col.  Baum's  Hessian  regiment  and  threatened  with  execution  by  the  bayonet  unless 
she  disclosed  the  hiding  place  of  stores  and  ammunition  known  to  have  been  saved 
by  her  husband.  She  refused,  though  the  bayonet  pricked  her  chest.  Her  bravery 
so  won  the  admiration  of  the  officer  of  the  party  that  he  ordered  them  to  molest  her 
no  further.  By  this  second  marriage  Mr.  Bliss  had  four  children,  three  now  living; 
the  oldest,  Russell  Joseph,  graduated  from  Cornell  University  in  1885  with  the  de- 
gree of  Ph.  B.  For  two  years  following  he  read  law  in  an  office  in  Saginaw,  Mich. 
After  taking  one  year  of  lectures  at  the  law  school  of  Columbia  University,  he  was 
admitted  in  1888  to  the  Michigan  bar.  The  year  1889  was  spent  in  traveling  and 
studying  natural  resources  of  Pacific  coast  States.  In  1890-91  he  practiced  his  pro- 
fession in  Chicago,  111.,  after  which  he  returned  to  his  native  town  and  has  since 
been  associated  with  his  father  in  caring  for  their  large  farms,  making  the  breeding 
of  Jersey  cattle  their  leading  industry.  The  farm  occupied  by  them  was  once  the 
site  of  the  first  glass  factory  in  the  State.  The  building  with  its  massive  timbers  is 
yet  preserved  and  with  suitable  alterations  is  serving  as  the  main  barn  of  the  farm. 
This  building  is  supposed  to  have  been  erected  about  1806.     The  late  John  R.  Berry 


186  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

often  told  Mr.  Bliss  that,  when  a  small  boy,  he  was  allowed  to  attend  the  "  raising" 
of  this  massive  frame.  The  work  occupied  a  week  and  called  together  large  num- 
bers of  persons  from  this  and  neighboring  settlements,  who  made  merry  as  was  the 
custom  in  those  days  at  such  "  bees,"  with  plenty  of  whiskey  and  games  of  skill  and 
strength.  Joseph  Bliss  has  long  been  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  Evans  Endowment, 
given  for  the  maintenance  of  Evans  Academy.  In  1895  Russell  Bliss  married  Agnes 
Alden  Hamilton  of  Kenwood,  N.  Y. 


Allen,  Orlando,  son  of  John  M.  and  Betsey  (May)  Allen,  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Fenner,  this  county,  October  6,  1824.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Otsego  county, 
born  in  1789,  and  located  at  Fenner  Corners  in  1833.  Here  he  conducted  a  black- 
smith shop  for  many  years  and  latter  engaged  in  farming,  being  widely  known  in 
the  vicinity  as  a  man  of  strict  integrity  and  holding  various  minor  town  offices.  He 
died  at  Ferryville,  May  26,  1892,  honored  and  respected  by  all  who  had  known  him. 
His  grandfather,  Jared  Allen,  served  through  the  Revolutionary  war,  died  in  1827, 
over  ninety  years  old,  and  is  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Cooperstown,  N.  Y.  Orlando 
Allen  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  has  always  followed  the  occupation 
of  farming,  principally  in  the  town  of  Fenner.  He  retired  in  1893  and  located  in 
Cazenovia  village.  Mr.  Allen  has  served  as  assessor  three  years ;  is  a  member  of 
long  standing  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  He  married  in  1850  Louisa  M.  Whipple, 
daughter  of  Elisha  Whipple  of  Fenner. 


Smith,  Alonzo  D.,  M.  D.,  who  has  practiced  medicine  in  the  village  of  New  Wood- 
stock for  a  third  of  a  century,  was  born  in  the  extreme  southeast  corner  of  the  town 
of  Cazenovia,  June  2,  1841,  a  son  of  Willard  Moss  and  Lucinda  (Harrington)  Smith. 
His  father  was  a  farmer  and  owned  a  farm  which  was  so  peculiarly  located  as  to  be 
in  the  towns  of  De  Ruyter,  Cazenovia  and  Nelson.  He  was  a  native  of  Plainfield, 
Otsego  county,  but  spent  most  of  his  life  in  this  vicinity,  where  he  was  held  to  be  a 
man  of  strict  integrity  and  estimable  character.  He  died  in  1893,  having  reached 
the  advanced  age  of  eighryfour  years.  Dr.  Smith  was  educated  in  the  district 
schools  and  at  Cazenovia  Seminary.  He  began  his  medical  studies  in  1861  under 
Drs.  Greenwood  and  Carpenter  of  Erieville;  later  he  attended  a  course  of  lectures  at 
the  University  of  Michigan,  and  two  courses  in  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons in  New  York  city,  from  which  institution  he  received  the  degree  of  M.  D.  in 
1867.  He  at  once  began  practice  in  Nelson  Flats,  but  soon  removed  to  New  Wood- 
stock, where  he  bought  the  practice  of  Dr.  McClellan.  Two  years  later  he  also 
bought  Dr.  C.  W.  Adam's  property.  In  1877  he  went  to  Cazenovia  Seminary  and  for 
seven  terms  taught  anatomy,  physiology  and  hygiene,  building  up  the  department 
with  faithful  energy.  In  the  fall  of  1898  he  returned  to  his  New  Woodstock  practice 
and  in  addition  established  a  pharmacy,  which  he  still  conducts.  Dr.  Smith  has  not 
only  built  up  a  large  and  lucrative  practice  in  his  native  town,  but  in  the  year  1886 
he  received  letters  patent  on  a  spring  truss,  and  also  in  1890  on  an  improvement, 
than  which  there  is  probably  no  truss  ever  worn  by  the  human  family  which  is  less 
open  to  criticism,  or  more  practical  in  its  application.  The  doctor  has  also  received 
letters  patent  on  a  mechanical  cash  book  which  for  simplicity  and  accuracy  has  never 
been  excelled.     Within  the  present  year,  1899,  a  local  paper,  called  the  Local  Ga- 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  187 

zette,  has  been  started  in  the  village  of  New  Woodstock  and  Dr.  Smith  made  its 
editor.  It  is  a  thriving  publication  and  compares  favorably  with  its  class.  It  is  soon 
to  be  enlarged  and  otherwise  improved.  The  doctor  has  been  offered  political  pref- 
erment, but  has  chosen  to  attend  to  his  personal  affairs,  prefering  rather  to  be  a 
success  in  his  profession  and  private  concerns  than  to  seek  doubtful  honors.  Dr. 
Smith  has  been  a  staunch  Republican,  and  with  the  exception  of  his  service  of  eight 
years  as  coroner  he  has  never  held  public  office.  He  is  a  member  of  Cazenovia 
Lodge,  No.  616,  F.  &  A.  M.  In  1859  he  married  Martha  M.  Smith,  daughter  of 
Moses  D.  C.  Smith  of  Cazenovia.  One  son  has  been  born  to  them,  T.  Galen  Smith 
of  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

Munroe,  Loring,  for  many  years  a  valued  citizen  of  Oneida,  was  born  in  Ashburn- 
ham,  Mass.,  June  12,  182fi,  a  son  of  Charles  and  Lydia  (Conn)  Munroe.  On  both  the 
paternal  and  maternal  sides  he  descends  from  the  old  New  England  stock.  His 
grandfather,  Ebenezer  Munroe,  was  a  prominent  patriot  of  the  Revolution,  and  one 
of  the  first  to  be  wounded  at  the  Battle  of  Lexington.  His  father  was  a  veteran  of 
the  War  of  1813,  while  his  maternal  grandfather  was  a  member  of  an  old  New  Eng- 
land family  who  were  a  hardy,  long  line  of  pioneers.  While  he  was  yet  a  boy,  Mr. 
Munroe's  parents  died  and  he  was  left  with  no  money  to  make  his  way  as  best  he 
could.  He  secured  a  place  on  a  farm  where  he  worked  three  years,  managing  mean- 
time to  take  every  opportunity  to  attend  school,  and  finally  finishing  at  the  academy 
at  A.shby,  Mass.  However  his  real  business  education  was  mostly  obtained  by  actual 
experience  and  observation.  He  taught  school  for  a  time,  thus  securing  a  little 
money,  and  when  twenty  years  of  age  went  to  Cleveland,  Oswego  county,  N.  Y., 
where  h'e  became  interested  in  the  manufacture  of  glass,  subsequently  owning  an 
interest  in  the  factory  of  the  American  Glass  Company  at  Bernhard's  Bay,  N.  Y.  In 
1861  he  purchased  the  Dunbarton  glass  plant  at  Verona,  N.  Y.,  which  he  managed 
successfully  for  sixteen  years,  meanwhile  being  interested  in  organizing  a  private 
bank  at  Oneida  under  the  firm  name  of  Barnes,  Stark  &  Munroe;  he  withdrew  about 
five  years  after  the  organization.  It  was  at  this  time  that  Mr.  Munroe,  then  living 
in  Oneida  county,  was  elected  a  trustee  of  the  Oneida  Savings  Bank  and  he  held  that 
office  many  years.  He  settled  in  Oneida  in  1877  and  has  since  resided  in  this  vilage. 
Mr.  Munroe  built  and  owns  the  building  occupied  by  the  Farmers'  and  Merchants' 
State  Bank  of  which  he  is  president ;  and  owns  considerable  real  estate  in  the  village, 
including  the  Munroe  Opera  House.  While  politically  a  staunch  Republican,  he  has 
never  sought  office,  but  has  represented  the  town  of  Lenox  as  supervisor,  and  has  been  a 
member  of  the  village  board  of  trustees.  He  vsras  one  of  the  original  stockholders  of 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Oneida,  and  being  possessed  of  excellent  judgment,  his 
opinion  and  advice  have  been  of  great  value  in  the  business  community.  Although 
he  began  life  without  a  dollar,  Mr.  Munx-oe  has  accumulated  a  considerable  fortune. 
He  has  always  been  broad  minded  and  liberal,  and  has  contributed  largely  to  many 
worthy  public  enterprises.  During  the  last  year  he  built  what  is  called  Munroe 
Memorial  Chapel,  which  is  a  gift  from  him  to  the  Glenwood  Cemetery  Association  of 
Oneida.  Mr.  Munroe  married  June  17,  1849,  Miss  Jane  Corwarden,  a  native  of  Jack- 
son, N.  J.  Six  children  have  been  born  of  this  union:  three  daughters,  all  now  de- 
ceased; and  three  sons,  George  L.  of  Verona,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y. ;  and  Charles  I. 
and  Anthony  B.,  both  of  Oneida. 


188  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Walrath,  Hon.  Peter,  p.  o.  Chittenango,  of  Chittenango,  was  born  in  that  place, 
November  12,  1833.  His  ancestors  were  from  Holland  and  settled  in  the  valley  of 
the  lower  Mohawk.  His  father,  the  late  Daniel  Walrath,  settled  in  Chittenango 
about  the  beginning  of  the  century  and  died  in  1856,  aged  sixty-two  years.  Mr.  Wal- 
rath has  spent  his  whole  life  here,  but  has  become  known  and  honored  far  outside  of 
his  native  town.  His  substantial  success  in  life  is  due  to  his  own  efforts  and  his 
marked  personal  characteristics  His  first  independent  business  venture  was  the 
establishment  about  1856  of  a  machine  shop  here,  having  been  for  a  time  occupied  as 
salesman  in  a  general  store.  His  business  interests  have  been  and  yet  are,  many 
and  varied,  but  in  each  instance  are  dominated  by  the  same  active  personal  attention 
and  uncompromising  honesty.  A  representative  Republican  almost  since  the  forma- 
tion of  the  party,  he  has  filled  many  positions  of  public  trust  which  have  come  to  him 
unasked  and  often  without  reward.  At  present  he  is  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of 
Charities,  having  been  appointed  to  that  position  originally  in  1886,  and  his  reappoint- 
ment from  Governor  Black  dates  until  1906.  In  local  finance  Mr.  Walrath  has  taken 
an  active  part.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Chitte- 
nango; was  for  ten  years  its  vice-president  and  then  its  president  until  its  charter 
expired  in  1883.  At  about  this  period  he  became  largely  interested  in  the  production 
of  lumber,  operating  both  water-power  and  steam  saw-mills.  Of  these  enterprises  in 
which  he  has  been  so  closely  identified  with  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  his  native 
place,  and  of  the  Chittenango  Pottery  Company,  of  which  he  is  a  member  of  the 
board  of  directors,  much  of  general  interest  will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 
Mr.  Walrath's  deceased  wife  was  Sarah  M.  Kellogg,  daughter  of  the  late  Warren 
Kellogg,  of  whose  large  estate  he  has  been  executor  for  twenty  years.  One  daughter 
was  born  to  them:  Beatrice,  whose  untimely  death  is  yet  a  recent  grief,  but  whose 
infant  child  has  become  the  sunshine  of  Mr.  Walrath's  stately  home. 


Donnelly,  P.  H.,  president  of  Cazenovia  village,  and  mercliant  of  thirty  years' 
establishment,  was  born  in  Cazenovia,  July  9,  1846,  a  son  of  William  and  Ann 
(Flanagan)  Donnelly.  His  father  was  a  well-known  resident  of  this  village  for  over 
fifty  years.  During  his  boyhood  Mr.  Donnelly  attended  the  common  schools  of  the 
village  for  a  time,  but  at  an  early  age  began  to  work.  His  first  employment  was  in 
Jeremiah  Wormuth's  tannery,  where  he  remained  five  years,  gaining  a  good  knowl- 
edge of  the  tanner's  trade.  After  leaving  the  tannery  he  began  work  in  the  sash 
and  blind  factory  of  Sage  &  Ames,  remaining  in  their  employ  until  1869,  when  he 
established  himself  in  the  grocery  business,  which  he  still  continues.  During  the 
first  two  years  he  was  associated  with  Charles  Potter  under  the  firn  name  of  Potter 
&  Donnelly,  and  in  the  succeeding  five  years  with  his  brother,  William  H.  Donnelly, 
who  purchased  Mr.  Potter's  interest.  The  firm  of  Donnelly  Brothers  was  dissolved 
in  1876,  and  since  that  year  Mr.  Donnelly  has  conducted  the  business  alone,  having 
now  completed  three  decades  as  a  dealer  in  groceries  in  Cazenovia  village.  In 
politics  he  has  always  been  a  staunch  Democrat  and  is  a  leading  spirit  in  party  cir- 
cles in  this  section.  It  is  proper  to  state  that  Mr.  Donnelly  has  accomplished  much 
valuable  work  in  the  cause  of  education.  He  worked  unceasingly  to  secure  a  union 
school  in  Cazenovia,  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  school  board  for  over  twenty 
years.     In  village  politics  Mr.  Donnelly  has  for  some  years  been  prominent,  having 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  189 

served  as  treasurer  of  the  village,  in  which  office  he  has  made  his  administration  a 
credit  to  himself  and  to  the  corporation.  He  was  an  active  worker  for  the  installa- 
tion of  water  and  sewer  systems  in  Cazenovia,  and  has  been  a  loyal  supporter  of 
every  movement  tending  towards  the  development  of  the  village.  Mr.  Donnelly 
married,  in  1873,  Mary  HuUer,  a  daughter  of  Casper  HuUer  of  Cazenovia.  Their 
children  are  four:     Helena  M.,  Walter  H.,  Anna  C,  and  Mary  Elizabeth. 


Burnham,  Sylvester,  D.  D.,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  was  born  at  Exeter,  New  Hampshire, 
February  1,  1843,  and  was  prepared  for  college  at  the  high  school  at  Newburyport, 
Mass.  He  was  graduated  from  Bowdoin  College  in  the  class  of  1863,  with  the  degree 
of  A.B. ;  he  took  his  A.M.  in  1865  and  received  his  D.D.  in  1885.  In  1863  Dr.  Burn- 
ham  began  his  active  career  as  a  teacher  of  classics  in  the  Schenectady  union  school. 
In  1864  he  became  professor  of  mathematics  in  the  Western  University  at  Pittsburg, 
Pa.,  and  in  1865  became  connected  with  the  theological  commission  service.  In 
1866  he  became  principal  of  Newburyport  high  school,  where  he  remained  until 
1869,  when  he  entered  the  Newton  theological  institution  to  study  for  the  ministry. 
Here  he  spent  four  years,  including  one  year  of  study  in  Europe.  He  was  gradu- 
ated from  Newton  in  1873  and  then  accepted  the  pastorate  of  the  Amherst  Baptist 
church,  where  he  remained  a  year;  in  1874  and  1875  he  was  assistant  principal  of 
Worcester  academy.  In  1875  he  came  to  Colgate  University  to  fill  the  chair  of  Old 
Testament  Interpretation.  He  has  produced  a  manual  of  Old  Testament  interpreta- 
tion and  also  a  Syriac  Grammar.  Dr.  Burnham  was  elected  dean  of  the  theological 
faculty  in  1893.  On  June  38,  1876,  Dr.  Burnham  married  Miriam  M.  Tucker,  and 
they  have  one  daughter,  Alice  M.  Dr.  Burnham's  parents  were  Rev.  Edwin  and 
Alice  (Dennett)  Burnham.  His  father  was  a  Baptist  minister,  who  gave  most  of  his 
time  to  evangelical  work.  The  progenitor  of  the  Burnham  family  in  America  was 
Thomas  Burnham,  who  came  over  from  England  and  settled  at  Ipswich,  Mass.,  in 
163.5.  He  took  part  in  the  Pequot  expedition  in  1636,  was  a  lieutenant  of  militia  at 
Ipswich  m  1683,  and  subsequently  served  as  deputy  to  the  general  court  for  several 
years.  His  son,  John,  was  the  father  of  David,  whose  son,  also  David,  was  the  father 
of  Benjamin,  father  of  Abner  Burnham,  and  grandfather  of  Dr.  Burnham  This 
family  had  several  members  in  the  revolutionary  war,  who  served  with  distinction 
and  held  military  commissions.  Dr.  Burnham's  brother,  Capt.  Burnham,  served  in 
the  war  of  the  rebellion.  He  held  the  rank  of  lieutenant  and  was  breveted  captain 
for  bravery  at  the  battle  of  Scambia  Bridge,  over  which  he  led  the  regiment  after  the 
colonel  was  disabled. 


Taylor,  James  Morford,  LL.  D.,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  Professor  of  mathematics  in  Col- 
gate University,  was  born  in  1843,  at  Holmdel,  N.  J.,  and  is  a  son  of  James  J.  and 
Lucy  (Morford)  Taylor.  His  remote  ancestors  came  from  England,  Scotland  and 
Holland.  He  was  prepared  for  college  at  Dr.  Fitch's  school,  South  Windham, 
Conn.,  and  at  the  Grammar  School  of  Madison  University.  He  became  a 
student  at  Madison,  now  Colgate  University,  in  the  spring  of  1863  and  grad- 
uated with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  in  the  class  of  1867  with  the  highest  honors.  He 
then  became  an  instructor  in  mathematics  in  the  college.  In  1869,  Dr.  Taylor 
was  appointed  Principal  of  the  Grammar  school  and  in   the  same  year  was  made 


190  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Professor  of  Mathematics  m  the  University.  In  1893,  he  made  a  journey  to 
Europe  and  visited  many  parts  of  the  old  world.  As  a  mathematician,  Dr.  Taylor 
stands  among  the  foremost  of  the  country.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Mathematical 
Society  of  New  York  State,  and  of  the  American  Association  for  the  Advance- 
ment of  Science.  In  1891,  he  received  the  degree  of  LL.  D.  Dr.  Taylor  has 
been  a  prolific  writer,  chiefly  on  mathematical  subjects.  His  first  literary  pro- 
duction of  importance  was  published  in  1884,  and  is  entitled  Elements  of  the  Calcu- 
lus. His  College  Algebra  was  issued  in  1889,  and  his  Academic  Algebra  in  1893. 
He  has  also  contributed  largely  to  some  of  the  leading  mathematical  text  books  of 
this  country.  His  Elements  of  the  Differential  and  Integral  Calculus,  above  referred 
to,  presents  in  a  simple  and  concise  way  the  fundamental  problems  of  the  Calculus 
with  their  solution  and  more  common  applications.  The  method  of  both  rates  and 
limits  is  used  in  proving  many  of  the  theorems.  The  chapter  on  direct  integration 
and  its  more  important  applications  follows  that  on  differentiation.  Many  practical 
problems  in  geometry  and  mechanics  appear  throughout  the  book.  The  work  has 
been  received  as  an  authority,  and  is  now  used  in  over  eighty  different  colleges.  It 
was  written  with  great  care  and  a  vast  amount  of  matter  has  been  condensed  into  a 
comparatively  few  pages.  At  the  same  the  examples  are  full  and  each  step  of  rea- 
soning is  clearly  demonstrated.  His  Academic  Algebra  has  received  the  warm 
endorsement  of  instructors.  The  method  of  solving  and  using  the  simpler  forms  of 
equation,  the  fundamental  laws  of  number  and  the  literal  notation  are  made  clear  to 
the  student,  before  the  conception  of  algebraic  number  is  introduced.  The  theory 
of  equivalent  equations  and  systems  of  equations  is  clearly  presented.  Factoring  is 
made  prominent  in  the  study  and  solution  of  equations.  The  treatment  of  fractions, 
ratios  and  exponents  is  thoroughly  scientific.  The  presentation  of  the  theory  of 
limits  is  clear  and  concise.  This  treatise  of  Algebra  brings  out  the  living  principles 
of  the  science  and  as  the  book  is  adapted  to  beginners  and  covers  sufficient  matter 
for  admission  to  any  American  University,  it  is  a  text  book  of  the  highest  value. 
Both  the  Calculus  and  the  Algebras  were  developed  from  the  experience  and  needs 
of  the  class  room,  and  display  an  independence,  both  in  style  and  methods  of  reason- 
ing. Dr.  Taylor  is  a  public  spirited  citizen  of  Hamilton,  has  served  on  the  school 
board  and  in  other  local  offices.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  water  and  light  com- 
mission since  its  organization.  In  1871  Dr.  Taylor  married  Mary  Paddock;  they 
have  four  children;  James  P.,  Florence  E.,  Henry  W.,  and  Mary  J. 


Andrews,  Newton  Lloyd,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D.,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  was  born  in  Fabius,  On- 
ondaga county,  N.  Y.,  August  14,  1841.  He  was  educated  at  the  Newark  (N.  J.) 
High  School  and  at  Colgate  University,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1863,  with 
the  degree  of  A.  B.  He  received  his  degree  of  A.  M.  in  1864,  and  from  1863  to  1864 
studied  in  Hamilton  Theological  Seminary.  Immediately  upon  graduating  from  the 
seminary  he  became  principal  of  the  preparatory  school  connected  with  the  univer- 
sity, and  in  1866  was  elected  professor  of  Latin  in  the  university.  In  1868  he  was 
transferred  to  the  chair  of  Greek  language  and  literature.  On  September  6,  186.5, 
Prof.  Andrews  married  Cynthia  S.  Burchard  of  Hamilton.  In  1878  he  received  the 
degree  of  Ph.  D.  from  Hamilton  College,  and  he  spent  the  year  1879-80  in  study  and 
travel  in  Europe.    In  1880  he  was  appointed  dean  of  the  university,  continuing  to  be  the 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  191 

head  of  the  Greek  department.  In  1888  he  received  the  degree  of  LL.D.  from  the 
University  of  Chicago.  After  the  death  of  his  wife  in  1886,  he  married  in  1888  Char- 
lotte P.  Harbach  of  Newton  Center,  Mass.  In  January,  1890,  upon  the  death  of 
President  Dodge,  Dr.  Andrews  exercised  in  his  capacity  as  dean  the  duties  of  ad- 
ministration in  the  college  until  June,  1895,  at  which  time  he  resigned  the  office  of 
dean  and  spent  the  year  1895-96  in  travel  and  study  in  Europe  and  Egypt.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1896,  he  returned  to  his  duties  at  the  university,  in  which  he  holds  the  posi- 
tion of  professor  of  the  Greek  language  and  literature  and  lecturer  on  the  history  of 
art.  Dr.  Andrews  has  contributed  frequently  to  scholarly  periodicals  and  has  taken 
part  in  many  educational  conventions,  both  in  papers  and  on  the  platform.  In  1872 
he  edited  "  The  First  Half  Century  of  Madison  University."  In  politics  Prof.  An- 
drews was  originally  a  Republican,  but  for  the  last  twenty  years  has  been  classed 
among  the  independents;  of  late,  however,  he  has  been  associated  chiefly  with  the 
Republican  party. 


Fitch,  S.  A.,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  was  born  in  Broookfield,  Madison  county,  N.  Y.,  and 
after  receiving  a  good  public  school  education  embarked  in  the  mercantile  business 
at  North  Brookfield,  which  he  carried  on  from  1868  to  1888.  He  had  been  in  the 
quartermaster's  department  at  Washington  three  years,  from  1863  to  1866.  He 
came  to  Hamilton  in  1886  and  established  his  present  business,  including  real  estate, 
insurance,  and  mvestments.  Mr.  Fitch  was  deputy  county  clerk  of  Madison  county 
from  July,  1866,  to  January,  1868,  and  was  justice  of  the  peace  in  Brookfield  twelve 
years;  also  supervisor  of  the  town  two  years.  He  has  always  been  a  staunch  Re- 
publican and  has  served  as  a  delegate  to  county  and  State  Conventions.  In  1866 
Mr.  Fitch  married  Sarah  M.  Van  Wagner  of  Kingston,  N.  Y.  Mr.  Fitch's  parents 
were  Elliot  G.  and  Sabrina  (Brown)  Fitch.  His  grandfather.  Patten  Fitch,  was  a 
native  of  Connecticut,  and  his  great-grandfather.  Dr.  Lemuel  Fitch,  v?as  a  promi- 
nent physician  in  that  State.  The  first  member  of  the  Fitch  family  in  America  was 
Rev.  James  Fitch,  who  came  over  from  England  and  settled  in  Massachusetts  in 
1620. 


Thomas,  Prof.  Ralph  W.,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  was  born  in  Nova  Scotia,  but  came  to 
the  United  States  in  his  youth  and  was  educated  at  Colgate  Academy  and  Colgate 
University,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  in  1883.  He 
soon  afterward  went  to  the  Albany  Academy  as  teacher  of  English,  at  the  same  time 
studied  law,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1885.  He  remained  at  the  Albany  Acad- 
emy five  years,  and  was  then  appointed  examiner  in  English  in  the  Regents'  office. 
He  subsequently  became  chief  examiner  of  the  University  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
and  had  charge  of  all  the  examinations,  both  academic  and  professional.  In  1891  Mr. 
Thomas  married  Effie  Southwick,  daughter  of  Henry  C.  Southwick  of  Albany,  N.  Y. 
They  have  one  daughter,  Margaret  Julia  Thomas.  In  September,  1892,  Mr.  Thomas 
was  appointed  professor  of  rhetoric  and  public  speaking  in  Colgate  University,  and  he 
occupies  this  position  at  the  present  time. 


Lloyd,  Frederick  O.,  M.  D.,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  was  born  in   the  town  of  Salisbury, 


192  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Herkimer  county,  and  was  educated  at  the  Hamilton  Academy,  from  wliicVi  he  was 
graduated  in  1881,  and  the  University  of  New  York,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
m  1885  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.,  and  was  valedictorian  of  his  class.  The  Colgate 
University  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  A.  M.  in  1894.  In  1886  he  took  a  course 
in  the  New  York  City  Hospital  and  practiced  in  that  city  until  1891.  He  came  to 
Hamilton  in  1893  and  has  built  up  a  large  practice.  Dr.  Lloyd  is  a  member  of  the 
New  York  County  Medical  Society,  of  the  Lenox  Medical  and  Surgical  Society  of 
New  York,  and  of  the  Madison  County  Medical  Society.  While  in  New  York  city  Dr. 
Lloyd  was  lecturer  on  diseases  of  women  at  the  Post  Graduate  Medical  College,  and 
was  also  attending  physician  to  the  Presbyterian  Hospital  and  to  the  Baptist  Home 
in  New  York  city.  Dr.  Lloyd  married  Miss  Decker  of  Newburg,  daughter  of  Colonel 
Decker,  who  commanded  a  regiment  in  the  Civil  war.  They  have  one  son,  Fred- 
erick O.  Lloyd,  jr.  Dr.  Lloyd  s  parents  were  H.  S.  and  Eliza  M.  (Carr)  Lloyd.  Some 
of  Mrs.  Lloyd's  direct  ancestors  were  Revolutionary  soldiers. 

Gardiner,  Dr.  J.  L. ,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  was  born  at  Hamilton,  Madison  county,  N.  Y. , 
and  received  his  literary  education  in  the  schools  of  his  native  place.  He  studied 
dentistry  with  Dr.  A.  V.  Bardeen,  and  has  been  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession since  1877,  always  in  Hamilton.  On  October  8,  1884,  Dr.  Gardiner  married 
Susan  Cole,  daughter  of  Isaac  Cole  of  Cleveland,  Ohio.  Dr.  Gardiner's  parents  were 
Sandford  and  Sarah  E.  (Brownell)  Gardiner.  Sandford  Gardiner  was  born  at 
Smyrna,  N.  Y.,  in  1811,  and  died  March  16,  1896.  He  lived  eighty-five  years  on  his 
farm  adjoining  the  village  of  Hamilton,  and  was  many  years  the  leading  man  in  this 
place.  He  carried  on  a  large  produce  business,  shipping  to  New  York,  and  was  the 
first  man  to  bring  a  boat  load  of  coal  to  Hamilton.  He  owned  his  own  boats  and  did 
an  extensive  carrying  trade.  He  also  ran  a  line  of  stages  from  Utica  through  to 
Binghamton  thirty-five  years.  Mr.  Gardiner's  mother  was  born  August  20,  1820,  and 
died  in  1896. 

Sisson,  Eugene  P.,  p.  o.  Hamilton, was  born  at  Georgetown,  N.Y.,  January  28,  1845, 
and  educated  at  the  State  Normal  School  at  Oswego,  N.  Y.  In  1868  he  began  bis 
long  career  as  a  teacher  in  Hamilton.  The  first  five  years  he  was  principal  of  the 
public  school,  and  in  18T4  he  accepted  a  position  in  Colgate  Academy,  with  which  insti- 
tution he  has  since  been  continuously  connected.  Professor  Sisson  is  a  Master  Mason 
and  has  for  many  years  been  deacon  of  the  Baptist  Church  and  president  of  the  vil- 
lage for  ten  years.  In  1870  he  married  Mary  A.  Wickwire,  who  died,  leaving  one 
son,  Louis  E.  Sisson,  now  of  Minneapolis.  In  1880  Professor  Sisson  married  Jennie 
A.  Buell,  and  they  have  five  children:  Grace,  Samuel  B. ,  Warren  R.,  Irving  A  ,  and 
E.  P.  Sisson,  jr.  Professor  Sisson's  parents  were  Alexander  and  Abigail  Sisson;  his 
father  was  a  native  of  Rhode  Island.  Professor  Sisson  has  the  department  of 
mathematics  in  Colgate  Academy  and  is  assistant  principal. 


Maynard,,W.  H.,  D.  D. ,  p.  o.  Hamilton,  was  born  at  Waterville,  Oneida  county 
N.  Y..  in  September,  1835,  and  was  prepared  for  college  at  Waterville,  Augusta,  and 
Clinton  Grammar  School.  He  then  entered  Hamilton  College  and  was  graduated 
from  that  institution  in  1854.     The  two  following  years  he  was  assistant  teacher 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  193 

at  Westfield  Academy,  and  then  took  a  theological  course  at  Madison  University, 
after  which  he  was  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  at  Cohoes  for  six  years.  The  next 
two  years  he  was  pastor  of  the  church  at  Fort  Covington,  after  which  he  was  an 
incumbent  of  the  church  at  Malone,  N.  Y.,  for  two  years.  He  next  went  to  the  First 
Baptist  church  at  Auburn  and  occupied  that  pulpit  seven  years.  In  1875  he  accepted 
the  chair  of  political  economy  and  church  history  and  so  contmued  until  1895,  since 
which  time  he  has  given  his  entire  attention  to  the  chair  of  church  history.  Dr. 
Maynard  married  Sarah  Jane  Pavne,  and  they  have  one  daughter  living,  Adelaide; 
their  son,  William  L.,  a  teacher  in  Louisville,  Ky. ,  deceased.  Dr.  Maynard  is  an 
eloquent,  earnest  and  popular  preacher,  as  well  as  a  profound  scholar. 


Tondeur,  Cleon  H.,  was  born  in  Belgium,  February  5,  1847.  His  father  was  a 
glass  cutter  and  foreman  of  a  large  glass  works  in  Belgium ;  he  married  Arritta 
L'Espagne,  who  was  killed  in  a  railroad  accident  in  Belgium,  May  3,  1860;  he  died 
in  1879  in  his  eighty-ninth  year.  Cleon  H.  Tondeur  learned  the  glass  cutter's  trade 
with  his  father,  and  in  1865  went  to  Sunderland,  England,  where  he  remained  until 
1880,  and  then  came  to  the  United  States,  settling  in  Lasalle,  111.  In  1881  he  went 
to  Ithaca,  where  he  invented  his  process  for  cementing  glass,  and  in  1883  came  to 
Canastota.  In  1870  Mr.  Tondeur  married  Mary  Jane  Cunningham,  and  their  chil- 
dren are  Felix  Cleon  and  Barbara  Hanora.  Mr.  Tondeur  is  one  of  the  self-made 
men  of  Madison  county,  a  progressive  business  man,  serving  his  town  as  trustee,  a 
member  of  the  board  of  water  commissioners,  excise  board  and  president  of  his  vil- 
lageand  of  the  fire  commissioners  in  1898.  ' 

Fuller,  Miss  May,  p.  o.  Chittenango. — No  more  cherished  names  appear  among  the 
earlier  annals  of  Sullivan  than  that  of  Fuller.  The  surviving  representative  of  the 
honored  name  is  Miss  May  Fuller  of  Chittenango,  residing  in  the  home  made  beau- 
tiful by  the  provident  care  and  taste  of  her  late  father,  Dr.  Edward  Fuller.  A  highly 
educated  and  estimable  lady,  a  devoted  communicant  of  the  Episcopal  church,  she 
exercises  a  gracious  hospitality.  Dr.  Edward  Fuller  was  a  native  of  Schenectady 
and  graduated  from  the  University  of  New  York  in  1828.  Soon  afterward  he  began 
the  practice  of  medicine  at  Chittenango,  being  associated  with  his  brother.  Dr.  Sam- 
uel Fuller,  and  spent  the  remamder  of  his  life  here.  In  1840  he  married  Octavia 
Lee,  and  to  them  were  born  one  son  and  two  daughters.  Dr.  Fuller  was  a  success- 
ful practitioner  from  the  first  and  became  one  of  the  most  prominent  men  of  the  lo- 
cality in  affairs  of  state  and  church.  He  brought  into  his  practice  of  the  healing  art 
a  large  benevolence  which,  no  less  than  his  professional  skill,  made  his  death  in  1877 
greatly  lamented. 


