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Full text of "Re-union of the sons and daughters of the old town of Pompey : held at Pompey Hill, June 29, 1871 : proceedings of the meeting, speeches, toasts, and other incidents of the occasion : also, a history of the town, reminiscences and biographical sketches of its early inhabitants"

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AND 


. 


LIBRARY 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


GIFT    OF 


Class 


OF  THE 


SONS  AND  DAUGHTERS 


OF  THE  OLD 


TOWN 


HELD  AT 


POMPEY  HILL,  JUNE  29,  1871, 

PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  MEETING,  SPEECHES,  TOASTS  AND  OTHER 
INCIDENTS  OF  THE  OCCASION. 


ALSO, 


A  HISTORY   OF   THE    TOWN,  REMINISCENCES 

AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  OF  ITS 

EARLY  INHABITANTS. 


Publication   Committee: 

AVM.  W.  VAN    EROCKLIN,  LE  ROY    MORGAN,  RK'IIART)    F.    STEVENS, 

EBENE/ER    BUTLER, 

OF  THE 

((    UNIVERSITY  J 

OF 


POMPEY: 

Published  by  Direction  of  the  Re-Union  Meeting. 
1875. 


SYRACUSE,  N.  Y. : 
COURIER  PRINTING  COMPANY 


To  THE  DESCENDANTS 
The  Pioneer  Residents  of  the  Old  Town  of  Pomp.ey, 

THIS    BOOK 

— is— 

MOST  AFFECTIONATELY  DEDICATED  ; 
HOPING 

Tlfat  the  Bright  and  Shining  Example  of  their  Fathers 
and  Mothers 

HERKIX    TRANSMITTED    TO    THEM, 

May  bo  ever  their  Guiding  Star  through  the 
Voyage  of  Life. 


PREFACE. 

^^^ 


The  undersigned  committee,  appointed  to  supervise  the 
publication  of  tlie  proceedings  at  the  Re-Union  of  the  former 
residents  of  Pompey,  have  felt,  and  upon  inquiry  have  found, 
that  a  simple  history  of  that  day's  proceedings  is  not  all 
that  Avill  be  expected  at  our  hands.  We  have  accordingly 
obtained,  by  considerable  effort  material  for  a  more  ex 
tended  book.  In  the  following  pages  will  be  found,  not 
only  the  re-union  meeting,  including  speeches,  toasts,  etc., 
but  also  an  historical  sketch  of  the  town  of  Pompey,  and 
.•shorfr  biographical  notices  and  reminiscences  of  some  of  the 
prominent  and  early  settlers,  to  which  we  have  added  a  di 
rectory  of  the  names,  post-office  address,  occupation,  &c.,  of 
.as  many  of  her  distinguished  men  and  women  as  we  have 
been  able  to  obtain,  with  a  brief  mention  of  their  public 
life. 

The  publication  of  this  volume  lias  been  long  delayed, 
hoping  that  we  might  be  able  to  give  biographical  sketches 
ol  many  more  early  citizens  of  Pompey  than  will  be  found 
in  the  following  pages.  Our  efforts  for  the  last  year  and  a 
half  in  reference  to  this  book,  have  been  directed  to  this 
end.  Notwithstanding  our  appeals  repeatedly  made  through 
the  press,  and  personal  applications  to  the  descendants  of 
«he  fathers  of  old  Pompey,  the  absence  of  many  sketches 
we  had  hoped  to  obtain  is  annoying  to  us,  and  will  be  pain 
fully  manifest  to  all  acquainted  with  the  names  to  which  we 
.refer.  While  our  desire  has  been  to  produce  such  a  volume 


1.61394 


6  PREFACE. 

as  would  meet  the  approbation  of  all,  we  are  sensible  that 
many  things  worthy  of  remembrance  have  been  omitted. 

For  the  production  of  the  volume  as  it  is,  we  have  cheer 
fully  given  our  services,  and  hope  that  it  may  prove  a  pleas 
ant  visitor  at  the  fireside  of  Pompey's  children  wherever 
they  may  be,  and  a  source  of  lasting  happiness  to  us  all. 

WM.  W.  VAN  BROCKLIN, 
RICHARD  F.  STEVENS, 
LEK<JY  MORGAN, 
EBENEZER  BUTLER, 
HOMER  T).  L.  SWEET. 


A  BRIEF  ACCOUNT 


fata  i  \[$  Jesuits!  In  tyi  |i-|  »i0n. 


A  desire  seems  simultaneously  to  have  possessed  the 
minds  of  many  of  the  Sons  of  Pompey  to  revisit  the  home 
of  their  childhood,  and  very  naturally  this  desire  was  com 
municated  to  others  only  to  find  a  hearty  response.  Some 
time  during  the  year  1870,  Hon.  Horatio  Seymour,  Hon. 
William  G.  Fargo,  Hon.  E.  C.  Litchfield,  Leonard  Jerome. 
Esq.,  Dr.  Lucien  B.  Wells,  and  others,  having  expressed  a 
very  strong  desire  that  a  meeting  of  former  residents  of 
Pompey  should  be  held,  Dr.  L.  B.  Wells,  of  Utica,  commu 
nicated  by  letter  with  E.  Butler,  Esq.,  of  Syracuse.  The 
following  is  Dr.  Wells'  letter: 

UTICA,  July  10th,  L870. 

DEAR  SIR  : — A  few  days  since,  meeting  Gov.  Seymour,  he 
stated  to  me  that  ho  had  been  urgently  solicited  by  W.  G. 
Fargo,  of  Buffalo,  to  have  a  movement  initiated  for  a  re 
union  of  former  residents  of  the  town  of  Pompey.  The 
Governor  expressed  the  same  desire  and  promised  to  be 
present  on  such  occasion,  and  requested  me  to  write  to  some 
of  my  friends  who  may  feel  an  interest  in  the  matter.  From 
your  extensive  acquaintance  in  Pornpey,  and  in  Syracuse. 
where  so  many  families  reside  who  were  former  residents  of 
Pompey,  I  have  taken  the  liberty  to  present  the  subject  for 
your  consideration,  earnestly  desiring  that  this  proposed  re 
union  shall  take  place  at  no  distant  day. 

Respectfully  Yours, 

L.  B.  WELLS. 
To  Ebenezer  Butler,  Esq.,  Syracuse. 


8  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

This  was  the  first  measure  taken  which  finally  culminated 
in  the  Grand  Re-Union  of  June  29th,  1871.  Very  soon  the 
substance  of  this  letter  became  known  to  many  former  resi 
dents  of  Pompey,  then  residing  in  Syracuse  and  elsewhere, 
and  a  very  general  interest  was  created  in  the  subject.  Citi 
zens  of  Pompey  were  informed  of  the  state  of  feeling  exist 
ing  abroad,  and  at  Pompey  initiatory  steps  were  taken  to 
bring  about  a  re-union.  Accordingly,  meetings  were  held 
*it  Pompey,  and  finally,  one  on  the  6th  day  of  August,  1870, 
at  the  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  Wm.  "W.  Van  Brock- 
lin  was  Chairman,  and  Wells  M.  Butler,  Secretary,  it  was 
then  resolved  to  invite  the  Sons  and  Daughters  of  Pompey 
from  abroad  to  a  Re-Union,  to  be  held  sometime  in  Septem 
ber  following,  and  a  committee  of  arrangements  was  ap 
pointed.  The  committee  met  on  the  13th  day  of  August, 
4in d  after  full  consultation  it  was  decided,  in  view  of  the 
magnitude  of  the  enterprise,  the  distance  from  Pompey 
many  of  her  children  reside,  and  the  lateness  of  the  season, 
that  adequate  preparations  could  not  be  made  in  time  to 
secure  a  full  attendance.  The  committee  therefore  adjourned 
to  June,  1871,  to  meet  at  the  call  of  the  chairman.  In  the 
month  of  May,  1871,  some  fifty  or  sixty  former  residents  of 
Pompey,  then  residing  in  Syracuse,  held  a  meeting  at  the 
office  of  Dr.  R.  F.  Stevens  to  make  arrangements  for  co-op 
erating  with  the  citizens  of  Pompey  in  preparation  for  a 
re-union.  Lcvi  S.  Holbrook,  Esq.,  was  called  to  preside, 
and  on  motion,  it  was  resolved  that  a  committee  be  appoint 
ed  by  the  chair,  to  attend  the  contemplated  meeting  at  Pom 
pey,  and  to  co-operate  with  the  Pompey  committee  in  mak 
ing  arrangements  for  the  coming  re-union.  The  chair 
appointed  the  following  gentlemen  as  such  committee:— 
Henry  L.  Duguid,  Dr.  ]£  F.  Stevens,  Calvin  S.  Ball,  Jr., 
Wm.  A.  Sweet,  Edward  S.  Dawson  and  Ebcnezer  Butler. 

At  subsequent  meetings  held  at  the  same  place,  efforts 
were  continued  in  aid  of  the  re-union,  and  preparations 
made  to  ensure  success. 

During  the  time  intervening  between  August,  1870,  and 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  9 

June,  1871,  a  continued  intercourse  was  kept  up  among  those 
who  were  in  earnest  in  reference  to  the  matter,  to  the  end 
that  the  residence  of  all  entitled  to  an  invitation  should  be 
come  known;  and  especially  were  the  more  eminent  and 
active  descendants  of  Pompey  informed  of  the  enterprise, 
so  that  they  might-be  able  to  accommodate  1heir  business 
or  pleasure  to  an  attendance  at  the  contemplated  re-union. 

A  delegation  of  the  Syracuse  committee  visited  Pompey, 
and  were  present  at  a  meeting  held  June  3d,  1871.  It  was 
then  determined  that  the  Syracusians  should  co-operate 
with  the  citizens  of  Pompey,  and  Dr.  R.  F.  Stevens  was 
appointed  Corresponding  Secretary.  It  was  also  resolved 
to  publish  an  invitation  circular,  to  be  sent  to  all  former 
residents  of  Pompey  and  their  descendants,  which  should 
be  signed  by  the  invitation  committee,  inviting  them  to  a 
re-union  to  be  held  at  Pompey  Hill,  June  29th,  1871. 

The  daily  press  of  Syracuse  was  enlisted  in  the  project, 
and  notices  published  calling  the  attention  of  the  public  to 
the  high  degree  of  enjoyment  anticipated,  and  the  large 
number  of  distinguished  guests  expected. 

The  invitation  circular  was  also  published,  and  these  pa 
pers  and  hundreds  of  the  circulars  were  sent  to  every  part 
of  the  Union,  wherever  a  Pompey  man  or  woman  could  be 
traced.  The  office  of  the  Corresponding  Secretary  assumed 
the  proportions  of  an  immense  business  corporation,  send 
ing  and  receiving  mail. 

At  the  meeting  of  June  3d,  held  at  Pompey  Hill,  various 
committees  were  appointed,  and  the  committee  of  arrange 
ments  enlarged  and  sub-divided,  so  that  everything  calcu 
lated  tor  the  comfort,  pleasure  and  convenience  of  the 
expected  gathering  of  the  clans  of  Pompey,  should  receive 
attention.  The  names  of  the  persons  who  constituted  the 
different  committees,  and  the  officers  selected  for  the  re 
union  day.  arc  all  noted  in  their  appropriate  place.  From 
this  time  up  to  the  time  appointed  for  the  re-union,  the 
town  of  Pompey,  and  especially  the  village  of  Pompey 


10  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

Hill,  was  the  theatre  of  constant  plans  and  labor,  and  num 
erous  other  meetings  were  held  for  the  purpose  of  consumat- 
ing  the  arrangements  projected  at  the  meeting  of  June  3d. 

It  is  highly  appropriate  in  this  connection  to  acknowledge 
the  obligation  the  committee  of  arrangements  were  under 
to  the  Press  of  Syracuse,  and  especially  to  the  Standard, 
Courier  and  Journal,  for  the  interest  taken  by  them  in  pub 
lishing  the  invitation  circular  and  notices  of  the  Re-Union, 
both  before  and  after  the  occasion.  The  following  resolu 
tion  was  unanimously  adopted  by  the  committee  of  arrange 
ments: — 

Hesolved,  That  the  citizens  of  Pompey  are  under  high 
and  lasting  obligations  to  the  Press  of  Syracuse  for  the  un 
selfish  interest  manifested  by  each  of  the  daily  papers  in 
gratuitously  publishing  the  notices  and  circulars  of  our  Re- 
TJnion,  and  giving  to  the  public  so  just  and  full  an  account 
of  the  interesting  proceedings  on  that  occasion,  and  in  their 
behalf,  and  also  in  behalf  of  her  sons  and  daughters  abroad, 
we  tender  them  our  sincere  and  heartfelt  thanks. 

The  following  is  the  invitation  circular  above  referred  to, 
printed  on  tinted  note  paper.  On  the  outside, 

RE-UNION  AT  HOME. 

POMPEY,  Onondaga  Co.,  K  Y.,  June  1,  1871. 
You  are  most  cordially  invited  to  attend  a  Re-Union  of 
the  former  residents  of  the  old  Town  of  Pompey — now  Pom 
pey  and  Lafayette — which  will  be  held  at  Pompey  Hill  on 
Thursday,  the  29th  day  of  this  month. 

WELLS  M.  BUTLER, 
RICH'D  F.  STEVENS,  FRANK  JEROME, 

( 1or.  Sec'y,  Syracuse,  N.  Y.  Keo.  Sec'ys,  Pompey,  N.  Y. 

On  the  inside,  the  following  appeal,  signed  by  the  com 
mittee  : — 

AULD  LANG  SYNE. 

A  desire  has  been  implanted  in  our  natures  to  visit,  in 
after  life,  the  graves  of  our  ancestors  and  the  homes  of  our 


THE    POMPEY    BE-UNION.  11 

childhood — to  renew  old  acquaintance  and  revive  reminis 
cences  of  by-gone  days. 

Most  of  the  early  settlers  of  Pompey  are  gone,  and  the 
survivors  are  fast  passing  away.  They,  with  those  of 
younger  years,  join  in  inviting  the  sons  and  daughters  and 
former  residents  of  the  old  Town,  to  a  joyous  Re-Union, 
promising  them  all  a  warm  welcome  to  their  old  and  hon 
ored  home. 

It  is  desirable  that  all  should  arrive  at  the  village  as  early 
in  the  day  as  possible,  and  the  time  will  be  occupied  with 
meetings,  (both  day  and  evening,)  addresses,  music,  feasting, 
visiting  and  recreation,  with  ample  arrangements  for  the 
comfort  and  happiness  of  all. 

Addresses  arc  expected  by  ex-Governor  Horatio  Seymour, 
of  Utica,  ex-U.  S.  Senator  Geo;  II.  Williams,  of  Oregon r 
Judge  Charles  Mason,  of  Washington,  Maj.  Gen.  Henry 
W.  Slocuni  and  Judge  Lucien  Birdseye,  of  Brooklyn,  Hon. 
L.  R.  Marsh,  Leonard  W.  Jerome,  Esq.,  and  Hervey  Shel 
don,  Esq.,  of  New  York,  Hon.  Wm.  G.  Fargo,  of  Butfalo, 
E.  C.  Litchfield,  Esq.,  ofCazenovia,  Hon.  R,  H.  Duell,  of 
Cortland,  Hon.  D.  G.  Fort,  of  Oswego,  Dr.  Chas.  W.  Stev 
ens,  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Judge  Leroy  Morgan  and  Hon.  C. 
B.  Scdgwick,  of  Syracuse,  and  others  who  have  signified 
their  intention  to  he  present;  also  a  poem  is  expected  to  he 
read  by  "Grace  Greenwood"  (Mrs.  Lippincott)  who  intends 
to  be  present  and  join  in  the  festivities  of  the  occasion. 

From  Syracuse  persons  can  reach  the  Hill  by  the  Bing- 
hamton  Railroad  to  Lafayette  Station,  or  by  private  con 
veyance. 

Each  one  receiving  this,  is  requested  to  extend  the  invi 
tation  to  other  old  residents  of  Pompey,  and  all  who  accept 
this  invitation,  will  please  communicate  their  intention  to 
be  present,  by  letter,  to  the  Corresponding  Secretary — Dr. 
R.  F.  Stevens,  Syracuse,  N".  Y.,  at  their  earliest  convenience. 

COMMITTEE  OF  INVITATION. — Jehiel  Stearns,  Asa  II.  Wells, 


12  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

Beach  Beard,  Harvey  M.  Woodford,  John  J.  Taylor,  0. 
Jarvis  Wheaton,  Merit  Butler,  Chas.  R.  K  Hill,  Noah  Pal 
mer,  Zcnas  A.  Jones,  Elias  Barnes,  David  Hibbard,  Edmund 
O.  Clapp,  Manoah  Pratt,  Samuel  Baker,  Hiram  Clement, 
Miner  B.  Murray,  Alvin  M.  Ball,  Alanson  P.  Benson,  Ches 
ter  Baker,  Luther  Cole,  Elijah  Parks,  C.  C.  Midler,  Sand- 
ford  K.  Newell,  Warner  Butts,  Isaac  C.  Wicks,  Geo.  Doolett, 
Gersbam  Wheelock,  Uriel  Wilson,  John  H.  Clarke,  Lewis 
O.  Hill,  Victory  J.  Birdseye,  John  C.  Jerome,  John  Smith, 
Warren  Sloan,  William  Savage,  Reuben  Edgarton,  Harry 
Kuapp,  D.  G.  Southard,  Taber  D.  Williams,  Julius  Mason, 
Joseph  Wallace,  John  Hatch,  Joseph  Jennings,  Silas  L. 
Holbrook,  Hiram  Sutherland,  Daniel  Kellogg,  Grace  NeAY- 
man,  Benjamin  F.  Wheeler,  Reuben  Billings,  David  Will 
iams,  Chas.  Hill,  Matthias  Berry,  Henry  Candee,  Russell 
Duguid,  Nicholas  VanBrocklin,  Parker  Borden,  Ira  Dodge, 
Hiram  Perry,  Myron  Sharp,  D.  E.  Hay  den  and  Grrin 
Bishop. 

COMMITTEE  OF  ARRANGEMENTS. — Marshal  R.  Dyer,  Geo. 
E,  Wells,  Frank  Jerome,  W.  B.  Sweet,  R.  D.  Slosson,  Levi 
Wells,  W.  W.  VanBrocklin,  Frank  Porter,  Henry  Doolett, 
O.  G.  Dibble,  Ira  Ellis  and  Rensselaer  Northrup. 

COMMITTEE  OF  RECEPTION. — 0.  C.  Pratt,  Col.  M.  B.  Birds- 
eye,  A.  H.  Clapp,  Morris  Beard,  J.  Haskell  Stearns,  Fred 
erick  R.  Murray,  Samuel  A.  Hibbard  and  Samuel  Jerome. 

Other  Committees  were  subsequently  appointed  as  the 
work  ot  preparation  progressed,  but  the  names  of  those  who 
constituted  those  Committees  have  -not  been  preserved. 

The  Committee  to  prepare  the  tables — as  near  as  can  be 
ascertained — were  Jas.  VanBrocklin,  Chas.  E.  Hopkins, 
Nicholas  VanPatten,  Geo.  Kenyon  and  Eli  Pratt. 

The  following  are  among  the  persons  who  served  on  the 
Committee  on  Decorations,  the  Committee  to  prepare  vari 
ous  Refreshments  and  Furnish  the  Tables,  and  the  Commit 
tee  to  wait  upon  the  Guests  at  the  tables.  Many  of  them 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNIOX.  13 

served  on  two  or  three  Committees,   and  some,   doubtless, 
wlio.se  names  do  not  appear,  were  active  in  helping: — 

R.  Northrup,  Mclvin  Webster,  Frank  Robinson,  Josie 
Downs,  Laura  Beard,  Gertrude  Beard,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  S. 
Hale,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Levi  Wells,  Dr.  O.  G.  Dibble,  Fannie 
Wheaton,  Ada  Wheaton,  Lizzie  Wills,  Dora  Ellis,  Phoebe 
Curtis,  Alice  Dunham,  Olive  Corwin,  Lucia  Robinson,  Min 
nie  Beard,  Irving  Robinson,  Frank  Waters,  Fletcher  Soule, 
Wm.  Mason,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  Pomeroy,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  0. 
C.  Pratt,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Sonic,  Wm.  H.  VanBrocklin, 
Ellen  VanPatten,  Sarah  J.  Robinson,  Ida  Soule,  Celia  But- 
tcrfield,  Sophrona  Hay  den,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  V.  Butts,  So- 
phrona  Wilby,  Orlando  Robinson,  Fannie  Fisk  and  Julia 
VanBrocklin. 

All  the  arrangements  having  been  perfected  in  detail  that 
were  deemed  necessary,  all  awaited  the  approach  of  the  ap 
pointed  day  with  eager  expectation. 

THE  RE-UNION  DAY. 

The  morning  was  chilly,  and  clouds  overcast  the  sky.  A 
heavy  rain  had  fallen  the  night  before,  but  the  roads  were 
in  fine  condition ;  a  light  shower  fell  during  the  forenoon 
of  the  Re-Union  Day,  but  soon  after  noon  the  clouds  dis 
appeared,  leaving  one  of  those  beautifully  clear  and  trans 
parent  atmospheres  that  so  grandly  displays  the  gorgeous 
scenery  of  the  surrounding  hills  and  valleys — the  pride  and 
glory  of  old  Pompej .  Many  from  abroad  had  arrived  the 
night  before,  and  the  early  morning  saw  the  Hill  busy  with 
life.  A  large  tent  had  been  spread  on  the  village  green, 
sufficient  to  accommodate  three  or  four  thousand  people ; 
evergreen  banners  had  been  thrown  across  the  various 
avenues  leading  to  the  village,  and  one  spanned  the  village 
green  from  the  Presbyterian  Church  to  Capt.  John  J.  Tay 
lor's  store,  bearing  the  magic  word  "WELCOME." 

A  special  train  had  been  prepared  at  Syracuse  to  convey 
guests  to  the  Hill  by  the  Syracuse  &  Bingharnton  Railroad, 


14  THE    POMPEY    HE-UNION. 

via.  Lafayette,  and  it  was  filled  with  an  eager  and  expectant 
throng.  Teams  had  been  sent  by  the  citizens  of  Pompey, 
and  at  Lafayette  Station  awaited  the  arrival  of  the  train. 
A  procession  was  soon  formed,  consisting  of  sixty-eight  well 
tilled  farmers'  wagons,  which  was  met  near  the  "old  Ander 
son  Home"  by  two  mounted  marshals  and  an  escort,  sent 
from  the  village.  Dresner's  full  band,  from  Syracuse,  was 
at  the  head  of  this  procession,  and  as  they  came  in  sight  of 
the  village  the  band  struck  up  "Home,  Sweet  Home,"  and 
as  they  reached  the  village,  about  nine  o'clock  in  the  morn 
ing,  a  wild  scene  of  enthusiastic  welcoming  greeted  them. 
About  this  time  every  avenue  leading  to  the  village,  (of 
which  there  are  nine,)  was  full  of  vehicles  of  every  descrip 
tion,  conveying  thither  its  freight  of  human  hopes  and  ex 
pectations  for  a  glorious  Re-Union.  From  Syracuse,  in 
addition  to  the  special  train,  hundreds  came  with  their  own 
conveyance,  among  whom  was  Hon.  D.  P.  Wood,  the 
chosen  President  of  the  Day,  Gen.  John  A.  Green,  Jr.,  of 
Syracuse,  and  Hon.  Wm.  G.  Fargo,  of  Buffalo,  who,  with 
his  family,  Judge  Yerplanck  and  Hon.  Joseph  Warren,  of 
Buffalo,  came  in  his  mammoth  family  carriage  drawn  by  six 
splendid  horses,  which  he  had  transported  from  Buffalo  for 
the  occasion,  affording  him  an  opportunity  to  pass  the  home 
of  his  childhood  in  the  vicinity  of  Watervale.  From  Caz- 
enovia,  Fayetteville,  Manlius,  Delphi,  and  the  eastern  por 
tion  of  Pompey,  came  an  immense  throng,  over  three  hun 
dred  carriages  passing  the  Academy  Green  upon  their  ap 
proach  to  the  village  green.  Among  these  was  Governor 
Seymour,  who  came  from  Cazenovia  with  friends  with  whom 
he  had  stoppe'd  the  night  before.  From  the  south,  also, 
;came  an  equally  large  concourse,  and  as  the  immense  streams 
of  humanity  from  every  direction  poured  in  upon  the  village 
green,  they  mingled  together  in  serene  confusion.  Here 
met  those  who  had  been  separated  for  many  long  years,  and 
on  every  side  was  seen  the  greeting  of  relatives  and  friends 
— the  aged  fathers  and  mothers  living  over  the  sunny  days 
of  childhood.  Tears  and  smiles,  sorrow  and  joy,  chased 


THE    I'OMPEY    RE-UNIOX.  15 

each  other  over  the  gathered  multitude.  Here  was  a  crowd 
listening  to  the  reminiscences  of  the  early  days  of  Pompey 
by  Harry  Hopkins.  At  another  point  might  be  seen  the 
tall  and  commanding  form  of  Senator  Williams  receiving 
the  congratulations  of  the  friends  of  his  youth.  While  yet 
again,  in  the  conscious  dignity  of  a  virtuous  life,  moved  the 
presence  of  Governor  Seymour,  greeting  the  playmates  of 
his  youthful  days.  And  yet  again,  at  various  points,  might 
be  seen  Hon.  Wm.  G.  Fargo,  Ex-Mayor  of  Buffalo;  Hon. 
Charles  Hayden,  Ex-Mayor  of  Rochester;  Hon.  Daniel  G. 
Fort,  Ex-Mayor  of  Oswego  :  Hon.  Charles  B.  Scdgwick  and 
Hon.  Horace  Wheaton,  Ex-Representatives  in  Congress; 
Hon.  LeRoy  Morgan,  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and 
many  others,  surrounded  by  groups  of  admiring  friends,  re 
lating  incidents  of  early  life  in  Pompey.  And  }*et  again, 
among  the  multitude  were  a  large  number  who,  though  not 
so  distinguished,  have  yet  an  equal  claim  to  our  esteem  for 
their  consistent  and  upright  lives  of  integrity,  honoring,  as 
they  have  God,  humanity  and  their  native  town.  Such 
scenes  of  happy  greeting  as  were  witnessed  from  the  time 
the  people  began  to  assemble  till  the  closing  of  the  day,  and 
especially  from  9  to  11  o'clock,  on  the  village  green,  are 
seldom  witnessed  in  a  life  time.  No  words  can  convey  an 
adequate  idea  of  the  emotional  feeling  which  the  occasion 
called  forth. 

At  eleven  o'clock,  the  hour  appointed  for  the  meeting  in 
the  tent  on  the  green,  the  loud-mouthed  cannon  and  the  joy 
fully  sad  peals  from  the  old  bell  in  the  Congregational 
church,  that  had  in  early  days  summoned  many  present  to 
the  house  of  worship,  now  announced  the  hour  for  the 
formal  exercises  of  the  day.  The  tent  was  already  crowded 
to  its  utmost  capacity,  and  thousands  were  unable  to  gain 
admittance.  Dr.  Richard  F.  Stevens  called  the  vast  assem 
bly  to  order,  and  Hon.  D.  P.  Wood  assumed  his  position,  by 
order  of  the  Committee  of  Arrangements,  as  President  of 
the  Day.  The  Vice-Presidents  were  as  follows : — 

Dr.  Jahiel  Stearns,  Asa  H.  Wells,  John  C.  Jerome,  0.  J. 


10  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

Wheaton,  Myron  Sharp,  Morris  Baker,  Dr.  E.  Parks, 
Minor  B.  Murray,  Harry  Knapp,  Harvey  M.  Woodford, 
Grace  Newman,  Zenas  A.  Jones,  Samuel  Baker,  Charles  II. 
K.  Hill,  Joseph  Jennings,  Warner  Butts,  Silas  A.  Ilolbrook, 
Horace  Wheaton,  Manoah  Pratt,  H.  W.  Van  Buren,  Xa- 
thaniel  Foster,  Dr.  L.  B.  Wells,  C.  J.  Hayden,  J.  M.  Taylor, 
A.  T.  Dunham,  Solomon  Judd,  Addison  G.  Williams,  Mer- 
rit  Butler,  Win.  J.  Curtis. 

RECORDING  SECRETARIES. — Frank  Jerome,  W.  M.  Butler, 
of  Pompey. 

CORRESPONDING  SECRETARY. — R.  F.  Stevens,  of  Syracuse. 

The  services  were  commenced  by  the  hand  playing  the 
''Anvil  Chorus." 

The  Throne  of  Divine  Grace  was  then  invoked  by  Rev. 
Mr.  Cooper,  pastor  of  the  Congregational  church,  in  a  sol 
emn  and  impressive  prayer,  the  language  of  which,  it  is  to 
be  regretted,  has  not  been  preserved.  The  immense  con- 
xiourse  then  sung  the  words,  "  Praise  God  from  whom  all 
blessings  flow,"  &c.,  to  the  good  old-fashioned  tune,  u  Old 
Hundred,"  accompanied  by  the  band. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  singing,  the  President,  Hon. 
Daniel  P.  Wood,  said: — 

Sons  and  Daughters  of  Pompey  : 

Upon  an  occasion  of  so  much  interest  and  im 
portance,  when  those  who  have  been  long  absent  from  their 
childhood's  home  have  returned  to  visit  the  companions  of 
their  youthful  days,  and  to  look  again  upon  the  places 
familiar  in  life's  fresh  morning,  it  is  eminently  proper  that 
some  present  resident  of  Pornpey  be  called  upon  to  address 
appropriate  words  of  welcome  to  the  returning  pilgrims.  I 
therefore  have  the  pleasure  of  introducing  to  you  Wm.  W. 
VanBrocklin,  who  will  now  address  you. 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  17 

MR.  VAN  BROCKLIN'S  ADDRESS  OF  WELCOME. 

Fellow  Citizens,  Sons  and  Daughters  of  Pompey  from  Abroad : 
The  occasion  which  has  called  together  this 
vast  assembly,  is  one  which  will  ever  be  remembered  as  the 
brightest  period  of  our  earthly  existence.  To-day,  Pompey 
welcomes  home  her  sons  and  daughters.  And  as  one  who 
still  lingers  upon  this  soil,  consecrated  by  the  sacred  ashes 
of  your  fathers,  I  have  been  commissioned  by  the  present 
citizens  of  Pompey.  without  distinction  of  party  or  creed, 
in  their  behalf  to  express  their  most  sincere  and  cordial 
greeting — to  extend  to  you  who  have  come  hither  from 
every  quarter  of  our  great  and  glorious  land,  the  hospitali 
ties  of  the  town — to  assure  you  that  every  door  in  Pompey 
is  thrown  wide  open  to  receive  you,  and  that  you  may  feel 
the  same  degree  of  freedom  that  a  child  would,  upon  re 
turning  after  a  long  absence  to  visit  the  parental  roof.  Thus 
are  you  welcomed;  yet  the  occasion  is  so  fraught  with  recol 
lections  of  our  early  life,  and  so  eminent  are  the  characters 
of  those  who  have  come  back  to  honor  the  place  of  their 
nativity,  that  I  cannot  dismiss  the  subject  without  briefly 
expressing  a  few  thoughts  that  seem  to  me  appropriate. 
You  are  welcomed;  not  as  the  prodigal  son,  yet  with  an 
equal  degree  of  affection.  Unlike  him,  in  poverty  you  left 
us,  with  nothing  but  your  unblemished  reputations,  which, 
thank  God,  you  have  kept  pure,  and  your  stern  purpose  and 
firm  resolves  to  do  and  conquer  upon  the  battle  fields  of 
life.  Unlike  him,  you  have  not  spent  your  substance  in 
riotous  living,  yet,  while  Plenty  has  crowned  your  efforts, 
in  the  various  appointments,  which,  under  God,  you  have 
been  called  to  fill,  and  "want  goes  smiling  from  your  door," 
we  have  killed  the  fatted  calf,  and  upon  it  will  you  be 
feasted,  in  token  of  our  appreciation  of  your  exalted  worth;- 
and  as  you  will  soon  surround  the  table  of  your  re-union 
with  the  loved  and  cherished  companions  of  your  youthful 
days,  you  will  find,  while  joy  and  gladness  shall  abound, 
and  mirth  and  song  and  dance  shall  speed  along  the  happy 
hours  of  this  day,  that  this  is  not  entirely  an  occasion  of 


18  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

unmixed  festive  enjoyment.  Room  will  be  left  to  drop  the 
tear  of  affection  over  the  vacant  chairs,  and  over  the  graves 
of  those  we  loved  and  honored,  twenty,  forty,  sixty  yeaiv, 
ago.  To  them  is  due  much  of  your  success  in  life.  Their 
careful  supervision  of  3  our  early  education,  the  sterling 
worth  of  the  early  settlers  of  Pompey,  their  examples  of 
economy,  virtue,  honesty  and  strict  integrity  have  lefc  an 
imperishable  impress  upon  your  characters.  And  so  we 
iii id  that  this  re-union  of  Pompey 's  sons  and  daughters  is 
composed  of  an  array  of  talent  seldom  equalled,  never  ex 
celled,  and  it  impresses  the  mind  with  the  transcendaut 
value  of  our  institutions,  which  open  to  the'  rich  and  poor 
alike,  throughout  our  vast  domain,  opportunities  to  acquire 
fortune  and  fame.  Within  my  own  recollection,  Pompey 
has  furnished  to  our  State  Legislature  thirteen  members,  six 
representatives  in  our  National  Congress,  one  United  States 
Senator  and  member  of  the  recent  Joint  High  Commission, 
two  Governors,  live  Mayors  of  cities,  three  Supreme  Court 
Judges  and  one  Major-General  of  our  victorious  armies, 
while  we  have  heard  with  pleasure  and  pride  of  the  promo 
tion  of  many  who  have  left  their  Pompey  homes  to  posts  of 
trust  and  honor  in  other  States,  not  to  speak  in  detail  of  the 
large  list  of  i?iinor  offices  and  nominations  for  important 
trusts  that  would  tire  your  patience  to  hear.  In  addition  to 
all  these,  tfre  agriculturists,  artisans,  commercial  men,  citi 
zens  who  represent  all  the  industrial  pursuits  of  life  that 
Pompey  has  thrown  forth  upon  the  world,  challenge  the  re 
spect  and  admiration  of  every  community  from  Plymouth 
Kock  to  the  golden  shores  of  the  Pacific.  Xor  arc  the 
learned  professions  wanting  in  illustrious  examples  reared 
upon  this  sacred  soil.  Of  them  I  need  not  speak,  for  soon 
they  will  speak  for  themselves  in  yonder  grove,  in  strains  of 
stirring  native  eloquence.  And  yet  again,  Pornpey's  sons 
and  daughters  have  plucked  the  fairest  roses  from  the  tield 
of  science,  and  the  literary  world  does  homage  to  the  artless 
word  painting  of  the  unapproachable  Grace  Greenwood. 
AVhik1  all  I  have  said,  and  more,  is  true  of  Pompey's  chil- 


OF  THE 

|    UNIVERSITY   1 

OK 

.  .  K          s4r 


^^^"jj^! 


THE    POMPEY    15E-UNIOX.  19 

(Iron,  I  am  not  left  in  wonder  that  in  your  hearts  welled  up 
a  yearning  desire  to  visit  once  more  the  magic  spot  that  lias 
given  to  the  world  so  rich  a  legacy.  There  is  a  philosophy 
closely  connecting  a  people  with  the  land  of  their  birth. 
God,  nature,  divine  revelation,  and  humanity  in  its  normal 
condition,  are  all  in  harmony.  Hence  the  transcendently 
lovelv  scenery,  beautiful  landscape  views,  healthful,  invig 
orating  breezes,  enlarged  and  comprehensive  views  of  nature 
in  her  sublimest  moods,  witnessed  and  enjoyed  by  your 
mothers  and  yourselves  during  your  early  existence,  have- 
left  an  impress  upon  your  minds  and  assisted  to  form  char 
acters  that  will  continue  to  exert  a  salutory  influence  which 
will  reach  ever  onward  and  upward  throughout  the  bound 
less  cycles  of  eternity.  This  glorious  old  town  of  Pompey, 
of  classic  name,  overlooking  the  lakes  Onondaga  and  Oneida 
in  yonder  fertile  valleys — with  landscape  views  extending 
into  seven  counties  of  the  State,  itself  but  a  succession  of 
lofty,  luxurient  hills  and  fertile  valleys,  with  its  beautiful 
rivulets  and  cascades,  separating  the  waters  upon  this  inhab 
ited  summit  of  the  Empire  State,  to  find  their  meandering 
way  to  replenish  the  exhausted  streams  under  the  burning 
suns  of  a  Southern  clime,  as  well  as  to  mollify  the  freezing 
current  of  our  Xorthern  lakes,  i.s  one  of  the  spots  upon  this 
green  and  rolling  earth  where  the  true  lover  of  nature  would 
like  to  l)c  born  Therefore,  in  conclusion,  I  repeat,  wel 
come  to  these  sylvan  shades  and  cool  retreats;  welcome  to 
these  academic  halls,  where,  under  the  tuition  of  a  Stebbins, 
who  now  sleeps  'neath  the  clods  of  Chenango's  beautiful 
valley,  a  fit  resting  place  for  the  ark  of  a  spirit  so  noble  and 
so  good,  we  together  learned  to  climb  the  hill  of  science; 
welcome  to  the  holy  places  where  s^ep  your  buried  dead; 
welcome  to  our  mountain  homes;  welcome!  thrice  welcome 
to  our  hearts!  and  should  we  never  meet  again  on  earth,  be 
assured  it  is  ours  to  know  that  this  re-union  we  to-day  are 
permitted  to  witness  and  enjoy,  is  typical  of  that  never  end 
ing  re-union,  that  God,  the  Father  of  our  spirits  has  reserved 
for  all  his  children. 


20  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

The  band  then  played  "Home,  Sweet  Home." 

Hon.  Horatio  Seymour  was  next  introduced,  and  respond 
ed  to  the  address  of  welcome,  as  follows: 

GOVERNOR  SEYMOUR'S  ADDRESS. 

There  is  a  living  cord  which  binds  men  and  animals  to 

O 

the  spots  where  they  first  feel  life.  A  wonderful  instinct 
guides  the  fish  of  the  sea  through  the  dark  floods  of  the 
ocean  to  the  streams  where  their  existence  begins ;  that  di 
rects  the  bird  through  the  vast  expanse  of  the  air  back  to 
the  hidden  spot  where  it  was  born,  and  enables  the  beast  of 
the  forest  to  track  its  way  through  dense  shades  to  its  native 
lair.  A  secret  vague  yearning  for  our  first  home  draws  to 
day  to  this  retired  village  men  from  all  parts  of  our  broad 
country.  They  have  left  the  exacting  busy  pursuits  of  their 
several  stations  at  the  bidding  of  this  instinctive  demand  of 
nature  at  no  small  cost  of  time,  of  effort,  and  of  means. 
They  are  here  from  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic  and  the  Pa 
cific  ;  from  the  great  valley  of  the  Mississippi ;  from  North 
ern  and  from  Southern  States.  Whatever  their  stations  in 
life  may  be,  and  although  they  may  have  become  old  men, 
the  spirit  of  childhood  comes  over  them  when  they  stand 
again  in  the  places  where  everything  recalls  the  feelings  and 
the  associations  of  early  youth.  But  beyond  an  instinctive 
desire  to  revisit  our  native  homes,  there  are  moral  and  in 
tellectual  reasons  which  have  moved  us  to  accept  the  invi 
tations  of  the  citizens  of  this  towTn  to  meet  here  on  this  oc 
casion.  "We  sometimes  think  of  the  sorrows  and  joys  of 
childhood  as  trivial  things,  and  we  smile  at  the  deep  feel 
ings  they  once  excited.  As  we  grow  older  wre  look  upon 
them  in  a  different  light.  We  find  they  had  much  to  do  in 
forming  our  characters  and  shaping  our  fortunes.  Their 
memories  have  gone  with  us  through  life.  They  are  golden 
threads  woven  into  the  warp  and  woof  of  our  existence- 
They  grow  brighter  as  the  rest  of  the  fabric  fades  and  de 
cays.  No  man  comes  back  alone  to  this  spot  thus  hallowed. 
Each  is  surrounded  with  a  crowd  of  those  whom  he  has  in 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  21 

imagination  called  back  from  their  graves.  On  this  day  and 
in  this  place  he  sees  with  vivid  clearness  their  forms  and  as 
pects,  and  he  holds  with  them  a  closer  communion.  If  each 
of  us  could  see  the  cloud  of  such  visions,  which  fills  the 
minds  of  this  assemblage,  we  should  then  feel  that  we  are 
in  the  awful  presence  of  the  multitude  of  the  spirits  of  those 
who  once  lived  and  acted  here,  and  whose  memories  we 
cherish  among  the  sacred  things  of  our  hearts. 

Beyond  those  instinctive  thoughts  which  crowd  upon  our 
mind,  there  are  many  matters  of  historic  interest  connected 
with  this  town  and  this  vicinity.  They  would  make  ample 
topics  for  a  more  full  address  than  would  be  in  place  at  this 
time.  This  is  not  an  occasion  for  any  one  man's  speech, 
but  for  an  exhibition  of  the  feelings  of  each  and  all  who 
meet  here  to  indulge  their  memories  with  the  past  and  to 
do  honors  to  their  forefathers.  I  will  therefore  say  but  a 
few  words,  and  I  will  then  give  way  to  others. 

Those  of  us  who  have  reached  the  age  of  three  score  years 
will  remember  this  spot  as  one  of  the  frontier  stations  of 
civilization.  The  land  was  covered  as  with  a  pall  by  great 
and  gloomy  forests.  The  first  settlers  placed  their  homes 
upon  the  hill  tops,  where  they  could  most  readily  get  air 
and  light  and  an  outlook  over  the  land  then  covered  as  if  by 
a  great  ocean  with  the  green  and  waving  foliage  of  lofty 
tree  tops.  The  deeper  and  darken  valleys  were  shunned. 
Their  luxuriant  but  excessive  vegetation  was  fraught  with 
disease  and  death.  We  used  to  look  off  upon  the  lower 
lands,  where  the  city  of  Syracuse  now  stands  with  its  popu 
lation  of  fifty  thousand,  as  a  pestilential  place  to  be  avoided. 
It  was  then  an  unsightly  swamp,  in  whose  miasamtic  air 
many  sickened  and  died.  At  that  day  the  toil  and  energy 
of  the  country  were  given  to  cutting  down  the  overshadow 
ing  forests.  The  trees  were  felled  in  the  winter  months. 
In  the  spring  their  huge  trunks  were  piled  up  and  burned, 
filling  the  country  with  smoke  of  the  log  heaps  ;  in  the  sum 
mer  the  crop  was  cultivated  with  painful  toil  amid  the 
stumps  and  roots  that  covered  the  ground  with  a  net  work 


22  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

of  decaying  wood  ;  in  autumn  they  gathered  the  slender 
harvests,  which  gave  them  their  simple  food  and  scanty 
clothing.  For  these  blessings  they  thanked  God  and  were 
content.  It  took  a  lifetime  of  hard  and  patient  work  to 
make  a  cleared  farm  in  this  hill  region.  I  do  not  think  the 
men  of  this  generation  are  equal  to  the  work  done  by  their 
fathers.  I  will  not  recount  the  events  and  changes  which 
have  taken  place  since  their  days.  They  are  constantly 
forced  upon  our  attention  when  we  turn  our  mind  towards 
the  past.  It  is  enough  to  say  that  we  who  saw  the  forest 
cut  down  in  this  region,  who  watched  the  retreating  steps  of 
savage  tribes,  and  who  witnessed  the  destruction  of  the  wild 
beasts  of  the  woods,  have  lived  through  social  changes  and 
a  material  progress  equal  to  that  of  ten  centuries  of  English 
histoiw.  We  have  seen  changes  in  the  condition  of  our  peo 
ple  as  marked  as  those  which  have  occurred  in  Britain  from 
the  reign  of  Alfred  the  Great  to  that  of  Queen  Victoria. 
We  have  witnessed  the  first  steps,  and  the  highest  achieve 
ment  of  civilization. 

Let  me  say  a  few  words  about  the  social  condition  of  this 
town  at  the  beginning  uf  this  century.  The  people  were 
poor;  their  condition  was  one  of  constant  toil  and  hard 
struggles  to  gain  food  and  clothing;  but  these  evils  were 
relieved  by  the  kindly  sympathies  which  sprung  from  com 
mon  wants.  All  intercourse  was  upon  a  level.  Where  all 
were  poor  there  was  no  glare  of  wealth  to  shame  poverty  or 
to  cause  repining.  In  this  respect  this  community  was  then 
like  all  others  in  Central  K"ew  York.  But  there  was  one 
fact  which  every  native  of  this  town  loves  to  speak  of,  which 
sent  so  many  of  its  sons  forth  into  the  world  to  become  pros 
perous  men,  which  brings  so  many  of  them  back  to-day  with 
feelings  of  gratitude  to  their  fathers.  Amidst  all  their  pov 
erty,  toil  and  privation,  their  first  thought  was  to  get  schools 
for  their  children,  and  to  found  an  academy  which  should 
give  instruction  in  the  higher  branches  of  education.  To 
do  this,  great  efforts  were  made,  and  in  some  instances  men 
put  mortgages  upon  their  lands  to  enable  them  to  do  their 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UXIOX.  23' 

share  towards  building  np  this  institution.  For  a  long  time 
it  was  the  only  academy  in  a  large  section  of  this- State,  and 
many  pupils  were  sent  to  it  from  adjoining  comities.  The 
people  of  Onondaga  have  always  given  the  founders  of  this 
town  great  credit  for  their  wisdom  and  foresight.  Among 
the  first  in-comers  were  persons  of  culture  and  ability, 
who  did  much  to  form  the  characters  and  shape  the  policy 

1  1  t/ 

of  their  townsmen.  At  one  time  all  the  four  members  in 
the  Legislature  of  the  State  from  this  count}',  and  at  or 
about  the  same  time  the  representatives  in  Congress,  were 
natives  of  the  town  of  Pompey. 

It  can  be  claimed  for  its  academy  that  it  was  of  National 
consequence.  In  the  Senate  of  the  United  States,  in  the 
House  of  Representatives,  in  the  Judiciary  of  the  Nation 
and  of  New  York,  in  the  Legislatures  of  the  States,  in  the 
armies  of  the  Union,  in  the  pulpits  of  our  churches,  in  the 
learned  professions,  and  in  all  useful  pursuits,  those  born 
and  educated  in  this  town  have  held  positions  of  honor  and 
responsibility.  One  of  the  earliest  recollections  of  my  child 
hood  is  that  of  looking  upon  a  meeting  of  the  friends  of 
that  academy,  on  a  winter's  evening,  in  a  room  which  was 
lighted,  as  well  as  warmed,  by  a  huge  wood  lire,  which 
roared  and  flashed  in  the  cavernous  fire  place.  All  the 
means  and  efforts  of  its  founders  could  only  put  up  an  hum 
ble  building  for  academical  uses.  If  seen  now,  we  might 
smile  at  its  rude  workmanship  and  its  meagre  endowment 
of  books  and  apparatus,  but  it  we  could  see  it  in  the  light 
of  the  benefits  it  has  done,  we  should  bow  reverentially  to 
the  memories  of  those  who  founded  it,  amid  all  the  wants, 
trials  and  poverty  of  frontier  life. 

The  social  condition  of  this  country  has  changed  in  the 
last  half  century.  At  the  outset  it  was  rude,  but  it  was  free 
and  void  of  shams  and  hypocrisy.  They  had  a  kind  of 
teaching  too,  which,  in  some  ways  was  better  than  that 
gained  by  modern  improvements  in  books  and  schools.  At 
an  early  day,  in  poor  communities  only  those  who  were  able 
to  put  up  comfortable  houses  could  entertain  travelers. 


24  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

Hence  fifty  years  ago  Inn-keepers  were  among  our  leading 
men.  The  village  bar-room  was  not  only  made  attractive 
by  its  ample  space,  and  made  cheertul  by  its  great  fires  of 
logs  and  sticks,  which  would  be  called  logs  in  those  days, 
but  it  was  also  the  place  of  common  resort  for  all  classes. 
Here  the  lawyer,  the  doctor,  clergyman,  and  men  of  busi 
ness  and  of  labor,  met  to  talk  over  the  affairs  of  the  town, 
the  State  and  nation.  These  discussions  were  open  to  all 
of  the  wide  circle  which  filled  the  room. 

Men  then  heard  both  sides  of  the  questions  of  the  day. 
They  learned  to  temper  their  prejudices,  and  to  correct  their 
opinions.  Nor  was  the  gain  to  the  uneducated  only.  The 
members  of  the  learned  professions  were  taught  much  that 
was  valuable  to  them  in  their-  pursuits.  Clergymen  and 
lawyers  knew  more  of  human  nature  then  than  now.  Opin 
ions  were  not  formed  in  studies  alone,  or  from  association 
with  one  class  of  minds.  Hence  they  were  not  put  forth  in 
those  terms  of  bitterness,  and  with  those  feelings  of  bigotry 
-which  are  apt  to  mark  those  who  see  but  one  side  of  ques 
tions.  The  village  bar-room  had  its  evils  and  its  tempta 
tions.  If  these  could  be  done  away  with,  and  its  cheerful 
rooms  and  bright  fires  could  be  restored,  and  above  all,  if 
the  old  kindly  and  free  intercourse  among  all  classes  could 
be  lenewed,  we  should  not  only  have  better  order  and 
morals  throughout  our  social  system,  but  we  should  all  have 
wiser  and  better  men  at  the  bar,  in  the  pulpit,  and  in  the 
halls  of  State  and  National  legislation. 

The  amusements  of  those  old  days  were  more  robust  than 
at  this  time.  Physical  strength  and  activity  were  admired. 
Each  town  had  ambitions  of  having  the  swiftest  runner  and 
the  most  skillful  wrestler.  The  battle  with  the  forest  could 
only  be  fought  and  won  by  hands  hardened  to  toil  and  en 
durance.  These  were  the  qualities  most  admired,  for  they 
were  most  needed.  Our  deacons  would  not  now  think  of 
calling  out  the  country  to  aid  in  lifting  up  the  frames  of 
their  churches  by  a  promise  that  some  adventurous  man 
would  stand  upon  his  head  on  the  highest  ball  on  the 


THE    POMPEY    HE-UNION.  2o 

steeple's  top,  and  twine  his  feet  in  the  tines  of  the  lightning- 
rod.  Yet,  if  my  memory  serves  me  right,  the  church  which 
stands  in  its  fair  proportions  on  this  village  green  was  helped 
up  by  some  such  inducements.  I  am  sure  the  deacons  would 
not  try  to  stimulate  the  sale  of  pews  by  putting  a  pail  of 
punch  on  the  pulpit  stairs  to  warm  up  the  liberal  spirits  of 
the  church  members.  I  know  that  was  the  case  when  the 
pews  were  sold  in  the  church  just  by. 

It  has  been  said  that  those  were  the  "days  of  pure  liquor, 
sound  Democracy  and  vital  piety."  We  can  dispense  with 
the  liquor,  pure  or  impure.  Of  Democracy  in  a  partisan 
sense,  I  have  nothing  to  say,  but  as  it  is  held  by  all  classes 
and  all  parties  as  a  part  of  our  political  system,  I  think  it  is 
true  that  in  all  social  intercourse,  in  public  morality,  in 
official  virtue,  it  was  better  practiced  then  than  now.  So 
far  as  piety  is  concerned,  I  can  only  say  I  believe  that  then, 
as  now,  devoted  men  preached  the  truths  of  religion,  and 
toiled  with  faithfulness  in  their  Maker's  cause.  Many  of 
those  who  rest  in  yonder  grave-yard  went  down  to  their 
resting  place  soothed  and  comforted  by  an  assurance  of  fu 
ture  joys,  and  I  trust  all  of  those  who  stand  before  me  are 
animated  by  the  same  hopes,  and  will,  in  their  last  hours, 
be  sustained  by  the  same  consolation. 

The  President,  with  some  appropriate  remarks,  presented 
Governor  Seymour  with  an  exquisite  bouquet,  the  gift  of 
Mrs.  P.  P.  Miller,  of  DeWitt,  whereupon  Governor  Seymour 
responded  as  follows  : — "  I  am  very  much  gratified  for  this 
beautiful  bouquet.  I  have  said  already  how  I  reverenced 
the  memories  of  the  fathers  of  Pompey,  and  how  I  admired 
their  sons.  I  can  now  only  say  how  much  I  love  their 
•daughters."  [Applause  and  laughter.] 

Governor  Seymour,  in  a  few  moments,  rose  and  said: — 
"  My  friends,  pardon  me  for  lifting  up  my  voice  one  more. 
[Applause.]  I  spoke  of  the  early  men  in  my  county.  I 
tried  in  very  feeble  and  inadequate  terms  to  tell  you  what 
their  claims  were  upon  our  respect.  I  can  do  more  now. 


26  THE    POMPEY    RE-UXION. 

I  want  to  give  you  an  example  of  one  more  of  them  in  pre 
senting  to  you  Judge  Strong,  a  gentleman  ninety  year*  of 
age,  who  has  spent  his  whole  life  honorably  and  well,  trying 
to  serve  his  fellow-men,  to  honor  his  God,  and  to  uphold 
the  institutions  of  our  country.  I  now  present  you  Judge 
Oliver  K.  Strong,  of  Syracuse,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of 
the  town  of  Onondaga." 

The  aged  patriarch  stood  uncovered  before  the  immense 
assemblage,  his  clear  eye  indicating  a  vigorous  intellect  in 
his  green  old  age,  and  in  eloquent  silence  he  gracefully 
bowed  his  acknowledgements  to  the  hearty  welcome  of  ap 
plause  he  received. 

After  Judge  Strong  had  resumed  his  seat,  the  entire  as 
semblage  arose  and  joined  in  singing  the  following  beautiful 
anthem,  the  effect  of  which  will  ever  be  remembered  by  all 
present  on  the  occasion.  It  seemed  as  though  one  soul  ani 
mated  the  vast  concourse  and  one  sympathetic  cord  united 
all  the  people.  At  the  close  of  the  singing  a  solemn  still 
ness  pervaded  the  place,  and  a  happy  expression  beamed 
forth  from  thousands  of  tearful  eyes. 

AULD  LAXG  SYXE. 

Should  auld  acquaintance  be  forgot, 

And  never  brought  to  mind? 
Should  auld  acquaintance  be  forgot, 

And  days  of  auld  lang  syne  ? 
For  auld  lang  syne  we  meet  to-day, 

For  auld  lang  syne ; 
To  tread  the  paths  our  fathers  trod 

In  days  of  auld  lang  syne. 

We've  passed  through  many  varied  scenes,. 

Since  Youth's  unclouded  day ; 
And  friends,  and  hopes,  and  happy  dreams, 

Times  hand  hath  swept  away. 
And  voices  that  once  joined  witli  ours,, 

In  days  of  auld  lang  syne, 
Are  silent  now,  and  blend  no  more, 

In  songs  of  auld  lang  syne. 

Yet  ever  has  the  light  of  hope 
Illumed  our  darkest  hours, 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UXIOX.  27 

And  cheered  us  on  life's  toilsome  way, 

And  gemmed  our  paths  with  flowers : 
The  sacred  prayers  our  mothers  said 

In  days  of  auld  lang  syne, 
Have  ever  kept  us  in  the  right, 

Since  days  of  auld  lang  syne. 

Here  we  have  met,  here  we  may  part, 

To  meet  on  earth  no  more, 
And  some  may  never  see  again 

The  cherished  homes  of  yore  ; 
The  sportive  plays  and  pleasant  days 

Of  childhood's  auld  lang  syne — 
We  ne'er  shall  meet  to  know  again 

Those  joys  of  auld  lang  syne. 

But  when  we've  crossed  the  sea  of  life 

And  reached  the  heav'nly  shore, 
We'll  sing  the  songs  our  fathers  sing, 

Transcending  those  of  yore  ; 
We  there  shall  sing  diviner  strains 

Than  those  of  auld  lang  syne — 
Immortal  songs  of  praise,  unknown 

In  days  of  auld  lang  syne. 

The  President  stated  that  he  was  compelled  to  make  an 
announcement  that  would  undoubtedly  be  painful  to  all; 
Grace  Greenwood  can  not  be  present.  lie  then  read  the 
following  telegram: — "It  is  impossible  for  me  to  be  with 
you  to-day,  my  aged  mother  is  not  well  enough." — Grace 
Greenwood. 

The  President  then  announced  that  Mrs.  Dr.  H.  V.  Mil 
ler,  of  Syracuse,  would  read  a  paper  of  "  Reminiscences  of 
Pompey,"  in  place  of  the  poem  by  Grace  Greenwood. 

Mrs.  Miller  then  read  as  follows: — 

It  is  related  by  that  famous  traveler,  Bayard  Taylor,  that 
far  up  among  the  fastnesses  of  the  Pyrenees  he  found  a  race 
of  sturdy  mountaineers,  who  for  centuries  have  preserved 
intact  a  Republican  form  of  government,  despite  the  threats 
of  the  two  Despotisms  of  France  and  Spain,  that  crouch  on 
either  hand.  Strong  only  in  their  patriotism  and  their  nat 
ural  defences,  they  have  defied  intrigue,  diplomacy  and 


28  THE    POMPEY    PtE-UXION. 

brute  force,  and  still  maintained  the  letter  and  spirit  of  a 
pure  Republic.  The  same  traveler  tells  us  of  a  similar  in 
stance  among  the  Alps,  where  he  found  in  the  "little  Land 
of  Appenzell,"  a. hardy  nation,  of  limited  numbers,  but 
strong  in  the  patriotic  principle,  and  the  love  of  freedom, 
who  refuse  even  to  join  the  confederacy  which  unites  the 
Cantons  around  them;  whose  rulers  are  chosen  directly  by 
the  people,  and  who  have  preserved,  along  with  their  free 
institutions,  a  simplicity  of  life  and  manners  almost  pat 
riarchal. 

When  the  shores  of  what  is  now  Great  Britain  were  in 
vaded  by  foreign  hordes,  first  of  Saxons  and  afterwards  of 
Normans,  the  Cymry,  the  ancient  people  of  Wales,  retreat 
ed  to  their  mountain  fastnesses,  and  long  after  the  plains 
had  become  the  prey  of  the  invaders,  they  retained  their 
independence,  and  only  yielded  when  war  and  hardship  had 
reduced  the  race  nearly  to  extinction. 

From  these,  and  other  similar  facts,  we  cannot  resist  the 
conclusion  that  the  continuous  toil  of  a  mountaineer's  life, 
the  contest  with  the  elements  that  rage  unobstructed  around 
the  high  lands,  the  daily  habit  of  climbing  and  overcoming 
obstacles,  and  above  all,  the  pure  and  invigorating  air  of 
the  hills,  tend  to  develope  strength  of  character,  indepen 
dence  of  thought  and  action,  sturdiness  of  purpose,  and 
physical  force,  as  well. 

It  is  said  that  during  the  Crimean  war,  the  regiments  of 
Scotch  Highlanders  were  so  affected  by  home  sickness,  that 
the  regimental  bands  were  forbidden  to  play  the  national 
airs,  "Bonnie  Doon"  and  "Annie  Laurie,"  so  greatly  were 
the  spirits  and  health  of  the  men  affected  by  the  remem 
brance  of  their  native  land.  I  believe  it  is  an  acknowledged 
fact  that  love  of  home  prevails  most  powerfully  with  those 
born  and  reared  among  the  hills.  This  numerous  assem 
blage  of  the  sons  and  daughters  of  the  hills,  who  have 
gathered  from  all  points  of  the  compass  to  this  common 
center,  like  pilgrims  to  a  holy  city,  is  proof  that  we  are  true 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION",  '29 

to  our  instincts;  that  though  some  of  us  have  felt  in  former 
times,  and  while  under  the  spuv  of  youthful  ambition,  that 
"Pcrnpey  was  rather  slow,"  that  "we  wanted  to  get  away 
from  this  knoll,''  still  the  home  of  our  childhood  has  power 
to  win  us  for  a  time  from  the  pursuit  of  fame,  or  wealth,  or 
pleasure. 

And  the  noticeable  fact,  that  of  all  this  crowd  so  large  a  pro 
portion  have  won  for  themselves  a  competence  of  this  world's 
goods;  so  many  have  become  men  of  mark  in  our  country's 
annals;  so  many  have  helped  to  raise  the  general  average 
of  morality  and  prosperity  in  the  community  at  large,  goes 
far  to  prove  the  correctness  of  the  conclusion  that  a  youth 
passed  among  the  hills  is  a  good  preparation  for  the  arena 
of  life. 

In  the  case  of  many  here  present,  years  have  passed  since 
.they  parted  from  the  home  of  their  youth,  while  others  have 
by  frequent  visits,  kept  fresh  and  bright  the  links  of  mem 
ory's  chain.  With  all  of  us  it  is  love  and  loyalty  to  old 
Pompey  that  brings  us  here.  I  remember,  some  years  since 
—when  House's  Printing  Telegraph  was  first  invented — be 
ing  taken  by  a  friend  to  the  office  in  Syracuse,  to  inspect  its 
operations.  My  friend  introduced  me  to  the  operator  as 
from  Pompey,  whereupon  the  latter  telegraphed  my  name 
and  address  to  the  office  in  Rochester;  in  a  few  minutes  the 
answer  wras  unrolled  before  me,  it  ran  thus: — " God  bless 
old  Pompey!  Are  the  old  wind  mills  standing  yet?"  It 
seemed  as  if  I  could  see  that  man  swing  his  hat  as  he  gave 
that  telegraphic  cheer  for  his  old  home,  and  though  I  have 
forgotten  his  name  I  cherish  for  him  a  kindly  feeling  still. 
Many  such  pleasant  surprises  I  have  enjoyed,  when  by  a 
word  and  a  grap  of  the  hand  old  associations  have  been 
called  up,  and  long  buried  memories  revived.  I  have  stood 
in  a  crowd  of  strangers,  and  felt  all  the  dreariness  incident 
to  such  a  position  entirely  dispelled,  when  some  familiar 
voice  has  said  "I  used  to  know  you  In  Pompey!"  or,  "I  was. 
in  the  same  class  with  you  in  school  f'? 


30  THE    POMPEY    RE- UNION. 

We  are  proud  of  our  native  town,  and  it  is  an  honest,  well 
grounded  pride  that  we  cherish.  The  annals  bcth  of  our 
State  and  nation,  bear  honorable  witness  of  the  part  her 
sons  have  borne  in  the  history  of  both.  We  arc  proud,  of 
her  far-reaching  landscapes,  of  her  broad  emerald  slopes, 
now  bathed  in  sunshine,  and  now  swept  by  the  trailing  skirts 
of  a  passing  cloud;  of  her  atmosphere  of  such  crystaline 
purity  that  objects  which  are  miles  away  "as  the  crow  flies,'"' 
seem  at  the  distance  of  only  a  few  minutes  walk.  Down 
vender  among  the  "low  landers,"  we  boast  even  of  her 
superior  snow  drifts,  though  we  arc  not  anxious  to  face  them, 
and  until  lately  we  have  been  ready  to  venture  our  last  dol 
lar  that  Pompey  winds  cannot  be  beaten.  But  this  summer 
ii  son-in-law  of  Pompey  has  found  a  place  near  the  summit 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  where  a  head  wind  absolutely 
stopped  the  train.  Now  we  are  forced  to  acknowledge  that 
no  Pompey  breeze  was  ever  known  to  brow  beat  a  train  so 
as  to  force  it  to  a  stand  still;  possibly,  because  no  railroad 
ever  ventured  to  climb  her  heights.  So  that,  for  the  pre 
sent,  Pompey. meekly  yields  the  pre-eminence  in  this  respect 
to  her  Hocky  sisters  across  the  continent. 

I  have  heard  the  following  anecdote,  which  illustrates  this 
feeling  of  pride  and  attachment  to  Pompey:  In  the  town 
of  Lysander,  lived  some  years  ago,  a  blacksmith  known  as 
"Dutch  Jake  ;"  around  him  had  settled  several  farmers  who 
had  emigrated  from  Pompey,  and  who  were  accustomed 
frequently  to  apply  to  him  for  work  in  his  line.  They  were 
not  satisfied  with  his  work,  however,  and  did  not  hesitate 
to  declare  it  inferior  to  similar  work  done  in  Pompey.  On 
one  occasion  "Dutch  Jake"  lost  patience  at  a  remark  of 
this  kind,  and  exclaimed  with  emphasis,  "Its  all  Pompey! 
Pompey !  I  believe  you  folks  dat  come  from  Pompey,  you 
tinks  you  f/o  to  Pompey  ven  you  die .'" 

In  the  early  history  of  this  region,  this  town  held  a  con 
spicuous  position.  The  reputation  of  the  place  for  wealth, 
intelligence  and  refinement,  and  the  energy  and  talent  of 
its  principal  men,  called  hither  a  great  amount  of  business, 


THE    POMPEY    HE  UXIOX.  8 

and  made  it  a,  sort  of  commercial  emporium  for  the  country 
around.  I  remember  to  have  heard  from  the  lips  of  the 
late  Squire  M.  Brown,  of  Elbridge,  accounts  of  his  frequent 
journeys  hither  when  a  young  man,  with  loads  of  grain 
from  the  farms  of  his  father  and  his  uncles,  the  Munroes  of 
Elbridge  and  Camillus,  this  place  being  their  most  accessi 
ble  market.  Here  they  sold  their  grain  to  Henry  Seymour 
and  carried  back  groceries,  dry  goods,  &c.,  purchased  of 
him.  The  old  wind  mills  near  the  academy  were  erected 
by  Mr.  Seymour  for  grinding  purposes,  and  supplied  the 
needs  of  the  inhabitants  for  a  long  time. 

The  following  facts  (obtained  from  Samuel  Baker,  Esq.,) 
concerning  the  first  church  organized  here,  will  show  that 
the  early  settlers  here  were  men  of  good  moral  and  religious 
principles  and  energy  and  perseverance  to  carry  out  the  plans. 
The  First  Congregational  church  of  Pompey  was  formed 
October  19th,  1796,  by  Rev.  Amnii  R.  Robinson,  pastor  of 
the  church  in  Norfolk,  Conn.,  and  comprised  twenty-t\yo 
members.  Its  first  deacons  were  Levi  Jerome  and  Daniel 
Dunham.  It  first  settled  minister  was  the  Rev.  Joseph  Gil 
bert,  whose  remains  lie  interred  in  the  village  cemetery. 
In  1803  the  Rev.  Hugh  Wall  is  wras  installed  as  pastor,  and 
in  the  year  1810  the  church  became  a  member  of  the  Onon- 
daga  Presbytery.  About  this  time  the  Rev.  Artemas  Bishop, 
a  native  of  this  place  and  a  pupil  of  the  academy,  was  sent 
by  the  American  Board  as  a  missionary  to  the  Sandwich 
Islands  and  is  now  living  there.  In  the  3'ear  1836  Mrs. 
Crane  (Julia  Ostrander)  went  with  her  husband  as  a  mission 
ary  to  India.  As  fruits  of  the  religious  training  of  this 
church  and  the  academy,  we  offer  the  following  list  of  faith 
ful  ministers  of  the  Gospel  who  have  gone  out  from  onr 
midst : — Rev.  Jared  Ostrander,  Rev.  Charles  Jerome,  Rev. 
II.  C.  Harden,  Rev.  Carlos  Swift,  and  Rev.  Delos  E.  Wells. 

The  large  folio  Bible  given  to  the  church  \)y  Mr.  Henry 
Seymour  at  the  time  of  its  dedication,  remains  in  a  good 
state  of  preservation,  although  made  to  give  place  to  a  more 


3  THE    POMPEY    HE-t;NIOX. 

modern   one,  which,  with   a  handsome   silver  eommuniow 
service,  was  given  by  another  sister  in  the  church. 

For  many  years  the  above  church  was  the  only  one  in  the 
place;  but  in  process  of  time  three  others  have  been  organ 
ized,  and  now  occupy  their  respective  places  of  worship. 
From  these  tacts  it  will  be  seen  that  this  first  church  must 
have  exercised  a  powerful  influence  upon  the  early  moral 
and  religious  character  of  the  community. 

To  the  higb  standard  of  education,  also,  which  prevailed 
here  at  an  early  date,  may  be  attributed  much  of  the  influ 
ence  which  the  children  of  Pornpey  have  exerted  in  the 
community  at  large.  In  regard  to  schools,  she  has  been  the 
pioneer,  having  established  the  first  academy  in  this  region. 
The  original  building  was  erected  about  1805,  stood  nearly 
upon  the  site  of  the  present  edifice,  and  by  one  whose  early 
years  were  largely  passed  within  its  walls,  is  described  as 
follows : — A  frame  building,  two  stories  high,  and  painted 
yellow.  On  the  first  floor  were  two  rooms,  used  respective 
ly  as  a  high  school  and  a  district  school.  On  the  second 
floor  was  a  large  room,  used  as  occasion  required,  for  a  town- 
hall  or  chapel.  Up  to  the  time  that  the  present  church  edi 
fice  was  built,  in  1817,  the  Congregational  society  worshipped 
in  it,  and  my  informant  retains  a  vivid  remembrance  of  its 
bare  walls  and  its  uncomfortable  high-backed  pine  benches,, 
where  he  spent  the  time  of  service  in  vain  endeavors  to  touch 
the  floor  with  feet  and  to  see  the  minister  over  the  shoulders 
of  his  grown-up  neighbors. 

In  this  room,  the  Rev.  Joshua  Leonard,  (more  familiarly 
known  as  "Uncle  Jock,")  preached  on  the  Sabbath,  greatly 
to  the  edification  of  his  hearers,  for  he  was  a  man  of  great 
eloquence  and  power;  but  during  the  week  he  presided  over 
the  youth  of  the  community,  congregated  in  the  room  be 
low.  It  is  related  of  him  that  he  always  prayed  with  open 
eyes,  and  generally  standing  in  front  of  the  large  open  fire 
place  by  which  the  school  room  wras  warmed.  On  one  oc 
casion  a  young  man,  a  new  scholar,  entered  the  room  while 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  33 

the  Reverend  teacher  was  engaged  in  the  opening*  prayer. 
While  the  stranger  waited  near  the  fire  place  for  the  conclu 
sion  of  the  exercise,  a  roguish  hoy,  the  son  of  the  principal, 
stepped  slyly  behind  him  and  dropped  a  live  coal  into  his 
open  hand.  Uncle  Jock,  whose  watchful  eyes  saw  the  per 
formance,  broke  off  his  prayer,  administered  condign  pun 
ishment  to  the  offender,  then  quietly  resumed  the  broken 
thread  of  his  devotions,  and  finished  as  if  there  had  been  no 
interruption. 

Edward  Aiken,  Flavins  Littlejohn,  (a  brother  of  D.  C. 
Littlejohn,  of  Oswego,  who  afterwards  became  a  noted  law 
yer  of  Michigan,)  Henry  Howe,  since  for  twenty-five  years 
a  teacher  of  youth  in  Canandaigua,  and  Andrew  Hunting- 
ton,  were  Mr.  Leonard's  successors  in  the  old  academy.  It 
was  under  the  tuition  of  Mr.  Leonard  that  Charles  Mason 
and  Scab red  Dodge  received  their  thorough  mathematical 
training,  which  fitted  them  for  the  responsible  positions 
which  they  have  since  filled. 

In  the  new  academy,  built  in  1834,  we,  of  later  days,  recall 
Samuel  S.  Stcbbins,  classical  and  stately;  Ensign  Baker, 
renowned  for  his  hobbies,  successively,  of  elocution,  agri 
cultural  chemistry,  and — circular  swings  !  T.  K.Wright,  emi 
nent  as  a  drill-sergeant,  and  a  host  of  younger  men,  whose 
term  of  office  were  so  short  that  they  failed  to  impress  the 
public  memory  as  did  the  earlier  teachers. 

Among  those  who  presided  over  the  female  department 
in  the  new  academy  may  be  mentioned  Miss  Anne  Hopkins, 
afterwards  the  wife  of  Professor  Kendrick,  of  Rochester; 
sweet,  saintly  Harriet  Rand,  whose  blessed  influences  have 
not  yet  ceased  to  echo  in  the  hearts  of  her  pupils;  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Stone,  late  Mrs.  Niven,  whose  dignity  and  rare 
culture  still  grace  the  society  of  Syracuse:  Julia  Reynolds, 
whose  magnificent  physique,  winning  ways  and  charming 
conversational  powers  secure  for  her  the  admiration  of  all 
who  know  her ;  and  Adelia  Payson,  who,  a  few  years  since, 
left  a  large  circle  of  friends  and  pupils  to  bear  the  tidings  of 
a  free  gospel  to  the  women  of  China. 


34  THE    POMPEY    11E-UNIOX. 

A  lew  facts  iii  regard  to  the  district  and  select  schools, 
held  here  at  an  early  date,  may  be  of  interest.  Before  the 
year  1800  a  school  was  taught  in  a  log  house  near  where 
Colonel  Kellogg's  house  now  stands.  Miss  Lucy  Jerome, 
afterwards  the  wile  of  James  S.  Geddes,  and  mother  of  Hon. 
George  Geddes,  of  Camillus,  was  the  first  teacher.  Later, 
a  frame  building  was  erected  upon  the  village  green,  about 
due  west  from  the  hotel.  In  this  building  a  district  school 
was  taught  by  Leman  H.  Pitcher,  father  of  L.  B.  Pitcher,  of 
Salina.  It  is  supposed  that  about  the  year  1801,  Miss  Hepey 
Beebcr  taught  this  school.  Merrit  Butler  remembers  that 
his  father,  one  of  the  trustees,  sent  him  for  her  with  a  horse, 
to  her  home  on  Newman's  Hill,  and  that  he  rode  home  be 
hind  her.  When  the  first  academy  was  built,  the  district 
school  was  removed  thither,  and  Manoah  Pratt,  Daniel  F. 
Gott  and  James  Robinson,  were  among  the  teachers. 

One  of  the  earliest  select  schools  was  taught  by  Miss  Phil- 
ene  Hascall,  afterwards  Mrs.  Samuel  Baker,  in  the  front 
chamber  of  what  was  known  as  the  "  Joe  Colton  "  house, 
afterwards  occupied  by  Dr.  Stearns,  and  later  still  by  Joseph 
Beach.  Another  was  taught  about  1819,  by  Charlotte  Hop 
kins,  (Mrs.  Beards! ey)  iu  the  north  west  room  of  the  hotel 
kept  by  her  father,  Col.  Hezekiah  Hopkins. 

In  these  two  schools,  Charles  B.  and  Henry  J.  Sedgwick, 
Mary,'  Sophia  and  Horatio  Seymour,  Victory  J.  and  Ellen 
Birdseye,  Charles,  Richard  and  William  Stevens,  Cornelia 
Stearns,  and  many  others,  who  arc  now  in  the  prime  and 
vigor  of  life,  received  their  earliest  instruction.  Later,  prob 
ably,  about  forty-five  years  ago,  Miss  Rowena  Wells,  (Mrs. 
•Tared  Ostrander,)  taught  a  select  school  in  the  upper  story 
of  the  building  next  north  of  the  church,  known  as  the  Stev 
ens  house.  The  family  chronicle  of  the  writer  abounds  in 
anecdotes  of  this  institution,  only  one  of  which  will  be  re 
corded  here.  One  of  the  numerous  sons  of  the  family,  had 
received  in  his  face  a  paper  wad,  skillfully  snapped  by  his 
next  neighbor,  who  immediately  became  absorbed  in  his 
studies,  and  kept  his  face  buried  in  his  book  that  he  might 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNIOX.  35 

not  be  exposed  to  a  return  of  the  compliment.  The  other 
urchin  prepared  his  paper  missile  and  awaited  his  oppor 
tunity  but  none  came.  The  little  fellow  tried  various  strata, 
gems  to  no  purpose,  and  at  last  in  his  eestas}'  of  impatience 
resorted  to  extreme  measures,  "Miss  Rowena,  Miss  Kowena." 
he  called  out,  "  Mayn't  Dave  Porter  look  here  ?  "  "  Dave 
Porter,  look  there  !  "  replied  the  teacher.  Dave  did  look, 
and  received  full  compensation  for  the  injury  he  had  inflicted, 
whereupon  order  was  restored  and  the  operations  of  the 
school  resumed. 

The  district  school  house,  from  about  the  year  1820  to 
1845,  stood  west  of  Dr.  Stearns'  office.  In  this  building 
many  present  will  remember,  as  among  tbe  teachers,  Asa  H. 
Wells,  Calvin  S.  Ball,  Jno.  Doolett,  Alfred  Sloan,  and  Harry 
Gilford.  Since  this  latter  building  fell  to  decay  a  more  com 
modious  one  has  been  built  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
street,  which  was  burned  down  in  the  year  1867,  and  re 
placed  in  1868  by  the  purchase  and  remodeling  of  the  church 
near  by. 

Thus  have  I  endeavored  in  brief  to  span  the  interval  be 
tween  the  present  and  the  rapidly  receding  past ;  to  offer 
some  slight  tribute  to  the  memory  of  those  who  have  borne 
a  part  in  preparing  the  children  of  Pompey  for  positions  of 
responsibility.  The  task  has  been  a  pleasant  one,  and  lov 
ingly  performed. 

To  the  aged  who  in  spite  of  the  burden  of  years  and  in 
firmities  have  come  to  visit  the  scenes  of  their  past,  this  day 
must  wear  a  tinge  of  sadness,  for  of  many  whom  they  once 
knew  and  loved,  the  only  memento  they  will  find  will  be  a 
monument  on  yonder  marble-crowned  hill-top.  Let  us  who 
are  in  life's  prime,  go  forth  to  our  toils,  refreshed  by  the  air 
of  our  native  hills,  cheered  by  the  greeting  of  old  friends, 
remembering  that  "  old  age  creeps  on  apace,"  and  to  us,  the 
time  may  come,  when  the  scenes  of  middle  life  will,  to  our 
backward  vision,  grow  dim  and  indistinct,  compared  with 
the  vividness  with  which  we  shall  recall  the  scenes  of  our 
early  years. 


86  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

At  the  close  of  Mrs.  Miller's  paper,  the  quartette  from 
Syracuse,  Joseph  Durston,  Mrs.  S.  B.  Wood,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
J.  E.  Van  Cleeck,  sang  with  thrilling  effect,  "  We  have  come 
to  our  homes  in  the  old  Empire  State/' 

The  President  next  announced  that  they  were  fortunate 
in  having  one  of  Pompey's  younger  sons  present  who  had 
been  remarkably  busy  since  he  had  gone  forth  from  his  old 
home  to  the  busy  world.  He  had  represented  a  distant  State, 
on  the  Pacific  coast,  and  more  recently  had  been  a  member 
of  the  Joint  High  Commission,  and  his  name  would  be 
handed  down  to  future  generations  in  enduring  remembrance. 
He  introduced  Senator  George  H.  Williams. 

SPEECH  OF  SENATOR  WILLIAMS. 

Mr.  Chairman  and  Friends  : — 

One  of  our  distinguished  poets  has  written  beautifully  of 
the  "  Voices  of  the  Night,"  but  under  some  circumstances 
the  daytime  too,  has  its  voices,  and  from  the  suggestive  sur 
roundings  of  this  day  I  seem  to  hear  a  voice  saying,  "  Back 
ward,  flow  Backward,  Oh  tide  of  the  years."  Our  lives,  it 
appears  to  me,  may  properly  be  divided  into  two  periods. 
One  is  when  every  thought,  passion  and  emotion  of  our  na 
tures  is  absorbed  in  visions  of  the  future — sorrow,  repen 
tance  and  regret  for  misfortunes,  misdeeds  or  mistakes  suf 
fered  or  committed  are  then  unknown — our  life  appears  to 
be  spread  out  before  us  like  a  beautiful  panorama,  in  which 
we  see  the  green  fields,  the  flowery  pathways,  the  bright 
and  cloudless  skies,  but  in  which,  the  pitfalls,  the  thorny 
acclivities,  the  clouds  and  darkness,  are  artfully  concealed 
from  our  view.  This  was  the  period  of  life  through  which 
I  passed  in  the  town  of  Pompey.  Imagination  easily  carries 
me  back  from  this  stand  point  to  that  time,  when  I  was  one 
of  those  poetically  described  as  "  whining  school  boys," 
with  satchels  and  shining  morning  faces  creeping  to  school. 
The  tender  associations,  the  happy  scenes  and  the  sportive 
incidents  of  my  boyhood  now  comes  back  to  me,  like  the 


THE    POMPEY    RE  UNION.  37 

half  remembered  pictures  of  a  morning  dream.     Life  then 
was  little  more  than  a  succession  of  ecstatic  sensations. 

Whether  I  chased  the  butterflies  in  the  summer  sunshine, 
or  like  Maud  Muller  "  raked  the  meadow  sweet  with  hay," 
or  whether  I  toiled  through  the  snow  to  my  allotted  labor, 
or  ioined  in  the  pastime  of  snowballing  or  sleigh-riding  meta- 
phisically  speaking  there  was  "  no  snow  in  my  song  or  win 
ter  in  my  year."  Well  do  I  remember  the  day  when  like 
another  youth  of  whom  we  read  bearing  aloft  a  banner  with 
the  strange  device,  "  Excelsior,"  I  come  up  from  the  district 
school  of  the  country  to  the  Academy  on  the  Hill — yon 
der  stands  the  old  Academy  —  foundation  and  superstruc 
ture,  walls  and  windows,  roof  and  belfry  as  they  were 
moro  than  twenty  years  ago.  Unattractive  and  inanimate 
that  time- worn  and  weather  beaten  pile  of  stone  and  mor 
tar  seems  to  be,  but  every  crevice  and  nook  and  corner 
is  quick  with  the  memories  of  youthful  friends  and  by-gone 
years.  They  inhabit  every  room.  They  occupy  every  seat. 
They  sit  at  every  desk.  They  are  regular  at  the  morning 
prayer  and  at  the  recitation.  They  are  as  bright  and  joyous 
as  ever.  Unseen  and  unheard,  they  steal  out  of  those  por 
tals  with  which  so  many  of  us  are  familiar,  to  take  part  in 
the  proceedings  of  this  day.  Many  things  crowd  upon  my 
mind  from  the  reminiscences  of  that  old  Academy,  but  none 
are  more  prominent  or  pleasing  than  those  connected  with 
its  then  flourishing  Lyceum.  The  beauty  and  the  chivalry 
of  Pompey  were  accustomed  to  meet  there.  Debate  was  not 
'Confined  to  those  connected  with  the  school;  but  Gott, 
plausible,  persuasive  and  eloquent,  Birdseye,  always  law 
yer-like  and  logical,  Dodge,  with  his  strong  practical  views, 
appeared  upon  that  arena  of  intellectual  combat.  They  were 
•"  giants  in  those  days,"  as  it  then  appeared  to  me,  and  I  still 
think  that  their  speeches  compared  favorably  with  those  I 
have  heard  in  bodies  of  much  higher  pretensions.  I  have 
met  with  a  reasonable  share  of  success  and  prosperity  since 
I  left  this  town,  but  whenever  I  review  my  life,  I  always 


38  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

decide  that  the  happiest  of  its  days  are  those  I  passed  in  the 
Pompey  Academy. 

Circumstances  of  fortune  as  many  of  you  know  were  not 
very  favorable,  but  I  had  a  heart  for  controversy  with  these. 
Spurning  all  such  embarrassments,  I  only  looked  up  that  lad 
der  which  I  had  set  out  to  climb,  whose  top  appeared  to 
penetrate  the  shining  temples  of  fortune  and  fame.  Time 
and  experience  have  satisfied  me,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  that  the 
enjoyments  of  this  world  unmixed  with  trouble,  are  found 
more  than  elsewhere  in  these  illusions  of  early  life.  When 
I  considered  myself  sufficiently  prepared  I  applied  to  one 
with  whose  name  most  of  you  are  familiar,  and  whose  memo 
ry  I  shall  always  revere,  to  pursue  the  study  of  the  law  in 
his  office.  Do  you  know  said  he,  in  answer  to  the  applica 
tion,  "  How  long  Jacob  was  compelled  to  serve  for  his  wife 
Rachel  ?  "  Being  a  little  more  familiar  with  the  scriptures 
then  than  I  am  now,  I  was  quite  read}'  with  the  answer. 

He  then  said  what  I  have  since  found  to  be  true,  that  the 
law  for  its  favors  demanded  the  same  fidelity  and  devotion 
that  Jacob  displayed  for  Rachel,  and  pointed  out  with  pater 
nal  kindness  the  difficulties  and  discouragements  I  would 

O 

have  to  encounter.  I  (old  him  that  my  resolution  was  made 
and  could  not  be  changed  ;  three  years  for  the  most  part  of 
the  time,  I  passed  in  his  presence,  and  among  the  books  of 
his  office,  and  I  can  only  say  that  if  Jacob  enjoyed  his  ser 
vice  for  Rachel  as  much  as  I  did  then  my  service  for  the  law, 
it  is  probable  that  he  was  quite  as  happy  in  his  protracted 
courtship  as  he  was  in  his  wedded  life.  (Laughter  and  ap 
plause.)  I  ventured,  about  the  time  I  decided  to  be  a  law 
yer,  to  visit  the  Court  House,  in  S}^racuse,  while  the  Circuit 
Court  was  in  session.  Judge  Moseley  was  presiding,  his 
hair  was  as  white  as  silver,  and  he  was  the  very  personifica 
tion  of  Judicial  propriety.  Around  him  and  in  the  bar  were 
Noxon,  Lawrence,  Hillis,  Gott,  Birdseye,  with  other  lawyers, 
and  bailiffs,  with  long  pikes,  moved  around  with  noiseless 
steps  to  preserve  perfect  order  and  stillness  in  Court.  I  can 
remember  how  much  I  was  overawed  by  that  presence,  and 


THE    POMPEY  .  BE-UNIOX.  39 

what  misgivings  crossed  my  mind  as  to  whether.  I  could  ever 
appear  with  credit  to  myself  in  such  a  forum. 

I  am  reminded  of  my  first  and  greatest  professional  vic 
tory.  One  citizen  of  this  town  sued  another  to  recover  the 
value  of  a  horse  gored  to  death,  as  it  was  alleged,  by  an  un-. 
ruly  ox.  Mr.  Gott,  my  preceptor  in  the  law,  appeared -for 
the  plaintiff  and  I  was  employed  by  the  defendant.  My 
point  to  defeat  the  action  was  not  that  the  ox  did  not  gore 
the  horse  but  that  the  owner  of  the  ox  did  not  know  at  the 
time  that  he  was  a  vicious  animal.  I  marshalled  my  au 
thorities  and  made  a  desperate  effort  for  my  client,  but  no 
Pompey  jury  could  withstand  the  persuasive  powers  of  Mr. 
Gott  and  he  recovered  a  judgment  of  eighty  dollars.  Confi 
dent  that  I  was  right,  I  appealed  the  case  to  the  Common 
Pleas.  James  R.  Lawrence,  Esq.,  represented  me  as  I  was 
not  then  admitted  to  practice.  Failing  there  as  in  the  Court 
below,  to  prove  the  scienter  on  his  motion,  Judge  Pratt  non 
suited  the  plaintiff  and  I  had  won  the  case.  No  doubt  the 
Emperor  William  was  proud  to  witness  the  triumphal  entry 
into  Berlin  of  his  victorious  legions  returning  from  the  con 
quest  of  France,  but  it  is  not  at  all  probable  that  he  expe 
rienced  that  keen  sense  of  pride  and  satisfaction  which  I  felt 
at  this  my  first  professional  victoiw.  (Laughter  and  ap 
plause.) 

When  I  reached  the  age  of  twenty-one,  I  applied  for  ad 
mission  to  the  Common  Pleas  of  this  county;  Judge  Pratt 
appointed  a  committee  for  my  examination,  of  which  the 
Hon.  C.  B.  Sedgwick  was  chairman.  I  appeared  before 
that  committee  with  fear  and  trembling.  The  chairman  en 
quired  what  I  would  do  to  collect  fees  for  professional  ser 
vices  which  were  not  voluntarily  paid.  I  made  as  I  suppose, 
a  satisfactory  answer,  and  was  admitted,  and  I  have  since 
found  that  one  of  the  first  accomplishments  of  a  lawyer  is  to 
know  how  to  collect  his  own  fees.  (Laughter  and  applause.) 

Twenty-seven  years  ago,  with  the  proof  in  my  pocket  that 
I  was  a  lawyer,  signed  by  Judge  Pratt,  and  a  small  library 
of  law  books,  I  started  in  that  direction  in  which  it  is  said, 


40  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

"  The  star  of  Empire  takes  its  way."  I  have  many  reasons 
to  believe  that  I  was  accompanied  by  the  good  wishes  of 
those  who  had  known  me  here.  One  act  of  generous  kind 
ness  I  cannot  forbear  to  mention  upon  this  occasion.  De 
termined  to  go  west,  I  had  neither  money  or  books.  David 
F.  Dodge  and  John  S.  Wells  borrowed  for  me  what  money 
I  needed.  I  repaid  the  money  within  three  years,  but  the 
debt  of  gratitude  I  can  never  pay.  Twenty-seven  years  ago 
is  an  expression  that  forcibly  and  in  some  cases  sorrowfully 
suggests  to  the  mind  the  idea  of  change ;  what  changes  have 
occurred  since  1844?  Some  who  were  then  in  their  nurse's 
arms  I  now  sec  before  me  full  grown  men  and  women. 
Some  who  were  then  boys  and  girls  I  now  find  presiding 
over  nourishing  households.  Some  who  were  then  in  the 
prime  and  vigor  of  middle  life,  now  bend  under  the  weight 
of  accumulated  years,  and  not  a  few  have  passed  away  to 

"  The  land  of  the  great  departed  ; 
Into  the  silent  lands." 

When  I  left  Syracuse  in  the  canal  boat  that  was  to  carry 
me  away  from  friends  and  home,  the  convention  by  which 
Silas  Wright  was  nominated  for  Governor,  was  then  and 
there  in  session.  He  is  dead,  and  so  are  most  of  the  groat 
men  associated  with  him  in  the  government  of  the  country. 
Parties  and  opinions  have  changed  wonderfully  since  that 
time.  Administrations  have  come  and  gone.  War  has 
stricken  the  land  with  its  multiform  afflictions.  Great  dis- 
•coveries  in  science  and  art  have  been  made.  Telegraphic 
wires  have  been  stretched  across  the  ocean.  Thousands  of 
miles  have  been  added  to  our  railway  system.  Six  times 
have  I  crossed  from  ocean  to  ocean,  on  the  trans-continental 
railroad.  Many  new  States  have  been  added  to  the  Union, 
two  of  which  I  have  helped  to  make.  Our  country,  though 
not  without  some  suffering,  has  grown  greatly  in  wealth, 
power  and  glory.  I  believe  in  freedom,  education  and  pro 
gress,  and  have  faith,  though  the  indications  are  not  always 
favorable,  that  mankind  is  slowly  but  surely  advancing  to  a 
higher  and  better  plane  of  existence.  I  have  said  that 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  41 

life  may  be  divided  into  two  periods.  One  is,  when  the 
prospective  absorbs  all,  and  the  other  is,  when  the  faculties 
of  the  mind  loosening  their  hold  upon  the  future,  seek  pleas 
ure  in  a  retrospective  view  of  passed  events.  I  will  not  say 
on  which  side  of  the  line  separating  these  tAvo  periods,  I 
stand,  but  I  am  obviously  near  enough  to  it,  to  find  my  at 
tention  divided  between  what  of  the  past  isunforgotten,  and 
what  of  the  future  is  unrevealed. 

Time  and  change  have  scattered  many  of  the  associates  of 
my  early  life  far  and  near.  Some  have  gone  in  one  direc 
tion  and  some  another,  and  I  have  found  a  home  upon  the 
shores  of  the  Pacific  ocean.  I  live  in  a  populous  and  flour 
ishing  city,  where  but  a  few  years  ago  rolled  "  the  distant 
Oregon  and  heard  no  sound  save  the  dash  of  its  own  waters." 
I  would  not  entice  any  away  from  the  good  old  town  of  Pom- 
pey,  but  if  any  of  you  are  disposed  to  emigrate,  I  invite  you 
to  the  land  where  I  live.  Come  where  a  great,  genial  ocean, 
snow-capped  mountains,  majestic  rivers,  with  woodland  and 
prairie  will  give  you  every  variety  of  soil,  climate  and  scene 
ry.  Oregon  is  not  a  land  "  flowing  with  milk  and  honey," 
but  it  is  a  land  of  health,  plenty  and  beauty.  This  is  a  re 
union  of  the  old  residents  of  Pompey.  Some  have  come 
here  from  the  "  cool  sequestered  vales,"  and  others  from  the 
conflicts  of  professional  and  public  life.  All  arc  here  to  re 
vive  old  associations,  renew  old  acquaintances  and  especiall}' 
to  do  honor  to  our  old  home  ;  various  have  been  my  expe 
riences  since  I  left  here,  I  have  been  in  the  whirl  and  vortex 
of  political  life,  I  have  lived  thousands  of  miles  away,  but  I 
have  never  forgotten  my  old  friends  in  Pompey,  or  '"  the  old 
folks  at  home."  Accept  my  greetings  and  congratulations, 
i  am  about  to  return  to  my  distant  home  upon  the  Pacific, 
but  I  shall  remember  this  occasion  with  pleasure,  and  as 
long  as  I  live,  shall  cherish  the  hope  that  peace,  plenty 
and  happiness  may  be  and  remain  in  the  old  town  of  Pom- 

pey- 

After  music  by  the  band  the  President  stated,  I  have  now 
the  pleasure  of  introducing  to  you  one  whose  boyhood  was 


42  THE    POMPEY    RE-UXION. 

spent  iii  this  village,  and  all  present  who  then  resided  here 
will  quickly  recall  the  pleasant  recollections  of  his  active, 
sportive  young  life;  and  I  will  only  say  that  the  physical 
energy  and  intellectual  promise  thus  early  manifested  have 
developed  into  the  successful  competitor  among  the  gifted 
intellects  of  our  great  Metropolis,  for  the  highest  honors  of 
his  .profession.  I  refer  to  Hon.  Luther  Rawson  Marsh,  of 
New  York. 

REMARKS  OF  LUTHER  R.  MARSH. 

My  Townsmen,  old  and  young,  one  and  all : 

I  am  glad,  this  day,  to  meet  you;  glad  to  talk  with  you 
of  the  present  and  the  past ;  and,  in  doing  so,  we  should  miss, 
to  some  extent,  the  object  of  our  brotherly  reunion  if  we  did 
not  gossip  a  little  of  ourselves,  and  push  our  personalities 
somewhat  to  the  front.  Let  us  then  commune  in  freedom 
and  with  unconstrained  joy. 

It  is  curious  to  notice  how  a  little  town  like  this  will  ramify 
its  influence  through  all  the  land,  and  bind  itself  with  every 
part  of  the  country.  What  portion  of  the  Union,  North  or 
South,  or  on  either  ocean — what  essential  business  or  inter 
est,  private  or  public,  but  is  represented  here  to-day  ? 

These  town  celebrations  have,  of  late,  come  much  in  vogue 
amongst  the  old  settlements  of  New  England — a  custom  that 
should  extend  throughout  the  land.  They  have  an  interest 
beyond  the  pleasure  ot  the  meeting  and  the  renewal  of 
broken  ties ;  they  are  the  best  historians,  gathering  materials 
for  the  home  life  of  the  nation ;  they  help  to  collect  and 
preserve  the  facts  and  domestic  reminiscences  connected 
with  the  starting  and  growth  of 'our  country,  as  the  line  of 
population,  with  a  rapidity  unknown  in  history,  advanced 
across  the  continent.  Every  town  may  thus  contribute  its 
quota ;  and,  ere  those  who  saw  the  beginning  are  removed, 
their  memories  are  evoked  and  recorded. 

Though  we  stand,  now,  on  land  so  recently  reclaimed  from 
aboriginal  sway,  and  though  we  are  assembled  on  the  One 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  43'- 

Hill,  and  not  on  the  ancient  Seven,  yet  are  we  on  classic 
grouad.  We  meet  at  the  villas  of  Pompey.  We  bear 
the  name  of  him — a  foremost  soldier  of  the  world — at  the 
stamp  of  whose  foot  armies  arose,  and  at  the  base  of  whose 
statue  "great  Cresar  fell."  Our  allies  are  near;  and  our 
Koman  friends,  like  sentinels,  are  all  around  us — Fabias  and 
Tully,  Marcellus  and  Cicero,  Camillas  and  Manlius  Torquatus — 
while  within  our  Eastern  border,  we  may  consult  the  mystic- 
utterances  of  Delphi. 

Xor.is  the  history  of  our  town  so  recent  as  it  seems.  The 
mists  of  antiquity  rest  upon  it.  It  was  by  no  means  the  be 
ginning  when  the  present  dynasty  started  here.  There  had 
been  enacted,  in  this  locality,  at  some  period  of  the  un 
known  past,  events  which  no  pen  has  written  and  no  tradi 
tion  preserved.  Generations  and  races  have  preceded  us 
on  this  chosen  spot  and  disappeared.  Whence  they  came, 
whither  went,  is  not  yet  ascertained  ;  mystery  enclouds  their 
origin,  their  life  and  their  departure;  conjecture  starts  her 
various  theories,  but  authentic  history  is  silent.  The  evi 
dences  of  a  former  population,  now  wholly  extinct,  are  thick 
around  us.  A  second  growth  of  trees,  of  such  age  and  mag 
nitude  as  to  take  rank  with  the  original  forest,  astonished4 
those  who  thought  they  had  come  to  a  place  entirely  new. 
If,  when  we  were  boys  and  girls,  a  museum  had  been  estab 
lished  here  to  hold  the  reliques  discovered  in  our  soil,  this 
would  have  been  a  famous  resort  for  the  curious  and  scien 
tific.  Here  would  have  remained  your  stone  tablet  of  Anno 
Domini,  1550,  now  reposing  in  the  Institute  at  Albany,  whose 
hieroglyphs  so  many  Charnpollions  have  endeavored  to  de 
cipher.  Here  would  have  been  collected  not  only  the  rude 
arrow-heads  and  granite  tomahawks  of  the  savage,  but  the 
proofs  of  aformcr  and  unkn  own  civilization — the  black 
smith's  forge,  iron  implements  of  husbandry,  fragments  of 
earthenware  and  church  bells,  and  numerous  coins  and  med 
als,  whose  devices  and  inscriptions  age  has  obliterated. 
Long  before  the  ancestors  of  the,  present  residents  clambered 
here — long  before  the  time  when  a  bounty  of  five  dollars 


44  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

was  ottered  for  a  wolf's  scalp — there  was  imbedded  in  the 
soil,  since  upturned  by  the  coulter,  not  only  the  utensils  of 
peace  but  the  weapons  of  civilized  warfare — if  warfare  can 
be  said  ever  to  be  civilized — guns,  and  cannon,  and  cannon 
ball ;  indicating  advance  in  the  arts  both  of  living  and  kill 
ing  ;  showing  that  wherever  man  goes  cruelty  goes  with  him ; 
and  that  he  is  ever  ready  to  unite  the  elements  of  destruc 
tion  with  those  of  progress.  It  was  because  of  this  profu 
sion  of  antiquities,  no  doubt,  that,  after  modern  chisels  had 
clone  their  artistic  work,  the  soil  of  our  town  was  chosen  for 
the  clandestine  deposit  of  the  Gypsum  Giant;  but  he  was  a 
stranger,  not  a  native — not  indigenous,  but  imported — the 
only  humbug,  as  with  due  modesty  we  claim,  Pompey  ever 
turned  out. 

How  different  the  scene  this  day  from  that  presented  to 
our  lathers,  as,  at  the  close  of  the  last  century  and  the  be 
ginning  of  this,  they  clomb  these  hills,  to  plant  here  a  new 
community.  There  were  no  roads  to  guide  them  up  the 
wooded  acclivity  but  the  Onondaga's  trail.  Soon,  however, 
they  mingled  the  echoes  of  their  industrious  axes  with  the 
roar  of  the  wild  beast  and  the  sigh  of  the  wind.  Cleared 
iields  appeared.  Fruit-bearing  trees  supplanted  the  tower 
ing  monarch,  and  grass  and  grain  invited  the  sickle.  The 
red  man  and  the  wolf,  who  had  so  long  held  a  divided  do 
minion,  retired  before  the  rifle  and  the  plow — reluctantly 
retired,  for  some  still  lingered  to  a  recent  day.  The  Indian, 
with  his  wampumed  moccasins  and  beaded  leggings,  his  sil 
ver-banded  hat  and  ornamented  ears,  his  blanket  and  his 
bow,  yet  remain,  vivid  frescoes  on  the  walls  of  our  memory  ; 
and  some  present,  no  doubt,  remember  when  Bruin  came 
over  the  hill,  strolling  and  swaying  leisurely  on  the  green, 
as  if  to  attend  town  meeting,  then  in  progress.  But,  though 
native  born,  he  was  not  permitted  to  exercise  the  rights  of 
citizenship  till  he  had  shown  a  prowess  worthy  of  it.  Ac 
cordingly,  Major  Case,  the  constable,  stepped  forth  to  test 
his  credentials.  The  amiable  visitor  rose  on  his  haunches 
to  give  the  bailift  welcome,  quickly  struck  his  extemporized 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  45 

tip-staff  from  his  grasp,  and  gave  him  the  bear  salute — a 
back-ling  so  pressing  as  to  leave  no  doubt  of  its  cordiality. 
Old  Hawkey c,  himself,  would  never  have  tempted  it  a  second 
time.  Possibly  the  grizzly  stranger  may  have  anticipated 
the  service  of  some  process  upon  him — for  Bears,  even  to 
this  day,  in  Wall  street,  sometimes  receive  such  documents — 
as  he  put  his  mark  of  cancellation,  like  a  railroad  conductor, 
through  many  a  summons  and  execution  in  the  officer's 
pocket-book,  till  his  teeth  met  in  the  Major's  breast;  who 
only  escaped  (to  die  from  his  wounds  some  three  years  after) 
when  the  axe  of  Canfield  Marsh  sank  in  the  victor's  skull. 

The  new  settlement  grew  and  flourished.     Adventurous 

O 

men  and  women,  chiefly  from  the  New  England  hive,  camo 
hither — bringing  with  them  the  Yankee's  outfit  of  good 
habits,  indomitable  pluck,  and  a  desire  for  education.  This 
lovely  village  arose,  cresting  the  mount,  near  two  thousand 
feet  above  the  sea — so  high,  that  no  Vesuvius  can  ever 
shower  it,  like  ancient  .Pompeii,  with  its  ashes;  an  elevation 
from  which  eye-shot  may  sometimes  touch  the  blue  of 
Ontario,  some  tifty  miles  awny  ;  nested  here,  as  it  seemed, 
where  old  Hyem  lived  and  feathered  down  his  "beautiful 
snow ;"  where  two  fountains,  but  a  few  rods  apart,  and  bub 
bling  from  the  same  field,  send  their  sparkling  salutations  to 
the  ocean — one,  through  the  Susquehanna  and  the  Chesa 
peake,  the  other  coasting  the  thousand  isles  ot  the  St.  Law 
rence.  It  soon  became  a  centre  of  influence ;  men  of  character 
and  might,  and  genuine  grit,  were  developed.  For  years  this 
village  was  a  power  in  the  politics  of  the  County  and  the 
State.  When,  some  forty-seven  years  ago,  a  Senator  from 
Onondaga  applied  to  the  Council  of  Appointment,  at 
Albany,  for  the  re-appointment  of  one  Luther  Marsh  to  the 
office  of  High  Sheriff,  DeWitt  Clinton  slapped  him  on  the 
knee,  saying:  "Squire  Birdseye,  I  wish  you  to  understand^ 
that  the  good  people  on  Pompey  Hill  cannot  have  all  the 
offices  in  the  State  of  New  York." 

I  fancy,  however,  that  the  Sheriff  received  his  re-appoint- 
rnent,  for  as  he  was  riding  through  Christian  Hollow — as 


46  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

Edwards  states  in  liis  "Pleasantries  of  the  Bar" — he  saw  a 
mail  in  the  field  suddenly  drop  his  hoe  and  run  for  the 
woods.  The  officer  quickly  dismounted,  tied  his  horse  to 
the  fence  and  gave  pursuit.  After  a  long  chase  he  captured 
the  panting  fugitive,  who  gasped  that  it  was  what  he  feared. 
"Well,"  said  the  Sheriff,  "I  have  no  process  against  you 
now,  but  I  thought  I  would  let  you  know  that  if  I  ever 
-should  have,  it  ivouldnt  do  you  any  good  to  run." 

He  was  a  man,  I  think,  of  pretty  strong  impulses.  Mr. 
iSedgwick  has  just  told  rile  that,  at  a  time  happily  now  past, 
-when  political  hostility  implied  personal  as  well,  a  hitter 
opponent,  who  was  usually  kept  in  salutary  restraint  by  the 
-will  and  physical  endowments  of  the  Sheriff,  presumed,  on 
the  occasion  of  seeing  a  wounded  right  arm  in  a  sling,  to 
press  his  personalities  so  far  that  he  received  an  arguwientum 
-ad  hominem  from  the  left,  which  sent  him  not  only  against 
hut  through  the  door — latch  and  hasp  and  hinge  giving 
way — and  the  offender  fell,  at  full  length,  in  an  adjoining 
room. 

At  another  time,  Mr.  Sedgwick  tells  me,  a  Deacon  from 
a  distant  part  of  the  town,  while  waiting  for  blacksmith 
Davis's  services,  was  accustomed  to  tie  his  team  to  one  of  a 
cherished  row  of  sapling  maples — now,  as  you  can  see,  quite 
fully  grown — which  the  Sheriff  had  planted  in  front  of  his 
house.  One  of  them  was  nearly  girdled  by  the  teeth  of  the 
horses,  at  which  the  Deacon  received  an  indignant  remon 
strance  and  prohibition.  The  next  time  he  came  to  town, 
however,  he  repeated  the  offence,  whereat  the  Sheriff  cut 
the  reins  and  let  the  horses  run.  Fortunately,  only  the 
wagon  was  seriously  damaged  ;  but  the  lesson  was  thorougly 
taught,  and  the  Deacon,  ever  after,  gave  a  wide  berth  to  the 
maples. 

The  Academy  of  Pompey — to  build  and  maintain  which 
the  early  settlers,  with  a  large  wisdom,  sacrificed  so  much- 
was  presided  over  by  a  succession  of  accomplished  scholars. 
Among,  and  of  the  earliest  of  them,  the  Rev.  Joshua  Leon 
ard,  remarkable  as  a  linguist  and  mathematician — with  a 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  47 

condensing  engine  in  bis  head — and  of  so  sweet  a  voice  that 
when  from  the  pulpit  he  gave  out  his  favorite  hymn,  Wes 
ley's,  "Jesus,  lover  of  my  soul,"  and  joined  in  singing  it, 
both  audience  and  choir  stopped,  entranced,  that  they  might 
hear  the  minister  carry  it  through  alone.  He  was  succeeded 
by  Rev.  Eleazar  S.  Barrows,  a  sermonizer  of  much  power, 
Dr,  Edward  Aiken,  Henry  Howe  and  Flavins  Josephus  Lit- 
tlejohn.  This  institution,  standing  so  long  alone  in  Central 
and  Western  New  York,  drew  to  this  conspicuous  summit 
crowds  of  youth  from  the  surrounding  counties. 

When  Victory  Birdseye,  with  his  large  and  accurate  learn 
ing,  and  the  eloquent  Baldwins,  and  Sedgwick,  a  man  of 
strength,  and  Daniel  Gott,  with  memory  of  steel  and  voice 
of  deep  and  solemn  music,  displayed  their  powers  before  a 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  the  entertainment  richly  repaid  the 
thronged  attendance. 

Here  Henry  Seymour,  that  courtly  gentleman,  laid  the 
foundations  of  the  fortunes,  social  and  political,  of  the  fu- ' 
ture  Governor. 

But  new  times  came  on.     Great  arterial  thoroughfares 

o 

were  established  on  easier  grades,  and  our  native  village 
has  been  compelled  to  stand  aside,  somewhat  solitary  in  her 
loftiness  and  her  lovliness,  and  see  the  increasing  inland 
travel  and  freightage  of  the  country  passing  by  her,  as,  in 
its  transit  between  the  commercial  East  and  the  abounding 
West,  it  veined  the  distant  valleys.  The  law  of  gravitation 
is  a  mighty  agency  in  advancing  or  retarding  the  growth  of 
localities,  and  determining  the  routes  of  trade.  We  may 
not  soon  expect  to  see  a  railroad  depot  on  the  top  of  Holy- 
oke,  nor  cotton  mills  on  Mount  Washington.  A  position 
in  alliance  with  the  eternal  laws  of  Nature  receives  perpet 
ual  aid  from  an  exhaustless  fund  in  the  sky.  And  so  it  has 
occurred  that  our  native  peak,  though  rejoicing  in  its  beau 
ty,  its  fertility,  its  healthfulness  and  its  traditions,  has  not 
been  able  to  solicit  the  currents  of  modern  traffic  up  its 
steep  sides.  They  seek,  rather,  the  furrowed  channels  and 
the  level  plains. 


48  THE    POMPEY    RE-UXION. 

And  therefore,  also,  has  it  happened  that  through  the  last 
half  century,  Pompey  has  sent  away  so  many  of  her  sons 
and  daughters,  to  fulfil,  elsewhere,  their  various  spheres  of 
duty;  taking  nothing  from  the  homestead  but  the  dowry  of 
good  birth,  fair  education  and  strong  constitutions — the  last 
not  the  least  in  the  long  struggle  of  life.  In  a  letter  from  a 
brother  on  the  Pacific  coast,  he  says:  "Though  the  frosts 
arc  on  my  head  I  feel  like  a  'colt.' '  I  must  confess  to  some 
thing  of  the  same  exuberance,  as  if  the  tonic  oxygen  of  these 
hills,  inbreathed  in  youth,  still  continued  to  invigorate. 

Though  Pompey,  as  we  sec,  still  remains  a  pleasant  place 
to  stay  at,  yet  it  has  certainly  been,  as  Webster  said  of  his 
own  New  Hampshire,  an  excellent  place  to  go  from.  Ac 
cordingly,  these  Onondaga  Highlanders  have  swept  down  on 
the  lowlands  and  invaded  the  valleys.  When,  not  long 
since,  the  Census  Marshal  inquired  at  my  door  the  names, 
ages  and  birthplaces  of  the  inmates,  he  could  hardly  think 
us  serious  when  he  was  told  that  the  owner  was  born  on 
Pompey  Hill  and  his  wife  in  Cherry  Valley. 

Indeed,  thc3T  seem  to  have  interlinked  themselves  with 
distant  parts  of  the  world,  for,  when  the  late  Jas.  T.  Brady 
was  in  Rome,  he  desired  his  brother.  Judge  John  R.  Brady, 
of  New  York,  to  tell  me  that  he  had  paid  his  respects  to  my 
cousins,  the  Pontinc  Marshes.  Now  that  was  a  branch  of  the 
family  quite  intimate,  in  his  day,  with  our  sponsor,  Pompey 
Maynu*,  who  used  to  visit  them  and  traverse  their  estates, 
whenever,  as  he  often  did,  he  led  his  legions  along  the  Ap- 
pian  Way. 

And  now,  to-day,  for  the  first  time  since  their  dispersion, 
does  a  common  impulse  move  her  children  to  return — and 
they  come  bearing  their  sheaves  with  them.  The  thousands 
under  this  tented  roof,  and  the  thousands  for  whom  there  is 
not  room,  attest  the  interest  felt  in  this  family  festival. 

We  cannot  permanently  return  to  the  home  we  left  so 
early.  We  may  not  deck  with  our  cots  her  upswelling 
dome,  nor  hang  them  on  her  slopes,  nor  join  our  hands  in 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  49 

friendly  cordon  around  her  base.  Our  lines  are  cast,  some 
by  the  eastern,  some  by  the  western  sea,  while  others  dot 
the  intervening  space;  and  there  we  dwell,  enriched  only 
by  boyhood's  possession  of  these  high  citadels.  But  one 
there  is — our  good  President,  Daniel  P.  Wood — who  is  not 
willing  that  a  day  shall  pass  without  regaling  his  eyes  and 
refreshing  his  soul  with  glimpses  of  the  sightly  top :  and 
who  has  so  chosen  his  home,  that,  from  the  observatory  in 
his  own  grounds  at  Syracuse,  he  may  send  at  will  his  lov 
ing  glances  through  fourteen  miles  of  sky,  to  the  beloved 
towers  of  Pompey. 

We  tread  the  ancient  green,  where  the  athletes  used  to 
gather  to  jump,  to  run,  to  wrestle,  to  throw  and  catch  the 
rapid  ball  and  pitch  the  heavy  bar.  The  intervening  years, 
and  all  the  cares  and  din 'of  active  life,  are,  for  the  moment, 
swept  away,  and  we  seem  again  to  partake  in 

"Those  healthful  sports  that  graced  the  peaceful  scene, 
Lived  in  each  look,  and  brightened  all  the  green." 

Was  there  ever  a  daintier  wrestler  at  arm's  end — our  fa 
vorite  game — than  Palmer,  a  slender  and  cultured  youth, 
whose  fustian  coat  seemed  made  to  withstand  the  grips  of 
the  strongest,  but  which,  while  it  enclosed  the  lithe- and 
graceful  form,  the  strongest  could  never  lay  upon  its  back? 
When,  with  electric  spring,  he  gave  his  toe-lock  trip,  how 
often  have  I  seen  the  sturdiest  champion,  who  had  been  al 
lured  from  a  distance  by  the  fame  of  our  Olympians,  go 
down. 

Since  Asahel — "as  lisrht  of  foot  as  a  wild  roe" — overtook 

O 

the  Hebrew  Captain,  could  man   ever  swallow  the  ground 

like  Gridley? 

We  revisit  the  strawberry  fields !  Has  any  one  forgotten 
the  Birdseye  lot,  by  the  old  barn,  Hush  with  its  lowly  treas 
ures,  where  summer  strewed  the  earth  with  fragrant  rubies, 
too  lavish  to  be  hidden  beneath  the  clover  ?  Whose  taste 
gave  realization  to  the  quaint  saying  of  an  English  writer, 
"  Doubtless  God  might  have  made  a  better  berry,  but  he  never 


50  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

•did"  A  little  cousin  came  up  from  Onondaga  to  make  a 
visit.  lie  crept  into  this  crimson  field  through  the  fence  he 
was  too  small  to  surmount,  and  when  his  capacities  were  sat 
isfied,  he  sought  in  vain  the  fissure  by  the  broken  rail.  A 
passer  by,  hearing  his  despairing  sobs,  inquired  the  cause. 
44 1  came,'  the  urchin  cried,  "to  Pompey  Hill  to  see  my 
cousin,  and  can't  find  the  hole  out."  More  fortunate  have 
we  been  in  retracing  our  steps  to  the  well  remembered 
haunts. 

We  stray  among  the  orchards  !  Even  to  this  day,  through 
the  memories  of  more  than  forty  years,  can  I  pick  you  out, 
whether  in  the  orchards  of  Elihu  Parsons,  or  Jasper  Bennett, 
or  Men-it  Butler,  or  in  the  bordering  Sedgwick  nursery- 
winch  seemed  a  garden  of  the  Hesperides — the  very  trees, 
if  standing,  which  bore  the  golden  prizes  of  the  autumn ; 
delicious  globes,  which  Eve  nor  Adam  could  have  resisted — 
which  Atalante  would  have  lost  the  race  for — which  would 
have  comforted  King  Solomon,  and  their  nectar  stayed  him 
with  flagons — and  which,  whether  by  your  leave  or  without 
your  leave,  it  were  hard  to  blame  a  boy  for  taking;  apple- 
trees  as  worthy  to  play  a  part  in  the  history  of  the  world  as 
the  one  which  gave  Newton  the  suggestion  of  an  universal 
and  planetary  law — as  the  one  under  which  the  great  rebel 
lion  was  quenched  at  Appomattox. 

But,  alas !  the  full  tufted  pear  tree  in  my  father's  garden, 
so  long  and  widely  known,  has  bowed  its  bowery  head  be 
fore  the  vandal  chopper — no  longer  a  stimulus  to  rising  with 
the  lark,  lest  earlier  boys  should  find  the  juicy  bells  shaken 
down  from  grafts  by  the  night  winds.  Oh,  Woodman,  thou 
should'st  have  spared  that  tree  on  whose  limbs  many  a  Sun 
day  school  lesson  has  been  learned — honored  for  service  ren 
dered,  for  its  fair  fame,  and  for  the  menories  clinging  to 
every  bough.  This  tree,  the  cradle  of  the  robin  and  the 
nursery  of  song — and  the  windmill,  beating  the  air  with  its 
mighty  wings — and  the  liberty  pole,  from  whose  top  the 
bunting  caught  the  earliest  g;ales,  are  missing  features  in 


THE    POMPEY    BE-UNIOX.  51 

which  the  present  reality  differs  from  the  youthful  photo 
graph. 

We  walk  again  the  halls  of  the  old  Academy,  and  listen 
for  the  arma  virumque  cano,  or  for  the  lisping  echoes  of  Gre 
cian  verse. 

We  turn  in  to  the  venerable  mansions  in  which  we  were 
iirst  launched  on  this  ocean  of  human  life — an  ocean  some 
times  lit  up  with  roseate  clouds,  sometimes  swept  by  relent 
less  storms,  but  ever  its  gulf  stream  bearing  us  on  to  a  des 
tination  and  a  destiny  which  only  heavenly  revelation  can 
interpret. 

Reverently  we  press  the  verdure  between  the  hollowed 
mounds  and  marble  records  on  yonder  ridge — a  place  of  taste, 
suggestiveness  and  beauty — from  whence  extends  an  un 
broken  circle  of  lovely  landscape,  till  the  earth  rounds  it  out 
of  view.  There,  is  the  history  of  our  town,  caiven  in  stone. 
There,  are  its  biographies,  short  and  condensed,  but  vera 
cious  and  comprehensive,  recording  the  two  great  events  in 
each  one's  life — birth  and  death — the  Alpha  and  Omega;  no, 
not  the  Omega — but  rightly  viewed,  the  Alpha,  rather,  of 
another  life.  And  there,  on  the  very  crown  of  the  knoll, 
with  dewy  ejes,  and  thronging  memories,  and  holier  re 
solves,  I  trace  the  letters  of  a  mother's  name. 

We  give  a  hearty  hand  shake  to  those  we  left  here  and 
who  yet  remain,  some  of  whom  are  patriarchs  indeed,  whose 
vigor  vouches  the  salubrity  of  this  upland  village;  and  we 
interchange  with  each  other  the  recollections  of  the  past, 
the  gratulations  of  the  present,  and  the  best  wishes  for  the 
future. 

But  list !  I  hear  the  Marshal's  trump  summoning  us  to  a 
inc-.'e  attractive  feast  in  yonder  wood.  Let  us  go  thither. 

[The  President. — We  will  consent  to  adjourn  to  the  grove 
for  dinner,  now  awaiting  us,  on  condition  that  Mr.  Marsh 
will  afterwards  continue  his  remarks.] 

After  dinner  he  was  called  on  to  resume. 


52  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

If  you  will  insist  on  making  two  bites  of  a  cherry,  I  am 
afraid  your  ivory  will  touch  the  cherry  pit  at  last.  This 
breezy  grove  is  not  unfamiliar  ground.  Though  in  yore  a 
frequent  resort,  it  was  never  the  "shade  of  melancholy 
boughs;"  and  to-day  the  hills  break  forth  into  singing,  and 
all  the  trees  of  the  grove  clap  their  hands.  Xever,  in  the 
olden  time,  when  Fays  nestled  under  every  leaf,  and 
Dryads 

"and  sylvan  boys,  were  seen, 
''Peeping  from  forth  their  alleys  green," 

and  Romance  ruled  the  hour,  have  I  known  the  holt  so 
charmed  with  wood  nymphs,  nor  these  shadeful  branches  drop 
such  manna  on  the  tables.  I  knew,  yesterday  ,  that  the 
coming  hours  were  filled  with  good  assurances,  for  when, 
toward  nightfall,  while  bordering  fields  on  either  hand 
waved,  their  bearded  heads  with  a  growth  unequalled  even 
in  the  fat  soil  of  the  valleys,  wre  breasted  the  uprise,  wet 
with  the  tribute  of  the  passing  clouds,  as  our  native  village 
burst  on  the  sight,  lo !  God's  seven  prismatic  colors  came 
and  blent  and  bent  in  beauty  their  glorious  span,  against 
the  dark  ground  of  the  retreating  storm,  pointing,  with  rain 
bow  promise,  to  the  heart  of  the  hamlet. 

When  I  came  up  the  hill  I  brought  another  Hill  with  me — 
one  J.  H.  Hill,  from  Lenox.  He  was  a  Delphinian  and 
Pompey  born.  We  knew  him  in  boyhood  as  Hull  Hill,  and 
he  has  acted,  ever  since  he  came,  as  if  he  owned  the  whole 
hill.  I  speak  with  some  severity,  for,  with  insufferable  au 
dacity,  he  has  doubted  my  veracity.  I  would  have  him 
know  that  the  word  of  a  Pompey  boy  is  steadfast,  and  that 
though  his  foot  ma}7  be  on  his  native  heath,  his  name  is 
neither  Micawbcr  nor  Munchausen..  I  beguiled  his  wray 
with  many  a  story  of  our  good  old  town ;  how  the  sun  earlier 
rose  and  later  set,  than  elsewhere  ;  how  Boreas  whistled  and 
Euroclyclon  roared;  how  we  jumped  from  barn  roofs  into 
the  deep  drifted  snow;  how  many  yards  we  leaped,  how 
many  miles  we  ran ;  how,  at  dawn,  we  used  to  brush  the 
morning  gems  from  the  meadow  grasses  in  quest  of  the  er- 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  53 

rant  kiiie ;  how  we  learned  to  skate  by  the  roadside  and  to 
swim  in  the  goose  pond;  how  long  leagues  of  wild  pigeons, 
week  after  week,  in  their  annual  migration,  winnowed  the 
air  with  million  wings  ;  how  the  brook  at  Pratt' s  Falls,  after 
pouring  its  energies  through  crank  and  cog,  in  grinding  the 
neighbors'  grain,  shoots  the  perpendicular  abyss  of  a  hun 
dred  and  sixty  feet — down  which,  one  day,  a  woman  fell, 
but  escaped  unhurt;  with  many  another  truthful  recollec 
tion — all  which,  as  he  should,  he  greedily  devoured,  till  1 
came  to  a  story  of  the  steeple,  at  which  his  unfaith  arose, 
and  he  declared  it  threw  discredit  on  all  the  rest.  Now, 
there  are  many  here  who  know  that  when  our  church  steeple 
was  completed,  Smith  the  builder,  ascended  to  the  very  top 
of  the  spire,  and,  twining  his  limbs  in  the  tines  of  the  fork, 
hung  with  his  head  downwards,  suspended  only  by  his  legs ; 
at  which  Dominie  Chad  wick  strode  out  in  front  of  the  church, 
and  cried  loudly  to  the  reckless  architect,  "  In  the  name  of 
Jehovah,  God  Almighty,  I  command  you  to  come  down.'' 
Now,  though  I  have  brought  some  twenty  of  our  best  citizens 
to  verify  this  incident,  and  though  it  is  attested  in  the  Gov 
ernor's  address,  yet  Hull  Hill  still  doubts.  He  is  a  Judge, 
somewhere  down  in  Massachusetts.  I  wonder  what  rules 
of  evidence  he  has  established  for  his  Court?  a  tribunal 
where  parties  should  always  demand  a  jury  on  questions  of 
fact,  and  never  trust  to  the  stubborn  incredulity  of  the  Judge. 
I  felt  this  imputation  the  more  keenly,  as  I  left  this  burgh 
with  a  fair  record  ;  for,  about  that  time,  Nathaniel  Baker— 
whose  son  is  owner  of  this  grove — desired  me  to  bring  a  bag 
to  his  house;  which  done,  he  filled  it  to  the  mouth,  as  full 
as  Benjamin's  sack,  with  butternuts,  saying,  "  There,  Raw- 
son,  I  give  those  to  you,. for  you  "  are  the  only  boy  in  town 
who  hasn't  secretly  visited  my  nut  grove."  No  doubt  Hull 
Hill  was  there — every  dark  night. 

[Mr.  Hill : — I  am  converted.] 

Some  honor  have  these  sons  of  Pompey  rendered  to  their 
native  town.  But  they  are  present,  and  I  may  not  recount 
it.  I  may  only  say  that  one  of  them,  Horatio  Seymour, 


54  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

rising  to  many  a  station  of  trust,  has  filled  the  highest  office 
in  our  State.  I  see  him — plainly  as  at  this  moment — as  he 
stood  by  the  pillar,  glibly  scanning  his  dactyls  and  spondees, 
the  first  day  I  entered  the  Academy.  We  began  our  ad 
miralty  studies  together;  lie,  as  a  shipwright,  whittling  buoy 
ant  vessels  out  of  corn  stalks ;  while  I,  the  mariner,  for  want 
of  other  water  than  the  clouds  dropped  on  us — a  habit  they 
have  not  forgotten,  you  perceive — fearless  of  reefs  or  cyclones, 
navigated  the  stately  flotillas — in  the  rain  trough.  And  af 
terwards,  under  the  tuition  of  Capt.  Alden  Partridge,  at 
Middletown,  we  pursued  our  military  education  together, 
which  fitted  him,  as  Governor,  to  be  the  ex-qffido  Command- 
er-in-Chief  of  the  forces  of  the  State  ;  and  me,  to  marshal- 
pleadings.  I  take  some  credit  for  this  production  of  Pom- 
pey,  for,  but  the  nuptials  at  which  my  grandfather  officiated, 
you  would  have  had  no  Governor  talking  to  you  to-day. 

Another,  Charles  Mason,  who,  at  West  Point,  from  the 
beginning  of  his  course  standing  at  the  head  of  each  succes 
sive  class,  took,  at  last,  the  highest  of  the  graduating  honors, 
though  many  of  his  competitors — among  them  the  late  leader 
of  the  late  Confederate  armies — have  since  won  distinction 
for  superior  abilities.  He  has  since  administered  the  Patent 
Office,  and  given  law  from  the  Supreme  Bench  of  Iowa. 

Another,  Henry  W.  Slocum,  also  a  West  Point  graduate, 
as  a  Major-General  in  our  army,  consecrated  his  sword  and 
rare  abilities  to  the  service  of  his  country,  in  her  recent  con 
test  for  life. 

And  still  another,  George  H.  Williams,  a  representative 
in  the  National  Senate  from  distant  Oregon — fresh  from  his 
labors  in  the  accomplishment  of  the  great  international 
treaty — the  inauguration  of  a  new  mode  of  determining  dis 
putes  between  nations ;  a  new  departure  in  the  settlement  of 
belligerent  claims;  a  victory  of  civilization,  in  which  arbi 
trament  takes  the  place  of  war ;  where  arguments  are  not 
pointed  by  bayonets,  nor  rounded  reasons  rendered  from 
columbiads ;  where  Peace  no  longer  stands  with  ensanguined 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  55 

feet,  lifting  her  misty  head  above  the  smoke  of  battle;  a 
sacred  stadium  in  the  journey  of  our  race  a  millcnium  herald 
in  the  East. 

You  come,  also,  from  professional  chairs,  from  Congres 
sional  seats,  from  high  judicial  stations,  from  sculptor's  stu 
dios  and  places  of  influence,  and  some  stand  in  rank  with  the 
kings  of  finance.  While  others  of  us  assemble  Irom  less 
conspicuous,  though  not  less  laborious  posts  of  duty  in  the 
world. 

But  a  celebration  of  hermits,  unsunned  by  the  smiles  of 
Pompey's  daughters,  would  have  bereft  our  programme  of 
its  cheer.  They  also  come  with  an  equal  enthusiasm.  The 
voice  of  one  of  them,  Mrs.  Miller,  hasjust  wafted  its  musi 
cal  reminiscenses  to  our  ears.  Yon  Laurel,  it  is  true,  shad 
ows  a  vacant  chair,  around  the  brow  of  whose  destined  oc 
cupant  Grace  Greenwood,  its  bays  might  fittingly  be  bound, 
and  who  speaks  to  us  to-day  only  in  her  song;  but  then,  in 
consolation  for  her  absence,  our  Greenwood  is  full  of  Graces, 
at  sight  of  whom  we  sigh  to  be  foresters,  and  to  spend  our 
days  in  the  witching  shade. 

Some  there  were,  starting  life  with  us,  or  not  long  before, 
who  are  not  here ;  or,  if  here,  not  visble  through  the  vale. 
Among  them,  Charles  Baldwin,  the  genius  of  our  town — not 
permitted  to  acquire  the  future  honors  to  which  his  gifts 
seemed  so  justly  to  entitle  him.  Judge  Hiram  K.  Jerome, 
from  Palmyra — of  Pompey  growth — has  just  told  me  that 
it  was  his  fortune  to  room  with  Baldwin  in  yonder  office  of 
Daniel  Gott,  and  that  neither  Joshua  A.  Spencer,  nor  Henry 
R.  Storrs,  nor  Elisha  Williams  more  deeply  impressed  him 
as  a  speaker.  In  a  Masonic  address,  he  came  to  speak  of  the 
origin  of  that  ancient  fraternity.  Some,  he  said,  placed  it 
at  the  time  of  Josephus,  others  even  earlier  ;  but  for  himself, 
if  called  on  to  state  the  period,  he  should  say  it  was  at  the 
time  when  the  Almighty  said,  "Let  there  be  light  and  there 
was  light." 

And    Seabred  Dodge,  the  giant  of  our  town — physical  and 


5(>  THE    POMPEY    HE-UNION. 

intellectual — whom  I  have  seen  toss  a  barrel  as  a  plaything, 
its  hoops  and  staves  tumbling  together  in  their  fall,  and  of 
whom  I  remember  to  have  heard  Joshua  Leonard  say — no 
small  praise  to  those  who  knew  the  men — "  his  attainments 
in  mathematics  are  superior  to  those  of  Dr.  Aiken,  Priest 
Barrows  and  myself,  all  combined." 

I  said  this  was  the  lirst  time  the  children  of  Pompey  had 
gathered,  from  their  scattered  homes,  to  the  bosom  of  the 
mother.  It  probably  is  the  last.  Other  and  younger  gen 
erations  may  come.  This,  it  is  likely,  never  again.  So 
there  is  joy  for  our  re-union,  and  there  is  sadness  for  our 
parting.  And  many  a  day  shall  go  by,  and  many  a  year 
close  on  its  bleak  December  wing;  but  the  radiant  hours 
which  have  inlaid  this  social  re-union  shall  glow  and  purple 
with  thoughts  of  the  princely  hospitalities  which  have  wel 
comed  home  the  Pompey  legion — true  to  the  memories  of 
their  ancestral  hearth-stone.  And  oh,  how  much  richer  arc 
we  for  the  fond  meeting  of  heart  with  heart ;  and  back  to 
our  busy  haunts  we  take  fresh  inspiration  from  this  beacon 
hill-top,  that  ever  looks  up  to  the  heaven's  broad  face,  lit  by 
God's  constellation  of  watchful  stars.  And  now,  having 
climbed  the  upland  together,  and  together  mingled  uur  joys, 
and  hopes,  and  recollections,  and  pledged  anew  our  fealty 
to  the  dear  old  eminence,  we  will  descend,  as  pilgrims  from 
a  sacred  shrine,  with  the  maternal  blessing  on  our  heads,  and 
giving  back,  as  with  one  voice,  the  filial  benediction,  u  May 
the  summits  of  Pompey,  as  they  catch  the  earliest  and  latest 
gleam  of  the  sun,  so  also  receive,  and  ever  retain,  the  favor 
of  our  Lord." 

At  the  point  in  Mr.  Marsh's  remarks,  where  he  refers  to 
the  Marshal,  there  wras  a  postponement  of  the  speaking,  and 
the  vast  concourse  repaired  to  the  grove  where  refreshments 
awaited  them.  The  last  part  of  his  remarks  were  made  af 
ter  dinner  at  the  grove.  The  place  chosen  for  the  pic-pic, 
was  in  u  large  grove  owned  by  Deacon  Samuel  Baker,  situ. 
ated  a  short  distance  north-west  of  the  village.  The  road 
leading  to  it  was  through  an  arched  gateway,  handsomely 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  57 

decorated  with  evergreens,  with  the  figures  1793,  the  date 
of  the  organization  of  the  town  of  Pompey,  and  1871,  the 
date  of  the  re-union.  The 'grounds  were  thickly  shaded, 
and  in  every  way  adapted  to  the  purpose.  The  scene  pre 
sented  was  alike  pleasing  to  the  sense  of  sight  and  taste. 
Three  long  tables  running  north  and  south,  and  with  aisles 
between  them,  were  set  apart  for  the  accommodation  of 
visitors  and  guests.  They  were  laden  with  substantial  and 
delicacies,  including  strawberries  and  ice  cream  in  great 
profusion.  They  were  spread  with  white  linen,  and  deco 
rated  with  boquets  and  evergreens.  They  were  the  model 
of  neatness  and  good  order,  and  attracted  universal  atten 
tion.  To  the  west  of  them  Reuben  Wood,  of  Syracuse,  the 
well  known  caterer,  was  superintending  the  preparation  of 
immense  quantities  of  coffee.  To  the  east  was  a  long  row 
of  "  family  tables,"  set  at  right  angles  with,  those  just  men 
tioned,  where  family  re-unions  took  place.  Among  them 
were  those  of  Hon.  W.  G.  Fargo,  the  Birdseys,  Mr.  Sloan, 
Orrin  Bishop,  John  Soule,  Messrs.  Northrup,  O.  J.  and 
Daniel  G.  Wheaton,  Eli  Pratt,  Joseph  Wallis,  Morris  Bush, 
John  P.  Robinson,  Julius  and  W.  E  Mason,  Edmund  0. 
Clapp,  Messrs.  Beards,  of  Fayettcvillc  and  Pompey.  Frank 
Jerome  and  Cbas.  Cook  had  a  table  with  an  evergreen  arch 
in  the  centre,  bearing  the  word  "  greeting,"  handsomely 
wrought,  and  underneath  the  symbolic  device  of  crossed 
hands.  The  Pompey  Center  and  Manlius  and  Fayetteville 
tables  were  neatly  and  tastefully  arranged,  and  attracted 
general  attention.  On  the  south  the  Sweet  and  Garret* 
families  had  a  line  table  and  capacious  tent ;  and  the  family 
and  friends  of  John  Q.  Smith  of  Syracuse,  occupied  another 
tent  to  the  west,  where  one  of  the  finest  collations  on  the 
grounds  was  spread.  Miner  B.  and  Fred.  Murry  also  had 
an  elegant  table  to  the  north-east,  and  bountifully  spread. 
Evergreen  arches  were  also  made  over  the  principal  tables. 
Means  for  preparing  coffee  were  provided  at  various  points 
and  common  use  was  made  of  them.  Large  wooden  tanks 
of  lemonade,  as  cold  as  a  January  day  on  Pompey  Hill,  oc- 


58  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

copied  a  prominent  position,  and  also  a  tank  of  ice  water. 
Long  before  the  procession  reached  the  grove,  hundreds,, 
aye,  thousands  of  people  had  congregated  and  were  enjoying 
themselves  in  a  most  rational  manner,  and  from  many  gath 
erings  song  and  music  echoed  through  the  wood.  At  about 
2  o'clock  the  sound  of  music  in  the  distance  was  heard,  and 
the  words  "  they  are  coming,"  brought  all  to  the  margin  of 
the  route. 

