32

LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

to other jurisdictions, which we may briefly note. On March ii, 1808, the seventh range of townships was set off to Allegany county, which was created April 7, 1 806. The part in the fork of Lake Keuka was annexed to Ontario county, F'ebruary 25, 1814. A part of Dansville was attached to Livingston county, February 15, 1822, and a part of Reading to Yates county in 1 824. Another part of Reading was set off to Schuyler county on the creation of the latter, April 17, 1 854. When Steuben was erected its territory was divided into six towns or provi- sional districts, and known respectively as Bath, Canisteo, Dansville, Frederickstown, Middletown and Painted Post. Of these original divi- sions the names of only two are now preserved as towns of the county. Bath originally comprised the entire northern portion of the county, including the towns now known as Bath, Urbana, Wheeler, Prattsburg, Pulteney, Avoca, Howard, and a portion of Cohocton Dansville com- prised all that is now Dansville, Fremont, Wayland, and part of Howard and Cohocton. Frederickstown included Wayne and Bradford in this county, and also Barrington and Starkey in Yates county, and Tyrone, Reading and Orange in Schuyler county. Middletown comprised all that is now Addison, Rathbone, Thurston, Tuscarora, Woodhull, and parts of Troupsburg and Jasper. Canisteo comprised the present town so named, also Greenwood, West Union, Huntsville, Hornellsville, and parts of Jasper and Troupsburg.

After the erection of the county a complete organization was effected with little difficulty. The first officers were William Kersey, first judge ; Abraham Bradley and Eleazur Lindley, associate judges ; George D. Cooper, county clerk ; William Dunn, sheriff; Stephen Ross, surrogate. In accordance with the determination of the most influential element of the county, the village of Bath was designated as the seat of justice, and the agents of the proprietary made generous provision for the county buildings and other public purposes.

The first court-house was completed and occupied for court purposes on the 1st of June, 1796. The building was of frame, one and one- half stories high, with two wings, and served the necessities of the county until 1828, then being superseded by a more substantial brick structure, the latter, however, being destroyed by fire in October, 1859. Following the disaster, in i860, the present attractive court-house was erected. In 1796, also, the first county jail, a log building, was erected

I

PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND INSTITUTIONS.

33

and stood in the rear of the subsequent stone jail, the latter standing at the northwest corner of the square. The next jail was built in 1845, and, in turn, was replaced with the present brick building, erected in 1882, at a total cost of nearly $30,000. The new clerk's office was built in 1872, at a cost of about $11,000, and the surrogate's office in 1886, at an expense of $8,707.77.

As the county increased in population and commercial importance, the convenience of the inhabitants demanded a division into jury dis- tricts for court purposes. Consequently, on the 19th of July, 1853, an act was passed making the desired division, and designating the now city of Corning as the seat of justice of the second jury district of the county. From that time courts have been held alternately at Bath and Corning. However, during the legislative session of 1888-89 ^^ at- tempt was made to secure the passage of an act establishing a western jury district in the county, the proposed seat to be at Hornellsville, and although the act was passed by both houses of the Legislature, the bill failed to become a law through lack of the executive approval. The court-house at Corning, a substantial and attractive brick building, was built during the years 1853 and '54, and cost $14,000.

Having referred to the general buildings and properties, in this con- nection we may also properly make some brief allusion to another im- portant institution of the county, that in which are kept and supported the unfortunate poor. At the annual session of the Board of Super- visors held in November, 1833, it was "Resolved, that a poor-house shall be established in the county of Steuben for the reception of the poor of said county, and that all distinction between the county poor and town poor be abolished, etc.;" also " that Messrs. Knox, Reynolds and Towsley be a committee to ascertain where a farm can be had for the use of the poor, etc " In December following the supervisors directed the superintendents of the poor to purchase the farm offered by Ephraim Barney, and also appropriated the sum of $4,000 for the purpose of paying for the farm and the erection of a poor-house build- ing. The county farm is located in the town of Bath, about two miles north of the village. From the humble beginning noted above the present excellent institution for the care of the county poor has grown. The property consists of a large and well tilled farm, while the build-

1

II

M.,

CIa.1	Book^/^/^ ^ Vol.
Library
Historical	Department
of	Iowa

LANDMARKS

STEUBEN COUNTY

NEW YORK

EDITED BY

HON. HARLO HAKES

ASSISTED BY

L. C. ALDRICH AND OTHERS

SYRACUSE, N. Y.