Walrath,  Elgin  Daniel,  p.  o.  Chittenango,  is  the  only  living  son  of  the  late  Daniel 
D.  Walrath,  who  was  one  of  the  most  eminent  lawyers  of  Madison  county.  He  .spent 
his  whole  life  in  this  immediate  vicinity,  with  a  large  local  clientage,  practicing  also 
in  the  United  States  Courts  at  Washington,  D.C,  and  died  here  in  1886.  His  wife, 
who  survives  him,  was  Maria  Louisa  Cady,  daughter  of  Nathan  Stanton  Cady,  a 
merchant  of  Rome,  N.Y.  The  maternal  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Maria  L.  Walrath  was 
Judge  Sylvester  Beecher,  a  name  of  celebrity  in   the  early  annals  of  county  juris- 


194  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

prudence.  Judge  Beecher  was  the  first  county  judge  of  Madison  county  and  at  the 
time  of  his  decease  in  1849,  was  reputed  the  wealthiest  man  in  the  county.  Three 
sons  were  born  to  Daniel  and  Maria  Walrath  Beecher  Cady,  who  died  in  1894; 
Eugene  Daniel,  who  died  in  1873,  and  Elgin  Daniel,  born  in  1864,  and  who  has 
already  come  to  be  considered  one  of  the  representative  men  of  his  village  and  town. 
Democratic  in  politics,  he  was  first  elected  justice  of  the  peace  in  1889,  and  has  held 
that  office  without  interruption  since.  He  married,  in  September,  1893,  Lulu  Gar- 
lock  of  Chittenango. 


Deuel,  Walter  Estus,  M.D.,  p.  o.  Chittenango,  a  popular  and  successful  specialist 
at  Chittenango,  was  born  at  Galen,  near  Clyde,  N.Y.,  in  1852,  son  of  Walter  Deuel, 
a  farmer  at  that  place.  The  family  is  of  French  origin  and  the  family  name  was 
spelled  in  the  original,  De  Voile.  The  first  American  ancestor  of  Doctor  Deuel  was 
a  Huguenot  missionary,  who  found  a  fertile  field  for  his  redeeming  labors  in  Con- 
necticut about  1620.  Doctor  Deuel's  boyhood  was  spent  in  Clyde,  N.Y.  In  1861, 
when  his  father  went  to  the  front  with  the  Union  army  as  one  of  the  famous  old 
"Ninth  Heavy  Artillery,"  where  he  served  until  the  war  closed,  he  lived  with  his 
mother's  people  at  Frankfort,  N.V.,  and  then  attended  Whitestown  seminary  several 
years.  Four  years  were  then  spent  assisting  his  father  at  Frankfort,  in  the  retail 
hardware  trade.  In  1872  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  at  Ilion,  N.Y.,  thence 
went  to  the  New  York  Homeopathic  College,  graduating  from  the  latter  institution 
in  1876.  Since  graduation  the  Doctor  has  taken  several  post-graduate  courses,  beside 
special  personal  research, graduating  from  the  New  York  Ophthalmic  Hospital  in  1877. 
In  that  year  he  opened  an  office  at  Chittenango,  where  his  success  has  been  marked. 
He  retains  membership  in  the  American  Institute  of  Homeopathy:  the  National 
Electro-Therapeutical  Society,  beside  the  various  and  several  State  and  county  .so- 
cieties. Dr.  Deuel  married,  first  in  1878,  Alice  Hager  of  Watertown,  N.Y..  who  is 
deceased,  and  in  1885  he  married  Frances  Bettinger  of  Chittenango.  He  has  four 
sons  and  one  daughter,  the  eldest  son,  W.  Estus  Deuel,  jr.,  now  nineteen  years  of 
age,  and  a  student  at  the  Yates  institute,  contemplates  the  study  of  the  healing  art. 
In  1896  Dr.  Deuel  attended  the  International  Homeopathic  Congress  at  London, 
Eng. .  to  which  he  was  a  delegate. 


Webb,  Frank  L.,  p.  o.  Chittenango  Station,  the  popular  proprietor  of  the  leading 
hotel  at  Chittenango  Station,  has  been  a  resident  of  this  town  since  1840.  At  that 
time  he  was  less  than  eight  years  of  age,  and  his  mother  having  died  during  his  in- 
fancy, in  Otsego  county,  he  was  brought  up  by  an  aunt,  whose  home  was  at  Bridge- 
port. His  father  was  Charles  L.  Webb  of  Otsego  county,  where  the  son  was  born 
July  12,  1832.  When  a  boy  at  Bridgeport  he  was  apprenticed  to  the  cooper  trade.  In 
1861  he  opened  a  general  store  at  Durhamville.  which  he  sold  out  in  1865.  Soon  after 
he  purchased  a  stage  route  from  Bridgeport  to  Manlius  Station,  which  he  conducted 
five  years.  After  a  brief  business  venture  at  Marathon,  N.Y.,  he  leased  a  hotel  in 
Broome  county,  his  first  experience  as  a  landlord,  in  which  line  he  has  been  so  suc- 
cessful. In  April,  1874,  he  opened  a  hotel  at  Chittenango  Station,  and  after  the  dis- 
astrous fire  of  1885  built  the  commodious  modern  hotel,  with  livery  barns,  etc.,  which 
he  now  conducts,  and  which  is  known  as  one  of  the  best  houses  of  its  class  in  central 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  195 

New  York.     Mr.  Webb  is  one  of  the  staunchest  of  Republicans  and  was  appointed 
postmaster  in  1883. 


Cooper,  Charles  H.,  p.  o.  Perry ville,  born  September  26,  1844,  is  the  second  son  of 
John  I.  Cooper.  The  latter  was  born  at  Kinderhook,  N.  Y.,  April  19,  1806,  and  mar- 
ried February  2,  1833,  Ann  Huyck  of  the  same  place.  To  them  were  born  si.\  chil- 
dren, of  whom  two  are  now  dead.  Those  living  are  Charles  and  Frank  Cooper  of 
Perryville;  James  P.,  a  miller  at  Canastota;  and  Harrison  of  the  Solvay  Process 
Company  at  Syracuse.  These  boys  were  thrown  upon  their  own  resources  at  an 
early  age  by  the  death  of  their  father,  John  I  Cooper,  in  1850.  Charles  Cooper  has 
always  been  engaged  in  farming  and  now  works  a  farm  of  120  acres  near  the  village 
of  Perryville,  which  has  been  his  home  for  thirty-three  years.  He  is  recognized 
through  all  that  locality  as  a  citizen  of  sterling  character  and  broad  views  of  men 
and  public  affairs.  A  staunch  Republican,  he  has  filled  many  local  positions  of  re- 
sponsibility and  trust.  He  was  deputy  sheriff  from  1873  to  1881  and  has  been  sev- 
eral years  notary  public.  Himself  and  family  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Church, 
of  which  he  is  a  steward  and  trustee.  As  a  member  of  the  school  board  he  took  a 
prominent  part  in  the  organization  and  erection  of  a  union  free  school  at  Perryville. 
In  the  Masonic  fraternity  he  also  holds  high  rank.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  now  holds  the  honorable  office  of  chaplain  of 
the  order.  December  20,  1865,  he  married  Nan  L.  Hamblin,  daughter  of  O.  B. 
Harablin  of  Perryville.  They  have  one  daughter,  Daisy  A.  Cooper,  now  eighteen 
years  of  age;  an  only  son,  Earl,  died  in  infancy  in  the  autumn  of  1881.  On  the 
lawn  adjoining  Mr.  Cooper's  home  may  be  seen  an  interesting  relic  of  aboriginal 
times,  consisting  of  a  mass  of  porphyry,  very  nearly  spherical,  eighteen  inches  in 
diameter  and  probably  weighing  nearly  200  pounds.  It  is  surmised  that  this  was 
used  by  the  Indian  women  to  crush  maize  by  rolling  it  to  and  fro  in  a  stone  channel. 


Bushnell.  Holton  A.,  p.  o.  Bridgeport,  the  genial  and  popular  proprietor  of  the 
Servis  Hotel  at  Bridgeport,  is  descended  from  one  of  the  oldest  local  families.  His 
father  is  James  A.  Bushnell,  whose  large  farms  are  situated  on  the  lake  road  near 
Lakeport.  James  Bushnell  is  a  staunch  Republican  and  has  for  years  been  a  prom- 
inent factor  in  town  politics,  besides  filling  various  offices  of  responsibility,  such  as 
assessor  and  town  auditor.  Holton  Bushnell  was  born  at  the  homestead  farm.  March 
8,  1869,  and  began  his  education  at  Yates  Polytechnic  Institute  at  Chittenango,  tak- 
ing the  full  course  of  three  years.  Returning  to  the  farm  for  a  year  he  decided  to 
prepare  for  a  life  of  business  activity  and  took  a  course  of  study  at  the  Wells  Busi- 
ness College,  Syracuse,  during  the  winters  of  1887  and  1888.  Then,  after  an  ex- 
tended tour  of  the  West,  he  accepted  a  situation  as  freight  clerk  with  the  N.Y.  C.  R. 
R.  at  Canastota,  N.  Y.,  remaining  there  a  year.  After  a  few  months  in  the  office  of 
Hill  &  Co.,  wholesale  jewelers  of  Chicago,  he  became  a  traveling  salesman  for  Grove- 
ham  &  Co.,  Chicago  jobbers  in  grocer's  specialties,  having  the  State  of  Michigan  for 
his  field  of  operations.  The  year  following  was  spent  still  further  west,  traveling 
through  Minnesota  and  Wisconsin  for  a  Syracuse  manufacturer  of  silverware  and 
novelties.  Mr.  Bushnell's  wanderings  were  cut  short  May  3,  1896,  by  his  marriage 
to  Nellie  Grace  Nichols,  daughter  of  J.  H.  Nichols,  a  prominent  merchant  of  this 
■  place.     Soon  after  marriage  he  leased  the  somewhat  venerable  hotel  then  known  as 


196  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  Nichols  House  at  Bridgeport,  operating  it  with  success  until  November  of  1897, 
when  he  secured  a  lease  of  the  Servis  Hotel,  which  he  now  conducts  as  a  first-cla.ss 
hotel. 


Conkhn,  Lucius  Edwin,  p.  o.  Bridgeport,  the  leading  merchant  of  Bridgeport,  is  a 
conspicuous  instance  of  the  sub.stantial  man  of  business,  who  by  his  unaided  exer- 
tions has  risen  from  an  humble  beginning.  Mr.  Conklin,  in  1893,  purchased  the 
general  store  owned  by  the  Dunham  estate.  For  a  few  months  he  was  in  partner- 
ship with  W.  W.  Billington,  but  since  July,  1893,  has  himself  conducted  the  business. 
During  the  last  four  years  of  the  Cleveland  administration  he  officiated  as  postmaster 
of  Bridgeport.  He  is  in  politics  a  Democrat  and  an  active  political  leader  locally. 
His  personal  characteristics  are  such  as  to  render  him  a  popular  citizen.  His  earlier 
life  was  one  of  some  toil  and  privation,  having  been  thrown  upon  his  own  resources 
when  a  boy.  His  ancestors  were  of  Irish  nativity,  his  grandfather  being  David 
Conklin  of  Utica,  and  his  father,  Timothy  Conklin,  a  boatman  of  Mohawk.  Mr. 
Conklin  was  born  in  Cicero,  Onondaga  county,  April  7,  1859 ;  his  facilities  for  get- 
ting an  education  were  limited  to  winters  in  the  common  schools,  working  on  farms 
during  the  summer.  When  twenty  years  of  age  he  married  Lillian  E.  Hayes  of 
Bridgeport,  a  daughter  of  William  H  Hayes.  They  have  two  children:  Bertha 
Augusta,  born  April  13,  1885,  and  Theresa  Ella,  born  June  3,  1896.  Mr.  Conklin  is  a 
practical  mechanic  and  for  three  years  was  in  the  Remington  armory,  making  a  resi- 
dence at  Ilion  during  1889,  and  later  bought  a  place  at  Mohawk. 


Nichols,  Omar  A.,  p.  o.  Bridgeport,  was  born  at  PerryviUe,  April  23,  1841.  His 
family  dates  from  the  American  revolution,  after  participating  in  which,  the  three 
brothers  who  founded  the  family  settled  in  the  east,  one  in  Ontario,  one  near  Norfolk, 
and  one  at  Great  Barrington,  Mass.,  the  latter  being  the  first  American  ancestor  of 
the  subject.  His  father  was  the  late  Ira  Ross  Nichols,  an  old-time  resident  of  the 
town  of  Fenner.  He  was  by  trade  a  carpenter  and  spent  most  of  his  life  in  the  vicinity 
of  PerryviUe  and  Cazenovia.  Omar  Nichols  was  educated  at  the  common  schools, 
supplemented  by  reading  and  personal  study.  He  was  for  some  years  a  successful 
teacher,  first  at  Stockbridge,  Mich.,  and  later  at  his  birthplace,  PerryviUe.  In  1870 
and  1871,  he  was  manager  for  the  Howe  sewing  machine  company,  in  Clinton 
county.  His  mature  years  have  been  devoted  to  the  building  trade,  and  many  hand- 
some residences  at  Bridgeport  and  elsewhere  testify  to  his  skill  in  construction. 
November  10,  1864,  he  married  Mary  A.  Burrows,  of  Stockbridge,  Mich.  They  have 
two  sons:  Ira  J.  Nichols,  of  this  place,  born  November  8,  1865,  and  Claude  A. 
Nichols,  born  September  8,  1875.  Mr.  Nichols  is  a  Free  Mason  of  high  degree  and 
a  past  master.  Both  himself  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Episcopal  church.  He 
possesses  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  all  who  know  him. 


Brown,  David  H.,  p.  o.  Bridgeport,  first  saw  the  light  at  New  Hartford,  Oneida 
county,  March  17,  1838.  He  is  yet  an  active  man  of  business  and  carries  his  sixty 
years  very  lightly.  Richard  Brown,  his  father,  vcho  died  in  1897,  at  Syracuse,  had 
been  a  large  farmer  and  speculated  in  lumber  and  produce.  Atone  time  he  operated 
a  match  factory  here.     Mr.  Brown  after  completing  a  regular  course  at  Yates  poly- 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  197 

technic  institute  at  Chittenengo,  began  life  by  selling  stoves,  pumps  and  agricultural 
implements  from  a  wagon,  then  for  twelve  years  made  and  repaired  wagons,  etc., 
doing  in  that  line  a  large  business.  About  1875,  he  sold  out  and  turned  his  shop 
into  a  general  store,  at  the  same  location  as  now.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  in 
general  mercantile  business,  besides  shipping  grain,  hay  and  produce,  having 
various  farming  interests.  In  1866,  he  married  Blendelia  Campbell,  daughter  of 
Col.  Alonzo  Campbell,  then  of  Canastota,  but  now  a  resident  of  Bridgeport.  Their 
children  are  Charlotte,  wife  of  Henry  Fox,  of  Bridgeport  ;  Agnes,  wife  of  Frederic 
T.  Kirkland,  of  Pocatello,  Idaho,  he  being  general  secretary  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  ; 
Richard  C.  Brown,  now  twenty-five  years  of  age,  associated  with  Mr.  Brown  in  his 
store  and  appointed  postmaster  of  Bridgeport  in  1898;  David,  a  son  of  twenty  years; 
and  Leah,  a  student  at  Cazenovia.  Mr.  Brown's  grandfather,  Benjamin,  was  a  cap- 
tain in  the  Revolution,  a  native  of  Schoharie  county. 


Damon,  Loren  N.,  p.  o.  Bridgeport. — Jason  Damon,  his  paternal  grandfather,  was 
one  of  the  first  settlers  on  the  lake  shore  of  Sullivan.  The  date  is  not  readily  deter- 
minable, but  it  is  certain  that  Jason  Damon  hewed  out  a  home  amid  the  primeval 
forest.  He  left  nine  sons,  one  of  whom,  Norton  Jason  Damon,  was  the  father  of 
Loren.  Norton  lived  at  Verona,  Oneida  county,  during  the  sixties,  but  returned  to 
Sullivan  when  Loren  was  a  boy  of  six,  and  the  farm  which  he  afterwards  cleared 
with  his  own  hands  is  now  owned  by  Loren  Damon.  This  consists  of  nearly  100 
acres  and  the  elder  Damon  was  thereon  engaged  largely  in  the  breeding  of  horses 
for  the  market,  chiefly  of  the  Sampson  and  Messenger  types.  Here  Norton  died 
aged  seventy-seven  years,  in  1881.  Loren  has  always  been  engaged  in  farming, 
and  is  one  of  the  progressive  men  of  the  town ;  he  also  owns  a  pleasant  home  in 
the  village,  which  he  purchased  in  1890.  He  is  highly  esteemed  in  Bridgeport 
and  wherever  known  as  a  citizen  of  sterling  worth.  He  is  a  Republican,  and  takes 
an  active  interest  in  the  events  of  the  time,  but  has  no  ambition  for  office.  He 
married.  May  7,  1884,  Mary  Jane  Hogan,  of  Bridgeport,  daughter  of  Isaac  Hogan, 
then  a  farmer  of  Cicero,  and  has  two  sons:  Raymond  H.,  born  July  14,  1888, 
and  Ceylon  N.,  born  October  21,   1891. 


Coleman,  Carlos  J.,  was  born  in  Catharine,  Schuyler  county,  N.  Y.,  January  28, 
1866,  and  was  the  eldest  of  four  children  in  the  family  of  John  and  Catharine  Cole- 
man. In  1869  the  family  removed  to  Eaton,  but  soon  afterward  went  to  Seneca 
county,  remaining  until  1879,  when  the  again  returned  to  Eaton.  At  the  age  of  ten 
years  Carlos  began  working  with  his  father,  who  was  a  mason,  and  so  continued  un- 
til he  was  twenty,  by  which  time  he  had  saved  a  little  money.  He  determined  to 
acquire  an  education,  for  which  purpose  he  walked  to  Clinton,  where  he  worked  for 
his  board  and  and  attended  school.  In  December,  1885,  he  went  to  Cazenovia,  where 
he  continued  his  studies  in  the  .seminary,  maintaining  himself  by  work  in  a  family, 
caring  for  a  horse,  several  cows  and  calves  and  the  children  of  the  household.  After 
a  year  he  returned  to  his  trade  of  mason  and  during  the  summer  saved  enough  money 
to  carry  him  through  the  nest  year's  course  in  school.  However,  before  the  end  of 
his  third  year  in  school  the  young  student  fell  sick  and  was  obliged  to  discontinue 
his  studies.     He  then  went  to  Cortland  and  spent  three  summers  working  at  his 


198  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

trade,  during  the  time  being  foreman  over  fifty-seven  men,  and  also  acting  as  fore- 
man in  the  erection  of  the  Miller  block.  In  1891  he  went  to  Aurora  and  worked  on 
the  Wells  College  buildings  and  after  nine  months  returned  to  Cortland  and  entered 
the  Normal  School,  remaining  until  he  was  graduated  in  1893;  during  this  time  he 
was  proprietor  of  the  Cortland  steam  laundry  and  so  increased  the  work  of  that  con- 
cern that  twenty-one  employees  were  required  for  its  operation,  instead  of  three  as 
previously.  But  in  this  enterprise  Mr.  Coleman  had  the  misfortune  to  suffer  from 
the  loss  of  his  plant  by  fire  and  with  it  was  also  destroyed  $6,000  worth  of  goods. 
He  re-established  himself,  however,  and  soon  had  a  large  and  successful  business; 
at  the  same  time  he  diligently  prosecuted  his  studies  until  his  graduation  in  1893,  he 
then  holding  the  enviable  position  of  president  of  his  class.  Mr.  Coleman  then 
came  to  Madison  and  for  three  years  and  one  term  was  principal  of  the  union  school 
of  the  village.  On  August  11,  1896,  he  was  nominated  for  the  office  of  commissioner 
in  the  first  school  district  of  the  county,  and  was  elected  in  November  following. 
Carlos  J.  Coleman  is  known  throughout  the  region  as  one  of  the  most  energetic  and 
capable  school  organizers  and  constantly  aims  to  advance  the  .standard  of  education, 
the  advantages  of  which  were  denied  him  when  a  youth.  In  this  effort  he  has  been 
successful  and  the  people  of  the  district  have  come  to  appreciate  his  work  and  en- 
dorse his  plans.  On  August  13,  1896,  Mr.  Coleman  married  Cora  E.,  daughter  of 
John  and  Caroline  Peck  of  Cortland,  and  they  have  one  child. 


Howson,  John  W.,  was  born  in  Cazenovia,  April  7,  1847,  and  boasts  a  substantial 
ancestry,  his  father,  Robert  Howson,  having  been  born  and  bred  in  England,  while 
his  motheri  Elizabeth  Mitchell,  was  a  native  of  Scotland.  Mr.  Howson  was  educated 
in  the  common  schools  of  Cazenovia  and  at  the  Seminary.  In  1864  he  became  a 
clerk  in  the  post-office  (Captain  Seneca  Lake,  postmaster),  and  remained  in  that 
capacity  until  appointed  postmaster  in  1871.  From  that  date  until  1883  he  served 
continuously.  He  was  again  appointed  postmaster  July  25,  1891,  and  served  until 
July  1,  1896,  exceeding  his  term  nearly  a  year.  Mr.  Howson  was  a  charter  member 
of  the  Board  of  Education  of  Union  Free  School  District  No.  10,  Cazenovia,  organ- 
ized November  26,  1875,  and  served  upwards  of  twenty  years,  being  president  of  the 
board  from  September  1,  1885,  to  August  5,  1896.  He  was  also  president  of  the 
Board  of  Sewer  Commissioners,  having  charge  of  the  construction  of  the  excellent 
system  of  sewers  built  in  Cazenovia  in  1894-5,  and  it  is  due  to  his  and  their  eflforts 
that  the  village  is  in  possession  of  one  of  the  finest  sewerage  systems  in  the  State. 
In  politics  he  has  been  a  lifelong  Republican  and  an  active  worker  in  the  party.  In 
1873  he  was  clerk  of  the  village,  and  was  elected  president  of  the  village  in  1897, 
serving  one  term.  When  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  office  was  established  in 
Cazenevia  in  1866,  Mr.  Howson  was  put  in  charge,  and  has  acted  as  operator  and 
manager  ever  since,  still  retaining  it  in  his  business  office  as  a  "  Mascot,"  at  the 
present  date,  January  1,  1900.  He  is  a  member  of  Cazenovia  Lodge,  No.  616,  F.  & 
A.  M. ,  a  trustee  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  vice-president  of  the  Cazenovia 
Public  Library  Society. 


Dexter,  C.  W.,  p.  o.  Munnsville,  of  the  firm  of  De.xter  &  Davis,  who  are  among 
the  leading  merchants  of  Madison  county,  N.  Y.,  was  born  in  Stockbridge,  April  23, 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  199 

1848,  a  son  of  William  and  Fannie  (Harrington)  Dexter,  who  spent  the  greater  part  ' 
of  their  lives  in  Stockbridge.  His  father  was  a  cabinet  maker,  a  Republican,  and  he 
and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  M.  E.  church.  C.  W.  Dexter  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  began  business  for  himself  as  an  egg 
dealer;  later  he  was  engaged  in  buying  rags  for  a  paper  mill  and  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  in  which  he  has  been  very  successful. 
He  was  in  partnership  with  his  brother,  E.  N.  Dexter,  four  years  and  in  1859  formed 
a  partnership  with  C.  W.  Davis,  since  which  time  the  firm  has  been  known  as  Dex- 
ter &  Davis.  They  also  own  a  large  store  at  East  Syracuse  and  one  at  Valley  mills. 
Mr.  De.xter  was  for  five  years  a  member  of  Munnsville  Plow  Company;  and  he  is  in- 
terested in  a  store  in  Elbridge,  under  the  name  of  Hazelton  &  Co. ;  at  Valley  Mills 
he  owns  the  roller  mills,  consisting  of  flour  and  feed  mill,  also  cider  mill.  Mr.  Dex- 
ter has  been  one  of  the  directors  and  vice-president  of  the  Farmers  and  Mechanics 
State  Bank  of  Oneida  since  its  organization.  He  is  also  interested  in  agricultural 
pursuits  and  has  a  farm  of  ninety  acres  near  the  village  of  Munnsville,  where  he 
carries  on  dairying.  In  1870  Mr.  Dexter  married  Emma  Jobesof  Onondaga  county, 
and  they  have  one  daughter,  Ethel  C,  born  July  25,  1882.  Mr.  Dexter  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics,  has  been  postmaster  (except  through  Cleveland's  administration) 
since  1870.  In  1892  and  1893  he  was  a  member  of  assembly.  He  is  a  member  of 
Prosperity  Lodge  Lodge  No.  484,  I.  O.  O.  F.  Mrs.  Dexter  is  a  member  of  the  Con- 
gregational church,  but  Mr.  Dexter  is  liberal  in  his  religious  views. 


Davis,  Clark  W.,  p  o.  Munnsville,  of  the  firm  of  Dexter  &  Davis,  who  are  among 
the  leading  merchants  of  Madison  county,  also  conducting  an  extensive  business  in 
East  Syracuse,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Stockbridge,  March  20,  1865.  He  was 
reared  on  a  farm  and  educated  in  the  common  schools.  For  a  short  time  he  was  col- 
lector for  the  Oneida  Dispatch  Company,  and  later  bought  a  half  interest  in  the  store 
at  Munnsville  and  was  a  partner  of  James  Giles,  under  the  firm  name  of  Giles  & 
Davis.  This  firm  continued  two  and  one-half  years  when  the  present  firm  of  Dexter 
&  Davis  was  established.  On  January  6,  1893,  Mr.  Davis  married  Jeannette  E.  Da- 
vidson of  Onondaga  county;  both  attend  and  support  the  Congregational  church,  of 
which  Mr.  Davis  has  been  trustee  six  years.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  board  of 
education ;  in  politics  he  is  an  ardent  Republican  and  has  held  the  office  of  town  clerk 
one  term.  He  is  strictly  a  business  man  and  has  been  remarkably  successful.  He 
is  a  son  of  David  L.  Davis,  who  was  born  in  Eaton,  Madison  county,  N.  Y..  May  19, 
1836,  a  son  of  Deacon  David  E.  Davis  and  Mary  Williams,  both  born  in  Wales,  he 
in  1813  and  she  in  1814.  They  were  married  in  Wales  in  1832  and  at  once  started 
to  the  United  States,  settling  in  Philadelphia  and  in  1835  removed  to  the  town  of 
Hamilton,  where  they  remained  for  a  .short  time  then  settled  in  Eaton,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  milling.  He  then  went  to  Lebanon,  where  he  had  charge  of  a  grist  mill, 
then  came  to  Nelson  and  went  on  a  farm  where  he  died  in  1894 ;  his  wife  died  in 
189G.  They  had  a  family  of  seven  sons  and  three  daughters.  David  L.  Lewis  was 
reared  on  a  farm  and  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  Cazenovia  Seminary.  He 
has  spent  most  of  his  life  in  Stockbridge.  February  24,  1864,  he  married  Rosalia  A. 
Spaulding,  born  in  1843,  a  daughter  of  Philander  Spaulding,  and  granddaughter  of 
John  Spaulding,  who  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Stockbridge;    his   wife  was 


200  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Margaret  Peterson,  who  also  died  in  Stoclibridge.  Philander  Spaulding  was  born  in 
1819;  his  wife  was  Miranda  Parker,  by  whom  he  had  four  children.  His  wife  died 
in  1855  and  he  is  now  living,  aged  eighty-one  years.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davis  were 
born  four  children:  Clark  W.,  the  subject,  Frank  E. ,  Henry  B.  and  Lena  M.  Frank 
E.  married  Charlotte  Rich  of  Morrisville;  and  Lena  F.,  married  Warren  J.  Stisser. 

Root,  Alfred  E.,  p.  o.  Chittenango,  the  popular  druggist  of  Chittenango,  is  a  native 
of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  born  in  1863.  His  father,  now  deceased,  was  Ed- 
ward Root,  who  came  to  this  place  in  1878,  at  that  time  a  shoe  dealer,  etc.  Mr. 
Root's  genealogy  is  traceable  on  both  sides  to  the  American  Revolution.  He  was 
about  ten  years  of  age  when  the  family  came  to  Chittenango  and  completed  his  ed- 
ucation at  the  Polytechnic  Institute  here.  He  embarked  in  business  as  a  dispensing 
druggist  in  1889,  building  up  a  large  and  growing  trade.  In  1887  J.  R.  Costello  be- 
came a  partner.  The  firm  carry  a  large  general  stock  of  goods  and  their  commodi- 
ous store  is  the  center  of  commercial  activity.  The  department  of  pharmacy,  still 
an  important  feature  of  their  trade,  is  presided  over  by  Mr.  Root.  In  1886  he  mar- 
ried Beatrice  Kellogg  Walrath,  daughter  of  Hon.  Peter  Walrath  of  this  place,  who 
died  September  26,  1896.  A  daughter.  Beatrice,  born  September  26,  1896,  was  born 
of  that  union.  Not  alone  in  business  circles,  but  in  church  and  society,  Mr.  Root 
takes  a  prominent  place.  Republican  in  politics,  he  has  been  one  of  the  school 
board  four  years,  and  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  ten  years. 


Rice,  Baxter,  came  from  Massachusetts  and  was  an  early  settler  on  the  farm  now 
owned  by  A.  W.  Head.  Most  of  his  later  life  was  spent  in  Madison,  but  he  died  in 
Oriskany  Falls.  He  was  a  successful  farmer.  His  children  were  Catharine,  Oliver 
B.,  Harriet,  Baxter,  Harmony,  Adeline,  and  Henry  B.  Oliver  B.  was  also  a  farmer 
and  accumulated  a  fair  property.  He  was  highway  commissioner  twenty-one  years 
and  assessor  three  years.  His  wife  was  Mary  Hazard,  by  whom  he  had  two  chil- 
dren: William  H.,  and  Oliver  H.,  both  of  Madison  village.  Oliver  B.  died  February 
21,  1885,  and  his  wife  died  April  19,  1887.  Oliver  H.  Rice  was  born  October  28, 
1849,  and  spent  his  early  life  on  the  farm.  He  came  to  the  village  in  1884,  and  has 
worked  as  a  carpenter  since  1873.  His  large  shop  and  cider  mill  building  was  erected 
in  1893.  He  is  an  energetic  and  industrious  business  man  and  has  enjoyed  a  fair 
measure  of  success.  On  December  14,  1877,  Mr.  Rice  married  Mary  Welling,  by 
whom  he  had  one  son,  Ray  W.  Rice.  Mr.  Rice  is  a  Republican,  but  not  active  in 
local  politics.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  church  and  has  been  trustee 
about  sixteen  vears. 


Gardiner,  Frank  D. ,  is  a  general  merchant  and  postmaster  at  Sheds,  in  the  town 
of  De  Ruyter,  Madison  county,  N.Y.,  where  he  was  born  May  9,  1865,  the  only  son 
of  D.  Foster  and  Clarissa  A.  (Smith)  Gardiner.  His  grandfather  was  Dwight  Gardi- 
ner, who  was  born  May  18,  1797,  and  died  July  21,  1876:  he  married  Cynthia  White, 
who  was  born  July  25,  1803,  and  died  June  18,  1881.  His  great-grandfather  came 
from  Irelapd  to  this  country  in  1810  and  settled  in  De  Ruyter.  Frank  D.  spent  his 
boyhood  on  the  farm  and  in  the  public  schools  of  De  Ruyter  and  Cazenovia  Semi- 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  201 

nary.  He  then  engaged  in  general  merchandising  on  his  own  account  at  Delphi  for 
one  year,  when  he  removed  to  Sheds  Corners  and  succeeded  his  brother-in-law,  F. 
J.  Wescott,  in  that  place,  where  he  has  since  conducted  a  large  and  growing  busi- 
ness. Mr.  Gardiner  is  postmaster  at  Sheds,  being  appointed  June  25,  1893,  and  has 
held  the  position  continuously  since.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  has  served 
live  years  as  a  town  committeeman  and  has  held  the  office  of  tax  collector.  On  April 
9,  1887,  he  married  Inez  I.,  daughter  of  Albert  and  Harriet  (Hopkins)  Dewey.  To 
them  was  born  one  daughter,  Doris,  November  10,  1890.  Fraternally  Mr.  Gardiner 
is  a  member  of  De  Ruyter  Lodge,  No.  692,  F.  &  A.  M. 


Lum,  William  Tappan,  M.D.,  p.  o.  Bridgeport,  was  born  at  Montpelier,  Vt., 
August  15,  1869.  His  father  was  the  late  well-known  and  talented  writer  on  eco- 
nomics and  kindred  topics,  Daniel  Dyer  Lum,  who  was  also  noted  for  his  political 
activity,  having  been  several  years  national  secretary  of  the  Greenback  party  and  in 
1876  the  candidate  of  that  party  for  lieutenant-givernor  of  Massachusetts.  Dr. 
Lum"s  boyhood  was  spent  chiefly  at  Northampton,  Mass.,  until  in  1879,  when  he  re- 
ceived an  appointment  as  page  in  the  National  House  of  Representatives,  in  which 
capacity  he  remained  two  years.  Later  he  engaged  in  newspaper  work,  beginning 
as  office  boy  for  the  Northampton  Herald;  then  to  Brooklyn  and  New  York,  being 
at  various  times  compositor,  job  printer  and  proof  reader.  During  his  leisure  hours 
he  took  up  the  study  of  dentistry  and  made  considerable  strides  toward  efficiency  in 
that  profession  in  the  metropolis.  In  189 i  he  became  associated  with  Dr.  C.  S. 
Roberts  of  Syracuse,  and  about  the  same  time  began  a  course  of  study  in  the  Syra- 
cuse College  of  Medicine,  graduating  from  that  institution  with  honors  three  years 
later,  and  beginning  practice  at  Bridgeport.  Dr.  Lum  is  a  member  of  Madison 
County  Medical  Society;  of  the  Central  New  York  Medical  Society  and  others.  He 
admits  a  special  predilection  for  operative  surgery,  in  which  branch  he  has  already 
attained  a  considerable  degree  of  local  fame.  Personally  the  doctor  is  a  delightful 
companion,  while  professionally  his  skill  is  widely  recognized  He  enjoys  a  large 
practice.  June  IG,  1897,  he  married  Grace  M.  Sweeting  of  Cicero,  N.Y.,  daughter  of 
Lewis  Sweeting,  a  retired  farmer,  and  they  have  one  son,  Donald  Dyer  Lum,  born 
September  15,   1898. 