The  young  people  who  were  to  wait  upon  the  tables 
dressed  in  uniform,  with  badges  and  flowers,  arranged  them 
selves  on  either  side  of  the  route  of  the  procession,  and  all 
was  in  readiness  for  the  reception.  The  procession  entered 
the  grove,  headed  by  the  Marshal  and  his  assistants,  mount 
ed,  and  Dresher's  fall  band,  and  in  good  order  the  guests 
took  seats  at  the  tables.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Brace  offered  thanks' 
to  the  Throne  of  Grace.  The  waiting  committee  filed  in  in 
good  order,  and  the  work  of  destruction  commenced.  The 
attack  was  long  and  perseveringly  continued,  but  the  com 
mittee  was  too  well  armed  to  be  defeated,  and  when  the  ta 
bles  were  cleared  two  hours  later,  the  fragments  gathered  up 
wrere  sufficient  to  have  maintained  a  small  army  during  a 
short  seige.  There  was  an  abundance  of  everything,  and 
right  heartily  were  the  bounties  partaken  of  by  the  entire 
assemblage.  Before  Mr.  Marsh  concluded  his  address  after 
dinner  was  served,  the  Durston  quartette  favored  the  as 
semblage  with  another  of  their  choice  selections,  singing, 
"  Oh,  howl  love  my  mountain  home,"  and  were  followed 
by  music  by  the  band. 

At  the  conclusion  of  Mr.  Marsh's  address,  the  President 
read  the  following  toast  and  sentiment. 

The  Old  Town  ofPompey — Glorious  in  her  past  memories, 
proud  of  her  fertile  soil,  magnificent  scenery  and  noble  sons 
and  daughters.  To  these  she  points  with  pride,  and  says  in 
the  language  of  the  Roman  matron,  "  These  are  my  jewels," 
and  called  upon  William  Barnes,  Esq.,  of  Albany,  to  respond. 


THE    POMPEY   RE  UNION.  59 

RESPONSE   OF  MR.  BARNES. 
Mr.  Chairman: 

For  unknown  cycles  of  years,  before  any  white  man  set 
tled  in  the  county  of  Onondaga,  there  lived  and  ruled  over 
these  pleasant  hills  and  lovely  valleys,  those  celebrated 
tribes  of  Indians  known  as  the  Confederate,  or  United  Five 
Nations.  These  Romans  of  the  New  "World  had  subjected 
to  their  sway  most  of  the  other  tribes  from  the  Hudson  to 
the  Mississippi  rivers,  and  from  the  Carolina's  to  the  Great 
Lakes.  The  hills  of  Onondaga  formed  the  grand  Council 
Chamber,  where  their  dusky  Senators  convened  and  coun 
selled,  and  where  the  painted  Chiefs  and  Warriors  planned 
their  far-reaching  campaigns.  This  soil  was  classic  in  the 
annals  of  tradition,  reaching  back  to  an  era  of  which  the 
memory  of  man  knows  not  the  beginning.  The  advance  of 
the  white  man,  from  the  time  of  King  Phillip's  war  in  the 
east  to  the  present  Indian  warfare  raging  on  the  outskirts 
of  our  civilization  in  the  west,  has  been  but  an  ever  repeat 
ed  history  of  the  yielding  of  the  native  red  man  to  the 
Anglo-Saxon  race. 

This  is  not  the  time  or  the  occasion  for  Aboriginal  enqui 
ry  or  discussion — but  at  this  glorious  re-union  at  the  house 
hold  shrines  of  our  fathers,  we  cannot  fail  to  remember  the 
sadly  eloquent  sentiment  which  runs,  like  a  minor  chord, 
through  all  the  speeches  of  their  orators,  and  seems  to  have 
nerved  the  Savage  arm  in  almost  every  Indian  conflict  that 
has  occurred  on  this  continent — "  You  ask  us  to  leave  the 
homes  of  our  ancestors ;  you  are  attempting  to  drive  us  from 
the  graves  of  our  Fathers !" 

To  this  sentiment,  certainly  every  human  heart  assembled 
here  to-day  can  thrill.  "We  all  feel  that  we  are  treading  to 
day  a  soil  consecrated  to  us,  also,  as  the  chosen  home  of  our 
fathers,  and  which  contains  within  its  bosom  all  that  of  them 
is  earthly.  I  am  proud  to  say  that  in  your  quiet  church 
yard  at  the  base  of  Pompey  Hill,  I  have  a  grandfather  and 
grandmother  quietly  reposing.  My  grandfather,  Deacon 
William  Barnes,  emigrated  from  Great  Barrington,  Mass., 


60  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

to  Otsego  County,  N.  Y,  and  from  thence  in  1798,  to  a 
farm  about  one  mile  south  of  the  village  of  Oran.  In  the 
immediate  neighborhood  three  of  his  brothers,  Phineas, 
Koswell  and  Asa  Barnes,  had  previously  settled.  My  grand 
father  was  a  farmer,  and  had  upon  his  farm  a  small  black 
smith  shop,  as  it  was  not  unusual  in  those  days  for  the  far 
mer  to  understand  and  practice,  occasionally,  some  mechan 
ical  trade.  Animated  by  that  stern  monitor  necessity,  as 
well  as  by  the  promptings  of  his  Puritan  blood,  he  painted 
in  conspicuous  letters,  first  above  his  forge,  the  motto  which 
was  the  guide  of  his  life,  "Work  or  Die,"  and  alternating 
between  the  two  pursuits  of  blacksmith  and  farmer,  laying 
down  the  ponderous  hammer  only  to  assume  the  equally 
severe  labor  of  felling  primeval  trees  four  or  five  feet  in 
diameter,  and  guiding  his  oxen  through  virgin  acres,  where 
the  stumps  impeded  every  onward  step — his  life  stands  as 
the  representative  of  the  lives  of  nearly  all  those  early  set 
tlers  in  Pompey,  whose  memory  we  revere  to-day. 

These  early  settlers  were  mostly  God-fearing  N"ew  Eng- 
landers  of  Puritan  origin,  and  fervently  inspired  with  relig 
ious  zeal  and  entbsiasm.  In  my  grandfather's  house,  no 
secular  book  or  newspaper  could  be  read  upon  the  Sabbath 
day,  the  sacredness  of  which  was  kept  with  punctillious 
rigidity.  An  amusing  incident  has  been  recently  related  to 
me  by  one  of  the  parties,  still  living,  and  now  in  his  eighty- 
sixth  year,  (Mr.  Luther  Buell  of  this  town.)  In  the  early 
part  of  the  present  century  he  was  working  for  my  grand 
father,  and  one  Sunday  afternoon,  being  sent  to  drive  up 
the  cows  from  the  woods  to  be  milked,  a  young  deer  was 
found  with  the  herd,  and  by  quiet  and  shrewec]  management 
was  driven  up  also  to  the  barn  yard  with  the  domestic  cattle. 
Young  Buell,  much  elated  at  the  prospect  of  a  fine  haunch 
of  venison,  hastened  into  the  house  to  notify  my  grandfather 
of  his  prize,  but  alas!  for  the  impatient  Nimrod — the  sun 
had  not  yet  set  in  the  west,  and  the  sacred  day  could  not  be 
profaned  by  secular  pursuits — venison  or  no  venison,  no  gun 
could  be  discharged  on  those  premises,  and  the  young  man 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  (jl 

was  compelled  to  watch  and  stealthily  guard  his  game  until 
the  sun  had  fairly  sunk  below  the  horizon,  and  the  2s~ew 
England  Sabbath  had  terminated.  Then  the  deer  was  duly 
shot,  and  ray  grandfather's  conscience  preserved  inviolate. 

Our  present  generation  have  little  conception  of  the  her 
culean  task  lying  in  the  pathway  of  the  early  pioneers  of 
Central  Xew  York.  It  was  no  small  undertaking  to  travel 

C3 

through  dense  forests  in  search  of  the  military  lot  which  the 
settler  had  purchased  from  the  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  by 
whom  it  had  been  drawn  as  a  reward  for  military  services 
during  the  war.  Once  upon  his  lot,  (perhaps  a  dozen  or 
more  miles  from  a  Doctor,  a  neighbor  or  grist-mill,)  he  was 
confronted  not  alone  by  wild  beasts  and  Indians,  but  by  the 
no  less  stern  realities  of  a  primeval  forest  out  of  which  he 
must  by  his  strong  arm  alone,  create  and  build  up  a  Christian 
home.  What  was  to  be  done  ?  Wife  and  children  were 
there,  needing  food  and  shelter;  sometimes  in  addition,  a 
mortgage  upon  the  lot  with  a  no  less  ravenous  appetite  for 
interest  on  each  recurring  anniversary  of  the  purchase.  We 
read  of  heroism  on  the  field  of  battle,  where  frantic  men  rush 
on  to  death,  nerved  by  the  maddening  stimulus  of  martial 
music  and  the  cannons  roar,  but  here  in  the  solitary  wilder 
ness  was  no  flas;  flaunting  in  the  breeze,  no  flying  artillery, 

O  O  §7  O  */    ' 

no  support  from  other  thousands  of  sympathetic  hearts  throb 
bing  in  unison,  no  pensions,  no  honors,  no  promotions,  no 
glory,  no  immortality.  No ;  none  of  these — here  were  only 
the  wife  and  children,  born  and  yet  to  be  born,  two  strong 
stalwart  arms,  and'a  loving,  honest  and  manly  heart,  intent 
only  on  serving  God  and  performing  its  duty  here  on  earth. 

The  sturdy  faith  which  led  these  men  into  the  wilderness, 
did  not  desert  them  when  they  faced  its  dangers,  and  the 
settlers  axe  soon  resounded  through  its  majestic  solitudes. 
One  by  one  the  stalwart  monarchs  of  the  forest  were  laid 
lowr,  until  the  sunlight  crept  coyly  into  the  modest  "clearing," 
and  laughed  with  the  wife  and  children,  as  the  open  space 
was  consecrated  to  the  Lares  and  Penates  of  the  Christian 
home.  Those  days  were  not  without  their  sunshine.  Did 


62  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

YOU  ever  hear  of  the  tender  friendships  and  hearty  hand-grips 
of  those  early  pioneers  ?  If  not,  watch  closely  when  you  see 
anv  of  the  survivors  casually  meet.  The  whole  combined 
energy  of  u  Fifth  Avenue,"  could  not  concentrate  as  much 
soul  and  electricity  as  was  generated  in  one  "  barn-raising," 
or  town-meeting.  And  then  the  midnight  fires  when  the 
log-heaps  were  lighted  in  the  dry  season  of  June  ;  no  costly 
illuminations  in  the  N.  Y.  Parks,  in  Paris,  or  in  London, 
could  equal  the  quiet  joy  of  the  farmer  at  the  ever-changing 
pyrotechnics  of  the  "  fallow"  and  "  log-heap."  And  then 
for  the  children  ;  could  Delmonico  with  all  his  art  furnish  a 
dish  equal  to  fresh  warm  maple  sugar  to  be  eaten  on  the 
pure  and  unsullied  snow  of  the  vernal  equinox  ? 

And  after  churches  were  erected,  what  holy  joy  welcomed 
the  quiet  Sabbath,  the  day  of  peace  and  rest,  and  how  soul- 
satisiying'the  sermons  of  those  pioneer  clergyman,  teaching 
their  earnest  hearers  to  look  "  from  Nature  up  to  Nature's 
God." 

The  church  was  often  a  Log-House  or  Barn,  but  it- mat 
tered  little  to  the  true  Christians  there  assembled.  The 
fervent  prayers  and  aspirations  that  arose  to  Heaven  from 
those  humble  Avails,  let  usjdevoutly  believe  were  as  accept 
able  to  God  as  the  anthems  of  Westminster,  or  the  form 
alisms  of  Ecumenical  Councils,  convened  in  the  broad  aisles 
of  St.  Peters,  at  Rome. 

In  this  stern  conflict  year  after  year,  with  poverty  and 
want,  many  noble  men  and  martyred  women  died  a  pre 
mature  death,  oveiborne  by  their  excessive  burthens.  The 
mass,  however,  came  out  victorious,  the  mortgages  were 
gradually  satisfied,  comforts  and  conveniences  were  added 
to  the  household,  from  year  to  year,  while  numerous  stalwart 
sons  and  handsome  daughters  joined  hands  with  them  in 
the  crusade  of  labor,  until  the  earth  began  generously  to 
reward  the  faithful  husbandman,  and  the  wilderness  blos 
somed  as  the  rose. 

I  have  been  asked  to-day  to  respond  to  a  sentiment  hon- 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNIOX.  C3 

oring  the  memory  of  these  men — how  can  I  speak  of  them, 
without  laying  also  my  tribute  of  grateful  reverence  upon 
the  graves  of  the  honored  mothers  and  grand-mothers  of 
these  early  days,  who  with  scanty  means  literally  created 
the  food  and  clothing  for  their  families,  and  trained  and 
taught  us,  their  children,  with  all  the  fidelity  and  devotion 
of  guardian  angels.  Many  of  them  had  disciplined  intellects 
which  were  stimulated  and  fed  only  at  the  fount  of  classic 
English  literature,  and  in  the  intervals  of  their  daily  toil, 
they  were  often  able  to  talk  with  you  more  critically,  and 
quote  more  freely  from  the  Spectator,  from  Pope,  Addison 
and  the  earlier  poets  than  would  be  possible  for  many  of  the 
so-called  literary  women  of  to-day,  while  they  gave  to  Hu 
manity  and  to  the  State,  not  merely  one  or  two  feeble  and 
dyspeptic  offsprings,  but  well-endowed,  fully  perfected  chil 
dren,  (sometimes  numbering  more  than  a  dozen,)  and  all 
nursed  at  their  own  bosoms,  and  trained  to  manhood  and 
womanhood,  in  the  fear  and  admonition  of  the  Lord. 

My  revered  Father,  Orson  Barnes,  (with  whose  name 
many  of  you  are  familiar,  although  he  has  been  dead  for 
twenty  years,)  having  removed  from  this  neighborhood  du 
ring  my  childhood,  I  had  few  opportunities  to  become  ac 
quainted  with  your  older  citizens.  As  a  law-student,  I  well 
recollect  the  Websterian  brow  of  DANIEL  GOTT,  and  the  able, 
honest  and  cheerful  face  of  VICTORY  BIRDSEYE.  They  be 
longed  to  that  honored  class  of  lawyers,  not  yet  I  trust,  en 
tirely  extinct,  who  performed  their  professional  duties  with 
all  the  honesty,  zeal  and  conscientiousness  of  ministers  of 
the  gospel.  I  well  recollect  when  studying  law  in  Baldwins- 
ville,  with  the  late  lamented  Judge  Geo.  A.  Stansbury, 
walking  twelve  miles,  day  after  day,  to  the  Court  House,  at 
Salina,  to  hear  such  lawyers  as  Nbxon,  Lawrence,  Hillis, 
Gott  and  Birdseye,  and  feeling  amply  repaid  for  the  phy 
sical  fatigue. 

Among  the  many  men  of  mark,  \vho  have  been  born  in 
the  town  of  Pompey,  and  who  I  see  around  me  to  clay,  I 
miss  one  face  that  should  have  lent  its  geniality  and  charm 


04  THE    POMPEY    HE-UN IOX. 

to  this  gathering.  I  refer  to  the  celebrated  artist  and  great 
est  of  American  sculptors,  E.  D.  Palmer,  of  Albany,  X.  Y. 
Born  upon  these  hills,  almost  within  sight  of  our  festivities, 
and  early  inured  to  toil,  his  hardy  frame  gathered  and  con 
solidated  year  by  year  the  strength  and  vigor  which  at  man 
hood  vitalized  and  invigorated  his  genius,  and  enabled  him 
without  the  training  of  the  European  schools  or  having  even 
seen  the  classic  models  of  the  old  world,  to  wrest  from  his 
trans- At! antic  rivals  a  fame  that  grows  brighter  and  brighter, 
with  each  succeeding  effort  of  his  genius.  Pompey  has  pro 
duced  great  orators,  lawyers,  statesmen  and  financiers,  but 
I  recall  no  other  of  her  sons  who  has  achieved  a  wider  repu 
tation,  or  who  wears  his  honors  more  worthily,  than  Erastus 
D.  Palmer.  A  representative  American  in  every  pulse  and 
fibre  of  his  being,  the  town  of  Pompey  honors  herself  when 
she  honors  him. 

Mr.  Chirman — I  have  already  occupied  too  much  of  your 
time,  and  the  lengthening  shadows  admonish  me  that  the 
afternoon  is  rapidly  passing  away,  but  I  cannot  leave  you 
without  referring  to  one  historical  fact  connected  with  the 
settlement  of  the  military  tract  in  Central  New  York.  The 
twenty-six  towns  composing  this  tract,  were  with  the  ex 
ception  of  four,  named  from  ancient  Romans  and  Grecian 
Generals,  Orators  and  Statesmen.  Our  own  township,  ~No. 
10,  comprising  60,003  acres,  received  the  name  of  Pompey, 
from  POMPEY  MAGNUS,  the  son  of  Strabo,  who  was  born  in 
the  year  of  Rome,  647.  He  was  as  you  all  know,  a  brave, 
successful  General,  and  Avas  honored  with  three  Roman 
triumphs  for  his  victories  over  Africa,  Europe  and  Asia,  and 
was  esteemed  the  conqueror  of  the  world.  Having  been 
elected  consul  and  invested  by  the  Roman  Senate,  with  ex 
traordinary  powers,  he  ruled  the  Empire  with  almost  su 
preme  authority,  and  was  considered  as  the  rival  of  Alexan 
der  the  Great.  One  incident  in  his  life  occurs  to  me,  which 
I  desire  to  relate,  not  merely  to  "  adorn  a  tale,"  but  to 
"  point  a  moral,"  which  it  may  be  well  for  us  in  these  latter 
days  to  heed.  Rome,  the  haughty  mistress  of  the  world, 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNIOX.  05 

was  suffering  from  famine,  and  cries  for  bread  arose  in  her 
streets.  By  a  Senatus  Consultum,  Pompey  bad  been  entrust 
ed  with  the  important  duty  of  providing  and  importing  corn 
and  other  provisions.  He  sailed  with  his  fleet  to  the  coast 
of  Africa,  and  having  obtained  vast  supplies,  was  preparing 
to ^return,  when  a  fearful  storm  arose,  threatening  the  de 
struction  of  the  whole  expedition.  His  mariners  refused  to 
re-embark,  and  were  on  the  point  of  mutiny,  when  Pompey 
seized  the  helm  of  his  vessel  and  ordered  them  to  weigh 
anchor,  with  these  decisive  words,  "It  is  necessary  that  we 
should  go,  it  is  not  necessary  that  we  should  live."  It  was  this 
spirit  which  animated  the  early  pioneers  of  the  town  which 
bears  his  name.  Fidelity  to  duty  first  of  all,  and  after  that, 
considerations  of  personal  safety  and  ease  ;  this  was  incul 
cated  in  their  daily  teachings,  and  in  every  action  of  their 
lives,  and  on  this  festal  day,  as  we  meet  to  commemorate 
their  virtues  and  emulate  their  example,  let  us  consecrate 
ourselves  to  the  same  high  ideal,  and  make  ourselves  wor 
thy  inheritors  of  their  heroic  blood,  always  remembering 
that 

"  111  fares  the  land  to  hastening  ills  a  prey 
Where  wealth  accumulates  and  men  decay  !  " 

At  the  conclusion  of  Mr.  Barnes'  speech  the  President 
said : 

The  fair  daughters  of  Pompey — we  never  forget  them — 
We  cannot  marry  them  all,  (laughter,)  if  we  would — They 
would  not  let  us  if  we  could.  (Laughter).  But  Pompey  has 
long  been  the  hunting  ground  for  wives  by  outside  barba 
rians.  (Laughter).  I  propose  to  give  a  toast  appropriate  to 
that  class  of  men,  and  shall  call  upon  a  distinguished  individ 
ual  from  yonder  city  to  respond.  He  has  become  a  son-in-law 
of  Pompey,  by  uniting  in  marriage  with  one  of  the  Daugh 
ters  of  the  late  Doctor  Urial  Wright,  so  well  and  so  favora 
bly  known  to  all  the  residents  of  Pompey,  and  who  for  a 
number  of  years  held  the  office  of  "  Superintendent  of  the 
Onondaga  Salt  Springs,"  and  discharged  its  duties  with 
marked  ability.  The  widow  of  Doctor  Wright — four  daugh- 

5 


66  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

tens,  two  sons,  two  grandsons,  and  two  sous-ill  law,  are  pres 
ent  with  us  on  this  occasion.  I  offer  the  following  toast  : 
"Old  Pompey 's  sons-in-law,  their  good  j  ucigment  in  the  selec 
tion  of  their  wives  prove  them  worthy  of  the  true  and  noble 
women  who  have  captured  them." — (Applause.)  I  call  upon 
Hon.  James  Xoxon,  of  Syracuse,  to  respond. 

MR.  NOXON-'S  RESPONSE. 

Mr.  Chairman  and  Fellow  Citizens  : — 

It  is  a  pleasure  to  be  called  upon  to  respond  to  the  senti 
ment  given  by  your  chairman,  relative  to  the  fair  daughters 
of  Pompey  and  the  men  who  have  been  captured  by  them. 
The  introductory  remarks  of  the  President  upon  the  reading 
of  the  toast,  inspires  me  with  more  than  ordinary  feeling  at 
the  present  time,  to  reply  in  a  manner  worthy  of  the  sons- 
in-law  of  Pompey.  The  sons  of  Pompey  have  spoken  well 
for  her  in  her  younger  days.  They  have  justly  and  proudly 
referred  to  the  men  and  w^omen  who  laid  the  foundations  of 
this  good  old  town,  which  has  sent  forth  so  many  good  and 
worthy  daughters  and  sons.  Our  acquaintance  with  the 
history  of  the  State  and  the  men  who  have  taken  part  in  the 
transactions  relative  to  its  policy  and  government,  leads  us 
to  point  with  pride  to  the  men  who  have  gone  forth  from 
these  hills  and  inscribed  their  names  high  upon  the  roll  of 
honor  in  every  department  of  life.  The  reputation  and 
character  of  the  men  who  have  gone  forth  from  Pompey, 
extends  far  beyond  the  limits  of  the  county  of  Onondaga, 
and  who  does  not  well  remember  in  casting  his  eye  over 
the  State,  that  no  individual  locality  has  produced  bettef  or 
greater  men  than  she.  It  well  behoves  the  young  men,  not 
only  here  in  this  locality  but  everywhere  in  the  State,  to 
look  about  them  and  around  them,  and  see  where  they  had 
better  be  born — (laughter) — I  wish  my  voice  could  reach  the 
ears  of  the  young  men  of  the  valley  below  us,  not  alone 
those  who  have  been  accustomed  from  youth  to  gaze  ad 
miringly  upon  these  mountain  tops,  but  those  living  far- 
distant  and  beyond  the  bounds  of  our  county.  I  would 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  67 

point  them  to  the  fertile  hills,  and  ask  them  to  look  well  to 
it,  that  their  sails  were  well  trimmed,  and  if  they  loved  high 
places,  and  to  he  honored  and  distinguished  among  men  to 
come  here,  and  if  they  could  be  horn  again,  he  horn  in  the 
good  old  town  of  Pompey,  (applause  and  laughter).  It  pro 
duced  great  men,  and  the  record  of  this  day  will  long  be  re- 
membered  as  a  day  of  treasuring  up  and  recounting  her 
jewels.  Why  was  it  that  the  town  of  Pompey  and  the  other 
hills  of  the  county  of  Onondaga,  whose  tops  were  away  up 
among  the  clouds,  were  so  early  settled  by  the  hardy  men 
who  emigrated  from  New  England  ?  It  was  because  here 
was  a  fertile  soil,  beautiful  mountain  streams,  fine  breezes,  a 
count}'  unaffected  by  the  low  and  marshy  region  of  the  val 
leys,  and  hence  the  early  settlements  were  made  here,  and 
the  pioneers  from  other  counties,  and  other  States  pitched 
their  tents  on  these  proud  eminences,  where  the  physical 
and  mental  condition  of  men  best  flourished,  and  where  great 
men  must  and  will  be  born.  I  beg  you  will  note  that  it  was 
not  altogether  my  fault  that  I  was  born  on  yonder  Hill,  in 
the  town  of  Onondaga,  instead  of  this  more  elevated  one  in 
Pompey.  Onondaga  has  proud  old  hills,  and  she  too,  has  a 
noble  record  of  good  and  great  men  who  have  gone  forth 
from  her  majestic  hills  and  been  leaders  in  the  van  of  civili 
zation.  It  may  not  be  amiss  to  state  that  those  hills,  like 
the  hills  of  Pompey,  have  been  subject  to  the  depredations 
of  the  venturesome  young  men  of  the  valleys,  who  have 
committed  trespasses  upon  the  estates  of  the  good  farmer, 
and  been  captured  and  made  Sons  in-Law  by  their  fair 
daughters.  (Laughter  and  applause). 

Now,  my  friends,  be  it  knowTn  to  you,  one  and  all,  that  at 
an  early  day  I  made  the  discovery  that  I  was  laboring  under 
a  most  difficult  and  embarassing  perplexity,  which  it  was 
hard  to  overcome,  while  in  dreams  I  yearned  and  desired  to 
be  born  here,  my  lot  had  been  cast  elsewhere,  and  I  could 
not  if  I  would  be  born  on  both  these  glorious  Hills.  This 
difficulty  I  managed  to  overcome  as  best  I  could,  next  to 
being  a  son  I  reckoned  a  son-in-law  would  be  pre-eminent^ 


68  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

so  I  ventured  to  try  these  hunting  grounds,  and  extended 
my  heart  and  hand  to  one  of  the  daughters  of  this  venerable 
town;  and  we  together  walked  down  into  yonder  valle}r, 
where  our  lot  is  cast  in  full  view  of  these  magnificent  hills. 
(Applause).  Young  men  of  the  valleys  who  hear  me  this 
day,  whether  you  live  far  or  near,  I  say  try  on.  you  may 
grieve  and  mourn  over  the  misfortunes  of  your  lives,  that 
you  were  not  born  here.  It  is  not  probable  your  tears  and 
griefs  will  alter  the  Providences  which  has  cast  your  lot  else 
where,  but  the  way  is  open,  your  tears  and  grief  can  be 
turned  to  smiles  and  joy,  when  I  teach  you  by  a  joyous  ex 
perience  that  the  best  work  of  your  lives  is  to  be  captured 
by  one  of  the  fair  daughters  of  Pompey,  as  you  surely  will, 
if  you  venture  upon  these  hill  tops,  and  then  your  baptism 
will  be  complete,  and  although  not  a  son,  the  law  will  recog 
nize  you  as  such,  and  you  will  be  a  son-in-lair.  (Great  laughter 
and  applause).  I  have  no  doubt  our  President,  who  for  so 
many  years  roamed  over  these  hills,  knew  well  when  he 
framed  the  beautiful  sentiment  to  which  he  has  called  me 
to  respond,  that  I  had  never  had  cause  to  regret  that  my 
fortune  had  been  united  with  one  of  Pompey's  daughters, 
and  that  the  son-in-law  and  daughter  rejoiced  alike  in  this 
re-union  of  kindred  spirits  on  this  delightful  occasion.  Al 
low  me  to  say  to  the  daughters  here  present,  you  need  have 
no  fear  of  the  young  men  from  these  valleys.  If  they  have 
the  heart  and  the  bravery  to  climb  these  hills,  and  face  the 
storm  king  upon  the  top  of  your  mountain  heights,  they  are 
worthy  of  your  kindest  solicitudes,  and  should  be  warmly 
received.  If  laudable  ambition  rivits  them  here  to  be  en 
grafted  into  this  great  family  of  joyous  and  loving  spirits,  I 
entreat  you  to  receive  them  kindly,  and  if  needs  be,  and 
heaven  approves,  walk  hand-in-hand  down  into  the  valley 
together;  and  when  the  centennial  year  of  the  foundation 
of  the  town  of  Pompey  shall  roll  around  in  1894,  let  them, 
and  you,  and  your  children,  and  all  the  rest  of  us  who  shall 
live  to  that  day,  come  around  another  festive  board,  and 
rejoice  in  the  pleasures  of  another  re-imion  of  the  sons  and 
daughters  of  Pompey. 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  69 

Mr.  President — sometimes  the  question  of  our  birth  is  in 
vested  with  peculiar  interest.  I  remember  not  long  since  of 
hearing  of  a  speech  made  by  one  of  our  citizens,  (a  friend  of 
mine),  who  had  occasion  to  allude  to  his  parentage,  and  the 
stock  from  which  he  came.  He  said  that  on  his  mother's 
side  he  came  from  Plymouth  Rock — that  on  his  father's 
side  he  came  from  Blarney  Castle,  arid  he  gloried  aswrell  he 
might  that  this  union  produced  sons  and  daughters  worthy 
of  memorable  sires.  (Laughter)  This  speech  Avas  called  out 
in  a  political  contest  of  great  excitement.  I  shall  not  refer 
to  the  questions  at  issue,  we  came  here  to  lay  aside  and  bury 
politics,  this  clay  we  flock  around  this  common  altar,  and 
know  nothing  beyound  the  words,  loveliness  and  wTomen — 
and  on  that  altar  we  swear  allegiance.  Not  Ions;  after  this 

O  O 

speech  I  was  called  upon  to  address  a  public  meeting,  in 
which  seemed  to  me  if  there  WHS  any  thing  to  be  proud  of 
in  stock  and  ancestral  glory,  I  was  entitled  to  a  small  share, 
and  said  to  my  hearers  that  on  my  father's  side,  I  boasted 
of  Scotch  desc  ent,  and  that  my  forefathers  came  to  this 
country  from  the  romantic  hills  of  Scotland,  about  250  years 
ago.  That  on  my  mother's  side,  was  German,  and  rejoiced 
in  the  good  old  Dutch  appellation  of  Van  attached  to  the 
name  of  my  mother  and  her  ancestry.  My  audience  was 
pretty  well  attended  by  Irish  citizens,  and  I  added  playfully, 
that  I  came  very  near  being  born  an  Irishman — one  of  my 
auditors  who  was  a  native  of  the  green  Isle,  demanded  of 
me  in  his  own  peculiar  brogue,  "How  is  that?"  To  which  I 
replied,  I  was  born  on  St.  Patrick's  day.  (Laughter).  My 
friends,  the  thought  now  strikes  me  how  much  glory  it  would 
have  been  to  me,  if  I  could  on  this  occasion  claim  I  had 
running  in  my  veins  the  Scotch,  German  and  Irish  blood, 
and  then  on  top  of  all,  been  born  on  these  hills  of  old  Pom- 
pey.  (Laughter  and  applause). 

You,  Mr.  Chairman,  knew  well  when  you  called  me  to 
this  platform,  that  nothing  could  intimidate  me  from  telling 
the  most  solemn  truth,  relating  to  the  sons  and  daughters. 
(Laughter).  I  invoke  the  women  of  Pompey  who  have  got 


70  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

husbands  in  the  valleys  to  stand  by  me  and  fortify  every 
word  spoken  as  being  true  as  gospel.  (Laughter).  Sir,  I 
speak  from  sweet  experience  on  the  subject  of  this  toast. 
My  wife  is  here  present  and  if  she  was  in  the  habit  of  speech 
making,  she,  too,  might  speak  of  her  experience.  She  has 
graciously  permitted  me  to  speak  for  both  of  us,  and  we 
here  rejoice  together  with  you  on  the  success  of  the  sons 
and  daughters,  and  sons-in-law,  and  daughters-in-law  of 
Pompey. 

We  mourn  over  the  fate  of  one  poor  Pompey  boy  who 
came  to  this  re-union  after  many  years  of  absence,  and  who 
ventured  to  kiss  one  of  the  fair  daughters  of  Pompey,  but 
his  pleasure  was  nipped  in  the  bud  by  being  unceremon 
iously  introduced  to  her  husband,  and  then  made  a  second 
effort  to  kiss  the  daughter  of  her  whom  he  had  first  attempted 
to  kiss,  when  again  he  was  introduced  to  the  husband  of 
the  daughter.  Our  friend  had  evidently  kept  no  note  of 
time,  and  exclaimed  much  to  our  merriment  that  he  would 
shortly  go  home  and  kiss  the  mother  and  daughter  he  had 
left  behind  him,  both  of  whom  were  Pompey-ites  of  blessed 
memory.  (Laughter).  Fellow  citizens  of  Pompey,  may 
God  bless  your  town,  may  God  bless  your  men  and 
women,  and  may  God  bless  the  girls  of  the  town  of  Pom 
pey.  (Applause). 

At  the  conclusion  of  Mr.  Noxon's  speech,  President 
Wood,  in  proposing  the  next  sentiment,  said : — A  speech 
was  made  a  few  days  ago  in  the  British  House  of  Lords,  by 
that  distinguished  man,  Earl  De  Grey,  which  has  been  trans 
mitted  to  us  by  telegraph,  under  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  a  sen 
timent  in  which  is  very  appropriate  to  be  used  on  this  oc 
casion,  and  a  lit  one  to  call  out  one  of  the  noble  sons  of 
Pompey.  It  is  this  : — "  The  American  Members  of  the 
Joint  High  Commission ;  they  were  men  of  business,  knew 
what  they  wanted,  and  asked  for  it," — and  (added  the  chair 
man)  got  it  I  call  upon  the  Hon.  George  H.  Williams  to 
respond. 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNIOX.  71 

MR.  WILLIAMS'  RESPONSE. 

Mr.  Chairman  Ladies  and  Gentlemen  : — 

I  have  exhausted  the  time  to  which  I  am  entitled  on  this 
occasion  already ;  and  I  have  heard  others  refer  to  many 
incidents  in  the  history  of  this  town  with  great  pleasure, 
All  professions  and  all  trades,  and  all  sections  of  the  country 
are  represented  here  to-day.  They  all  ought  to  have  an 
opportunity  to  speak  to  you,  and  you  ought  to  have  an  op 
portunity  to  hear  them.  It  is  not  right  tjiat  any  one  person 
should  monopolize  the  time.  I  shall,  therefore,  do  little 
more  than  to  express  my  acknowledgements  for  the  com 
pliment  which  was  implied  in  the  sentiment  proposed  by 
the  chairman. 

To  adjust  understandingly  the  complicated  question,  aris 
ing  between  two  great,  free  and  powerful  nations,  is,  of 
course,  a  business  attended  with  no  little  difficulty.  Fortu 
nately  tor  both  countries,  the  British  Commissioners  came 
to  the  consideration  of  the  questions  involved  in  a  spirit  of 
candor  and  fairness ;  and  the  American  Commissioners  en 
deavored  to  meet  them  upon  the  same  ground.  ]STo  doubt 
many  of  our  countrymen  feel  as  though  enough  was  not 
conceded  by  the  representatives  of  the  British  government. 
But  a  question  appears  very  different  when  both  sides  are 
thoroughly  argued  instead  of  only  one.  Proceeding  to  a 
consideration  of  the  difficulties  between  the  two  countries, 
of  course  the  arguments  and  the  reasons  by  which  the  British 
government  is  influenced  in  her  actions  were  presented  to 
our  minds  in  a  most  forcible  and  persuasive  manner,  and 
we  endeavored  to  meet  these  arguments  and  these  reasons 
by  showing  the  claims  of  our  country  growing  out  of  the 
conduct  of  Great  Britain  during  the  late  rebellion.  Our 
effort  was  to  make  a  treaty  consistent  with  the  interest,  the 
dignity,  and  the  honor  of  this  nation,  and  conducive  to  the 
best  interests  of  the  whole  world.  (Applause.)  We  sup-, 
posed  that  the  question  was  simply  one  of  skillful  negotia 
tion,  as  of  a  war  between  the  two  countries.  Manifestly 


72  THE    POM  FEY    HE-UNION. 

•every  expedient  had  been  exhausted  for  the  purpose  of  ad 
justing  the  questions  between  these  two  nations,  and  this 
•Commission  was  the  only  peaceful  mode  that  was  left  for 
their  settlement.  Had  those  Commissioners  failed  to  agree, 
then  the  two  countries  must  necessarily  have  resorted  to  the 
sword  for  the  settlement  of  these  great  questions.  Our  true 
policy  is  peace.  Our  country  at  this  time  is  not  prepared 
for  war.  War  would  have  inflated  our  currency ;  war 
would  have  increased  our  taxes ;  war  would  have  depreciated 
our  public  securities,  to  say  nothing  of  the  sufferings  and  sor 
rows,  the  vices  and  crimes  that  follow  in  the  footsteps  of 
war. 

I  am  happy,  fellow  citizens,  that  the  services  which  I 
rendered  upon  that  Commission  have  redounded  to  the 
advantage  of  this  country  and  to  the  advantage  of  the 
world.  That  is  compensation  enough  for  me.  I  think 
the  universal  acceptance  of  this  treaty  in  both  countries, 
without  any  considerable  distinction  on  party  grounds,  is 
•evidence  that  the  Commissioners  struck  as  near  as  possible 
the  golden  mean  upon  these  questions. 

I  find,  however,  that  I  am,  contrary  to  my  determination, 
making  a  speech.  (Cries  of  "  Go  on.")  I  am  proud  and 
happy,  fellow-citizens,  to  meet  you  here  to-day.  I  am  proud 
to  have  been  a  resident  of  the  town  ofPompey,  and  to  have 
been  a  son  of  the  great  Empire  State.  While  I  had  the 
lionor  to  hold  a  seat  in  the  Senate,  there  were  nine  mem 
bers  of  that  body  who  were  born  in  the  State  of  New  York, 
and  this  is  a  State,  on  account  of  its  size,  its  population,  its 
wealth,  and  its  power,  entitled  to  such  a  representation  in  the 
Senate  of  the  United  States. 

I  met  here  persons  from  all  parts  of  the  country;  some 
have  come  from  the  north,  some  from  the  south,  some  from 
the  east,  some  from  the  west  to  greet  each  other;  to  revive 
the  reminiscences  of  early  days.  I  have  come  from  the  hot 
atmosphere  of  .Washington  to  look  upon  the  green  trees 
and  the  waning  fields  once  more,  and  breathe  again  the 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  73 

pure  fresh  air  of  Pompey  Hill.  Ladies  and  gentlemen,  I 
can  hardly  express  the  feelings  that  I  entertain  upon  this 
occasion.  But  I  am  rejoiced  at  this  opportunity  of  meeting 
once  more  so  many  of  my  friends  of  Pompey,  and  I  express 
the  earnest  hope  that  all  honor,  happiness  and  prosperity 
may  attend  them  through  the  future  days  of  their  lives.  (Ap 
plause). 

The  President  then  read  the  following: — 

Pompey  Academy — A  light  set  upon  a  hill,  which  has 
spread  its  effulgence  afaf. 

And  said  :  "I  call  upon  the  Hon.  LeRoy  Morgan  to  re 
spond,  an  honorable  descendant  of  this  old  town,  and  now 
Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court,  living  in  the  city  of  Syracuse  :" 

JUDGE  MORGAN'S  RESPONSE. 

Mr.  President,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  and  Fellow  Townsmen— 

I  wish  it  was  in  rny  power  to  make  iny  voice  heard  over 
this  vast  congregation.  I  think  I  would  give  you  some  of 
the  history  of  the  early  struggles  of  the  young  men  who 
graduated  from  Pompey  Academy,  some  of  whom  have  since 
become  the  most  distinguished  men  in  the  State  and  nation. 
But  my  voice  is  entirely  inadequate  to  be  heard  for  a  dis 
tance.  I  shall  therefore  content  myself  with  saying  a  very 
few  things.  It  would  have  been  gratifying  to  me  to  have 
held  a  class  meeting  somewhere  in  this  vicinity,  and  to  have 
had  each  old  resident  of  this  town,  who  has  become  dis 
tinguished  and  who  now  resides  abroad,  tell  you  his  early  ex 
perience,  and  to  tell  you  how  he  contrived  when  a  young  man 
to  win  his  way  into  public  favor,  and  finally,  to  attain  the 
highest  positions  known  to  our  government. 

Now,  our  forefathers  who  emigrated  to  this  town,  mostly 
from  the  Eastern  States,  built  wisely,  wiser,  perhaps,  than 
they  knew.  One  of  the  first  things  they  did  was  to  endow 
an  institution  for  the  education  of  their  children. 

If  you  want  to  know  why  it  is  that  Pompey  has  produced 
so  many  eminent  men,  go  back  to  your  fathers ;  ask  them 


74  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNIOX. 

what  it  meant  after  they  emigrated,  when  they  collected  to 
gether  in  council  to  forecast  the  future  !  They  first  collect 
ed  themselves  together  and  built  up  this  Seminary  of  learn 
ing  or  Academy,  which,  for  a  long  time,  was  the  only  one 
within  reach. 

Well,  we  all  remember  that  our  fathers,  many  of  them 
were  poor — many  of  us  were  born — of  "poor,  but  respecta 
ble  parents." 

How  was  it  that  we  were  enabled  to  educate  ourselves  ? 
It  was  by  working  in  summer  and  teaching  school  in  win 
ter,  thus  mostly  paying  our  own  Way  with  the  wages  which 
we  were  able  to  earn  by  our  own  labor.  Now,  it  is  not  a 
miracle  that  Pompey  should  be  the  most  distinguished  town 
in  the  State;  there  is  no  great  end  attained  without  some 
adequate  cause  to  produce  it;  and  the  only  reasons  that  you 
can  give  as  to  the  origin  of  the  great  fame  which  your  own 
town  has  reached  in  her  distinguished  sons,  flowed  paturally 
from  the  incipient  steps  which  your  fathers  took  at  that  early 
day  in  buildng  up  the  institution  called  tho  Pompey  Acade 
my,  then  the  great  nursery  of  learning. 

You  sent  your  boys,  or  rather  they  sent  themselves,  to 
that  institution  until  they  arrived  at  an  age  suitable  to  enter 
upon  the  business  of  life.  One  would  seek  one  vocation, 
another  another,  and  occasionally  a  man  desired  to  become 
a  lawyer.  Many  of  such  applied  to  be  admitted  to  a  clerk 
ship  with  a  distinguished  lawyer  of  this  village, — and  I  am 
proud  to  mention  his  name, — Daniel  Gott,  who  always  held 
out  his  kindly  hand  and  received  every  applicant  that  came 
to  him  with  the  patronage  of  a  father. 

Many  men,  distinguished  now,  can  go  back  to  their  early 
history,  and  remember  with  a  kind  recollection  his  man 
hood.  They  always  admired  his  talents;  and  they  cannot 
but  recollect  with  gratitude  the  kindly  good  feelings,  he  al 
ways  manifested  towards  the  young  men  of  the  country.  It 
is  not  best  Mr.  President,  by  any  means,  that  I  should  oc 
cupy  much  time.  I  have  said  perhaps  all  that  is  necessary 
to  say. 


THE    POMPEY    BE-UNIOX.  /£> 

I  am  proud  that  I  was  born  in  Pompey.  A  certificate 
showing  we  graduated  from  Pompey  Academy  has  become 
a  sort  of  title  of  nobility  which  we  love  to  carry  around  with 

us. 

I  see  before  me  "  Great  Pomp,"  and  there  is  "  Little 
Pomp," — Horatio  Seymour  and  John  F.  Seymour,  born  in 
this  town ;  their  early  life  spent  here.  They  left  here  at  an 
early  day  and  took  up  their  residence  in  Utica,  and  their 
name  of"  Pomp"  followed  them.  I  should  like  to  hear  now 
from  the  younger  "  Little  Pomp."  But  if  he  is  little,  gen 
tlemen,  he  has  got  a  heart  as  large  as  any  man  in  this  crowd. 

There  are  a  great  many  from  whom  I  would  like  to  hear. 
I  see  here  several  distinguished  men  who  left  at  an  early 
day.  Let  them  step  up  here  and  tell  }<ou  their  experience: 
and  I  think  when  one  of  the  graduates  of  the  Pompey  Acad 
emy  who  has  actually  won  his  way  to  fame,  gets  upon  this 
stand  and  tells  you  his  whole  experience,  every  young  man 
of  ambition  will  know  exactly  how  to  go  and  do  likewise. 
(Applause.) 

He  closed  by  calling  on  John  F.  Seymour.  Mr.  Seymour 
came  out  after  repeated  calls,  and  spoke  as  follows : — 

REMARKS  OF  JOHX  F.  SEYMOUR. 

I  was  a  child,  Mr.  Chairman,  when  tossed  upon  the  top  of 
a  wagon  load  of  furniture  and  carried  from  this  place  to 
Utica,  but  I  recollect  my  playmates,  the  village  green,  the 
old  Church,  and  the  garden  and  brook  behind  my  Father's? 
house,  and  I  can  with  truth,  repeat  Hood's  beautiful  lines, 

I  remember,  I  remember, 
The  house  where  I  was  born, 
The  little  window  where  the  sun 
Came  peeping  in  at  morn. 

I  remember,  I  remember, 
The  fir  trees  dark  and  high  • 
I  used  to  think  their  slender  tops, 
Were  close  against  the  sky. 

It  was  a  childish  ignorance,, 
But  now  'tis  little  joy 


7(>  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNIOX. 

To  know  I'm  farther  off  from  heaven 
Than  when  I  was  a  boy. 

"  Pompey  Hill,"  as  a  name  is  not  attractive.  It  is  a  com 
mon  saying  that  school  masters  have  been  abroad  in  this 
land,  and  some  may  think  that  this,  and  similar  names  are 
their  stately,  pedantic  stoppings.  We  will  do  them  the 
credit  to  believe  they  would  have  chosen  the  descriptive  and 
more  appropriate  Indian,  rather  than  unmeaning  Latin  and 
Greek  words.  We  regret  that  our  Surveyor-General,  Sim 
oon  DeWitt,  has  fastened  the  worn  ont  names  of  the  old 
world  upon  our  towns  and  villages,  but  when  we  look  at 
these  meadows  dotted  with  cattle  and  sheltering  woods,  at 
the  fields  of  waving  barley,  and  the  pure  streams  of  water, 
which  with  beautiful  falls,  leap  down  yon  hill-sides  into  the 
valleys  far  below  us,  then  the  feelings  of  home,  and  nativity 
become  masters  of  us,  and  we  exclaim  with  all  our  hearts, 

Thy  name  I  lovCj 

I  love  thy  rocks  and  rills, 

Thy  woods,  and  templed  hills. 

What  a  crowd  of  people  throng  up  here  to-day,  who  with 
me,  feel  more  than  we  have  the  power  to  express. 

What  a  multitude  have  lived  here  and  called  it  home,  and 
then  have  gone  forth  reaping  success  in  every  department  of 
life,  in  every  portion  of  our  country.  I  think  I  know  the 
reason  of  this  success.  I  might  not  care  to  mention  it  much 
abroad,  but  the  truth  is,  the  first  settlers  were  brought  up 
•on  potash.  The  thick  forests  which  covered  these  hills  were 
cut  down,  and  burned,  and  their  ashes  convertedinto  potash. 
Potash  paid  for  their  farms,  potash  bought  flour  and  mer 
chandise  of  every  sort,  it  was  the  staple,  the  money  of  this 
country,  and  the  people  who  could  live  on  potash,  could  live 
on  anything  and  anywhere,  and  so  when  they  went  down 
into  the  valleys,  they  swept  everything  before  them.  Some 
of  us,  Mr.  Chairman,  were  born  a  little  too  late  for  that 
potash  ! 

As  this  is  an  occasion  when  records  are  sought  and  made 
of  all  the  families  which  have  resided  here,  I  will  briefly 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  77 

mention  that  of  my  father,  Henry  Seymour.  He  was  a  son 
of  Moses  Seymour,  of  Litchfield,  Conn.,  his  wife  the  only 
child  of  Jonathan  Forman,  of  Middletown  Point,  New  Jer 
sey,  her  mother  was  a  Ledyard,  of  New  London,  Conn.  The 
children  left  hy  my  father  and  mother  were  six,  this  was 
their  original  number,  and  death  has  not  broken  it,  the  gray 
hand  of  time  has  scarcely  touched  the  eldest,  and  all  of  them 
are  in  the  midst  of  their  several  family  circles,  with  almost 
the  full  health  and  strength  of  youth.  In  the  order  of  their 
ages,  they  are  as  follows :  Mary,  the  wife  of  Rutger  B.  Mil 
ler,  of  Utica,  Horatio  Seymour,  of  Utica,  Sophia,  the  wife  of 
Edward  F.  Shonnard,  of  Yonkers,  John  F.  Seymour,  of 
Utica,  Helen  Clarissa,  widow  of  Ledyard  Lincklaen,  of 
Cazenovia,  and  Julia,  the  wife  of  Roscoe  Conkling,  of  Utica. 
We  trace  back  to  these  hills  many  of  the  tastes  and  princi 
ples  of  our  lives,  not  only  to  that  Academy  founded  and  sus 
tained  by  a  noble  race  of  men,  but  to  a  home  influence, 
maintained  by  a  noble  race  of  mothers,  and  we  must  not  on 
this  occasion  fail  to  pay  our  tribute  to  such  women,  who 
were  help's  meet  for  such  men.  They  were  the  descen 
dants  of  revolutionary  heroes,  and  knew  more  of  genuine 
elegance  and  honest  poverty  than  most  of  the  present  day. 
If  they  had  fewer  books  than  we,  they  knew  more  of  what 
was  in  them.  They  were  familiar  with  the  best  English  au 
thors  of  the  time,  both  of  prose  and  poetry.  With  fewer 
schools  they  gave  more  personal  attention  to  the  education 
and  discipline  of  their  children.  They  were  not  ashamed  of 
work,  but  were  taught  to  be  as  skillful  in  the  kitchen  as  in 
all  the  graces  and  refinements  which  adorn  social  life:  the 

o 

same  hands  which  were  accustomed  to  the  choicest  books 
and  the  rarest  flowers,  nursed  the  sick,  and  prepared  tables 
which  would  excite  the  envy  of  an  epicure. 

If  fortune  favored  them  they  avoided  all  display  of  any 
disparity  between  themselves  and  their  neighbors,  and  they 
endeavored  by  self-denial  to  build  up  instead  of  dragging 
down  their  husbands.  Their  toil  on  these  hills  did  not  un 
fit  them  tor  any  place  in  life  elsewhere.  They  may  have 


78  THE    POMPEY    HE-UNION. 

heard  and  known  less  of  what  are  now  called  the  rights  of 
women,  but  they  knew  as  much,  if  not  more,  of  their  duties. 
Believing  their  highest  sphere  was  that  of  true  wives  and 
faithful  mothers,  they  were  rewarded  ^by  the  admiration  and 
devotion  of  men,  and  by  children  who  gather  here  to-day 
to  pay  a  tribute  to  their  worth,  and  influence,  more  noble 
and  lasting,  than  any  which  can  be  won  in  a  political  arena. 

The  President  then  read  the  following  sentiment- 

The  City  of  Syracuse — Pompey  greets  her  younger  though 
more  ambitious  sister  on  this  glad  and  festive  occasion. 
Though  above  her  always,  we  consent  to  stand  on  a  level 
with  her  to-day. 

In  obedience  to  loud  calls,  Hon.  D.  G.  Fort,  of  Oswego, 
took  the  stand,  and  delivered  the  following  address. 

MR.  FORT'S  RESPONSE. 

My  Old  Friends  and  Neighbors  : 

I  can  hardly  understand  upon  what  principle  I  have  been 
sandwiched  in  here  to-day,  between  Governors  and  Senators 
and  Judges,  to  make  a  speech,  unless  it  is  upon  the  princi 
ple  that  the  painter,  when  he  makes  a  picture,  paints  upon 
the  background  something  dark,  that  the  picture  itself  may 
be  more  distinctly  seen.  It  is  almost  forty  years  since  first 
I  came  among  this  people.  I  brought  with  me  few  years, 
little  knowledge,  and  less  experience.  My  lot  was  cast  upon 
these  hills,  with  parents  who  had  come  out  West  to  seek  their 
fortune.  I  was  educated  in  these  schools — long  live  the 
memory  of  the  old  academy  there ;  I  have  worshipped  in 
your  churches,  and  some  of  my  kindred  are  sleeping  in  yon 
der  cemetery.  My  lot  is  now  cast  among  others,  and  stand 
ing  here  to-day,  I  say  with  pleasure,  that  no  memories  of  my 
past  life  come  home  to  me  stronger  or  furnish  keener  emo 
tions  of  pleasure  than  those  connected  with  my  residence 
among  this  people  and  the  anticipation  of  occasional  returns 
here.  I  remember,  also,  when  a  boy,  and  first  began  to 
have  youthful  aspirations  and  build  air  castles  of  what  I 
would  be  in  the  world.  In  the  neighborhood  where  I  lived 


THE    POMPEY    PvE  UNION.  79 

was  a  man — doubtless  many  of  you  will  remember  him — 
who  spent  his  summers  upon  the  Erie  Canal  as  captain  of  a 
line  boat,  an  occupation  much  more  honorable  then  than 
now,  and  his  winters  with  his  family  in  their  country  home. 
Evening  after  evening  have  I  sat  and  listened  to  his  well- 
told  stories  of  startling  adventures  and  experience  in  the  life 
which  he  had  chosen.  My  mind  filled  with  delight  at  the 
greatness  that  he  had  achieved,  and  I  then  resolved  that 
when  sufficient  years  and  wisdom  had  gathered  around  my 
head,  I  would  strive  for  the  same  high  position  that  he  oc 
cupied.  But,  as  many  have  found,  I  too  found  that  fre 
quently  "  the  best  laid  plans  of  mice  and  men  gang  aft 
aglee."  Many  years  have  come  and  gone  since  then,  I  have 
never  forgotten  the  ambition  of  my  early  life ;  but  alas,  alas, 
the  dream  of  my  childhood  has  never  been  realized  and 
it  seems  to  me  to-day  to  be  further  off  than  ever  before. 
(Applause).  "Man  proposes,  but  God  disposes."  I  look 
around  upon  this  vast  audience,  and  endeavor  to  find  the 
faces  of  those  that  were  so  familiar  to  us  in  the  days  that  are 
past.  Thanks  to  a  kind  Providence,,  they  are  not  all  gone. 
A  few  still  remain,  like  ancient  landmarks  in  the  well-set 
tled  country,  but  they  are  fast  growing  less,  and  soon  we 
shall  find  them,  "  like  angels's  visits,  few  and  far  between." 
I  ask  myself,  "Where,  where  are  the  friends  that  to  me  were 
so  dear  ?"  and  the  answer  conies  swelling  up,  some  have 
gone  away  from  us,  many  of  them  are  lying  in  yonder 
church-yard,  sleeping  quietly,  and  the  remainder  have  come 
out  here  to-day,  with  warm  hearts  and  whitening  locks  to 
welcome  Pompey's  children  home  again.  All  that  remains 
now  of  many  warm  hearts  that  beat  with  life  and  love  a  few 
years  ago,  is  the  stone  in  yonder  cemetery,  marking  the  place 
where  they  sleep.  May  the  grass  grow  green  and  fresh  over 
their  graves,  and  may  the  memory  of  their  many  acts  of  love 
and  kindness  be  as  fresh  and  enduring  in  the  hearts  of  their 
children.  Here  again  we  meet  under  these  old  shades,  while 
familiar  voices  of  the  past  call  up  recollections  that  long 
since  had  slumbered  in  forgetful  ness.  It  is  a  source  of  pride 


80  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

and  gratification  that  we  who  have  always  pursued  the  com 
mon  and  private  walks  of  life,  can  point  to  so  many  old 
friends  from  this  town  who  have  achieved  the  greatness 
which  lias  been  denied  to  us  ;  but  here  we  meet  to-day;  and 
meet  as  brothers;  here  for  once  Ave  meet  upon  one  common 
level,  as  we  sit  and  chat  around  the  old  hearthstones  and 
these  well-filled  tables.  But  boys  and  times  have  changed 
since  then;  years  ago  we  were  in  the  habit  of  greeting  the 
boys  or  Fompcy  Hill  as  Horatio,  George,  Charley,  Leroy, 
Lucien  and  Henry ;  but  to-day  when  we  speak  to  Horatio, 
we  must  take  oft'  our  hat  and  address  him  as  Governor,  and 
George,  who  used  to  be  so  well  acquainted  with  all  of  us, 
comes  here  to-day  from  the  golden  shore,  and  we  must 
greet  him  as  Senator  of  the  United  States;  while  Charles, 
Leroy  and  Lucien,  have  dropped  the  old  names  that  \vc  used 
to  give  them,  and  come  here  to  be  introduced  to  our  people 
as  Judge  ;  and  the  epulets  on  Henry's  shoulders  speak  to  us 
of  noble  service  he  has  rendered  his  country,  and  bid  us 
address  him  only  as  General.  Well,  well,  boys  !  you  have 
done  nobly.  Although  we  belong  to  the  class  where  high 
privates  aie  always  needed,  we  can  assure  you  that  while 
our  children  cannot  hear  their  fathers  called  "Governor," 
"Senator,"  "Judge,"  or  "General,"  it  is  with  pride  that  we 
tell  them  that  we  were  once  permitted  to  attend  school  and 
play  marbles  with  boys  who  have  since  achieved  that  high  dis 
tinction.  But  I  must  stop.  I  will,  however,  tell  you  that  I 
well  remember  a  lesson  that  was  taught  me  in  yonder  Acad 
emy  by  Mr.  Stebbins,  an  old  teacher  there.  I  am  not  going 
to  let  this  vast  audience  pass  from  here  without  endeavoring 
to  press  upon  them  the  lesson  he  taught  me.  He  was  trying 
to  teach  his  class  what  so  many  of  us  have  tried  to  teach 
others — not  to  talk  too  much.  (Laughter).  The  doctrine 
he  held  out  to  his  class  was,  if  we  would  only  sit  still  and 
"  look  wise,"  we  might  pass  oft*  for  great  men  ;  whereas,  if 
we  undertook  to  talk,  we  must  talk  sense,  for  nonsense  would 
surely  expose  shallowness.  I  remember  the  story' he  illus 
trated  it  by.  He  said  there  was  a  certain  man  who  had  a 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  81 

son  who  was  a  fool.  One  day  the  man  was  to  be  visited  by 
his  minister  and  a  deacon  in  the  church ;  he  told  his  son, 
"Xow,  John,  when  these  visitors  come,  don't  you  speak  a 
word ;  it  don't  make  any  matter  what  they  may  say  to  you, 
don't  you  speak  a  word  to  them.''  The  boy  promised  :  the 
visitors  came.  In  the  afternoon  the  father  had  occasion  to 
leave  the  room,  and  the  visitors  began  to  talk  to  the  boy, 
but  not  a  word  would  he  answer.  At  last  one  of  them  re 
marked,  "  I  believe  our  brother  has  one  son  that  is  a  fool, 
and  I  guess  this  is  the  one."'  The  boy  jumped  up  and 
rushed  to  his  father,  saying,  "  Father,  father,  they  have 
found  it  out,  and  I  never  said  a  word  /"  (Laughter).  Just 
here  I  am  reminded  that  perhaps  I  had  belter  make  a  per 
sonal  application  of  this  lesson  to  myself.  (Laughter).  If 
I  had  kept  still,  and  tried  to  look  wise  in  silence,  perhaps 
some  of  these  strangers  might  have  taken  me  for  a  Governor 
or  a  Judge,  but  inasmuch  as  I  have  not  done  that,  I  will  do 
the  next  best  thing  and  leave  the  floor  for  some  one  who  is 
to  follow.  (Applause). 

President  Wood,  then  stated  that  he  was  about  to  call 
upon  one  who  had  come  from  beyond  the  Mississippi  to 
engage  in  the  festivities  of  this  occasion.  One  who  received 
his  early  education  in  Pompey  Academy,  and  who  has  since 
become  eminent  in  the  medical  profession,  and  for  the  last 
twenty-four  years  has  filled  the  Professorship  of  Anatomy 
and  Physiology  in  the  St.  Louis  University.  He  then  called 
upon  Dr.  Charles  W.  Stevens,  of  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Dr.  Stevens  then  took  the  stand  and  said  : 
Friends  and  Associates  of  my  early  life : — 

I  take  pleasure  in  responding  to  the  ca!l  made  upon  me 
by  our  President,  We  have  heard  eloquent  and  appropriate 
speeches,  full  of  wit,  humor,  and  sentiment,  from  the  gen 
tlemen  who  have  preceded  me. 

They  are  all  lawyers,  and  eminent  in  their  profession: 
they  have  praised  each  other  magnificently,  and  have  done 
so  in  hearlfelt  sincerity,  and  we  are  well  assured  that  the  re- 


82  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

cipients  have  well  earned,  and  well  merited  such  eulogy.  I 
am  indeed  proud  of  the  fact,  that  so  many  who  were,  in 
years  long  gone  by,  my  schoolmates  and  playmates,  have 
attained  such  high  position  and  excellent  reputations.  But 
I  would  ask  you  to  call  to  mind  the  many  worthy  men  who 
have  in  other  callings,  or  in  other  professions  done  service, 
entitling  them  to  worthy  mention. 

He  that  does  the  most  to  benefit  his  fellowr  man,  should 
stand  highest  on  the  roll  of  honor,  and  could  honors  be  be 
stowed  or  made  commensurate  with  the  good  accomplished, 
main'  who  are  now  unknown,  or  in  comparative  obscurity, 
would  stand  highest  in  good  repute.  In  making  this  re 
mark  I  have  an  object  in  view,  and  that  is  to  call  to  your 
minds  the  name  and  services  of  a  man  who  was  a  Pompey 
boy,  and  who  has  accomplished  more  of  substantial  good, 
and  is  more  of  a  benefactor  than  any  lawyer  or  any  doctor 
who  ever  went  from  Pompey,  or  Pompey  Academy.  The 
man  about  whom  I  have  thus  awakened  your  curiosity,  is. 
the  inventor  of  the  melodian — Jeremiah  Carhart.  He  worked 
at  his  trade  as  a  cabinet  maker  in  this  village  for  some  years, 
and  while  following  his  occupation  in  the  city  of  Buffalo, 
he  invented  this  soul-stirring  instrument.  I  venture  to  as 
sert  that  no  instrument  ever  invented  has  been  so  fully  adap 
ted  to  the  purpose  of  rousing  those  ennobling  sentiments  or 
feelings  which  music  is  capable  of  doing,  as  the  melodian, 
and  were  it  now  at  once  swept  from  existence,  an  hiatus 
would  be  created  that  could  not  easily  be  filled.  It  has  been 
manufactured  by  thousands  upon  thousands,  and  is  found 
everywhere  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific.  You  find  it  in 
the  houses  of  the  rich,  but  oftener  among  middle  classes,  and 
very  often  in  the  cottages  and  log  cabins  of  the  poor;  you 
lincl  it  in  thousands  of  churches,  even  way  off  on  the  verge 
of  civilization,  in  the  frontier  settlements,  in  the  humble 
churches  of  the  prairies  have  I  seen  it  and  have  been  charmed 
by  its  vibrations.  Perhaps  you  will  not  find  it  in  St.  Paul's 
or  in  Trinity,  but  look  into  all  those  churches  like  the  "  lit 
tle  one  round  the  corner,"  where  there  is  true  piety  and 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNIOK.  83 

hearty  devotion,  and  there  you  will  find  it.  The  man  then, 
who  has  made  music  for  the  million,  who  has  made  so  many 
hearts  and  homes  more  cheerful,  bright  and  glowing  with 
inspiration  and  happiness,  who  has  added  life  or  heightened 
the  enjoyment  of  the  religious  worshipper  deserves  to  be 
ranked  as  a  benefactor,  and  truly  may  it  be  said  of  him, 
"  that  the  world  is  better  for  his  having  lived  in  it,"  Jere 
miah  Carhart  sleeps  in  Greenwood,  but  the  good  he  has 
done  lives  after  him.  Well,  my  friends,  I  am  glad  I  am 
here  to-day,  I  have  come  from  beyond  the  Mississippi,  and 
would  have  traveled  twice  twelve  hundred  miles  to  join  you 
on  this  festive  occasion.  My  life  in  the  great  west,  I  arn 
proud  to  say,  has  not  been  mis-spent,  I  have  practiced  my 
profession  nearly  thirty  3  ears,  and  during  twenty-four  of 
these  years  I  have  been  engaged  in  Medical  institutions  as 
a  teacher  of  Anatomy,  and  am  now  ministering,  as  best  I 
can,  to  the  "  mind  diseased"  of  three  hundred  unfortunate 
fellow  beings.  I  saw  St.  Louis  in  its  infancy,  when  it  had 
but  sixteen  thousand  inhabitants.  She  now  numbers  over 
three  hundred  thousand,  and  is  true  fourth  city  in  the  Union. 
There  she  sits  asaQ.ueen,  on  the  bluffs  of  that  mighty  river; 
she  is  sweeping  into  her  lap  the  products,  the  wealth  of  that 
great  valley;  she  is  the  center  of  overfctwenty  thousand  miles 
of  inland  navigation,  and  is  now  the  terminus  of  fourteen 
railroads.  She  is  now  demanding  to  be  made  the  capital 
city  of  the  nation,  and  mark  my  prediction,  that  in  ten 
years,  the  marbles,  the  beautiful  columns,  and  cornices  of 
yonder  splendid  edifice  will  travel  across  the  continent  in 
the  direction  where  it  is  said  the  "  star  of  Empire  wends  its 
way;"  and  I  am  not  certain  but  if  we  had  a  half  dozen  of  the 
energetic  sons  of  old  Pompey  there,  we  might  accomplish 
the  matter  in  half  the  time. 

Well,  I  have  said  enough  about  St.  Louis,  and  I  trust  you 
will  excuse  me  for  my  enthusiasm ;  but  I  am  glad  I  was 
born  in  Pompey.  I  look  back  to  my  boyhood,  and  my  early 
manhood,  as  the  happiest  period  of  my  life,  and  as  I  stroll 
over  these  hills  and  valleys,  the  rocks,  the  trees,  and  streams 


84  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

call  up  most  pleasing  reminiscences,  and  I  wish  I  were  a 
boy  again.  I  see  about  me  here,  the  familiar  faces  of  sev 
eral  who  were  my  teachers ;  there  is  Miss  Charlotte,  who 
taught  many  of  us  our  A.  B.  C.,  and  I  see  yonder  Manoah 
Pratt,  who  afterwards  in  a  room  of  the  old  Academy,  taught 
me  other  rudiments,  and  here  on  my  left  stands  Asa  Wells, 
who  taught  me  geography  and  grammar,  and  I  see  all 
around  me  the  boys  and  girls  of  those  days,  now  most  of 
them  happy  husbands  and  wives,  or  fathers  or  mothers  :  but 
how  are  we  all  changed ;  time  has  made  his  mark,  most  of 
us  have  come  to  that  period  when  we  look  at  the  short  future 
and  contrast  it  with  the  long  past. 

We  have  had  here  a  grand  and  joyful  re-union,  soon  we 
must  shake  the  parting  hand,  and  by  the  lightning  train 
speed  to  our  distant  homes.  May  the  sunset  of  our  lives  bo 
bright ;  and 

"  In  life's  closing  hour  when  the  trembling  soul  flics, 
And  death  stills  the  heart's  last  emotion, 
Oh  !  then  may  the  seraph  of  mercy  arise 
Like  a  star  on  Eternity's  ocean." 

Dr.  Stevens  having  concluded  his  remarks,  the  melody  of 
u  music"  from  Dresner's  full  band  again  filled  the  grove. 
After  which  the  President  said :  "  We  have  heard  much  from 
Pompey's  sons  and  it  may  be  pleasant  and  interesting  now 
to  hear  from  some  person  who  was  not  born  in  Pompey,  not 
that  there  is  any  want  of  material  here,  for  Pompey  has  yet 
remaining  some  thousands  more  of  statesmen  and  orators. 
I  therefore,  propose  the  following  toast : 

"  The  unfortunates  of  the  human  race  born  outside  of  the 
town  of  Pompey.  They  have  our  hearty  sympathy  and  con 
dolence,  and  we  can  only  say  that  we  hope  they  Avill  do  bet 
ter  the  next  time." 

I  call  upon  Col.  Andrew  J.  Smith,  of  Syracuse.  Col. 
Smith  responded  in  a  humorous  and  amusing  speech,  and 
closed  by  reciting  in  an  effective  manner,  u  Miles  O'Reiley, 
after  the  fall  of  Richmond." 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  85 

The  next  toast  proposed  by  President  Wood,  was  as  fol 
lows  : — 

"  The  towns  of  Onondaga  County — The  town  of  Pom- 
pey  extends  fraternal  greeting  to  her  sisters,  and  invokes 
for  them  a  future  as  bright,  honorable  and  prosperous  as 
her  past  has  been."  And  called  for  a  voluntary  response, 
when  F.  W.  Fenner,  "Esq.,  of  Lysander,  took  the  stand  and 
spoke  as  follows  : — 

MR.  FEVER'S  SPEECH. 

Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen  : — 

I  have  been  listening  with  feelings  of  pleasure  to  the  re 
marks  that  have  been  made  by  the  distinguished  ex-residents 
of  Pompey — those  who  have  "  gone  out"  from  the  old  town, 
and  made  themselves  distinguished'  as  Governors,  States 
men,  Judges,  Lawyers,  Doctors  and  Poets.  But  I  think  it 
is  fair  that  those  from  old  Pompey,  who  have  not  gained  a 
handle  to  their  names  should  have  a  representation  upon 
this  platform. 

I  claim  to  hail  from  the  old  town,  although  it  was  my 
misfortune  not  to  be  born  on  the  hill,  but  down  in  the  val 
ley.  In  1818  I  was  carried  with  my  father  and  his  family, 
by  the  force  of  circumstances,  to  the  forlorn  and  forsaken 
town  of  Lysander,  and  from  there  to  Camillus,  where  but 
few  then  lived.  Well,  my  father  lived  until  1851,  an  in 
dustrious  fanner,  a  good  citizen,  and  a  credit  to  the  old 
town  of  Pompey.  He  was  a  tiller  of  the  soil,  a  hewer  of 
the  timber ;  but  he  came  out  victorious,  with  nine  children, 
but  no  lawyers  or  professional  men  among  them  !  However, 
the  old  fathers  and  mothers  of  Pompey  taught  their  chil 
dren  good  morals,  industry  and  economy,  and  may  God  be 
praised  that  we  have  been  blessed  with  such  fathers  and 
mothers.  Pompey  may  well  be  proud  of  them ;  for  without 
them  none  of  our  distinguished  and  honorable  friends  who 
have  addressed  us  to-day,  could  have  said  that  they  were 
born  in  Pompey  !  (Laughter). 

I  am  not  a  public  speaker,  I  plow  the  soil,  but  I  did  think 


86  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

that  we  of  the  hardy  hand  ourselves,  needed  a  representa 
tive  here,  and  I  determined  to  be  that  one,  as  no  other  re 
sponded.  We  cannot  all  be  statesmen,  judges  and  lawyers, 
and  we  don't  want  to  be,  and  we  would  not  be  if  we  could. 
(Laughter).  Some  of  us  must  look  to  the  soil,  and  to  the 
genuine,  hard  honest  workers  the  country  owes  its  prosperi 
ty,  and  I  think  the  dear  old  town  has  abundant  reason  to  be 
proud  of  her  farmers,  as  well  as  of  her  other  great  men, 
for  without  them  the  professions  would  come  to  naught. 
(Applause). 

The  Chairman  then  announced  that  an  original  poem, 
entitled  "A  FRAGMENT,"  would  be  read  by  H.  D.  L.  Sweet, 
of  Syracuse.  Mr.  Sweet  then  read  the  following  poem  : 

We  who  boast  that  our  grand-parents  formed  that  noble  little  band 
Who  subdued  the  mighty  forests  that  encumbered  this  fair  land  ; 
They  who  made  the  howling  wilderness  to  blossom  like  the  rose  ; 
In  their  dusky  neighbors  finding  friends,  and  not  insatiate  foes, 
Should  remember  that  the  relics  which  we  find  in  all  our  fields 
Point  to  people  who  once  dwelt  here  that  no  history  reveals. 

I  have  sought  the  tomes  historic,  I  have  roamed  tradition's  shade, 
For  some  hidden  written  record  that  this  people  must  have  made  ; 
I  have  watched  for  the  revealing  by  some  dusky  Indian  Chief, 
Such  a  legend  as  would  strengthen  every  link  of  my  belief; 
But  alas,  in  vain  I've  sought  them,  still  they  all  elude  pursuit ; 
All  conjecture  ends  in  chaos,  every  witness  still  is  mute. 

Thus  I  thought  and  thus  I'd  written,  it  was  only  yester  night, 
That  once  more  I  roamed  the  forest  in  a  sad  disheartened  plight, 
And  I  saw7  as  it  was  near  a  mighty  monarch  of  the  wood, 
Quite  unthinking  I  approached  it,  and  beneath  its  branches  stood. 
All  unconscious  I  addressed  it,  as  I  viewed  its  form  with  pride ; 
Few,  and  simple  were  the  questions,  and  in  whispers  it  replied: — 
"Mountain  pine  tree,  standing  in  the  glory  yet, 

Half  forgotten  of  the  nation  which  this  hill 
Once  supported  with  its  plenty  ?"     "  I  forget  ? 
Sooner  cease  the  murmur  of  yon  little  rill ; 
Brothers  fell  by  fire  and  ax  in  sight  of  me  ; 
Fields  were  cleared  of  forests  and  the  waving  corn 
Grew  in  place  of  beeches,  maples,  that  you  see, 

Years,  and  years  before  the  eldest  ones  were  born. 
Rudely,  bleakly  whistled  winds  around  my  form  ; 
Lonely,  bravely  stood  I  in  a  century's  storm." 


THE    POMPEY   RE  UNION.  87 

Carry  back  your  mental  vision  through  the  far  receding  years, 

When  these  trees  you  now  term  monarchs  could  have  formed  the  shaft 

of  spears ; 

'Ere  the  Plymoth  rock  was  trodden  by  those  puritanic  feet, 
Or  the  classic  James  was  rippled  by  a  Newport's  modest  fleet ; 
Ere  the  Spaniards  built  Augustine,  or  the  Frenchmen  reared  Quebec. ; 
Or  the  Dutchmen  on  the  Hudson  found  that  little  island  speck  ; 
Here  a  colony  resided,  these  the  fields  that  once  were'  tilled 
By  a  purely  peaceful  people,  in  the  arts  of  war  unskilled. 

Here  the  sound  of  rural  labor  in  the  sweetest  gentlest  strains, 
Filled  the  breezes  with  their  music,  where  no  jar  of  discord  reigns  ; 
Where  no  sound  of  selfish  traffic  could  be  heard  within  the  mart ; 
And  disasters  born  of  commerce  brought  no  anguish  to  the  heart. 
Here  were  no  conflicting  dogmas;  here  no  quarrels  of  the  press, 
Here  the  wealthy  were  not  worried  by  pale  poverty's  distress. 
Here  the  poor  were  free  from  envy  of  a  neighbor's  greater  wealth , 
For  the  man  was  counted  richest  who  enjoyed  the  finest  health. 
Politics  were  uninvented,  office-seekers  all  unknown. 
Non-producers  lean  and  stinted  lived  on  what  they  earned  alone. 

Women  knew  no  height  of  fashion,  wore  no  ribbons,  pearls  or  lace ; 
Decked  their  forms  in  simple  vesture,  with  a  modest  native  grace ; 
Won  their  men  with  love,  not  passion,  that  divine  but  subtle  force  ; 
liaised  their  babes  to  honest  manhood,  (never  seeking  a  divorce) ; 
Novels  then  did  not  attract  them,  no,  nor  Saratoga  Springs, 
Or  a  thousand  dollar  Cashmere,  or  a  pair  of  diamond  rings  ; 
Ignorant  of  all  around  them,  save  their  duty — is  it  queer 
They  enjoyed  the  rights  God  gave  them,  each  in  her  respective  sphere  ? 

Years  and  years  this  people  flourished,  in  the  plentitude  of  peace, 
Giving  praise  with  hearts  unsullied,  as  each  harvest  brought   increase. 
Huts  were  built  of  trees  and  branches,  covered  o'er  with  curling  bark, 
Round  which  trailing  vines  were  clustered,  bearing  blossoms  rich  and 

rare 

In  the  spring-time ;  but  in  autumn  stripped  of  all  their  foliage  stark, 
Giving  fruitage  to  the  people  as  a  recompense  for  care, 
Fields  were  cleared,  and  plowed  and  planted,  smaller  seeds  were  deftly 

sown, 

Corn  we  hoed  and  flocks  were  tended,  blooming  grass  was  duly  mown, 
Smiling  plenty  crowned  their  labors,  gentle  peace  encircled  all, 
Till  the  jealousy  of  Indians  reached  its  climax,  wrought  their  fall. 

It  was  in  the  early  autumn,  when  the  evening  breeze  was  mild  ; 
That  arose  a  midnight  tempest,  louder  rose  the  war-whoop  wild  ; 
Flashed  the  lightning  sharp  and  vivid,  but  as  quick  the  forest  child 
Whirled  the  gleaming  bloody  hatchet,  buried  in  some  settler's  brain, 
Freeing  souls  from  earthly  bondage,  trials,  troubles,  cares  and  pain ; 


THE    POMPEY    HE -UNION. 

Flowed  the  red  tide  like  a  torrent,  fuller,  freer,  flowed  the  rain, 
Washing  from  the  reeking  greensward  every  spot  of  bloody  stain  ! 
AVailing  went  the  tearing  tempest,  as  its  moans  grew  low  and  soft, 
Rose  the  flaming  lights  more  fearful,  leaping  terribly  aloft, 
From  the  cabin,  barn  and  cottage — in  the  valley,  on  the  hill, 
AVI i en.  the  morning  blessed  the  landscape,  all  was  gone    and  all  was 
still." 

At  the  conclusion  of  Mr.  Sweet's  poem,  George  IT.  Jer 
ome,  of  Mies,  Michigan,  was  loudly  called  for,  who  stepped 
upon  the  platform  and  said  : 

3fr.  President : — 

At  the  call  of  my  friends  about  me  here,  I  have  consent 
ed  to  come  forward  to  show  you  what  grand  old  Pompey 
has  done  and  can  do  in  the  way  of  her  physical  productions. 
While  the  brains  of  Pompey  have  been  well  represented 
here  to-day,  and  her  moral  average  has  been  shown  to  be 
a  good  deal  above  par,  none  have  had  the  courage  to  stand 
up  for  physical  men.  I  stand  before  you  as  a  pretty  fair  rep 
resentative  of  a  well-preserved  physical  Pompey  boy — do  I 
not  ?  Look  at  me  and  see  if  you  detect  any  egotism  in  that. 
Well,  muscle  has  its  advantages  as  well  as  anything  else,  as 
an  incident  or  two  this  day  occurring,  and  on  these  grounds 
will  show.  As  we  this  morning  came  down  from  the  Globe 
Hotel  in  Syracuse,  we  saw  standing  on  the  side  walk,  two 
or  three  boys — one  of  them  a  good  chunk  of  a  fellow,  as  we 
passed,  spoke  out,  "  there's  some  good  looking  men" — u  I'll 
bet  they  are  going  up  to  that  Pompey  re-union."  "By 
George,  I  wish  I  had  been  born  on  Pompey  Hill."  Now, 
Mr.  President  I  ask  you  if  ever  a  neater  cleaner  compliment 
was  paid  to  physical  development  than  that?  Another 
incident.  A  little  while  ago,  a  lean  Cassius-like  friend  of 
mine,  one  whom  Euclid  must  have  had  in  his  eye  when  he 
defined  a  straight  line — "  the  shortest  distance  between  two 
given  points,"  stepped  up  to  me  and  said,  Henry,  you  seem 
to  be  doing  more  of  hand-shaking  and  kissing  than  is  your 
share ;  why,  my  friend,  said  I,  don't  you  know  that  the 
Committee  of  Arrangements  decided  to  have  the  hand-shak 
ing  and  bussing  principally  done  by  Pompey 's  fat,  well-to-do 


THE    POMPEY    BE-UNIOX.  89 

physical  sons— men  whom  that  kind  of  business  don't  tire  ? 
My  longitudinal  friend  almost  instantaneously  collapsed, 
and  has  been  seen  but  once  since,  and  that  was  at  a  refresh 
ment  booth,  making  a  most  vigorous  effort  to  recruit. 

iD  *^> 

Some  pretty  tall  bragging,  as  I  take  it,  has  been  done 
here  to-day,  about  the  glory  of  birth.  Why  you  can't  find 
in  all  this  vast  crowd,  a  man,  woman  or  child,  who  will 
admit  that  they  have  been  born  anywhere  else  than  in  old 
Pompey.  Now,  if  there  is  any  bragging  to  be  done  on  the 
score  of  birth  I  can  beat  at  that  game  every  mother's  one  of 
you,  for  I  was  not  only  born  in  old  Pompey,  but  I  was  born 
twice.  I  had  here  a  dual  birth.  And  if  you  don't  believe 
me,  I  can  produce  a  two  hundred  avoirdupois  witness,  a 
twin  brother,  nearly  as  big  as  myself,  to  swear  to  it.  Beat 
that  who  can,  for  although  Pompey  has  given  birth  to  Gov 
ernors,  M.  C.'s,  Judges,  and  lots  of  big  men,  as  we  have  to 
day  often  been  told,  yet  she  has  sent  out  but  mighty  few 
men  of  double  birth.  Why,  I  have  a  brother,  whenever  he 
looks  at  me,  I  mean  at  my  dual — duplicated  self,  involun 
tarily  exclaim,  "what  a  birth  !'' 

Xow,  Mr.  President,  not  a  word  has  been  said  about  the  • 
Lyceums  of  old  Pompey.  A  moment  about  that  and  I  am 
done.  We  all  remember  the  Lyceum  fever  and  furor  dur 
ing  the  reign  of  Stebbins.  Not  a  place,  not  a  time,  not  an 
occasion  was  too  sacred  for  spouting  and  debate.  You,  Mr. 
Chairman,  must  recollect  the  time  when  you  under  the  hill, 
just  below  where  you  used  to  live,  waxed  eloquent,  with  no 
body  but  stones,  trees,  fences,  and  G.  H.  Jerome  well  con 
cealed  under  the  fence,  for  your  auditors.  Don't  you  ?  Your 
honest  blush  gives  the  answer.  I  was  one  of  a  number  of 
the  Academy  boys  who  organized  a  Lyceum,  appointed  a 
chairman  and  held  grand  discussions  in  the  belfry  of  the  old 
Baptist  church.  Nor  was  our  discussions  in  that  heavenly 
locality  always  spiritual.  Aye  more,  I  was  a  member,  in 
good  and  regular  standing  of  a  debating  club,  organized  and 
its  meetings  held  in  a  seven-by-nine  ice  house.  And  it  was 
at  one  of  those  debates  on  apolitical  question,  that  a  brother 


90  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  . 

of  mine,  Wm.  Watson,  was  converted  from  Whiggery  to  De 
mocracy,  and  the  very  next  day  after  his  conversion,  he 
borrowed  the  money  of  a  Whig  brother,  and  enclosed  it  to 
Edwin  Croswell,  for  the  Albany  Argus,  the  first  Democratic 
paper  ever  seen  in  my  father's  house.  After  that  he  held 
office  as  a  Democrat,  and  lived  a  Democrat  up  to  the  pass-age 
of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill.  So  it  is,  I  hail  with  quickened 
and  glad  remembrance  those  Lyceums,  for  it  is  to  them  that 
we  are  so  largely  indebted  here  to-day,  for  those  Ciceros 
and  Demosthenese,  who  have  fulminated  so  acceptably  at 
this  memorable  re-union. 

But,  Mr.  President,  I  came  not  here  to  talk,  I  simply  con 
sented  to  stand  up  here  for  a  moment  in  defense,  and  if  you 
please,  in  illustration  of  Pompey's  physical  renown — to  tell 
you,  that  not  alone  is  Pompey's  fame  intellectual,  nor  yet 
alone  is  her  grandeur  moral — that  wherever  bold  adventure 
and  physical  heroism  have  thrown  their  gauntlet  and  piled 
their  monuments — that  wherever  sinew  and  pluck  have  re 
corded  their  victories — that  on  those  cannon-riven  battle 
fields,  where  liberty  was  the  guerdon  and  muscle  the  im 
plement  of  its  achievement,  there — there  too — Pompey's 
boys  are  seen  at  the  front,  in  no  spirit  of  self-glory,  shout 
ing  to  their  comrades  born  of  the  lowlands,  Come  on  !  Come 

on!! 

• 

At  the  close  of  Mr.  Jerome 's  address,  Dr.  E.  F.  Stevens, 
of  Syracuse,  made  a  few  remarks,  as  follows  : 

DE.  E.  F.  STEVENS'  STATEMENT. 

Mr.  President,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen : — 

For  some  strange  reason  or  other,  the  committee  of  ar 
rangements  from  the  to\vn  of  Pompey  seemed  to  think  it 
necessary  to  have  a  corresponding  secretary  in  the  city  of 
Syracuse,  and  it  fell  to  my  lot  to  be  named  for  that  office. 

I  will  not  detain  you  now  further  than  to  mention  that  for 
the  last  three  weeks,  I  have  not  had  any  opportunity  to 
attend  to  a  single  item  of  my  own  business ;  I  have  a  great 
many  letters  with  me,  thirty  or  forty  of  which  would  be 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  91 

very  interesting  to  you,  and  I  will   mention   some  of  the 
names  of  those  that  you  will  readily  recognize. 

Charles  Mason,  who  says  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  he 
here.  I  would  be  glad  to  read  it,  but  it  is  too  lengthy.  Rev. 
Jared  Ostrander  and  his  wife,  Lucien  Birdseye,  several  let 
ters  from  the  Marshes,  Murrays,  Fargoes,  Jeromes,  Bost- 
wicks,  Wrights,  and  others,  are  in  my  possession.  I  will 
state  as  corresponding  secretary,  that  I  have  sent  out  over 
fifteen  hundred  letters  of  invitation,  and  I  will  state  also 
that  I  have  distributed  to-day,  among  the  multitude  here 
assembled,  over  six  thousand  circulars  or  programmes  of 
the  exercises  of  the  clay. 

This  will  indicate  to  you  very  clearly,  the  magnitude  of 
this  re- union,  and  I  merely  mention  it  as  secretary  of  the 
organization,  that  I  regard  it  most  extraordinary,  I  have  not 
the  slightest  doubt,  we  have  here  to-day,  over  eight  thou 
sand  people. 

One  more  toast  will  be  read,  to  be  responded  to  by  Mr. 
VanBrocklin,  and  then  so  far  as  I  know,  the  exercises  of 
the  afternoon  Avill  be  closed  after  hearing  from  the  quartette 
again,  a  piece  selected  by  themselves. 

The  day  being  nearly  spent,  the  President  announced  that 
he  would  propose  but  one  more  toast,  as  follows  : — 

The  present  residents  of  Pompey — Worthy  sons  of  noble 
sires.  In  their  hands  the  fair  fame  of  the  old  town  will  suf 
fer  no  reproach.  Its  escutcheon  will  remain  bright  and  un 
tarnished.  He  called  upon  Win.  W.  VanBrocklin,  Esq.,  to 
respond. 

ME.  VAN  BROCKLIN'S   RESPONSE. 

Mr.  President,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen  : 

This  is  no  occasion  to  render  an  excuse  for  this  unexpect 
ed  call.  From  what  has  already  been  said  during  the  ex 
ercises  of  this  day,  which  will  ever  remain  sacred  and  fondly 
cherished  in  our  every  heart,  and  from  what  we  have  seen, 
we  have  a  fair  account,  and  a  clear  demonstration  of  what 


02  THE    POMPEY    HE-UNION. 

Pompey  has  produced.  What  the  future  shall  be,  depends 
upon  her  present  citizens.  I  noticed  that  an  idea  that  I  ven 
tured  to  suggest  this  morning',  in  the  address  of  welcome, 
"  that  there  is  a  philosophy  closely  connecting  a  people  with 
the  land  of  their  birth,"  was  somewhat  elaborated  in  that 
appropriate  essay  delivered  on  this  occasion  by  one  of  my 
early  schoolmates,  Mrs.  Miller,  who  so  opportunely  occu 
pied  the  vacancy  occasioned  by  the  regretted  absence  of  the 
accomplished  Grace  Greenwood.  You  will  remember  that 
she  demonstrated  the  proposition,  by  facts  observed  by  the 
celebrated  Bayard  Taylor,  among  the  rugged  Pyrenees,  and 
the  majestic  snow-crowned  Alps.  Governor  Seymour,  too, 
gently,  almost  poetically  touched  the  same  cord,  in  his  beau 
tiful  allusion  to  the  fishes  of  the  sea  and  the  wild  denizens 
of  the  forest.  Xow,  while  I  firmly  believe  that  nativity  has 
much  to  do  with  the  characteristics  of  mankind,  I  just  as 
frankly  confess,  that  all  the  transcendent  excellencies  of 
character,  that  individualize  the  great  and  good  of  earth,  do 
not  depend  entirely  upon  the  spot  upon  which  they  hap 
pened  to  be  born.  It  has  been  said  that  Pompey  is  a  good 
place  in  which  to  be  born,  and  a  still  better  place  from  which 
to  emigrate.  I  think  I  can  accommodate  both  of  these 
propositions,  with  the  stamp  of  truth.  The  first  has  been 
demonstrated.  As  to  the  second,  I  would  say,  if  you  have 
ambition  for  wealth,  or  fame;  if  you  would  acquire  distinc 
tion  in  forensic  debate,  or  in  legislative  halls;  if  you  would 
reach  the  highest  niche  among  the  kings  of  finance,  or  the 
ultimate  goal  of  the  statesman's  ambition ;  leave  these  glo 
rious  old  hills,  and  go  where  wealth,  and  worldly  honors  will 
be  showered  upon  you,  for  "  a  prophet  is  not  without  honor, 
except  in  his  own  country."  But  if  you  would  hold  a  closer 
communion  with  God,  and  be  enabled  placidly  to  view  the 
jarring  elements  of  strife  and  contention,  raging  in  the 
world  around  and  beneath  you,  then  still  linger  around  these 
sacred  peaks — Nature's  self-appointed  temples,  that  the 
faithless  and  the  false  should  ne'er  pollute.  I  can  assure 
you  from  experience,  having  had  a  mixed  existence  of  ex 
citement  from  without,  and  repose  among  the  verdant  hills 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  93 

of  this  my  native  town,  that  for  comfort,  and  the  full  enjoy 
ment  of  the  amenities  of  social  life,  and  Ihe  cultivation  of 
the  more  ennobling  faculties  of  our  nature,  a  country  life  is 
the  true  condition  of  our  being,  where  we  can  oft  when 
returned  from  the  field,  "drink  deep  drafts  from  the  old  oaken 
bucket,  the  iron-bound  bucket,  the  moss-covered  bucket, 
which  hangs  in  the  well."  A  country  life  is  conducive  to 
temperance.  There  remains,  moreover,  much  good  cheer 
in  the  good  old  town  of  Pompey. 

You  have  seen  it  here  to-day,  in  the  sumptuous  tables 
spread,  from  which  so  many  thousands  have  been  refreshed. 
Health  and  happiness,  innocence  and  virtue,  too,  are  the 
conditions  of  a  life  among  these  pure  breezes  of  our  moun 
tain  homes.  This  you  have  seen  to-day,  in  the  honest  spark 
ling  eyes  of  the  young  sons  and  daughters  of  Pompey  as 
as  with  nimble  feet,  and  gushing  hearts  of  welcome,  they 
have  passed  through  these  aisles,  administering  to  the  phy 
sical  wants  of  this  vast  multitude  ;  while  the  bounding  blood 
of  youthful  vigor  coursing  their  veins,  has  given  them  a  vi 
vacity  and  earnestness,  which  has  assured  you  how  welcome 
you  have  been  made  to  your  early  home.  And  while  the 
keeping  of  the  enviable  reputation  of  old  Pompey,  rests  with 
such  as  have  to-day  met  and  welcomed  home  the  wandering 
clans,  I  can  confidently  affirm  the  truth  of  the  proposition, 
"That  in  the  hands  of  the  present  residents  of  Pompey,  the 
fair  fame  of  the  old  hill-town  will  not  degenerate."  For  this 
we  have  good  reason,  as  it  has  been  demonstrated,  that 
Pompey  cannot  naturally  produce  any  but  great  men  and 
wromen.  Yet,  you  will  find  in  the  future,  that  there  will  not 
be  that  pre-eminent  notoriety  among  Pompey 's  children, 
that  there  has  been  in  the  past.  This  I  am  constrained  to 
say,  as  I  am  more  in  the  habit  of  dealing  with  facts,  than  to 
amuse  or  fiattcr. 

As  I  have  said,  the  land  of  our  birth,  however  dearly  we 
may  love  it,  does  not  entirely  form  our  characters.  And  it 
is  so  with  those  who  have  acquired  eminent  distinction  in 
life,  whose  birth  place  wras  Pompc}r.  Other  circumstances 


04  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

have  had  a  controlling  influence  upon  their  destiny — to-wit : 
the  good  character  and  example  of  their  parents — the  fact 
that  they,  at  great  sacrifice,  established  in  this  then  pioneer 
town,  good  schools  and  churches — nurseries  where  the 
young  mind,  naturally  adapted  to  growth  and  cultivation, 
has  been  fully  developed,  and  thrown  forth  upon  the  world, 
to  achieve  great  good  for  God  and  humanity.  Other  locali 
ties  have  caught  the  spirit,  which  at  that  early  day  founded 
thePompey  Academy,  and  emulating  the  bright  example  of 
our  fathars,  set  high  up  among  the  clouds,  radiant  with 
light  to  illumine  the  surrounding  hills  and  valleys,  we  find 
that  other  institutions  of  learning  have  sprung  up,  in  Onon- 
daga  Valley,  Cazenovia,  Homer,  and  other  places  in  this  vi 
cinity,  which,  in  their  turn,  will  send  forth  great  and  good 
men  and  women,  to  elevate  and  refine  society.  They  are 
to-day  educating  Pompey'&  children,  and  I  apprehend  it  is 
the  duty  of  the  foster  fathers  of  our  venerable  Academy, 
to  entertain  enlarged  and  comprehensive  views  of  the  neces 
sities  of  the  situation,  and  command  at  any  price,  the  servi 
ces  of  an  excellent  corps  of  instructors,  who  will  call  within 
its  sacred  walls  as  of  old,  students  from  the  valleys,  and  all 
the  surrounding  country.  It  is  thus,  in  this  age  of  compe 
tition,  of  enterprise,  and  of  progress,  that  the  present  citi 
zens  of  Pompey  can  maintain  her  ancient  glory  and  renown. 
It  is  thus  that  the  good  character  inherited  from  our  an 
cestors,  and  the  principles  inculcated  by  our  fathers,  will 
.be  experienced  generations  yet  to  come.  It  will  not  do  for 
Pompey  to  rest  upon  the  laurels  already  won.  She  no  long 
er  enjoys  the  monopoly  of  Academic  lore.  And  while  she 
may  not  degenerate,  surrounding  towns  have  already  reached 
the  high  plane  of  excellence  it  has  so  long  been  her  privi 
lege  to  occupy. 

I  have  been  amused  to-day  as  I  cannot  amuse  you,  espec 
ially  with  the  speech  of  Senator  Noxon,  in  which  he  tells  us 
how  near  he  came  to  being  an  Irishman.  And  this  calls  to 
mind,  a  class  of  present  citizens  of  Pompey,  unknown  to  us, 
Mr.  Chairman,  in  our  school  boy  days.  The  town  is  being 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  95 

tilled  up  with  emigrants  fr GDI  the  "  Green  Emerald  Isle," 
and  of  them  it  need  not  be  said,  "That  they  were  born  upon 
St.  Patrick's  day,  to  make  them  full  blooded  Irishmen.    They 
were  born,  not   in   Pompey,  but  upon  the  green  sod  of  old 
Ireland.     And  they  come  it  seems,  to  inherit  through  their 
economical    and   industrious   modes  of  life,  what  you  and 
your   fathers  have  left — the  green  hills  and  valleys  of  your 
native  town.     Already  upon   the  ruins  of  a  church,  they 
have  erected  another,  giving  it  a  different  name,  and  there 
they  worship   the  same  God  your  fathers  worshipped,  upon 
the  same  spot,  sixty  years  ago.     The  future  of  Pompey  will 
somewhat  depend  upon  this  class  of  its  present  citizens,  and 
I  am  happy  to  believe,  that  under  the  genial  influence  of 
our   institutions,  and  the   desirable  opportunities  offered  in 
this  land  to  which  they  come,  their  future,  will  give  to  their 
adoptee]  country,  the  home  of  their  choice  tho'  not  of  their 
birth,  the  Cumins,  the  Emmets,  and  the  St.  Patricks  of  the 
United  States.     I  look  thei?  for  a  brilliant  future  for  Pom 
pey,  not  only  from  the  descen dents  of  the  original  settlers, 
but  from  those  as  well  who  have  made  it  the  home  of  their 
adoption.     Another  new  church  has  arisen,  and  within  its 
consecrated  walls,  many  worship  the  God  of  our  fathers,  who 
were  the  playmates  of  your  early  life.     In  other  portions  of 
Pompey,  religious  changes  have  not  been  so  marked.     In 
Delphi,  near  where  dwelt  the  Litchfields,  Slocums,  Sheldons, 
Blo\vels,  Barbers,   Hills,  McClures,  and  many  other  old  fa 
miliar  names,  you  will    find  the  present  citizens,  still  wor 
shiping  in  the  Baptist  and  Methodist  churches.     The  socie 
ty  of  Pleasant  Valley,  too,  at  Oran,  still  remains,  whose  lib 
eral  creed  embraces  within  the  covenant  of   Divine  grace 
the  whole  human  family.     Here  you  may  find  the    hospita 
ble  home  of  I^oah  Palmer,  of  Elias  Barnes,  a  walking  ency 
clopedia  of  that  portion  of  Pompey,  the  genial  Joseph  Sco- 
ville,  D.  D.  Denison,  whose  father  the  old  Doctor  Denison, 
was  noted  for  his  sound  democracy  and  skill  in  curing  dis 
eases,  Col.    C.   C.  Midler,  of  military  fame,  when  general 
trainings  were  in  fashion,  and  many  other  scions  of  a  wor 
thy  stock,  whom  I  have  not  memory,  or  time  to  name.     At 


(16  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

the  four  corners  four  miles  north  of  Pompey  Hill,  the 
church  erected  by  the  Westerns,  the  Clements,  the  Hibbards, 
the  Hinsdales,  the  Clapps  and  others,  many  of  whose  de- 
scendents  yet  remain,  is  now  no  more  used  as  a  church,  its 
membership  having  been  absorbed  by  Manlius,  Jamesville 
and  Pompey  Hill.  And  where  once  the  bread  of  Heaven 
was  dispensed  to  the  hungering  multitude,  the  bread  which 
perishes  is  now  sheltered  upon  the  farm  of  Addison  Clapp. 

But  of  all  the  churches  familiar  to  the  early  days  of  Pom 
pey,  located  upon  this  venerable  hill,  none  remain  except 
the  Methodist  and  Congregational  churches  ;  and  especially 
in  the  latter  you  will  to-day  find  very  many  names  familiar 
to  the  early  settlers  of  Pompey.  There  still  you  will  find 
the  Jeromes,  the  Stearns,  the  Bakers,  the  Wells,  the  Wood- 
fords,  the  Butts  and  many  other  descendants  from  the  "old 
stock,"  whose  rigid  discipline,  and  bright  example  of  the 
Christian  graces,  continue  to  yield  copious  harvests  of  "peace 
on  earth,  and  good  will  to  man."  May  they  remain  to  the 
latest  generation,  land-marks  upon  the  shores  of  time,  where 
the  future  pilgrim,  returning  like  you  to-day  to  the  home 
of  his  childhood,  shall  find  a  familiar  spot,  known  and  prized 
in  life's  young  day.  I  regret  that  the  time  has  been  too 
short,  in  which  to  prepair  sentiments  appropriate  to  every 
trade  and  occupation,  represented  here  to-day.  We  would 
have  been  pleased  and  instructed,  had  the  artisans  whom 
Pompey  has  sent  forth,  greatly  to  her  honor,  been  called  upon 
to  respond  to  an  appropriate  toast.  You  will  not  be  under 
the  necessity  of  going  farther  than  the  city  of  Syracuse,  to 
find  shops  conducted  by  sons  of  Pompey.  They  can  make 
machines,  as  well  as  machine  poetry.  I  allude  to  the  Sweet 
brothers. 

By  Mr.  John  F.  Seymour. 

Palmer  the  sculptor,  was  he  not  born  here  ? 

By  Mr.  Van  Brocklin — I  believe  he  was,  and  so  was  Car- 
halrt,  the  inventor  of  the  Melodcon.  But  should  the  Mel- 
odeon,  notwithstanding  the  vast  amount  of  happiness  it  has 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION.  97 

conferred  upon  mankind,  be  struck  entirely  from  existence, 
we  should  not  suffer  much,  as  long  as  we  have  the  "  human 
voice  divine/'  which  can  discourse  such  heavenly  music,  as 
that  to  which  we  have  this  day  listened,  from  the  "  Durston 
Quartette."  The  only  mistake  I  apprehend,  made  in  this 
glorious  re-union,  is,  that  we  did  not  appreciate  the  magni 
tude  of  the  occasion,  and  resolve  to  have  it  continue  three 
days,  instead  of  one,  to  give  an  opportunity  more  thorough 
ly  to  renew  the  scenes  of  early  life.  As  it  is,  so  soon  we 
meet,  so  soon  to  part;  and  while  the  lingering  farewell 
dwells  upon  our  lips,  the  moistened  eye  of  the  thousands 
who  hear  me,  indicates  the  deep  feeling  that  pervades  this 
sacred  place.  And  let  us  remember,  with  a  faith  that 
reaches  beyond  the  shores  of  time,  and  spans  the  endless 
cycles  of  eternity,  that  upon  the  resurrection  morn  will  be 
another  re-union  of  Pompey's  children,  past,  present,  and 
future,  more  gloiious  and  enduring,  when  we  shall  see,  high 
upon  the  scroll  of  eternity,  amid  the  honored  names  of  the 
remotest  generations,  and  the  succession  of  generations, 
down  through  the  long  vistas  of  the  ages  past,  the  name  of 
Pompey,  encircled  with  an  immortal  wreath  of  perennial 
flowers,  and  all  her  children  redeemed  and  purified,  for  the 
society  of  a  higher  and  purer  life. 

The  exercises  at  the  grove  were  closed  by  the  Durston 
Quartette  singing  a  farewell  song.  The  time  intervening 
between  this  and  the  evening  meeting  was  spent  in  social 
intercourse,  in  taking  rides  and  walks  to  familiar  places, 
which  awakened  the  slumbering  memories  of  early  days. 
Some  visited  the  Academy  and  the  grounds  upon  which 
once  stood  the  "  old  wind  mill."  Some  hastened  to  pay  a 
tribute  of  respect  and  veneration  to  the  "  old  homestead," 
now  in  the  hands  of  strangers.  Many  repaired  to  the  vil 
lage  cemetery,  a  beautiful  spot  located  on  the  highest  land 
in  Pompey,  affording  a  comprehensive  view  of  the  surround 
ing  country.  Here  rests  the  sacred  ashes  of  the  fathers, 
mothers  and  friends  of  early  life.  And  as  the  various  par 
ties  sought  the  places  most  to  memory  dear,  and  walked 

7 


98  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

again  upon  the  soil  that  gave  them  birth,  who  can  catch, 
in  imagination  the  panorama  of  thought  and  feeling,  that 
must  have  passed  in  review,  as  the  thousand  recollections  of 
youthful  days  crowded  upon  the  minds  ?  Who  delineate  the 
varied  emotions,  that  such  a  visitmust  have  developed?  "While 
many  remained  to  attend  the  evening  meeting,  and  to  visit 
for  a  few  days,  friends  and  early  homes,  very  many,  charac 
teristic  of  American  life,  exchanged  the  hasty  farewell,  and 
were  off  to  distant  homes,  to  mingle  again  in  the  busy 
scenes  of  life. 

EVENING  MEETING. 

At  seven  o'clock,  the  old  bell  that  had  in  "  olden  time," 
summoned  to  religious  duty,  pealed  forth  its  familiar  tones 
announcing  the  time  for  the  final  meeting  ot  the  day: 

Soon  the  Presbyterian  church  was  filled  to  overflowing; 
on  motion  of  Victory  J.  Birdseye,  Dr.  Richard  F.  Stevens 
was  appointed  chairman,  who  upon  assuming  the  duties  of 
his  position,  made  appropriate  remarks,  as  follows  : — 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen : — I  thank  3-011  for  the  partiality 
shown  in  calling  me  to  preside  at  this  the  last  meeting  of  this 
most  interesting  re-union  occasion.  I  am  reminded  by  these 
sacred  walls  of  times  long  gone  by  of  childhood  days,  when 
here  I  was  taught  the  words  of  Holy  Writ  in  Sunday  lessons, 
and  my  eye  rests  upon  the  family  pew  wrhere  I  sat  with  my 
parents  more  than  fifty  years  ago,  and  listened  to  religious 
teachings  from  the  pulpit.  I  see  before  me,  men  and 
women  who  were  children  with  me,  whose  heads  are  already 
silvered,  and  whose  changed  appearance  tells  its  fruitful  story 
of  many  years.  I  see  also  before  me  those  who  were  the 
active  men  and  women  of  those  early  days,  now  full  of  years, 
and  bent  with  age.  It  would  much  more  comport  with  my 
feelings  to  remain  silent,  when  I  remember  that  on  the  spot 
where  I  now  stand  I  have  seen  deposited,  on  funeral  occa 
sions,  the  encoffined  remains  of  my  parents  and  many  dear 
friends  and  neighbors  who  rest  in  the  quiet  old  burying- 
ground  on  the  hill.  I  see  at  my  right  ny  lorrncr  school 


THE    POMPEY    BE-UNION.  99 

teacher,  Mr.  Asa  H.  Wells,  and  in  yonder  pew,  I  see  Mrs. 
Beardsley,  formerly  Miss  Charlotte  Hopkins,  who  taught  me 
ray  A.  B.  C's.  The  house  adjoining  this,  church,  was  my 
birth-place,  and  in  this  immediate  locality,  many  who  now 
listen  to  my  words,  ran  and  played  with  me  in  all  the  joyous 
sports  and  pleasures  of  childhood's  happy  days.  To  one  re 
turning  after  so  many  years,  ever37thing  that  remains  is  vocal 
with  reminiscences  of  early  days,  the  churches,  the  houses, 
the  village-green,  the  shade  trees  I  helped  to  plant,  now  a 
foot  in  diameter,  the  gardens,  the  apple-trees,  everything 
however  small,  has  its  history  of  some  childhood  event. 

I  cannot  express  the  gratification  I  feel  in  being  permitted 
to  enjoy  with  you  this  re-union  of  so  many  of  our  former 
friends  and  neighbors  as  have  been  assembled  here  to-day. 
From  all  parts  of  our  country  the  descendants  of  the  old 
town  of  Pompey  have  come  to  meet  and  revive  recollections, 
to  shake  the  friendly  hand  like  brothers  and  sisters  in  a  com 
mon  family,  to  call  each  other  by  familiar  names,  to  tell  of 
the  passing  events  of  life,  and,  as  the  hours  of  the  re-union 
draw  to  a  close,  to  give  the  parting  and  affectionate  "  good 
bye." 

We  have  met  this  evening  to  listen  to  those  who  may  be 
pleased  to  give  us  such  reminiscences  as  will  be  most  inter 
esting  to  us  all. 

It  is  to  be  regretted,  that  no  stenographic  reporter  was 
secured  for  the  evening  meeting,  and  therefore,  no  full  re 
port  of  the  proceedings  has  been  preserved.  Historical 
reminiscences,  and  interesting  remarks  were  made,  in  their 
order  by  the  following  persons  :  Rev.  Samuel  W.  Brace,  of 
Utica ;  Rev.  Charles  Jerome,  of  Clinton,  Oneida  Co.,  since 
deceased;  Victory  J.  Birdseye,  and  Wm.  W.  YanBrocklin, 
of  Pompey ;  Leman  B.  Pitcher,  of  Salina  ;  Ebenezer  Butler, 
of  Syracuse,  since  removed  to  Whitehall,  N,  Y.  ;  Dea.  Asa 
H.  Wells,  of  Pompey,  since  removed  to  Manlius  ;  Hon.  Wm. 
Barnes,  of  Albany,  and  Hon.  Daniel  G.  Fort,  of  Oswego. 

An  original  poem  was  read  by  Flora  Butterfield,  daughter 


100  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

of  Mrs.  Catharine  Clarke  Butterfield,  a  cousin  of  Grace  Green 
wood.  Miss  Flora  was  only  thirteen  years  of  age  at  the 
time  of  the  re-union,  and  her  production,  not  designed  for 
rehearsal  or  publication,  is  here  produced  without  correc 
tion: 

TO  OUR  GUESTS  FROM  ABROAD. 

BY   FLORA    BUTTERFIELD. 

The  old  residents  of  Pompey  have  here  again  met, 
That  your  old  native  land  you  might  not  forget ; 
To  renew  old  acquaintance  with  the  few  that  are  here 
That  you  hold  to  your  hearts,  by  memories  dear. 

There's  but  few  that  are  left  where  in  childhood  you  played, 
To  welcome  you  home  from  the  lands  where  you've  strayed  ; 
But  your  welcome  is  warm,  as  wre  all  can  proclaim, 
For  long  years  it  will  be  'ere  you  all  meet  again. 

Alas  !  what  sad  memories  this  day  brings  to  some, 
As  fresh  to  your  minds  come  the  days  past  arid  gone ! 
When  children,  you  played  'round  this  dear  old  Hill 
With  kind  friends  you  loved,  who  in  death  are  now  still. 

As  you  gaze  once  again  on  each  familiar  spot, 
How  they  rush  to  your  mind,  scenes  long  since  forgot ; 
And  a  sadness  steals  o'er  you  as  of  the  past  you  tell, 
And  you  turn  once  again  to  take  a  farewell ! 

Yes,  farewell !  'till  we  meet  above 

In  a  blest  re-union  of  peace  and  love  ! 

Where  no  ties  will  be  broken,  for  all  will  be  there, 

And  happiness  forever,  free  from  all  care. 

REMARKS  OF  HOK  WILLIAM  BARNES. 
Mr.  Chairman: — 

Interested  I  have  been,  and  deeply,  in  the  many 
narratives  of  early  events  and  incidents  in  the  settlement  ol 
this  town,  which  I  have  heard  this  evening.  These  stories 
from  eye-witnesses  and  participants  cannot  long  be  enjoyed 
by  any  of  us,  as  the  tottering  steps  and  white  hairs  of  some 
of  the  speakers  too  plainly  indicate.  I  grieve  that  my  be 
loved  father,  (the  late  Orson  Barnes,)  personally  known  to 
many  of  you,  is  not  with  us  this  evening  in  body  as  I  know 
he  is  in  spirit,  for  he  could  add  many  items  interesting  to 


THE    POMPEY    HE-UNION.  101 

you  all,  relating  to  the  original  settlers,  their  trials,  priva 
tions  and  triumphs. 

During  my  term  of  office  as  Superintendent  of  the  Insur 
ance  Department  of  this  State,  I  noticed  one  New  York 
City  Fire  Insurance  Company,  the  annual  statements  and 
accounts  of  which  were  always  marked  with  especial  full 
ness  and  accuracy.  Analyzed  however  critically,  and  sub 
jected  to  any  accountant's  rules  or  legal  tests,  everything 
was  found  to  be  sound  and  correct. 

Its  stockholders  numbered  on  its  roll  several  of  the  rich 
est  and  most  influential  men  of  New  York  City.  From 
year  to  year  certain  delinquencies  required  more  full  returns 
from  the  Companies,  and  detailed  lists  of  bond  and  mort 
gage  securities  of  stock  loans,  lists  of  stockholders,  and  other 
requirements;  which  additional  and  specific  requirements 
met  with  serious,  determined,  and  even  personal  opposition 
on  the  part  of  several  Companies. 

I  always  anticipated  that  the  Fire  Insurance  Company  to 
which  I  allude  would  interpose  the  strongest  objections  to 
these  new  and  onerous  requirements,  but  I  was  always  dis 
appointed  in  my  expectations,  for  every  new  blank  form 
wThich  was  presented  to  the  New  York  Bowery  Fire  Insur 
ance  Company,  however  full,  or  complicated,  or  onerous, 
was  promptly  filled  up  and  sworn  to,  and  generally  the  first 
return  on  file  made  by  any  of  the  Insurance  Companies. 

For  ten  years  this  fact  was  a  matter  of  wonder  and  aston 
ishment  to  me,  and  it  is  only  to-day  that  I  have  had  a,  satis 
factory  explanation,  by  learning  that  its  respected  President, 
Dr.  William  Hibbard,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Pompey, 
and  belonged  to  the  "Hibbard"  family  of  Pompey  Hill. 

The  above  are  all  that  have  been  preserved  of  the  even 
ing  meeting. 

The  following  resolutions  were  adopted,  when  the  even 
ing  meeting  adjourned : — 

Resolved,  By  the  guests  at  Pompey  from  abroad,  that  we 


102  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

tender  to  the  citizens  of  Pompey  our  earnest  and  sincere 
thanks  for  the  magnificent  entertainment  which  we  have  to 
day  enjo37ed,  and  for  the  ample  provisions  made,  and  the 
arduous  and  well  directed  efforts  used  to  make  our  re-union 
pleasant  and  agreeable  to  all. 

Resolved,  That  our  thanks  are  especially  due  to  the  Com 
mittee  of  Arrangements  and  Officers  of  the  Day — their  wise 
and  admirable  conception  of  the  necessities  of  the  occasion, 
in  providing  for  the  immense  multitude  of  visitors,  with 
wants  so  numerous,  and  for  the  good  order  manifest  in  ev 
ery  department  of  the  day's  doings. 

Resolved,  That  we  most  cordially  tender  our  thanks  to 
the  Orators,  Singers  and  Musicians  of  the  Day,  for  the  pleas 
ing  and  instructive  speeches  to  which  we  have  listened,  and 
for  the  songs  and  music  which  have  attuned  our  hearts  in 
unison,  to  appreciate  the  sublime  and  transcendently  glo 
rious  spectacle  to-day  witnessed,  of  a  re-union  on  earth  of 
the  eons  and  daughters  of  Pompey. 

OF  THE  INCIDENTS  OF  THE  DAY. 

Numerous  incidents  occurred  during  the  day,  to  mention 
all  of  which  would  fill  a  volume.  A  few  Only  will  be  relat 
ed,  as  illustrating  the  spirit  that  pervaded  the  entire  assem 
bly.  The  greetings  of  long  nbsent  friends  were  interesting 
to  witness,  and  that  none  should  be  slighted,  the  friendly 
hand  was  extended  to  all.  A  gentleman  of  some  sixty  sum 
mers,  met  a  lady  of  about  the  same  age  who  had  been  his 
schoolmate  of  fifty  years  ago;  after  recognition  and  a  cor 
dial  greeting,  unbidden  he  extended  his  hand  to  a  lady  in 
company  with  his  former  schoolmate,  "and  this,"  said  he, 
"is?"  "  My  daughter,"  responded  the  lady,  "and  this  is 
her  husband."  And  extending  the  friendly  hand  to  still 
another  lady,  he  said  "and  this  is  another  daughter?"  "0, 
no;  that  is  my  grand-daughter,  and  this  is  her  husband." 
Then  as  the  obtrusive  tear  filled  his  eye,  he  turned  to  his 
schoolmate,  on  whom  the  rolling  years  had  apparently  made 
but  little  impression,  and  said  "truly,  Mary,  we  must  be 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION.  10$ 

growing  old,  and  yet  to-day  I  feel  as  though  I  were  a  child/ 
again." 

Again,  at  various  points  might  be  seen  groups  of  friends 
and  acquaintances,  long  separated,  calling  up  the  incidents 
of  early  days,  and  occasionally  might  be  heard  a  brief 
speech.  Lloyd  Slade,  of  Kelloggsville,  K  Y.,  in  the  full 
ness  of  his  heart  was  constrained  to  speak  substantially  as 
follows  to  a  group  of  friends  : — "  I  was  not  born  in  Pompey, 
but  like  man}'  fortunate  sons  of  other  towns,  I  married  a 
wife  from  the  fair  daughters  of  Pompey,  who  is  now  pres 
ent,  and  whose  father,  Willoby  Millard,  was  one  of  the 
Board  of  Education  in  1800,  and  who  did  much  to  erect  the 
first  Academy  building  and  establish  the  Pompey  Academy, 
As  to-day  it  is  customary  to  push  personalities  to  the  front, 
I  would  say  of  myself  that  I  taught  school  thirty  winters, 
and  one  of  them  in  Pompey,  as  many  present  will  remem 
ber.  From  among  my  scholars  in  that  humble  school,  have- 
arisen  self-made  men — as  successful  financiers  and  noble 
philanthropists  as  ever  honored  a  nation.  I  refer  to  Hon. 
"Win.  G.  Fargo  and  his  brothers.  Now,  my  hearers,  this  is 
probably  the  last  re-union  of  the  present  sons  and  daughters 
of  Pompey  that  we  shall  ever  enjoy  on  earth  ;  but  let  us  lay 
aside  mourning  and  sadness,  and  with  an  eye  of  faith  be 
hold  the  resurrection  morn;  when  the  re-union  of  cherished 
ones  departed  and  those  journeying  with  us,  will  occur  at 
our  Celestial  Home,  where  pleasures  never  end,  and  joys 
immortal  bloom." 

Another  indication  of  the  universal  interest  in  the  occa 
sion,  was  the  rehearsal  by  Homer  A.  Billings,  to  some  of  his 
companions  of  the  following  poem: 

POMPEY,  THE  LAND  OF  THE  BRAVE  AKD  THE 
HOME  OF  THE  FREE. 

Hurrah  for  old  Pompey  !  the  land  of  the  free, 
I  think  that  you  still  are  the  right  place  for  me, 
Within  thy  fair  borders  I  chanced  to  be  born, 
To  own  thee  my  birth-place,  I  never  shall  scorn, 
To  sing  of  thy  beauties — my  theme  it  shall  be 
Hurrah  for  Old  Pompey,  the  land  of  the  free. 


104  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

Our  scenery's  delightful,  our  climate  is  healthy, 
Our  wants  are  but  few,  our  farmers  are  wealthy  ; 
The  heighth  of  our  land  makes  us  know  well  our  station, 
(Since  we  know  that  "  High  standing's  the  pride  of  our  Nation) 
For  reasons  like  these,  you're  the  land  still  for  me. 
Hurrah,  &c. 

We're  a  free  happy  people,  contented  we  are, 
In  haps  and  misfortunes,  we  never  despair, 
Our  government's  mild,  and  wholesome  our  rules, 
Interested  we  are  in  our  Common  Schools,' 
•Oh  !  Yes,  I  will  say,  you're  the  land  still  for  me. 
Hurrah,  etc., 

Thy  name,  old  Pompey,  oft'  puts  me  in  mind 
Of  the  great  Roman  general,  in  hist'ry  Ave  find, 
Who  lived  in  the  days  of  "  Caesar  the  great," 
That  noted  old  Emp'ror  and  great  potentate, 
We  all  trust  thy  downfall  never  will  be. 
Hurrah,  &c., 

How  oft'  have  I  traveled  thy  fair  meadows  o'er, 
Where  the  wild  beasts  and  savage  had  traveled  before  ; 
How  oft',  o'er  thy  valleys  and  landscapes  I've  gazed 
With  fancies  bewildered,  confounded,  amazed, 
Old  Pompey  !  thy  landscapes  are  dear  unto  me. 
Hurah,  &c., 

My  own  native  Home — in  the  Cot  on  the  hill, 
The  place  of  my  birth  !  Oh  !  it  gives  such  a  thril 
Of  joy  and  sensation  !     I  cannot  forget 
The  little  Log  Cottage— I  honor  it  yet, 
When  long  years  have  pass'd — still  romember'd  'twill  be— 
Hurrah,  &c., 

Oh  !  Home  of  my  birth !  will  it  e'er  be  my  lot 
To  find  in  this  world,  so  endearing  a  spot  ? 
How  true  is  the  saying — that  "  search  the  whole  earth 
No  spot's  so  endeared,  as  the  home  of  one's  birth," 
In  life's  last  decline,  I  shall  oft  think  of  thee. 
Hurrah,  &c., 

May  this  meeting,  to-day,  and  these  social  communions 

Be  but  a  prelude  to  future  re-unions — 

And  may  this  re-union,  of  Friendship  and  Love 

Foreshadow  a  blissful  re-union  above, 

Where  "  Forever  and  ever"  re-united  we'll  be 

And  from  sin  and  temptation,  and  sorrow  set  free. 

But  adieu  !  for  these  days  will  not  last  long  with  me. 
For  in  other  lands  soon,  perchance  I  may  be, 


THE    POMPEY    HE-UNION.  105 

But  of  this  I  am  sure — "  wherever  I  dwell, 
Of  the  scenery  of  Pompey  to  other,-?  I'll  tell — 
Yea,  tell  it  with  pleasure,  with  joy  and  with  glee, 
As  the  Home  of  the  Brave,  and  the  land  of  the  free. 


LETTERS. 

The  following   are   amoncr  the    many  letters  received  by 

O  O  \J  *j 

the  Recording  Secretary : 

BROOKLYN,  20th  June,  1874. 
R.  F.  Stevens,  Esq.,  Sec'y,  #c. 

DEAR  SIR: — I  regret  very  much  that  I  shall  not  be  able  to 
attend  the  re-union  of  the  former  residents  of  the  town  of 
Pompey,  which  is  to  take  place  on  the  29th  inst.,  as  I  sail  on 
to-morrow's  steamer,  for  Europe. 

It  would  give  me  great  pleasure  could  I  be  with  you  on 
that  occasion,  and  thus  meet  many  of  those  whom  it  has 
been  my  good  fortune  to  know  personally,  as  well  as  many 
others,  whom  I  have  known  only  by  reputation.  Should  the 
former  residents  of  Pompey,  generally  avail  themselves  of 
this  opportunity  for  visiting  their  native  hills,  3*011  will  have 
a  gathering  of  which  you  may  well  be  proud,  for  you  will 
find  there  assembled,  many  who  are  eminent  in  the  various 
walks  of  life.  The  pulpit,  the  bar  and  the  bench,  the  Leg 
islative  Hull,  and  the  business  Exchange,  the  official  rolls 
of  civil  and  of  military  life,  each  can  show  distinguished  rep 
resentatives  of  the  old  town  of  Pompey,  while  many  others 
of  her  sons,  to  fame  unknown,  have  well  performed  their 
part  in  life  by  the  honest  and  successful  discharge  of  the 
duties  pertaining  to  the  various  positious  in  which  Provi 
dence  has  placed  them,  and  I  repeat  that  it  would  be  a  great 
pleasure  to  me  could  I  be  present  to  witness  the  return  of 
these  wanderers  to  the  scenes  of  their  childhood,  and  to  listen 
to  the  eloquence  of  the  heart  which  such  a  gathering  will 
be  sure  to  inspire.  Trusting  that  you  may  have  a  full  at 
tendance,  I  am, 

Yours,  very  truly, 

EDWIN  C.  LITCIIFIELD. 


106  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

BROOKLYN,  K  Y.,  June  26th,  1871. 
Richard  F.  Stevens,  Esq. 

DEAR  SIR: — I  wrote  you  some  days  since  in  reply  to  your 
kind  invitation  of  June  1st,  saying  that  I  should  endeavor 
to  be  present  at  the  re-union  of  the  former  residents  ofPom- 
pey;  I  regret  now  to  inform  you  that  the  illness  of  a  mem 
ber  of  my  family  will  deprive  me  of  the  anticipated  pleasure. 

As  a  former  resident  of  "  The  Hollow,"  it  grieves  me  to 
think  that  this  important  meeting,  and  one  which  will  proba 
bly  be  the  most  pleasant  and  longest  remembered  of  any  of 
the  assemblages  ever  held  in  our  native  town  should  beheld 
on  "the  Hill."  I  can  recall  to  mind  a  time  when  every 
man  in  Delphi  would  have  "  died  in  the  last  ditch,"  rather 
than  to  allow  such  an  event  to  take  place.  We  should  have 
contended  that  Delphi  was  entitled  to  the  honor,  but  for  the 
sake  of  harmony  we  might  have  compromised  on  Green's 
Corners,  ^ow,  I  suppose  from  your  high  stand-point,  poor 
old  Delphi  will  be  entirely  over-looked,  and  little  will  he 
heard  at  your  re-union,  except  in  glorification  of  "  The  Hill," 
its  great  eminence,  its  bracing  breezes,  its  time-honored 
Academy,  and  the  great  and  good  men  and  women  it  has 
sent  forth. 

The  fact  that  Delphi  quietly  submits  to  all  this,  convinces 
me  that  the  old  village  has  greatly  changed  since  the  days 
when  we  demanded  for  the  Hollow  its  fair  share  of  all  the 
town  offices,  down  even  tc  the  sealer  of  weights  and  meas 
ures,  and  would  under  no  circumstances  consent  to  the  hold 
ing  of  a  town  meeting  at  any  point  west  of  the  Corners. 
The  Hollow  must  have  been  "  re-constructed"  since  my  day, 
or  this  re-union  would  not  have  heen  held  011  the  hill  with 
out  a  terrible  struggle.  However,  if  Delphi  can  stand  it,  I 
can,  and  I  sincerely  hope  all  your  pleasant  anticipations  con 
nected  with  this  meeting  will  be  realized,  and  that  the  re 
union  will  result  in  renewing  and  strengthening  the  attach 
ments  of  all  present  to  our  noble  old  town. 

Very  Truly^Yours, 

H.  W.  SLOCUM, 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION.  107 

PRATTSBURGH,  June  23d,  1871. 
Mr.  Richard  F.  Stevens. 

SIR  : — I  have  just  received  your  circular  inviting  me  to  a  re 
union  at  Pompey  Hill,  on  the  29th  inst,  I  regret  that  cir 
cumstances  will  prevent  my  attendance.  Age  alone  would 
reader  it  difficult,  as  I  was  86  years  old  in  April  last.  It 
would  be  extremely  gratifying  to  have  an  interview  with 
many  friends  who  may  be  there  present.  In  addition  to  the 
associations  of  a  former  residence,  it  may  be  said,  that  the 
place  has  a  most  salubrious  air,  and  is  richly  worth  a  visit  for 
a  view  of  its  far-stretching  landscape.  Memory  recalls  the 
list  of  strong  men  who  have  resided  there ;  and  from  time 
to  time  have  officiated  in  our  National  and  State  councils. 
On  this  topic,  the  limits  prescribed  to  this  note  forbid  my 
expatiating.  As  I  cannot  be  a  participant  in  the  approach 
ing 

"  Feast  of  reason  and  the  flow  of  soul," 

I  must  content  myself  with  the  hope  that  we  may  all  finally 
meet  in  that  higher  and  better  world  where  our  re-union 
will  be  perpetual,  and  our  happiness  without  alloy. 
I  am,  very  respectfully  Yours, 

R.  S.  ORVIS. 

SYRACUSE,  June  19,  1871. 
Dr.  R.  F.  Stevens. 

DEAR  SIR  : — An  invitation  to  attend  a  re-union  of  the  old 
residents  of  Pompey  came  to  me  a  few  days  since — A  "  re 
union  of  the  old  residents  of  Pompey !"  I  read  that  sentence 
with  many  a  heartfelt  throb,  for 

"  They  are  not  all  here 

Some  are  away 
The  dead  ones  dear  !" 

From  off  my  family  altar  nearly  every  flower  hath  withered, 
faded  and  died.  Gone  from  us  in  early  life  !  But  one  (and 
he  far  away  in  a  western  home,)  is  left  me  of  my  once  joy 
ous  home-circle.  Oh !  not  for  me  is  that  re-union  !  Too 


108  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

many  sad  memories  of  the  past  cluster  around  that  dear  old 
"hill-side  home." 

The  grass  hath  grown  green  and  long  upon  the  eloquent 
dumb  mounds,  where  sleep  my  dead  !  Can  I  go  up  to  the 
re-union  ?  There  will  be  the  school-mates  of  nry  girlhood. 
The  teachers  I  both  loved  and  feared  in  childhood.  The 
friends  of  later  years,  my  father's  and  iny  mother's  friends. 
All  will  be  there  !  Shall  I  too  go  ?  Yes !  I  will  take  the  dear 
ones  "  God  hath  given  me,"  and  climb  those  hills  "sublime 
and  glorious  still,"  Up!  up!  to  the  "  re-union,"  and  for  one 
day  I  will  strive  to  prove  in  social  greetings  that  "clouds 
have  their  silver  linings,"  and  after  storms,  comes  ever  the 
bright  sunshine. 

Yours,  in  hopes  of  a  blessed  re-union,  "Up  Higher," 

ESTHER  A.  CLAPP  DORWIN. 

SYRACUSE,  July,  1871. 
Dr.  R.  F.  Stevens. 

DEAR  SIR: — For  us  the  "glorious  re-union  at  old  Pompey" 
hath  come  and  gone,  but  the  memory  of  that  day  can  never 
pass  away — Avith  us  it  !iveth  forever!  Like  the  sunny 
dreams  of  childhood,  its  memory  will  brighten  our  future 
pilgrimage  down  the  shady  slope  of  life ;  it  revived  old 
memories  long  since  dead;  it  taught  us,  though  we  had 
years  ago  learned,  that  life  was  "real  and  earnest,"  that 
there  was  still  left  for  us  much  of  love,  of  poetry  and  senti 
ment. 

There  old  friends,  and  perchance  old  lovers  met,  arid  as 
they  grasped  the  hand  the  "  light  of  other  days"  beamed 
from  the  eye,  and  the  eager  "  God  bless  you  !  are  you  here?" 
was  not  a  studied  expression,  but  an  outburst  from  the  abun 
dance  of  the  heart.  What,  if  the  brown  hair  of  the  one  was 
threaded  with  silver,  and  the  jetty  locks  of  the  other  grown 
thin  and  grey  ?  What  if  the  voice  once  so  musical  had  ac 
quired,  by  contact  with  the  world,  a  harsh  note,  and  the 
bright  eye  become  less  bright  ?  Did  we  note  these  changes? 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  109 

Ah,  no !  the  heart  was  young  again,  and  the  expressions  "I 
know  you !  how  little  you  have  changed  !"  were  heartfelt, 
no  matter  if  our  mirrors  at  home  told  a  different  tale,  and 
after  this,  how  proud  we  were  to  say  to  such  a  friend,  "this 
is  my  son,"  as  we  presented  our  noble,  stalwart  boy,  or,  this 
my  daughter,  as  we  led  up  our  girl,  just  blushing  into 
womanhood. 

Proud  day  for  ancient  Pompey  !  Proud  day  for  fathers 
and  mothers!  for  young  and  old — proud  day  for  all!  And 
yet  with  all  the  pride  and  joy  of  the  occasion,  there  were 
sad  hearts  there,  hearts  desolate  of  love ;  hearts  which  amid 
all  these  fond  greetings  continually  cried  out  "where  is  my 
father,  my  mother,  brother  or  sister?"  Kindred  and  friends 
were  around  them,  but  those  loved  first  and  best,  were  gone. 
A  green  spot  in  the  church  yard  answered  the  wailing  heart, 
gone  home  !  Safely  housed  from  wind  and  storm  !  A  fam 
ily  around  the  Great  White  Throne  !  "Would  you  wish  them 
back  to-day? 

You,  my  friend,  visited  the  home  of  your  fathers;  I  went 
to  mine  beneath  the  hills,  the  home  of  my  grand-sire,  my 
father,  and  the  home  where  my  childhood  flitted  by.  Thirty- 
five  years  ago  its  halls  echoed  to  the  tread  of  fond  parents, 
and  the  tiny  feet  of  children.  There  the  treble  of  my  fair 
haired  foster  sister,  the  rich  tenor  of  my  gentle  mother's 
voice,  the  second  of  my  loved  elder  brother,  my  noble 
father's  bass,  with  the  accompaniment  of  cousin  Charlie's 
viol,  floated  at  eventide  among  the  hills,  while  Willie  and 
"  Sis"  and  I  frolicked  upon  the  grass  or  climbed  the  stately 
Balm  of  Gilead  at  our  door.  Now  what  a  change  !  The 
echoing  halls  resound  to  the  step  of  the  sons  and  daughters 
of  the  "Emerald  Isle,"  and  our  fathers,  where  .are.  they  ? 
The  little  red  school  house  on  the  green  still  reared  its  head 
in  humble  pride,  as  in  years  gone  by;  it  looked  to  me 
smaller  than  when  I  there  stood  up  at  spelling,  and  battled 
for  the  "head;"  and,  to,  its  sombre  sides  had  taken  on  a 
shade  of  brown;  but  as  I  looked  at  its  high  windows,  out 
of  which  I  had  slily  peeped  many  a  time,  and  its  quaint  old 


110  THE    POMPEY    RE-UN IOX. 

benches  and  desks,  bearing  many  a  mark  of  mischievous 
girls  and  boys,  and  saw  my  own  name  rudely  cut  with  the 
knife  of  one  of  my  boy  lovers,  I  knew  it  was  the  same  dear 
old  school  house;  every  bench  and  desk  seemed  to  tell  a 
tale  of  school  girl's  joys  and  sorrows,  of  school  mates  and 
masters  gone ;  for 

"  None  wore  there  to  greet  me  now, 

And  few  were  left  to  know, 
That  played  with  me  upon  the  green 

Full  forty  years  ago." 

There,  to,  stood  the  old  elm  tree  upon  the  corner;  though 
shorn  of  much  of  its  original  beauty  and  grandeur,  it  still 
spread  its  gnarled  branches  far  and  wide,  showing  how 
nobly  it  had  braved  the  fury  of  "Old  Pompey's"  winds  for 
centuries.  Beneath  its  cool  shades  I  remember  sleeping, 
and  dreaming  such  dreams  as  come  to  us  but  once,  and  that 
in  our  sinless,  happy  childhood.  I  remember  standing  on 
tip-toe  and  spelling  out  the  bills  which  told  of  the  wonder 
ful  things  to  be  found  in  the  city  of  salt,  for  the  old  tree 
was  used  as  a  bulletin  board  in  those  days  by  the  agents  of 
the  merchants  of  the  infant  city  of  Syracuse. 

The  ancient  Columbia  Poplars  too,  were  there  near  by ; 
which  seventy  years  ago  shaded  the  house  of  my  grand-father. 

How  familiar  they  looked,  tall  and  straight,  their  dark 
leaves  whispering  as  they  did  years  ago.  Many  a  whip  I 
have  cut  from  their  leafy  sides,  with  which  to  urge  on  my 
"  Arabian  Steeds,"  which  so  often  in  those  days  bore  me  "o'er 
the  hills  and  far  away  !" 