D. MASON & COMPANY, PUBLISHERS

i8q6

^^19^

Js^

PREFACE.

In the preparation of this historical and biographical record earlier works bearing- on the histor}^ of this section of the State have been consulted, and also many original sources of information. A careful review of the work, from beginning to end, discloses the fact that more than two thousand persons have been interviewed in the quest of authentic data, hence it cannot be assumed that the present volume is a mere compilation from previous publications. The work is now placed before the people of the county, and the editor, writers and pub- lishers have no apology to make, believing none is needed. At the same time they have not the temerity to claim this to be a faultless volume, but assert for it reasonable and substantial accuracy. The arrangement of the subject of the county's history will be found novel, yet convenient and interesting.

The editor and the writers take this opportunity to express thanks for generous assistance on the part of the best informed men of the region, and the publishers also acknowledge a debt of gratitude to the public spirited citizens of the county at large for the hearty support that has made the work possible.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

County Organizations— Albany — Tryon — Montgomery — Ontario— Steuben— Claims to Pre-historic Occupation — Early Discoveries and Explorations — The French— The Dutch— The English '.. 1

CHAPTER II.

French and English Rivalry — The Indian Occupation — Iroquois Confederacy — The Senecas — The Jesuit Fathers among the Indians — Events Precedingand During the French and English Wars — Overthrow of French Power in Amer- ica— The Delaware Village near Canisteo 6

CHAPTER III.

Events Preceding the Revolution — Pontiac's League— Action of the Senecas — The Revolutionary War — Sullivan's Campaign — Brief Reference to the Indian History and Antiquities of Steuben County 14

CHAPTER IV.

After the Revolution — An Era of Peace — Controversy between Massachusetts and New York — The Hartford Convention — The Phelps and Gorham Pur- chase— The Lessee Companies — Settlement of Difficulties — The Surveys — Sale to Robert Morris — The Pulteney Association — Charles Williamson — Foundation of Land Titles in Steuben County — The Anti-Rent Conflict 20

CHAPTER V.

Division of Montgomery County— Creation of Ontario and Steuben Counties — Brief Allusion to Baron Steuben — His Life and Services — The Original Terri- tory of Steuben County Divided into Towns — First County Ofificers — County Buildings — Second Jury District — Steuben County Civil List 30

vi CONTENTS.

CHAPTER VI.

The Civil Divisions of the Count}' -• 39

CHAPTER VII.

The Civil Divisions of the County - - - 82

CHAPTER VIII.

The Civil Divisions of the County 104

CHAPTER IX.

The Civil Divisions of the County 130

CHAPTER X. 'i'he Civil Divisions of the County 150

CHAPTER XI. The Civil Divisions of the County 164

CHAPTER XII.

Invents Preceding and During the War of 1812-15— Companies Organized in Steuben County— Results of the War— The Conflict with Mexico— The Steu- ben Company — Population of the Coimty by Decades 185

CHAPTER XIII.

Steuben County in the War of 1861-65 190

CHAPTER XIV.

The Bench and Bar.. 205

CHAPTER XV. The Press. 226

CHAPTER XVI. The Medical Profession 337

CONTENTS. vii

CHAPTER XVII. Cities, Villages and Hamlets 348

CHAPTER XVIII.

Cities, N'illages and Hamlets 308

CHAPTER XIX. Cities, Villages and Hamlets 323

CHAPTER XX. Cities, Villages and Hamlets ... 337

CHAPTER XXI. .,^ Churches 354

PART II,

BIOGRAPHICAL . 1_79

PART III. FAMILV SKETCHES l_.50(j

INDEXES.

Historical 507

Biographies 514

Family Sketches 515

Portraits . 529

LANDMARKS

STEUBEN COUNTY

CHAPTER I.

County Organizations— Albany— Tyron — Montgomery— Ontario — Steuben — Claims to Pre-historic Occupation — Early Discoveries and Explorations — The French — The Dutch— The English.