Bruce,  Major  Thaddeus,  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  and  the  family  trace  their 
descent  from  Robert  Bruce  of  Scotland.  He  married  Nancy  Dana.  Joseph  Bruce 
came  to  the  town  of  Canastota  in  1800,  and  married  Maria,  daughter  of  John  D. 
Nellis.  He  was  a  prominent  merchant  and  farmer  of  his  town;  was  appointed 
major  in  1812,  and  went  to  Sackett's  Harbor.  He  took  an  active  interest  in  school 
and  church  matters,  and  died  in  1872.  Joseph  W.  Bruce  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  and  Cazenovia  Seminary.  In  1856  he  married  Caroline,  daughter  of  Seth 
Starr,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Mrs.  Alfred  E.  Dew.  Mr.  Bruce  is  one  of  the 
leading  men  of  his  town,  a  practical  and  successful  farmer,  and  is  interested  in  all 
public  matters.  He  received  the  nomination  for  governor  of  the  State  of  New  York 
from  the  Prohibition  party  in  1895.  He  is  recognized  as  a  man  of  con.servative  char- 
acter who  has  ever  received  and  merited  the  respect  of  his  associates. 


Pennock,  Charles  F.,  p.  o.  Chittenango,  only  surviving  son  of  the  late  Ebenezer 


203  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Pennock,  was  born  at  Chittenango  in  1854,  where  he  still  resides.  His  father  w^ 
born  in  1831,  in  Washington  county,  son  of  Samuel  Pennock  of  German  nativity,  who 
at  an  early  date  settled  in  the  vicinity  of  Perryville  when  twenty  years  of  age. 
Ebenezer  Pennock  purchased  a  small  farm  near  Chittenango,  which  became  a 
nucleus  for  the  really  vast  domain  of  which  he  was  possessed  at  his  decease  in  1896, 
at  seventy-five  years  of  age.  His  operations  in  the  acquisition  and  management  of 
large  pieces  of  adjacent  realty  were  almost  marvelous.  An  indefatigable  worker,  he 
was  yet  a  kind  and  charitable  citizen  and  left  a  cherished  name  in  the  community. 
One  of  the  promoters  and  organizers  of  the  Chittenango  Cotton  Company,  once  a 
large  and  flourishing  concern,  he  was  for  many  years  its  president.  It  is  of  interest 
to  note  that  his  estates  hereabout  comprised  no  less  than  4,600  acres.  Prior  to  the 
use  of  coal  as  fuel  by  the  New  York  Central  Railread  he  furni-shed  it  with  large 
quantities  of  suitable  wood ;  in  one  single  season  36,000  cords.  Miss  Annie  Coats, 
now  deceased,  became  his  wife,  at  Fayetteville,  in  1851.  Mr.  Pennock  found  little 
time  for  political  activity.  An  unswerving  Democrat,  he  served  several  terms  as 
supervisor  of  his  town. 

Blair,  Alvan,  was  born  of  a  Scottish  family  January  20,  1798,  in  Blandford,  Mass. 
He  came  with  his  parents  to  the  town  of  Nelson  in  1810,  when  but  a  youth.  In  the 
war  of  1812,  when  sixteen  years  of  age,  he  went  as  a  substitute  for  his  uncle,  John 
Knox,  of  the  town  of  Nelson,  who  was  drafted  to  defend  our  northern  frontier.  He 
went  to  Sacketts'  Harbor  and  remained  in  the  service  until  relieved  by  General 
Brown's  army  from  Fort  Niagara,  when  the  drafted  men  were  discharged.  Some 
years  after  he  married  Vernera  Brooks,  daughter  of  Roger  Brooks,  of  the  town  of 
Nelson.  There  were  born  to  them  thirteen  children,  twelve  living  to  maturity,  one 
dying  at  birth  unnamed.  The  eldest  child,  Ezra  K.,  died  in  1898  through  a  very  sad 
railroad  accident;  Oran  A.  died  in  1896;  Sarah  died  in  1890;  William  C.  owns  and 
lives  on  the  old  homestead  in  the  town  of  Cazenovia,  one  mile  south  of  the  village; 
Harriet  A.  resides  in  the  village;  Ellen  A.  married  J.  M.  Lyman,  and  resides  in 
Toledo,  Ohio;  Rollin  K.  lives  at  the  homestead;  M.  Lewis,  married,  resides  in  Scran- 
ton  Pa.,  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  the  rebellion,  going  from  Luzerne  county.  Pa., 
as  captain  of  a  company  he  raised.  He  participated  in  the  battles  of  Gettysburg 
and  the  Wilderness,  and  others.  He  was  promoted  to  major  of  volunteers  in  the 
national  guard  of  Pennsylvania.  Marcia  V.  Blair  married  J.  J.  Darrow  of  West 
Eaton,  N.  Y.  She  died  in  1880,  leaving  five  daughters,  one  following  her  in  less  than 
two  weeks.  The  eldest,  Laura,  is  wife  of  E.  C.  Palmer,  a  leading  merchant  in  Cort- 
land, N.  Y.  Carrie  B.  is  the  wife  of  Prof.  Ernest  Merritt,  of  Southington,  Conn. 
Elizabeth  V.  is  a  student  in  Syracuse  University.  Deigracia  B.  is  a  student  in  Mid- 
dleton  University,  Conn.  The  two  latter  graduated  with  honors  m  Cazenovia  Sem- 
inary. M.  Sophia  Blair  resides  in  Toledo,  Ohio.  Frances  O.  and  O.  Jennie  reside 
at  the  homestead,  where  they  were  born.  Alvan  Blair  held  many  minor  offices  in 
the  town  of  Nelson,  besides  was  a  noted  school  teacher,  having  taught  twenty  suc- 
cessive terms  of  school  in  Nelson  town,  and  one  at  Erieville  in  what  is  called  the 
Temple  district.  He  often  had  100  names  on  his  school  roll.  He  was  a  successful 
business  man  and  died  at  his  home  in  Cazenovia,  where  he  had  lived  since  1844. 
His  death  occurred  on  the  morning  of  his  wife's  funeral.  He  was  eighty-iive  years 
lacking  a  few  days.     His  wife  was  eighty  years.     They  were  buried  in  a  double 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  203 

grave,  not  separated  even  in  death.     He  was  much  respected  for  his  integrity  and 
honor  and  his  magnaminity;  he  had  no  egotism. 


Root,  Samuel,  who  died  in  Cazenovia,  August  23,  1891.  in  the  seventy-first  year  of 
his  age,  was  for  many  years  a  substantial  farmer  and  leading  business  man  of  the 
town  of  Cazenovia.  He  was  born  in  1820  in  the  town  of  Fenner,  a  son  of  Edward 
and  Hannah  (Turner)  Root.  He  was  a  member  of  an  old  New  England  family,  rep- 
resentatives of  which  were  among  the  first  settlers  of  this  region.  His  grandmother, 
Nancy  Turner,  was  the  second  white  woman  to  come  to  Cazenovia  Mr.  Root  was 
educated  in  the  schools  of  Fenner  and  at  Cazenovia  Seminary.  He  was  engaged  in 
farming  all  his  life,  but  also  interested  in  other  business  enterprises  and  was  one  of 
the  pioneer  cheese  manufacturers  in  the  county.  In  politics  he  was  a  strong  Repub- 
lican, but  could  never  be  induced  to  accept  public  office.  He  married  Miss  Sarah 
Comstock,  daughter  of  Zephaniah  Comstock,  and  four  children  were  born  to  them : 
Charles  Z.  (deceased),  Anna  Averill,  wife  of  Dr.  J.  F.  Place  of  Binghamton,  N.  Y.  ; 
Martha  of  Cazenovia,  and  Sarah  Grace  (deceased). 

Lowe,  C.  H.  S.,  was  born  in  Amber  Settlement,  Chenango  county,  N.  Y. ,  March  0, 
1860,  a  son  of  James  and  Hannah  R.  Lowe,  who  were  both  born  in  England.  James 
was  born  in  Norfolk  county,  January  26,  1838.  Hannah  R.  was  born  April  9,  1836.  He 
came  to  America  with  his  parents,  Thomas  and  Martha,  at  the  age  of  twelve  years. 
Thomas  Lowe  was  for  many  years  a  shepherd  in  his  own  country.  James  Lowe 
began  work  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years  for  a  Mr.  Hazeltine,  a  tanner  and  currier. 
He  afterwards  went  to  Chenango  county  and  secured  a  position  in  the  tannery  of 
Hiram  Smith  of  Norwich,  N.  Y.,  afterwards  bought  a  tannery  in  a  place  called  Grey 
Brooks,  N.  Y. ,  and  in  1860  he  became  agent  for  a  publishing  house  and  traveled  on 
the  road  selling  books  for  three  years.  He  then  signed  a  contract  to  furnish  the 
Auburn  States  Prison  with  wood  for  the  manufacture  of  planes.  At  the  expiration 
of  that  time  he  came  to  Munnsville,  N.  Y.,  and  the  following  three  years  was  en- 
gaged as  a  butcher,  where  his  son,  C.  H.  S.,  helped  him.  Later  he  and  C.  H.  S. 
Lowe  entered  the  furniture  and  undertaking  business,  C.  H.  S.  Lowe  doing  the  un- 
dertaking business.  Dropping  the  former  business,  they  substituted  hardware  and 
jewelry.  C.  H.  S.  Lowe,  then  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  began  learning  the  jeweler's  trade; 
they  remained  partners  for  twelve  years,  then  C.  H.  S.  Lowe  entered  into  the  gen- 
eral mercantile  business  with  his  father  and  brother-in-law  (Henry  Freeman),  under 
the  firm  name  of  Lowe,  Freeman  &  Co.  One  year  later  C.  H.  S.  Lowe  entered  into 
the  jewelry  business  for  himself  in  the  Cook  block,  remaining  there  one  year,  then 
moved  to  Holly,  Mich.,  with  his  wife  and  family  of  three  children,  two  boys  and  one 
girl  (George  S.  Lowe,  born  October  29,  1882;  Harry  C,  born  August  12,  1885;  Ena  S., 
born  September  2S,  1888),  where  C.  H.  S.  Lowe  remained  for  five  years,  after  which 
he  returned  to  Munnsville  and  remained  with  his  father  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred February  28,  1898,  after  which  C.  H.  S.  Lowe  succeeded  his  father  in  a  gen- 
eral mercantile  business  and  in  connection  with  the  same  did  repairing  of  watches, 
bicycles  and  guns;  being  a  natural  mechanic  he  could  turn  his  hand  to  all  kinds  of 
repairing.  December  8,  1898,  Mr.  Lowe  married  Winnifred  M.  Lowe  for  his  second 
wife.     Mr.  Lowe's  maternal  grandfather,  E.  J.  Hostler,  was  born  in  England  in  1817 ; 


204  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

at  one  time  Mr.  Hostler  was  owner  and  manager  of  the  flour  and  saw  mill  at  Stock- 
bridge,  N.  Y.  He  moved  to  Oquawka,  111.,  and  owned  a  large  farm;  he  died  at  the 
home  of  his  daughter,  Mrs.  D.  D.  Devore,  May  17,  1899.  C.  H.  S.  Lowe  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics;  is  a  member  of  Prosperity  Lodge,  No.  484,  Adieno  Encampment, 
No.  11.5,  and  Canton  Oneida,  No.  34,  P.  M. 


Coley,  Joseph  the  great-grandfather  of  Franklin  R.,  Judson  O.,  and  Charles  H. 
Perkins,  was  born  1765  in  London,  England,  where  his  father  was  a  jeweler.  In 
1773,  when  Joseph  was  about  eight  years  old,  his  father  moved  from  London  and 
settled  in  Johnstown,  New  York.  Here  he  cleared  a  farm  and  resided  for  some  time. 
Joseph  Coley,  married  Mary  Willess  and  moved  to  Saratoga  county,  where  they  oc- 
cupied a  farm  for  a  few  years.  Soon  after  they  moved  to  the  town  of  De  Ruyter, 
Madison  county,  and  purchased  a  farm  which  included  the  spot  since  known  as  the 
"  De  Ruyter  Springs."  The  family  resided  here  until  1806,  when  they  moved  to 
New  Woodstock  in  the  town  of  Cazenovia.  Here  he  purchased  and  cleared  a  valu- 
able farm.  On  the  15th  of  August,  1810,  Joseph  Coley  was  ordained  as  a  minister  in 
the  Baptist  denomination  and  became  quiet  prominent  as  a  preacher  and  pastor. 
After  one  revival  in  the  town  of  Eaton  he  baptized  forty  converts.  Here  he  organ- 
ized a  church  in  1816,  and  was  its  first  pastor.  The  old  records  show  that  he  did  e.\- 
cellent  work  m  several  churches  of  Madison  county.  His  wife  Mary  died  September 
30,  1845.  at  the  age  of  77.  After  the  death  of  his  wife,  Rev.  Joseph  Coley  lived  with 
his  son  William  at  New  Woodstock,  until  his  death,  September  35,  1856,  at  the  age 
of  ninety-one.  Ten  children  were  born  to  Joseph  and  Mary  Willess  Coley.  One  an 
infant  in  the  cradle,  perished  when  the  log  house  was  burned,  during  their  residence 
in  De  Ruyter.  The  remaining  nine  children,  viz. :  Willess,  Betsey,  Polly,  Nancy, 
Laura,  Clarissa,  William,  J.  Madison  with  his  wife  composed  the  family  of  Joseph 
Coley  while  he  resided  in  New  Woodstock.  Nancy  Coley  the  mother  of  Willess  C. 
and  Wilson  L.  Perkins  was  born  May  9,  1795. 

Abiezer  Perkins,  another  great-grandfather  of  Franklin  R.,  Judson  0.,and  Charles 
H.  Perkins  was  born  near  Deerfield,  Massachusetts,  in  1754,  and  in  1781,  he  was 
married  to  Irene  Loomis,  and  in  1803  he  came  through  the  woods  with  his  family  to 
the  town  of  Cazenovia,  and  settled  on  a  farm  which  he  had  previously  purchased, 
about  two  and  one-half  miles  south  of  Cazenovia  village.  The  .school  district  is  still 
known  as  the  "  Perkins  District."  At  that  time  the  farm  was  thickly  covered  with 
heavy  timber,  and  a  line  of  marked  trees  indicated  the  pathway  leading  past  his  new 
home.  He  cleared  the  land  and  resided  upon  this  farm  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred September  20,  1835,  at  the  age  of  seventy-one;  his  wife,  Irene  Loomis,  lived 
eleven  years  after  his  death,  and  died  September  6,  1836.  They  were  both  members 
of  the  Baptist  church.  Abiezer  Perkins  was  a  deacon  in  the  baptist  church  for  many 
years.  "  Near  him  the  well  remembered  Perkins  School  House  was  built,  in  which 
the  early  religious  meetings  of  the  Baptist  church  of  Cazenovia  village  were  held." 
One  of  his  sons  taught  school  in  this  log  school  house.  Seven  children  were  born  to 
Abiezer  and  Irene  Loomis  Perkins,  viz. :  Byram,  Jeduthun,  Eliab,  Polly,  Sally, 
Elemander  and  Stillman. 

Elemander,  the  fourth  son,  was  born  September  13,  1792,  and  on  the  9th  of  May, 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  205 

1813,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  he  married  Nancy  Coley,  before  mentioned,  who  was 
at  the  time  of  their  marriage  eighteen  years  of  age.  After  their  marriage  they  re- 
sided several  years  in  the  family  of  Deacon  Abiezer  Perkins,  where  on  the  5th  of  De- 
cember, 1814,  Willess  C.  was  born  and  on  the  8th  of  October,  1816,  Wilson  L.  was 
born.  Elemander  Perkins,  with  his  wife  and  two  sons,  moved  to  the  farm  then  re' 
cently  purchased  by  his  father-in-law,  the  Rev.  Joseph  Coley,  about  one-half  mile 
farther  south  on  the  De  Ruyter  road,  which  he  carried  on  for  several  years,  occupy- 
ing the  same  house  with  his  father-in-law.  In  the  autumn  of  18i4  Elemander  pur- 
chased a  farm  of  about  seventy  acres,  located  on  the  hill  about  one  and  one-half 
miles  from  Cazenovia,  on  the  road  leading  from  Rippleton  to  Delphi.  He  moved 
with  his  family  on  to  this  place  in  the  spring  of  1825.  The  scenery  of  this  place  is 
delightful;  beautiful  for  situation.  The  stately  elms  are  now  standing  which  were 
set  out  by  Elemander  and  his  two  sons  many  years  ago.  Here  was  born  on  the  26th 
of  April,  1830,  the  only  daughter,  Mary  Irene.  She  was  married,  December  20,  1847, 
at  the  age  of  seventeen,  to  Charles  J.  Halliday,  and  died  the  following  year,  October 
10,  1848.  Elemander  continued  to  reside  here  until  his  death  on  the  10th  of  April, 
1854,  in  his  sixty-second  year  of  his  age.  His  widow,  Nancy  Coley,  survived  him 
many  years  in  vigorous  activity,  but  after  a  short  illness  died  December  21,  1876, 
aged  eighty-one  years.  The  two  brothers,  Willess  C.  and  Wilson  L.,  lived  and 
worked  together,  with  the  e.xception  of  a  brief  period,  until  Willess  C.  died  March 
17,  1890,  nearly  seventy-si.x  years  of  age.  By  continued  industry  and  faithful  atten- 
tion to  business  they  added  from  time  to  time  to  the  origmal  farm  until  they  owned 
and  cultivated  about  500  acres,  which  they  held  in  common.  Willess  C.  was  never 
married;  he  was  a  very  genial,  social  man,  His  close  attention  to  farm  work  and 
the  vigor  of  his  life  have  been  rarely  equalled.  Wilson  L. ,  at  the  age  of  twenty-four, 
on  March  11,  1840,  was  married  to  Lucretia  Rice,  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Anna  Rice  of 
Cazenovia.  At  the  time  of  her  marriage  she  was  in  the  twenty-second  year  of  her  age. 
They  lived  on  the  hill  in  the  family  of  Elemander  Perkins,  before  mentioned,  where  on 
May  6,  1841,  Franklin  R.  was  born.  On  the  17th  of  the  same  month  the  young  wife 
and  mother  passed  on  to  the  better  land.  On  May  1,  1843,  Wilson  L.  was  married 
to  Sarah  M.,  daughter  of  Mason  and  Rhoda  Salisbury,  of  Cortland,  N.  Y.  She  was 
twenty-two  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  marriage.  They  lived  in  Lyons,  Wayne 
county,  N.  Y.,  for  a  short  time,  but  returned  to  the  town  of  Cazenovia  and  lived  on 
the  farm  which  the  brothers,  Willess  C.  and  Wilson  L.  had  then  recently  purchased 
from  the  David  Billings  estate,  situated  on  the  De  Ruyter  road  and  adjoining  on  the 
south  the  farm  owned  by  their  father,  Elemander.  Here  on  the  10th  of  October, 
1847,  was  born  to  them  a  son,  Judson  O.,  and  on  the  31st  of  March,  1850,  was  born 
another  son,  Charles  H.  On  August  1st  1853,  the  husband  was  again  left  a  widower 
and  his  children  left  without  a  mother  and  another  faithful  christian  life  was  closed 
to  this  world  forever.  Shortly  after  this  sad  event,  Wilson  L.,  with  his  three  sons 
returned  to  the  old  home  on  the  hill,  where,  with  his  mother  and  brother,  all  lived 
as  one  family.  On  the  38th  of  October,  1856,  Wilson  L.  was  married  to  Sophia  E. 
May,  of  Akron,  Ohio,  granddaughter  of  Luke  and  Patience  May,  of  Cazenovia,  in 
the  twenty- first  year  of  her  age.  Wilson  L. ,  died  July  10,  1896,  nearly  eighty  years 
of  age.  He  had  great  integrity  of  character,  strong  conviction  and  remarkable  busi- 
ness sagacity.  The  eldest  son  of  the  family,  Franklin  R. ,  graduated  at  Cazenovia 
Seminary  in  1860.     He  soon  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  ofRce  of  Charles  Stebbins 


206  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Jr.,  Cazenovia.  and  was  admitted  to  practice  as  an  attorney  in  1864.  In  the  same 
year  he  was  commissioned  as  captain  of  Company  E,  in  the  Twenty-second  regi- 
ment of  N.  Y.  V.  Cavalry  and  served  in  that  regiment  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion 
until  January,  1865,  when  he  was  honorably  discharged.  He  returned  to  the  study 
of  law  and  in  August,  1866,  he  commenced  the  practice  of  law  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y.  He 
served  two  successive  terms,  from  January  1.  1873  to  Janunry  1,  1876,  as  city  attorney 
of  that  place.  Besides  his  extensive  practice,  he  has  been  the  attorney  for  the  A.  L. 
Barber  Asphalt  Paving  Company,  of  New  York,  for  several  years.  On  the  10th  of 
May,  1876.  he  was  married  to  S.  Louise  Wright,  daughter  of  William  W.,  and 
Eleanor  Wright,  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.  Six  children  were  born  to  these  parents.  Three 
daughters  died  in  childhood,  Irene  when  quite  young;  Lulu  at  twelve  years  of  age; 
and  Doris,  the  last  two  within  two  weeks  of  each  other.  Three  daughters 
are  living,  Marion,  Eleanor  and  Rachel.  The  second  son  of  this  family, 
Judson  O.,  was  a  student  for  some  time  at  Cazenovia  Semmary,  entered  Madi- 
son (now  Colgate)  University  in  the  fall  of  1888  and  graduated  with  the  class 
of  1873.  He  took  the  first  prize  in  oratory  in  his  junior  year,  and  on  account 
of  excellent  scholarship  became  a  member  of  the  famous  old  Phi  Beta  Kappa 
Society,  when  a  chapter  was  instituted  at  Madison  University  in  1878.  He  graduated 
from  the  Hamilton  Theological  Seminary  in  1874.  He  was  ordained  as  a  Baptist 
minister  at  North  Bay,  Oneida  county,  N.Y. ,  while  a  .student,  December  30,  1873. 
He  was  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  in  Copenhagen,  Lewis  county,  for  eleven  years 
and  during  six  years  of  this  time,  in  addition  to  his  church  work,  was  principal  of 
"  Perkins  Academy."  He  has  been  pastor  in  Chittenango,  N.Y.,  for  over  eight  years 
and  during  this  time  took  a  post-graduate  course  in  Syracuse  University,  receiving 
the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy  in  1889.  He  has  been  pastor  of  a  large  church  in 
the  town  of  Adams,  N.Y.,  and  was  there  president  of  the  public  school  board  for 
four  years.  He  has  assisted  a  large  number  of  students  in  their  work  and  awakened 
many  young  people  to  a  higher  idea  of  life.  He  was  married  to  Ella  M.,  daughter 
of  Christopher  and  Mary  Newton,  of  Cazenovia,  NY.  Three  children  were  born  into 
their  home  Copenhagen,  N.Y.,  viz.:  May  L.,  April  13,  1876;  Wilson  N.,  June  2.5, 
1879;  WillessC.  September  17,  1888.  Willess  C.  died  in  Copenhagen,  N.Y.,  February 
10,  1885.  May  L.  graduated  from  the  Adams  Collegiate  Institute,  June,  1896,  and 
has  since  taught  three  years  in  the  home  of  Hon.  F.  H.  Gates.  She  is  at  present 
attending  Cazenovia  Seminary.  Wilson  N.  graduated  from  Colgate  Academy  in 
June,  1898,  and  entered  Colgate  University  in  September  of  the  same  year.  The 
third  son,  Charles  H.,  after  attending  school  for  some  time  in  Cazenovia,  remained 
at  home  assisting  in  the  business  of  the  farm.  He  was  married  to  Alice  C,  daughter 
of  A.  Z.  and  Polh'  Kingsley  of  Hamilton,  October  16,  1873.  She  was  twenty-two 
years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  marriage.  They  began  housekeeping  on  the  farm 
in  the  '  Horace  Williams "  house.  Here  on  the  15th  of  July,  1874,  Alice  C.  was 
born,  and  on  the  38th  of  September  of  the  same  year  the  young  mother  died,  leaving 
the  new  home  sad  and  desolate.  Alice  C.  lived  with  her  grandparents,  Wilson  L.  and 
Sophia  E.  Perkins  and  grew  to  womanhood  on  the  hill.  She  graduated  from  Cazenovia 
Seminary  in  June,  1893.  On  December  3,  1879,  Charles  H.  married  his  second  wife, 
Charlotte  A. ,  only  daughter  of  B.  W.  and  Amanda  Taber  of  Cazenovia.  After  this  mar- 
riage two  sons  were  born  into  this  home.  Wellington  Taber  was  born  November  30, 
1880,  and  died  August  18,  1881.   Charles  W.  Taber  was  born  August  16,  1883.   He  is  at 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  207 

present  a  student  of  Cazenovia  Seminary.  Charles  H.  and  his  wife  are  both  active 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  are  very  prominent  in  temperance  work. 
Wilson  L.  made  a  request  that  the  three  sons  meet  at  the  old  home  on  the  hill  Janu- 
ary 9,  1893,  and  on  that  day  gave  Franklin  R.  the  Hendrick  de  Clercq  farm  of  nearly 
ninety  acres.  He  also  gave  to  Judson  O.  the  farm  at  Rippleton  Junction  of  nearly 
ninety  acres  and  at  the  same  time  gave  Charles  H.  the  Billings  farm  of  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  and  other  valuable  real  estate.  Charles  H.  has  a  large  brick 
house  and  commodious  barns  on  his  farm.  Franklin  R.  has  fitted  up  the  old  historic 
de  Clereq  house  for  a  summer  residence.  At  his  death  Wilson  L.  left  the  homestead 
and  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres  of  land  to  his  wife,  Sophia  E.  She  moved  to  Caz- 
enovia in  October,  1896,  having  lived  just  forty  years  in  the  old  house.  She  now  re- 
sides in  the  village  with  Alice  C,  daughter  of  Charles  H.  Perkins.  Having  resigned 
his  pastorate  in  Adams,  N.  Y. ,  Judson  O.  is  at  present  occupying  his  home  on  the 
hill,  overseeing  his  farm  at  the  Junction  and  doing  some  literary  work. 


Hyatt,  Hon.  Francis  A.,  p.  o.  Perryville,  was  born  in  Ridgefield,  Fairfield  county. 
Conn.,  August  5,  1828,  a  sm  of  Aaron  S.  and  Electa  (Keeler)  Hyatt.  His  father 
settled  in  Madison  county  in  1832.  The  first  of  the  Hyatt  family  to  come  to  this  country 
from  England,  was  Thomas  Hyatt,  who  settled  in  Stamford  Conn.,  in  1641,  and  was 
founder  of  this  branch  of  the  family  in  America.  Francis  A.  Hyatt  began  business 
on  the  farm  in  18.50,  and  has  since  resided  in  the  town  of  Fenner.  He  was  elected 
town  clerk  in  1856  serving  several  terms;  justiceof  the  peace  in  1859  and  held  that  office 
eight  years;  was  elected  road  commissioner,  but  declined  to  serve;  was  member  of 
Assembly  in  1861  aud  again  represented  the  di-trict  in  the  Legislature  in  1872;  was 
a  delegate  to  the  Republican  State  conventions  of  1861,  1872,  1881.  1882,  and  1895, 
and  for  many  years  was  a  notary  public  and  often  employed  in  the  settlement  of 
estates.  He  is  a  member  of  Sullivan  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  No.  148.  Mr.  Hyatt  is 
one  of  the  best  known  men  in  Madison  county,  a  representative  citizen  and  although 
in  a  measure  retired  from  active  public  duty,  is  still  interested  in  everything  pertain- 
ing to  the  general  welfare  of  the  county.  While  courteous  and  liberal  in  his  attitude 
towards  the  opinion  of  others,  he  holds  firmly  his  own  views,  and  acts  upon  them  in 
a  conscientious  manner. 


Higinbotham,  Niles,  who  died  in  Oneida,  March  17,  1890,  in  the  seventy-seventh 
year  of  his  age,  was  for  years  one  of  the  foremost  citizens  of  that  village  and  a  man 
who  bore  the  respect  and  unqualified  esteem  of  the  entire  community.  He  was  a  son 
of  Sands  Higinbotham  and  was  born  in  Vernon,  Oneida  county,  March  9,  1813.  In 
1827  he  was  sent  by  his  father  to  the  well  known  school  of  Mr.  Morse  in  Hamilton, 
and  at  the  age  of  nineteen  entered  the  store  of  Alexander  Seymour  at  Utica,  where 
he  remained  about  one  year.  In  March,  1834,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  entered 
the  store  of  his  uncle,  Isaac  Carpenter  of  Ithaca,  with  whom  he  later  formed  a  part- 
nership. When  twenty-four  years  old  he  severed  his  connection,  and  taking  his 
little  fortune  went  West  with  his  close  friend,  Samuel  Breese.  They  spent  about  two 
years  buying  large  tracts  of  land  which  in  after  years  became  quite  valuable.  In 
the  spring  of  1840  Mr.  Higinbotham  and  J.  P.  Manrow  took  a  contract  on  the  old 
Erie  railroad  from  Oswego  to  Corning ;  the  railroad  company  failed  in  less  than  two 
years,  owing  the  young  contractors  about  $100,000,  of    which   they  only    received 


308  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

about  §30,000.  In  the  spring  of  1849  they  received  their  balance  and  paid  their  men 
in  full  with  interest;  Mr.  Higinbotham  often  said  that  he  never  Icnew  a  prouder 
day  than  when  these  waiting  men  were  paid,  Mr.  Sands  Higinbotham,  havmg 
bought  from  the  State  a  large  tract  of  unimproved  land  where  Oneida  now  stands, 
had  removed  thither  from  Vernon  as  early  as  1834.  giving  to  the  village  its  first  im- 
petus by  presenting  to  the  railroad  (now  the  New  York  Central)  lands  and  right  of 
way,  on  condition  that  it  should  stop  all  passenger  trains  at  Oneida,  a  contract  ob- 
served until  late  in  the  Fifties.  Some  years  later  Niles  Higinbotham  bought  large 
portions  of  land  here  from  his  father,  and  in  1844  built  and  commenced  business  in 
the  old  Goodwin  store  on  Madison  street.  There  he  remained  as  silent  partner  with 
his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  Goodwin,  for  some  years.  In  December,  18.51,  he  organized 
the  Oneida  Valley  Bank  with  Sands  Higinbotham  and  Samuel  Breese.  This  was 
the  first  bank  opened  in  Oneida,  and  was  incorporated  as  a  State  bank  in  1852,  and 
as  a  National  bank  in  1865.  Mr.  Higinbotham  was  elected  first  president  and  re- 
tained that  position  until  the  day  of  his  death  There  were  some  traits  of  character 
very  strongly  marked  in  Mr.  Higinbotham  even  as  a  young  man.  To  the  most  trans- 
parent honesty  and  uprightness  in  small,  as  well  as  great  transactions,  he  added  an 
independence  which  made  him  courageous  in  striking  out  for  himself  in  any  line  of 
action  where  his  judgment  was  once  convinced  as  to  the  duty  or  reasonableness  of 
the  undertaking,  and  he  was  persevering  and  hopeful  to  a  degree  which  never  ad- 
mitted in  his  often  self-imposed  tasks,  either  weariness  or  discouragement.  These 
qualities  eminently  fitted  him  to  join  in  and  carry  to  even  higher  fulfillment  the 
plans  of  his  wise  and  public-spirited  father,  for  whom  he  had  the  most  beautiful  feel- 
ings of  trust  and  affection.  Together  they  labored  for  the  development  of  the  little 
hamlet,  and  even  in  its  early  days  Oneida  began  to  be  known  as  a  busy  and  public- 
spirited  village,  attracting  to  itself  men  of  integrity  and  good  character.  Mr.  Hig- 
inbotham's  efforts  were  put  forth  in  behalf  of  religion,  of  education,  of  increased 
business  and  railroad  facilities,  of  wide  streets,  and  town  extension  on  every  side. 
In  particular,  he  labored  long  and  patiently  to  arouse  public  interest  in  the  cause  of 
higher  education  It  was  one  of  the  deepest  wishes  of  his  heart  that  Oneida  should 
have  an  academic  boarding  and  day  school  of  the  highest  order,  and  he  spared 
neither  time,  pains  or  money  in  tlie  effort  to  establish  the  Oneida  Seminary  on  an 
honorable  and  scholarly  basis.  Again  and  again  he  came  to  the  rescue  when  the 
seminary  was  in  need;  started  subscriptions,  at  times  guaranteed  and  even  paid  from 
his  own  purse,  the  salaries  of  the  teachers,  and  spent  time  and  thought  in  securing 
fine  school  grounds,  a  good  building,  library,  and  apparatus,  and  became  the  per- 
sonal friend  and  adviser  of  the  teachers  in  everything  that  looked  to  the  better 
equipment  of  the  school,  and  the  interest  of  the  young  people  of  Oneida  and  vicin- 
ity. In  these  labors  were  associated  with  him  as  trustees  of  the  seminary  (which 
was  opened  in  1858),  such  men  as  Messrs.  Breese,  Hand,  Ellinwood,  Goodwin,  Stone 
and  others.  In  everything  that  he  did  Mr.  Higinbotham  had  always  in  his  mind  to 
do  that  which  should  be  best  for  the  poor  as  well  as  the  rich,  and  in  many  unosten- 
tious  ways  he  gave  help  to  those  whom  he  saw  struggling  under  adverse  circum- 
stances. The  park  on  lower  Broad  street  near  the  Central  railroad,  and  the  lands 
upon  which  stood  all  the  church  buildings  except  one,  were  given  by  Mr.  Higinbot- 
ham. On  March  1,  1874,  he  was  baptized  in  and  united  with  the  Presbyterian 
church,  of  which  many  of  his  relatives  were  members,  and  he  was,  all  his  life,  a  rev- 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES.  309 

erent  and  constant  reader  of  the  Bible.  During  all  his  long  life  he  preserved  habits 
of  temperance,  purity  and  regularity,  and  he  enjoyed  almost  uniformly  good  health 
until  within  a  few  years  of  his  death.  Mr.  Higinbotham  married,  in  1849,  Eliza, 
daughter  of  Nicholas  P.  Randall,  an  eminent  member  of  the  Onondaga  county  bar. 
Of  their  union  three  daughters  were  born:  Julia  Randall,  died  February,  1895; 
Louise  Adelaide  and  Eliza  Rhobie. 