But  do  you  know  Doctor,  how  sadly  I  missed  the  dear  old 
country  church  ?  How  desolate  the  green  looked  without 
it  ?  for  it  had  been  borne  away,  as  a  store  house,  for  a  thrif 
ty  farmer;  who  instead  of  "pulling  down  the  old  and 
building  greater"  chose  rather  to  take  the  old  church,  with 
its  ample  dimensions ;  and  now  in  place  of  the  mice  of  prayer. 
we  daily  hear  the  cooing  of  doves  from  its  high  dome.  Fond 
ly  and  tenderly,  do  I  remember  the  church  of  my  early  love ; 
whenjirst  my  infant  lips  learned  to  join  in  the  Response  the 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  Ill 

devout  Litany  and  prayer.  There,  too,  when  but  a  child  I 
took  the  solemn  vows  of  confirmation ;  promising  to  love 
God  and  keep  my  spirit  u  free  from  earth-taint."  Still  do  I 
feel  the  kindly  pressure  of  the  good  Bishop's  hands  upon  my 
head  ;  and  hear  the  accents  of  his  gentle  voice ; 

'*  When  he  spoke,  what  tender  words  he  used, 
So  softly  that  like  flakes  of  feathered  snow 
They  melted  as  they  fell." 

I  was  but  a  light-hearted  child  then  of  thirteen,  and  long 
years  have  passed  since  the  echo  of  that  good  man's  voice 
died  away  in  that  dim  old  country  church ;  and  he  with 
many  of  my  loved  ones  "  rests  from  his  labors." 

Ah  !  Dr.  it  is  good  for  us  to  live  over  the  past,  as  we  did 
on  that  never  to  be  forgotten  day !  We  shall  ever  look 
back  upon  it  as  a  "  bright  green  spot  in  the  desert  sands  of 
life !"  We  will  remember  it  ever,  and  teach  our  children  to 
echo  the  cry  which  daily  goes  up  from  our  hearts.  Thank 
God  for  the  Re-union. 

Yours,  very  Truly, 

ESTHER  A.  CLAPP  DORWIN. 

MANTORVILLE,  MINN.,  June  23d,  1871. 
'Dr.  R.  F.  Stevens  :— 

Your  favor,  inviting  us  to  attend  a  re-union  of  the  former 
residents  of  the  old  town  of  Pompey,  has  been  received,  and 
has  awakened  many  thoughts  of  the  "Auld  Lang  Syne." 
Again  and  again,  through  all  the  "  halls  of  memory,"  have 
been  stirred  anew  the  long-slumbering  echoes  of  the  past. 
Half  forgotten  forms  have  reappeared  with  sharper  outlines 
and  more  than  usual  distinctness,  claiming  former  apprecia 
tion.  Few  things  would  be  more  gratifying  to  us  than  to 
meet  and  greet  once  more  the  many  surviving  friends  of 
"long  ago"  on  the  grand  old  hills  of  Pompey;  but  growing 
infirmities,  a  long  and  wearisome  journey,  with  other  rea 
sons,  will  compel  us  to  forego  the  pleasure.  But  we  shall 
be  with  you  in  spirit  and  measurably  share  the  festive  joy  ol 


112  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

your  gathering.  And  should  any  there  still  kindly  remem 
ber  "  Jared"  and  "  Miss  Rowena,"  and  enquire  of  our  well- 
fare  and  whereabouts,  please  tell  them  that  we  now  hail  from 
the  "Land  of  the  Dakotas"  just  over  the  eastern  line  of 
what  we  here  call  the  "West,"  alias  Minnesota;  and  like 
many  who  were  young  when  we  left  our  native  hills,  are  far 
in  the  "  sear  and  yellow  leaf."  Our  lot  has  been  cast  among 
the  Pioneers  of  the  West.  Left  the  "  Hills"  when  the  first 
railroad  pointing  westward  was  being  built,  from  Utica  to 
Auburn.  Found  Miiwaukie  a  small  village.  Preached  the 
first  sermon  ever  preached  in  Madison,  the  Capitol  of  Wis 
consin,  standing  behind  a  dry  goods  box  covered  with  an 
Indian  blanket,  in  the  upper  story  of  a  store,  the  best  meet 
ing  house  the  place  could  afford.  Now  it  is  a  beautiful  and 
proud  city,  full  of  churches  and  elegant  public  buildings, 
and  the  whole  country,  a  few  years  since  the  home  of  a  few7 
filthy  Pottawatomies,  Menominies  and  Winnebagoes,  now 
blossoms  out  with  cities,  villages,  and  homes  of  culture  and 
refinement.  The  Indian  trails,  once  the  only  guide  to  the 
Wisconsin  pioneer,  have  given  place  to  a  net-work  of  rail 
roads,  which  bear  along  their  iron  traccways  the  burden  of 
a  great  and  growing  commerce.  All  these  changes  have 
we  witnessed  within  the  last  thirty-five  years.  The  last 
five  years  have  been  spent  in  Minnesota.  This  State, 
twent}7  years  ago,  had  but  a  few  hundred  inhabitants.  Now 
her  population  of  half  a  million  can  take  excursions  on  a 
thousand  miles  of  her  railroads;  and  as  they  witness  the 
rapid  movements  in  building  the  K  P.  Railroad,  some  fancy 
they  can  almost  hear  the  thunder  of  the  iron  horses  from 
Puget  Sound,  as  they  rush  over  the  mountains,  bringing 
the  commerce  of  China  with  them,  and  gathering  up,  as  they 
course  the  great  Plains,  the  products  of  a  thousand  indus 
tries  already  being  opened  up  from  a  territory  large  enough 
to  make  twelve  or  fifteen  States  as  large  and  as  good  as  New 
York. 

Our  three  score  years  and  ten  arc  nearly  filled;  but  with 
such  a  western  experience,  and  such  an  outlook  still  westward. 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNIOX.  113 

our  old  friends  will  not  think  hard  of  us  if  we  express  a  will 
ingness  to  live  a  few  years  longer  to  see  what  we  may  see  in 
the  West. 

I  can  but  think  your  gathering  will  make  a  proud  day  for 
Pompey,  and  that  you  will  realize,  as  never  before,  that  your 
town  has  furnished  her  full  average  of  notables,  and  that  the 
old  Academy,  and  olden  churches,  (however  imperfect  in 
their  workings,)  have  had  much  to  do  in  moulding  the  char 
acter  and  in  shaping  the  destiny  of  those  that  meet  in  your 
union. 

Could  I  have  the  pleasure  of  meeting  the  multitude  that 
will  gather  at  your  union,  and  hear  recalled  the  names  of 
others  that  have  passed  behind  the  vail,  I  would  gladly  re 
call  the  memory  of  one,  now  perhaps  half  forgotten  by  the 
older  inhabitants,  and  entirely  unknown  to  the  new.  I  re 
fer  to  Theodore  E,  Clarke.  His  life  was  scarcely  considered 
a  success,  even  by  his  best  friends.  His  powers  were  too 
restive  to  be  curbed  down  to  those  pursuits  necessary  to  give 
success.  But  among  the  long  list  of  gifted  minds  Pompey 
has  produced,  I  have  long  regarded  Theodore's  as  the  tallest 
of  them  all.  For  pure  intellection,  for  logical  acumen,  for 
profound  abstract  thought,  for  far-reaching  and  compre 
hensive  views,  for  bold  excursions  into  the  unknown  in 
search  of  hypothesis  to  explain  known  facts,  he  probably 
had  few  equals  in  this  or  any  other  country — in  this  or  any 
other  age.  But  he  passed  away  in  middle  life,  comparative 
ly  unknown,  and  has  gone  where  thinking  is  a  business  and 
profound  logic  appreciated. 

Through  you  we  would  send  our  kindest  greetings  to  old 
friends,  hoping  that  the  renewal  of  old  acquaintances — the 
stirring  memories  that  will  be  awakened  there — the  lessons 
of  instruction  that  will  be  suggested  by  the  occasion — will 
better  qualify  for  a  grander,  nobler  and  enduring  re-union 
beyond  the  River. 

We  hope  to  meet  you  on  the  other  shore. 
Yours,  in  memory  of  past, 

JATIED  F.  OSTRANDER. 


114  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

MANTORVILLE,  MINN.,  Aug.  29th,  1871. 
Dr.  R.  F.  Stevens. 

DEAR  SIR  : — Your  request  for  a  few  items  from  my  pen 
shall  be  cordially  complied  with.  The  grand  gathering  of 
the  scattered  sons  and  daughters  of  Pompey,  on  the  29th  of 
June,  is  an  era  in  the  history  of  that  place.  The  friendly 
meetings  and  greetings  of  those  who  came  back  to  the  homes 
of  "other  days" — the  reminiscences  awakened  —  the  long- 
past  brought  back  with  its  memories  of  sadness  and  of  glad 
ness — all  conspire  to  invest  the  day  with  an  interest  which 
Avill  live  when  other  days  are  forgotten.  Thanks  for  the 
papers  sent,  giving  an  account  of  the  doings  and  sayings  of 
that  day,  that* grand  event,  in  which  it  was  my  misfortune 
not  to  participate,  has,  nevertheless,  more  than  any  other  of 
my  life,  stirred  up  memories  of  the  past,  brightened  up 
scenes  of  my  childhood  and  youth,  until  they  seem  but  a 
little  ways  back  in  the  dim  distance,  although  my  three 
score  and  ten  years  are  nearly  told.  The  schools  of  Pompey 
Hill  arc  among  my  earliest  recollections.  The  one  taught 
in  the  school  house,  near  D.  Kellogg's  residence,  I  attended 
and  remember — the  teacher,  I  think,  was  Leman  Pitcher. 
The  house  was  used  for  meetings  on  the  Sabbath,  and  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Wallace  was  the  minister.  The  desk  used  as  a 
pulpit  was  sometimes,  also,  used  to  shut  up  naughty  scholars 
in.  One  day  Hugh  Wallace,  the  minister's  son,  was  sent 
there  for  some  misdemeanor,  and  after  looking  around  to 
view  the  situation,  exclaimed  :  "  I  don't  want  to  be  shut  up 
in  father's  pig  pen."  After  my  father  removed  to  his 
"  wilderness  home,"  half  a  mile  cast  of  the  Academy,  it  was 
my  lot,  with  sister  Chloe,  to  go  to  school  through  the  woods 
by  marked  trees,  with  only  a  faint  foot-path  that  led  to  the 
hill.  One  morning,  as  we  were  leisurely  wending  our  way 
to  school  with  our  dinner  bag  and  books,  we  heard  a  terri 
ble  crash  in  the  bushes  near  us.  We  halted,  and  on  turning 
around  saw  a  big  black  animal  near  the  path,  sitting  on  his 
haunches  and  looking  at  us.  As  we  had  not  been  fright 
ened  with  stories  of  bears,  we  had  no  fears.  We  stood 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  115 

facing  the  animal  and  wondering  what  it  might  be,  until 
Bruin,  not  being  in  want  of  a  breakfast,  or  taking  pity  on 
us  poor,  unprotected  children,  walked  majestically  away, 
leaving  us  to  pursue  our  course.  On  telling  of  our  advent 
ure  to  the  scholars,  and  they  to  the  teacher,  quite  an  excite 
ment  was  produced;  and  our  return  home  after  school  was 
guarded  by  two  or  three  big  boys,  around  the  road,  nearly 
a  mile  and  a  half.  We  were  not  allowed  to  tread  that  path 
alone  again. 

You  ask  me  to  say  something  of  the  schools  I  taught. 
My  first  attempt  at  teaching  was  in  the  chamber  of  your 
father's  house.  You  probably  recollect  it,  for  there  you 
learned  your  "A,  Be,  Abs."  Mrs.  Miller,  in  her  address,  al 
luded  to  that  school,  though  I  think  she  must  have  been  too 
young  to  have  been  a  pupil.  It  was  forty-eight  years  ago 
this  summer.  I  remember  the  circumstance  to  which  she 
alluded.  It  occurred  in  this  wise :  Her  sister  Ellen  was 
wanting  a  "  copy  set,"  as  we  then  termed  it,  and  I  was 
obliged,  while  writing,  to  turn  my  back  to  the  school.  It 
has  alwavs  been  my  impression  that  it  was  James  Beebe,  a 
cousin  of  Mrs.  M.'s,  who  called  out — "  Miss  Rowena,  mayn't 
David  (not  Dan.)  Porter  turn  his  face  this  way?"  Without 
stopping  writing,  I  said  :  "  Yes,  David,  turn  around."  "  I 
don't  want  to,"  said  he,  "  for  James  wants  to  spit  in  my 
face."  By  this  time  I  was  ready  to  attend  to  matters.  One 
of  the  Birdseye  boys,  (Eben,)  in  that  same  school,  was,  one 
day,  for  playing  truant,  compelled  to  stand  in  the  middle  of 
the  room  and  study  his  lesson.  This  he  did  with  unusual 
energy  and  application.  Looking  off  hi*  book,  he  said : 
"  Miss  Rowena,  do  bears  have  chickens  ?"  This  called  out 
a  burst  of  laughter  from  teacher  and  pupils,  and  he  was  sent 
to  his  seat  without  any  new  light  on  the  subject  of  natural 
history. 

This  school  was  succeeded  by  one  taught  the  next  Sum 
mer,  in  the  house  near  the  Academy;  then  occupied  by 
David  Hines.  After  that  I  taught  five  terms  in  the  School- 
house  tliu;i  standing  near  the  spot  now  occupied  by  the  new 


116  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

church.  The  path  of  life  has  led  me  far  away  from  those 
scenes  of  labor,  and  of  interest;  but  I  have  ever  looked  back 
to  them  as  among  the  pleasantest  of  my  life ;  and  with  very 
kindly  feelings  towards  all  those  who  were  my  pupils. 
Among  them  I  saw  the  names  of  ten  or  more,  who  were  to 
be  present  at  the  gathering  on  the  Hill,  and  I  felt  an  honest 
pride  in  the  thought,  that  perhaps  my  feeble  endeavors  were 
not  all  lost.  It  has  always  given  me  pleasure  to  hear  of  the 
welfare  of  my  pupils,  and  have  ever  sorrowed  with  them, 
when  hearing  of  their  afflictions.  '  I  have  ever  regretted  that 
in  my  occasional  visits  to  the  home  of  my  early  life,  I  met 
so  few  of  them.  They  were  scattered  here  and  there,  and 
some  were  sleeping  their  last  sleep.  On  a  visit  to  the  ceme 
tery  in  Pompey,  sixteen  years  ago,  I  counted  sixteen  stones 
erected  to  the  memory  of  those  who  were  my  pupils.  In 
other  lands  some  have  found  their  last  resting-place,  and 
perhaps  some  repose  on  the  battle-fields  of  our  late  distract 
ed  and  bleeding  country.  I  regret  that  Grace  Greenwood 
was  not  with  you  in  the  re-union,  to  add  to  the  interest  with 
her  poetical  talent.  She,  too,  learned  from  me  her  alphabet, 
and  "  a,  be,  abs."  A  few  years  ago,  I  received  a  letter  from 
her  with  a  graceful  acknowledgement  of  my  endeavors  to 
instil  into  her  young  mind  the  lirst  rudiments  of  knowledge, 
and  start  her  on  her  literary  career.  I  do  not  forget  among 
my  hundreds  of  pupils,  the  three  brothers,  William,  Charles 
and  Richard  Stevens,  who  were  some  of  the  first  on  whom 
to  try  my  hand  at  teaching.  Especially  the  latter,  a  feeble 
little  boy,  who  had  so  much  of  my  sympathy,  that  he  was 
left  to  "run  loose,"  and  awakened  the  envy  of  the  others  for 
my  partiality. 

Yours,  Respectfully, 

ROWENA  M.  OSTRANDER. 


Perhaps  you  will  deem  rne  intrusive,  but  I  will  venture 
to  make  a  few  more  suggestions;  altho'  others  may  do  the 
same.  You  may  cast  mine  aside,  if  so,  as  though  they  were 
not  made.  Pompey,  will  after  this,  gain  a  new  celebrity. 


THE    POMPEY    RE  UNION.  117 

Perhaps  very  few  dreamed  of  the  great  wealth  of  intellect 
and  influence,  that  has  gone  out  from  that  town,  to  enrich 
the  world.  Besides  the  notables  mentioned  in  connection 
with  the  grand  re-union,  there  are  others,  who  are  entitled 
to  a  remembrance,  among  the  great  and  good  of  Pompey's 
sons  and  daughters.  They  are  found  in  all  the  professions, 
in  all  the  walks  of  usefulness.  Many*  are  the  ministers  of 
the  gospel  of  peace,  who  have  gone,  here  and  there,  some 
to  the  privations  and  hardships  of  our  western  land,  and 
some  to  carry  the  gospel  to  the  heathen.  Two,  certainly, 
were  Pompey's  children.  Artemas  Bishop,  who,  some  now 
living,  will  remember,  left  the  grand  old  hills,  and  the 
home  of  his  childhood  and  youth,  to  preach  "  Jesus  and  the 
resurrection,"  to  the  far-off  islands  of  the  sea.  It  was,  I 
think,  in  1821,  he  sailed  from  Boston  for  the  Sandwich  Isl 
ands.  Mrs.  Julia  A.  (OstrandeiM  Crane,  sailed  from  the 
same  port,  in  1836,  as  a  missionary  to  the  benighted  Hin 
doos.  The  year  before,  (1835.)  Mrs.  Theresa  Patten  Howard 
left  her  home  and  friends,  to  labor  as  a  missionary  in  Bur- 
mah. 

Among  the  earlier  teachers  in  Pompey,  who  deserve  a 
passing  notice,  at  least,  were  the  Rev.  Eli  Burchard,  J.  J. 
Doming,  and  Miss  Upharn.  Among  the  many  names  that 
will  pass  into  oblivion,  I  would  snatch  two  which  might 
have  been  ennobled  upon  the  annals  of  literary  fame,  had 
not  death  interposed.  Almira  Campbell  and  Adelaide  Delia 
Clarke,  sister  to  Grace  Greenwood.  But  few  ever  knew  of 
the  wealth  of  intellect  hidden  away  in  these  young  minds. 
I  possess  a  few  poems  of  the  former,  written  between  the 
ages  of  fourteen  and  twenty,  which  show  more  than  ordina 
ry  perception  of  the  beau  tit  ul  and  the  true,  even  in  older 
persons;  and  her  letters,  a  maturity  of  thought  and  judg 
ment  far  above  her  years.  I  cannot  forbear  quoting  from 
her  obituary  notice  written  by  Seabred  Dodge,  for  the  On- 
ondaga  Journal.  "She  was  a  young  lady  of  distinguished 
accomplishments  and  virtues.  She  possessed  a  mind  well 

*Perhaps,  I  am  mistaken  in  the  many. 


118  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

stored  with  useful  knowledge.  She  courted  not  the  society 
of  the  gay  and  thoughtless ;  unassuming  in  her  manners, 
she  made  no  pompous  display  of  her  mind,  conscious  that 
the  great  and  majestic  river  makes  its  way  in  silence  to  the 
ocean  ;  it  is  the  little  rill  that  froths  and  frets  as  it  rolls.  "As 
pure  her  life,  its  close  as  calm,  as  bright,  as  moonbeams 
radiant  with  their  softest  light;  as  whispering  winds  or 
shades  which  twilight  throws,  peaceful  she  sunk,  in  nature's 
last  repose."  She  died  in  1823,  in  the  twenty-third  year  of 
her  age. 

R.    M.  OSTRANDER. 


Mr.  Richard  F.  Stevens,  Cor.  Sec' y  of  the  "  He-union  at  Home" 
and  Gentlemen,  committee  of  invitation. 

SIRS  : — "When  silent  time  wee  lightly  foot  had  trod  on 
thirty  years,"  I  find  myself  honored  by  an  invitation  from 
you  to  join  with  the  friends  of  other  days  in  a  social  and 
friendly  re-union  to  be  held  at  Pompey  Hill  on  the  29th  inst. 

Gentlemen,  I  should  be  very  glad  to  be  able  to  mingle 
with  you  on  that  day  ;  but  I  regret  to  say  that  the  sore  afflic 
tion  of  inflamatory  rheumatism  forbids  my  attendance,  and 
I  fear  that  I  shall  be  doomed  to  my  chamber.  However,  I 
shall  be  with  you  in  spirit,  and  in  fancy  shall  enjoy  the  re 
fining  pleasures  to  be  derived  from  the  humanizing  emana 
tions  that  will  flow  from  the  poets,  orators  and  large  hearted, 
who  will  assemble  together  on  the  appointed  day  to  join  in 
the  mutual  and  agreeable  essay  of  reviving  the  joys  and 
pleasures  of  Auld  Lang  Syne. 

Praying  that  pleasant  weather  and  all  things  auspicious 
may  be  vouchsafed  to  you  all,  I  am  fraternally  yours, 

&c.,  &c. 

SANFORD  THAYER. 
Syracuse,  June  26,  1871. 


BURLINGTON,  Iowa,  June  16,  1871. 
My  Dear  Sir  : — 

Your  favor  of  the  12th  instant,  enclosing  an  invitation  to 


THE    I»OMPEY    RE-UNION. 

the  Pompey  re-union  on  the  29th,  is  just  received.  It  would 
afford  me  the  highest  gratification  to  join  in  that  jubilee,  but 
other  engagements  will  probably  prevent.  But  in  com 
pliance  with  your  alternative  request,  I  take  occasion  to  ex 
press  some  of  the  reflections  and  reminiscences  which  the 
occasion  elicits. 

It  calls  up  the  past  with  all  of  its  hopes  and  anxieties  and 
vicissitudes.  The  panorama  of  a  life  time  stands  unveiled 
before  me  ;  I  watch  its  dissolving  views  as  they  tollow  each 
other  in  quick  succession  on  the  curtain  of  memory.  The 
child  whose  wondering  «;aze  at  first  scanned  the  blue  dome 

£D   O 

of  Heaven-,  supposing  it  to  shut  down  at  equal  distances  on 
all  sides  of  his  humble  house,  and  who  hardly  attempted  to 
speculate  as  to  what  was  beyond,  changes  in  rapid  gradations 
to  the  boy,  the  youth,  the  man — all  the  while  enlarging  the 
scope  of  his  knowledge,  hut  finding  the  suggested  unknown, 
to  increase  in  perhaps  still  greater  proportion,  until  with 
whitening;  locks  he  looks  forward  to  the  limitless  future 

O 

and  Backward  to  the  equally  limitless  past,  and  all  around 
to  the  infinitudes  of  space,  and  forms  perhaps  just  as  inade 
quate  and  erroneous  notions  as  to  what  is  beyond  the  scope 
of  his  enlarged  but  still  narrow  comprehension  as  had  been 
those  of  any  previous  period.  When  I  had  mastered  my 
first  exercise  in  arithmetic,  I  was  in  my  own  estimation  much 
nearer  the  ultima  thide  of  mathematical  knowledge  than  I 
have  ever  found  myself  since,  and  never  did  I  feel  myself  so 
far  from  home  as  when  I  was  first  at  Green's  corners,  though 
then  but  one  mile  distant  from  the  paternal  roof. 

How  vivid  are  many  of  the  thronging  recollections  of  my 
school  boy  period.  The  noonday  sport,  so  full  of  interest, 
and  which  was  so  suddenly  interrupted,  never  to  be  resumed, 
by  the  inexorable  summons  from  the  lord  of  the  school-room, 
was  but  an  epitome  of  a  human  life.  The  voices  of  my  young 
playmates  seem  almost  still  ringing  in  my  ears,  I  watch  the 
staid  demeanor  and  listen  to  the  grave  conversation  of  our 
old  puritan  fathers,  who  have  long  since  "been  succeeded  by 


120  THE    POMPEY   RE-TJNIOX. 

their  sons  and  daughters,  and  those  again  by  a  third  genera 
tion  of  men  and  women. 

All  these  seern  but  the  occurrences  of  yesterday,  after  a 
long  and  troubled  dream  from  which  it  almost  seems  as 
though  I  was  yet  to  awake  and  witness  their  repetition. 
Arid  yet  half  a  century  has  intervened  between  that  time 
and  the  present.  Forty  such  intervals  placed  consecutively 
backward,  would  reach  beyond  the  Christian  era,  a  hundred 
and  twenty  would  ante  date  the  creation  according  to  the 
letter  of  the  Mosaic  history.  But  still,  this  whole  time  is 
not  so  very  long,  Do  not  the  results' of  our  own  experience 
in  this  respect  satisfy  us  that  if  Adam  had  lived  till  now,  he 
might  still  have  regarded  his  life  as  short,  and  that  he  would 
have  looked  back  upon  his  days  of  primeval  innocence  and 
ignorance  with  regrets,  perhaps  more  piognant  but  with 
feelings  nearly  akin  to  those  called  forth  by  the  voices  of 
our  own  memories  ? 

My  earliest  recollections  of  things  outside  of  my  own 
home  neighborhood  are  of  the  old  Pompey  Academy.  And 
ever  since,  its  well  remembered  dingy  and  weather-worn 
exterior  has  excited  a  veneration  unequalled  by  that  of  any 
other  structure.  This  is  partly  clue  to  intrinsic  causes,  but 
none  to  the  effect  of  early  associations.  Its  commanding 
position  made  it  distinctly  visible  from  the  play-grounds  of 
our  district  school  house,  which  was  situated  on  a  more 
humble  but  parallel  ridge  to  the  eastward;  I  well  remember 
with  what  feelings  of  awe  it  was  always  regarded  by  me  in 
those  earlier  days,  as  something  superior  to  the  sphere  in 
which  I  was  born  and  to  which  I  seemed  confined.  I  some 
times  attended  "  meeting"  in  its  large  upper  hall,  which 
was  tireless  in  winter  as  well  as  in  summer,  and  supposed 
that  this  was  all  the  connection  I  should  ever  have  with  its 
venerable  existence.  I  looked  upon  the  students  who  were 
so  fortunate  as  to  enjoy  its  full  advantages  as  a  privileged 
order,  and  could  imagine  no  earthly  condition  which  I 
should  pride  so  highly  as  to  become  one  of  their  happy 
number. 


OF  THE 

f  UNIVERSITY    I 

OF 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  121 

My  wishes  in  this  respect  were  destined  in  some  degree 
to  be  gratified.  A  few  weeks  of  mathematical  instruction, 
under  its  most  distinguished  principal,  Mr.  Leonard,  just  at 
the  close  of  his  connection  with  that  institution,  was  followed 
by  a  longer  period  of  both  classical  and  scientific  study,  un 
der  his  successor,  Mr.  Aikii?,  and  the  supervision  of  the  Kcv. 
Mr.  Barrow. 

Brief  as  was  the  relation  of  instructor  and  pupil  between 
Mr.  Leonard  and  myself,  it  was  sufficient  to  give  me  an  ex 
alted  estimate,  and  a  life-long  recollection  of  his  capabilities 
in  that  connection.  I  have  never  known  a  more  lucid  ex 
positor  of  an  abstruse  subject,  or  one  who  would  present  any 
idea  more  clearly  with  the  same  number  of  words.  He  was 
the  soul  of  the  Academy  and  gave  it  most  of  its  well-merited 
celebrity;  and  whenever  memory  calls  up  that  institution 
from  among  the  shadows  of  the  past,  prominent  in  the  fore 
ground,  is  the  figure  of  Mr.  Leonard,  with  his  cane  and 
spectacles  and  with  his  erect  military  bearing. 

Mr.  Barrow  was  a  <rentlcman  of  hio-h   intelligence  and 

i—)  O  O 

culture,  and  manifested  the  greatest  interest  in  the  welfare 
of  those  under  his  charge.  He  gave  a  new  direction  to  the 
current  of  my  life  by  inducing  me  to  change  my  intention 
of  soon  bringing  my  academical  studies  to  a  close,  and  to 
attempt  by  my  unaided  efforts  to  acquire  a  full  collegiate 
education.  The  usual  recourse  in  such  cases  that  of  teach 
ing  school  u  portion  of  the  year  to  supply  the  means  of 
studying  during  the  remainder  was  suggested  and  adopted. 

During  my  seasons  of  study  I  lived  at  home,  walking 
every  morningandjevcning  nearly  three  miles  to  and  from  the 
Academy.  This  instead  of  being  a  disadvantage,  doubtless 
contributed  not  only  to  my  health  but  also  to  my  educa 
tional  progress.  It  gave  me  the  needful  exercise  without 
any  loss  of  time.  In  fact  I  always  regarded  this  long  walk 
as  the  most  favorable  opportunity  for  studying  such  subjects 
as  did  not  involve  the  necessity  of  carrying  a  burden  of 
books.  The  distance  was  passed  over  mechanically  and  al- 


122  THE    FOMPEY    RE-UNION. 

most  unconsciously  with  less  to  interrupt  the  intellectual 
current  than  though  I  had  been  all  the  while  seated  at  my 
desk.  And  ever  since  from  force  of  habit  or  otherwise, 
whenever  I  have  had  an  intricate  and  perplexing  subject  to 
untangle,  I  have  resorted  to  walking  as  a  means  of  render 
ing  my  mind  more  active  and  less  liable  to  confusion. 

Among  the  many  pleasing  recollections  which  cluster 
around  the  Pompey  Academy,  were  the  exhibitions  (as  they 
were  called,)  with  which  the  students  and  tho  public  were 
sometimes  indulged.  These  I  always  anticipated  with  the 
liveliest  interest,  long  before  I  was  in  a  condition  to  become 
an  actor  therein.  And  if  as  a  spectator  I  could  obtain  a  po 
sition  where  I  could  see  and  hear  all  that  there  took  place, 
I  was  on  one  of  the  pinnacles  of  human  happiness. 

The  dramatic  portions  of  the  exercises  on  those  occasions 
were  most  completely  to  my  taste,  and  no  theatrical  exhi 
bitions  which  I  have  ever  witnessed  since  that  time,  when 
measured  by  the  effect  produced  on  my  own  mind,  wrere 
superior  to  those  there  presented.  Among  the  actors  I  par 
ticularly  remember  Orange  Butler,  who  would  have  made 
his  mark  as  a  comedian  on  any  stage  and  before  any  au 
dience,  had  he  turned  his  chief  attention  and  devoted  his 
studies  to  his  histrionic  art. 

I  have  also  a  vivid  recollection  of  the  effect  produced  on 
my  young  mind  by  Miss  Charlotte  Hopkins,  now  Mrs. 
Beafdsley,  as  a  vocalist  on  one  of  those  occasions.  I  have 
since  heard  the  voices  of  Jenny  Lind,  and  Parepa  Rosa  and 
Miss  Nilsson,  with  many  others  of  wide  celebrity,  but  the 
sensations  produced  by  any  of  these  were  tame  in  compari 
son  with  those  which  thrilled  the  soul  of  the  rapt  boy  as  he 
listened  to  the  rich  warblmgs  of  a  strain  from  "  the  bards  of 
Ayr,"  by  Miss  Hopkins.  The  echoes  of  that  music  have 
never  jet  wholly  died  away. 

Much  of  the  effect  in  these  cases  was  doubtless  due  to  the 
recaptivity  of  my  own  youthful  nature.  The  keenness  of 
my  moral  and  intellectual  appetites  had  not  been  blunted  by 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  123 

time  or  indulgence.  Paucity  of  amusements  caused  a  fuller 
appreciation  of  those  we  were  privileged  to  enjoy.  But  af 
ter  making  full  allowance  for  all  these  considerations,  very 
much  of  the  effect  to  which  I  have  alluded  was  doubtless 
due  to  the  intrinsic  excellence  of  what  I  then  witnessed. 

In  illustration  of  this  idea,  I  will  refer  to  another  of  the 
few  amusements  of  that  earl}7  period,  I  mean  the  general 
trainings  which  annually  took  place  on  Pompey  Hill.  One 
of  the  chief  charms  on  those  occasions  was  the  gingerbread 
made  by  a  baker  name  ]N"ettleton,  which  was  then  sure  to  be 
awaiting  our  expectant  shillings.  Its  appreciated  excellence 
was  doubtless,  partly  due  to  a  healthful  appetite,  which  had 
then  been  rarely  gratified  and  never  pampered.  But  after 
making  full  allowance  for  this  cause,  no  one  whose  memory 
extends  back  to  those  times,  will  ever  question  its  intrinsic 
merits.  Nettleton's  gingerbread  was  one  of  the  beneficent 
institutions  of  that  day.  Its  manufacture  is  one  of  the  lost 
arts.  Perhaps  the  world  is  never  again  to  know  the  secret 
of  its  perfection. 

But  there  are  other  memories  which  the  present  occasion 
elicits,  and  to  which  I  will  briefly  allude.  Pompey  Hill  was 
then  a  village  of  no  inconsiderable  pretensions.  It  raised 
its  head  above  its  rural  surroundings  as  high  socially,  as  it 
stood  geologically,  and  this  pre-eminence  was  tacitly  ac 
knowledged  by  all  the  country  people  around.  Thither  they 
went  for  law,  medicine  and  merchandise,  thither  they  car 
ried  to  market  the  products  of  their  farms  and  of  their  han 
diwork,  and  thither  they  wended  their  way  annually  to  elec 
tions,  town  meetings  and  general  trainings,  and  on  every 
Sunday  to  "  meeting." 

My  earliest  recollections  are  of  the  large  upper  room  in 
the  old  Academy,  to  which  I  have  already  alluded,  as  the 
most  pretentious  place  of  religious  worship  for  the  Presb}— 
terians,  who  were  then  the  most  numerous  and  wealthy  de 
nomination.  In  the  progress  of  improvement,  a  new  church 
was  built  by  them  in  a  more  central  portion  of  the  village, 


124  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

and  the  Academy  was  occupied  "by  the  Baptists,  who,  after 
a  few  years,  erected  a  building  of  their  own.  In  the  muta 
tions  to  which  all  human  affairs  are  subject,  this  building 
lias  since  passed  into  the  occupancy  and  ownership  of  the 
Roman  Catholics.  I  was  present  when  the  erection  of  the 
steeple  of  the  Presbyterian  meeting  house  was  completed, 
and  saw  a  hair-brained  man  seat  himself  upon  a  three- 
pronged  fork  which  was  fixed  by  a  socket  upon  the  point  of 
the  spire.  I  turned  away  my  eyes  with  a  shudder,  and  when 
next  I  looked,  he  was  coming  down  the  spire  head  foremost 
like  a  squirrel.  The  bare  thought  of  that  transaction  al 
most  makes  my  blood  run  cold  to  this  day. 

I  remember  the  time  when  most  of  our  country  people 
dwelt  in  log  houses,  and  how  I  used  to  be  impressed  with 
the  odor  of  aristocracy  that  seemed  to  surround  the  village 
habitations,  all  of  which  were  of  frame  work,  and  most  of 
them  were  even  painted.  The  population  .of  the  town  was 
considerably  greater  then  than  now,  for  all  these  log  houses 
were  crowded  with  children.  The  country  had  been  chiefly 
settled  by  men  in  the  prime  of  life,  who  had  immigrated 
almost  simultaneously,  and  purchased  small  farms  averaging 
little  if  any  more  than  one  hundred  acres  each.  David 
Green,  owned  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  the  two  New 
mans,  John  and  Amos,  had  each  about  the  same  number. 
Conrad  Bush  had  twice  as  many,  but  these  Avere  rare  ex 
ceptions.  The  consequence  was  that  the  whole  country  was 
densely  populated  at  a  very  early  day.  The  process  which 
has  since  been  going  on  has  been  that  of  uniting  farms  in 
stead  of  dindijicf  them.  A  considerable  proportion  of  the 
country  habitations  have  become  tenantless,  and  have  dis 
appeared,  in  consequence  of  the  emigration  of  their  former 
occupants  with  their  families,  until  the  number  of  scholars 
in  the  district  wherein  I  received  my  rudimentary  educa 
tion,  is  not  now  more  than  one-third,  or  perhaps  one  quar 
ter  of  what  it  was  when  I  was  one  of  them  ;  and  this  diminu 
tion  would  have  been  still  much  greater,  but  for  the  new 


THE    POMPEY    BE-UNION.  125 

element  of  Irish   immigration  which  has  filled  in  part  the 
vacuum  created  by  the  causes  above  mentioned. 

Away  down  the  vista  of  the  years  that  have  forever  fled, 
come  visions  of  many  more  of  the  early  inhabitants  ofPom- 
pey,  who  have  passed  from  this  mortal  stage,  to  many  of 
whom  I  was  connected  by  ties  of  respect  and  gratitude  in 
consequence  of  the  salutary  influence  they  have  exerted  over 
my  destiny.  Prominent  among  these,  I  will  mention  Daniel 
Wood,  Victory  Birdseye,ElishaLitchtield,  Ansel  Judd,  Asa 
Wells,  David  F.  Dodge  and  Daniel  Gott.  It  was  while 
struggling  with  an  unfriendly  fortune  that  these  and  others 
of  lesser  note  by  kindly  counsel  or  otherwise,  strengthened 
me  in  my  purposes  and  aided  in  their  accomplishment.  A 
suggestion  from  the  first  named  of  these  individuals  induced 
me  to  consult  the  second,  who  by  a  letter  to  the  third,  then 
our  representative  in  Congress,  secured^me  an  appointment 
in  the  Military  Academy,  which  thus  unexpectedly  changed 
again  the  current  of  my  life. 

But  the  advantages  thus  presented  for  my  acceptance 
were  not  obtained  without  cost.  They  involved  the  neces 
sity  of  a  separation  from  home  and  kindred  and  friends,  from 
all  that  constituted  the  world  in  which  I  then  lived,  and  of 
entering  upon  a  new  and  untried  state  of  existence.  One  in 
whom  the  domestic  ties  \vere  unusually  strong,  and  who  WES 
called  for  the  first  time  in  his  life  away  from  their  almost 
immediate  influence,  may  well  be  supposed  to  feel  the  sac 
rifice  of  all  he  has  ever  loved  or  valued  ;  but  the  measure  of 
that  sacrifice  can  only  be  fully  appreciated  by  him  who  has 
had  a  like  experience.  It  was  the  mental  anguish  of  death 
while  yet  the  life  pulses  wrere  beating  warm  and  healthful, 
while  the  senses  were  all  unclouded,  and  while  relief  from 
physical  agony  afforded  no  part  of  a  compensating  equiva 
lent.  And  when  the  nostalgic  symptoms  incident  to  such 
a  state  of  mind  and  circumstances  had  become  fairly  devel 
oped,  actual  death  with  all  its  attendant  horrors  seemed  at 
tractive  and  even  welcome,  provided  my  mortal  frame  could 
be  restored  to  the  scenes  for  which  my  longing  heart  was 


126  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

pining  with  a  desire  as  unconquerable  as  it  may  now  seem 
extravagant. 

But  I  persevered  in  the  course  I  had  chosen.  The  recu 
perative  forces  of  youth  and  nature  triumphed.  Another 
world  grew  up  around  me.  A  new  moral  creation  sprung 
into  existence,  which  has  ever  since  been  constantly  extend 
ing  and  consolidating  itself  and  becoming  more  and  more  a 
subject  of  absorbing  interest  and  affection. 

Yet  even  still  there  is  an  inner  world  recognized  and  ever 
unforgotten.  It  lies  next  outside  of  the  charmed  circle  of 
my  childhood's  home,  and  partakes  of  its  peculiar  influences, 
though  these  lessen  in  intensity  in  proportion  as  they  in 
crease  in  circumference.  Its  inhabitants  seem  different  from 
those  of  the  outer  world.  Whoever  was  born  or  has  long 
resided  in  my  native  town,  is  bound  to  me  by  a  tie  Tin- 
known  to  others,  and  seems  in  some  degree  a  relative.  I 
have  always  availed  myself  of  every  convenient  opportunity 
to  keep  alive  the  magic  influence  which  connects  my  life 
with  the  place  of  its  commencement,  and  the  surroundings 
of  its  earlier  stages,  and  have  sometimes  hoped  it  yet  was 
destined  to  terminate  near  where  it  first  began. 

The  great  chancre  in  my  life  to  which  I  have  alluded,  took 

O  O  i/ 

place  in  1825,  a  year  not  more  momentous  in  my  own  his 
tory  than  in  that  of  the  human  race.  Railroads,  in  the 
sense  in  which  that  word  is  now  understood,  were  on  that 
year  first  made  a  practical  reality.  The  Stockton  and  Darl 
ington  railway  for  the  general  transposition  of  freight  and 
passengers  from  place  to  place,  commenced  its  operations 
iii  that  year,  and  was  the  first  of  its  species. 

It  constituted  an  era  in  human  history,  a  new  departure 
in  the  progress  of  civilization.  Other  inventions  and  other 
causes  have  contributed  to  the  great  result,  but  an  impulse 
was  then  communicated  which  has  elevated  human  nature 
to  a  higher  plane  of  existence  and  endued  it  with  new  attri 
butes  and  new  capabilities.  The  man  of  to-day  is  a  very 
different  being  from  the  man  of  1825.  lie  can  fly  through 


THE    POMPEY    HE-UNION.  127 

space  with  the  speed  of  an  eagle.  He  can  practically  navi 
gate  the  summit  of  mountain  ranges  as  well  as  the  beds  of 
the  deeper  rivers.  He  can  converse  with  his  friends  who 
are  a  thousand  miles  distant,  and  is  made  instantaneously 
conscious  of  its  daily  occurrences  among  the  antipodes.  If  at 
the  expiration  of  another  forty-six  years,  he  is  gfted  with 
powers  attributed  to  the  genii  of  Arabic  fiction,  the  change 
will  hardly  surpass  that  which  our  own  eyes  have  witnessed. 

But  this  change,  great  and  beneficial  as  it  has  been  in  most 
respects,  has  not  been  without  its  disadvantages  in  others. 
Our  native  town,  and  especially  its  chief  village, have  felt 
some  of  its  inauspicious  effects.  Its  elevated  position  and 
other  circumstances  have  placed  it  beyond  the  reach  of  any 
probable  railroad  or  telegraph.  In  respect  to  other  locali 
ties,  its  relative  movement  has  been  backward.  Its  men  of 
mark  are  mostly  drawn  to  other  centres.  Syracuse,  whose 
prosperity  has  by  the  cause  wo  are  considering,  been  so  much 
enhanced,  absorbs  most  of  its  mercantile  and  manufacturing 
enterprise.  The  great  west  which  by  the  same  causes,  has 
been  brought  practically  nearer  to  the  principal  markets  of 
the  world,  entices  its  agricultural  population,  until  like  most 
of  the  other  rural  districts  of  the  State,  it  has  been  constant 
ly  diminishing  in  comparative  wealth  and  in  actual  popu 
lation. 

Yet  while  its  hills  remain  to  give  their  beautiful  diversity 
to  its  unequalled  landscapes,  it  will  never  be  wanting  in  at 
tractions  for  those  who  have  an  eye  for  rural  beauty,  wher 
ever  the  places  of  their  birth.  But  to  one  who  was  born 
and  nurtured  among  those  hills,  of  whose  moral  view  they 
thus  formed  a  living  part  and  parcel,  they  will  always  possess 
a  charm  which  time  and  distance  can  never  dispel.  Hun 
dreds  of  years  hence,  the  wanderer  from  this  his  birth  place, 
shall  wend  hither  his  pilgrim  steps,  as  I  have  often  done, 
to  gratify  the  irrepressible  promptings  of  his  heart,  to  for 
tify  the  better  principles  of  his  nature,  or  to  give  his  troubled 
spirit  rest,  by  contemplating  the  theatre  of  his  early  inno 
cence  and  by  watching  the  lights  and  shadows  that  sweep  over 


128  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 


those  grand  and  peaceful  undulations,  bringing  calmness 
a  soul  that  has  long  been  tempest  tossed,  among  the   cc 


to 

, —  -    con 

flicts  and  commotions  of  the  world  without. 

On  the  summit  of  the  eminence  which  overlooks  all  its 
surroundings,  and  which  is  in  the  village  burying  ground, 
lies  the  brother  by  whose  side  I  always  slept  in  childhood, 
taking  his  final  rest.  Thither  have  I  sometimes  repaired  on 
a  summer's  Sabbath  hour,  to  meditate  over  the  past  and  to 
admire  the  beautiful  panorama  which  spreads  on  every  side, 
as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach.  The  impenetrable  veil  of  the 
primeval  forest  has  been  withdrawn  so  far  as  to  diversity 
and  unfold  the  beauties  it  can  no  longer  conceal.  The  sum 
mer  breezes,  whose  wings  never  are  scorched  by  any 
sultry  sun,  are  there  nestling  in  the  groves  or  flitting  out  and 
in  at  the  windows  of  the  hundreds  of  quiet  homes  that  are 
scattered  all  around.  Hills  and  valleys  all  verdant  and  beau 
tiful  stretch  themselves  out  in  endless  variety  on  every  side, 
until  they  meet  and  mingle  with  the  skies  in  the  dim  dis 
tant  horizon.  It  is  the  lovelievst  sight  of  nature  in  her  mildest, 
mood  that  can  be  found  in  all  the  earth,  and  never  satiates 
or  ceases  to  delight  the  heart  that  is  all  attuned  to  its  higher, 
holier  impulses.  Ko  one  need  ever  seek  a  preferable  spot 
on  which  to  await  the  momentous  events  of  the  rapidly  ap 
proaching  future.  I  hope  that  I  may  yet  again  be  some 
times  permitted  to  feast,  my  moral  appetite  upon  its  rich  but 
unchanging  treasures. 

Frequent  are  the  admonitions  however,  that  such  privil 
eges  will  soon  be  ended.  At  brief  intervals  the  news  is 
spread  that  some  of  our  old  familiar  friends  have  passed  for 
ever  away.  Even  with  your  letter  came  the  sad  intelligence 
that  Mr.  Daniel  Marsh,  whom  I  remember  from  my  earliest 
years,  and  who  then  and  for  long  years  afterwards  resided 
within  sight  of  my  birth  place,  would  never  again  be  seen 
in  his  frequent  walks  around  your  native  village.  One  by 
one  the  Great  Teacher's  call  is  summoning  us  from  our 
game  of  life,  which,  like  our  schoolboy  sports,  is  often  left 
unfinished.  The  writer  of  these  lines  will  doubtless  precede 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  129 

most  of  those  for  whom  they  are  intended,  but  they  all  will 
follow,  and  oh  how  soon  !  Eaith  then  looks  up  with  hope 
ful  eye  to  a  higher  destiny  prepared  by  Him  who  has  shaped 
all  things  more  in  kindlier  adaptation  to  our  individual  hap 
piness  than  could  have  been  contrived  by  the  most  exalted 
hum-an  intelligence.  Till  then  we  all  shall  never  meet  again , 
but  my  kindest  wishes  shall  attend  each  one  in  life,  in  death 
and  in  the  realms  beyond.  From  the  narrow  isthmus  which 
connects  the  unforgotten  past  with  the  undeveloped  future, 
I  send  you  all  rny  greeting,  and  bid  you  alHill  next  we  meet, 
adieu. 

Yours,  very  truly, 

CHAS.  MASON. 
DR.  R.  F.  STEVENS. 


YORK,  June  24th,  1871. 
Dr.  fi.  F.  Stevens,  Sec'y,  #c. 

DEAR  SIR  : — Yourproposed  Pompey  re-union  has  just  come 
to  my  knowledge,  having  received  from  a  relative  this 
morning,  a  circular,  in  which  my  name  appears  as  one  of 
the  speakers  announced  for  the  occasion. 

The  idea  is  novel,  attractive,  and  admirably  conceived. 

I  regret  I  did  not  know  of  it  earlier,  for  I  cannot  think  of 
any  event,  which  would  give  me  greater  pleasure  ;  but  it  is 
now  too  late ;  other  matters  will  prevent  my  attendance. 

It  is  natural  to  reverence  my  birth  place,  and  early  home. 
The  sweetest  memories  cling  to  the  familiar  scenes  and 
friends  of  sunny  childhood  and  youth. 

I  spent  several  years  at  school  and  studying  my  profession 
on  good  old  Pompey  Hill,  which  has  purer  air  and  water, 
and  is  nearer  Heaven  than  any  inhabited  place  in  the  State. 

I  remember  well  preceptors  Leonard  and  Huntington. 
The  old  yellow  Academy  with  its  BELL;  Declamation  Hall, 
&c.  There  was,  as  usual  a  great  variety  of  talent  among 
the  pupils.  Some  afterwards  became  graduates,  studied  the 
different  professions  and  met  with  varied  fortune.  And  a 

9 


130  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

few  have  made  their  mark,  and  have  founded  a  lasting  fame, 
but  for  pecuniary  success,  there  was  one,  who  never  studied 
at  all,  and  who  has  far  excelled  all  the  others.  The  son  of 
a  wealthy  farmer  of  the  county,  he  was  sent  to  the  Academy 
to  get  educated  and  prepared  for  business,  and  he  was  pro 
vided  with  the  necessary  new  books  for  the  purpose.  But 
the  boy  understood  trade  meant  business,  not  education,  or 
"  Book-laming  and  he  therefore  spent  most  of  his  time  at 
the  Inn  of  Capt.  Pitt  Dyer.  All  old  inhabitants  will  remem 
ber  the  happy  smiling  face  of  the  jovial  Inn-keeper.  This 
was  the  Pompcy  Exchange,  where  speculations,  politics  and 
religion  were  ably  discussed,  and  where  Uncle  Nat  stood 
champion  of  'the  world  at  chequers,  and  it  was  here  the 
young  pupil,  between  November  and  April,  traded.  Start 
ing  with  the  capital  of  a  silver  watch,  he  returned  home  in 
the  Spring  with  four  horses,  three  watches,  and  fifty  dollars 
cash.  The  leaves  of  his  books  remained  unsoiled.  Uncle 
P.  his  father,  was  a  practical  man,  he  saw  the  situation  at  a 
glance,  he  made  no  farther  effort  in  the  line  of  the  Academ 
ics,  but  made  a  virtue  of  necessity  and  allowed  the  talents 
of  his  son  to  fiow  in  their  natural  channel,  and  it  is  due  to 
the  boy  to  say,  that  well  he  improved  the  opportunity,  and 
now  in  middle  age,  he  is  the  wealthy  man,  sagacious  trader, 
able  financier,  and  influential  citizen,  although  his  corres 
pondence  exhibits  some  deficiency  in  his  early  school  train 
ing. 

I  am  proud  of  my  native  town,  she  has  always  leaned  to 
ward  the  right,  vice  has  found  no  abiding  place  within  her 
limits.  Her  farmers  for  intelligence  and  integrity,  rank 
among  our  best  citizens.  From  my  earliest  recollection  her 
common  schools  have  been  models  not  surpassed,  if  equalled, 
by  the  best  of  the  present  time,  and  in  them  a  good  busi 
ness  education  was  brought  to  the  door  of  every  one,  and 
was  well  improved. 

Among  the  able  teachers  in  the  old  common  school  at 
Delphi,  (my  house,)  which  was  one  of  the  best  in  the  coun 
ty  from  1815  to  1830,  were  Joshua  A.  Spencer,  Elephalet 


THE    POMPEY    HE-UNION.  131 

Spencer,  Hiram  Denio,  Wm.  H.  Shankland,  Orville  Robin 
son,  David  C.  Burdick  and  others,  who  afterwards  became 
eminent  men.  Among  their  pupils  I  might  name  many 
who  have  done  themselves  great  credit  in  after  life. 

Pompey  was  settled  by  hardy  New  England  pioneers,  who 
well  understood  the  importance  of  schools.  Their  fir^t 
business  was  to  establish  them,  and  thus  they  early  shaped 
the  future  of  this  good  old  town. 

The  present  generation  is  enjoying  the  fruits  of  their 
foresight  and  enterprise,  long  may  they  retain  their  just 
reputation  as  an  intelligent  and  upright  people. 

In  1798,  my  father  and  mother,  both  from  New  England, 
settled  in  the  then  wilderness,  on  the  hill  about  two  miles 
from  Delphi,  the  nearest  neighbor  was  two  miles  away. 
Within  ten  years  the  beautiful  little  village  with  its  churches 
and  school  sprang  up,  and  all  the  neighboring  farms  were 
occupied. 

I  cannot  omit  one  more  fact  which  commands  my  ven 
eration  and  love  for  my  native  town.  In  her  dust  lie  buried 
my  parents,  brothers,  sisters  and  many  relatives. 

Regretting  that  I  cannot  be  present,  and  wishing  you 
pleasant  weather  for  the  occasion  and  a  grand  success, 
I  remain, 

Your  Obedient  Servant, 

HERVEY  SHELDON. 


CLAY,  ONONDAGA  Co.,  K  Y.,  June  21, 1871. 
Dr.  R.  F.  Stevens  :— 

Having  had  an  invitation  to  attend  the  "  re-union  at 
Pompey,  on  the  29th  inst.,"  I  hereby  make  known  to  you, 
my  intention  to  be  present. 

I  am  not  a  native  of  Pompey.  But  in  1827,  when  a  lad 
14  years  old,  I  went  into  the  village  of  Delphi,  to  learn  the 
hatting  trade  of  Canfield  Marsh,  brother  of  Marovia  Marsh, 
of  Pompey  Hill,  also  a  hatter.  In  1828,  Marsh  failed  in 


132  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

business,  and  I  was  compelled  to  seek  a  new  home.  I  went 
to  the  village  of  Fabius,  and  worked  with  Marvin  Button, 
at  the  harness  trade,  until  1831.  I  then  went  to  Pompey 
Hill,  and  worked  with  Edwin  Dunbar,  at  the  harness  busi 
ness,  until  May,  1834.  That  finished  my  residence  in 
Pompey.  October  12th,  1836, 1  married  Miss  Julia  Penoyer, 
a  native  of  Fabius,  Onondaga  Co.,  N".  Y.  In  1838,  I  located 
in  this  little  village,  known  as  New  Bridge,  but  the  proper 
name  is  Belgium.  The  name  of  our  Post  Office  is  Clay.  I 
hold  a  commission  as  Postmaster  of  Clay,  N".  Y.,  executed 
by  Montgomery  Blair,  (P.  M.  General  of  the  United  States,) 
bearing  date  May  3d,  1861.  I  still  continue  as  P.  M. 

My  father  had  several  brothers  who  were  of  the  first  set 
tlers  in  Pompey.  He  had  a  sister  who  married  Capt.  Pun- 
dason  Avery.  The  descendants  of  the  Barnes  clan  are 
very  numerous,  and  may  be  found  in  almost  any  part  of  the 
Union  !  They  were  well  represented  in  the  late  rebellion. 

I  am  a  native  of  this  county;  was  born  August  24,  1812, 
in  what  was  then  Cicero,  but  now  Clay. 

Pompey  has  very  many  attractions,  and  I  feel  a  deep  in 
terest  in  the  forthcoming  re-union  of  its  former  residents. 

David  Porter,  a  native  of  Pompey  Hill,  a  son  of  the  late 
Dea.  Porter,  and  a  neighbor  oftmine,  has  been  courteous 
enough  to  invite  me  to  a  seat  in  his  carriage,  to  attend  this 
anxiously  looked  for  gathering.  I  accept  of  his  kind  invi 
tation.  We  anticipate  a  'glorious  time,  one  that  will  pass 
down  to  posterity  through  the  annals  of  history, 

I  have  already  extended  this  letter  beyond  its  proper  lim 
its,  still,  I  will  venture  a  quotation  from  a  native  of  Pompey. 
"  Pompey  has  produced  more  men  of  talent,  than  any  other 
town  in  the  county."  Yours, 

ORRIS  BARNES. 


•SYRACUSE,  June  27, 1871. 
Hon.  Daniel   Wood: — 

DEAR  SIR  : — Previous  engagements  prevents  my  joinin: 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  133 

you  in  the  praise-worthy  effort  in  gathering  together  all  of 
the  surviving  former  residents  of  the  old  town  of  Pompey, 
with  a  view  to  a  re-union. 

I  do  not  rank  as  a  pioneer,  yet  my  parents  came  from 
Massachusetts  to  Pompey,  west  Hill,  in  1799,  where  I,  then 
an  infant,  resided  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  thus 
being  quite  familiar  with  the  early  settlement  of  said  town. 

Respectfully, 

CHARLES  A.  BAKER. 

PALMYRA,  June  13,  1871. 
Dr.  E.  F.  Stevens,  Syracuse,  N.  Y.— 

DEAR  SIR  :  —  I  am  in  the  receipt  of  an  invitation  to  attend 
a  re-union  of  the  former  residents  of  the  old  town  of  Pom 
pey.  As  this  is  ray  native  town,  and  some  years  of  early 
life  having  been  spent  at  the  old  Academy,  I  am  persuaded 
that  the  occasion  will  be  one  not  only  of  general  interest, 
but  to  myself  especially  agreeable.  At  my  age,  (73,)  I  can 
hardly  expect  to  see  many  faces  of  the  friends  and  associates 
of  my  early  life.  But  the  home  of  your  childhood,  the  rest 
ing  place  of  your  honored  dead,  and  the  sweet  memories  of 
da}Ts  gone  by,  will  sanctity  and  hallow  the  "old  Hill,"  and 
revive  the  associations  of  the  half  century  gone. 

Unless  prevented  by  sickness,  it  will  please  me  to  attend 
and  join  in  the  pastimes  of  the  occasion. 
Very  Respectfully, 

HIRAM  K.  JEROME. 


YORK  CITY,  June  28,  1871. 
Dr.  R.  F.  Stevens,  Secretary,  $c. 

MY  DEAR  SIR:  —  Your  favor  of  the  20th  inst.,  inviting  me 
to  the  re-union  of  the  residents  of  Pompey  on  the  29th  inst., 
was  duly  received.  I  have  delayed  answering  it,  till  this, 
the  last  possible  moment,  in  the  hope  that  by  some  good 
turn  of  fortune's  wheel,  I  might  respond  in  person,  rather 
than  by  letter.  That,  however  proves  impossible,  owing  to 
engagements  made  some  weeks  before  notice  of  the  time 


134  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

selected  reached  me.  I  am,  therefore,  reluctantly  compelled 
to  deny  myself  the  pleasure  of  joining  in  this  re-union,  and 
of  meeting  the  many  friends  who  will  be  present. 

My  annual  returns  to  the  home  of  my  childhood  have 
kept  me  familiar  with  the  scenes  of  my  earliest  days ;  and 
it  would  delight  me  to  be  once  more  "  at  home,"  and  to 
point  out  to  those  who,  as  to  these  annual  pilgrimages,  have 
been  less  favored  than  myself,  some  of  the  beauties  of  the 
old  place.  In  a  life  not  free  from  wandering,  it  has  been  my 
privilege  to  see  large  portions  of  my  native  land,  and  some 
thing  of  many  lands  abroad.  It  seems  to  me  moreover,  to 
be  one  of  the  peculiarities  of  my  own  mind  to  remember 
and  recall,  with  something  more  than  ordinary  facility  and 
distinctness,  the  scenes  which  have  been  laid  before  my  eyes. 
But  in  all  the  countries  I  have  been  permitted  to  visit,  I  can 
recall  few  scenes  more  beautiful  than  those  which  at  this 
season  of  the  year  are  presented  from  the  Old  Hill.  .The 
lakes,  which  are  set  like  mirrors  in  the  landscape  ;  the  dis 
tant  hills,  almost  swelling  into  mountains,  the  mighty  sweep 
of  vision  to  the  east  and  north;  the  long  valleys  to  the 
south-west  and  south-east,  the  rich  fields  nearer  by,  and  al 
most  at  your  feet,  and  showing,  like  the  divisions  on  a  chess 
board,  farms  and  forests,  dwellings  and  orchards,  waving 
corn  and  ripening  meadows,  yellow  stubble  and  green  pas 
tures,  flocks  and  herds,  and  running  brooks;  all  these  make 
up  a  picture  which  is  ever  before  my  mind,  and  which  seems 
to  me  fairer  than  almost  any  other  scene  ever  presented  to 
my  eyes.  In  what  stream  in  all"  the  old  town  have  I  not 
bathed  or  fished?  Upon  which  of  its  waters  have  I  not 
skated  ?  Down  what  hill  have  I  not  coasted  over  the  deep 
snows,  only  to  drag  the  heavy  sled  again  and  again  up  the 
steep  ascent,  with  panting  lungs  and  arid  muscles  ?  From 
what  tree,  or  bush,  or  sward,  in  forest,  orchard  and  field, 
have  I  not  gathered  nuts  and  fruits  and  berries  ?  In  how 
many  meadows  did  I  not  make  spoil  of  the  honey  of  the 
wild  bee  ?  Through  how  many  fields  and  woods  did  I  not 
use  to  wander,  hunting,  or  at  least  trying  to  persuade  my- 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  135 

self  I  was  hunting?  In  how  many  of  the  old  School  houses 
have  I  not  been  present  at  some  thronged  "  spelling  school," 
to  choose  or  he  chosen,  on  one  side  or  the  other,  and  to  con 
tend  for  my  standing,  or  yield  at  length,  and  among  the  last> 
to  inevitable  defeat,  with  an  interest  as  keen,  and  a  regret  as 
hitter  as  have  come  in  after  years  in  the  contests  that  may 
have  seemed,  (hut  were  they  really?)  far  more  important  ? 
Up  what  precipice  was  it  not  my  delight  to  climb  ?  And  if 
my  poor  name  is  not  otherwise  worthy  of  remembrance,  is 
it  not,  with  so  many,  many  others,  handed  down  to  lasting 
immortality,  in  the  carvings  on  the  trees  at  Pratt's  and 
Conkling's  Falls  ?  What  place  in  all  the  broad  landscape 
is  not  associated  in  my  mind  with  some  delightful  recollec 
tion  of  itself,  and  of  persons  present  or  absent,  living  or 
departed  ?  And,  turning  to  the  highest  point  of  the  old 
Hill,  where  the  grave-stones  point  aloft,  how  many  memories 
throng  upon  us,  as  we  cross  the  enclosure,  and  seek  the 
graves  where  rest  the  loved  and  honored  of  other  days; 
parents,  brothers,  sisters,  kinsfolk,  playmates,  friends,  how 
many  have  there  taken  up  their  final  earthly  abode  ?  How 
long  will  it  be  before  the  old  Hill  can  be  forgotten  for  their 
sakes,  were  every  other  tie  that  calls  me  thither,  sundered 
forever  ? 

It  would  ill  become  me  nowr  to  attempt  any  statement  of 
facts,  whether  of  history  or  tradition,  such  as  others  who  will 
be  present  will  delight  you  with.  But  surely,  there'is  some 
thing  in  soil  and  climate  and  country,  which  stamps  itself  on 
the  character  and  shines  out  in  all  future  life.  Else  why  is 
such  a  delegation  gathered  to  the  homes  of  their  childhood  ? 

The  steep  hills,  the  dark  forests,  the  deep  snows,  the  fierce 
winds,  the  long,  cold  winters,  the  late  coming  springs ;  all 
these  were  struggled  against  and  overcome.  But,  with 
these,  were  the  charms  of  spring,  with  wild  flowers  blossom 
ing  on  the  edges  of  the  snow-drifts ;  the  summers  in  their 
beauty,  the  glories  of  sunset;  and  autumns  rich  with  fruits, 
and  bright  with  forest  splendors.  All  these  have  left  their 
stamp  upon  the  lives  of  too  many  children  of  the  old  birth- 


136  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

place,  for  us  to  doubt  that  such  a  commencement  is  often 
times  the  best  preparations  for  the  duties  of  life,  in  whatever 
occupation  or  station.  They  who  come  up  to  this  re-union, 
from  the  hall  of  the  Senate,  or  the  Chair  of  the  Executive, 
or  the  head  of  the  army,  or  the  bureau  of  the  Cabinet,  or 
the  counting  houses  of  merchants,  or  the  direction  of  great 
railways,  all  will  testify  that  the  forces  which  have  enabled 
them  to  surmount  obstacles  and  conquer  difficulties  in  their 
future  life,  if  not  derived  from,  were  at  least  largely  strength 
ened  and  developed  by  the  life  they  led  in  childhood  and 
youth  amid  the  snows  and  storms  of  the  old  Hill. 

The  powers  which  have  governed  mighty  States,  or  led 
great  armies  victors  through  long  campaigns,  and  over  wide 
realms,  or  held  Senate's  attentive  listeners,  or  left  their  stamp 
on  the  history  of  the  world  in  the  treaty  that  settles  National 
disputes,  not  by  war  with  its  bloodshed  and  devastation  and 
misery,  but  by  weighing  grievances,  claims  and  complaints 
in  the  just  and  equal  balance  of  peaceful  arbitration,  or  which 
have  built  and  operated  vast  railroads,  or  sent  forth  great 
lines  of  steam  ships  over  distant  seas,  the  names  of  which 
were  scarcely  known  to  us  in  our  school  days.  These 
powers  were  trained  and  developed  in  the  common  schools 
or  the  Academy,  and  by  the  libraries  of  the  old  town.  What 
honor  is  not  due  to  those  who  in  the  earliest  years,  in  the 
midst  of  difficulties,  privations  and  dangers,  seeking  new 
habitations,  and  laying  the  foundations  of  new  institutions, 
gathered  libraries  and  built  schools  and  academies  such  as 
these,  and  left  behind  them  influences  so  potent  and  benefi 
cial,  to  rule  in  affairs  of  State,  to  lead  in  war,  and  to  become 
as  oil  on  troubled  waters,  soothing  and  assuaging  the  hates 
and  quarrels  of  great  nations,  and  turning  the  spear  and 
sword  into  pruning  hook  and  plow-share.  How  many 
through  all  this  broad  land,  have  been  refreshed  and  invig 
orated  by  the  writings  of  one  whowentfrora  the  old  Hill.  But 
how  few,  besides  those  who  were  born  or  bred  there,  know 
that  the  graces  which  are  properly  represented  in  the  name 


THE    POMPEY    HE -UNION.  137 

they  know  her  by,  were  born  and  trained  and  cultured  in  a 
simple  farm  house  in  our  native  town. 

Ma^'  these  influences,  so  powerful  and  beneficent  during 
the  lives  of  those  who  may  be  present  on  this  occasion,  con 
tinue  to  bear  now,  increased  and  widened  sway  through  all 
the  coming  generations.  And  may  it  Jong  be  the  delight 
of  those  whose  early  years  shall  be  spent  amid  the  old  scenes, 
to  remember  with  pleasure  the  homes  of  their  childhood, 
and  with  affection  and  gratitude  the  memories  of  those  who, 
in  hardship  and  privation,  founded  the  Schools  and  Churches 
wherein  they  shall  be  trained  and  fitted  for  usefulness  and 
power  throughout  the  world. 

Desiring  to  be  remembered  with  affection  to  those  who 
may  come  up  to  this  feast,  and  not  seeking  to  conceal  my 
sense  of  their  superior  good  fortune,  and  my  sharp  regret 
that  I  am  not  able  to  share  personally  in  all  their  pleasures, 
I  am, 

Most  respectfully  and  truly 

Your  friend, 

LUCIEN  BlKDSEYE. 


POMPEY  ACADEMY. 


The  history  ot  the  Academy  in  Pompey  is  very  largely 
the  history  of  the  town.  It  is  a  history  of  labors  and  strug 
gles  and  gifts  and  self  denials  and  delays  ;  but  not  of  de 
feats  or  disappointments. 

The  first  settlers  of  the  town  were  almost  wholly  from 
Connecticut.  Although,  in  entering  the  wilderness,  they 
left  schools  and  churches  behind  them,  they  were  ftilty  sen 
sible  of  the  advantages  of  churches  and  schools,  and  spared 
no  efforts  to  secure  the  same  to  themselves  and  to  their 
children. 

In  1784,  Washington,  then  scarcely  rested  from  the 
fatigues  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  had  made  his  well- 
known  journey  up  the  valley  of  the  Hudson,  and  as  far  as 
Crown  Point,  and  up  the  Mohawk  and  by  the  Portage  at 
Wood  Creek  to  the  Oneida  Lake,  that  he  might  see  for  him 
self  what  means  there  were  for  communication  by  water 
between  the  new  States  just  established  on  the  sea-board, 
and  the  waters  of  the  great  lakes  and  the  St.  Lawrence. 

What  he  saw  then,  as  well  as  in  his  explorations,  previous 
and  subsequent,  in  Western  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania,  led 
him  to  the  efforts,  which  lasted  through  his  life,  for  opening 
communication  from  the  seaboard  to  the  western  Rivers  and 
Lakes.  This  journey,  and  the  attention  with  which  all  his 
movements  were  followed,  turned  public  observation  more 
fully  to  the  future  advantages  of  settlements  of  the  west,  and 
tended  in  a  few  years  greatly  to  promote  emigration  to  the 
western  wilderness. 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  139 

By  the  Act  of  July  25,1782,  (1  Greenleafs  Laws  of  K 
Y.  55,)  the  State  of  New  York  had  set  apart  and  assigned 
lands  for  the  purpose  of  making  grants  to  the  officers  and 
soldiers  of  the  State,  who  had  served  in  the  then  present 
war  with  Great  Britain.  By  the  Act  of  Feb'y  28,  1789,  (2 
Greenleaf,  281,)  after  a  recital  that  the  title  thereto  of  the 
Indiana  had  been  extinguished,  the  Surveyor  General  had 
been  directed  to  lay  out  the  military  county  lands  into 
townships,  each  to  contain  sixty  thousand  acres  of  land, 
and  to  be  laid  out  as  nearly  in  squares  as  local  circumstan 
ces  would  permit,  and  to  be  divided  into  one  hundred  lots, 
as  nearly  square  as  might  be  ;  each  lot  to  contain  six  hun 
dred  acres,  as  nearly  as  might  be. 

This  act  contains  minute  directions  for  making  surveys 
and  maps  of  the  land,  and  for  "  balloting"  for  the  lots;  so 
that  the  soldiers,  their  heirs  or  assigns,  should  receive  the 
lands  they  were  entitled  to  ;  six  lots  in  each  town  being  as 
signed  "  for  promoting  the  gospel  and  a  public  school  or 
schools,  and  one  for  promoting1  literature  in  the  State,  as  the 
Legislature  might  direct." 

During  1789-90,  Simeon  DeWitt,  then  Surveyor  General, 
surveyed  the  military  county  lands ;  laying  them  out  into 
townships  and  lots,  and  displaying  his  classical  tastes  and 
learning  by  the  names  which  he  gave  the  townships ;  as 
Pompey,  Manlius,  Cicero,  Fabius,  Romulous,  Cato,  &c. 

The  county  of  Onondaga  was  erected  from  the  county  of 
Herkimer,  by  the  Act  of  March  5, 1794.  (3  Greenleaf,  110.) 
Pompey  and  other  "towns  were  created  by  this  Act.  The 
new  county  comprised  the  military  county  lands.  It  em 
braced  all  that  part  of  the  State,  contained  in  the  present 
counties  of  Onondaga,  Cayuga,  Seneca  and  Cortland,  to 
gether  with  portions  of  Oswego,  Wayne,  Tompkins  and 
Schuyler. 

The  first  settlement  within  the  bounds  of  Pompey,  was 
made  in  April,  1792,  by  Ebenezer  Butler,  Jr.,  (afterwards 
commonly  known  as  Judge  Butler,)  a  native  of  Harwinton, 


140  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

Litchfield  Co.,  Conn.*  He  had  in  1791  purchased  military 
lot  No.  65,  in  the  township, f  and  in  that  year  visited  it ;  but 
his  family  were  not  removed  thither  till  1792.  In  1793,  his 
brother  Jesse J  and  others,  with  their  families,  came  to  the 
town. 

The  movement  for  founding  an  Academy  seems  to  have 
commenced  very  shortly  thereafter.  As  early  as  January, 
1800,  a  petition  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  and  vicinity, 
to  the  Regents  of  the  University  for  the  incorporation  of  an 
Academy  at  Pompey,  was  prepared,  signed  and  forwarded  to 
Albany.§ 

It  was  presented  to  the  Regents  at  a  meeting  held  on  the 
17th  March,  1800,  and  was  referred  to  a  committee  of  ex 
amination.  At  a  meeting  of  the  Regents,  held  March  31, 
1800,  the  report  of  that  committee  wras  considered.  There 
seems  to  have  been  at  that  time  no  other  Academy  in  the 
county.  The  Regents  adopted  a  preamble  and  resolutions, 
by  which,  (after  reciting  that  it  was  uncertain  whether  Pom 
pey  was  the  most  proper  place  for  an  Academy  in  the  county 
of  Onondaga,  and  that  there  was  reason  to  doubt  the  expe 
diency  of  having  more  than  one  Academy  in  one  county,) 
it  was  resolved  that  the  secretary  should  transmit  a  copy  ot 
said  petition  and  of  that  resolution  to  the  supervisors  of  On 
ondaga  county,  and  request  that  they  would  at  their  next 
session  inform  the  Regents  whether  in  their  opinion  there 
were  any,  and  what,  objections  to  granting  the  prayer  of 
said  petition.  (See  Appendix  No.  2.) 

*  Judge  Butler  died  in  Ohio,  Sept.,  1829,  aged  96  years. 

f  Lot  65  is  that  part  of  the  town  on  which  the  Academy,  Churches,  burial  ground,  &c.? 
&c.,  are  situated. 

J  Jesse  died  at  Fabius,  N,  Y.,  November  30th,  1856,  aged  93  years  1  mo. 

gThis  Petition,  like  many  other  documents  hereinafter  referred  to,  throws  much  light 
on  the  history  of  the  town.  The  first  settlement  had  been  made  less  than  eight  years 
before  ;  and  here  is  a  paper  setting  forth  the  advantages  and  necessity  of  a  School  of  high 
character,  it  is  signed  by  twenty-five  different  persons  :  all  apparently  heads  of  families* 
every  one  subscribing  money,  the  lowest  $25  :  the  highest  $125  ;  the  total  amounting  to 
$1,195.  So  much  of  useful  information  as  to  the  names  of  the  first  settlers,  their  efforts, 
labors  and  sacrifices,  and  so  much  of  family  history,  worthy  of  honest  pride,  maybe 
gathered  from  these  papers,  that  it  has  been  deemed  proper  to  print  them  at  length,  in 
the  Appendix  to  this  sketch.  The  petition  here  mentioned  is  No.  1  in  such  Appendix. 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  141 

The  supervisors  of  the  county  met  at  Pompey  Hill  in  Oc 
tober,  1800.  Their  action  was  favorable  to  the  views  of  the 
petitioners.  (See  Apendix  No.  3.)  The  same  having  been 
certified  to  the  Regents,  the  original  petition  and  the  pro 
ceedings  of  the  supervisors  were,  on  the  16th  Feb'y,  1801,. 
referred  to  a  committee.  (See  Appendix  No.  2.) 

~No  further  action  being  had  by  the  Regents,  the  good 
people  of  Pompey  seem  to  have  become  impatient;  and  in 
the  winter  of  1802,  they  prepared  another  petition,  which 
was  signed  by  sixty  persons,  and  presented  to  the  Regents 
March  15,  1802.  (See  Appendix  No.  4.)  On  the  receipt  of 
it,  and  on  the  same  day,  the  Regents  resolved  to  approve  of 
the  application  of  sundry  inhabitants  of  the  county  of  On- 
onclaga,  for  the  incorporation  of  an  Academy  at  Pompey,  in 
said  county,  and  that  they  would  incorporate  the  same  upon 
satisfactory  evidence  being  given,  within  a  reasonable  time, 
of  a  compliance  with  the  resolution  passed  by  the  Regents 
March  23,  1801. 

This  latter  resolution,  (after  reciting  that  Academies  were 
intended  to  teach  branches  of  literature  superior  to  those 
taught  in  common  schools,  and  requiring  to  that  end  a  more 
extensive  provision  for  the  support  of  well  qualified  instruc 
tors,)  declared  that  in  future  no  Academy  o"ught  to  be  in 
corporated,  unless  it  be  made  to  appear  to  the  Board  by  sat 
isfactory  evidence  that  a  proper  building  for  the  purpose 
had  been  erected,  finished  and  paid  for,  and  that  funds  had 
been  obtained  and  well  secured,  producing  an  annual  in 
come  of  at  least  $100  ;  and  further,  that  there  be  a  condition  in 
the  charter  of  incorporation,  that  the  principal  or  estate  pro 
ducing  such  income  should  never  be  diminished  or  appro 
priated;  and  that  such  income  should  be  appropriated  only 
to  the  maintainance,  or  the  salaries  of  the  professors  or  tu 
tors  of  the  Academy. 

The  resolutions  of  March  15,  1802,  and  March  23d,  1801, 
were  communicated  to  the  petitioners,  by  certified  copies 
thereof,  which  are  still  among  the  files  of  the  Academy. 


142  THE    POMPEY    HE-UNION. 

The  erection  of  the  first  building  for  the  Academy,  must 
have  been  commenced  in  or  about  1803.  Mr.  Samuel  Ba 
ker  states  that  when  he  first  saw  the  building,  in  August, 
1806,  as  his  father  Nathaniel  Baker  was  moving  into  the  vil 
lage,  the  building  was  erected  and  covered,  but  was  not  com 
pleted  or  ready  for  occupation.  William  Lathrop  was  the 
builder. 

On  the  20th  July,  1807,  Wm.  Lathrop  and  George  W. 
Wood  entered  into  an  agreement,  (see  Appendix  No.  5,) 
with  Manoah  Pratt,  Henry  Seymour  and  Samuel  S.  Bald 
win,  who  were  "  a  committee  to  build  the  Academy  in  Pom- 
pey,"  to  do  certain  specified  carpenter's  work  in  completing 
the  building  designed  for  the  Academy,  for  the  sum  of  $200  ; 
the  same  to  be  paid  by  assignment  of  subscriptions  which 
should  be  good  and  collectable."  Mr.  Wood  soon  after 
retired  from  the  job.  Mr.  Lathrop  proceeded  with  it  for 
some  time,  but  on  the  2d  March,  1810,  he  relinquished  the 
unfinished  part  of  the  job,  and  agreed  to  accept  $140,  in  full 
of  what  had  then  been  done.  In  July,  1810,  a  new  subscrip 
tion  was  raised,  and  in  the  same  paper  the  same  committee 
entered  into  an  agreement  to  procure  the  Academy  to  be 
completed  for  the  sum  of  $450.  (See  Appendix  No.  6.) 

It  is  easily  to  be  gathered  that,  up  to  this  time,  the  project 
tor  the  establishment  of  the  Academy  had  met  many  diffi 
culties  and  much  opposition ;  among  the  files  of  the  Re 
gents  is  an  affidavit  of  Walter  Colton,  sworn  to  March  2d. 
1802,  and  delivered  to  the  Board  at  their  meeting  of  March 

O 

15, 1802,  wrhen  the  second  petition  for  the  Academy  was 
presented  and  conditionally  granted.     (See  Appendix  No.  7.) 

In  this  affidavit,  Mr.  Colton,  who  had  signed  the  first  pe 
tition  for  the  Academy,  subscribing  $100,  but  who  had  in 
the  meantime  removed  to  Onondaga  Hill,  charged  fraud, 
it  would  seem,  in  the  getting  up  of  the  first  petition,  in  Jan 
uary,  1800. 

Opposition  however,  proved  ineffectual.  The  great  dif 
ficulty  was  the  raising  of  money  to  build  and  complete,  and 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  143 

then  to  endow,  the  Academy.  When  we  consider  the  con 
dition  of  the  country,  emerging,  as  it  then  was,  from  the 
utter  bankruptcy  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  with  its  conti 
nental  currency ;  and  especially  of  this  part  of  the  country, 
without  money,  or  roads,  or  canals,  or  markets,  or  any 
means  of  improvement  or  communication,  we  shall  see  how 
great  was  the  undertaking  to  found  and  rear  such  an  insti 
tution.  The  original  subscription  of  January,  1800,  proved 
wholly  insufficient.  A  new  one  was  raised  in  1807,  to  pay 
Lathrop  and  Wood  for  finishing  the  then  half  built  house. 
That  also  failed.  No  doubt  it  was  true,  as  Mr.  Colton  had 
stated  in  his  affidavit,  that  some  had  died,  and  others  were 
insolvent  and  unable  to  pay  what  they  had  subscribed.  But 
the  public  spirit  of  the  town  was  sufficient  to  overcome  all 
these  obstacles.  In  1810,  the  new  subscription  above  men 
tioned  was  effected,  which  amounted  to  $2,345.  (See  Ap 
pendix  No.  8.)  It  was  sufficient  to  finish  the  building  that 
had  so  long  remained  incomplete,  and  to  furnish  an  endow 
ment  with  such  an  annual  income  as  should  meet  the  con 
ditions  on  which  alone  the  Regents  could  grant  the  charter. 

It  is  no  doubt  to  the  great  and  generous  endeavoi  then 
made  that  the  tradition  of  the  town  refers,  which  tells  of  the 
efforts  for  the  raising  of  money,  when  subscriptions  were 
doubled,  and  the  increased  value  of  farms  and  property,  if 
such  a  school  were  established,  was  made  the  ground  of  ap 
peal  to  the  timid,  the  doubting  and  the  frugal. 

At  length,  in  the  Autumn  of  1810,  the  building  for  the 
Academy  was  completed  and  paid  for;  and  there  remained 
$1,450,  to  serve  as  an  endowment  for  the  yielding  of  the  net 
annual  revenue  of  $100,  required  to  warrant  the  granting  of 
a  charter. 

In  February,  1811,  the  final  steps  for  the  incorporation  of 
the  school  were  taken.  A  petition,  (in  the  peculiar  and  well 
known  hand  writing  of  the  late  Mr.  Y.  Birdseye,)  was  drawn 
and  generally  signed ;  and  after  being  verified  by  the  late 
Henry  Seymour,  (whose  influence  and  labors  for  the  school 


144  THE    POMPEY    HE-UNION. 

everywhere  appear,)  was  forwarded  to  the  Regents,  in  March, 

1811.  (See  Apendix  No.  9.) 

On  the  llth  March,  1811,  by  vote  ef  the  Regents,  the 
Academy  was  incorporated,  by  the  name  of  u  The  Trustees 
of  Pornpey  Academy, "Daniel  D.  Tompkins,  then  Governor 
of  the  State,  was  Chancellor  of  the  Regents,  and  Francis 
Bloodgood  was  Secretary.  The  charter  is  signed  by  them, 
and  sealed  with,  the  seal  of  the  Regents,  and  bears  elate 
March  19th,  1811.  It  recites  that  a  proper  building  for  the 
Academy  has  been  erected,  finished  and  paid  for,  and  that 
funds  have  been  obtained  and  well  secured,  producing  a  net 
annual  income  of  $100,  and  provides  that  the  principal  or 
estate  producing  such  income  shall  never  be  diminished,  and 
that  the  income  shall  be  appropriated  only  to  the  maintain- 
ance  or  salaries  of  the  professors  or  tutors  of  the  Academy. 

The  persons  named  in  the  charter  as  the  first  Trustees 
were  Henry  Seymour,  Senior  Trustee  ;  Samuel  S.  Baldwin, 
Manoah  Pratt,  Daniel  Wood,  Ithamar  Coe,  Asa  Wells, 
Hezekiah  Clark,  John  Jerome,  Silas  Park,  Jacobus  DePuy, 
Daniel  Allen,  Chauncey  Jerome,  Daniel  Tibbals,  Joshua 
Johnson,  Derrick  C.Lansing,  Benjamin  San  ford,  Charles  C. 
Mosely,  William  J.  Wilcox,  Jonathan  Stanley,  Jr.,  Levi 
Parsons,  William.  Cook,  Victory  Birdseye,  Jasper  Hopper 
and  James  Geddes. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Trustees,  held  April  4,  1811,  Henry 
Seymour  was  elected  President,  Victory  Birdseye,  Secreta 
ry,  and  Daniel  Wood,  Treasurer.  On  the  20th  May,  1811, 
Henry  Seymour,  Daniel  Tibbals  and  Victory  Birdseye  were 
elected  a  prudential  committee.  On  the  3d  of  November, 

1812,  the  following  officers  were  chosen  :  Asa  Wells,  presi 
dent  ;  V.  Birdseye,  secretary ;    D.    Wood,  treasurer ;  Asa 
Wells,  S.  S.  Baldwin  and  D.  Wood,  prudential  committee. 
Rev.  Joshua  Leonard  was  hired  as  a  teacher,  at  a  salary  of 
$500  per  annum.      On  6th  October,  1813,  the  following  of 
ficers  were  chosen  :  Rev.  J.  Leonard,  president;  V.  Birds- 
eye,    Secretary;  II.  Seymour,  treasurer;  D.  Wood,  C.  Je 
rome  and  D.  Tibbals,  prudential  committee. 


OLD   POMPEY   ACADEMY.. 


INTERIOR  VIEW  OP  THE  "OW>  AC 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION.  145 

By  this  time,  the  organization  of  the  Academy  had  been 
substantially  perfected,  and  its  appropriate  work  had  been 
begun.  Thenceforth,  the  principal  labor  of  carrying  on  the 
institution,  devolved  either  on  the  treasurer,  who  had  charge 
of  the  funds,  or  the  preceptor  who  taught  in  the  school-room. 
Henry  Seymour,  remained  treasurer  from  Oct.  6,  1813,  till 
January  10,  1821.  On  the  24th]March,  1819,  he  had  been 
appointed  one  of  the  Canal  Commissioners  of  the  State,  and 
his  labors  in  superintending  the  construction  of  the  Erie  Ca 
nal,  then  well  advanced  towards  completion,  no  doubt  pre 
vented  his  continuing  to  serve  longer  as  treasurer.  It  was, 
however,  several  years  later,  when  he  removed  to  Utica, 
and  he  continued  to  be  a  trustee  till  Oct.  30,  1833,  when  his 
resignation  as  trustee  was  accepted,  and  Mr.  Samuel  Baker 
was  chosen  trustee  in  his  place.  On  Mr.  Seymour's  resig 
nation  as  treasurer,  in  1821,  Luther  Marsh  was  chosen  in 
his  stead;  remaining  treasurer  till  May  15,  1827,  when  Mr. 
V.  Birdseye  was  elected  to  the  office,  which  he  held  till  his 
death,  Sept.  16,  1853.  Levi  Wells  was  then  elected  to  the 
office,  and  held  it  till  his  death,  March  31, 1872,  when  Dr.  0. 
G-.  Dibble  was  chosen  to  succeed  him. 

A  singular  fact  should  be  noted  as  to  the  title  of  the 
Academy  to  its  lot  of  laud.  On  his  accession  to  the  office 
of  treasurer  in  the  fall  of  1853,  Mr.  Levi  Wells,  while  ex 
amining  the  papers  that  had  come  to  his  hands,  found  the 
deed  for  this  lot  of  land.  It  was  given  by  Jesse  Butler  and 
Louisa  his  wife,  to  Pompey  Academy.  It  was  dated  "  the 
— day  of — A.  D.  1811,"  was  in  the  usual  form  of  a  deed, 
with  a  covenant  of  warranty.  Consideration,  $100.  It  con 
veyed  in  fee  to  the  Academy,  "All  that  certain  piece  or  par 
cel  of  land  lying  on  lot  number  sixty  -live,  in  the  township  of 
Porn  pey,  bounded  as  follows,  to-wit:  Beginning  at  a  stake 
ninety-six  links,  south,  fifty-six  degrees  west  from  the  south 
west  corner  of  Daniel  Wood's  house:  running  from  thence 
west,  sixteen  rods  to  a  stake;  thence  north  nineteen  rods: 
thence 'east  nineteen  rods  to  the  east  line  of  the  highway: 
thence  along  the  highway  southerly  to  the  place  of  begin- 


14()  THE    POMPEY    HE-UNION. 

ning,  containing  two  acres  of  land,  be  the   same  more  or 
less> 

Though  imperfect  in  the  date,  it  was  otherwise  in  due 
form,  and  duly  signed  and  sealed  by  both  grantors.  Audit 
was  witnessed  as  to  Mr.  Butler  by  II.  Clark.  But  it  was 
neither  acknowledged,  proved  or  recorded.  Of  course  it  was 
liable  to  loss  or  destruction.  It  could  only  be  read  in  evi 
dence,  if  that  should  ever  be  necessary,  by  giving  proof  of 
signatures  nearly  half  a  century  old  at  that  time,  and  likely 
soon  to  be  wholly  incapable  of  proof.  Mr.  Wells  lost  no 
time  in  endeavoring  to  cure  this  defect.  On  presenting  the 
deed  to  Mrs.  Butler,  she  at  once  freely  acknowledged  it  be 
fore  him  as  a  Justice  of  the  Peace.  Mr.  Butler,  however, 
refused  to  do  the  same,  and  it  became  necessary  to  resort 
to  a  provision  of  the  recording  act,  very  rarely  used  of 
late  years.  The  genuineness  of  Mr.  Butler's  signature  to 
the  deed  was  proved  by  Mr.  Samuel  Baker.  The  gen 
uineness  of  the  signature,  and  the  death  of  Henry  Clark,  the 
witness  to  Mr.  Butler's  execution  of  the  deed,  were  proved 
by  Mr.  John  II.  Clark,  (brother  of  Henry  Clark.)  Then,  by 
filing  the  deed  with  the  County  Clerk,  to  remain  forever  on 
file  in  his  office,  it  Avas  admitted  to  record  on  the  5th  of 
January,  1854,  and  recorded  in  Liber  115  of  Deeds,  p.  138. 
Thus,  after  a  lapse  of  more  than  forty  years,  the  title  of 
the  Academy  to  the  site  of  its  school  building  was  first 
secured  against  loss  and  danger. 

By  a  law  passed  April  13,  1813,  the  Commissioners  of 
the  Land  Office  were  "  authorized  and  required  to  grant  by 
Letters  Patent  to  the  trustees  of  Pompcy  Academy,  and 
their  successors,  in  fee  simple,  Lot  Number  Fifteen  in  the 
£own  of  Camillus,  in  the  Count\~  of  Onondaga,  any  law  to 
dte  contrary  notwithstanding.''  It  was  then,  in  the  law. 
;mad<B  the  duty  of  the  trustees,  when  they  should  ^"  sell  the 
:said  lot  or  any  part  thereof,  to  loan  the  money  arising  from 
:such  sale  on  landed  security,  to  double  the  value  of  the  sum 
so  loaned,  and  on  the  payment  of  any  such  loan,  then  «to  re- 
"loan  the  same  forever,  and  to  appropriate  the  interest  arising 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  147 

from  such  loans  forever  to  the  support  and  maintenance  of 
instruction  in  said  Academy." 

The  passage  of  this  law  is  believed  to  have  been  secured 
by  the  late  V.  Birdseye,  at  a  time  when  he  was  in  Albany, 
to  attend  the  Supreme  Court. 

This  lot  of  land,  (15  in  Camillas,)  now  in  the  town  of  Van 
Buren,  lies  on  the  south  bank  of  Seneca  River,  about  two 
miles  below,  or  east  of,  Baldwinsville.  It  contained  638.88 
acres,  and  was  originally  covered  with  a  large  and  valuable 
growth  of  pine  and  oak  timber,  which  was  easily  rafted  to 
the  mills  on  the  River.  The  Commissioners  of  the  Land 
OfKcc  had  been  tor  years  vexed  by  the  stealing  of  the  tim 
ber  from  the  lot,  which  they  had  been  unable  to  prevent  or 
to  punish.  This  fact  no  doubt  made  the  obtaining  of  the 
icrant  much  easier  than  it  would  otherwise  have  been. 

On  securing  the  passage  of  the  Act,  and  its  signature  by 
the  Governor,  Mr.  B.  returned  with  a  certified  copy;  no 
one  in  Pompey  knowing  anything  of  it.  He  went  .imme 
diately  to  the  land,,  with  the  late  Warren  Scranton,  and 
with  his  assistance,  and  that  of  Spencer  Smith  as  surveyor, 
surveyed  and  subdivided  the  lot.  Very  soon,  such  portions 
were  sold,  that  owners  were  settled  on  parts  of  the  lot  to 
watch  the  remainder,  and  prevent  trespassing.  The  whole 
of  the  land  was  soon  sold,  producing  a  fund  of  about  §4,000  ; 
the  income  of  which  tended  very  materially  to  promote  the 
welfare  and  success  of  the  school. — (See  Clark's  Onondaga, 
I  :  •>•&.) 

All  the  older  inhabitants  of  the  town  and  the  early  scholars 
will  well  recollect  the  old  Academy.  It  was  a  large  building 
for  that  time  and  place,  of  wood,  painted  yellow,  nearly 
square,  being  50  feet  by  40 ;  its  gable  fronting  the  south ; 
of  two  stories,  and  with  a  hall  ten  feet  wide  running  through 
the  middle  of  the  first  floor.  On  each  side  of  this  hall,  at 
the  front,  was  a  study  room,'  ten  feet  by  fifteen.  Behind 
each  of  these,  and  on  each  side  of  the  hall  was  a  long  room 
'extending  to  the  rear  of  the  building,  forty  feet  by  fifteen. 


148  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

In   the   long   room  on  the  west  side  of  the  hall,  the  com 
mon  school  of  the  village  was  taught  for  man}7  years ;  it 
being  in  fact  a  department  of  the   Academy,  long  after  the 
charter  was  granted.     It  had  been  so  occupied  even  before 
the  whole  building  was  completed,  and  the  charter  obtained. 
In  the  room  on  the  east  of  the  hall,  the  Academy  was  taught. 
All  the  old  pupils  will  recollect  the  long  room  ;  with  its 
broad  fire-place  at  the  south  end ;  the  entrance  from  the 
hall,  by  the  door  about  a  third  of  the  distance  from  the  south 
end ;  the  Preceptor's  chair  and  table  at  the  north  end ;  the 
sloping  desks,  fastened  to  the  wall,  on  either  side  ;  the  long 
benches  before   the  desks  ;  both  benches  and  desks  of  the 
finest  white  pine,  and  well  whittled  and  marked.     On  the 
west  side  of  the  room,  behind  the  door  leading  into  the  hall, 
and  at  the  Master's  right  hand,  sat  the  girls.     On  the  other 
side,  and  below  the  hall  door  on  the  west  side,  sat  the  boys  : 
the  smallest  of  each  sex  being  nearest  the  teacher,  and  ris 
ing  by  age,  till  the  oldest  scholars  were  trusted  farthest  from 
his  eye.     The  favorite  seats  were  those  on  each  side  of  the 
massive  walls  of  the  projecting  fire-place,  with  but  a  step 
between  the  seat  and  the  boards  that  covered  the  bricks  of 
the  chimney.     The  seats  could  be  seen  and  approached  only 
from  the  side  next  the  master.     Here,  many  a  game  and 
trick  were  played ;  much  fruit  and  many  nuts  eaten.    From 
one  of  these  secluded  corners  it  was  that  about  December, 
1819,  the  live  coal  from  the  fire  was  dropped  into  the  open 
hand  of  the  new  scholar  who,  on  his  first  day  at  the  school, 
stood  before  the  fire,  with  closed  eyes,  and  hands  spread 
behind  his  back,  during  Mr.  Leonard's  morning  prayer. 
That  scholar  recently  died  at  a  good  old  age ;  and  he  told 
the  writer  that  he  never  knew  or  suspected  whose  sleight-of- 
hand  had  played  the  neat   trick.     If  the  perpetrator  of  it 
shall  see  these  lines,  he  may  now  safely  make  due  confes 
sion.     Let  him  do  so.     "Better  late  than  never." 

In  after  years,  when  the  District  School-house  had  been 
built,  the  common  school  was  removed  thither.  Then  the 
west  room  became  the  chemical  and  philosophical  laborato- 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  149 

ry  and  lecture  room,  which  was  so  attractive  on  the  Wed 
nesday  afternoons,  when  the  routine  of  studying  and  reciting 
gave  place  to  more  enticing  lectures  and  experiments.  How 
pungent  was  the  chlorine?  How  pronounced  the  odor  of 
the  sulphuretted  hydrogen  ?  How  proud  was  the  pupil 
chosen  to  stand  with  the  teacher  behind  the  table,  to  lend 
an  occasional  hand  in  helping  an  experiment  through  to  suc 
cess  ?  Of  what  matter  was  even  an  extra  breath  of  chlorine 
to  one  who  was  enjoying  such  a  distinction? 

The  second  story  was  the  chapel.  It  occupied  nearly  the 
whole  of  the  upper  part  of  the  building,  and  was  forty  feel 
square.  The  stairs  leading  to  it  were  at  the  north,  at  the  ex 
treme  rear  end  of  the  hall.  At  the  south,  or  front  of  the 
chapel  was  "  The  stage,"  a  broad  platform  raised  just  three 
feet  from  the  floor.  On  each  side  of  the  stage,  at  the  front 
corner  of  the  building,  was  a  small  room  for  study,  ten  feet 
by  fifteen.  The  roof  was  supported  by  four  columns  of 
carved  or  turned  pine,  at  equal  distance  from  the  corners  and 
centre  of  the  room. 

Church  service  was  conducted  here  for  years,  and  until 
the  Congregational  Church  of  the  village  was  erected  and 
dedicated,  in  1817.  Here  also  were  held  THE  EXHIBITIONS 
which  were  the  gala  days  of  the  town,  when  the  pupils  of 
Leonard  and  Littlejohn  declaimed,  and  the  laughing  gas 
was  administered,  and  the  audience  scattered  before  the 
steps  of  the  happy  but  unconscious  victim,  whose  brief  de 
lusion  soon  left  him,  to  wonder  what  folly  he  had  commit 
ted  while  under  the  influence  of"  the  gas." 

In  1833,  the  old  Academy  had  become  so  dilapidated,  and 
so  unsuited  to  the  wants  of  the  school,  as  to  require  re 
building.  It  was  found  necessary  to  have  also  a  dwelling 
house  for  the  Preceptor.  A  new  subsciption  was  made, 
and  money  raised ;  the  effort  therefor  commencing  about 
the  year  1831. 

In  1834,  the  old  building  was  vacated,  and  the  new  one 
commenced,  which  was  finished  and  opened  in  the  fall  of 


150  THE    POMPEY*  RE-UNION. 

1835  ;  the  school  bein^  in    the  meantime  taught  in  the  DLs- 

O  ^ 

trict  school  house.  The  Preceptor's  house  was  completed 
in  May,  1836.  The  cost  of  the  Academy  was  §3,000,  with 
extras  to  the  amount  of  §110.  The  cost  of  the  Preceptor's 
house  and  extras,  was  $1,285.50.  Timothy  Butterfield  wii* 
the  builder. 

Many  curious  entries  appear  in  the  minutes  ami  among 
the  files  of  the  Academy. 

On  the  6th  of  October,  1815,  the  Prudential  Committee 
order  the  Treasurer  to  pay  u  the  bearer,  the  Captain  of  the 
band  of  musick,  thirty-four  dollars  for  the  services  of  said 
band  at  the  Exhibition  of  said  Institution."  This  order  is 
receipted  by  John  Hoare  who  was  therefore  the  "  Captain 
of  the  band  of  musick." 

There  are,  during  several  years,  charges  by,  and  payments 
to  John  Handy  and  Hezekiah Hopkins,  (the  two  tavern  keep 
ers  of  the  village,)  for  liquors,  board  and  "  horse  bate,"''  for 
the  musicians. 

During  1817,  the  scholars  numbered  152  ;,  During  1818, 
135  ;  During  1822,  77  ;  During  1824,  85. 

It  is  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  obtain  a  perfect  list  of 
the  teachers  who  kept  the  common  school,  while  it  was  held 
in  the  west  room  of  the  Academy.  But  the  following  list  is 
believed  to  be  nearly  complete 

James  Robinson,  kept  a  school  in  which  lie  taught  the 
classics  and  hisrhcr  English  branches,  in  1805-6-7. 

O  C!5 

Abraham  Plaunt.  taught  for  some  three  or  four  winters?. 

7  £5 

Smith  Dunham,  taught,  A.  D.  1813-14. 
Harvey  Canfield  in  1814. 

Hugh  Wallis,  Dartmouth  1701;  died  1848;  aged  81,  in 
1814. 

Miles  Dunbar,  Jr.,  in  1814-15. 

Orange  Butler,  in  1815. 

J.  J.  Doming,  April  25,  1816,  to  Oct.  1,  1817. 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  151 

Daniel  Gott,  1817-18. 

Daniel  Munson  AVakeley,  1818. 

Manoah  Pratt,  (then  Jr.)  for  three  winters. 

B.  Franklin  Chappell  for  one  winter. 

The  list  of  teachers  in  the  Academy  proper,  is  believed  to 
be  more  perfect. 

The  first  teacher  employed  in  the  Academy  was  Ely  Bur- 
chard  ;  (Yale  1811,  died  1866,)  at  a  salary  of  §350.  He 
taught  from  Dec.  5,  1811,  to  Oct.  5,  181'3.  Prior  to  the  en 
gagement  of  Mr.  Burchard,  three  separate  efforts  had  been 
made  to  engage  other  teachers  ;  but  all  had  for  some  reason 
proved  unsuccessful. 

On  the  4th  Sept.  181-J,  the  trustees  of  the  Academy  ap 
proved  of  contracts  made  with  Rev.  Joshua  Leonard*  to 
take  charge  of  the  Academy  as  principal,  at  a  salary  of  $500, 
and  Smith  Dunham  to  take  charge  of  the  common  school, 
under  the  superintendence  of  the  Academy,  at  a  salary  of 
$300.  Mr.  Leonard  continued  in  charge  of  the  Academy 
till  1822 ;  being  also  most  of  the  time  pastor  of  the  Con 
gregational  Church  in  the  village. 

On  the  25th  April,  1822,  Rev.  Eleazer  S.  Barrows,  (Mid- 
dlebury,  1811  ;  and  Tutor  and  Professor  of  Latin,  in  Ham 
ilton  College  ;  died  1847,)  and  who  had  become  pastor  of 
the  same  church,  took  charge  of  the  Academy  under  a  writ 
ten  agreement,  by  which  he  was  to  take  the  interests  of  the 
Academy  under  his  care  and  superintendence  ;  to  provide 
for  its  instruction  by  the  employment  of  suitable  teachers, 
and  to  superintend  its  government  and  general  internal 
management.  He  continued  in  charge  of  the  school  till 

:i:Rev.  Joshua  Leonard,  born  June  25, 1769.  Graduated  at  Brown  University,  1788,. A. 
M.  Yale,  i7(,'2."  First  settled  in  the  ministry  at  Ellington,  Conn.,  whence,  about  1797  or  8, 
lie  removed  to  Cazenovia,  N.  Y.  Here,  on  the  17th  May,  1798,  he  organized  a  Presby 
terian  Church,  of  nine  members,  the  first  Church  formed  there.  Continued  pastor  of 
that  church  for  about  14  years,  when  he  resigned  his  charge  on  account  of  impaired 
health  :  the  church  then  numbering  127  members.  From  Caxenovia  he  removed  to 
Pompey.  He  was  Preceptor  of  Pompey  Academy  for  about  8  years,  lie  died  at  Auburn, 
N.  Y.  Dec.  18, 1843,  aged  75  years. 


152  TIIE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

April,  1828.  But  the  actual  teaching  and  management  of 
the  school  were  committed  to  others.  Edward  Aikin,  (Mid- 
dlebury,  1815  ;  Died  1831,)  came  in  May,  1822,  and  re 
mained  for  about  three  years.  Flavins  Josephus  Littlejohn, 
(Hamilton,  1827,)  taught  during  part  of  1825,  infusing  very 
great  interest  and  life  into  the  school.  Henry  Howe,  (Mid- 
dlebury,  1817,)  succeeded ;  remaining  till  September,  1828, 
when  he  removed  to  Canandaigua,  to  take  charge  of  the 
Academy  there,  and  which  he  conducted  with  success  for 
the  next  15  years  ;  dying  in  1865. 

Mr.  Barrows,  no  doubt,  made  "  a  good  thing'7  by  this  ar 
rangement  ;  as  he  received  the  Regents  and  tuition  moneys, 
and  $300  per  annum  out  of  the  funds,  with  an  annual  al 
lowance  for  repairs ;  making  in  all  about  $1,000  per  an 
num,  while  he  secured  the  services  of  the  gentlemen  who 
actually  taught  the  school,  for  about  half  that  sum,  or  less. 

On  the  25th  October,  1828,  Rev.  Andrew  Hnntington, 
(Yale,  1815,)  who  still  survives,  took  charge  of  the  Acade 
my,  and  taught  it  till  July  14,  1834. 

In  October,  1834,'Samucl  S.  Stebbins.  (Yale,  181(5;  Died 
I860,)  and  who  like  Mr.  lltintington,  was  a  line  scholar, 
became  preceptor,  continuing  in  charge  until  January,  1843. 

Hon.  Amos  Westeott,  lately  mayor  of  Syracuse,  now 
deceased,  and  a  graduate  of  the  Polytechnic  Institute  at 
Troy,  K  Y.,  was  assistant  to  Mr.  Stebbins,  from  Sept.  183(>, 
to  Sept.  1838.  "\Vm.  E.  Mason,  succeeded  him  as  assistant; 
teaching  till  August,  1839. 

In  September,  1843,  Ensign  Baker  became  preceptor,  re 
maining  so,  till  April,  1846.  Harrison  V.  Miller,  M.  D., 
(Hamilton,  1851,)  was  assistant  teacher  in  1845-6.  From 
Sept.,  1846,  to  July,  1852,  Truman  K  Wright,  (Middlebury, 
1839,)  was  preceptor.  Charles  II.  Pay  son,  taught  from 
Sept.,  1852,  to  April,  1854.  He  was  then  succeeded  by  E. 
Delos  Wells,  (Williams,  1854,)  who  taught  till  August,  1855. 

Rev.  John  F.  Kendall,  (Hamilton,  1855,)  succeeded  teach- 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  153 

ing  till  August,  1856.  Wm.  W.  Waterman  taught  from 
Sept.,  1856,  to  April,  1857.  S.  Marshall  Ingalls  then  taught 
till  April,  1858.  Theodore  Beard,  (Hamilton,  1856 ;  Died 
I860,)  succeeded,  teaching  till  Aug.,  1859,  with  the  excep 
tion  of  the  latter  part  of  1858,  when  Daniel  P.  Baldwin, 
(Madison  University,)  supplied  his  place,  during  a  sickness. 
George  W.  Kellogg,  (Hamilton,  1859,)  taught  from  Octo 
ber,  1859,  to  April,  1860  ;  being  then  succeeded  by  Joseph 
Dow,  (Dartmouth,  1833,)  who  remained  two  years.  Lozenzo 
Fisli  succeeded  him,  teaching  till  August,  1864.  He  was 
succeeded  by  Orson  G.  Dibble,  (Yale,  1864,)  now  the  phy 
sician  at  Pompey,  and  the  Secretary  and  Treasurer  of  the 
Academy.  He  taught  till  August,  1867,  and  was  followed 
by  Edwin  S.  Butterlield,  (Yale,  1867,)  and  who  taugbt  till 
April,  1868,  when  Dr.  Dibble  returned  for  a  term.  P.  V. 
X.  Myers,  (Williams,  1867,) taught  from  Sept.,  1868,  to  July, 
1869.  Rev.  Lemuel  S.  Pomeroy,  (Hamilton,  1835,)  for  the 
next  year.  C.  E.  Havens,  to  March,  1871,  and  W.  II.  Ave- 
ry,  during  the  summer  term  of  1871.  The  h'rst  preceptress 
in  the  Academy,  was  the  late -Miss  Lucretia  Upham,  who 
taught  for  six  quarters  in  1815-16.  Miss  A.  M.  Cufts,  con 
ducted  a  Female  Department  for  six  months,  in  1825,  under 
the  administration  of  Mr.  Barrows. 

Upon  the  completion  of  the  new  school  building,  and  the 
re-organization  of  the  school,  Miss  Anne  Hopkins  became 
preceptress  for  the  year  1835-6,  assisted  a  part  of  the  time 
by  Miss  Mary  S.  Hascall.  Miss  Margaret  Saylos  taught 
during  1836-7.  Miss  Eliza  E.  Randall  being  the  music 
teacher.  Miss  Harriet  X.  Rand  taught  from  October,  1837, 
to  December,  1840.  Miss  Charlotto  Buttrick,  taught  du 
ring  1841. 

Miss  Elizabeth  II.  Stone  from  January  1,  1842,  to  April, 
1843.  Miss  Algenia  Knox  to  April,  1844.  Miss  Giffing, 
Miss  Iloskins  and  Miss  Stella  Whipple  had  charge  of  the 
ladies"  school  during  the  residue  of  1844  and  1845,  Miss 
Julia  E.  Reynolds  during  1846-7.  Miss  Maria  Doolittle  in 
1848.  Mrs.  T.  K.  Wright  taught  in  this  department  much 


154  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

of  the  residue  of  the  time  while  her  husband  was  preceptor 
of  the  Academy. 

Adelia  M.  Payson  taught  in  1853-4.     Charlotte  A.  Birds- 
eye,  (Mrs.  Harrison  V.  Miller,)  to  April,  1855;  Ellen  Hunt 
to  April,  1856;  Alary  S.  Griffith  from   Sept.,  185(5  to  - 
1857;  Pamolia  Beard,  from  1858  to  April,  18GO. 

Minerva  Adams  taught  from  January,  1864,  to  April,  1 864 ; 
Mary  A.  Birdseye,  January  to  April,  1865  ;  Laura  J.  Reddy 
for  the  same  time  in  1866 ;  Elizabeth  M.  Hayden  for  the 
same  time  in  1867,  and  again  in  1869;  Annie  Carroll  from 
October  to  December,  1869  ;  Clara  Pomeroy  from  Decem 
ber,  1869,  to  April,  1870. 

To  make  here  any  extended  reference  to  the  pupils  of  the 
Academy  who  have  since  become  distinguished  in  the  world, 
is  impracticable,  even  if  it  were  proper.  It  must  suffice  to 
say  that  the  Academy  left  its  stamp  on  almost  all  those  who 
have  gone  forth  from  the  town.  Those  who  were  here  fitted 
for  College,  gained  high  honors  in  the  institutions  of  the 
land.  Here,  Seabred  Dodge  became  the  great  mathematician 
and  engineer  that  he  was.  One  of  the  pupils  of  this  Aca'de- 
my  laid  here  the  foundations  of  scholarship  which  made  him 
the  first,  and  almost  the  only  student  at  West  Point,  who 
was,  throughout  his  entire  course  there,  the  first  in  every 
stud}7,  not  excelled  by  any  of  his  class  in  anything.  Here 
future  Governors  learned  to  govern  ;  and  growing  law}'ers 
and  clergymen,  and  congressmen  and  senators  acquired  that 
knowledge  of  books  and  things  and  men,  that  mastery  of 
tongue  and  pen,  and  that  discipline  of  mind,  which  fitted 
them  for  their  places. 

There  can  be  but  few  among  them  who  will  not  pay  the 
tribute  of  grateful  affection  and  respect  to  the  wise  and  far- 
sighted  men  who  founded  and  endowed  this  institution. 

•    Consider  what  they  did  ! 

Within  the  first  seven  years  from  the  settlement  of  this 
wilderness,  while  their  own*  dwellings  were  but  log  huts. 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION,  155 

and  their  farms  merely  narrow  clearings  in  a  dense  forestr 
where  church  and  school  were  unknown ;  when  the  mill 
that  ground  their  corn  was  fifty  miles  away  through  woods,, 
threaded  hy  a  few  paths,  but  without  a  road,  and  alive  with 
wild  beasts  and  more  savage  men ;  and,  above  all,  in  the 
midst  of  that  terrible  destitution  of  money,  through  which 
the  new  nation  was  struggling  up  from  the  abyss  of  bank 
ruptcy  into  which  it  had  been  cast  by  the  depreciated  "Con 
tinental  currency"  of  the  Revolutionary  War.  Then  it  was 
that  they,  in  a  day  of  small  things,  put  hands  that  faltered 
not.  to  a  work  so  great,  that  its  visible  benefits  have  already 
outrun  all  record  and  all  competition. 

Lasting  honor  to  their  memory. 

L.   1), 


APPENDIX  XO.  1. 

Whereas,  the  liberal  disposed  inhabitants  of  the  town  of 
Ponipey,  and  other  towns  in  the  county  of  Onondaga,  have 
generously  contributed,  and  many  others  are  disposed  to 
contribute,  considerable  sums  of  money  and  other  prop 
erty  towards  erecting  and  instituting  an  academy  in 
said  Pompey,  for  the  instruction  of  youth  in  the  lan 
guages  and  other  branches  of  useful  learning.  Of  the 
necessity  and  utility  of  such  an  institution  every  individual 
is  concerned.  The  rapid  increase  of  the  population  and 
wealth  of  the  county  renders  such  an  establishment  highly 
necessary  and  important.  The  situation  fixed  upon  for 
erecting  the  academy  is  nearly  central,  and  for  salubrity  of 
air  and  accommodations  for  the  students  preferable  to  any 
other  spot  in  the  county.  We,  therefore,  whose  names  are 
hereunto  subscribed  and  seals  affixed,  having  contributed 
more  than  one  half  in  value  of  the  real  and  personal  prop 
erty  appropriated  for  the  use  and  benefit  of  such  academy, 
do  request  that  an  academy  may  be  incorporated  in  said 
Pompey,  to  be  called  and  distinguished  by  the  name  of 
Franklin  Academy,  subject  to  the  visitation  of  the  trustees 
in  this  instrument  nominated  and  recommended,  narnelv : 


156  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNIOX. 

Ebenezer  Butler,  Junior,  Timothy  Jerome,  "William  Stev 
ens,  Jeremiah  Gould,  Phineas  Howell,  Elihu  Lewis,  Dan 
Bradley,  Comfort  Tyler,  James  Knapp,  John  Lamb,  Elijah 
Rust,  Deodatus  Clark,  Hezekiah  Olcott,  David  Williams, 
Walter  Colton,  Joseph  Smith,  James  Beebee,  John  Kidder. 

We,  therefore,  whose  names  are  hereunto  subscribed,  do 
for  ourselves  and  our  legal  representatives,  promise  to  pay 
for  the  benefit  of  said  academy,  to  any  person  whom  the 
trustees  shall  appoint  to  receive  the  eame,  the  several  sums 
annexed  to  our  respective  names. 

Pompey,  January  twenty-fifth,'  Eighteen  hundred. 
To  the  .Regents  of  the  University  of  the  State  of  New  York  : 

Eben  Butler,  Jr $100 L.  S. 

Asahel  Smith, 125 L.  S. 

John  Kidder, 100___1.._L.  S. 

Freeman  Lewis, 50 L.  S. 

George  Catlin, 50 L.  S. 

Walter  Colton, 100 L.  S. 

Hezekiah  Olcott 50 L.  S. 

Chancey  Jerome, 50 L.  S. 

Joseph  H.  Smith, —     33 L.  S. 

Timothy   Jerome, 75 L.  S. 

John  Jerome, 50 L.  S. 

Josiah   Moore, 25 L.  S. 

Joseph  Strong, 25 L.  S. 

Daniel  C.  Judd, 25 L.  S. 

Gad  Loveland, 25 L.  S. 

James  Becbcc, 25 L.  S. 

Solomon  Owen, ^ 50 L.  S. 

Reuben  Pixley,  Jr 50__ L.  S. 

Isaiah  Olcott, 40 L.  S. 

Jonathan  Eastman, 30 L.  S. 

John  Fowler, 30 L.  S. 

David  Williams, 30 L.  S. 

Thomas  Mighells, 30 L.  S. 

Jesse    Butler, 50 L.  S. 

Salmon   Butler,..  50 L.  S. 


THE    POMPEY    RE  UNION.  157 

(Endorsed.)  "  Petition  Pompey  Academy.  To  be  laid 
before  the  Regents."  1800. 

APPENDIX  NO.  2. 

Extracts  from  the  minutes  of  the  Regents  of  the  University,  re 
lating  to  Pompey  Academy : 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Regents  of  the  University,  held  in 
the  Senate  Chamber  on  the  17th  March,  1800.  Present 
His  Excellency,  John  Jay,  Chancellor,  Judge  Benson, 
Judge  Kent,  Mr.  DeWitt,  Mr.  Sylvester,  [Mr.  Rupell,  Mr. 
YanVechten,  Mr.  L'Hommedien. 

"A  Petition  from  Ebenezer  Butler  and  others,  praying  for 
an  incorporation  of  an  Academy  in  the  town  of  Pompey,  in 
the  county  of  Onondaga,  was  read  and  committed  to  Mr. 
Benson  and  Mr.  DeWitt." 

At  a  meeting  held  on  the  31st  day  of  March,  1800.  Pres 
ent  His  Excellency  John  Jay,  Chancellor.  His  Honor,  the 
Lieutenant  Governor,  Judge  Benson,  Judge  Kent,  General 
Schuyler,  Mr.  Russell,  Mr.  L'Hommedien. 

"The  Board  proceeded  to  the  consideration  of  the  report 
of  the  committee  to  whom  was  referred  the  petition  for  the 
incorporation  of  an  Academy  at  Pompey  in  the  county  of 
Onondaga.  And  whereas,  it  is  uncertain  whether  that 
place  is  the  most  proper  place  for  an  Academy  in  the  coun 
ty  of  Onondaga,  and  there  is  reason  to  doubt  the  expediency 
of  having  more  than  one  academy  in  one  county.  Resolved, 
That  the  Secretary  do  transmit  a  copy  of  said  petition  and 
this  resolution  to  the  Supervisors  of  Onondaga  county,  and 
request  that  they  will  at  their  next  meeting  intorni  the  Re 
gents  whether  in  their  opinion  there  be  any  and  what  ob 
jections  to  granting  the  prayer  of  said  Petition." 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Regents,  held  February  10th,  1801. 

"  The  Petition  from  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Pom 
pey,  in  the  county  of  Onondaga,  praying  for  an  incorporation 
of  Academy  in  said  town,  received  at  the  last  session,  to- 


158  THE    POMPEY    IlE-UNIOX. 

gather  with  the  proceedings  of  a  meeting  of  the  Supervisors 
of  the  said  county,  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  October  last, 
relative  thereto,  was  read  and  referred  to  Mr.  L'Homme- 
dien,  Mr.  Cochran  and  General  Schuyler." 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Regents  of  the  University,  held  pur 
suant  to  adjournment  in  the  Senate  Chamber,  in  the  city  of 
Albany,  on  Monday  the  twenty-third  day  of  March,  1801. 

Academies  being  intended  to  teach  branches  of  literature 
superior  to  those  which  are  taught  in  common  schools,  and 
requiring  to  that  end  a  more  extensive  provision  for  the 
.support  of  well  qualified  instructors,  therefore, 

Resolred,  That  in  future,  no  Academy  ought  to  be  incor 
porated,  unless  it  shall  be  made  to  appear  by  satisfactory 
evidence  to  this  Board,  that  a  proper  building  for  the  pur 
pose  hath  been  erected  and  finished  and  paid  for,  and  that 
funds  have  been  obtained  and  well  secured,  producing  an 
aimual  net  income  of  at  least  one  hundred  dollars.  And, 
further,  that  there  be  a  condition  in  the  charter  of  incorpo 
ration  that  the  principal  or  estate  producing  the  said  income 
shall  never  be  diminished, or  appropiiated;  that  the  said  in 
come  shall  be  applied  only  to  the  maintenance  or  salaries  of 
the  Professors  or  Tutors  of  the  Academy. 

An  extract  of  the  minutes. 

FR.  BLOOD<;O<>D,  Sec'y. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Regents  of  the  University,  held  pur 
suant  to  adjournment  in  the  Senate  Chamber,  in  the  city  of 
Albany,  on  Monday,  the  15th  day  of  March,  1802. 

Ilcsohcd,  That  this  Board  approve  of  the  application  of 
sundry  inhabitants  of  the  county  of  Onondaga,  for  the  in 
corporation  of  an  Academy  in  the  town  of  Pornpey,  in  tho 
said  county,  and  that  this  Board  will  incorporate  the  same 
upon  satisfactory  evidence  being  given  within  a  reasonable 
time,  of  a  compliance  with  the  resolution  of  this  Board  of 
the  23d  day  of  March,  1801,  and  that  a  copy  of,  the  said 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  159 

resolution,  together  with  a  copy  of  this  resolution,  be  certi 
fied  by  the  Secretary,  and  delivered  to  the  applicants. 

An  extract  from  the  minutes. 

FK.  BLOODGOOD,  Scc'y. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Regents  held  in  the  Senate  Cham 
ber,  March  llth,  1811.  Present,  His  Excellency  the  Gov 
ernor,  Mr.  Kent,  Mr.  Selden,  Mr.  VanVechten,  Mr.  Spen 
cer,  Mr.  DeWitt,  Mr.  Clinton,  Mr.  Jenkins,  Mr.  Elmendorf, 
Mr.  Taylor,  Mr.  Smith. 

u  The  committee  to  whom  were  referred  the  application 
for  the  incorporation  of  an  Academy  at  Pompey,  in  the 
county  of  Onondaga,  by  the  name  and  style  of  Pompey 
Academy,  reported  that  said  application  ought  to  be  granted. 

Whereupon ,  Resolved,  That  the  same  be  approved  of,  and 
that  the  Secretary  cause  a  charter  to  be  made  out  for  the 
>aid  Academy.*' 

APPENDIX  NO.  3. 

^At  a  meeting  of  the  Supervisors  of  the  county  of  Onon 
daga  at  Pompey,  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  October,  Eighteen 
hundred. 

The  Board  proceeded  to  consider  the  resolve  of  the  Re 
gents  of  the  University,  in  which  they  requested  the  opinion 
of  the  Board  whether  there  be  any  and  what  objections  to 
granting  the  prayer  of  the  petition  of  sundry  inhabitants  of 
the  county  of  Onondaga,  for  the  incorporation  of  an  Acade 
my  at  Pompey,  in  said  county:  Noted, 

That  in  the  opinion  of  this  Board  there  exists  no  objec 
tion  why  the  prayer  of  said  petition  should  not  be  granted, 
and  that  the  place  mentioned  in  said  petition  is  as  suitable 
.iis-any  in  the  county,'' 

A  true  extract  from  the  minutes. 

LEVI  CURTIS,  Clerk. 

To  the  Regents  of  the  University  of  the  State  of  Nor  York. 
[Endorsed.] 


160  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNIOS. 

"Vote  of  Supervisors  of  the  county  of  Onondaga,  where 
the  Academy  ought  to  be  placed." 

Committed  to  General  Schuyler,  Mr.  L'Hominedien  ami 
Mr.  Cochran." 

APPENDIX  NO.  4. 

"  To  the  Honorable  Board  of  Regents  of  the  University  of  the 
State  of  New  York. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  county  of  Onondaga,  humbly 
showeth,  that  we,  being  impressed  with  the  belief  of  the  im 
portance  of  a  literarjr  establishment  in  said  county  of  Onon 
daga,  where  the  higher  and  more  useful  branches  of  litera 
ture  are  taught  than  in  common  schools,  and  being  con 
vinced  also  of  Pompey  in  said  county,  being  the  most  eligi 
ble  situation  in  said  county  for  such  an  institution  :  We, 
under  these  impressions  and  beliefs,  did  in  the  year  1800, 
present  to  your  Honorable  Board  a  petition  praying  the  in 
corporation  of  an  Academy  in  said  Pompey,  and  we  still 
being  of  the  opinion  and  belief  of  the  infinite  importance 
and  utility  of  an  academy  in  the  said  county,  and  also  that 
said  Pompey  is  altogether  the  most  proper  place  in  the 
county  for  said  Academy.  We  do,  therefore,  humbly  pray 
that  the  Honorable  Board  will  take  into  consideration  our 
aforesaid  petition,  and  grant  the  prayer  thereof.  And  your 
petitioners,  as  in  duty  bound,  will  ever  pray. 

Ozias  Burr,  Daniel  Wood,  John  Lamb,  John  Bowers,  Reu 
ben  Pixley,  Jr.,  Gad  Loveland,  Salmon  Butler,  Curtis 
Chappel,  Joseph  Jackson,  Moses  Lilly,  Jr.,  Samuel  Jones, 
Allen  Butler,  Amasa  Wright,  Elias  Conklin,  George  Cat- 
lin,  Josiah  Holbrook,  Timothy  Cossett,  Israel  Mun,  Sal 
mon  Squiro,  Selah  Cook,  Elijah  Webb,  Nathan  Davis, 
Obed  Handy,  Haven  Webster,  Asher  Frost,  Ebenezer 
Hay,  John  Willard,  Daniel  Tibbals,  Rnpell  Clark,  Abel" 
Bigclow,  Orange  King,  Dix  Hoar,  Daniel  C.  Judd,  John 
Baar,  James  Price,  Ezra  Hart,  Meigs  Brown,  Ezekiel 
Webster,  John  Fowler,  Jonas  C.  Leland,  Harvey  Luce, 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION.  161 

James  Griffin,  Jr.,  Joseph  Mather,  Benjamin  Butler,  Heze- 
kiah  Dodge,  William  Miller,  Joseph  Shattuck,  Joseph 
Luce,  Stephen  Hayes,  Levi  Farnham,  Isaac  Higbee,  Rod 
erick  Smith,  Richard  Crocker,  William  Howard,  James 
Beebec,  Epaphs.  Enimons,  Joseph  H,  Smith,  Isaac  Catlin, 
Isaac  Hall,  Artemas  Bishop. 

[Endorsed.] 

"Petition  for  an  Academy  atPompey,  in  Onondaga."  "Re- 
corded  March  15th,  1802." 


APPENDIX  NO.  5. 

This  article  of  agreement,  made  and  concluded  this  20th 
day  of  July,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  one  thousand,  eight  hun 
dred  and  seven,  between  William  Lathrop  and  George  W. 
Wood,  parties  of  the  first  part,  and  Manoali  Pratt,  Henry 
Seymour  and  Samuel  S.  Baldwin,  Committee  to  build  the 
Academy  in  Pompey,  parties  of  the  second  part,  witnesseth  : 
That  the  said  party  of  the  first  part  for  and  in  consideration 
of  the  sums  hereinafter  specified,  agree  to  lay  all  the  floors 
on  the  lower  story  of  said  Academy ;  to  make  all  the  inside 
doors  and  hang  them  ;  to  case  the  windows  on  said  story ; 
to  make  the  bases  and  sur-bases  in  the  several  rooms ;  to 
lath  the  several  rooms  on  said  story;  to  make  mantle-tree 
pieces  when  it  is  adjudged  necessary  by  the  Committee, 
and  closets  with  shelves  ;  to  make  the  tables  and  benches 
which  by  said  committee  shall  be  adjudged  necessary  in  the 
two  large  rooms  designed  for  the  public  school ;  and  to  do 
all  the  joiner  work  on  the  lower  floor  which  is  necessary  to 
finish  the  said  story;  the  same  to  be  done  in  a  plain,  neat, 
strong,  workman-like  manner.  The  making  the  outside 
doors  are  to  be  paid  for  independant  of  this  contract.  The 
said  parties  of  the  first  part  further  agree  to  make  the  stairs 
and  stair  case  in  said  building,  which  is  to  be  done  in  a  style 
and  manner  suitable  to  the  other  work  done.  The  mate 
rials  to  be  furnished  by  the  parties  of  the  second  part.  The 
work  to  be  done  in  sufficient  time,  so  that  said  story  may 

11 


162  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

be  plastered  this  season,  unless  the  said  parties  are  mate 
rially  delayed  on  account  of  materials.  And  the  said  par 
ties  ot  the  second  part,  for  and  in  consideration  of  the  work 
covenanted  to  be  done,  agree  to  pay  to  the  said  parties  of 
the  first  part,  two  hundred  dollars,  to  be  paid  in  obligations, 
which  obligations  are  to  be  warranted  collectable  by  the 
said  parties  of  the  second,  and  turned  out  to  the  said  parties 
of  the  tirst  part,  when  the  above  work  is  done;  the  said  obli 
gations  to  be  due  at  the  time  they  are  turned  out  to  the  said 
parties  of  the  second  part. 

In  witness  whereof,  we  have  hereunto  set  our  hands  and 
seals,  the  day  and  year  above  written. 

Sealed  and  delivered  in  the  presence  of  Henry  J.  Baldwin, 

WAI.  LATHROP,  [L.  s.~j 
G.  W.  WOOD,     [L.  s.] 

For  the  Committee,  S.  S.  BALDWIN,  [L.  s.] 

Agreed  this  2d  day  of  March,  1810,  to  relinquish  the  un 
finished  part  of  the  within  mentioned  job,  and  to  accept  of 
one  hundred  and  forty  dollars,  in  full  of  what  has  been  done. 
.$140.  WM.  LATHROI'. 


APPENDIX  NO.  0. 

This  indenture  or  article  of  agreement  made  between 
Henry  Seymour,  Samuel  S.  Baldwin  and  Manoah  Pratt,  of 
the  one  part,  and  the  severed  other  persons  whose  names  are 
hereto  subscribed,  witnesscth,  that  the  said  Henry,  Samuel 
S.  and  Manoah,  do  hereby  agree  to  procure  the  Academy  in 
Pompey  to  be  finished  and  completed  for  the  sum  of  four 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  And  the  said  other  persons  whose 
names  are  hereto  subscribed,  hereby  severally  bind  them 
selves,  in  consideration  of  the  said  undertaking,  to  pay  the 
several  sums  annexed  to  our  names  respectively,  to  the  said 
Henry,  Samuel  S.  and  Manoah,  in  our  obligations  for  the  said 
several  sums,  to  be  payable  on  demand,  and  to  be  given  on 
or  before  the  first  day  of  October,  1810.  Provided  that  no 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  163 

person  shall  be  bound  by  this  subscription,  unless  the  said 
.sum  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  shall  be  subscribed 
hereto.  Witness  our  hands  and  seals  at  Pompey;  and  wo, 
the  said  Henry,  Samuel  S.  and  Manoali,  do  agree  to  pay  the 
several  sums  annexed  to  our  names,  towards  and  as  a  part 
of  the  said  sum  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  dollars. 

Nathaniel  Baker, $30 L.  S. 

Rec'd  note  for  this.    Cr.  $5  in  full  of  Mr.  Baker. 

James  Wiggins,  Jr.  joiners'  work, $20 

raid  by  discount  with  D.  Wood. 

Ephraim  Bond, $25 L.  S. 

Rcc'd  note  for  $25. 

Joseph  Bennett, $20 

Rec'd  note  for$::0. 

Marovia  Marsh, $15 L.  S. 

Rec'd  note  for  $15. 

Augustus  Wlieaton, $30 L.  S. 

Rec'd  note  for  $30. 

V.  Birdseye,  §20 L.  S. 

Endorsed  on  Wood's  contract  with  Committee. 

Klislia  Smith, $10 L.  S. 

Rec'd  note  for  $10. 

Chester  Coe, $10 L.  S. 

Rec'd  note  for  $10. 

Timothy  Hatch, $10 L.  S. 

Rec'd  note  for  $10. 

Seymour  Coo, $10 

Rec'd  note  for  $10. 

Joseph  M.  Bostwick, $10 L.  S. 

Endorsed  on  Wood's  Contract. 

James  Chappet], $10 L.  S. 

Rec'd  $5.    Rec'd  note  for  55. 

Leonard  Hoar, $10 ,__L.  S. 

Rcc'd  note  for  810. 

James  Carr, $10 

Charg'd  J.  Cowan,  H.  Seymour's  Book. 

Abr.  Flaunt, $10 L.  S. 

Rec'd  note  for  810. 

Nathan  Williams, $10 

Rec'd  Cash  in  full.    Cr.  on  II.  Seymour's  Books  to  Academy. 

Titus  Marsh,. $10 

Paid   to   Bald. 

James  Tolman, $10 L.  S. 

Rec'd  D.  Wood's   Receint. 


164  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

Chester  Howard,  in  blacksmith  work, . $10 L.  S. 

In  Note. 

David  Hine, $10 L.  S. 

Paid. 

Luther  Marsh, $10 L.  S. 

Rec'd  note  for  $;o. 

Aaron  C.  Hoar, $20 

Aaron  C.  Hoar  has  paid  D.  W.,  ten  dolls,  same  endorsed  011  Contract  with  E.  W.,  the 
Committe, March  12.  1811.    Attest,  V.  B.    Remainder  charg'donll.  Seymour's  ac'i. 

Henry  Seymour  will  advance  one  hundred   dolls,  on 
condition  of  collecting  it  on  old  subscription, L.  S. 

Samuel  S.  Baldwin  will  advance  twenty-live  dollars,  on 
condition  of  collecting  it  on  old  subscription, L.  S. 

Chars:' d  to  S.  S.  B.  in  H.  Seymour's  Books,  April,  181;!. 

Allen  "W.  Heyden  $10  in  wood  work  to  H.  Seymour __L.  S. 
Stephen  Hall  has  given  his  note  for  ten  dollars,  $10 L.  S. 

Due  on  this  subscription  $5,  March,  1811,  including  notes. 

James  Higgins, - $20  00 

Victory  Birdseye, 20  00 

James  Carr, 10  00 

Nathan  "Williams, 10  00 

Titus  Marsh, 10  00 

A.  C.  Hoar, 20  00 

H.  Seymour, 100  00 

S.  S.Baldwin,__ 25  00 

A.  W.  Heyden, 10  00 

Stephen  Hall, 10  00 

L.  Marsh, 10  00 

Chester  Howard, 10  00 

Abr.  Flaunt, 10  00 

Leonard  Hoar,   Jr., 8  00 

Seymour  Coe, 10  00 

Chester  Coe, 10  00 

MaroviaMarsh, 15  00 

Jasper  Bennett, 20  00 

Kath.  Baker, 24  46 

Dan.  Wood  rec't 5  00 

do       do       do__  6  54 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNIOX.  165 

APPENDIX  XO.  7. 

Walter  Colton,  of  the  town  and  county  of  Onondaga  and 
State  of  Xew  York,  being  duly  sworn,  deposcth  and  saitb, 
that  he  was  an  inhabitant  of,  and  resided  in  the  town  of 
Pompey,  in  the  county  aforesaid,  at  the  time  a  petition  was 
in  circulation  addressed  to  the  Regents  of  the  University  of 
the  State  of  Xew  York,  purporting  to  be  irom  the  inhabi 
tants  of  the  county  of  Onondaga;  that  he  saw  John  Kidder 
set  the  names  of  a  considerable  number  of  persons  to  said 
petition  without  their  knowledge  or  consent,  as  the  said 
Kidder  then  said.  That  the  said  Kidder  then  applied  to 
this  deponent  to  set  the  names  of  other  persons  to  said  pe 
tition,  so  that  tlie  names  might  not  appear  to  be  in  one 
hand-writing;  That  this  deponent  declined  setting  the 
names  of  persons  to  said  petition,  believing  it  to  be  improp 
er.  That  the  said  Kidder  then  applied  to  Hezekiah  Olcott, 
who  set  the  names  of  a  number  more  to  said  petition,  but 
the  exact  number  set  by  the  said  Kidder  or  Olcott,  this  de 
ponent  does  not  recollect.  And  this  deponent  saith  that  he  is 
acquainted  with  the  persons  who  subscribed  money  to  build 
an  Academy  in  said  Pompey.  That  several  of  the  princi 
pal  subscribers  have  since  left  the  county.  That  Hezekiah 
Olcott  has  since  died  insolvent.  That  a  considerable  num 
ber  more  are  in  the  opinion  of  this  deponent  wholly  unable 
to  pay  the  sums  by  them  subscribed.  And  this  deponent 
further  saith,  that  he  hath  heard  several  of  the  subscribers 
who  are  able  to  pay,  say  that  they  were  determined  not  to 
pay  the  sums  by  them  subscribed,  if  they  can  avoid  it.  And 
this  deponent,  further  saith  not. 

WALTER  COLTON. 

Sworn  before  me  this  2d  day  of  March,  1802. 

MED  AD  CURTIS, 

Master  in  Chancery. 

(Endorsed,) 

"AfTt  of  Walter  Colton,    respecting  the  subscription   for 
an  Academy  at  Pompey."     "  Rec'd  March  15,  1802." 


166  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

APPENDIX  NO.  8. 