The State of New York, for the purpose of more conveniently admin- istrating the affairs of local government, is divided by law into counties, and the latter are further subdivided into towns. Municipal govern- ments, likewise, are provided for cities and villages, securing to them separate officers and tribunals for the management of their peculiar affairs, and other privileges, varying with their respective charters. Under the Dutch dominion the only divisions were the city and towns. Counties were erected, for the first time, by the act of 1683, and were twelve in number, Albany being farthest west in the colony of New York and in its jurisdiction extending over the region now of Steuben county, although no civilized occupancy was then known in this part of the province,

Tryon county was erected in 1772, from Albany, and comprised the country west of a north and south line extending from St. Regis to the west bounds of the town of Schenectady; thence running irregularly southwest to the head of the Mohawk branch of the Delaware, and along the same to the southwest bounds of the present county of Broome; thence in a northwesterly direction to Fort Bull, on Wood Creek, near the present village of Rome. All the region west of the 1

2 LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

line Inst mentioned was Indian territory, unoccupied by the whites, except incidentally, and not subject to county jurisdiction.

On tlie 27th day of January, 1789 (after the close of the Revolution, and after the settlement of the controversy between the States of Massa- chusetts and New York, growing out of conflicting grants and charters by the crown), the county of Tyron, then known, however, as Mont- gomery, was divided, and that part of the State which had been ceded to Massachusetts, so far as the pre-emption right was concerned, was erected into a separate county by the name of Ontario; and from the latter, on March 8, 1796, the county of Steuben was formed and there- after duly organized.

The history of Steuben county properly begins with the time of its creation, and a narrative of the events of the territory within its bound- aries, previous to such erection, must be associated with the history of the older counties of which it once formed a part. In fact the aboriginal occupation of this region is inseparably connected with that of the whole Phelps and Gorham purchase, and is auxiliary to though not co-ex- tensive with it.

The claim has been made on the part of many well-informed persons that there have been found in various localities in Steuben county evidences of a pre historic occupation ; that there have been discovered certain relics and implements of peculiar construction the like of which are now unknown, and that they must have been left by a race of peo- ple different from the red sons of the forest, the period of whose occu- pancy long antedated the coming of the ancestors of the famed Iroquois. This claim, in the writer's view, is a mistaken one. True, there have been unearthed tools and utensils which were never in common use among the Indians, but we must remember that the Jesuits and their followers traversed this region more than a century and a half before any civilized white settlement was made ; and we must also remember that the crude and to us unaccountable implements were then in the hands of comparative ancients, and were {he product of a period in which was known but little of the mechanical arts as we see and under- stand and use them at the present time. None of the Indian tribes had a tradition that run to the time of the Mound builders, and while there may be ill-defined outline possibilities of such a presence from which the student of archaeology may theorize on this subject, we see nothing

EARLY DISCOVERIES. 3

in the claim referred to which is inconsistent with the modern theory of continuous Indian occupation.

Four hundred years ago tlie first Spanish adventurers landed on the shores of the American continent. Saih'ng under the patronage of Spain, Christopher Columbus, the Genoese, in 1492 made his wonderful discoveries, an event generally designated as the discovery of America, altjiough the first Europeans to visit the western hemisphere were Scandinavians, who colonized Iceland in A. D. 875, Greenland in 983, and about the year 1000 had cruised southward as far as the Massachu- setts coast.

During the ages that preceded these events, no grander country in every point of view ever waited the approach of civilization. With climate and soil diversified between the most remote extremes; with thousands of miles of ocean shores indented by magnificent harbors to welcome the world's commerce ; with many of the largest rivers of the globe draining its territory and forming natural highways for commerce ; with a system of lakes so immense in area as to entitle them to the name of inland seas ; with mountains, hills and valleys laden with the richest minerals and almost exhaustless fuel ; and with scenery unsurpassed for grandeur, it needed only the Caucasian to transform a wilderness in- habited only by savages into the free, enlightened republic, which is to day the wonder and glory of the civilized world.

Following close upon the discoveries of Columbus and other early explorers, various foreign powers fitted out fleets and commissioned navigators to establish colonies in the vast but unknown continent. These events, however, will be briefly treated in this work, and only those will be mentioned which had at least an indirect bearing upon our subject.

In 1508, Aubert discovered the St. Lawrence River, and 1524, Francis I, king of France, sent Jean Verrazzani on a voyage of exploration to the new world. He entered a harbor, supposed to have been that of New York, where he remained fifteen days ; and it is believed that his crew were the first Europeans to land on the soil of what: is now the State of New York. The Gallic explorer cruised along the coast about 2,100 miles, sailing as far north as Labrador, and giving to the whole region the name of "New France" — a name by which the P^rench possessions in America were ever known during the dominion of that

4 ^ LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

power. In 1534 the same king sent Jacques Cartier to the country, and he made two voyages, on the second being accompanied with a number of French nobihty, all of whom were filled with high hopes and bearing the blessings of the church. This party was determined upon the col- onization of the country, but, after passing a severe winter at the Isle of Orleans, abandoned their scheme and returned to France. As a be- ginning of tlie long list of needless and shameful betrayals, treacherjes and other abuses to which the too confiding natives were subjected, Cartier inveigled into his vessel an Indian chief who had been his gen- erous host, and bore him with several others into hopeless captivity and final death.