Messinger,  Isaac  Newton,  who  died  in  Oneida,  March  11,  1895,  in  the  seventy-fifth 
year  of  his  age,  was  for  many  years  an  honored  member  of  the  Madison  county  bar, 
and  a  valued  citizen  of  Oneida.  He  was  born  in  the  town  of  Smithfield,  this  county, 
February  28,  1831,  the  only  child  of  Gen.  John  M.  Messinger,  one  of  the  earliest  set- 
tlers of  the  town  of  Lenox.  The  General  was  a  native  of  Barre,  Mass.,  and  in  the 
year  1808  removed  to  the  town  of  Smithfield.  He  was  a  man  of  importance  in  his 
time,  being  actively  interested  in  military  affairs.  He  was  one  of  the  early  sheriffs 
of  Madison  county;  represented  his  district  in  the  State  Legislature,  and  occupied  a 
prominent  position  m  the  county  both  politically  and  socially.  1.  Newton  Messinger 
was  a  graduate  of  Hamilton  College  in  the  class  of  1839,  being  a  classmate  of  the 
late  Judge  Benjamin  F.  Chapman.  He  studied  law,  and  in  July,  1843,  was  admitted 
to  the  bar.  He  opened  the  first  law  office  in  Oneida  shortly  after  his  admission, 
taking  as  partner  Hon.  Ithamar  C.  Sloan,  a  brilliant  practitioner  of  wide  reputation. 
In  September,  1863,  he  formed  a  partnership  with  James  B.  Jenkins,  which  was  har- 
moniously and  successfully  maintained  for  a  period  of  ten  years,  when  Mr.  Messinger 
retired  from  active  practice  (1873).  Mr.  Messinger  was  for  some  time  chief  of  the 
village  fire  department,  and  was  much  esteemed  for  his  bravery  in  the  face  of  danger 
and  disaster.  He  was  also  one  of  the  early  village  presidents,  and  during  the  Civil 
war  gave  valuable  aid  to  the  Union  cause  by  raising  troops.  Prior  to  the  birth  of  the 
Republican  party  he  was  a  Democrat.  He  was  Oneida's  fourth  postmaster,  his 
commission  bearing  the  signature  of  President  Buchanan ;  he  was  also  one  of  the 
earliest  ticket  agents  and  operators  at  the  New  York  Central  station.  The  Oneida 
Union  pays  him  the  following  tribute  in  an  obituary:  "  Mr.  Messinger  was  a  man 
with  broad  and  liberal  views  of  life  and  character,  and  was  seldom  at  fault  in  arriv- 
ing at  a  correct  estimate  of  men  and  affairs.  His  was  an  essentially  cultured  and 
refined  nature,  and  '  thus  he  bore  without  reproach,  the  grand  old  name  of  gentle- 
man.' With  a  heart  full  of  sympathy  for  those  distressed  in  mind,  body  or  estate  he 
had,  at  least,  a  helpful  word  to  cheer  or  comfort,  and  he  never  pretended  to  judge 

the  merits  or  demerits  of  others He  was  merciful  as  he  hoped  to  obtain  mercy 

and  exercised  that  beautiful  charity  which  shall  cover  a  multitude  of  sins.  Not  alone 
in  the  higher  business  and  social  circles,  but  among  the  humble  and  lowly  he  had 
most  attached  friends."  After  his  lamented  death  a  meeting  of  the  bar  of  Oneida 
was  held  at  which  resolutions  were  adopted,  and  the  deceased  was  eulogized  in 
eloquent  addresses  by  Messrs  Shoecraft,  Jenkins,  and  others.  Mr.  Messinger 
was  married,  September  6,  1849,  to  Frances  Eliza  Fiske,  daughter  of  William  E. 
and  Eliza  (Alcott)  Fiske,  of  Canastota.  Four  children  were  born  to  them:  John 
Fiske,  who  died  in  September,  1854;  Lizzie,  first  wife  of  A.  L.  Goodrich,  who 
died  in  1889;  and  Mrs.  Theodore  Coles,  and  Mrs.  A.  L.  Goodrich,  both  of  Oneida. 


NDEX 


Abbott,  Samuel  S.,  260,  454 

Abercrombie,  William,  166 

Ackerman,  A.  S.,  377;  John,  297 

Acklev,  Calvin,  59;  H.  Clay,  364;  Thom- 
as, ill 

Adams,  C  W,,  Dr.,  245;  Daniel,  106,  107; 
Edmund  B.,  336;  E.  M.,  Dr.,  237;  John, 
47.  332;  William,  237 

Ager,  George,  275,  507 

Agricultural   Society,    Madison   County, 

Aiken,  M.  C,  351 

Ainsworth,  Abiel,  75;  Elbert  A.,  Dr.,  237 

Alby,  Daniel,  90;  T.aban,  365 

Alcott,  Solomon,  133,  381 

Alderman,  John,  149 

Aldrich,  H.  N.,  Dr.,  313 

Alger,  Oliver,  106 

Allen,  Charles  A.,  286;  Cyrus  316;  Hen- 
rv,  216;  H.  C,  264;  J.  D.,  343;  J.  H., 
277;  John  W.,  306;  Merton.  401 ;  My- 
ron M.,  308;  Orlando,  401 ;  Rufus,  183, 
235,  238;  R.  and  R.  G.,  231 

Allis,  Eh.sha,  333,  338 

Alvord,  C.  T.,  355;  Daniel,  248 

Ambler,  David,  390 

Amedovvn,  Isaac,  61 

Ames,  Newton,  Charles  and  Ambrose, 
232;  Warren  W.,  344 

Arasbry,  William  H.,  354 

Amsden,  Amos,  Dr.,  825 

Anderson,  Andrew  and  August,  315;  A. 
H.,280:  Hiram,  385;  Miner,  387;  Sam- 
uel J.,  384 

Andrews,  Ambrose.  166;  Ephraim,  332; 
Newton  Lloyd.  443,  453 

Angel,  George,  339 

Annas.  Abijah  N.,  338,  344;  A.  N.,  342; 
James,  108,  113;  John,  228;  Mason,  398; 
Uriah,  113;  William  J.,  339;  W.  Jud- 
son,  339 

Antes,  Frank,  340;  John,  Dr.,  44 

Anthony,  Myron,  43,  301 

Armour,  Danforth,  54;  Simon  B.,  301 


Armstrong,  Jabin,  100;  John,  400,  466; 
J.  A.,  397 

Arndt,  P.  S..  Dr..  323   328 

Arnold,  Ephraim,  85,  338,  340;  L.  W., 
364 

Arnst,  Reiley,  373 

Arrowsmith,  George,  Lieut -Col.,  300 

Atkins,  Charles,  406 

Atkinson,  William.  333.  345 

Atwell,  James  S.,  319,  337.  466;  Joseph,  68 

Atwood,  John,  858;  Mitchell,  144 

Aubeuf,  F.  J.,  303 

Austin,  Harvey,  395;  L.  A.,  895;  Wil- 
liam, 103 

Avery,  Abel,  367;  Amos,  220;  Edward 
D.,'265;  H.  N,  366;  Joseph  D..  370, 
371;  J.  N.,  273;  J.  W.,461;  Oren  S., 
156.397.398;  Ralph  H.,  301;  Robert, 
94,  95,  169,  484;  Stephen,  380;  T.  M., 
343 

Ayer,  Perly,  333;  William  J.,  338,  343 

Ay  res,  J.  C,  398 

Aylesworth,  Eliphalet,  131,  390,  394; 
George,  367;  Henry  M.,  359,  364,  865, 
463,  483,  506;  Jasper,  128 

Babcock,  Andrew,  357,  358;  Benjamin 
B.,248;  Benjamin  W.,  249:  C.  E.,Rev., 
286;  Ethan,  36;  F.  D.,210;  H.  D.,363; 
Hezekiah  and  Phineas,  37;  James  A., 
308;  John,  361,  363;  John  and  Benja- 
min Waite,  Drs.,  355;  Jonathan.  358; 
Laurens,  358;  Leroy  and  Andrew,  358; 
L.  W.,  358;  Oliver,  36,  42,  162,  189,  484; 
Oliver,  and  sons  Ethan  and  Oliver,  357 ; 
Oliver  R.,  189;  Phineas,  33,  35,  162; 
William,  263 

Backus,  J.  E.  N..  283,  844;  Levi  S.,  358, 
308;  W.  H.,  133 

Bacon,  Chauncey,  306;  James,  113;  Joel 
S.    435;  Rufus,  351 

Bailey,  Arthur.  388 ;  Horace  C. ,  377 ;  John 
T.  G.,  357,  358;  Eli  S.,  Dr.,  43,  357,  359, 
463 


310 


Baker,  Arthur  M..  258;  Benjamin,  370; 
George  W.,  383,  463;  James,  407; 
James  S.,  407;  John  and  Cyrus.  Drs., 
105,  373;  Joseph  J.  L.,  336-328,  466, 
538;  Oran  E.,  330;  Richard  M..  291, 
301;  Solomon,  S71 ;  W.  H.,  258;  Will- 
iam M.,  397;  William  W.,  396 

Balcom,  Jacob,  116 

Baldwin.  Curtis  C,  140,  375,  507;  David, 
154;  Howard  L.,  303;  Nathan,  Capt., 
39;  Van  Ness,  351 

Ballard,  Dane,  100;  L.,  371;  Samuel,  353 

Ballou,  Arnold,  Col.,  150,  153,  160,  167, 
335;  William  and  George,  153;  Rus- 
sell, Dr.,  346;  Silas,  154 

Bamford,  John,  Rev  .  317 

Bancroft,  Eli,  133;  William  O.,  363 

Bank  Canastota,  280,  281 ;  of  Cazenovia, 
235;  Central,  Oneida,  302;  Chittenan- 
go,  334;  Farmers  and  Merchants.  Onei- 
da, 301 ;  First  National,  Canastota, 
281;  First  National,  Chittenango.  334; 
First  National,  of  Earlville.  364;  First 
National.  Oneida,  301;  Leonardsville, 
364;  Madison  County,  183,  334;  Oneida 
Savings.  301 ;  Oneida  Valley,  300 

Banning,  John  M..  349,  352 

Banton,  Joseph,  122 

Banyea,  Irving,  401 

Barber,  Eli,  350,  255;  Joel,  249;  John,  61, 
152;  John  E.,  383,  464;  Samuel,  Dr.. 
376 

Barclay,  Henry,  483 

Bardeen.  Americus  V.,  348;  E.  R.,  351 

Barker,  Daniel,  Dr..  377;  Edwin  R.,308. 
312.  377,483;  G.  H.,  464;  Russell,  33, 
117,  172,  484 

Barlow.  Albert  R.,275.  383;  M.  Eugene. 
375  381.  531;  Milton,  373;  Thomas. 
138,  275,  298,  480,  507 

Barnard,  David,  138,  169;  David,  jr., 
138;  Edwin,  213;  Pardon,  166,181,483; 
Reuben,  85 

Barnes,  Dan,  Rev.,  23;  Gray  E.,  218;  Ira, 
Gage,  338;  L.  C,  388;  Minnie  L.,  Miss, 
466;  Otis,  318;  Rosel,  Capt,  48,  333; 
T.  E.,301 

Barnett,  James,  203,  391,  460;  James  A.. 
301;  James  R.,  131,  194,  394;  John. 
301;  Milton,  Dr.,  210,  302,  483 

Barott,  W.  W.,  376 

Barr,  Robert,  404;  R.  S.,  404;  Sherman, 
404 

Barrett,  Anthony,  400;  A.  M..  377;  Caro- 
line, 400;  Charles,  400;  C.  H.,  339; 
Frederick,  401;  H.  M,,  331,  324;  Will- 
iam, 400 

Barry,  Erastus,   136 


Bartholomew,  Albert  G. ,  54 

Bartle,  A.  W. ,  353 

Bass,  Edgar  C,  334,  239;  W.  W.,  458 

Bassett.  O.  D,,  363;  Thomas  C,  337 

Bates,  Archibald,  73,  387;  Chester,  333; 
Emilius,  387;  Ira,  399;  James  N,,  397; 
John,  319;  Jonathan,  97;  William,  319 

Battev,    A.  W..   Rev.,  386;  Clarence.  395 

Baum.  A.  C.    Dr.,  131,  394;  Carl,  350 

Baxter,  Daniel  R.,  155 

Beach,  Chauncey,  54;  J.  D.,  329;  T.  A.. 
371 

Beal,  George,  351;  Joseph,  349,  300,  519; 
Robert  B..  313;  Thomas  H.,  350.  251 

Beardsley,  George,  Dr.,  391;  Henry  G., 
Dr.,  251,  255 

Beck,  Ephraim,  291,  293 

Beckwith,  C.  Hvde,  80;  Roswell,  Rev., 
75 

Beden,  John  R.,  344 

Beebe,  Albert,  43,  365;  Amos,  2.54;  David 
and  Jo,seph.  48;  Edgar,  388;  Ellen  F., 
Miss,  4.58;  Frank  D..  Dr.,  105.  248,  2.5.5, 
372;  J.  F.,  Rev.,  310;  L.  C,  Dr..  386; 
Lucius  E.,  43,  366;  Solomon,  330;  Za- 
doc,  37 

Beebee,  Alexander  McW.,  443 

Beecher,  Albert,  166;  David,  167;  Heze- 
kiah,  140,  319;  Linus.  1^40;  Sylvester, 
140   234,  235;  Walter,  33,  140,  484 

Beekman,  Charles,  313;  C.  E.,  344 

Beeman,  Truman,  155 

Beers.  Peter  L.,  373 

Bell.  Ralph   344 

Bellamy,  Alfred,  330,  327 

Benedict,  Nathan,  149,  .350;  Robert,  149; 
Samuel,  373 

Benjamin,  Charles.  338;  Darius  84;  De 
Grand,  341 ;  EUas  and  Elijah,  and  sons, 
83,  83;  E.  D..  343;  Elias  P.,  334;  Hor- 
ace, 338,  4.59;  James,  341;  W.  H  377. 
383:  Warren  H.,  Frank  H.  and  Will 
H.,  381 

Bennett,  Albert,  365;  Carlos,  313.  340; 
Daniel,  2d,  43;  David.  93;  David.  3d, 
365;  D.  S.,  43,  366;  E.  C,  366;  Frank 
G.,  376;  Hiram.  375,  .507;  James  A., 
293,  397.  303;  J.  M.,  306;  John,  372; 
Willard  H  ,  304 

Benson,  E.  E. ,  Rev.,  354 

Bensted,  John,  378 

Bentley,  Artemas  V.,  196,  339,  345,  347, 
505;  Eben,  333;  George  W.,  367;  Jona- 
than. 85;  J.  S..  338;  S..  E.  C.  and  G. 
D..  363;  Zadock  T  ,  195,  301,  338,  339, 
346,  483,  504 

Beniis,  R.  R.,  379;  S.  C,  376,  379,  381, 
284 


Bergen.  George  E.,  363 

Berry.  Erastus,  376:  George,  2!>1,  297, 
302 ;  George  W. ,  267 ;  Henry,  George  VV. 
and  Frank  O.,  207;  John,  116;  Lock- 
hart,  123;  Samuel,  61,  124 

Berson,  Leon,  399 

Betsiuger,  Daniel,  313 

Bicknell.  Bennett,  93,  209.  211,  234,  235. 
461;  Bennett  M.,  483;  Daniel,  383; 
Harrison  C,  876,  382,  464;  O.  C,  376, 
377,  464;  J.  B.,  208;  Moses,  208 

Bigsby,  Amos,  263 ;  George,  59 

Bill,  Allen,  130 

Bills.  Charles,  373;  Sidney,  374 

Billings.  Charles,  263;  Samuel,  34;  Tru- 
man and  Jabez,  101 

Billington,  Merchant,  Dr.,  325.  327;  Wal- 
lace. 332 

Bingham,  Augustus  W. ,  61 

Birdsall,  Benjamin,  343,  345;  Gilbert, 
Dr..  367 

Birge.  John  W.,  238 

Bishop,  Alanson,  371 ;  Alonzo.  327  ;  John, 
144;  Joseph,  350;  Robert.  Capt.,  274; 
R.  S.,  Dr.,  3>5;  Thomas  P.,  237 

Bixby,  E.  C,  373 

Black,  John  M.,237;  Joseph,  Capt.,  130; 
Joseph,  and  son  John,  132 

Blackstone,  Stephen  F.,  61,71,117,  124. 
484 

Blair,  David,  117,  124;  E.  A.,  238;  Frank, 
389;  Isaac,  389;  Jeremiah,  111,  167; 
RoUin  Knox,  327;  Seth,  124;  William, 
117,  124 

Blakeman,  Eben  and  Whedon,  405;  L. 
B.,  463 

Blakeslee,  Eli,  397;  Frank,  400,  466; 
Garrett,  401;  Morris  J  ,  208;  Noah, 
156;  Philander,  401 

Blanchard,  Charles  368;  H.  C-.  343,348; 
L.  D.,  259;  Martin,  344;  O.  M.,  343 

Blish,  John,  363;  John  D.,  254 

Bliss.  Edward,  130;  Norton,  395;  Rich- 
ard, 351 

Blodgett,  David,  130,  306;  Elijah,  61, 
63.  118;  Ephraim,  61,  134;  George  W., 
339 

Blye.  Frank,  312;  George  D.,  343 

Boardman,  A.  V.,  320;  Moses,  113 

Boden,  E.  R..  Dr.,  396,  298 

Bogardus,  Stephen,  86 

Bond,  Henry,  W..  01,  118;  Israel,  118 

Bonney,  Benjamin,  146;  Benjamin  F.. 
351,  253;  Homer  L.,  289,  398;  Levi, 
90;  William  F.,  195,  300,  248,  483 

Boon.  Sanford,  352;  &  Son,  280 

Bort.  Benjamin.  314 

Bordwell.  Charles,  234 


Bostwick,  John,  434;  William,  351 

Bosworth,  Elihu,  100 

Bouck.  John,  318 

Bouckville,  600;  business  interests  of, 
379,  380 ;  churches  of,  380 ;  post-office, 
380 

Bowen,  Elias,  Rev.,  4.55;  Samuel.  84, 
341 

Bowler,  George,  Rev.,  355 

Boyer,  Frank,  288 

Bradin,  John,  253 

Bradlev,  Frederick,  Dr.,  105.  372;  Lent. 
98;  William.  166 

Bradner,  C.  J.,  405 

Brainard,  Daniel  A.,  63;  Nathan,  364; 
Stephen  and  Daniel,  59;  William  G., 
267 

Brand,  James  H.,  43,  363;  Nathan  V., 
43,  361-364;  Samuel,  42,  361;  WiUiam 
B.,  483;  William  H.,  43,  363 

Brasse,  Charles  W. ,  371 

Breese.  Samuel  300,  303,  304;  Samuel 
Sidnev,  33,  323,  484.  503;  Sidney  B., 
399,  301 

Brevoort,  John,  330 

Brewer,  James  E,  395,  398,  .530 

Brewster,  Alexander,  38 

Bridge  Amos.  407,  409;  Benjamin  S., 
381;  George,  53;  Jesse,  54;  Rodney, 
383;  William,  408,  409;  W.  F.,  404 

Bridgeport,  business  interests  of,  332 
churches  of,  333,  333 

Briggs.  Albert  O.,  519;  Austin  Rev.,  48 
William,  319 

Brigham,  Albert  Perry,  452;  Orlando  L., 
382,  464;  Reuben,  121;  Wright,  130 

Bright,  James  L. .  253;  Thomas,  371 

Britt,  Alpheus,  397 

Britton,  William,  321 

Broadhead,  James,  321,  322,  334 

Brockett,  H.  D.,  379 

Broga,  A.  E.,  Dr.,  407 

Bronson.  Greene  C..  131.  494 

Brookfield,  churches  of.  40,  41 ;  first  mer- 
chants of,  42,  43;  first  mills  in,  42;  first 
physicians  in,  43;  gazetteer  of  the 
town  of,  539-546;  hamlets  in,  368;  list 
of  settlers  of,  from  1796  to  1800,  39; 
])Togress  of  improvements  in  the  town 
of,  3.55-368;  railroads  in,  356;  schools 
of,  462,  483 ;  settlement  and  settlers  of, 
33-40;  supervisors  of,  list  of,  541;  tav- 
ern permits  in,  in  1797,  40 

Brookfield  Agricultural  Society,  356 

Brooks,  Charles  G.,  264;  Colon,  298.  313; 
Nelson  O.,  Dr.,  399;  Roger,  106,  107; 
Shubael,  73 

Brown,  Adon  P.,  523;  Adon  P..  364;  Al- 


213 


fred,  145,  149;  A.  L.,  373;  Charles, 
224,  228;  Daniel,  Capt.,  33;  David  H., 
332;  Duane,  210,  320,  493,  500;  D.  M., 
368;  Edwin  J.,  512;  Eleazer,  36;  Elea- 
zer  and  Simeon,  35;  Elijah,  143,  145, 
148;  Elijah  W.,  354;  Ephraim  C,  54; 
Everett,  395;  Frederick  and  John,  395; 
George,  80,  401 ;  George  C.  194,228; 
Healy,  221;  Henry,  367;  Hiram,  276, 
324;  H.  C,  Dr.,  359;  IraD.,308;  Isaac, 
34  483;  Jabish,  34;  James,  377;  John, 
218,  220,  350;  John  S.,  112;  Josiah,  61; 
J.  Emery,  289;  Levi,  108,  401;  Lyman, 
359;  M.  H.,  358;  Nathan,  34;  Nathan 
T.,  363,  364;  Nicanor,  61,  119  265;  Oli- 
ver. 33,  484;  Olmstead,  144;  P.  P.,  196; 
Richard  R.,  332;  Robert  and  Solomon, 
106;  Samuel  L.,  364;  Simeon,  Elder, 
36;  Timothy,  Capt.,  46,  166,  330,  354; 
Warren  and  E.  V. ,  351 ;  Washington  E. , 
254;  Wilber  M.,  249;  William,  124;  W. 
B.,  Dr.,  255;  W.  D.,  389;  WilUam  H., 
43,  263 

Brownell,  Nathan,  268,  358,  483 ;  Nathan, 
jr.,20J,  358;  Nicanor,  263,  268;  Put- 
nam C,  358,  483;  Sijmuel,  61,  119; 
Samuel  R.,  382,  464 

Browns  Sons   H.  C,  280 

Brownson,  Oliver,  155 

Bruce,  Benjamin  F.,  195,  196;  Edom  N., 
281 ;  H.  K.  W.,  281 ;  Joseph,  Major,  139, 
140,  167,  270 

Bruen,  Robert  L..  277 

Bryant,  Byron  S.,  338,  343;  Reuben,  76 

Buck.  Clark,  54;  Perley,  283 

Buckingham,  C.  M.,  244;  Reuben,  146 

Buell.  Clinton  C,  261,  453;  Eli,  jr.,  454; 
F.  C,  263;  Hiram,  363;  Ichabod,  138; 
Luther,  455;  Thomas,  100,  101 

Bugbee,  Oliver,  78 

Bulkley,  John  W.,  32,  98,  102,  103,160, 
166,  484 

Bull,  Virgil,  301 

Bump,  A.  M.,  391,  394,  461;  family,  the, 
129;  Jeremiah,  390;  Jonathan,  155;  S. 
G.,  388 

Bumpus,  Benjamin,  113;  Isaac,  113; 
Jesse,  Abner  and  Seth,  110 

Bunker,  Fiancis,  Capt  ,  85 

Burchard,  Eh,  Rev.,  461 ;  Horace  B.,  260, 
454;  Seneca  B.,  249 

Burden,  Henry,  239;  John,  212 

Burdick,  Adin,  367;-' Arvilla,  Miss,  363; 
C,  K.,  362;  De  Lloyd,  341;  Ehsha.  38; 
Ethan,  42.  362;  Perry,  93,  217;  Samuel 
H.,  34;  Thompson,  38;  Wallace  E.,  339, 
345,  347,  523;  William  and  Thompson, 
83;  W.  H.,362 


Burgess,  Harrison,  384,  385;  Levi,  74 

Burhans,  Ira,  379 

Burke,  Daniel  C,  295,  519 

Burn,  George  F.,  251 

Burnett,  Milton,  Dr.,  104,  372 

Burnham,  Abner,  122 

Burr.  George  F.,  248;  Joseph,  227;  J,  H. 

Ten  Eyck,   235;    Theodore,  214;  Will- 
iam M.,  224,  227,  235.  458 
Burroughs.   Alanson,   401;     Erastus   B. , 

Dr.,  104,  372;  L,  B.,  213;  LeanderW., 

483 
Burton,    Amos,    875;     David,    48,     330; 

James,  233;  John  T,,  331,   376;    N.  J., 

331 ;  William,  224,  233 
Bush,  Charles,  409;  Mills,  387 
Bushnell,     Holden,    332;    Rueben,    333; 

Zina,  333 
Bushy te,  O.  W.,  Dr.,  359 
Butler,  Daniel,  113;  J.  P.,  253 
Button,  Albert,  368;  Edward,  189;  James 

and  Ransford,  331 ;  John  and  Elias,  35. 
Byer,  Nicholas,  214 

Cady,  Argelus,  167;  C  N.,  278;  Daniel, 
493;  Daniel  B.,  326;  James,  54 

Cadwell,  Colonel,  271;  Ebenezer,  138 

Cain,  William,  331 

Calhoun,  P.  H.,  234 

Calkins,  Caleb,  391,393,  460;  Ebenezer, 
139 

Callanan,  James,  457 

Calvin,  Sauford  G.,  484 

Calway,  Robert.  300 

Cameron,  A  L.,  395;  Charles.  391;  Delos 
W.,  225,  458,  482;  James,  153 

Camp,  Abner,  Dr.,  93,  112;  H.  A.,  387; 
John  124;  Thaddeus  and  Lebbeus,  54 

Campbell,  Ale.xander,  Elder,  459;  Alex- 
ander and  George  A.,  340;  Archibald 
B.,  254;  A.  E.  B.,  252;  Daniel, 
Allen,  James  Steward.  Isaac,  Archi- 
bald, John,  sons  of  Widow  Patience, 
99;  Henry,  395;  Horace  A.,  262,  370, 
371;  James,  484;  John  and  Charles, 
sons  of  Widow  Nancy,  99;  John  A., 
131,  324,  394;  M.  M.,  373;  S.  A.,  305 

Campton,  James,  33 

Canal,  Chenango,  inception  and  con- 
struction of,  176-178;  Company,  Ch  t- 
tenango,  178;  Erie,  inception  and  con- 
struction of,  173-176 

Canals,  various  proposed,  176 

Canastota,  banks  of,  280,  281 ;  celery  in- 

'  dustry  in,  337;  churches  of,  285,  286; 
effort  to  develop  salt  springs  in,  274, 
275;  electric  lighting  of,  284;  fire  de- 
partment  of,    283;    gazetteer  of,   592, 


313 


593;  hotels  of,  382,  283;  incorporation 
of,  276;  manufacturing  interests  of, 
277-380;  mercantile  business  of,  280, 
281;  newspapers  of,  381,  383;  po-t- 
office,  275;  present  village  officers  of, 
376;  schools  of,  284;  settlement  of, 
273,  273 ;  water  works  of,  283 ;  Savings 
and  Loan  Association,  381 

Canaseraga  in  early  days,  50;  330,  618 

Candee,  Julius.  351 

Card,  Albert,  224;  Everet  S,  224;  Milton 
E.,  233,  334;  Peleg,  141,312,  313;  Rich- 
ard. 156,  397 

Gardner,  \V.  H.  and  E.  K.,  234 

Carey,  Elisha,  170,  178 

Carl,  Peter  P..  323,  327 

Carlon,  Joseph,  405 

Carpenter,  Austin  M.,  483;  Calvin,  335; 
D.,302;  Elijah,  113;  Ezekiel,  183,  234, 
482;  George  W.,  331;  H.  W..  297; 
Jesse,  111,  112;  Levi  D.,  189;  Solomon, 
459;  Wesley  M.,  Dr.,  386 

Carrier,  Asa,  35;  David,  189 

Carrington,  Elisha,  131,  132,  172,  393 

Carrol,  Ella,  Miss.  466. 

Carscadden,  C.,301,  513 

Carter,  B..  93;  Bailey,  145;  Barry,  215, 
217;  Jonathan,  54;  Robert,  47 

Carver,  Austin,  .54,  409;  L,  J.,  315 

Cary,  Joseph.  106 

Case,  Homer  T,,  367,  463;  Joseph, 
Chauncey.  David,  Lester  M.  and  J. 
Milton,  110;  Loren,  389;  Lucius,  389; 
Milton  L.,  341;  W.  H.,  250;  William 
N.,  248 

easier,  Herman.  376,  283 

Caswell,  Gilbert,  33,  484 

Catlm,  Sidney,  373 

Cavana,   Martin,  Dr.,  395 

Cazenovia,  an  old  post- office  record  of, 
79;  early  business  interests  of,  80,  81; 
churches  of,  76-78,  340-343;  early  town 
meeting  proceedings  in  78,  79;  gaz- 
etteer of  the  town  of,  547-553;  hamlets 
in  the  town  of,  255;  lawyers  of,  337; 
manufacturing  interests  of,  331-344; 
mercantile  operations  in,  337-230;  phy- 
sicians of,  237;  post-office,  80;  progress 
of  improvements  m  the  town  of,  223- 
245;  public  library,  243;  school  matters 
in,  243,  455-459;  settlement  and  set- 
tlers of,  65-76;  supervisors  of,  list  of, 
548;  tax  list  of,  in  1811,  225-237 

Cazenovia  village,  banks  of,  235;  census 
of  business  establishments  in,  in  1803, 
223;  nre  department  of,  237-239;  ga- 
zetteer of,  547-5.53;  hotels  of.  236,  237; 
incorporation  of,  234;  list  of  officers  of, 
24-25 ;  newspapers  of,  235,  236 


Cazenovia  Seminary,  455-458 

Cazenovia  Hall  Association,  339 

Cazenove,  Theophilus,  66 

Cazier,  Matthias,  Rev.,   100 

Celery  industry.  337 

Chaffee,  Ezra,  130;  H.  E.,  395 

Chamberlain,  Ephraim,  268;  James  F., 
182,  219.  220.  461 

Chamberlayne.  John  R.,  Dr.,  237 

Chambers,  John.  166;  W.  P.,  313 

Champlain,  E.  Frank,  363,  463 

Chandler,  Charles,  Henry  and  Winthrop 
H.,  403;  C.  C,  463;  Matthew,  230, 
231;  Orrin,  331;  Thomas,  230;  Will- 
iam H.,  404 

Chaphe,  Albert,  333;  S.  F.,  233. 

Chapin,  E.  Volney,  363;  H.  E.,  313; 
Samuel,  392 

Chapman,  B.  Franklin,  141,  313,  4.S0,  507; 
Duane,  399;  George  W..  288,  313,  507, 
518;  Noves  P.,  275;  Richard,  333; 
Samuel. '330;  Sandford  P.,  483;  Ste- 
phen, Colonel,  141,  372,  312,  313,  .507; 
Warham.  113 

Chappell,  Chester  L.,  228;  C.  Will,  303; 
Peter,  Ensign,  162 

Chariton.  A.  N.,  320,  331 

Chase,  B.  E.,  297;  D.  D.  and  Lvman, 
Dr.s.,  210;  J.  M.,  258 

Chawgo,  George,  46 

Chenango  Twenty  Townships,  the,  2-4. 

Cheney!^  F.  B.,  297;  P.  D.,  297 

Cheesebro,  J.  H.  and  A.  D.,  368;  Paul, 
367 

Cheesebrough,  Harris,  38 

Chesley.  Charles  O.,  276 

Childs,  Perry  G.,  33,  179.  224,  235,  484, 
.503;  Walter,  74 

Chittenango,  banks  of.  324;  beginnings 
of,  317 ;  churches  of,  339,  330 ;  tire  de- 
partment of,  328 ;  gazetteer  of,  619,  631 ; 
hotels  of,  333 ;  incorporation  and  offi- 
cers of,  327 ;  lawyers  of,  325,  326 ;  manu- 
facturing interests  of,  321-323;  mer- 
cantile interests  of,  318-321;  news- 
papers of,  334;  physicians  of,  335; 
post-office,  327;  proposed  southern 
railroad  from,  335;  schools  of,  328,  465, 
466 

Chittenango  Falls,  401 

Chittenango  Landing,  331 

Chittenango  Station.  331,  631 

Chittenango  White  Sulphur  Springs,  334 

Christman,  John  and  Peter.  46 

Chubbuck,  Emilv  (Fannv  Forester),  312, 
461;  Samuel,  215,  220;  Wallace  W., 
258 

Church,  Benjamin,  98 

Clark,  Charles,  64,  251;  Daniel,  100,  102, 


314 


INDEX. 