This  Article  of  Agreement,  made  this  25th  clay  of  July, 
1810,  between  Henry  Seymour,  Samuel  S.  Baldwin  mid 
Manoah  Pratt,  of  the  one  part,  and  the  several  other  per 
sons  whose  names  are  hereunto  subscribed, 

Witnesseth,  That  the  several  other  persons  whose  names 
are  hereunto  subscribed,  do  covenant,  each  for  himself,  with 
said  Henry,  Samuel  S.  and  Manoah,  that  we,  the  said  sub 
scribers,  within  six  months  from  the  date  hereof,  will  give 
and  execute  unto  said  Samuel,  Henry  and  Manoah,  our  sev 
eral  bonds,  conditioned  to  pay  the  several  sums  annexed  to 
our  names  hereunto  subscribed,  in  the  penalty  of  double  the 
said  sums  so  subscribed,  with  interest  on  said  conditions, 
payable  annually  at  seven  per  "cent.,  to  be  payable  on  de 
mand  ;  but  with  a  proviso  in  said  bond,  that  so  long  as  the 
interest  shall  be  perpetually  paid,  the  principal  shall  not  be 
sued  for  or  collected,  and  that  we  also  will  give  our  separate 
mortgages  to  the  said  Henry,  Samuel  S.  and  Manoah,  us 
collateral  securities  of  the  said  bonds,  on  good  real  proper 
ty,  unencumbered,  of  at  least  double  the  value  of  the  said 
several  sums,  situated  within  the  County  of  Onondaga. 
And  we,  the  said  Henry,  Samuel  S.  and  Manoah,  do  hereby 
covenant  with  the  said  several  subscribers  separately,  that 
we  will  hold  this  subscription  and  the  said  several  bonds 
and  mortgages,  in  trust  for,  and  for  the  sole  use,  benefit  and 
behoof  of  the  Academy  in  Pompey;  and  that,  so  soon  as 
the  said  Academy  shall  be  incorporated,  we,  the  said  Sam 
uel  S.,  Henry  and  Manoah,  will  transfer,  assign  and  set  over 
to  the  said  corporation  this  subscription  and  covenant,  and 
also  all  mortgages  and  bonds  that  may  or  shall  be  given  in 
pursuance  hereof,  and  will  also  pay  over  to  said  corporation 
all  sum  or  sums  of  money  that  may  or  shall  be  collected  or 
received  on  this  subscription,  or  on  any  bond  or  mortgage 
to  be  given  in  pursuance  hereof.  This  subscription  being 
for  the  purpose  of  raising  and  securing  a  fund  for  the  sup 
port  of  said  institution,  and  securing  the  same  on  real  pro- 
erty.  It  is  understood  that  interest  is  to  be  computed  from 
July  28th,  1811. 


THE    POMPEY    RE  UNION.  167 

Asa  Wells, Fifty  Dollars L.  S. 

Manoah  Pratt, One  Hundred  Dollars L.  S, 

John  Jerome, Fifty  Dollars L.  S. 

Henry  Seymour, One  Hundred  Dollars L.  S. 

Samuel  S.  Baldwin, ..... Fifty  Dollars L.  S. 

Daniel  Wood, 1 Fifty  .Dollars___lL.  S. 

Nathaniel  Baker, -Fifty  Dollars L.  S. 

Chancey  Jerome, Fifty  Dollars L.  S. 

Daniel  Tibbals, Fifty  Dollars L.  S. 

Ebenezer  Carr, T Fifty  Dollars L.  S. 

Charles  Morris, Twenty-Five  Dollars L.  S. 

John  Marsh, Twenty-Five  Dollars L.  S. 

Marovia  Marsh, ..Fifty  Dollars L.  S. 

Stephen  Tiffimy, Twenty-Five  Dollars L.  S. 

Joseph  Bennett, Fifty  Dollars L.  S. 

Conrad   Bush, Fifty  Dollars L.  S. 

Timothy  Hatch, Twenty-Five  Dollars L.  S. 

Elisha  Smith, --Fifty  Dollars L.  S. 

Daniel  Gillett, Twenty-Five  Dollars L.  S. 

I  will  give  my  bond  according  to  the  above  sub-  ~| 
scription,  but  no  mortgage,  for  Thirty  Dollars. 

"V.  Birdseye.  j    _L.  S. 

Leonard  Hoar,  Jr., Twenty-Five  Dollars L.  S. 

Aaron  C.  Hoar, Twenty-Five  Dollars L,  S. 

Ozias  Wright, Twenty-Five  Dollars .L.  S. 

Isaac  Hall, .-Fifty  Dollars.— L.  S. 

Silas  Park,. a Fifty  Dollars L.  S. 

True  W.  Cook, —Fifty  Dollars____L.  S. 

Lemuel  Cook, Twenty-Five  Dollars L.  S. 

Hezekiah  Dodge, Twenty-Five  Dollars '____L.  S. 

Amos  Abbott, Twenty-Five  Dollars L.  S. 

Joseph  Sacket, Twenty-Five  Dollars L.  S. 

Zadoc  Seymour, Twenty-Five  Dollars L.  S. 

Jacobus  DePuy, Twenty-Five  Dollars L.  S. 

Henry  Tiffany, Twenty-Five  Dollars L.  S. 

Ithamer  Coe, Fifty  Dollars.. <--_L.  S. 

Sylvanus  Bishop, .Twenty-Five  Dollars L.  S.. 


168  THE    POMPEY    HE-UNION. 

Hczekiah  Chirk, Fifty  Dollars L.  S. 

'Samuel  Dunham, Twenty-Five  Dollars L.  S. 

Artemas  Bishop, : iTwenty-Five  Dollars L.  8. 

Elijah  Wells,— Twenty-Five  Dollars L.  S. 

Timothy  Northrop, Twenty  Dollars L.  S. 

Abraham  Northrop, Twenty  l)ollars L.  S. 

Gideon  Morley, Twenty-Five  Dollars L.  S. 

€harles  Sweet, Twenty  Dollars L.  S. 

Samuel  Johnson, Twenty-Five  Dollars L.  S. 

Elijah  Owen,__      Fifty  Dollars L.  S. 

Timothy  Cossit, Twenty-Five  Dollars L.  S. 

William  Cook, One  Hundred  Dollars L.  S. 

OziasBurr, One  Hundred  Dollars L.  S. 

James  Lankton, Twenty-Five  Dollars L.  S. 

Samuel  Wright, Twenty-Five  Dollars____L.  S. 

Leonard  Lincoln, Twenty  Dollars L.  S. 

Ephriam  Cleveland, Twenty-Five  Dollars..    _L.  S. 

Lewis  Ixood. Twenty  Dollars L.  S. 

I  agree  to  <;ivc  my  bond  on  the  al>ovc  condition,"! 
but  no  mortgage,  for  Twenty-Five  Dollars. 

Ephriam  Bond,  j  __L.  H. 

Lcvi  Chase,  , Twenty-Five  Dollars L.  S. 

Titus  Marsh,..  Forty  Dollars-.    _L.  S. 

James  Carr, Twenty-Five  Dollars L.  S. 

Jpsiah   llolbrook, Twenty-Five  Dollars...  ._L.  S. 

Jonathan  Stanley,  Jr., Fifty  Dollars      ._L.  S. 

Augustus  Whcaton,__ Fifty  Dollars L.  S. 

Joseph  Bush, Fifty  Dollars L.  S. 


APPENDIX  NO.  i». 

To  the  Honorable,  the  Board  of  Regents  of  the  Unicertity  of  the 

State  of  New  York. 

The  petition  of  the  several  persons  whose  names  are  here 
unto  subscribed,  inhabitants  of  the  county  of  Onondaga, 
humbly  sheweth :  That  being  desirous  to  facilitate  the  edu 
cation  <>i  youth  in  the  languages  and  other  branches  of  use 
ful  learning,  and  being  convinced  that  the  establishment  of 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  169 

an  Academy  at  Pompey  in  said  county,  would  greatly  pro 
mote  so  useful  a  design,  your  petitioners  have  at  great  ex 
pense  procured  a  suitable  site  for  an  institution  of  that 
kind,  consisting  of  two  acres  of  land  near  the  centre  of  said 
town,  and  erected  a  large  and  commodious  "building  for  that 
purpose :  that  the  building  is  forty  by  fifty  feet  on  the 
ground,  two  stories  high  and  completely  finished  and  paint 
ed,  inside  and  out,  and  paid  for.  Your  petitioners  have  al 
so  procured  a  fund  of  one  thousand,  four  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars  to  be  subscribed  for  the  purpose  of  producing  a  net 
annual  income  for  the  support  of  the  said  institution,  and 
that  the  same  is  well  secured  to  Samuel  S.  Baldwin,  Henry 
Seymour  and  Manoah  Pratt,  as  trustees,  for  the  sole  use  of 
said  acadcjny,  at  an  annual  interest  of  seven  per  cent;  and 
that  said  Samuel  S.,  Henry  and  Manoah  have  become  obli 
gated  to  transfer  the  said  securities  to  the  said  academy 
when  the  same  shall  be  incorporated. 

Your  petitioners  further  represent  that  they  have  been 
encouraged  to  go  to  so  considerable  an  expense  by  a  resolu 
tion  of  the  Board  of  the  Regents,  of  the  15th  day  of  March, 
1802,  by  which  the  Board  were  pleased  to  resolve  that  they 
approved  of  the  applications  of  sundry  inhabitants  of  the 
county  of  Onondaga,  for  the  incorporation  of  an  academy 
in  the  to-,vn  of  Pompey,  and  that  the  said  Board  would  in 
corporate1  the  same  upon  satisfactory  evidence  being  given 
within  a  reasonable  time  of  a  compliance  with  said  resolu 
tion  of  said  Board  of  the  twenty-third  day  of  March,  1801. 
Your  petitioners  believe  that  1  hey  have  now  complied  with 
the  above  mentioned  resolution  of  the  twenty-third  of  March, 
1801 :  and  when  the  difficulties  attending  so  considerable  a 

O 

public  undertaking,  in  an  interior  part  of  the  county,  and 
in  one  so  lately  an  entire  wilderness,  and  when  the  general 
pecuniary  embarrassments  of  the  county  for  some  time  past, 
are  duly  considered,  your  petitioners  believe  that  the  com 
pliance  with  that  resolution  has  been  as  speedy  as  could 
reasonably  have  been  expected. 

Your  petitioners  further  represent  that  the   several  per- 


170  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

sons  whose  names  are  hereto  subscribed,  have  contributed 
more  than  one  half  in  value  of  the  real  and  personal  estate 
collected  and  appropriated  for  the  use  and  benefit  of  said 
institution. 

Wherefore,  your  petitioners  request  that  the  said  Acade 
my  may  be  incorporated,  and  be  subject  to  the  visitation  of 
the  Regents  pf  the  University  of  the  State  of  New  York. 
and  they  nominate  for  the  first  trustees  of  the  said  Acade 
my,  the  following  persons,  to-wlt :  Henry  Seymour,  Senior 
Trustee,  and  Samuel  S.  Baldwin,  Daniel  Wood,  Manoali 
Pratt,  Ithamar  Coo,  Asa  Wells,  Hezekiah  Clark,  John  Je 
rome,  Siias  Park,  Jacobus  DePuy,  Daniel  Allen,  Chancy  Je 
rome,  Daniel  Tibbals,  Joshua  Johnson,  Derrick  C.  Lansing, 
Benjamin  Sanford,  Charles  C.  Moseley,  William  J.  Wilcox, 
Johnathan  Stanley,  Junior,  Levi  Parsons,  William  Cook, 
Victor}7  Birdseye,  Jasper  Hopper,  James  Geddes :  which 
persons  we  pray  may  be  incorporated  by  the  name,  style  and 
description  of  "Pompey  Academy, "  with  a  condition  in  the 
act  of  incorporation  that  the  said  principal  sum  of  the  said 
fund  shall  never  be  diminished  or  appropriated,  and  that 
the  income  of  the  said  principal  fund  shall  be  applied  only 
to  the  maintenance  or  salaries  of  the  professors  or  tutors 
of  the  said  Acaclenv}'. 

As,  witness  our  hands  and  seals  this  llth  February,  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord,  one  thousand,  eight  hundred  and  eleven^ 

Amasa  Wright, L.  S. 

Daniel  Wood, L.  S. 

Norris  Case, L.  S. 

Geo.  Catlin, L.  S. 

Hezekiah  Clark, __.       .  L.  S 

Silvanus  Bishop, L.  S. 

Artemus  Bishop, L.  S. 

Henry  Seymour,,.  .  L.  S. 

«/  «/ 

Victory   Birdseye, L.  S. 

Elijah  Wells, L.  S. 

AsaWells__  .  L.  S, 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  171 

Nathaniel  Baker, - L.  S. 

Titus  Rust, L.  B. 

Daniel  Tibbals, l  L.  S. 

James  Carr, • L.  S. 

Jeremiah  Butler, L.  S. 

Daniel  C.  Judd, L.  S. 

John  Jerome, L.  S. 

Aaron  C.  Hoar, : L.  S. 

Timothy   Northrup, L.  S. 

Conrad  Bush,_. L.  S. 

Hezekiah  Lathrop, L.  S. 

Chancy    Jerome, L.  S. 

Jasper  Bennett, L.  S. 

Wm.  Cook, , L.  S. 

Ebenezer   Carr, L.  S. 

Josiah  Holbrook, L.  S. 

Charles  Morris, . L.  S. 

Allyn  Hedges, L.  S. 

Hezekiah  Hopkins, L.  S. 

John  Marsh, L.  S. 

Manoah  Pratt, L.  S. 

TrueW.  Cook, L.  S. 

Levi  Jerome,^ L.  S. 

Jesse   Butler, L.  S. 

Ezra   Hart, L.  S. 

Johnathan  Stanley,  Jun., L.  S. 

Nathan  Williams, L.  S. 

Jos.  W.  Gould, L.  S. 

Itharaer  Coe, L.  S. 

Lemuel   Cook, L.  S. 

Wm.  Lathrop, L.  S. 

Salmon  Butler, L.  S. 

ApollosKing, L.  S. 

Ichabod  Lathrop, L.  S. 

Stephen   Tiffnay, L.  S. 

Augustus    Whcaton, * •_ L.  S. 

Abel  Olcott,_.  .  L.  S. 


172  THE- POMPEY" RE-UNION. 

Thomas    Olcott, - L.  S. 

Solomon  Owen, : L.  S. 

Enoch  "Wilcox, L.  S. 

Joseph  Brusn, - L.  S. 

Jabcsli   Castle, L.  S. 

James Lankton, ,-_  L.  S. 

James  Higgins, L.  S. 

Joseph  Mather, L.  S. 

Henry  Tin-nay,. L.  S. 

Levi   Chase,- - L.  S. 

Robert  Swartmont, L.  S. 

Daniel  Hubbarcl, Li  S. 

Chester    Coe, L.  S. 

Moses  Lilly, L.  S. 

Samuel  S.    Baldwin, L.  S. 

Onondagass:  Henry  Seymour  being  duly  sworn,  saith, 
that  he  hath  examined  the  statement  of  facts  set  forth  in  the 
above  petition,  and  that  he  believes  the  same  to  be  true,  and 
further  says  not. 

HENRY  SEYMOUR. 

Sworn  before  me  this  second  day  of  March,  A.  D.,  1811. 

DANIEL  WOOD,  Justice  Peace. 


APPENDIX  NO.  10. 

He-port  of  the  trustees  of  Pompey.  Academy  for  1817. 

To  the  Regents  of  the  University  of  the  State  of  New 
York. 

The  Funds  of  the  Academy   consist   of  the  Academy  lot 

and  building,  estimated  at  $5,000 

Personal  Estate,         "  2,500 

Apparatus  and  Library,  estimated  at  150 

Real  Estate,  being  one  lot  in  Camillus,  5,920 

Amount,  $13,570 

The  teachers  are  Rev.  Joshua  Leonard  with  salary  of  $600 

Gott  '-<    '          300 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  178 

The  students  number  now  152;  of  whom  14  study  the 
learned  languages ;  of  the  higher  branches  of  the  Mathe 
matics,  and  the  others  Reading,  "Writing,  Arithmetic, 
English  Grammar,  Geography,  Belles  Lettres,  &c. 

REMARKS.  1.  The  building  is  of  wood,  50  feet  by  40 ; 
two  stories  high,  and  divided  into  seven  rooms,  viz  :  One 
40  feet  square  for  an  Exhibition  Room  ;  two  40  by  15,  for 
School  Rooms,  and  four  10  by  15  for  study  rooms,  all  of 
which,  except  the  Exhibition  Room,  have  fire  places.  Be 
sides  which,  each  of  the  long  rooms  have  stoves. 

2.  The  Real  Estate  consists  of  one  lot  of  land,  which  lies 
in  Camillus,  in  the  county  of  Onondaga.  This  lot  has  been 
contracted  to  be  sold  at  different  prices  from  9  to  10  dol 
lars  per  acre,  and  the  contracts  obligate  the  purchasers  to 
pay  the  annual  interest  and  instalments  towards  the  princi 
pal,  until  one  half  of  the  principal  shall  be  paid,  then  the 
purchasers  to  have  a  deed,  and  give  a  bond  and  mortgage. 

8  The  Personal  Estate  consists  of  Bonds  aud  Mortgages^ 
and  covenants  to  give  bond  and  mortgages,  on  interest  at 
7  per  cent.,  payable  on  the  28th  of  January,  annually. 

4.  Prices  of  tuition  are  :  For  reading  and  writing,  $1.50. 
English   Grammar  $2.50;  Arithmetic,  Geography,  Logic, 
Rhetoric    and  Belles  Lettres,     $3 ;  Mathematics,  Natural 
and  Moral  Philosophy  and  other  learned  languages,  $4  per 
quarter. 

5.  The  Apparatus  consisting  of  one  pair  of  Globes,    12 
inches  in  diameter,  and  two  large  stoves  with  pipe,  and  oth 
er  articles  of  furniture  for  the  school  rooms. 

6.  Average  price  of  board  is  $2. 

7.  The  tuition  is  estimated  at  600  dollars. 

8.  The  benefits  of  the  Institution  are  uniformly  extended 
to  families  which  are  unable  to  pay  the  tuition. 

Dated  at  Pompey,   in  the  county  of  Onondaga,  A.  Dpm. 

1818. 


Containing  Account  of  Settlements  and  Improvements,  its 
Geographical  Features,  a  History  of  the  Military 
Tract,  &c.9  &c.<  Edited  and  Compiled  by 
Ebcnczer  IZutler,  Member  of  Pub 
lication  Committee. 

GEOGRAPHIC  FEATURES. 

15Y   II.  1).  L.  SWEET. 

That  portion  of  the  State  of  NQW  York,  comprised  in  the 
original  township  of  Pompey,  lay  between  the  parallels  42C, 
51',  and  42°,  59',  20",  north  latitude,  and  between  meridi 
ans  75°,  54',  18",  and  76°,  11',  58",  west  longitude  from 
Greenwich. 

The  present  township  lies  between  parallels  42°,  51',  20", 
and  42°,  59',  20",  north  latitude,  and  between  meridians 
75°,  54',  13",  and  76°,  4',  52",  west  longitude.  Pompey 
Academy  being  located  42°,  54',  5",  north  latitude,  and  76°, 
1',  2",  west  longitude  from  Greenwich." 

The  name  given  by  the  Indians  to  this  region  was  Otc-ye- 
ya-ja-kc,  a  place  of  much  grass,  openings  or  prairies.  An 
other  name  given  to  this  locality,  not  often  repeated,  and 
about  which  there  is  much  superstitious  resource,  is  Otc- 
queh-sah-he-eh,  the  Held  of  blood,  a  place  where  many  have 
been'  slain.  (See  State  Gazetteer.) 

Pompey  is  a  part  of  the  Military  Tract,  and  was  desig 
nated  as  township  I^o.  10,  on  Surveyor-General's  maps  of 
surveys.  On  Saturday,  3d  day  of  July,  1790,  it  received 

;;;We  arc  indebted  to  S.  W.  Clark,  of  Syracuse,  who,  from  survey,  lias  given  us  Hie  de- 
t;rc"cs  of  latitude  and  longitude. 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  175 

from  the  Commissioners  of  the  Land  Office,  in  New  York 
City,  the  name  it  now  bears.  It  was  first  given  a  municipal 
government  as  a  part  of  Onondaga  County,  by  Legislative 
enactment,  in  the  year  of  1794,  in  following  words: — "All 
that  part  of  the  said  County  of  Oncndaga,  comprehending 
the  townships  of  Pompey,  Tully  and  Fabius,  together  with 
that  part  of  the  lands  called  '  The  Onondaga  Reservation,' 
bounded  northerly  by  the  road  leading  through  the  said 
Reservation,  commonly  called  the  Genesee  road,  and  west- 
erlv  bv  the  Onondaga  Creek,  shall  be  and  herebv  is  erected 

«/         t/  4         O  v 

into  a  town  by  the  name  of  Pompey."  By  subsequent 
Legislation,  the  boundaries  of  the  township,  as  then  fixed, 
have,  (in  the  years  1708,  in  1800  and  in  1825,)  been  changed, 
its,  present  boundaries  being  : — iSTorth  by  town  of  DeWitt 
and  Manlius  :  east  by  the  county  of  Madison  ;  south  by  the 
town  of  Fabius  ;  west  by  LaFayettc. 

The  township  is  located  upon  the  great  dividing  ridge, 
from  which  the  waters  iiow  north  to  the  valley  of  the  St. 
Lawrence,  and  south  to  the  Chesapeake  Bay. 

This  great  ridge  is  divided  within  the  township  limits,  by 
four  great  valleys.  The  first  on  the  cast,  is  on  the  east  line 
of  the  township,  cutting  entirely  across  it,  and  with  but 
very  little  inclination.  The  stream,  the  east  branch  of  the 
Limestone  Creek,  which  flows  through  it,  has  but  few  mill 
seats  on  its  entire  length. 

The  second  valley  lies  about  three  miles  west,  and  nearly 
parallel:  has  a  greater  inclination,  and,  although  the  valley 
extends  entirely  across  the  township,  a  portion  of  the*  water 
no'i's  to  the  south  !  The  stream  which  Hows  north,  has  at  one 
place  a  fall  of  137  feet,  perpendicular,  (Pratt's  Falls,)  and  is 
q':.itte  rapid  in  all  its  course. 

The  third,  or  the  Butternut  Creek  Valley,  lies  nine  miles 
west  of  the  east  line,  within  the  limits  of  the  township,  and 

has  but  little  fall. 

The  fourth,  or  Onondaga  Valley,  lies  about  four  miles 
east  of  the  western  boundary,  and  four  miles  from  Butter- 


170  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

nut  Creek  Valley,  and  within  the  limits  of  the  township 
has  fall  sufficient  only  for  two  or  three  water  powders. 

The  greater  portion  of  the  township  lies  on  three,  a  small 
portion  however,  on  a  fourth,  of  hills  or  ridges,  the  axis  of 
which  are  nearly  due  north  and  south. 

The  first,  or  the  one  on  the  east,  has  an  altitude  of  nearly 
1,200  feet  above  tide  water,  or  800  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  Erie  Canal,  at  Syracuse. 

The  second  attains  an  altitude  of  1,743  feet  above  tide 
water.  This  point  is  in  the  cemetery  at  Pompey  Hill. 

The  third  attains,  near  the  village  of  Lafayette,  an  eleva 
tion  of  from  1,400  to  1,500  feet. 

The  fourth,  or  Bear  Mountain,  is  but  little  less  in  altitucte 
than  Pompey  Hill. 

The  slopes  of  all  these,  except  the  last  named,  are  not 
steep,  and  were  originally  covered  with  a  heavy  growth  of 
timber — mostly  deciduous  trees. 

Carpenter's  Pond,  which  lies  in  the  second  valley,  and 
from  which  the  water  flows  south,  is  the  only  natural|body 
of  water. 

Swamps  are  few  and  small ;  as  also  are'gulfs  and  ravines. 
There  are  not,  it  is  probable,  1,200  acres  of  the  60,000  in 
the  original  township,  that  may  not  be  cultivated. 

The  soil  is  chiefly  a  clayey  loam.  Eighty  years  tillage 
lias  proved  it  of  excellent  quality. 

In  the  northern  part,  a  small  quantity  of  limestone  shows 
at  the  surface. 

The  surface,  however,  is  generally  underlaid  by  the  Ham 
ilton  group  of  sholes,  while  upon  the  extreme  highest  por 
tions,  Genesee  slate  is  found. 

The  climate  is  subject  to  sudden  changes,  and  is  particu 
larized  by  high  winds;  the  average  temperature  is  lower  by 
3J  degrees,  than  the  general  average  of  the  State.  In  the 
village  of  Pompey,  on  Pompey  Hill,  the  wind  often  blows 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  177 

with  terrific  violence.  The  cool  breezes  of  summer  render 
this  locality  a  remarkably  pleasant  one  for  those,  who, 
through  the  warmest  months  of  the  year,  seek  relief  from 
the  oppressive  heat  of  the  city  and  valleys  below.  But  the 
high  winds  of  winter  make  it  at  times  a  situation  most  un 
favorable  for  comfort  or  pleasure. 

Although  the  annual  temperature  of  this  section  is  found 
to  be  lower  than  the  general  average  of  the  State,  and  veg 
etation  is  uniformly  backward,  yet  the  robin  appears  here 
earlier,  and  the  autumnal  frosts  are  later  than  in  many 
other  sections. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  healthy,  as  it  is  one  of  the  Idglmt 
inhabitated  portions  of  the  State. 

The  natural  scenery  is  rarely  equalled.  The  vision,  from 
one  stand  point  on  Pompey  Hill,  is  uninterrupted,  being 
bounded  by  the  horizon  at  every  point  of  the  compass,  and 
embracing  views  in  seven  different  counties.* 

The  landscape  consists  of  hill  and  dale,  placid  lakes,  dot 
ted  with  sail,  meandering  streams,  villages,  forests,  culti 
vated  fields,  beautiful  farm  houses,  steam  car,  together  with 
the  beautiful  city,  and  its  hum  of  busy  life. 

Within  the  present  limits  of  the  town  there  are  five  vil 
lages  containing  Post  Offices,  viz  : — Pompey  Hill,  Pompey 
Centre,  Delphi,  Oran  and  Watervale. 

There  are  flouring  mills  at  Pratt'a  Falls  and  at  Watervale,. 
two  manufacturies  of  edge  tools,  one  near  Delphi,  Samp 
son's  on  east  branch  of  Limestone  Creek,  and  one,  Wood's^ 
on  west  branch  of  Limestone ;  formerly  there  was,  as  will 
be  remembered  by  many  old  residents,  a  woolen  mill  four 
miles  north  of  Delphi,  one-half  the  way  between  Oran  and 
Delphi. 

Population  of  the  town  in  1875,  was  three  thousand, 
three  hundred  and  sixtv. 


*Onondaga,  Cor  bland,  Herkimcr.  Madison,  O -\vego,  Oneicla  and  Cayufa. 

12 


178  THE    POMPEY    HE-UNION. 

SETTLEMENT  AND  IMPROVEMENTS. 

POMPEY  HILL  AND  VICINITY. 

The  township  of  Pompey  obtained  great  celebrity  abroad 
at  a  very  early  period,  and  was  principally  settled  by  people 
from  New  England,  many  of  whom  took  up  their  residence 
here  while  the  township  was  a  part  of  the  town  of  Mexico, 
Herkimcr  County. 

The  first  white  settler  in  the  town  of  Pompey  was  Mr. 
John  Wilcox;  he  came  in  1789  from  Oneicla,  in  company 
with  an  Indian  Chief,  for  the  purpose  of  exploring  the  coun 
try.  He  made  a  settlement  near  an  Indian  orchard,  which 
was  located  about  two  miles  north  of  the  present  site  of 
Lafayette  village.  (For  these  and  further  particulars  rela 
tive  to  his  settlement,  see  Clark's  Onondaga,  vol.  2d,  page 
241.) 

The  first  settlement  made  within  the  limits  of  the  present 
township,  was  made  at  Pompey  Hill,  by  Ebenezer  Butler, 
who  originally  came  from  Harwington,  Conn.,  to  Clinton, 
Oneida  County,  in  the  year  1788  or  9;  remaining  in  Clin 
ton  till  1791,  he  left  and  came,  guided  by  marked  trees,  to 
this  place,  and  settled  on  lot  65,  which  tradition  says,  "he 
bought  of  a  soldier  fora  horse,  saddle  and  bridle. ' '  He  erected 
his  first,  a  log  house,  near  where  is  now  u  the  Stone  Black 
smith  Shop,''  and  near  to  the  spring  which  supplies  the 
watering  tub  in  the  present  village.  Here  in  the  same  year, 
1791,  he  moved  his  family,  consisting  of  his  wife,  four  chil 
dren,  his  father  and  a  maiden  sister. 

The  following  year,  1792,  his  brother,  Jesse  Butler,  came 
from  Connecticut,  and  buying  100  acres  of  him,  on  the 
north  half  of  his  lot,  made  a  small  clearing  and  put  up  a  log- 
house  on  a  knoll  about  80  rods  north  of  the  present  site  of 
the  M.  E.  Church.  He  returned  to  Connecticut  in  the  fall, 
and  in  the  month  of  April,  1793,  in  company  with  George 
Catlin  and  their  fainiles,  on  an  ox  sled,  came  back  and  made 
this  his  residence.  Mr.  Catlin,  having  bought  of  his  broth- 


UNIVERSITY 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION. 

er-in-law,  Ebenezer  Butler,  Jr.,  100  acres,  near  the  south 
side  of  his,  (Butler's)  section,  settled  on  the  same,  and  af 
terwards  kept  the  first  tavern  that  was  opened  in  this  vicin 
ity.  His  house  was  located  a  little  south  of  the  one  lately 
occupied  by  Judge  Asa  Wells. 

Jacob  Hoar  came  from  Onondaga  in  the  spring  of  1793, 
iind  settled  on  lot  48,  near  a  spring  of  water,  at  the  first  four 
corners  on  the  road  leading  from  the  village  of  Pompey  to 
Jamesville. 

Here,  afterwards,  about  1800,  was  found  something  of  a 
village,  named  Loy  City,  which  grew  to  contain  ultimately, 
a  store  and  ashen*,  owned  by  Justice  Fowler,  (uncle  to  O. 
S.  Fowler,  of  Xew  York,)  a  shoe  shop  and  tannery,  a  turn 
ing  lathe,  a  school  house,  together  with  a  respectable  num 
ber  of  settlers  Log  City  and  the  Hill  were,  for  a  time, 
rival  settlements. 

In  the  year  1794,  Messrs.  Jerome  &  Smith  came  from 
Massachusetts  and  settled  on  lot  number  85,  which  is  the 
lot  first  but  one,  south  of  that  on  which  the  Butlers  had 
settled. 

In  1797,  Kbenezer  Butler,  Jr.,  or,  as  he  was  afterwards 
viore  familiarly  known,  Judge  Butler,  built  the  first  framed 
house  that  was  raised  in  the  vicinity  of  Pompey  Hill.  This 
\vas  located  on  the  west  side  of  what  is  now  the  public 
s  jiiare,  and  on  the  present  site  of  Hon.  Manoah  Pratt's 
dwelling,  formerly  Handy's  tavern.  The  next  year,  1798, 
he  erected  for  his  father  a  house,  on  the  present  site  of  the 
wagon  shop  so  long  owned  and  occupied  by  Joseph  Beach. 
In  the  same  year,  his  brother,  Jesse  Butler,  built  a  frame 
house  on  the  site  where  the  M.  E.  Church  now  stands. 

On  the  corner  where  the  public  house  is  now  standing, 
Truman  Lewis  had,  before  1800,  built  a  small  frame  house 
and  opened  a  tavern.  From  that  day  till  this,  there  has 
been  a  house  of  entertainment  kept  in  that  place.  A  part 
of  the  house  located  near  the  Disciple's  Church,  and  when 
taken  down  a  few  years  since  was  owned  by  Mrs.  Orr,  was 


180  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNIOX. 

a  part  of  the  house  built  by  Mr.  Lewis,  and,  together  with 
part  ot  the  frame  of  Mr.  Pratt's  house,  (Handy 's  tavern,) 
and  a  barn  situated  on  the  place  so  long  occupied  by  Cal 
vin  Dean,  are  the  oldest  frames  recently  standing  in  the 
village,  or  this  locality. 

North  from  the  village,  on  the  Pompey  and  Manlius  road, 
near  the  barn  on  the  land  owned  by  David  King,  was  locat 
ed  Nathan  Davis.  From  him  the  farm  passed  to  Victory 
Birdseye,  Esq.;  thence  to  Ansel  Jones ;  thence  to  Mr.  Gso. 
E.  "Wells;  and  thence  to  David  King.  A  gentleman  by  the 
name  of  Mills,  a  tailor  by  trade,  lived  north  of  Davis,  on 
the  knoll  by  the  "old  thorn  tree." 

Farther  north,  and  next  neighbor,  on  a  fifty  acre  lot,  set 
tled  John  Bars,  a  Hessian,  one  of  the  thousand  taken  pris 
oner  by  Washington,  at  Trenton,  in  1776.  Bars  remained 
for  a  time  ;  he  sold  to  Mr.  Anger,  from  whom  the  farm  ha.- 
passed  successively,  to  Capt.  Ebenezer  Carr,  to  Messrs. 
Smith,  Handy,  Wicks,  Wells  and  to  its  present  owner,  Da 
vid  King. 

The  next  farm  north  was  owned  by  the  Lillys,  who  re 
sided  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  near  Mr.  Wells'  house.  And, 
on  the  top  of  the  hill  they  built  a  blacksmith  shop,  and  were 
for  a  long  time  the  only,  as  they  were  the  first  blacksmiths 
who  carried  on  this  business  in  the  locality. 

On  the  farm  now  owned  by  Randolph  Beard,  and  where 
he  resides,  was  located  as  early  as  1800,  Mr.  Orsemus  Bow 
ers.  Before  this  date  it  had  been  owned  by  one  Bond,  who 
also  worked  at  blacksmithing.  From  Mr.  Bond  the  farm 
passed  to  Capt.  Carr,  and  to  Beach  Beard,  father  to  present 
owner. 

Mr.  Orsborn,  a  carpenter, and  the  first  in  the  place,  settled 
on  the  farm  formerly  owned  and  occupied  by  Augustus  W. 
Chappell.  Mr.  Orsborn  sold  to  Mr.  Fisher,  who  sold  to  Mr. 
ChappelPs  father,  from  whom  it  passed  to  the  son.  Fir^t 
north  from  Mr.  Chappell,  on  hill  opposite  stone  quarry,  was 
one  Foster.  At  the  four  corners,  beyond,  was  first  located 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  181 

James  and  Samuel  Curry.  They  sold  to  "  The  M'Keevers." 
Augustus  Wheaton  afterwards  came  into  possession,  buying, 
we  think,  of  McKcever.  Between  Foster  and  Curry  on 
west  side  of  road,  was  Mr.  "White,  who  married  a  sister  of 
Jacob  Hoar. 

At  a  later  day  than  1800,  Morton  Bostwick  was  settled, 
on  corner  opposite  Augustus  Wheaton.  On  the  place  now 
owned  by  Jas.  VanBrocklin,  first  settled  Mr.  Sandiman  Cul 
ver,  who  sold  to  Mr.  Jakway,  from  whom  it  passed  to  Jas 
per  Bennett,  to  Isaac  Wicks  and  to  Mr.  Van  Brocklin. 
Where  Nicholas  VanPatten  now  resides,  Jacob  Hoar  settled. 
His  first  house  however,  was  on  the  side  west  of  the  road, 
near  to  a  spring  of  water,  as  it  was  the  aim  of  the  early  set- 
tiers  to  locate  at  or  near  a  spring,  that  water  could  easily  "be 
obtained.  The  first  well  that  was  dug  in  the  village,  was  by 
Truman  Lewis,  and  has  since  been  filled. 

Where  now  lives  Messrs.  Cramer  Johnson  and  Eli  An 
derson,  were  located  two  brothers,  Abel  and  Thos.  Orcutt, 
and  on  the  farm  of  Hiram  Butts,  lived  Daniel  Webster. 
Obed  Handy  lived  on  the  farm  of  Ira  Anderson,  whose 
grandfather  bought  of  Handy. 

Mr.  Timothy^Cossitt,  Sen.,  lived  on  the  farm,  so  long 
owned  by  his  son  Calvin  Cossett.  Benjamin  Butler  and  his 
son  Salmon,  settled  opposite  the  farm  so  long  owned  by 
Rensselaer  Johnson.  They  owned  at  first  the  farm  of  Mr. 
Johnson,  and  sold  to  his  father,  Rufus  Johnson,  who  mar 
ried  Mary,  sister  of  Judge  Butler. 

The  Butlers  sold  to  Ami  Butler,  son  of  Benjamin,  a  farm, 
which  forms  a  part  of  that  now  owned  by  Mr.  Doolett. .  Ami 
settled  near  where  _;  is  now  Mr.  Doolett's  house.  Across 
from  Butler's,  Dea.  Ezra  Hart  made  a  settlement.  His 
house  took  fire  from  some  cause,  and  burned  to  the  ground, 
the  kDeacon  loosing  nearly  every  article  of  furniture  and 
wearing  apparel  he  possessed.  He  afterwards  built  anoth 
er  house,  and  after  occupying  it  a  few  years,  sold  it  to  Jesse 
Butler,  who  occupied  it  till  about  1847  or  8. 


182  THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION. 

Dr.  Walter  Colton,  the  first  resident  physician,  settled  on 
the  farm,  and  had  at  that  time,  a  house  situated  a  little  north 
of  the  one  now  owned  by  Geo.  Wells.  He  sold  to  Edward 
Boylston,  a  silver-smith,  who  for  a  time  carried  on  his  trade 
in  that  place ;  Boylston  sold  to  Rev.  Hugh  Wallace,  one  of 
the  first  settled  ministers  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  It  is 
just  to  remark,  that  Rev.  Mr.  Gilbert,  who  settled  near  where 
Mr.  Albert  Butterfield  lived,  and  where  Mr.  Blair  now  lives, 
was  at  Pompey,  and  preached  to  the  settlers  before  the  set 
tlement  of  Mr.  Wallace,  which  occurred  in  1801.  So  was 
also  a  Mr.  Williston,  1798.  Mr.  Gilbert  lies  buried  in  the 
cemetery  at  Pompey  Hill.  Mr.  Daniel  Gillett  settled  and 
built  a  log  house  near  where  Mr.  Seubal  Knight  lives. 
Samuel  Johnson  bought  and  made  a  clearing,  where  Daniel 
Marsh  lived  at  the  time  of  his  death.  In  1805,  he  sold  to 
Asa  Wells,  who  built  a  house  and  lived  a  little  east,  and 
back  from  the  road.  Mr.  Wells  sold  to  Judge  Butler,  or 
rather  exchanged  for  100  acres,  the  farm  now  owned  by  the 
Ryan  estate,  situated  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  directly  east  from 
the  village. 

Mr.  Win.  Lathrop  resided  where  Frank  Porter  now  lives. 
Mr.  Lathrop  drew  the  plan  for,  and  framed  the  "  Old  Acad 
emy"  building.  Opposite  Mr.  Lathrop,  lived  one  Titus  Rust, 
a  shoemaker,  who  afterwards  sold  to  Mr.  Marovia  Marsh. 
Farther  south,  where  Calvin  Dean  lived,  was  Xatkaniel 
Brace;  nearly  opposite,  lived  Gad  Loveland ;  farther  south, 
(and  where  is  now  a  few  apple  trees,  beyond  the  Wells' 
house,)  lived  George,  afterwards  Maj.  Catlin,  who,  as  before 
stated,  kept  the  first  public  house  in  the  place. 

Where  Robert  Ellis  recently  lived,  Jas.  Cravatt  settled. 
He,  very  soon,  sold  to  Chauncey  Jerome,  who  lived  upon 
the  lot  till  his  death.  Next  south,  lived  Jas.  Lankland. 
Where  Ira  Ellis  lately  lived,  Capt.  Sely  Castle  made  a  clear 
ing  and  built  a  house.  Where  Eli  Pratt  lives,  was  Jabez, 
afterwards  Gen.  Castle.  Mr.  Godfrey  Williston  settled 
where  Mr.  Guynn  lived.  Mr.  Williston  bought  of  one  Doty, 
who  first  settled  upon  the  farm.  Mr.  Urial  Wilson  was  on 


THE    POMPEY    HE-UNION.  18-5 

the  farm  now  owned  by  his  son-in-law,  Truman  Woodford. 
Next,  came  Messrs.  John  Jerome  and  Joseph  Smith,  who 
came  to  Pompej',  as  before  stated,  in  1794.  These  lands  are 
still  owned  by  the  Jeromes. 

At  the  foot  of  the  hill,  on  the  road  running'  east  from  the 
cemetery,  where  Mr.  Elizur  Seymour  now  lives,  Sylvanius 
Bishop  bought  of  Cravatt,  and  settled.  Further  east,  where 
is  "  the  Bliss  place,"  Benjamin  Hopkins  settled.  He  bought 
of  one  Whitney,  who  had  built  on  the  site  of  the  present 
dwelling.  Isaac  Frost  settled  where  Maj.  Berry  now  lives. 
Beyond  the  four  corners  east  of  where  Frost  resided,  Mr. 
Curtis  located,  owning  the  farm  on  which  is  located  No.  8 
School  house,  the  farm  now  owned  by  John  VanBrocklin. 
Nearly  [opposite  the  old  Curtis  home  is  the  VanBrocklin 
residence,  where  Nicholas  VanBrocklin  lived  over  fifty 
years.  He  purchased  of  one  Campbell  the  father  of  Almira 
Campbell  referred  to  in  Mrs.  Ostrander's  letter.  On  this 
farm  Wm.  W.  Van  Brocklin  was  born.  Next  east  lived 
Elijah  Wallis  for  over  fifty  years,  and  next  on  the  north  sider 
Millard  Eobinson. 

At  and  near  the  four  corners,  at  the  top  of  the  hill  east  of 
Frost,  were  located  Deodatus,  Hezekiah  and  Thaddeus  Clark. 
The  first  two,  physicians.  The  last,  father  of  Grace  Green 
wood,  who  was  located  on  the  farm  next  west  of  Van-Brock- 
1  in's  at  the  corners. 

There  were  also  in  same  localit}^  south,  Berry  Davis,  the 
Judds,  Samuel  Dunham,  Aimer  Pratt,  Reuben  Billings  and 
Hanchett.  Further  east,  at  Wood's  Corners,  was  Wood, 
and  near  by,  were  James,  Noodiah  and  Epiphras  Olcott. 

North  from  Dr.  Clark's  was  Rev.  Mr.  Gilbert ;  since  Tim 
othy  ButterfiekVs  home ;  then  followed  Samuel  Flint,  Elijah 
Wells  and  Artemus  Bishop.  At  the  foot  of  the  hill,  on 
road  to  Cazenovia,  near  the  Pratt's  saw  mill,  was  Hooper 
Bishop,  who  only  a  few  years  since,  was  living  in  Michigan, 
at  the  advanced  age  of  over  a  hundred  years. 

One  Ackley  lived  west  of  the  mill,  and  afterwards  built 
the  house  occupied  by  Lewis  Pratt, 


184  THE    POMPEY   HE-UNION. 

On  the  farm  now  owned  by  Marshall  R.  Dyer,  first  lived 
Edward  Hoar,  who  built  a  very  substantial  log  house — the 
logs  being  hewn  and  made  square,  a  circumstance  quite  un 
usual  in  those  days,  Mr.  Hoar  sold  to  Mr.  Allen  Hay  den, 
who  sold  to  Miles  Dunbar.  Elijah  Howard  bought  of  Dun- 
bar.  He  sold  to  John  Todd,  from  whom  it  has  passed  to 
Pitt,  and  now  to  Marshall  E.  Dyer.  By  Pratt's  Falls,  Ma- 
noah  Pratt  and  the  Smiths — Jarcd  and  Roderick — "  took 
up"'  a  lot  of  land  one  mile  square,  and  settling,  built  a  flour 
and  saw  mills.  The  iirst  built  in  the  present  township  of 
Pompey.  These  mills  were  erected  in  1797  and  8. 

In  thus  giving  names  of  the  original  settlements  made, 
we  have  taken  a  circuit  about  the  village  of  Pompey,  and 
named  the  settlers  en  route.  By  this  review,  we  find  there 
were,  within  the  circle  thus  described,  as  earlv  as  about  1800, 
sixty  or  seventy  families. 

In  Clark's  Onondaga,  we  find  that  the  entire  population 
of  the  county  at  this  time,  was  1,036,  and  of  this  town,  309. 
Showing  that  nearly  one-third  of  the  entire  population  of 
Onondaga  Co.,  (which  then  embraced  Homer  and  Solon, 
now  Cortland  Co.,)  was  located  in  this  vicinitv. 

//  •; 

At  that  time,  what  is  now  Onondaga  Co.,  numbered  only 
885,  Pompey  containing  nearly  50  more  than  one-third  of 
the  entire  number.  Clark  further  says,  "At  this  time  such  ji 
vehicle  as  a  horse  wagon  was  not  in  existence  in  this  town 
or  county;  and  the  visiting  was  done  mostly  in  winter  on 
ox  sleds,  and  happy  and  rich  indeed  was  he  who  could  yoke 
a  pjiir  of  oxen  of  his  own,  make  his  way  through  the  woods 
with  wife  and  child  or  two  on  the  sled,  on  an  evening's  visit 
to  a  neighbor's  several  miles  distant — in  fact,  such  a  man 
was  consideicd  in  rather  opulent  circumstances:  and  too,  it 
was  no  disparagement  for  the  belles  and  beaux  of  that  day 
to  attend  singing  school  or  spinning  bee  on  the  ox  sled." 

Within  the  next  few  years  many  changes  took  place;  set 
tlers  came  in  rapidly;  a  very  thriving  community  was  estab 
lished  at  what  was  then  called  Butler's  Hill.  Besides  those 


THE    POMPEY    HE-UNION.  185 

already  named  we  find  named  by  Clark,  the  following  par 
ties  who  had  settled  in  the  town,  "  True  Worthy  and  Selah 
Cook,  the  Ilolbrooks,  Hibbards,  Hinsdalcs,  Messengers, 
Westerns,  Aliens  and  Burrs/'' 

But,  during  the  advancement  of  the  community  to  this 
time,  the  trials  attendant  upon  the  emigration  of  the  set 
tlers,  the  deprivations  necessary  to  be  endured  by  them,  in 
clearing  the  forests  and  commencing  a 'settlement  and  a 
new  home,  were,  by  no  means,  light.  Coming  as  many  or 
nearly  all  of  them  did  from  Mass,  and  Conn.,  where  they 
had  enjoyed  the  comforts  of  a  home  in  a  comparatively  old 
settled  country  ;  churches,  schools,  stores,  mills,  good  roads, 
warm  and  comfortable  dwellings,  1he  social  circle,  and  allot' 
the  comforts  which  a  long  established  community  enjoy ; 
and  breaking  aloof  from  these,  and  cither  on  foot,  with  axe 
across  the  shoulder,  or  with  the  family  and  family  effects 
upon  an  o\'-sled  or  cart,  often  bidding  adieu  to  friends 
and  kindred,  they  took  up  their  line  of  march  for  this  the 
then  far  West.  To  do  this,  and  under  circumstances  so 
unfavorable,  was  not  so  pleasant  a  task  as  we,  viewing  it 
from  our  present  stand-point,  in  days  of  rail  roads  and 
telegraphs,  might  suppose  it  to  have  been. 

A  journey  then  to  c<  the  West,''  was  further  than  that  of 
to-day,  to  California  or  to  Oregon. 

The  "  Xorth  River"  then,  was  a  distance  so  far  from 
luine.  that  the  criminal  who  should  escape  to  it,  was  safe 
from  his  pursuers.  And  Xew  York  arid  Albany  were  places 
farther,  apparently,  from  them,  than  Pike's  Peak  or  San- 
Francisco  from  us  to-day  ! 

When  they  were  about  to  leave  on  their  journey,  the 
friends  and  neighbors  for  a  great  distance  around,  met  at 
the  homestead ;  prayers  were  said,  psalms  was  sung,  and 
those  who  were  left  behind,  felt  that  those  who  had  gone, 
were  to  them  no  better  than  buried.  During  the  last  30  or 
40  years,  we  have  been  accustomed  to  witness  the  departure* 
of  friends  and  neighbors  who,  by  rail  road,  were  to  take 


186  THE    POMPEY    HE-UNION. 

their  departure  for  Wisconsin,  Minn,  and  California,  but 
never  with  feelings  such  as  saddened  the  hearts  of  those  who 
hade  adieu  to  those  who  were  to  he  the  first  settlers  of  this, 
our  native  town. 

]^ot  unfrequently,  the  journey  was  performed  by  our 
grand-mothers  in  company  with  their  husbands,  sons  and 
daughters,  much  of  the  way  on  foot,  beside  the  cart  or  sled 
which  carried  the  household  goods  ! 

As  the  young  of  to-day  take  a  retrospect  of  those  times 
and  trials,  and  of  the  journeys  performed  by  our  grand-pa 
rents,  may  we  not  learn  lessons  of  heroism,  of  self-denial 
and  of  devotion  to  the  best  interests  of  our  descendants, 
which  should  they  be  acted  upon,  would  somewhat  improve 
our  physical,  and  perhaps  our  social  and  moral  condition  ? 
Then  society  could  boast  of  men  and  women  possessed  with 
strong  physical,  and  often  strong  mental  abilities,  to  whose 
development  we  owe  much  of  our  present  prosperity  and 
happiness. 

We  can  hardly  realize  the  change  since  then.  Fancy 
yourself  surrounded  by  a  [number  of  little  ones,  cutting 
loose  from  the  enjoyments  of  your  present  comfortable 
home,  and  all  the  blessings  surrounding  you,  and  wending 
your  way,  not  by  the  comfortable  and  elegant  rai!  road  car, 
but  by  the  slow,  sure,  tedious  foot  or  sled-passage,  over 
rough  roads,  across  fords  often  deep  and  dangerous,  over 
causeways,  through  swamps,  through  dense  forests,  the 
home  of  the  panther,  bear,  wolf,  deer  and  Indian;  and,  by 
the  aid  of  marked  trees,  seeking  your  future  home  in  a  coun 
try  which,  because  of  these  difficulties,  is  far  from  friends 
and  the  comforts  you  now  enjoy;  and  in  the  lone  wood, 
stopping  to  rear  a  log  hut,  commence  a  clearing  and  the  set 
tlement  of  a  new  country.  Picture  the  gradual  completion 
of  your  rude  dwelling;  the  felling  of  the  trees;  the  clear 
ing  of  the  land ;  its  seeding  and  the  growth  of  the  little  crop 
of  corn  or  rye  that  is  to  become  the  bread  of  yourself  and 
family;  the  hollow  stump  or  mortar  for  cracking  the  same  ; 
and,  in  case  of  sickness,  of  the  silent  watch,  the  long  lonely 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION.  1ST 

trip  for  the  physician  and  medicine,  in  the  absence  of  neigh 
bors  or  the  possession  of  the  many  comforts  which  make  the 
sickroom  cheerful  and j:he  patient  comfortable;  the  anxiety 
felt  for  the  recovery  of  a  dear  friend,  it  may  be  wife  or  child  ; 
think  of  being  now  and  then  visited  by  the  prowling  wolf 
or  bear,  robbing  you  of  stock  whose  flesh  or  wooly  coat  was 
to  make  your  meat  and  clothing ;  of  the  trip  on  foot  for 
miles  through  the  forest,  which  on  every  side  surrounds 
you,  to  the  store,  the  shop  or  mill.  In  fine,  if  you  can,  think 
of  being  alone  in  the  wilderness,  with  naught  but  trees,  wild 
beasts  and  Indians  for  companions,  and  you  may  in  some 
small  degree  realize  the  position  and  painful  self-sacrifice  of 
those  who,  eighty  years  ago,  settled  in  Onondaga  county,, 
which  to-day  boasts  so  proudly  of  its  thriving  city  and  townsr 
its  broad,  well-tilled  farms,  its  teeming graineries,  its  large 
and  beautiful  dwellings,  and  its  one  hundred  thousand  popu 
lation. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  this  retrospect  made  by  us,  shall 
enable  us  fully  to  realize  the  debt  of  gratitude  we  owe  to 
those  who  cleared  our  forests  and  left  to  us  the  benefits  of 
their  labors.  And  in  so  much  as  they  labored  for  us,  and 
at  no  great  cost,  have  left  so  great  an  inheritance,  let  us 
guard  well  the  homes  they  made,  as  well  as  the  principles  of 
government  they  established  and  secured  to  us.  In  spite  of 
every  difficulty,  let  us  perpetuate,  as  far  as  in  our  power  it 
lies  to  perpetuate,  for  those  who  shall  come  after  us,  the 
same  homes  and  free  institutions,  unimpaired,  to  the  end  of 
time. 

Clark  says,  "  the  earliest  settlers  were  obliged  to  go  to- 
Whitestown,  Oneida  Co.,  a  distance  of  40  miles  to  mill. 
They,  however,  often  used  a  stump  as  a  mortar,  and  for  a 
pessle  a  hard  wood  stick  of  proper  dimentions  attached  to  a 
spring  pole,  for  the  purpose  of  breaking  corn,  and  other 
grain.  Marketing  and  trade  was  mostly  done  at  Whites- 
town,  old  Fort  Schuyler  and  Herkimer,  and  the  transporta 
tion  Avas  mostly  done  by  ox  teams,  in  the  winter  season." 

The  first   grist   mill  built  near  the  settlers,  was  that  at 


188  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

Jamosville,  in^l794,  called  Jackson's  mill.  "  The  first  mills 
erected  in  this  town,  were  at  Pratt's  Falls,  by  Messrs.  Pratt 
and  Smith.  A  grist  mill  in  1798  and  a  saw  mill  a  year  or 
two  earlier."  Mr.  Pratt  brought  the  material  used  in  erect 
ing  his  mills,  exceptingthe  hewn  timber,  from  Connecticut, 
hauling  the  same  on  an  ox  sled  or  cart.  About  the  year  1810 
or  12,  Mr.  Henry  Seymour  erected  a  windmill  on  Pompey 
Hill,  near  what  is  now  the  site  of  the  Roman  Catholic,  for 
merly  the  Baptist  church.  It  proved  a  failure.  In  a  year 
or  two  after,  he  built  near  the  site  of  the  first,  another  wind 
mill,  which  was  used  only  in  the  preparation  of  grain  for  dis 
tilling.  These  mills  stood  for  many  years,  and  till  about 
1838." 

The  teams  used  by  the  earlier  •  settlers  were  universally 
ox  teams.  There  were  no  wagons  in  town.  Only  a  single 
horse  or  two  ;  these  were  used  to  work  with  the  oxen,  and  to 
go  to  mill  or  to  store.  The  first  chaise  was  brought  here  by 
Judge  Butler,  from  Philadelphia,  where  he  had  purchased 
it  in  exchange  for  cattle  that  he  had  driven  thither  from 
Central  New  York,  to  sell. 

The  plows  used  were  what  they  called  "  The  Bull  Plow," 
made  of  wrought  iron.  The  grain  was  covered  by  means 
of  a  crotch  harrow  with  nine  teeth;  one  such  implement 
answered  for  a  neighborhood.  Scythes  were  brought  from 
the  East.  The  snath  was  a  straight  stick,  found  in  the 
woods.  Messrs.  Abram  and  Timothy  Northrop  made  the 
first  bent  snaths  manufactured  in  town.  Wooden  forks 
were  used  for  turning  hay,  Pitching  forks  were  iron,  with 
heavy  tines.  Theie  being  no  barns,  it  was  usual  to  stack 
the  hay.  This  was  done  by  means  of  along  handled  fork, 
•one  answering  for  a  community. 

Other  forming  utensils  were  of  the  rudest  fashion.  House 
hold  furniture  was  very  limited  in  quantity,  and  often  rude 
in  style.  One  table;  the  old  chest  with  drawers;  the  cup 
board  in  which  were  a  few  dishes;  a  few  chairs;  and  one- 
half  of  a  hollow  log  for  a  cradle  would  frequently  complete 
the  list. 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  189 

At  about  the  year  1800,  the  trading  at,  stores  was  mostly 
done  at  Manlius  Square.  The  first  store,  where  a  general 
assortment  of  goods  was  kept,  was  opened  by  John  Meeker, 
about  the  year  1803  or  4,  and  in  what  was  then  Col.  Hop 
kins'  Tavern  stand,  at  PompeyHill.  Before  this,  for  a  short 
time,  Truman  Lewis,  who  kept  tavern,  kept  also  afew  goods. 
And,  as  before  stated,  at  Log  City,  was  a  place  where  tea, 
sugar,  coffee,  &c.,  could  be  procured. 

Mr.  Meeker  was  soon  followed  by  Clarke  &Emmons,  who- 
built  and  used  for  a  store,  what  was  at  the  time  it  was  taken 
down  called  "Dea.  Baker's  Old  Red  House."  At  about 
the  time  Clark  &  Emmons  came,  Henry  Seymour  and  Orrin 
Stone  opened  a  store.  Clark  &  Emmons  in  a  year  or  two- 
left  the  place,  and  the  firm  of  Seymour  &  Stone  was  the 
principal  one  doing  a  mercantile  business  in  this  village  for 
a  long  period  afterwards. 

At  this  date,  the  cloth  (flannel)  which  had  been  woven  by 
our  grandmothers,  from  wool  they  had  carded  and  spun,, 
was  taken  to  Manlius  to  be  colored  and  dressed — this  mak 
ing  the  full  cloth  worn  by  the  settlers.  Some  of  the  fami 
lies,  it  is  related,  wore  deer  skin  breeches,  the  skins  having 
been  tanned  by  themselves ;  these  when  wet,  would  shrink, 
and  instances  are  cited  where  "boys  were  obliged  to  wear 
them  without  taking  off  till  they  became  dry."  In  time, 
other  fulling  mills  were  built;  one  in  the  hollow,  near  Miv 
Conrad  Bush's  place;  this  mill,  in  the  fall  of  the  year,  be 
ing  well  stored  with  cloth  from  the  vicinity,  took  fire  and 
burned,  together  with  its  contents,  causing  serious  loss,  and 
in  many  instances  suffering,  among  the  settlers. 

Mr.  Ezra  Dodge,  who  lived  on  the  farm  so  long  occupied 
by  his  son,  David  F.  Dodge,  was  a  wheel-wright.  He  used 
to  mend  cart  wheels,  to  make  plows,  &c. 

The  first  blacksmiths  after  the  Lillies,  were  Stewart  & 
Smith ;  about  1804  or  5  they  came  from  Vermont ;  they 
were  brothers-in-law ;  one  had  a  shop  near  the  dwelling 
which  Jesse  Butler  first  built;  the  other  one  nearly  oppo 
site  the  present  site  of  the  M.  E.  Church. 


100  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

Stewart  moved  to  Ohio,  and  Chester  Howard  came  and 
worked  at  the  business.  Merrit  Butler  and  Harry  Hopkins, 
who  learned  the  trade  of  him,  (Howard,)  entered  into  part 
nership  with  him,  and  together  they  conducted  the  business 
for  three  years.  Butler  bought  the  shop,  and  afterwards 
worked  at  the  trade  in  Pornpey  for  forty  years. 

At  about  the  time  this  partnership  was  dissolved,  Harry 
Hopkins  and  George  Merrill  entered  into  co-partnership, 
for  the  purpose  of  manufacturing  "  thirty  toothed  harrows," 
a  patent  for  which  had  been  obtained  by  Jacob  "Pratt  and 
Hopkins.  They  built  the  long  shop  which  was  located 
nearly  opposite  the  site  of  the  present  Disciples'  Church. 

Joseph  Beach  worked  at  this;  trade  on  the  Hill  for  many 
years.  He  also  carried  on  wa^on  making;  extensively. 

.»/  O  1}  */ 

Horace  Butts  and  Merrit  Butler  at  one  time  were  somewhat 
extensively  engaged  in  the  manufacturing  of  wagons. 

Mr.  Hurlbut  was  the  first  cabinet  maker;  afterwards, 
Henry  and  Hexekiah  Stevens  settled  in  the  village,  and  for 
many  years  conducted  that  business. 

By  reference  to  the  laws  of  1789,  chapter  11,  we  find  that 
authority  was  conferred  on  the  General  Sessions  to  organize 
townships ;  and  accordingly,  this  township  was  organized 
by  the  General  Court  in  session  at  Whitestown,  in  the  same 
year.  We  believe,  from  the  best  information  at  hand,  that 
for  a  period,  Pompcy  embraced  under  this  action  of  the 
Court,  all  tic  Military  Tract  bounded  on  the  west  by  Pre 
emption  line,  north  by  State  line  to  McComb  purchase,  east 
by  line  south  to  mouth  of  Chittenango  Creek,  thence  on 
line  of  military  tract  to  Chenango  River,  on  south  by  Penn 
sylvania  State  line.  Settlements  at  or  about  this  date,  1789, 
were  made  at  Horsehead's,  MorehouseFlatts,  Cayuga  Bridge, 
Chenango  Point,  at  Manlins  and  at  Pompey  Hill.  It  is  re 
lated  that  at  the  first  town  meeting  held  in  1794,  after  the. 
formation  of  the  town  by  direct  legislative  enactment,  there 
were  present  settlers  from  many  or  all  of  the  settlements 
.above  named. 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  191 

'"  This  first  town  meeting  was  held  at  Pompey  Hill,  at  the 
Louse  of  Ebenezcr  Butler,  Jr.,  April  1st,  1794.  Moses  De- 
Witt  was  chosen  Supervisor,  and  Hezekiah  Olcott,  Town 
Clerk,  Allen  Beach,  Wm.  Haskins,  George  Catlin  and  Eb- 
ouczcr  Butler,  Jr.,  Assessors,  Thomas  Olcott,  Jeremiah 
Gould  and  John  Lamb,  Commissioners  of  Highways.  A 
special  town  meeting  was  held  20th  September,  1794,  at  the 
house  of  Ebenczer  Butler,  at  which  Wm.  Haskins  was 
chosen  Supervisor,  in  place  of  Moses  DeWitt,  deceased." 
-(Clark.) 

The  first  lawyer,  or  rather  pettifogger,  who  came  to  Pom 
pey  Hill,  was  a  Mr.  Dunham,  a  man  whose  stay  was  of  short 
duration.  The  first  settled  lawyer  was  John  Keedar,  who 
came  here  before  or  about  the  year  1800,  and  located  near 
the  site  of  Pompey  Academy ;  he  and  his  brother  kept 
bachelors'  hall;  he  was  a  first-class  lawyer  for  his  time;  he 
was  a  German  by  birth,  and  because  of  a  failure  to  receive 
some  appointment  at  the  hands  of  the  State  Government, 
he  left  the  district  and  country.  He  was  succeeded  in  1806, 
by  Daniel  Wood,  who  bought  the  residence  occupied  by 
Keedar;  Mr,  Wood  continued  a  resident  of  Pompey  many 
years,  and  in  the  successful  practice  of  his  profession,  till 
Ids  death,  which  occurred  in  the  year  1838.  He  was  ap 
pointed  the  first  Post  Master  at  Pompey  Hill,  in  1811,  (pre 
vious  to  this  date  the  settlement  went  by  the  name  of  But 
ler's  Hill,)  and  he  was  intimately  connected  with  all  the 
early  history  of  the  village.  Almost  simultaneously  with 
Esq.  Wood,  came  Samuel  Baldwin ;  he  was  a  man  of  great 
promise,  and  obtained  an  enviable  notoriety  as  a  lawyer : 
his  office  was  near  where  is  now  located  the  watering  tub, 
and  in  the  north-east  corner  of  what  is  now  Mr.  O.  Jarvis 
Wheatoivs  door  yard  ;  afterwards  it  was  removed  to  the  site 
of  what  is  familiarly  known  as  "Esq.  Gott's  Office."  Vic 
tory  Birdseye,  in  1809,  settled  in  the  place  as  a  lawyer,  and 
a  partner  of  Mr.  Wood.  Daniel  Gott  afterwards  came, 
taught  school  for  a  time,  and  then  commenced  the  study  of 
law  with  Wood  &  Birdseye.  Then  followed  Chas.  Bald- 


192  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

wind,  Chas.  B.  and  H.  J.  Sedgwick,  Lucien  Birdseye,  Le- 
Roy  Morgan,  Geo.  H.  Williams,  R.  IT.  Duell  and  others, 
whose  name  is  legion — either  as  students  at  law  or  practi 
tioners.  "Win.  W.  VanBrocklin  is  the  only  lawyer  at  pres 
ent  located  in  Pompey ;  he  is  also  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

The  first  physician  in  the  town  of  Pompey,  was  Dr.  Hoi- 
brook,  who  settled  at  Pompey  Centre  in  1793.  The  first 
resident  physician  at  Pompey  Hill,  was  Dr.  Walter  Coton. 
He  was  followed  by  Daniel  Tibbals,  who  settled  here  in 
about  the  year  1800 ;  he,  Dr.  Tibbals,  spent  in  Pompey 
many  years  in  the  practice  of  his  profession :  he  left  the 
town  about  thirty  or  thirty-live  years  since,  and  moved  to 
Erie,  Pa.,  spending  the  residue  of  his  life  with  his  sons  in 
that  city. 

Coternpory  with  Dr.  Tibbals  from  the  year  1814,  Dr.  Je- 
liiel  Stears  has  been  a  physician  at  Pompey  Hill ;  he  is  still 
living  at  a  good  old  age,  and  has  not  entirely  given  up  the 
practice  of  medicine.  Dr.  Hezekiah  Clark,  in  the  year  1805 
or  6,  settled  east  of  the  village  of  Pompey,  and  practiced 
medicine  in  this  locality  for  a  great  number  of  years.  He 
was  a  surgeon,  serving  as  such  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 
Dr.  Rial  Wright  was  a  partner  with  Dr.  Stevens  for  a  num 
ber  of  years.  Dr.  L.  B.  Wells,  during  the  first  years  of  his 
practice,  was  a  resident  ph}*sician  in  this  place.  He  was  the 
first  Homo?pathic  physician  in  Pompey. 

Dr.  J.  Deblois  Sherman  settled  at  Pompey  Hill  about  1825. 
Resided  opposite  the  old  home  of  Marovia  Marsh,  where 
Frank  Porter  now  (1875)  lives.  Office  was  on  site  of 
"Beard's  stone  store."  He  ranked  high  as  a  physician, 
went  to  the  West  or  Southwestern  States.  Dr.  Tibbals  had 
a  Drug  store  just  south  of  Sherman's  office. 

The  early  settlers,  with  few  exceptions,  were  young 
married  people,  or  those  with  families  of  small  children  : 
and  they  early  perceived  the  necessity  of  establishing  schools. 
As  early  as  1794,  do  we  find  that  a  school  was  opened ;  and 
shortly  after,  a  house  was  built  for  the  purpose,  and  every 


CHVftCH,   FQMPEY  UII<L, 


THE   POMPEY   RE-UNION.  193 

advantage  possible  was  secured,  that  the  children  might  be 
taught.  Not  that  the  facilities  for  obtaining  a  liberal  edu 
cation  were  then  as  available  as  now,  but  such  advantages 
as  were  demanded  by  the  times  w^ere  procured,  and  the 
school  was  a  leading  feature  or  institution  of  the  community. 

The   first  school   kept,  was  in  a  log  house  located  near 
where  Mr.  Daniel  Kellogg  now  lives.     And  among  the  first, 
if  not  the  first  teacher,  was  Miss  Lucy  Jerome,  afterwards 
Mrs.  James  Geddes,  mother  of  the  Hon.    Geo.  Geddes,  of 
Camillus. 

The  first  house  built  for  school  purposes,  was  a  frame  one 
built  in  1798,  and  located  in  the  forks  of  the  road  on  the 
village  green;  in  the  rear  of  which,  was  the  first  grave 
yard;  afterwards,  the  house  was  moved  north  to  near  the 
present  site  of"  Gott's  office."  There  school  was  kept  for 
a  number  of  years,  till  the  Academy  building  was  erected. 
Then  the  "  Common  School"  was  kept  for  a  number  of  years 
after,  in  a  room  of  that  building. 

Among  the  early  teachers,  was  Miss  Hepsabah  Beebee 
and  Mr.  Lyman  Pitcher;  as  well  as  Mr.  Jas.  Robinson,  who 
first  taught  English  Grammar,  a  science  that  only  the  oldest 
and  most  advanced  scholars  aspired  to  study. 

As  the  interest  in  education  increased,  the  settlers  con 
ceived  the  idea  of  establishing  an  Academy.  And  as  early 
as  about  1800,  the  frame  for  such  an  institution  was  raised* 
and  in  the  year  1811,  was  incorporated  by  the  Regents  of 
the  University.  And  the  trustees  under  the  charter  held 
their  first  meeting  in  the  month  of  April,  of  the  same  year. 

The  educational  interests  of  the  people  seemed  to  be 
among  the  more  important,  and  whatever  was  done  by  them, 
it  is  evident,  they  meant  should  be  well  done,  and  that  the 
benefits  resulting  from  this  institution  be  not  for  them  and 
their  children  only,  but  for  those  who  should  come  after 
them  for  generations  to  follow.  * 

To  this  end,  they  saw  the  necessity  of  making  it  a  funded 
institution.  Citizens  in  the  vicinity,  and  for  miles  around. 

13 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

real  estate  made  contributions  to  it  of  from  50  to 
100  dollars,  and  upwards,  in  mortgages  on  their  farms.  The 
interest  accruing  on  the  same  to  be  paid  annually.  By  this 
means  there  was  accumulated,  together  with  that  received 
from  the  sale  of  Public  lands  and  other  sources,  a  fund  of 
several  thousand  dollars,  and  the  institution  has  been  able, 
(tho'igh  sometimes  lacking  a  sufficient  income  from  tuitions 
charged,  to  render  it  self-sustaining,)  to  support  itself  till  the 
present  time  ;  and  has  ever,  till  Academies  and  Union  as 
well  as  a'ood  district  schools  have  become  so  numerous  about 

D 

it,  ranked  among  the  first  Academics  of  the  State. 

Perhaps  to  this  school,  more  than  to  any  other  one  cause, 
do  we  owe  the  general  intelligence  of  the  people  of  this  vi 
cinity,  which  has  won  for  the  citizens  of  Pompey  so  fair  a 
name  abroad.  And  that  has  enabled  her  to  send  out  so 
many  sons  to  fill  positions  in  councils  of  the  State  snd  Na 
tion,  as  well  as  to  distinguish  themselves  in  the  law  and 
•other  of  the  learned  professions. 

The  men  of  those  days  seemed  to  believe  that  the  interests 
of  Education  and  Religion  should  go  hand  in  hand,  in  a 
c-ommunity  !  And  that  virtue  and  good  morals,  to  be  the 
result  of  th-.?  one,  should  be  taught  by  the  other.  Conse 
quently,  we  see  springing  up  simultaneously  with  this  in 
stitution,  one  being  a  part  of  the  other,  the  church,  where 
the  gospel  was  to  be  preached, — the  people  taught  their 
duties  to  their  Maker. 

The  first  organization  of  this  kind  was  what  is  known  as 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  properly,  "  The  First  Congrega 
tional  Church  of  Pompey. 

This  organization  was  effected,  October  19,  1796,  by 
Amcni  R.  Bobbins,  pastor  of  the  church  in  Norfolk,  Conn. 
The  membership  at  first,  consisted  of  the  following  twenty- 
two  named  persons  : 

MALES.  FEMALES. 

Ebcnczer  Butler,  Desire  Butler, 

.lames  Olcotf,  Dorothy  Butler, 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  195 

Benjamin  Butler,  Molly  Jerome, 

Joseph  Shattuck,  Lucy  Cook, 

Ichabocl  Latlirop,  Frcelove  Cook, 

John  Jerome,  Amarilla  Jerome, 

Trueworthy  Cook,  Lucy  Jerome, 

Selah  Cook,  Susanna  Carol, 

Levi  Jerome,  Hannah  Griffis, 

Moses  Lilly,  Zeruiah  Catlin, 

Daniel  McKeys,  Louisa  Butler. 

The  last  survivor  of  them,  Mrs.  Louisa  Butler,  died  April 
30,  1857.  Having  been  for  more  than  60  years  a  communi 
cant  of  the  church. 

Tho  number  of  members  increased  from  time  to  time,  till 
in  the  year  1834,  over  300  (305)  persons  were  reported  in 
good  and  regular  standing  in  the  connection. 

The  meetings  were  h'rst  held  in  the  school  house  that 
stood  in  the  fork  of  the  road,  near  the  centre  of  the  green. 
When  the  old  Academy  was  erected,  meetings  were  held  in 
that  building  in  a  room  suited  to  the  purpose. 

At  length,  the  congregation  becoming  too  large  to  be  ac 
commodated  there,  the  present  church  edifice  was  erected 
in  the  years  1817  and  18,  and  dedicated  in  the  year  1819. 

The  number  of  ministers  that  have,  since  the  date  of  its 
organization  been  settled  over  the  church,  has  not  been  small. 
Among  these,  have  been  some  of  the  best  and  most  talented 

O 

men  of  the  country.  The  following  is  a  list  of  names  em 
bracing  all.  or  nearly  all  Avho  have  survived  as  pastors  of 
this  church. 

Rev.  Mr.  "Williston, 1798 

"     Joseph    Gilbert, 1799 

"     Hugh  AVallis, . 1801 

"•   Jabez  Chadwick, 1812 

u     E.  S.  Barrows, 1822 

B.  B.   Stockton, 1829 

J.  B.  Shaw, . 1833 

"     Ethan    Smith, 1835 


196  THE    POMPEY    KE-UNION. 

"     John  Gridley, .   1836 

"     Asa  Rand, 1837 

"     Mr.  Wheelock, 

"     Clinton  Clark 1845 

"     S.  P.  M.  Hastings, 1848 

"     A.  A.  Graley, 1856 

"     J.  H.  Morron, 1862 

"     N.  Bosworth, „ 1863 

"     Mr.  Eggleston, 1866 

"     A.    Cooper, _' 1869 

"     J.  Petrie, 1872 

The  Baptist  church  was  organized  in  the  year  1817,  and 
at  one  time  was  equally  as  thriving  as  the  Congregational 
church.  But  owing  to  certain  causes,  the  organization  haj 
ceased  to  exist,  and  most  of  the  original  members  living  ten 
years  ago,  were  members  of  the  Disciples',  or  Christ's  churcL. 
an  organization  of  comparatively  recent  date. 

The  Baptist  congregation  first  held  their  meetings  in 
barns  and  at  the  private  dwellings  of  the  members. 

Among  the  early  ministers,  and  the  first  who  preached  to 
them  after  their  regular  organization,  was  the  Rev.  Freder 
ick  Freeman,  a  resident  of  Fabius.  They  built  the  church 
which  they  subsequently  occupied  in  the  year  1819  or  20, 
immediately  after  the  Presbyterian  house  was  completed. 

The  Methodist  church  was  organized  at  a  later  period. 
Rev.  Mr.  Torry  or  Father  Torry  as  he  was  called,  was  among 
the  first,  if  not  the  first,  minister  that  had  charge  of  this 
church.  Since  his  day,  the  church  being  under  the  super 
vision  of  the  Oneida  Conference,  has  received  its  ministers 
by  appointment,  from  the  Bishops  of  the  church,  and  ha.-* 
made  changes  regularly  as  per  rule  of  the  Itinerancy.  No 
denomination  can  boast  of  more  zealous  or  devoted  pastors. 
than  the  M.'  E.  church. 

This  society  was  first  formed  in  the  neighborhood  west 
of  the  village;  and  they  built  a  church  which  has  stood 
till  a  recent  clay,  opposite  the  dwelling  of  Mr.  Nelson  HalJ. 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  197 

About  the  year  1839,  the  house  of  worship  in  the  village 
was  erected ;  its  membership  may  never  have  been  very 
large,  but  it  has  embraced  some  of  the  pure  and  good  men 
and  women  of  the  earth.  Its  early  founders  have  gone  to 
their  reward  and  their  works  do  follow  them. 

The  Disciples  of  Christ's  church  was  organized  under  cir 
cumstances  which  are  fully  given  in  the  subjoined  paper 
from  the  pen  of  the  present  pastor,  Rev.  A.  S.  Hale. 

DISCIPLES  OF  CHRIST. 

Early  in  the  year  1833,  the  Baptist  church  atPompey  Hill 
was  left  without  a  pastor.  During  the  Spring  or  early  Sum 
mer  of  this  year,  the  church  formed  an  acquaintance  with 
Elder  J.  I.Lowell,  who  preached  before  the  church  several 
times  "  on  trial."  Though  a  Baptist  minister  in  regular 
standing,  he  was  not  fully  in  sympathy  with  all  the  doc 
trines  of  the  Baptist  creed,  and  he  so  distinctly  informed  the 
church.  He  was,  however,  nevertheless  employed  as  the 
pastor  of  the  Baptist  church.  At  the  time  of  his  "corning 
here,  Mr.  L.'had  recently  had  his  attention  called  to  certain 
ideas  that  he  had  once  held  as  true,  but  which  he  was  now 
firmly  convinced  were  errors.  Not  being  a  man  to"  hide 
any  truth,  or  cover  up  any  light  he  might  possess,  he  began 
at  once  to  declare  "  the  whole  counsel  of  God"  as  he  had 
now  come  to  understand  it.  Whatever  his  faults  may  have 
been,  his  great  thought — the  ruling  idea  indeed  in  his  mind 
and  life  was — God-hajs  spoken,  Id  His  word  stand,  and  His  will 
be  done,  though  all  humanisms  come  to  naught.  It  was  then, 
perhaps,  more  dangerous  than  now,  for  any  minister  to  ad 
vocate  ideas  not  contained  in  "the  creed." 

But,  regardless  of  creeds,  Mr.  L.  was  determined  to  fol 
low  truth  wherever  it  might  lead,  or  whatever  might  be  the 
consequences.  His  ministry  was  popular  for  awhile,  until 
it  began  to  be  whispered  that  he  was  a  "  Campbellite," 
whatever  that  might  be.  But  the  cry  of  "heresy"  now 
raised  with  reference  to  his  teaching,  could  not  deter  agoo,d- 
ly  number  from  accepting  the  truths  of  God  which  he  so  for- 


198  THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION. 

cibly  set  forth.  Nicknames  applied  to  truth,  will  not  frighten 
the  real  truth-lover,  who,  like  the  noble  Bereans  of  old,  will 
for  himself  search  the  Scriptures  to  know  what  they  really 
teach  and  require.  Many  persons  accepted  the  views  of 
Gospel  truths  presented  by  Mr.  L.,  and  many  warmly  op 
posed  them. 

Before  the  expiration  of  the  first  year  of  his  labor  in 
Pompey,  the  portion  of  the  church  which  rejected  these 
views,  closed  the  meeting-house  against  the  pastor.  The 
church  also,  as  its  records  shows,  (on  May  9th,  1834,  ami 
again  May  17th,)  excluded  quite  a  number  of  its  members, 
for  no  crime,  immorality,  or  unchristian  conduct,  for  no  overt 
act  committed  in  joining  any  other  society,  but  simply  for 
entertaining  new,  and  as  they  thought,  enlarged  views  ot 
Gospel  truth;  or,  as  the  record  states  it,  "for  embracing 
the  Campbell  or  heretical  principle.'' 

Early  in  1834,  several  persons  were  converted  under  Mr. 
Lowell's  ministry.  These,  together  with  those  who  no 
longer  found  sympathy  nor  countenance  in  the  Baptist 
church,  desiring  a  home  religiously,  were  necessarily  led  to 
the  formation  of  a  new  religious  society  in  the  place.  On 
May  3rd,  1834,  as  Ihe  records  show,  <fi  The  First  Congrega 
tion  of  Disciples  of  Christ  in  Pompejjf"  was  organized,  with 
twenty-eight  members,  whose  names  were  as  follows: 

Calvin  Peck,  J.  I.  Lowell, 

Asa  Wells,  Mary  P.  Lowell, 

Thos.  M.  King,  Eliza  Nearing, 

Alson  ^Tearing,  Polly  "Wilson, 

Charles  Little,  Mar}'  A.  Bush, 

Maleom  Bennett,  Temperance  Wilson, 

A.  H.  Squires,  Paulina  Talbot, 

Uriel  Wilson,  Jr.  Mindwell  Thomas, 

Samuel  Talbot,  Harriett  Pratt, 

Harry  Kuapp,  Catherine  Bennett, 

Willard  Hey  don,  Betsey  Wright, 

Darius  Wilson,  Rhoda  Parsons, 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

Jacob  Bush,  Polly  Thomas, 

Alvin  Talbot,  Mary  Knapp. 

Seven  of  these  persons  still,  (Aug.,  1873,)  remain  mem 
bers  of  the  church.  At  the  end  of  the  year  in  which  the 
church  was  organized,  there  were  50  members,  and  by  the 
end  of  the  next  year  (1835,)  the  number  had  reached  93. 

In  the  year  1837  the  society  built  the  house  in  which 
they  worshipped  until  1868,  when  a  new  church  was  built, 
the  old  one  having  been  sold  for  the  use  of  the  [District 
school,  in  place  of  the  school  house  which  was  burned  down 
on  the  night  of  Feb.  11,  1868. 

The  first  pastor  of  the  church  was  J.  I.  Lowell.  The 
first  Elders  were  Calvin  Peck,  Asa  Wells  and  Thomas  M. 
King.  Deacons,  Alson  bearing  and  Charles  Little.  Treas 
urer,  Malcom  Bennett.  Clerk,  A.  H.  Squires. 

The  following  ministers  have  served  the  church  as  pas 
tors  :— J.  M.  Bartlett,  M.  H.  Clapp,  M.  H.  Slosson,  H.  M. 
Selmser,  J.  M.  Shepard,  Andrew  J.  Smith,  W.  T.  Horner, 
L.  Southmayd,  J.  B.  Marshall,  J.  C.  Goodrich  and  A.  S. 
Hale. 

The  present  Elders  are  Harry  Knapp,  George  Nearing 
and  Lucius  Crandall. 

Deacons — IT.  Wilson,  J.  W.  Qarrett,  Morris  Bush  and  D. 
B.  Knapp. 

The  church  numbers  now  about  160  members. 

The  dead  were  first  buried  in  a  yard  located  on  the  pub 
lic  green,  and  back  of  the  first  school  house.  The  first 
buried,  were  two  children  of  Geo.  Catlin,  who  died  of  scar 
latina.  The  first  adult  buried  there,  was  Mrs.  Cravatt,  wife 
of  him  who  settled  on  farm  recently  owned  and  occupied  by 
Robert  Ellis.  Col.  Hezekiah  Olcott,  a  resident  of  this  town, 
an  officer  in  the  Revolution  and  a  surveyor,  while  engaged  in 
surveying  the  State  Road,  was  taken  ill  of  fever  and  died  at 
Pompey  West  Hill;  he  was  brought  to  this  village  and 
buried  with  military  honors.  He,  it  is  said  by  those  who 


'"500  •  THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION. 

-remember  him,  was  a  very  intelligent  man,  one  of  great  in 
fluence,  first  among  the  first  men  of  the  country ;  a  man 
much  loved  and  whose  loss  was  severely  felt,  not  only  at 
home  hut  all  through  the  county  and  central  portion  of  the 
State. 

About  the  year  1802  or  3,  measures  were  taken  to  locate 
a  new  burial  ground.  The  location  selected  was  opposite 
Dr.  Stearns'  present  residence,  and  the  bodies  that  had  been 
buried  at  the  place  before  named,  were  desinterred  and 
'buried  there.  On  reflection,  however,  it  was  determined 
•that  the  locality  was  an  unfavorable  one,  and  the  lot  was 
abandoned  as  a  burial  place ;  and  what  is  now  the  east  or 
back  part  of  the  present  beautiful  cemetery  was  selected, 
to  which  place  the  dead  were  taken  and  buried.  About  the 
year  1823  the  "  new  part"  was  purchased  of  Peter  Smith, 
father  of  Hon.  Garrett  Smith  of  Peterborough.  The  first  per 
son  buried  in  this  new  part,  was  Mr.  Daniel  Knapp,  who 
died  in  the. mouth  of  August  of  the  same  year  in  which  the 
lot  was  fenced,  1823  ;  lie  died  suddenly,  of  Billions  cholic, 
being  ill  only  a  few  hours.  A  second  "  new  part"'  situated 
north  of  the  first,  was  recently  added  :  and  the  whole  yard 
under  the  direction  of  the  present  incorporate  company,  is 
kept  in  most  plea-sing..order,  with  excellent  fences,  walks  and 
shade  trees. 

A.  complete  record  of  every  burial  is  kept. 

In  speaking  of  Pompey  Hill,  Clark  says  :  "  This  village 
was,  within  the  memory  of  men  still  living,  as  prominent  a 
place  as  any  in  the  county.  It  gave  more  tone  to  the  sur 
rounding  country  and  settlements,  on  account  of  its  refine 
ment  and  wealth,  its  intelligence  and  learning,  than  any 
place  in  the  vicinity.  People  came  here  for  legal  advice, 
they  came  here  for  medical  advice,  to  do  their  trading,  and 
they  came  here  for  fashions,  they  came  here  for  military  pa 
rades,  for  political  discussions  and  for  general  consultations 
of  a  public  nature  ;  they  came  here  to  engage  in  all  the 
events  incident  of  men  in  public  life." 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION.  201 

LA  FAYETTE— (POMPEY  WEST  HILL.) 

The  first  settler  in  this  locality,  was  John  Wilcox,  before 
named  as  the  first  settler  in  the  original  township.  He  set 
tled  about  two  miles  from  the  present  village  of  La  Fayette. 

The  first  settlers  in  and  near  the  village,  were  Joseph 
Ivhoades,  ApollosKing,  ZaraD.  Howe,  Caleb  Green,  Joseph 
Smith,  Dr.  Silas  "W:  Park,  Mr.  Owens  and  the  Bakers,  all 
or  nearly  all  coming  from  Chesterfield,  Hampshire  Co.,  Mass., 
in  or  about  the  year  1801. 

Rhoades  built  a  log  tavern  and  kept  a  public  house  on  the 
site  of  the  present  one.  He  afterwards  moved  to  Marcellus, 
where  many* of  his  descendants  are  now  living.  Mr.  Apol- 
los  King  did  not  remain  any  great  length  of  time;  he  set 
tled  one-half  mile  south  of  "The  Corners,*'  moving  from  there 
to  Otisco.  Howe  settled  near  an  ashery  on  the  Caleb  Green 
farm,  and  put  up  a  frame  to  a  house.  He  did  not  complete 
the  house,  but  sellinghis  improvements  to  Dr.  Silas  W.  Park, 
he  moved  to  Otisco.  Dr.  Park  finished  the  building  and 
'lived  in  the  same,  during  the  remainder  of  his  life,  a  period 
of. 24  years.  The  house  was  standing  in  1870. 

Joseph  Smith  settled  near  the  site  of  Dr.  Elijah  Park's 
dwelling:  he  was  a  farmer,  lived  here  about  20  years  and 

rill  his  death. 

Erastus  Baker,  the  first  of  the  family  by  that  name  who 
settled -in  this  locality,  came  in  1-801,  with  Stephen  ("En- 
.tfign.'')  Cole  .and  Rhoades,  and  settled  on  the.  hill  just  west 'of 
the  village.  In  1805  Setli  made  a  settlement  joining  Eras- 
tus  on  the  West,  and  Sydenham  located  to  the  north  of  him. 
Thomas,  in  1803,  settled  one  and  one-half  miles  southwest  of 
the  Corners,  in  what  is  now  called  Sherman  Hollow.  The 
greater  part  of  these  lands  remain  in  the  hands  of  the  Baker 
family  to  this  day. 

Joseph  &  Lemuel  came  in  1804,  but  made  no  permanent 
home  :  Joseph  moving  to  Otisco,  and  died  there.  Lemuel 
went  to  the  far  West,  and  it  is  said,  was  finally  killed  by  the 
Indians  in  Texas,  when  hunting  for  his  cows. 


202  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

Orange  King  and  his  brother,  (if  at  all  connected  with 
Apollos  King,  it  was  a  very  distant  connection,)  came  from 
Chesterfield,  about  1800.  They  settled  one  mile  north  of 
the  Corners.  There  was  another  brother  who  settled  one 
mile  west  of  the  Corners. 

About  the  same  time  Gen.  Isaac  Hall  came  from  Great 
Barrington,  Mass.,  and  settled  one  mile  south  of  Corners. 
on  a  soldier's  claim.  He  purchased  ten  or  twelve  hundred 
acres,  was  the  wealthy  man  of  Pompey.  It  is  said,  that  he 
brought  into  town  with  him  half  a  bushel  of  silver  dollars. 

He  gave  his  attention  to  the  raising  of  stock.  It  was  his 
custoaa.  to  let  to  his  neighbors,  and  to  citizens  elsewhere, 
cows,  sheep,  colts,  &c.,  to  double.  He  died  about  1826  or  7, 
being  worth,  it  was  said,  about  70,000  dollars. 

Joseph  S.  Cole  settled  half  mile  south  ot  Corners,  came 
in  at  an  early  day.  remained  a  short  time,  then  went  to 
Pennsylvania,  afterwards  returned  to  West  Hill  and  died 
here. 

The  first  and  only  licensed  lawyer  settling  at  West  Hill, 
or  village  ofLaFayette,  was  Samuel  Baldwin,  who  had  pre 
viously  been  located  at  Pompey  Hill.  He  remained  a  num 
ber  of  years  practicing:  his  profession,  afterwards  went  to 
Geneva  and  died,  while  living  with  his  daughter. 

The  first  resident  physician  at  this  village,  was  Dr.  Silas 
W.  Park,  who  settled  as  before  stated  on  3ST.  W.  corner  of 
Public  Square.  He  cleared  this  Square  of  forest  trees.  He 
practiced  medicine  during  his  life-time.  About  1814,  Dr. 
Chauncey  Williams  became  a  partner  of  Dr.  Park,  which 
partnership  continued  for  three  years.  In  1817,  Elijah, 
brother  of  Dr.  Silas  W.  Park,  came  and  read  medicine  with 
him.  Afterwards  was  his  partner  for  three  years.  He  then 
moved  to  Otisco,  where  he  remained  three  or  four  years, 
then  moved  to  Adrian,  Mich.,  where  he  died.  One  Dr. 
Squires  came  and  made  a  residence  of  two  years,  and  then 
left. 

After  Dr.  Silas  W.  Park's  death,  Dr,Ward  Bassitt,  of  Sa- 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION.  208 

Una,  came  and  made  a  stay  of  one  or  two  years.  He  then 
went  to  Cazenovia,  Madison  CD.  In  1825,  Dr.  Rial  Wright 
came  and  remained  one  and  a  half  years.  At  this  time  Dr. 
Elijah  Park,  son  of  Dr.  L.  W.  Park,  who  had  previously 
studied  medicine  with  his  father  and  uncle,  bought  of  Dr. 
Wright  his  ride,  paying  him  $150.00  for  the  same.  Dr.  W. 
went  to  Pompey  Hill,  and,  as  a  partner  of  Dr.  Jehiel  Stearn, 
practiced  medicine  in  that  village  and  vicinity  for  many 
years.  Dr.  Elijah  Park  has  remained  in  the  village  and  is 
to-day,  (1872,)  in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  Dr.  Lynian 
Rose  was  a  resident  physician  in  the  village  for  many  years 
prior  to  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1867. 

Lemuel  Smith,  father  of  Rev.  Marcus  Smith,  was  the  first 
blacksmith  settling  at  West  Hill.  Coming  about  year  1800, 
and  remained  till  his  death,  1817.  His  shop  was  located  on 
site  of  the  church.  His  anvil  was  situated  near  the  spot 
where  now  stands  the  pulpit  in  the  church. 

Morris  Clapp,  brother  of  Mrs.  Silas  W.  Park,  came  and 
settled  as  a  blacksmith,  in  1818.  He  worked  here  at  hi* 
trade,  45  years.  He  died  in  1870,  aged  76. 

Nathaniel  Stearling,  a  carpenter  and  joiner,  settled  on 
farm  now  owned  and  occupied  by  Luther  Baker.  He  built 
the  Baptist  church  at  Pompey  Hill,  and  the  church  now 
standing  in  this  village.  The  latter  part  of  his  life  was  spent 
upon  a  farm.  He  died  in  Connecticut.  He  was  connected 
with,  and  was  a  leading  man  in  the  church,  and  in  educa 
tional  matters. 

Before  Stearling,  J-am^s,  Asa,  and  Joseph  McMillin,  broth 
ers,  carpenters  and  joiners,  settled  about  one  mile  ST,  E.  of 
Corners.  Joseph  and  James  built  the  first  framed  hotel, 
and  the  one  now  standing  in  the  village  ;  Stoughton  Morse 
being  landlord.  The  first  hotel  was  built  of  logs,  and  James 
Higgins  was  landlord ;  this  was  in  about  1808.  The  McMil- 
lens  remained  many  years,  finally  selling,  moved  away  and 
died  in  different  localities  West  and  South-west. 

Dorus  Porter,  a  cabinet  maker,  from  1820,  lived  in  the 
village ;  was  Deacon  in  church,  now  lives  in  Michigan. 


204  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

Ansil  King  was  a  tanner  and  shoemaker  at  the  Corners, 
for  many  years,  a  prominent  man  as  a  mechanic. 

Caleb  Green  owned  and  gave  half  of  the  lot  now  used  for 
a  public  square,  Erastus  Barker  giving  the  other  half. 

Ansil  Smith,  Chas.  Jackson,  and  General  Hall  were  Jus 
tices  of  Peace.  (The  latter  a  number  of  years)  before  the 
division  of  the  township.  Col.  Johnson  Hall,  son  of  Gen. 
Hall,  was  sheriffand  member  of  State  Legislature.  He  was 
a  merchant  at  West  Hill,  carrying  on  a  very  extensive  trade. 

The  first  merchant  was  Stoughton  Morse,^the  tavern  keep 
er.  Had  a  little  store  the  first  at  the  Corners,  in  connection 
with  his  hotel,  in  1805.  Then  followed  Ansil  Smith  as  mer 
chant,  till  1812  or  14.  During  the  war  of  1812,  Smith  run 
a  distil  lery,  bought  cattle  for  troops,  sending  stores  of  pro 
vision  to  Sackett  Harbor,  and  to  Granadier  Island.  After 
the  war,  Judge  Hall  was  the  merchant  of  the  place. 

Amos  Palmeter  settled  one  mile  south  of  La  Fayette 
Square,  at  about  1803.  He.  had  a  pig  pen  covered  with 
logs  to  protect  the  pigs  from  the  bears.  At  a  time  when 
he  had  a, lot  of  pigs  in  this  pen,  one  of  the  logs  happened  to 
be  moved  so  as  to  leave  an  opening  ;  and  in  the  night  the 
squealing  of  the  pigs  aroused  the  family;  but  Amos  was 
afraid  to  go  out.  His  wife  took  an  axe  and  went  to  the  pen, 
and  seeing  a  bear  coming  out  of  the  opening,  she  gave  him 
ii  blow,  and  pulled  the  log  over  the  hole.  She  then  took  a 
fire-brand  in  her  hands,  and  went  south  through  the  woods, 
three  forths  of  a  mile  to  a  Mr.  Johnson's,  and  had  him  come 
to  help  dispalch  the  bear.  But,  opening  the  pen,  old  Bruin 
was  found  dead  from  the  blow  she  had  already  given  him. 
This  story  illustrates  the  courage  and  pluck  of  our  grand 
mothers  in  those  days.  JSfot,  however,  a  very  good  story 
for  Amos,. we  think. 

In  Sherman  Hollow,  the  first  settlements  were  made  in 
1793. 

Among  the  first  who  located  here  were  Solomon  Owen 
and  James  Sherman.  They  built,  m  1795  or  8,  grist  and 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION.  205 

saw  mills.     The  saw   mill  built  by  them   is   still   in  good 
working  older. 

Mr.  Sherman  was  father  of  Dr.  J.  De  Blois  and  Joseph 
Sherman.  The  first  was  at  one  time  a  prominent  physician 
at  Pompey  Hill.  The  latter  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  from, 
1830  to  about  1840. 

In  1794,  Reuben  Bryan,  Amasa  Wright,  Samuel  Hyatt^ 
James  Pierce  and  Amaziah  Branch,  settled  in  this  hollow. 

The  last  named,  was  the  first  school  teacher  at  this  place 
and  at  La  Fayette  Village.  He  died  at  Dr.  S.  W.  Park's, 
of  nightmare,  in  about  1818.  He  is  said  to  have  been  one 
of  the  good,  men  of  the  earth.  He  was  poor,  but  well  edu 
cated.  He  came  from  Massachusetts. 

In  the  north  part  of  Sherman  Hollow,  were  John  Hough- 
taling,  William  Haskins  and  Comfort  Rounds,  located  as 
early  as  1792. 

The  first  white  child  born  within  the  limits  of  the  town, 
is  said  to  have  been  Amy  Wilcox.  Born  in  1791. 

Chas.  Johnson,  a  blacksmith,  has  carried  on  business  at 
Sherman  Hollow  for  about  50  years;  and  he  is  still  at  his 
forge  working  as  industriously  as  ever. 

DELPHI. 

About  six  miles  East  and  South  from  Pompey  Hill,  is 
located  the  beautiful  valley  of  the  Limestone  Creek.  A 
valley  which  became  settled  at  an  early  day  by  a  race  of  no 
ble  men  and  women,  many  of  whose  descendants  to-day  ar'c 
tilling  positions  of  trust  in  State  and  Nation. 

As  early  as  about  the  year  1800,  there  were  located  with 
in  the  present  limits  of  the  township  of  Pompey,  and  within 
this  valley,  a  few  settlers,  who  during  the  next  five  or  ten 
years  were  joined  by  many  others,  and  a  settlement  em 
bracing  fifteen  or  twenty  families  was  [formed.  At  a  later 
time  a  Post  office  was  located  there.  At  this  time,  when 
the  settlers  had  met  for  the  purpose  of  changing  the  name 


206  THE    POMPEY    HE-UNION. 

troni  "  Pompey  Four  Corners,"  one  of  their  number  de 
clared  the  valley  and  its  surroundings,  were  similar  to  one 
with  which  he  was  familiar  in  Italy,  and  suggested  that  the 
name  of  a  village  in  that  valley  be  given  to  the  village  in 
this.  The  suggestion  meeting  the  approval  of  the  citizens, 
the  Italian  name  "  Delphi"  was  given  to  the  settlement. 

It  is  impossible  for  us  to  give  the  exact  order  in  which  the 
settlers  came  into  this  valley.  Neither  can  we  be  sure  that 
in  every  instance,  correct  dates  are  given.  We  are  largely 
indebted  for  information  to  a  gentleman  who  first  settled  in 
the  township  of  Fabius ;  but  who  was  in  reality  a  member 
of  this  community;  and  who,  to-day,  (1873,)  is  a  resident  of 
the  village.  Mr.  Elnathan  Griffith,  who,  at  90  years  of  age. 
possesses  a  reliable  memory;  his  statements  corroborating 
the  best  information  obtained  from  other  sources. 

Mr.  Griffith  came  into  the  valley  in  the  year  180(3.  And 
has  since,  without  interruption,  been  associated  with  its  his 
tory.  He  was  intimately  acquainted  with  those  who  had 
preceded  him,  and  was  made  familiar  with  the  date  and  the 
attendant  circumstances  of  their  settlement. 

Samuel  Sherwood  Avas,  probably,  the  first  settler  in  this 
vicinity.  He  located  in  1795  on  lot  No.  84,  about  one  mile 
northwest  from  the  present  village,  on  a  farm  afterwards 
owned  by  Patrick  Shields,  who  married  Mr.  Sherwood's 
widow.  Samuel  Sherwood  was  a  Maj.  Gen.  of  a  regiment. 
He  came  from  Saratoga  county. 

Ilufus  Sheldon,  father  of  a  very  talented  family,  among 
whom  is  Harvey  Sheldon,  Esq.,  of  New  York,  settled  in 
March,  1800,  near  Maj.  Sherwood's,  one  and  one-half  miles 
north-west  from  the  village.  In  1798  or  9,  Elijah  Hill,  com 
ing  from  Pittstield,  Mass.,  settled  three  miles  down  the  val 
ley,  north  from  the  village.  In  1800,  Col.  Ensign  Hill, 
brother  to  Elijah,  came  and  settled  a  little  south  of  the  vil 
lage.  In.  1802,  James  McCkire  settled  one  [mile  south  of 
Elijah  Hill.  Samuel  Draper  came  from  Vermont,  and  set 
tled  in  the  vicinity,  about  1803.  Benjamin  Coats  and  Wil- 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION.  207 

Ham  Peas  came  with  or   near  the   time  James   McClure 
did.     The  three  came  from  New  Lebanon,    Columbia  Co., 

:NT.  Y. 

McClure  and  Coats  settled  on  lands  now  occupied  by  their 
descendants.  Mr.  Peas  settled  one  half  mile  north  of  Elijah 
Hill.  Osias  Burr  and  William  Cook,  also  came  from  New 
Lebanon  about  this  time,  1802.  Burr  was  Justice  of  the 
Peace  and  Jud^e  of  Court  of  Common  Pleas. 

O 

Elihue  Barber  came  in  1801,  and  settled  on  the  hill  west 
of  the  valley,  and  about  one  and  one-half  miles  from  the 
creek.  He  was  induced  to  settle  but  ot  the  valley  because 
the  opinion  prevailed  that  wfeere  the  timber  was  off  the 
bottom  land,  they  would  have  little  value,  and  "  be  too 
poor  to  raise  beans." 

Moses  Blowers  and  Stutson  Benson  settled  at  an  early 
day  near  Barber's,  on  lot  84. 

Capt.  Theopelas  Tracy  settled  one-half  mile  S.  E.  on  a 
larm  now  occupied  by  Henry  Ryder.  He  built  the  frame  of 
the  first  Grist  mill  on  Limestone  Creek.  The  same  mill  is 
now  owned  by  Alex.  Maxwell.  This  frame  was  erected  by 
Capt.  Tracy  in  about  1803  or  4.  He  sold  to  Moses  Savage, 
who  employed  Mr.  Elnethan  Griffith,  a  mill-wright,  to  com 
plete  the  mill. 

The  stone,  "two  run,'"  were  brought  from  Albany  by 
teams  that  had  taken  wheat  thither,  to  market.  These  stone 
are  .French  Burr  stone,  and  are  still  running  in  the  mill. 
They  cost  $100.00. 

Dca.  Moses  Savage  settled  on  the  east  side  of  the  Creek, 
and  built  the  first  carding  mill  that  was  erected  in  the  val 
ley.  Also,  in  about  1825  or  30,  lie  built  the  grist-mill  now 
owned  by  Edgar  Pratt. 

Zebulon  Edgerton,  in  1806,  had  a  good  sized  clearing  one 
mile  south  of  Delphi.  The  same  farm  is  now  occupied  by 
"Wm.  H.  Savage.  His  son,  Mr.  Reubin  Edgerton,  who  came 
with  his  father,  in  1802,  is  still  living  (1873)  in  Delphi,  at  the 
age  of  92  years. 


208  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

Dr.  Joseph  Ely  kept  an  Inn  on  site  of  present  hotel,  and 
also  practiced  medicine  in  the  locality.  He  honght,  in  1804. 
of  Peter  Root  or  of  Mr.  Goodrich  a  Justice  of  the  Peace.  Mr. 
Ely  found  011  the  lot  a  "  brush  house,"  which  some  previous 
settler  had  left.  This  he  occupied  till  fall  of.  180(3.  lie 
then  employed  Mr.  Elnethan  Griffith,  the  only  carpenter  in 
the  place,  to  put  up  a  frame  addition  to  this  house.  Dr. 
Ely  came  from  Montgomery  Co.,  X.  Y. 

At  this  time,  1806,  there  was  a  frame  barn  and  several  log 
houses  in  the  vicinity.  Salmon  G.  "Willard  and  Daniel  H. 
Hubbard  had  built  a  store  in  the  fall  of  1805,  opposite,  west 
of  hotel.  The  wife  of  Mr.  Hubbard,  is  still  living  at  Delphi, 
aged  91  years. 

In  about  the  year  1808,  William  Shankland,  father  to 
Judge  Shankland,  of  Cortland,  settled  in  this  valley,  hi* 
house  being  located  on  the  east  side  of  the  creek,  and  of  the 
County  line.  He  was  a  member  of  this  community,  al 
though  a  resident  of  Madison  county. 

On  what  is  called  "the  Hitchcock  place,"  settled  Walter 
Bates.  This  is  near  the  old  Indian  Fort,  on  lot  99.  Tin* 
was,  probably,  the  first  settlement  made  on  this  lot.  Robert 
Swarthout,  son  of  the  soldier  [who  drew  the  lot,  was,  ver 
bally  authorized  by  his  father  to  come  on  and  to  sell  out 
the  lot.  He  was  here  for  a  short  time  for  this  purpose. 

After  selling  the  lot,  or  much  of  it,  he  moved  to  Ithaca. 
Hon.  John  M.  Jay  cox,  is,  we  are  assured,  a  descendant  on 
the  maternal  side,  from  this  family.  Mr.  Swarthout  sold 
from  this  lot,  in  1800,  to  Jasper  Galliway,  and,  we  believe, 
to  Thos.  Derbyshire.  One  of  these  sales  embraced  the  land 
now  occupied  by  Russel  and  Sheldon  Strickland. 

Horace  Yates'  name  is  also  associated  with  this  same  farm. 

Elisha  Litchfield  came  in  1812.  His  dwelling  was  locat 
ed  on  the  site  of  Alanson  N".  Godfrey's  house.  He  kept  a 
store  on  the  corner,  near  his  house.  His  relative,  Ephraim 
Cleaveland,  came  in  1810,  and  kept  hotel  on  the  site  of  the 
present  one,  for  a  year  or  two,  when  he  died.  His  property 


THE   POMPEY   RE-UNION.  209 

Yell  into  the  hands  of  Maj.  Litchfield,  who  continued  for  a 
short  time  to  act  as  landlord.  Hon.  Elisha  Litchfield  was  a 
prominent  man  among  the  prominent  men  of  his  day.  Maj. 
of  Regiment,  Member  of  Assembly,  Speaker  of  the  House 
and  Member  of  Congress. 

Reuben  Benton  was  an  early  settler  and  Justice  of  the 
Peace.  Bela  Cole  lived  at  an  early  day  where  ET.  F.  Potter 
lias  recently  built  a  house,  opposite  the  Baptist  church. 

The  settlers  at  one  time,  did  nearly  all  of  their  trading  at 
Cazenovia,  with  John  Lineland,  who  was  agent  for  the  Hol 
land  Purchase  Co. 

Messrs.  Hubbard  &  Willard  were  the  first  parties  who 
kept  a  full  assortment  of  goods  in  Delphi,  this  was  in  1805 
and  6 ;  they  sold  to  Esli  Squires.  In  1810,  Squires  built 
and  occupied  a  store  on  the  corner,  where  Marble's  store  is 
now  located ;  he  then  sold  the  building  purchased  of  Hub- 
bard  and  Willard,  to  Richard  Taylor,  father  to  Rev.  Elisha 
L.  Taylor,  D.  D.,  and  to  James  M.  Taylor,  of  New  York. 

Herrick  Allen  bought  of  Taylor;  he  was  a  leading  mer 
chant  for  many  years,  and  became  wealthy.  His  father. 
Daniel  Allen,  in  1802,  settled  two  miles  north  of  the  village. 

At  an  early  day  Schuyler  Van  Rensselaer  was  a  merchant 
at  Delphi.  In  1818  he  sold  to  Matthew  B.  Slocum,  father 
to  Maj.  Gen.  Henry  B.  Slocum,  U.  S.  A. 

Up  to  1810,  there  was  but  one  store. 

Of  the  physicians,  probably  Dr.  Joseph  Ely  was  the  first 
who  settled  in  the  valley;  he  remained  about  three  years. 

The  following  named  physicians  have  practiced  their  pro 
fession,  being  at  the  time,  residents  of  Delphi : 

Doctor  Frisby,  Dr.  Shipman,  brother  of  A.  B.  Shipman. 
recently  of  Syracuse,  was  at  Delphi,  45  years  ago ;  he  re 
mained  many  years;  he  died  in  Rochester,  in  1871.  Dr. 
John  L.  King  and  Dr.  Pettit,  brother  of  Judge  Pettit,  of  Fa- 
bius,  were  partners.  Dr.  Hiram  Adams,  so  long  a  prac- 

14 


210  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

ticing  physician  in  Fabius,  was  at  one  time  connected  with 
Dr.  Petti t,  in  his  office. 

Dr.  Goodell,  succeeded  Dr.  Shipman.  Others  have  fol 
lowed;  among  them  were  Drs.  Marsh,  Hiram  Wiggins,  Ell 
Cook,  Isaac  Baker,  Dr.  Todd  and  Dr.  Potter.  The  last 
named  being-  the  only  resident  physician  living  in  the  vil 
lage  at  this  date,  1873. 

Amos  Benedict  had  in  1800,  two  miles  north  from  Del 
phi,  ii  blacksmith's  shop  :  the  first  shop  of  the'  kind  in  the 
village  was  owiu'd  and  carried  on  by  two  brothers  named 
Townsend. 

Oliver  Rogers  was  a  wagon  maker  in  181(5.  Mr.  Prina- 
tore  was  a  wheel- wright,  and  beside,  made  the  u  bull  plow" 
as  it  was  called,  with  wooden  mould-board:  Jabez  Groude- 
vant  was  cabincnt  maker  in  1810,  and  worked  here  at  his 
trade  till  his  death,  which  occurred  about  the  year  1850. 

Deacon  Abbott  was  the  first  tanner;  as  early  as  in  1807  or 
*,  lie  built  al;  the  vats  belonging  to  the' old  tannery;  he  sold 
to  James  Reeves.  About  1820,  John  and  Michael  Spencer, 
from  England,  came  into  possession  .of  the  yard  and  the 
business  ;  thcv  conducted  the  business  for  many  years.  Fi- 

tj  t/     »/ 

nally,  it  was  determined  that  one  should  move  to  Cardiff, 
and  continue  the  business  there:  to  decide  which  should  go 
they  "flipped  coppers"  John  was  elected  to  go  ;  he  became 
Judge  of  the  Court.  Afterwards,  Member  of  Assscmblv: 
ho  was  much  beloved  by  his  fellow-townsmen,  and  his  ab 
sence  was  a  great  loss  to  Delphi.  , 

Caleb  Perry,  afterwards  bought  the  tannery  and  worked 
tit  the  tanning  business  till  the  building  and  yard  was  de 
stroyed  by  a  freshet. 

One  mile  south-east  from  the  village,  Clark  Rogers,  in 
1823,  built  an  edge  tool  factory  ;  this  factory  was  afterwards 
owned  and  conducted  by  Holmes  and  Sampson,  whose  rep 
utation  as  excellent  workmen  is  wide-spread  ;  their  tools 
being  known  as  of  the  best  make  in  the  country.  This  fac 
tory  is  now  owned  bv  John  Salisbury. 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  211 

Henry  TenEycke  owned,  till  1853,  when  it  was  destroyed 
bv  fire,  a  Woolen  factory,  which  was  established  in  1812. 
It  was  located  on  the  creek  north  from  the  village,  and  du 
ring  the  whole  period  of  its  existence  did  a  heavy  business. 

To-day  the  village  of  Delphi  is  one  of  thrift.  Two  churches, 
a  school,  in  which  many  celebrities  have  taught,  among 
them  are  Jesse  T.  Peck,  one  of  the  Bishops  of  the  M.  E. 
church,  Dr.  Amos  AYescott,  recently  of  Syracuse,  and  Hon. 
1).  G.  Fort,  of  Oswego. 

Several  stores — among  them  a  Drug  store — a  good  hotel, 
shops,  neat  residences  with  beautiful  yards,  all  contribute 
to  render  this  village  one  of  the  most  beautiful  inland  towns 
in  Central  Xe\v  York. 

From  this  valley  and  community,  as  descendants  of  the 
early  settlers,  whose  names  we  have  here  recorded,  have 
gone  forth  a  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court,  a  Maj.  Gen. 
United  States  Army,  a  Doctor  of  Divinity,  successful  phy 
sicians,  tradesmen,  mechanics  and  lawyers. 


WATERYALE. 

FROM  'n;i-:  i>;:x  OF  WAKEMAN  <;.  SPRAGUE,  OF  SYRACUSE. 

Watcrvale,  a  village  situated  on  West  Branch  or  Lime 
stone  Creek,  .and  about  four  miles  north-east  from  Pompey 
Hill,  was  settled  by  Col.  James  Carr,  about  the  year  1809. 
Mr.  Carr  built  the  first  saw  mill  erected  on  the  stream  in 
this  vicinity.  He  was  soon  followed,  about  the  same  year, 
or  in  1810,  by  AVilloughby  Milliard,  who  almost  simultan 
eously  with  Mr.  Carr,  erected  the  second  saw  mill.  This 
place  was  first  called  Carr  Hollow,  then  Hemlock  Hollow, 
also  Slab  Hollow,  on  account  of  the  great  quantity  of  slabs 
made  by  those  mills. 

Ansil  Judd,  lather  to  Solomon  Judd,  of  Binghaniton,  and 
or'Orvan  11.  Judd,  of  American  Express  Co.,  Buffalo,  settled 
in  the  Hollow  in  1812,  and  built  the  first  wool-carding  and 
cloth  dressing  establishment  in  the  town. 


212  THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION. 

The  Post  Office  was  established  in  1820,  and  Ansil  Judd 
was  first  Post-Master.  He  selected  the  name  of  Watervale, 
and  published  lines  announcing  the  fact,  viz  : — 

"  The  hemlocks  are  gone, 
The  Slabs  are  set  sail, 
And  we'll  call  it  Slab  Hollow 
No  more,  but  Water  vale." 

George  Ostrander  settled  about  the  year  1815,  and  built  a 
distillery,  using  about  ten  bushels  of  grain  a  day,  which 
amount  in  those  days,  was  considered  very  large. 

Benjamin  F.  Wheeler  carried  on  the  business  of  tanning 
and  shoe  making,  for  a  long  time. 

Ira  Curtis  moved  to  Watervale  at  an  early  day,  and  opened 
the  first  store.  He  also  built,  and  for  many  years  kept  the 
first  hotel. 

"Wm.  C.  Fargo,  0.  Abbott,  Benjamin  Patten  and  V.  R. 
Taylor,  were  among  the  first  settlers. 

Anson  Sprague  settled  on  a  farm  south  of  Watervale,  in 
1818.  On  this  farm  was  found  the  celebrated  Monumental 
stone,  now  in  the  State  Agricultural  and  Historical  rooms 
at  Albany.  The  following  description  of  this  stone  we  take 
from  Mather  &  Brockett's  Geography  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  published  in  1847,  by  J.  H.  Mather  &  Co.,  Hartford, 
Editor : 

"  In  the  town  of  Pompey,  a  stone  was  found  some  year< 
since,  about  fourteen  inches  long,  twelve  broad,  and  eight 
thick.  It  had  a  figure  of  a  serpent  entwined  about  a  tree, 
and  this  inscription. 


Leo  X  De 


VIxl520- 


L.  S. 

tn 


This  inscription  has  been  interpreted — Leo  X.  by  the  grace 
(or  will)  of  God,  sixth  year  of  his  pontificate,  1520.  L.  S. 
the  initials  of  the  person  buried,  (as  it  was  undoubtedly  a 
sepulchral  monument,) — the  cross,  an  indication  that  he  was 
a  Catholic,  and  the  character  n  perhaps  a  rude  intimation 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION.  213 

that  he  belonged  to  the  masonic  fraternity.  The  date  is  cor 
rect,  Leo  X.  having  been  elected  Pope  in  1513-14.  It  seems 
probable  that  some  Spanish  adventurers,  in  quest  of  silver 
or  gold,  lured  by  the  icport  of  the  salt  springs,  and  hoping 
to  find  there  the  object  of  their  search,  had  wandered  hither 
from  Florida,  which  had  been  discovered  and  explored  in 
1502.  One  of  the  number  dying  here,  his  companions  erect 
ed  this  simple  memorial  to  mark  the  place  of  his  burial." 

Col.  John  Sprague  and  Ansil  Judd  built  the  grist-mill  in 
1830. 

John  Sprague  and  Anson  Sweet,  built  the  first  two  brick 
dwelling  houses  that  were  erected  in  the  north  part  of  the 
town,  near  the  "  Clapp  Settlement."  Capt.  John  Sprague, 
father  to  John  and  Anson,  came  from  Milton,  Saratoga  Co., 
in  1798,  and  settled  just  out  of  Watervale,  near  the  farm  of 
the  late  Keuben  Murray. 

"Win.  C.  Fargo,  father  of  Wm.  C..  of  American  Express 
Co.,  resided  at  Watervale  at  an  early  day ;  he  had  for  a  long 
time  the  contract  for  carrying  the  mail  from  Manlius  via. 
Watervale,  Fabius,  Delphi  and  Pompey  Center,  three  times 
a  week.  William  G.  Jerome  and  Chancellor  Fargo  for 
years  rode  the  horse  that  carried  the  mail.  North  of  Wa 
tervale  prior  to  1800,  and  about  1793,  settled  David  Williams, 
Nathan  Williams  and  another  brother,  all  farmers,  at  what 
was  called  Williams'  Corners.  David  Williams  and  wife  at 
the  age  of  93  years,  are  still  living  in  1875, 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MILITARY  TRACT. 

[Extract  from  the  Journal  of  the  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Neiv  York,  Dated 
March  27,  3783.] 

"A  copy  of  certain  resolutions  of  the  Honorable  the  Sen 
ate,  delivered  by  Mr.  Duane,  was  read  and  in  the  words  fol 
lowing,  to-wit : 

Whereas,  Congress,  by  act  of  the  16th  day  of  September, 
1776,  did  resolve  that  the  following  quantity  of  Bounty 


214  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNiON. 

Lands  should  be  given  to  officers,  non-commissioned  officers 
and  privates,  serving  in  the  Continental  Army,  to-wit: 

To  a  Colonel........ 500  acres. 

"  Lieutenant  Colonel, 450  " 

"  Major, 400  " 

"  Captain, 300 

•<  Lieutenant, 200  " 

"  Ensign, 150  " 

Each  non-commissioned  officer  and  private 100  " 

And  by  an  act  of  the  12th  of  August,  1780,  did  declare 
that  a  Major-General  should  have  1100  acres,  and  a  Briga 
dier  General  850. 

"And,  whereas,  the  Legislature  of  the  State    arc  willing 

O  C-^ 

not  only  to  take  upon  themselves  to  discharge  the  said  en 
gagement  of  Congress,  so  far  as  it  relates  to  the  line  of  this 
State,  but  like  as  a  gratuity  to  the  said  line,  and  to  evince 
the  just  sense  this  legislature  entertain  of  the  patriotism  and 
virtue  of  the  troops  of  this  State,  serving  in  the  army  of  tlio 
United  States.  '" 

Resolved.  Therefore,  (if  the  Honorable  the  House  of  Assem 
bly  concur  herein,)  that  besides  the  bounty  of  land  so  prom 
ised  as  aforesaid,  this  legislature  will  bylaw  provide  that  the 
Maj.  Generals  and  Brig.  Generals  now  serving  in  the  line  of 
the  army  of  the  United  States,  and  being  citizens  of  this 
State,  and  the  officers,  non-commissioned  officers  and  pri 
vates  of  the  two  regiments  of  infantry  commanded  by  Col 
onels  Van  Schaick  and  Van  Cortlandt,  such  officers  of  the 
regiment  of  artillery  commanded  by  Col.  Lamb,  and  of  the 
corps  of  sappers  and  miners,  as  were,  when  they  entered  the 
services,  inhabitants  of  this  State,  such  of  the  non-com- 
^missionedjofficers'and  privates  oi  the  said  last  mentioned  two 
corps  as  are  credited  to  this  State  as  part  of  the  troops  there 
of,  all  officers  designated  by  any  acts  of  Congress  subse 
quent  to  the  1C  th  day  of  September,  1776,  all  officers  re 
commended  Iry  Congress  as  persons  whose  depreciation  on 
pay  ought  to  be  made  good  by  this  State,  and  who  may  hold 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UXIOX.  215 

military  commissions  in  the  lino  of  the  army  at  the  close  of 
the  war,  and  the  Reverend  John  Mason  and  John  Gano, 
severally  have  granted  to  them  the  following  quantities  of 
land,  to-wit : 

To  a  Maj.  General, 5500  acres. 

u  Brig.  --..4250  u 

"   Col. 1 2500  " 

"  Lieut.  Col 2250  •' 

u  Major __2000  c: 

A  Cnpt.  and  Kegirnental  Surgeon,  each 1500  <: 

Kach  of  said  Chaplains, 2000  <; 

Every  Subaltern,  and  Surgeon's  Mate, 1000  '• 

livery  Xon-Com  mission  eel  officer  and  private, 500  '; 

That  the  lands  so  to  he  granted  as  bounty  from  the.  Tin 
ted  Slates,  and  as  a  gratuity  from  this  State,  shall  be  laid 
out  in  townships  of  six  miles  square;  that  each  township 
shall  be  divided  into  156  lots  of  150  acres  each,  two  lots 
whereof  shall  be  reserved  for  the  use  of  a  minister  or  minis 
ters  of  the  gospel,  and  two  lots  for  the  use  of  a' school  or 
schools;  that  each  person  above  described  shall  be  entitled 
to  as  many  such  lots  as  his  bounty  and  gratuity  land  as  afore 
said,  will  admit  of:  that  one-half  of  the  lots  each  person 
shall  be  entitled  to  shall  be  improved  at  the  rate  of  five 
acres  for  every  hundred  acres,  Avithin  the  term  of  live  years 
after  the  grant,  if  such  lots  are  sold  by  the  original  grantee, 
or  within  ten  years  from  such  grant,  if  the  grantee  shall  re 
tain  the  possession  of  such  lots:  and  that  the  said  bounty 
and  gratuity  lands  be  located  in  the  district  of  this  State 
reserved  for  the  use  of  the  troops  by  an  act,  entitled  "An 
Act  to  prevent  grants  or  locations  of  the  lands  therein  men 
tioned;  passed  the  25th  day  of  July,  1782. 

llcsolced,  That  His  Excellency  the  Governor  be  requested 
to  communicate  these  resolutions  in  such  manner  as  he  shall 
conceive  most  proper. 

Resolved,  That  this  house  do  concur  with  the  Honorable, 
the  Senate,  in  the  last  preceding  resolutions. 


216  THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION. 

Ordered,  That  Mr.  J.  Lawrence  and  Mr.  Hnmfrey  carry 
a  copy  of  the  preceding  resolution  of  concurrence  to  the 
Honorable,  the  Senate." 

Previous  to  the  date  of  above  extract,  the  Legislature  of 
the  State  had  by  an  act  passed  March  20, 1781,  provided  for 
the  raising  of  two  regiments  for  the  defence  of  the  State ; 
and  by  an  act  passed  March  23,  1782,  had  further  provided 
for  the  raising  ol  troops  to  complete  the  line  of  this  State  in 
the  service  of  the  United  States;  and  two  regiments  to  be 
raised  on  bounties  of  lands,  and  for  the  farther  defence  of  the 
frontiers  of  this  State.  The  land  granted  by  these  last  men 
tioned  acts  being  BOUNTY  LANDS.  Those  granted,  as  pro 
vided  for  in  extracts  above  made,  being  GRATUITY  LANDS. 

The  original  acts  gran  ting  these  lands,  were  subsequently, 
and  from  time  to  time,  modified  and  amended,  till  finally,  it 
was  ordered  by  an  act  passed  Feb.  28th,  1789,  "  That  the 
commissioners  of  the  land  office  shall  be,  and  they  are  here 
by  authorized  to  direct  the  Surveyor-General  to  lay  out  as 
many  townships  in  tracts  of  land  set  apart  for  such  purpose 
as  will  contain  land  sufficient  to  satisfj7  the  claims  of  all 
such  persons  who  are  or  shall  be  entitled  to  grants  of  land 
by  certain  concurrent  resolutions,  and  by  the  eleventh  clause 
of  the  act  entitled  "An  act  for  granting  certain  lands  prom 
ised  to  be  given  as  bounty  lands,  by  the  laws  of  this  State, 
and  for  other  purposes  therein  mentioned,  passed  the  llth 
day  of  May,  1784;  which  townships  shall  respectively  con 
tain  60,000  acres  of  land,  and  be  laid  out  as  nearly  iu  squares 
as  local  circumstances  will  permit,  and  be  numbered  one 
progressively,  to  the  last  inclusive  ;  and  the  commissioners  of 
the  land  office  shall  likewise  designate  ever)/  township  by  such  name 
as  they  shall  deem  proper." 

By  same  act,  it  was  also  ordered  "  that  the  surveyor  gen 
eral,  as  soon  as  may  be,  shall  make  a  map  of  each  of  said 
townships,  and  each  township  shall  be  subdivided  on  such 
map  into  one  hundred  lots,  as  nearly  square  as  may  be,  each 
lot  to  contain  600  acres,  or  as  near  that  quantity  as  may  be ; 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  217 

and  the  lots  in  every  township  shall  be  numbered  from  one 
to  the  last,  inclusive  in  numerical  order." 

After  such  map  had  been  made  and  deposited  in  the  of 
fice  of  the  Surveyor-General,  and  in  the  office  of  tbe  Secre 
tary  of  State,  the  commissioners  were  ordered  "  to  advertise 
for  six  successive  weeks,  in  one  or  more  newspapers  printed 
in  each  of  the  cities  of  New  York  and  Albany,  (whereof  the 
newspaper  published  by  the  printer  to  this  State,  if  any  such 
there  be,  shall  be  one,)  requiring  all  persons  entitled  to  grants 
of  bounty  and  gratuity  lands,  who  had  not  already  exhibited 
their  claims,  to  exhibit  the  same  to  the  commissioners  on  or 
before  the  first  day  of  January,  1791." 

By  same  act,  it  was  further  ordered,  "  that  all  persons  to 
whom  lands  shall  be  granted  by  virtue  of  this  act,  and  who 
are  entitled  thereto  by  any  act  or  resolution  of  Congress,  shall 
make  an  assignment  of  his,  her  or  their  proportion  and 
claim  of  bounty  and  gratuity  lands  under  any  act  or  acts  of 
Congress,  to  the  Surveyor-General,  for  the  use  of  the  people 
of  this  State."  This  being  done, by  the  said  parties,  it  was 
provided  that  for  lands  thus  assigned,  an  equal  number  of 
acres  were  to  be  given  by  the  State,  and  so  far  as  possible  in 
one  tract,  and  under  one  patent,  u  provided  the  same  does 
not  exceed  one-quarter  of  the  quantity  of  a  township.'1 

It  was  also  further  provided  that  the  ^ands  to  be  granted 
by  this  act,  be  actually  settled,  for  every  six  hundred  acres 
which  may  be  granted  to  any  person  or  person*,  within  seven 
years  from  the  first  of  January  next,  after  the  date  of  the  pa* 
tent  by  which  such  lands  shall  be  granted  ;  and  on  failure  of 
such  settlement,  the  unsettled  lands  shall  revert  to  the  people 
of  this  State."  The  letters  patent  were  ordered  uto  be  in 
such  words  and  forms  as  the  commissioners  shall  direct,  and 
shall  contain  an  exception  and  reservation  to  the  People  of  this 
State,  of  all  the  gold  and  silver  mines." 

By  an  act  passed  April  6th,  1790,  it  was  ordered  "that 
the  quantity  of  fifty  acres,  in  one  of  the  corners  of  the  re 
spective  lots  to  be  laid  oat  in  squares  of  600  ncres,  shall  be 


218  THE    POMPEY    KE-UNIOX. 

and  are  hereby  subject  to  the  payment  of  the  sum  of  forty- 
eight  (48)  shillings  to  the  Surveyor-General,  as  a  compensa 
tion  in  full  for  his  services  and  expenses  in  marking,  num 
bering  and  surveying  each  of  the  said  lots:  and  in  every 
case  where  the  said  sum  of  48  shillings,  or  any  part  thereof. 
shall  remain  unpaid  for  the  term  of  two  years  next  after  the 
issuing, of  the  respective  patents,  it  shall  and  is  hereby  made 
the  duty  of  the  Surveyor-General  to  sell  the  same  at  public 
vencluc;  and  the  money  arising  from  such  sales,  shall  be  ap 
plied  in  payment  of  expense  of  such  survey/'  And  in  case  a 
surplus  of  money  was  in  hands  of  the  Survey-General,  after 
paying  such  expenses,  it  was  to  be  applied  to  the  payment  of 
expense  of  laying  out  and  making  roads  in  the  said  tract/' 

By  act  of  Feb.  28,  1789,  six  lots  in  each  to\vnship  were 
reserved  and  were  to  be  assigned,  "one  for  promoting 
the  gospel,  and  a  public  school  or  schools,  one  other  tor  pro 
moting  literature  in  this  State,  and  the  remaining  four  lots 
to  satisfy  the  surplus  share  of  commissioned  officers  not  cor 
responding  with  the  division  of  GOO  acres,  and  to  compen 
sate  such  persons  as  may  by  chance  draw  any  lot  or  lots,  the 
greater  part  of  which  may  be  covered  with  water." 

The  act  of  1780  provided  "that  whenever  it  appeared  that 
persons  applying  for  bounty  or  gratuity  land,  and  bad  re 
ceived  from  Congress  the  bounty  promised  by  that  body,  or 
in  case  the}'  tailed  to  relinquish  their  claim,  to  such  lands. 
then  the  commissioners  were  to  reserve  for  the  use  of  the 
people  of  the  State,  one  hundred  acres  in  each  lot  to  which 
such  person  was  entitled  ;  designating  particularly  in  which 
part  of  such  lot  such  reserved  part  was  located.  This  gave 
rise  to  the  term  "State's  Hundred ''  so  frequently  applied  to 
sections  of  land  on  the  Military  Tract. 

The  Land  Commissioners  consisted  of  his  Excellency,  the 
Governor,  or  person  administering  the  government  of  the 
State  for  the  time  being,  the  Lieutenant-Governor,  the 
speaker  of  the  Assembly,  the  Secretary  of  the  State,  the 
Attorney-General,  the  Treasurer  and  the  Auditor  thereof, 
the  presence  of  three  being  necessary  to  form  a  quorum.. 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  219 

At  a  meeting  of  this  Commission,  held  at  the  Secretary's 
office  in  the  city  of  New  York,  on  Saturday,  the  3rd  day  of 
July,  1790,  there  were  present, 

His  Excellency,  GEO.  CLINTON,  Esq.,  Governor. 

LEWIS  A.  SCOTT,  Esq.,  Secretary. 
GERARD  BANCKER,  Esq.,  Treasurer. 
PETER  T.  CuRTENius,Esq.,  Auditor.. 

The  Secretary  laid  before  the  Board,  maps  of  the  surveys 
of  twenty-five  townships,  made  by  the  Surveyor-General — 
Simeon  DcWitt.  On  each  of  which  maps,  the  said  town 
ships  respectively  were  sub-divided  into  one  hundred  lots, 
as  nearly  square  as  possible,  each  lot  containing  six  hundred 
acres,  whereupon  the  Board  caused  the  townships  and  lots 
therein  to  be  numbered  according  to  the  law  and  designated 
them  by  the  names  they  now  bear,  to  wit : — Lysander,  Hannibal, 
Cato,  Brutus,  Camillus,  Cicero,  Manlius,  POMPEY,  etc. 

The  claims  of  persons  entitled  to  land  by  virtue  of  law, 
were  presented,  and  Lewis  A.  Scott  and  Robert  Harpur 
were  appointed  to  draw  by  ballot,  (as  had  been  provided  by 
acts  of  Legislature)  the  lots  of  land'  to  which  they  were  en 
titled.  It  was  resolved  that  for  these  lots  of  land  thus 
drawn,  Letters  Patent  should  be  made  by  the  Secretary, 
signed  by  the  Governor,  to  which  should  be  affixed  the  seal 
of  the  State.  The  same  to  be  delivered  to  the  original  pro 
prietor,  purchaser,  attorney,  heir,  executor  or  administrator.. 

It  was  also  resolved  that  the  "  States  Hundred,"  when 
occurring  in  any  lot,  should  be  located  in  the  South-east 
corner  of  said  lot,  and  be  laid  out  in  a  square,  or  as  nearly 
so  as  may  be.  No  resolution  being  passed  or  law  providing 
for  the  location  of  the  "  Survey  Fifty,"  it  was  variously 
located. 

The  balloting  in  Township  2s"o.  10,  or  Pompey,  resulted 
as  follows  : 

Loj  Patentee's  Name  and  Rank.        ^cres     Paten0/  '  To  Whom  Delivered. 

1  790. ' 

1  William  Dunbar,  pri 500- -July  8 Isaac  Brooks 

'2  Cornelius  Woodmore,  pri (iOO--     "     <> Win.  J.  Vredenburgh 

3  Jas.  Clinton,  brig,  gen 000- -     "    3 Himself 


22) 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION. 


(3 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
29 
30 
:51 
32 
33 
34 
35 
36 
37 
38 
39 
40 
4'1 
42 
43 
44 
45 
4(3 
47 
4S 
49 
50 
51 
52 
53 
54 
55 
5<> 
57 
58 
59 
rf>() 


Patentee's  Name  and  Rank.        A£r°es 

Thos.  Dixson,  matross  _________  600- 

Titus  Underdunk,  pri  _________  500 

Michael  Leaster,  pri  __________  600 

Jeremiah  McGowen,  pri  ______  600- 

Nanning  Vanderheyden,  lieu—  500 
John  Wells,  pri  _______________  600  - 

Geo.  Springsteen,  pri  __________  600 

Thos.  Nellson,  matross  ________  600 

Martin  Waller,  corp  ___________  600 

John  Snowden,  pri  ____________  600_ 

Abram  Hyatt,  lieut  ___________  600 

John  List,  pri  _________________  600 

Joseph  Kitcham  ______________  600 

Stephen  Powell,  pri  ____________  600 

Joseph  Morgan,  serg  __________  600 

John  Ramfier  ________________  600 

Stephen  McDougall,  A-d-C  maj.500 
Mathew  Colford,  fifer  _________  500 

John  Chevalier,  pri  ___________  600 

Israel  Coleman,  corp  ----------  600 

Elisha  Harvey,  lieu  ___________  600 

Reserved  for  Gospel,  &c  _______ 

John  Brown,  matross  _________  600 

William  Murray,  pri  __________  600 

John  Lambert,  pri  ____________  600 

Geo.  Waggonman  _____________  600 

Joseph  Maroney,  matross  _____  600- 

Reserved  for  Literature  ------- 

Christopher  Medler,   matross-  -600- 
Benjamin  Kelso  or  Kely,  pri—  500 
Philip  Caldwell,  pri  ___________  600 

Nicnolas  VanRensselaer,  capt  -600 
Conrad  Hilty,  matross  ________  600- 

Isaac  Bogert,  lieu  ______________  600 

William  Malcom,  col  __________  600_ 

Henry  Miller,  pri  _____________  600 

Matthew  Geeson,  matross  _____  500  - 

Christian  Brandt,  pri  __________  600- 

Cornelius  T.  Jansen,  capt  ______  600 

Cornelius  VanTassell,  pri  ______  500 

John  Bateman,  lieu  ___________  500 

Wm.  Stevens,  capt  ____________  600- 

Leonard  Chapin,  matross  ______  600 

Conradt  Bush,  matross  ________  600 

Wm.  Stocker,  pri  ______________  600 

John  Neilson,  fifer  ____________  500 

('has.  Kinney,  pri  _____________  600- 

Abner  Prior,  surg'ns  mate  ______  400- 

Smith  Wait,  matross  ___________  600- 

Chas.  Parsons,  capt  ___________  600 

Samuel  Torrey,  serg  ------------  600 

JohnUthest(al  Han  JostHess)p600 
John  Dobson,  pri  _____________  600- 

Fred  Weisenfels,  lieu.  col.  com-600- 
David  Morrison,  serg  ----------  500 

Philip  Burch,  pri_  —  ----------  600 

Edward  Wright,  pri  ___________  600 


5atln°tf  To  Whom  Delivered. 