Cartier again visited New France in 1540, but no further attempts in the same direction were made until about 1589, when the re- gion, particularly its Canadian portion, was made a place of banish- ment for French convicts; but even this scheme failed, and it remained for private enterprise to make the first successful effort toward the permanent occupation of the country. The real discoverer and founder of a permanent colony in New France was Samuel de Champlain, a man born with that uncontrollable instinct of investigation and desire for knowledge of distant regions which has always so strongly charac- terized all great explorers. His earlier adventures in this country have no connection with this work, and it is therefore sufficient to merely mention that in 1608 he was sent to the country and founded Quebec.

To satisfy his love for exploration, Champlain united with the Cana- dian Indians and marched into the unknown country to the southward, and the result was the discovery of the lake that bears his name. The party also invaded the land of the Mohawks, in the country of the Iroquois, and a conflict followed between the Algonquins, aided by Champlain, and a portion of the Iroquois, in which the latter were defeated with the loss of two of their chiefs, who fell by the hands of Champlain him- self.

Thus was signalized the first hostile meeting between the white man and the Indian. Low as the latter was found in the scale of intelligence and humanity, and terrible as were many of the subsequent deeds of the Iroquois, it cannot be denied that their early treatment could foster in the savage breast any other feeling than that of bitterest hostility. It seems like a pathetic page of romance to read Champlain's statement

CONFLICTING GRANTS. 5

that "The Iroquois are greatly astonished, seeing two men killed so instantaneously," one of whom was their chief; while the ingenuous acknowledgment of the Frenchman, " I had put four balls into my arquebus," is a vivid testimony of how little mercy the Iroquois nation were to expect from their northern enemies and the pale-faced race which was eventually to drive them from their domain. It was an age, however, in which might was appealed to as right more frequently than in later years, and the planting of the lowly banner of the Cross was frequently preceded by bloody conquests. It is in the light of the prevailing custom of the old world in Champlain's time that we must view his ready hostility to the Indian.

Let us also turn briefly to other events which have had an indirect bearing on the settlement of this part of the country. A few weeks after the battle between Champlain and the Indians, Henry Hudson, a navigator in the service of the Dutch East India Company, anchored his ship (The Half-moon) at the mouth of the river which now bears his name. This took place September 5, 1609. He met the savages and was hospitably received by them ; but before his departure he sub- jected them to an experimental knowledge of the effects of intoxicating liquor — an experiment perhaps more baneful in its results than that in- flicted by Champlain with his new and murderous weapon. Hudson as- cended the river to a point within less than a hundred miles of that reached by Champlain, then returned to Europe, and, through the information he had gained, soon afterward established a Dutch colony, for which a charter was granted in 1614, naming the region "New Netherlands."

The Dutch dominion, however, was of brief duration. Indian hos- tilities were provoked through the ill-advised action of Governor Kieft, whose official career continued for about ten years, being super- seded by Peter Stuyvesant in May, 1647. The latter was the last of the Dutch governors, and his firm and equitable policy had the effect of harmonizing the discontent existing among the Indians. On the 12th of March, 1664. however, Charles II of England granted by letters patent to his brother James, the Duke of York, all the country from the River St. Croix to the Kennebec in Maine, together with all the land from the west bank of the Connecticut River to the east side of Delaware Bay. The duke sent an English squadron to secure the

6 LANDMARKS OB' STEUBEN COUNTY.

gift, and on the 8th of September following, Governor Stuyvesant capit- ulated, being constrained to that course by the Dutch colonists, who preferred peace, with the same privileges and liberties accorded to the English colonists, rather than a prolonged and perhaps uncertain con- test. The English changed the name of New Amsterdam to New York, and thus ended the Dutch dominion in America.

Meanwhile, in 1607, the English had made their first permanent settlement at Jamestown, Va., and in 1620 planted their historic colony at Plymouth Rock. These two colonies became the successful rivals of all others in that strife which finally left them masters of the country.