103;  Edwin,  43,  363;  Elisha  A..  .'54; 
Erastus,  369;  Ethan.  Lieut,  162;  E.  J., 
276,  280;  F.  G..  229;  George  C  .  331; 
Guy  H,,  264;  Henry,  Elder,  3.5.  36; 
Henry,  jr.,  33.  484;  Harry  N.,  229; 
James,  269;  Jeremiah,  79,  111,  118; 
Jesse,  106;  Joel  W.,  434;  John,  Dr., 
371;  John  C,  327;  Joseph,  l(i7,  357, 
492,  502;  Joseph  F..  243;  J.  W.,  344; 
Lucius  P..  196,  303.  308.  310,  357,  483. 
502;  Maxson,  jr.,  357;  Moses  and  Sol- 
omon. 110;  Oliver,  141,  162.  166,  275; 
Ransom  F.,  339,  343;  Rav,  Dr.,  43, 
364;  Robert,  409;  Samuel  D.',  327  ;  Silas. 
Dr.,  346;  Stephen,  42;  Stephen,  jr., 
166;  Sylvester,  166;  Thomas  A.,  319; 
Welcome,  Dr.,  43,  364;  W.  O  ,  264 

Clarke,  Augustus  P.,  225,  458;  Benja- 
min F.,  224;  Benjamin  T.,  183,  227, 
238;  Frederick,  359,  506;  Hazzard  P., 
361;  Hosea  B.,  462;  John,  Uv,,  103, 
104,  160;  J.  Deloss,  367;  Mattison,  358; 
Samuel  D.,  228;  Wait,  87,  364.  462; 
William  Newton,  445,  446,  450';  W.  M., 
358 

Clarkville  (Brookfield),  business  interests 
of,  357-360;  gazetteer  of,  541-543;  law- 
yers of,  359;  newspapers  of,  360;  phy- 
sicians of,  359;  post-office,  357;  schools 
of,  360 

Clary,  Joseph,  318 

Clemens,  Francis,  118;  Samuel,  Col.,  117 

Clements,  Isaac  N.,  458 

demons,  Samuel,  61 

Cleveland,  Benjamin  F.,  Dr.,  136,  376; 
Erastus,  Gen.,  32,  33,  116,  124,  126, 
159,  166,  168.  181,  874,  376,  484;  G.  B.. 
267;  William  P.,  208,  210 

Clockville,  churches  of,  314,  315;  early 
business  interests  at,  312,  313;  gazet- 
teer of,  595;  lawyers  of.  313;  mercan- 
tile interests  of,  314;  physicians  of, 
314;  schools  of,  314 

Clough,  John.  124,  353 

Clow,  William.  313 

Cloyes,  Ezra,  482;  H.  D.,  211  ;  Sidney  B., 
362,  263,  535 

Cobb,  H.  H.,  335,  318.  327;  Irene.  315; 
Nathan,  318;^Peter  P.,  227;  Sanford, 
327;  Simon  298;  William,  272 

Cody,  Kendall,  401 

Coe,  Albert  E..  293,  391.  460;  Alanson. 
186;  David,  133;  Emmet,  394;  E.  Em- 
mons. 301,  303;  Isaac,  134;  John  M., 
336;  Lewis,  404;  Lewis  E..  379,  380; 
Rensselaer,  409;  Samuel.  119;  W.  Em- 
met, 371,  894,  461,  484;  Z.  E.,  331 


Colburn,  George,  403 

Cole,  Adelbert,  230;  C.  T.,  383;  Frank. 
831;  George,  883;  John  B.,  290;  Luraan 
E..  208;  O.  R.,  383;  T.  A..  383;  W., 
895 

Coles,  Theodore,  305 

Colegrove.  Eli,  83.  83 

Coleman,  C.  J.,  466;  Horatio,  343;  Noah 
T.,  342,  345 

Coley.  Harrison,  W.,  301,  517;  Joseph. 
Elder,  86 

Colgate,  James  B, ,  453;  Samuel,  447; 
William.  438 

Colgate  Universitv,  from  foundation  to 
the  present,  429-453 

Collins,  E.  H.,  351;  Giles,  101;  Hiram, 
366;  Irving,  370;  James.  Rev,  286; 
Job,  262;  Joseph,  1st,  Solomon,  Heze- 
kiah,  Job,  Peter  and  Joshua,39;  Joseph, 
and  .sons  Job,  Peter  and  Joshua,  368; 
Naihan,  Dr.,  345;  Nathaniel.  Lieut- 
Col.,  61,  166;  Samuel,  43,  863;  Sheffield, 
357;  Solomon  and  Hezekiah,  368; 
Stephen,  34;  Stephen  P.,  Dr.,  345 

Collis,  H.   M..  218 

CollLSter,  F.,  378;  F.  S.,  464;  Tames,  61, 
117;  Royce.  149;  Samuel,  D"r.,  878 

Colson,  Ebenezer,  59 

Colton,  Clinton  L.,  410;  Edward  B.,  124; 
Henry  H.,  329;  Le  Grand,  381,  336, 
411,  518 

Colwell,  Joseph,  64,  348 

Colyer,  Abram.  397;  Jacob,  320;  John, 
321 ;  Peter,  384 

Comstock,  Abel,  364 

Coman,  Benjamin,  461 ;  Ellis,  196;  Henry 
B.,  208.  310,  .529;  Smith,  189;  Stephen. 
93,  311;  Winsor,  33,  93,  170,  312,  484 
Ziba,  92,  95 

Conant,  Thomas,  J.,  435 

Cone,  Ephraim.  118 

Conger,  L.  D.,  366 

Conine,  Lucius  M.,320;  Washington,  331 ; 
Wiley,  394 

Conklin,  Lewis  V..  332 

Conley.  Frank,  395 

Cook,  A.  F.,  311;  Barnabas,  406,  408; 
Charles  H.,  131,  398;  David,  32,  33, 
134,  151,  156,  484;  F.  W.,  406;  James, 
54;  Le  Roy,  231;  Moses.  171;  Moses 
H..  166;  Orange  R.,  54,  405 

Coolidg,  James  D.,  132,  379,  380,  383; 
Sylvanus,  380;  William,  379,  380 

Coolidge,  Daniel,  106,  113;  H.  A.,  335- 
Isaac.  106 

Coon,  Almeron  M.,  468;  Arza.  339;  Ed- 
win N.,  Dr.,  339,  336,  348;  Eugene  E., 


293,301,303;  E.G.,  297;  J.  E.,  864; 
Jonathan,  Luke  and  Pardon,  339;  W. 
W.,  363 

Cooper,  Charles,  400,  406;  E.  A.,  276; 
Royal  and  Dorm  an,  131,  393 

Coplev,  H.  W.,  218;  John,  221 

Cornell,  A..  461;  Elijah,  86;  J.  D.,  283; 
Stephen,  217 

Corson,  Joel,  Dr.,  276 

Cos.sett,  W.  F..  351 

Costello,  John  R.,  331,  327 

Cotes,  Warren  S. ,  384 

Cotton,  C.  L.,  262,  364;  Willard,  140 

County  clerks,  483,  484;  seat,  the  first,  33 

Court  of  Admiralty,  472;  Chancery,  472; 
Common  Pleas,  477;  County,  479;  Su- 
preme, 474;  Surrogate's,  480 

Court  house  and  other  public  buildings, 
484 

Courts,  evolution  of  the,  467-481 

Covell,  Charles,  387;  Charles  W.,  329; 
James,  74 

Cowan,  Lucie n  D.,  183;  P.  D.,  Rev.,  286 

Cowen,  James,  54 

Cox,  Thomas,  248,  434 

Coye,  John,  344 

Craine,  Lucus,  59;  L.  J.,  Miss,  463;  Ros- 
well,  59,  62 

Cramphin,   Alexander,   186,  210.  483,  500 

Crandall,  Adelbert,  358:  Arthur  W.,  363; 
Charles.  338;  E.  Bowen,  80,  236,  347 ; 
F  A..  336;  Hiram  S.,  Dr.,  364;  L  A., 
362-364.  463;  Nathan,  166;  Perry,  237; 
Thomas  A.,  360,  463;  William,  80;  W. 
D.,  363 

Crane,  George,  33,  484;  William,  358; 
W.  M.,  358 

Cranson.  Giles,  313,  314 

Craw,  B.  E.,  343 

Crawe,  Mortimer  W.,  Dr.  255 

Crawford,  Joel,  118;  John,  291,  308;  Jo- 
seph H.,  232 

Crawshaw,  William  Henry.  450 

Crichton,  A.,  323 

Crispe,  George,  331 

Crocker,  Amos,  103,  161,  252 

Cronk,  John,  276,  280,  331 ;  Charles,  276, 
280 ;  M  rs.  Etta,  380 

Crosby,  E.  G.,  397 

Cross,  Calvin,  145;  Dwight,  206,  208;  Jef- 
ferson  313;  William  T.,  399 

Crou.se,  C.  E.,  378;  Daniel,  374,  275,  280; 
George,  280,  334;  Jacob,  380;  James, 
318,  324,  327;  John,  274,  281,  324 

Crowell,  Adelbert  E.,  Dr.,  269 

Crumb,  Joseph,  42;  Joseph  H.,  339,  342, 
459;  N.  A.,  360,  525;  Sylvester,  84; 
Varnum,  357,  358 


Cruttenden,  Will  H.,  334,  339,  334 

Cummings,  F.  E.,  306;    Hiram,  336,  493 

Curtis,  Abel,  381 ;  Allen,  384,  385;  Asa, 
375;  Edward.  73;  E.  H.,392;  Harry, 
131,  394;  Hiram,  327;  Isaac,  377;  John 
G.,  131,  394,  461,  483;  Joseph,  124.  248; 
Joseph,  Robert,  Samuel  and  Timothy, 
121;  Joshua,  342;  Lester,  387;  H.  G., 
383;  J.  A.,  458;  W.  T.,  461 

Currier.  Floyd,  353;  Frank,  216;  George 
M.,  370 

Curry,  Eben,  348 

Gushing,  H.  M.,  330,  4.58;  Thomas,  and 
sons,  151 

Cushraan.  A.  J.,  377,  464;  E.  N.,  262;  E. 
Watts,  349,  351,  3.57,  .530 

Cutler,  Charles,  131,  394 

Daboll,  Sherman,  359,  483,  506 

Daggett,  A    W.,  363 

Daharsh,  Philip,  47 

Dana,  A.sa,  78,   160,  484;    Federal,   156. 

Jacob   A..    224,    337;    L.  D.,   306    336, 

483,  493;  Sardis,  156 
Danforth,  Milton  E.,  370,  371 
Daniels,     Augustus,    400;     Elijah,     113; 

Erastus,  63,  361 
Damon,  Daniel,  75 
Dapson,  Thomas,  303 
Dardis,  Andrew,  80,  338,  332,  458;    John 

A.,  232 
Darling.  Francis  A.,  282 
Darrow,  David,  93,  217;    Joseph  E.,  218- 

J.  J.,  465 
Dart,  Ernest  C,  262 
Dascom,  Samuel,  251 
Dauby,  Lewis  J.,  373 
Davenport,  Francis,  284 
David,  F.  B..  371 
Davidson,  S.  M.,  406 
Davis.  Clark  W.,  403 ;  Eugene,  395  ;  Evan 

D.,  389;  George  W.,  Dr.,  394;  Pardon, 

359,  506;  William,  395;  William  H.,  359 
Dawson,  Isaac,  237 
Day.  Eri,  409;  Michael,  71 
Dean,   David   P.  and  James  C,  229;    D. 

R.,  458;  Isaac,  75;  J.  C,  458 
Dearborn,  David,  503 
De  Clercq,   Charles,  350,^,  Hendrick,  74 ; 

Isaac  L. .  230  " 

Deering,  Charles  T.,  64,  351 
De  Forest,  Abel,  311;  Abel  B.,  308 
Delamater,  Isaac  and  John,  332;  J.  Har- 
vey, 340 
De  Laney,  546 
Delaney,  James  E.,  283 
De  Lano,  Milton,  284,  336,  411,  483 
De  Long,  Willis,  367 


216 


Denison,  Nathaniel,  Joseph  and  George, 
38 

Dannie,  John,  330;  Jonathan.  137 

Dennison,  M.  L.,  394;  R.,  358 

Derbyshire,  James,  86 

De  Ruyter,  churches  of,  86,  87 ;  cream- 
eries in,  340;  gazetteer  of  the  town  of, 
554-508;  progress  of  improvements  in 
the  town  of,  338-349 ;  schools  of,  459, 
460;  settlement  and  settlers  of,  82-86; 
supervisors  of,  list  of,  557 

De  Ruyter  village  banking  interests  in, 
847;  churches  of,  349;  early  industries 
of,  339-341;  fire  department  of,  347, 
348;  gazetteer  of,  555-557;  hotels  of, 
344;  incorporation  and  officers  of,  338, 
339;  lawyers  of,  346,  347;  Masonry  in, 
849;  mercantile  interests  of,  341-343; 
newspapers  of,  843;  physicians  of,  845, 
346;  post-office,  344;  railroad  expecta- 
tions in,  345;  water  works  of,  348 

De  kuyter  Banking  Co.,  843 

Deuel,  W.  Estus.  Dr.,  325 

Devan,  David.  394 

Devereaux,  Horace,  293,  297,  801;  Pat- 
rick, 393;  Thomas  A.,  518 

Devolant,  F.  C,  364 

Dewey,  F.  E.,  Dr..  394;  Frank  W.,  400; 
Manford  J.,  296,  303 

Dewitt,  G.  W.  and  G.  M.,  331 

De  Wolf,  Delos,  189 

Dexter,  C  W.,  301,  403.  404,  408,  409; 
E.  N.,  212 

Deyo,  James,  371 

Dick,  Levi,  134;  Thomas,  131 

Didama,  John,  Dr..  156,  399 

Dietz,  William,  267 

Dillaye,  Henry  A.  and  F.  C,  343;  R.  D., 

QUO 

District  attorneys.  481,  483 

Divine.  William,  53 

Di.K,  William,  134 

Dixon,  A.  K.,  364 

Dodge,  Ebenezer,  442-446;  Francis,  130; 

James,  458 
Donaldson,    Alexander,    jr.,     308,     483; 

John.  387 
Donnelly,  P.   H..  235,  458;  William,  230 
Doody,  Rev.  Father,  242 
Doolittle,   F.  W.,  286.  288;    Luther,  106. 

107,  114;  William,  156,  398 
Doran,  Edward  M.,  289;  Michael,  316 
Doremus,  David  D.,  235;  D.  H.,  289 
Dorion,  Severe,  230 
Dorrance,  D.  G..  301 ;  James,  64,  104,  251 ; 

John,  Dr.,  131,  394,  484;  W.  C,  391,  461 
Douglass,  Andrew,  394;  Andrew  S. ,  131, 

157,262,394;    Herbert  H.,  301;    John 


and  Daniel,  153;  J.  S..  D.,  225;  New- 
ell. 262;  N.  L.,  363,  264;  William  E., 
300,  302,  308;  Zebulon,  Col.,  46,  139, 
166,  167,  170.  336 

Dow,  John,  264 

Dowd,  Willard  F.,  Rev.,  219 

Downer,  Abner,  337;  Albert  H.,  327.  466; 
George  E..  334.  327;  Joel.  158;  Joel  G., 
157;  John,  183;  William  B.,  157 

Downey,  Cornelius,  373 

Downing,  Roswell  B.,  299,  301,  303, 
308 

Drake,  Apollos,  and  children,  143,  149, 
351;  Eli  B.,  384;  Manning.  350 

Draper,  Horace  V.,  332 

Drew,  Edgar,  321 

Driscoll,  M..  329 

Drver,  J.  W.,  351;  Wheeler,  350 

Duffey,  Peter  R.,  385 

Duke,  Frank  C,  397 

Dunbar,  David,  58;  George,  221;  James 
H,,  188,  368;  Thaxter,  91 

Dunham,  Albert,  819;  Albright,  858;  D. 
J.,  408 

Dunster,  Charles  378;  J.  L.,  877 

Dunton,  Ebenezer,  400 

Durfee,  John,  885 

Durham,  J.  T..  528 

Durhamville,  316 

Durkee,  Justus.  398 

Durst,  John,  332 

Duttcn.  Zinah  N  ,  352 

Dwinelle,  Justin.  80,  284,  480.  483.  503 

Dygert,  Henry,  290;  Peter,  47,  290 

Dykeman,  Enoch,  156 

Eagan,  George,  365 

Eagleville  (Eaton  Center),  221 

Eaines.  A.  D.,  382 

Earll,  Jonas,  jr..  189 

Earlville,  banks  of,  264;  churches  of,  265, 
266;  gazetteer  of,  580-583;  great  fire 
in,  265;  hotels  of,  264,  265;  lawyers  of , 
263;  manufactures  of,  263,  264;  mer- 
cantile operations  in,  261,  263;  news- 
papers of,  359;  physicians  of,  262;  post- 
office,  261 ;  settlement  of.  2(jl 

East  Boston,  831 

East  Hamilton,  269,  585 

Eaton,  churches  of,  93;  gazetteer  of  the 
town  of,  558-508;  progress  of  improve- 
ment in  the  town,  207-322;  railroad 
bonding  in,  233;  schools  in,  94,  464, 
465;  settlement  and  settlers  of,  88-94; 
supervisors  of,  list  of,  560 ;  town  meet- 
ing proceedings  in  94   95 

Eaton  village,  business  interests  of,  214, 
216;  churches   of,  317;     gazetteer    of, 


INDEX. 


217 


564-566;  physicians  of,  816;  schools  of , 

215;  Wood,  Taber&  Morse  Co.  at,  316 
Eaton  Center  (Eagleville),  567 
Eaton,  Charles  P.     331;  George  B.,  349; 

George  W.,  435,  488,  441,  443;   John, 

367;  John  R.,  Dr.,  333,  335;  Nathan,  366 
Eddy,  Otis,  43,  363;  W.  and  H.,  273 
Edgarton,  Erastus,  134;   John,  132,  379; 

L.,353;  William,  380 
Edson,  Nathan,  and  family,  53 
Edwards,  Henry,  367 ;  Perry,  333 
Eells  &  Mott,  303 

Ehle,  George,  827;  Peter  and  sons,  48 
Eisaman,  Henrv  and  W. ,  395 
Eldred,  Rufus,  '91,  93,  214;  Zenas,  93,  214 
Eldridge,   James  B.,    182,   357,   261,  480, 

48 1,  498 
Ellinwood.  Jeremiah,  131;  Samuel,  133 
Elliott,    Charles    J..    357;     H.    A.,    358; 

Fletcher,  M.,258 
Elhs,  Abner,  95;  Arthur  N.,  278;  Elna- 

than,  353 
Ellsworth,  Elmer,  363 
Elmore,  John,  841,  884;   John  L.,  343 
Elphick,   Fayette    E.,   Dr.,  407;  Luther, 

407 
English,  George  E  ,889;  Henry  C,  389; 

Joseph,  113;  L.  D.    387.  389 
Ensign,  E.  L.,  Dr.,  386;  George  N.,  389; 

Seba  and  Linus,  155;  Thomas,  389 
Enos,  Benjamin,  335;  Joseph,  318 
Erieville,  business  interests  of,  383-385 ; 

churches  of,  386;  gazetteer  of,  604,  605; 

physicians  of,  385;  post-office,  385 
Esselstyne,  William,  156 
Evans,  H.  J.,  353;  William,  393 
Everett,  R.  John,  336,  493 
Everton,  John,  106 

Fairchild.    Charles   S.,   340;    John,  225; 

John   F,,  148,  235,  352,  353;  Lewison, 

232,483;    L.  R.,  250;   Nehemiah,   133; 

R.  E..  196;    Sidney  T.,  334,  325;  Will- 
iam, 349 
Fancher,  J.  H.,  380;    Rufus  and   F.    M., 

314 
Farnam,  S.  H.,  301 
Farnhani,  Daniel,  315;  Elisha,  Col.,  155, 

234;  Roland  A..  Rev.,  406 
Fair,  Edwin  and  Levi,  279;  L.  W.,  263 
Farrell,  Israel,  Dr.,  43,  364;  Michael,  305; 

T.  C,  245 
Farwell,   William   F.,   210;  William  W., 

461,  463,  500 
Faulkner,  A.,  368;  S.  M.,  353 
Fav,  Asa,  73;  David,  71 ;    Day,   73.    113; 

James    L.,  260,  454;    Jonas,  224,  233; 

Nahum,  374 


Fearon,  A.  D.,  300 

Federal  Hill,  138 

Fellows,  H.  Julian,  239 

Felt,  David,  61,  98;  Samuel,  98;  Will- 
iam, 363,  363 

Felton,  David,  316 

Fenner,  churches  of,  156,  401 ;  early  man- 
ufactures in,  156;  first  merchants  in, 
156;  first  schools  in,  157;  first  town 
meeting  in,  155;  gazetteer  of  the  town 
of,  568-570;  progress  of  improvement 
in  the  town  of, 386- 401 ;  prominent  farm- 
ers m,  401;  school  system  of  400;  set- 
tlement and  settlers  of,  150-155;  super- 
visors of,  list  of,  569 

Fenner  Corners,  400,  570 

Ferguson,  John,  348;  John  A.,  398; 
Thomas  A.,  378 

Ferriere,  Angel  de,  137 

Ferry,  Joseph,  Dr.,  345;  Josiah  E.,  519 

Field,  Judson,  275,  279;  Newcomb  and 
Charles,  293;  Solomon,  155;  William, 
311;  W.  L.,313 

Financial  panics  of  1836-8  and  1857,  185, 
189 

Finch,  John,  337 

Finney,  Cyrus,  92 

Fish,  D.  L.,  368;  Joseph,  298;  R.  J.,  297, 
305,  308,  521 

Fisher,  F.B.,  258;  Robert,  75,  343;  Thom- 
as, 339 

Fish,  David,  43,  365;  Luman  and  Per 
Lee,  145;  M.  L.,463 

Fiske,  Fred  C,  277;  F.  M.,  374;  S.  W., 
343;  William  E.,  202,  380 

Fitch,  A.  D.,463;  Alphonso,  E.,  325,  .534; 
Elliott.  269;  J,  W.,  Dr.,  391,  293;  P., 
360;  Reuben,  130;  S.  A.,  43,  866;  Wil- 
lard  R.,  Dr.,  391 

Flower,  Ithuriel,  155 

Flaherty,  John  V.,  827;  P.  J.,  465 

Foord,  Alvin,  Dr.,  237;  Henry,  Dr.,  237 

Foot,  Noah  B  ,  David  Y.  and  Franklin, 
Drs.,  269 

Foote,  Arthur  A.,  528;  Elihu,  166;  E.W., 
348;  F.  H.,297;  Isaac,  480;  John,  183, 
348,  2.52,  2,56,  497;  John  C,  353;  John 
J  ,  194,  19.5,  348,  253,  301;  Nathaniel, 
310,  503,  517;  Reuben,  58 

Forbes,  Andrew,  367;  Gerrit  A.,  377, 
477,  483,  501;  Myron  H.,  366 

Ford,  John,  130 

Forman,  Jonathan,  223;  Samuel  S. ,  ex- 
tract from  letter  of,  regarding  the  set- 
tlement of  Cazenovia,  66-71;  72,  131, 
234,  394,  483 

Forrester,  Fanny  (Emily  Chubbuck),  94 

Fort,  W.  M.,  Prof.,  329 


INDEX. 


Forte,  Irving,  C,  236;  John,  390 

Forward,  Isaac,  380 

Foskett,  David,  155 

Foster,  A.  Lawrence,  210,  499;  C.  F, 
263;  Gideon,  83;  H.  S.,  393;  John  L., 
409;  Joseph,  57,  58;  J.  P.,  Rev.,  285; 
Lyman  B.,  348;  Robert,  409;  Samuel, 
33,  484;  Timothy,  155,  337 

Fowler,  John,  C,  335;  Loring,  483 

Fox,  C.  A.,  343;  Samuel  J  ,  101 

Francis,  Aaron,  138;  A.  W.,  348 

Franklin,  Benjamin,  Dr.,  353 

Frederick,  H.,  383 

Freeborn,  David  and  Gideon,  71;  Pal- 
mer, 385 

Freeman,  Henry,  403;  Philip,  54;  Tim- 
othy, 47 

Freemyer,  John,  45 

French,  Andrew  J.,  288,  299,  301,319; 
Austin  B.,  301;  Benjamin,  319;  Benja- 
min D.,  297,  338;  Edward  B.,  398;  Ho- 
bart,  338,  466;  Jairus,  324;  Jarvis,  327; 
J.  H.  H.,  319;  John  Owen,  48;  J.  W.. 
318;  M.  D.,  Dr.,  373;  R.  B.,  319;  Sam- 
uel, 483;  Theodore  B.,  337 

Frink,  Asa,  38 

Frost,  Clark  A. ,  300 ;  D.  H  ,  308 ;  George, 
405 ;  Joseph,  33,  484 ;  Lorenzo,  403 

Fry,  Thomas,  93,  317 

Fryer.  George  R.,  403 

Fuess,  Louis,  377,  464 

Fuller,  Abiel,  138;  Amos  B.,  160;  Amos 
W.,484;  Edward,  Dr.,  335;  Ezra,  58; 
George  K.,  318,  337,  335;  Samuel,  Dr., 
318,  335;  William  K.,  170,  178,  321,  335, 
327,  482,  493 

Furman,  James,  347 

Gage,  Alanson  G.,  387;  Eleazer,  83,  84; 
Eli,  33,  484;  Fordyce  R.,  387;  George 
E.,  '887,  388;  Jeremiah,  33,  159,  338; 
Samuel,  338,  385 

Gale,  W.  Hector,  298,  309 

Gardiner,  Charles,  260,  454;  Charles  B., 
353;  Hulls.,  355 

Garrett,  J.  F.,  367;  J.  G.,  368 

Gasten.  John,  54 

Gary,  George,  Rev.,  455 

Gaston,  David,  92,  94,  161,  170,   173,   308 

Gates,  Daniel,  324;  David,  36,  37;  Frank, 
323;  Frank  H.,  334;  Ralph  J.,  156; 
Roscoe,  394;  Samuel  C,  371 

Gay,  Elisha,  G.,  297;  Harlan  L.,  331; 
Lyman,  320,  466 

Gaylord,  E.  F.,  136,  377 

Georgetown,  churches  of,  149 ;  early  in- 
dustries of,  350,  351 ;  early  merchants 
of.  148 ;  gazetteer  of  the  town  of,   571- 


574;  progress  of  improvement  in  the 
town  of.  349-355;  schools  of,  466;  set- 
tlement and  settlers  of,  143-148;  super- 
visors of,  list  of,  573;  town  meeting 
proceedings  in,  148,  149 

Georgetown  village,  busiaess  interests 
of,  352,  355 ;  churches  of,  354 ;  gazetteer 
of,  572-574;  newspaper  of,  355;  phy- 
sicians of,  353 ;  post-ofRce,  353 

Gere,  Amos,  149 

Germer,  H.  G.,  Dr.,  276 

Gibbs,  Federal  C,  Dr.  157;  Levi,  Dr., 
345 

Gibson,  John,  350 

Gifford,  B.  R.,  Dr.,  378;  Gilbert  L..  Dr., 
2.55;  H.  O.,  339;  John.  85;  John  K., 
334;  Paul  and  Henry  W.,  182 

Gilbert,  Agur,  121,  381;  Daniel,  237; 
John  D.,  371;  Orrin,  371;  Orsamus, 
100;  Warren  J.,  409 

Giles,  Charle.s,  Rev.,  455 

Gill,  E.  D.,  395;  Sumner,  213 

Gillet,  Daniel  M.,  154,  156,  400;  Martin, 
156,  400 

Gillett,  Joab,  237;  Simeon,  33,  90,  94, 
484;  Simeon,  jr.,  61 

Ginney,  William  and  Timothy,  394 

Girvin,  E.  J  ,  298 

Gleason,  Frank,  393 

Godfred,  Frank  W.,  359 

Goff,  Isaac  Newton,  Dr.,  337;  J.  O.,  315; 
L.  Newton,  234 

Goldstein,  Julius  M.,  300,  306 

Goodell.  John,  jr..  Dr.,  245,  385;  J.  Wes- 
ley, 336 

Goodenough,  M.  M.,  453 

Goodrich,  Alfred  L.,  296 

Goodsell,  Lewis  B  ,  351 

Goodwin,  Henry  C,  357,  347,  483,498; 
Le  Baron,  339;  Samuel,  133,  375.  376, 
S.  H.,  290,  393,  301.304 

Goosens,  B.  W.,  Rev.,  310 

Gore,  the,  3 

Gorton,  Ambrose  E.,  319,  321,338;  Ben- 
jamin, 357,  463;  Henry  S.,  244;  O.  M., 
367,  463;  Orson,  S  ,  366;  Samuel,  Var- 
num  and  Benjamin.  38  ;  Solomon, 
43,  365;  Thomas  R..  367,  463 

Gough,  Leonard,  398,  399 

Gould,  F.   D.,  358 

Graham,  Dwight,  254;  James,  273;  Silas, 
Dr.,  269 

Granger,  Otis  P.,  206,  210,  461,  481,  499 
Grant,  George,  334,  327 
Graves,  Henry  M.,  251 ;  Hiram,  331;  Or- 
son, 389 
Gray,   Ephraim,    101.    103;   George   W., 
359,  506;  John,  366 


319 


Green,  A.  W.,  331;  Charles,  268;  C.  D., 
Dr.,  267;  Edward.  32.  33.  484;  Edwin 
C,  383;  Henry  G.,  264;  James,  71,  78, 
106.  113,  223;  Richard,  113;  Thomas, 
211;  Washington  S.,  364 

Greene,  Erastus  A,  362;  Charles,  269; 
William,  2d.  462 

Greenhow.  John,  282 

Greenland.  William  and  William  S..  227 

(rreeuly.  Thomas,  Dr.,  64,  161,  172,  348, 
249.  355 

Greenwood,  Levi  P.,  Dr.,  385;  Paul,  122 

Gregg,  Absalom,  402;  E.  K  ,  404;  John 
402 ;  Taylor,  402 

Greiner,  Paul,  377 

Greminger,  Nicholas,  320 

Gridley,  Philo,  350,  482,  497 

Griffin.  A.  M..  43,  363;  H.  T.,  Mr.s.,  384; 
Milton  J.,  466;  Timothyr395 

Griffith,  George  M.,  352;  Jeremiah,  79; 
W.  H  ,Dr.,  325,  405 

Griffiths.  H.  B.,  343;  Paul,  110 

Griner,  George  P.,  403 

Groat,  William  R..  276,  280 

Groesbeck,   Peter.  319 

Groff,  Henrv.  228 

Grout,  Edward  M.,  449 

Guernsey,  Sylvanus,  Dr. ,  399 

Guest,  William  P.,  345 

Guiteau,  Calvin.  70 

Gullerat.  F.  H  ,  283 

Gunn,  E.  W.,  343.244 

Gurley,  John  F  .  211;  Jonathan,  311 

Hackley.  E.  C.  230 

Hadcock,  John,  54,  409 

Haight,  Reuben.  47 

Hakes,  Henry,  400,  466 

Halbert.  E.  D..  353 

Hale,  Fannie  J..  Miss,  464;  Reuben,  139 

Hall,  Abuer,  391  ;  Albert,  381 ;  Charles 
W.,  Dr..  317;  Ebenezer.  145,  148,  353; 
Jesse  W.,  229;  John,  95,  140,  484;  Na- 
thaniel. Deacon.  140;  Nathaniel,  Dr., 
139,  140;  R.  P.,  263;  Reuben  S.,  371 

Halliday.  Samuel,  374 

Hallock,  William,  33,  166.  484 

Halsev.  Hugh.  309.  499 

Hamblet.  Phineas.  113 

Hamblin,  David.  401 ;  E.  S..  397;  Lucian. 
401;  O.  B..  401;  William.  401 

Hamlin.  Joshua,  33,  484;  William,  395 

Hamilton,  churches  of,  63-64,  369,  370; 
election  return  of  1799  in.  02;  first  law- 
yers in,  64;  first  mercantile  operations 
in,  64;  first  physicians  of,  64;  first  town 
meeting  in,  61;  gazetteer  of  the  town 
of,  574-585;  list  of  settlers  in  from  1796 


to  1803,  60.  61 ;  progress  of  improve- 
ments in  the  town  of,  846-370;  schools 
of,  453,  454;  settlement  and  settlers  of, 
54-61;  supervisors  of,  list  of.  576 

Hamilton  village,  churches  of,  259.  360; 
early  improvements  in.  347 ;  electric 
lighting  of.  251 ;  fire  department  of. 
249.  250;  gazetteer  of.  577-580;  hotels 
of.  354,  255 ;  incorporation  of,  348 ;  law- 
yers of.  356.  357 ;  legislation  affecting. 
349;  manufacturing  interests  of.  353, 
254;  mercantile  interests  of,  251-253; 
newspapers  of,  257.  258 ;  officers  of.  248, 
348 ;  physicians  of,  255 ;  post-office,  351 ; 
schools  of.  360.  361 ;  water  works  of. 
350 

Hamilton.  Arthur  T.,  463;  David,  110, 
384;  Frank,  389  ;F.  F.,  399;  George  and 
Dr.  J.  H.,  390;  L.  L.,  218 

Hammond.  Henry  C,  336;  W.  R.,  Dr.. 
378 

Hanchett.  Sylvanus  D..  Dr.,  335 

Hand,  Theodore,  F.,  300-303;  Theodore 
F..  jr.,  399,  301,  303,304 

Hannum,  H.  A.,  339 

Harbottle,   C.  V..  330,  465;  Joseph,  330 

Harder,  Anson,  364,  506 

Hardie,  W.  H.,  343 

Hardin,  Daniel,  363,  365,  463;  Dennis, 
43,  363,  364;  Henry  B.,  363 

Hardy,  George,  383,  464;  Shadrach.  130 

Hare,  James,  353;  J.  L.,  352;  W.  A.,  353; 
W.  H.,  352;  William  W..  353 

Harmon,  John,  '252,  254;  Rawson,  92 

Harrington.  Benjamin.  320;  Elmer.  409; 
Giles.  288;  Nathaniel,  409;  P.  D.,  320, 

Harris,  Frank,  341 ;  George  W.,  Dr.,  353; 
John,  381;  Mason,  44;  Thomas  and 
WiUiam,  112;  T.  F.,  Rev.,  400 

Harrison.  D.  V..  279;  E.  M..  ,jr.,  276, 
279,  283.x  Joseph  P.,  145;  Robert,  320 

Hart,  Abram,  338 ;  Elias  K.,  268 ;  Edward, 
351;  E.  C  ,  351,  353 

Hartjen.  Christian,  351 

Hartshorn,  David,  61.  98;  Jacob.  98; 
William  M.,  357 

Hascall.  Daniel.  433-435,  438^40 

Haskell,  E.  F.,  501;  D.  Eralzman,  324 

Haskins,  Daniel  A.,  182 

Haswell,  Simeon,  110 

Hatch,  Abial.  119.  134;  Abner,  330,  321; 
Benjamin.  100,  111;  Daniel,  92;  Eras- 
tus, 124;  Guy,  153;  L.  O.,  366;  Mala- 
tiah,  100,  103,  160;  William,  59,  482 