July  7  ---------  Wm.  DePeyster 

"     8  ------------  Jas.  B.  Clark 

;    8  Jeremiah  VanRensselaer 
--------  Robert  Fowt 

"  29-Gerrit  ;  VanSchoonhoven 

7  Jeremiah  VanRensselaer 

8  --------  Wm.  Henderson 

9  ------  John  Quackenboss 

8  -----------  Simon  Veeder 

8  ------------  Patrick  Shay 

7  ----  Bernardus  Swartwout 

8  ---------  Major  Connolly 

8  _______  Capt.  Benj.  Pelton 

8  -------  Himself,  by  Order 

"     8  ------------  Mr.  Connolly 

"    8  ----------  Wm.  Cockburn 

"    3  ---------  John  Lawrence 

Sep.l3J.B.Clark,perMrs.Banker 
July  8  ----  --------  Elisha  Camp 

"    9  ---------  Ebenezer  Clark 

9  ______      -  Asa  Spaulding 

"  8  -----------  Asa  Spaulding 

"  8  ---------------  No  Name 

"  8  -------  Michael  Connolly 

"  8  ______  John  Quackenboss 

"  9  ----------  David  Quintcn 

:    9—  ____________  Philip  Stout 

"     8  ____________  John  Fisher 

"     8  Jeremiah  VanRensselaer 
"    9—  _______________  Himself 

'"     9  ____  Win.  J.  Vredenburgh 

"    9  -------  Michael  Connolly 

"    9  _________________  Himself 

"    8_Cap.Cooper,forS'lCurray 
"     9  -----------  Maj.  Connolly 

"    8  ____  Bartholomew  Fisher 

"  9  ________________  Himself 

Sep.13—  Augustus  Sackett,  Adm. 
"  13  ----------  Elmer  Gushing 

July  9  _____________  Wm.  Moore 

"     9  __________  Samuel  Broome 

"     9__-Gen.  Clinton,  for  Bush 
"    8  -----------  Maj.  Connolly 

:    9  _________  Daniel  Rodman 

"     8  __________  Ebenezer  Clark 

"     9  ---------  John  Mills,  Esq. 

"    (3  ---------------  No  Name 

"  9  -------  David  Noble,  Esq. 

Sep.13  -------  Lieut.  Palmer  Cady 

July  8  Jeremiah  VanRensselaer 
"     8  ___________  Jas.  Hamilton 

"     9  ________________  Himself 

"     8  _________________  Himself 

"  8  _____  Jer.  VanRensselaer 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION.  221 


Patentee's  Name  and  Rank.  °'  To  Whom  Delivered. 


Areg 

61  Jonathan  Briggs,  pri  __________  600-July  8  --------  David  Crosby,  Jr- 

62  Reserved  for  Gospel,  &c  ------- 

63  John  Shaw  ___________________  500-Sep.l3  ______  W.  J.  Vredenburgh 

64  John  Brown,  matross  _________  600__     "    9  ----  John  Lawrence,  Esq. 

65  Hanjost  Deymont  _____________  600—  July  8  -------------  Peter  Smith 

66  Edward  Curvin  _______________  500-     "    8  __________  Wm.  Campbell 

67  Reser'd  for  Gospel,  Schools,  &c. 

68  John  Ryan  ___________________  600—     "    9  __________  David  Quinton 

69  Christian  Shantze,  pri  __________  600-     "    8  -----------  Thos.  Duncan 

70  John  Ackler,  pri  ______________  600—     "    3  ___________  Nicholas  Fish 

71  Thos.  O'Bryan,  Drummer  _____  500—     "     3  ------------  Mr.  Connolly 

72  Sam'l  Townsend,  paymaster,  __  -500—  Sep.13  Gen.  Cortland  and  others 

73  Reserved  for  Gospel,  &c  ------- 

74  Geo.  Alkyser,  cor  _____________  600—  July  8  ------  Isaac  Stoutenburgh 

75  Martin  Rees,  pri  ______________  600—     "     8  -------------  Jas.  Lowrey 

76  Wm.  F.  Dougherty,  maj  _______  600-     "     8  --------  Lt.  Col.  VanDyck 

77  John  Lamb,  col  ________________  600—     "    7  ---------  Capt.  Thompson 

78  Samuel  or  Lurance  Fletcher-  —500—  Sep.13  ______  W.  J.  Vredenburgh 

79  Conradt  Hyle  _________________  500—     "13  ______     " 

80  Ashbel  Dean,  matrcs?  _________  500—  July  9  ________________  No  Name 

81  John  Tilliday,  pri  _____________  600—     "    8  -----------  Samuel  Smith 

82  John  H.  Devrance,  pri  ________  600—     "    8  ---------  Jacob  Clingman 

83  John  George  Reamer  _________  500—  Sep.13  ----  Rich.  Edwards,  Adm. 

84  Samuel  Lewis,  lieut  ___________  600—  Augl7  -----------------  Himself 

85  Daniel  Loder,  pri  _____________  600-July  7  -----------  Capt.  Hagstaff 

86  John  Boggr  pri  ________________  600—     "    8  ______  John  Quackenboss 

87  Henry  Elliott,  pri  _____________  500—  Aug24  ------------  Jacob  Elliott 

88  Othniel  Preston,   pri  -----------  600—  July  8  ----------  Wm.  Cockburn 

89  John  Thayer,  matross  _________  600—     "    9  ____________  Jos.  F.  Sebor 


9 John  Blanchard 

} Michael  Connolly 

I— _Jno.  Dill  for  Cor.  Rose 

) John  Bag 

) Elias  Newman 

L_  Himself 


90  Abijah  Ward,  pri 600— 

91  John  F.  Hamtramck,  capt 600— 

92  Thos.  Willson,  pri 500— 

93  Thos.  Williams,  lieu 600— 

94  James  Purdey,  matross 500— 

95  Jeremiah  VanRensselaer,  lieu. 600— 

96  Reser'd  for  Gospel,  Schools,  &c. 

1791. 

97  HanyerTewahangaraghkan,cap600— Jan.29— -  ---Michael  Connolly 

98  Christopher  Codwise,  lieu 600— July  7 W.  J.  Vredenburgh 

99  Barnardus  Swartwout,  ensign— 600—     "     7 Himself 

100  James  McCoy,  pri 600—     "     8 Elisha  Cam]) 


The  following  tabular  statement  shows  the  several  owners 
of  each  lot  of  land  in  the  township  of  Pompey,  from  1790  to 
1800,  as  recorded  in  County  Clerk's  Office,  Onondago  Co. 

The  Revolutionary  soldier,  Mr.  Conrad  Bush,  relates 
"that  at  the  time  his  regiment  was  discharged,  so  often  had 
they  been  disappointed  by  the  promises  of  Congress,  that 
when  their  certificates  were  made  out  for  their  individual 
shares  of  land,  a  large  majority  had  no  confidence  in  the  al- 


222  THE    POMPEY    HE-UNION. 

lotnient  of  these  bounties,  and  many  cried  out,  "who  will 
<j;ive  a  pint  of  rum  for  mine  ?  Who  will  give  a  blanket  for 
mine  ?"  A  great  many  sold  their  shares  for  the  merest 
trifle."— (Clark.) 

It  will  he  observed  by  this  table,  that  the  records  confirm 
Mr.  Bush's  statement :  at  least  circumstantially,  for  we  see 
that  soldiers  sold  or  conveyed  their  titles,  in  many  instances, 
more  than  once  ;  and  we  are  not  sure  that  the  consideration 
named  in  the  deed  was  that  actually  received. 

At  so  early  a  date  as  1790,  it  was  not  possible  for  deeds  to 
have  been  recorded,  and  no  "  searching  the  Records,"  could 
avail  to  assure  purchasers  as  to  the  validity  of  their  claims. 
Frauds  were  practiced  in  selling  titles.  In  this  town  the 
soldiers  themselves,  did  not,  except  in  two  or  three  instan 
ces,  settle  upon  their  lands. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  dates  of  deeds -and  the  time  of 
actual  settlement  by  the  purchaser  do  not  a^ree.  The  set 
tlement  dating  anterior  to  the  conveyance. 

The  reason  for  this,  we  have  not  been  able  to  ascertain. 

LOT  ONE. 

Date  of  Sale.    .  GKANTOIl.  GRANTEE.  Acres.    Consd'n 

July.,  8,  1790- -State  of  New  York William  Dimbar 500— Soldier 

Sep.  12,  1791  ~ William  Dtuibar Isaac  Brooks-..' oOO_-2.~>  pds. 

Ang.28, 1795--  "•"•        Benjamin  AVallace---500_-60  pds. 

"    31, 1796— Isaac  Wells ",       ~un.  h'f~10s. 

Sept.  ,">,. 
Nov.  17, 


29, 


7})7-.-/ebulon.  Mary--- Zephaniah  Platf o()0 10s. 

7!)S__(  )non.  Commissioners-Benj.  Wallace •">(!()  awarded 

7(.)«S-_     "  Elkaiiah  Watson 100 

LOT  TWO. 

_7i)0.  -State  of  Xew  York Cornelius  Woodmore  600— Soldier 

789— C.  Woodmore AV.  J.  Vredenburgh— 600-val.  iv'd 

Mar.'is,  ]7<)(L_AV.  J.  Vredenburgh ---Comfort  Tyler (5(H)_24()  pels. 

Oct'r  .">,  l79(L.(1omfort  Tyler.-  — Moses  Carpenter :>4(L ....  S?l,2ri() 

Afterwards "     Jos.  Bartholomew 200 

Stephen  Angell TOO 

"    Elijah  Rust- 2o 

LOT  THREE. 

July    ?>,  175>0__State.  of  Xew  York Jos. Clinton, brig. gen. 600- -Soldier 

Mar. 27,  1792- -Jos.  Clinton-.-  — Moses  De Witt- T   ."__.(>0(L(}00  pds. 

Subsequently  divided  among  his  heirs,  who  settled  lot. 
LOT  FOrii. 

..lulv    7,  17i'0.__State  of  Xcw  York ThomasDixsoji ()00__Soldier 

LOT  F1YL. 
Julv    s,  1790__Statc  of  Xew  York Titus  rnderdunck-    -oOO.-SoldicT 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNIOX.  ^1'6 

D.ue  of  Sale.  GRANTOR.  GRANTEE.  Acres.    Consd'n 

Mar..  :•'>,  179!)__Titus  IJnderdunk David  Holbrook 450-150  pds. 

Aug.  10,  179S__Com.  Tyler,  as  Sheriff, 

sold  D.  Holbrook's  int.Benj.  Grover 450 $0.00 

.    "    21,  179S_.Benj.  Grover Nathaniel  Weston-— 450— -$15.00 

Apr.  28,  1797- -Surveyor-General Jer.  VanRensselaer- -150 

J.  VanRensselaer- 1 — John  Rogers 100 

Jas.  Caldwell McGregor 100 

Onon.  Commissioners-Heirs  of  Rog.  &  McGlOO 

LOT  SIX. 

1790__State  of  Xew  York Michael  Leaster G00_ -Soldier 

1790__Michael  Leaster Jer.  VanRensselaer- -600 --20  pds. 

1792- -VanRensselaer--     —David  Hibbard 000-200  pds. 

LOT  SEVEN. 

July    s,  1790— State  of  Xew  Yoik Jer.  McGowen 0500— Soldier 

.Mar.  24,  17S4--Jer.  MeGowen Robert  Towt 000 

,Tune20.  179:L_Robt.  Towt Isaac  Ijeekman 000 

LOT  EIGHT. 

July  29,  179!)-_State  of  Xew  York Xan.  Vanderheydeii-500- -Soldier 

LOT  XIX  E. 

Jv.ly    7,  179i)__State  of  New  York John  Wells  ..          -  —  GOO— Soldier 

Dec.  11,  17s:>--John  Wells Edward  Crompton-— 600— 10  pds. 

Eeb..20,  .17S5~-     "         •'       Jos.  Johnson (100 §20 

OrtY  7,  1790— Edward  Crompton Jer.  VanRensselaer—600—20  pds. 

Feb.  29,  1792__Jer.  VanRensselaer  it 

AbramTenEyck Sam'l  Messenger I50JO-120  pds. 

"     2o,  1796-         "  .._;JO)0-.0)20  pds. 

Mar.        179S__Abiatliar  Hull, as  Sher- 
ilT,  by  virtue  of  cxec'n 

ag-'st  Elias  Jackson Robert  Jordan 000 

June  s, ••179'.)_.  Onon.  Commissioners-Sam'l  Messenger 000 

LOT  TEX. 

July    s,  179()__State  of  New  York (feo.  Springsteen 000- -Soldier 

Nov.-  S.  -1 7S:;_-(  H'O.  Springsteen Jonathan  Owen 000- -K>  pds. 

A-pr.    4,  17<S9__-  W.  J.  Vredenburgh__600 

Nov.    :>,  1791. .-Win.  Constable Josiah  O.  Hofimaii  — GOO 

.;nne  :•»,-! 794— J.-O.  Hoffman. Win.  Cooper 000 

.">,  1794— Win.  Cooper Thos.  R.  Gold :-JOO 

"    29,  179(>_-Thos.  R.  Gol<l David  Cami)bell 300-5.JOO  i>ds. 

?ilar.  .'il,  ISol -_( )non.  Commissioners -Jonathan  Owen (iOO  awarded 

LOT  ELEVEN. 

July    9,  179n__State  of  Xew  York Thos.   Xellson-- 00)0— Soldier 

Aug.  29,  17s:)--Thos.  Xellson Augustus  Jones (;00-_i:>  pds. 

Nov.  12,  1784— Augustus  Jcn?s (  John  (,)uackenboss 

I  Garrett  Patterson — 

(Leonard  Fishers-.. _:i75 

^ep.  1-5.  17'.n__John  nuackenboss John  Lawrence 

LOT  TWELVE. 

July    S,  1790-_State  of  Xew  York ^lartin  Walker 000 ...Soldier 

Ai»r.    o,  17S.">.._ Martin  Walker Lincoln  Veeder 

Mar.   .'»,  1792— Linn>ln  Veeder Jacob  Judson (iOO-100  \n\>. 

"     29,  1 ,92--Jacob  Judson David  Tripp 100 5s. 

MayliO,  1792.  .  "       Chas.  Tripp 100 

Sep.  29,  1792--     "'  Elnathan  Pickard  _. ..  40 

Oct'r  S,  1794— Lewis  Dav Asa  Starkwather 100—72  pd>. 


224  THE    POMPEY   HE-UNION. 

Date  of  Sale.  GRANTOR.  GRANTEE.  Acres.    Consd'n 

July  17,  1795--Jaeob  Judson Sam'l  Edwards 27--30  pds. 

"    17,1795--     "  "      Levi  Jerome 244-195  pds. 

Nov.  18, 1795— Jos.  Annin "        "         156- -90  pds. 

LOT  THIRTEEN. 

July    8,  1790- -State  of  New  York John  Snowden 600— Soldier 

Jno.Snowden  probably  Patrick  Shay GOO 

Aug.  24,  1790— Patrick  Shay W.  J.  Vredenburgh— 600--30  pds. 

May  30,  1797— W.  J.  Vredenburgh— -Win.  Haskins-— —600-300  pds. 

Apr.    4,  1798— Wm.  Haskins Reuben  Hustis 150-450  pds. 

LOT  FOURTEEN. 

July    7,  1790- -State  of  New  York Abram  Hyatt 600— Soldier 

Abram  Hyatt  probably  W.  J.  Vredenburgh— 

May  16,  1795— W.  J.  Vredenburgh Caleb  Northrup 50 37  pds. 

LOT  FIFTEEN. 

July    8,  1790— State  of  New  York John  List 600— Soldier 

""  29,  1789— John  List Isaac  Bogert 600- -12  pds. 

Sept.  4,  1784—     "         "     Henry  Plature 600—12  pds. 

Aug.  14,  1792— Isaac  Bogert Jeremiah  Gold 600-480  pds. 

LOT  SIXTEEN. 

July    8,  1790- -State  of  New  York Joseph  Kitchum 600— Soldier 

Aug.  16,  1791— Joseph  Kitchum Benj.  Peltoii 600— 35  pds. 

LOT  SEVENTEEN. 

July    8,  1790— State  of  New  York StephenPowell 600— Soldier 

Sep.  15, 1795- -Stephen  Powell —John  Sprague 600-100  pds. 

Mar.  1,  1796- -John  Sprague /Jno.  D.  Dickinson- 
I.Elijah  Jones 600 $480 

LOT  EIGHTEEN. 

July    8,  1790— State  of  New  York Joseph  Morgan 600— Soldier 

"v     6,  1791— Joseph  Morgan Theodorous  Fowler— 600— 40  pds. 

Oct'r  4,  1791— Theo.  Fowler Nicholas  Fish 600 

Sep.  10,  1800- -Onon.  Commissioners-        "  "    600  awarded 

LOT  NINETEEN. 

July    8,  1790— State  of  New  York John  Ransier 600— Soldier 

Nov.  17,  1783— John  Ransier Thos.  Tillotson 600-5  pds.&c 

Aug.  18,  1790—     "          "        Isaac  Davis 500 

Jan.  13,  1796- -     "          "        -- Elkanah  Watson 600 $105 

Apr.  10,  1794— Thos.  Tillotson J.  W.  Gold 600 

Jan.  22,  1797- -Elkanah  Watson "        "      600 

May  23,  1800- -Onon.  Commissioners-     "         "      600  awarded 

LOT  TWENTY. 

July    3,  1790_-State  of  New  York Stephen  McDougall— 500— Soldier 

Mar.  3,  1797— Robt.  McClellen,claim- 

ing  patent  from  State- -Alex.  Ellice--  __600 

LOT  TWENTY-ONE. 

Sep.  13,  1790.  -State  of  New  York Matthew  Colford 500— Soldier 

Colford's  heirs I  Mas.  B.  Clark 

\  Joshua  Briggs 500 

Feb.    2,  1796— Joshua  Briggs Chas.  Roys— — 225 

"    .22,1796--        "        "        f  Sam'l  Messenger -- 

I,  Sam'l  Edwards 225-2£4  pds. 

LOT  TWENTY-TWO. 

July    8,  1790— State  of  New  York John  Chevalier 600— Soldier 

Feb.    8,  1785— John  Chevalier Elisha  Camp 600 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  225 

Date  of  Sale.  GRANTOR.  GRANTEE.'  Acres.    (Jonsd'n 

Apr.  15,  1791— Elisha  Camp Wm.  Constable 600 

Nov.   3,  1791— Wm.  Constable--     —  Josiah  O.  Hoffman  --GOO- 
LOT  TWENTY-THREE. 

July    9,  1790— State  of  New  York Israel  Coleman 600— Soldier 

Sep.  17,  1784—IsraeI  Coleman Rob't  Shutes 300—30  pds. 

Feb.    0,1797—     "  "        300-150  pds. 

May    0,1790--     "  —Ebenezer  Clark 600--- 

"•  12,  1798_-Ebenezer  Clark Enos  Peck 600-525  pds. 

Deo.  IS,  179S__On<»n.  Commissioners-Ebenczer Clark 600  awarded 

LOT  TWENTY-FOUR. 

July    9,  1790— State  of  New  York Elisha  Harvey  _      —600— Soldier 

Au<r.  10,  1793— Elisha  Harvey Ebenezer  (Jay 600—45  pds. 

"    10,  1793--     "  Asaph  Drake 100 10s. 

May    2,1795_-     "  Joseph  Hurst 180 

Deo.    0,  1800-  -Onon.  Commissioners-Ebenezer  (Jay 600  awarded 

LOT  TWENTY-FIVE. 
Reserved  for  Gospel. 

LOT  TWENTY-SIN. 

July    (>,  1790_ -State  of  Xew  York John  Brown 600— Soldier 

"    18,  1792 --Asa   Spaulding,  Att'y 

for  John  Brown Joseph  Purdy 600 

Jan.  13,  1798— John  Brown,  person'y  Samuel  Cobb 600 §600 

July  18,  1792— Joseph  Purdy  -         — Ephriam  Willard 600 

Sept.  8,  1792 --Ephriam  Willard Samuel  Beebee 

Sam'l  Beebee Josiah  Bi^elow 

Mar.    1,  1802--Onon.  Commissioners-Sam'l Beebee 600  awarded 

LOT  TWENTY-SEVEN. 

July    8,  1.790— State  of  New  York Wm.  Murray 600- -Soldier 

Jan'y  4,  1792— Wm.  Murray f  John  Robinson 

Oot.  28,1795--  .-\Daniel  Hall 600--64  pds. 

"    28,1795--     "  "      (Jeremiah  Schuyler 

(John  J.  Cuyler 600—80  pds. 

Jan'y  5,  1792— Daniel  Hall John  Robinson 300—10  pds. 

"  *   6,  1792— John  Robinson Jer.  VanRensselaer— 600— 53  pds. 

Dec.  10,  1794— Asa  Danforth Richard  Hiscock 100-130  pds. 

June  10, 1795--     "  Aaron  Bellows 100-140  pds. 

LOT  TWENTY-EIGHT. 

July    8,  1790— State  of  New  York John  Lambert 600— Soldier 

Nov.  26,  1796— John  Lambert Nathan  Williams 600 §500 

Oct'r   3,  1797— Nathan  Williams—. 

LOT  TWENTY-NINE. 

July    S,  1790— State  of  New  York Geo.  Waggonman 600— Soldier 

Nov.   7,  1789- -Geo.  Waggonman John  Quackenboss 600 

April  1,  1792--     ;i  Michael  O'Brien 600—40  pds. 

July  27.  1790- -John  Quackenboss Henry  TenBrooks— 600 

Joseph  Annin Levi  Jerome 146—90  pds. 

LOT  THIRTY. 

July    9,  1790— State  of  New  York Joseph   Maroney 600— Soldier 

Feb'y  1,  1784— Joseph  Maroney Peter  Nestell 600- - -8  pds. 

Jan'y  2,  1793— Peter  Nestell Moses  Phillips 600 

May    1,  1793— Moses  Phillips John  Grant 600-100  pds. 

June  3.  1791  — David  Quinlan,  as  as 
signee  of  J.  Maroney--.Wm.Dur 600 

15 


226  THE    FOMPEY    RE-UNION. 

LOT  THIRTY-ONE. 

Date  of  Sale.  GRANTOR.  GRANTEE.  Acres.     Consd'n 

Reser'd  for  Gospel,  &c. 

LOT  THIRTY-TWO. 

July    9,  1790- State  of  New  York Christopher  Medler— 600— Soldier 

Aug.  10, 1793— Christopher  Medler- --Buckhart Li vingston-600— 40  pds. 

Oct'r  1, 1794— B.  Livingston Thos.  Cooper 600 

Jan.  22,  1796  _-Thos.  Cooper Geo.  D.  Wickham— 600— 

Onon.  Commissioners-Heirs  of  C.  Medler 600 

LOT  THIRTY-THREE. 

July    8,  1790— State  of  New  York Benjamin  Kelso 500— Soldier 

Feb.  27.  1784_-Benj.  Kelso ._  f  Geo.  Bartholomew- 

t  John  Fisher 500 

May    9,1793—     "  Joshua  Briggs 500 

Mar.  21.  1794- -     "          ''    f  Ephriam  Marwin— 

'(  Phil.  VanCortland-500— $300.00 

May    (i,1795-_     "  Gideon  Ball 500 --80  pds. 

"      (5,  1796- -Daniel  Kelso,  broth  & 

heir  of  Benj.  Kelso-- -Robert  Smith 500- - 

Mar.  15,  1797- -Daniel  Kelso f  Evander  Childs  --- 

"(Luke  Owens 500—40  pds. 

Dec.         1794- -Isaac  Smith  &  others-- Joshua  Fisher 500 

July  22,  1794. -Francis  Warner.-      .-Chas.  Tripp  _-  -.100 $100 

Onon.  Commissioners-  f  John  Fisher 333A 

^  Eleanore  Clark 

(  Miron  Clark--       —166s  - 

LOT  THIRTY-FOUR. 

July    S,  1790-State  of  New  York Philip  Cad  well 000- -Soldier 

Aug.   8,  1783— Philip  Cadwell Joseph  Cad  well 600 

Jan.  11,  1796--     "  Geo.  Pearson 600-400  pd*. 

May  19,  1796--Geo.  Pearson--  --Joseph Cadwell--    .—600  — 

LOT  THIRTY-FIVE. 

July    <>,  1790_-State  of  New  York N.  YanRensselaer  .._  JiOO— Soldier 

Oct'r  4,  1794-  -Jeremiah  (Jold Jabe/  Hull a  part— $400 

May  30,  1796-_Jabez  Hull Jas.  Low 133-1X8  pds. 

May  30, 1796—     "        "  -  -Noah  Hoy  t . .  .-  50-  -50  pds. 

LOT  THIRTY -SIN. 

1),  1790..-State  of  New  York Conrad  Hilty  .-     (KML -Soldier 

8, 1792-ConradHilty-          --Thos.  Ruggles--      ._. (iOO-llO  pds. 

LOT  THIRTY-SEVEN. 

«.»,  179(i_. State  of  New  York Isaac  Bogart--          .  — (iOO-.Soldier 

Aug.  14,  1 792— Isaac  Bosrart -       -Jeremiah  Gold--   _ -600-480  pds. 

May    4,  1795— Jeremiah  Gold--     —I.  Thos.  Cue-..          —600-360  pds. 
LOT  THIRTY-EIGHT. 

July    «.),  1790.  State  of  New  York Win.  Malcoine  -.      _-(>00-  -Soldier 

LOT  THIRTY-NINE. 

July    8,  1790— State  of  New  York Henry  Miller  .__ 6(M)__Soldior 

June  21, 178:> -.Henry  Miller oamuel  Cary  -          __600_.JO  pds. 

Nov.   4,1873-_     "  "      Edward  Crampton-— GOO 

Mar.  10,  1784- -Edward  Crampton Nathaniel  Platt—    .— 000--10  pds. 

LOT  FORTY. 

July    9,  1790- -State  of  New  Yoik Matthew  Gee-son 500— Soldier 

Matthew    (ieeson Nehemiah  Rockwell  500--10  pds. 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  227 

Date  of  Sale  GRANTOR.  GRANTEE.  Acres.    Consd'n 

Nov'r2,  1790— Nehe.  Rockwell Mordecai  Hall 500--43  pds. 

July    2,  1791 --Mordecai  Hall Theodosius  Fowler_-500 

Oct'r  4,  1792— Theo.  Fowler Nicholas  Fish 500 

Mar.   3,  1790- -Nicholas  Fish f  AbramSmith 

\Manoah  Pratt 500-300  pds. 

LOT  FORTY-ONE. 

July    8,  1790- -State  of  New  York Christian  Brandt 600— Soldier 

Sep'r  6,  1783- -Christian  Brandt Bernard  Bond 600 

Feb.  14,  1784--  "      G.  B.  &  J.  Fisher 600 

Aug.  30,  1 784  -  _        "  Isaac  Smith 600-  -  -  2  pds. 

Apr.  27,  1795— Bernard  Bond Ithel  Battle 600—40  pds. 

Sep'r  2,  1795 --Isaac  Smith John  Fisher--     600 

Dec'r  ],  1794— James  Saidler  & 

Isaac  R.  Smith Robert  Petit  ..      600 

Onon.  Commissioners-John  Fisher 600  awarded 

LOT  FORTY-TWO. 

July    9,  1790- -State  of  New  York Cornelius  T.  Jansen— 600— Soldier 

"      3,  1796— C.  T.  Jansen--  —David  Green.-       —300-180  pds. 

LOT  FORTY-THREE. 

Sep.  13,  1790--State  of  New  York Cornelius  VanTassell 500— Soldier 

June  9,  1792- -C.  VanTassell's  heirs- -John  Hagaman 500-300  pds. 

Nov'r4,  1799- -Onon.  Commissioners-Robert  Troup 500  awarded 

LOT  FORTY-FOUR. 

Sep.  13,  1790— State  of  New  York John  Bateman 500— Soldier 

John  Batemaii's  Att'y-  ( John  Jacob  Astor— 

\  Peter  Smith 500-150  pds. 

LOT  FORTY-FIVE. 

July    9,  1790— State  of  New  York Wm.  Stevens 600— Soldier 

Dec.  30,  1794--Wm.  Stevens f  Silas  Holbrook 

\  Abiather  Hull 600-360  pds. 

Dec.  26,  1795— Silas  Holbrook Abiather  Hull 300-160  pds. 

July  22,  1796- -Abiather  Hull Ambros  Hull 100 

Dec.    8,  1797--  Betsey  Leggett 500- $1100.00 

LOT  FORTY-SIX. 

July    9,  1790— State  of  New  York Leonard  Chapin 600- -Soldier 

"      7,  1784— Leonard  Chapin--     --Samuel  Broome 600— -6  pds. 

Jan'y  5,  1793— Samuel  Broome (John  Patterson 

\  W.  J.  VredenburgheoO  — — 

LOT  FORTY-SEVEN. 

July    9,  1790- -State  of  New  York Conradt  Bush 600— Soldier 

Xov'r      1796- -Conradt  Bush—         __ Elias  Jackson 600-450  pds. 

LOT  FORTY-EIGHT. 

July    8,  1790— State  of  New  York Wm.  Stocker 600— Soldier 

Sep'r  2,  1779— Wm.  Stocker Wm.  Haskins 600—14  pds. 

Mar.23,  1792— Ebenezer  Lowell Jacob  Hoar 50—10  pds. 

"       1,  1796— Wm.  Haskins Jos.  Griffins 100— $100.00 

LOT  FORTY-NINE. 

July    9,  1790- -State  of  New  York John  Neilson 500— Soldier 

Aug.    4.  1.791— John  Nielson Dudley  Woodbridge_500— 20  pds. 

Feb'y  1,  1793— Dudley  Woodbridge— Moses  DeWitt $337.50 

LOT  FIFTY. 

July    8,  1790— State  of  New  York Chas.  Kinney 600— Soldier 

Aug.  28,  1794— Chas.  Kinney Ebenezer  Clark 600— Soldier 

Onon.  Commissioners-        "  "          __600  awarded 


228  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNIOX. 

LOT  FIFTY-ONE. 

Date  of  Sale.  GRANTOR.  GRANTEE.  Acres.     ConstVn 

July    9,  1790— Statd  of  New  York Abner  Prior 400— Soldier 

Oct'r  12,  1791— Abner  Prior Jacob  Hallett -400-115  pds. 

May  30,  1793— Jacob  Hallett Trueworthy  Cook 400 8300 

May    1,1796--  "     Nicholas  Low 200— 

LOT  FIFTY-TWO. 

July    6,  1790— State  of  New  York Smith  Wait GOO— Soldier 

Mar.  14,  1.784- .  Smith  Wait 'William  Bell GOO--.-  - 

Apr.  16,  1791--       "        "     Isaac  Miller--  —60,0— 20- pds. 

Oct'r  5,  1791— Isaac  Miller Frances  M.  Wickhain600— 75  pds. 

Apr.  18,  1795— Jonathan  Bunnell (ieo.  D.  Wickham —600-100  pds. 

June  9,  1796— William  Bell Walter  Wood-'- 

Aug.   5,  179G--Walter  Wood Deodatus  Clark 600_709  pds. 

Mar.  21,  1800— Onon.  Commissioners-         "  .—  (500  awarded 

LOT  FIFTY-THREE. 

July    9,  1790— State  of  New  York Chas.  Parsons---     .  — (500— Soldier 

May    1,  1.792— Chas.  Parson Josiah  Holbrook,  Jr.-300— 20  pds. 

May  23,  1794— Josiah  Holbrook Baruch  Holbrook 75 

Nov.   4,  1799 Onon.  Commissioners -Robt.  Troup 50  awarded 

LOT  FIFTY-FOUR. 

Sep.  13,  1790— State  of  New  York Samuel  Torry—        —600— Soldier 

Mar.  21,  1791— Samuel  Torry-  — Elisha  Gridley GOO 

Oct'r  21, 1792— Palmer  Cade 

Elisha  Gridley O/ias  Burr 600-240  pds. 

Nov.  10, 1792— Ozias  Burr—. 'William  Cook 100—40  pds. 

June21,1793—      "         "    David  Allen 140—5(5  pds. 

Oct'r  5,  1792— Nathaniel  Meghell "        "      54—30  pds. 

"      1,  1796— Ozias  Burr Nathaniel  Meghill— -160— 

LOT  FIFTY-FIVE. 

July    8,  1790— State  of  New  York John  Uthest GOO— Soldier 

Jan,  15,  1791— Jno.  Uthest  alias  Hass-Jer.  VanRensselaer__600 5  shil. 

Apr.  12, 1792— Jer.  Van  Renssellaer— Eleanor  Bassitt 600—5  shil. 

May  13,  1795— Eleanor  Bassett Jas.  S.  Tripp GOO-  _. 

LOT  FIFTY-SIX. 

July    8,  1791— State  of  New  York John  Dobson 600— Soldier 

"      2,  1796— John  Dobson Barney  Connolly 600-250  pds. 

Feb.  17,  1791—     "  "       Henry  A.  Tanner 600—10  pds. 

Nov.  28,  1798— Onon.  Commissioners-Henry  A.  Townsend-GOO  awarded 

"  John  Tayler-—       — :  50        " 

LOT  FIFTY-SEVEN. 

July    9,  1790— State  of  New  YTork Fred  Weisemfels 600— Soldier 

14    11,  1789— Fred.  Weisemfels Richard  Platt 600-10  pds. 

"      2,1795—    "  "          Jer.  VanRensselaer— 600 

May    3, 1795— Richard  Platt Sam'l  Meradeth GOO 

Dec.    6, 1800- -Onon.  Commissioners-     "  600  awarded 

LOT  FIFTY-EIGHT. 

July    8, 1790— State  of  New  York David  Morrison 500—Soldier 

Dec.  29,  1791— David  Morrison Simeon  VanAntwerp  500 

Robert  McClellan John  Rogers 100 — 

Jan.  22,  1796-Jas  .Cadwell Call  McGregor 100— 

Onon.  Commissioners-John  Rogers 100  awarded 

LOT  FIFTY-NINE. 
July    8,  1790— State  of  New  Y^ork Philip  Burch GOO-Soldier 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  229 

Date  of  Sale.  GRANTOR.  GRANTEE.  Acres.     Consd'n 

Dec.  1"),  1783— Philip  Burch Edward  Crampton— 600— 10  pds. 

Oct.     "2,  1790— Edward  Crampton Jer.  VanBensselaer— 600— 20  pds. 

Apr.    i*,  1795-- Jonas  Stansburv [Isaac  Xicoll 

1  Walter  D.  Nicoll— 300-700  pds. 

Xov.   '2,  1790— Abram  Ten  Eyck Joseph  Kodes 300 

Mar.  39,  1798— Asa  Danforth John  Carpenter  „ — GOO—  - 

Dec?.  '24,  1800— Onon.  Commissioners. Daniel  Pixley  --' 300  awarded 

"    24,1800--      "  Abram  TenEyck 300        " 

LOT  SIXTY. 

July    8,  1790— State  of  Xew  York Edward  Wright 600— Soldier 

May  3u,  1794, -Edward  Wright f  Eben.  Willoughby- 

\WalterWood  —    —600--50  pds. 

Mar.    3,  3789 .    "  •'•       Jos.  Shelden 

Xov.   4,  1794— Walter  Wood Abiather  Hull 600-480  pds. 

May  20,  1795— Jas.  Sheldon Elkanah  Watson 550-100  pds. 

"      5.  1797— Abiather  Hall Walter  Wood 

Jan.  loj  1798- -Elkanah  Watson Asa  Smith 

Dec.  23,  1800— Onou.  Commissioners-John  Taylor— 50  awarded 

LOT  STXTY-OXE. 

July    S,  1790— State  of  Xew  York Jonathan  Ericas 600— Soldier 

FelVy  6,  1792— Timothy  Titus  &  Wm. 

W.  Morris  assignees  of 

David  Crosby,  Att'y  of 

Jonathan  Brings John  Carpenter 

LOT  SIXTY-TWO. 
Reser'd  for  Gospel,  &c. 

Aug.  12,  1800 --Onon.  Commissioners-Theo.  V.  W.  Graham    50  awarded 
LOT  SIXTY-THREE. 

Sop.   12.  1790— State  of  Xew  York John  Shaw 500— Soldier 

LOT    SIXTY-FOUR. 

Sept.   9,  1790__State  of  Xew  York John  Brown 600--Soldier 

Jan.  30,  1797--Johii  Brown Sani'l  Cobb,  Jr 600 $100 

Apr.  19,  1784- ..     "  "     — Alex.  McDougall 3pds.--4s. 

July  10,  1792— Ex.  Alex.  McDougall- John  Lawrence 600 

Dec.  27,  1796— Ebene/er  Butler,  Jr— Benj.  Butler 50]_30  pds. 

Feb.  20,  1798- _  --Ezra  Hart--  100 $100 

LOT  SIXTY-FIVE. 

Sept.  9.  179()-_Snite  of  Xew  York Hanjost  Deymont 000— Soldier 

Xov.    1.  1793— tyeympnt's  Widow--i-Ezra  Hull 600-50  pds. 

.Mar.    3,  1795— Ezra  Hull Ebenezer  Butler,  Jr.-GOO— 40  pds. 

Oct.         1798--EI>ene/er  Butler,  Jr__ -Nathan Davis 100 $100 

'•      4,1798--  -— John  Willard 2 $129 

LOT  SIXTY-SIX. 

Juiy    S,  1790--State  of  Xew  York  .-'—Edwin '.Carvin 500— Soldier 

May  20.  1792^-Edwin  Carvin Eli.  Kellogg,  Jr 500—25  pds. 

Xov.  24,  1792— Eliphalet  Kellogg,  Jr._Jas.  B.  Clark 500 

Dec.    9,  1793_-Edwin  Carvin—— Daii'l  Delivan 500—2  pds. 

Oct.  14,  1794- -Daniel  DeSavin Philip  VanCourtland  500—25  pds. 

Mar.    2,  1796— Win.  Gilliland John  D.  Dickinson-— 100 

Apr.  1:5,  1795 --Augustus  Sackett Jos.  B.  Clark 

May    6,  1790— Jos.  B.  Clark Sam'l  Sackett 

1799— Onon.  Commissionera-Philip  VanCourtland  350  awarded 

1799--  Theo.  V.  W.  Graham    50 

1799- .       "  John  D.  Dickinson  — -100        " 


230  THE    POMPEY    HE-UNION. 

LOT  SIXTY-SEVEN. 

Date  of  Sale  GRANTOR.  GRANTEE.  Acres.    Consd'n 

Reser'd  for  Gospel,  &c. 

LOT  SIXTY-EIGHT. 

July    9,  1790— State  of  New  York John  Ryan 600— Soldier 

Mar.  3,  1791-John  Ryan Daniel  Quinton 600- 

July  14,  1783—     "          "     Anthony  Maxwell —600—11  pds. 

June  3/1792— Daniel  Quinton Wm.  Duer 600 

Nov.  15,  1792— Anthony  Maxwell Robert  Affleck 600 

"      2,  1795— John  Ryan f  Jer.  Schuyler 

tJohndiyler 600 

"    12, 1794— Robert  Affleck Sam'l  Beebee 

Jan.    3,  1795— C.  Olbrath— Jag.  Greenleaf- 600-140  pds. 

Dec.  14, 1799— Onon.  Commissioners-Sam'l  Beebee 600  awarded 

LOT  SIXTY-NINE. 

July    8,  1790— State  of  New  York Christian  Shantze  _— 600-Soldier 

Apr.    5, 1792— Christian  Shantze Win.  W.  Gale 

Dec.    6, 1799— Onon.  Commissioners- Geo.  D.  Wickham 600  awarded 

LOT  SEVENTY. 

July    3,  1790— State  of  New  York John  Ackler 600— Soldier 

Aug.  24,  1784- John  Ackler Abram  Freer 600—11  pds. 

Oct.  24,  1790— Nicholas  Fish Jos.  McCluer 600 

Sept.  20,  1792— Jos.  McCluer John  Lamb 200 $200 

Sept.  20, 1792—    "          "        Sam'l  Draper -200 $200 

LOT  SEVENTY-ONE. 

July    3, 1790— State  of  New  York Thos.  O'Bryan 600— Soldier 

Jan.  20,  1784— Thos.  O'Bryan Alex.  McDougall 500- _ -3  pds. 

Dec.  20, 1796—    "  "       Jos.  C.  Yates 

John  Prince 500--. 

July        1797— Jer.  Van  Renssellaer— John  Rogers,. 100 

1799— Onon.  Commissioners-John  Taylor 50  awarded 

1799—      "  Heirs  of  John  Rogers  100 

LOT  SEVENTY-TWO. 

Sept.  13,  1790— State  of  New  York Sam'l  Townsend 500— Soldier 

Dec.  10,  1790— Samuel  Townsend Elijah  Hunter 500—60  pds. 

Nov.  20, 1791 -Elijah  Hunter Phil.  VanCortland— 500 

Onon.  Commissioners-     "  -—350 

Theo.  V.  W.  Graham  100  awarded 
LOT  SEVENTY-THREE. 
Reser'd  for  Gospel,  &c. 

LOT  SEVENTY-FOUR. 

July    8,  1790- -State  of  New  York Geo.  Alkyser 600— Soldier 

May    5,  1793-Geo.  Alkyser Wm.  Radcliff,  Jr 600 

William  Radcliff,  Jr  -Isaac  Hall—  -300- 

Onon.  Commissioners'- Wm.  Radcliff IFf  awarded 

Isaac  Hall H'f 

LOT  SEVENTY-FIVE. 

July    8,  1790— State  of  New  York Martin  Rees 600— Soldier 

Sept.  10,  1783— Martin  Rees James  Luvrey 600-10  Span. 

Mar.  23,  1793- -Cornelius  Glen Jos.  Aiming 600 

LOT  SEVENTY-SIX. 

July    8,  1 790- -State  of  New  York Wm.  F.  Dougherty- _ -600- .  Major 

Mar.    8,  1789— Wm.  F.  Dougherty-  — Robt.  Dunlop 600-10  pds. 

Feb.  19,  1790— Mathew  Visscher Albelower'Stepentine600~25  pds. 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION.  231 

LOT  SE  VENT  Y-SK  YEN. 

Date  of  Sale.  GRANTOR.  GRANTEE.  Acres.    Consd'n 

July     7,  1790— State  of  New  York-- John  Lamb--  -600-Colonel, 

LOT  SEVENTY-EIGHT. 

Sept,  13,  1790- -State  of  New  York Sam'l  Fletcher 500—  Major 

Heirs  of  Fletcher VV.  J.  Vredenburgh— 500 $050 

Feb.    8,  1790— Peter  Elmendorf- Reuben  Pixley 100 $400 

Dec.  22,  1795— Wm.  J.  Vredenburgh-Jos.  B.  Clark 500 

Jos.  B.  Clark Reuben  Pixley 450- . 

Onon.  Commissioners-Th.  YanW.  Graham-  50  awarded 
Peter  Elmendorf 100 

LOT  SEVENTY-NINE. 

Sept.  13,  1790 -State  of  New  York Conradt  Hyle 500-Soldier 

May  15,  1793— Conradt  Hyle Sam'l  Hackett 500 $37 

"     10,  1796- -Samuel  Hackett Reuben  Pixley 50 

June   1,1797--        ';  "        Jas.  B.  Clark  I 200  — 

July        1797--Jer.  Van  Rensselaer John  Rogers 100 

June  21 .  1 796 .. .  Jas.  Cad  well Cal  1  McGregor-  -       -  - 1 00  -  - 

Onon.  Commissioners- Heirs  of  John  Rogers-100  awarded 

LOT  EIGHTY. 

July    9,  1790 --State  of  New  York Ashbel  Dean 500— Soldier 

Apr.  20,  1790— Ashbel  Dean Stephen  Thorn 500—40  pds. 

Mar.  14,  1790— Stephen  Thorn Charles  Roe 500-200  pds. 

Feb.  16,  1792— Timothy  Benedict Phil.  VanCortland— 500— 45  pds. 

1 800- -Onon.  Commissioners-Peter  E.  Elmendorf--  50  awarded 

LOT  EIGHTY-ONE. 

July    8,  1790— State  of  New  York John  Tillday 600— Soldier 

Oct.  14,  1789— John  Tillday Sam'l  Smitli 600 $3. 

July    5,  1791 --Samuel  Smith--          —  Chas.  Plait  Rogers-- -600- -25  pds. 

LOT  EIGHTY-TWO. 

July    8,  1790- -State  of  New  York John  H.  Deverance— 600— Soldier 

Jan.  10,  1799— John  H.  Deverance Joshua  Briggs 600—67  pds. 

Apr.  10,  1793— John  H.  Deverance Jacob  Clingman 600- -45  pds. 

May    3,  1793— Jacob  Clingman Jos.  B.  Clark 600 

Feb.  22,          .._ 1  lugli  Sackey 

Joshua  Briggs I).  &  Smith  Hibbard -450-495  pds. 

Nov.   6,  1799_ -Onon.  Conimissioners-Th.  VanW.  Graham—  50  awarded 

LOT  EIGHTY-THREE. 

Sept.  13,  1790- -State  of  New  York John  Geo.  Reamer-- -500- -Soldier 

July    8, 1791— Elkanah  Watson Isaac  Carpenter 500- -47  pds. 

June  5,  1797- -Jer.  Van  Rensselaer- ..-Elkanah  Watson 100 

"    10,  1798— Elkanah  Watson Asa  Smith 

Onon.  Commissioners-Elkanah  Watson 100  awarded 

LOT  EIGHTY-FOUR. 

Aug.  17,  17 90- -State  of  New  York Samuel  Lewis 600-Soldier 

July    4,  1792— Somuel  Lewis John  Taylor 600 

Nov.    1,  1791-..Daniel  Gould Jonathan  Wood 600-300  pds. 

LOT  EIGHTY-FIVE. 

July    7,  1790— State  of  New  York Daniel  Loder 600— Soldier 

Dec.  10,  1791— Daniel  Loder Samuel  Palmer 600-40  pds. 

LOT  EIGHTY-SIX. 

July    8,  1790- -State  of  New  York John  Boggs 

Jan.  17,  1784- -John  Boggs Alex.  McDougai 


232  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

Date  of  Sale.  GRANTOR.  GRANTEE.  Acres.     Consd'u 

July    7,  1790— John  Quackenboss Henry  TenBrook GOO — 

Mar.    1, 1802- -Onon.  Commissioners-      "  —600  awarded 

LOT  EIGHTY-SEVEN. 

July    8,  1790— State  of  New  York Henry  Elliott 500— Soldier 

April  2,  1792— II.  Elliott's  heirs Jasper  Cropsey 

"     f  Augustus  Sackett  __ 

\  Jos"  B.  ('lark 500  -- 

Onon.  Commissioners-  (Heirs  of  H.Elliott- 

t  AVm.  Thompson 

LOT  EIGHTY-EIGHT. 

July    8,  1790— State  of  New  York Othniel  Preston  GOO— Soldier 

LOT  EIGHTY-NINE. 

July    9,  1790— State  of  New  York John  Thayer  _.          —  GOO— Soldier 

May  25,  1790— John  Thayer  1 Sani'l  Bostwick—   __ _600— -8  pds. 

Oct'r  5,1793--     "  •"     —Richard  Rogers 000— 31  pds. 

June  20,  1794—     "  <;      James  Reed GOO-100  pds. 

Nov.    5,  1796— Jas.  Reed Isaac  Reed 

LOT  NINETY. 

July    9,  1790— State  of  New  York Abijah  Ward-         -GOO— Soldier 

Feb.  19,  1791— Abijah  AVard f  H.J.VanRensselaer 

}  Joseph  Town •__600_..20  pds. 

Jan.    G,  1796--Sybrant  Bleekcr Stephen  Raynard 100— $98.50 

Apr.    8,  1795— H.  J.  AranRensselaer_-Sam'l  Forbes 

Feb.  20;  1796— Samuel  Forbes Thos.  AVhitc 500  ___ ._ 

Nov.    6,  1799- -Onon.  Commissioners -Stephen  Raynard 100  awarded 

"      0,1791)--  "  Thos. VanAV.  Graham    50  awarded 

LOT   NINETY-ONE. 

July    G,  1790— State  of  New  York John  F.  Ilamtramck-Gno Soldier 

Apr.  14,  1791— John  F.  Hamtramck— Michael  Connolly (500.  ..._  i?10() 

Oct.     4,  1790-Thos.  Fowler Nicholas  Fish  - 

"    14,  1791 --Michael Connelly Thos.  Fowler.. 

LOT  NINETY-TWO. 

July    8,  1790-State  of  New  York Thos.  Willso:;  ..      —500 -Soldier 

Jan.    ;-],  1792— Thos.  AVillson Justus  Banks 5()()--4:J>  ])ds. 

Mar.    4,  1787— AValter  AVilson's  heirs-  (  Andrew  AVhite 500 

1  AVm.  Preston  .__ 

(  AVm.  Pool 500 §500 

Dec.     7,  1798__()iion.  Commissioners -AVhite,  Preston  &  PooloOO  av/arded 
LOT  N I  NET  Y-THREE. 

July    f),  1 790_-State  of  New  York Thos.  AVilliams  -  -   -.-GOO  .  -Soldier 

LOT  NINETY-FOUK. 

July    9,  1790- -State  of  New  York James  Purdey-       —.500— Soldier 

Jan.  26,  1784-_James  Purdey Ebenezer  Fitch—   —509 ....15  ]>ds. 

Nov.  1(5,  1.785--       '•  "    " Elias  Newman 500 --.-8  pds. 

Sep.  25,  1791— Timothy  Benedict John  W.  AVatkins  .--500--45  })ds. 

June 28, 1793— John  AV.  AVatkins AVm.  Si)rajrne.-         -.500-100  pels. 

Mar.  25,  1801.  -Onon.  Commissioners-David  J  lobby 100  awarded 

Peter  E.  Elmendorf-    KR>  a\varde<l 
LOT  NIN FT Y-FI YE . 

July    8,  1790_ -State  of  New  York Jer.  AranRensselaer  1.600- -Soldier 

,1.  Van  Renssellaer John  Juan GOO.---HG  [)ds. 

LOT  NINETY-SIX. 
Reser'd  for  Gospel,  &c. 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  233 

LOT  XIXETY-SEVEX. 

Date  of  Sale.  GRANTOR.  GRANTEE.  Acres.     Consd'n 

Jan.  29,  1791--State  of  New  York Tewahangaraghkan_-600--Soldier 

Dee.  2-2,  1791--H.TewahamgaraghkanCor.  VarTSlyck 600—20  pds. 

"      7,  1792- -Cornelius  YaiiSlyck-  -John  Atkinson 600 

LOT  XIXETY-EIGHT. 

July    7,  1791  —  State  of  Xcw  York Chris.  Codwise 600__Soldier 

Sep.    2,  1790— Chris.  Codwise \V.  J.  Vredenburgh— 600 

May  17,  1786— Codwise'  heirs Abrara  Wilson 600 

Feb.  23,  1795— Geo.  McCall— : Abiathar  Hull 600 

Nov.  H,  1797- -Abiathar  Hull Geo.  M'Call 600—. 

"      7,  1 71)9-  -Onon.  ( Commissioners-  J  Penelope  Hughson-200  awarded 

\  Catharine  Kemsen-200  awarded 
LOT  NINETY-NINE. 

July    7,  1791 --Stale  of  New  York Barnardus  Swarthout600— Soldier 

LOT  ONE  HUNDRED. 

July    «S,  1 791  --State  of  New  York James  McCay ()00- -Soldier 

( )ct".    11,  17U1- -James  McCay ElishaCamp- 600 

Nov.  30,  1783-_Elisha  Camp Goose  VanSchaic-k-.-.-OOO 

Dec.    3,1791-.       "          "     ElishaBurdict-.        _.(>00 

Mm-. 2:},  1796— Zephaniah  Platt 

Nathaniel  Platt Jonas  Platt 000 

M-ar.  10,  1794-_Ed.  Crampton Nathaniel  Platt 000 

Feb.    <>,  1795_-Jos.  Greenleaf Samuel  Wilcox 600 

Oct.   18,  1796— Samuel  Wilcox Jos.  Greenleaf 000 

Nov.  16,  1798— Onon.  Commissioiiers-Xathaniel  Platt 600  awarded 

Aug.  20,  1801— X.  Platt G.  Platt 111 

Nov.  19,  1804— Chas.  W.  Goodrich---- Joseph  Ely 50-__$1'900 

"    22,  1804-_Joseph  Ely Chas.  Ely  1 55 

Feb.  17,  1803- -Theo.  Plaits Jas.  Foot-- 58 

July     >  1805-1^^^0^-        '    |      connected  with 

l^hI°SllS:  -J  this  lot  as  owners    - 

Theophelas  Tmcy  :         of  Uarts  ofit. 


We  append  a  co[>\"  of  a  deed  or  bounty  hind  warrant  given 

by  the  State,  as  a  specimen  of  the  original  deeds  given  for 
land.  The  deed  i-  partly  printed  and  partly  written,  on 
heavy  parchment  paper  and  reads  as  follows: 

The  People  of  ilio  State  of  Xcw  York  by  the  grace  of 
God.  free  and  independent: — To  all  to  whom  thefe  prefents 
shall  come,  Greeting: — Know  ye,  that,  in  purfuance  of  an 
act  of  our  legiflature,  patted  the  fixth  clay  of  April,  one  thou- 
fand  feven  hundred  and  ninety;  entitled  "  an  act  to  carry 
into  eliect  the  c-oncnrre.it  relolntions  and  acts  of  the  legifla 
ture,  for  L>'rantin«>-  certain  lands,  iironiifed  to  he  o-iven  as 

1  O 

bounty  lands,  and  for  oilier  [)iir|)ofes  therein  mentioned.'" 
We  Have  Given,  granted  and  Confirmed,  and  bvthefc  1'ref- 


234  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

ents,  Do  Give,  Grant  and  Confirm  unto  Abraham  Tompkins, 
All  that  certain  tract  or  lot  of  land,  fituate,  lying  and  bein^ 
in  the  County  of  Montgomery  and  in  the  Township  of  Mar- 
cellus  known  and  diftinguished  on  a  map  of  the  faid  Town 
ship  (filed  by  our  Surveyor-General  in  our  Secretary's  Office, 
agreeable  to  law),  by  Lot  number  Twenty-four,  containing 
six  hundred  acres;  Together  with  all  and  fingular  the  rights, 
hereditaments  and  appurtenances  to  the  fame  belonging,  or 
in  any  wife  appertaining ;  excepting  and  referving  to  our- 
felves  all  gold  and  filver  mines,  and  also  five  acres  of  every 
hundred  of  faid  tract  or  lot  of  land  for  highways;  To  Have 
and  to  Hold  the  above  described  and  granted  prernifes,  unto 
the  faid  Abraham  Tompkins,  his  heirs  and  affigns,  as  a  good 
and  undefeafible  eftate  of  inheritance  for  ever.  On  Condi 
tion  nevertheless  that  within  the  term  of  feven  years,  to  be 
computed  from  the  firft  day  of  January  next  enfuing  tire 
date  hereof,  there  fhall  be  one  actual  fettlement  made  on 
the  faid  tract  or  lot  of  land  hereby  granted,  otherwife  thefe 
our  Letters  Patent  and  the  eftate  hereby  granted  fhall  ceafe 
determine  and  become  void.  In  teftimony  whereof  we  have 
eaufed  thefe  our  Letters  to  be  made  Patent,  and  the  Great 
Seal  of  our  faid  State,  to  be  hereunto  aifixed.  Witness  our 
trufty  and  well  beloved  George  Clinton,  Efquire,  Governor 
of  our  faid  State,  Geneialand  Commander-in-Chief  of  all  the 
militia  and  Admiral  of  the  navy  of  the  fame,  at  our  city  of 
New  York,  this  eighth  day  of  July,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord 
one  thoufand  feven  hundred  and  ninety  and  in  the  fifteenth 
of  our  independence.  Approved  of  by  the  Commissioners 
of  the  Land-Office,  and  paffedthe  Secretary's  office  the  20th 
day  ofNovember,  1790. 

GEO.  CLINTON. 
ROBT.  HARTNER,  D.  Sec'y. 

"  Attached  to  the  deed  by  white  cord,  is  the  pendant 
Great  Seal  of  the  State  of  New  York,  being  a  beeswax  cast 
of  the  original  seal,  about  four  inches  in  diameter  arid  three- 
eights  of  an  inch  thick.  On  the  obverse  is  a  rising  sun,  and 
the  motto  "  Excelsior;"  and  legend  the  "  Great  Seal  of  the 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  235 

State  of  New  York."     On  the  reverse  a  rock  in  the  ocean: 
legend,  * Frustra.' ' 

TOWN  MEETINGS. 

Copy  of  original  records  as  found  in  Town  Clerk's  Office 
of  Pompey,  1794. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Freeholders  and  Inhabitants  of  the 
town  of  Pompey,  in  the  county  of  Onondaga,  as  lately  or 
dained  by  a  law  of  New  York,  passed  the  5th  of  March,  1794. 

That  the  first  town  meeting  be  held  at  the  House  of  Eben- 
ezer  Butler,  Jun.,  Esq.,  in  said  town.  April  1st,  1794,  was 
chosen  by  a  plurality  of  voices  : 

Moses  DeWitt,  Supervisor. 
Hezekiah  Olcott,  Clerk. 

Ozias  Burr,  Allen  Beach,  William  Haskin,  George  Cat- 
lin,  Ebenezer  Butler,  Jun.,  Assessors. 

Thomas  Olcott,  Jeremiah  Gould,  John  Lamb,  Commission 
ers  of  Highways. 

John  Lamb,  William  Haskin,  Overseers  of  the  Poor. 
John  Wilcox,  Samuel  Draper,  Joseph  H.  Smith,  Comtables. 
Voted  that  the  Constables  shall  be  Collectors. 

Joseph  Atwell,  Daniel  Allen,  Peter  Messenger,  Joseph 
Bartholomew,  Samuel  Sherman,  William  Rin,  John  Wil 
cox,  Samuel  Jerome,  True  worthy  Cook,  Overseers  of  High 
ways. 

Timothy  Sweet,  Elisha  Clark,  Fence  Viewers. 

Elisha  Clark,  Pound  Keeper. 

Various  by-laws  were  made,  and  among  them  one  that 
there  shall  be  a  bounty  of  three  pounds  for  every  wolf  killed 
within  the  bounds  of  this  town.  It  was  also 

Voted,  that  the  ensuing  election  be  held  at  three  different 
places,  viz  :  At  Moses  DeWitt's  on  the  fourth  Tuesday  in 
April. 


236  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

AtEbenezer  Butler  Jun's.,  the  Wednesday  following. 
At  Daniel  Allen's  the  Thursday  following. 


At  an  adjourned  meeting  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town 
of  Poinpey,  legally  assembled  at  the  House  of  Ebenezer 
Butler,  Jun.,  Esq.,  on  the  20th  September,  1794. 

William  Haskiu  was  chosen  Supervisor,  in  the  room  of 
Moses  DeWitt,  deceased. 

Voted,  that  the  sum  of  twelve  pounds  be  raised  for  the 
purpose  of  purchasing  books  and  paper,  and  other  expenses 
of  the  town. 


SECOND  TOWN  MEETING, 

At  the  annual  Town  Meeting  held  at  the  House  of  Eben 
ezer  Butler,  Jun.,  Esq.,  in  the  town  of  Pompey  and  county 
of  Onondaga,  7th  April,  1795. 

Voted  that  the  mode  of  choosing  Supervisor  and  Clerk  be 
to  speak  and  mark  against  his  name,  and  the  remainder  of 
Town  Officers  by  nomination. 

The  following  persons  were  unanimously  chosen  to  their 
respective  offices  :— 

Ebenezer  Butler,  Jun.,  Supervisor. 
Hezekiah  Olcott,  Clerk. 

Thomas  Gastin,  George  Catlin,  Jeremiah  Gould,  John 
Wilcox,  Josiah  Hoi  brook,  Assessors. 

William  Haskin,  Samuel  Messenger,  Jun.,  Hezekiah  Ol 
cott,  Commissioners  of  Highways. 

Josiah  Ilolbrook,  William    Haskin,  Overseers  of  the  Poor. 
Daniel  Allen,  Ezra  Hart,  Jabez  Hall,  Constables. 
Daniel  Allen,  Ezra  Hart,  Collectors. 

James  Olcott,  Enos  Peck,  Adonijah  Cowles,  William 
Pease,  Bariah  Holbrook,  Ebenezer  Carr,  Timothy  Coleman, 
Jacob  Hoar,  John  Jerome,  Salmon  Butler,  John  Vaughan, 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  237 

Daniel  Messenger,  Timothy  Sweet,  Asa  Barns,  David  Greens, 
Isaac  Carpenter,  Selali  Cook,  Overseers  of  Highways. 

William  Clark,  Ozias  Burr,  Fence  Viewers. 
George  Catlin,  Pound  Keeper. 

Voted  that  a  bounty  of  live  dollars  "be  given  for  the  scalp 
of  every  full  grown  wolf  killed  within  the  limits  of  the  town. 

Voted  that  the  next  annual  town  meeting;  be  held  at  this 

O 

place. 


THIRD  TOWN  MEETING. 

At  the  annual  town  meeting  of  the  freeholders  and  inhabi 
tants  of  the  town  of  Pompey,  legally  assembled  at  the  house 
of  Ebenezer  Butler,  Jun.,  Esq.,  on  Tuesday,  the  5th  day  of 
April,  1796. 

The  following  persons  were  chosen  to  their  respective  of 
fices  : — 

Ebenezer  Butler,  Jr.,  Supervisor. 
Hezekiah  Olcott,  Clerk. 

Jeremiah  Gould,  Timothy  Coleman,  William  Cook,  Hen 
ry  Clark,  Timothy  Jerome,  Assessors. 

Hezekiah  Olcott,  Samuel  Hyatt,  Josiah  Moore,  Commis- 
crs  of  Highways. 

John  Lamb,  David  Williams,  Overseers  of  the  Poor. 

Daniel  Allen,  Chancy  Jerome,  Constables. 

Daniel  Allen,  Collector. 

David  Tripp,  Samuel  Chaftec,  Samuel  Messenger,  Samuel 
Sherwood,  Joshua  Owen,  David  Porter,  Henry  Clark,  David 
Williams,  Hezekiah  Wilcox,  David  Hibbard,  John  Bowers, 
Jacobus  Depuy,  Louden  Priest,  John  Jerome,  Joseph  Tubbs,. 
William  Haskin,  Joseph  Smith,  Henry  White,  Abel  Olcott, 
Ichabod  Lathrop,  Overseers  of  Highways. 

David  Green,  James  Griff  es,  Fence  Viewers. 
Jeremiah  Catlin,  Pound  Keeper. 


238  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

Jeremiah  Gould,  David  Williams,   Ozias  Burr,  Thomas 
Olcott,  Timothy  Jerome,  Commissioners  of  Schools. 

Voted,  that  the  next  annual  town  meeting  be  at  this  place. 


FOURTH  TOWN  MEETING. 

At  this  meeting  held  April  fourth,  1797,  John  Lamb,  was 
chosen  Supervisor,  Walter  Colton,  Clerk,  Five  Assessors 
were  chosen,  Three  Commissioners  of  Highways,  Two  Over 
seers  of  the  Poor,  Three  Constables,  Barriah  Holbrook,  Col 
lector,  Twenty-eight  Overseers  of  Highways,  Four  Fence 
Viewers,  George  Catlin,  Pound  Keeper,  and  Five  Commis 
sioners  of  Schools. 

It  was  also  "  Voted,  that  it  is  the  wish  of  the  town  to  have 
the  township  of  Fabius  and  Tally  incorporated  into  a  town 
by  the  name  of  Fabius." 

"  Fifty  dollars  were  also  voted,  to  defray  the  expenses  of 
the  town." 

School  Commissioners  were  voted  six  shillings  per  day, 
for 


At  a  meeting  held  December  25,  1794,  it  was  again  "voted 
that  it  is  the  wish  of  the  town  to  have  the  townships  of  Fa 
bius  and  Tally  incorporated  into  a  town  by  the  name  of  Fa 
bius,  and  that  the  first  town  meeting  be  held  at  the  house  of 
Joseph  Tubbs. 

Voted,  that  the  Town  Clerk  bo  directed  to  forward  the 
proceedings  of  this  meeting  to  the  Legislature,  at  their  next 
meeting. 

W.  Coi/rox,  Clerk. 


At  the  next  town  meeting  held  at  the  house  of  Ebenezer 
Butler,  Jr.,  April  3, 1798,  the  following  votes  were  passed  : 

Voted,  that  the  mode  of  voting  for  Supervisor  and  Town 
•Clerk  be  viva  vocc. 

Voted,  That  John  Lamb  be  Supervisor. 


THE    POMPBY    RE-UNION.  239 

Voted,  That  first  vote  be  reconsidered,  and  that  the  Town 
Clerk  be  chosen  by  uplifted  hands. 

Voted,  That  Walter  Coltonbe  Town  Clerk. 

Voted,  That  there  be  five  Assessors. 

Voted,  That  the  last  vote  be  reconsidered,  and  there  be 
but  four  Assessors. 

Three  Commissioners  of  Highways  were  chosen,  also 
three  Constables,  Jacobus  DePuy,  Collector,  five  Commis 
sioners  of  Schools,  two  Overseers  of  the  Poor,  twenty-eight 
Overseers  of  Highways,  three  Fence  Viewers,  Jesse  Butler, 
Pound  Keeper  :  Deodatus  Clark,  Timothy  Sweet,  Levi  Je 
rome,  Commissioners  of  the  Public  Lots. 

A  bounty  of  five  dollars  was  voted  on  wolves  killed  with 
in  the  town. 

This  last  vote  was  reconsidered. 

Voted,  That  the  next  Town  Meeting  he  at  the  house  of 
Ma  no  ah  Pratt. 


At  a  Special  Town  Meeting  held  at  the  house  of  Manoah 
Pratt,  on  Thursday,  the  29th  day  of  Nov.,  1798,  agreeable  to 
previous  notice. 

Voted,  That  Levi  Jerome  be  Town  Clerk. 

After  taking  into  consideration  the  Public  Lot  67,  desig 
nated  for  Gospel  and  Schools. 

Voted,  That  the  same  be  leased. 

Voted,  That  the  Commissioners  of  said  land,  lease  the 
same  discretionary. 

Voted,  to  petition  the  Legislature  for  division  of  the 
County. 

Voted,  That  one  tier  of  lots  be  taken  off  the  county  of  On- 
ondaga  and  annexed  to  county  of  Chenango,  to-wit :  Cicero, 
Manlius,  Pompey,  Fabius,  Solon  and  Cincinnatus. 

Voted,  That  a  committee  be  chosen  to  petition  the  Legis 
lature  for  division  of  said  county. 


240  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

Voted,  That  Hezekiah  Olcott,  Lovi  Jerome  and  Dcodatus- 
Clark,  compose  said  committee. 

LEV i  JEROME,  Clerk. 

The  next  Town  Meeting  was  held  April  2,  1790. 

The  meeting  organized  at  house  of  Manoali  Pratt,  and 
by  vote,  "adjourned  to  the  barn  of  said  Manoali  Pratt." 

Voted,  that  the  Supervisor  and  Town  Clerk  be  chosen  by 
ballot. 

This  last  vote  was  reconsidered  and  it  was  u  Voted,  that 
Supervisor  and  Town  Clerk  be  put  in  by  rli'a  roce." 

John  Lamb,  chosen  Supervisor,  Lovi  Jerome,  Town 
Clerk.  The  usual  number  of  town  officers  were  elected. 

"Voted,  That  the  next  Annual  Town  Meeting  be  held  at 
the  School  House,  near  Ebcnezer  Butler's  and  Truman  Lewis'. 

LEYI  JEROME,  Clerk. 

At  next  Town  Meeting  held  at  the  School  House  named 
above,  on  first  Tuesday  in  April,  1800.  The  Supervisor  and 
Clerk  were  for  the  first  time  chosen  byjmllot.  The  remain 
ing  officers  were  chosen  by  the  uplifted  hand. 

John  Lamb,  chosen  Supervisor,  Lcvi  Jerome,  Clerk, 
Jesse  Butler,  Collector,  Truman  Lewis,  Pound  Keeper. 


At  next  meeting  held  April  7, 1801,  it  was  '-voted  that  the 
Supervisor  and  Clerk  be  chosen  by  going  round  and  men 
tioning  to  the  Town  Clerk.  A^oted  that  Supervisor  and 
Clerk  be  put  in  by  once  going  around. 

John  Lamb,  chosen  Supervisor,  Levi  Jerome,  Clerk. 

Voted  that  the  Assessors  be  voted  in  by  uplifted  hands, 
and  that  there  be' three  Assessors,  one  in  the  western  dis 
trict,  one  in  the  middle  district  and  or.e  in  the  eastern  dis 
trict. 

Forty-three  Overseers  of  the  Highways,  were  chosen. 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION.  241 

A  bounty  of  five  dollars  was  again  voted  to  be  paid  for 
killing  a  full  grown  wolf,  and  two  dollars  and  fifty  cents  for 
killing  a  young  wolf. 

It  was  "voted,  that  those  who  have  taken  leases  on  the 
Public  Lot  designated  for  Gospel  and  School  be  released  set 
ting  out  one  half  the  number  of  Apple  trees  contained  in 
said  lease. 

At  next  meeting  held  in  School  House  near  Truman  Lewis', 
March  2d,  1802,  the  Supervisor  and  Clerk  were  chosen  bv 
ballot. 

John  Lamb,  Supervisor. 

Levi  Jerome,  Clerk. 

Forty-six  Overseers  of  Highways  were  chosen. 

"Voted,  That  James  Russel  should  have  a  lease  of  that 
part  of  the  Public  Lot  that  William  Lilly  had  a  year,  for 
ten  vears  from  the  time  that  he  took  possession  of  the  same. 


Next  town  meeting  held  March  1st,  1803. 

Ozias  Burr,  chosen  Supervisor. 

Levi  Jerome,  Clerk. 

Voted  that  there  be  a  Pound  and  that  it  be  built  near  John 
Osbourn's. 

Voted  that  John  Bowers  be  pound  keeper. 

Voted  That  the  Supervisor  build  a  Pound,  of  the  first 
money  coming  into  his  hands. 

A  bounty  of  five  dollars  voted  on  wolves. 

The  total  town  expenses  for  year  1802,  was $123.85 

For  year  1803 262.00 

For  1804,  expenses  was 312.00 

The  meeting  held  9th  of  March,  1804,  was  in  School 
House  near  Hezekiah  Hopkins. 

It  is  the  same  School  House  occupied  for  this  purpose  from 

16 


242  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

1800  till  1809,  in  which  year,  the  meeting  was  called  at 
the  Academy  building.  This  School  house  was  situated  on 
what  is  now  the  Public  Green  in  the  village  of  Pompey. 


At  meeting  held  April  5, 1808. 

It  was  "voted  that  hogs  to  run  at  large  in  the  town  be 
yoked  and  ringed,  except  within  half  mile  of  Col.  Hopkins', 
and  there  not  allowed  to  run." 

(Up  to  this  time  hogs  have  been  allowed  to  run  without 
restraint.) 

Voted  that  "  Nathaniel  Gillett  be  Pound  keeper. 

Voted  that  no  man  shall  let  Canada  thistles  go  to  seed  on 
his  land,  or  path-master  on  the  highway,  within  his  distrct, 
on  forfeiture  of  $10.00. 

Voted,  That  Nathaniel  Baker  and  Jesse  Butler  be  hog 
constables. 

CHANCY  JEROME,  Clerk. 


At  the  Town  Meeting  holden  on  the  fourth  day  of  April, 
1809,  at  the  Academy,  Ozias  Burr  was  chosen  Supervisor, 
and  Henry  Seymour,  Clerk. 

Sixty-one  Overseers  of  roads;  Nathaniel  Baker,  Pound 
Master. 

The  meeting  resolved  that  they  will  permit  the  Pound  to 
be  moved  into  the  village,  near  the  Academy. 

Resolced,  That  all  overseers  of  the  roads  in  Pompey,  shall 
be  fence  viewers. 

Resolved,  That  the  owner  of  every  dog  pay  fifty  cents. 

Resolved,  That  hogs  or  cattle  shall  not  be  permitted  here 
after  to  run  at  large  within  half  a  mile  of  Col.  Hopkins',  and 
that  hogs  shall  not  be  permitted  to  run  at  large  in  other 
parts  of  the  town,  unless  ringed  and  yoked.  That  hogs 
found  running  at  large  within  the  aforementioned  limits 
shall  subject  the  owner  thereof  to  the  payment  of  twelve 
and  one  half  cents  to  the  Supervisor,  besides  impounding 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  243 

fee  to  the  Found  Master,  who,  with  all  other  persons,  are 
authorized  to  impound  said  hogs.  And  it  shall  be  the  duty 
of  every  person  so  impounding,  to  give  public  notice  of  the 
same,  on  pain  of  paying  two  dollars  and  fifty  cents  tor  every 
neglect  to  the  Supervisor,  for  the  use  of  the  town. 

HENRY  SEYMOUR,  Clerk. 


At  a  meeting  held  April  3d,  1810,  Ozias  Burr  was  chosen 
Supervisor,  and  Victory  Birdseye,  Clerk. 

Resolved,  That  this  town  remonstrate  against  the  proposed 
division,  and  that  the  Supervisor  and  Town  Clerk  be  ap 
pointed  to  remonstrate  and  do  all  other  things  necessary  to 
prevent  the  said  division  taking  effect. 

Resolved,  That  it  be  left  discretionary  with  the  Commis 
sioners  of  the  Public  Lots  to  lease  them  for  such  time  as 
they  shall  think  proper,  not  exceeding  twenty-one  years. 

VICTORY  BIRDSEYE,  Clerk. 

At  next  meeting,  held  April  2d,  1811,  before  the  meeting 
proceeded  to  any  business,  the  following  notice  was  read  to 
the  meeting: 

"  Notice  is  hereby  given  to  the  Freeholders  and  Inhabi 
tants  of  the  town  of  Pornpey,  that  a  petition  will  be  pre 
sented  to  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of  JN"ew  York,  at  their 
session  in  the  year  1812,  praying  a  division  of  the  said  town 
of  Pornpey,  and  the  town  of  Manilas,  including  in  the  town 
to  be  erected,  the  three  south  tiers  of  lots  of  Manlius,  and 
three  of  the  north  tier  lots  of  the  town  of  Pompey." 
March  11,  1811. 

Signed,  ELISIIA  BEEBEE, 

JACOBUS  DEPUY, 
JOSEPH  WILCOX, 

%  ELNATHAN  MARSH, 

TIMOTHY  COLEJON. 

At  this  ^meeting  all  of  the  town  officers  were  chosen  by 
ballot — Ozias  Burr,  Supervisor:  Victory  Birdseye,  Clerk. 


244  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

Resolved,  unanimously,  That  this  meeting  disapprove  of 
the  proposed  division  of  the  town,  and  that  a  committee  of 
three  be  appointed  to  remonstrate  to  the  next  Legislature 
against  the  said  division,  and  that  Samuel  S.  Baldwin,  Ozias 
Burr  and  William  Cook  be  that  committee. 

VICTORY  BIRDSEYE,  Clerk. 


At  the  meeting  April  7,  1812,  Jacob  E.  DeWitt  was 
chosen  Supervisor,  and  Asa  Wells,  Clerk. 

It  was  voted  that  $80.00  be  raised  for  support  of  the  Poor. 

At  next  meeting  April  6,  1813,  William  Cook  was  chosen 
Supervisor,  and  Chas.  Baldwin,  Clerk. 

It  was  Resolved  to  raise  $350,  for  support  of  the  poor. 

Resolved,  That  the  Commissioners  of  the  Public  Lot  ap 
ply  to  the  Legislature  for  permit  to  sell  the  lot  appropriated 
to  the  use  of  the  gospel. 

This  year,  April  29,  Ebenezer  II.  Hale  was  appointed  by 
Justices  of  the  Peace  in  and  for  the  County  of  Onondaga,  a 
Constable  in  and  for  the  town  of  Pompey,  in  the  place  of 
Philo  Loveland,  who  refused  to  serve. 

CHAS.  BALDWIN,  Clerk. 

Town  meetings  were  held  at  the  Academy  from  1809  to 
1814. 

At  meeting  held  April  5,  1814,  Asa  Wells  was  chosen 
Supervisor,  and  Chas.  T.  Baldwin,  Town  Clerk. 

It  was  resolved  to  raise  the  sum  of  fifteen  dollars  for  sup 
port  ot  Common  Schools. 

Also,  that  the  proceeds  from  the  Public  Lot  be  devoted  to 
the  same  use. 

Resolved  to  raise  $222,  for  support  of  the  poor. 

That  one  dollar  and  fifty  cents  per  day  be  paid  to  Com 
missioners  of  Schools. 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNIOX.  245 

At  a  meeting  held  April  5,  1815,  Asa  Wells  was  chosen 
Supervisor,  and  Chas.  Baldwin,  Clerk. 

Resolved,  .That  any  person  having*  Canada  thistles  on 
his  land,  shall  cut  them  twice  a  year;  once  in  June  and 
once  in  September,  on  penalty  of  $5.00. 

Resolved,  That  no  cattle  shall  run  at  large  within  half  a 
mile  of  any  Tavern. 

Resolved,  That  partition  and  all  fences  be  four  and  one- 
half  feet  hisrh. 


April  2d,  1816,  meeting  met  at  the  house  of  Hezekiah 
Hopkins,  and  adjourned  to  the  house  of  John  Handy.  Asa 
Wells  was  chosen  Supervisor  and  Charles  Baldwin,  clerk. 

Resolved,  That  $300  be  raised  for  support  of  the  Poor 
the  ensuing  year;  and  also  eighty-lire  dollars  for  the  relief 
of  Asa  Cook. 

At  a  meeting  April  17th,  1817,  it  was  resolved  "  to  sell 
for  keeping,  at  public  auction  to  the  lowest  bidder,  all  paup 
ers  chargeable  to  the  Town. 

April  7th,  1817,  it  was  resolved  to  apply  to  the  Legisla 
ture  to  alter  the  time  of  holding  Town  Meetings  to  the  Sec 
ond  Tuesday  of  March. 


At  a  meeting  held  March  9th,  1819,  Asa  Wells  was 
chosen  Supervisor  and  Samuel  Baker,  Clerk. 

Voted  that  there  be  a  committee  of  five  appointed  to  in 
vestigate  the  concerns  of  the  Public  Moneys,  and  how  it  be 
expended. 


The  following  is  a  list  of  the  names  of  persons  elected  to 
the  office  of  Supervisors  and  Towns  Clerks,  in  the  Town  of 
Pornpey,  from  1794  to  1875  inclusive,  together  with  number 
of  years  they  served  : 


246  THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION. 

Year.  Supervisor.  Clerk. 

1794 Moses  Dewitt  and Hczekiah  Olcott. 

William  Haskins. 

1795 Ebenezer  Butler,  Jr.,___         •'  u 

1796 "•  " 

1797 John  Lamb, Walter  Colton. 

1798 "         "      Walter  Colton  and 

Levi  Jerome. 

1799 "        «      "        " 

1800 "        "      u        " 

1801 "         "      "         " 

1802 "         "      " 

1803 Ozias  Burr, "         " 

1804 "         "      "         " 

1805 "         "      Asa  Wells; 

1806 "         "      " 

1807 John  Lamb, " 

1808 Ozias  Burr, Chancy  Jerome. 

1809 "         "      Henry  Seymour. 

1810 "         "      Victory  Birdseye. 

1811 "        "      u  " 

1812 Jacob  R.  DeWitt Asa  Wells. 

1813 __.. William  Cook, Chas.  Baldwin. 

1814 Asa  Wells, " 

1815 "         u      "  " 

1816 "         "      "  " 

1817 "         "      "  u 

1818 Asahel  Smith, James  Chappell. 

1819 Asa  Wells, Samuel  Baker. 

1820 Elisha  Litchfield, "  " 

1821 Asa  Wells, " 

1822  u         "  u  u 

1823 John  De  LaMatter, Moses  S.  Marsh. 

1824 Charles  Jackson, "  " 

1825 "  "        " 

1826 Elisha  Litchfield, 

1827 Warren  Scranton, Kathan'l  Andrews. 

1828 John  Smith,  _  " 


THE    POMPEY    HE-UNION.  24T 

Year.  Supervisor.  Clerk. 

1829 John  Smith, Nathan'l  Andrews, 

1830 Manoah  Pratt,  Jr., Rial  Wright. 

1831 John  Smith, David  Mallory. 

1832 u         "        ._ Calvin  S.  Ball. 

1833 "         *'        k<  " 

1834 "         "        "  u 

1835 "         "        "  u 

1836 "         "        •'  " 

1837 "         u        "  " 

1838 "         u        "  " 

1839 Horace  Wheaton, "  " 

1840 Levi  Wells, " 

1841 "         "      "  " 

1842 Horace  Wheaton, William  J.  Curtis. 

1843 Levi  Wells, 

1844 Daniel  Candee, Calvin  S.  Ball. 

1845 Levi  Wells, u 

1846 "         "      Dan.  W.  Holbrook. 

1847 Samuel  Hart, Levi  S.  Holbrook. 

1848 "         "      Calvin  S.  Ball. 

1849 Manoah  Pratt, u  " 

1850 "  "      "  " 

1851 Samuel  Hart, E.  Henry  Hill. 

1852 Manoah  Pratt, Calvin  S.  Ball. 

1853 Levi  S.  Holbrook, " 

1854 "  "  "  " 

1855 "  "  "  " 

1856 "  "  u  " 

1857 "  "  "  " 

1858 Levi  Wells, " 

1859 u         "      " 

1860 "         "      " 

1861 "         "      " 

1862 "         "      u 

1863 "         "      " 

1864 "         "      " 

1865_.  "         "  " 


248  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

Year.  Supervisor.  Clerk. 

1866 Levi  Wells, Calvin  S.  Ball. 

1867 "        "      "          " 

1868 "         "      " 

1869 "    "   Frank  L.  Porter. 

1870 "    "  " 

1871 "    "   " 

1872 Levi  Wells  and " 

Julius  Candee. 

1873 Marshall  R.  Dyer, Orson  G.  Dibble. 

1874 "  "  " 

1875..  «  «  ..Wells  M.  Butler. 


POMPEY,  August  2.5th,  1828. 

We,  the  undersigned,  promise  to  pay  to  a  building  com 
mittee  hereafter  to  be  chosen  from  among  ourselves,  the 
several  sums  affixed  to  our  names,  for  the  purpose  of  erect 
ing  an  Episcopal  Church,  at  the  four  corners,  formerly  called 
Clapp's  corners  ;  one-fourth  to  be  paid  by  the  first  of  March 
next,  and  the  remainder  in  November,  1829.  This  church 
when  erected  shall  be  under  the  care  ot  Wardens  and  Vestry 
men  and  be  governed  according  to  the  rules  and  regulations 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States. 
The  sum  subscribed  by  each  individual  may  be  applied  on 
payment  in  the  purchase  of  a  pew. 

Names.  Sums.  Names.  Stnr.s. 

John     Sprague $100     Milton  Slosson $25 

Isaac  V.  V.  Hibbard 100     Horace  Sweet 25 

Moses  Hinsdale 125     Ansel  Judd 32 

John  Clapp 100     Adolphus  Sweet 50 

Samuel  Hibbard 100     Joel  B.  Hibbard 20 

Carleton  Clapp 40     Ileinan   Murray 20 

Marovia  Marsh 50     Ira  Curtis 20 

Samuel  Clement 75     James  Carr 25 

Chester  Clapp 75  Lucius  Cook,  in  labor  on 

Chamiceyllinsdell 126         building 10 

Anson  S\veet_.                .  100  Reuben  Murray. .             .  25 


OF  THE 

[   UNIVERSITY  I 

OF 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 


249 


Names.  Sums. 

James  Lusk 100 

Ehoda  Gold,  Lumber  __     20 

Philemon  French 50 

Kneeland  Sweet 130 

Anson  Sprague 20 

Jacob  R,  DePuv__  10 


Names.  Sums. 

Truman  13.  Stanton 10 

Seymour  Marsh 50 

Joseph  W.  Bostwick 10 

Ephraim  Salmons... 10 

Jacob  Hadley,  2  chairs 
for  vestry  room  and 
Communion  Table __  .  10 


A  return  of  Mount  Pleasant  School,  No.  Three, 
pey,  taught  by  Levi  Jerome  from  the  fourth  of  December, 
1799,  till  the  fourth  of  March,  A.  D.,  1800.  Number  of 
•days  of  Instruction  is  (36. 


Scholars1  Names.  Days 

Moses  Hinsdell 63 

Asahel  Hinsdell 50 

David  Hinsdell 53 

Sally  Hinsdell 43 

Elizabeth  HinsdelL _'___-  56 

Jonathan  Hinsdell 66 

Polly  Hinsdell 38 

Samuel  Ilibbard 54 

Robert  Hibbard 6 

Rachael  Ilibbard 48 

Jacob  Ilibbard 51 

Isaac  Ilihbard 60 

Sally  IliMurd 62 

Jonathan  Ilibbard 22 

Nathaniel  Hibbard 14 

Desire  Messenger 50 

John  Kellers 63 

Isaac  Jerome 63 

Betsey  Jerome 66 

Libbeus  Jerome 65 

Jured  Woodwortli        53 

Lewis  Woodwortli 54 

Phebe  Jerome 53 

Marv  Jerome _.                 _  36 


Scholars'  Names.  Days-. 

Isaac  Woodwortli 42 

Adolphus  Sweet 60 

James  Sweet 58 

Charles  Sweet 58 

Anna  Sweet 60 

Anson  Sweet 23 

Pamelia  Sweet 19 

Anson  Cole 64 

Polly  Cole 26 

John  Cole 54 

Samuel  Jerome 47 

Electa  Jerome 48 

John    Jerome 64 

William  Jerome 59 

Cyrus  M csscnger 58 

Chloe  Messenger 61 

Rebecca  Messenger 49 

Stephen  Messenger 50 

John  CIoss 64 

Moses  Seles 35 

Eiecta  Jerome 61 

Levi  Jerome 65 

William   Williams 28 

David  Williams..  8 


250 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 


Scholars'  Names.  Days. 

Sophia  Jerome 27 

Daniel  Williams 59 

Nathaniel  Williams 40 

DavidWilliams 38 

Jobe  Williams 29 

Rebecca  Williams 35 

Lavina  Williams 27 

Elsa  Williams 28 

Charles  Slocum 37 

Abel  Brotherton  .  .  29 


Scholars'  Names.  Days. 

John  Williams 18 

Solomon  Baker 10 

Andrew  Guile 65 

Leman  Pitcher 27 

Amy  Pitcher 50 

James  Pitcher 47 

Obadiah  Williams 37 

Anson  Sprague 20 

Isaac  Higgins 13 

AchsahMesseno;er__        .  12 


Total,  Seventy  scholars,  2,995 

The  Instruction  compensation  for  his  services  was  $16 per 
month. 

The  above   is   a   true  return. 

Attest,  DANIEL  MESSENGER,  ]  m 

DAVID  HIBBARA       }TrU1 
Commissioners  of  School,  Pompey. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

OF 


•*-»<• 


DR.  EDWARD  AIKEN,  was  born  in  Windham,  Vermont, 
in  October,  1796,  and  graduated  at  Middlebury  College; 
lie  was  preceptor  of  Porapey  Academy  soon  after  its  organi 
zation;  subsequently  he  practiced  medicine  in  Utica  up  to 
the  year  1829,  when  from  failing  health,  he  removed  to 
Tallahasse,  Florida,  and  died  in  the  year  1831. 

He  was  a  gentleman  of  culture  and  line  sensibilities,  and 
wherever  he  was  located  attracted  a  large  circle  of  friends; 
as  a  teacher  he  was  thorough  and  efficient;  as  a  physician,, 
he  was  kind  and  humane,  one  whose  memory  will  not  soon 
be  forgotten  by  those  whose  pleasure  it  was  to  know  him. 

ANDERSON  FAMILY. 

Addy  Anderson  came  to  Pompey  about  the  year  1803, and 
settled  on  fifty  acres  of  land  about  half  a  mile  west  of  tha 
rillage  of  Pompey  Hill,  on  the  State  road ;  he  died  soon 
after,  leavino;  a  wife  and  eight  children,  to  wit:  Margaretr 
John,  "William,  Elizabeth,  Samuel,  George,  James  and 
Mary.  John  was  about  sixteen  years  old  when  his  father 
died,  and  being  the  oldest  son,  his  mother  very  naturally 
looked  to  him  for  aid  in  providing  for  so  large  a  family,, 
and  in  this  she  was  not  disappointed ;  for  he  filled  the  place 


252  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

of  ii  father,  assuming  responsibilities,bearing  heavy  burdens 
and  discharging  obligations  most  faithfully.  At  the  age  of 
about  twenty-seven,  John  married  Miss  Lydia  Safford,  and 
settled  on  the  form  purchased  by  his  father ;  they  were 
blessed  with  nine  children,  to  wTit :  Jane,  James,  Joseph, 
Juliet,  Ira,  Josiah,  Harriet,  EliandMaiy;  as  a  farmer  he 
was  among  the  best  in  the  town  ;  he  was  a  highly  respect 
ed  citizen  and  for  many  years  a  very  valuable  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Pompey  Hill.  He  died 
of  cancer  in  the  face,  at  the  a^e  of  fifty-six  ;  his  wife  pre 
ceded  him  to  the  spirit  world  about  two  and  a  half  years; 
only  two  are  living  of  his  father's  family,  Margaret  and 
Mary,  who  reside  in  Palmyra  now. 

The  former  is  well  known  in  Pompey,  having  spent  most 
of  her  life  there;  she  never  was  married  and  is  now  (1873) 
nearly  ninety  years  of  age.  Five  of  John  Andersons  chil 
dren  are  deceased.  Four,  viz  :  Jane,  James,  Juliet  and 
Harrie  t,  died  before  their  father.  Eli,  who  married  Miss 
Hellen  Baker, of  LaFayette,  and  located  on  a  farm  purchas 
ed  of  Ely  Beard,  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-two  years  on  the 
Ely  Beard  farm.  He  was  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church, 
loved  and  esteemed  by  all  ;  he  left  a  wife  and  two  sons  who 
reside  in  Wisconsin.  Joseph,  the  oldest  of  the  four  living 
children,  has  for  many  years  been  a  resident  of  the  State  of 
Wisconsin, and  has  been  over  twenty  years  in  the  work  of  the 
Christian  Ministry  and  a  member  of  the  Wisconsin  Annual 
Conference.  Eight  years  he  has  served  as  Presiding  Elder, 
and  he  is  at  present  pastor  of  the  Second  M.  E.  Church  of 
Oshkosh,  Wis.  Three  years  ago  he  was  missionary  in  the 
Eocky  Mountains  and  built  the  first  Methodist  Church  in 
Wyoming  Territory,  at  Cheyenne.  lie  has  been  married 
twice,  and  has  five  sons  living  by  his  first  \vite. 

Ira  is  settled  upon  the  old  homestead,  thinking  it  doubt 
less  the  dearest  spot  on  this  green  earth.  lie  is  still  at  the 
age  of  forty -five  unmarried,  strongly  attached  to  Pompey, 
his  native  town,  and  an  upright  honest  citizen.  Josiah  soon 
after  reaching  his  majority  married  Miss  Margaret  Baker  of 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  253 

La  Fayette,  1ST.  Y.  Four  or  five  years  later  he  built  a  house 
on  a  part  of  the  "old homestead"  intending  to  make  it  a  per 
manent  home.  His  house  scarcely  completed  is  enveloped 
in  flame  and  burns  to  the  ground  on  a  dark  night.  A  little 
son  two  years  old  was  burned  to  death  while  the  other  mem 
bers  ot  the  family  barely  escaped  with  their  lives.  Instead  of 
rebuilding  he  soon  sold  and  moved  with  his  family  to  Wiscon 
sin,  only  to  remain  a  few  months,  when  he  returned  and  set 
tled  on  a  farm  in  LaFayette.  This  he  sold  and  purchased 
the  "Morgan  place"  the  early  home  of  Judge  LeRoy  Mor 
gan,  which  his  father  Lyman  Morgan  owned  two  miles 
north-west  of  Pompey  Hill,  where  he  now  resides.  He  is  a 
good  farmer,  having  accumulated  a  handsome  property. 
He  has  one  son  living,  having  lost  a  son  and  daughter. 
Mary  married  a  Mr.  Hall,  a  wealthy  and  respectable  farmer 
of  Wayne  Co.,  2sT.  Y.,  where  she  lived  a  number  of  years. 
At  present  she  is  living  in  Michigan,  having  a  family  of  five 
children. 


A  VERY  FAMILY. 

Christopher  Avery,  a  weaver,  came  from  Salisbury,  Eng 
land,  about  1640,  and  settled  at  Gloucester,  Mass.;  he  was  a 
Selectman  of  that  town  from  1646  to  1654;  in  1658  he  re 
moved  to  Boston,  and  on  August  8th,  1665,  he  purchased 
land  in  Xew  London,  Conn.;  died  in  Groton,  1681.  James 
Avery,  the  only  son  of  the  above,  was  born  in  England  in 
1620 ;  he  married  Joanna  Greenslade,  in  Boston,  Nov.  10th, 
1643 ;  he  removed  to  New  London,  in  1650  ;  took  an  active 
part  in  the  business  affairs  of  the  new  plantation  ;  he  was 
chosen  Townsman  in  1660,  and  held  the  office  for  twenty 
years;  he  was  captain  in  the  only  train  band  in  the  town, 
and  was  in  active  service  in  King  Phillip's  war ;  he  was 
twelve  times  elected  Deputy  to  the  General  Court,  was  one 
of  the  Commissioners  of  Peace,  and  an  Assistant  Judge;  he 
died  at  Pequannock,  in  1696.  His  four  sons  were  James, 
Thomas,  John  and  Samuel.  The  latter  was  born  Aug.  14th, 
1666,  and  mumed  Susanna  Palms,  Oct.  27th;  1686;  his  sons 


254  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

were  Samuel,  Jonathan,  William,  Christopher,  Humphrey, 
Nathan  and  Waitstill. 

Humphrey,  born  July  4th,  1699,  married  Jerusha  Mor 
gan,  Feb.  5,  1724 ;  his  sons  were  Humphrey,  William,  Sol 
omon,  James,  Samuel,  Christopher,  Waitstill,  Isaac  and 
Nathan. 

Solomon,  born  June  17th,  1729,  married  Hannah  Punder- 
son,  Feb.  18th,  1751;  his  sons  were  Solomon,  Miles,  Ste 
phen,  P undersoil,  Henry,  Cyrus  and  Humphrey. 

Pundcrson  Avery  was  born  in  Groton,  Conn.,  May  21st, 
1765  ;  he  consequently  was  not  old  enough  to  enter  the  war 
of  the  Revolution,  but  to  show  that  he  was  of  the  right 
stock,  we  mention  that  at  the  massacre  of  Fort  Griswold, 
on  the  6th  of  Sept,  1781,  nine  of  his  uncles  and  cousins 
fell,  and  he  waded  in  blood  over  his  shoes  to  obtain  their 
remains  from  the  Fort.  He  married  Lovina  Barnes,  daugh 
ter  of  Phineas  Barnes  and  Phebe  Bernent,  Dec.  15th,  1786, 
at  Great  Barrington,  Mass.;  here  he  resided  some  time,  and 
then  removed  to  the  then  so  called  " Royal  Grant,"  in  Her- 
kimer  County;  here  he  built  and  run  a  grist  mill  for  a  few 
vears,  and  it  was  believed  to  be  located  farther  west  than 
any  mill  for  grinding  grain  on  the  Continent,  In  1796,  he 
removed  to  Pompey,  and  settled  on  a  farm  a  mile  south  of 
Oran;  here  he  reared  his  large  family,  and  died  Sept.  10th. 
1840. 

Mr.  Avery  was  peculiarly  fitted  by  nature  for  a  pioneer ; 
he  was  among  the  first  in  any  enterprise  to  improve  the 
minds,  the  morals  or  condition  of  his  fellow  men;  the 
church,  the  school  and  public  library,  always  found  in  him 
an  ardent  supporter;  his  patriotism  secured  him  a  place  as 
captain  in  the  militia ;  and  his  integrity,  as  administrator 
for  many  a  widow  and  orphan  ;  his  love  of  justice  made  him 
often  the  arbiter  in  his  neighbors'  quarrels,  and  his  excellent 
judgment  often  turned  the  scale,  for  or  against,  many  an  in 
cipient  undertaking. 

But  he  was  most  useful  to  his  fellow   men,  perhaps,  as  a 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  2dO 

mechanic ;  his  trade  properly  was  a  mill-wright,  but  he  often 
was  employed  on  small  machinery,  and  on  one  occasion,  by 
a  very  wealthy  man,  to  construct  a  perpetual  motion;  he 
had  been  taught  to  work  by  square  rule,  and  a  barn  still 
standing  next  south  of  his  old  residence,  is  believed  to  be 
the  first  in  the  county  framed  by  "square  rule;"  he|was  al 
most  continually  employed  in  building  grist  mills,  saw  mills, 
fulling  mills,  carding  machines,  tanneries,  and  later,  cider 
mills  and  threshing  machines.  About  1820,  he  constructed 
a  cast  iron  plow,  which,  for  many  years,  was  a  general 
favorite  in  this  locality;  his  inventive  faculties  were  large, 
and  he  would  probably  have  allowed  them  some  little  scope, 
and  at  some  cost,  had  not  prudence  and  the  demands  of  a 
family  of  twelve  children,  kept  him  busy  in  labor  that  paid 
every  day.  His  children  were  Hannah  P.,  who  became  first 
Mrs.  Samuel  Willard,  the  mother  of  W,  W.  Willard,  of  Syr 
acuse  ;  her  second  husband  was  William  Higgins,  of  Van 
Buren;  Sally  B.,  who  married  George  Miller,  of  Tunkhan- 
nock,  Pa.;  Lucy,  who  married  Belden  Ilesseguie,  VanBur- 
en ;  William ;  Phebe,  who  married  Colonel  Reynolds,  of 
Cazenovia:  Candace,  relict  of  Horace  Sweet;  Lucetta,  who 
married  William  M.  Wood,  of  Mishawaka,  Ind.;  Perlena, 
the  wife  of  Abner  Duell,  Manlius ;  Perlina,  the  relict  of 
Euroclyden  Gerre,  who  resides  in  VanBuren;  Cyrus;  Nan 
cy,  the  wife  of  Elam  Thomas,  Knowlesville,  Orleans  Co.; 
and  Samuel. 

William  Avcry,  son  of  the  preceding,  was  born  in  Herki- 
mer  county,  August  16,  1793,  married  Eunice  Hart,  daugh 
ter  of  Comfort,  October  24,  1815.  He  early  manifested  a 
disposition  to  be  a  mechanic,  was  continually  contriving 
water  mills  and  wind  mills  to  drive  other  machinery,  and 
long  before  he  attained  his  majority  he  was  employed  in  all 
parts  of  the  country  to  repair  machinery,  and  was  considered 
the  most  skillful  workman  known  in  Central  New  York. 
His  inventive  faculties  were  of  a  high  order,  but  often  from 
a  lack  of  books  on  mechanical  subjects,  he  lost  much  valu 
able  time  in  experiments  that  had  long  before  been  tried 


256  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

and  exploded.  His  first  invention  of  any  importance,  was- 
a  machine  for  making  wire  harness  for  looms  in  1824.  His 
other  inventions  were  numerous,  and  hardly  a  year  passed 
without  a  patent  being  granted  to  him.  The  one  by  which 
he  is  best  known,  was  the  rotary  engine,  believed  to  be  still 
the  simplest  and  cheapest  in  the  world,  and  in  a  limited 
sphere  has  proved  for  about  40  years  extremely  valuable. 
The  first  steam  saw  mill  at  Centerville,  this  county,  was  run 
by  one  of  these  engines  for  many  years,  and  did  a  vast 
amount  of  work. 

In  1822  he  built  a  small  steamboat  which  was  first  launched 
on  the  mill  pond  at  Baellville;  it  was  afterwards  taken  to 
Cazenovia  lake,  and  finally  to  the  Erie  canal.  The  Onon- 
daga  Gazette  of  October  1,  1823,  says:  "  A  steamboat  built 
at  Buellville,  in  Pompey,  passed  through  this  village  last 
week."  The  engine  from  this  boat  was  purchased  by  the 
late  Henry  Giftbrd,  of  Syracuse,  who  used  it  to  pump  salt 
water  for  many  years. 

Mr.  Avery  moved  to  Salina  and  carried  on  a  large  foun 
dry  and  machine  shop,  and  afterwards  removed  to  Syracuse, 
where  he  was  for  a  time  in  company  with  Elam  Lynds ;  he 
built  the  machinery  for  the  first  steamboat  on  Lake  Ontario, 
and  was  the  first  white  man  to  navigate  the  St.  Lawrence 
river,  from  Kingston  to  the  head  of  the  Long  Sault  Rapids, 
passing  two  considerable  rapids  before  reaching  that  point. 
Travel  on  that  route  in  those  days  was  so  inconsiderable 
that  it  did  not  pa}T,  and  the  proprietors  withdrew  the  boat  in 
a  year  or  two.  In  1837  he  removed  to  Chicago,  which  he 
then  described  as  a  little  sickly  sunken  hole.  He  soon  took 
a  contract  of  the  State  of  Illinois  to  make  the  rock  cut  on 
the  summit  of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  canal ;  the  price  was 
§1.49  per  cubic  yard,  and  the  estimated  cost  §240,000  ;  this 
was  considered  the  largest  contract  that  had  ever  been  taken 
in  this  country  at  that  time.  While  completing  this  great 
undertaking,  by  which  the  waters  of  Lake  Michigan  were 
calculated  to  be  diverted  to  the  Mississippi,  he  was  attacked 
by  a  fatal  discase;  and  died  on  the  10th  of  November,  1840; 


THE    POMPEY    RE  UNION.  257 

at  Athens,  and  is  buried  at  Rockport,  Illinois.  Some  of  his 
feats  of  walking  when  the  country  was  new  were  considered 
very  good;  he  walked  on  one  occasion  from  Oran  to  Ithaca 
in  a  day  and  back  the  next. 

Cyrus,  the  second  son  of  Puriderson,  was  born  in  Pompey, 
July  28th,  1807;  married  first,  Calista  Hibbard,  February 
3d,  1828  :  second,  Lurinda  Jones,  February  3d,  1831 ;  third, 
Sabra  Vosburgh,  January  3d,  1847.  His  early  life  was  spent 
in  Pornpey  and  mostly  at  mechanical  work.  He  removed 
to  Tunkhannock,  Pa.,  about  1840,  where  he  has  since  re 
sided,  except  for  the  last  ten  or  twelve  years,  he  has  been  in 
Europe  selling  his  inventions,  which  are  numerous,  and  some 
of  them  quite  valuable.  One  winter  he  spent  in  Russia  and 
threshed  wheat  for  the  Emperor  several  months  ;  was  on  the 
most  intimate  terms  with  the  Grand  Duke,  Constantine,  and 
finally  presented  his  machine  to  the  Government.  He  has 
a  large  family  of  children — five  sons,  all  mechanics,  and  five 
daughters. 

O 

Samuel  Avery,  youngest  child  of  Punderson,  was  born  in 
Pompey,  February  18th,  1812 ;  married  first,  Lucinda  Jones, 
February  3d,  1831 ;  second,  Eliza  Flynn.  His  natural  bent 
was  mechanics  as  with  the  others,  but  forced  by  circum 
stances  to  be  a  farmer,  he  came  near  being  ruined  for  any 
thing  useful.  Dr.  Daniel  Denison,  who  had  had  the  credit 
of  his  misguidance,  took  him  into  his  office  as  a  student  of 
medicine,  and  in  1844  he  graduated  at  Castleton  Medical 
College,  Vermont.  He  removed  to  Rochester,  and  com 
menced  the  practice  of  medicine  and  surgery,  his  natural 
mechanical  ability  aiding  him  materially  in  the  latter.  He 
stayed  here  but  a  few  years  and  finally  removed  to  Phoenix, 
Avhere,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  months  in  Syracuse  and 
a  year  in  Baldwinsville,  he  has  since  resided.  He  gave  up 
practice  a  few  years  since,  and  at  present  is  the  Secretary  of 
the  Oswego  and  Onondaga  Insurance  Company. 

Grandentia  H.  and  Florello  P.?  sons  of  Cyrus,  born  in 
Pompey,  reside  at  Tunkhannock,  Pa.,  machinists.  Henry 


258  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

M.,  only  living  child  of  Samuel,  resides  at  South  Haven, 
Mich.,  a  watchmaker  and  jeweler. 


REV.  ELEAZER  STORES  BARROWS 

Was  born  January  18th,  1790,  in  Mannsfield,  Conn.;  in 
October,  1797,  moved  with  his  father's  family,  to  Middle- 
bury,  Yt.;  he  prepared  for  College  at  the  Addison  County 
Grammar  School,  and  entered  Middlebury  College,  Octo 
ber,  1807,  from  which  he  graduated,  October,  1811 ;  he  was 
in  Castleton  in  1811  and  1812  ;  in  the  Carolinas  from  1812 
to  1815,  where  in  1815  he  was  ordained  a  minister  of  the 
Gospel ;  he  finished  his  Theological  studies  at  the  Princeton 
Theological  Seminary,  1815-16  ;  was  tutor  in  Middlebury 
College  a  portion  of  the  year  1815  ;  preached  in  Middletown 
K  Y.,  1816  and  1817  ;  December,1817,was  appointed  Tutor 
in  Hamilton  College, Clinton,  K  Y.,  and  in  September,1818, 
Professor  of  Latin,  which  position  he  held  for  about  three 
vears ;  in  April,  1822,  he  settled  at  Pompey  Hill,  and  was 
soon  after  installed  Pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church  of 
Pompey;  here  he  remained  till  1828,  and  a  portion  of  the 
time  in  addition  to  his  duties  as  Pastor  of  the  Church  he  had 
charge  of  the  Pompey  Academy.  He  edited  the  Christian 
Journal  at  Utica,  K  Y.,  from  1828  to  1833,  supplying  the 
pulpit  of  theWaterville  Presbyterian  Church  a  portion  of  the 
time ;  from  1833  to  1842  he  was  Pastor  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  at  Cazenovia,  N.  Y.,  when  his  tailing  health  com 
pelled  him  to  resign  the  position. 

The  remainder  of  his  life  was  spent  at  his  home  in  Utica, 
X.  Y.,  performing  such  ministerial  labors  as  his  health  per 
mitted  until  his  death,  which  occurred  July  28th, 1847. 

He  was  married  May  7th,  1822,  to  Miss  Catharwie  C., 
daughter  of  Dr.  Thomas  Fuller,  of  Cooperstown, IS".  Y.,  where 
she  now  resides  enjoying  a  green  old  age  and  "her  children 
arise  up  and  call  her  blessed."  Seven  children  were  born 
to  them,  five  of  whom  are  now  living;  Mrs.  M.  F.  Cooper, 
of  Albany,  IT.  Y.,  is  the  only  one  who  can  claim  Pompey  as 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  259 

the  place  of  her  nativity.  Their  two  sons  reside  at  Janesville, 
Wisconsin,  and  two  daughters  at  Cooperstown,  N.  Y. 

Such  is  a  sketch  of  the  life  of  one  of  Pompey's  early  min 
isters, furnished  by  one  of  the  members  of  his  family.  How 
full  of  activity  in  good  works  from  its  commencement  to  its 
early  close  !  Although  only  fifty-seven  years  of  age  when 
called  to  bid  adieu  to  earthly  friends,  and  Center  into  that 
rest  which  remains  for  the  pure  in  heart,  he  had  filled  the 
measure  of  a  long  and  useful  life;  he  has  ceased  from  his 
labors  but  his  works  follow  him.  Eternity  can  only  reveal 
the  extent  of  the  influence  he  has  exerted  even  as  Pastor  of 
the  Church  in  Pompey  and  Preceptor  of  the  Academy,  not 
to  speak  of  the  other  fields  of  labor  in  which  he  was  engag 
ed.  The  following  letter  written  by  his  aged  wife  in  re 
sponse  to  a  communication  from  Dr.  L.  B.  Wells,  of  Utica, 
requesting  the  foregoing  sketch  for  publication,  will  be  of 
interest  to  those  especially  who  knew  her  and  who  appreciat 
ed  her  many  virtues. 

COOPERSTOWN,  Oct.  16th,  1871. 
DR.  L.  B.  WELLS. 

Dear  Sir: — Your  favor  requesting  a  history  of  my  hus 
band's  life  to  be  handed  down  to  posterity  with  the  worthies 
of  Pompey,  was  duly  received,  and  estimated  as  a  mark  of 
respect  to  myself  and  family  ;  I  sent  it  to  my  son,  the  Doctor, 
who  has  written  the  enclosed  brief  sketch  which  I  hope  may 
meet  with  your  approbation, 

Respectfully  Yours, 

CATHARINE  F.  BARROWS. 


SYLVANUS  AND  ARTEMUS  BISHOP. 

Sylvan  us  Bishop  was  one  of  six  brothers  who  settled  in  Pom 
pey  in  1793-94;  he  had  previous  to  this  served  in  the  Revo 
lutionary  war;  he  came  from  Kinderhook,  Columbia  Coun 
ty,  N.  Y.,  in  the  year  first  mentioned,  and  bought  land  in 
the  vicinity  of  Pompey  Hill  and  began  to  clear  and  improve 
it;  in  the  following  year  he  brought  his  wife  and  eldest 


i>60  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

child,  making  the  entire  jorney  on  horse  back  and  carrying 
their  baby,  then  but  six  months  old,  in  their  arms.  After 
about  twenty  years  residence  in  Pompey  they  removed  to 
Oswego;  he  lived  to  be  over  ninety-five  years  and  died  inJune 
1860.  During  his  early  residence  in  Pompey,  his  second 
son,  ArtemasBishop,was  born  December  30th,  1795,  whose 
life  has  been  one  of  marked  success  and  usefulness  in  the 
profession  of  his  choice ;  when  but  a  child  he  manifested  a 
love  for  study  which  induced  his  parents  to  give  him  the  ad 
vantages  offered  by  the  towns  people  in  the  "Old  Pompey 
Academy,"  under  the  tuition  ofMessrs.Burchard  and  Leon 
ard.  He  entered  Union  College  in  1815,  with  Orange  But 
ler  and  others  from  Pompey,  and  was  a  class-mate  of  Hon. 
William  II.  Seward;  having  graduated,he  studied  Theology 
at  Princeton,  during  which  time  he  made  a  number  of  pro 
fessional  visits  to  the  Chappel  in  the  uOldAcademy"in  Pom 
pey  ;  while  at  Princeton  he  decided  to  devote  his  life  to  the 
Missionary  work,  at  the  Sandwich  Islands.  In  October,1822, 
he  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Edwards,  of  Boston  ;  they  imme 
diately  joined  the  second  company  of  Missionaries,  then 
about  to  start  from  Hartford,  Connecticut,  in  the  ship 
Thames;  after  a  voyage  of  over  six  months, they  reached  the 
Island  in  safety.  Among  the  earlier  labors  of  this  faithful 
and  eminent  Missionary,  were  his  translations  of  the  Bible, 
and  a  Hymn  Book  into  the  Hawaiian  language ;  he  also 
made  an  excellent  translation  of  Pilgrims  Progress,  in  the 
same  language.  Later  in  life  he  was  employed  by  the  Unit 
ed  States  Government,  in  making  Geological  Surveys  of 
the  Island  ;  he  is  now  the  Senior  Missionary  in  that  field;  he 
has  accomplished  his  half  century  of  labor  in  that  depart 
ment.  A  son  and  daughter  have  both  been  sent  to  the 
United  States  to  receive  an  education  suitable  to  assist  him 
in  his  arduous  labors,  both  having  returned  some  years  ago. 


REV.  ARTEMAS  BISHOP. 

One  after  another,  the  venerable  laborers,  whose  lives  of 
£uthful  service  have  done  so  much  for  the  people  of  the  Sand- 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION.  261 

wicli  Islands, are  passing  away.  The  death  of  Mr.Bishop,one 
of  the  second  company  who  went  as  Missionaries  to  those 
islands,  was  mentioned  in  the  "Herald"  for  February.  The 
notice  of  his  life  is  gathered  from  a  sermon  preached  at 
Honolulu,  on  the  Sabbath  after  lie  died,  by  Rev.  Dr.  Da 
mon  : — 

"The  Rev.  Artemas  Bishop  was  born  in  Pompey,  X.  Y., 
December  30th,  1705  ;  hence,  in  a  few  days,  he  would  have 
been  seventy-seven  years  old.  He  graduated  at  Union  Col 
lege  in  1819,  and  at  Princeton  Theological  Seminary,  in 
1822.  After  marriage  with  Miss  Elizabeth  Edwards,  of 
Boston,  he  embarked  in  November,  1822,  at  New  Haven, 
with  the  first  reinforcement  of  Missionaries  destined  for  these 
islands.  Among  his  asso  ciates  were  the  B«ev.  Messrs.  Rich 
ards  and  Stewart,  Mr.  C  hamberlain,  and  several  others.  At 
his  embarkation  a  large  concourse  assembled,  and  then  was 
sung,  for  the  first  time,  the  hymn  written  by  William  B. 
Tappan,  which  has  been  so  oft  repeated: — 

'"  Wake,  Isles  of  the  SouthJ!  your  redemption  is  near, 
No  longer  repose  in  the  borders  of  gloom.' 

"The  company  landed  at  Honolulu  on  the  last  Sabbath  of 
April,  1823,  and  Mr.  Bishop  was  stationed  at  Kailua,  there 
to  become  the  associate  of  the  Rev.  Asa  Thurston.  Having 
acquired  the  language,  he  became  associated  with  Mr. 
Thurston  in  the  work  of  translating  the  Bible.  Together, 
they  translated  the  books  of  Genesis,  Numbers  and  Deuter 
onomy,  and  the  Epistles  of  Paul  to  the  Romans  and  Gala- 
tions;  while  alone,  he  translated  the  2d  book  of  Samuel  and 
the  1st  of  Chronicles. 

"After  remaining  about  twelve  years  at  Kailua,  he  re 
moved  to  Ewa,  on  the  island  of  Oahu,  where  he  labored  for 
about  twenty  years  with  great  usefulness  and  success. 
While  residing  at  this  station,  he  translated  <  Pilgrim's  Pro 
gress,'  and  many  other  books.  His  accurate  knowledge  of 
the  Hawaiian  language  always  gave  him  authority  in  all 
matters  involving  questions  of  criticism  and  translation. 
His  fondness  for  study,  reading,  and  literary  pursuits  was 


262  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

preserved  to  the  very  close  of  his  career.  He  was  wont  to 
take  cheerful  views  of  life,  ever  looking  on  the  bright  side 
of  all  subjects.  There  was  a  golden  thread  of  quiet  humor 
interwoven  into  the  texture  of  his  mind.  Solomon  says,  'A 
man  that  hath  friends,  must  show  himself  friendly/  ,  He 
was  one  of  those  friendly,  genial,  and  companionable  men 
whose  presence  does  not  chill,  but  warms  society. 

"  It  is  quite  remarkable,  that  with  the  rapid  tide  of  travel 
rushing  past  our  islands,  he  never  should  have  left  them  af 
ter  his  arrival,  except  on  a  visit  as  delegate  to  the  Marquesas 
Mission,  in  1858.  He  never  rode  upon  or  saw  a  railroad,  or 
witnessed  the  operation  of  the  telegraph.  Few  men,  how 
ever,  were  better  acquainted  with  the  progress  of  scientific 
discovery.  Emphatically  might  Goldsmith's  description  of 
the  Vicar,  in  the  'Deserted  Village,'  apply  to  him,  while 
officiating,  for  nearly  forty  years,  as  a  missionary  at  Ivailua 
and  Ewa: — 

"'A  man  he  was  to  all  the  country  dear, 
And  passing  rich  with  forty  pounds  a  year ; 
Remote  from  town  he  ran  his  godly  race, 
Nor  e'er  had  changed,  nor  wished  to  change  his  place. 
Unskillful  he  to  fawn,  or  seek  for  power, 
By  doctrines  fashioned,  to  the  varying  hour; 
Far  other  aims  his  heart  had  learn'd  to  prize, 
More  bent  to  raise  the  wretched  than  to  rise.' 

"It  is  quite  impossible  not  to  admire  the  life  of  such  a 
veteran  Missionary,  who  left  his  country  fifty  years  ago,  and 
after  voyaging  around  Cape  Horn,  settled  down  among  the 
Hawaiians  to  learn  their  language,  assist  in  reducing  it  to  a 
written  form,  and  then  spend  a  long  lifetime  in  preaching 
and  laboring  among  this  people.  His  thoughts  have  be 
come  their  thoughts.  By  means  of  the  sermons  which  he 
preached,  books  and  hymns  which  he  wrote  and  translated, 
and  above  all,  by  the  life  which  he  led,  his  own  life-thoughts 
have  become  interwoven  and  intertwined  with  the  life- 
thoughts  and  literature  of  Hawaiians. 

"  As  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  he  necessarily  made  the 
whole  Bible  his  life-study,  but  when  he  ceased  from  the  ac- 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION.  263 

tivc  duties  of  the  ministry,  and  enjoyed  time  for  culm  reflec 
tion  and  meditation,  his  mind  dwelt  almost  exclusively  upon 
the  prophetic  parts  of  Scripture,  and  especially  upon  the 
Book  of  Revelation.  It  afforded  him  unspeakable  satisfac 
tion  to  contemplate  the  future  triumphs  of  the  gospel  as  un 
folded  in  these  prophetic  portions.  lie  had  no  doubts  and 
misgivings  upon  the  subject,  but  from  his  extensive  reading 
of  history,  and  the  progress  ot  the  nations  in  science,  art, 
religion  and  civilization,  he  confidently  anticipated  the  un 
iversal  spread  of  Christianity  over  the  whole  earth." 


ELIZUR  BRACE, 

BY  HIS  SON,  REV.  SAMUEL  W.  BRACE,  OF  UTICA,  N.  Y. 

Ill  opening  Mr.  J.  V.  II.  Clarke's  reminiscences  of  Onon- 
daga  County,  I  find  that  he  has  set  down  Pompey  as  one  of 
the  original  towns  formed  at  the  first  organization  of  the 
County  in  1794,  and  that  it  comprised  at  that  time  the  town 
ships  of  Pompey  (as  it  now  is),  Fabius  and  Tully,  and  a  part 
of  the  Onondaga  Reservation,  including  LaFayette;  he  in 
forms  us  farther,  that  the  township  obtained  great  celebrity 
at  a  very  early  period,  and  wras  principally  settled  by  people 
from  New  England,  many  of  whom  took  up  their  residence 
in  it  while  it  w^s  a  part  of  the  township  of  Mexico,  Herki- 
mer  County.  The  first  settlers,  lie  say?,  in  the  present  town 
of  Pompey,  were  Ebenezer  Butler,  from  Harwinton,  Connec 
ticut,  who  located  on  Lot  number  65,  in  1792.  His  brother, 
Jesse  Butler,  and  Jacob  Hoar,  and  Mr.  Clarke  might  have 
added  his  brother-in-law,  Nathan  Davis,  and  others,  came 
on  in  the  spring  of  the  same  year.  My  father,  Captain 
Elizur  Brace,  was  a  native  of  the  same  town  of  Harwintoii, 
in  Litchfield  County,  and  a  neighbor  of  those  adventurous 
pioneers  to  the  then  far  west,  but  did  not  move  to  Pompey 
until  four  years  afterwards,  that  is  in  1796.  In  the  spring 
of  that  year  he  made  a  journey,  mainly  on  foot,  to  the  wil 
derness  settlement  of  his  former  neighbors,  and  purchased 
of  Ebenezer  Butler  a  portion  of  land  south  of  the  present 
village  and  covering  entirely  the  summit  of  the  hill.  Or 


264  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

this  lie  commenced  the  erection  of  a  log  house,  after  the 
fashion  of  others  who  had  preceded  him  in  the  new  and  far 
off  settlement;  this  house,  however,  he  did  not  finish  until 
after  his  removal  there  with  his  family,  in  the  latter  part  of 
October  of  the  same  year ;  hence  our  accommodations,  as  I 
well  remember,  for  I  was  then  six  and  a  half  years  of  age, 
were  scant  and  uncomfortable,  until  our  famous  log  house, 
with  two  rooms,  and  a  linter.  as  it  was  then  called,  was  fit 
for  occupancy.  We  located,  by  the  kindly  consent  of  our 
old  neighbors,  in  the  first  school  house  ever  built  on  Pom- 
pey  Hill,  and  this,  of  course,  was  a  log  structure  of  but  one 
room,  and  at  that  time,  for  a  few  weeks,  unoccupied.  On 
its  split-out,  hewed  and  uneven  floor,  we  spread  our  beds, 
for  our  bedsteads  had  been  left  in  the  country  where  they 
were  made ;  here,  also,  we  cooked  and  ate  our  homely  meals, 
sat  upon  our  rough  benches  and  hoped  for  a  day  of  better 
things.  Such  a  day  at  length  arrived,  for  before  the  setting 
in  of  winter,  we  found  ourselves  comfortably  located  in  our 
new  and  highly  elevated  dwelling,  as  it  was  not  only  like  a 
city  set  upon  a  hill,  but  probably  the  second  best  in  the  set 
tlement.  Our  neighbors  were  munificently  mindful  of  us  in 
their  offerings  of  vegetables  and  other  materials  of  an  edible 
character,  as  they  had  them  to  spare.  In  the  meantime,  or 
before  leaving  our  pent  up  quarters  in  the  school  house,  my 
father  had  manufactured  a  table  from  cherry  planks,  split 
from  a  log  given  him  by  Esq.  Butler,  as  this  gentleman  w.'is 
then  beginning  to  be  called.  To  her  great  sorrow,  my 
mother's  fine  table,  the  only  one  we  attempted  to  bring  with 
us,  got  completely  shipwrecked  on  the  way.  According  to 
the  custom  of  olden  times,  a  house  warming  was  expected 
when  we  were  fully  settled  in  our  log  palace.  With  its  two 
windows,  of  twelve  lights  each,  which  my  lather  had  been 
careful  to  bring  with  him;  beside  these  and  other  things 
which  might  be  named,  an  excellent  split  and  hewed  bass- 
wood  floor — two  doors  of  like  material,  with  latches  and 
latch-strings  hanging  out,  a  chimney  in  the  middle,  partly 
of  stone,  and  topped  out  with  rift-sticks  and  plastered,  were 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  265 

some  of  the  leading  characteristics  of  our  new  dwelling; 
and  as  to  the  house-warming,  so  much  desired  and  talked  of 
by  our  friends  and  neighbors,  that  was  deferred  till  mid 
winter,  when  the  marriage  ceremony  of  my  oldest  sister  was 
to  take  place.  She  had  early  on  our  arrival,  become  affi 
anced  to  Dr.  Walter  Colton,  the  young  physician  of  the 
town,  and  the  first  that  ever  settled  in  it  for  practice,  though 
Mr.  Clarke,  in  his  reminiscences  of  Poinpey,  states  the  case 
entirely  different,  informing  us  that  Dr.  Samuel  Beach  was 
the  first  physician  in  this  town,  having  come  there  in  1798. 
and  that  Dr.  Josiah  Colton  settled  two  miles  east  of  Pompey 
Hill  in  1801.  This  statement,  with  sundry  other  mistakes 
of  Mr.  Clarke,  is  too  palpable  to  need  refutation.  Dr.  Tib- 
bals,  of  whom  he  speaks  in  after  years,  became  a  resident  of 
the  place,  and  a  co-practitioner  with  Dr.  Colton,  as  the 
ride  of  the  latter  became  very  extensive,  hardly  circum 
scribed  by  the  limits  of  the  whole  large  county.  Dr.  Colton 
early  entered  into  the  politics  of  the  day,  although  such  a 
thing  as  a  newspaper  was  unknown,  except  as  fugitive  copies 
of  the  Albany  papers  were  obtained  from  the  postofrlee  at 
Onondaga  Hollow.  This  was  the  only  postofiice  in  the 
County,  and  all  the  region  round  about.  Daniel  Wood, 
Esq.,  was  the  first  postmaster  at  Pompey  Hill  in  1811 ;  pre 
vious  to  that  time,  the  Hollow  was  the  principal  postoifice 
for  the  town,  and  to  it,  the  writer,  in  the  days  ot  his  early 
youth,  oite:,  went  as  the  post-boy  for  the  neighbors,  some 
times  on  horse-back,  but  oftener  on  foot.  At  that  period 
there  was  no  Syracuse,  but  a  miserable  drunken  place, 
known  as  Cossit's  Corners,  and  approached  by  roads  of  cor 
duroy  construction,  and  as  the  Irishmen  of  Salt  Point  used 
to  say,  a  plentiful  variety  of  mud  holes.  In  those  days, 
slavery  was  rite  in  all  parts  of  the  Empire  State,  nor  did  it 
entirely  cease  until  1828,  when  it  came  to  an  end  by  gradual 
emancipation,  Pompey  had  its  slaves  ;  a  number  were  held 
on  the  Hill  by  some  of  the  most  respectable  families,  but 
treated  not  as  slaves  in  the  south  were  said  to  be.  but  with 
much  lenity  and  kindness.  They  were,  however,  quite  mi 


266  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

merous  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  town,  near  what  is 
now  Jamesville;  sundry  families  there  as  the  DeWitts  nnd 
DePuys,  of  Dutch  extraction,  held  numbers  of  them,  and 
with  their  labor  entered  largely  into  the  cultivation  of  to 
bacco;  hence  it  was  that  Pompey  became  the  first  town  in 
all  Central  and  Western  New  York  that  was  defiled  with  the 
raising  of  this  filthy  and  poisonous  plant.  I  do  not  remem 
ber  to  have  seen  a  one,  or  even  a  two-horse  wagon  on  Pom 
pey  Hill  earlier  than  1804;  indeed,  horses  were  scarce  and 
riding  vehicles  drawn  by  them  were  things  of  after  consider 
ation.  The  saddle,  Dr.  Franklin's  seat  of  health,  was  in 
vogue  for  getting  about,  when  the  use  of  fret  was  re 
linquished  ;  my  mother,  of  course,  had  her  down  country 
pillion,  like  sundry  others  who  had  immigrated  from  the 
land  of  steady  habits  with  their  husbands  and  families.  Ox 
teams  were  the  order  of  the  day,  both  in  summer  and  win 
ter,  when  the  feet  or  saddle  were  not  used  ;  hence,  carts  and 
sleds,  and  those  often  of  a  clumsey  character,  were  the  modes 
of  swiftest  conveyance.  The  earliest  school  that  I  attended 
was  taught  by  Miss  Lucy  Jerome,  afterwards  the  mother  ot 
the  Hon.  George  Geddes,  a  lady  of  distinguished  talents  and 
high  mental  culture.  Mr.  Merrit  Butler,  of  Pompey,  and 
myself,  are  probably  the  only  persons  living  who  attended 
that  school,  which  was  kept  two  summers  in  succession,  but 
as  Mr.  Butler  is  twenty  days  in  advance  ot  me  on  life's  rug 
ged  and  eventful  journey,  he  is  allowed  to  speak  for  himself 
and  to  correct  me,  if  wrong  in  this  matter  of  more  than 
seventy  years  memory.  As  descendants  of  Puritans,  the 
early  inhabitants  of  Pompey  were  strict  observers  of  the 
Sabbath,  keeping  themselves  and  their  children  at  home,  ex 
cept  when  they  were  favored  with  some  kind  of  public  re 
ligious  services  on  that  holy  dav.  If  no  Missionary  or  regu- 
v 

lar  minister  of  the  gospel  was  among  them,  a  prayer  meeting 
was  usually  held,  or  a  sermon  read,  and  for  attendance  on 
Sabbath  service,  not  men  only,  but  women,  (ladies,  indeed,) 
would  walk  two  or  three  miles  or  more.  They  used  to  meet 
in  barns,  private  houses  and  school  houses.  The  Rev. 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  267 

Joseph  Gilbert,  from  Harwinton,  Conn.,  a  nephew  of  iny 
father,  a  hatter  by  trade,  settled  about  two  miles  east  from 
the  Hill  in  1793,  and  then  quietly  pursued  his  early  vocation 
of  hat  making,  in  connection  with  farming,  on  a  limited 
scale ;  wool  hats  and  these  usually  exchanged  for  such  com 
modities  as  the  inhabitants  had  to  spare,  were  the  main  pro 
duction  of  his  log  shop.  Mr.  Gilbert  was  an  uneducated 
man,  but  a  man  of  fine  natural  talents,  and  of  rare  Christian 
character ;  in  him  the  word  of  Christ  dwelt  richly  in  all 
wisdom:  his  example  and  influence  in  attending  funerals, 
visiting  the  sick  and  meeting  with  the  brethren  on  the  Sab 
bath,  were  of  the  most  salutary  kind,  and  though  dead,  he 
yet  speaketh.  At  the  time  of  the  Re-Union,  June  29th, 
1871,  I  visited  his  grave,  and  the  graves  of  many  others 
whom  I  well  recollected  from  my  boyhood,  and  found  my 
self  irresistably  impressed  with  the  solemn  fact  that  the 
fashion  of  this  world  passeth  away. 


THE  BALL  FAMILY. 

Stebbins  Ball,  Jr.,  who  came  to  Pompey  in  the  winter  of 
1799,  from  Saratoga  County,  was  born  in  Granville,  Conn., 
in  1775 ;  his  father  was  Maj.  Stebbins  Ball,  who  served 
seven  years  in  the  revolutionary  army,  and  was  wounded ; 
at  the  close  of  the  war,  he  was  honorably  discharged,  with 
the  rank  of  major.  Stebbins  Ball,  Jr.,  settled  on  lot  num- 
29  Pompey,  on  the  farm  now  owned  and  occupied  by  Ben 
jamin  F.  Wheeler;  he  was  a  carpenter  and  joiner,  an  excel 
lent  mechanic,  and  gave  promise  of  great  usefulness  in  the 
new  country  where  house-builders  were  so  much  needed; 
but  death  early  closed  his  career,  in  the  year  1802,  at  the 
age  of  twenty-seven  years  ;  his  children  surviving  him  were 
Stephen  C., and  the  twins,  Alvin  M.,  and  Calvin  S.,  also  two 
daughters,  Betsey  and  Charlotte  ;  Betsey  married  William 
J.  Millard,  of  Watervale,  in  Pompey,  and  Charlotte  mar 
ried,  Manoah  Pratt,  Jr.,  of  Pompey. 

Stephen  C.  Ball,  son  ot   Stebbins  Ball,   Jr.,    was  born  in 


268  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

Charlton,  Saratoga  County,  K  Y.,  in  1797,  and  came  to 
Pompey  with  his  parents;  he  served  in  the  war  of  1812,  and 
was  in  the  battle  of  Niagara ;  he  died  in  Homer,  Cortland 
County,  JN".  Y.,  February  22d,  1871,  leaving  nine  children, 
— one  son  and  eight  daughters ;  he  was  a  tailor  by  trade. 

Alvin  M.  Ball,  (twin  with  Calvin  S.)  was  born  in  Charl 
ton,  K  Y.,  October  llth,  1798,  married  Miss  Lucretia 
Vickery,  of  Pompey,  and  settled  on  the  farm  now  occupied 
by  his  son  Frederick,  two  miles  north  east  of  Pompey  Hill. 
He  raised  a  family  often  children — one  son  and  nine  daugh 
ters. 

Calvin  S.  Ball,  (twin  with  Alvin  M.)  was  born  in  Charl 
ton,  K  Y.,  October  llth,  1798  ;  lived  in  Pompey  about  sev 
enty  years ;  was  a  silversmith,  and  taught  school  several 
years  in  Watervale  and  Pompey  Hill ;  was  Town  Clerk  of 
Pompey,  from  about  the  year  1837  to  1862,  excepting  one 
year;  he  also  held  the  office  of  School  Commissioner,  and 
that  of  Inspector 'of  Schools  for  several  years.  He  was  twice 
married  ;  first  to  Miss  Adaline  M.  Wood,  of  Watervale,  by 
whom  he  had  four  children-three  sons  and  one  daughte,who 
are  now  living.  His  second  wife  was  Miss  Sarah  H.  Hun- 
gerford,  of  "Watertown,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  had  two  daugh 
ters,  twins,  one  of  whom  lived  to  the  age  of  seven  years  ; 
both  wives,  and  the  twins  lie  hurried  in  the  grave  yard  at 
Pompey  Hill. 

Mr.  Ball,  moved  from  Pompey  in  1869,  and  no\v  resides 
at  Milo  Center,  Yates  County,  N.  Y.,  in  the  enjoyment  of 
good  health,  having  outlived  the  expectation  of  everyone 
who  knew  him  in  early  manhood.  About  1822,  when  at 
Trenton  Falls,  he  was  attacked  with  pleurisy,  which  left 
him  with  a  severe  cough.  From  Trenton  Falls,  he  was 
brought  on  a  litter  to  his  home  inPompey,and  with  him  a  cof 
fin  and  shroud,  as  the  doctor  declared  it  was  very  doubtful 
whether  he  could  survive  the  journey  ;  but  he  arrived  in 
safety,  and  finally  after  fo  ur  years  of  suffering,  he  recovered 
from  what  all  supposed  to  be  an  incurable  consumption,  and 
entered  upon  the  active  duties  of  life.  The  coffin  is  still  in 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  269 

existence,  but  long  ago  the  shroud  was  used  for  other  pur 
poses;  his  son  Calvin  S.  Ball,  Jr..  is  a  dealer  in  Watches, 
Silver  Ware,  Jewelry,  &c.,  a  prosperous  business  man,  and 
resides  in  Syracuse. 