On the discoveries and colonizations thus briefly noted, three great European powers based claims to a part of the territory embraced in the State of New York; first, England, by the reason of the discovery of John Cabot, who sailed under commission from Henry VII, and on the 24th of June, 1497, reached the coast of Labrador, also that made in the following year by his son Sebastian, who explored the same coast from New Foundland to 'Florida, claiming a territory eleven degrees in width and indefinitely extending westward; second, F'rance, from the discoveries of Verrazzani, claiming a portion of the Atlantic coast, and also (under the title of New France) an almost boundless region west\vard ; third, Holland, which based on Hudson's discoveries a claim to the entire country from Cape Cod to the southern shore of Delaware Bay.

CHAPTER II.

French and English Rivah-y— The Indian Occupation — Iroquois Confederacy — The Senecas- The Jesuit Fathers Among the Indians— Events Preceding and During the French and English Wars — Overthrow of French Power in America — The Dela- ware Village near Canisteo.

After the final overthrow of the Dutch in the New Netherlands, the region now included within the State of New York was still held and claimed by three powers — one native and two foreign. The main colonies of the French (one of the powers referred to) were in the Canadas, but through the zeal of the Jesuit missionaries their line of

INDIAN OCCUPATION. 7

possessions had been extended south and west of the St. Lawrence, and some attempts at colonization had been made, but as yet with only partial success. Indeed, as early as 1620, the Jesuit fathers labored among the Senecas in this region, and evidences are not wanting to show that missionaries carried the banner of the Cross into what is now Steuben county. In the southern and eastern portion of the province granted to the Duke of York were the English, who with steady yet sure advances were pressing settlement and civilization westward, gradually nearing the French possessions.

The French and English were at this time, and also for many years afterwards, conflicting powers, each studying for the mastery on both sides of the Atlantic ; and with each succeeding outbreak of war in the mother countries, so there were renewed hostilities between their American colonies. Directly between the possessions of the French and the territory of the English lay the lands of the famous Iroquois Confederacy, then more commonly known as the Five Nations. By the French they were called " Iroquois," but by the Dutch they were known as " Maquas," while the English called them "Mingoes;" but however variously they may have been designated, they were a race of* savages whose peculiar organization, prowess on the field of battle, loyalty to friends, as well as barbarous revenge upon enemies, together with eloquent speech and stoical endurance of torture, have surprised all who are conversant with their history.

When, during the latter part of the fifteenth and early part of the sixteenth centur)-, the foreign navigators visited the American con- tinent, they found it in possession of two formidable races of savages, between whom there was no unity ; and yet while open hostility was suppressed, they were nevertheless in a constant state of disquiet, each • being jealous of the other and at the same time doubtful of its own strength and fearful of the results of a general war. One of the nations occupied the region of the larger rivers of Pennsylvania, and also that on the south and west To the Europeans they were known as the " Delawares," but styled themselves " Lenni Lenapes," meaning " Original People." The other nation occupied, principally, the terri- tory which afterwards formed the State of New York, and is known in history as the " Iroquois Confederacy," or the Five (and subsequently) the Six Nations.

8 LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

The confederacy originally comprised five nations, which were located from east to west across the territory which now forms our State, be- ginning with the Mohawks on the extreme east, the Oneidas next, and the Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas following in the order named. Each of the nations was divided into five tribes, and all were united in common league. The Senecas occupied the territory west of the lake named from them, and were the guardians of the western door of the "Long House," from which we correctly infer that they were the most numerous and likewise most formidable in battle of any of the con- federates.

The government of this remarkable confederacy was exercised through councils, and in the peculiar blending of their individual, tribal and national interests lay the secret of the immense power which for more than a century resisted the hostile efforts of the French, which caused them for nearly a century to be alike courted and feared by the con- tending French and English colonies, and which enabled them to sub- due the neighboring Indian tribes, until they became really the dictators of the continent, gaining indeed the title of "The Romans of the New World." There is, however, a difference in the opinions of writers as to the true military status of the Iroquois. In the forest they were a terrible foe, while in the open country they could not successfully con- tend with disciplined soldiery ; but they made up for this deficiency, in a large degree, by their self-confidence, vindictiveness and insaitable desire for ascendency and triumph.