Hatfield,  Abram,  271 

Hathaway,  H.  H.,  288,  314,  315;  Luther, 
54 


Havens,  George  M.,  359,  506;  Peter  B., 
Dr.,  64.  255,  257 

Hawkins  Herbert  H.,  258;  S.  K..  371; 
Van  Rensselaer,  362 

Hawks,  J.  Q.,  353;  Zadoc,  145 

Hawley,  Reuben,  50,  273,  318 

Hayden,  Elijah,  61,  90.  92;  Joseph,  113; 
Josiah,  114,  383 

Hayes,  Nathan,  408;  Ory  G.,  339 

Hayward,  Lester,  3T1 

Haywood,  F.  S.,208 

Hazard,  Paul,  121;  Robert,  111,  113 

Hazeltine,  James,  405 

Hazelton,  Thaddeus,  113 

Hazzard,  Russell,  383,  463,  464 

Heacock,  T.  O..  312 

Head,  A.  D.,  Dr.,  216;  Isaiah  S,  370;  Jar- 
vis  A.,  371;  Jo.siah,  121;  Sanford,  103 

Hearsey,  John,  335 

Hecox,  Austin,  395;  Charles  L.,  395 

Heffron,  John,  Dr.,  114,  385;  Lorenzo, 
Dr.,  245 

Henderson,  J.  A.,  Mrs.,  124;  Wilber  M., 
483 

Henry.  Alvan,  113;  C.  H..  370;  Robert 
and  William,  93,  214;  S.  H.,  224 

Herrick,  Elijah,  124 

Hess,  David,  396 

Hewes,  Benjamin,  101 

Hewitt,  John,  85 

Hicks,  John  F.,  156;  Lyman,  313 

Higgins,  F.  D.,377;  James,  253 

Higinbotbam,  Niles,  300;  Sands,  182, 
289,  290,  304,  306 

Hill,  A.  C,  344;  Ambrose.  290,  30  i,  302; 
Ambrose  W.,  299,  302;  Federal,  270; 
Herman  A.,  462,  463;  Horace,  William, 
Julius  and  H.  E.,  340;  John,  398-400, 
466 ;  M.  B. ,  378 ;  N.  B. ,  401 ;  R.  A. .  302 ; 
Samuel,  398;  Webster  C,  396.  398,  399; 
William  G.,  301;  William  H.,  339 

Hills,  John  and  Gift,  140;  Selah,  138 

Hinckley,  George  W.,  363;  Wiot,  38 

Hinman,  Amadeus.  406,  407;  A.  J.,  406; 
Grove,  406;  James,  112;  Lewis,  409; 
N.  J.,  407;  Palmer W.,  407 

Hintermister,  T.  H.  and  Otto,  322 

Hitchcock,  A.,  230;  C.  A.,  320,  337;  Dan- 
iel, 148,  149;  Luke,  320;  Samuel,  274; 
Seth,  95;  Simon  C,  183,  324;  S  H.  and 
S.,  306;  Thomas,  273;  T.  E.,  327 

Hitchman,  Michael,  283 

Hoadley,  A.  M.,263 

Hoag,  Beman,  85 

Hobbie,  John,  228.  235 

Hobart,  Clarence  L.,  284,  520;  J..  466 

Hodge,  Fred  W.,  397;  Hattie,  Mrs.,  398; 
John  J.,  391 


Hoffmann,  H.  C,  277;  S.  B.,  350 

Holbrook,  Daniel,  123 

Holden,  Henry  T.,  303 

Holdridge.  F.  D.,  Mrs.,  229;  Thomas,  113 

Hollenbeck.  Matthew.  144 

Holmes,  Alexander  H.,  208:  A.  M.,  Dr., 
213;  Daniel,  404;  Epenetus,  209,  461, 
499;  E.  M.,  235;  George  W.,  387;  Har- 
mon L.,  394;  Henry,  358;  John,  182; 
Joseph,  74;  J.  N.,  264;  S.  G.,  353;  Sid- 
ney T.,  196,  202,  310,  347,  480,  499 

Holton,  Rufus,  Dr.,  43 

Home  for  Destitute  Children  at  Peter- 
boro,  391 

Hopkins,  Elisha  B.,  Dr.,  378,  383.464; 
Harvey  L.,  380;  Isaac,  318;  William, 
317;  William,  and  sons,  92;  William  I., 
139 

Hoppm,  B.  B.,  196;  Curtis,  102,  167,  215, 
370 

Horton,  Chaffee  C,  407;  Lyman  O.,  Dr., 
372 

Hosley,  Joseph  and  Benjamin,  47 

Hostler,  E.  J.,  407 

riotchkm,  Nathaniel,  383 

House,  Benjamin,  53,  54;  Charles,  296, 
397,  300;  Doliver  E.,  297;  Eliphalet, 
and  sons,  376 

Hough,  William  J.,  234,  225 

Hovey,  Isaac,  Dr.,  210 

Howard,  Adelbert,  389;  Ad  in,  375,  377; 
Ambrose,  381;  Artemas,  254;  Ethan, 
106;  F.  B.,  376;  Ira  B.,  353;  Jefferson, 
400,  466;  Nathan,  381;  N.  S.,  374;  Sal- 
mon, 1.30;  Vinson  R.,  364 

Howe,  A.  L.,  218;  Henry  C,  218,324; 
Moses,  130 ;  Otis  B. ,  2.53,  262 

Howell,  Albert,  395 

Howes,  Henry,  343 

Howland,  A.  H.,  383 

Howson,  John  W.,  80,  835,  458 

Hoxie,  Arthur  S.,  463;  Ezra  K.,  304; 
Luke,  301,  364,  365,  463;  Stephen,  33, 
35,  159 

Hoyt,  David  P.,  331 

Hubbard,  Calvin,  368;  E.,  338;  Edward 
G.,  289;  Frederick,  313;  Fred  F.,  276, 
279,  283;  John  F.,  177,  178;  J.  M.,327; 
Robert  F.,  148  note;  R.  J.,  224;  Ste- 
phen, 340;  Thomas,  319,  248;  Thomas 
H.,  32,  64,  256,  482,  496 

Hubbardsville,  368,  269,  584,  585 

Hudson,  H.,  289;  Milton  Y.,  384 

Hueston,  Thomas,  101 

Hughes,  Evan  G.,  387 

Hull,  Andrew  C,  216,  383;  Charles  W., 
Dr.,  216,  434;  Daniel,  331 ;  Henry,  126, 
377;  Herman  A.,  367 


INDEX. 


Humphrey,  James.  366 

Hunt,    Edward,    383;    Eleazer,  33,    144, 

S.'jO,  484 ;  E.   L. ,  296.  298 ;  E.    Leland, 

520;    James,  and   sons,    85;    Norman, 

216;  Sherebiah  S,  268 
Huntington,   Charles,   166;    Frank,  367; 

Nehemiah,  131,  160,  161,  173,  181,  390, 

391,  394,  460 
Huntley,  O.  D.,  243;  William  W.,  243 
Hurd,  Bethel,  and  sons,  144,  351 ;  Jabish 

N.  M.,  32.  80,  81.  228.  224.  483 
Hurlbut,  William,  277,  331 
Hutchings,  Mary  C,  373 
Hutchins,  Roswell,  166 
Hutchinson,  David,  Lieut.,  152;  Emma, 

Miss,  243;  F.  H.,  318;  H.  P.  and  L.  H., 

Huyck,  P.  J.,  401;  Willis  J.,  466;  Willis 

P.,  400 
Hyatt.   Charles,  401;  F.  A.,   401;  Heze- 

kiah,  155;  Orlando,  401;  Newell,  401 
Hyland,  D.  W.,  267 

Indian  occupation  of  Madison  county  ter- 
ritory, 14,  15 

Indians,  Oneida,  21-25;  territory  ceded 
by  treaties  with  the,  2 

Ingalls,  A.,  395;  A.  G.,  269;  John.  255 

Ingraham,  J.  J.,  280 

Insurance  Company,  Madison  Countv, 
183 

Isbell,  Abner,  218;  Frank,  389 

Ives,  Amasa,  jr.,  156;  Samuel,  156;  W. 
C.  131,  394;  William  H.,  377 

Ivey,  Hugh,  Rev.,  372 

Jackson,  Amasa,  385;  Andrew  400;  Ar- 
thur H.,  391;  Asahel,  78,  106,  107;  D. 
A.  and  L.  C,  308;  Elijah,  149,  350; 
Eliphalet,  Capt.,  33,  106,  107.  160,  172; 
Eliphalet  S.,  78,  114.  387;  E.  S.,  181, 
234,  232;  George,  351;  James,  267; 
Jedediah,  106,  107;  John,  113,  114,  350, 
387;  Rensselaer,  80,  183,  224;  Sala- 
thiel,  114,  387;  Samuel  T.  and  Frank 
E..230 

Jacobs,  Edward,  333 

James,  John  and  William  H.,387;  Thomas 
L.,  258 

Jaqueth,   Perry,  343 

Jarvis,  Benjamin  F.,  335;  Thomas  N., 
*^73  277   279 

Jenks,  Elmer  D.,  338,  339,  341,  345 

Jenkins,  Benjamin,  330,  328;  B.  R.,  327; 
James  B.,  291,  510;  James  E.,  195; 
Timothy,  507-510 

Jennings,  Canfield,  385;  C.  H.,  385;  J. 
M.,  267;  William,  Capt.,  140,  370;  W. 
M.,  269 


Jepson,  E.  P.,  345 

Jermy,  William  K.,  520 

Jerrold,  Jesse,  350 

Jewell,  Oliver,  236 

Jillson,  E.  S..384.  385 

Johnson.  Brainard,  395;  B.  B.,  383; 
Charles  J..  254;  David  B.,  183,  231,  455, 
503 ;  Ebenezer,  236 ;  Eli.sha,  38 ;  Frank- 
lin, 315;  G.  W.,  318;  Henry  A.,  239; 
James,  391,  460;  John  A.,  210,  525; 
Levi.  54;  Nathaniel,  121;  Noble  S., 
224;  William  H.,  353;  Winchester,  395 

Jones,  Annie,  Mrs.,  466;  Charles  and  C. 
L.  H.,  344;  C.  A..  280;  Daniel,  166; 
David  D.,  213;  D.  M.,  388;  D.  W., 
389;  E.  W..  294;  Gilbert,  315;  H.  L., 
321;  Richard,  320;  Richard  R.,  318; 
Samuel,  134;  Solomon.  98;  S.  L..  389; 
William  R.,  311;  W.  P.,  312 

Jordan,  Samuel,  359,  360,  462 

Joslin,  Eliab,  374 

Joslyn,  Lewis,  Dr.,  291 

Joy,  M.  R..  Dr.,  399 

Judd,  Charles,  388;  E.  A.,  331,  327;  Silas, 
381,  399;  S.  N.,  388 

Judiciary  system,  evolution  of  the,  467- 
481 

Jurden,  T.  H.,  301 

Justices  of  the  peace,  first,  appointed  in 
the  county,  484 

Kaiser,  Nathaniel,  312 

Kearns,  John,  389 

Keating,  Daniel  C,  300 

Keegan,  John,  355 

Keeler,  H.  L..  398.  399;  John.  230 

Keenev,  Marvin,  312 

Keesler,  A.  A. ,  278 

Keith,    Ambrose.    368;  Eugene.  389;  E. 

D.,   267;  Henrv,  358;   Henry   P.,  366; 

Hosmer  H.,  257;   H.  W.,  248;  Thomas, 

38 
Keller,  Harley  S.,  224 
Kelley,  James  A.,  Rev.,  311;  W.  S.,  385 
Kellogg,  Charles.  336,  338,  466;  Charles 

F.,  156,  400,  .522;  Daniel,  481;  Daniel 

F. ,  323,  324,  327 ;  George,  324 
Kelly,  John.  398;  Joseph  L.,  252 
Kendrick,  Asahel  C.,435;  Nathaniel.  434- 

436,  438-440 
Kenfield,  E.  B..  306 
Kenna,  Lawrence,  396 
Kennedy,   Alfred  D.,  480,  483;    Charles 

L.,  196,  210,  325,  326,  480,  483,  490,  493; 

Jacob,  103;  James,  318;  John,  62;  John 

M.,  294,  301 ;  John  P. ,  Samuel,  Isaac  and 

James.  Drs.,  325;  Robert,  320,  335,  337, 

465;  Samuel,  Dr.,  318,  338 


INDEX. 


Keiiney,  Benjamin,  144 

Kent,  Joseph  V.,  387 

Kenwood,  316 

Kenyon,   A.   E.,   368;    Edward   P.,   249; 

Gideon    and   Thomas,    39,   368;   John, 

365;  John  E.,  366 
Kern,  Lambert  B.,  196,  339,  347,  459,  482, 

490,  505 
Kershaw,    Marsden,    381;    Robert,    381; 

Thomas,  262 
Keyes,  J.  J.,  Rev  ,  77,  240 
Kibbie,  Philip,  101 
Kilbourn,  Jesse,  80,  81,  234,  235 
Kiley,  Michael  H.,  235,  482,  516 
Kilroy,  Daniel,  288 
Kimball,  W.  R.  and  B.  R.,  212 
Kimberly,  J.  S.,  250 
Kincaid,  Egenio,  434 
King,   Daniel    H..   313;    F.    P.,   43,   363; 

George,   263;    Nathan,   93;   Nathaniel, 

Brig.-Gen.,  64,  166,  250,  496 
Kingsbury,  Lemuel,  33,  159 
Kingsley,' Amos,  434;    Herbert   E.,   360, 

463;  Stephen,  113 
Kinnev,    Frank,  369;    F.  H.,  267;  Hoyt, 

265;  H.  B.,303;  H.J.,268;  James.  2i3' 

Samuel,  107;  William  H.,  275,  ,507 
Kirkland,  Samuel.  Rev.,  32  and  note 
Kling,  Arvillo,  366,  367 
Klock.  Conrad,  and  sons,  137;  Henry  S. , 

302,  304;  John,  330;  Joseph,  John  and 

Conrad,  312 
Kneiss,  Thomas  Y.,  141 
Knowles,  John,  45,  161,  178,  179,  334,  327, 

332.  334,  335;  John,  jr.,  46 
Knowlton,   Ebenezer,  75,  224,  231 ;  Ebe- 

nezer  B.,  228;  Edward,  233;  David  C, 

199 
Knox,  Harmon,  406;   John,  113;  William, 

110 
Krumbhaar,  Alexander,  188 

Ladd,  Bradley,  149 

Lake,  Seneca,  80.  236 

Lakeport,    631;     business    of,    333,    334; 

churches  of,  334 
Lamb,  Aroswell,  170;  Charles,  360,  463; 

E.  D.,  368;  Edwin  M.,  370,  371;  E.  P., 

Dr.,   353,  466;  Harrison,  409;    Martin, 

166 
Lamphere,  Fred  W.,  321;  John  A.,  318, 

334 
Lane,    James   D.    and    Robert  W.,  377; 

Robert  B.,  126 
Langdon,  Jarvis,  140 
Langworthy,  Christopher,  364;  O.  S.,  Dr., 

355;  Samuel,  35 


Lansing,  Eugene  M.,  2.59;  William  E., 
334,  336,  337,  483,  483 

Larkin,  David,  433;  James.  39,  368;  Le- 
roy,  368 

Lathrop,  Philetus,  343 

Lawton,  John,  433 

Lawrence,  Pitt.  148,  350;  Thoma.s,  141, 
313;  William.  319 

Leach,  Carl,  407;  Clement,  314;  Madi- 
son, 354;  Milton,  334 

Leavenworth,  Baird,  316;  O.  W.,  863; 
Wolcott,  263 

Lebanon,  churches  of,  103,  373;  early 
business  interests  of,  104;  first  physi- 
cians of,  104,  105;  gazetteer  of  the  town 
of,  .580-591 ;  progress  of  improvement 
in  the  town  of,  368-374;  settlement  and 
settlers  of,  96-103;  supervisors  of,  list 
of,  587;  town  meeting  proceedings  in, 
103.  103 

Lebanon  village,  business  interests  of, 
369-371 ;  churches  of,  372 ;  gazetteer  of, 
588-590;  physicians  of.  371.  372;  post- 
office,  371 

Ledyard.  Caleb,  224,  225,  237;  George  S., 
224,  231 ;  Jonathan  Denise,  71,  179,  183, 
188,  234,  335,  335,  504;  L.  Wolters,  234, 
325 

Lee,  C.  A.,  379;  Erastus  H..  34.8,338; 
Philip,  317;  Stephen,  Col..  139,  166,  167 

Leut,  Henry  A.,  371 

Leele,  Wilfred  A.,  518;  W.  F.,  398;  W. 
S.,  301,  303 

Leggett,  James,  288 

Leland,  Joshua,  61,  90,  314;  Uriah,  188, 
461 

Lenox,  churches  of,  141;  division  of,  286- 
288;  early  business  interests  in,  270- 
273;  gazetteer  of  the  old  town  of,  ,591- 
.596;  progress  of  improvement  in  the 
town  of.  370-310;  settlement  and  set- 
tlers of,  136-141;  supervisors  of ,  list  of, 
593 

Lenox  Furnace,  272 

Leonard,  Reuben,  43,  357,  362,  363 

Leonardsville,  banks  of,  364;  churches 
of,  365;  gazetteer  of,  543-545;  lawyers 
of,  364;  manufacturing  interests  of,  361, 
362;  mercantile  interests  in,  362,  363; 
physicians  of,  364;  post-office,  363; 
schools  of,  364 

Levy,  Samuel,  279,  331 

Lewis,  A.  Eugene,  249,  2.53;  A.  P.,  350 
Daniel,  Capt.,  141,  374,380,410;  Ed 
ward,  139;  Henry,  377;  Hiram,  212 
Isaac,  172;  John  E.,  218;  J.  G..  283 
John  James,  443;  Judson  W.,  121;  L 


233 


D.,  381,  383;  Samuel,  93,  124;  W.  W., 

320 
Lighthall,  Lewis,  336 
Lillibridge,   James  H.,  403,  400;  H.   H., 

407 
Lincklaen.  John,  Col.,  33,66-73,  106,  160, 

331 ;  Ledyard,  232.  235 
Lindslev,  Aaron,  110;  Albert,  409 
Lints,  Charles,  313 
Lippitt,  John  W.,302;  W.  G.  2.'35;  W.K., 

352 
Litchfield,  Elisha,  183,  234;  E.  B.  and  E. 

D. ,  337 
Littlefield.  Waldo,  118 
Livermore,  Charles  O.,  43,   366;  D.   D., 

43,  268;  Favette,  380;  Josiah,  39;  J.V. 

R.,  43,  366;  Samuel,  43,  365 
Livingston,  James,  131,  393;  Thomas.  44, 

318 
Lloyd,  Edward,  383;  F.  O.,  Dr.,  356 
Lochner,  Conrad,  300 
Lockwood,  Abram,  239;  Job,  138 
Logan,  W.  J.,  323 
Long,  Henry  R.,263 
Loomis.  Albert  E.,  394,397,303;  Alfred, 

400;  Earl,  Dr.,  291;  Edward,   Dr.,  291, 

301;  George  S..  Dr.,   310,  376;  G.  E., 

329;  Helen  C.,Mr.s..  466;  Hiram,  366; 

Silas.  202;  Thomas  T..  315 
Lord.  Andrew  P.,  172;  William,  59 
Loucks,  A.  A.,  315;  Hazelius,  303 
Louder,  Samuel,  138 
Lounsbury,  J.  M.,  344; 
Loveland,  Andress,  130 
Love,  C.  E.,406 
Lowd,  Caleb,  366 

Lowe,  C.  H,  S.,  403;  James,  403,  40.5 
Lowell,  Gideon,  131 
Lower,  E.  C,  383;  John.  48 
Lownsberry,  Monroe,  396;  William,  400; 

William  E.,  523;  Wilham  P.,  396 
Loyster,  J.  A..  336 
Lucas,  John,  135,  130,  375;  John  S.,  126; 

John  T.,  376;  Phineas.  Dr.,  131,  394 
Luce,  A.  J.,  397 
Luescher,  A.,  Rev.,  311 
Lull.  Almon,  Dr..  376 
Lumbard.  Thomas,  93 
Lyman,    Isaac.   Dr.,   79.   81,  237;  Wads- 
worth,  407 
Lynch.  J.  C.,395 
Lvnden,  William  J.,  403 
Lyon,  Ebenezer,  78.  106,  107,  113;   Frank 

'D.,  370;    Isaac,   334;   Jabez,   130,   160; 

Merritt,  389;  M.  D..  389;  W.  W.,  385 

McAlpin,  Theodore,  400 
McCabe,  Martin,  234 


McClellan,  James  E.,  Dr..  346 

McClanathan,  William,  61,  120 

McClure.  Samuel.  Dr.,  132,  136.  379 

McConnell,  C.  F.,  280;  James,  315 

McCrelhs,  William,  61 

McCune,  Robert.  124 

McDuffee.  Cyrus T..  288 

McElwain.  Alexander,  149 

McFarland,  James,  398 

McGahan,  J.  H.,  Rev.,  339 

McGraith,  Frederick,  388,  389 

McGregor,  Alexander,  302 

McGuiiiness,  Calvin,  289 

McHenry,  Luke,  334,  337 

McLoughlin,  Joseph,  398 

McLean,  John.  49,5 

McMahon,  JohnH.,  279 

McMorrow,  Peter,  353 

McMullen,  Thomas,  117 

MacDonnell.  J.  V.,  Rev.,  360 

Mackey  Brothers,  409 

Macomber,  William.  331 

Madison,  churches  of,  126,  127  ;  early  mer- 
cantile interests  in,  125,  136;  gazetteer 
of  the  town  of,  597-601:  hop  growing 
in,  383;  leading  farmers  of,  383;  prog- 
ress of  improvement  in  the  town  of, 
374-383;  school  system  of,  383,  468, 
464;  settlement  and  settlers  of,  114- 
134 ;  supervisors  of,  list  of,  598 ;  town 
meeting  proceedings  in,  134,  125 

Madison  village,  business  interests  of, 
376,377;  churches  of,  378,  379;  gazet- 
teer of,  .598-600;  incorporation  of.  375; 
lawyers  of.  378 ;  physicians  of,  377 ; 
post-office,  377 

Madison  county,  agricultural  societies  in, 
188;  assembly  apportionments  of,  183, 
183;  assessed  valuation  of,  taxes,  etc., 
183,  184;  beginning  of  settlement  in, 
25-30;  bonding  for  railroads  in,  412- 
414;  change  of  location  of  county  seat 
in,  173;  changes  in  agricultural  prod- 
ucts in,  417;  cholera  in,  185;  civil  list 
(State  senators  and  members  of  assem- 
bly), 418^31 ;  county  seat  question  in, 
160,  161;  court  house,  second,  in,  185; 
cycle  path  board  of,  415;  drainage  of 
swamp  lands  in,  171;  early  schools  in, 
429;  effect  ot  canals  upon,  178;  efforts 
to  change  county  seat  in,  413;  erection 
and  organization  ot.  31.  159;  e.stablish- 
ment  of  county  poorhouse  in,  180.  181 ; 
first  courts  held  in,  483-488;  first  elec- 
tion in,  33;  first  meeting  of  board  of 
supervisors  of,  169;  first  officers  of,  33, 
33;  first  water  works  in,  171;  genesis 
of,  1 ;  geology  of,  9-14 ;  highways,  open- 


INDEX. 


ing  of,  in,  181,  182  ;  Homoeopathic  Med- 
ical Society,  4iJ7,  4:^8;  in  the  Civil  war, 
193-206;  in  the  Spanish  war,  418;  in 
the  war  of  1813,  166-168;  lakes  and 
ponds  of,  8.  9;  law  library,  490;  legis- 
lation relating  to,  189,  410,  411;  Med- 
ical Society-.  530-534;  political  affairs 
in,  preceding  the  Civil  war,  190-193; 
poorhouse,  415;  prosperity  in,  during 
second  quarter  of  century,  188-185; 
public  improvements  in,  daring  the 
Civil  war,  206;  railroads  in,  417,  418; 
rivers  and  creeks  of.  8;  roads  and 
transportation  in,  168-171;  silk  indus- 
try in,  184;  supervisors'  action  regard- 
ing salaries  of  county  officers,  411 ;  tax 
and  valuation  statistics,  414,  415;  to- 
pography of,  7 

Madison,  James,  221 

Maginnis,  John  S  ,  435 

Mahan,  James,  278 

Maine,  Asa  R.,155-  Daniel,  33,  484;  Da- 
vid, 34,  339;  D.  F.,  3.58;  Henry  C,  148 
note;  Paul  S.,  155,  398,  399,484;  W.P., 
331 ;  Zadoc,  463 

Malcolm,  William,  50 

Mallory,  Ephraim,  384 

Malloy,  James  P.,  305 

Manchester,  Gideon,  368;  Joseph,  119, 
131,134;  Job,  121;  William,  124,  125; 
W.  H.,  526;  T.  B.,  381 ;  W.  T  ,  348.  268, 
269 

Manley,  Ehjah,  132 

Mann,  Charles  A.,  189;  Daniel  P.,  194 

Mannering.  HoUis,  393 

Mansfield,  Joseph  L.,  313 

Marcey,  William  T.,  131,  394 

Markham,  Abijah,  124 

Marquisee,  Louis,  395 

Marsh,  A.  J.,  367,  463;  Isaac,  43,  365;  M. 
M.,  Dr  ,  210;  Samuel  33,  43,  365,  484 

Marshall,  A.  E.,  329;  Fred,  409;  F.  F., 
339;  I.,  362;  James,  401;  Justice  W., 
333;  Simeon,  113 

Martin,  Abraham,  370;  Hibbard,208 

Martindale,  W.  S.  and  Frank,  391 

Mason,  A,  A.,  Dr.,  310;  Charles,  3.56,477, 
483,497;  C.  E.,367;E.  L.,  381 ;  Joseph, 
257,  480,  498;  Myron  H.,  288;  Venoni 
W.,  Dr.,  276,  410 

Mather,  M.  P..  237 

Mathers,  Joseph,  400 

Matthewson,  Sylvanus,  and  .sons  Win- 
chester and  Stephen,  130 

Matteson,  Dyer,  111,  113;  James,  482; 
John,  161,  170;  Mrs.,  and  sons  John, 
Abraham.  Eli  and  Nathan,  130 

Matthews,  David,  Capt,  162;  John,  46 


Maybury,   F.  F.,  Dr.,  210;    Franklin  T., 

208 
Maynard,  Amos,  33,  166,  167,  484;  Charles 

E.,  384;   Jesse.  Amos  and  Moses,  115; 

Joseph,  155;  J.  B..  404;  Joseph  E..  384; 

Moses.  380,482;  William  Hale,  444 
Mavne,  T.  E.,  302 
Mayo,  Udell,  333 
MaxHeld,  Charles  C,  Rev..  310 
Ma.xon,  Samuel  A.,  299,  300 
Maxson,  C.  E..  343;  Charles  H.,  338,  339; 

Charles  R.,  43.  363;    Corry,  367;   Eli, 

367;    Paul  and  Perry,  3.5,  36;   Ray  and 

John,  36;  Russell,  Dr.,  364;  S   C,  Dr  , 

364 
Maxwell,  John,  303;  M.  F.,  255 
Mead,  Benjamin  Rush,  Dr.,  399;  Calvin, 

401;  H.  P.,  Dr..  210,  212,  213;    Powers 

R.,  Dr.,  399.  400;  Theodore,  Dr.,  399 
Meader,  Laurel  E..  395 
Meaker,  A..  363 

Medbury,   O.  A..  216;   Thomas,  384,  385 
Medical  Society,  Madi-son  County,  history 

and  proceedings  of,  530-534;  members 

of.  list  of,  534-536 
Medical  Society,  Madison  County  Hom- 
oeopathic, 537,  538 
Menzie,   George  L.,  301;    Thomas,    138, 

273 
Merchant,    Benjamin,    85;     Bradley,    J. 

Warren,  and  M.  R.,  342;    J.  W..  338 
Mereness,  Benjamin  B  ,  383,  463 
Merriam,  George  H.,  283 
Merrick,  Constant.  Dr.,   103-104,  371 
Merrill,  C.  M..  404;    D.  J.,404;    George 

Edmands,  452;    J.  H.,  404;    Solomon. 

sr.,  and  sons,  130 
Merrills,  Jared,  155 
Merritt,  Jacob.  339 
Messenger,   H.    D  ,  385,  347;    James  H., 

360,  463;  Jo.seph,  83;  O.  C  ,  316 
Messinger,   Isaac  Newton,  275,  391,  297, 

301,  302;    John  M.,  Gen.,  391,  394,  483 
Mile  Strip  post-office,  394 
Miles,    George    W.,    Dr.,    395,   300,   399; 

John,  155;  William,  73 
Miller,     Albert,    395;    A.    C,    358,   463; 

Charles,    313,    314;     E.    L..    Dr.,    216; 

Francis  C,  297;    George,  409;    Garrett 

G.,   391,  461;    G.   S.,   395;    J.  B.,  377; 

Levi,  314,  395 
Millington,  Philander,  333 
Mills,  William,  90,  238;    William  D  .  464 
Milmoe,  P.  P.,  282 
Miner,   Harris  Coats,   196,  202,  338,  347, 

505;    Paul    R.,  248;      R.    L.,   347,505; 

Seth,  166 
Mitchell,  David,  Dr.,  237,  319;  David  J., 


257,  347,  482,  498;  Daniel  Q.,  347,  505; 
F.  S.,  343;  H.  P.,  343,  345;  James,  218; 
Joseph,  Thomas  and  Benjamin,  85; 
Nash,  138 

Mix,  J.  W.,  279 

Mixer,  Nathan,  95 

Mofifett,  Joseph,  Dr.,  245 

Monroe,  C.  P.,  Dr.,  346 

Montgomery,  Charles  E.,  373 

Montross,  John,  280 

Moody,  A.,  395;  Mrs.,  and  sons  David 
and  Samuel,  130 

Moore,  Elijah,  354;  Franklin  W.,  384, 
385;  G.  C,  384,  385;  Roderick,  Capt., 
101,  103;  S.  D.,  384;  S.  P.,  Dr.,  403, 
405;  Sidney  W.,  305;    William.  75,  332 

Moot,  Conradt,  272;  Daniel  B.,  281 

More,  Edward  Stanley,  522 

Morey  Brothers,  389;  Zabina  M.,  Dr.,  210 

Morgan,  Albert,  366;  C.,358;  Emery  D_, 
366;  F.  D.,a63;  Harry,  377;  John,  377, 
383;  John  J.,  37;  Jonathan,  32,  33,  484; 
L.  J.,  377 

Morris,  Benjamin,  90,  91;  Harvev,  343; 
Isaac,  290;  John  H..  61,  90,  91;  Joseph, 
172;  Thomas,  91,  170,  210;  William,  212 

Morrisville,  cemeteries  of,  210;  churches 
of,  213;  fire  department  of,  213;  first 
merchants  in,  208;  gazetteer  of,  561- 
564;  hotels  of,  212;  incorporations  of, 
208;  lawyers  of,  209;  manufactures  of, 
210,  211;  mercantile  interests  of,  212; 
officers  of,  208;  physicians  of,  210;  post- 
office,  209;  schools  of,  209,  461,  462 

Morse,  Alpheus,  215,  216,  221,  283;  Ben- 
jamin, 90,  95;  Brothers,  216;  Elijah, 
188;  Ellis.  181,  214-216;  George,  211, 
328;  George  E.,  196;  Harvey  C,  140 
Harvey  G.,  139;  Henry  B.,  196,  198 
Hezekiah,  95,  214;  Isaac,  73,  78,  183 
Joseph,  33,  and  family,  90,  91,  214,  215, 
484;  Lyman,  290;  Silas  E.,  244;  Walter 
196 

Morton,  Levi,  124,  125 

Moseley,  Arunah,  98;  Frank,  228;  Zinah 
J.,  352,  353 

Mosher,  James,  371 

Moshier,  Charles  H. ,  306 

Mott,  David  C,  248,  349;  Joseph,  353; 
Joseph  Addison,  252;  J.  C,  380;  Sam- 
uel R.,  390;  Smith,  2.52 

Mowry,  A.  W.,  358;  J.  W.,  218 

Moyer,  John  G.,  46 

Muir,  John,  55  -« 

Muller,  Louis  Anathe,  romantic  story  of, 
146-148 

Mulligan,   P.  E.,  229 

Muhiford,  E.  S.,  Dr.,  346 


Munger,  Elias,  400;  George  B.  Dr.,  399, 
401,  405;  Horace,  167;  Jonathan,  and 
descendants,  151 

Munn,  Asa,  403,  409 

Munnsville,  business  interests  of,  403- 
405;  churches  of,  406;  gazetteer  of,  614, 
615;  hotels  of,  406;  physicians  of,  405 

Munroe,  A.  B.,  301;  C.  P.,  Dr.,  386; 
Henry,  232;  Ivers,  514;  Loring,  301 

Munson,  Chauncey,  269;  David  and 
Charles,  42,  363 

Murder  trials,  notable,  488-490 

Murphy,  T.  L.,  386 

Murray,  Sanford,  400 

Murtagh,  F.,  212 

Muzzy,  Thaddeus,  409 

Myer,  John  C,  288,  389 

Myers,  L.  J.,  304 

Myrick,  Thomas  S.,  235 

Nash,  Abner,  55,  61;  Clark  R.,  268,  269; 
Elijah.  Zenas  and  Thomas,  59;  George 
E.  264.  267;  Henry  K.,  339;  Le  Roy, 
262,  263;  R.,  Dr.,  131,  394;  W.  J.,  406 

Needham,  John,  151,  156;  John,  jr.,  156 

Neflf,  A.  O.,  378;  Duane,  383 

Neil,  Jonathan,  340;  Levi,  106 

Nellis,  J.  D.,  313 

Nelson,  early  business  interests  in,  114; 
gazetteer  of  the  town  of,  601-605 ;  pro- 
gress of  improvement  in  the  town  of. 
383-389;  prominent  farmers  of,  389; 
settlement  and  settlers  of,  105-113; 
supervisors  of,  list  of,  608;  town  meet- 
ing proceedings  m,  123 

Nelson  (Nelson  Flats),  605 ;  business  in 
terests  of,  387-377;  churches  of,  388; 
post-office,  387 

Nelson,  Samuel,  495 

New  Woodstock,  343-345,  553;  business 
interests  of,  343,  244;  churches  of,  345; 
physicians  of,  245 

Newitt,  E.  S,,  343 

Newton,  Parker,  263 

Nichols,  Alfred,  262,  506;  A.  S,,  Dr.,  263; 
Carlos,  232;  David,  106,  113;  E.  R., 
229;  Hanford,  148,  350;  Henry,  227; 
Isaac,  73;  John,  333;  L  D.,  341;  Sam- 
uel, 153,  156;  S.  C,  339 

Niles,  I.  Newton,  364;  John,  101,  103; 
John,  Ephraim,  Isaac,  Calvin,  Nathan 
and  Samuel,  118;  R.  A.,  239;  W.  S  , 
370 

North,  H.  W.,  43,  363;  Richard,  85 

North  Brookfield.  545,  546;  business  in- 
terests of,  365,  366;  churches  of,  367; 
schools  of,  367 

Northrup,  Barzillai  and  Amos,  130;  I.  J.. 