JOSEPH  BAKER, 

Was  born  at  Chesterfield,  Mass.,  November  21st,  1778;  at 
the  age  of  twenty-six  years,  he  moved,  following  his  broth 
ers,  Erastus,  Lemuel  and  Thomas,  to  Pompey,  west  Hill, 
now  LaFayette,  where  he  settled  on  a  farm  near  his  broth 
ers,  where  he  remained  till  1810,  when  he  removed  to  Otis- 
co,  where  he  died  June  8th,  1855,  aged  77  years ;  he  was 
married  March  23d,  1802,  to  Betsey  Danforth,  by  whom  he 
had  eleven  children ;  she  died  April  4th,  1840,  aged  sixty- 
two  years ;  he  was  again  married  to  Mrs.  Hannah,  widow  of 
CaptainTimothy  Pomeroy,of  Otisco;  he  is  described  as  a^very 
tall  and  straight  man,  with  lungs  of  unusual  size,  possessing 
a  strong  loud  voice,  a  robust  constitution,  never  sick,  and 
scarcely  knew  how  to  sympathize  with  those  who  were ;  at 
last  without  a  moments  warning,  while  at  work  fixing  some 
brine  in  the  pork  barrel,  he  was  stricken  down,  aad.  in  an 
instant  fell  upon  the  floor  from  the  effects  of  a  paralytic 
stroke.  He  was  a  farmer,  and  spent  the  greater  parh  of  his 
early  life  in  clearing  the  forest ;  he  in  company  with  Lewis 
Billings,  used  to  take  land  to  clear  at  $10  per  acre ;  they 
would  go  out  in  the  morning  and  each  strive  to  be  the  first 
to  fall  a  tree,  which  was  no  sooner  down,  than  the  sturdy 
pioneer  was  cutting  it  into  logs;  the  first  finished,  they  would 
ran  to  the  next,  and  all  day  long  the  strife  was  continued. 
The  logs  were  drawn  into  heaps  by  the  neighbors,  every 
man  owning  a  team  participating  in  the  bee;  on  these  occa 
sions,  song  and  mirth,  strife  and  victory,  made  all  joyous  and 
happy. 

Mr.  Baker  was  in  the  habit  of  calling  his  boys,  seven  in 
number,  in  the  morning.sayingin  his  stentorian  voice,  "come 
boys,  shoulder  arms,"  and  suiting  the  action  to  the  word, 
swing  his  axe  on  his  shoulder,  the  boys  following  iu 


270  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

single  file  to  the  woods.  He  was  a  very  hard  working  man, 
and  often  when  working  and  sweating  in  the  field,he  would 
say  to  one  of  his  boys,  "go  to  the  well  and  get  me  a  f'rink 
from  the  bottom,  and  out  of  the  north  west  corner.*' 

He  survived  two  years  and  a  half  after  one  side  was  para 
lyzed  and  his  mind  gone;  then  as  of  old  he  would  call  his 
boys,  and  when  they  failed  to  come,  he  would  say,  "  I  have 
brought  up  a  large  family  of  boys,  and  not  one  will  now 
come  at  my  call !"  When  in  health  he  was  fond  of  music  and 
fun,  and  was  a  leader  in  the  sports  of  the  day  ;  his  tenacity 
to  life  was  strong,  and  not  till  one  foot  had  decayed  from  the 
body,  did  he  yield  to  the  fell  destroyer. 


BENSOK 

Peter  Benson  came  to  Pompe}*  about  the  year  1793,  be 
ing  then  thirteen  years  of  age;  he  came  to  assist  his  old 
er  brother  in  building  a  barn,  for  Samuel  Shenvood,  on  lot 
number  84;  the  compensation  for  building  which  paid  for 
100  acres  of  land  on  the  same  lot. 

This  farm  is  located  about  one  mile  north-west  from  the 
village  of  Delphi,  and  was  afterwards  owned  by  Peter  Ben 
son.  The  father  of  Mr.  Benson,  came  a  few  years  later; 
his  name  was  Stutson  Benson,  was  a  farmer,  and  resided 
in  Pompey  till  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1820.  One  in 
cident  of  his  life  is  worthy  of  note.  At  the  time  of  his  mar 
riage,  he  was  unable  to  read  or  write  :  like  Andrew  John 
son,  he  learned  his  alphabet  of  his  wife  ;  he  became  a  well 
read  man,  particularly  in  the  Bible,  and  occasionally  engag 
ed  in  preaching  the  Gospel ;  much  of  his  writing  is  now  in 
possession  of  A.  P.  Benson,  of  Pompey,  and  is  a  neat  legi 
ble  hand  with  correct  orthography.  Peter  was  the  eighth 
child  and  fifth  son,  in  a  family  often  children  ;  he  Avas  five 
feet  and  ten  inches  in  height,  with  broad  shoulders  and 
firmly  knit  frame,  and  weighed  in  the  prime  of  manhood, 
200  pounds ;  he  had  si  firm,  quick  step,  and  never  would 
allow  his  children  to  move  at  a  slow  pace,  or  as  he  termed 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  271 

it,  "as  though  they  were  pulling  stakes  out  of  the  ground  ;" 
he  was  of  a  jovial  turn,  was  never  morose  or  austere  in 
his  family,  though  his  rule  with  his  children,  was  in 
stant  obedience,  and  they  found  it  the  part  of  wisdom  to 
pay  strict  attention  to  this  inflexible  rule.  He  was  a  farmer, 
and  acquired  a  fair  competence  in  his  calling  ;  he  died  in 
1864,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years ;  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  he  was  a  resident  of  Fabius. 


EBENEZER  BUTLER,  Sn. 

Ebenezer  Butler,  Sr.,  who  accompanied  his  son,  Ebenezer, 
in  making  the  lirst  white  settlement  at  Pompey  Hill,  was 
born  December,  1733.     He  was  grand-son  to  Jonathan  But 
ler,  one  of  two  Irish  adventurers  who  came  to  Connecticut 
about  the  year  1710;  he  served  with  the  Connecticut  troops 
against  the  French  during  the  French  and  Indian  War ;  he 
was  with  Washington  in  the  revolution  ;   and  also,  in  a  de 
tachment  called  out  to  suppress  "The  Shay's  Rebellion  "  in 
1787.     Although  a  farmer  by  occupation,  after  locating  in 
Pompey  he  took  little  part  in  business  life  ;  he  was  a  relig 
ious  man,  and   took  a  very  active  part  in  organizing  the 
first  church  established  in  Pompey,  being  chosen  one  of  its 
trustees.     This  church  or  religious  society  was  formed  June 
16th,  1794:,  and  was  called  "The  First  Presbyterian  Society 
of  Pompey."     This  was  not  only  the  first  religious  associa 
tion  in  Pompey,  but  in  Onondaga  County,  when  it  embraced 
the   whole   military  tract;    he  was  also  a  member  of  the 
church  subsequently  organized  by  Rev.  Aaii  Robbins,  in 
1800,  under  the  name  of  the  "First  Congregational  Church 
of  the  Town  of  Pompey."     He  lived  in  Pompey  till    his 
death,  which  occurred  in   1829,  enjoying  in  an  unusual  de 
gree  that  choicest  of  Heaven's  temporal  blessings — good 
health.     He  never  was  ill,  and  died  at  the  age  of  ninety-six 
years,  falling  dead  with  a  quantity  of  wood  in  his  arms 
which  he  had  just  been  preparing  for  the  fire. 

Ebenezer  Butler,  Jr.,  the  first  white  settlor  at  Pompey 


272  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

Hill,  and  within  the  limits  of  the  present  township,  was  born 
at  Harwinton,  Conn.,  in  1761.  He  served,  as  did  his  father, 
in  the  Revolutionary  War.  He  was  taken  prisoner  and 
suffered  all  the  hardships  and  cruelties  imposed  by  the 
British  upon  those  unfortunates  who  were  confined  on  board 
"  The  Prison  Ships"  in  New  York  harbor.  After  his  re 
lease,  and  at  the  close  of  the  war,  he  returned  to  his  native 
town  ;  married  Miss  Rebecca  Davis,  and  moved  to  Clinton, 
Oneida  County,  IN".  Y.  When  located  there,  he  bought  a 
soldier's  claim  to  Lot  No.  65,  of  the  town  of  Pompey,  and 
in  1791  or  1792,  moved  with  his  family,  consisting  of  his 
wife  and  four  daughters,  his  father,  aged  about  sixty  years, 
and  a  maiden  sister,  to,  and  made  a  settlement  upon  this 
Lot,  at  wThat  is  now  Pompey  Hill.  He  built  a  log  house  for 
himself  near  where  is  now  the  ruins  of  the  old  stone  black 
smith  shop ;  another  for  his  father  and  sister,  near  the  cor 
ner  by  the  wagon  shop.  He  afterwards  bought  Lot  No.  64, 
and  in  1797,  put  up  the  first  frame  building  in  this  vicinity; 
this  was  a  house  located  on  the  present  site  of  Hon.  Manoah 
Pratt' s  residence.  Here  he  kept  a  hotel  for  a  number  of 
years;  he  was  largely  engaged  in  buying  and  selling  real 
estate,  and  for  many  years  also  bought  cattle  in  Central 
New  York,  and  drove  them  to  the  Philadelphia  market. 
Before  he  came  to  Pompey,  in  1791,  he  was  Collector  of  the 
District  of  Whitestowri ;  he  was  Supervisor  of  the  town  of 
Pompey,  Justice  of  the  Peace,  a  Member  of  the  State  Leg 
islature  in  1799  and  1800,  Judge  of  the  County  Court,  and 
one  of  the  first  Trustees  of  Pompey  Academy  before  its  in 
corporation  by  the  Regents  ;  he  was  associated  with  the  first 
company  formed  for  the  manufacture  of  salt  at  Salina.  He 
left  Pompey  in  1802  or  3,  and  moved  to  Manlius.  His  wife 
died  in  1808,  and  her  remains  lie  buried  in  the  cemetery  at 
Pompey  Hill.  He  lived  in  Manlius  till  1811,  and  then 
moved  to  Central  Ohio,  where  he  died  in  1829,  aged  sixty- 
eight  years  ;  he  has  descendants  living  near  Columbus,  Cir- 
cleville  and  Chillicothe,  Ohio,  many  of  whom  'rank  among 
the  first  families  of  the  State. 


v 


THE    POMPEY   RE  UNION. 


VICTORY  BIRDSEYE. 

Victory,  eldest  child  of  Ebenezer  and  Eunice  (Torniinson) 
Birdseye,  was  born  at  Cornwall,  Conn.,  December  25th, 
1782. 

Through  each  of  his  parents  he  came  of  the  best  stock  of 
his  native  State.  His  paternal  grandfather  was  the  Rev. 
Nathan  Birdseye,  who  was  horn  August  19th,  1714, 
graduated  at  Yale  College,  1736;  was  settled  as 
pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church,  at  Westhaven,  Conn., 
in  1742;  remained  in  that  pastorate  for  16  years;  in  1759, 
removed  to  Oronoque,  in  the  town  of  Stratford,  Conn., 
where  he  resided  till  his  death  on  the  28th  day  of  January, 
1818,  at  the  age  of  103  years,  5  months  and  9  days.  A 
single  fact  will  show  of  what  stuff,  both  ot  body  and  mind, 
this  man  was  made,  who,born  in  the  first  month  of  the  reign 
of  George  I,lived  to  within  two  years  of  the  end  of  the  reign 
of  George  III.  After  he  was  more  than  100  years  old,  he 
rode  on  horse-back  one  Sunday,  to  and  from  the  Church,  in 
the  village  of  Stratford,  a  distance  of  some  five  miles;  went 
into  the  pulpit,  and  conducted  all  the  exercises  of  the  wor 
ship;  and,|being  too  near-sighted  to  read,  repeated  from 
memory,  the  chapter  and  psalms  which  were  read  and  sun<r5 
and  preached  the  sermon,  much  to  the  pleasure  and  edifica 
tion  of  the  audience. 

The  maternal  grandfather  was  Beach  Tomlinson,  of  Hunt- 
ington,  Conn.,  a  man  of  uncommon  strength,  both  of  body 
and  mind,  and  who  died  early  in  the  present  century,  at  a 
very  great  age. 

Among  the  objects  most  early  sought,  obtained  at  great 
sacrifice,  and  cherished  during  his  whole  life  by  the  sub 
ject  of  the  present  sketch,  were  the  portraits  of  his  grand 
parents  Tomlinson.  Many  of  the  residents  of  the  town 
have  seen  these  portraits  in  has  dwelling;  and  all  the  older 

nhabitants  will  remember  the  pride  and  affection  with  which 

he  regarded  them. 

The  unusual  name   of  "Victory,"  came  into  the  family  by 

18 


274  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNIOX. 

an  incident  so  singular  as  to  be  not  unworthy  ot  mention 
here.  It  was  first  given  to  the  infant  son  of  Captain  Tom- 
linson,  under  the  following  circumstances: — The  child  had 
been  born  in  the  early  fall  of  1759,  in  what  was  then  one  of 
the  outer  and  most  exposed  settlements  of  the  Colony  of 
New  Haven.  It  was  during  the  "Seven  Years'  War,"  as  it 
Y/..13  called  in  Europe;  but  known  in  America  by  the  name, 
implying  «o  much,  of  the  "French  and  Indian  War." 
Wolfe  had  gone  up  the  St.  Lawrence  with  his  fleet  and 
army,  to  attack  the  French  in  their  strong-hold  of  Quebec. 
On  his  success  seemed  to  depend  the  safety  ot  almost  every 
family  in  all  the  Colonies ;  especially  those  in  the  back- 
wools — on  the  edges  of  the  wilderness.  For  the  defeat  of 
the  English  army  would  let  loose  on  the  Colonies  the 
French,  with  their  murderous  allies,  the  Indians. 

On  a  Sunday  morning,  late  in  the  fall  of  1759,  as  this  in 
fant  was  being  carried  to  the  church  to  be  baptised,  and  to 
receive  some  name  that  had  been  borne  by  older  members  of 
his  family,  and  just  as  pastor  and  people  were  gathered  at 
the  Church,  an  outcry  was  heard  in  the  distance.     A  Couri 
er  from  the  back  settlements  on  the  Hudson  came  riding  up, 
waving  a    white  flag,  and  shouting  "victory,  victory,   victo 
ry  !';    Fora  moment  he  drew  rein  at  the  steps  of  the  Church, 
to  give  breath  to  his  horse,  while  he  told  to  pastor  and  peo 
ple  the  story  of  the  battle  of  the  Heights  of  Abraham,   on 
the  13th  of  September, the  death  of  Wolfe,  and  the  great  vic 
tory  of  the  English.     To  every  one  who  heard,  the  tidings 
seemed  as  of  life  from  the   dead.     For  the   power   of  the 
French  and    Indians  was  broken;   and  now  the    Colonists 
could  lie  down  and  rise  up,  without  fear  of  rifle  or  torna- 
liawk,  or  scalping  knife.     After  a  short  halt,  and  repeating 
his  glorious  news,  the  messenger  departed,  bearing  the  glad 
tidings  to  the  eastern  towns;  still,  as    he  went,  waving    his 
flag,    and    shouting    "victory."       When   he   had  vanished, 
the  congregation  gathered  in  the  Church  for  worship  and 
thanksgiving;  but  before  they  could  proceed,  the  child  must 
be  christened.     As  he  was  brought  forward  for  baptism, the 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

minister,  an  aged  man,  dipping  his  hand  in  the  water,  and 
placing  it  on  the  forehead  of  the  child,  and  apparently  for 
getting  the  family  name  which  it  was  intended  he  should 
bear,  said  : — "Victory,  I  baptize  thee,  in  the  name  of  the 
Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost." 

Such  a  name,  so  given,  became  so  dear  to  the  family,  that 
when  at  the  successful  close  of  another  great  war,  the  first 
child  of  anew  generation  was  born  to  them,  it  was,  as  a  mat 
ter  of  course,  given  to  him. 

This  second  Victory  early  displayed  great  aptness,  as  well 
as  fondness,  for  learning.  He  was  fitted  for  college,  partly 
at  the  Grammar  School  at  Cornwall,  and  partly  at  Lansing- 
burgh,  N-.  Y.,  where  one  of  his  uncles,  Tomlinson,  then  re 
sided.  Entering  Williams  College,  Massachusetts,  in  Sep 
tember,  1800,  he  graduated  there  September  5, 1804,  in  the 
same  class  with  Luther  B radish,  Robert  and  Henry  D.  Sedg- 
wick,  and  others,  and  preceding  only  by  a  year,  Daniel 
Moseley  and  Samuel  R.  Betts,  subsequently  so  prominent  in 
the  judicial  history  ot  this  State.  Returning  to  Lansing- 
burgh,  he  pursued  the  study  of  the  law  with  his  uncle, 
Gideon  Tomlinson.  and  Cornelius  Allen.  There,  as  at 
school  and  in  college,  he  was  noted  for  the  thoroughness  of 
his  studies.  Mr.  Allen  said  of  him  many  years  after,  that 
he  was  the  most  industrious  student  he  had  ever  known. 

Mr.  Birdseye  was  admitted  an  Attorney  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  New  York,  Feb.  12,  1807,  and  as  Counsel,  Feb. 
15,  1810.  He  removed  to  Pompey  in  June,  1807.  On  the 
14th  of  October,  1813,  at  Onondaga  Hill,  he  married  Electa, 
daughter  of  Capt.  James  Beebee,of  the  Revolutionary  Army. 
He  early  took  high  rank,  and  obtained  decided  success  as  a 
lawyer,  commanding,  at  the  same  time,  the  respect  and  good 
will  of  his  neighbors  and  the  whole  community,  and  receiv 
ing,  during  his  whole  life,  many  tokens  of  public  confidence, 
both  private,  political  and  professional. 

In  November,   1814,  he   was   elected  to  the    Fourteenth 


276  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

Congress,  in  which  he  served   from   March  4th,  1815,  to 
March  4th,  1817. 

He  was  a  delegate  to  the  Constitutional  Convention  of 
1821,  which  formed  the  second  Constitution  of  New  York. 

He  was  a  Member  of  the  Assembly  for  1823,  and  of  the 
Senate  during  1827  and  1828.  He  there  took  a  leading  part 
in  the  perfecting  and  passing  of  the  Revised  Statutes  of  the 
State. 

He  was  also  a  member  of  the  Assembly  in  1838  and  1840, 
and  in  Nov.,  1840,  was  elected  to  the  Twenty- Seventh  Con 
gress,  in  which  he  sat  from  March,  1841,  to  March,  1843. 

At  the  extra  session,  held  in  the  summer  of  1841,  perhaps 
the  most  exciting  question  presented  arose  out  of  the  pro 
posed  Bankrupt  Law,  which  was  very  strongly  pressed. 
The  Whig  party  was  then  in  power  for  the  first  time.  Mr. 
Birdseye  was  a  Whig.  The  Bankrupt  Law  was  proposed 
and  passed  as  a  party  measure;  but  he  deemed  it  so  im 
practicable,  as  to  be  unworthy  of  his  support;  and,  after 
striving  in  vain  to  perfect  it,  he  voted  against  it  with  the 
warning  that  it  would  prove  unsatisfactory  to  the  country, 
and  dangerous  to  the  party. 

The  soundness  of  his  judgment  was  vindicated  by  the  re 
peal  of  the  law  by  a  large  majority  of  the  ^very  Congress 
which  had  enacted  it. 

But,  while  thus  made  known  to  the  public  at  large  by 
these  offices,  he  was  best  known  at  home  and  among  his 
immediate  neighbors,  by  the  services  which  he  rendered 
them  in  their  own  affairs. 

Soon  after  his  removal  to  Pompey,  he  was  appointed  a 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  held  that  office  for  the  term  of 
four  years.  On  the  8th  of  April,  1811,  he  was  appointed  a 
Commissioner  in  Insolvency,  under  the  Act  of  April  3, 1811. 
He  was  appointed  Postmaster  at  Pompey,  April  25,  1817, 
and  held  that  office  for  about  twenty-one  years.  On  the  13th 
of  April,  1818,  he  was  appointed  Master  in  Chancery,  serv- 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNIOX.  277 

ing  a  term  of  four  years.  On  the  20th  of  June, -1818,  he 
was  appointed  District  Attorney  of  Onondaga  County,  and 
held  the  office  for  about  fifteen  years. 

On  the  26th  of  May,  1830,  he  was  appointed  Special  Coun 
sel,  in  place  of  John  C.  Spencer,  resigned,  to  conduct  the 
prosecution  of  the  persons  accused  of  the  abduction  and 
murder  of  William  Morgan. 

Within  the  town  of  Pompey,  and  in  its  vicinity,  Mr.  Bird- 
seye  was  as  well  known  and  as  greatly  esteemed  and  beloved 
for  his  services  in  connection  with  the  founding  and  putting 
in  opeiation  of  the  Academy  at  Pompey,  as  for  any  other 
ser  rices  ever  rendered  by  him.  Up  to  the  time  when  he 
became  a  resident  of  Pompey  in  1807,  all  the  efforts  for  the 
obtaining  of  the  necessary  endowment  of  the  Academy  and 
the  erection  of  its  building,  though  vigorously  prosecuted, 
had  failed  of  success;  but,  shortly  a,ter  his  settling  in  the 
town,  he  devoted  himself  to  the  establishment  and  endow 
ment  of  the  Academy.  From  that  time  forth,  nearly  every 
paper  connected  with  its  history  was  prepared  by  him,  and 
many  of  them  are  still  in  existence,  in  his  well  known  and 
peculiar  handwriting. 

Within  less  than  three  years  after  his  removal  to  the 
town,  a  sufficient  endowment  had  been  raised.  Within  an 
other  year,  the  building  was  completed;  and  directly  thereaf 
ter  the  Academy  was  put  in  operation. 

Until  his  death,  he  remained  closely  connected  with  it; 
being  for  many  years  Secretary,  Treasurer  or  President  of 
the  Board  of  Trustees,  and  at  times  holding  all  these  offices, 
and  performing  their  duties.  lie  prepared  the  reports;  he 
invested  and  made  available  its  funds ;  he  procured  for  it 
the  grant  of  the  lot  of  land(number  15,in  the  Township  of  Ca- 
millus,)which  formed  a  large  part  of  its  property  ;  and  during 
the  last  30' years  of  his  life,  while  he  was  carrying  on  a  very 
large  professional  business,  was  weighed  down  by  political 
cares  and  labors, and  was  rearing  and  educating  h  is  large  fami 
ly,  he  gave  the  same  attention  to  the  interests  of  the  Acade- 


278  THE    TOMPEY    RE-UNION. 

my,  conducting  its  afiairs,  investing  and  collecting  the  in 
come  of  its  property,  collecting  the  tuition  bill?,  and  giving 
personal  attention  to  the  course  of  instruction  iu  the  School, 
with  apparently  the  same  zeal  and  interest  and  affection 
with  which  he  had  assisted  in  laying  the  foundation  of  the 
Institution,  in  his  earliest  manhood. 

Besides  this  active  political  and  professional  life,  and  his 
zealous  labors  in  behalf  ot  the  Academy,  he  was  the  com 
mon  adviser  and  friend  of  the  people  of  the  town,  and  of 
many  in  the  surrounding  towns  for  long  distances.  The  natu 
ral  kindness  of  his  heart,  the  fairness  and  openness  of  his 
mind,  his  love  of  truth  and  justice,  and  fair  dealing,  his 
dislike  of  strife,  and  his  hatred  of  litigiousness,  made  him 
the  general  arbitrator  and  peace-maker  of  the  neighborhood; 
he  brought  and  defended  no  suits  which  could  be  avoided 
by  any  efforts  at  peace-making,  short  of  most  serious  sacri 
fices;  and,  with  all  his  other  occupations,  he  superintended 
the  large  farm  he  had  acquired,  giving  much  care  and  no 
little  time  to  its  management.  He  seemed  rarely  happier 
than  when  he  could  turn  his  back  upon  the  Courts  and  his 
law  office  and  give  himself  up  to  the  care  of  his  farm.  He 
often  said  that  in  the  hay  field,  in  the  harvest,  and  the  care 
of  his  sheep,  he  was  again  a  child  on  his  fathers'  farm  and 
in  his  fathers'  family,  and  that  such  occupations  alone  had 
made  possible  his  professional  labors. 

His  life,  filled  with  such  labors,  drew  gradually,  and  in 
fact  imperceptibly,  to  its  close.  On  Christmas  day,  1852,  he 
attained  the  age  of  three  score  and  ten  ;  but  he  was  appar 
ently  in  the  enjoyment  of  as  good  health,  and  nearly  as  great 
vigor,  as  he  had  ever  known  ;  he  had,  years  before,  had  sev 
eral  serious  attacks  of  disease  of  the  lungs  ;  but  they  had  all 
passed  off,  leaving  few,  if  any,  visible  traces  behind.  For 
months,  he  continued  to  perform  all  his  accurnstomed  la 
bors  in  the  office,  on  the  farm  and  about  the  Courts;  he 
was  as  full  of  interest  as  ever  in  public  affairs,  and  in  all  that 
claimed  the  thoughts  of  those  around  him.  He  conducted 
his  cases,  and  attended  the  trials  in  which  he  was  engaged, 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  279 

with  undiminished  vigor ;  there  were,  certainly,  occasional 
symptoms  and  indications  of  advancing  age  and  approach 
ing  weakness;  and  late  in  August,  1853,  when  some  such 
sign  had  attracted  attention  and  caused  remark,  he  said  : 
"It  is  of  little  moment;  merely  something  to  remind  me 
"that  I  grow  old  ;  I  must  not- forget,  and  I  am  not  allowed 
"to  forget,  that  I  am  a  mere  tenant  at  will  of  this  frail 
"tenement  of  a  body ; — that  I  may  be  called  away  to  leave 
"it  at  any  time;  lest  I  forget  it,  my  Great  Landlord  gives 
"me  occasionally  a  notice  to  quit.'"' 

Scarcely  any  words  could  better  indicate  his  temper  and 
the  tone  of  his  mind.  Early  in  the  last  week  of  his  life,  he 
had  kept  an  appointment,  made  sometime  before,  to  try  a 
case  in  a  neighboring  town.  He  returned  in  the  middle  of 
the  week,  apparently  well ;  Thursday  and  Friday  wero  spent 
as  usual ;  a  part  of  each  day  in  his  law  office,  and  at  his  usu 
al  labors,  and  the  afternoon  upon  his  farm;  on  Friday  even 
ing,  he  received  his  mail  matter,  and  looked  it  over  as  usual, 
conversing  of  the  news  of  the  day  ;  he  retired  early,  remark 
ing  that  he  must  rise  early,  in  order  to  visit  the  county 
town  on  the  morrow. 

After  retiring,  he  was  seen  to  be  sleeping  with  the  natural 
easy  breathing  of  a  healthy  old  age  ;  when  sought  to  be 
aroused  at  the  dawn  of  the  next  day,  he  was  found  cold  in 
death  !  Not  a  limb  had  moved  ;  not  a  pang  had  been  felt ; 
nor  had  even  the  fingers  been  clasped  !  The  machinery  of 
life  had  simply  stopped, — the  Great  Landlord  had  merely 
repeated  His  notice, — the  tenant  had  obeyed,  and  gone  with 
out  a  struggle,  whither  he  was  summoned  !  Thus  peace 
fully  ended  this  long,  laborious,  useful,  peaceful  life  in  the 
night  of  Friday,  or  on  the  morning  of  Saturday,  the  16th 
and  17th  of  September,  1853. 

Mr.  Birdseye  was  a  kind  husband,  a  fond  father,  a  good 
neighbor,  a  faithful  friend,  a  wise  counsellor,  a  public 
spirited  citizen,  an  incorruptible  servant  of  his  fellow-citi 
zens  in  every  office  and  in  every  trust.  He  loved  children 


280  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

ardent!}' — in  fact  lie  loved  all  his  fellowmen.  His  aim  in 
life  was  to  make  all  his  fellowmen  wiser  and  better ;  his 
aim  in  his  business  life  was  to  make  all  with  whom  he  had 
to  do,  honest,  true  and  just.  He  was  an  unerring  judge  of 
men  and  their  character ;  he  knew  whom  to  trust  and  whom 
not  to  trust.  In  fact,  it  may  be  doubted  whether  this  pro 
found  knowledge  of  men,  and  this  sagacity  in  weighing  and 
measuring  them,  and  their  motives  and  actions  and  charac 
ter,  was  not  his  most  remarkable  endowment;  but  he 
possessed  also  a  singular  knowledge  of  affairs  and  events, 
both  of  his  own  time  and  of  the  past;  he  continued  all  his 
life  to  read  largely,  and  he  seemed  never  to  forget  anything 
he  had  read ;  every  fact  in  history,  science,  philosophy  and 
politics  seemed  to  be  assimilated  with,  or  made  a  part  of  his 
own  thoughts ;  he  preserved  to  the  last  his  fondness  for  the 
classical  studies  of  his  youth,  and  Tidd  andBlackstone  never 
drove  from  his  memory  Virgil,  Horace,  Tacitus  and 
Homer. 

As  a  lawyer,  he  had  few  superiors  in  those  parts  of  his 
profession  to  which  he  devoted  himself. 

His  knowledge  of  men  and  things,  his  full  mastery  of  the 
principles  of  the  science  of  the  law,  his  sagacity,  his  patience, 
his  industry  in  preparing,  and  his  coolness  in  the  trial  and 
argument  of  causes,  secured  for  him  a  success  in  his  cases 
that  was  indeed  remarkable.  N"ot  that  the  iirst  success— 
that  before  a  jury — was  always  his;  for  histastes  and  habits, 
the  very  frame  of  his  mind,  fitted  him  rather  for  the  argu 
ments  at  the  bar  of  the  Court  than  for  captivating  juries; 
but  he  seemed  ever  to  try  his  causes  for  the  ultimate  tri 
umphs  and  success  of  the  final  jadgment;  hence  it  was,  no 
doubt,  that  it  was  truly  said  of  him,  that  although  he  was 
sometimes  beaten  in  the  Courts  below,  he  was  almost  uni 
formly  successful  in  the  Appellate  Courts. 

Of  this  soundness  of  judgment,  this  accuracy  of  knowl 
edge,  this  thoroughness  of  mental  action,  it  will  not  be  easy 
to  speak  too  strongly;  he  used  ever  to  inculcate  them, as  he 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  281 

ever  inculcated  kindness  and  honesty  and  truth.  Once,  in 
answering  an  objection  that  such  accuracy  could  not  possi 
bly  be  secured  in  the  great  majority  of  cases,  and  was,  there 
fore,  scarcely  to  be  expected  or  striven  for,  he  replied  that 
that  was  not  so.  And,  among  other  things,  he  said  he 
would  venture  to  cite  his  own  experience,  and  he  went  on 
und  stated  that  experience.  He  said  that,  during  the  four 
years  of  his  acting  as  Justice  of  the  Peace,  he  rendered 
about  4,000  judgments,  being,  on  an  average,  1,000  per 
year.  That  only  four  of  them  were  ever  sought  to  be  re 
viewed  in  the  higher  Courts;  that  three  of  the  four  were 
affirmed  in  the  Common  Pleas,  (the  first  Appellate  Court,) 
and  no  farther  appeal  was  ever  taken  ;  that,  in  the  fourth 
case,  his  judgment  was  reversed  in  the  Common  Pleas  ;  but 
that  that  reversal  was  itself  reversed  in  the  Supreme  Court, 
and  his  original  judgment  was  affirmed.  So  that  not  one 
of  his  judgments  was  ever  in  fact  set  aside.  He  stated  also, 
that,  during  the  fifteen  years  of  his  service  as  District  At 
torney  of  Onondaga  County,  (then  the  fourth  or  fifth  County 
of  the  State  in  population  and  wealth  and  standing,  perhaps 
even  higher  than  that  in  the  extent,  variety  and  importance 
of  its  criminal  business,)  he  had  with  his  own  hand  drafted, 
he  believed, every  indictment  found  in  the  County,  and  had 
tried  every  one  that  was  tried  ;  and  that,  during  the  whole 
period,  he  did  not  remember  that  a  single  indictment  was 
quashed,  or  f  >nnd  defective  on  a  demurrer,  or  a  single  pris 
oner  was  ever  acquitted  by  reason  of  any  technical  failure 
or  flaw  in  an  indictment;  of  course,  he  had  not  convicted 
all  the  criminals  indicted  and  brought  to  trial  during  his 
long  term  of  office  ;  but  none  of  them  had  escaped,  so  far  as 
he  could  recollect,  by  reason  of  any  fault  or  flaw  of  his  in 
preparing  the  indictment.  When  he  was  told  that  this  im 
plied  an  accuracy,  a  care  and  a  patience  that  were  almost 
super-human,  and  which  it  was  therefore  useless  to  try  to 
equal,  he  replied  :  Not  at  all  ;  it  was  simply  the  result  of 
carefully  applying  ordinary  powers  to  the  faithful  discharge 
of  ordinary  duties;  that  another  could  do  all  that  he  had 


282  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

done  and  more;  and  that  probably  he  owed  as  much  of  his 
success  in  the  discharge  of  these  important  duties,  to  the 
good  will  and  confidence  of  the  public,  and  of  the  members 
of  his  own  profession  towards  himself,  as  to  anything  else  ; 
that  they  believed  he  meant  to  do  his  duty  fairly  and  hon 
estly,  and  so  failed  to  look  for,  and  of  course  to  see,  the 
errors  he  must  no  doubt  have  committed — that  it  was  not 
human  to  avoid  every  crrov  or  mistake ;  and  that  there  was 
the  best  authority  for  saying,  "  Loquando  dormitat  bonus 
Homerus.' 

The  wife  of  Mr.  Birdseye,  who  was  almost  eleven  years 
younger  than  himself,  survived  him  more  than  seven  years, 
dying  on  the  5th  day  of  October,  1860. 

They  reared  a  family  of  twelve  children,  viz  : 

Victory  James,  married  Betsey  Anne,  second  daughter  of 
Daniel  and  Anne  Marsh,  of  Pompey,  now  residing  in  Pom- 

pey. 

Ellen,  married  Charles  A.  Wheaton,  then  of  Pompey  and 
subsequently  of  Syracuse. 

Ebenezer,  died  in  Few  York  City,  May  12,  1846. 
EmmaRawson,  resides  in  Syracuse. 

Lucien,  graduated  at  Yale  College,  August  16,  1841, 
married  Catharine  Mary,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Philena 
Baker,  of  Pompey,  resides  in  Brooklyn,  1$.  Y. 

Henry  Clay,  graduated  at  Yale  College,  July,  1844  ;  died 
at  Albany,  K  Y.,  Feb.  18,  1847. 

John  Clarence,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Albert  Franklin,  married  Mary  Catharine,  daughter  ot 
Elias  and  Hannah  Post,  who  died  Sept.  4,  1875.  Resides 
in  Pompey. 

Charlotte  Amelia,  married  to  Harrison  V.  Miller,  M.  D., 
of  Syracuse. 

Horatio,  married  to  Laura  Amelia  Chapman,  resides  in 
Pompey. 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 


Julia  Catharine,  married  to  Rev.  John  F.  Kendall,  D.  D., 
then  of  Baldwinsville,  IN".  Y.,and  now  of  LaPorte,  Ind. 

Eunice  Electa,  resides  in  Syracuse. 


BARBER  FAMILY. 

Elihu  Barber  was  born  at  Hebron,  Conn.,  March  17th, 
1768, and  was  the  seventh  and  youngest  son  of  David  Barber, 
who  at  that  time  was  a  rich  merchant,  buying  his  dry  goods 
in  Boston,  but  shipping  potash,  beef  and  horses,  from  New 
London,  Conn.,  to  the  West  Indies  in  exchange  for  rum, 
sugar  and  molasses  for  his  trade;  like  most  younger  sons  of 
rich  men,  Elihu  was  a  petted,  indulged  and  I  might  say, 
poiled  boy,  thinking  his  father  rich  enough  to  supply  his 
every  want,  without  any  exertion  of  his  own  ;  and  this  state 
ot  things  continued  till  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  War  ; 
when  in  consequence  of  a  forced  payment  of  a  bill  for  several 
thousand  dollars  due  a  Boston  house,  for  goods  bought  just 
at  the  commencement  of  the  war,  (the  parties  going  to  Eng 
land  during  its  continuance  as  they  were  Tories)  he  was  ir 
retrievably  ruined ;  having  armfuls  of  Continental  money 
which  at  that  time  however  was  of  very  t riffling  value,  as  we 
read  that  Thomas  Jefferson  gave  $6,000.00  of  it  for  an  over 
coat. 

A  little  farm  of  thirty  acres,  in  the  sterile  town  of  Hebron, 
and  a  tract  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  wild  land  in  the 
extreme  northern  part  of  Vermont,  was  all  that  was  left  of 
his  father's  large  fortune,  and  a  life  of  toil  and  privation  was 
before  him,  where  before,  was  ease  and  plenty.  January 
25th,  1791,  he  married  Hannah  Gott,  and  together  they 
toiled  on ;  her  busy  hands,  ripe  judgment  and  sterling  good 
sense,  helping  to  cheer  and  direct  him,  until  in  the  early  part 
of  1801,  they  sold  out  for  $700,  and  started  for  Pompey, 
having  all  their  worldly  goods  upon  an  ox  sled  drawn  by  two 
yoke  of  steers,  all  their  own. 

In  the  latter  part  of  February  they  reached  Pompey  and 
moved  into  a  log-house,  on  lot  84,  and  the  property  of  Maj. 


284  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

Sherwood,  where  they  lived  three  weeks;  buying  in  the 
meantime  one-hundred  acres  out  the  north-west  corner  of 
lot  69,  from  Stutson  Benson,  paying  therefore  his  hard 
earned  seven  hundred  dollars,  the  deed  bearing  date  March 
7th,  1801.  They  almost  immediately  moved  into  their  new 
home,  and  the  ringing  of  his  axe  as  he  labored  to  increase 
his  three  acre  clearing,  and  the  clang  of  ,her  loom  as  she 
wove  woolen  and  linen  cloth  for  the  neighbors  at  the  rate 
often  yards  a  day,  and  doing  her  own  work,  soon  began  to 
tell  in  the  way  of  bettering  their  circumstances,  the  clearing 
steadily  enlargening,  a  fruit  orchard  of  all  kinds  suitable  to 
the  climate  soon  in  bearing,  with  thrift  and  plenty  every 
where.  In  a  short  time  a  lar«:e  frame  barn  was  built,  and 

CD 

in  1810,  a  thirty  by  forty  house  after  the  pattern  so  common 
in  dear  old  Connecticut  is  furnished,  and  moved  into — that 
busy  loom  having  paid  for  the  brick  in  the  chimney,  the  saw 
ing  of  all  the  lumber,  and  the  carpenters'wagesfor  the  labor 
in  shingling  and  clap-boarding  the  house. 

About  this  time,  they  began  to  enlarge  their  boundaries, 
adding  piece  after  piece,  until  they  had  paid  for,  and  owned, 
over  five  hundred  acres;  the  request  the  active  house-wife 
making  when  told  from  time  to  time,  I  can  buy  a  hundred 

acres  of  Mr. ;  "can  we  pay  for  it?"always  was  "get  me 

fifteen  more  cows  and  you  may  buy  it." 

This  butter  business  was  carried  on  until  Elihu  Barber 
was  as  well  known  by  the  name  of  "Butter  Barber;"  for 
during  the  war  of  1812,  it  was  his  custom  to  carry,  on  certain 
days  of  every  week,  three  pails  of  golden  rolls  of  butter  to 
market;  one  in  each  end  of  a  bag  across  the  saddle,  and  one 
in  front  of  him,  thus  riding  into  Manlius,  nine  miles  distant, 
and  arousing  the  proprietor  of  the  hotel  from  his  slumber 
with  his  customary  call  of  "halloo  the  house,"  and  by  nine 
o'clock  he  was  back  on  his  farm. 

At  intervals  of  a  few  years,  now  that  want  was  no  longer 
probable,  they  made  their  pilgrimage  to  the  land  of  their 
birth,  toward  which,  notwithstanding  its  roughnesss  and 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  285 

sterility,  their  hearts  turned  as  faithfully  as  the  needle  to  the 
pole.  When  the  First  Baptist  Churchjof  Pompey  was  or 
ganized,  and  a  house  of  worship  erected,  Elihu  Barber  took 
an  active  part  in  its  construction,  and  gave  liberally  toward 
it,  and  his  wife  was  one  of  its  most  zealous  and  influential 
members ;  showing  her  faith  by  her  works,  and  being  a  con 
stant  attendant  and  worshiper  until  old  age  prevented — and 
truly  it  may  be  said  of  her,  "  she  did  what  she  could"  for 
the  glory  of  God, 

This  Ion ff  walk  together  was  sundered  March  27th,  1848, 

O  O 

by  his  death  at  the  homestead,  four  score  years  of  age.  In 
1857  she  died  at  the  house  of  their  youngest  son,  David  Bar 
ber,  at  Manlius,  aged  over  eighty-eight  years.  The  early 
years  of  their  married  life,  were  years  of  toil  and  privation  ; 
but  industry,  economy  and  an  indomitable  energy  that  knew 
no  such  word  as  failure,  brought  them  while  yet  they  were 
middle  aged,  to  comfort  and  plenty.  And  although  the 
monumental  marble  that  marks  their  resting  place  records 
no  victories  won  on  tented  field,  still  when  in  early  life, 
grim  want  and  pinching  poverty  threatened  to  assail  and 
overcome  them,  they,  by  steady  advances,  utterly  routed 
them.  The  forest  that  encircled  their  home,  at  first,  echoed 
the  howling  of  wild  beasts;  but  soon  was  heard  the  looing 
of  cattle  and  bleating  of  sheep,  whose  wool  the  humming 
spindle  and  clanging  loom,  transformed  into  clothing;  and 
the  forest  itself  melted  away  before  the  continuous  strokes 
of  the  axe,  and  in  place  of  it  came  luxuriant  harvests.  Plain 
and  assuming  people  were  they,  in  the  front  rank  of  pio 
neers,  whose  onward  tread  has  carried  civilization  from 
ocean  to  ocean ;  "by  whose  industry,  the  desert  now  blos 
soms  like  the  rose ;  and  by  whose  examples  of  stern  i  nteg- 
rity,  unbending  principle  and  Christian  faith,  towering 
temples  and  modest  churches  dot  the  land,  spreading  the 
gospel  of  peace.  Truly  their  victory  has  proven  greater 
than  any  record  written  in  blood. 

Four  children  were  born  to  this  couple,  viz  :  Henry  Bar 
ber,  born  February  13th,  1792,  died  in  1850;  Lydia  Barber, 


236  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

born  June  6th,  1797,  died  in  1804;  Hannah  Barber,  born 
October  14th,  1799,  died  April,  1872;  David  Barber,  born 
September  8,  1802,  died  January  21,  1867,  Henry  Barber 
was  some  nine  years  of  age  when  his  parents  moved  into 
Pompey,  and  being  a  strong,  vigorous  boy,  soon  bore  a  hand 
in  the  labors  of  the  period.  About  1819,  he  married  Sarah 
Shields,  and  lived  about  one  mile  from  the  old  homestead 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1850,  leaving  tour  sons 
and  two  daughters.  Hannah  Barber  was  married  about 
1816,  to  Daniel  W.  Carver,  living  for  a  long  period  in  the 
Valley,  two  miles  north  of  Delphi,  afterward  removing  to 
Saratoga  Springs,  where  Carver  died  in  1857,  and  Mrs. 
Carver  died  at  the  home  of  her  son  in  Illinois  in  1872. 
They  had  three  children,  two  sons  and  one  daughter.  Da 
vid  Barber  \vas  married  to  Harriet  Hinsdell,  Oct.  6th,  1828, 
and  settled  close  to  the  homestead,  where  he  lived  until 
1852,  when  he  moved  near  Fayetteville,  living  there  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  Jan.  21st,  1867.  His  wife  is  still 
living,  as  also  are  their  two  sons  and  one  daughter.  Being 
possessed  of  a  strong  constitution,  great  energy  and  per 
severance,  and  a  farsightedness  and  good  judgment,  that 
would  have  made  him  successful  in  any  occupation  or  pro 
fession,  it  is  not  strange  that  David  Barber  succeeded  as  a 
farmer.  Earnest  in  purpose,  when  his  decision  was  once 
made,  nothing  turned  him  aside  from  the  prosecution  of  his 
plan,  and  he  was  often  successful  in  an  undertaking,  in 
which  a  weaker  man  would  have  met  with  a  disastrous  de 
feat.  He  was  proud  of  his  occupation,  and  stood  in  the 
front  rank  of  agriculturist?.  Firm  and  unyielding  in  what 
he  thought  right,  still  his  social  qualities  were  of  a  high  or 
der,  his  integrity  unquestioned  and  his  word  as  good  r,s  his 
bond. 


REUBEN  BILLINGS'  FAMILY. 

The  oldest  living  couple  (residents  of  the  Town)  who  were 
present  at  the  Re-Union,  at  Pompey,  held  June  29th,  1871, 
were  probably  Reuben  and  Sally  Billings;  the  former  being 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  287 

in  his  83d,  and  the  latter  in  the  86th  year  of  her  age  ;  and 
while  making  mention  of  this  fb,ct,  it  may  not  be  deemed 
amiss  to  give  a  brief  synoposis  of  their  history,  as  follows  : 
Reuben  Billings'  was  born  in  the  Township  of  Long- 
meadow,  Hampshire  (now  Hamden)County,  Mass.,  Februa 
ry  13th,  A.  D.,  1789;  he  was  the  second  son  of  a  large 
family,  (12  in  all)  and  has  survived  them  all,  except  his 
youngest  sister,  who  lives  at  Warehouse  Point,  Conn.,  and 
is  upwards  of  73  years  of  age.  On  April  30th,  1809,  he  was 
married  to  Sally  Denio,  eldest  daughter  of  Joseph  Denio,  of 
Delhi,  Delaware  County,  X.  Y.;  she  was  born  on  George 
Washington's  birthday,  February  22d,  1786;  she  has  also 
outlived  all  the  members  of  her  father's  family,  (8  in  all)  the 
last  one  having  died  over  20  years  ago.  From  Delhi  they 
first  went  to  Longmeadow,  Mass.;  but  in  June,  1812,  they 
moved  to  Pompey,  K  Y..  arriving  there  the  23d  of  the  same 
month,  after  a  tiresome  journey  of  thirteen  days,  being 
hauled  the  whole  distance  by  an  ox  team.  They  first  mov 
ed  into  a  house  on  the  "Cape"  as  it  was  called  in  School 
District,  Number  8,  a  few  rods  south  of  where  Dr.  Hezekiali 
Clark  formerly  lived,  and  is  now  owned  and  occupied  by 
John  H.  Clark,  Esq.;  he  had  not  been  in  town  three  hours 
before  Peter  Ostrander,thepath  mas1er,warnedhim  to  work 
on  the  road.  In  the  winter  of  1812  and  1813,  he  taught  the 
School  in  District  Number  8,  but  a  few  rods  from  the  place 
where  Grace  Greenwood  was  subsequently  born.  In 
1813  he  moved  on  to  a  part  of  lot  number  96,  one  mile  south, 
where  he  has  ever  since  resided.  In  those  early  days  of  our 
town's  history,  he  taught  singing  school  at  Pompey  Hill  and 
various  places,  and  was  leader  of  the  Choir  at  the  Dedica 
tion  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  in  1818,  and  when  Rev. 
Jabez  Chadwick  was  ordained  its  pastor.  He  also  vividly 
remembers  about  the  sale  of  pews  and  the  little  incident  that 
led  little  Horatio  Seymour  to  afterward  become  a  noble 
friend  of  temperance. 

In  those  early  times,  a  tailoress  was  deemed  of  as  much 
use  to  society,  perhaps,  as  a  tailor,  and   Mrs.   Billings  was 


288  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

considered  an  expert  as  a  tailoress,  dress  and  cloak  maker,, 
and  also  milliner;  she  used  to  make  all  sorts  of  wearing  ap 
parel;  besides  she  could  cut  coats,  vests  and  pants,  equal  to. 
the  best  of  tailors.  She  used  to  keep  apprentices  to  the 
trade,  while  she,  day  after  day,  was  kept  busy  in  cutting 
"mens'  clothes;"  and  people  from  the  adjoining  Counties  of 
Madison  and  Cortland  were  generous  patrons  of  Mrs. 
Billings,  or  "Aunt  Sally"  as  she  was  frequently  called. 
Many  a  tailor  in  those  days  envied  Aunt  Sally  her  skill  and 
reputation.  Reuben  and  Sally  Billings,  had  but  two  chil 
dren — a  daughter  and  a  son  ;  Amanda  M.  Billings,  was  born 
May  19th,  1811;  married,  May  13th,  1832,  to  Pierce  Ellis, 
who  died  December  9th,  1864  ;  consequently  she  is  now  a 
widow  and  lives  with  her  aged  parents.  Her  brother  Homer 
Augustus  Billings, was  born  inPompey,N.Y.,on  the  old  place 
September  4th,  1826;  consequently  is  a  native  citizen  of  old 
Pompey.  On  Nov.  9th,  1835,  he  commenced  the  profes 
sion  of  School  Teacher,  and  has  taught  fifteen  terms  of  four 
and  five  months  each  ;  he  also  traveled  for  several  years  in 
several  States  as  Agent  for  the  sale  of  Patent  Medicines. 
On  April  14th,  1862,  he  married  Helen  M.  Smith,  of  Dublin, 
Wayne  County,  Indiana  ;  he  brought  his  wife  to  Pompey 
shortly  after,  and  has  since  resided  with  his  parents  and  sis 
ter,  on  the  farm  where  he  was  born. 


ELIAS  CONKLIN. 

Elias  Conklin,  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Pompey,  came 
from  Long  Island  and  settled  in  Pompey  in  1797.  He  cut 
his  way  through  the  forest  from  Pompey  Hill,  making  the 
first  road  to  ihe  place  where  he  built  the  first  saw  and  grist 
mills  in  the  town,  which  then  covered  a  large  territory,  if 
not  the  first  in  the  County.  These  mills  are  still  known  as 
the  Conklin  Mills,  now  in  LaFayette,  and  are  owned  by 
Conklin  Brothers.  Mr.  Conklin  married  Rachael  Haight, 
and  they  reared  a  family  of  five  children.  Betsey,  the  oldest 
daughter,  was  born  January,  1801 ;  Harriet,  February,  1803  ; 


THE    POMPEY    RE  UNION.  289 

Daniel  K,  October,  1807;  Sarah  A.,  February,  1810; 
Josiah  D.,  June,  1812.  Daniel  K  died  September,  1836; 
Mrs.  Elias  Conklin  died  in  August,  1840.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  died  April,  1854.  Harriet  Conklin  married 
Publius  Y.  Woodford,  and  died  February  14, 1872;  Betsey 
Conklin  married  Warren  Butts,  and  died  April  15,  1872  ; 
Sarah  Ann  Conklin  married  Samuel  P.  Hayden,  and  died 
May  7,  1872.  The  three  sisters  all  dying  within  less  than 
three  months.  Mr.  Elias  Conklin,  commonly  known  as 
"Boss  Conklin,"  a  carpenter  and  joiner  by  trade,  was  a 
large  and  successful  farmer,  as  well  as  miller.  He  employed 
a  large  number  of  workmen,  and  built  houses  and  barns  and 
did  other  mechanical  work  for  his  neighbors,  such  as  mak 
ing  wagons,  sleighs,  carts,  ploughs,  &c.  ;  at  an  early  day  he 
made  very  many  coffins,  sometimes  for  pay,  sometimes  when 
persons  were  poor,  without  pay,  and  would  assist  in  digging 
graves  without  charge,  so  great  was  his  sympathy  for  the 
unfortunate.  He  was  a  very  active  and  prominent  man  in 
society  and  church  matters,  being  Trustee,  and  very  effec 
tive  and  liberal  in  building  the  "  First  Congregational " 
and  Baptist  churches  at  Pompey  Hill.  He  was  a  very 
benevolent  man,  giving  very  many  bushels  of  grain  to  the 
poor,  and  never  turning  any  away  empty  from  his  tables  or 
his  mills. 


SAMUEL  CLEMENT. 

Samuel  Clement  was  born  in  the  town  of  Northbridge, 
Worcester  County,  Mass.,  January  1st,  1772.  At  the  age 
of  three  years,  his  parents  emigrated  to  Croydon,  Sullivan 
County,  N".  II.,  a  nc\vly  opened  region,  where  they  were  ex 
posed  to,  and  encountered  the  trials  and  hardships  of  pioneer 
life.  Their  situation  was  rendered  more  embarrassing  by 
the  distracted  state  of  the  country,  placed  as  they  were  upon 
the  border  of  civilization,  between  the  demands  of  their 
friends  on  the  one  hand  and  the  encroachments  of  foes  on 
the  other.  The  aggressions  and  treacherous  warfare  of  the 
Tories  and  Indians  were  particularly  distressing  at  this 

19 


290  THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION. 

period,  and  the  border  settlements  were  often  thrown  into 
consternation  and  danger  at  the  sudden  and  stealthy  ap 
proach  of  the  savage  enemy.     Many  in  this  little  settlement 
were  the  atrocious   murders  committed,  and  the  dwellings 
plundered  and  consumed 'by  the  torch  of  the  incendiary. 
Thus  early  was  Mr.  Clement  schooled  in  the  hardships  of 
frontier  life  and  to  face   danger  and  death   in  its  most  ap 
palling  form.     The  lack  of  educational  advantages  was  se 
verely  felt  by  the  rising  generation  at  this  Revolutionary 
period ;  but  Clement,  not  daunted  by  the  want  of  teachers 
or  the  scarcity  of  books,  availed  himself  ot  all  the  means  in 
his  power.     While  his  hands  were  employed    with  the  axe 
or  hoe,  his  brain  was  busy  with  reflections  upon  what  little 
science  he  had  acquired;  at  the   age  of  twenty  he  was  con 
sidered  competent  to  teach  a  district  school,  and  he  com 
menced  teaching  at  Milton,  Saratoga  County,  N.  Y.     In  the 
.autumn  of  1793,  in  company  with  Timothy  Sweet,  he  visited 
Pompey,  and  concluded  to  make  it  his  future  home.     He 
spent  the  winter  of  1793  and  4,  teaching  in  Westmoreland^ 
Oneida  County,  and  early   in  March  camo  with  his  axe  on 
his  shoulder  to  his  forest  home,  by  the  aid  of  marked  trees, 
(there  being  DO  roads  laid  out)  and  built  himself  a  log  cabin 
and  covered  it  with  the   bark  of  trees.     Early  in  April,  he 
lent  his  aid  to   organize  the   town  of  Po:npey  and  acted  as 
clerk  of  the  meeting  which  effected  that  object.     In  the  fall 
of  1794  he  married  Ruth  Hibbard,  daughter  of  David  Hib- 
bard,  who  battled   with  him  in   life's  stern  necessities  for 
thirty  years,  when  she   died   leaving  eleven  children.     Mr. 
Clement  taught  school  in  the  winter  of  1794   and  5,  on  Lot 
Ko.  28,  Pompey,  about  a  mile  from  his  residence.     This  is 
believed  to  have  been  the  first  school  taught  in  the  County: 
'Major  Dan  forth  sent  his  brother's  son,  and  in  the  summer 
of  1795,  his  own  daughter;     some  of  the  scholars  who  at 
tended  that  school  are  still  alive.     He  continued  to  teach  in 
that  district  for  some  time,  till  the  growing  cares  of  the  farm 
and  a  rising  family,  compelled  him  to  relinquish  the  occu 
pation.     He  died  in  Pompey,  May   29th,  185(5,  in  the   85th 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  291 

year  of  his  age.  Five  of  his  children  are  still  living  ;  Pollv, 
Diantha,  Lucy,  Elihu,  Jacob  and  Charles,  are  dead.  Of 
those  living,  John  Clement  resides  in  Cold  Water,  Mich.  ; 
David,  in  Darlington,  Wisconsin ;  Hiram,  in  Pompey,  N. 
Y. ;  Julia  and  Charlotte,  in  DeRuyter,  Madison  County, 
N';  Y. 


HENRY  CLARKE. 

Henry  Clarke,  the  oldest  son  of  Dr.  Ilezekiah  Clarke, 
was  born  January  25th,  1789,  in  Lanesboro,  Berkshire  Co., 
Mass.,  and  came  with  his  father  to  Pompey  in  1805.  He 
entered  the  law  office  of  "Wood  &  Birdseye,  as  a  student  un 
der  them.  While  there,  in  1812  or  '13,  he  was  drafted  as 
Sergeant-Major  in  the  army,  with  quarters  at  Oswego,  ]$T.Y. 
At.  the  close  of  his  term  he  was  offered  a  Captaincy  in  the 
Regular  Army;  but  he  declined  the  flattering  offer,  and  re 
sumed  his  studies.  When  Wood&  Birdseye  dissolved  their 
partnership,  he  continued  and  finished  his  course  with  Vic 
tory  Birdseye,  Esq.,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  of  the 
Supreme  Court  in  February,  1814,  then  in  session  at 
Albany. 

In  March  of  that  year  he  formed  a  co-partnership  with 
Caleb  B.  Drake,  Esq.,  in  Ithaca,  K  Y.,  where  he  closed  his 
life  February  19th,  1817.  Few  young  men  in  so  short  a 
time  have  acquired  so  flattering  a  reputation  for  ability  in 
his  profession  and  moral  worth,  as  he.  It  is  believed  that 
he  was  the  first  student  at  law  in  Pompey. 

At  the  same  time  that  Henry  Clarke  was  in  Wood  <fc 
Birdseye's  office,  Daniel  Gilbert,  (son  of  Rev.  Joseph  Gil 
bert,  a  Congregational  Clergyman,  who  lived  and  died  on 
the  farm  now  owned  by  Albert  II.  Butterfield,  on  lot  JSTo. 
66,  Pompey,)  was  a  student  at  law  in  Cazenovia.  He  estab 
lished  himself  in  his  profession  in  1813,  in  the  village  of 
Sulina,  now  First  Ward  of  Svracuse. 


CLARKE  FAMILY. 

As  all,  or  nearly  all,  of  the  early  settlers  of  the   town  of 


292  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

Pompey  have  passed  away,  the  responsibility  of  rescuing 
their  names  from  forgetful  ness,  especially  those  of  them 
who,  by  their  intelligence,  thrift,  skill  or  moral  worth,  have 
been  prominent  in  their  generation,  devolves  upon,  and  is 
the  imperative  duty  of  their  descendants  who  have  the 
knowledge  of  their  worth. 

Of  the  Clarkes,  there  were  seven  brothers;  six  of  them 
were  professional  men,  and  one  of  them  a  farmer  ;  and  five 
of  them  had  special  interest  in  Pompey. 

Dr.  Deodatus  Clarke  \vas  born  July  27th,  1762,  and  died 
January  10th,  1847;  he  settled  on  lot  66  in  1795,  and  owned 
the  whole  of  lot  52.  He  moved  thence  to  Oswego,  in  1807, 
where  he  died.  Two  of  his  sons  are  now  living,  Edwin  W., 
(a  lawyer,  retired  from  practice)  now  lives  in  Oswego.  N.Y., 
and  Ossian,  his  youngest  son,  a  physician  and  surgeon,  in 
Neosho,  Wis. 

Henry  Clarke,  farmer,  settled  in  Pompey  about  1795,  and 
moved  to  Manlius  prior  to  1805,where  he  died  in  1810.  STone 
of  his  children  are  now  living. 

Thaddeus  Clarke  was  born  February  12th,  1770;  he  set 
tled  on  lot  81  in  1820,  and  moved  thence  to  Fabius,  about 
the  year  1830 ;  thence  to  Rochester,  and  thence  to  New 
Brighton,  Pa.,  where  he  died  February  15th,  1854.  His 
widow  now  lives  in  Dowagiac,  Mich.  His  children  now 
living,  are  Joseph  B.,  Attorney,  Dowagiac,  Mich., Frederick 
J.,  Merchant,  Ottumwa,  Iowa,  Charles  E.,  Colonel  in  the 
Regular  Army,  Rufus  L.  B.,  Attorney,  Dr.  William  E., 
Chicago,  111.,  Lucy  C.,  wife  of  Rev.  Amory  D.  Mayo, 
Sarah  L,  (Grace  Greenwood,)  Washington,  D.  C.,  and  Al 
bert  Henry. 

Erastus  Clarke  was  born  May  llth,  1768,  attorney,  an 
other  brother,  settled  in  Utica,  N".  Y.,  in  its  infancy,  of  whom 
the  Hon.  Ambrose  Spencer  said: — "He  is  the  only  man  I  ever 
knew  who  could  split  a  hair,  and  then  show  the  difference 
ot  the  parts." 

He  owned  the  whole  of  lots  81  and  54,  and  about  200  acres 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  29-3 

of  lot  37,  Pompey.  It  is  said  that  he  took  a  petition  to  Al 
bany,  for  the  incorporation  of  Pompey  Academy,  and  a  bill 
prepared  for  that  object,  the  passage  of  which  through  the 
Legislature  he  procured,  with  an  appropriation  of  a  milita 
ry  lot  for  the  benefit  of  the  Academy.  He  died  November 
6th,  1825. 

Dr.  Hezekiah  Clarke,  the  eldest  brother  of  the  five,  wras 
born  December  10th,  1757,  in  Lebanon,  Conn,  and  wTas  the 
son  of  Dr.  John  Clarke,  grandson  of  Moses  Clarke,  great- 
grandson  of  Dr.  Daniel  Clarke,  Jr.,  and  great-great-grand 
son  of  Daniel  Clarke,  who  emigrated  to  America  in  the 
year  1640,  and  settled  at  Hartford,  Conn.  His  maternal 
grandmother,  was  Elizabeth  Edwards,  daughter  of  Timothy 
Edwards,  and  sister  of  President  Jonathan  Edwards. 

He  studied  Medicine  and  Surgery  under  his  father;  was 
appointed  by  Governor  Trumbutl,  Sr,r£eou's  Mate  in  the 
Third  Connecticut  Regiment,  in  the  army  of  the  Revolu 
tion,  commanded  by  Colonel  Samuel  Wyllis,  General  Par 
sons'  Brigade.  Subsequently,  on  the  re-organization  of  the 
army,  denominated  the  First  Connecticut  Regiment. 

He  was  in  the  regular  service  two  years,  when,  by  reason 
of  protracted  sickness  he  left  the  army. 

Afterward,  when  Fort  Griswold,  on  the  river  Thames, 
opposite  New  London,  was  captured  by  the  British  under 
the  traitor  Arnold,  he  repaired  to  the  scene  which  might 
put  savages  to  the  blush,  and  gave  his  professional  aid. 

When  he  arrived  at  New  London,  he  found  a  large  num 
ber  of  men  who  could  not  pass  over,  the  enemy  having  de 
stroyed  all  the  craft  on  the  river,  but  by  searching  he  found 
a  rickety  skiff,  utterly  unseaworthy.  Here  he  found  him 
self  in  a  dilemma  ;  for  he  could  not  cross  in  it  alone,  and 
they  who  were  standing  there  refused  to  accompany  him, 
concluding  that,  if  it  could  not  carry  one,  two  must  inevita 
bly  go  down  with  it.  After  much  effort,  he  prevailed  on 
one  man  to  row  the  skiff,  while  himself  bailed  the  wrater  out 
of  it,  and  thus,  by  their  united  effort,  they  arrived  safely  on 
the  opposite  side. 


294  THE    POMPEY    HE-UNION. 

He  immediately  repaired  to  the  scene  of  murder,  (for  it 
was  nothing  less,)  and  assiduously  devoted  himself  to  the  re 
lief  of  the  unfortunate  victims,  by  dressing  their  wounds, 
and  rendering  any  other  assistance  of  which  they  stood  in 
need.  Thirty  years  after,  three  of  the  sufferers  called  on 
him  in  Pompey,  to  express  to  him  their  gratitude  for  his 
timely  and  kindly  aid. 

Soon  after  the  close  of  the  war,  he  settled  in  Pittsfield, 
Mass.,  where  he  remained  one  year.  He  then  (June  2d, 
1786)  married  Miss  Lucy  Bliss,  daughter  of  Hon.  Moses 
Bliss,  of  Springfield,  Mass.,  and  grand-daughter  of  Timothy 
Edwards,  and  settled  in  Lanesborough,  Berkshire  County, 
Mass.  There  he  pursued  his  profession  about  eighteen 
years,  then  moved  with  his  family  to  Pompey,  where  he 
arrived  November  3d,  1805 ;  he  lived  in  the  house  then 
owned  by  Daniel  Wood,  Esq.,  near  the  Academy,  one  year, 
and  then  settled  on  the  farm  on  lot  66,  where  his  son  John 
II.  Clarke  now  lives.  Here  he  continued  to  labor  in  his 
profession  till  infirmities  incident  to  old  age  terminated  his 
labors,  and  he  closed  his  useful  life  in  Pompey,  March  4th, 
1826. 

Dr.  Clarke's  reputation  MS  a  Physician  and  Surgeon,  stood 
high  ;  but  his  reputatioti  as  a  Surgeon  did  not  consist  so 
much  in  the  number  of  limbs  amputated,  as  in  their  pres 
ervation;  but  when  it  became  necessary  to  resort  to  the 
tourniquet  and  knife,  he  knew  how  to  use  them.  He  was  a 
skillful  operator. 

His  children  were  : — 

First — Henry,  who  studied  law  with  Hon.  Victory 
Birdseye,  served  as  an  officer  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  died  at 
Ithaca,  February  19th,  1817. 

Second — Harriet,  married  Hon.  Daniel  Gilbert,  and  died 
at  Coldwater,  Mich.,  November  27th,  1864. 

Third — Charles,  died  at  Dowagiac,  Michigan,  April  22<1, 
1874. 

Fourth— Lucy,  died  July  29th,  1846. 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  295 

Fiftli — John  II.,  no\v  lives  on  lot  66,  Pompey. 

Sixth — William  M  ,  now  lives  in   Onondag.i,    near    Syra- 
cuse. 

Seventh — Moses  B.,  died  November  20th,  1S65. 
Eighth— Theodore  E  ,  died  October  26th,  1853. 


PAUL  CLAPP. 

Paul  Clapp,  the  father  of  John,  Chester  and  Carlton,  was 
born  in  the  year  1752,  at  Chesterfield,  Mass.,  and  when  the 
youngest  son,  Carlton,  was  two  years  old,  he  immigrated  to 
Pompey,  in  the  year  1798.  His  family  then  consisted  of  his 
wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Hepsibah  Guilford,  and  nine 
children,  to-wit: — Paul,  Jr.,  Sally,  Electa,  Iladessa,  Patty, 
Philena,  John,  Chester  and  Carlton.  Electa  lives  in  George 
County,  Ohio,  and  is  the  only  surviving  member  of  the 
family.  Paul  Clapp  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  the  Revo 
lution,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  a  recipient  ot  a 
pension ;  he  was  a  member  of  an  expedition  through  the 
northern  wilderness,  which  made  an  aggressive  war  upon 
the  Indians  and  Tories,  and  was  taken  prisoner,  carried  to 
Canada,  and  suffered  great  hardship.  After  coming  to  Pom 
pey,  he  took  up  a  large  tract  of  land,  to  which  he  afterwards 
added  largely ;  being  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  till 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  1845,  upon  the  land  which  he 
reclaimed  from  its  wilderness  state.  Three  of  his  sons  set 
tled  on  his  land  in  Pompey — lohn,  Chester  and  Carlton. 
Paul  Clapp,  Jr.,  went  to  Ohio,  being  one  of  the  pioneer 
settlers  in  that  State.  John  Clapp  married  a  daughter  of 
David  Hinsdell;  his  children  now  living  are  Addison  Clapp, 
of  Pompey,  Edmund  O.  Clapp,  of  Syracuse,  Therissa,  wife 
of  Chester  Baker,  of  LaFayette,  K  Y.,  Mary  Clapp,  of 
Manlius,  N.  Y.,  Rhoda,  wife  of  Dr.  Tollman,  of  Onondaga 
Valley,  and  Elora,  Mrs.  Reed,  of  Manlius  Village. 

Chester  married  Sally  Hinman  about  the  year  1819  ;  their 
living  children  are  Morris  H.  Clapp,  of  Urbanna,  Ohio,  and 
Esther,  Mrs.  Dorwin,  of  Syracuse. 


296  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNiON. 

Carlton  Clapp  married  Harriet  Foote,  of  Manilas;  their 
surviving  children  are  Mary  A.,  Mrs.  Hervey  Jerome,  of 
Lincoln,  Nebraska,  Guilford  C.  Clapp,  of  Pompey,  N.  Y., 
and  DeLancy  Clapp,  of  DeWitt,  N.  Y. 

Edmund  0.  Clapp,  named  above,  died  in  Syracuse  since 
writing  this  sketch. 


JOHN  J.  DEMING. 

Sacred  to  the  memory  of  John  J.  Deming,  whose  biogra 
phy  it  has  been  impossible  to  obtain.  He  was  an  accom 
plished  gentleman,  a  profound  scholar  and  favorite  teacher. 
He  was  one  of  the  early  teachers  in  Pompey,  and  taught  in 
-the  west  room  of  the  old  Pompey  Academy. 

"  Full  many  a  flower  is  born  to  blush  unseen, 
And  waste  its  sweetness  on  the  desert  air." 


DODGE  FAMILY. 

Hezekiah  Dodge  came  to  Pompey  with  his  brother,  Ezra, 
in  1795,  and  settled  on  the  same  tract  of  land  on  Lot  No. 
50.  He  owned  that  portion  of  the  land  subsequently  known 
as  the  John  Wells'  farm.  Like  his  brothers,  his  life  was  de 
voted  to  agriculture.  He,  too,  was  one  of  the  early  con 
tributors  to  building  and  endowing  the  Pompey  Academy. 
He  removed  from  Pompey  in  1842,  and  went  to  live  with 
his  son,  Oren,  who  move^d  to  Lysander,  Onondaga  County, 
in  1826.  With  him  he  lived  till  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  1844,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five.  He  was  married  in  Con 
necticut,  to  Hannah  Roberts,  whose  father  was  a  Revolu 
tionary  soldier  ;  by  her  he  had  six  children  ;  in  the  order  of 
their  ages,  they  were  Nehemiah,  Oren,  Charles,  Julia, 
Joanna  and  William.  Nehemiah  went  to  Oswego,  and  died 
at  about  the  age  of  fifty-two.  He  was  married  to  Fannie 
Beebe,  and  left  four  children  who  live  in  Wisconsin,  except 
one  who  resides  at  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan. 

Oren,  who  was  seventy-five  years  old  Jan.  3d,  1875,  mar 
ried  Almira  Russ,  by  whom  he  had  three  children,  Caroline, 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  297 

Sarah  and  Julia,  two  of -whom  only,  Caroline  and  Julia,  arc 
living  and  both  married.  They  reside  in  Schroppel,  Oswego 
County,  N.  Y.  His  first  wife  died,  and  he  married  Ahnira 
Lyboult,  who  died  in  1868.  He  now  lives  with  his  third 
wife,  who  was  Mrs.  Susan  Smith,  at  Plainville,  inLysander. 
Two  years  ago,  at  the  age  of  seventy  years,  she  wove  eleven 
hundred  yards  of  carpeting,  manufactured  twenty  pounds  of 
wool  and  did  her  own  house  work,  her  husband  and  herself 
constituting  the  family. 

Julia,  the  fourth  child  of  Hezekiah,  married  Dr.  George 
Morley,  who  lived  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Joseph 
Wallis.  She  died  leaving  no  children. 

Charles,  the  third  son  of  Hezekiah,  married  Nancy  Wells, 
of  Cazenovia.  At  first  they  went  to  Lysander,  and  thence 
to  Michigan,  stopping  a  short  time  near  Rochester,  N.  Y. 
From  St.  Joseph,  Mich.,  they  moved  to  near  Austin,  Texas, 
Dec.  3d,  1853,  where  they  now  reside.  He  is  a  farmer  and 
largely  engaged  in  raising  cattle.  One  child,  a  son,  died  in 
Michigan,  and  he  has  remaining  one  daughter,  Helen,  who 
married  Judge  Turner,  of  Texas.  He,  on  account  of  his 
Union  sentiments,  was  obliged  to  leave  his  State  and  come 
north.  During  the  campaign  which  resulted  in  the  second 
election  of  Lincoln,  he  advocated  the  Republican  cause 
upon  the  stump,  in  various  places  through  the  North. 

Joanna  Dodge  married  Jerome  Sweet,  a  nephew  of  Horace 
Sweet,  late  of  Pompey.  They  went  to  Indiana,  near  Al 
bion,  where  he  engaged  in  farming.  They  have  four 
children,  having  lost  one  son  in  the  late  war;  three  daugh 
ters  and  one  son  are  living  near  their  parents;  they  are  all 
married. 

William  Dodge  moved  to  Michigan  and  engaged  in  lum 
bering;  he  was  married  to  Juliette  Dunham,  ftf  Little  Utica, 
N.  Y.  He  met  a  violent  and  sudden  death  while  at  work  in 
the  saw  mill  which  he  built.  He  left  a  widow  and  five 
children. 

Ezra  Dodge    came    to  Pompey    from  Litehfield,    Conn., 


298  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

about  the  year  1795,  and  located  on  Lot  No.  50,  where 
Thomas  Cox  now  resides,  the  farm  still  being  known  ns 
uThe  Dodge  Farm."  He  was  a  farmer,  and  changed  trom 
its  wilderness  condition  the  land  upon  which  he  settled,  and 
which  his  son,  David  F.,  subsequently  owned.  He,  in  com 
mon  with  the  pioneer  settlers,  was  subjected  to  the  toils, 
privations  and  hardships  incident  to  pioneer  life ;  and  yet, 
in  common  with  the  early  settlers  of  Pompey,  he  found  time 
to  devote  his  attention  to  the  early  establishment  of  schools 
and  churches.  He  was  amoii^  the  subscribers  to  the  en- 

O 

dowment  fund  of  the  Pompey  Academy.  He  was  old 
enough  to  remember  the  Revolutionary  struggle,  and  be 
lieved  and  acted  upon  the  principle  that  the  general  diffu 
sion  of  knowledge  and  virtue  is  essential  to  the  perpetuity 
of  the  system  of  government  which  the  patriots  of  '76 
fought  to  establish.  Before  he  came  to  Pompey,  he  had 
married  Polly  Foote,  and  six  children  were  the  fruits  of  that 
union;  they  were,  in  the  order  of  their  ages,  David  F.,  Ira. 
Clarissa,  Hezekiah,  Seabred  and  Ezra,  Jr.  His  family  were 
of  more  than  ordinary  intellectual  ability.  He  and  his  wife 
lived  arid  died  upon  the  land  they  reclaimed  from  its  wilder 
ness  state. 

David  F.  Dodge,  his  eldest  son,  married  Ada  D.  Roberts 
in  1824,  and  inherited  a  part  of  the  farm  of  his  father, 
upon  which  he  lived  till  1854,  when  he  purchased  the  vil 
lage  house  and  lot,  now  the  Catholic  pastoral  residence,  and 
subsequently  the  Daniel  Wood  residence  in  the  village  of 
Pompey  Hill,  together  with  the  farm  attached,  where  he 
lived  till  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1869.  His  widow 
still  survives,  living  in  the  family  of  her  daughter,  Mrs. 
Daniel  G.  Wheaton,  upon  the  farm  where  her  husband  died. 
In  early  life  Mr.  Dodge  was,  for  eighteen  winters,  a  success 
ful  teacher,  and  he  and  his  wife  were  Protestants,  but  about 
the  year  1835  the}'  renounced  the  faith  of  their  fathers  and 
embraced  the  Catholic  faith,  and  Mr.  Dodge  was  largely  in 
strumental  in  establishing  the  Catholic  Church  at  Pompey 
Hill.  He  was  a  man  of  extensive  reading  and  of  strong  in- 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  299 

tellectual  power,  and  although  devoted  to  agricultural  pur 
suits  during  his  active  lifr,  was  always  fond  of  debate,  and 
was  accustomed  to  attend  and  participate  in  tke  discussions 
at  the  Lyceum  of  the  Academy.  Their  .  children  were 
Diane,  Alary,  Hobart  and  Cynthia. 

Diane  died  in  1856,  and  though  young,  she  had  acquired 
among  a  circle  of  choice  friends,  an  enviable  reputation  for 
intellectual  and  moral  worth.  She  gave  early  promise  uf 
authorship  of  a  high  grade  of  excellence.  Mary  became  the 
wife  of  Daniel  G.  Wheaton,  of  Pompey,  and  rrsid.es  on  the 
farm  her  father  left,  surrounded  by  a  large  family  of 
children. 

Hobart  is  a  lawyer,  and  resides  in  Perrysburg,  Ohio;  he 
married  Sarah,  a  daughter  of  Capt.  Wilkinson,  of  Lake 
Erie;  they  have  three  children — two  daughters  and  a  son. 

Cynthia  has  chosen  to  devote  her  life  to  the  service  of  the 
Church;  she  is  Sister  of  Charity  at  Mount  St.  Vincent,  on 
the  Hudson. 

Ira  Dodge,  the  second  son  of  Ezra  Dodge,  commenced 
life  with  little  inheritance  but  his  strong  arm  and  strong 
common  sense:  these  he  has  made  the  most  of,  and  now  at 
a  ripe  old  age  resides  in  LaFayette,  which  was  originally 
a  part  of  Pompey,  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  labors.  His 
sons  Harvey,  Daniel  and  Homer,  all  in  affluent  circumstanc 
es  and  devoted  to  farming,  live  in  his  immediate  neighbor 
hood. 

Clarissa  is  the  wife  of  Nelson  Hall,  of  LaFayette. 

Clarissa,  the  third  child  of  Ezra,  died  at  an  early  age  un 
married. 

Hezekiah  Dodge  was  a  practicing  Physician  and  Surgeon  ; 
he  went  south,  and  in  Georgia  married  a  Planter's  daugh 
ter :  here  he  lived  about  twenty  years;  from  Georgia,  he 
moved  with  his  family  to  Mount  Pleasant,  111.  They  are 
both  dead,  leaving  them  surviving  a  large  family  of  chil 
dren,  who  are  residents  of  Illinois. 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

Seabred  Dodge  was  the  intellectual  giant  of  the  family, 
and  with  the  assistance  of  his  eldest  brother,  David  F.,  ac 
quired  a  thorough  classical  education;  he  graduated  at 
Hamilton  College,  and  took  high  rank  as  a  scholar ;  espe- 
pecially  did  he  excel  in  mathematics,  being,  in  his  day,  one 
of  the  best  mathematicians  in  the  United  States.  He  chose 
engineering  for  a  vocation,  and  went  to  Ohio  in  1826,  and 
at  first  located  at  Cleveland ;  he  was  the  chief  engineer  of 
the  Ohio  Canals,  and  had  the  supervision  of  their  construc 
tion.  Late  in  life  he  married  Jane  Town,  and  they  located 
at  Acron,  Ohio.  His  arduous  labors  and  exposures  incident 
to  his  calling,  among  the  miasmatic  swamps  and  lowlands, 
engendered  disease  which  took  him  prematurely  from  this 
world,  and  he  died  in  1849,  leaving  his  widow  but  no  chil 
dren  to  survive  him.  He  was  a  man  of  the  highest  integ 
rity,  always  guarding  with  exact  justice,  the  interests  of  the 
State.  One  circumstance  in  his  life  illustrates  this  truth : — 
Water  lime  was  an  article  much  used  in  the  construction  of 
the  canals,  and  the  Ohio  lime  seemed  not  to  be  suited  for 
the  purpose ;  a  limited  contract  was  made  for  a  supply  from 
Onondaga  County,  IS".  Y.,  and  his  brother  David  F.  was 
chosen  to  negotiate  for  what  should  be  needed ;  making  a 
position  for  him  which  promised  weath,  at  what  was  sup 
posed  at  the  time,  a  necessary  expense  to  Ohio ;  the  broth 
ers  very  soon  ascertained  how  to  make  the  Ohio  lime  answer 
the  purpose,  and  his  brother's  rich  prospects  were  quickly 
ended,  to  the  great  saving  of  the  people  of  Ohio.  It  would 
be  refreshing  for  officials  and  contractors  in  these  days  to 
imitate  an  example  of  integrity  thus  manifested  by  these 
two  brothers.  His  widow  now  resides  in  the  city  of  Cleve 
land. 

Ezra  Dodge,  Jr.,  married  Miss  Armena  Hendricks,  and 
they  went  to  Ohio,  but  remained  but  a  short  time,  and  fin 
ally  settled  at  Mount  Pleasant,  111. 

Here  he  remained  till  his  death,  which  occurred  about  the 
year  1865,  leaving  a  large  family,  who  reside  in  the  vicinity 
of  Mount  Pleasant. 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  301 

THE  DUNHAM  FAMILY. 

Deacon  Daniel  Dunham,  emigrated  from  Windham,  Con 
necticut,  in  the  year  1795,  and  established  the  clothiers' 
trade,  at  the  old  mills  in  Manlius  ;  he  also  bought  a  wild  lot 
of  land,  of  about  one-hundred  and  thirty  acres,  three  miles 
south-east  of  Pompey  Hill.  Captain  Samuel  Dunham,  his 
son,  was  born  in  Windham,  Conn.,  in  the  year  1780.  When 
he  was  seventeen  years  of  age,  his  father  sent  him  alone  to 
work  and  clear  up  his  new  lot  of  land  in  Pompey.  He 
boarded  at  the  four  corners  near  the  old  residence  of  Dr. 
Hezekiah  Clarke,  about  two  miles  south-east  of  Pom 
pey  Hill,  also  near  the  place  where  "Grace  Greenwood" 
was  born.  From  here  he  went  daily  to  his  work,  one  mile 
south  by  marked  trees,  for  two  years  clearing  the  land,  and 
he  put  up  a  log  house.  Then  his  two  sisters  came,  and  kept 
house  for  him,  for  five  years  longer.  He  then  at  the  age 
of  twenty-five,  married  a  Miss  Parmerlee,  ot  Cazenovia  ;  he 
continued  to  reside  on  this  farm  up  to  his  death,  at  the  age 
of  sixty-nine  years;  his  wife  survived  him,  and  he  left  a 
large  family  of  children.  His  son  Samuel  Mosley  Dunham, 
was  born  on  the  old  farm  in  Pompey,  September  17th,  1805, 
and  lived  with  his  father  until  he  was  twenty-five  years  of 
age.  He  then  married  and  lived  for  five  years  on  the  farin 
which  was  the  birthplace  of  Grace  Greenwood,  and  next 
west  of  the  farm  then  and  till  his  death,  owned  by  Nicholas 
Van  Brocklin.  When  at  the  age  of  thirty  years,  the  winter 
of  "the  deep  snow,"  March  10th,  he  moved  to  the  town  of 
Clay,  where  he  still  resides.  The  following  are  the  remain 
ing  children  of  Captain  Samuel  Dunham  :  General  Albert 
Tyler  Dunham,  who  resided  many  years  at  Chittenango, 
married  the  daughter  of  Colonel  Sage,  of  that  place,  and 
subsequently  removed  to  Troy,  N.  Y.  He  has  been  engaged 
on  Public  Works  for  many  years,  and  acquired  a  handsome 
fortune  ;  he  now  lives  in  New  York  City  with  his  second 
wife,  his  first  wife  having  died  several  years  ago;  Mary 
Ann  Dunham,  now  Mrs.  Clute,  resides  in  Syracuse  :  Char 
lotte  Sophia,  now  Mrs.  St.  John,  now  resides  in  Orange, 


302  THE    POMPEY    UK-UNION. 

New  Jersey ;  Nancy  Maria,  now  Mrs.  Knight,  resides  in 
Collins,  Erie  County,  N".  Y.;  Susan  Amelia,  now  Mrs.  Ab 
bott,  now  resides  in  Fort  Dodge,  Iowa;  Charles  Parmerle, 
the  youngest  son  lived  and  died  on  the  old  homestead,which 
is  now  owned  by  Lewis  H.  liobinson,  married  a  daughter 
of  Deacon  Asa  II.  Wells,  Doxanna,  by  whom  he  had  two 
children — Luella  and  Harriet;  his  widow  and  daughters  now 
reside  at  Pompey  Hill. 


THE  FENBTER  FAMILY. 

James  L.  Fenner,  the  father  of  Frederick  W.  Fenner, 
who,  it  will  be  remembered  very  happily  responded  to  a 
sentiment  "  to  any  body,"  on  the  occasion  ot  the  Pom- 
pey  re-union,  was  born  in  Rhode  Island,  May  2d,  1777. 
His  wife,  Betsey  Perry,  was  born  in  Dighton,  Bristol  Co., 
Mass.,  June  18th.  1780.  They  were  married  February  22d, 
1801,  and  in  the  Spring  following  moved  to  the  State  of 
New  York,  and  temporarily  settled  in  the  vicinity  of  Man- 
lius  village.  But  after  looking  for  a  favorable  locality  for 
his  business  (being  a  Millwright,)  he  resolved  to  locate  on 
the  farm  now  occupied  by  Charles  Carr,  but  was  unsuccess 
ful  in  obtaining  a  good  title.  It  became  the  property  of 
James  Carr,  (afterwards  Col.  Jas.  Carr.)  Mr.  Fenner  then 
located  on  the  farm  next  west.  Soon  after  saw  mills  were 
built  and  the  pioneer  settlers  became  active  in  lumbering 
and  building  dwellings  rand  barns.  Slabs  became  plenty, 
and  the  pioneer  flourishing  village  was  named  Slab  Hollow. 
Mr.  Fenner  was  active  in  erecting  the  saw  mills,  and  was 
one  of  the  proprietors  who  erected  the  first  grist  mill  in  Slab 
Hollow.  It  was  built  on  the  creek  nearly  north  of  his  resi 
dence  on  the  road  running  west  to  the  Murray  neighbor 
hood.  Mr.  Fenner  permanently  settled  in  Slab  Hollow,  in 
Pompey,  as  early  as  1804.  Their  second  child,  a  son,  was 
born  in  Pompey.  So  early  did  he  come  that  he  had  to  cut 
his  road  from  Manlius  to  his  residence  in  Slab  Hollow.  He 
and  his  family  continued  to  reside  in  Pompey  until  March 
20th,  1818,  when  he  moved  to  Lysander,  Onondaga  Co., 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  303 

where  he  owned  over  three  hundred  acres  of  wild  timbered 
land,  nearly  all  of  which  he  lived  to  see  under  a  state  of  cul 
tivation.  During  the  war  of  1812  he  was  a  volunteer  in  the 
service  of  his  country.  His  wife  died  at  Lysander,  March 
16,  1849,  being  at  the  time  of  her  death  nearly  sixty-nine 
years  of:  age.  Mr.  Former  survived  her  till  January  16th, 
1851,  being  then  nearly  seventy-four  years  of  age. 

Kine  children  were  born  unto  them,  six  of  whom  claim 
Pompey  as  the  place  of  their  birth  :  Betsey  Fenner  was 
born  in  Manilas,  July  25th,  1803;  James  L.  Fenner,  Jr., 
was  born  in  Pompey,  Sept.  14th,  1805  ;  John  L.  Fenner 
was  born  in  Pompey,  Dec.  1st,  3807  ;  Darius  P.  Fenner  was 
born  in  Pompey,  Oct.  12th,  1809 ;  Frederick  W.  Fenner 
wras  born  in  Pompey,  Sept.  9th,  1811;  Russel  B.  Fenner 
was  born  in  Pompey,  Feb.  9th,  1814;  Harriet  J.  Fenner 
was  born  in  Pompey,  Sept.  21st,  1816  ;  Luther  W.  Fenner 
was  born  in  Lysander,  May  14th,  1820;  Ethalannah  Fenner 
was  born  in  Lysander,  July  21st,  1822.  Of  these,  three 
have  died ;  Betsey  Washburn  died  in  Granby,  Oswego 
County,  K  Y.,  March  20th,  1847;  James  L.  Fenner,  Jr., 
died  May  llth,  1856,  in  Lysaader,  Onondaga  County,  N. 
Y.,  and  Ethalannah  Blackman  died  January  20th,  1862,  in 
Northfield,  Minnesota. 

Frederick  W.  Fenner,  whose  son,  James  I\.  Fenner.  now 
resides  in  Delphi,  in  Pompey,  after  living  in  Lysander  four 
years,  came  back  to  Pompey  and  lived  with  his  aunt,  Anna 
Allen,  with  whom  he  lived  at  the  time  the  name  of  Slab 
Hollow  was  changed  to  Watervale.  It  seems  that  about  the 
year  1823,  the  citizens  of  Slab  Hollow  became  dissatisfied 
with  the  name  of  their  village;  one  of  two  things  musi  be 
done  they  said,  either  to  move  out  or  change  its  name.  So 
they  resolved,  in  a  public  meeting  called  for  that  purpose, 
to  change  its  name  to  Watervale,  that  name  being  suggested 
by  Ansel  Judd,  who  was  always  consulted  at  that  day  upon 
all  important  matters  touching  the  interests  of  the  village. 
It  was  also  resolved,  that  Mr.  Judd,  who  was  somewhat 
given  to  the  muses,  should  originate  some  lines  appropriate 


304  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

to  the  occasion.     Of  much  that  was   written,  the  following 
lines  are  given  from  memory : 

"  The  timber's  all  gone,  of  the  Slabs  we've  made  sale, 
We've  no  more  now  Slab  Hollow,  but  we've  now  Watervale." 


THE  FLINT  AND  RICE  FAMILIES. 

Thomas  Flint  and  his  brother,  Henry,  emigrated  from 
England  in  1635,  where  they  and  their  ancestors  had  dwelt 
for  eight  hundred  years,  as  appears  by  the  record.  It  was 
Matlock  in  Derbyshire,  by  the  river  Darrow,  which  place 
Thomas  sold  for  forty  thousand  pounds.  Thomas  came  to 
Boston  and  settled  there,  and  in  1637  removed  to  Concord. 
His  property  was  chiefly  expended  in  improving  the  town  of 
Concord.  For  three  years  he  was  a  representative  of  the 
General  Court  of  Massachusetts  and  Assistant  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  Oct.  8th,  1653.  Henry  was  a  minis 
ter  of  the  gospel  and  was  ordained  at  Braintree  (now  called 
Quincy),  March  17th,  1640.  He  married  a  sister  of  Presi 
dent  Hoar,  and  died  April  27th,  1668.  The  eldest  son  of 
Henry  Flint  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  1673,  and  af 
terwards  became  a  Professor  in  that  institution.  John 
Flint,  son  of  Thomas,  was  Lieutenant  and  Representative  in 
1677  and  1679.  Pie  married  a  sister  of  President  Oaks,  of 
Harvard  College,  in  1677,  and  died  in  1687.  His  children 
were  Mary,  Thomas,  John,  Abigail  and  Edward. 

John  Flint,  son  of  the  above  John,  settled  in  Concord  us 
did  his  father.  His  children  were  Ephraim,  Abigail,  Mary, 
Sarah,  John,  Hannah  and  Jane. 

The  next  list  includes  the  children  of  the  last  named  John 
Flint,  who  was  born  May  12th,  1722,  was  married  to  Hipsi- 
bah  Brown,  Jan.  12th,  1744.  Their  children  were  born  and 
died  as  follows:  Hepsibah,  born  Nov.  1st,  1747,  and  died 
June  4th,  1790;  Edward,  born  Aug.  14th,  1749,  died 
March  25th,  1812;  John,  born  Aug.  llth,  1751,  died  Oct., 
1822  ;  Nathan,  born  Feb.  llth,  1755,  died  March  2d,  1824  ; 
Ephraim,  born  April  17th,  1757,  died  Aug.  22(1,  1769; 


THE    POMPEY    RE  UNION.  305 

Thomas,  born  May  6th,  1759,  died  Nov.  6th,  1839;  Eleazer, 
born  Aug.  9th,  1761,  no  date  of  his  death ;  Gumming,  born 
Sept.  llth,  1763,  died  July  1st,  1831;  Abisha,  born  Oct. 
20th,  1766,  died  April,  1807. 

Samuel  Rice  married  Hepsibah  Flint,  daughter  of  John 
Flint  and  Hepsibah  Brown,  named  in  the  last  foregoing  list. 
Their  children  were  Hepsibah  Rice,  born  Aug.  15th,  1766; 
John,  born  March  18th,  1768  ;  Samuel,  born  Jan.  5th,  1770  ; 
Abigail,  born  May  6th,  1776  ;  Elizabeth,  born  April  18th, 
1778  ;  Ephraim,  born  May  26th,  1780;  Sarah,  born  March 
4th,  1784;  Abisha,  born  March  20th,  1786  ;  Eleazer,  born 
May  20th,  1790. 

Shortly  after  the  birth  of  Eleazer,  June  4th,  Mrs.  Rice 
died,  and  her  husband,  Samuel,  married  Mrs.  Davis  about 
1792,  and  they  had  two  children;  Thomas,  wh©  was  born 
July  30th,  1794,  and  Amos,  born  Feb.  5th,  1797.  All  of 
Samuel  Rice's  children  were  born  in  Ashby,  Middlesex 
County,  Mass. 

Thomas  Rice,  the  youngest  but  one  of  Samuel  Rice's 
children,  married  Charlotte  Flint,  daughter  of  Edward 
Flint,  named  hereafter  in  the  next  list  of  Flints,  Jan.  25th, 
1814. 

Their  children  Avere  Elizabeth  F.,  who  was  born  in  Ash- 
by,  Mass.,  December  16th,  1814;  Thomas  was  born  in  Ash- 
by,  September  17th,  1817. 

The  following  four  children  were  born  in  Pompey: 

Samuel  F.,  born  February  3d,  1820 ;  Elmira  C.,  born  June 
20th,  1822;  Amos,  born  June  27th,  1824 ;  Edward  F.,  born 
July  2d,  1831. 

Thomas  Rice  and  wife,  with  two  children,  Elizabeth  and 
Thomas,  moved  from  Ashby  to  Pompey,  and  settled  on  a 
farm  half  a  mile  east  of  Oran,  in  March,  1818;  he  lived  on 
the  farm  for  several  years,  and  then  moved  into  the  village 
of  Oran,  where  he  died  March  25th,  1843.  Elizabeth  F. 
Rice,  daughter  of  the  above  Thomas,  married  Erastus  P. 
Williams,  of  Pompev,  July  31st,  1842,  and  died  without 

20 


306  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNIOK. 

children,  November  23d,  1844.  Thomas  Rice  who  is  a  resi 
dent  of  Syracuse,  and  engaged  in  the  grocery  trade,  married 
Mary  Dorsey,  of  Geneva,  September  2d,  1846;  their  chil 
dren  were  all  born  in  Syracuse,  and  are  all  living  except  the 
eldest,  who  died  September  12th,  1852. 

The  following  are  their  names  and  date  of  birth  : 

Eva  Mary,  born  August  26th,  1848:  Ella  Elizabeth,  Jan 
uary  12th,  1854  ;  Thomas  Dorsey,  March  29th,  1858  ;  Paran 
Flint,  September  llth,  1759;  Ernest,  September  llth,  1860; 
Arthur  Cleveland,  June  7th,  1866  ;  Mary  Sera,  November 
14th,  1872. 

Samuel  F.  Rice,  son  of  the  elder  Thomas,  died  Septem 
ber  25th,  1840,  and  was  not  married. 

Eimira  C.  died  March  29th,  1843,  and  was  never  mar 
ried. 

Amos  married  Mary  Gilbert,  October  24th,  1854,  in  Ly 
ons,  N.  Y.;  they  had  one  child — Charles  Edward,  who  died, 
and  Amos  died,  February  19th,  1858. 

Edward  F.  Rice  married  Ellen  A.  Eaton,  in  Fayetteville, 
August  31st,  1854;  they  reside  in  Syracuse,  and  he  is  en 
gaged  in  the  dry  goods  trade. 

The  following  are  the  names  and  date  of  birth  ot  their 
-children  : 

Nellie,  born  June  30th,  1857;  Lizzie  Elrnira,  May  25th, 
1860;  Edward  Eaton,June  llth,  1866,and  died  August  22d, 
1866;  Edward  Irving,born  July  12th,  1868.  They  were  all 
iborn  in  Syracuse. 

Amos  Rice,  who  was   born  in  Ashby,  Middlesex  County, 

Massachusetts,  February  5th,  1797, married  Betsey  Fairbank, 

•of  Ashburnham,  Mass.,  April  3d,  1817.  They  moved  to  Pom- 

pey  in  the  fall    of  1821,   and   remained  about  twenty-two 

years,  when  they  moved  to  Tecumseh,  Michigan.     They 

both  died  in  1859;  the  wife  January  1st,  and  the  husband 

August  15th  ;  they  had  five  children — the  iirst  two  born  in 

Mass.,  and  three  in  Pompey,  as   follows:    Samuel    Leonard 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  307 

Rice,  January  27th,  1819;  Mary  Ann,  Aug.  30th,  1821; 
Elizabeth  F.,  August  31st,  1829;  Artemus  F.  January  24th, 
1831 ;  Ellen  M.,  May  7th,  1837  ;  the  youngest  died  May  8th, 
1839. 

,  Samuel  Leonard  Rice  married  Charlotte  H.  Tracy,  March 
31st,  1844 ;  and  the  following  are  their  children  :  Joseph  E., 
horn  July  29th,  1845  ;  George  W.,  September  8th,  1851; 
Charles  H.,  November  25th,  1854  ;  John  T.,  August  23d, 
1856;  Frank  T.,  May  13th,  1859;  Herbert  E.,  November 
13th,  1863. 

Elizabeth  F.  Rice  married  Henry  B.  Wier,  of  La  Porte, 
Iowa,  November  27th,  1850. 

Mary  Ann  Rice  married  Charles  Strong,  of  Tecumseh, 
Michigan,  March  7th,  1841,  and  died  April  12th,  1845,  leav 
ing  one  child — Mary  E.,  who  was  born  February  23d,  1843, 
and  lives  in  Tecumseh. 

Artemus  F.  Rice  married  Eugenia  H.  Chaplin,  of  Tecum 
seh,  April  24th,  1860;  they  have  one  child,  Alice  ;  Frances, 
born  January  28th,  1868;  they  reside  in  Tecumseh,  Mich. 

Of  the  children  of  Samuel  Leonard  Rice,  who  was  born 
January  27th,  18 19,  two  are  married;  Josephine  E.  Rice 
married  Lucius  W.  Parish,  October  1st,  1868. 

George  W.  Rice  married  Francis  L.  McGregor,  Novem 
ber  2d,  1871,  but  in  a  few  months,  death  severed  the  tie— 
the  bride  only  living  till  February  14th,  1872. 

We  will  now  return  to  the  Flint  family,  and  conclude 
this  extended  record.  The  Edward  Flint  who  was  born  as 
before  related,  August  14th,  1749,  married  Hepsibah 
Fletcher,  February  28th,  1770  ;  their  children  were  as  fol 
lows  : 

Ephraim5iborn  September  14th,1770,  and  died  September 
9th,  1774  ;  Rebecca,  born  February  2d,  1773,  and  died  Sep 
tember  13th,  1774;  Hepsibah,  born  February  22d,  1775, 
and  died  June  21st,  1851;  Rebecca,  born  June  22d,  1777, 
a"d  died  April  6th,  1861  ;  Samuel,  born  March  16th,  1780, 


308  THE    TOMPEY    RE-UNION. 

died  March  18th,  1855;  Ephraim,  born  August  5th,  1782, 
died  September  21st,  1868  ;  Elizabeth,  born  April  22d,1785; 
Abigail,  born  December  6th,  1787,  died  October  12th,  1859; 
Edward,  born  March  30th,  1790  :  Charlotte,  wife  of  Thomas 
Rice  above  named,  born  December  22d,  1793;  John,  born 
February  20th,  1797,  and  died  October  14th,  1844. 

Samuel  Flint,  named  in  the  last  family  above,  was  born 
at  Concord,  and  as  before  stated  March  16th,  1780.  He  ob 
tained  a  liberal  education,  and  was  an  excellent  mathemati 
cian  ;  many  of  the  years  of  his  early  manhood  were  spent  in 
teaching,  and  for  several  years  in  New  York  City.  In  1819 
he  came  to  Pompey,  and  engaged  in  farming,  having  pur 
chased  and  settled  on  the  farm  north  of  the  one  so  long 
owned  by  Timothy  Butterfield. 

On  the  27th  of  January,  1825,  at  Pompey,  he  was  married 
to  Betsey  McKnight,  who  was  born  Sept  llth,  1802,  at  Ox 
ford,  Chenango  Co. ,  1ST.  Y.  Mr.  Flint  continued  the  pur 
suit  of  agriculture  till  his  failing  health  prevented  him,  and 
he  continued  to  occupy  his  farm  till  his  death,  which  occur 
red  March  18,  1855.  His  wife  survived  him  only  a  few 
years.  They  left  only  one  child,  Charlotte,  who  was  born 
June  16th,  1826,  and  was  married  to  John  Soule,  July  12th, 
1843.  Mr1.  Soule  and  his  wife  retain  the  Flint  farm  to  which 
they  have  made  additions  more  than  doubling  the  area. 

Their  children  are  as  follows:  Edward  F.  Soule,  born 
May  24th,  1844,  and  died  January  14th,  1850. 

Samuel  Fletcher  Soule,  born  November  2d,  1847.  He  re 
sides  in  Pompey,  and  is  agent  for  the  American  Sewing 
Machine. 

Ida  Elizabeth  Soule  was  born  May  2d,  1851,  became  a 
teacher,  was  married  to  Mr.  Clark,  June  16th,  1875,  and  re 
sides  in  Fabius. 

John  Flint,  born  Mayjl2th,  1855,  and  resides  with  his  pa 
rents  in  Pompey. 

Delia  [A.  Soule,  born  February  23  1858.  Is  a  teacher, 
resides  with  her  parents  during  vacations. 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  309 

Eudora  Josephine  Soule,  born  June  24th,  1862,  and  lives 
with  her  parents. 

Edward  Lawrence,  born  May  8th,  1865,  and  died  June 
14th,  1872. 

JOSEPH  W.  GOLD  AND  MRS.  RHODA  GOLD. 

Mrs.  Rhoda  Gold  was  born  in  Harwinton,  Litchfield  Co., 
Connecticut,  in  the  year  1777.  At  the  early  age  of  thirteen 
she  commenced  teaching  in  her  native  town,  and  although 
the  opportunities  for  acquiring  knowledge  where  not  what 
they  are  now,  she  possessing  a  studious  and  enquiring 
mind,  dignified  and  pleasing  manners,  soon  became  a  suc 
cessful  teacher.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  she  was  confirmed 
by  the  venerable  Bishop  Seabury.  At  twenty-five  she  was 
married  by  the  late  Bishop  Griswold,  then  her  beloved  pas 
tor  and  predecessor  in  the  Parish  school.  Soon  after  her 
marriage  to  J.  W.  Gold  they  removed  to  the  then  almost 
wilderness  of  Pompey,  where  the  fifteen  years  of  her  mar 
ried  life  were  passed.  Mrs.  Gold  was  one  of  the  members 
of  Christ's  Church  in  Manlius,  from  its  first  organization, 
and  although  she  lived  at  a  distance  of  four  miles  towards 
Pompey  Hill,  neither  storm  nor  sunshine  detained  her  from 
her  accustomed  place  in  the  church.  Waited  on  by  her 
faithful  negro  Prince,  Sunday  morning  always  found  her  at 
her  post  of  duty. 

She  was  always  interested  in  the  advancement  of  educa 
tion  and  was  one  of  the  original  subscribers  to  the  fund  for 
founding  Hobart  College.  She  was  a  constant  reader  of  the 
Gospel  Messenger  from  its  first  publication,  and  when  age 
and  infirmities  prevented  her  hearing  the  word  preached  in 
church  she  solaced  herseif  with  her  paper,  her  prayer-book 
and  her  Bible.  The  last  years  of  her  life  were  spent  in 
Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  having  survived  her  husband  nearly 
fifty  years. 

Joseph  Wakeman  Gold  left  his  paternal  inheritance  in 
Cornwell,  Connecticut,  to  endure  the  hardships  of  frontier 


310  THE    POMPEY    HE-UNION. 

life  in  the  wilderness  of  Pompey,  in  1796.  He  was  in  pros 
perous  circumstances  but  afflicted  with  the  asthma  for  thir 
teen  years,  which  he  bore  with  fortitude,  and  closed  his  life 
at  about  the  age  of  forty  with  resignation. 


DAVID   GREEK 

The  early  citizens  of  Pompey  will  remember  David  Green. 
He  was  born  in  New  Milford,  Connecticut,  in  1760,  and 
with  his  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Hannah  Pease,  im 
migrated  to  Pompey  in  1796.  He  took  up  three  hundred 
acres  of  land  around  the  Corners  which  still  bear  his  name. 
Physically  he  was  a  man  of  large  size,  weighing  three  hun 
dred  and  twenty  pounds.  As  a  citizen  he  was  held  in  high 
esteem  by  his  neighbors.  He  was  an  exemplary  Christian 
and  a  member  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church.  He  has 
long  since  gone  to  rest  with  his  lathers.  Two  daughters 
were  the  fruits  of  his  marriage,  Ellinor  and  Hannah.  The 
latter  of  whom  married  Benj.  F.  Freeman,  of  Ray,  Michi 
gan.  She  is  dead  having  left  a  large  family.  Ellinor  mar 
ried  David  Southard,  and  she  also  is  dead,  having  left  one 
child  living,  David  Green  Southard  who  is  a  resident  of 
Pompey,  owning  and  occupying  the  same  land  his  grand 
father,  as  a  pioneer,  reclaimed  eighty  years  ago. 


CALEB  GREEN. 

Caleb  Green,  son  of  Jedediah  Green,  was  born  in  the 
State  of  Rhode  Island,  in  1753.  Arriving  at  the  age  of  man 
hood  he  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Moon,  and  moved  to 
Dutchess  county,  N.  Y.,  just  before  the  outbreak  of  the  war 
of  the  Revolution.  From  information  in  possession  of  the 
family,  it  is  probable  that  he  was  with  one  of  the  expeditions 
which  marched  to  the  relief  of  Fort  Schuyler  in  the  valley 
of  the  Mohawk,  in  the  Summer  of  1777,  and  that  he  did 
much  other  service  during  the  continuance  of  the  war.  A 
few  years  after  the  conclusion  of  peace  he  removed  to  Eas- 


THE    POMPEY   KE-UNION.  311 

ton,  Washington  Co.,  where  he  engaged  in  farming.  In 
1806  he  came  to  LaFayette,  then  a  part  of  the  town  of  Pom 
pey,  and  purchased  a  farm  of  Joseph  Rhoades.  Here  he 
built  the  homestead  which  is  now  occupied  by  his  grandson, 
Mr.  George  H.  Green.  One  acre  of  the  farm  was  donated 
for  church  and  school  purposes,  and  on  it  now  stands  the 
Presbyterian  church. 

Mr,  Green  died  March  29th,  1817,  aged  63  years.  His 
wife  died  Feb.  6,  1828,  aged  73  years. 

The  following  were  the  names  of  the  children  of  Caleb 
and  Elizabeth  Green  : — Zilpha.  wife  of  Johnson  Babcock,  of 
Tully,  (born  in  1774);  James  who  died  in  Bridgeport,  Ct. ; 
Comfort,  wife  of  Job  Andrews,  of  LaFayette ;  Russel,  late 
of  Cardiff,  (died  Nov.  1871,  aged  86  years;)  Griffin,  of  New 
York  city ;  Betsey,  wife  of  John  Norton,  of  Ellery,  Chaut- 
auque  Co.,  N.  Y. ;  Sally,  wite  of  MinotHoyt,  of  Harmony, 
Chautauque  Co.,  N.Y. ;  Turpin,  who  succeeded  to  his  father's 
estate  in  LaFayette,  and  where  he  died  Dec.  20,  1851 ;  and 
Ransom,  the  only  surviving  member  of  the  family,  now  in 
the  76th  year  of  his  age,  who  resides  in  Cleveland,  Ohio. 


HON.  DANIEL  GILBERT, 

Daniel  Gilbert  was  born  in  Sheffield,  Mass.,  Sept.  12th, 
1786.  He  was  the  youngest  son  of  Rev.  Joseph  Gilbert, 
who  was  at  that  time  pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church 
in  that  place.  In  1790,  he  moved  with  his  father's  family  to 
Waybridge,  Vt.,  and  thence,  in  1799,  to  Pompey,  Onondaga 
County,  N.  Y.,  and  settled  on  Lot  No.  66,  on  the  farm  lately 
owned  by  Albert  H.  Butterfield,  where  his  father  died  in 
1806,  and  was  buried  in  Pompey  Hill  Cemetery.  Of  his 
childhood  we  can  learn  but  little ;  but  very  likely  he  was 
reared  in  the  industrious  and  Christian  manner  of  such  fam 
ilies  in  those  times,  and  hence  the  virtue  and  stability  of  his 
riper  years.  He  studied  law  in  Cazenovia,  N.  Y.,  and  in 
1812  was  admitted  to  practice,  at  which  time  he  moved  to 


312  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

Salina,  now  the  First  Ward  of  Syracuse.  He  was  soon  ap 
pointed  Justice  of  the  Peace,  which  office  he  held  for  twelve 
years  in  Salina,  and  afterwards  for  about  the  same  length  of 
time  elsewhere.  In  September,  1817,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Harriet  Clarke,  eldest  daughter  of  the  late  Dr.  Heze- 
kiah  Clarke. 

In  1832  he  removed  to  Fayetteville,  K.  Y.,  where  he  re 
mained  only  one  year,  moving  then  to  Gaines,  Orleans  Coun 
ty,  N.  Y.  While  there,  he  was  appointed  Associate  Judge 
of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  for  that  County,  which  of 
fice  he  held  for  five  years,  being  at  the  same  time  Justice 
of  the  Peace  and  Postmaster. 

In  1844,  he  moved  to  Coldwater,  Mich.,  whither  his  sons 
had  preceded  him.  There  his  infirmities  were  such  as  to 
prevent  his  engaging  actively  in  business;  the  only  office 
which  he  held  there  was  that  of  Circuit  Court  Commissioner. 

He  was  a  patriot  as  well  as  a  Christian.  When  traitorous 
hands  sought  to  rend  the  country,  to  destroy  the  glorious 
unity  of  a  nation  born  in  the  agony  of  his  fathers,  and  pap- 
tized  in  the  blood  sweat  of  his  brothers,  old  political  lines 
and  shibboleths  were  of  but  little  note  in  the  presence  of 
the  question,  whether  we  shall  be,  or  shall  not  be,  as  a  nation; 
wrhether  we  shall  have  and  maintain  a  national  government 
or  not. 

Too  old  and  infirm  to  bear  arms,  he  gave  his  first-born, 
(Henry  Clarke  Gilbert,  Colonel  of  the  Nineteenth  Michigan 
Regiment,  who  fell  at  the  battle  of  Resaca,  gallantly  leading 
a  successful  charge  upon  a  battery);  and  when  that  son  was 
borne  home  and  laid  in  the  tomb,  leaving  him  sonless,  he 
calmly  said  :  "  He  was  dear  to  me,  but  our  country  is  worth 
the  life  of  many  such." 

He  died  at  the  city  of  Coldwater,  Mich.,  Feb.  15th,  1865. 
Having  faithfully  "  served  his  generation,  by  the  will  of  God 
he  fell  asleep,"  and  was  laid  by  the  side  of  kindred  dust,  to 
rest  until  the  morning  of  the  resurrection. 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 

£*Urn 


LARD    HAYDEN 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  313 

HAYDE^T  FAMILY. 

Allen  Willard  Hayden,  a  direct  lineal  descendant  of  the 
English  baronet,  William  Hayden,  (who  came  to  this  coun 
try  in  1630  and  settled  in  Dorchester,  Mass.,  and  who  served 
in  the  early  Pequot  Indian  War  with  some  little  distinction 
and  notoriety,)  was  born  at  Harrington,  Litchfield  County, 
Conn.,  in  June,  1783,  and,  together  with  his  father,  Allen 
Hayden,  and  his  three  brothers,  Zora,  Harvey  and  Allen, 
Jr.,  came  to  Pompey,  Onondaga  County,  N".  Y.,  in  Sept., 
1800,  and  settled  on  what  was  since  called  the  Todd  Farm, 
about  one  mile  east  of  Pompey  Academy.  They  cleared 
about  three  acres  of  land  and  sowed  it  to  wheat  that  fall. 
The  spring  following  they  cleared  the  land  and  set  out  the 
orchard  west  of  the  house,  where  it  now  stands.  Four 
years  after,  Allen  Willard  married  Abigail  Castle,  sister  of 
Gen.  Jabez  and  Philo  B.  Castle,  and  with  his  father  bought 
Lot  No.  94,  situate  about  two  and  one-half  miles  south  of 
the  village  of  Pompey,  on  which  he  lived  about  fifty  years. 
In  personal  appearance  he  was  commanding,  standing  six 
feet  in  height  and  very  heavily  built,  being  well  calculated  to 
bear  his  part  in  the  hardships  of  those  early  times,  and  many 
stories  are  told  of  his  great  strength  and  courage.  A  man 
well  liked  by  his  neighbors  and  of  a  kind  and  genial  disposi 
tion.  By  profession  a  farmer,  he  did  his  work  well  and 
was  successful,  having  a  large  and  fine  tract  of  land  tinder 
good  cultivation.  He  reared  a  family  of  eleven  children, 
seven  boys  and  four  girls,  who  all  lived  to  a  good  age,  and 
to  see  both  father  and  mother  close  their  earthly  career. 
When  the  father  died,  in  June,  1858,  in  his  seventy-fifth 
year,  and  the  mother  in  January,  1864,  in  her  seventy-ninth 
year,  the  whole  family,  in  an  unbroken  circle,  gathered 
around  their  remains  as  the  last  few  words  were  said  before 
depositing  them  away  from  sight  forever.  Then  that  united 
circle  of  brothers  and  sisters,  all  of  whom  had  reached  the 
years  of  maturity,  and  some  of  whom  were  verging  upon 
old  age,  and  were  themselves  the  heads  of  families,  could 
feel,  as  perhaps  they  had  never  before  felt,  that  in  each  they 


314  THE   POMPEY   RE-UNION. 

had  lost  a  parent  indeed — one  who  had  reared  them  in  the 
paths  of  sobriety,  honesty  and  rectitude.  Having  but  little 
fortune  to  bestow  upon  their  children,  they  left  them  the 
noble  example  of  a  moral  and  religious  life — a  heritage  which 
the  subsequent  history  of  their  descendants  has  shown  that 
they  knew  how  to  appreciate  and  to  profit  by. 

The  first  child  of  Allen  Willard  Hayden  was  born  in  1806, 
and  lived  only  a  short  time. 

Rowena,  the  next  child,  was  born  on  July  4th,  1807,  and 
was  married  to  Archibald  H.  Colby,  and  reared  a  family  of 
five  children,  Helen,  Henry,  Caroline,  Spencer  and  Imogene, 
all  of  whom  are  now  living.  Rowena  died  in  Rochester, 
K  Y.,  in  March,  1872. 

Samuel  P.,  the  third  child,  was  born  in  July,  1809,  and 
was  married  to  Sarah  A.,  the  youngest  daughter  of  Elias 
Conklin,  a  short  sketch  of  whose  life  maybe  found  in  this 
volume.  Samuel  P.  Hayden  was  a  successful  farmer,  and 
also  a  carpenter  and  joiner,  and  carried  on  that  business  for 
about  thirty  years.  He  lived  on  the  farm  adjoining  his  father's 
till  1855;  he  then  sold  his  farm  and  bought  the  Wheaton  and 
Jesse  Butler  farms  adjoining,  and  also  the  stone  store  at  the 
village  of  Pompey  Hill,  built  by  Beach  Beard,  and  there 
carried  on  the  mercantile  business  successfully  for  sixteen 
years.  He  held  prominent  positions  in  society  and  church, 
and  was  a  very  active  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of 
the  Pompey  Academy,  being  one  of  the  executive  committee 
and  its  President  for  fifteen  years.  He  was  well  known,  and 
was  often  appointed  to  town  offices  and  filled  them  with  sat 
isfaction  to  all ;  he  was  also  appointed  Postmaster  in  1860 
and  held  the  position  for  six  years.  He  reared  a  family  of 
six  children:  Sabra  A.,  born  in  1834,  and  now  married  to 
Homer  J.  Crandall,  and  living  in  Syracuse,  N.  Y. ;  Ellen  L., 
born  in  1837;  Elizabeth  M.,  born  in  1839;  Daniel  E.,  in 
1844;  Elma  D.,  in  1847,  and  George,  in  1854,  Daniel  E. 
served  in  the  Union  army  during  the  late  rebellion,  and  is 
now  (1876)  residing  in  Syracuse.  In  1869,  Samuel  P.  Hay 
den  left  Pompey  with  his  family  and  moved  to  Syracuse  and 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION.  315 

engaged  in  the  lumber  business.  The  family  all  remained 
together,  an  unbroken  circle,  until  the  spring  of  1872,  when 
Mrs.  S.  P.  Hayden,  a  very  amiable,  Christian  lady,  a  good 
mother  and  an  ornament  to  society,  died  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
two  years,  and  was  buried  in  the  beautiful  cemetery  at  Oak- 
wood.  Samuel  P.  Hayden  died  in  1874. 

The  fourth  child  of  Allen  Willard  Hayden  was  born  in 
January,  1811,  and  died  in  March  of  the  same  year. 

Seymour,  the  fifth  child,  was  born  in  1812.  He  was  a  suc 
cessful  farmer,  and  lived  both  in  Pompey  and  Cazenovia, 
"N.  Y.,  and  afterwards  moved  to  Syracuse  and  there  died, 
the  first  of  an  unbroken  chain  of  brothers  aud  sisters  so  long 
united  and  without  a  missing  link.  Seymour  Hayden  mar 
ried  Mary  Ann  Goburn,  of  Cazenovia,  in  1837.  They  had 
two  children — Loren  C.,  and  Sarah  A. 

Willard,  the  sixth  child  of  Allen  Willard  Hayden,  was 
born  in  1813,  and  married  Almira  Hanchett,  of  Pompey;  he 
was  an  active  and  hard-working  farmer,  and  lived  on  the  old 
homestead  for  a  long  time.  In  1870,  he  with  his  family 
moved  to  Iowa,  where  he  is  now  living  and  engaged  in  car 
rying  on  a  large  farm.  His  oldest  sou,  Wilson,  died  when 
about  two  years  old ;  Cora  J.  is  married  to  L.  B.  Curtis,  of 
Pompey;  Oscar  E.,  the  third  child,  now  resides  in  Roches 
ter,  ~N.  Y.,  and  is  engaged  extensively  in  the  manufacture 
and  sale  of  furniture.  William  is  with  his  father. 

Charles  J.,  the  seventh  child  of  Allen  Willard  Hayden, 
was  born  in  1816.  He  married  Esther  Dannals,  of  Fabius, 
and  removed  to  Rochester  early,  and  there  engaged  exten 
sively  in  the  furniture  trade  and  manufacture.  He  was,  in 
1855-6,  mayor  of  Rochester,  and  has  held  other  prominent 
positions.  He  has  been  very  successful  in  business,  estab 
lishing  large  warehouses  and  manufactories  of  furniture, 
and  has  amassed  a  large  fortune.  His  family  consisted  of 
Frances  J.,  Oscar  E.,  Omar  D.,  Ella  and  Charles,  Jr.  Oscar 
E.  died  when  quite  young,  and  Omar  D.  when  about  twen 
ty-two  years  old. 

Carini,  and  a  twin  brother,  who  died,  the  eighth  and  ninth 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

children  of  Allen  Willard  Hay  den,  were  born  in  1818.  Carmi 
Hayden  married,  in  1847,  Ellen  Butler,  who  was  a  daughter 
of  Merritt  Butler,  one  of  the  first  settlers  and  at  the  date  of 
this  sketch  the  oldest  resident  of  Pompey.  Carmi  is  a  far 
mer,  keeps  a  summer  boarding  house,  is  also  a  carpenter  and 
joiner,  and  is  at  present  (1876)  post-master  of  the  village.  He 
is  now  the  only  one  of  the  family  left  in  Pompey.  He  has 
but  one  child,  Nellie. 

Angeline,the  tenth  child  of  Allen  Willard  Hay  den, was  born 
in  1819,  married  Solomon  G.  Chesebro,  of  Manlius,  in  1842, 
and  removed  from  there  to  Syracuse.  They  reared  a  family 
of  three  daughters — M.  Dorleska,  Anna  L.  and  Frances  M. 

James  E.,  the  eleventh  child,  was  born  in  1822,  and  mar 
ried  Catharine  Ives.  of  Oswego,  in  1848,  and  settled  early  in 
Rochester,  where  he  has  since  carried  on  very  extensively 
and  successfully  the  furniture  trade.  He  too  has  succeeded 
in  establishing  a  large  manufactory  and  warerooms,  and  has 
amassed  a  large  fortune.  He  has  had  five  children,  of 
whom  only  three  are  living,  Eloine,  Alexander  and  Aggie. 

A.  Louisa,  the  twelfth  child  of  Allen  Willard  Hay  den, 
was  born  in  1825,  married  Salmon  P.  Bishop,  of  Pompey, 
in  1859,  and  lived  with  her  mother  on  the  old  homestead 
until  the  latter's  death.  She  then, being  broken  down  in  health, 
removed  to  Syracuse,  where  she  died  in  1867,  at  the  age  of 
forty-two  years.  She  left  no  children. 

Mary  Ann,  the  thirteenth  child,  was  born  in  1826,  mar 
ried  Lucius  A.  bearing,  of  Pompey,  in  1851,  and  now  lives 
in  Syracuse,  where  Dr.  tearing  is  a  successful  and  promi 
nent  dentist.  They  have  two  children — Jennie  and  George. 

Sely  C.,  the  fourteenth  child  of  Allen  Willard  Hayden, 
was  born  in  1830,  married  Anna  J.  Coburn,  of  Cazenovia, 
in  1855,  and  the  same  year  located  in  Syracuse,  where  he 
has  since  been  extensively  engaged  manufacturing  and  deal 
ing  in  furniture,  has  established  a  large  business  and  amassed 
a  good  fortune. 

This  is,  in  brief,  the  record  of  one  of  the  largest  and  old 
est,  as  well  as  one  of  the  most  successful  families  of  Pompey. 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  317 

PEL  ATI  AH  HAYDEN  AND  DESCENDANTS. 

Pelatiab  Hajden  was  born  in  Newington,  Connecticut, 
moved  into  Pompey  from  Kingsboro,  N.  Y.,  with  bis  wife 
Hepsibab  and  three  children,  Almira,  Lucy  and  David 
Ellsworth.  This  was  in  February,  1816.  He  settled  two 
miles  south  of  the  present  village  of  Pompey,  on  alarm  par 
tially  cleared,  joining  the  farms  of  John  C.  and  Ira  Jerome. 
Here  he  remained  till  his  death.  His  father  was  a  soldier  of 
the  Revolution.  Almira  married  Erastus  Colton,  of  Pom 
pey,  and  died  without  heirs,  November  13,  1838.  Lucy 
married  James  H.  Child,  of  Sullivan,  Chenango  county, 
whom  she  still  survives,  also  without  issue,  but  the  foster 
mother  of  two  or  three,  making  her  home  with  her  brother 
in  the  village  of  Pompey  Hill. 

David  E.  was  eight  years  of  age,  when  the  family  moved 
from  Kingsboro.  Arriving  at  suitable  age  he  married  Lu- 
cinda  Cooley,  and  continued  on  the  old  homestead  more 
than  fifty  years,  bringing  up  a  family  of  four  children — Hi 
ram  C.,  Caroline,  Hector  and  Lucy.  Two  others  died  in  in 
fancy. 

Hiram  C.  became  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  having  gradu 
ated  at  Arnherst  College,  and  Union  Theological  Seminary 
of  New  York.  At  the  time  of  this  writing,  (1874,)  he  has 
preached  at  Montville,  Conn.,  a  year  and  a  half,  four  years 
as  pastor  of  the  First  Congregational  church,  of  Meriden, 
Conn.  Four  years  as  pastor  of  the  First  Congregational 
church,  Painesville,  Ohio,  and  is  now  pastor  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  church  of  Cleaveland,  Ohio.  At  intervals  of 
labor  he  has  traveled  in  Europe,  Egypt,  Palestine,  Sinai  and 
California.  He  has  been  twice  married,  first  to  Elizabeth 
R.  Coit,  of  Norwich,  Conn.,  May  1st,  1861,  who  died  thir 
teen  months  thereafter,  leaving  an  infant  daughter  who  is 
still  living.  His  second  wife  was  Sarah  J.  Merriman,  of 
Meridan,  Conn.,  who  is  the  mother  of  two  children. 

Caroline  Hayden  gave  herself  to  the  vocation  of  a  teacher 
of  music,  and  is  now  located  at  Lester,  Michigan.  Hector, 


318  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

married  Amelia  Jones,  of  Pompey,  after  serving  his  coun 
try  in  a  cavalry  regiment  during  the  civil  war  of  1861  to 
1865,  and  settled  in  Meriden,  Conn.,  pursuing  the  calling  of 
a  carpenter  and  builder.  They  have  one  child.  Lucy  mar 
ried  Richard  Bishop,  of  Pompey,  a 'farmer,  and  now  resides 
in  Lester,  Michigan.  They  have  four  children. 

IIINSDELL  FAMILY. 

In  writing  a  history  of  the  first  settlers  of  Pompey,  the 
writer  has  to  bear  in  mind;  first,  that  but  little  space  can  be 
allowed  for  each  family ;  and  secondly,  that  he  must  not 
paint  the  bravery,  honor  and  virtue  of  "along  line  of  noble 
ancestors,"  but  confine  his  history  to  those  only  who  actually 
settled  in  Pornpey. 

Among  the  above  named  was  David  Hinsdell,  who  was 
born  at  Salisbury,  Conn.,  June  30th,  1854;  but  soon  after 
his  birth,  his  parents  were  compelled  by  the  hostility  of  the 
Indians,  to  move  to  Lenox,  Berkshire  County,  Mass.,  where 
they  had  formerly  lived.  Here  David  Hinsdell  grew  to 
manhood,  was  married  toFarozina  Remus,  and  in  due  time 
became  the  father  of  five  children,  removing  in  1787  to  Gal- 
way,  Saratoga  County,  X.  Y. 

At  this  place  five  more  children  were  born  ;  when  he  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  in  order  to  support  his  growing  fami 
ly,  he  must  remove  to  some  more  fertile  locality,  a~,td  Pom 
pey  seemed  to  him  the  modern  Canaan  for  which  he  longed. 
The  purchase  of  one-fourth  of  lot  6  was  made  1794,  and 
preparations  made  to  move  and  occupy  it  the  next  season  ; 
but  his  house  taking  fire  in  the  night,  the  family  escaped 
with  but  little  save  what  clothing  they  chanced  to  have  on, 
thus  rendering  their  migration  impossible  for  a  time.  How 
ever,  in  September,  1795,  he  sent  Moses,  his  oldest  son,  then 
eighteen  years  of  age,  to  Pompey  to  build  a  house  and  make 
such  preparations  as  would  enable  the  family  to 
follow  the  coming  winter :  once  arrived  upon  the  scene  of 
his  future  labors,  the  youthful  Moses  found  that  he  had  no 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  319 

resources  to  draw  upon,  but  his  brawn  and  muscle;  there 
fore,  he  drew  upon  them,  and  his  draft  was  honored,  for  he 
first  cut,  logged,  and  burnt  over  two  acres,  which  he  sowed 
to  wheat ;  then  from  the  logs  he  had  sawed  for  the  purpose, 
he  built  a  log  house,  covering  it  with  bark  and  having  it 
completed  ready  for  the  occupancy  of  the  family  who  came 
in  February,  1796.  Here  David  Hinsdell  had  two  more 
children  born,  and  from  a  school  roll  now  in  possession  of 
the  family,  it  appears  that  in  the  winter  of  1799  and  1800, 
six  of  his  children  attended  a  school  taught  by  Levi  Jerome. 

David  Hinsdell  died  in  1822,  and  his  wife  some  years 
later,  the  homestead  passing  into  the  possession  of  Chauncy 
Hinsdell,  who  lived  on  it  until  his  death,  which  occured  a 
few  years  since,  and  his  children  still  own  it.  All  the  sons 
except  Chauncy  and  Moses, sought  homes  in  other  localities; 
Moses  buying  fifteen  acres  on  lot  17,  in  1801,  ot  Mr.  Sweet, 
giving  therefor  his  note,  as  he  had  nothing  else  to 
give — adding  however,  in  the  course  of  time,  five 
hundred  acres  to  the  first  purchase.  In  order  to 
follow  out  in  detail  my  sketch  of  Moses  Hinsdell, 
I  must  go  back  to  1798,  when  being  twenty  years  of  age,he 
bargained  with  his  father  for  his  time,  cutting  off  therefor, 
a  certain  piece  ot  timber,  which  being  duly  finished,  he 
stepped  out  into  the  world  to  make  his  own  furtune,  being- 
possessed  of  good  vigorous  constitution,  the  clothes  he  had 
on,  two  pairs  of  shoes  and  his  good  axe.  In  1800  he  joined 
hands  and  fortunes  with  Rachael  Hibbartl,  m arrying  her 
in  November  of  that  year;  her  worldly  possessions  being 
one  cow,  eight  sheep,  and  I  think  a  little  crockery  ;  she  also 
was  possessed  of  good  common  sense,  a  kind  loving  heart 
full  of  noble  impulses  and  good  will  to  all,  and  a  self  sacri 
ficing  disposition,  which  stood  the  test  of  more  than  forty 
years  of  married  life ;  helping  over  the  rough  places, 
cheering  the  despondent,  restraining  the  wayward  and  vola 
tile,  developing  into  a  pure  Christian  mode  of  life  which 
enabled  her  to  say  "  thy  will  be  done,"  when  she  was  called 
to  her  reward  in  1841.  There  were  born  unto  this  couple 


320  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

ten  children — six  sons  and  four  daughters,  viz:  Eli  B.  Hins- 
dell,  who  died  at  Salina,  in  1856.  Harriet  IFmsdell,  (Mrs. 
David  Barber,)  now  living  in  Syracuse.  Polly  Hinsdell, 
(Mrs.  John  S.  Wells,)  who  died  in  1863.  Eliza  Hinsdell, 
(Mrs.  L.  B.  Pitcher,)  living  in  the  town  of  Salimi.  Samuel 
Hinsdell,  living  at  Fairmount,  ~N.  Y. 

David  H.  Hinsdell  living  at  Manlius,  N.  Y.,  Stephen 
Hinsdell  living  at  Syracuse.  Myraette  Hinsdell,  (Mrs.  D. 
Fairbank,)  living  at  Kalamazoo,  Mich.  Perry  H.  Hinsdell 
living  in  the  town  of  Salina,  and  Moses  B.  Hinsdell  who 
died  in  Lyons,  Mich.  In  1843,  he  was  again  married  to 
Mrs.  Phebe  Underwood,  who  is  still  living  at  Forrestville, 
K  Y.,  but  in  1857  he  died  in  Pompey,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
eight  years.  I  have  remarked  that  Moses  Ilinsdell  started 
out  in  life  at  twenty  years  ;  arid  he  so  started  determined  to 
succeed,  if  truth,  integrity  and  industry  could  succeed — as  he 
knew  they  must.  Following  firmly  in  the  path  he  marked 
out,  he  soon  was  a  man  of  influence  among  his  fellows,  and 
during  his  long  life,  no  man  could  accuse  him  of  extortion, 
fraud  or  untruth.  In  his  later  years,  he  often  remarked 
with  pride,  that  no  note  he  ever  gave  came  to  maturity  un 
paid,  except  in  one  instance,  when  an  §100  note  given  on 
demand  to  the  holder's  order,  came  back  to  him  after  "man}^ 
days,"  having  passed  current  from  one  man  to  another  in 
the  usual  first  of  April  payments,  until  over  twenty  endorse 
ments  graced  its  back,  having  passed  through  over  a  score 
of  bands,  and  paid  over  82,000  of  indebtedness.  A  very  posi 
tive  man,  and  one  accustomed  to  think  and  act  quickly,  he 
was  often  wrong,  and  clung  to  that  wrong  with  a  tenacity 
worthy  of  a  better  cause;  but  no  man  was  more  willing  to 
accept  the  truth  than  he,  when  it  was  shown  to  him.  He 
was  generous  to  a  fault  in  a  cause  he  deemed  worthy,  but  no 
man,  or  set  of  men,  ever  caused  him  to  swerve  trom  a  posi 
tion  his  judgment  told  him  was  well  taken.  He  was  just 
the  kind  of  a  man  to  settle  in  a  new  country,  and  help  to 
develop  it,  and  there  are  too  few  of  the :n  in  this  present 
day.  He  never  mixed  much  in  politics,  always  refused  of- 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  321 

fice,  and  really  accomplished  what  he  said  ought  to  be  every 
man's  mission,  viz  :  "to  make  the  world  some  better  for 
having  lived  in  it/: 


DAVID  HIBBARD. 

The  reader  will  recognize  the  above  as  a  Pompey  name. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  a  revolutionary  soldier,  like 
many  other  pioneer  residents  of  Pompey.  He  settled  in 
Pompey  on  lot  No.  6,  in  1794.  In  addition  to  agricultural 
pursuits,  he  was  a  carpenter  and  joiner.  During  his  early 
residence  in  Pompey,  his  son  John  was  killed  by  the  falling 
of  a  tree.  This  left  him  four  sons  and  five  daughters.  The 
names  of  the  four  remaining  sons  were  Samuel,  Robert,  Ja 
cob  and  Isaac  V.V.  Hibbard,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  mem 
ber  of  the  N.  Y.  Assembly  in  1853.  Samuel  M.  Hibbard,  a 
son  of  Isaac  Y.  V. ,  now  occupies  the  old  homestead  of  his 
grandfather,  David.  Samuel  Hibbard,  son  of  David,  has 
two  sons  resident  in  Pompey ;  one  bears  the  name  of  his 
grandfather,  David  Hibbard;  the  name  of  the  other  is 
Charles  Hibbard. 

HEZEKIAH  HOPKINS. 

Col.  Hezekiah  Hopkins  was  born  in  Harwinton,  Litch- 
field  Co.,  Conn.,  and  moved  thence  with  his  family  in  1800 
to  Clinton,  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.  Here  he  remained  about 
two  years,  and  then  came  to  Pompey  Hill.  He  was  married 
to  Eunice  Hubbell,  by  whom  he  had  nine  children ;  five  of 
them  were  sons  and  four  daughters — Sheldon, Milton. Harry, 
Hezekiah,  Jr.,  Richard,  Fanny,  Laura,  Dothy  and  Charlotte, 
the  latter  being  born  about  a  year  after  their  arrival  in  Pom 
pey.  Col.  Hopkins  kept  the  hotel  on  the  site  now  (1874,) 
occupied  by  Peter  Oley,  some  twenty-four  years,very  much 
to  the  satisfaction  of  the  public,  keeping  a  very  temperate, 
quiet  and  orderly  place.  He  sold  to  his  son  Harry  and 
purchased  a  small  farm  near  the  village,  where  he  and  his 
wife  lived  with  his  son  Hezekiah  until  their  death,  being 
at  the  time  of  their  decease  about  seventy-eight  years  of 

21 


322  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNIOM. 

age.  Soon  after  purchasing  the  hotel,  Harry  built  an  addi 
tion  and  continued  to  keep  the  hotel  about  three  years,when 
he  leased  it  to  Capt.  Pitt  Dyer,  for  a  term  of  years. 