While the Iroquois were undoubtedly superior in mental capacity and more provident than their Canadian enemies, and other tribes, there is little indication that they were inclined to improve the condition in which they were found by the Europeans. They, and especially the Senecas, were closely attached to their warrior and hunter life, and devoted their energies to the lower, if not the lowest forms of enjoyment and gratification. Their dwellings, even among the more stationary tribes, were rude, their food coarse and poor, and their domestic habits and surroundings unclean and barbarous. Their women were degraded into mere beasts of burden, and while they believed in a Supreme Being, they were powerfully swayed by superstition, by incantations, by medi- cine men, dreams and visions, and their feasts were exhibitions of debauchery and gluttony.

n^^'^^/y'^z^^

ions, which were located

jw forms our State, be-

. the Oneidas next, and

;. ;iu\\ing in the order named.

five tribes, an5 all were united in

occupied the territory west o( the lake

guardians of the western (ioor of the

orrectly infer that they were the most

!iJ;.bie

.tie o

iuio mere !:■■ ■ tiioy were pov.' cine men, drc debauchery aiv

iiib ifiiid! K.iUK. ', uu!t:uc) at..v >.i.!r^ cal: '. i-.t.'..: ii!ii.;uj^u

)eculiar blending of their individual, tribal and

of the immense power which for more

;'e efitorts of the French, which caused

to be alike courted and feared by the con-

ii colonies, and which enabled them to sub-

:'il they became really the dictators

Mccvi ii.c title of "The Romans of the New

c r, a difference in the opinions of writers as

f the Iroquois. In the forest they were a

en country they could not successfully con-

•ry ; but they made up for this deficiency, in

.^elf-confidcnv i , v!ndictivene>s and insaltable

and triumph,

■•■■!-•=• -■•.^tr-^i-^f- ■ j>.;.-.i ;i, ...v.,.^.i> v:c.i^acity and

es, and other tribes, there is

the condition in

and especially the

Vktii:>Kji and hunter life, and

wer, if not the lowest forms of enjoyment

ngs, even among the more stationary

.,.,-,. V... -< ^. arse and poor, And their domestic habits

unclean and barbarous. Their women were degraded

s of burden, and while they believed in a Supreme Being,

■rfully swayed by snoerstition, by incantations, by niedi-

ims and visions i- feasts were exhibitions of

i j^'luttony.

hey were lOClin'.:'!

id by the Europe, attached to their

THE JESUITS. ■ 9

Such, according to the writer's sincere beHef, were some of the more prominent characteristics of the race encountered by Champlain when he came into the Iroquois country nearly three centuries ago, and wel- comed them with the first volley of bullets, a policy that was pursued by all his civilized successors. It is not denied that the Indians possessed a few redeeming traits, but they were so strongly dominated by their barbarous manner of life, that years of faithful missionary labor by the Jesuits and others were productive of but very little real benefit. It may be added that whatever is true of any one of the Five Nations, or (as they became in 171 2) the Six Nations, is equally true of all others. The Senecas occupied the region of Western New York, and it is with them that we have particularly to deal in this narrative. They were, perhaps, as peaceful and domestic as some others of the confederacy, yet all the early efforts for their civilization and conversion to Christian- ity were unsatisfactory and discouraging. No strong, controlling influ- ence for good was ever obtained among them previous to the time of Sir William Johnson, and even then it is doubtful whether they were not moved more by the power of purchase than by love of right.

When Champlain opened the way for French dominion in America the task of planting Christianity among the Indians was assigned to the Jesuits, a name derived from the Society of Jesus, founded by Ignatius Loyola in 1539; but while their primary object was to spread the gospel, their secondary and scarcely less important purpose was to ex- tend the French dominion. In 1736 Canada was restored to France, and within three years from that date there were fifteen Jesuits in the province. They increased rapidly and extended their influence to a large number of Indian nations in the far west, but more particularly to the Mohawks and Senecas. they being the more powerful tribes of the Iroquois, and holding positions of influence in the confederacy. Still, energetic as they were, the French carefully avoided for a long time any close contact with the Senecas, and while the Jesuits came to the region about 1620, it was not until 1640 that Fathers Breboeuf and Chaumo- not succeeded in establishing a foothold among them. In 1667 Went- worth Greenhalgh, an Englishman, visited the Indians, counted their villages and inhabitants. He reported the Senecas as having one thousand warriors, and the confederacy about twenty- six hundred.