323;  John,  353.  403;  John  H.,  318;  R., 
391,460;  R.  H..  306;  Walter  E.,  391, 
295,  297,  399,  300,  303,  303,  460;  W.  T., 
276 

Norton,  Albert  S  ,  308  ;  Edward,  194,  308 ; 
Francis,  74;  James,  208;  Jerome  A., 
353;  Joel,  390;  Joseph,  384;  Joseph  A., 
370;  Lyman  O.,  Dr.,  105 

Nourse,  I.  J..  Rev.,  42 

Noxon,  W.  B.,  330 

Nye,  Jame.s.  338,  339;  James  W.,  346, 
480,  481,  497;  Jonathan,  166;  Julius, 
Dr.,  268.  269;  Theron,  368;  Thomas, 
255;  Thomas  C,  344 

Oaks,  William,  Dr.,  355,  328 

O'Brien,  Thomas,  297 

Olby.  Laban,  43 

Olin,  Daniel.  166 

Olmstead,  Elijah,  143,  144;  Jonathan,  57, 
58,  434;  J.  P.,  337 

Olney,  James  D.  and  Burt.  305 

Oneida,  banks  of,  300-302;  business  firms 
of,  in  1870,  293:  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
307;  churches  of,  309-313;  electric  light- 
ing in.  395;  fire  department  of,  394; 
gazetteer  of,  593-595 ;  growth  of  build- 
ing in,  393;  hotels  of,  306;  incorpora- 
tion of,  398;  lawyers  of,  391;  list  of 
present  merchants  of,  307;  manufac- 
tures m,  391,303-306;  newspapers  of, 
308,  309 ;  officers  of,  397 ;  organizaticii  of 
the  new  town  of,  288,  389 ;  paving  and 
sewering  in.  396;  physicians  of,  291; 
police  and  fire  boardof.  395;  post-office, 
291;  schools  of,  398-300;  settlement  of, 
389,  290;  street  railways  in,  397;  water 
works  of,  393 

Oneida  Lake  (post-office),  316 

Oneida  Valley,  315;  churches  of,  315   . 

O'Neil,  J.  H..  331 

Orton,  Thomas,  254 

Osborn,  Lucien  M..  443 

Osgood,  Samuel,  434 

Ostrander,  Alexander,  132 

Otis,  Charles,  58,  261;  Charles  G..  263; 
Ephraim,  Dr..  86.  345;  Norman,  342 

Ottoway,  George  Henry,  284 

Owen,  A.  H.,  403;  C.  F..  218;  John,  253 

Owens,  Gideon,  47;  W.  W.,  344,  348 

Paddleford.  Amasa,  381;  John,  103 
Paddock,    Aaron,     Belden,    Isaac     and 

Nathan,  339;  Simon  D.,  331,  331 
Page,  Daniel,  83;  William,  .54 
Paine,  George  F..  300 
Palmer.  Benjamin,  Dr..  291;  Elias,  374; 

George,   34;  George,    Dr.,  269;   Hum- 


phrey, 90;  H.  C.  318;  Joseph  S..  394, 

483;    Lawton,    35,    36;   Noyes,    Capt., 

163;  Perry  G.,  132;  Smith  M.,  363 
Palniiter,  Chester,  358 
Paisley,  John,  45 
Pardee,   Albert,  409;  A.  B.,  408;  Jared, 

261 
Park,  Erastus  E..  156 
Parker,    Abijah,     121;    Abraham.     113; 

Charles.  349;  David.  145,  3.53;  Edward, 

75,  337;  F..  380;  Fred  C,  315;  G.  C. 

305;  Hugh.  309;  James  H  .   375,  381; 

J.  J.,  353;  James  M.,  276.  280;  Wilson, 

353;  Zadock,  Dr  ,  136,  377 
Parkhurst,  C.  V.,  386;  L.  A..  517 
Parks.  L.  363 
Parmalee,  George  R.,  384;  Horace,  407; 

Mo.ses,  317,  319;  Nelson,  352;  Sheldon 

and  Solomon.  404 
Parmelee,  George,  385 
Parr,  Nelson  B.,  Dr.,  359 
Parsons,  Charles  H.,  296;  E.  B.,  347,  459; 

Gideon,  153;  J.  R.,  364;  Reuben.  233, 

235 
Partridge,  Ephraim.  118 
Patrick,   Jacob,   33,  47,   159,   160;  Silas, 

124 
Patten,  William  H.,  278,  281.  284 
Patterson,  Israel,  112;  Robert,  353;  Will- 
iam H  ,  276 
Fattison,  John,  124 
Paul,  W.  R.,  404 
Payne,  Abiel.  93;  Abraham.  62.  339,  346. 

.504;   Bradford,  351;  Charles,  260,  454; 

Elisha,   33,  56,  61,  247,  434,  461,   484, 

495;  J.,  461 ;  John  C,  143;  Samuel,  56, 

61.  62,432-435;  Samuel  and  Zattu.  155; 

W.  A..  368;  Walter  C.  366;   William. 

and  family,  145:  William,  148 
Pearl,  Mary  E..  Miss.  464 
Pearlman.  Benjamin,  400 
Pease,  E.  W.,  351 
Peasley,  Enos  and  Amos,  86 
Peck,  Frank  A..  323;  George,  133;  George 

G.,  455;  Ira,  73;  John,  433,455;  Josiah, 

221;  Nathan,   268;   Samuel,    Dr..   255; 

Timothy  H.,  366 
Peckham,  Augustus  N.,  381 ;  Charles  and 

George,   119;  Gicjeon,  350;  Giles,  124; 

Van  Ness,  353  '  .     " 

Pecksport,  383,  601 
Peebles,  David,  123 
Peet,  Eber,  227;  H.  I.  and  E.  L.,  380 
Pennock,    Charles  F.,  822,  337,  333,  336, 

411;  Ebeuezer,  323,  334;  John,  218;  M. 

S..  318 
Perkins.   Daniel.  115;  Edward,  Dr.,  291; 

Jeduthan,  74;  Reuben,  Capt.,  278 


Perry,  Abial,  124;  Andrew,  409;  Charles, 
344;  C.  H.,  Dr.,  522;  Eugene  M.,  466, 
483;  George.  272,  320;  Henry,  320 

Perryville,  churches  of,  399;  gazetteer  of, 
569,  570;  manufacturing  interests  in, 
397;  mercantile  interests  of,  398  ;  phy- 
sicians of,  399;  post-ofifice,  398;  schools 
of,  466 

Persons,  S.  E.,  Rev.,  77 

Peterboro,  churches  of,  395;  gazetteer  of, 
607-609 ;  hotels  of,  390 ;  lawyers  of,  393 
mercantile  operations  in,  393,  394 
physicians  of,  394 ;  post-office,  394 
prominent  farmers  of,  395;  schools  of, 
391,  460,  461 ;  settlers  of,  389,  390 

Petrie,  Daniel,  33,  130-133,  134.  166,  393, 
394,  484;  Thomas,  394;  T.  Foster,  208 

Pettitt,  S,  K.,  312,  314 

Pfeiffer,  Anton  and  Joseph,  371 

Phelps,  Francis  C,  329,  458;  Heman  H.. 
291;  Henry  S.,  208,  212;  Isaac,  381; 
John,  383;  Joseph,  98,  138;  Leo.  380; 
Moses,  132,  124;  Thomas  W.,  Col.,  139, 
159,  160 

Philipp,  C.  Herman,  296 

Phillips,  Abram,  290;  George  W.,  369; 
J.  W.,  334;  L.  P.,  280;  William,  80; 
W.  E.,  360,  463;  W.  H.,  335,  236 

Philpot,  E.  C,  203 

Pickard,  James  and  Joseph,  45 

Pickens,  Lot,  155 

Pierce,  Benjamin,  33,  57,  61,  484;  Eu- 
gene, 263;  Ezra,  124;  John,  85;  J.  O,, 
221;  Theophilus,  57,  58,  61;  William, 
247;  William,  2d,  248;  William,  broth- 
er of  Theophilus,  58;  William,  son  of 
Theophilus,  58;  William  S.,  375,  381 

Pierceville,  220,  221,567 

Pike,  Leroy  B.,  370 

Pilbeam,  J.,  383;  T.  W.,  378 

Pme  Woods,  221,  568 

Piotrow,  Valentine  and  Frederick  G., 
253 

Plank,  Josephs.,  327 

Plank  road  era,  187,  188 

Plato,  William  H.,  295 

Policy,  Charles  F. .  295,  297,  302 

Pool,  Abijah,  and  sous,  266;  Cyrus  O., 
335;  Gideon  Randall,  366;  J.  H.,  347, 
370,  533;  Oliver,  108,  189;  Samuel,  367 

Poolville,  business  interests  of,  266,  267 ; 
churches  of,  267,  268;  gazetteer  of,  583, 
584 

Pope,  Arthur  R.,  364;  E.  A.,  358;  E.  M., 
340;  L.  D.,  371 

Porter,  A.  L.,  323;  Curtis,  255;  Nathaniel, 
Rev.,  455,  457;  Orrin,  409 

Potter,  Albert  P.,  308;  Charles  M.,  324; 


George,  301;  John,  54;  Stephen  M., 
Dr.,  237,  483 

Powell,  Enoch,  Rev  ,313;  Jason,  138;  J. 
E.,  306;  Robert,  434 

Powers,  Henry,  254;  N.  C,  Dr.,  131,  394, 
399;  Philander.  54;  William,  33,  54, 
484;  W.  C,  391,  460 

Pratt,  Charles  E.,  237;  Daniel,  Dr.,  1.56, 
400;  Elijah.  Dr.,  131,  482;  James,  Dr.. 
114,  209,  210.  215;  John,  92,  95;  Jona- 
than, Dr.,  134,  126,  377;  Jonathan, 
James  and  David,  Drs. ,  130;  Matthew, 
92,  183,  403,  406;  S.  S.,  Rev.,  217;  Tim- 
othy, 324 

Pratt's  Hollow,  219,  220,  567;  churches 
of.  220 

Pray,  John,  Elder,  130;  Lewis,  157;  Wel- 
come, Dr.,  157 

Preston,  Harlan  C,  339,  347,  524;  Hiram. 
156,  400 

Prior,  Asahel,  Dr.,  136,  140,  166 

Pritchard,  John,  350 

Pryne,  A.,  236 

Pulford,  David  M.,  235 

Purdy,  Albert  G,,  Dr.,  104,  216,  291,  373; 
Joseph,  144;  William  H.,  295 

Putnam,  Darwin,  383;  Elijah,  Dr.,  378; 
John,  Dr.,  378;  S.  Kimball,  249 

Quackenbridge,  Emerson,  409 
Quackenbush,  H.  C  ,  408 
Quality  Hill,  138,  370 
Quinn,  E  ,  362 

Rabie,  Eugene,  216 

Railroads,    inception    and    building    of, 

179,  180 
Rainbow,  C,  A.,  343 
Rainey,  W.  W.,  343 
Randell,  S.  D.,  366 
Ramsey,  John  H.,  Dr.,  399 
Randall,  A.sa,    166;  J.  J.,  244;  Norman, 

409;    Ogden,    Dr.,    291;     Robert,    36; 

Thomas  L,  297;  Walter  F.,  396 
Randolph,  R.  F.,  249 
Rankin,    Aaron,    54;     Jairus,    404,    405; 

Matthew,  and  sons,  Aaron  and  Jairus, 

53 
Ranney,  Ebenezer,  Rev.,  408;  Ores,  54 
Ransom,    B.   A.,  296;    Charles  H.,  Dr., 

386:  D.,  Dr.,  262;  Edward,  466;  Ed- 
win   D.,    400;    Eli,    401;    Loren,    401; 

Orrin,  401;   Reuben,   55,  62;   Russell, 

155 
Rasbach,    David   H.,  275,  281,  324;    J. 

Clarence,  378,  281,  286 
Rathbone.  Amos,  106 
Rathbun,  A.  S.,  305;  L.  V.,  305 


238 


INDEX. 


Ratnour,  Barney,  288,  297,  306 

Rawson,  Samuel,  160 

Raymond,  Asa.  131,  393;  Charles  A., 
Rev.,  453;  John  H..  435 

Raynor,  Lewis,  224,  235 

Rechtenwald,  William,  277 

Reed,  Gilbert,  166;  James,  343 

Reeves,  Silas,  113 

Reidy,  John,  213 

Regiment,  114th,  roster  of  officers  of  the, 
and  history,  197-199;  157th,  history  of, 
199,  300 

Remick,  Charles  E.,  297,  483 

Remore,  C.  P.,  239 

Ressegieu,  J.  A.,  Dr.,  263 

Reynolds,  E.,  Miss,  460;  George  W.  Rev., 
395;  H.  M.,  304 

Rhoades,  William,  350 

Rhodes,  J.  E,,  Rev.,  285;  Wilmer,  268 

Rice,  Ambrose  W.,  263;  A.  C,  253;  C. 
H.,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  353;  Fordyce,  Dr., 
337;  Israel,  124;  John,  113;  J.  W.  T. 
and  Wilham  W.,  229;  L.  A.,  Mrs., 
352;  Luther  and  Joseph,  132;  L.  L., 
235;  William  W.,  235,  340 

Rich,  Coman,  301  ;  Eugene,  395;  James 
W.,  395;  Joseph,  84;'^Reuben,  395 

Richards,  Charles  E.,  389;  John  H.,  389; 
William,  388,  396;  W.  L.,  389;  W.  R., 
387 

Richardson,  Eldad,  113,  114;  Eldad, 
Lemuel,  Asa,  Benjamin  and  Eri,  109; 
Eri,  113,  383;  E.  G  ,  308;  George  W., 
406;  J.  v.,  306;  Nelson,  384 

Richmond,  Abizar  and  David,  130;  Da- 
mon. 367;  Isaac,  54 

Riddell,  David,  318;  Robert,  48,  179,  318, 
337,  335 

Rider,  Anson,  189;  John  R,  338,  342, 
347;  Matthew  G.,  34S;  Simeon,  196, 
340;  Zenas,  86 

Rightmyer,  Dennis,  400 

Riley,  Barnev,  234 

Ring,  David,'  86 

Risley,  Allen,  307,  463;  Frank,  366; 
Stephen,  130 

Ritter,  John,  314 

Rivenburg,  John,  409;  Sidney,  293 

Roach,  Alanson,  400 

Roads,  early,  25-30 

Roantree,  J.  E.,  381 

Robbins,  M.  B.,  382 

Roberts,  Charles  E.,  308;  De  Witt  C, 
280;  Eliakim,  81;  Hiram,  155,  236;  Irv- 
ing B.,  276;  Martin,  94,95;  Pliny,  Dr., 
43 ;  Sidney,  231 

Robertson,  John,  153 

Robie,  George  L.,  308;  Harry,  353;  Jon- 
athan and  Harry,  350 


Robinson,  Henry  T.,  373;  Pliny,  Dr., 
364;  Sarah  A.,  459;  Seneca,  153 

Rockwell,  Hiram  L.,  288,  396.  297,  300, 
336,  511;  J.  W.  and  Thomas,  409; 
Thomas,  403 

Roe,  Charles,  68 

Rogers,  Albert  C,  Dr.,  359;  A.  H.,  Rev., 
260;  David,  21.5,  220;  Edward,  375,  378. 
506;  F.  D.,357;G.  C.,362;Henrv,  323; 
H.  C  ,  362;  John  36,  364;  Jo.siah  and 
Medad,  58,  247;  Thomas  and  James, 
35,  36;  Mulford,  260,  439,  454 

Rollo,  Eber,  459 

Root,  A.  E.,  321;  Elam,  Dr.,  44,  105;  E. 
Lamb,  Dr  ,  372;  Francis  J.  and  Elmer 
C.  253;  Frank,  354;  Franklin  W,,  Dr., 
245;  George  H.,  377;  Lyman  126,  397; 
Menzo,  D.,  388;  Peter  P.,  434;  Portous, 
189;  .Solomon,  124,  221,  383,  455;  Syl- 
vanus,  jr.,  380 

Rose,  Charles  E  ,  415;  C.  N  ,  37«;  J.  T.. 
Rev.,  342 

Ross,  M.  H.  B.,  Rev.,  312 

Rouse,  C.  H.,  230;  E.  C.  328;  George  L., 
334,  235,  328,  458;  Henry  A..  229 

Rowe,  I.  W.,  262,  263;  J.  L.,  263 

Rowland,  Eugene  A.,  449 

Rowlands,  J.  M.,  254 

Royce,  L.  M.,  253 

Ruby,  R.  B.,  304 

Russell,  A.  M.,  350;  Enos,  360,  463,  463; 
F.  M.,  343;  George  B,  520;  Henry, 
339 ;  James  P. ,  338 ;  O.  A. ,  324 ;  Thomas, 
338;  William  and  Samuel,  354;  W.  C, 
373 

Ryder,  Henry,  344 

Sabin,  Sullivan  E. ,  371 

Sabins,  Pliny,  339 

Sadler,  George  S, ,  386 

Sage,  Isaac,  93,  214,  217;  Orrin  W.,  224, 

232,  3C4 
St.  Clair,  Major,  376:  Samuel,  61;  Theo- 
dore, 115 
St  John.  G.  H.,  362;  H.  C,  301;  Milton 

W.,  361,  363 
Salisbury,     Eber,     351  ;     George,     383 ; 

George  W.,   80,   225,   385;   James,    89; 

John,  89,  378;  J.  W.,  378;  Samuel,  111; 

Samuel  C,  282 
Saltsman,  Ervin,  397 
Sanders,  Augustus   L.,   Dr.,   359;  E.  C, 

303 
Sanford,   Abram,    260,    454;    Daniel   P., 

295;    George    H.,    301,   302;    William, 

131 
Sanger,  Jedediah,  37;  Joseph,  317 
Satchwell,  George  E.,  464 
Satterlee,  George  C,  344 


INDEX. 


Saunders,  Augustus,  38;  B.  Fred,  466; 
E.  Sophia,  Miss.  463;  M.  A.  and  L.  A., 
358;  O.  O..  o63 

Savage,  Enoch  L..  352;  Hiram,  2,53; 
James  L.,  244;  John,  75.  243;  R.  C, 
Rev.,  63 

Sawdy,  Fay,  205 ;  L.  L. ,  263 

Sawyer,  A.  E..305 

Saxe,  A.  J.,  Rev.,  329 

Sayles,  Gerrit  S  ,  813;  L  W.,  332;  George, 
111;  Sylvanus,  106,  111  ;  William,  132 

Schaffer,  J.  H.,346 

Scheifele,  G.  L.,  308 

Schellinger,  P.,  345 

School  commissioner  districts  in  the 
county,  428 

School  moneys,  first  appropriation  of 
public,  in  the  county,  424 

School  system,  common,  genesis  and  de- 
velopment of  the,  423-427 

Schuyler,  Jacob,  David  and  Hon  Yost,  45 

Scofield,  Newman.  290 

Scott,  Levi  and  Welcome,  368;  R.  J.,  331 

Scoville,  Allen  S.,  331 

Sears,  Baruas,  435;  Eleazer  H. ,  and  sons, 
339;  George,  339,  341,  345;  Irving 
Smith,  460;  Lewis,  340;  Stephen  G., 
338,  341,  345 

Sea\'er,  Robert,  52 

Seeber,  Jacob,  45;  John  A.,  298 

Seelev,  Thomas  G  ,  292.  302 

Sellic'k,  Drake,  155 

Senate,  Isaac,  138 

Senn,  Joseph  D.,  482,  514 

Sennet,  James  S.,  273 

Sergeant,  John,  Rev.,  23 

Sexton,  Ezra,   143 

Seymour,  C.  M.,  213;  Erastus,  245;  Silas, 
100,  103;  Silas  W.,  370,  371 

Shaffer,  Chauncey,  327 

Shapley,  David  and  Dunham,  98;  D.  B. , 
373 

Shed,  Jonathan  84 

Shed's  Corners,  557 

Sheffield,  James  D.,  262 

Sheldon,  Albert  N  ,  196,  257,  260,  454, 
482.  498;  Albert  Smith,  257,  523;  John, 
101;  Orson  and  William  L  ,  370;  Will- 
iam L. ,  371 

Shepard,  Aaron,  149;  Elijah,  350;  John, 
85;  L.  E.,  320;  Nathan,  ijll ;  Samuel, 
212;  Ralph,  Dr  ,  10.5,  373 

Shepardson,  Francis  C. ,  368 

Shephard,  Nathan  K. ,  462 

Shepherd,  Allen,  338 

Sherburne,  Lorenzo,  346 

SheritTs,  482,  483 

Sherman,  Ephraim,  273 


Sherrill,  Henry  I.,  454,  465;  Samuel,   103 

Sherwood,  Homer  W.,  316;  J.  T.,  276; 
Lorenzo,  356,497;  Luman,  504 

Shields,  Patrick  W..  55 

Shipman.  David,  130 

Shoecraft,  Matthew  J.,  522 

Shumway,  Charles,  521 

Siloam  post-office,  394,  610 

Silsby,  Jonathan,  Dr.,  237 

Simmons,  William  A.,  375,  381;  Zarah 
and  sons,  Benjamin  and  sons,  and  Gid- 
eon, 121 

Simonds,  Waterman,  54,  409 

Simons,  Frank  D.,  339;    Harry,  312,  313 

Sims,  Edward,  319,  324,  327;  Horatio, 
112;  Joseph,  113,  391,  460;  William.  73 

Sinclair,  Samuel,  90 

Sisson,  Eugene  P..  248 

Siver,  Winfield  S.,  320,  328 

Sizer,  Asa  B.,  Dr.,  32,  126  170,  175,  377, 
378,  481,  483 

Skadden,  William,  409 

Skelton,  Charles,  283 

Skenandoah,  271 

Skidmore,  Walcott,  133 

Skinner.  Averv  W.,  Prof.,  299;  Benjamin 
F.,  262;  William,  313 

Slater,  Elisha,  Nathan  and  Dr.,  83;  J., 
358 

Slingerland,  Gilbert,  332 

Sloan,  A.  S.,  188;  Andrew  S.,  209,  499; 
A.  Scott,  208;  Andrew  Scott,  347,  483, 
505;  Ithamar  C,  291,  298.  347,  505; 
William,  53 

Sly,  A.  M  ,  265 

Slyke,  L.  P.,  405 

Smalley,  Sylvanus,  32,  33,  138,  141.  170, 
484 

Smith,  Adon.  258;  Adon  N.,  254,  373;  Al- 
exander, 182;  Alvin,  243;  Asa,  291,  292; 
A.  D, ,  Dr. ,  237,  345 ;  A.  Y. ,  318 ;  Benja- 
min, 140;  C.  L.,  337;  C.  W.,  263,  364; 
David,  73,  113,  243;  Daniel,  57;  D.  E., 
377;  George,  375;  George  R.,  382; 
George  William,  4.52;  G.  Wells,  517; 
Gerrit,  181,  206,  390-393,  395.460,  494; 
Harvey.  243,  387;  Hermon,406;  H  B., 
225;  H.  K  ,  389;  Hubbard,  33,  339,  344, 
345,  484;  Ira  K.,  343;  Israel,  338.  341. 
343;  James,  70;  James  W.,  Dr..  386;  J. 
Dayton  F.,  373;  John,  47;  John  Adams, 
256,  498;  John  E.,  337,  415.  480,  482; 
Jonathan,  73,  248.  318;  Joshua,  61.  97, 
101;  Justus  B.,  97,  104.369;  J.  Hunt, 
195,  2.58;  Nathan,  144,  344;  Peter  32, 
33,  127,  138, 133,  160,  178,  480,  482,  484, 
493;  Peter  Skenandoah,  131-134,  394; 
R.  J.,  Rev.,  379;  S.,  387;  Samuel  C, 


230 


378;  Seth,  2d,  155;  Sidney  Dayton,  373; 
S  Perry,  210,  502;  Walter  K.,  400; 
Ward,  388;  Wiiliam  S.,97 
Smithfield,  churches  of,  134,  135.  395; 
early  lawyers  of,  131 ;  earl)-  physicians 
of,  131 ;  first  newspaper  in  the  county 
published  in,  135;  first  schools  in,  133; 
gazetteer  of  the  town  of,  605-601 ;  list 
of  early  merchants  of,  131 ;  manufac- 
turing industries  of,  131-133;  progress 
of  improvement  in  the  town  of,  389- 
396 ;  schools  of,  460,  461 ;  settlement  and 
settlers  of,  127-131 ;  supervisors  of,  list 
of,  611;  town  meeting  proceedings  in, 
134 
Smith's  Valley,    business,   etc.,  of,   372, 

590 
Smyth,  Winfield  S.,  224 
Snedeker,  W.  H.,  333 
Snell,  Addison,  409;  Ira  L.,  301,  302 
Snow,  Charles   N.,   131,    394;  Jonathan, 
53;  M.  E.,  366;  Seth,  92,   118;  Simeon 
and  Eleazer,  92 
Snyder,  Clinton  D.  and  W.  J.,  332 
Solon,  William,  181,  132,  393 
Solsville,  business  interests  of,  381,  382, 

600,  601 
Soper,  B.  W.,  320;  Goodwin  P.,  297.  301, 

302 
Souter,  John  W.  W.,  276 
South  Brookfield,  367,  546 
South  Hamilton,  269 
South  Lebanon,  273,  590 
Southwell,  Phineas,  33,  75,  484 
Southworth,  Oscar  L.,  Dr.,  864,  463;  W. 

H. ,  365,  463 
Spaulding,  K.  Reid,  400;  Samuel,  409 
Spear,  Eli,  341  ;  Martin,  224,  839,  342 
Spencer,  Charles  and  Hamilton,  276;  H. 
T.,267;  Ichabod  S.,  Gen.,  139,  140,  167, 
181,  275,  507;  Ira,   Dr.,  346;  Israel  S., 
275,  507;  Joshua  A.  and  children,  139, 
140,  167,  493,  507;  J.  Austin,  167;  J,  C, 
274;  Reuben,  333;  Rodman  and  sons, 
130;  Thomas,  Dr.,  130,  140,  275;  Will- 
iam, 315 
Sperry,  George,  249;  J.  E.,  404 
Spooner,    Edward    H.,    308;  E.   J.,   409; 
Frank   M.,   356,   360;  H.  L.,  356,   357, 
360;  Stillman,  Dr.,  291,301 
Squyers,  W.  T.,  366,  367 
Stacy,  Consider  H.,  Dr.,  261;  Nathaniel, 

62 
Stafford,  Francis,  286,301,  302;  Truman, 
126,    375,  376;  Henry,    400,   466;  Nor- 
man,   276,  278,  281,  284;  Van   Buren, 
400 


Stanbro,  William,  308 

Stanley,  C.  M.,  230;  Bowman  H  ,  Benja- 
min F.  and  C.  M.,  228;   Lewis,  73 

Stanton.  Albert  C,  352;  C.  B.,  237;  E. 
M.,  343 

Stapleton,  Charles  W.,  249,483 

Stark,  E.  C,  297 

Starr,  Albertus,  248;  Elisha,  231 

Stearns,  Thomas  W.,  43,  361 

Stebbins,  Charles,  168,  183,  224.  235,  335, 
455,  503;  Charles,  jr.,  235;  Gilbert,  121 ; 
John,  224,  231 ;  Samuel,  462 

Steere,  Esek.,  Capt.,  248,  251,  253,254 

Steers,  B.  C,  361 

Stephens,  Albert  G  ,  336;  D.  W.  C,  297 

Sternberg,  Edward  P.,  334 

Stevens,  Charles  E.,  303;  D.  W.  C  ,302; 
Francis  F.,  308,  211,  483;  Gaylord,  166; 
Richard,  385 

Stevenson,  James,  385 

Steward,  Nathan,  34 

Stewart,  Charles  B.,  290;  Daniel,  157, 
209,  319,  333,  334;  Edward  S,,  235; 
Henry,  405;  Henry  Y.,  306;  James, 
Dr.,  105,  372;  James  J.,  301 ;  James  S., 
208,  483;  Myron,  408;  Oliver,  52;  Os- 
car M.,  353;  Philetus,  146;  Robert, 
153,  157,  301,  319,  322,  324;  Robert  G  , 
280;  R.  I.,  292;  Walter  H.,  324,  483 

Stiles,  Orrin  M.,  249 

Stillman,  Arthur  J.,  857,  358.  360,  463, 
468;  Barton  G.,  338,  340.  459;  B.  G., 
jr.,  360;  D.  B.,  359;  Ethan,  462;  F. 
W.,  321;  J.  L.  ,463;  John  P.,  462;  John 
T.,  358,  360;  Noyes,  364;  Richard,  357 

Stillwell,  Alanson,  210 

Stimson,  Barna.  112;  Barna  J.,  249,  257, 
359,  506,  525 

Stisser,  Lewis  J.,  288 

Stockbridge,  churches  of,  408 ;  first  town 
meeting  in,  54;  gazetteer  of  the  town 
of,  611-617;  progress  of  improvement 
in  the  town  of,  402-409;  prpminent 
farmers  of,  409;  school  system  of,  409, 
467;  settlement  and  settlers  of,  50-54; 
supervisors  of,  list  of,  614 

Stockbridge  village,  615;  business  inter- 
ests of,  406,  407  ;  churches  of,  407,  408  ; 
hotels  of,  407;  physicians  of,  407;  post- 
oflBce,  407 

Stoddard,  A.  A.,  353;  C  G.  W.,  294; 
Grove,  292;  J.  F.,  353.  466 

Stone,  Anson,  54;  Asaliel,  483;  Asahel 
C,  131,  390,  391,  394.  870,  482;  Eras- 
mus, 391,  398;  George  P.,  347;  George 
W.,  505;  Hiram,  385;  H.  C,  397;  John 
J.,   233;  Lewis   B.,   234;    Moses,   385; 


231 


Oliver,     112;    Robert    Erasmus,    306; 

Walter  C,  282;  Watson  A.,  291,  299; 

William,  131 
Storke,  William  L.,  224,  458 
Storrs,  Otis,  312 
Story,  Amos,  290 
Stow,  Samuel,  215 
Stowell,  Clinton,  369;  Daniel,  101 ;  Enoch, 

97;  Joseph,  Dr.,  104,  262,  371 
Slower,  John  B.,  481 ;  John  G.,  356,   257, 

325,  326,  496;  Samuel,  59 
Stranahan,  Samuel,  132 
Stratton,  Benjamin,  85 
Streeter,  Robert,  120 
Striker,  W.  W.,  398 
Stringer,   Charles,   254,404;    C.   A.,  305; 

William,  404;  William  H.,  404 
Strong,  Alvin,  301 ;  Hezekiah,  237 
Stroud,  Charles,  281  ;  S    H.,  286,  288 
Suiter,  Frank,  321 
Suits.  Charles.  313;  Wallace,  276 
Sullivan,  agriculture  in,  335;  churches  of, 

49;  first  mills  in,  46;  gazetteer  of,  617- 

622;  list  of  first  settlers  of,  46;  progress 

of  improvement  in  the  town   of,  317- 

337,  prominent  farmers  of,  335;  schools 

of,  465,  466;  settlement  and  settlers  of, 

44-50 ;     supervisors    of,    list   of,    618 ; 

swamp   lands   and   their   dramage  in, 

336 
Sumner,    Henry   T.,    Dr.,    54,  405,  407; 

William  O.,  403 
Sunderlin,  R.  J.,  244 
Surrogates,  list  of   481 
Sutclitfe,  Marcus  H.,  Dr.,  378 
Sutherland,  Adelbert,  269;  Thomas  G., 

283 
Sutton,  Abram,  85,  340;  Allen,  338,  340; 

Lindley  and  James,  340 
Swain,  John,  124 
Swan,  E.,  333;  Lyman  D.,  371 
Swayze,  W.  M.,  305 
Sweet,  Martin  P.,  346,  504 
Sweetland,  Zadoc,  334,  231 
Swift,  Samuel  and  Thomas,  106 
Swinny,  L.  R.,  Rev.,  87 
Switzer,  W.  L.,  363 

Taber,  Charles  S.,  286;  Clark,  345;  Gil- 
bert, 344,  459;  James,  300 

Taft,  James,  53;  John,  129 

Tallett,  M.  E.,  343 

Tanner,  Marvan,  262;  Ralph,  123,  136, 
376,  377 

Tappen,  R.  J.,  320 

Taylor,  Frank,  388;  F.  M.,  80,  236;  Gad, 
149;  James  M.,  251;  James  Morford, 
443,  450;  Jerry,  320;  Myron,  131,  393; 


Noah.  73;  Richard,   101;  Stephen   W., 
435,  441;  Thomas  C,  394;  T.  C,  394; 
WiUiam,  Dr.,  284,  405 
Tayntor,  Ira  B. ,  465 
Teale,  B.  S.,  415 

Teller.  Isaac  Thompson,  Dr.,  325,  337 
Temple,  William,  54 
Ten  Evck,   Henry,   224,   233;  Jacob,  74, 

81,  183,  234,  235,  455 
Tenney,  Asa,   101 
Terry,  T.,  377 

Thayer,  Jonathan,  101,  371 ;  Jonathan,  jr., 
104,   369;    Orrin,  371;    Sylvester,   216, 
370,  371;  T.  W.,  232 
Thomas,    Ralph  Wilmer,  429;    Richard, 

325;  Samuel,  75,  324,  335,  334 
Thompson,    Alpheus,    130;    Elihu,    267; 
Elijah,  120,  134;  Nehemiah,  131;  Oren 
A.,  327;  Ralph,  465;  Samuel,  83;  Ste- 
phen   124;  Theodore  C,  293 
Thomson,  Sylvester,  371 
Thorn,  G.  W.,  Rev.,  217 
Thorpe,  Owen,  354 
Throop,  Dan,  59;  James  Mott,  Dr.,  105, 

372 
Thurston,  Alonzo,  260,  454 
Tibbits,  George,  113,  284 
Tibbitts,  Perry.  400 

Tillinghast,  B.,  306,208,  210;  Clark.  210, 
232,461;    George  S,   208;   John,  208; 
Otis  H.,  194 
Tillotson,  Abraham,  73;  J.  C.,458;  L.  B., 

339 
Todd,  John  C,  194;  R.  B.,  Miss,  463 
Tompkins.  Brownell.  117;  B.  Fitch.  524; 

F.  M..  353;  Gilbert.  Capt.,  123 
Tondeur,  Cleon,  276;  C.  H.,  284;    Felix 

andC.  H..  278 
Tooke.  W.  E..  258 
Topliff,  ElishaC,  208 
Torpy,  J.  W.,  885 
Torrev,  Daniel,  155;  Martin,  369;  N.  W., 

261 
Towns,  erection  of,  in  1807,  88;  genesis 

of,  31,  32 
Towns,  Asa  C.  71 
Tovvnsend.  Edward,  208 
Tract,  the  Canastota.  5;  the  Cowasselon, 

5;   the  New  Pew  Petersburgh.  5; 
Tracts,   purchasers  of  various,  6,  7;  va- 
rious, 5 
Tracy,  Albert,  506;    Albert  H.,  378;    C. 
D.,  318;  Phineas,  378;  Phineas  L.,  506 
Transportation,  early,  26-28 
Travis,  H.  O.,  286 
Treat.  Asahel,   P.,  43,  365;    Julius,  Dr., 

405 
Trevor,  J.,  Dr.,  255 


INDEX. 