He  was  Deputy  Sheriff  under  Doctor  Granger,  and  a  very 
faithful  and  efficient  officer.  He  also  held  the  office  of  Com 
missioner  of  Highways.  In  1837  he  sold  his  real  estate  in 
Pompey,and  moved  to  Cleveland, Ohio,leaving  his  oldest  son 
Jerome  and  daughter  Caroline  behind, both  being  employed 
in  Manlius  village,  Jerome  as  a  clerk  in  the  store  of  Azariah 
Smith,  and  Caroline  as  a  teacher.  His  wife,  (Theodocia  Je 
rome,)  died  of  consumption,  in  Cleveland,  in  1839.  In  1841 
he  married  Mrs.  Theodocia  Hamilton,  near  Medina,  Ohio, 
where  he  lived  on  a  farm  with  her  for  thirty  years,  when  she 
died.  And  no-w  being  eighty-one  years  old  and  in  failing 
health,  he  came  to  live  with  his  son  Jerome,  in  Cleveland, 
where  he  continued  till  his  death  in  1872.  He  was  present 
at  the  Re-Union,  June  29th,  1871.  Mrs.  Beardslee,  of  Syra 
cuse,  is  now  the  only  surviving  member  of  the  old  Col. Hop 
kins'  family.  Harry  Hopkins'  surviving  children  are  Je 
rome,  George  and  Sophia,  all  living  in  and  near  Cleveland, 
Ohio. 


ENSIGN  HILL. 

Colonel  Ensign  Hill,  who  was  one   of  the  pioneer  settlers 
of  the  east  part  of  Pompey,  near  Delphi,  was  born  in  Wash 
ington,  Berkshire  County,  Mass.,  May  28th,  1772;  his  wife 
Polly  II.  Kellogg,  was  born  in   Dalton,  Berkshire  County, 
Mass.,  February  29th,  177(3;  the}*  were  married  September 
29th,  1801,  and  moved  to  Pompey  in   the  fall  of  that  year. 
Mr.  Hill  had  been  to  Pompey  the  year  before,had  purchased 
iifty  acres  of  land  and  cleared  enough  to  put  up  a   pioneer 
house,  near  where  the  watering  trough  now  is,   about  one 
hundred  rods  south  of  Delphi  village.     All    he  had  when 
coming  to  Pompey,  was  a  horse,  saddle  and    bridle,  which 
he  sold  to  Judge  Platt  near  Utica ;   the  avails  were  paid 
towards  his  land ;    although  possessed  of  the  usual  amount 
of  energy  and  pluck  characteristic  of  early  settlers,  the  toil 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  323 

and  hardships  incident  to  pioneer  life  caused  him  occasion 
ally  to  feel  despondent.  When  one  day  indulging  in  a  mel 
ancholy  mood,  a  stranger  rode  up  to  where  he  was  clearing 
the  forest  and  entering  into  conversation,  finally  offered 
him  fifty  dollars  for  his  bargain  in  the  purchase  of  his  land; 
he  thought  if  the  stranger  could  see  fifty  dollars  in  it,  he 
could  find  it,  and  so  he  still  toiled  on,  never  more  indulging 
the  wish  to  return  permanently  to  the  home  of  his  childhood. 
He  added  largely  to  his  first  purchase,  and  became  one  of 
the  leading  farmers  in  his  neighborhood ;  and  although  his 
pursuit  was  the  tilling  of  the  soil,  he  always  manifested  a 
lively  interest  in  public  affairs.  Descended  from  revolu 
tionary  ancestors,  he  early  formed  an  attachment  to  the 
military  service,  and  became  colonel  of  a  regiment  of  mili 
tia.  He  was  a  ^N~ew  England  Democrat,  and  an  ardent  ad 
mirer  of  Andrew  Jackson.  He  was  an  earnest  supporter  of 
the  administration  of  Madison,  during  the  war  of  1812.  He 
lived  to  see  Pompey,  the  home  of  his  adoption,  a  popu 
lous  and  thriving  town ;  his  first  wife  died  December 
20th,  1818,  after  which  he  married  a  widow  lady,  Mrs. 
Humphrey ville.  Mr.  Hill  died  December  4th,  1832,  hav 
ing  lived  to  see  his  favorite  general  and  statesman  ele 
vated  to  the  Presidency  of  the  United  States  a  second  time. 
All  his  children  were  born  in  Pompey.  Ensign  W.,  the 
eldest,  was  born  June  20th,  1802,  was  a  farmer  and  mer 
chant,  an  excellent  penman  and  book-keeper;  he  resided  in 
Pompey  the  whole  of  his  life,  which  terminated  September 
7th,  1870.  Three  children,  Orange,  Lydia  S.  and  Charlotte, 
died  in  childhood. 

A  second  son,  Orange,  was  born  February  21st,  1806, 
and  now  lives  in  Delphi,  and  is  a  farmer. 

Charles  R.  K.  Hill  was  born  January  3d,  1810,  and  now 
lives  on  the  old  homestead  in  the  elegant  mansion  erected 
by  his  father  ;  he  is  now  an  acting  Justice  of  the  Peace  in 
Pompey,  elected  as  a  democrat,  although  his  party  is  in  ;i 
large  minority  in  the  town. 

William  Hull  Hill   was  born  July   4th,    1812,    and   was 


324  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

named  in  honor  of  Hull's  victory  over  the  English.  He  re 
tains  the  patriotism  of  his  childhood,  born  as  he  was  upon 
the  nation's  biithday;  he  it  is  of  whom  Luther  R.  Marsh 
said,  upon  the  occasion  of  the  Re-union  ot  Pompey's  chil 
dren,  June  29th,  1871 :  "  that  he  came  from  New  York  with 
one  Hull  Hill,  who  had  since  acted  as  though  he  owned  the 
whole  Hill. 

Mary  Ann  Hill  was  married  to  Dr.  Rocius  Morse,  and 
lived  in  Elmira;  died  January  6th,  1870. 

James  L.  Hill  was  the  only  child  by  his  second  wife  ;  he 
married  an  only  daughter  of  Hamilton  Allen,  of  Pompey 
Valley,  and  now  resides  near  Syracuse. 


JOSIAH  HOLBROOK 

Josiah  Holbrook  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Pompey. 
He  was  born  in  the  year  1757,  in  Adams,  Mass.,  and  married 
Rachel  Wright.  They  resided  in  Adams,  where  some  of 
their  children  were  born,  till  1792,  when  they  commenced 
their  journey  to  Pompey.  Mr.  Holbrook  had  purchased  of 
si  soldier  a  wood-land  farm  in  Pompey,  which  he  had  never 
seen.  Equipped  as  pioneer  settlers  usually  were,  with  all 
iiieir  household  goods  loaded  upon  a  cart  drawn  by  a  yoke 
of  oxen  and  a  single  horse  for  a  leader,  in  1792  they  came  to 
Springfield,  Otsego  Co.,  !N".  Y.  Here  they  tarried  with  his 
sister  till  the  spring  of  1793,  when  in  March  they  finished 
their  pilgrimage  to  their  future  home  located  on  Lot  No.  53, 
the  farm  recently  owned  by  Mr.  Hubbard,  east  of  Pompey 
Center.  The  family  at  that  time  consisted  of  Josiah  Hol 
brook,  his  wife,  father  and  mother  and  six  children — 
Abigal,  Silas  W.,  Patty,  Frestus,  Rachel  and  Electa,  Af 
ter  they  came  to  Pompey  four  more  children  were  born 
unto  them,  who,  in  the  order  of  their  ages,  were  Adol- 
phus,  Josiah  G.,  Amanda  and  Samuel.  Adolphus  was 
born  in  1793,  and  is  said  to  be  the  third  white  child  born  in 
Pompey.  Few  were  then  the  conveniences  of  life,  and 
many  hardships  were  encountered.  There  were  no  roads  or 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  325 

bridges;  by  marked  trees  they  came;  they  pounded  their 
corn  in  a  mortar  or  went  to  "Whitestown,  near  Utica,  to  mill. 

It  is  true  that  Surveyors,  the  pioneers  of  civilization,  had 
come  before  them  and  marked  the  trees,  but  before  the  gol 
den  harvests  could  be  reaped,  the  majestic  forests  must  yield 
to  days  of  constant  toil.  How  many  of  our  generation  are 
fitted  for  the  obstacles  which  they  manfully  met,  and  heroic 
ally  overcome?  About  this  time,  over  in  Pornpey  Hollow 
came  Ozias  Burr,  Samuel  Draper  and  Mr.  Lamb.  David 
Green,  too,  came  the  same  year  and  settled  on  what  has 
since  been  called  "Green's  Corners."  Soon  after  came  Ba 
rak  Holbrook  and  Luke  Holbrook,  who  married  "Win.  Du- 
guid's  sisters.  William  Duguid,  another  of  Pompey's  pio 
neers,  who  is  the  ancestor  of  the  Duguid  family. 

Notwithstanding  the  limited  resources  at  command,  Mr. 
Holbrook,  in  common  with  his  town's  people,  early  became 
interested  in  public  impro  rernents.  He  was  one  of  the  first 
subscribers  to  the  Pompey  Academy  fund.  As  we  look 
over  the  individual  history  of  Pompey's  pioneers,  and  note 
the  personal  sacrifices  they  made  from  their  small  and  toil 
some  gains  to  the  establishment  of  schools  and  churches  and 
the  interests  of  society,  and  make  comparison  with  the 
present  public  spirit  manifested,  we  may  well  pause  and  ask 
ourselves  whether  this  is  an  age  of  progress  in  Pompey  or  of 
retrogression.  Mr.  Holbrook  was  a  Christian,  and  attended 
the  Presbyterian  church. 

Only  two  of  his  children  are  living.  Festus,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-six  years,  resides  in  Michigan,  having  raised  a  large 
family  who  are  all  dead.  Josiah  G.  resides  south  of  Cold 
Water,  Michigan,  and  has  a  large  family.  These  two  sons 
left  Pompey  and  went  west  in  the  spring  of  1815.  All  of 
his  children  were  married  while  living  in  Pompey.  He  died 
in  November,  1831,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years,  and  he 
and  his  wife,  his  father,  mother,  two  sons  and  three  daugh 
ters,  all  lie  beneath  the  green  sod  of  the  old  hill  town  which 
they  assisted  to  make  rich  with  golden  harvests. 

Silas  W.  Holbrook,  the  eldest  son  of  the  pioneer  Josiah, 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNIOX. 

married  Thankful  Skinner,  whose  father  was  also  a  Pom 
pey  pioneer,  having  settled  on  Lot  No.  22,  near  Oran,  in 
1794.  Their  children  were  Silas  L.  Holbrook,  Levi  S.  Hoi- 
brook,  Aurelia  Holbrook,  Chapin  M.  Holbrook  andJJosiah 
E.  Holbrook.  Of  these  Silas  L.  married  Nancy  Hubbard, 
by  whom  he  had  three  children,  Henry  L.,  B.  Franklin  and 
Dwight.  They  all  live  in  Pompey. 

Levi  S.  Holbrook  married  Fidelia  Woodward,  September 
1,1831;  they  have  no  children.  He  now  resides  in  Syra 
cuse,  having  left  Pompey  a  few  years  ago.  He  has  been 
honored  by  his  fellow  citizens  with  various  public  trusts. 
From  1853  to  1858  inclusive,  he  represented  Pompey  in  the 
Board  of  Supervisors,  and  the  latter  year  was  a  member  of 
the  State  Legislature.  From  1862  to  1869  he  was  a  revenue 
officer  of  the  general  government. 

Aurelia  Holbrook  married  Samuel  E.  Tarbell,  and  they 
reside  in  Wisconsin. 

Chapin  M.  Holbrook  married  Malinda  Safford,  and  they 
and  their  only  child  live  in  Pompey. 

Josiah  E.  Holbrook  married  Alcemena  Smith,  daughter 
of  John  Smith,  a  Pompey  pioneer,  and  they  reside  in  De- 
Witt,  K  Y.  They  have  no  children. 

Daniel  W.  Holbrook,  another  grandchild  of  the  old  pio 
neer,  married  Martha  Porter,  of  Pompey,  and  moved  to 
Michigan,  where  he  died.  His  wife  now  resides  in  Syracuse, 
and  her  son,  Levi,  with  her.  Their  only  remaining  son, 
Daniel,  is  a  resident  of  California. 

Adolphus  Holbrook  was  twice  married,  and  Josiah  G. 
Holbrook,  of  Jamesville,  ISL  Y.,  was  one  of  his  children  by 
his  first  wife.  By  his  second  wife  he  had  two  children, 
Maria  and  Henry  II.,  the  son  only  being  now  living,  making 
his  home  in  Jamesville,  ~N.  Y.  His  widow  lives  in  Pompey 
with  Lucien  Northrup,  w7ho  was  the  husDand  of  Maria,  who 
died  several  years  ago.  Thus  have  we  traced  an  imperfect 
record  of  another  Pompey  faTnity,  and  the  reason  why  we 
have  not  made  mention  of  them  all,  is  because  our  informa 
tion  is  not  sufficient  to  make  any  further  record  authentic. 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  327 

JONAS  HINMAN. 

Jonas  and  Esther  Hinman  settled  in  Pompey  in  the  year 
1796  or  1797;  he  was  one  of  the  earliest  pioneers  of  the 
wilderness  of  Onondaga  County. 

It  is  not  necessary  in  this  sketch,  to  give  in  detail,  nor 
delineate  particularly  the  hardships  and  sufferings  of  those 
times  of  which  the  surviving  children  and  grand-children  of 
those  strong  souls  are  conversant;  therefore,  I  pass  to  the 
time  when  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hinman  were  two  of  nine  persons 
who  organized  the  first  Baptist  Church  of  Pompey,  which, 
at  a  later  period,  moved  to  Maul  ins  village. 

Mr.  Hinman's  family  consisted  of  twelve  children,  and 
while  the  youngest  child  was  an  infant,  by  trusting  too  im 
plicitly  in  human  nature,  he  lost  his  property,  since  known 
as  the  Hubbard  farm.  He  transplanted  the  apple  orchard, 
still  standing — nearlv  three-fourths  of  a  century  ago,  when 
his  oldest  children  were  so  small  that  with  difficulty  they 
carried  water  in  little  bottles  to  water  and  ke^p  alive  the 
trees.  At  the  time  he  met  with  his  reverse  fortune,  he  was  . 
past  his  prime  in  life,  and  broken  in  tyealth  ;  still,  with  his 
hopeful  temperament  and  natural  energy,  he  divided  his 
family,  and  boldly  entered  on  his  second  pilgrimage  as  pio 
neer  in  the  wilds  of  Lysander. 

When  he  had  there  completed  his  log-cabin,  he  removed 
his  wife  and  the  younger  children  to  the  new  home,  to  share 
the  privations  attending  a  newT  settlement,  with  this  dif 
ference  between  the  first  and  the  last — in  the  last  instance 
he  had  eight  children  to  suffer  with  him,  instead  of  two. 

Mr.  Hinrnan  was  generous  to  a  fault,  and  his  benevolence, 
supported  by  a  deep-seated  sense  of  Christian  piety  and 
honor,  and  a  full  trust  in  Providence,  and  his  natural  firm 
ness,  all  working  together  on  his  active  nervous  brain,  set 
the  ball  in  motion  which  should  abolish  imprisonment  for 
debt.  He  looked  upon  that  law  as  oppressive,  unjust  and 
wicked.  He  was  bondsman  for  the  poor,  unfortunate  men, 
till  at  last  he  released  a  villain,  St.  John,  who  was  not  a 


328  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

poor  man,  but  secreted  his  property,  and  absconded;  con 
sequently  Mr.  Hinman  was  obliged  to  sell  his  farm  to  pay 
the  bond,  and  beggared  his  family,  for  which  they  suffered, 
as  only  natural  pride  and  a  preponderance  of  inherited  sen 
sitiveness  can  be  made  to  feel,  where  poverty  was  looked 
upon  as  low  and  degrading  by  those  who  were  more  fortu- 
41  ate  in  possessing  material  wealth. 

I  will  say  to  the  mothers  of  the  present  young  generation 
of  Pompey's  children — instruct  your  children  that  ig 
norance  is  far  more  degrading  in  every  position  or  depart1 
inentin  life  to  which  they  may  be  called,  than  honest  pov 
erty. 

Nearly  twenty  years  later  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hinman  returned 
to  Pompey  to  die  among  their  brethren;  their  married 
life  was  sixty-two  years,  and  in  death  they  were  not  long 
separated.  Mrs.  Hinman  died  aged  seventy-eight ;  Mr.  Hin 
man  survived  his  wife  but  one  year,  aged  eighty-six; 
they  were  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Manlius  village. 

The  names  of  Mr.  Hinman's  children,  and  where  located, 
areas  follows:  Maiy-  W.  Symonds,  Watertown,  N.  Y.; 
Electa  Drake,  Yonkers,  IN".  Y.;  Sarah  Clapp,  dead  ;  Hervey, 
dead;  Betsey,  dead;  Hiram,  dead ;  Horace,  Lapeer  City, 
Mich.;  Lydia  M.  Wisner,  Mahattan,  Kansas;  Charlotte  N". 
Clement,  Pompey,  N.  Y.;  Heman,  St.  Catharines,  Canada 
West;  Samuel  Hayden,  unknown  ;  Emily  II.  Robinson, 
New  York  City. 


DANIEL  KNAPP. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  was  Daniel  Knapp,  who  emi 
grated  from  Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  to  Pompey,  Onondaga 
County,  N.  Y.,  about  the  year  1800  ;  he  located  on  a  farm 
one  mile  north  from  Pompey  Academy ;  his  wife's  maiden 
name  was  Christianna  Phelps,  with  whom  he  settled  on  the 
above  mentioned  farm  in  1803 ;  they  lived  together  on  that 
farm  till  1828,  enduring  the  hardships  and  engaged  in  the 
active  labor  of  pioneer  life.  During  this  period,  six  sons 
were  born  unto  them.  He  died  August  6th,  1823,  and  was 


r  f 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  329 

the  first  one  buried  in  the  Pompey  Hill  Cemetery  as  it  is 
now  located.  His  wife  assumed  the  responsibility  of  set 
tling  the  estate  and  managing  the  farm,  exhibiting  great 
energy  and  tact  in  her  arduous  duties  ;  she  paid  oft  the  heirs 
as  they  became  of  age,  which  left  her  full  control  of  the 
whole  farm,  which  she  managed  for  over  forty  years;  at  the 
age  of  eighty-three  years,  having  become  incapacitated  to 
continue  the  management  of  her  farm,  she  went  to  reside 
with  her  son,  Harry  Knapp,  who  still  continues  to  reside  in 
Pompey,  where  she  died  January  1st,  1869,  at  the  advanced 
age  of  eighty-seven  years,  leaving  her  children  to  inherit  a 
second  time  the  same  estate  upon  which  she  and  her  hus 
band  had  settled  sixty-six  years  before.  The  value  of  her 
estate  at  the  time  of  her  death,  was  about  eight  thousand 
dollars.  Such  in  brief  is  the  history  of  one  of  the  early  set 
tlers  of  Pompey  and  his  faithful  wife,  furnished  by  one  of 
their  children.  It  is  refreshing  in  these  days  of  indolence 
and  ease  to  notice  the  energy  and  pluck  of  such  pioneer  set 
tlers  as  these,  and  it  is  eminently  proper  to  rescue  their 
memory  from -lorgetfulness  and  present  them  as  examples  to 
the  rising  generation. 


REV.  JOSHUA  LEONARD. 

COMPILED   BY   LUTHER   R.    MARSH. 

Rev.  Jo  >' iiia  Leonard  was  a  conspicuous  feature  in  the 
early  hist  >ry  of  this  town  ;  he  came  of  English  stock;  through 
the  unvaiuuble  records  published  by  the  New  England  His 
toric-  -Genealogical  Society  of  Boston,  we  are  enabled  to 
trace  his  ancestry.  Rev.  Peres  Fobes,  L.  L.  D.,  pastor  of  the 
Congregational  Church  in  Raynham,  Mass.,  furnished,  some 
seventy  years  ago,  an  account  of  the  Leonard  family,  which 
is  believed  to  be  the  first  family  genealogy  of  any  considera 
ble  extent  printed  in  New  England;  and,  in  1851,  William 
R.  Deane,  a  member  of  the  Society,  brought  the  memoir 
down  two  generations  later.  From  these  records,  it  appears 
that  the  progenitor  of  Rev.  Joshua  Leonard  was  James 
Leonard,  who,  with  his  brother  Henry,  son  of  Thomas 


330  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

Leonard,  came  from  Pontypool,  in  the  maritime  English 
County  of  Monmouthshire,  bordering  on  South  Wales;  u 
region  rich  with  collieries  and  blazing  with  furnaces,  pene 
trated  by  the  fertile  vales  of  the  Usk  and  the  Wye— the 
scene  of  important  historical  events ;  where  Owen  Glen- 
dower  was  defeated,  and  where,  long  after,  Cromwell  tri 
umphed.  The  brothers,  James  and  Henry  Leonard, 
came  to  Taunton,  Mass.,  in  1652,  and  James  established 
there  the  first  iron-works  in  the  United  States,  and  died, 
1691,  aged  seventy-three  years.  The  manufacture  of  iron 
seems  to  have  been  an  inheritance  of  the  Leonards — not 
only  before  they  came,  but  afterwards  ;  both  in  New  Jersey, 
where  Henry  settled  and  established  that  business — followed 
there  by  successive  generations — and  in  Massachusetts, 
where,  at  Lynn,  Braintree,  Rowley  village,  and  Taunton, 
and  at  a  later  date  at  Canton,  they  set  up  their  mills;  so 
that  it  came  to  be  said  that,  "  where  you  can  find  Iron 
Works,  there  you  will  find  a  Leonard." 

"  They  were  probably  interested  in  most,  if  not  all  of  the 
iron  works  established  in  this  country  within  the  first  cen 
tury  after  its  settlement,  and  it  is  a  remarkable  fact,"  says' 
Mr.  Deane,  in  1.851,  "  that  the  iron  manufacture  has  con 
tinued  successively,  and  generally  very  successfully,  in  the 
hands  of  the  Leonards  or  their  descendants,  down  to  the 
present  day.  Their  old  forge,  though  it  has  been  many 
times  remodelled,  has  been  in  constant  use  for  nearly  two 
hundred  years,  and  is  now  in  the  full  tide  of  successful  ope 
ration." 

"  James  and  his  sons,"  says  the  same  authority,  "often 
treated  with  the  Indians,  and  were  on  such  terms  of  friend 
ship  with  them,  that  when  the  war  broke  out,  King  Philip 
gave  strict  orders  to  his  men  never  to  hurt  the  Leonards. 
Philip  resided  in  winter  at  Mount  Hope  ;  but  his  summer 
residence  was  at  Raynham,  about  a  mile  from  the  forge." 

Tradition  says  he  was  buried  there  under  the  front  porch 
of  the  old  Leonard  mansion — a  mansion  which  sheltered 


THE    POMPEY   KE-UNION.  331 

the  heads  of  six  generations  of  the  name — the  brick  used  in 
its  construction  having  been  brought  from  England. 

James  Leonard,  (son  of  above  James,)  and  his  son  James, 
Avere  both  Captains,  and  each  liv<?d  to  be  more  than  eighty 
years  old.  Stephen  Leonard  was  a  son  of  the  latter,  and 
was  a  justice  of  the  Peace,  and  a  Judge  of  the  Court  of 
Common  Pleas.  His  oldest  son,  Major  Zephaniah  Leonardr 
born  March  18th,*1704,  of  Taunton,  died  on  the  same  day 
his  wife,  23d  April,  1776  ;  he  in  his  sixty-third,  she  in  her 
sixty-second  year,  and  were  both  buried  in  the  same  grave  : 
the  inscription  on  the  monument  is  historical. 

He  was  a  man  of  enterprise  and  energy,  possessing  great 
native  dignity  of  character,  and  filled  with  honor  the  dis 
tinguished  station  in  society  which  he  attained.  In  1761 
he  was  appointed  a  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas, 
which  office  he  held  until  his  death.  Their  oldest  son,  Cap 
tain  Joshua  Leonard,  was  born  January  5th,  1724,  and  died 
27th  November,  1816,  aged  92  years. 

His  oldest  son  was  the  Hev.  Joshua  Leonard,  (of  the  sixth 
generation  from  the  progenitor  James,)  the  subject  of  this 
notice,  who  was  born  June  25th,  1769.  He  graduated  at 
Brown  University,  1788;  was  first  settled  in  Ellington, 
Conn.,  whence,  about  the  year  1797  or  1798,  he  went  to 
Cazenovia,  Madison  county,  N.  Y.,  then  in  its  intancy;  sta 
tioning  himself  on  the  rim  of  civilization  as  it  advanced 
Avestward  across  the  continent.  At  this  place,  on  the  17th 
of  May,  1799,  he  formed  a  Presbyterian  Church — the  first 
one  there,  consisting  of  only  nine  members ;  he  continued  the 
pastor  of  this  church  about  fourteen  years,  when,  on  account 
of  impaired  health,  he  resigned  his  charge  ;  the  church  then 
numbering  127  members.  In  a  theological  work  published 
by  him  at  Cazenovia  in  1834,  "  The  Unity  of  God,"  he  says: 
"  I  was  the  first  pastor  who  settled  in  this  wide  region  of 
country  ;  my  church  was  a  single,  independent,  Congrega 
tional  Church;  I  was  a  single,  independent,  Congregational 
Minister.  From  Cazenovia  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  there  wa& 
not  one  Congregational  or  Presbyterian  pastor;  not  one  in 


332  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

this  State  to  the  north  or  south  of  me;  not  one  to  the  east, 
nearer  than  Mr.  Steele,  of  Paris,  in  Oneida  county."  On 
leaving  the  Cazenovia  church,  he  moved  to  Pompey,  and, 
in  1814,  became  preceptor  of  the  Pompey  Academy ;  occu 
pying  that  position  for  eight  years.  Under  his  administra 
tion  that  Institution  flourished,  and  had  a  wide  influence. 

He  still  continued  to  accept  the  frequent  invitations  to  fill 
the  neighboring  pulpits.  He  was  a  man  of  sterling  integri 
ty,  untiring  industry,  of  a  fetterless  independence  and  bold 
ness,  of  very  extensive  reading,  large  and  accurate  acquire 
ments,  and  a  singular  power  of  condensed  expression. 

As,  robed  in  a  long  flowing  morning  gown,  with  high 
hose  and  knee-buckles,  staff  in  hand,  he  used  to  take  his 
rapid  morning  walks  through  the  village,  he  left  an  impres 
sion  of  dignity  and  goodness  on  the  minds  of  the  youth  so 
vivid,  that  it  has  yet  scarcely  been  dimmed  by  the  half  cen 
tury  intervening. 

He  died  at  Auburn,  at  his  daughter's,  Mrs.  Helen  L.  Wil 
liams,  December  18th,  1843,  aged  75  with  faculties  unim 
paired,  retaining  his  undiminished  interest  in  all  the  literary 
and  scientific,  progress  of  the  day ;  Mrs.  Leonard  having  died 
at  Lincklaen,  Chsnango  county,  nineteen  years  previous.  Of 
their  nine  children,  six  survive,  and  reside  at  Chicago,  111. 
the  youngest  of  whom  is  sixty-three  years  old ;  longevity 
being  one  of  their  characteristics,  as  if  some  of  the  iron  of 
their  manufacture  had  entered  into  their  composition  ;  a  sis 
ter  still  surviving,  atRaynham  of  the  age  of  ninety-nine. 


LUTHER    MARSH 

Must  have  come  to  Pompey  sometime  prior  to  1812.  Born, 
Walpole,  K  II.,  October  14,  1782;  died,  Chicago,  Novem 
ber  14,  1859,  aged  77.  He  was  son  of  Captain  Elisha  Marsh, 
(who  subsequently  removed  from  Walpole  to  Guilford,  Ver 
mont,)  arid  grandson  of  Rev.  Elisha  Marsh,  a  graduate  of 
Harvard,  and  the  first  minister  at  Westminster,  Mass.,  from 
1742  to  1757. 


V     OF  THE 


UNIVERSITY   | 

OF  v     / 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  333 

This  cl  ergyman  was  arraigned  for  heresy,  for  saying  that 
"obedience  is  the  condition  of  salvation  ;"  and  that  "he 
would  as  soon  worship  the  devil  as  worship  such  a  being  as 
requires  more  from  his  creatures  than  they  are  able  to  per 
form  ;"  for  saying  that  "if  all  that  was  required  of  a  man 
was  to  believe,  then  the  condition  of  salvation  was  easy  and 
pleasant  to  fools."  He  was  a  spicy  character.  One  morn 
ing,  on  meeting  the  sheriff  from  a  neighboring  town,  who 
was  on  his  way  to  sue  the  town,  and  who,  pursuant  to  the 
custom  to  serve  writ  on  some  one  of  the  citizens, served  it  on 
him ;  saying  in  a  pleasant  manner  as  he  handed  him  the 
writ;  "The  grace  of  God,  Mr.  Marsh."  "Yes,  by  the 
hands  of  the  Devil,"  was  the  quick  retort.  He  moved  to 
Walpole,  Cheshire  Co.,  ]N".  H.,  and  became  Judge  of  the 
Court  ol  Common  Pleas. 

Luther  Marsh  was  the  fifth,  in  direct  line,  from  John 
Marsh,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Hadley,  Mass.,  and  after 
wards,  1639,  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  where  he  married  Anne, 
daughter  of  John  Webster,  Governor  of  Connecticut.  Lu 
ther  Marsh,  June  24th,  1812,  married  Emma  Rawson, daugh 
ter  of  Doctor  Thomas  Hooker  Eawson,  of  Canandaigua,  1ST. 
Y.  She  was  the  fourth  from  Rev.  Grindal  Rawson, of  Men- 
don,  Mass.,  the  friend  and  classmate  at  Harvard,  of  Cotton 
Mather  ;  who,  in  preaching  his  funeral  sermon,  (1715,)  said, 
c'We  honored  him  for  his  doing  the  work  of  an  Eoangelist 
among  our  Judeans,  of  whoso  language  he  was  a  master  that 
had  scarce  an  equal,  and  for  whose  welfare  his  projection 
and  performances  were  such  as  to  render  our  loss  herein 
hardly  to  be  repaired.  Such  services  are  Pyramids."  Grin 
dal  Rawson  was  the  twelfth  child  of  Edward  Rawson,of  Bos- 
ton,who  came  over  from  England  in  1636,  and  was,  for 
thirty-six  years,  1651-1686, Secretary  of  the  colony  of  Massa 
chusetts.  Emma  Rawson  was  also  the  sixth  from  Rev. 
Charles  Chauncey,  the  second  President  of  Harvard  College. 
She  died  atPompey,  April  4th,  1820.  By  this  marriage  there 
were  four  children,  of  whom  two  survive  ;  Luther  Rawson 
Marsh,  lawyer,  New  York  city,  and  Elisha  Azro  Marsh, 
dealer  in  mines,  California. 


-334  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

Luther  Marsh  married,  for  second  wife,  Margaret  Leon 
ard,  daughter  of  Eev.  Joshua  Leonard,  of  Pompey.  She  re 
sides  at  Chicago.  By  this  marriage  there  were  two  chil 
dren,  Alexander  Marsh,  lumber  merchant,  and  Joshua  Leon 
ard  Marsh,  lawyer,  both  of  Chicago,  111. 

Luther  Marsh  was  High-Sheriff  of  Onondaga  county  for 
two  terms,  1823-0. 


NOAH  PALMER,  Sn. 

Was  born  in  Brantford,  Conn., in  the  year  1764.  When 
he  was  seven  years  old  his  father  died  in  Comiecticut,about 
the  beginning  of  the  Revolutionary  War.  As  early  as  1790 
he  came  from.  Brantford  to  Cazeriovia,  and  bought  a  place 
with  Col.  Linclaen,  in  1797,  in  Pompey,  near  Gran,  now 
owned  by  his  grand-son  Daniel  D.  Palmer.  Upon  this  farm 
he  lived  thirty-eight  years.  After  he  died  his  son  Noah 
owned  it  thirty-six  years.  He  was  a  nail  maker,  and  worked 
for  old  Col.  Linclaen  at  that  business  for  five  or  six  years. 
It  is  said  he  made  the  first  nails  that  were  used  in  building 
in  the  town  of  Pompe}r.  He  died  in  the  year  1835,  upon 
the  land  which  he  purchased  in  1797,  in  Pompey;  his  son 
Noah  succeeding  him  in  the  title  to  the  estate.  Two  of 
his  children,  Noah  and  Martha,  were  bom  in  Pompey, 
and  these  are  both  now  (1874)  dead.  One  daughter  Mrs. 
Edmund  Thomas,  is  living.  Mr.  Palmer  was  of  that  type 
of  manhood  whose  stem  and  unyielding  integrity  bears 
fruit,  in  the  years  when  his  form  lies  silent  in  the  grave, 
of  whom  it  may  be  justly  said,  "Tho'  dead  he  yet  speaks." 


DR.  SILAS  PARK. 

Silas  Park  was  born  in  Litchfield,  Conn.,  December  1st, 
1778.  Having  acquired  a  good  education,  ho  commenced 
the  study  of  medicine  with  his  uncle,  Dr.  Robt.  Starkweath 
er  in  Chesterfield,  Mass.  He  moved  to  Pompey  West  Hill, 
in  1800,  and  commenced  the  practice  of  his  professionals 
ride  extending  from  Liverpool,  on  the  north,  to  Port  Wat- 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION.  835 

son,  (Cortland  village,)  on  the  south,  and  from  Skaneateles 
on  the  west,  to  Cazenovia  on  the  east.  This  area  then  con 
tained  less  than  8,000  white  settlers  whose  population  is  now 
over  200,000  people.  In  1802,  he  returned  to  Massachusetts 
and  married  Miss  Dolly  Clapp,  of  Chesterfield,  daughter  of 
Col.  Amasa  Clapp,  of  Chesterfield,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolu 
tion.  On  his  return  to  Pompey,  crossing  the  Hudson  river 
nt  Albany  in  a  sleigh,  the  ice  broke,  letting  sleigh,  horses, 
baggage,  wife  and  all  into  the  water.  They  narrowly  es 
caped  drowning.  They  were  rescued  by  citizens  of  Albany, 
who  by  chance  saw  them  in  their  danger.  This  accident 
compelled  them  to  remain  in  Albany  a  day  or  more. 
Nothing  unusual  occurred  during  the  remainder  of  their 
journey.  In  1808  their  first  child  and  only  son,  Dr.  Elijah 
Park  was  born.  In  the  war  of  1812,  Di\  Silas  Park  went  as 
it  surgeon  with  the  soldiers  who  were  called  from  this  sec 
tion  to  Smith's  Mills  and  Sackett's  Harbor.  There  he  met 
surgeons  of  the  regular  army,  and  he  took  a  high  position 
among  them  as  a  skillful  physician  and  surgeon.  He  died 
in  1824.  His  wife  survived  him,  living  at  the  old  home  till 
she  reached  the  age  of  95  years,  and  died  in  the  year  1867. 
When  we  ask  what  can  be  said  of  her,  the  answer  is,  "Any 
thing  and  all  that  is  good.'' 

Their  only  son,  Dr.  Elijah  Park  was  born  in  Pompey,  now 
LaFayette,  April  1st,  1808,  and  he  studied  with  his  father, 
and  also  with  Doctors  Beach  and  Davis  of  Marcellus,  and 
his  uncle  Dr.  Elijah  Park,  ot  Otisco,  He  graduated  at  the 
Berkshire  Medical  Institute,  December  26,  1826.  He  was 
at  the  time  he  graduated  and  has  continued  to  be  a  practic 
ing  Physician  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  his  home  being  in 
LaFayette  village.  He  was  married  twice,  the  first  time 
August  24,  1824,  to  Miss  Catharine  Parent,  of  Otisco.  By 
her  he  had  ten  children,  four  sons  and  six  daughters;  seven 
of  them,  two  sons  and  five  daughters  are  married  and  living 
within  three  hours  ride  of  the  old  home.  One  married  a 
carpenter  and  joiner,  the  others  are  farmers  or  farmers' 
wives.  He  was  married  a  second  time,  April  14,  1848, 


336  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

to  Betsey  Parent,  his  first  wife's  sister,  by  whom  he  had  two 
children,  both  oi  whom  are  dead.  Both  hie  wives  are  also 
dead,  Catharine  died  September  20,  1842,  and  Betsey  De 
cember  4,  1867.  Dr.  Park  held  the  office  of  Supervisor  of 
the  town  ofLaFayette,  three  years  1861-2  and  3,  and  was  a 
Justice  of  the  Peace  one,  1869.  His  medical  practice  ex 
tended  over  the  county  of  Onondaga,  and  often  in  the  neigh 
boring  counties.  For  nearly  fifty  years  he  rode  over  the 
hills  and  through  the  valleys  of  his  native  county,  kindly  ad 
ministering  to  the  wants  and  necessities  of  the  afflicted. 
His  life  was  too  busy  in  dispensing  the  healing  art  to  allow 
him  time  to  make  collections,  and  like  Dr.  Win.  Taylor,  of 
Manlius,  although  he  did  a  business  that  would  have  yield 
ed  a  large  fortune,  he  died  June  17,  1873,  leaving  but  a 
moderate  share  of  worldly  possessions,  but  rich  in  the  kind 
wishes  of  his  many  friends,  and  richer  still  in  the  smiles  of 
his  beneficent  Redeemer. 

The  following  notice  of  his  death  appeared  in  a  Syracuse 
paper,  the  day  after  his  decease. 

DEATH  OF  DR.  ELIJAH  PARK  OF  LAFAYETTE. — Dr.  Elijah 
Park,  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  respected  residents  of  this 
county,  died  at  his  residence  in  LaFayette,  on  Tuesday  morn 
ing,  aged  71  years.  Dr.  Park  was  born  in  the  town  of  La 
Fayette,  and  was  the  son  of  Silas  Park,  an  eminent  physi 
cian,  who  resided  in  that  town.  The  son  followed  the  foot 
steps  of  his  father,  attended  medical  lectures  at  Berkshire 
Medical  College  in  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  in  1827,  and  became 
one  of  the  most  popular  physicians  in  this  section  of  the 
State.  He  had  a  very  extensive  practice  in  his  immediate 
neighborhood,  and  was  frequently  called  as  counsel  to 
other  localities.  The  deceased  was  always  an  active  poli 
tician  and  popular  citizen,  and  represented  his  town  for  sev 
eral  terms  in  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  and  held  other  re 
sponsible  town  offices.  He  was  elected  Justice  of  the  Peace 
three  terms  in  succession  at  a  period  when  the  party  with 
which  he  acted  was  in  a  large  minority  in  the  town,  but  his 
well  known  integrity  and  capacity  carried  him  over  party 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  337 

lines  and  elected  him  to  the  office.  He  was  always  among 
the  foremost  in  village  or  town  enterprises,  and  his  judg 
ment,  sagacity,  and  proved  integrity  and  honestj^,  placed 
him  in  the  front  rank  among  his  fellow  citizens  on  all  occa 
sions  where  intelligence,  prudence,  and  sagacity,  were  need 
ed  to  direct  the  councils  of  the  people.  He  had  a  wide'  cir 
cle  of  relatives  and  acquaintances,  and  his  loss  will  be  sin 
cerely  mourned  by  all  who  knew  him.  The  funeral  will 
take  place  on  Thursday  afternoon  at  2  o'clock,  under  the 
direction  of  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows,  of  which  the  deceased 
was  a  prominent  member,  and  of  the  order  of  Free  and  Ac 
cepted  Masons  of  which  he  was  also  a  member. 


LEMAIST  HARMON  PITCHER. 

COMPILED   BY    LEMAM   BAKER    PITCHER. 

Leman  H.  Pitcher  was  born  in  Rutland,Vermont,  Novem 
ber  26th,  1781;  he  was  the  son  of  Reuben,  the  son  of  Ebene- 
zer,  the  son  of  Samuel,  Jr.,  the  son  of  Samuel,  Sr.,  the  son 
of  Andrew,  who  came  of  Somerset  County,  England,in.l633, 
and  settled  in  Dorcester,  Mass.,  where  he  died  in  1660. 

Leman  H.  Pitcher  went  to  school  about  six  months  before 
he  was  eight  years  old,  and  about  three  more  between  the 
age  of  twelve  and  thirteen.  From  eight  to  twelve  he  lived 
w;th  his  uncle  Harmon,  who  was  too  poor  to  send  him  to 
school,  yet  rich  enough  to  send  his  own  son  of  like  age, 
summer  and  winter.  At  one  time  he  asked  his  uncle  if 
he  might  go  to  school,  and  the  reply  was  "that  it  cost 
money,"  and  "that  it  wa&  not  expected  that  everybody  would 
go."  This  caused  him  to  cry,  for  which  he  was  called  a 
"booby,"  and  ordered  off  to  bed.  In  later  years,  he  has  often 
told  his  children,  that  this  circumstance  caused  him  to  form 
a  resolution,  "that  he  would  know  something  if  he  had  to 
bteal  it."  While  young  Oliver,  his  cousin,  played  and  slept, 
Leman  H.,  as  opportunities  offered,  read  his  books,  and  at 
twelve  he  was  the  better  scholar.  The  next  year  he  lived 
with  his  mother,  and  the  two  succeeding  years  worked  out 

22 


338  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

for  $50  and  $65  per  year.  In  1796,  he  and  the  family  moved 
to  Pompey,  and  settled  where  Adison  H.  Clapp  now  resides. 
In  the  winter  of  1797  or  1798,  he  and  John  Sprague  studied 
arithmetic  during  the  evenings  with  an  old  surveyor,  who 
lived  near  Watervale,  to  whom  they  gave  a  bushel  of  oats, 
then  of  the  value  of  fifteen  cents,  for  each  evening. 

In  November,  1798,  his  right  foot  was  nearly  severed  just 
below  the  ankle  joint.  When  climbing  a  well  post  to  assist 
in  adjusting  the  well  sweep,  his  step-father  Starkweather, 
attempted  to  strike  the  axe  in  the  post,  to  assist  him  in 
climbing,  but  his  foot  slipping  just  as  the  axe  fell,  received 
the  lull  force  of  the  blow,  and  his  foot  was  held  only  by  the 
skin  of  the  heel.  A  council  of  Doctors  was  held,  and  all  ad 
vised  amputation  ;  one  said,  "  it  might  possibly  get  well ;" 
to  this  he  replied,  "I  am  without  education,  trade  or  money, 
and  I  had  rather  go  to  the  grave  with  my  foot,  than  to  live 
a  poor  cripple  all  my  life;"  "do  the  best  you  can,  I  am  re 
solved  to  live  or  die  with  my  foot."  During  the  following 
year  while  the  wound  was  healing,  he  studied  hard  to  pre 
pare  himself  for  teaching  schoool  and  for  business.  In  1800 
he  taught  his  first  school  in  a  school  house  that  stood  near 
the  corners  about  a  mile  north-westerly  from  the  Hill  to 
wards  Jamesville.  In  1801  and  afterwards  he  taught  on  the 
Hill  as  related  by  Mrs.  Miller  in  her  paper,  June  29,  1871. 
He  continued  to  teach  five  or  six  years,  winters,  and  some 
times  summers.  Between  1801  arid  1808  he  was  constable 
and  deputy  sheriff,  and  about  this  time  he  became  a  free 
mason.  In  the  Spring  of  1808  he  married  Hannah  Baker, 
aunt  of  Dea.  Samuel  Baker,  of  Pompey  Hill,  and  moved  to 
Camillus,  N.  Y. 

Lernan  B.  Pitcher  was  in  Camillus  January  30th,  1809. 
Mr.  Pitcher  was  engaged  in  the  fall  of  1810,  and  the  winter 
and  summer  following  in  preparing  and  rafting  hewn  tim 
ber  for  the  Montreal  market.  Going  down  the  Oswego  riv 
er  he  ventured  too  near  the  falls  and  was  carried  over  with 
a  broken  raft  with  two  other  men  one  of  whom  was  drowned. 
All  he  had  (about  $4,000)  and  something  more,  was  embarked 


OF  THE  \ 

[  [   UNIVERSITY  } 

?.    V  OF  / 

THE   POMPEY   RE-UNIDfKsfeC^LiFOP^^X  339 


in  the  business.  After  some  loss  of  timbers  and  many  de 
lays  he  sailed  from  Oswego  with  his  re-collected  raft  and  was 
again  damaged  in  running  the  rapids  of  the  St.  Lawrence 
river,  and  finally  when  about  fifty  miles  above  Montreal  the 
news  of  the  declaration  of  war  reached  him.  This  news  was 
unexpected.  Two  days  later  his  timber  in  ^Montreal  was 
worth  only  half  price,  and  the  next  only  a  third  and  no  cash 
at  that,  and  to  make  bad  worse  he  was  notified  to  take  the 
oath  of  allegiance  or  leave  in  three  days.  If  he  left  his  tim 
ber,  it  would  be  confiscated.  He  therefore  sold  it  for  dry 
goods,  being  the  best  he  could  do,  and  as  non-intercourse 
was  declared,  his  only  chance  was  to  smuggle  the  goods 
home.  This^he  attempted,  but  when  nearOgdensburgh,  his 
goods  were  seized  and  he  arrested.  His  excuse  was  that 
the  circumstances  compelled  him  to  do  as  he  had  done,  and 
through  the  influence  of  his  masonic  brothers  he  was  allowed 
or  enabled  to  escape.  He  reached  Oswego  with  sixteen 
cents  and  a  roll  of  coarse  cloth.  All  else  was  gone.  When 
he  left  home  he  expected  to  return  in  five  or  six  weeks  with 
$6,000  or  $7,000.  He  was  gone  from  June  to  January,  and 
came  back  with  almost  nothing.  In  the  Spring  of  1812,  he 
took  a  farm  on  the  ridge  road  two  miles  east  of  Lewieton  on 
the  Niagara  irontier,  where  he  raised  vegetables  which  he 
sold  to  the  soldiers  stationed  at  Lewiston.  He  also  bought 
of  others  and  sold.  In  this  way  he  accumulated  over  $2,000, 
before  the  19th  of  December,  1813.  Then  the  British  and 
Indians  who  had  crossed  the  river  about  three  miles  below 
the  night  previous,  surrounded  his  house  and  took  him  and 
his  family  prisoners,  plundered  them  of  every  thing  they 
thought  worth  carrying  away,  and  burned  the  remainder 
with  the  buildings.  Mr.  Pitcher  was  taken  by  one  party 
who  had  charge  of  the  men  prisoners  destined  for  Halifax. 
On  the  road  half  way  to  the  river,  this  party  was  attacked  by 
the  Tuscarora  friendly  Indians,  and  while  the  skirmish  was 
going  on  he  escaped.  The  mother  and  her  three  children, 
Leman  B.,  Sally  and  Nancy  were  stripped  of  every  garment 
that  could  tempt  the  cupidity  of  a  savage.  The  last  gar- 


340  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

merit  was  an  old  red  cloak.  This  an  Indian  demanded  and 
an  officer  told  him  he  "  must  not  have  it,"  for  which  the 
Indian  shot  him.  The  snow  was  about  six  inches  deep,  and 
Mrs.  Pitcher  with  a  babe  in  her  arms,  a  sick  boy  on  her  back, 
and  a  little  girl  walking  by  her  side,  half  naked  with  other 
prisoners  was  driven  on  by  a  drunken  and  uncontrollable 
rabble  of  Indians  and  a  few  British  soldiers.  On  the  road 
they  saw  one  child  tomahawked,  another  gun-clubbed,  and 
still  another  empaled  upon  the  stake  of  a  fence.  The  num 
ber  of  women  and  children  prisoners  from  Mr.  Pitcher's 
neighborhood,  was  nineteen.  They  had  rations  for  three 
days,  and  after  that  they  were  turned  adrift  to  live  and  sleep 
in  the  woods  near  Queenstown,  without  lire,  food  or  cloth 
ing.  For  nearly  three  weeks  they  lived  on  what  the  soldiers 
and  indians  threw  away,  and .  slept  close  together  to  keep 
warm  in  a  rude  cabin  made  of  poles  and  brush.  They  were 
put  over  the  river  and  set  at  liberty  at  Lewiston,  without 
food,  the  snow  nearly  10  inches  deep.  They  followed  the 
ridge  road  east  by  the  ruins  of  their  home,  and  coming  to  an 
old  house  they  covered  the  blood-stained  floor  with  straw, 
and  nestled  down  to  rest.  About  11  o'clock  at  night,  they 
were  startled  by  the  cry  of  "  who  comes  there,"  and  "  I  have 
a  flag  of  truce."  It  was  Mr.  Pitcher  who  had  that  day  bee-n 
to  Forts  Niagara  and  George,  and  up  to  Queenstown,  where 
he  learned  that  his  wife,  children  and  others  had  been  set  at 
liberty.  When  he  found  them  he  was  returning  to  get  horses 
to  go  to  Buffalo  that  night.  The  sleigh  he  procured  was 
soon  filled  with  nineteen  happy  souls,  women  and  children, 
while  he,  his  brother  James  and  a  friend,  ran  by  their  side, 
thirteen  miles,  when  they  all  found  food  and  rest.  A  few 
days  after,  in  the  early  part  of  January,  1814,  Mr.  Pitcher 
and  his  family  arrived  safely  in  Pompey.  Thus  twice  was 
Mr.  Pitcher  ruined  by  the  war.  In  the  following  fall  he 
commenced  keeping  a  hotel  five  miles .  east  of  Buffalo, 
where  in  sixteen  months  he  cleared  §1,800.00,  with  which  in 
the  Spring  of  1816,  he  moved  into  Chautauque  county  on  a 
branch  of  the  Allegany  river.  . 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION.  341 

The  cold  seasons  of  1816,17  and  18,  were  unproductive,and 
in  1821  he  moved  poor  and  discouraged  to  the  Cataraugus 
creek,  and  ever  after  only  tried  to  u  bring  the  year  about." 
Here  he  acted  as  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  thirty-six  years, 
noted  as  a  peace-maker,  and  no  judicial  decision  of  his  was 
ever  reversed.  In  1826,  while  traveling  on  a  journey  in 
Genesee  county,  a  heavy  shower  coming  up  he  stopped  and 
finally  remained  over  night  with  a  farmer,  and  there  found 
•"  The  old  family  Bible,"  which  was  taken  in  1813,  carried  to 
Canada,  retaken  by  the  U.  S.  soldiers,  brought  back  and  sold 
at  Black  Rock  for  whiskey,  and  afterwards  bought  by  the 
farmer  for  half  a  bushel  of  potatoes.  The  last  eight  years 
of  his  life  Mr.  Pitcher  spent  with  his  son  Leman  B.  Pitcher, 
and  he  died  April  14,  1867.  His  brother  James  P.  Pitcher 
will  be  remembered  by  the  early  residents  of  Pompey  as  a 
successful  school  teacher  from  1805  to  1810.  He  married 
Anna  Brewer,  and  went  with  his  brother  to  Buffalo  and 
Chautauque  County,  and  about  forty  years  ago,  to  Oakland 
County,  Michigan,  where  he  and  his  wife  died  in  1868,  re 
spected  by  all  who  knew  them. 

MANOAH  PKATT,  SR. 

Manoah  Pratt,  Sr.  was  born  in  1754,  in  Glastenbury,  Con 
necticut,  and  in  1796  he  came  to  Pompey.  He  and  Abra 
ham  Smith  purchased  five  hundred  acres  of  land  on  Lots  No. 
39  and  40,  obtaining  title  thereto  through  General  Fish,  of 
New  York  city.  Pratt's  Falls  are  upon  this  land.  At  this 
time  but  few  settlers  were  located  in  this  part  of  the  town. 
Murry  had  settled  on  Lot  No.  28,  and  Hezekiah  and  Ezra 
Podge  on  Lot  No.  50.  Messrs.  Pratt  and  Smith  commenced 
immediately  to  reclaim  their  wilderness  farms,  and  a  beau 
tiful  creek  running  through  that  of  Mr.  Pratt,  he  erected  a 
saw  mill  and  a  flouring  mill  in  1796,  being  among  the  first 
mills  built  in  Onondaga  County.  These  mills  were  built 
upon  the  rock  overlooking  the  falls,  where  the  miller  attend 
ing  to  his  accustomed  labor  was  in  constant  communion  with 
the  magnificent  natural  scenery  of  the  place,  viewing  at 


$42  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

will  objects  of  grandeur  and  sublimity,  that  the  lover  of  na 
ture  would  travel  miles  to  witness. 

Mr.  Pratt,  had  married  a  Miss  Elizabeth  Loveland,  daugh 
ter  of  Solomon  Loveland,  of  Glasteabury,  and  all  his  chil 
dren  were  born  in  Connecticut,  except  the  youngest,  Ma- 
noah  Pratt,  Jr.,  who  was  among  the  earliest  of  the  sons  of 
Pompey.  Having  procured  a  frontier  home  his  family  came 
to  Pompey  in  February,  1797,  and  with  them  came  his 
father-in-law,  Solomon  Loveland,  who  was  a  miller,  and 
who  for  some  twenty  years  attended  the  mill.  At  the  age 
of  eighty-five  years  he  would  take  a  bag  of  two  bushels  of 
wheat  from  the  back  of  a  horse  and  carry  it  into  the  mill. 
He  died  at  the  age  of  ninety-seven  years,  and  was  buried  in 
the  cemetery  near  what  was  known  as  "  Dodge's  school 
house,"  near  the  center  of  the  present  town  of  Pompey.  Mr. 
Pratt,  in  addition  to  carrying  on  his  saw  and  flouring  mills, 
engaged  in  agriculture,  making  large  additions  to  his  first 
purchase.  He  was  active  in  the  early  improvements  of  the 
town,  and  contributed  freely  to  the  establishment  of  schools 
and  churches.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to  organize  the 
Pompey  Academy,  was  a  member  of  the  building  com 
mittee  and  spent  much  time  and  money  in  assisting  to  bring 
the  enterprise  to  a  successful  termination.  He  finally  do 
nated  one  hundred  dollars  to  the  institution,  for  which  he 
gave  a  mortgage  on  his  land,  which  his  son  Manoah  Pratt, 
Jr.,  finally  paid  after  his  father's  death.  He  closed  busy 
life  in  death  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years,  in  the  year 
1841.  His  wife  survived  him  only  one  year,  and  died  at 
the  age  ef  eighty-eight  years,  and  the  memory  of  their  he 
roic  labor  and  constant  toil  remains  a  rich  legacy  to  their 
descendants. 

Their  children  in  the  order  of  their  ages,  were  Lucretia, 
Joseph,  Betsey,  Daniel,  Jared,  Onor  and  Manoah,  Jr.  Lu 
cretia,  the  eldest,  married  Chester  Howard,  and  they  in  turn 
became  pioneers,  moving  to  Ohio  in  1836,  and  settled  in 
"Westfield,  about  thirty  miles  trom  Columbus.  At  ages 
above  eighty  years  both  have  gone  beyond  the  final  river,, 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION.  343 

leaving  them  surviving  four  sons.  Two  of  these  have  since 
died.  One  lives  in  Ohio,  and  the  residence  of  the  other  is 
unknown  to  the  writer.  So  runs  the  stream  of  life  until  it 
is  lost  in  eternity.  Joseph  Pratt  was  a  farmer,  and  lived  and 
died  upon  the  land  inherited  from  his  father.  He  married 
Eunice  Smith,  who  is  also  dead,  and  three  children  survive 
them,  one  son,  Joseph,  resides  upon  a  part  of  the  old  home 
stead.  Two  daughters  are  also  living. 

Betsey  Pratt  married  Henry  Cook,  a  son  of  Truworthy 
Cook,  who  was  a  pioneer  of  Pompey.  When  her  father's 
family  came  to  Pompey  a  severe  accident  happened  to  Bet 
sey  on  the  journey.  It  was  near  Schenectady,  where  they  had 
stopped  for  refreshments.  Active  as  children  will  be,  she 
was  on  the  street  engaged  in  play,  when  a  loaded  sleigh  came 
down  a  hill  with  such  speed  as  to  prevent  her  getting'out  of 
the  way.  She  was  thrown  down  and  the  loaded  sleigh 
passed  over  her  leg  grinding  it  to  a  jelly.  The  limb  was 
amputated  and  yet  the  accident  only  detained  them  three 
days.  Although  thus  crippled  she  would  dance  with  ease. 
They  moved  to  a  place  near  three  river  point  and  settled 
near  the  Seneca  river.  They  too,  are  both  dead,  and  their 
daughter  Jerusha  also.  Freelove  lives  with  her  aunt  Ouor, 
and  of  the  remaining  two,  Henry  lives  in  Antwerp,  and  Mun- 
son  in  Philadelphia,  Jefferson  County,  K  Y. 

Both  of  the  sons  are  wealthy  farmers,  engaged  extensively 
in  dairying  and  dealing  in  cattle. 

Daniel  Pratt  married  Mary  Morgan,  and  they  lived  in 
Pompey  till  their  death,  engaged  in  farming.  They  left 
five  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Hodge,  widow  of  the  late  John 
Hodge,  of  Fayetteville,  and  Eugeno  D.  Pratt,  reside  in  Fay- 
etteville,  K  Y.,  S.  D.  Pratt,  in  Penu  Yan,  K  Y.,  Edward 
Pratt,  at  Oran,  in  Pompey,  and  Homer  D.  Pratt,  at  Manlius 
Center,  N".  Y. 

Jared  Pratt,  resided  in  Pompey  till  about  the  year  1830, 
when  he  moved  to  Jeflersen  County,  N".  Y.  After  a  resi 
dence  there  about  five  years  he  moved  to  Michigan,  upon 


.U44  THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION. 

the  territory  in  dispute  between  Michigan  and  Ohio.  The 
dispute  terminated  in  favor  of  Ohio,  and  this  left  him  in  the 
latter  State,  where  he  remained  engaged  in  farming  till  his 
failing  strength  obliged  him  to  abandon  that  vocation.  He 
•died  in  Ohio,  and  only  one  grand-child  now  remains  of  his 
family. 

Onor  Pratt  married  Joseph  Chase,  a  wealthy  farmer  who 
resided  in  Jefferson  Co.,  N".  Y.,  till  his  death.  His  widow 
survived  him  and  is  still  living  on  the  farm  at  the  age  of 
eighty-one  years.  Although  blind,  in  which  condition  she 
has  been  for  several  years,  she  carries  on  a  dairy  farm  of 
three  hundred  acres,  with  sixty  to  severity  cows.  A  sister's 
daughter,  Freelove  Cook,  lives  with  her,  giving  the  old  lady 
the  benefit  of  her  sight  in  the  management  of  the  farm. 
Mrs.  Chase  has  no  children. 

Manoah  Pratt,  Jr.  was  born  in  Pompey,  in  1798.  He 
early  showed  an  interest  in  books,  and  was  sent  to  the  Acad 
emy,  where  he  received  a  liberal  education  under  the  tuition 
of  Burchard  and  Leonard.  After  he  had  completed  his 
Academical  course  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Daniel  Wood, 
Esq.,  the  father  of  Senator  D.  P.  Wood,  of  Syracuse.  With 
him,  and  subsequently  with  Samuel  Baldwin  and  Victory 
Birdseye  in  succession,  he  finished  his  legal  studies  and  was 
admitted  to  practice  in  1823.  Before  this,  in  1819,  he  had 
engaged  in  teaching  school  in  connection  with  his  studies. 
He  taught  in  the  common  schools  and  the  Academy,  and 
among  his  pupils  were  Governor  Seymour  and  other  Pom 
pey  boys  of  his  age,  who  cherish  the  remembrance  of  their 
school  boy  days  when  he  was  their  teacher,  with  the  great 
est  pleasure. 

About  the  time  he  was  admitted  to  the  practice  of  law  his 
father's  advanced  age  incapacitated  him  to  attend  to  his 
farming  and  other  duties.  His  older  brothers  were  mostly 
settled  and  he  was  pursuaded  to  abandon  the  law  and  em 
bark  in  agriculture.  Accordingly,  having  married  Miss 
Charlotte  Ball,  he  became  a  farmer,  and  settled  upon  the  old 
homestead,  taking  care  of  his  aged  parents  for  nearly  the 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION.  345 

remainder  of  their  lives.  His  fellow  citizens,  however, 
would  not  allow  him  to  remain  entirely  in  retirement  upon 
his  farm,  and  for  four  years  he  representeed  Pompey  in  the 
Board  of  Supervisors,  and  for  one  year  was  a  Member  of 
the  State  Legislature.  In  all  his  public  official  duties  he 
manifested  capacity  and  integrity  that  would  be  refreshing 
in  these  days  of  venality  and  corruption. 

His  fir«t  wife  lived  only  ten  years  after  their  marriage,  and 
she  left  five  children  who  were  in  the  order  of  their  ages — 
Othello  C.,  Calvin  B.,  Helen  C.,  Mary  E.  andLeonidas  E.  A 
few  years  after  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  he  married  Miss 
Pamelia  Slauson,  by  whom  he  had  one  child,  Marcus  M. 
Pratt.  With  her  he  lived  twenty-two  years  and  she  died. 
It  was  during  this  latter  married  life  that  a  severe  affliction 
came  upon  him,  the  nerve  in  his  right  leg  became  dis 
eased  to  such  an  extent  that  he  was  obliged  to  submit  to  a 
painful  surgical  operation  by  which  a  part  of  the  nerve  was 
taken  out,  and  he  became  again  comparatively  strong  but  to 
some  extent  lame. 

After  the  death  of  his  second  wife,  he  married  a  Mrs. 
Adams  with  whom  he  is  now  living  in  the  village  of  Pom 
pey  Hill,  having  sold  his  farm  some  twenty  years  ago.  By 
his  third  wife  he  has  one  child,  Carrie  D.  Pratt,  now  eleven 
years  of  age,  the  pride  and  comfort  of  her  parents.  During 
the  past  few  years  the  nervous  affection  of  his  leg  returned 
to  trouble  him,  if  possible,  with  redoubled  fury.  This  time 
the  attack  was  in  the  lower  extremity  of  the  limb,  and  the 
excrutiating  torture  which  he  suffered  was  beyond  the  en 
durance  of  any  ordinary  man.  Although  he  had  the  most 
skilful  medical  aid  and  the  best  of  care,  his  limb  finally  be 
gan  to  mortify  and  a  counsel  of  Physicians  gave  him  up  to 
die.  It  was,  however,  determined  to  amputate  the  lower 
part  of  the  leg,  that  it  might  be  endurable  to  nurse  him. 
This  bqingdone,  to  the  surprise  of  all,  his  unconquerable 
tenacity  for  life  mastered  the  difficulty,  and  he  became  well 
again.  He  manages  to  get  about  with  the  aid  of  a  chair,  re 
fusing  to  use  crutches. 


346  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

But  his  suffering  did  not  end.  Last  winter  as  he  was  go 
ing  home  from  Capt.  Taylor's  store,  he  fell  and  injured  the 
unlucky  limb  and  received  a  great  shock  to  his  nervous  sys 
tem.  Again  his, life  is  in  iminent  danger,  but  again  that 
iron  will  and  tenacious  clinging  to  life  overcomes  the  diffi 
culty,  and  to-day,, (Summer  of  1875,)  having  a  full  head  of 
black  hair  and  black  whiskers  with  a  sound  limb  to  help  his 
locomotion,  he  would  pass  for  a  man  of  forty-five.  Physi 
cally  incapacitated  as  he  is,  he  cultivates  his  garden,  saws 
his  own  fire-wood,  takes  an  interest  in  public  affairs  and 
keeps  posted  on  all  the  current  topics  of  the  (Jay.  His  mind 
is  vigorous,  and  his  memory  retentive.  In  politics  he  has 
always  been  a  democrat,  and  hopes  to  see  the  day  when  the 
people  will  wake  up  to  the  necessity  of  demanding  of  their 
public  servants  honesty  in  the  administration  of  govern 
ment,  or  if  otherwise,  to  require  them  to  step  down  and  out. 
He  is,  probably,  the  oldest  living  person  who  was  born  in 
Pompey,  and  notwithstanding  his  physical  afflictions,  is 
quietly  passing  down  the  declivity  of  life  with  apparently  as 
much  enjoyment  as  falls  to  the  lot  of  man.  Othello  C.  Pratt 
his  eldest  son,  like  his  father,  received  a  liberal  education  at 
the  Pompey  Academy,  as  did  all  Mr.  Pratt's  children.  He 
was  in  1849  a  pioneer  Californian,  and  knows  much  of  the 
hardships  of  pioneer  life.  Having  seen  the  golden  State 
arise  from  infancy  to  a  condition  of  wealth  and  influence,  and 
having  himself  acquired  a  competency,  he  returned  in  1857 
to  his  native  town,  and  married  Lucinda,  eldest  daughter  of 
O.  J.  Wheaton,  of  Pompey,  and  he  is  now  a  resident  of  the 
healthful  village  of  Pompey  Hill. 

Helen  C.  Pr  att  married  E.  Beard,  of  Pompey,  and  they 
reside  in  Syracuse,  !N".  Y.  He  is  engaged  in  the  furniture 
trade  with  Seley  Hayden,  also  a  son  of  Pompey. 

Calvin  B.  Pratt  went  to  California  among  the  early  ad 
venturers,  and  died  in  Nevada. 

Mary  Pratt  married  Orville  Slauson,  of  Pompey,  a  far 
mer,  and  resides  on  the  old  Slauson  homestead,  about  two 
miles  north  of  Pompey  Hill. 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  347 

Leonidas  Pratt,  a  lawyer,  and  married,  resides  in  San 
Francisco,  California.  Hehns  acquired  some  distinction  in 
the  golden  State,  having  held  the  office  of  District  Attor 
ney,  Supreme  Court  Judge  and  State  Senatpr. 

M.  M.  Pratt  resides  in  Phoenix,  Oswego  Co.,  N.  Y.  He 
is  adjuster  of  claims,  and  assistant  Secretary  of  the  Onondaga 
and  Oswego  Insurance  Company. 

Carrie  D.  Pratt,  the  youngest  child,  remains  with  her  pa 
rents.  So  closes  an  imperfect  record  of  a  family  that  has 
kept  the  ancestral  name  untarnished.  So  should  it  be  with 
all  the  families-of  our  land. 


MILLARD  ROBINSON. 

The  old  residents  of  Pompey  will  remember  the  earnest 
and  impressive  singer  at  the  Methodist  Camp  Meetings. 
That  singer  was  Millard  Robinson.  His  father,  Isaac  Rob 
inson,  was  a  soldier  in  the  revolutionary  war,  and  died  in 
Otisco,  Onondaga  Co.,  having  early  come  to  that  town  from 
Saratoga  Co.,  N.  Y.  Millard  was  born  in  the  town  of  Ed- 
inbury,  Saratoga  Co.,  Nov.  13th,  1792.  At  the  age  of  16 
he  became  converted,  and  united  with  the  Methodist  Epis 
copal  church,  of  which  he  was  an  earnest  and  prominent 
member  till  death  called  him  away.  October  10th,  1810, 
he  was  married  to  Electa  Grimes,  a  daughter  of  Tnomas 
Grimes,  Esq.,  and  in  1811,  moved  to  Pompey,  and  settled 
two  #nd  a  half  miles  south  of  Pompey  Hill.  He  served  as  a 
musician  in  the  war  of  1812.  Built  a  section  of  the  Erio  ca 
nal,  and  afterwards  purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres, 
three  miles  oast  of  Pompey  Hill,  about  the  year  1825,  on 
Lot  No.  65.  Here  he  raised  a  large  family  of  children  and 
remained  on  this  farm  till  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1867. 


JOHN  SMITH. 

Almost  every  community  has   its   John  Smith.     The  list 
of  the  pioneers  of  Pompey  would  be  incomplete  without  a 


'348  THE    POMPEY    HE-UNION. 

John  Smith,  but  of  him  who  was  among  the  first  settlers  o 
Pompey  there  is  more  than  simply  the  name  John  Smith 
Pompey's  John  Smith  was  born  in  Buckland,I[ampshire  Co. 
Massachusetts,  July  20th,  1787,  and  died  in  Pompey,  Sep 
tember  15th,  1872,  in  the  86th  year  of  his  age.  His  fathei 
having  heard  a  good  report  of  the  country  in  central  Ne¥ 
York,  resolved  to  send  his  son  John  on  a  tour  of  inspection 
that  he  might  know  from  him  what  advantages  the  new  coun 
try  offered.  Accordingly,  there  being  no  public  convey 
ance,  he  came  all  the  way  on  horseback  to  Pompey,  througl 
•the  wilderness,  oft  times  having  no  companions  but  the  wile 
denizens  of  the  forest.  Having  explored  the  country  to  hi 
satisfaction,  he  returned  to  his  eastern  home  on  foot,  having 
sold  his  horse.  His  report  fully  corroborated  all  that  hac 
been  before  related  of  Pompey's  healthful  clime  and  fertile 
soil.  His  father  then  resolved  to  find  a  home  in  the  "wes 
tern  world,"  and  called  to  his  aid  some  neighbors,  who  as 
sisted  him  to  make  a  "  sled."  Soon  they  were  on  their  way 
his  father  with  the  other  members  of  the  family,  and  he 
with  a  "yoke  of  stags,"  and  the  "  sled,"  with  their  house 
hold  goods.  There  was  a  gathering  of  neighbors,  the  fare 
wells  were  spoken,  and  they  were  off.  Scarcely  had  the; 
started  when  the  sled  broke  down.  It  was  quickly  repairec 
again,  kind  wishes  were  exchanged  and  very  soon  the  "ol( 
homestead"  was  lost  to  view.  The  route  they  pursued  la; 
over  the  lloosac  mountains  to  Williamstown,  when  thej 
came  upon  bare  ground.  Here  they  purchased  a  cart,  un 
loaded  and  repacked  their  goods,  and  left  the  •"  sled"  at  th< 
hotel  at  Williamstown,  where,  long  years  after,  the  subject  o 
this  notice  saw  it  in  the  same  yard  where  it  was  left. 

Before  they  got  to  Litchfield  the  axletree  of  the  cart  wa 
broken.  Again  the  goods  were  unloaded,  and  while  the  re 
pairing  was  going  on,  some  unruly  swine  made  a  raidupoi 
their  commissary  department,  and  the  good  things  prepare* 
for  their  journey  as  was  the  custom  in  those  days,  were  eithe 
•consumed  or  greatly  disarranged.  When  they  came  t< 
Litchfield,  snow  again  appeared,  and  they  were  obliged  t< 


7   O  IT  AT  O    TN  /T  T  r-p  TT         TT 

J    W  ll  IN  D    IVi 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  349- 

change  from  wheels  'to  runners.     With  such  incidents  as- 

O 

usually  happen  to  persons  traveling  in  a  forest  region,  they 
continued  to  the  end  of  their  journey  upon  runners,  and 
arrived  in  Pompey  early  in  1804,  having  been  upon  the 
road  fifteen  days.  They  moved  into  a  log  house  about  one 
mile  northwest  of  Butler  Hill,  now  Pornpey  Hill,  on  the 
road  towards  Syracuse,  near  where  Baxter  Knapp  now  re 
sides,  Mr.  Smith  was  a  resident  of  Pompey  from  that  time 
up  to  the  day  of  his  death.  He  was  twice  married — first  to 
Alcemena  Anable,  of  Aurelius,  Cayuga  county,  K  Y.,  by 
whom  he  had  eight  children,  and  secondly  to  Mrs.  Betsey 
Wright,  by  whom  he  had  three  children.  He  was  a  man  of 
sterling  integrity,  and  enjoyed  in  a  large  degree  the  confi 
dence  of  his  fellow  citizens.  He  was  elected  and  held  the 
office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  fifteen  years,  and  was  ap 
pointed  Associate  Judge  of  the  Common  Pleas,  which  posi 
tion  he  held  five  years,  when  the  courts  were  held  in  Onon- 
daga  Valley,  and  about  the  time  of  the  removal  of  the  Court 
House  to  Syracuse.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Su 
pervisors  several  years,  and  gave  the  casting  vote  to  locate 
the  u  old  Court  House,"  between  Syracuse  a*nd  Salina.  He 
held  the  offices  of  Associate  Judge,  Supervisor,  Justice  of 
the  Peace,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Court  House  building 
commission  all  at  the  same  time ;  and  when  the  Court  House 
was  finished  he  resigned  all  his  official  positions  and  devoted 
the  remainder  of  his  active  life  to  the  pursuit  of  agriculture. 
His  father,  Elisha  Smith,  Sr.,  was  a  revolutionary  soldier, 
and  was:in  the  army  of  Gen.  Gates,  and  at  the  capture  of 
Burgoyne.  His  father-in-law,  Edward  Anable,  was  also  a 
soldier  of  the  revolution,  and  fought  in  the  battle  of  Bun 
ker  Hill.  He  continued  in  the  service  till  the  close. of  the 
war,  and  was  one  of  six  men  who  attempted  to  blow  up  a 
British  frigate  in  the  North  river,  barely  escaping  with  their 
lives. 

John  Smith's  children,  eleven  in  number,  were  Ansel  A. r 
Calvin  E.,  Isabella,  Alcemena  Holbrook,  Angelina  Ellis, 
Cleopatra  Ellis,  John  Q.,  Andrew,  Dexter,  Hesley  and  Frank, 


350  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

The  names  of  those  living  can   be   found  in   the   directory 
near  the  close  of  this  volume. 


THOMAS  D.  SAFFORD 

Was  born  at  Preston,  Conn.,  and  at  the  age  of  18  years  he 
came  to  Pompey,  and  worked  at  the  carpenter  and  joiners 
trade  for  some  time.  In  1807  he  purchased  a  farm  of  80 
acres,  only  four  of  which  was  cleared.  The  same  year  he 
married  Huldah  Palmer,  daughter  of  Rev.  $"ehemiah  Pal 
mer,  of  Brookfield.  He  served  in  the  war  of  1812,  having 
been  drafted.  Their  children  numbered  twelve,  two  of  whom 
died  quite  young.  In  Septernber,*1832,  the  eldest  son  was 
taken  with  typhoid  fever,  arid  the  whole  family  one  after 
another,  were  taken  down  with  the  fever  except  the  mother 
and  one  daughter.  Three  of  the  family,  the  husband  and 
two  daughters,  died  with  the  fever,  and  the  family  was  afflict 
ed  from  September  till  the  last  of  February.  Five  years 
later,  a  daughter  died  with  consumption.  Seven  children 
and  the  mother  are  yet  living,  and  Mrs.  Saftbrd  attended 
the  re-union  of  Pompey's  children  June  29, 1871.  She  was 
84  years  old  the  18th  of  March  previous.  The  eldest  son, 
Barnard  C.,  married  Laura  A.  Palmer,  and  they  reside  in 
Wayne,  Erie  Co.,  Pa.  He  is  a  farmer.  Charles  P.  married 
Lorinda  Bently,  in  Michigan.  Warren  D.  married  Irene 
Bogardus,  of  DeWitt,  1ST.  Y.  They  live  near  Janesville, 
Wis.,  and  are  both  iarmers. 

One  daughter,  Harriet  S.,  married  Rev.  Geo.  M.  Jenks, 
and  resides  at  Centreville,  Iowa.  He  is  the  pastor  of  the 
Congregational  church  at  that  place.  Malinda  A.  married 
Chapin  M.  Holbrook,  and  resides  in  Pompey.  He  is  a  far 
mer.  Alonzo  T.  married  Miss  Lydia  Peet,  of  Conn.,  is  a  far 
mer.  His  mother  and  youngest  sister  Sarah  L.,  live  with 
him  a  short  distance  west  of  Pompey  Centre. 

JOSEPH  SHATTUCK. 

Joseph  Shattuck  with  nine  sons,  "  grown  up  men,"  came 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION.  351 

to  Pompey  at  an  early  day,  and  settled  on  the  lot  Conrad 
Bush  had  drawn.  He  bought  his  land  of  some  person  who 
had  no  legal  title,  and  paid  eleven]shillings  per  acre.  Soon 
with  the  help  of  his  sons  he  cleared  sixty  acres  and  put  up  a 
double  log  house,  but  was  ejected  from  the  land  by  Conrad 
Bush  when  he  came  to  settle  on  his  section.  And  he  refused 
to  remunerate  Mr.  Shattuck  for  the  improvements  made. 
He  then  bought  and  settled  on  what  was  known  as  the  Mory 
farm  from  which  he  was  also  ejected.  Feeling  that  there 
was  no  security  in  purchasing  on  the  Military  tract,  te  with 
six  of  his  sons,  Sabina,  Joseph,  Alfred,  Truman,  Eli  and 
another,  left  Pompey  and  went  to  the  town  of  Cohocton, 
Genesee  Co.,  on  "The  Holland  Purchase,"  and  there  they 
made  a  settlement.  The  misfortune  of  Mr.  Shattuck  was 
that  of  many  others  who  purchased  "Soldier  claims."  The 
government  had  so  often  failed  to  keep  faith  with  the  soldier, 
that  they  ceased  to  have  faith  in  it,  and  believing  the  titles 
to  lands  which  were  promised  at  the  time  of  enlistment,  were 
likely  never  to  be  given,  they  would  offer  them  for  sale  at  a 
nominal  price.  Speculators  bought  these  claims  in  great 
numbers.  Often  the  soldier  repeatedly  sold  his  claim.  After 
the  war  the  lands  having  been  surveyed,  were  drawn  and 
awarded  to  the  soldier,  who  having  been  honorably  dis 
charged  from  the  service  could  present  a  valid  claim.  They 
found  the  previous  sales  and  transfers  were  not  binding,  and 
in  many  instances  sold  again.  Parties  who  bought  these 
lands  were  subject  to  great  annoyance  and  often  loss. 

This  fact  for  a  time  retarded  the  settlement  of  this  portion 
of  the  State.  The  Legislature  finally  made  a  law  establish 
ing  a  commission  called  "  The  Onondaga  Commission," 
whose  duty  it  was  to  settle  the  conflicting  interests  of  the 
claimants.  After  this  work  was  accomplished,  settlers  feel 
ing  they  could  be  secured  in  their  purchases,  and  allured 
by  the  richness  of  the  soil,  healthy  climate,  and  central  loca 
tion  came  on  rapidly, and  the  "Military  tract"  was  in  a  short 
time  fully  settled. 

Three  of  Mr.  Shattuck's  sons,  Stephen,  Chester  and  An- 


352  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION, 

sel  remained  in  Pompey,  declaring  "  they  were  determined, 
to  fight  it  out."  The  last  named  of  these  brothers,  Ansel, 
and  others,  Thomas  Eldridge  being  one,  settled  upon  the  lot 
upon  which  Col.  Henry  Tiffany  had  located.  Each  buying 
of  the  Colonel  a  fourth  of  the  section.  They  built  and  lo 
cated  each  on  a  corner  of  the  lot.  The  other  t\vp  brothers- 
located  on  farms  south  of  Pompey  Hill,  where  they  lived 
long,  exerting  a  salutary  influence  upon  the  society  in  which 
their  lot  was  cast.  Stephen  lived  to  be  90  and  Chester  70 
years  of  age. 

SWEETS. 

Mary  Sweet,  the  widow  of  Isaac,  came  to  Salem,  Mass., 
in  1631,  with  her  three  children,  John,  James  and  Meribah, 
She  removed  to  Rhode  Island  in  1636  ;  had  land  granted  to 
her  in  1637.  For  a  second  husband  she  married  Ezekiel 
Holliman,  the  first  minister  of  the  colony  under  "Roger  Wil 
liams.  . 

John  Sweet,  son  of  the  above,  born  in  England,  followed 
the  fortunes  of  his  mother.  He  settled  about  three  and  a 
half  miles  south-east  of  Greenwich  village,  on  Warwick  I^eqk;. 
He  built  a  mill  on  theKingston  side  of -the  stream.  In  1638 
he  received  land  of  Roger  Williams,  was  a  commissioner  .of 
Warwick  in  1653,  a  Freeman  in  1655,  had  permission:  ,to 
buy  land  of  the  Indians  in  1663.  In  1675  his  mill  was  burnt 
by  the  Indians,  and  descendants  of  the  family  say  the  stones 
still  remain,  showing  the  site  of  the  mill.  His  children  we^e; 
John,  Daniel,  James,  Henry,  Richard,  Benjamin,  William, 
Jeremiah  and  a  daughter.  His  wife  was  named  Eliza. 

O 

James  Sweet,  son  of  Mary,  born  in  England,  settled  in 
Warwick,  near  his  brother.  He  was  a  commissioner  ;of 
Warwick,  in  1653,  purchased  land  of  the  Indians  in  1662, 
was  a  commissioner  from  Providence  in  1657,  and  wras  called 
General  in  1658.  He  married  Mary  Green,  the  daughter 
of  the  1st  John  Green.  Their  children  were  Phillip,  James, 
Mary,  Benoni,  Valentine,  Samuel,  Jeremiah,  Renewed  and 
Svlvester. 


THE   POMPEY   RE-UNION.  353 

From  some  one  of  these  seventeen  Sweet  families  that  ex 
isted  in  1690,  the  Sweets  of  Pompey  claim  to  be  descendants. 

Joseph  Sweet,  the  son  ot  Henry  and  Mary,  was  born 
March  7,  1687.  He  married  Rachel.  His  eldest  son  Henry, 
born  August  9, 1710 ;  and  2d  son  Timothy,  May  27, 1713 ;  he 
married  Alice,  the  daughter  of  William  and  Thankful  Sweet. 
She  was  born  February  18,  1721.  Her  first  husband  was 
Thomas  Mitchell,  married  November  20,  1739;  and  chil 
dren,  George, Dorcas  and  Deborah;  married  Timothy,  about 
1750,  children:  Charles,  who  was  killed  in  the  Revolution, 
Timothy  and  Oliver.  He  removed  to  Virginia,  on  the  forks 
of  the  Potomac,  was  killed  by  the  Indians,  when  Alice  re 
turned  to  Rhode  Island,  with  her  two  children,  on  horse 
back,  Oliver  unborn,  a  nine  day's  journey  in  1757.  For  her 
third  husband,  she  married  Sherwood, and  had  one  son  Seth, 
who  was  an  early  settler  in  Wyoming  county.  She  died  in 
Pompey,  May  G,  1814,  aged  93  years  three  months. 

Timothy  Sweet  was  born  in  East  Greenwich,  R.  I.,  Oct. 
24,  1753.  Of  his  early  life  we  know  nothing,  but  at  the 
dawn  of  the  revolution,  he  enlisted  under  Col  Seth  War 
ren,  and  was  at  the  taking  of  Forts  Ticonderoga  and  Crown 
Point.  In  the  autumn  of  1775,  he  was  captured  at  "  the 
cedars,"  in  the  expedition  against  St.  Johns,  Canada,  and 
was  taken  to  Halifax,  and  afterwards  to  New  York,  and 
placed  in  the  Sugar  House  Prison.  Here  he  lay  for  years, 
and  in  the  fear  of  death  from  the  inhumanity  of  his  keepers, 
he  enlisted  into  the  British  army  as  a  servant  to  Captain 
Miles.  As  soon  as  health  and  strength  permitted,  he  escaped 
from  Long  Island  to  the  Connecticut  shore,  but  not  daring 
to  join  the  Continental  army  for  fear  of  a  recapture,  he  visi 
ted  Salisbury,  Conn.,  wherein  September,  1780, he  married 
Eunice  Wood  worth.  They  emigrated  to  Saratoga,  were  with 
in  the  sound  of  the  great  battle,  and  Eunice  personally 
saw  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne.  They  emigrated  to  Pom 
pey  in  1794,  reaching  what  is  now  the  "  Old  Homestead," 
on  the  28th  of  January,  where  within  eight  days,  Kneeland 
Sweet,  was  born. 

23 


354  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

Within  three  months  after  his  arrival,  he  was  elected  to 
the  offiee  offence  viewer,  and  at  the  next  town  meeting-  to 
the  office  of  Commissioner  of  Highways.  In  this  capacity 
lie  labored  for  many  years,  and  assisted  in  laying  out  most 
of  the  roads  in  the  original  township. 

.lie  soon  became  a  prominent  if  not  the  leading  farmer 
in  the  town,  and  one  of  the  first  in  the  county.  In  1803, 
he  purchased  of  Dr.  Mordecai  Hale,  of  New  York  city,  two 
cows  of  Mr.  Livingston's  importation.  These  were  of  the 
best  short-horned  stock  of  that  day ;  one  came  to 
Pompey  in  calf,  which  proved  to  be  a  male;  Mr. 
S.  paid  $500  for  the  cow  and  calf,  an  emormous  sum  for 
that  day.  The  other  cow,  equally  good  when  she  started, 
was  injured  on  the  passage,  and  she  was  sold  for  $60.  She 
entirely  recovered,  and  from  these  three  sprang  the  celebrat 
ed  "  Sweet  breed."  The  "dam"  of  the  bull  was  red  and 
he  the  same,  the  other  was  spotted.  The  bull  was  sold  in 
1808  to  Israel  Chapin,  of  Canandaigua,  for  §350,  where  he 
founded  the  "  Norton  breed." 

The  cows  of  this  stock  were  remarkable  milkers,  Mr. 
Geddes  said  in  1857,  "  there  are  persons  now  living  who  at 
test  that  the  mother  of  the  bull  gave  40  quarts  of  milk  in  a 
day."  Mr.  Sweet  originally  took  up  the  600  acre  lot  No. 
18,  he  also  had  No.  86  in  Fabius,  and  10  in  Camillus,  at  the 
same  time.  No.  18  was  about  half  sold,  a  fair  sized  farm  giv 
en  to  his  eldest  son,  and  the  remainder  retained  under  his 
own  control  till  1817.  No.  86  Fabius,  was  sold,  and  No.  10 
Camillus  was  partitioned  among  his  sons  and  sons-in-law. 
H'e  afterwards  purchased  the  most  of  Lot  17,  a  part  of  this 
was  sold,  and  the  remainder  distributed  among  his  sons  and 
sons-in-law.  From  1800  to  1817,  he  was  the  most  promi 
nent  farmer  in  the  country,  tilling  more  land,  and  producing 
the  most  grain,  cattle  and  horses  and  sheep.  About  this 
time  he  distributed  his  land  among  his  children,  and  retired 
from  active  life  at  65,  in  full  health  and  active  faculties. 
The  giving  up  of  all  activity  and  responsibility  in  worldly 
affairs,  was  a  sudden  start  in  the  down-hill  of  life,  which  he 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION.  355 

descended  rapidly,  and  twenty  years  that  might  have  been 
usefully  spent,  was  absolutely  squandered,  and  the  last  few 
of  them  in  mental  darkness.  He  died  March  7,  1837. 

His  children  were  Adolplius,  Aurcl,  who  married  John 
Sprague,  Charles,  James,  Anson,  Anna,  who  married  Na 
than  Williams,  Pamelia  who  married  Jest  C.  Fiuck, 
Kneeland  and  Horace. 

Eunice  Woodworth,  daughter  of  Abner  Woodworth,  and 
Hannah  Dyer,  wife  of  Timothy  Sweet,  was  born  in  Canaan, 
Conn.,  November  22,  1762.  Being  deprived  of  educational 
advantages  in  her  early  years,  she  learned  to  read  after  her 
marriage,  and  acquired  a  decent  education  for  those  days. 
About  1800,  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of  Dr.  White,  of 
Cooperstown,  she  commenced  the  study  and  practice  of 
obstetrics,  he  furnishing  her  books  and  instruction  gratis. 
She  was  peculiarly  adapted  for  the  profession  by  nature,  and 
made  a  most  successful  practitioner  for  about  45  years.  In 
the  sparsely  settled  country  where  she  first  commenced  prac 
tice,  her  "  ride"  was  often  extensive,  but  professional  calls 
few,  but  in  later  times,  her  ride  was  not  so  distant,  and  the 
calls  more  numerous  ;  in  the  aggregate  some  hundreds.  She 
was  present  also  on  hundreds  of  occasions,  when  not  called 
professionally.  She  closed  a  long,  honored  and  useful  life, 
January  25,  1845. 

Adolplius  Sweet,  born  in  Milton,  Saratoga  Co.,  married 
Obedience  Johnson,  June  17,  1811.  He  was  a  farmer  on 
the  farm  next  north  of  the  old  Homestead.  He  was  crip 
pled  for  many  years,  and  died  April  10,  1839.  Obedience 
died  in  Michigan,  January  11,  1862. 

Their  children  were  Andalucia,  who  married  Edgar  A. 
Brown,  widow,  resides  at  Covington,  Kentucky.  Timothy, 
the  only  bachelor  in  the  tribe  resides  at  Rhonersville,  Cal. 
Henry,  a  farmer  at  Dover,  Lenawe  Co.,  Michigan.  Harriet 
who  married  George  A.  Wright,  died  in  Michigan,  1858, 
and  George  who  is  a  farmer  and  resides  at  Dover,  Lenawe 
Co.,  Michigan. 


356  THE    TOMPEY    RE-UNION. 

Aurel  Sweet,  born  in  Milton,  Saratoga  County,  married 
John  Sprague,  August,  1803.  They  resided  on  the  farm 
now  owned  by  Guilford  C.  Clapp,  until  1834.  Their  chil 
dren  were  Anna,  who  married  John  Morley,  resides  in 
Cayuga  Co.  Belinda,  who  married  Harry  Weed,  and  re 
sides  at  Forestport,  Oneida  Co.  Mary,  who  married  Hiram 
Wood,  and  Aurilla,  who  married  Alonzo  Wood,  Clarissa, 
who  married  II.  V.  S.  McMechan,  widow,  Trenton,  X.  J., 
and  Charlotte,  who  married  W.  D.  Stewart,  Northville, 
Minn.  They  removed  to  Fayetteville  in  1834,  where  she 
died  April  19,  1835. 

Charles  Sweet,  born  in  Milton,  Saratoga  county,  married 
Theodosia  Clapp,  Nov.  12,  1805.  He  was  a  carpenter  and 
joiner  and  bridge  builder.  He  removed  in  1811  to  the 
Holland  Purchase,  and  built  a  saw  and  grist  mill,  he  went 
to  Greenupsburgh,  Ky.,  aoout  1820, and  has  never  been  heard 
of  since.  He  left  two  children  in  Pompey,  with  his  relatives, 
Charles,  who  removed  to  Chicago,  in  1835,  and  Philura,who 
married  the  Hon.  Alvin  Raymond,  of  Racine,  Wisconsin. 

James  Sweet,  born  in  Milton,  Saratoga  county,  married 
Betsey  Jerome,  October  28,  1806,  and  a  second  wife  Laura 
Clark,  1821.  He  was  a  cabinet  maker,  and  specimens  of 
his  handicraft  are  in  the  houses  of  most  of  the  relatives. 

In  the  war  of  1812,  he  enlisted  into  the  Navy,  on  board 
the  Brig  Argus,  was  in  an  engagement  with  a  British  ves 
sel,  took  a  prize,  six  boxes  of  gold.  The  firing  of  cannon 
made  him  deaf  forever  after.  He  returned  from  the  war 
and  went  on  to  a  farm,  on  Lot  10,  Camillus,  where  he  resid 
ed  till  November  25,  1828,  when  he  died.  By  his  first  wife 
he  had  one  son,  Jerome. 

Jerome  Sweet,  son  of  James,  born  in  Pompey  August  11, 
1806.  On  the  enlistment  of  his  father  in  the  Navy,  he  went 
to  reside  with  his  uncle  Anson,  with  whom  he  remained 
•until  he  reached  his  majority.  He  married  Joanna  Dodge 
in  1827,  and  soon  after  went  to  reside  on  a  part  of  the  farm 
given  his  father,  on  Lot  No.  10,  Camillus.  Here  he  remained 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  357 

several  years,  and  then  removed  to  Ohio.  In  1842  he  re 
moved  to  Noble  county,  Indiana.  The  country  was  new, 
and  from  the  first  he  took  a  leading  position  in  all  that  per 
tained  to  the  welfare  of  the  country.  He  was  a  representa 
tive  man  in  the  church,  school,  agriculture  and  politics.  In 
1851  he  was  chosen  to  the  Legislature  of  that  State,  and 
upon  that  body  at  that  time  devolved  the  labor  of  revis 
ing  the  Statutory  code,  and  a  new  and  complete  code  of 
Jurisprudence.  He  discharged  his  duties  to  the  entire  sat 
isfaction  of  his  constituents.  He  died  August  24,  1869. 

Anson  Sweet,  born  in  Saratoga  county,  Oct.  23,  1788, 
married  Charlotte  Seeley,  January  18,  1810.  He  resided 
on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Ezra  Casler,  on  Lot  17,  until 
1834,  when  he  removed  to  Fayetteville,  then  to  the  Old 
Homestead  and  finally  to  Manlius. 

As  early  as  1818,  he  practiced  under-draining  on  Lot  17, 
bringing  into  cultivation  quite  an  extensive  swale.  The 
drains  were  dug  very  deep  and  stoned  like  a  cellar  drain  in 
those  days — a  sound  stone  on  each  side,  and  a  flat  one  on 
top  clincked  tight,  and  the  drain  filled  above  with  moist 
earth.  These  drains  work  well  to  this  day. 

He  was  a  successful  farmer  and  laid  up  a  competence, 
which  he  still  enjoys.  He  resides  with  his  only  daughter 
in  Rochester. 

Mrs.  Sweet  died  at  Manlius,  February  18,  1861.  His 
children  were  Charles,  who  for  a  time  managed  the  old 
homestead,  but  removed  to  Wisconsin  in  1850,  and  now  re 
sides  at  Granby,  Missouri;  James  B.,  who  owned  the  old 
homestead  for  some  years,  removed  to  Manlius,  then  to 
Syracuse,  back  to  Manlius,  then  to  Fayetteville,  Skaneateles, 
and  finally  to  Syracuse ;  his  life  was  a  checkered  one, 
sometimes  on  a  farm,  sometimes  in  a  public  house,  but  al 
ways  cheerful  to  the  last  few  months  of  his  life,  when  he  be 
came  deranged,  and  died  Sept.  2,  1871;  and  Charlotte  L., 
who  married  the  Hon.  George  G.  Munger,  of  Rochester, 
where  she  now  resides  surrounded  by  a  happy  family  of 
girls. 


358  THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION. 

Anna  Sweet,  born  in  Milton,  Saratoga  county,  a  twin 
with  Anson,  was  married  to  Hon.  Xathan  Williams,  March 
14,  1805.  Her  husband  was  a  merchant  and  had  a  store  on 
the  Four  Corners,  north  of  the  old  homestead,  opposite  of 
Charles'  Hotel.  She  died  Aug.  22,  1807,  leaving  two 
children,  Luna,  who  married  John  R.  Wright,  and  Miphry, 
who  died  young. 

Pamelia  Sweet,  born  in  Saratoga  Co.,  married  Jost  C. 
Finck,  a  lineal  descendant  of  General  Andrew  Finck,  of 
revolutionary  fame,  and  of  German  origin,  in  1808.  He 
was  the  lawyer  of  the  family;  removed  to  Johnstown,  Mont 
gomery  county,  then  back  to  Pompey,  then  011  a  farm 
Avhich  his  father-in-law  gave  him  in  Camillus,  on  No.  10, 
where  he  remained  till  1832,  then  to  Cato,  then  to  Weeds- 
port,  then  to  Allegany  county,  where  she  died  January  18, 
1839.  Her  children  were  Mariah,  who  married  Asoph  Kinne, 
Anna,  who  married  Orlando  Gait,  Jacintha,  who  married 
Lewis  P.  Roode,  Edmund  A.,  Amelia,  who  married  Rev.  A. 
J.  Crandall,  Eliza,  who  married  Rev.  Walter  Hare,  Lucy, 
who  married  B.  Brooks  Joslin  and  Hulbert.  Amelia 
resides  at  Cazenovia,  all  the  remainder  are  west. 

Kneeland  Sweet  was  born  in  Pompey  February  5,  1794, 
we  think  the  oldest  person  born  in  town,  at  this  writing. 

He  received  the  best  education  attainable  in  that  day,  be 
ing  sent  by  his  father  to  Johnstown  Academy  for  the  polish. 
In  1820  he  came  in  possession  ot  the  Old  Homestead,  about 
300  acres  of  land,  and  heavily  stocked  with  horses,  sheep 
and  cattle,  and  implements  of  every  kind,  the  most  com 
plete  in  town. 

He  married  Julia  Ann  Kennedy,  of  Marcellus,  in  1819 ; 
they  removed  to  Manlius  about  1833,  and  to  Mason,  Mich., 
1842,  previous  to  the  war  he  removed  to  Granby,  Mo., 
where  Mrs.  Sweet  died  1866.  Their  children  were  Warren. 
G.,  a  farmer  at  Granby,  Mo.,  Loren,  a  farmer  and  mer 
chant  at  Mason,  Mich.,  J.  Frances,  who  married  the  Hon. 
James  A.  Chase  and  resides  at  Buffalo,  William  G.,  a 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNIOW.  359 

farmer  at  Mason,  Mich.,  Isabel,  who  marled  the  Hon.  Jerome 
B.  Fitzgerald,  Edgar  B.  and  Andalusia,  who  died  young, 
and  Frederick  K.,  the  youngest  grand-child  of  Timothy,  a 
Druggist  at  Lockport,  X.  Y.  Kneeland  resides  with  his 
daughter  Isabel  at  Kiles,  Mich. 

Horace  Sweet,  born  in  Pompey  April  1,  1796,  was  never 
calculated  for  anything  but  a  farmer,  it  was  his  glory,  his 
pride  and  the  height  of  his  ambition  to  be  called  a  "good 
farmer."  His  earley  education  was  on  the  farm,  and  that 
continually,  it  being  thought  worse  than  useless  to  expend 
time  and  money  on  any  one  who  expected  to  be  a  farmer. 
He  lived  in  the  expectation  of  having  the  "Old  Homestead" 
all  his  early  life,  and  by  diligence  and  industry  fitted  him 
self  for  the  responsible  situation.  In  1817  he  married 
Can  dace  A  very,  and  for  two  years  managed  the  farm.  In 
1819  his  father  gave  him  a  small  farm  where  Hiram 
Clement  now  resides.  In  1823  he  removed  to  the  farm  two 
and  one-half  miles  north  of  the  Hill,  where  he  added  to  his 
acres  and  his  family  in  about  equal  proportion. 

His  experiments  in  farming  were  continual  and  always 
too  extensive,  for  when  a  failure,  the  loss  was  too  great 
He  tried  all  sorts  of  grain  and  all  kinds  of  implements.  He 
purchased  the  second  cast-iron  plow  in  town,  and  used  the 
first.  He  had  the  first  threshing  machine,  the  second  horse- 
rake,  the  second  mowing  machine,  the  first  drill,  the  first 
roller,  the  first  sub-soil  plow,  one  of  the  first  of  the  Michi 
gan  sub-soil  plows,  and  among  the  minor  implements,  was 
ever  ready  to  try  for  a  better  one. 

In  the  cultivation  of  his  farm  he  always  desired  to  be  in 
advance.  He  purchased  stone  for  the  front  fence  in  1834 
at  quite  a  cost,  and  had  drains  in  every  low  place  as  early  as 
1840.  He  always  wanted  to  "plow  deep"  and  in  many  of 
the  fields  every  stone  that  the  plow  hit  in  the  bottom  of  the 
furrow  wras  taken  out.  Foul  stuff  was  his  abomination,  and 
many  a  day  was  spent  in  pulling  charlick  and  daisies  with 
corresponding  backache.  He  always  wanted  to  do  things 
so  much  better  than  was  absolutely  necessary,  that  he 


360  THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION. 

needed  a  fortune  to  back  him.  As  we  said  at  the  com 
mencement  his  ambition  was  to  be  called  a  "good  farmer." 
This  distinction  he  achieved  "if  he  did  not  make  a  cent." 

His  back  was  injured  by  a  fall  about  four  years  previous 
to  his  death,  and  he  suffered  long,  but  finally  like  a  shook 
of  corn  cut  by  an  early  frost,  he  departed  August  4,  1858 
aged  62.  His  children  are  Clarence  H.,  mechanic,  who  re 
sides  at  Knowlesville,  Anson  A.,  mechanic,  Syracuse, 
Homer  D.  L.,  Genius  of  the  "Claud  Melnot  school,"  resides 
at  Syracuse,  Wheaton  B.,  the  only  representative  of  the 
fifty  grand-children  of  Timothy  remaining  in  town,  William 
A.,  mechanical  engineer  at  Syracuse,  John  E.,  Professor  of 
Applied  Mathematics  at  Cornell  University,  Helen  L.,  who 
died  1842,  and  AnnaE.,  widow  of  Charles  C.  Bates,  resides 
at  Syracuse. 


JOTTNT  TODD. 

John  Todd  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Pompcy,  and 
owned  and  occupied  the  farm-now  occupied  by  M.  K.  Dyer. 
He  and  his  wife  will  be  remembered  as  good,  honest  chris- 
tian  people — members  of  the  Bapt'st  church.  Mrs.  Todd 
was  decidedly  opposed  to  instrumental  music  in  church,  and 
when  Mr.  John  Talbert  assisted  the  choir  with  his  bass  viol, 
she  left  the  church,  for  she  said,  "having introduced  fiddling 
in  church,  the  next  thing  would  be  dancing." 

Mr.  Todd  died  about  the  year  1830,  and  Mrs.  Todd  lived 
several  years  thereafter — a  member  of  the  family  of  the  late 
Pitt  Dyer.  They  left  no  children. 

SAMUEL  TALBOT. 

Samuel  Talbot,  one  of  the  early  pioneers  and  settlers  of 
the  old  township  of  Pompey,  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Stoughton,  Mas>.,  August  15,  1778.  Young  Talhot  when 
about  twenty  years  of  age,  started  with  his  wile,  together 

with  the  families  of  Asa  Drake,  and Holmes  to  seek 

heir  fortunes  in  (what  was  then  considered)  the  far  west, 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  361 

amidst  the  wilds  and  uncultivated  regions  of  "York  State." 
Their  means  for  transporting  their  families  and  household 
goods  were  very  primitive  and  simple,  yet  their  persever 
ance  and  courage  overcame  the  many  perplexing  annoy 
ances  they  met  with  on  their  journey.  Their  course  was 
pursued  through  the  unbroken  country  and  forests,  fording 
streams  and  rivers,  frequently  being  delayed  in  making 
rafts  upon  which  the  latter  were  crossed.  Their  furniture 
and  provisions  were  drawn  by  two  yokes  of  oxen,  hitched 
to  each  sled.  On  arriving  at  the  Hudson  near  the  city  of 
Albany,  they  crossed  upon  the  ice.  Here  it  was  found  neces 
sary  to  make  a  halt  long  enough  to  put  new  wooden  shoes 
upon  two  of  the  sleds  which  had  completely  worn  off;  the 
third  sled  proved  equal  to  the  task,  and  did  not  receive  any 
repairs  until  they  arrived  at  Pompey.  Talbot  settled  in 
the  north-west  part  of  the  town,  where  he  remained  about 
ten  years;  he  then  removed  to  Cleveland  Mills,  Steuben 
county.  The  house  he  occupied  in  that  place  caught  fire  and 
was  consumed  together  with  nearly  all  its  furniture.  He 
then  removed  to  the  Cohocton  River,  one  and  a  half  miles 
from  Liberty  Corners,  and  purchased  a  farm  of  108  acres, 
exchanged  that  land  with  one  Sexton,  of  Poultney,  but  the 
title  of  the  property  proving  spurious,  he  lost  everything  he 
paid  on  it,  and  was  left  with  only  a  few  articles  of  household 
goods,besides  a  pair  of  young  cattle,  with  which  he  removed 
back  to  Po-iipey  and  worked  the  Grimes'  farm  upon  shares 
for  twoyc-irs.  He  then  purchased  a  small  farm  of  fifty 
acres,  paying  for  it  from  a  dowry  his  wife  received  from  her 
father.  The  same  farm  is  now  occupied  and  owned  by  his 
only  living  daughter,  Mrs.  Morse.  He  died  with  small-pox 
in  1859,  aged  eighty-one  years;  his  wife  also  died  from  the 
same  disease  the  same  year,  being  one  or  two  years  his 
senior. 

Mr.  Talbot  was  a  descendant  ot  the  Talbots  of  Strafford- 
shire,  England,  whose  history,  both  civil  and  military,  are 
well  known  to  many  historical  readers  of  the  present  day. 
The  first  American  Talbot  was  impressed  upon  a  British 


362  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

man-of-war  vessel,  while  bathing  with  other  boys  of  about 
his  own  age  on  the  English  coast.  His  name  was  Peter,  son 
of  the  Earl  of  Shrewsbury.  lie  escaped  from  the  vessel  in 
1662,  and  swam  to  the  Rhode  Island  shore.  Erom  thence 
he  proceeded  to  Stoughton,Mass.  ^He  left  a  son  George,who 
left  Peter,  who  was  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
Samuel,  not  unlike  his  progenitors,  was  six  feet  and  five 
inches  in  height,  large  bony  frame,  muscular  and  was  pos 
sessed  of  an  enduring  constitution.  There  are  many  inci 
dents  told  of  his  remarkable  strength  and  endurance,  among 
the  number  we  will  relate  the  following :  Talbot  had  ac 
quired  considerable  skill  in  the  use  of  carpenter's  tools,  and 
in  those  days  he  was  often  called  upon  to  assist  the  early 
settlers  in  building  their  cabins  and  houses.  He  had  occa 
sion  to  work  at  house  building  in  Ohio,  soon  after  the  Erie 
canal  was  opened  for  business ;  on  his  return  from  that  State 
in  the  fall,  he  came  from  Buffalo  in  a  boat,  landing  at  Syra 
cuse  with  his  large  tool  chest  which  was  left  upon  the  bank 
of  the  canal,  while  he  sought  for  some  means  to  transport  it 
to  Pompey  Hill.  He  could  find  no  farmer  or  neighbor  of 
his  in  town,  and  it  being  Saturday  in  the  afternoon,  he  con 
cluded  to  carry  it  upon  his  back,  which  he  did  by  the  aid  of 
straps  and  cords,  arriving  at  his  home  about  midnight.  He 
did  not  remove  the  chest  from  his  back  until  he  arrived 
home,  only  stopping  occasionally  and  resting  by  leaning  the 
chest  upon  a  stump  or  by  the  side  of  a  tree  on  the  route 
through  the  forests.  As  a  wood-chopper  he  had  but  few 
equals  in  this  section  of  the  State.  An  incident  is  frequent 
ly  told  by  residents  of  Pompey,  who  are  now  living  and  can 
vouch  for  the  facts. 

Talbot's  wife  wanted  a  pair  of  OMclirons  or  "  fire  dogs"  for 
their  huge  fire  place,  which  were  already  decorated  with 
"  cranes"  and  "  hooks,"  but  not  complete  without  the  arti 
cles  above  mentioned.  Young  Talbot  with  his  axe  upon  his 
shoulder  started  for  Mickles'  Furnace,  which  was  located 
about  two  miles  south  of  Syracuse,  near  the  junction  of  the 
two  roads  leading  from  Onondaga  Hill  and  Onondaga  Hoi- 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  363 

low ;  he  saw  Air.  Mickles  and  made  a  bargain  for  the  fire 
dogs,  he  (Talbot,)  agreeing  to  chop  and  pile  up  seven  and  a 
half  cords  of  maple  wood  for  them.  He  returned  home  put 
his  axe  in  excellent  order,  and  on  the  following  day  a  little 
after  day-break  he  commenced  his  work  felling  the  trees, 
chopping,  splitting  and  piling  up  the  wood ;  about  sunset 
Mr.  Mickles  went  into  the  woods  to  see  what  progress  Tal 
bot  was  making,  and  found  him  cording  up  what  he  had 
chopped,  which  measured  a  little  over  seven  cords.  Mr.  Mick 
les  was  surprised  to  see  the  result  of  the  day's  work,  and 
said  to  Talbot,  "  you  need  not  chop  any  more  I  am  satisfied 
and  you  can  come  to  the  furnace  and  make  your  selection  of 
"fire  dogs,"  which  he  did,  taking  them,  together  with  his  axe, 
upon  his  shoulders  and  started  for  home. 

Mr.  Talbot  was  a  devoted  member  of  the  Disciples  church, 
and  a  consistent  temperance  man,  honest  and  square  in  all 
his  dealings  with  the  world.  He  left  a  son  (Alvin,  since  de 
ceased,)  and  a  daughter,  (Mrs.  Morse,)  who  is  now  living  on 
the  old  homestead  in  Pompey,  on  the  road  leading  to  the 
Hollow  and  Jamesville. 


ELIJAH  WELLS. 

Among  the  pioneers  of  the  town  of  Pompey  may  be  num 
bered  Elijah  Wells,  who  was  born  in  the  town  of  Wethers- 
field,  Hartford  County,  Conn.,  February  27,  1775  ;  he  was 
married  January  16,  1800,  to  Lucy  Sellew,  of  Glastonbury, 
of  the  same  county;  he  came  to  Pompey  in  the  fall  of  1799, 
and  purchased  a  forest  farm  of  one-hundred  acres,  on  Lot 
^o.  51;  after  making  his  purchase,  he  returned  east  to 
spend  the  winter.  In  the  spring  of  1800,  he  returned  to 
Pompey,  and  applied  himself  to  clearing  up  his  land.  Dur 
ing  the  summer  he  cleared  ten  acres  and  also  built  a  log 
house  for  his  future  residence.  In  the  fall  he  returned  east 
and  prepared  to  remove  his  family  to  what  might  be  re 
garded  his  wilderness  home.  In  February,  1801,  he  left 
the  home  of  his  childhood  for  his  chosen  residence  in  the 
then  far  west.  The  journey  was  performed  at  this  incle- 


364  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

ment  season  of  the  year  in  an  open  sleigh  with  the  addi 
tional  rssponsibility  of  caring  for  an  infant  child  of  a  little 
more  than  three  months  old.  Deacon  Asa  H.  Wells,  who, 
till  1874,  resided  a  half  mile  north  of  Pompey  Hill,  was  that 
little  child  whose  familiar  voice  in  the  choir  of  the  Con 
gregational  Church  at  Pompey,  for  nearly  a  half  century 
has  been  heard  nearly  every  Sabbath,  singing  praises  to  the 
God  who  then  preserved  him.  Thus  they  came  into  this 
western  wild,  bringing  with  them  their  effects  to  commence 
the  battle  of  life.  Often  has  the  writer  of  this  little  sketch 
been  thrilled  in  listening  to  the  recital  of  the  perils  and 
trials  of  those  pioneer  days.  Elijah  Wells  and  his  wife 
were  both  for  many  years  active  members  of  the  "First 
Congregational  Church,"  in  Pompey,  and  for  many  years 
he  was  one  of  the  Deacons  of  the  Church.  Their  children 
feel  that  they  owe  very  much  to  them,  and  cherish  their 
memory  with  feelings  of  veneration.  Those  early  days  in 
the  history  of  our  fathers,  were  days  of  severe  struggle  and 
privation;  and  this  was  peculiarly  so  with  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  In  order  to  dispose  of  the  heavy  timber  of  the 
dense  forest,  and  get  his^logging  done — not  having  a  team  of 
his  own,  he  was  obliged  to  depend  upon  a  neighbor  who 
had  an  ox  team,  giving  two  days  of  his  own  labor,  for  the 
services  of  his  neighbor  with  his  team  one  day.  In  this  way 
he  accomplished  the  clearing  of  the  first  ten  acres.  In  the 
fall  of  the  same  season,  he  sowed  it  to  winter  wheat,  which 
gave  him  an  abundant  crop  the  following  season.  The 
nearest  market  to  him  at  this  time  was  Utica,  fifty  miles 
away,  and  in  the  winter  of  1801  and  1802,  he  hired  another 
neighbor,  Artemus  Bishop,  who  was  always  actuated  by  a 
high  sense  of  honor  and  ready  to  accommodate  as  are  pion 
eer  settlers  generally,  and  who  had  a  horse  team  to  carry 
his  crop  to  market ;  for  it  when  delivered  at  Utica,  he  re. 
ceived  forty  cents  per  bushel.  From  this  he  had  to  pay  for 
the  transportation  to  market.  This  was  the  manner  of  be 
ginning  to  build  up  the  town  of  Pompey,  and  from  such 
small  beginnings,  they  contributed  by  mortgaging  their 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  365 

farms  to  build  up  Pompey  Academy.  From  this,  let  the 
present  generation  learn  a  lesson  and  show  a  little  public 
spirit  by  stopping  the  decline  of  that  venerable  institution, 
by  contributing  out  of  their  abundance  sufficient  to  place  it 
financially  upon  a  firm  basis. 

To  them  were  born  five  sons  and  two  daughters ;  four  of 
the  sons  are  yet  living ;  one  son  and  the  daughters  have 
passed  away.  Elijah  Wells,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  died 
in  the  fall  of  1830.  Lucy  Wells,  his  companion,  died  in  the 
fall  of  1857.  Of  their  family  Asa  H.,  the  eldest  son,  now 
resides  in  Manlius,  and  George,  the  youngest,  still  remains 
in  Pompey.  John  S.,  the  second  son  who  married  Polly,  a 
daughter  of  Moses  Hinsdale,  died  at  his  residence  near  the 
old  homestead  in  1854.  Russell,  the  third  son,  is  a  resident 
of  Manlius  village.  Elijah,  Jr.,  the  fourth  son,  resides  in 
Naples,  Ontario  County,  2s".  Y.;  he  alone  chose  a  mercantile 
life,  while  all  the  others  have  made  agriculture  their  pur 
suit  for  life.  Of  the  daughters  one  died  in  infancy,  the 
other  at  the  age  of  twenty-five  unmarried.  The  sons  have 
all  been  married,  and  have  long  enjoyed  the  society  of  their 
respective  families. 

EDWARD   WICKS 

Was  born  at  East  Hampton,  Long  Island,  in  1752,  and  died 
in  the  year  1834,  aged  74  years.  His  father,  Capt.  Edward 
Wicks,  was  a  sailor,  and  having  charge  of  a  schooner  which 
sailed  between  Connecticut  and  the  West  Indies,  took  his 
son,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  with  him.  He  was  thus 
taught  the  rudiments  of  a  sea  faring  life,  till  he  was  about 
fourteen  years  old  ;  then  he  was  bound  to  a  tailor;  but  be 
ing  ill  used  he  ran  away  from  his  master,  and  in  company 
with  his  younger  brother,  Capt.  John  Wicks,  father  of  the 
late  E.  B.  Wicks,  of  Syracuse,  took  charge  of  a  vessel  mak 
ing  voyages  to  the  West  Indies,  until  the  war  of  the  revo 
lution.  He  was  then  obliged  to  return  to  his  trade  for  sup 
port,  and  worked  in  Providence,  R.  I.,  from  house  to  house 
for  fifty  cents  per  day,  taking  pay  in  Continental  money,  of 


366  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

which  be  paid  $210.00  for  a  pair  of  shoes;  these,  however, 
he  said  were  a  "good  pair."  He  married  Elizabeth  Conk- 
lin,  of  East  Hampton,  daughter  of  Lineas  Conklin,  and 
aunt  of  Judge  Conklin,  formerly  of  Auburn,  who  was  the 
father  of  Hon.  Roscoe  Conklin,  of  Utica,  and  of  Frederick 
Conklin,  of  New  York.  During  the  revolution,  his  father 
had  moved  to  Guilford,  Conn.,  with  his  family,  and  re 
mained  there  till  1800,  and  then  emigrated  to  Oneida  Co., 
N.  Y.,  between  Clinton  and  Paris  Hill.  In  1816  he  came 
to  Pompey,  and  bought  of  Mr.  Handy  the  farm  which  Barrs 
the  Hessian,  one  of  the  thousand  taken  prisoner  by  Gen. 
Washington  at  Trenton,  had  settled.  The  farm  was  lately 
owned  by  Dea.  Asa  H.  Wells,  and  now  by  David  King. 
Here  he  remained  till  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1834. 
His  wife  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-four  years,  in  the  year  1826, 
in  Pompey.  They  left  four  children.  Harriet,  the  eldest, 
married  Augustus  W.  Chappell ;  Marvin  died  in  1848  ;  Isaac 
C.  now  lives  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years,  in  Pompey  Hill 
village;  Eliza,  who  was  six  years  younger  than  Isaac  C., 
married  John  Clark,  and  settled  in  Brunswick,  Medina  Co., 
Ohio,  and  died  in  1850.  Mrs.  Chappell  died  in  1829  in  Pom 
pey,  of  a  malignant  fever  then  prevailing,  as  did  also  her 
son,  Edward  E.  Chappell.  She  left  surviving  three  other 
-children — Helen,  Sylvia  and  Byron. 

DANIEL   WRIGHT. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  September  9th,  1794, 
in  Hebron,  Conn.,  and  from  there  emigrated  to  Pompey,  ar 
riving  February  29,  1799,  with  his  parents,  who  settled  on 
Lot  No.  16.  His  father  died  Nov.  13, 1805,  and  his  mother 
March  13,  1806,  the  year  of  the  great  eclipse.  Then  young 
Daniel  went  to  live  with  his  brother-in-law,  and  remained 
with  him  two  years.  He  then  commenced  to  work  by  the 
month  and  day  for  different  persons,  always  strictly  fulfill 
ing  his  contracts,  till  1812,  when  he  bought  a  farm  and  paid 
for  it  with  the  money  that  years  of  toil  had  secured.  But 
the  title  to  his  land  failed  and  he  lost  it.  Again  he  went  to 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  367 

work  by  the  month  and  day,  and  when  over  thirty  years  of 
age  he  married  Miss  Eva  Helmer,  of  Manilas,  April  21st, 
1826.  Their  children  were  ten  in  number,  and  were  raised 
to  become  men  and  women.  To  support  his  large  family 
he  continued  to  work  by  the  month  and  by  the  day.  His 
wife  died  July  17th,  1866,  since  which  time  he  has  lived  with 
his  sons.  The  18th  of  February,  1869,  his  leg  was  broken 
by  a  fall  and  the  broken  limb  was  cared  for  by  Dr.  Knapp, 
of  Jamesville,  under  whose  skillful  treatment  aided  by  the 
strong  vitality  ot  his  patient,  he  was  enabled  to  be  about  in 
a  short  time.  At  the  age  of  78  years  he  could  chop  and 
pile  two  cords  of  wood  in  a  day,  and  although  the  vigor  of 
his  younger  days  is  departing,  he  can  walk  ten  miles  in 
a  day.  His  life  spent  among  the  farmers  of  Pompey,  has 
demonstrated  that  though  poor  a  man  may  be  honest.  But 
his  life's  labor  is  nearly  done,  and  he  is  now  only  waiting 
to  join  the  pioneers  of  Pompey,  who  have  gone  before  him 
over  the  river.  In  conversation  he  shows  that  though 
young  when  he  came  to  Pompey,  he  well  remembers  the 
scenes  and  hardships  of  pioneer  life.  He  remembers  of 
families  suffering  for  the  want  of  food,  and  so  reduced  as  to 
eat  beach  leaves.  In  a  mortar  they  pounded  their  corn 
and  baked  their  corn  cakes  in  the  ashes,  rolling  them  up 
in  cabbage  leaves  and  covering  them  up  with  coals.  But 
they  thanked  God  and  were  contented,  looking  for  a  better 
day. 

AUGUSTUS  WHEATOK 

Augustus  Wheaton  was  born  in  the  year  1775,  at  New 
Milford,  Conn.,  and  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years, 
and  was  buried  within  a  mile  of  the  place  of  his  birth.  Four 
brothers  emigrated  from  Scotland  and  settled  in  Connecticut. 
Their  names  were  Esuek,  Orange,  Sylvester  and  Joseph 
Wheaton,  the  last  named  being  the  father  of  Augustus,  who 
came  to  Pompey  in  1810.  He  had  purchased  land  in  Pom 
pey  in  1807,  but  did  not  move  his  family  till  1810.  Three 
sisters,  Lydia,  Sylvia  and  Loraine  had  preceded  him.  All 


368  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNLON. 

of  them  were  married   and  were  older  than  Augustus,  who 
was  an  only  son. 

Lydia  married  Jasper  Bennet,  of  Connecticut,  and  settled 
in  1806,  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  James  VanBrocklin, 
about  a  half  a  mile  north-westerly  from  Pompey  Hill.  They 
had  one  son  Malcomb  and  four  daughters — Orphia,  Oladiiie, 
Lurianne  and  Jane,  of  whom  Oladine  married  Ozias  Wright, 
late  of  Pompey.  Sylvia  married  James  Chappell,  of  Mass., 
and  settled  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Geo.  Kenyon,  in  1808. 
Their  children  were  Lydia  Ann,  Augustus  W.  and  Frank 
lin.  Augustus  "W.  inherited  his  father's  farm.  Franklin  was 
first  a  teacher  and  subsequently  a  lawyer.  He  went  to  Ken 
tucky  and  married  a  daughter  of  Gov.  Metcalf.  Augustus 
"W.  married  Harriet  Wicks,  and  lived  most  of  his  life  upon 
the  farm  inherited  from  his  father.  Their  children  were 
Helen,  Sylvia  and  Byron,  the  former  of  whom  married  Hen 
ry  Baker,  son  of  Dea.  Samuel  Baker,  late  of  Pompey.  She 
died  and  Henry  Baker  now  lives  on  his  father's  farm  with 
his  second  wife.  Sylvia  Chappell  married  Dr.  John  Clark, 
of  Brunswick,  Ohio;  Byron  married  Delia  Bowles,  and  they 
reside  in  Jasper  Co.,  Indiana.  Loraine  Wheaton  married 
Joseph  M.  Bostwick,  and  came  to  Pompey  about  1806,  and 
settled  on  the  farm  now  occupied  by  Watson  Watkins.  She 
died  in  1829  and  left  four  children,  Nancy,  Laura,  Whea- 
ton  and  Bennet.  Nancy  married  Myron  Wheaton,  of  Conn. 
Laura  married  Albro  Leach,  Wheaton  Bostwick  married  a 
Miss  Bennet,  of  Conn.,  and  now  resides  in  DeWitt,  Onon- 
daga  Co.,  N.  Y.  Bennet  moved  west,  married  and  still  re 
sides  west. 

Augustus  Wheaton  married  Hannah  Givens,  of  Conn. 
Their  children  were  Orlin  J.  and  Flora,  both  born  in  Con 
necticut,  and  Julia,  Horace,  Homer,  Louisa,  and  Charles  A., 
all  of  the  latter  born  in  Dutchess  Co.,  1ST.  Y.,  to  where  Au 
gustus  moved  after  the  birth  of  the  first  two  children.  Af 
ter  mo  ring  to  Pompey,  four  more  children  were  born  unto 
them,  whose  names  were  Sheldon,  Elvira,  Caroline  and 
Harriet. 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNI03ST.  369 

Augustus  purchased  a  farm  of  410  acres  and  lived  on  the 
east  side  of  the  road  south  of  where  A.  C.  Sloan  now  re 
sides,  from  1810  to  about  1823.  While  in  Pompey,  he  en 
gaged  in  the  pursuit  of  agriculture  and  droving,  and  about 
the  latter  date,  he  disposed  of  his  farm  and  moved  to  Syra 
cuse,  and  became  inspector  of  salt.  After  a  residence  in 
Syracuse  of  five  years,  he  returned  to  Pompey,  and  remained 
till  about  the  year  1833,  when  he  returned  to  the  place  of 
his  birth,  and  died  about  the  year  1852,  and  as  before  rela 
ted,  was  buried  within  a mile  of  his  birthplace.  His  wife 
died  in  1825,  and  her  remains  repose  in  the  cemetery  at 
Pompey  Hill.  Mr.  Wheaton  was  a  man  of  energy  and 
public  spirit,  always  interested  to  advance  and  better  the 
condition  of  his  town.  lie  was  a  leading  man  in  building 
the  first  Congregational  church  in  Pompey. 

Orlin  J.  Weaton,  the  eldest  son  of  Augustus,  married 
Sophronia  Stone,  of  New  Milford,  Conn.,  in  1821.  They 
have  reared  a  large  family,  all  of  whom  were  born  in  Pom 
pey.  These  are  Lucinda,  wife  of  O.  C.  Pratt,  of  Pompey. 
Leman  S.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  six  years ;  Daniel  G.,  who 
married  Mary,  second  daughter  of  David  F.  Dodge,  late  of 
Pempey,  Delia,  wife  of  the  late  Geo.  B.  Senter,  of  Cleve 
land,  Ohio,  Ellen  M.  wife  ot  H.  B.  Dodge,  of  Skaneateles, 
1ST.  Y.  Flora,  wife  of  John  C.  Grannis,  a  lawyer  of  Cleve 
land,  Ohio  ;  Francis,  wife  of  Dr.  O.  G.  Dibble,  of  Pompey, 
and  Garret  S.,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio.  Mr.  Orlin  J.  Wheaton 
has  led  a  very  active  life.  He  has  mostly  been  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits,  but  for  many  years  was  a  drover,  and 
as  such  has  traveled  over  very  much  of  the  western  coun 
try,  and  especially  Ohio. 

Flora  Wheaton,  the  second  child  of  Augustus,  married 
Moses  Seymour  Marsh,  who  came  to  Pompey,  in  1816.  Mr. 
Marsh  was  a  clerk  lor  his  uncle,  Henry  Seymour,  the  father 
ot  Gov.  Seymour,  and  he  subsequently  owned  the  store 
which  he  purchased  of  his  uncle,  and  Horace  Wheaton  be 
came  his  clerk,  and  in  turn  became  the  purchaser  of  the 
store,  which  he  continued  to  occupy  till  1846  or  1847. 

24 


370  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

Seymour  Marsh  built  the  stone  store  now  owned  and  oc 
cupied  by  Capt.  John  J.  Taylor,  upon  the  site  of  the  old 
Henry  Seymour  store.  The  children  of  Seymour  and  Flora 
Marsh,  were  Henry  S.  Marsh,  now  of  New  York,  Clarissa, 
wife  of  E.  S.  Dawson,  Treasurer  of  Onondago  Co.  Savings 
Bank,  of  Syracuse;  Richard  Marsh,  of  New  York;  Flora 
Marsh  and  Charles  Marsh,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio;  and  George 
Marsh,  of  New  York. 

Julia  Wheaton,  the  third  child  of  Augustus,  married 
Richard  Cuyler,  of  Aurora,  N.  Y.,  who  went  into  business 
at  Vienna,  N.  Y.,  and  them  died.  Their  children  were 
Mary,  wife  of  Hon.  R.  H.  Duell,  of  Cortland,  N.  Y.  Louisa 
wife  of  Giles  Lawrence,  of  Philadelphia,  Pa.  Jane,  wife  of 
Hon.  Chas.  Foster,  of  Cortland,  N.  Y.  Julia  and  Glenn, 
the  latter  being  a  resident  of  New  York,  and  engaged  in  the 
insurance  business.  Mrs.  Cuyler,  now  Mrs.  Lawrence,  is 
again  married  and  resides  in  Cortland,  N.  Y. 

Horace  Wheaton  married  Helen  Webb,  of  Syracuse,  a 
daughter  of  James  Webb,  who  had  been  County  Judge  and 
member  of  the  State  Legislature.  Their  children  are  James, 
Helen,  Edward  and  George.  Helen  is  married  to  Mr. 
Turner,  a  merchant  of  Chicago  ;  Edward  resides  in  New 
York ;  George  is  a  traveling  agent.  Mr.  Wheaton  has 
been  a  leading  democrat  and  represented  the  town  of  Pom- 
pey  for  a  number  of  terms  in  the  Board  of  Supervisors ;  was 
for  two  terms  a  representative  in  Congress,  having  been 
first  elected  in  the  fall  of  1842.  As  before  stated  he  purch 
ased  the  store  at  Pompey  Hill,  of  Moses  S.  Marsh,  and  there 
continued  the  mercantile  business  till  about  1846,  when  he 
removed  to  Syracuse,  and  there  he  has  since  resided.  For 
a  time  since  his  residence  in  Syracuse,  he  engaged  with  his 
brother  Chas.  A.,  in  the  hardware  trade.  More  recently, 
lie  has  been  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  which  office  he  now 
holds. 

Homer  Wheaton  is  a  graduate  of  Hamilton  College.     In 
1826  arid  7  he  studied   law  with  the   late  Victory  Birdseye, 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION.  371 

and  afterwards  with  Judge  Xehemiah  II.  Earll;  was  admit 
ted  to  practice  and  opened  an  office  in  Syracuse  with  Henry 
Davis,  Jr.,  son  of  Dr.  H.  Davis,  president  of  Hamilton  Col 
lege.  Subsequently  pursuing  the  practice  of  law,  but  a 
short  time  he  became  an  Episcopal  clergyman,  which  voca 
tion  lie  followed  many  years.  He  is  now  extensively  en 
gaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  and  devoted  to  the  produc 
tion  of  fine  stock.  He  married  Louisa,  daughter  of  Judge 
Isaac  Smith,  of  Dutchess  County.  Judge  Charles  Wheaton 
of  Poughkeepsie,  is  his  son. 

Louisa  Wheaton,  married  John  Flemming,  late  of  Man- 
lius,  N.  Y.  He  was  a  lawyer,  Surrogate  of  Onondaga 
County,  Indian  agent  and  Master  in  Chancery.  Their 
children  were  John,  Louisa  and  Mary,  who  are  dead,  and 
Elizabeth  who  is  married  and  resides  in  Tennessee,  and 
Flora  who  resides  in  Washington,  D.  C. 

Charles  A.  Wheaton  married  Ellen  Birdseye,  daughter  of 
Hon.  Victory  Birdseye,  late  of  Pompey.  They  had  twelve 
children,  as  follows :  Cornelia,  wife  of  Frederick  Ayer,  of 
Lowell,  Mass.,  Ellen  L.  wife  of  Dr.  A.  K.  Morgan,  late  of 
Syracuse,  now  of  Astoria,  Long  Island  ;  Edward  of  SanFran- 
cisco,  Cal.,  in  the  Express  and  Banking  business  of  Wells, 
Fargo  &  Co.  Homer,  who  is  dead.  Emma  C.,  principal  of 
tlieSt,  Paul,  Minn.,  Young  Ladies'  Seminary.  Clara  who  is 
in  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  teaching.  Florence  B.  Wheaton, 
Lucia  C.,  a  teacher  at  St.  Paul.  Henry  B.  Wheaton,  a  stu 
dent  at  law,  Boston,  Mass.  Mary  H.,  wife  of  Mr.  Kittridge, 
a  lawyer  of  Boston,  Mass.  Charles  A.,  now  of  Harvard  Uni 
versity,  and  Mabel  F.  who  is  at  her  fathers,  Xortbfield,Minn. 

Mr.  Wheaton  married  a  second  time,  his  first  wife  having 
died  Dec.  1858.  His  second  wife  was  a  Mrs.  Wagoner, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Archibald.  By  her  he  has  five 
children,  all  living  at  home  with  their  parents.  Mr.  Whea 
ton,  while  a  resident  of  Syracuse,  was  a  successful  merchant 
at  first  in  the  dry  goods  and  subsequently  in  the  hardware 
trade.  Several  years  ago,  he  went  south  arid  engaged  in 


372  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

the  construction  of  a  railroad.  In  this  enterprise  he  was 
unfortunate.  Subsequently  he  went  to  Minnesota,  where  he 
now  resides.  He  has  held  many  positions  of  public  trust, 
and  is  now  editor  of  the  Rice  County  Journal. 

Sheldon  Wheaton,  the  first  child  of  Augustus,  born  in 
Pompey,  died  from  being  scalded,  at  the  age  of  two  years. 

Elvira  Wheaton,  married,  being  the  second  wife  of  John 
Flemming,  by  whom  she  had  two  children,  Caroline  and 
William.  Caroline  is  the  wife  of  John  A.  Baker,  of  Seneca 
Falls,  William  is  in  the  express  business  at  Coxsackie, 
K  Y. 

Caroline  Wheaton,  married  a  Mr.  Clark,  of  Monte/Aima, 
who  is  now  dead.  She  resides  in  New  York,  and  has  two 
children,  James  and  Caroline  Clark;  James  is  a  merchant  in 
New  York,  and  Caroline  is  with  her  mother. 

Harriet  Wheaton,  married  Geo.  B.  Walter,  late  of  Syra 
cuse,  but  now  residing  at  Astoria,  Long  Island.  He  is  a 
lawyer,  doing  business  in  New  York.  They  have  three  boys 
one  of  whom  is  at  the  Cornell  University. 


TABOR  D.  WILLIAMS. 

Mr.  Williams  was  not  among  the  Pioneer  settlers  of 
Pompe}7,  having  emigrated  to  Pompey  in  1831.  His  family 
consisted  of  his  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Miss  L}rdia 
Goodrich,  formerly  of  Lenox,  Berkshire  Co.,  Mass.,  and  his 
two  sons  George  H.,  and  Charles  T.  Williams,  aged  respec 
tively  nine  and  six  years.  Mr.  Williams  was  a  shoemaker, 
and  followed  that  occupation  for  several  years,  after  he  came 
to  Pompey.  His  eldest  son  George  H.  Williams,  entered 
Pompey  Academy  at  the  age  of  14  years,  and  remained 
there  four  years  under  the  tuition,  of  the  late  Samuel  S. 
Stebbins,  an  accomplished  teacher,  scholar  and  gentleman. 
At  the  close  of  his  academic  course,  he  entered  the  law 
office  of  the  late  Hon.  Daniel  Gott,  of  Pompey.  Three 
years  thereafter  and  in  the  year  1844,  he  was  admitted  to 


THE    POMPEY    EE-UNION.  373 

the  bar  at  Syracuse ;  in  September  of  the  same  year,  he 
went  to  Iowa  and  entered  the  office  of  Hon.  D.  F.  Miller,  at 
Fort  Madison;  in  1846  he  was  elected  to  the  convention 
which  framed  the  constitution  of  Iowa,  serving  on  the  com 
mittee  which  reported  that  instrument.  On  the  admission 
of  the  State  into  the  Union,  he  was  elected  Chief  Justice  of 
tne  Supreme  Court;  in  1852  he  was  elected  presidential 
elector,  on  the  democratic  ticket  and  cast  his  vote  for  Pierce, 
carrying  the  vote  of  the  State  to  Washington  as  messenger 
of  the  Electoral  College.  On  his  way  home  he  received  in 
telligence,  of  his  appointment  to  the  Chief  Justiceship  of 
Oregon  Territory,  by  the  new  President.  In  1857  he  was 
re-appointed  to  this  office,  by  President  Buchanan;  he  was 
also  elected  delegate  to  the  convention,  which  framed  the 
constitution  of  Oregon,  two  years  thereafter,  he  resigned  the 
Judgeship  arid  resumed,  the  practice  of  law  at  Portland.  In 
1864  he  was  elected  United  States  Senator,  from  Oregon 
and  served  the  full  term.  At  the  expiration  of  his  Senato 
rial  term,  he  was  appointed  by  President  Grant,  to  serve  as 
a  member  of  the  Joint  High  Commission,  which  convened 
at  Washington  for  the  settlement  of  the  Alabama  Claims, 
his  last  appointment,  recently  received  from  President 
Grant,  being  to  fill  the  office  of  Attorney  General  of  the 
United  States.  In  1850  he  was  married  to  the  daughter,  of 

O 

General  V.  P.  Van  Antwerp,  of  Keokuk,  Iowa,  who  died  in 
1863,  and  he  contracted  a  second  matrimonial  alliance,  with 
Mrs.  Kate  George,  of  Oregon  in  1867.  Mr.  Williams  second 
son  Charles  F.,  is  by  occupation  a  harness-maker  and  resides 
at  lloneoye,  Monroe  Co.,  N.  Y.  Mr  Tabor  D.  Williams  and 
his  wife,  are  still  living  in  Pompey  and  are  very  proud,  of 
the  high  position  their  son  George  has  attained 

THE  FARGO  FAMILY. 

WILLIAM  C.  FARGO. 

The  biograph}'  of  no  family  identified  with  the  history  of 
old  Pompey  more  clearly  illustrates  the  adrantages  of  a  re 
publican  form  of  government,  than  that  of  William  C.  Far- 


374  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

go.  His  father,  whose  surname  was  also  William,  was  a 
descendant  of  Moses  Fargo  (or  Firgo  as  it  was  often  written), 
who  emigrated  from  England  to  Connecticut,  about  the  year 
1670,  and  settled  in  New  London.  The  history  of  New 
London  by  Frances  Manwaring  Caulkins,  published  in  1852, 
has  the  following  statement :  "  With  other  new  inhabitants 
that  appear  between  the  years  1670  and  1700,  and  to  whom 
house  lots  were  granted  is  Moses  Fargo  in  the  year  1680. 
He  had  nine  children  of  whom  the  five  youngest  were  sons, 
Moses,  Ralph,  Robert,  Thomas  and  Aaron." 

The  histories  of  New  London  and  Norwich  contain  fre 
quent  reference  to  members  of  this  family  in  connection  with 
the  annals  of  the  revolutionary  war.  William  C.,  at  the  age 
of  seventeen,  was  among  the  first  to  enlist,  and  he  served 
faithfully  during  the  whole  of  the  memorable  struggle  for 
independence.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  engaged  in  com 
mercial  pursuits,  his  principal  business  being  the  shipping 
of  cattle  and  horses  to  the  West  Indies.  For  a  time  this  en 
terprise  proved  successful ;  but  the  loss  of  two  ships  during 
a  stormy  voyage  brought  a  reverse  from  which  he  never  re 
covered  financially.  He  died  about  the  year  1800,  leaving 
a  widow  and  several  children,  one  of  whom  was  William 
C.  Fargo,  who  was  born  in  New  London,  Connecticut, 
March  20th,  1791.  Left  thus  early  without  inheritance,  he 
was  thrown  upon  his  own  resources.  In  those  days,  as  now, 
fortune  was  to  be  sought  in  the  west,  and  having  learned 
the  trade  of  a  distiller,  on  the  23d  of  January,  1807,  he  left 
Connecticut  with  his  uncle  John  Ames,  emigrated  to  Ply 
mouth,  Chenango  County,  N.  Y.,  where  he  worked  as  a  la 
borer,  until  the  November  following,  when  he  moved  to 
Jamesville,  Onondaga  county,  N.  Y.,  and  found  employ 
ment  in  the  distillery  of  Benjamin  Sandford. 

He  remained  in  this  position  until  the  latter  part  of  the 
summer  of  1809,  when  he  made  his  first  visit  to  his  uncle 
Chappell,  who  married  his  father's  sister  and  resided  in  Pom- 
pey.  His  visit  over,  he  continued  his  westward  journey, 
and  in  September  commenced  work  in  Ontario  Co.,  about 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  375 

seven  miles  north  of  Geneva,  for  a  Mr.  Smith.  His  term  of 
service  expiring  the  following  April,  he  resumed  his  west 
ward  route,  working  by  the  day  or  week  as  he  traveled,  and 
reached  Buffalo  in  September.  .  It  was  his  intention  to  find 
employment  in  a  distillery  at  Eleven  Mile  Creek:  but  Buf 
falo  offered  what  he  regarded  a  more  lucrative  position, 
and  he  engaged  as  a  bar-tender  for  Robert  Cook.  Buffalo 
was  not  a  populous  city  at  that  time,  but  it  gave  him  em 
ployment  until  May,  1812,  when  he  was  drafted  in  company 
with^  James  Ellis,  William  Adams  and  John  Coon,  as  a 
soldier  in  the  United  States  army  in  the  pending  war  with 
Great  Britain.  John  O'Connor,  of  New  York,  was  then 
recruiting  in  Buffalo,  and  preferring  to  be  voluntary  rath 
er  than  drafted  soldiers,  Mr.  Fargo  and  his  three  associates 
enlisted  for  the  war  in  the  third  regiment  of  heavy  artillery, 
under  command  of  Col.  Alexander  M-acomb,  who  was  after 
wards  promoted  to  the  rank  of  General,  when  the  command 
of  the  regiment  devolved  on  Col.  George  E.  Mitchell. 

The  recruits  were  first,  ordered  to  Canandaigua,  but  the 
4th  day  of  July,  1812,  found  them  at  Fort  Niagara.  On  or 
about  the  first  of  October,  fifty  picked  men  of  whom  Mr. 
Fargo  was  one,  were  detailed  to  open  Communication  with 
the  Canadian  side  of  the  river,  so  that  the  troops  could  bo 
safely  crossed  over.  It  was  a  hazardous  undertaking  at  the 
best,  and  as  the  enemy  was  informed  of  the  enterprise  by 
sympathizing  rebels  on  this  side,  the  fifty  were  compelled 
to  return.  On  the  12th  of  October,  the  attempt  was  renewed, 
only  fifty  soldiers  at  first  embarking.  One  boat  load  was 
carried  down  by  the  current  and  taken  prisoners.  On  the 
morning  of  the  13th,  under  cover  of  the  darkness  that  then 
prevailed,  the  rest  of  the  fifty  were  able  to  land,  the  boats 
returned,  and  as  soon  as  possible  the  militia  under  Gen.  Van 
Kensselaer,  were  conducted  to  Canadian  soil.  About  sun 
rise,  Mr.  Fargo  was  one  of  the  number  who  forced  their 
way  up  the  steep  acclivity  and  captured  the  enemy's  battery 
on  the  heights  which  by  this  time  was  being  actively  used 
against  the  Americans  who  were  crossing  the  river.  A  so- 


376  THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION. 

cond  engagement  occurred  about  eleven  o'clock,  during 
which  the  British  General  Brock  was  killed.  Mr.  Fargo 
was  wounded  in  his  right  thigh,  just  before  the  Americans 
won  possession  of  the  ground.  "When  reinforcements 
arrived  from  Fort  George,  Mr.  Fargo,  with  other  wounded 
Americans,  was  brought  back  to  the  American  side,  and 
placed  in  a  barn  with  a  Mr.  Bennett,  the  log-house  hospital 
being  full.  They  remained  here  all  night  before  their 
wounds  could  be  dressed.  Mr.  Fargo's  wound  was  very 
painful,  and  his  leg  so  much  swollen  that  a  council  of  physi 
cians  decided  that  the  limb  must  be  amputated.  Dr.  Brown 
of  Cherry  Valley,  !N".  Y.,  obtained  permission  to  make  an 
effort  to  save  the  limb,  and  resorted  to  a  poultice  of  beach- 
leaves  and  new  milk  boiled  together.  No  material  improve 
ment  was  manifested  at  the  expiration  of  the  first  twenty- 
four  hours ;  but  on  the  day  following  the  beneficial  influence 
of  the  treatment  was  apparent,  and  Dr.  Brown  was  permit 
ted  to  take  charge  of  the  patient  until  the  following  April, 
when  Mr.  Fargo  was  removed  to  Fort  Niagara.  Tlis  wound, 
however,  did  not  heal  until  June.  On  his  recovery,  Mr. 
Fargo  had  charge  of  the  artillery  in  what  was  known  as 
the  Block  House.  From  this  station  in  August,  1818,  he 
kept  up  an  incessant  firing  on  Fort  George,  for  four  days. 
Soon  after  this,  orders  were  received  for  the  discharge  of  in- 

7  vt? 

valid  soldiers,  and  Col.  Mitchell  gave  Mr.  Fargo  his  choice, 
to  be  discharged,  or  accept  an  unlimited  furlough  and  en 
gage  in  recruiting  and  apprehending  deserters.  Ho  chose 
the  latter  and  was  so  engaged  until  the  close  of  the  war.  It 
was  while  recruiting  that  in  February,  1814,  he  again  visit 
ed  Pompey,  and  from  there  went  to  Albany  where  ho  re 
ceived  orders  to  enlist  no  more  soldiers.  He  immediately 
repaired  to  Sackett's  Harbor,  and  was  placed  in  charge  of 
the  Ordnance  Department.  In  1815,  after  peace  was  estab 
lished,  still  continuing  in  the  army  service,  he  went  to  the 
Island  of  Mackinaw  with  Capt.  Benjamin  Pierce,  who  died 
about  1871.  Here  he  was  sergeant-major  of  the  garrison, 
under  command  of  Col.  John  McKeal.  In  1816,  orders 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  377 

•came  to  construct  a  fort  at  Green  Bay,  at  the  mouth  of  Little 
Fox  River.  This  work  was  designed  for  the  protection  of 
explorers  and  others  against  the  Indians  who  were  then  very 
hostile.  Mr.  Fargo  was  detailed  with  twenty  picked  men 
to  protect  the  workmen  who  were  building  the  fort.  Hav 
ing  accomplished  the  purpose  of  the  expedition,  he  returned 
to  Mackinaw  in  July,  1816,  and  remained  there  until  the 
expiration  of  his  term  of  service,  on  the  7th  of  May,  1817. 

Xo  longer  a  soldier,  he  commenced  his  journey  to  Pom- 
pey.  To  Detroit  he  came  by  water,  and  thence  on  foot.  To 
]Srorwalk,  Ohio,  he  had  the  company  of  James  Gates.  From 
there  twenty-one  miles  towards  Cleveland,  there  was  no  hu 
man  habitation, arid  Cleveland,  then,  could  boast  of  only  two 
families  and  two  houses,  one  of  them  a  public  one.  From 
Cleveland  his  fellow-footman  was  a  Mr.  Fellows,  and  togeth 
er  they  trudged  on  to  Pompey,  where  they  arrived  in  June, 
1817.  Mr.  Fargo  made  a  visit  to  his  uncle  Ames  in  Che- 
nango  County,  shortly  after,  and  returned  in  July.  On  the 
10th  of  August,  1817,  he  was  married  to  Tacy  Strong,  who 
was  born  September  14,  1799,  in  Hebron,  Conn.  They  re 
mained  in  Pompey  until  1819,  when  they  went  to  James- 
ville,  and  for  the  first  time  commenced  house-keeping.  At 
the  expiration  of  a  year,  they  returned  to  Pompey,  where 
they  resided,"  in  and  near  the  village  of  Watcrvale,  until  the 
spring  of  1848. 

All  their  children  were  born  in  Pornpey,  and  Dr.  Jehial 
Stearns  who  now,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years,  resides  at 
Pompey  Ilili,  attended  at  the  birth  of  each  of  them.  The 
following  are  the  names  and  dates  of  the  birth  of  their  chil 
dren  : 

William  G.  Fargo  _  __May  20th,  1818. 

Jerome  F.  .Fargo .__  ..February  6th,  1820. 

Kiitus  Fargo ..December  26th,  1821. 

Chancellor  L.  Fargo..  __ January  12th,  1824. 

Sarah  Ann  Fargo __  _ .March  24th,  1826. 

Maryettc  Fargo ..December  18th,  1827. 

James  0.  Fargo May  5th,  1829. 


378 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION. 


Charles  Fargo_._  April  15th,  1831. 

Thomas  B.  Fargo__  . - May  7th,  1833. 

Emeline  Fargo__    May  17th,  183(3. 

Willett   H.  Fargo-,  February  15th,  1840. 

Mortimer  H.  Fargo September  27th,  1P«^. 

While  in  Pompey,  Mr.  Fargo  was  engaged  in  distilling 
and  farming.  When  the  office  of  constable  was  held  in 
higher  public  estimation  than  at  present,  he  held  the  postion 
for  six  years.  From  Pompey,  he  removed  to  Cicero  Corners 
and  bought  nine  acres  of  land  of  John  Van  Bramer.  Here 
he  resided  from  April  1,  1848,  until  November,  and  then  re 
moved  to  Manlius  near  what  is  known  as  the  High  Bridge, 
and  lived  there  for  fifteen  years,  when  he  consented  with 
his  wife  to  accept  the  gift  from  his  children  of  a  substantial 
and  comfortable  home  in  the  city  of  Syracuse  where  he  has 
resided  for  the  past  ten  years,  surrounded  Avith  all  the  ac 
cessories  of  a  life  of  ease  and  repose.  His  wife  died  Novem 
ber  9th,  1870,  and  was  buried  in  Forest  Lawn  Cemetery, 
at  Buffalo,  in  the  lot  of  W.  G.  Fargo.  Her  resting 
place  is  marked  by  a  beautiful  monument  inscribed 
"Mother."  Mr.  Fargo  was  acquainted  with  many  of  the 
pioneers  of  Pompey  and  his  retentive  memory  of  incidents 
and  his  correct  and  clear  narrative  of  facts,  which  came  un 
der  his  obsevation,  renders  it  very  interesting  to  spend  an 
hour  or  a  day  with  the  veteran.  At  one  time  he  knew  per 
sonally  every  resident  from  Mareellus  to  the  east  boundary 
of  Onondaga  county,  and  can  still  name  many  of  them  from 
memory.  He  still  retains  much  of  the  vivacity  and  humor 
of  his  earlier  years,  and  preserves  the  quiet  and  unobtrusive 
manner  which  always  characterized  him  and  which  always 
Avon  him  friends. 

William  G.  Fargo,  the  eldest  son  of  William  C.  Fargo, 
as  may  be  inferred  from  the  statements  above,  commenced 
life  financially  at  the  bottom  of  the  ladder,  and  he  com 
menced  it  practically  at  a  very  early  period.  His  childhood 
was  that  of  the  son  of  a  laboring-man,  who  was  struggling 
under  adverse  circumstances  to  make  his  expenses  meet  his 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  379 

income.  He  had  the  advantages  of  the  country  school  in 
the  winter  months,  and  made  ordinary  proficiency  in  the 
elemental  English  branches.  He  learned  to  read,  write  and 
cipher,  and,  at  the  age  of  thirteen,  was  employed  by  Daniel 
Butts,  farmer  and  mail  contractor,  to  carry  the  mail  on  horse 
back,  twice  a  week  from  Pompey  Hill  by  way  of  Watervale, 
Manlius,  Oran,  Delphi,  Fabius  and  Apulia,  back  to  Pom 
pey  Hill,  a  circuit  of  about  forty  miles.  This  Post-office 
business  compelled  him  to  promptness  and  persistence.  The 
circuit  must  be  rode  and  the  mail  delivered  in  all  weathers, 
and  under  all  circumstances,  and  in  this  service  he  was 
grounded  in  the  idea  that  when  a  contract  is  made  it  must 
be  performed  to  the  letter. 

From  this  time  until  1835,  he  worked  as  opportunity  of 
fered  for  different  persons ;  but  for  the  most  part,  for  Mr. 
Ira  Curtis,  of  Watervale,  who  kept  a  country  tavern  and  a 
store.  In  this  employment  he  learned  something  of  the 
routine  of  business,  and  refreshed  his  arithmetic  in  the  way 
of  keeping  accounts.  He  was  permitted  to  attend  the  dis 
trict  school  occasionally  during  the  winter  months.  But 
young  Fargo's  ambition  was  not  to  be  restrained  in  these 
narrow  limits,  and  his  father  encouraged  him  in  enlarging 
his  sphere  of  action.  In  the  winter  of  1835,  he  made  an  en 
gagement  with  Messrs.  Hough  &  Gilbert,  grocers,  of  Syra 
cuse,  wliich  was  continued  for  about  one  year,  when  he  ob 
tained  a  better  situation  with  Messrs.  Roswell  and  Willett 
Hinman,  grocery  merchants,  with  whom  he  remained  three 
years,  perfecting  himself  constantly  in  business  habits. 

Xext,  Ave  find  him  a  clerk  in  the  forwarding  house  of 
Messrs.  Durnford  &  Co.,  of  Syracuse,  where  he  remained 
about  a  year.  He  was  steadily  climbing  the  financial  ladder, 
and  began  to  think  of  embarking  in  business  on  his  own  ac 
count.  In  January,  1840,  he  married  Miss  Anna  II.  Wil 
liams,  daughter  of  Nathan  Williams,  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
Pompey.  Eight  children  have  been  born  to  them,  only  t\vo  of 
Avhom — Georgiana  and  Helen — are  living.  Georgiana  in 


380  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

1866  married  Mr.  Charles  W.  M'Cune,  who  is  now  a  resi 
dent  of  Buffalo. 

Soon  after  his  marriage,  Mr.  Fargo  removed  to  Weeds- 
port,  and,  in  company  with  his  brother  Jerome,  started  a 
grocery  and  provision  store  and  a  bakery.  The  business 
did  not  prove  successful,  and  at  the  end  of  the  first  year  the 
balance  was  on  the  wrong  side  of  the  ledger. 

In  1841,  Mr.  Fargo  removed  to  Auburn,  to  accept  the 
freight  agency  of  the  Auburn  and  Syracuse  Railroad  Com 
pany,  then  just  completed,  and  in  1842,  he  resigned  this  po 
sition  to  accept  that  of  messenger  for  Pomroy  &  Co.,  who  had 
established  an  express  line  between  Albany  and  Buffalo. 
At  this  time,  the  rails  were  laid  to  Batavia,  and  express 
packages  were  carried  by  stage  from  Batavia  to  Buffalo,  un 
til  the  completion  of  the  Buffalo  and  Attica  Railroad.  Af 
ter  a  year's  experience  as  a  messenger,  Mr.  Fargo  was  ap 
pointed  agent  for  the  company  at  Buffalo,  to  which  city  he 
removed  in  November,  1843.  The  Express  business  was  in 
its  infancy  then,  but  Mr.  Fargo  recognized  in  it  the  ele 
ments  of  indefinite  growth  and  expansion.  In  January, 
1844,  in  company  with  Mr.  Henry  Wells  and  Mr.  Daniel 
Dunning,  lie  organized  an  Express  Line  from  Buffalo  to  De 
troit,  by  way  of  Cleveland,  under  the  firm  name  of  Wells 
&  Co.  The  capital  these  partners  possessed,  was  principally 
industry,  energy  and  determination.  The  one  who  was  able 
to  borrow  $200  on  a  short  note  was  regarded  by  the  firm  as  a 
financial  success.  At  this  time,  the  only  railroads  west  of 
Buffalo  was  the  one  in  Ohio,  from  Sandusky  City  to  Mon- 
roeville,  and  the  one  in  Michigan  from  Detroit  to  Ypsilanti. 
These  expressmen  employed  the  steamers  on  the  lakes  in 
the  season  of  navigation,  and  stages  and  express  wagons  in 
winter.  They  did  not  do  a  very  heavy  business,  but  it  was 
a  growing  one,  and  they  pushed  it  forward  as  rapidly  as 
practicable.  They  extended  the  line  to  Chicago,  Milwaukee, 
Cincinnati  and  St.  Louis  and  westward  to  Galena. 

After  a  year's  experience,  Mr.  Dunning  withdrew   from 


THE    POMPEY    RE -UN ION.  381 

the  partnership,  and,  in  1846,  Mr.  Henry  Wells  sold  his  in 
terest  to  Mr.  William  A.  Livingston,  and  the  firm  name  was 

O  7 

changed  to  Livingston  &  Fargo.  About  this  time,  Mr. 
Wells  removed  to  New  York,  Mr.  Livingston  came  to  Buf 
falo,  aud  Mr.  Fargo  was  located  in  Detroit,  where  he  re 
mained  about  one  year,  returning  to  Buffalo  in  1848,  when 
Mr.  Livingston  took  up  his  residence  in  Cincinnati. 

The  express  business  west  of  Buffalo  was  managed  in 
this  way  until  March,  1850,  when  the  American  Express 
Company  was  organized,  consolidating  the  interests  of 
Johnston  Livingston  and  Henry  Wells  and  the  firm  of 
Livingston,  Wells  &  Co.,  proprietors  of  the  line  between 
Xew  York  and  Buffalo;  those  of  Butterfield,  Wasson  &  Co., 
proprietors  of  a  rival  line  between  these  cities,  and  those  of 
Livingston  &  Fargo,  who  owned  the  lines  west  of  Buffalo. 
Henry  Wells  was  the  first  president,  and  William  G.  Fargo 
the  first  secretary;  these  positions  were  held  by  these  gentle 
men  respectively,  until  the  consolidation  with  the  Merchants' 
Union  Express  Company,  in  December  1868,  when  Mr. 
Fargo  was  elected  the  president  and  remains  such.  This 
company  has  a  capital  of  $18,000,000;  maintains  two  thou 
sand  and  seven  hundred  offices  and  gives  employment  to 
more  than  five  thousand  men,  of  whom  six  hundred  are 
messengers. 

At  the  time  the  western  lines  were  established,  the  whole 
number  of  offices,  between  Xew  York  and  the  most  remote 
western  station,  did  not  exceed  thirty,  and  the  number  of 
men  employed,  from  seventy-five  to  one  hundred.  This 
simple  statement  illustrates  the  growth  of  the  express  busi 
ness,  and  is  of  itself  proof  of  the  energy,  executive  ability 
and  the  perfect  system  of  the  gentlemen  who  have  made  it 
the  magnificent  success  it  is. 

In  1851,  Mr.  Fargo,  Henry  Wells  and  their  associates  or 
ganized  a  company,  under  the  firm  name  of  Wells,  Fargo 
&  Co.,  and  commenced  to  do  an  express  business,  betsveen 
York  and  San  Francisco  by  way  of  the  Isthmus,  and 


382  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

to  operate  interior  lines  on  the  Pacific  coast.  This  enter 
prise  proved  successful,  and  was  continued  over  this  route 
until  the  completion  of  the  Union  and  Central  Pacific  rail 
roads,  when  the  water  was  abandoned  for  the  rail,  and  the 
management  of  the  company  transferred  to  San  Francisco. 
While  the  control  was  in  New  York,  Mr.  Fargo  was  direc 
tor  and  vice-president,  and  he  still  continues  a  director. 
This  company  has  a  capital,  of  $5,000,000.  and  is  doing  a 
lucrative  and  constantly  increasing  business. 

In  1857,  the  several  express  companies  in  the  United 
States,  were  requested  by  the  government  to  make  proposals 
for  the  transportation  of  the  mail  overland  from  St.  Louis, 
by  wray  of  what  was  known  as  the  Southern  route,  through 
El  Paso,  Texas,  Fort  Yuma  and  San  Diego,  to  San  Fran 
cisco.  A  contract  having  been  made,  the  companies  organ 
ized  for  this  service  under  the  name  of  the  Overland  Mail 
Company.  The  mails  were  carried  by  this  route  until  the 
outbreak  of  the  rebellion.  The  company  had  been  at  large 
expense  for  outfit,  the  construction  of  roads,  the  sinking  of 
wells,  and  the  erection  of  buildings,  all  of  which  was  a  total 
loss.  The  government  ordered  the  company  upon  the  mid 
dle  route,  substantially  that  of  the  present  railroad,  and  a 
new  contract  was  made  for  daily  service,  for  the  sum  of 
$1,000,000  a  year.  At  this  price,  however,  it  was  not  re 
munerative.  The  government  paid  in  greenbacks  and  the 
company  was  compelled  to  pay  all  its  expenses  in  gold.  The 
business  was  done  at  a  great  risk.  Property  to  the  value  of 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  was  destroyed,  and  many 
murders  committed  by  the  Indians.  The  company  could  not 
protect  life  or  treasure,  the  passenger  business  ceased  almost 
entirely,  and  when  the  company  disbanded  upon  the  com 
pletion  of  the  Pacific  Railroad,  it  had  lost  directly  and  in 
directly  fully,  $10,000,000,  and  for  this  investment  its  stock 
holders  have  never  received  a  dollar. 

Mr.  Fargo  was  for  some  time  a  director  and  vice-presi 
dent  of  the  ISTew  York  Central  Railroad  Company;  was  con 
nected  with  and  a  large  contributor  to  the  enterprise  of  the 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  388 

Northern  Pacific  Railroad,  and  for  several  years  a  director, 
lie  is  now  a  director  of  the  Buffalo,  New  York  and  Phila 
delphia  Railroad  Company,  and  is  largely  interested  in  the 
Buffalo  Coal  Company,  and  the  McKean  and  Buffalo  Rail 
road  Company,  all  of  which  are  enterprises  undertaken  to 
advance  the  manufacturing  interests  of  Buffalo.  Mr.  Fargo 
is  also  a  stockholder  in  several  of  the  large  manufacturing 
establishments  of  Buffalo,  and  thoroughly  identified  with  the 
growth  and  progress  of  the  city  of  his  residence. 

Mr.  Fargo  was  Mayor  of  Buffalo  for*  four  years,  from  1862 
to  1866,  and  distinguished  himself  for  his  courtesy,  impar 
tiality  and  executive  ability.  He  has  been  a  large  and  con 
stant  contributor  to  charitable,  religious  and,  in  fact,  all 
public  enterprises.  He  is  a  man  of  remarkable  decision  of 
character,  an  instinctive  judge  of  men  with  the  rare  power 
of  organization  and  control,  and  of  unflinching  resoluteness 
and  determination.  His  success  has  been  in  no  sense  acci 
dental.  He  has  trod  with  a  purpose  all  the  rounds  of  the 
ladder  of  his  fortune,  and  at  no  step  has  the  faintest  breath 
of  suspicion  attached  to  his  integrity. 

Jerome  F.  Fargo,  now  a  resident  of  Buffalo,  led  as  a  child 
the  life  of  all  his  brothers.  He  worked  on  a  farm  in  the 
summers,  attended  school  in  the  winters,  until  he  was  four 
teen  years  of  age,  when  he  hired  out  to  a  farmer  with  the 
understanding  that  he  was  to  remain  until  he  became  twen 
ty-one.  Farm-life,  however,  did  not  agree  with  his  health, 
and,  in  1835,  he  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  Curtis'  store  on  Pom- 
pey  Hill.  In  1836,  he  found  employment  in  the  grocery 
store  ofPolley  &  Goetchius,  at  Syracuse,  where  he  remained 
a  few  months,  and  then  hired  to  John  Stone,  as  an  appren 
tice  to  the  baker's  trade.  He  remained  here  until  1838, 
when  he  removed  to  Weedsport,  and  engaged  as  a  journey 
man  baker  with  Peter  Sampson.  After  a  years  service  in 
this  capacity,  he  was  clerk  in  the  grocery  and  dry  goods 
store  of  Baylis  &  Mills,  in  whose  employ  he  remained  some 
thing  more  than  a  year.  Then  in  company  with  "William 
Gr.  Fargo,  he  commenced  business  in  Weedsport  as  a  mer- 


384  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

chant  and  baker.  Upon  the  termination  of  this  partner 
ship,  he  continued  the  bakery  until  1841,  when  he  removed 
to  Auburn,  iu  the  employ  of  the  Auburn  and  Syracuse  Rail 
road  Company.  For  two  years  he  acted  as  local  freight 
conductor,  and  ran  the  first  through  freight  train  from  Ro 
chester  to  Albany  without  transfer,  in  the  winter  of  1846.  In 
1847,  he  was  promoted  to  a  passenger  conductorship ;  re 
moved  to  Syracuse  in  1849,  and  had  charge  of  the  train  from 
Auburn  to  Syracuse,  and,  upon  the  consolidation  of  the  Au 
burn  and  Syracuse  and*  Auburn  and  Rochester  railroads, 
continued  in  this  capacity  until  the  organization  of  the  New 
York  Central  Railroad  Company,  lie  served  the  Central 
road  until  June,  1856,  when  he  removed  to  Buffalo.  He  was 
one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  Corn  Dock  Elevator,  had  charge 
of  its  construction  and  was  engaged  in  its  management  until 
its  destruction  by  fire  in  1865.  For  five  years,  he  was  one 
of  the  lessees  of  the  City  Elevator,  and  continued  in  this 
business  until  the  Spring  of  1872.  In  July  of  the  year  fol 
lowing,  ho  was  appointed  to  the  position  of  superintendent 
of  the  real  estate  and  personal  property  of  the  American 
Express  company  on  all  the  lines  west  of  Buffalo,  which  po 
sition  he  still  holds. 

On  the  first  of  July,  1839,  he  married  Miss  Hannah  Wat 
son,  of  "Weedsport,  !N".  Y.  They  have  been  the  parents  of 
seven  children,  of  whom  only  two  are  living.  George  W. 
Fargo,  of  Buffalo,  and  a  daughter  named  Bessie. 

Rufns  Fargo  died  at  the  age  of  two  years,  and  his  remains 
lie  in  the  cemetery  at  Pompey  Hill. 

Chancellor  L.  Far^o  learned  the  trade  of  a  carriage  maker, 

O  O 

at  Auburn,  N.  Y.  He  conducted  that  business  for  about 
five  years  at  Watervale,  and  subsequently  engaged  in  the 
Express  business.  His  first  wife  was  Phoebe  Williams,  a 
daughter  of  Nathan  Williams,  of  Pompey,  who  died  soon 
after  marriage,  and  his  second  wife  Rebecca  Winchester. 
He  died  while  a  resident  of  Manlius,  and  was  buried  at 
Watervale.  Three  sons  survive  him,  Samuel  W.,  of  Au 
burn ;  Orrin,  of  Buffalo,  and  Fayette,  of  Chicago,  LI. 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION.  385 

Sarah  Ann  Fargo,  married  Harvey  S.  Reed,  a  brother  of 
Col.  Ralph  T.  Reed,  late  of  Watervale.  They  reside  at  De 
troit,  Mich.,  and  have  two  children,  Charles F.,  and  Fannie, 
who  reside  with  their  parents. 

Maryette  Fargo,  married  Samuel  P.  Wormley,  formerly 
of  Ontario  County,  but  now  a  resident  of  Marshall,  Michi 
gan.  They  have  three  sons — Frank,  George  and  James. 

James  C.  Fargo  came  to  Buffalo,  as  clerk  in  the  office  of 
Wells  &  Go's  Express,  in  1844,  and  advancing  step  by  step 
in  the  Express  business,  now  occupies  one  of  the  most  re 
sponsible  positions  in  connection  with  the  American  Ex 
press  Company.  He  was  made  agent  of  the  company  in  De 
troit,  in  1848,  and  was  afterwards  agent  and  manager  of  the 
lines  which  center  at  Chicago.  He  remained j  here  until 
1866,  when  he  removed  to  NQW  York  city,  to  accept  the  po 
sition  of  General  Superintendent  and  Manager  of  all  the 
business  of  the  company,  which  he  still  holds,  to  the  satis 
faction  of  all  parties.  He  is,  also,  President  of  The  Mer 
chants'  Despatch  Transportation  Company,  an  organization 
which  has  a  capital  of  $3,000,000,  and  owns  and  operates 
more  than  three  thousand  freight  cars.  lie  is,  also,  one  of 
the  directors  of  the  National  Express  Company.  He  has 
mastered  the  Express  business  as  thoroughly  as  any  man  in 
the  country,  and  possesses  in  a  marked  degree  the  family 
characteristics  of  energy,  promptness  and  decision. 

James  married  Fannie  Stuart,  of  Battle  Creek,  Mich.,  and 
his  family  consists  of  three  children — William  and  James, 
HOW  students  in  Williams  College,  and  Anna. 

Charles  Fargo  commenced  his  express  education  in  the 
Detroit  office  under  the  charge  of  his  brother  James,  and 
worked  his  way  steadily  up.  After  several  years  of  expe 
rience  in  the  Detroit  office,  he  was  appointed  agent  at  Tole 
do.  When  James  C.  was  transferred  to  Chicago,  Charles 
took  his  place  at  Detroit,  and  upon  the  transfer  of  James  to 
Xew  York,  he  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  still  resides, 
holding  the  important'position  of  Assistant  General  Super- 

25 


386  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

intendent  of  the  Western  Division  of  the  American  Express 
Company,  and,  also,  that  of  director  in  the  company. 

lie  married  Mary  Jane  Bradford,  of  Cooperstown,  N".  Y. 
They  have  four  children — Irene,  Livingston,  Ada  and  Flor 
ence . 

It  should  he  said  of  the  hrothers  James  C.,  and  Charles, 
that  they  have  grown  up  in  the  Express  business,  and  have 
given  it  their  close  and  undivided  attention.  In  its  general 
scope  and  in  the  most  minute  details,  they  are  equally  at 
home.  They  deserve  and  have  won  the  confidence  and  re 
spect  of  all  the  Express  managers  in  the  country,  as  gentle 
men  of  marked  ability  and  conspicuous  exactness  and  trust 
worthiness.  Their  relations  with  the  railroad  companies 
and  other  transportation  lines  extend  over  a  period  of  nearly 
thirty  years,  and  they  are  probably  acquainted  with  a  greater 
number  of  railroad  officials  and  business  men  in  the  coun 
try,  than  any  other  two  men  of  their  years.  To  these  broth 
ers  may  justly  be  given  a  large  share  of  credit  for  the  per 
fect  organization  and  successful  working  of  the  American 
Express  Company. 

Thomas  B.  Fargo,  married  Miss  Lou  Winficlcl.  They  re 
side  in  Detroit,  Michigan,  and  have  one  daughter. 

Emeline  Fargo,  married  Frederick  Deese,  of  Syracuse, 
who  was  for  fourteen  years  passenger  conductor  011  theXew 
York  Central  Railroad,  and  is  now  engaged  in  the  Express 
business.  They  have  two  daughters,  who  reside  with  their 
parents. 

Willett  II.  Fargo  died  at  Decatur,  111.,  on  Monday,  Feb. 
14th,  and  was  buried  in  Detroit.  He  married  Emeline 
Caldwell,  of  Chapinville,  N.  Y.  They  have  nochildren. 

Mortimer  H.  Fargo,  the  youngest  son,  married  Mary 
Drake,  of  Painsville,  Ohio.  He  is  now  agent  for  the  Ameri 
can  Express  Company,  at  Green  Bay,  Wisconsin,  where  his 
father  nearly  sixty  years  ago  guarded  the  construction  of  a 
fort  to  protect  the  pioneers  of  civilization.  During  the 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  387 

summer  of  1875,  the  veteran  Fargo,  at   the  ripe  old  age  of 
eighty-four  years,  visited  his  son  at  Green  Bay. 

This  is  a  hasty  and  condensed  biography  of  a  family  that, 
as  much  as  any  other  from  Pompey,  has  been  and  is  identi 
fied  with  the  growth  and  progress  of  the  present  century. 


THE  VAN  BROCKLIN  FAMILY. 

Nicholas  Van  Brocklin,  late  of  Pompey,  although  not  a 
pioneer,  resided  in  Pompey  over  fifty  years,  and  mostly  re 
claimed  the  land  on  which  he  settled  in  1821.  He  was  born 
May  26th,  1786,  in  Johnstown,  Montgomery  county,  N.  Y.. 
at  a  place  called  Sammon's  Hollow,  about  four  miles  west  of 
the  village  of  Johnstown.  A  brief  mention  of  his  ancestors 
will  show  that  his  father's  name  was  Gilbert  Van  Brocklin, 
and  he  had  three  brothers,  Malachi,  Nicholas  and  Harpet, 
all  of  them  patriots  in  the  revolutionary  war,  and  engaged 
in  the  cruel  contest  which  occurred  in  that  eventful  period, 
upon  the  borders  of  civilization,  with  the  remorseless  tories 
and  Indians.  One  of  the  brothers,  Nicholas,  was  taken  pris 
oner  by  the  tories  and  Indians,  transported  into  the  wil 
derness  and  was  never  heard  of  more.  This  vicinity  was 
the  theatre  of  the  operations  of  Brant  and  the  Johnsons 
Avhose  baronial  mansion  was  near  Johnstown. 

The  grand-father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  emigrated 
from  Holland  about  the  year  1730,  with  two  brothers  and  a 
sister.  The  names  of  two  of  the  brothers  were  Mcholas  and 
Alexander,  the  other  is  thought  to  have  been  Harpet  and 
the  sister  Barbara.  Only  two  of  the  brothers  who  came 
from  Holland  were  married  and  from  them  have  sprung 
probably  all  the  Van  Brocklins  in  the  United  States.  The 
maternal  ancestry  of  Mr.  Van  Brocklin  was  Scotch  and  his 
mother's  ancestral  name  was  "Wilson. 

In  early  life  he  was  surrounded  by  a  settlement  remarka 
ble  for  its  independence  and  patriotism,  including  the  Sam- 
mons,the  Fondas,  the  Vedders  and  others  of  revolutionary 


388  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

fame.  The  political  contests  in  the  early  days  of  the  Kepub- 
lic  waged  in  his  native  county,  which  but  a  few  years  before 
had  been  the  witness  of  a  ferocious  savage  warfare  by  pat 
riots  on  the  one  hand  and  tories  and  Indians  on  the  other, 
made  a  lasting  impression  on  his  mind  and  closely  allied  him 
to  that  party  which  opposed  the  Federalist,  and  always 
through  the  subsequent  years  of  his  life,  he  was  a  zealous 
supporter  of  the  Democratic  party. 

At  about  the  age  of  twenty-four  he  married  Margaret,  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Mary  Shields,  who  with  their  family 
one  son  and  seven  daughters  emigrated  from  Ireland  about 
the  year  1800.  Mrs.  John  Shield's  maiden  name  was  Mary 
"White  and  three  of  her  brothers  were  Presbyterian  minis 
ters.  Mr.  Shields  first  landed  in  Delaware,  but  soon  came 
north  to  Montgomery  county,  and  in  1820  to  Pompey,  where 
he  resided  till  his  death.  Of  his  children,  Mary  married  a 
Mr.  Newkirk  and  after  his  death  a  Mr.  Dawson.  Jane  mar 
ried  Bela  Farr,  late  of  Norwich,  E".  Y. 

Isabella  married  Jeremiah  Van  Epps,  late  of  Homer,  N.  Y. 
Martha  married  James  Gilmore,  late  of  Manlius,  N".  Y. 
Elizabeth  married  a  Mr.  Frazier  and  her  husband  died  soon 
after,  and  she  ever  after  lived  with  her  sister  Sarah,  who 
married  Henry  Barber  a  son  of  Elihu  mentioned  on  another 
page  of  this  volume.  Patrick  Shields,  the  only  son,  married 
Mrs.  Sherwood  a  widow  of  one  of  the  Pompey  pioneers,  and 
lived  near  Delphi  in  Pompey,  till  his  death.  As  before 
stated  Margaret  married  Mcholas  Van  Brocklin.  From 
these  seven  sisters  have  sprung  a  numerous  progeny  and 
among  them  were  several  men  of  influence  and  eminent 
ability.  Among  them  may  be  noted  Hon.  Joseph  Farr,  late 
of  Norwalk,  Ohio,  James  Farr,  late  of  E"ew  York,  Drs.  James 
and  John  Gilmore  of  ISTunda,  "N.  Y.  Mrs.  Van  Brocklin 
was  a  remarkable  natural  mathematician,  being  prompt 
and  accurate  in  mental  computation  of  all  the  business  trans 
actions  of  her  husband,  often  correcting  the  errors  of  mer 
chants  who  used  pen  and  paper.  Mr.  Van  Brocklin  was  a 
farmer  but  always  evinced  a  lively  interest  in  public  affairs. 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  389 

Their  children  in  the  order  of  ther  ages  were  Gilbert,  Jane, 
Ann,  Eliza  B.,  John  S.,  James  W.,  Margaret,  Martha  and 
William  White.  The  first  six  were  born  in  Johnstown,  and 
the  two  youngest  in  Pompey.  When  they  moved  to  Pom- 
pey  in  1821,  they  first  located  on  a  farm  near  Elihu  Barber, 
but  soon  disposed  of  this  and  purchased  of  Robert  Camp 
bell  the  farm  next  east  of  where  Grace  Greenwood  was 
born.  Here  they  lived  till  the  day  of  their  death,  Mrs. 
Yan  Brocklin  died  Aug.  29,  1855,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight. 
Nicholas  Van  Brocklin  died  March  1st,  1872,  in  the  86th 
year  of  his  age,  never  having  used  eye  glasses  and  having 
read  the  bible  five  times  through  the  last  five  years  of  his 
life.  His  son  John  Shields,  and  two  of  his  daughters  Eliza 
B.,  and  Martha  still  reside  on  the  old  homestead. 

Gilbert  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  at  first,  and  sub 
sequently  became  a  successful  occulist.  He  married  Emma 
Withey,  of  Port  Byron.  While  on  a  journey  from  Buffalo, 
where  he  resided,  he  died  in  Chicago  in  1853.  Jane  Ann 
married  John  King,  a  farmer  of  Pompey,  and  they  reside 
near  what  is  known  as  the  block  school  house.  An  only 
living  daughter,  Mary,  lives  with  her  parents.  Their  only 
son  David  owns  and  occupies  the  Asa  II.  Wells  farm  near 
Pornpey  Hill.  Margaret  Yan  Brocklin  died  at  the  age  of 
three  years,  soon  after  her  parents  came  to  Pompey. 

James  W.  is  a  carpenter  and  joiner,  and  has  built  many 
dwellings  in  Pompey,  In  1844  he  married  Tirza  Tiffany, 
by  whom  he  has  six  children,  Mary,  Julia,  Wm.  H.,  James, 
Charles  and  Frank.  The  first  three  are  married.  He  owns 
and  occupies  the  Bennet  farm  near  Pompey  Hill. 

Wm.  W.,  the  youngest,  worked  his  way  through  college, 
graduating  at  Hamilton,  in  the  class  of  1850.  He  taught 
school  several  years,  commencing  at  Port  Byron,  W.  Y.,  at 
the  age  of  sixteen.  Subsequently  he  taught  in  Fabius, 
Pompey  and  Syracuse.  Studied  law  in  the  office  of  Gardner 
and  Burdick,  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in  1853.  Since 
that  time  he  has  followed  law  and  farming,  and  now  is  the 
only  resident  lawyer  of  Pompey,  owning  and  occupying  the 


390  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

Daniel  Gott  residence  at  Pompey  Hill,  which  he  purchased 
of  Eobert  Ellis  in  1874.  He  married  in  1850, Lucy  Aylworth, 
a  grand-daughter  of  Rev.  Jas.  P.  Aylworth,  and  daughter  of 
Hon.  0.  Aylworth,  late  of  Fabius.  They  have  no  children 
living. 

DAVID  WILLIAMS. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  was  born  in  Halifax,  July  16th, 
1782,  and  when  nine  years  old  came  to  Pompey.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-one,  he  married  Mary  Eastman,  who  was  born 
July  4th,  1782.  The  day  after  their  marriage  Mr.  Wil 
liams  killed  a  bear.  With  the  exception  of  five  years  they 
have  ever  since  their  marriage  resided  in  Pompey,  till  last 
fall,  (1875,)  when  Mr.  Williams  died  at  the  advanced  age  of 
ninety-three.  He  was  a  farmer  and  lived  about  a  mile  and 
a  half  north  of  Watervale.  Mrs.  Williams'  father,  Timothy 
Eastman,  served  seven  years  in  the  war  of  the  revolution. 
Mrs.  Williams  is  still  living  with  her  son,  Hiram  D.,  on  the 
old  homestead.  One  other  son  Horace  resides  in  Michigan, 
and  these  constitute  all  that  remain  of  the  family.  Two 
brothers  of  David  also  early  came  to  Pompey,  and  settled  on 
and  near  the  corners  where  Egbert  Avery  now  resides.  They 
too,  were  farmers  and  remained  residents  of  Pompey,  till 
their  death.  One  of  them  was  Nathan,  the  father-in-law  of 
Hon.  Wm.  G.  Fargo,  and  the  other  was  Daniel.  They  all 
bore  the  reputation  of  honest,  upright  citizens. 


ASA  WELLS. 

Asa  Wells  was  born  in  Colchester,  Couu^  Aug.  6th,  1774. 
In  the  spring  of  1803,  he  came  to  Pompey  and  built  a  log 
house  at  Pompey  Hill,  on  the  place  occupied  by  the  late 
Daniel  March  at  the  time  of  his  death.  In  1807,  he  located 
east  of  Pompey  Hill  on  the  farm  east  of  and  adjoining  the 
Daniel  Wood  farm.  Here  also  he  erected  a  log  house  in  a 
small  clearing  in  the  woods.  So  small  was  the  clearing  that 
it  was  necessary  to  remove  his  children  and  wife  from  the 


TIIE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  391 

liouse  in  falling*  the  large  trees.  Mr.  Wells  was  an  excellent 
mathematician  and  practical  surveyor.  lie  with  a  corps  of 
assistants  laid  out  the  road  running  north  from  the  Academy 
to  Manlius,  and  being  no  house  on  the  way  they  camped  out 
at  night.  He  assisted  the  Senior  Geddes  in  surveying  for 
the  Oswego  canal.  His  father  being  an  officer  in  service 
during  the  whole  period  of  the  revolutionary  war,  he  inher 
ited  a  military  ambition,  and  for  many  years  was  an  officer 
in  the  militia.  When  Sacket's  Harbor  was  threatened  by 
the  British,  he  being  then  a  captain  of  militia,  his  whole 
company  volunteered  to  go  if  he  would  lead  them,  which  he 
did.  Afterwards  he  held  the  office  of  colonel  of  the  militia  for 
several  years.  In  the  civil  service  he  held  various  important 
trusts.  Was  for  a  long  time  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  repre 
sented  his  town  in  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  was  member  of 
the  State  Assembly,  and  Judge  of  the  County  Court.  He 
died  in  February,  1859,  at  the  age  of  79  }rears. 

Chloe  H}*de  Wells,  wife  of  Asa  Wells,  died  in  January, 
1872,  aged  92J  years,  retaining  her  faculties  to  the  last. 

Their  children  now  living  are  Mrs.  J.  B.  Pitkin  of  Oswe 
go,  Mrs.  J.  F.  Ostrander,  now  of  Mantorville,  Minnesota,  who 
was  for  many  years  a  teacher  in  the  schools  of  Pompey,  Mrs. 
Morris  Beard  of  Pompey,  Levi  Wells  of  Pompey,  who  has 
been  for  32  years  a  Justice  of  the  Peace.  He  also  represent 
ed  the  town  of  Pompey  for  eighteen  years  in  the  Board  of 
Supervisors,  and  became  a  living  encyclopedia  of  the  records 
of  the  Board.  He  was  an  honest,  faithful  and  efficient  offi 
cer.  Like  his  father  he  was  a  practical  surveyor. 

Dr.  Lucien  B.  Wells,  of  Utica,  !N".  Y.,  was  an  early  con 
vert  to  the  principles  and  practice  of  Homoeopathy.  He  has 
been  an  active  pioneer  in  the  advancement  of  that  system  of 
medicine  and  in  1870  was  chosen  President  of  the  Homceo- 
pathic  State  Medical  Society.  Since  writing  the  above 
sketch,  Levi  Wells  has  gone  to  join  his  aged  parents  across 
the  river  of  death  upon  the  land  of  Immortality.  He  died 
March  31st,  1872,  in  the  triumph  of  the  Christian's  faith.  In 


392  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

his  death  the  community  lost  a  citizen  of  the  highest  type  of 
integrity  and  virtue,  and  the  loss  was  sincerely  mourned  by 


HENKY  SEYMOUR, 

Was  born  at  Litchfield,  Connecticut,  in  1781.  He  was  a 
son  of  Major  Moses  Seymour  of  that  place,  who  was  an  offi 
cer  in  the  army  of  the  revolution,  and  for  many  years  a 
member  of  the  Legislature  of  that  State ;  and  who  died  in 
1827,  at  the  age  of  84. 

Major  Seymour  had  five  children,  namely,  one  daughter, 
Mrs.  Marsh,  of  Litchfield,  (who  lived  to  be  94  years  of  age,) 
and  four  sons,  Horatio  Seymour,  of  Middlebury,  Vermont, 
United  States  Senator,  from  1821  to  1833,  Ozias  Seymour, 
of  Litchfield,  sheriff  of  Litchfield  county,  Moses  Seymour  a 
lawyer,  who  also  resided  at  Litchfield,  Epaphro  Seymour, 
of  Brattleboro,  Vermont,  President  of  the  Brattleboro  Bank, 
and  Henry  Seymour,  the  subject  of  this  notice. 

Henry  Seymour  moved  to  Pompey  Hill  at  an  early  day 
and  entered  into  business  as  a  merchant.  Bv  his  integrity. 

v  0         •/  ' 

sound  judgment,  and  executive  ability,  he  soon  became  so 
well  and  favorably  known  that  from  1816  to  1819,  and  again 
in  1822,  he  was  elected  State  Senator  from  that  part  of  the 
State,  then  called  the  Western  District.  In  1818,  he  was 
nominated  and  chosen  by  the  Assembly  a  member  of  the 
"  Council  of  Appointment,"  which  council  had  the  ap 
pointing  of  a  great  portion  of  the  civil,  military,  and  judi 
cial  oflicers  of  the  State.  On  the  24th  of  March,  1819,  while 
the  Erie  and  Cham  plain  Canals  were  being  constructed,  he 
was  made  by  the  Legislature  one  of  the  Commissioners  in 
charge  of  those  works,  with  DeWitt  Clinton,  Stephen  Van- 
Renssalaer,  "William  C.  Bouck,  Samuel  Youngs,  and  Myron 
Holley.  Mr.  Seymour  held  this  office  and  was  actively  en 
gaged  in  the  discharge  of  its  duties  until  the  year  1833, 
having  in  the  meantime  and  about  the  fall  of  the  year  1819, 
moved  with  his  family  from  Pompey  Hill  to  Utica.  In  1833 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION.  393 

he  resigned  the  position  of  Canal  Commissioner,  and  was 
chosen  President  of  the  Farmers'  Loan  and  Trust  Company 
of  the  city  of  New  York,  and  continued  its  President  until 
his  death. 

The  change  from  an  active  life  in  the  country  to  the  se 
dentary  life  of  an  office  in  the  city  of  New  York,  destroyed 
his  health,  and  he  died  at  Utica  in  1837.  His  wife  survived 
him,  living  at  the  family  residence  in  Utica,  until  her  death 
in  1859.  She  was  born  at  Monmouth,  New  Jersey,  Feb. 
18,  1785,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Colonel  Jonathan  Forman 
of  that  place,  who  at  the  age  of  19,  left  Princeton  College 
to  join  the  revolutionary  army,  which  he  entered  as  lieut 
enant,  and  in  which  he  served  throughout  the  war,  rising  to 
the  rank  of  Lieutenant-Colonel. 

The  mother  of  Mrs  Seymour,  was  a  Ledyard,  a  niece  of 
the  Col.  Ledyard  who  was  in  command  at  tFort  Griswold, 
opposite  New  London,  at  the  time  of  its  capture  and  the 
massacre  of  its  defenders  by  the  British.  About  the  year 
1797,  Col.  Forman  moved  with  his  family  to  Cazenovia, 
then  a  frontier  settlement  in  Madison  county.  At  that 
time  there  was  no  wagon  road  west  from  Whitestown.  and 
in  many  places  they  were  obliged  to  cut  open  the  way,  and 
it  is  said  fiat  the  carriage  of  this  party  was  the  iirst  con 
veyance  of  the  kind  that  passed  beyond  the  site  of  Whites- 
town.  Col.  Forman  drove  to  Chitteaango,  and  from  there 
the  family  proceeded  to  Cazenovia  011  horseback.  Col.  For 
man  was  accompanied  by  his  brother,  Major  Samuel  For 
man,  who  subsequently  resided  in  Syracuse,  living  to  the 
age  of  96.  Miss  Forman  was  married  to  Henry  Seymour  at 
Cazenovia,  in  1807,  their  children  were  six  in  number,  all 
of  whom  are  now  living,  namely,  Mary  the  wife  of  Mr. 
Rutger  B.  Miller,  of  Utica,  Horatio  Seymour,  of  Utica, 
Sophia,  widow  of  Mr.  Edward  F.  Shonnard,  of  Yonkers, 
Weslchester  county,  John  F.  Seymour,  of  Utica,  Helen, 
widow  of  Mr.  Ledyard  Lincklaen,  of  Cazenovia,  and 
Julia,  wife  Mr.  Eoscoe  Conklin^,  of  Utica. 


394  THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION. 

HORATIO  SEYMOUR. 

Horatio  Seymour,  the  eldest  son  of  Henry  Seymour,  was 
born  at  Pompey  Hill,  in  1811.  He  studied  law  in  the  office 
of  Judges  Beardsley  and  Bronson,  atUtica;  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  and  practiced  a  short  time,  but  was  soon  diverted 
from  this  profession  by  the  care  of  property  left  in  his  hands 
and  by  political  studies  and  pursuits.  As  an  advocate  of 
the  principles  ot  the  democratic  party,  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  assembly  of  this  State  in  1841;  mayor  of 
the  city  of  Utica  in  1842;  chosen  speaker  of  the  assembly 
in  1845,  and  Governor  of  the  State  of  New  York  in  1853-5. 

In  1861,  before  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  he  endeavored 
to  avert  it  by  counseling  conciliatory  measures  towards  the 
South.  After  the  commencement  of  hostilities,  he  de 
nounced  the  rebellion,  and  declared  that  his  party  meant 
with  all  their  "  powers  of  mind  and  person  to  support  the 
Constitution  and  uphold  the  Union,  to  maintain  the  laws 
and  to  preserve  the  public  faith." 

In  1862  he  was  again  elected  Governor  of  the  State.  Early 
in  1863,  when  a  portion  of  the  republican  press  was  threat 
ening  to  supercede  President  Lincoln,  the  President  was  as 
sured  by  a  messenger  from  Governor  Seymour,  that  the 
democratic  party  of  the  State  of  New  York  would  sustain 
him  in  the  exercise  of  his  Constitutional  powers  as  Presi 
dent  of  the  United  States,  against  all  comers.  When  arbi 
trary  and  illegal  arrests  were  agitating  the  people  of  the 
State  and  endangering  the  cause  of  the  Union,  the  firmness 
of  his  opposition. to  these  violations  of  personal  liberty,  and 
the  measures  taken  by  him  to  enlighten  the  public  on  the 
dangers  which,  might  ensue  from  a  disregard  of  the  rights 
of  the  humblest  citizen,  changed  the  current  of  opinion 
among  republicans,  and  tended  largely  to  put  a  stop  to  such 
unwise  and  unlawful  measures. 

In  1863,  when  the  southern  army  entered  Pennsylvania, 
he  was  called  upon  by  President  Lincoln  for  volunteers  to 
protect  that  State  and  repel  the  invaders ;  in  response  ho 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION.  39& 

forwarded  troops  with  such  promptness  and  energy  that 
Mr.  Stanton,  Secretary  of  War,  twice  telegraphed  the 
thanks  of  President  Lincoln.  The  State  of  New  York  dur 
ing  his  administration,  furnished  her  full  share  of  troops  in 
the  United  States  army.  His  policy  was  to  restore  the 
Union  and  at  the  same  time  to  maintain  the  constitution  of 
the  State  of  New  York  and  the  rights  of  its  citizens.  In 
July,  1863,  when  a  conscription  upon  the  cities  of  New 
York  and  Brooklyn  (which  subsequent  investigation  proved 
to  be  unjust)  caused  the  assemblage  of  an  angry  and  frantic 
mob  at  the  City  Hall,  Governor  Seymour  appeared  on  the 
steps  of  the  City  Hall,  unprotected  by  any  military  force, 
and  by  a  tew  words  of  assurance  that  he  would  protect  their 
rights,  induced  the  people  to  disperse.  He  was  much  criti 
cised  for  addressing  the  excited  multitude  as  his  friends,  but 
his  words  separated  the  well  meaning  from  those  in  the 
mob  whose  intentions  were  evil,  and  some  of  them  became 
conservators  of  the  city. 

He  was  president  of  the  National  Democratic  Convention 
at  Chicago,  in  August,  1864.  He  was  again  nominated  in 
1864  as  the  candidate  for  Governor  of  the  State,  but  was 
defeated  by  Reuben  E.  Fenton.  He  was  again  president  of 
the  National  Democratic  Convention  at  New  York,  July  4, 
1868,  and  nominated  as  its  candidate  for  President  of  the 
United  States,  but  was  defeated  by  General  Grant.  Since 
that  time  Governor  Seymour  has  devoted  his  attention  chief 
ly  to  agricultural  pursuits,  and  to  the  advancement  of  the 
farming  interests  of  the  country. 


HENRY  WALTER  DEPUY, 

son  of  Jacob  Rutson  DePuy  and  Polly  Clement,  was  born 
in  Pompey,  Sept.  1820.  His  first  rudiments  of  education 
were  obtained  at  the  common  district  school,  which  were 
perfected  at  the  "  Old  Academy." 

He  learned  the  art  of  printing  of  the  Rev.  D.  D.  Rudd,  of 
Auburn,  and  soon  edited  and  published   the   Fayctteville 


396  THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION. 

Times,  1836.  He  next  read  law  with  the  late  Hicks  Wor- 
den,  and  was  admitted  to  practice.  The  profession  was  dis 
tasteful  and  he  resumed  journalism,  and  edited  for  a  time 
the  Cortland  Democrat,  and  while  yet  a  minor.  He  removed 
to  Alhion,  Orleans  Co.,  and  while  here  married  Theodosia 
Thomas,  of  Lewiston.  He  next  sought  the  "  Great  "West," 
and  edited  papers  in  Indianapolis,  LaFayette,  Ind.,  and 
Rockford,  Ills.,  all  we  believe  in  support  of  the  Liberty 
party. 

He  was  the  author  of  several  biographical  and  historical 
works,  among  them  "KossuTH  and  His  Generals,  with  a 
Brief  History  of  Hungary,"  with  an  introduction  by  HENRY 
J.  RAYMOND.  This  work  was  submitted  to  the  great  Hun 
garian  agitator  himself,  and  carefully  examined  by  Mr. 
PULSKY,  his  private  secretary,  who  pronounced  it  the  most 
correct  account  of  the  subjects  treated  of  then  extant.  He 
was  also  author  of  "  Louis  Napoleon  and  His  Times,  with  a 
Memoir  of  the  Bonaparte  Family;"  and  "  Ethan  Allen  and 
the  Green  Mountain  Heroes  of  '76,  with  the  Early  History 
of  Vermont."  He  was  private  secretary  to  Governor  SEY 
MOUR  during  his  term  of  1853-4,  and  subsequently  served 
as  consul  to  Carlsruhe,  and  was  appointed  secretary  of  le 
gation  at  Berlin,  which  place  he  resigned  to  take  part  in 
the  political  struggle  of  1860.  He  was  appointed  Secretary 
of  Nebraska  by  President  LINCOLN,  and  organized  that  Ter 
ritory.  He  served  as  the  first  speaker  of  the  Nebraska 
Legislature,  and  was  also  Indian  agent  to  the  Pawnees 
under  President  LINCOLN,  devoting  much  time  to  an  effort 
to  reform  the  Indian  service  of  the  Government.  He 
was  a  constant  contributor  to  the  political  press  and  the 
author  of  several  popular  poems.  Died  in  New  York  Feb. 
2d,  3876. 


O  RAN— HISTORICAL. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Oran,  in  Pompey,  an  old  man  remarka 
bly  well  preserved  and  having  a  clear  memory  of  the  early 
history  of  that  portion  of  the  town  lives,  Elias  Barnes,  upon 
the  farm  upon  which  he  was  born  in  1796.  From  Stock- 
bridge,  Mass.,  his  father  Asa  .Barnes  came  to  Pompey,  and 
purchased  this  farm  in  1793.  Phineas  Barnes  and  Roswell 
Barnes,  brothers  of  Asa,  also  came  at  the  same  time.  In 
the  early  part  of  1794  the}?-  brought  their  families,  arriving 
at  their  new  home  March  5th,  of  that  year,  coming  by  the 
way  of  Albany  and  Utica.  The  land  upon  which  they  set- 
fled  is  upon  Lot  No.  11  of  the  original  survey  of  the  town. 
Job  Bartholimew  settled  in  1793,  upon  the  west  part  of  the 
.same  lot.  Daniel  Thomas  and  Capt.  Peck  settled  about  the 
same  time,  on  Lot  No.  22.  Thomas  Foster  and  James  Sco- 
ville,  the  father  of  Joseph  Scoville,  also  settled  near  the 
present  village  of  Oran,  on  Lot  No.  11.  Joseph  Scoville 
now  (1875,)  owns  the  original  farm  upon  which  his  father 
settled  but  lives  on  Lot  No.  10.  James  Midler  who  was  a 
revolutionary  soldier,  and  the  grand-father  of  Columbus  C. 
Midler,  of  Pompey,  and  of  Philip  P.  Midler  of  DeWitt, 
came  with  his  brothers  Christopher  and  Philip,  about  the 
year  1800,  and  occupied  his  soldier  claim.  Two  sisters  also 
came  and  one  married  a  Mr.  Horton,  and  the  other,  Betsey, 
married  Daniel  Candee,  who  is  dead,  but  she  now  resides 
in  Manlius.  Geo.  Clark  who  was  the  first  merchant  in 
Oran,  and  the  first  teacher,  and  who  was  the  father  of 
B  run  son  Clark,  of  Pompey,  settled  shortly  alter  on  the 
farm  where  Morgan  Lewis  now  lives.  Charles  Thomas 
settled  where  Sandford  Lewis  resides.  Deacon  Hart  Capt. 


398  THE    POMPEY    EE-UNION. 

Pundasou  Avery  and  Wm.  Barnes  settled  in  the  vicinity 
where  S.  B.  Saftbrd  now  lives.  Shubel  Saftbrd,  the  father 
Silas  B.  Saftbrd,  settled  on  Lot  No.  10.  Francis  Hale  in 
1802,  purchosed  of  Judge  Butler,  and  settled  on  Lot  No.  12, 
Xoah  Palmer  add  Mr.  Tripp  of  whom  David  Scoville  purch 
ased,  had  settled  in  this  locality.  Selah  Goodrich  reclaimed 
and  settled  the  land  where  Mr.  Bowen  now  lives. 

The  first  hotel  put  up  at  Oran,  was  built  by  Job  Bartheli- 
mew,  about  1796,  and  by  him  kept  till  1808.  In  1809, 
another  hotel  was  erected  on  the  site  of  the  present  hotel, 
and  was  kept  by  Wm.  Scoville.  The  first  school  house  was 
erected  at  Oran,  about  1800,  and  Geo.  Clark  wras  the  teach 
er.  A  church  was  erected  in  1808,  and  called  "  The  Pleas 
ant  Valley  Congregational  Church."  The  first  physician 
was  Dr.  Daniel  D.  Denison,  who  came  about  the  year  1810, 
and  remained  till  his  death,  about  20  years  ago.  He  was 
the  father  of  Dr.  H.  D.  Denison  and  "William  Denison,  of 
Syracuse,  and  D.  D.  Denison,  of  Oran.  In  an  early  day, 
Oran  was  a  more  thriving  business  place  than  at  present,  as 
well  as  most  of  the  other  villages  in  Onondaga  county. 
About  1810,  there  were  at  Oran,  two  stores,  two  hotels,  two 
blacksmith  shops,  a  wagon  maker  shop,  two  tanneries,  a 
grist-mill,  a  distillery,  an  ashery  and  more  inhabitants  than 
now. 


REMINISCENCES. 


The  following  papers,  furnished  by  James  W.  Gould,  of 
Syracuse,  from  the  original  manuscript  among  the  old  relics 
of  his  father,  who  was  a  pioneer  of  the  original  town  of 
Pompey,  are  deemed  worthy  of  a  place  in  this  book : 

A  RESOLVE    OF    THE    SUPERVISORS    AT  THEIR  MEETING  IX  SCIPIO. 

Resolved,  That  the  following  recommendations  be  trans 
mitted  to  the  different  towns  in  this  county  by  their  respec 
tive  Supervisors,  viz: — 

WHEREAS,  The  Supervisors  of  the  County  of  Onondaga 
have  found  many  inconveniences  by  the  various  modes  taken 
in  the  different  towns  in  assessing  the  ratable  property  in 
the  county,  have  thought  it  a  duty  to  recommend  to  the 
assessors  of  each  respective  town  next  to  be  chosen  in  said 
towns,  a  mode  of  taking  the  valuation  of  property  which 
appears  to  us  the  most  elligible  in  our  local  situation,  desir 
ing  this  to  be  publicly  read  at  the  next  annual  town  meet 
ing,  which  uniform  mode  will  render  the  next  Board  of 
Supervisors,  our  successors  in  office,  more  capable  of  doing- 
justice  in  levying  taxes  in  our  infant  State,  viz: — Estimate 
as  follows : 

Improved  lands  of  a  medium  quality, 20s  per  acre 

Working  Oxen  of  a  medium  quality, £16  per  yoke 

Cows  of  a  medium  quality, £5  per  piece 

Young  Cattle  of  3  years  old  and  under, 20s  per  year 

Horses  of  a  medium  quality, £10  per  piece 

Colts,  3  years  and  under, 40s  per  year 

Hogs  that  will  weigh  100  weight, 20s  per  piece 


400  .        THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

Negro  Men £50  per  head 

Negro  Wenches, £30  per  head 

Grist  Mills, £50  per  piece 

Saw  Mills, £30  per  piece 

And  those  articles  of  an  inferior  or  superior  quality  in  pro 
portion,  and  other  ratable  property  in  like  proportion. 

The  Board  farther  recommends  to  the  consideration  of 
the  different  towns,  the  following  mode  in  taking  the  assess 
ment,  viz: — That  each  person  holding  ratable  property  shall 
give  in  to  the  assessor  a  list  of  his  or  her  ratable  property 
or  estate,  in  writing,  agreeable  to  the  request  of  the  assessor, 
which  will  be  an  avoucher  for  the  assessor,  and  prevent  any 
aspertions  of  injustice  of  being  taxed  unequally  by  those 
having  that  part  of  duty  to  do  in  society. 

The  Board  also  recommends  to  assessors  that  they  com 
pletely  make  out  their  list  of  assessment  by  the  first  of  May, 
as  the  law  directs,  so  that  the  Supervisors  may  be  enabled 
to  proceed  on  their  business  at  their  first  meeting,  and  save 
the  county  costs. 

And  further,  we  also  recommend  to  the  towns  to  adopt  a 
uniform  mode  of  granting  a  bounty  on  wolves,  and  render 
the  reward  of  each  man  in  his  exertions  for  the  destruction 
of  these  animals.  Therefore,  with  submission,  we  think  a 
reward  of  forty  shillings,  in  addition  to  the  bounty  allowed 
by  the  county,  to  be  adequate  for  the  bounty  of  each  wolf. 

The  Board  submits  the  above  recommendations  to  the 
consideration  of  the  several  towns  within  this  county  of 
Onoiidaga. 

By  order  of  the  Board. 

COMFORT  TYLER,  CLERK. 
A  true  copy  for  the  town  of  Pompey. 

SCIPIO,  December  20th,  1795. 


We,  the  subscribers,  inhabitants  of  Bloomingvale,  in  the 
town  of  Mexico,  county  of  Herkimer  and  State  of  New 
York,  taking  into  consideration  the  importance  of  the  cdu- 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  401 

cation  of  youth,  as  well  to  prepare  them  for  a  discharge  of 
those  religious  duties  which  we  owe  our  God,  our  neigh- 
tors  and  ourselves,  as  to  gain  that  knowledge  of  letters 
which  they  may  need  to  carry  them  happily  and  usefully 
through  life,  which  is,  (to  use  the  expression  of  the  cele 
brated  Dr.  Watts,)  one  of  the  greatest  blessings  that  ever 
God  bestowed  on  the  children  of  men,  have  associated,  and 
by  these  presents  do  enter  into  a  solemn  compact  for  the 
laudable  purposes  aforesaid,  hereby  pledging  our  good  faith 
each  to  the  other  to  carry  the  following  objects  into  execu 
tion  under  the  following  regulations  : — 

First,  That  we  will  build  a  school  house  at  Bloomingvale 
aforesaid,  at  or  near  the  fork  of  the  Genesee  road  with  the 
road  leading  to  Mr.  Gold's,  adjacent  to  the  stream  of  water 
leading  by  the  house  of  Mr.  Rust;  the  size  and  fashion  of 
which  said  house,  and  the  time  in  which  the  same  shall  be 
completed  to  be  determined  on  by  a  meeting  for  that  pur 
pose  at  the  place  aforesaid,  on  Monday,  the  second  day  of 
September  next. 

Secondly,  That  we  will  on  the  day  aforesaid,  appoint  a 
committee,  or  otherwise  provide  to  carry  the  result  of  our 
then  regulations  into  execution. 

Thirdly,  That  we  will  contribute  to  and  bear  an  equal 
proportion,  according  to  our  number,  in  erecting  and  com 
pleting  the  said  house. 

Fourthly,  That  the  said  building  when  so  completed  shall 
be  held  and  considered  as  our  private  property,  jointly  and 
severally;  and  that  each  proprietor  shall  be  at  liberty  at  an;y 
and  all  times,  to  dispose  of  his  share  to  any  person  or  per 
sons  who  support  the  character  or  characters  of  good,  whole 
some  citizens,  first,  however,  giving  the  refusal  to  the  asso 
ciation. 

Fifthly,  That  as  soon  as  the  said  building  is  completed 
we  shall,  if  possible,  procure  a  teacher  for  the  said  school, 
for  such  salary  or  salaries  and  in  such  way  as  may  appear 
the  most  eligible  to  insure  the  objects  of  this  association,, 

26 


102  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

which  shall  be  made  up  and  paid  by  us  in  such  proportion 
as  may  be  judged  equitable  and  right. 

Sixthly,  That  all  future  regulations  and  arrangements 
necessary  to  answer  the  above  objects,  shall  be  legal  and 
binding  on  the  whole,  provided  two-thirds  of  the  association 
assent  and  agree  thereto. 

In  testimony  whereof  we  have  hereunto  set  our  hands, 
this  twenty-second  day  of  July,  one  thousand,  seven  hun 
dred  and  ninety-three,  (1793.) 

MOSES  DEWITT, 
BENJAMIN  MOREHOUSE, 
ICHABOD  LATHROP, 
SAMUEL  YOUNGLOVE, 
DANIEL  KEELER, 
JEREMIAH  GOULD, 
THOMAS  GASTON, 
JOHN  TILLOTSON, 
THOMAS  DIXON, 
ELIJAH  EUST, 
COMFORT  TYLER, 
WAI.  HASKINS, 
OLIVER  OWEN, 
JOSEPH  WOOD  WORTH, 
THOMAS  WHITE. 


Additional  Biographies. 


SAMUEL  BAKER. 

Samuel,  eldest  child  of  Nathaniel  and  Lyclia  (Tallmadge) 
Baker,  was  born  at  East  Hampton,  Suffolk  County,  L.  I., 
October  2d,  1793.  Died  at  Pompey,  KY.,  Aug.  8,  1874. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  the  sixth  in  descent  from. 
Judge  Thomas  Baker,  of  East  Hampton,  L.  I.  It  cannot  be 
doubted  that  he  received  his  training  and  character  princi 
pally  at  the  hands  of  his  mother,  Lydia  Tallmadge.  She  was 
the  daughter  of  one  of  the  Deacons  of  Mr.  Buel's  church,  of 
East  Hampton,  and  was  a  woman  of  the  greatest  sweetness, 
simplicity,  and  yet  strength  of  character.  Deprived,  as  she 
was,  for  so  many  years  of  her  life,  of  her  hearing,  and  singu 
larly  retiring  and  modest  in  disposition,  she  was  yet  known 
throughout  the  town  of  Pompey,  where  so  much  of  her  life 
was  spent,  as  ready  for  every  good  word  and  work. 

In  1798,  Mr.  Nathaniel  Baker  and  his  family  removed 
from  East  Hampton  to  Balston,  Saratoga  County.  In  1806, 
they  removed  to  Pompey.  Deacon  Baker  used  often  to  tell 
that  as  they  drove  into  the  village,  coming  from  the  Oriska- 
n ey  reservation  by  the  State  road,  leading  from  Cazenovia 
and  Green's  Corners,  he  sarvr  the  frame  of  the  Academy  stand 
ing  gaunt  and  skeleton-like  against  the  sky,  as  they  drove  past 
it.  His  father  soon  purchased  the  red  building  at  the  north 
west  corner  of  the  green,  which  had  been  erected  in  part  as 


404  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

a  store  house  for  grain  purchased,  and  also  the  farm  which 
has  heen  ever  since  in  the  possession  of  the  family. 

As  the  Academy  in  Pompey  was  still  unendowed  and  un 
finished,  young  Baker  was  compelled  to  seek  his  education 
elsewhere.  He  pursued  a  full  course  of  study  at  the  Acade 
my  in  Clinton,  finishing  his  studies  there  with  the  last  class 
which  was  sent  forth  before  its  charter  as  "Hamilton  Col 
lege"  took  effect.  Eeturning  to  Pompey  in  about  1812,  he 
proposed  to  devote  himself  to  the  profession  of  the  law.  He 
entered  the  office  of  S.  8.  Baldwin,  Esq.,  where  he  pursued 
the  study  of  the  law  for  more  than  two  years.  Either  the 
study  or  the  surroundings,  however,  proved  not  to  his  taste. 
About  that  time,  Mr.  Morris  desired  his  assistance  for  a 
time  in  his  store ;  and  he  left  the  law  office  apparently  for 
a  few  weeks  only,  but  as  it  proved,  for  a  permanent  occupa 
tion.  After  a  clerkship  of  considerable  length  in  the  store, 
he  became  interested  in  it,  and  subsequently,  sole  proprie 
tor  of  it ;  though  he  called  to  his  assistance  at  various  times, 
Mr.  K.  Andrews,  Mr.  L.  B.  Pitcher,  &c.,  finally  retiring 
from  the  business  in  1841 ;  having  then,  as  it  was  said,  been 
employed  as  a  merchant  longer  than  any  other  person  in  the 
County.  On  the  21st  of  Sept.,  1819,  he  was  married  to  Phile- 
na  Hascall,  fifth  daughter  of  Joseph  Hascall,  of  Pawlet,  Vt., 
for  forty  years  Deacon  of  the  Baptist  church,  there.  She 
died  August  17th,  1842.  On  the  3d  Dec.,  1826,  Mr.  Baker 
and  his  wife  became  members  of  the  Congregational  church 
in  Pompey.  On  the  26th  April,  1840,  he  was  chosen  one  of 
the  Deacons  of  the  church,  and  officiated  as  such  till  the 
time  of  his  death,  having  been  absent,  it  is  believed,  but  a 
single  communion  service,  and  that  only  a  few  weeks  before 
his  death. 

At  a  very  early  period  Mr.  Baker  was  chosen  one  of  the 
trustees  of  Pompey  Academy,  and  served  for  many  years  in 
that  capacity,  being  usually  one  of  the  Prudential  Commit 
tee.  Deacon  Baker  was  a  man  of  affable  spirit,  of  sound 
judgment,  a  kind  husband,  and  loving  father;  a  citizen 
faithful  in  every  relation  of  life.  His  life  was,  in  fact,  iden- 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION.  405 

tified  thoroughly  with  the  church,  of  which,  he  was  for  near 
ly  40  years  one  of  the  most  laborious  and  useful  members. 
He  was,  almost  literally,  never  absent  from  his  place  in  the 
prayer  meeting  and  in  the  church.  And  no  church  could 
have  a  more  thoroughly  consistent  or  devoted  member.  He 
wore  his  religion  as  a  daily  garment.  With  him,  Christiani 
ty  was  not  a  theory,  but  a  practical,  heartfelt,  daily  expe 
rience.  His  whole  nature  was  moulded  by  it,  and  his  whole 
life  was  absorbed  in  it.  It  was  at  once  his  work,  his  life, 
and  his  joy.  Most  strictly  conscientious,  always  pursuing 
the  golden  rule,  it  was  not  strange  that  no  man  should  have 
aught  to  say  against  him.  He  who  never  spake  ill  of  any 
one,  might  well  enjoy  the  enviable  distinction  of  having  no 
one  speak  ill  of  him.  The  thoroughness  of  his  conversion, 
reaching  not  only  his  moral  nature,  but  extending  to  all  his 
possessions,  seemed  to  make  it  both  easy  and  natural  for 
him  to  live  a  truly  Christian  life.  This  latter  life  was 
marked  by  no  special  exaltation  or  depression,  but  was  calm, 
steadfast,  consistent,  faithful  and  always  peaceful.  His  nat 
ural  courtesy,  his  sterling  good  sense,  and  his  equable  tem 
per,  made  him  an  admirable  counsellor,  a  reliable  friend, 
and  a  true  peace  maker.  He  married  for  his  second  wife 
Miss  Eunice  B.  Birdseye,  of  Cornwall,  Ct,  who  survives 
him.  The  children  who  survive  him,  (all  of  the  first  mar 
riage,)  are  as  follows : 

1.  Henry  II.  Baker,  living  in  the  homestead;  2.  Cathar 
ine  M.,  wife  of  Lucien  Birdseye,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. ;  3. 
Tallmadge  Baker,  formerly  a  merchant  in  New  York  city, 
nnd  now  resident  in  South  Norwalk,  Ct. ;  4.  Mrs.  Frances 
S.,  wife  of  Thomas  Sherwood,  Jr.,  of  Kalamazoo,  Mich. ;  5. 
L>.  Kellogg  Baker,  merchant,  of  New  York  city ;  6.  James 
S.  Baker,  merchant,  of  New  York  city. 


Jesse  Butler,   son  of  Ebenezer  Butler,  Sen.,  was  born  in 
Bradford,  Conn.,  Oct.  30,  1764. 


406  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

He  was  married  in  1786,  to  Miss  Louisa  Soper,  by  whom 
he  had  eight  children — Riley,  Merit,  Lucinda,  Orange, 
Gould,  Louisa,  Maria  D.,  and  Jesse  S.  The  first  three 
were  born  in  Connecticut.  Orange  was  the  first  white  male 
child  born  within  present  limits  of  the  town  of  Pompey . 

Mr.  B.  came  to  Pompey  in  the  Spring  of  1792,  and  bought 
of  his  brother,  Ebenezer  Butler,  Jr.,  one  hundred  acres  of 
land.  He  remained  through  the  summer,  made  a  small 
clearing,  and  put  up  a  small  log  house  on  the  knoll  near  a 
spring  of  water,  a  little  to  the  north  of  the  house  now,  (1873) 
owned  and  occupied  by  Mr.  Horatio  S.  Birdseye.  He  re 
turned  to  Connecticut,  in  the  fall  of  same  year;  and  the 
next  spring,  March,  1793,  returned  in  company  with  Geo. 
Catlin  and  their  families,  and  made  Pompey  their  home. 

Their  families  and  effects  were  brought  hither  on  a  sled 
drawn  by  oxen— of  which  each  owned  one.  They  wended 
their  way  from  Whitestown,  largely  aided  by  marked  trees. 
Each  of  the  two  women  having  young  children  to  care  for. 

During  his  life  Mr.  B.  was  a  farmer — always  in  good 
health,  rarely,  if  ever,  gone  from  his  home  and  family  for 
24  hours  together.  He  and  his  wife  kept  house  for  60 
years. 

In  1847  or  8,  they  sold  the  farm  and  moving  to  Fabius, 
spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives  with  their  daughter  Lou 
isa—Mrs.  Ella  W.  Boss.  Mr.  B.  died  Nov.  30,  1856,  aged 
92  years.  Mrs.  Butler  lived  till  the  next  April,  1857,  when 
she  died,  aged  92  years  and  9  months.  She  was  one  of  the 
few  original  members  of  the  Congregational  church,  in  Pom- 
pey,  and  for  more  than  61  years  and  till  her  death,  a  com 
municant  in  that  church. 

Of  their  children,  Hi  ley  Butler  was  born  in  Ilarwington, 
Conn.  He  was  about  five  }7ears  of  age  when  with  his  father, 
he  came  to  Pompey.  "Was  married  in  1811,  to  Rachel  Fris- 
bee,  of  Hanvington.  He  moved  from  Pompey  to  Albion, 
Orleans  Co.,  X.  Y.,  in  1824.  His  wife  died  at  Albion,  leav 
ing  six  children.  He  afterwards  moved  to  Mich.,  to  a  place 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  407 

about  18  miles  from  Detroit.     He  died  about  the  year  1869. 
The  children  are  now  living  in  Chicago,  and  in  the  State  of 
Mich. 

Merit  Butler  was  born  in  Harwington,  Conn.,  April  10,. 
1790.  He  was  three  years  of  age  when  his  father  moved  to- 
Pompey.  From  that  time  till  to-day,  (March,  1876,)  he  has 
been  a  resident  of  Pompey.  He  lives  to-day,  being  the  last 
of  the  original  settlers  of  this  township,  and  perhaps,  (it  was 
so  declared  at  last  meeting  of  Pioneers,)  the  oldest  resident 
of  Onondaga  Co.  He  still  retains,  at  the  age  of  86  years,  a 
strong  physical  constitution,  and  mental  faculties  unimpair 
ed.  His  memory  is  very  reliable.  To  him,  more  than  to 
any  other  one  individual,  are  we  indebted  for  the  facts  ana! 
dates  which  make  the  Historical  chapter  of  this  book.  He 
has  an  almost  perfect  recollection  of  the  settlement  and 
growth  of  Pompey  village.  At  onetime  he  knew  every 
person  residing  within  the  town.  He-gives  us  names,  dates, 
and  circumstances ;  relating,  as  few  can  do,  the  history  of 
Pompey,  and  of  Onondaga  Co. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Sabina  Bigelow,  daughter  of  Jo- 
siah  Bigelo\v,  of  Pompey,  in  1813;  by  whom  he  had  six 
children — Josiah  B.,  who  died  in  Syracuse,  in  1855;  Sarah 
L.,  wife  of  Rev.  Geo.  M.  Peck,  of  Wyoming  Conference, 
now  living  in  Honesdale,  Pa. ;  Ellen,  wife  of  Carnie  Hey- 
don,  living  at  Pompey;  Amelia  S.,  wife  of  II.  II.  Patterson, 
who  died  at  Homer,  in  1856 ;  Ebenezcr,  for  many  years 
Principal  of  Seymour  School,  Syracuse,  now  Supt.  Schools, 
Whitehall,  K  Y. ;  and  Wells  M.,  still  residing  in  Pompey. 

Mr.  Butler  spent  his  youth  on  a  farm ;  at  age  of  20,  went 
to  learn  Blacksmithing,  at  which  trade  he  worked  for  40 
years. 

His  wife  died  June  24,  1875,  at  the  ripe  age  of  82  years 
and  8  mo.  She  will  be  remembered  by  the  many  who  have 
been  inmates  of  her  household  in  their  younger  days,  as 
the  kind-hearted,  benevolent,  sympathizing  friend ;  ever 
ready,  with  willing  feet  and  hands  to  minister  to  the  happi 
ness  of  others. 


408  THE   POMPEY   RE-UNION. 

Lucinda  Butler  married  Dea.  J.  Curtis,  of  Elbridge.  She 
lived  in  Elbridge  many  years.  Afterwards  with  her  hus 
band  moved  to  Malone,  111.,  where  she  resided  till  her  death. 
She  left  two  children,  Louisa  and  Maria.  The  iirst  named 
is  a  prominent  teacher  in  Chicago  Public  Schools — being 
Principal  of  a  "Ward  school  of  that  city. 

Orange  Butler  was  born  at  Pompey,  March  5,  1794, 
graduated  at  Union  College,  and  soon  after  entered  the  of 
fice  of  Hon.  Victory  Birdseye,  with  whom  he  pursued  his 
legal  studies  till  admitted  to  the  bar — removing  to  Vienna, 
Ontario  Co.  He  commenced  the  practice  of  law,  but  re 
mained  only  a  short  time,  when  he  settled  in  Gaines,  Or 
leans  Co.  He  was  District  Attorney  of  Orleans  County 
for  several  years,  and  had  a  very  extensve  practice,  being 
prominent  in  the  famous  Morgan  trials  during  the  anti- 
Masonic  excitement. 

Full  of  enterprise,  he  removed  to  Adrian,  Mich.  Soon 
becoming  popular  by  his  ability  and  affable  manners,  he  was 
sent  to  the  Legislature  during  the  administration  of  Stephen 
T.  Mason.  Declining  political  preferment,  he  addressed 
himself  studiously  to  his  profession,  establishing  an  enviable 
reputation  as  a  sound  lawyer  and  brilliant  advocate.  In 
1849  he  removed  to  Lansing,  where  he  resided  till  time  of 
his  death  in  1870.  Abandoning  his  profession,  for  a  num 
ber  of  years  before  his  death  he  lived  in  agreeable  retirement. 
He  was  an  accomplished  classical  scholar  and  fine  linguist ; 
clear  in  judgment,  cheerful,  upright  in  all  his  intercourse 
with  his  fellow  men.  He  lived  to  fill  up  the  measure  cf  a 
long  and  useful  life,  being  seventy-six  years  of  ago  when 
tailed  away. 

He  married  Miss  Wealthy  Handy,  of  Pompey.  They  had 
five  children — John,  Chas.  W.,  still  residing  at  Lansing, 
Augustus  S.,  deceased,  Helen,  wife  of  0.  A.  Jenison,  and 
Augusta,  wife  of  C.  M.  Beebe  ot  Lansing. 

Mrs.  B.  lived  till  within  the  present  year,  1876,  and  du 
ring  fall  of  1875  paid  a  visit  to  Pompey,  enjoying  for  the 
last  time  the  scenes  of  her  childhood's  home. 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  409 

Gould  Butler  was  born  in  Pompey,  lived  many  years  in 
Onondaga  Co.,  as  an  active  business  man — married  Bathia 
Dodge.  They  had  three  children,  Charles  D.,  Caroline 
and  Charlotte.  He  removed  to  Springfield,  111.,  where  he 
resided  till  May,  1849,  when,  in  company  with  20  others,  he 
started  "  Over  Land"  for  California.  While  crossing  the 
Plains  was  taken  ill  of  cholera,  and  died,  May  16,  1849. 

His  wife  survived  him  a  number  of  years,  and  till  about 
the  year  1854. 

Louisa  Butler  was  born  in  Pompey.  In  1825  was  mar 
ried  to  Ella  W.  Boss.  About  the  year  1837  they  moved  to 
Fabius,  where  they  have  since  resided.  They  have  six  chil 
dren  now  living.  The  oldest,  Henry  W.,is  an  artist,  whose 
work  is  second  to  few  in  the  profession.  He,  with  four 
brothers  and  one  sister,  resides  in  Binghamton.  Helen 
M.,  wife  of  J.  Halloday,  resides  in  Pompey. 

Maria  D.  Butler  was  born  in  Pompey,  Oct.  29,  1826,  was 
married  to  Chas.  E.  Webb,  who  worked  at  wagon  making 
in  Pompey  village,  for  over  40  years.  They  now  reside  in 
Syracuse;  they  have  had  six  children,  four  now  living ;  two 
lie  buried  at  Pompey.  Franklin  II.  has  been  since  1847 
a  resident  of  Hudson,  N.  Y.,  is  now,  and  has  been  for  many 
3*ears  editor  and  publisher  of  a  weekly  paper.  Chas.  E. 
married  Miss  Julia  A.  Bishop,  of  Pompey,  is  a  carpenter, 
residing  in  Syracuse.  Fannie  married  Mr.  John  Cadwell, 
of  Fabius,  and  now  resides  in  Western  part  of  this  State. 
James  II.  till  recently  lived  in  Syracuse. 

Jesse  S.  Butler  was  born  in  Pompey.  He  was  engaged 
as  H  merchant  in  Syracuse  for  many  years.  As  a  stirring 
business  man  he  has  few  equals.  He  married  Miss  Amanda 
Bottom,  of  Syracuse,  in  which  city  he  now  lives.  His  chil 
dren  are  William,  Sarah,  wife  of  Mr.  Alfred  Luther,  and 
George  W.  The  first  two  named  residing  in  Syracuse. 
The  last  named  died  in  the  year  1870. 

JOSIAII  BIGELOW. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  was  a  native  of  the  town  of  Ho!- 


410  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

den,  Mass.,  and  when  quite  young  emigrated  to  the  town  of 
Guilford,  Vt.  He  was  born  in  1755,  and  married  Sarah  Cul 
ver,  of  Guilford,  by  whom  he  had  six  sons  and  three  daugh 
ters.  They  came  to  Pompey  in  1800,  arriving  on  the  10th 
day  of  March.  Mr.  Bigelow  had  purchased  of  Samuel  Bec- 
be,  of  New  York,  h' ve  hundred  and  ninety  acres  of  land  op 
posite  the  Richard  Hiscock  place,  which  was  the  birth  place 
and  early  home  of  L.  Harris  Hiscock  and  Frank  Hiscock, 
who  became  distinguished  lawyers  in  Syracuse,  and  of  their 
brothers,  Horace  and  Charles  Hiscock.  Mr.  Bigelow,  with 
his  older  boys,  immediately  commenced  to  fall  the  stately 
forest,  and  in  three  years  they  cleared  one  hundred  acres  of 
heavy  timbered  land.  Up  to  1803  all  was  prosperous,  but 
that  year  was  noted  for  the  prevalence  of  the  long  fever. 
Most  of  Mr.  B.'s  family  had  it,  and  he  died  with  it,  Dec.  17, 
1803.  Mrs.  Bigelow  survived  her  husband  only  three  years. 
Then  comes  a  period  of  sad  memories  to  the  surviving  mem 
bers  of  the  family.  The  time  had  come  when  brothers  and 
sisters  must  separate — leave  the  paternal  home  and  go  among 
strangers.  Soon  they  were  where  broad  rivers  and  lakes 
rolled  between  them.  Jacob  Bigelow  went  to  Concord, 
Mich.,  and  Josiah  to  Massachusetts,  and  other  members  of 
the  family  were  equally  separated.  Dr.  Bigelow  of  Syracuse, 
who  married  a  daughter  of  William  Williams,  formerly  of 
Pompey,  near  Oran,  is  a  descendant  of  this  family. 

DANIEL  GOTT. 

Although  his  name  is  incidentally  mentioned  in  this  vol 
ume  in  several  places,  this  book  would  fail  to  meet  the  ex 
pectations  of  the  public,  without  a  biographical  sketch  of 
Daniel  Gott.  For  so  many  years  of  his  brilliant  life  was  he 
identified  with  the  history,  growth  and  prosperity  of  Pom 
pey,  that  he  and  his  family  occupy  a  large  place  in  the  mem 
ory  and  affections  of  the  people.  He  was  born  July  10th, 
1794,  at  Hebron,  Ct,  and  died  July  6th,  1864,  at  Syracuse. 
Within  the  measure  of  those  years  he  acquired  wealth,  dis 
tinction  and  fame,  and  his  memory  will  grow  brighter  as  the 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION.  411 

years  roll  round  and  the  asperities  of  life's  conflicts  are  for 
gotten.  His  early  education  was  limited  only  to  enjoying 
the  advantages  which  the  common  schools  of  his  native  town 
afforded.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  commenced  teaching,, 
which  he  continued  up  to  and  including  the  first  years  of 
his  residence  in  Pompey,  having  taught  in  the  West  room 
of  the  old  Pompey  Academy.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he 
thought  to  learn  the  Clothiers  trade,  and  for  that  purpose 
entered  the  service  of  his  uncle,  Ebenezer  Snow.  This  not 
being  congenial  to  his  taste,  he  soon  entered  the  office  of 
Lawyer  Gilbert  of  Hebron,  Ct.,  and  commenced  the  study 
ot  the  law.  About  the  year  1812  he  visted  his  uncle,  Eliliu 
Barber,  in  Pompey.  It  was  probably  then  that  he  resolved 
to  make  Pompey  his  future  home,  and  in  1817  he  located 
permanently  on  the  Hill  and  continued  his  studies  with 
Daniel  Wood,  and  after  his  admission  to  practice  became 
the  law  partner  of  Samuel  Baldwin,  who  afterwards  located 
at  Pompey  West  Hill,  HOAV  LaFayette.  On  the  12th  day  of 
Sept.,  1819,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  the  widow  of  Ste 
phen  Scdgwick,  of  Pompey,  a  brilliant  genius  and  eminent 
lawyer.  Her  maiden  name  was  Ann  Baldwin,  a  sister  of 
Samuel  and  Charles  Baldwin,  a  lady  of  large  scholastic  at 
tainments  and  fine  literary  taste.  By  this  union  Mr.  Gott 
also  became  the  foster  father  of  Henry  J.,  John  and  Claries 
B.  Sedgwick,  the  second  of  whom  died  when  a  youth.  Charles 
B.  Sedgwick  and  Henry  J.  Sedgwick  both  lived  to  become 
eminent  lawyers,  and  they  have  both  held  high  and  respon 
sible  positions  in  the  State  and  Nation.  Henry  J.  was  a 
State  Senator  from  1844  to  1848,  and  Post  Master  at  Syra 
cuse  under  Buchanan's  administration.  Charles  B.  was- 
mernber  of  Congress  for  two  terms,  from  1859  to  1863,  and 
has  acquired  a  brilliant  record  as  a  lawyer.  Charles  B.  is 
the  only  survivor  of  three  brothers,  and  his  residence  is  in 
Syracuse. 

Thus  we  find  Mr.  Gott  at  the  age  of  twenty-five,  with  the 
care  and  responsibilities  of  a  family  devolved  upon  him  and 
he  assiduously  applied  his  energies  to  the  practice  of  hi^ 


412  THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION. 

profession.  Being  both  physically  and  mentally  a  man  of 
remarkable  power,  he  soon  developed  those  qualities  of  in 
domitable  energy,  untiring  industry  and  persuasive  elo 
quence  that  won  for  him  wealth  and  fame,  and  made  him 
the  peer  of  Noxon,  Forbes,  Jewett,  Spencer,  Sibley  and  ex 
tended  his  practice  through  the  central  Counties  of  New 
York.  In  1828  he  became  afflicted  with  sore  eyes,  which 
seriously  impaired  his  usefulness  for  about  twelve  years.  At 
times  so  severe  was  this  affliction,  that  he  was  obliged  to 
confine  himself  to  a  dark  room.  It  was  during  this  time 
that  his  powerful  and  retentive  memory  came  to  his  rescue, 
and  enabled  him  at  times  to  continue  in  business  that  other 
wise  he  must  have  abandoned.  In  1840  he  became  perma 
nently  cured,  and  his  practice  continued  to  increase  till  1846, 
when  he  was  elected  a  member  of  Congress,  which  office  he 
held  two  consecutive  terms.  When  in  Congress  he  was  the 
author  of  the  famous  "  Gott  Resolution"  for  the  abolition 
of  the  slave  trade  in  the  District  of  Columbia.  In  1851  he 
was  nominated  by  the  Whigs  for  ••  JuMfce  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  and  was  defeated  by  Hon.  Daniel  Pratt,  by  a  largely 
reduced  majority.  In  1844  he  was  on  the  Electoral  ticket 
for  Henry  Clay.  In  1853  he  moved  to  Syracuse,  where  he 
resided  till  his  death,  continuing  the  practice  of  the  law  in 
company  with  his  son  Daniel  F.  Gott.  His  office  was  the 
law  school  of  Pompey,  and  with  the  solicitude  of  a  father 
he  watched  the  progress  of  the  numerous  students  who 
sought  his  instruction,  and  prompted  by  his  genial  and 
kind  nature,  and  remembering  the  obstacles  that  he  had 
•encountered  and  overcome,  he  was  ever  ready  to  counsel, 
iidvise  and  encourage.  Among  the  large  number  of  gifted 
and  eminent  men  who  entered  the  legal  profession  from  his 
office  were  Seabred  Dodge,  Charles  Mason,  John  U.  Pcttit, 
Harvey  Sheldon,  Charles  B.  Sedgvvick,  Henry  J.  Sedgwick, 
Geo.  II.  Williams,  LeEoy  Morgan,  L.  II.  Hiscock,  Charles 
Foster,  and  these  and  all  others  who  were  students  in  his 
office  bear  concurrent  testimony  to  his  kindness  and  anxious 
solicitude  for  their  honor  and  welfare.  During  his  resi- 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  413 

dence  in  Pompey,  he  was  trustee  of  the  Academy  for  many 
years,  always  laboring  for  its  prosperity.  He  was  a  con 
stant  attendant  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

His  children  in  the  order  of  their  ages,  v\  ere  Sackett,  Ann, 
Amelia  and  Daniel  F.  The  two  eldest  are  dead.  Sacket 
was  never  married,  Ann  married  Hon.  Geo.  IT.  Woodruff, 
a  graduate  of  Hamilton  College,  and  a  lawyer  and  writer  of 
distinction  of  Joliet,  Ills.  He  and  one  child  survive.  Daniel 
F.  graduated  from  Hamilton  College  in  the  class  of  1849,. 
became  the  law  partner  of  his  father  in  Syracuse,  married 
Sarah  Clary,  a  daughter  of  the  late  Dr.  Lyman  Clary,  of  Sy 
racuse,  is  Register  in  Bankruptcy,  to  which  he  was  appoint 
ed  in  1867.  Amelia  married  Frank  II.  Hastings,  a  nursery 
man  of  Rochester,  ^N".  Y.  They  have  three  children. 


MORGAN". 

LcRoy  Morgan  was  the  eldest  son  of  Lyman  Morgan,  a  far 
mer  and  one  of  the  pioneers  in  the  early  settlement  of  Pom 
pey,  where  he  died  February  24,1864,  universally  respect 
ed  for  his  consistent  and  upright  life.  Living  about  two  and 
a  half  miles  from  the  Academy,  to  the  endowment  of  which 
he  was  an  early  contributor,  his  son  LeRoy  took  every  avail 
able  occasion  to  attend  this  celebrated  pioneer  institution  ? 
and  from  it  he  graduated  in  1830,  at  the  age  of  twenty,  hav 
ing  been  born  in  Pompey,  March  27th,  1810.  At  the  age 
of  eighteen  he  taught  school  in  Volney,  Oswego  Co.,  at  a 
compensation  of  $13  per  month.  The  next  year  he  taught 
in  Delphi,  in  Pompey,  where  he  became  acquainted  with 
Miss  Elizabeth  C.  Slocum,  a  daughter  of  Mathew  B.  Slo- 
cum,  and  sister  of  Gen.  Henry  W.  Slocum,  whom  he  mar 
ried  in  1832.  He  also  taught  school  in  the  "Wells  District 
and  the  Murray  District  in  Pornpej',  in  the  }7ears  1830  and 
1831.  Thus  by  his  own  labor  he  educated  himself,  teaching 
winters  and  attending  the  Academy  summers.  In  1830  he 
commenced  the  study  of  the  law  in  the  celebrated  Law  office 
of  the  late  Hon.  Daniel  Gott,  and  Hon.  Amasa  Jerome,  af- 


414  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

terwards  Judge  of  the  Common  Pleas  and  Surrogate  of  Ori 
on  daga  County,  also  a  native  of  Pompey,  was  his  fellow  stu 
dent.  There  were  also  three  other  students  in  the  same  of 
fice,  E.  A.  Baldwin,  Q.  0.  Anclrus,  and  the  late  Hon.  II.  J. 
.Sedgwick.  Remaining  with  Mr.  Gott  till  1831,  he  entered 
the  office  of  Hon.  S.  L.  Edwards,  in  Manlius,  and  there  con 
tinued  his  studies  till  he  was  admitted  to  practice  in  the 
•"  Old  Common  Pleas"  in  1832.  The  next  year  he  was  ad 
mitted  to  practice  in  the  Supreme  Court.  In  1839  he  locat 
ed  in  Baldwinsville,  where  he  continued  in  the  practice  of 
Ills  profession  till  1851.  In  1843  he  received  the  appoint 
ment  of  District  Attorney  of  Onpndaga  County,  which  of 
fice  he  held  with  the  exception  of  a  few  weeks,  till  the  IICAV 
•constitution  came  into  operation  in  1848. 

In  1851  he  came  to  Syracuse  to  reside,  and  formed  a  Law 
partnership  with  the  late  Hon.  D.  D.  Hillis,  and  this  con 
tinued  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Hillis,  which  occurred  in  1859. 
In  the  fall  of  the  latter  year  Mr.  Morgan  was  elected  a  Jus 
tice  of  the  Supreme  Court  for  the  term  of  eight  years,  and 
at  the  expiration  of  his  term  was  re-elected  without  opposi 
tion.  He  still  resides  in  Syracuse. 


DR.  JEHIAL  STEARNS. 

Jehial  Stearns  was  born  in  Rockingham,  Vt.,  February 
/6th,  1790.  His  father  was  "William  Stearns,  a  respectable 
farmer,  and  a  soldier  of  the  revolution.  From  pecuniary 
considerations  his  early  education  was  limited.  At  the  age  of 
sixteen  he  commenced  his  academic  studies  in  Charles  town, 
N.  H.,  and  subsequently  acquired  the  Latin  language  under 
various  competent  teachers.  In  1809  he  commenced  the 
study  of  medicine  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Oliver  Hast 
ings,  a  celebrated  physician  of  Charleston,  X.  II.  In  1811 
was  his  first  attendance  of  lectures  at  Dartmouth  College, 
under  Dr.  Nathan  Smith.  Having  graduated  with  honor, 
he  located  as  a  physician  and  surgeon  in  the  town  of  Essex, 
Essex  Co.,  IS1".  Y.,  where  he  enjoyed  a  good  degree  of  pub- 


THE    POMPEY    RE  UNION.  415 

lie  patronage.  In  January,  1815,  he  came  to  Pompcy,  On- 
ondaga  Co.,  1ST.  Y.,  where  he  was  kindly  and  cordially 
received,  and  the  growingtown  "being  in  need  of  a  physician, 
he  was  invited  to  remain,  and  he  concluded  to  make  Pom- 
pey  his  future  home.  Dr.  Stearns  ardently  loved  the  prac 
tice  as  well  as  the  science  ot  his  profession,  and  hy  his  as 
siduous  devotion  to  its  duties,  his  courteous  manners  and 
more  than  all  his  kind  and  ready  sympathy  for  his  suffering 
patients,  he  soon  won  reputation  and  success.  He  was  never 
ambitious  to  be  called  a  money  making  doctor,  but  consid 
ered  his  profession  rather  a  charitable  calling.  His  circle  of 
practice  if  not  so  large  as  some  of  his  compeers,  was  elligi- 
ble  and  remunerative.  Among  the  cotemporaries  of  Dr.  S. 
in  the  profession,  and  who  were  likewise  his  friends,  were 
Drs.  Granger,  Wm.  Taylor,  D.  Denison,Upson  II.  B.  Moore 
and  others,  whose  professional  standing  was  of  a  high  order, 
and  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  he  was  the  equal  of  any 
of  them. 

Dr.  Stearns  had  some  experience  in  the  war  of  1812,  and 
acquired  skill  and  a  taste  for  the  practice  of  surgery,  and 
this  branch  of  his  profession  he  made  rather  a  specialty  in 
his  practice  with  a  high  degree  of  success,  not  only  as  an 
operator,  but  in  exhibiting  singular  judgment  in  knowing 
where  to  operate.  In  1822  he  received  the  appointment  of 
Surgeon  of  the  98th  regiment  of  Infantry,  under  De  Witt 
Clinton,  Governor  of  New  York,  which  he  resigned  Oct.  9th, 
1830,  united  with  the  Onondaga  Medical  Society  in  1817, 
of  which  he  is  a  still  a  member,  having  served  one  term  as 
its  President,  and  one  term  of  four  years  as  delegate  to  the 
State  Society.  In  1826  he  was  elected  Vice-President  of 
the  Onondaga  Co.  Medical  Society.  In  1839,  January  21st, 
he  was  constituted  Honorary  member  of  the  Medical  Socie 
ty  of  Geneva  College,  and  by  that  College  the  Degree  of  M. 
D.  \vas  conferred  upon  him  the  same  year.  In  1840  the 
Cortland  County  Medical  Society  elected  him  an  Honorary 
member,  and  in  1868  he  became  a  member  of  the  Ononda 
ga  County  Historical  Association.  For  many  years  he  was 


416  THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION. 

an  efficient  and  useful  trustee  of  Pompey  Academy,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Pompey,  with  which 
he  became  connected  soon  after  lie  came  to  Pompey,  and  in 
the  prosperity  of  which  lie  lias  always  evinced  a  lively  in 
terest.  On  the  22d  day  of  January,  1810,  he  was  married  to 
Nancy  Ilascall,  a  sister  of  Hon.  Kalph  Ilascall,  M.  C.,  and  of 
Rev.  Daniel  Hascall,  who  was  a  Baptist  clergyman,  and 
founder  of  the  Madison  University.  She  died  July  11, 1856, 
and  for  a  second  wife,  Dr.  S.  married  May  9th,  1860,  Serep- 
ta  S.  Shattuck,  a  daughter  of  Chester  Shattuck,  a  pioneer 
of  Pompey,  and  brother  of  Jo-oph  Shattuck,  whose  biogra 
phy  is  herein  recorded.  By  his  first  wife  he  had  two  chil 
dren,  J.  Hascall  Stearns  and  Cornelia  B.  Stearns.  The  for 
mer  was  a  pioneer  California)!,  and  is  a  resident  of  San 
Francisco,but  he  has  never  forgotten  his  early  home  to  which 
he  pays  his  annual  visits  during  tlie  delightful  summers  of 
the  old  Hills,  as  regular  as  the  seasons  roll  round.  He  is  a 
bachelor,  and  not  communicative  as  to  his  wealth,  but  their 
is  little  doubt  that  fortune  has  favored  him  to  that  extent 
that  he  might  well  afford  to  support  a  larger  family. 

Cornelia  B.  Stearns  married  Hon.  John  W.  Dwindle,  of 
San  Francisco,  California.  She  died  Oct.  25th,  1873,  leav 
ing  her  husband  surviving  her,  and  five  children.  In  the 
order  of  their  ages  the  children  are,  Ella  C.,  the  wife  of  Chas. 
Pond,  of  Providence,  R.  I.  Anna  Louisa,  of  San  Francisco, 
Charles  II.,  a  graduate  of  Harvard  College,  largely  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits.  Herman,  now  a  student  in  Cali 
fornia  College,  and  Florence,  with  her  father  in  San  Fran 
cisco.  Mr.  Dwindle  has  been  mayor  of  San  Francisco,  a 
member  of  the  California  Legislature,  a  lawyer  of  distinc 
tion  and  eminent  ability,  and  a  gentleman  and  author  of 
high  literary  taste. 

Dr.  Stearns  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  still  survives — a  resi 
dent  of  Pompey  Hill,  and  to  a  remarkable  degree  in  the  en 
joyment  of  both  his  physical  and  mental  faculties.  Al 
though  nominally  he  has  abandoned  the  practice  of  his  pro- 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  417 

fession,  he  is  often  called  to  administer  to  the  necessities  of 
the  afflicted. 

HEZEKIAH  W.  STEVENS. 

Ilezekiah  W.  Stevens  was  born  at  Killingworth,  Connec 
ticut,  in  1793.  He  came  to  Pompey  in  1810,  looking  for  a 
place  to  locate  in  the  cabinet  and  chair  business.  He  was  a 
first-class  mechanic,  and  was  induced  by  Henry  Seymour, 
Moses  S.  Marsh  and  others,  to  establish  himself  there.  His 
first  shop  was  located  nearly  opposite  the  Dr.  Tibbals  house. 
He  was  married  by  Key.  Jabez  Chadwick,  at  the  house  of 
Henry  Seymour,  to  Lois  Field,  who  came  to  Pompey  from 
Jericho,  Vermont,  and  boarded  several  years  in  the  families 
of  Henry  Seymour  and  Nathaniel  Baker.  They  lived  three 
years  in  the  small  house  still  standing  opposite  the  Dr.  Tib 
bals  house,  and  afterwards  built  and  occupied  the  house  and 
shop  between  the  Presbyterian  church  and  Col.  Hezekiah 
Hopkins'  tavern.  He  was  a  man  of  excellent  taste,  success 
ful  in  business,  and  many  of  the  young  married  people 
received  their  "  setting  out"  at  his  ware-rooms.  Many 
pieces  of  furniture  of  his  make  are  still  to  be  seen  in  the  old 
residences  of  the  town.  He  was  injured  at  the  burning  of 
Merit  Butler's  blacksmith  shop,  and  died  the  following  year, 
in  January,  1828,  at  the  age  of  37.  When  Merit  Butler  had 
constructed  the  vane  for  the  Presbyterian  church  steeple, 
Mr.  Stevens  covered  it  with  gold  leaf  so  thoroughly,  that 
for  sixty  years  it  has  glistened  in  the  sunbeams,  and  it  has 
been  said  their  work  stands  higher  than  that  of  any  of  their 
successors.  Henry  Stevens,  brother  of  Hezekiah,  was  at 
one  time  in  the  partnership  with  him.  He  married  Phena 
Jerome,  sister  of  Ira  and  John  C.  Jerome,  and  subsequently 
removed  to  Fabius,  where  he  died,  leaving  several  children, 
the  only  survivor  being  Mrs.  Ann  Wheaton,  now  residing 
there. 

Hezekiah's  widow  with  her  second  husband,  Wm.  C. 
Hendricks,  and  three  sons,  William  H.,  Charles  W.  and 
Richard  F.,  continued  to  occupy  the  familv  residence  north 

27 


418  THE   POMPEY   RE-UNION. 

of  the  church  for  many  years.  The  house  was  sold  to  Geo. 
Merrell,  and  Mr.  Hendricks  and  wife  removed  to  the  west. 
She  died  in  1853,  at  Elkhart,  Indiana,  and  was  buried  in  the 
family  lot  at  Pompey.  Mr.  Hendricks  subsequently  mar 
ried  Emily  Gould,  of  Jamesville,  and  now  resides  at  Elk- 
hart. 

Wm.  II.  Stevens  married  Ann  E.  Bishop,  who  died  at 
Buffalo,  in  1852,  and  was  buried  in  the  family  lot  of  her 
father  near  Oswego.  He  has  resided  sixteen  years  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  parlor  or 
gans.  One  of  his  three  children  survives — Richard  H.  Stev 
ens,  residing  in  New  York,  engaged  in  the  stationery  trade. 

Charles  W.  Stevens  married  Susan  Dillon,  at  St.  Louis, 
Missouri.  He  has  resided  in  that  city  since  1840,  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  medicine,  and  filled  the  Professorship  of 
Anatomy  twenty-four  years  in  the  Medical  College.  He 
was  several  years  Superintendent  of  the  St.  Louis  Insane 
Asylum.  They  have  two  sons,  Frank  H.  and  Charles  D. 
Stevens. 

Eichard  F.  Stevens  married  Esther  Prentiss  in  1844,  at 
St.  Louis,  where  he  resided  several  years  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  medicine.  He  subsequently  resided  in  Syracuse, 
N.  Y.,  where  his  wife  died  in  1872,  since  which  he  has  re 
sided  in  the  city  of  New  York,  and  holds  the  office  of  Col 
lector  of  City  Ee venue. 

Of  four  children  one  survives,  Jennie  P.  Stevens,  now 
engaged  in  the  study  of  medicine  in  the  Woman's  Medical 
College  of  New  "):  ork  city. 


The  influence  of  the  re-union  has  been  seen  and  felt  in 
various  ways  since  it  occurred.  It  has  given  the  town 
a  notoriety  and  popularity  not  hitherto  enjoyed.  Every 
year  since  1871,  during  the  oppressively  hot  summer  dayg, 
Pompey  Hill  has  become  the  resort  of  those  seeking  pleas 
ure  and  repose  from  the  dust,  heat  and  inconveniences  of 
city  life.  Every  year  the  number  who  seek  its  healthful 
heights  increases. 

The  benefits  of  the  Academy  to  the  past  generations  of 
Pompey  so  plainly  exemplified  on  that  occasion,  have  creat 
ed  a  sympathy  in  behalf  of  the  venerable  institution,  and 
more  closely  endeared  it  to  the  citizens  of  Pompey,  so  that 
efforts  are  continually  being  made  for  its  prosperity.  Fes 
tivals  and  other  means  have  been  resorted  to  for  the  pur 
pose  of  raising  money  to  make  needful  repairs.  Upon  one 
occasion  when  an  "Old  Folk's  Concert"  was  being  held,  Au 
gust  21st,  1874,  for  the  benefit  of  the  Academy,  William  H. 
Stevens,  Esq.,  of  New  York,  unexpectedly  came  to  town 
bearing  a  present  to  the  Academy  trustees  of  a  miniature 
fac  simile  of  the  u  Old  Academy  building."  Taking  ad 
vantage  of  the  occasion  the  presentation  was  made  at  the 
concert,  the  following  notice  of  which  appeared  in  the  Sy 
racuse  daily  papers. 

"  On  Friday  evening,  Aug.  21st,  1874,  was  a  concert  for  the 
benefit  of  Pompey  Academy.  The  entertainment  was  large- 


420  THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION. 

]y  attended  by  the  citizens  of  Pompey,  and  very  many  stran 
gers  who  are  here  enjoying  the  rural  pleasures  of  the  coun 
try  at  this  delightful  season  of  the  year.  Among  the  dis 
tinguished  visitors  from  abroad  were  Dr.  Charles  W.  Stev 
ens,  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Charles  Hayden,  Esq.,  of  Eochester, 
N".  Y.,  Win.  H.  Stevens,  Esq.,  of  New  York,  and  Mrs.  Char 
lotte  Beardslee,  of  Syracuse,  one  of  the  pioneer  teachers  in 
the  early  days  of  Pompey.  An  interesting  episode  occurred 
at  the  conclusion  of  the  first  part.  Win.  H.  Stevens,  Esq., 
of  New  York,  was  present  at  the  Re-union  in  Pompey,  June 
29th,  1871,  and  upon  that  occasion  hearing  much  said  in 
reference  to  the  old  academy  building  which  was  torn  down 
in  1834,  to  give  place  to  the  present  structure, he  conceived 
the  idea  of  constructing  a  miniature  fac-simile  of  the  old 
building  from  memory.  He  was  among  the  number  who 
had  been  educated  within  its  sacred  walls.  And  drawing 
upon  the  recollections  of  his  school  boy  days,  he  had  finished 
his  model  and  happened  to  return  to  his  early  home  the  very 
day  the  concert  was  to  take  place,  bringing  with  him  the 
miniature  building  as  a  gift  to  the  present  board  of  trustees. 
At  the  conclusion  of  the  first  part  of  the  concert  the  trustees 
of  the  Academy  were  invited  to  take  their  place  upon  the 
stage,  the  audience  and  some  of  them  not  knowing  for  what 
purpose.  They  stood  in  the  form  of  a  semi-circle,  in  the  cen 
ter  of  which  upon  a  stand,  Mr.  E.  Butler,  of  Whitehall,  ET. 
Y.,  a  native  of  Pompey,  soon  placed  the  gift.  Mr.  Stevens 
also  stood  upon  the  stage.  Around  and  behind  them  stood 
the  singers  in  the  costume  of  one  hundred  years  ago.  Mr. 
Butler  then  in  behalf  of  Mr.  Stevens,  made  the  following 
presentation  speech  : — 

GENTLEMEN  :  I  appear  before  you  to-night,  honored  with 
a  pleasing  part  of  this  evening's  entertainment.  I  have  be 
fore  me  a  model  of  the  "  Old  Pompey  Academy"  building, 
which  was  erected  in  1801;  within  whose  walls  during  more 
than  a  third  of  a  century,  were  educated,  perhaps,  more  men 
who  have  lived  and  become  famous  as  governors,  legislators, 
judges,  lawyers,  physicians,  generals  of  the  army,  ministers 


THE    POMPEY    RE-UNION.  421 

of  the  gospel,  missionaries  to  foreign  climes,  poets,  orators 
and  eminent  civilians,  than  any  other  similar  institution  in 
this  or  any  other  State.  Three  years  ago  when  was  held  on 
jonder  "green"  the  grand  re-union  of  the  sons  and  daugh 
ters  of  Pompey,  when  they  came  from  far  and  near  to  meet 
again  at  the  old  home  hearth-stone  as  they  grasped  the  hand 
of  cherished  friends,  you  remember  how  the  old  academy 
was  the  central  theme  of  every  conversation.  Around  it 
clustered  the  pleasant  memories  and  reminiscences  of  the 
past;  to  it  they  turned  with  the  fond  eye  of  memory,  and 
beheld  anew  the  classic  walls,  paying  to  it  a  deference  akin 
to  adoration.  Among  the  number  who  that  day  met  with 
us  and  enjoyed  the  festive  occasion  was  one  who  on  his  re 
turn  to  his  home  in  New  York,  resolved  irom  memory  to 
reproduce  in  miniature,  the  old  structure  entire.  He  has 
during  his  leisure  moments  labored  upon  it,  and  to-day  as 
he  returns  again  to  visit  the  home  of  his  boyhood,  does  he 
bring  with  him  this  memento,  and  as  others  have  in  words 
so  feelingly  dedicated  their  affection  to  this  institution,  so  he 
now  dedicates  this  the  offspring  of  his  handiwork.  In  the 
name  of  our  former  townsman,  Mr.  Wm.  II.  Stevens,  of  New 
York,  the  architect  and  builder  of  this  fac-simile  of  the  old 
Academy  building,  I  do  now  present  this  gift,  asking  that  it 
remain  in  the  archives  of  your  institution  so  long  as  Pom 
pey  Academy  shall  exist,  and  it  in  the  future  it  shall  happen, 
as  happen  it  may,  that  the  organization  as  now  existing  shall 
cease,  it  is  his  wish  that  you  or  your  successors  shall  pre 
sent  it  to  the  Onondaga  County  Historical  Association. 
Please  accept  as  the  offering  of  the  devoted  love  of  a  noble 
heart  to  its  cherished  Alma  Mater. 

MR.  STEVENS  then  explained  the  construction  of  the  model, 
after  which  Wm.  "W.  VanBrocklin,  Esq.,  responded  as  fol 
io  AYS  : 

MR.  STEVENS  : — In  behalf  of  the  trustees  of  Pompey  Acad 
emy  and  in  behalf  of  this  entire  community,  whose  interests 
in  this  institution  it  is  their  duty  to  cherish  and  protect,  I  re 
turn  you  most  sincere  and  heartfelt  thanks  for  this  beautiful 


422  THE   POMPEY   RE-UNION. 

gift  so  suggestive  of  the  thousand  golden  memories  of  the 
"  olden  time."  And  to  you  Mr.  Butler,  I  return  thanks  for 
the  appropriate  and  feeling  language  you  have  been  enabled 
to  use  in  the  presentation  of  this  perfect  model  of  the  old 
Academy  building,  and  for  the  stirring  memories  you  have 
awakened  of  the  transcendent  blessings  and  benefits  which 
have  resulted  from  the  establishment  of  this  institution  to 
the  early  settlers  of  Pompey  and  their  descendants. 

But  above  all,  we  give  thanks  to  our  God,  the  great  pre 
server  and  benefactor  of  humanity,  whose  Providence  has 
so  unexpectedly  dropped  down  among  us  our  former  towns 
man  on  this  interesting  occasion,  bringing  this  priceless  gift 
appearing  at  this  opportune  time,  when  an  old  folks  concert 
is  in  progress  for  the  benefit  of  that  institution,  whose  first 
edifice  is  here  reproduced  in  miniature  from  memory  ;  and 
our  thanks  are  further  due  to  the  great  architect  of  the  uni 
verse,  for  the  gift  of  memory,  that  has  enabled  you  my 
brother  so  faithfully  and  vividly  to  call  up  from  the  store 
house  of  your  memory  all  the  details  and  minute  peculiari 
ties  that  characterized  those  classic  halls  whose  walls  echoed 
to  the  tread  of  a  Dodge,  a  Mason,  a  Marsh  and  a  Seymour, 
enabling  you  to  construct  it  with  that  artistic  skill  that  chal 
lenges  the  admiration  and  gratitude  of  all  acquainted  with 
the  old  building,  who  have  had  the  good  fortune  to  examine 
this.  So  perfect  is  it,  that  I  understand  the  Hon.  Luther  E. 
Marsh  said  when  admiring  its  just  proportions  and  elabo 
rate  finish,  that  the  only  thing  lacking,  was  the  birchen  rod 
of  the  venerable  Joshua  Leonard.  I  confess  that  language 
is  too  poor  to  express  the  thoughts  and  emotions  that  crowd 
upon  my  mind  in  viewing  this  memento  of  the  past.  The 
emotional  sentiments  which  the  occasions  callsup  are  of  kin 
to  those  inspired  by  the  beautiful  lines  of  the  enraptured 
poet. 

"  How  dear  to  my  heart  are  the  scenes  of  my  childhood, 
When  fond  recollection  presents  them  to  view 
The  orchard,  the  meadow,  the  deep-tangled  M-ild  wood. 
And  every  loved  spot  wThich  my  infancy  knew." 


THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION.  428 

And  those  other  immortal  lines  around  which  cluster  a 
thousand  fonder  and  dearer  memories. 

"  I  love  it,  I  love  it,  and  who  shall  dare 
To  chide  me  for  loving  that  old  arm  chair, 
Have  you  learned  the  spell  a  mother  sat  there, 
And  a  sacred  thing  was  that  old  arm  chair." 

The  lessons  too,  which  this  event  teaches,  are  of  the  most 
important  character,  and  among  them  I  may  name  the  last 
ing  impressions  and  unfading  memories  ot  our  early  life.  If 
our  brother  can  in  this  matchless  little  building,  so  vividly 
portray  all  the  lineaments  of  the  school-room  where  forty 
years  ago  he  spent  the  happy  hours  of  life's  bright  morning,, 
how  important  that  in  the  youthful  mind  be  instilled  those 
principles  of  righteousness,  truth,  temperance,  virtue  and 
integrity  that  shall  make  the  child  through  all  the  future 
years  of  life  feel  strong  to  resist  the  temptations  that  are  scat 
tered  all  along  the  pathway  of  life.  For,  rest  assured,  temp 
tation  will  assail  us  through  all  the  coming  years,  until  the 
dawn  of  eternity  shall  appear. 

Thanking  you  again  for  this  priceless  treasure,  which  we 
will  ever  cherish  in  our  inmost  heart,  with  the  kindest  feel 
ing  of  respect  for  the  donor,  we  wish  you  prosperity  and  joy 
through  all  the  coming  years  of  life,  and  unalloyed  happiness 
through  all  the  boundless  cycles  ot  eternity. 


Since  the  re-union,  frequent  notices  of  the  healthful  clime 
and  beautiful  scenery  ofPompey  have  appeared  in  the  news 
papers.  From  among  the  number  we  clip  the  following 
beautiful  poem,  which  some  time  after  the  re-union,  ap 
peared  in  one  of  the  Syracuse  papers. 

TO  POMPEY. 

All  day  in  fancy  I  have  seen 
Thy  green  clad  hills,  vast  and  eternal, 
O'er  looking  all  the  vale  between, 
And  rising  toward  the  skies  supernal. 


424  THE    POMPEY   RE-UNION. 

All  day  I've  roamed  thy  woodlands  o'er, 
And  seen  with  fancy's  glowing  vision 
Thy  quiet  streets,  and  fields  so  fair, 
Fairer  to  me  than  fields  Elysian. 

Below  thee  in  the  distance  seen, 
The  city's  spires  are  brightly  gleaming, 
The  whirr  and  clang  of  busy  life 
Within  its  crowded  streets  are  teeming ; 
But  tho'  old  hills  upreared  so  high, 
Escape  the  city's  din  and  clashing, 
The  few  within  thy  cool  retreats 
Enjoy  the  long,  bright  days  now  passing. 

A  happy  home  is  mine  beside 
Oswego's  brightly  flowing  river, 
Yet,  will  my  heart  e'er  yearn  for  thee, 
My  childhood's  home,  for  aye  and  ever, 
I  tire  of  all  this  flat  lowland, 
I  long  for  thy  dear  lights  and  shadows, 
I  want  to  climb  thy  rugged  hills 
And  wander  in  thy  quiet  meadows. 

I  want  to  gaze  upon  thy  scenes, 

In  Autumn's  light  serene,  and  mellow, 

And  watch  thy  graceful  waving  trees, 

All  beautiful,  though  sere  and  yellow, 

But  ah,  for  me,  it  may  not  be, 

What  need  is  there  to  murmur  longer, 

My  feet  must  wander  far  away, 

E'en  while  my  love  for  thee  grows  stronger. 

And  I  may  roam  in  other  lands, 
May  cross  the  deep  and  boundless  ocean, 
My  heart  shall  ne'er  forget  that  love, 
While  life  its  pulses  keep  in  motion. 
And  oh,  when  all  life's  cares  are  o'er, 
And  swift  from  me  is  memory  flying, 
Old  Pompey  may  thy  hills  arise, 
To  greet  my  eyes  when  I  am  dying. 

SICILY  SPRAGUE. 


ft!  tte  Inuiifttioa  oi  t|i 

T        ^      T   **  7 


In  addition  to  the  officers  and  committees  whose  names 
appears  in  the  foregoing  pages,  mention  should  have  been 
made  of  the  marshal  of  the  day  and  his  assistants,  whose 
duties  were  very  laborious,  and  discharged  with  a  skill  and 
promptness  which  commanded  the  approbation  of  all. 

The  marshal  was  M.  R.  Dyer,  and  his  assistants  Samuel 
W.  Jerome,  Moses  T.  Robinson,  Dwight  Kershaw,  Wm.  J. 
Mason  and  Fred.  A.  M.  Ball.  The  following  additional 
names  appear  upon  the  programme  published  at  the  time, 
who  were  on  the  Committee  of  Arrangements  :  Chas.  W.  H. 
Wood,  S.  S.  Walley,  Geo.  Hopkins,  Geo.  R.  Vail,  Rodney 
Hill  and  1).  G.  Southard,  and  the  following  on  the  Commit 
tee  of  Reception  :  J.  R.  Fenner,  Wilfred  M.  Scoville,  Bron- 
son  Clarke  and  John  P.  Robinson. 

The  following  named  ladies  and  gentlemen  were  omitted, 
who  deserve  to  be  remembered  for  untiring  efforts  in  the 
preparations  for  the  day.  Wakeman  G.  Sprague,  who  was 
charged  with  making  all  necessary  purchases  in  Syracuse, 
E.  S.  Dawson  who  was  treasurer  of  the  Re-Union  fund,  Mrs. 
Henry  S.  Doolett,  Mrs.  Jane  E.  O'Don'aghey  and  Mrs.  Wm. 
W.  Van  Brocklin,  who  were  on  committee  to  prepare  re 
freshment*,  to  make  decorations  and  to  arrange  the  tables. 


CONCLUSION. 


Having  finally  had  charge  of  the  publication  of  this  vol 
ume,  I  esteem  it  a  privilege  and  feel  it  a  duty  that  I  owe  to 
the  publication  committee,  to  write  a  few  explanatory  words 
in  conclusion.  It  will  be  observed  that  many  biographical 
sketches  are  wanting  to  make  the  volume  complete.  Among 
the  number  omitted  may  be  mentioned  the  Jeromes,  Judds, 
Murrays, .  Marshes,  Newmans, .  North rups,  Duguids,  Can- 
dees,  Woods,  Woodfords,  Hiscocks,  Blowers,  Loseys  and 
many  others,  from  whom  have  arisen  distinguished  and  emi 
nent  citizens,  mention  of  whom  would  be  fully  sufficient  to 
fill  another  volume  of  the  size  of  this.  For  this  the  com 
mittee  are  not  at  fault,  as  over  four  years  ago,  public  notice 
was  repeatedly  given  through  "The  Press,"  of  the  work  in 
contemplation,  and  asking  for  contributions  of  sketches ; 
moreover  I  have  personally  sought  and  importuned  many 
to  furnish  sketches  or  at  least  the  data,  to  enable  me  to 
write  them  up.  It  will  not  be  overlooked,  I  trust,  that  the 
labor  of  the  committee  has  been  arduous  and  unremunera- 
tive.  At  one  time  it  was  a  question  whether  the  work  would 
ever  be  accomplished,  and  it  doubtless  would  have  been 
given  up  had  not  Gov.  Seymour  and  Hon.  "Wm.  G.  Fargo 
generously  come  to  our  assistance  with  material  aid.  It 
will  be  noticed  also  that  the  directory  promised  has  been 
omitted.  This  is  an  intentional  omission  to  avoid  too  large 
a  volume  for  our  resources.  The  embelishmcnts  are  fur 
nished  by  those  whose  lithographs  adorn  the  work  or  by 


THE   POMPEY   RE-UNION.  427 

their  friends.  The  old  Academy,  together  with  the  inside 
view  are  from  the  fac  simile  made  by  Wm.  H.  Stevens,  of 
New  York,  and  but  for  his  conception,  would  have  been 
lost  to  history.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  disadvantages 
under  which  we  have  labored,  will  avoid  many  criticisms 
which  under  other  circumstances  might  be  justly  indulged. 

WM.  W.  VANBROCKLIK 
Pompey,  June  17,  1876. 


CONTENTS. 


SUBJECT.  PAGE. 

Preface 5 

Account  of  Measures  that  resulted  in  the  Re-union 7 

The  Re-union  Day 13 

Address  of  Welcome 17 

Response 20 

Reminiscences  of  Pompey 27 

Address  of  Geo.  H.  Williams 36 

Address  of  Luther  R.  Marsh 42 

Response  to  the  toast,  "The  old  Town  of  Pompey*' 59 

Toast,  "Fair  daughters  of  Pompey" 66 

Toast,  "The  American  members  of  the  Joint  High  Commission 71 

Pompey  Academy 73 

Address  of  John  F.  Seymour 75 

Address  of  Daniel  J.  Fort 7S 

Address  of  Charles  W.  Stevens 81 

Address  of  F.  W.Fenner 85 

Poem  of  H.  D.  L.  Sweet 86 

Address  of  Geo.  H.  Jerome 88 

Satement  of  RichardF.  Stevens- 90 

Address  of  W.  W.  Van  Brocklin 91 

Evening  Meeting 98> 

Introductory  Remarks 98> 

Poem  by  Flora  Butterfield 100 

Remarks  of  William  Barnes 100 

Incidents 101 

Poem  by  H.  A.  Billings 102 

Letter  from  Edwin  C.  Litchfield 105 

Letter  from  Henry  W.  Slocum 106 

Letter  from  R.  S.  Orvis  — 107 

Letter  from  Esther  Dorwin  Clapp 107 

Letter  from  Jared  F.  Ostrander 111 

Letter  from  Rowena  M.  Ostrander __114 


THE   POMPEY   RE-UNION.  4-30 

Letter  from  Sanford  Thayer 118 

Letter  from  Charles  Mason 118 

Letter  from  Harvey  Sheldon- 129 

Letter  from  Orris  Barnes 131 

Letter  from  Charles  A.  Baker 132 

Letter  from  Hiram  K.  Jerome 133 

Letter  from  Lucien  Birdseye 133 

History  of  Pompey  Academy 138 

History  of  Pompey 174 

-Geographical  feature 174 

Pompey  Hill  and  Vicinity 178 

Disciples  of  Christ 197 

LaFayette 201 

Delphi 205 

Watervale 211 

Military  Tract 213 

Town  Meetings 235 

Supervisors  and  Town  Clerks 240 

Episcopal  Church,  Subscription  at  Clapp's  Corners 248 

Attendance  at  School  No.  3,  Pompey,  1800 249 

BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES. 

Dr.  Edward  Aiken 251 

Anderson  Family 251 

Avery  Family 253 

•Sylvanus  and  Artemus  Bishop 259 

Elizur  Brace 263 

Ball  Family 267 

-Joseph  Baker -_ — . 269 

Benson ________ _ 270 

Ebenezer  Butler,  Sr _____-___..___,___ 271 

Victory  Birdseye I__IL.1'_1~_ _ — : 273 

Barber  Family ___ 283 

Reubin  Billings — - 28(5 

Elias  Conklin _- _  — 288 

-Samuel  Clement - «. 289 

Henry  Clarke 291 

Clarke  Family 291 

Paul  Clapp—  295 

John  J.  Deining 290 

Dodge  Family 290 

Dunham  Family 301 

Fenner  Family 302 

Flint  and  Rice  Families 304 

Jos.  W.  and  Mrs.  Rhoda  Gold, 309 

David  Green 310 

Caleb  Green 310 

Daniel  Gilbert  ..  ...311 


THE   POMPEY   RE-UNION.  431 

Hayden  Family 313 

Pelatiah  Hayden  and  descendants 317 

Hinsdell  Family 318 

David  Hibbard 321 

Hezekiah  Hopkins 321 

Ensign  Hill 322 

Josiah  Holbrook 324 

Jonas  Hinman 327 

Daniel  Knapp 328 

Joshua  Leonard 329 

Luther  Marsh 332 

Noah  Palmer 33-i 

Dr.  Silas  Park 334 

L.  H.  Pitcher 337 

Manoah  Pratt,  Sr.,  and  Family 341 

Millard  Robinson . 347 

John  Smith 347 

Thos.  D.  Safford 350 

Joseph  Shattuck 350 

Sweets . 352 

John  Todd 360 

Samuel  Talbot 360 

Elijah  Wells 363 

Edward  Wicks 365 

Daniel  Wright 367 

Augustus  Wheaton 367 

Tabor  D.  Williams 372 

Fargo  Family 373 

Van  Brocklin  Family 387 

David  Williams 390 

Asa  Wells —390 

Henry  Seymour 392 

Horatio  Seymour 394 

Henry  W.DePuy 395 

Oran — — '. 397 

Reminiscences 399 

ADDITIONAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES. 
Samuel  Baker 403 

Jesse  Butler 405 

Josiah  Bigelow 409 

Daniel  Gott 410 

LeRoy  Morgan 413 

Jehial  Stearns 414 

Hezekiah  W.  Stevens 417 

Of  Incidents  the  outgrowth  of  the  Re-Union 419 

Of  the  Organization 425 

Conclusion __426 


ERRATA. 


At  page  18,  line  11  for  transcendant,  read  transcendent. 

At  page  19,  line  12  for  salutory  read  salutary. 

At  page  22,  line  8  for  constantly  read  constantly. 

At  page  25,  line  25  for  Mrs.  P.  P.  Miller  read  Mrs.  P.  P.  Midler. 

At  page  29,  line  29  for  grap  read  grasp. 

At  page  34,  line  10  and  11  for  Hepey  Beeber  read  Hepsey  Beebe. 

At  page  37,  line  7  for  snow  read  sorrow. 

At  page  67,  line  13  for  county  read  country. 

At  page  95,  line  19  for  descendents  read  descendants. 

At  page  96,  line  23  for  prepair  read  prepare. 

At  page  121,  line  7  and  19  for  Barrow  read  Barrows. 

At  page  125,  line  33  for  nostalgic  read  nosologic. 

At  page  130,  line  35  for  my  house  read  my  home. 

At  page  172,  line  5  for  Jabesh  read  Jabez. 

At  page  183,  line  27  and  28  for  Berry  &  Aimer  read  Perry  &  Abner. 

At  page  185,  line  32  for  was  read  were. 

At  page  187,  line  15  for  graineries  read  granaries. 

At  page  187,  line  22  for  no  read  so. 

At  page  192;  line  16  for  JehialStears  read  Jehial  Stearns. 

At  page  192,  line  22  for  Dr.  Stevens  read  Dr.  Stearns. 

At  page  201,  line  29  for  southwest  read  southeast. 

At  page  203,  line  4  for  Dr.  L.  W.  Park  read  S.  W.  Park. 

At  page  209,  line  24  for  Henry  B.  Slocum  read  Henry  W.  Slocum. 

At  page  213,  line  17  for  second  Win.  C.  read  Wm.  G. 

At  page  261,  line  8  for  1705  read  1795. 

At  page  297,  line  2  for  Schroppel  read  Scrceppel. 

At  page  302,  line  6  for  Doxanna  read  Roxanna. 

At  page  307,  line  5  for  Joseph  read  Josephine. 

At  page  86.  line  31  for  the  glory  read  thy  glory. 

At  page  86,  line  32  for  half  forgotten  read  hast  forgotten. 

At  page  87,  line  2,  for  shaft  read  shafts. 

At  page  87,  line  27  for  plentitude  read  plenitude. 

At  page  176,  line  29  for  sholes  read  shales. 

At  page  254,  line  17  for'Berment  read  Bement. 

At  page  257,  line  35  for  Grandentia  read  Gaudentio. 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 


FOURTEEN  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 


This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


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