Tripp,  Benjamin  and  Joseph,  86;  Melvin, 
351,  252 

Troup   Robert.  115 

Trowbridge,  M.  J  ,  234 
^Truesdell,  H.  A.,  264 

Trumbull,  Oliver,  139 

Truman,  Adelbert  W.,  Dr.,  346 

Tucker,  Alonzo,  244;  Bishop,  73;  Charles 
E.,  196;  F.  W.,  343;  Julius,  381;  J.  J., 
344;  Laban,  Dr.,  262;  Samuel,  213 

Tuckerman,  Abram,  384 

Tully,  Owen,  363,  364 

Tupper,  P.  W.,  333 

Turnbull,  George,  276 

Turner,  Benjamin,  113;  Charles,  198; 
Eugene,  466;  J.  D.,  155;  Robert,  405; 
Sanford,  405 

Turnpikes,  168-171 

Tuthill,  David,  33,  484 

Tuttle,  A.  C,  358;  David,  130,  169;  John 
P.,  299,  300;  J.  Otis,  312,  314;  Phile- 
mon, 71 ;  Thomas  and  Jesse,  106 

Twist,  Alpheus,  151 

Twogood,  D.  C,  376,  383,  384,  336,  411 

Tyler,  Peter,  131;  Samuel,  73;  W.  I.,  321 

Tylesworth,  Sylvester,  341 

Ufford,  Beach,  181 
Underdown.  Stephen,  269 
Underbill,  Charles  W.,  348,  257,  537 
Underwood,  Charles  K.,  483;   Joseph,  86 
Upson,  Miles,  303 

Valley  Mills.  408,  616 

Van  Allen.  Smith,  282 

Van  Brocklin,  Solomon,  404 

Vane,  Frank,  195 

Van  Epps,  Everard,  140 

Van  Evra,  L.  N.,  292 

Vander  Hess,  L.,  401 

Van  Hooser,  A..  D.,  274 

Van  Horn,  Burt,  296 

Van  Home,  Daniel,  166 

Van  Loon,  David,  407 

Van  Rensselaer,  Schuvler,  503 

Van   Riper,    Austin,    235;    A.    W.,   233; 

Caleb   74 
Van  Sice,  John  P.,  257 
Van  Slyck,  E.  D.,  249,  258 
Van  Slycke,  Garrett  and  George,  45 
Van  Slyke,  F.  L.,  403 
Vanvalen,  E.  S.,  336;  James,  363 
Van  VIeck,  Daniel,  281  ;    Harmonias,  131 
Van  Wagner,  L.  A.,  Dr.,  365,  366 
Vedder,  Estella  M.,  284 
Veling,  Joseph,  289,  300 
Villages,  incorporation  of,  183 
Vollmer,  B,,  229 


Vrooman,  Martin,  47,  140 

Wade,  Jonathan,  434 

Wadsworth,  Avery,  405;  Benjamin,  111  ; 
Henry,  351;  J.  B.,  311 

Wager,  I.  A.,  366 

Wagoner,  Charles,  353;    Charles  E.,  394 

Waite,  George,  372;  Orange,  262,  265 

Walden,  Philo.  218 

Waldron.  George  G.,  251,  258;  G.  R., 
257,  258 

Walker,  Ferdinand,  251 ;  Henry  S.,  342; 
Jacob,  130,  333;  James,  155;  Russell, 
83;  Samuel,  130,  244;  Silas  G.,  338,  343 

Wallace,  A.  E  ,  Dr.,  359;  Jason  T.,  296, 
297;  John  O.,  208;  M.,  317 

Walrath,  Charles,  Jo.seph.  Charles  I.,  and 
D.  H.,  293;  C.  A.,  397,301;  Daniel 
322,  327;  Daniel  D.,  324,  336,  327 
George,  327;  Gilbert.  331;  James,  337 
J.  D.,  314;  John  H.,  48,  324,  327,  331 
John  H.  and  Henry  I.,  317;  Joseph  H 
and  Alfred,  321;  Marcus  C,  327,  410 
Richard  R.,  330;  Richard  R.  and  D. 
D.,  333;  Peter,  334;  Peter,  Jesse  and 
Abel,  333 

WampsviUe,  315,  596 

War  of  the  Rebellion,  193-206;  quotas, 
enlistments  and  drafts  in,  301-205 

War,  Revolutionary,  18-21 

War  of  1813,  162-168 

Warr,  William  W.,  301 

Warcup,  Robert,  395 

Warner,  H.  G.,  188,  326,  493;  Judson  W., 
393,  395,  305;    N.,  333;    N.  P.,  Dr.,  245 

Warren,  Abner,  402;  Isaac,  75,  343; 
Perry,  367 

Warrick,  J.  E.,  380 

Washburn,  E.  M.,  371;  J.  D.,  264;  L., 
269 

Waterman,  Luther,  61,  63;  Stephen  C, 
388,  289,  297,  301 

Waters,  Bigelow,  Col.,  58,  61,  261 ;  Gardi- 
ner, 365;  Henry,  262 

Watkins,  William,  225,  228,  239,  240 

Wat.son,  Austin  A.,  313;  D.  S.,  278 

Watts,  John  Richard,  237,  340 

Way,  George,  313;  William,  353 

Wear,  Robert,  306 

Weaver,  George  M.,  235;  J.  B,,  282;  P. 
T.,  280;   Rufus,  106,  113;   Russell,  107 

Webb,  Christopher,  75;  F.  L.,  331;  Job, 
85;  John  P.,  138,  140,  141;  Nathan,  73; 
Sidney  B.,  262 

Webber,  Chandler,  73;  Peter,  133;  W.T., 
403 

Webster,  Abraham,  100;  Amos,  155; 
Hiram,  340;  P.  A.,  245 


233 


Wedge,  Charles  O.,  350;  Eugene,  254; 
James  E.,  196;  Lewis,  H.  374;  Stephen 
J..  373 

Weed,  W.  G.,  343,  345 

Welch,  Charles,  383;  Rosea  and  David, 
35;  James  W.,  257 

Wellington.  Calvin,  218;  David,  109; 
David  Gerry,  257,  498,  537;  Erastus  F., 
253;  Erastus,  349,  370;  Jonathan,  113 
■Wells,  Alfred,  375,  376;  Chauncey  P.. 
385 ;  Damon,  334 ;  Enos,  153 ;  E.  B. ,  377 ; 
Gardner,  Joshua  and  Robert,  109 ; 
•  Henry.  455;  James,  399;  Jason  B..  196, 
339,  459;  Iob._127;  John,  55;  John 
Aldrich  and  W.  Delos,  229;  Joseph  V., 
399;  Joshua,  465;  J.  R,,  Dr.,  210;  L.  G.. 
Dwight  W.  and  Edward  G.,  228;  Mat- 
thew, 84;  Samuel,  391.  460;  W.  D.,  225 

Welton,  Edward  E.,  348;  James  K.,  352 

Wendell,  B.  Rush.  324,  456,  513;  Burr. 
244;  F.  F     Mrs.,  457 

Wermuth.  Abraham.  401 

West,  Asa,  145.  149;  Charles  C,  327;  D. 
B  .  203,  248;  William  W.,  251 

West  Eaton  village,  churches  of.  219; 
gazetteer  of,  566,  .567;  industries  of, 
217,   218;  schools  of,  319 

Westcott,  James  H.,  304;  John  H.,  303 

Whedon,  Hiram.  54.  403,  406 

Wheeler,  Alonzo  W.,  379;  A.  C.  375,  381 ; 
Brothers,  409;  Clark,  333;  Daniel,  99, 
247,369;  Elisha.  369;  Erastus,  99,253; 
Erastus  D..  348;  E.  C,  460;  J.  O.,  363, 
364.  365.  463 

Whipple,  Hull,  387;  Jeremiah,  32,  111. 
181,  233,  387,  483;  William,   111 

Whitcomb,  Calvin,  134 

White,  Arthur,  282,  324;  A.  B..  341; 
Charles,  406,  407;  C,  C,  406;  Charles 
M.,353;  Clarence  A.,  283;  Daniel  and 
Daniel  D.,  34;  E.  R.,  377;  G.  C,  377; 
Hugh.  319;  H.  H.,  Dr.,  263,  364;  James 
and  Alexander,  120;  James  D.,  189; 
John,  134,  125;  Lemuel,  183,  334,  234. 
235;  L.  M.,  Mrs.,  229;  Nehemiah,  75, 
231.  237;  Samuel,  Capt.,  145,  350;  Sam- 
uel D.,  257,  359,  506,  522;  Sarah  E., 
Miss,  400 

Whitford,  Albert,  42.  363;  Calvin,  202, 
358.  360.  463,  483;  Edwin,  361,  365, 
463;  G.  L.,  3.58;  Hamilton  J..  43.  361; 
James.  Dr..  346;  Joshua,  37;  William, 
37 

Whitman,  Allen  S.,  288,  395,301.303; 
Franklin  M.,  380,  301;  Roswell,  371; 
Seth  S.,  435 

Whitmore,    Dwight,   353 ;  Epaphroditus, 


Dr.,  148,  149,  3.53;  Francis,  100;  George 
B..  264;  Joseph.  262.  .506;  Seth.  230 

Whitnall,  T.  S.,  238,  447 

Whitney,  Frank  E..  387 

Wibert.  Benjamin,  86 

Wick  wire,  Charles  M.,  249;  Jared,  Sam- 
uel. Nathan  and  Hiram,  122;  Lewis, 
248;  N.  R.,  248;  Samuel  and  Charles, 
352 

Wiggins.  Frank  M..  409,467 

Wightman,  G.  W..  244 

Wilber.  Vincent,  318 

Wilbur,  Benjamin.  166.  391;  B.  A.,  212; 
George,  312;  Nathan  B.,  341 

Wilbor,  Carlton  C.  Rev.,  457 

Wilcox,  B.  B.,  262;  Earl,  Dr.,  262;  F.  B., 
2.54;  G.  W.,  Dr.  256;  H.  T..  250;  Josiah. 
94;  M.  M.,  353;  Solomon,  313;  Willard 
D..  338 

Wilcoxen.  O.  S.,  133 

Wiley,  E.  J.,  269 

Wilkin,  T.  D..  305.  333 

Wilkinson,  Israel,  359 

Williams,  Amzi.  461  ;  Charles  H.  S..  225; 
Dwight  T.,  208;  Eleazer,  Rev.,  23,  271; 
Elijah  and  David,  350;  Elisha,  33,  78. 
484;  Frederick  A..  282;  F.  E.,  364; 
Harvey,  394;  Jame.s,  59,  298;  John,' 
183,  324,  227.  235,  236,  319 ;  Leonard, 
331 ;  Menoris,  149;  Oliver,  394;  Thomas 
and  John,  231 ;  WiUiam,  333 

Williamson,  Charles  H..  43,  361.  365,  463- 
R.  H..  263;  W.  H..  263,  373 

Willis,  Elisha,  214;  Spencer  and  Elv, 
262;  William,  263 

Wills,  William.  237 

Wilson.  Edgar  N..  482;  F.  E.,  229;  John. 
71;  John  W..  276.  280;  Jonathan  M., 
301,  407;  McGee,  409;  Theophilus,  Dr., 
237;  Thomas,  54,  155,  407 

Wiltse,  A.  J.,  380 

Wimmet,  John.  289.  316 

Winchester,  Samuel  B.,  216 

Wing,  Stephen  Mead,  284,  520 

Wingman,  L.  M.,  195 

Witherell.   George,  234 

Witherhead,  George  A.,  236 

Witter.  W.  E.,  301 

Wolf,  John  W.,  303 

Wood.  Adelbert,  409;Asahel.  113;  David, 
54,  85  406;  Enos  267;  Enos  and  Allen 
N.,  316;  Francis.  113;  H.  C  .  308;  Job, 
111;  Levi,  84;  Merritt  C  ,  344;  Plilan- 
der,  463 

Woodbury,  John  N.,  391,  394,  461,  463 

Woodcock,  John.  401 

Woodford,  James  H.,  375 


Woodruff,  O.  L.,  253 

Woods,  David  and  Jonathan,  318,  506 

Woodward,  Arnold,  228 

Woodworth,     Benjamin,     155;    Erastus, 

155;  Lysander,  401;  Martin,  156.  400; 

Melvin,  401;  Morris,  395;  Orriu  J.,  399 
Woolaver,  Nicholas,  166 
Wooley,  William  B.,  339 
Woolver,  Ralph  Hopson,  533 
Worden,  E.  L.,  363;  Jesse  B.,  348 
Worlock,  Cyrus,  398 
Wright,  C.  A.,  358;  D.  E.,  395;  Frances 

M.,  394;  Gideon,  130;  I.  O.,   391,  394, 

461 ;  Nathaniel,  85 ;  Orrin,  54,  405 


Wylie,  Moses,  103;  Thomas,  166,  483 

Vates,  Andrew,   Rev.,  465;  Henry,  465, 

John   B.,  178,  317,   331,    322,    337,   328; 

385,  465,  480.  491 ;  John  G.,  321 
Yates  Polytechnic  Institute,  465 
Yaw,   David,   106;  Joseph.   33,   106,   107, 

484;  Thomas  J..  359,  506 
York,   John,    38;  J.    F.,  368;  Lodowick, 

462;  Robert  P.,  339,  343 
Young,  Lawrence.  400;  Waller  H..  336 
Youngs,  John  B.,  274 

Zinimer,  Rudolph.  406 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


Chapman,  Benjamin  Franklin,  632 
Chappell,  C.  Will,  634 
Childs,  Perry  G.,  633 
Coolidg  James,  645 
Curtis,  S.  Allen,  636 
Ensign,  George  H  ,  639 
Farnam,  Stephen  H.,  644 
Forbes,  Gerrit  A..  640 
Haskell.  Edward  F..637 


Hickox,  W.  Jerome.  641 

Hubbard,  Calvin,  643 

Kelley,  James  A  .  Very  Rev.,  638 

Ledyard,  Jonathan  D.,  625 

Lincklaen,  John.  639 

Miller,  Hdgar  Lake,  Dr.,  643 

Payne,  Elisha.  630 

Smith,  John  E.,  646 

Ten  Eyck,  Jacob,  648 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES. 


Abbott,  Frank  J..  3 

William  Wallace,  3 
Abell,  Jabez  W.,3 
Adams,  Edmund.  147 

Herbert  E..4 
Allen.  Orlando,  186 

Spencer  B. ,  179 
Andrews,  Calvm  G.,  4 

David,  148 

Newton  Lloyd.  190 
Angel,  George  F.,  148 
Atkinson,  John,  4 

William,  4 
Audas,  Garritt,  5 
Austin,  Harvey  O.,  5 
Avery,  George  F. ,  6 

Baker,  J.  S.,  158 
Richard  M.,  7 
William  M.,  9 


Baldwin,  Charles  C,  11 

Walter  M  ,  163 
Bamber,  Robert,  160 
Barker,  George  H. .  20 
Barkinson,  Theodore  Joseph,  13 
Barott,  W.  E.,  23 
Barrett,  Adelbert  M.,  33 

Gerry  F.,  15 
Barton,  Avery,  8 
Bass,  Edgar  C,  Dr.,  13 
Baum,  Carl,  15 
Beal,  George,  14 

Thomas  H.,  15 
Beckwith,  Edward  Griffin,  Gen..  167 
Behr,  Joseph,   8 
Benjamin,  Frank  M.,  17 

Warren  H.,  21 
Betsinger,  Peter,  7 
Betts,  W.  D.,  11 
Bicknell,  Bennett,  19 


INDEX. 


235 


Bicknell,  Otis  C  ,  30 
Bitz,  John  101 
Black,  L.  D..  14 
Blair  Alvan,  202 

Charles  C,  157 

Seth,  16 
Bliss.  Norton  A.,  1.54 

Russell  Joseph,  185 
Block,  Fritz  C,  146 
Blodgett,  Ludrum,  172 
Blowers,  Truman  S.,  157 
Boardman,  George  Smith,  Rev.  Dr. 
Boden,  Edwin  R.,  Dr.,  9 
Bonney,  Benjamin  F.,  Col,  10 
Bridge,  William  L.,  11 
Broad,  John  H.,  18 
Brockett,  H.  D.,  20 
Brooks,  Nelson  O.,  Dr.,  147 
Brown,  Brewster  .S.,  8 

C.  F.,  182 

David  H.,  196 

Enoch  D.,  164 

Eugene,  18 

Everett,  31 

H.  Clifft,  Dr.,  142 

Oliver  T.,  172 

William  Delos,  33 
Bruce,  E.  N. ,  22 

Thaddeus,  Major,  201 
Buckingham,  C.  A.,  12 
Buell,  Warren  J.,  19 
Bulger,  Edward,  6 
Bumpus,  Pearl  D.,  14 
Burchard,  Sylvester,  17 
Burdick,  James  F. ,  7 
Burnham,  Sylvester,  Rev  ,  189 
Burr,  William  M.,  10 
Burroughs,  Lorenzo  J.,  12 
Burt,  Abrani  L.,  173 
Bushnell,  Addison,  169 

Holtou  A.,  195 

Calkins,  Caleb,  35 

Tracy,  35 
Campbell,  John  A.,  161 
Carl,  Peter  P.,  28 
Carpenter,  Austin  B  ,  34 

George  W. ,  35 

Henry  W.,  Dr.,  175 
Case,  Lester  M.,  31 
Cavana,  Martin,  Dr.,  25 
Chafee,  Hiram  E.,  37 
Chapin,  Dwight,  26 

Frank  W.,  27 

Samuel,  jr.,  24 
Chasmer,  George  W. ,  174 
Cheney,  Prentice  D.,  24 
Chesebro,  J.  H.  and  A.  D.,  83 


Childs,  Walter,  29 
Clark,  Ira,  29 
Clarke,  M.  J. ,  31 

William  Newton,  Rev..  152 
Clements.  Isaac  N..  Prof.,  30 
Cleveland,  C.  A.,  35 
Cody,  Francis  A.,  23 

Kendall,  33 
Coe,  D.  R.,  27 

Duane  W..  37 

E.    Emmons,  34 
6  Mary,   Mrs  ,  29 

W.  Emraett,  154 
Coleman,  Carlos  J.,  197 
Coles,  Theodore.  26 
Coley,  Joseph,  204 
Coman,  E.  R. ,  165 
Comstock,  Julius  C,  31 
Conkliu,  Lucius  Edwin,  196 
Conley.  Frank  P.,  33 
Conniff,  Thomas,  38 
Cook,  Chauncey  B.,  145 
Coon.s,  Charles  A.,  165 
Cooper,  Charles  H.,  195 

Frank,  36 
Cotton,  Hamilton,  173 
Couch,  Elsena  M.,  Mrs.,  36 
Cramer,  Norman  L. ,  25 
Crandall,    Franklin    R.,    176 

Irving  A.,  34 
Crawshaw,  W.  H.,  178 
Crayter,  Lucian  A.,  148 
Cronk,  Jeremiah,  38 
Crumb,  Joseph  H.,  163 
Cummings,  Lincoln  L.,  33 
Cunn  ngham,  Edwin  R.,  30 
Curtis,  Elizabeth  G.,   Mrs.,  28 

Samuel    173 

Damon,  Edwiu  S.,  43 

Loren  N..  197 
Danehy,  John,  43 
Darrow.  C.  F.,  45 

J.  J.,  44 
Davis,  Clark  W.    199 

I.  Willis,  43 

John  H.,  158 

Ward  Adams,  42 
DeClercq,  Gilbert  C,  174 
De  Lano,  Milton  38 
Denison,  Milton  L. ,  46 
Deuel,  Walter  Estus,  Dr.,  194 
Dewey,  Manford  J.,  40 
De  Witt,  George  W.,  45 
Dexter,  C.  W.,  198 

Edwin  N.,  44 
Dodge,  Amos  P.,  Dr.,  41 
Donnelly,  P.  H.,  188 


Drake,  Frank  C,  Dr.,  40 
Dunham,  E.  E.,  154 
Dunlap,  Edward  H.,  40 
Dunster,  John  L. .  46 
Dyer.  Benjamin  W  ,  38 

Eaton,  Henry  E.,  156 
Edgarton,  John,  47 
Edgerton,  Frank  L.,  173 
Eggleston,  Jerome,  170 
Eisaraan  Bros.,  155 

Willard,  48 
Ellis,  Ferrand  F.,  160 
English.  George  E.,  48 

Henry  Charles.  49 
Enos,  W,  E.,  46 
Evans,  Lewis  Vincent,  47 

Fairchild,  Sidney  T.,  114 
Faulkner.  Alonzo,  181 

Ephraim.  160 
Faurot,  Henry,  Capt  ,  52 
Fearon,  George  T.,  164 
Ferguson,  Almira,  49 
Fisk.  David  L,,  .53 
Fitch,  Jared  W.,  Dr.,  50 

S.  A.,  191 
Fort,  William  M.,  168 
Fox,  Charles  A. ,  50 

Eugene  C,  50 
Francis,  Adelbert  W. ,  53 
Freeborn,  Leonard  W. ,  51 
Frink,  George  \V.,  144 
Frost,  Clark  A.,  49 
Fuller,  John  H.,  51 

May,  Miss,  193 

Gardiner,  Frank  D.,   200 

Hull   S.,    Dr.,  54 

J.  L..  Dr.,  192 
Garrett,  J.  F.,  55 
Gifford,  Barton  R  ,  Dr.,  1.52 
Gill,  Edgar  D.,  55 
Goff,  L  Newton,  Dr.,  181 
Goodwin,  Sands  H.,  53 
Gorton,  Ambrose  E..  176 
GostHug.  G.  &  E.,  164 
Green,  A.  W.,  160 
Griffith.  William  H.,  Dr.,  153 
Griswold,  John  D. .  54 
Gulbran,  Charles  G.,54 

Haines,  E.  A.,  67 
Hall.  Jesse  Wilson,  55 
Hamblin,  Lucian  D.,  58 
Hamlin,  George  N.,  64 
Hammond,  WilhsA.,  Dr.,  66 


Harp,  Christian,  8 
Harrington,  Giles,  59 
Harris,  Frederick  D  ,  183 
Hathaway,  Henry  H.,  155 
Hay,  Arthur,  63 
Haywood,  Isvphene,  Mrs.,  161 
Hazeltine.  William  E.,  60 
Hecox,  Charles  L. ,  66 
Hickox,  Remington  B.,  64 
Higinbotham,  Niles,  307 
Hill.  Charles  A  ,  60 

John,  63 
Hiuman,  William  J.,  62 
Holdridge,  Reuben,  66 
Holleubeck,  J.  W..  63 
Holmes,  George  W.,  67 
Hopcraft  Thomas,  142 
House,  Charles,  59 

Eliphalet.  64 
Howard.  Adelbert  H.,  68 

F.  H.,  151 
Howson,  John  W.,  198 
Hubbard,  Edward  G.,  158 

F.  F.,  67 

John  F.,  57 

Robert  F.,  56 

Robert  J.,  56 
Hughes,  John  Charles,  68 
Hunt,  Frank  L. ,  58 
Huntley,  James  F.,  Dr.,  60 
Hutchinson,  Leroy  H.,  68 

Nathan  Bailey.  180 
Huyck,  Philip  J.,  57 
Hyatt,  Francis  A.,  207 

Smith  K.,  59 

Ingalls,  Albert,  69 

B.  Franklin,  163 
Isaacs,  I.  Henry,  69 

Jessup,  Samuel,  Rev.,  70 
Johnson,  William  J.,  69 
Johnston,  A.  S.,  71 

Bros.,  155 
Jones,  David  W. ,  73 

Richard  T.,  71 
Joy,  Milton  R.,  Dr.,  71 
Jurden,  Thomas  H.,  70 

Keating,  Daniel,  184 
Keeler,  Charles  F.,  163 

James  R.,  75 
Keith,  Ambrose,  74 

Frank,  72 

Watson  D.,  76 
Kelloway,  W.  M.,  165 
Kelly,  Dennis.  75 
Kennedy,  Harriet,  Mrs.,  74 


Kennedy,  John  M.,  75 
Kenyon,  A   E.,  163 
Kinney,  Calvin  T.,  73 
Kliug  &  Payne.  73 
Kuapp,  James  W. ,  Dr.,  179 
Knovvles,  James  H.,  166 
Knox,  William,  73 

Lamb,  Calvin  Augustus,  76 
La  Munion,  A.  J.,  79 
Langvvorthy,  Orthello  S.,  80 

William  F.,  143 
Larkin,  Leroy,  80 
Ledyard,  George  S. ,  78 
Lee,  Charles  A.,  182 
Lewi.s,  A.  E.,  &  Son,  79 

Benjamin,  81 
Lindsley,  A.  W.,  78 
Lippitt,  W.  G..78 
Lloyd,  Frederick  O.,  Dr.,  191 
Looniis,  Edwin  Dwight,  77 

Silas  L.,  77 
Loucks,  Howard,  81 
Love,  Charles  E.,  78 
Lowe,  C.  H   S.,  203 
Loyster,  J.  A.,  77 
Lum,  William  Tappan,  Dr.,  201 
Lynch,  James  C,  82 
Lype,  Norman,  76 

McCarthy,  Tames,  84 
McGregory;  J.  F.,  178 
Marble,  Fred,  1.58 
Marcellus,  Albert,  87 
Maine,  Paul  S.,  83 
Marquisee,  Lewis,  90 
Marshall,  Charles  P.,  83 

James  W.,  85 
Matterson,  H.  H.,  168 
Matson,  William  E.,  144 
Maxon.  Samuel  A.,  88 
Maxwell,  John,  86 
Maynard,  Charles  E.,  145 

W.  H.,  Rev.,  192 
Messinger,  Isaac  Newton,  209 
Miller,  Albert  E.,  84 

Jacob  H.,  82 

Levi,  jr.,  90 
Mitchell,  Thomas  H.,  167 
Morgan,  Francis  A.,  82 

John,  89 
Moody,  Adalbert,  90 
Moore,  Sidney  W.,  88 
Morse,  George,  83 
.      Silas  E. ,  84 

Walter,  85 
Mott,  David  C. ,  88 
Muuroe,  Loring,  187 


Near,  J.  De  Forest,  91 

William  S.,  91 
New,  Jefferson,  161 
Newton,  Alfred  J.,  176 
Nichols,  Omar  A.,  196 

Orville  A.,  92 
Niles,  R.  Olmstead,  93 
Nixdorf,  William  G.,  92 
Northrup,  Irving  J.,  91 

Joel,  91 
Nourse,  J.  Harvey,  93 

O'Brien,  Thomas,  93 
Owens,  William  W.,  94 

Parsons,  Cyrus,  95 
Peet,  Mary  A.,  Mrs,,  97 
Pennock,  Charles  F.,  201 
Perkins,  Gardner  H.,  96 
Perrv,  nee  Anna  H.  Wells,  96 

Eugene  M.,  98 
Pfaff,  Otto,  Dr.,  94 
Phipps,  David  H.,  94 
Potter,  George  H.,  94 

Henry  H.,  180 
Pratt,  Charles  E.,  95 
Preston,  George,  97 
Price,  George  H.,  99 

Ratnour,  Barney,  184 
Rawson,  Josiah,  40 
Reeve,  Jonas  L.,  104 
Reidy,  John,  103 
Rice,  Baxter,  200 
Rich,  James  W  ,  100 
Richards,  Wellington  R.,  104 
Richardson,  A.  E.,  100 

Sidney  J.,  105 
Richmond,  AsaN.,  159 
Riddell,  E.  L.,  Mrs.,  103 
Rightmyer,  Dennison  R. ,  102 
Robbins,  Herman  D.,  102 
Roberts,  De  Witt  Clinton,  101 

Thomas  R.,  106 
Rockwell.  Hiram  L. ,  170 
Rogers,  J.  F.,  102 
Root,  Alfred  E.,  200 

Samuel,  203 

Solomon,  103 
Rouse,  George  L.,  99 

H.  J.,  99 
Rowlands,  J.  W..  101 

Sabine,  A.  M.,  118 
Sadler,  George  S.,  119 
Salisbury,  George  W. ,  106 
Salsbury,  Julius  Eugene,  Dr.,  171 
Sawyer,  Ambrose  E.,  113 
Scheifele,  George  L.,  113 


238 


INDEX. 


Scott,  Henry,  113 

Loren  R.,  108 
Scoville,  J.  Edward,  125 
Sheldon,  E.  B.,  115 

William  P.,  108 
Shepardson,  Frank  Lucius,  169 
Sherman,  Edgar  D.,  183 

William  C,  119 

William  C,  111 
Sherwood,  J.  T.,  121 
Shute,  George  S.,  115 
Sikes,  John  H.,  120 
Sisson,  Eugene  P.,  192 
Smith,  Aden  N.,  115 

Alonzo  D.,  Dr.,  186 

Charles  Edward,  126 

Horace  K.,  107 

Ira  E.,  124 

Jame.s  W.,  Dr.,  179 

Joseph,  108 

Lucian  B.,  125 

Sidney  D. ,  178 
Snell,  Morey,  109 
Snyder  Brothers,  149 
Souter,  John  W.,  121 
Southworth,  Oscar  L.,  Dr.,  116 

O.  W.,  116 
Spaulding,  Philander,  183 
Spear,  Annie  Augu.sta,  Mrs.,  124 
Stafford,  Henry  M.,  109 

Norman,  119 
Stanbro,  William,   116 
Stanley,  C.  M.,  145 
Stanton,  Albert  C,  121 
Stebbins,  H.  L.,  118 

John,  113 
Stephens,  Albert  G.,  120 
Stewart,  John  G.,  Ill 

Robert  A.,  184 
Stillman,  Arthur  J.,  107 
Stimson,  John  E. ,  121 
Stisser  Family,  The,  110 

William  H.,  147 
Stoddard,  Albert  A.,  122 

J.  Floyd,  123 

S.  J.,  117 
Stone,  John  E.,  112 

Lewis  B.,  Rev.,  143 
Stradling,  Thomas,  151 
Stroud,  R.  W.,  120 

Tabor,  Byron,  159 
Tackabury,  N.  J.,  166 
Tallett,  Morell  E.,  129 


Taylor,  Harvey  I.,  16 

James  Morford,  189 

William,  Dr.,  131 
Tayntor,  Joseph,  150 
Thomas,  Ralph  W.,  Prof.,  191 
Thompson,  Gideon,   127 

Luther  Brownell,  126 
Tifft,  W.  A.,  131 
Tillotson  Family,  The,  127 
Timmerman,  Silas,  130 
Tondeur,  Cleon  A.,  193 
Tooke,  James  N.,  129 
Tripp,  Melvin,  128 
Truax,  James,  126 
Tucker,  ElivaB.,  Mrs.,  131 
Tuttle,  Abraham,  130 

Charles  N.,  156 

Irving,  130 
Tyler,  W.  I.,  166 

Ufford,  Joel.  132 

Van  Valkenburgh,  A.  T.,  Dr.,  108 

Wager,  Philip  H.,  137 
Walrath,  Elgin  Daniel,  UIS 

George,  135 

Peter,  188 
Warner.  A    J.,  182 

Judson  W.,  137 
Warrick,  J.  C,  169 
Waterman,  Stephen  C,  141 
Watkins,  William,  133 
Watts,  John  R.,  132 
Weaver  Bros.,  134 
Webb.  Frank  L.,  194 
-Wells,  Edward  G.,  133 
Wentz,  George.  142 
West,  W.  M.,  Gen..  135 
Westcott,  James  H.,  141 
White,  C.  C  ,  134 

Charles  M.,  Dr.,  136 

Samuel,  173 
Williams,  William  R.,  140 
Wilson,  John  H.,  136 
Winchell.  Wallace  M.,  133 
Witter,  William  E.,  140 
Wood,  Fred  R.,  137 

M.  C,  146 
Woodbury.  John  N..  135 
Wright,  De  Estin,  186 

York,  Jared  F.,  149 


PORTRAITS  AND  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Chapman,  Benjamin  F. ,  facing  032 
Chappell,  C.  Will,  facing  302 
Childs,  Perry  G.,  facing  503 
Coolidg,  James,  facing  880 
Ensign,  George  H..  facing  639 
Farnam,  Stephen  H.,  facing  644 
Forbes,  Gerrit  A.,  facing  501 
Hickox,  W.  Jerome,  facing  041 
Hubbard.  Calvin,  facing  268 
Miller,  Edgar  Lake,  Dr.,  facing  642 
Payne.  Elisha,  facing  556 
Smith,  Gerrit,  facing  392 
Smith,  John  E.,  facing  646 


Ten  Eyck,  Henry,  facing  648 

Map  of  Fortification  at  Wood  Creek,  17 

Map,  Old,  of  Central  New  York,  facing 
26 

Map,  Outline,  showing  Madison  County 
and  The  Gore,  facing  3 

Map,  Outline,  of  Madison  County,  pre- 
vious to  the  division  of  Lenox,  in 
1896.  facing  32 

Map.  showmg  the  division  of  Lenox,  in 
1896.  facing  286 

Muller  Mansion,  The.  147 


1    745 


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I