10 LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

However, in 1669, under the influence of La Salle, the Seneca country- was thoroughly explored, and in 1678 the same adventurous Frenchman was commissioned by Louis XIV to discover and occupy the western part of New France, to build forts and defenses, though at his own expense, being granted in return the right to trade in furs and skins. Under La Salle's authority, Father Hennepin, the famous priest and historian, visited the Seneca country, and from his record has come the greater portion of all that has been written by later authorities on the subject of Seneca history and tradition.

For a period of nearly half a century after the discoveries of La Salle the French maintained a nominal though not substantial ascendency in this region of country. They gained favor with a few of the Scnecas, but the great body of the tribe, true to their league, were little inclined to forget, much less to forgive, the wrongs done by Champlain, and every movement of the French was watched with suspicious interest. During this period the Iroquois invaded Canada and plundered Montreal, and in retaliation Denonville visited vengeance upon the Seneca country in 1687, burned the villages and destroyed much property. This victory was a great achievement for the French, for it gave them a strong foo^- hold in the lake region and made them for the time masters of the country, and the Indians concentrated their population in the eastern part of their domain. This advantage, however, was only temporary, and upon the withdrawal of the French troops the Senecas repossessed their former territory.

Repeated invasions by the French and Canadian Indians at last awakened the English colonists to the conviction that they must unite in an effort against the enemy, and accordingly a convention was held in New York in 1690, at which it was resolved to combine their strength for the subjugation of Canada; but through lack of efficient organiza- tion the expedition for the first year was a failure. During this period, known as the English revolution, the Iroquois continued their incur- sions against the French and were perhaps more dreaded than the Eng- lish. The Jesuits were driven from the Seneca country and for many years abandoned the field through fear of the thoroughly maddened Indians.

The war was terminated by the treaty of Ryswick, in 1697, and while it established a peace between the French and English, it practically

GROWTH OF FRENCH INFLUENCE. 11

left unsettled the status of the Iroquois, and there were no certain pro- visions concerning the land of the Senecas, which were directly in dis- pute between the contending nations. Both claimed sovereignty over the whole Iroquois country, and treaty indentures were offered in sup- port of the claims of each ; but the Iroquois themselves repudiated alike the claims of Yonondio and Corlear, as they denominated the respective governors of Canada and New York. When France disputed the claims of England and appealed to the council at Onondaga, a stern, savage orator exclaimed: "We have ceded our lands to no one ; we hold them of heaven alone." Thus the powers wrangled over the country which was but a little time before the undisputed domain of the Iroquois.

Whether much importance should attach to the treaties in which these untutored savages were pitted against the intelligent Europeans, either French or English, is questionable, and especially so when we consider the methods often adopted in later years to induce the Indians to sign away their domain. Be this as it may, it is now generally be- lieved that in the intrusion of France upon the possessions of the Iro- quois, " at the sacrifice of so much blood and treasure, justice and the restraints and faith of the treaties were subordinate to the lust of power and expediency." (Watson.)

On the accession of Anne to the British throne as successor to King William, in March, 1702, what was known as Queen Anne's War was soon begun. It continued until the treaty of Utrecht, April ii, 1713, but though felt in the colonies, the province of New York fortunately escaped its bloody consequences. During this conflict, the Iroquois maintained a strict neutrality, thus gaining the respect of the contend- ing governments. The French, however, profited by this neutrality, and were given an opportunity to strengthen their line of positions and fortifications. Moreover, being at peace with the Iroquois, their mis- sionaries and political leaders visited the Indians in safety, and the result was a friendly relation between them and the Senecas and a por- tion of the Cayugas. So firmly indeed did the wily French emissaries ingratiate themselves into the Seneca confidence that the latter were nearly persuaded to take up arms against the English, and only the wonderful power of the bond of union existing in the confederacy re- strained them.

l2 LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

The encroachments by the French upon the territory of the Enghsh and their allies (the Iroquois), was one of the chief causes of the so- called French and Indian War. As early as the year 1 73 1 , the surveyor- general of the Canadas made extensive surveys of the region claimed to be New France, and on the early French maps were shown some of the important streams and localities now within the county of Steuben. The territory was divided into vast tracts, and granted as "seigniories'" to various proprietors, as rewards for service to the crown, or for other consideration.

While the French were in possession of New France their influence over all the Indians within its limits became paramount, and they at last disputed with the English the alliance of the latter with the Iro- quois. Whether due to the influence of Joncaire, or to some other cause, is not fully known, but the French succeeded in lodging them- selves firmly in the affections of the Senecas, and while they were poor colonizers their missionaries possessed the peculiar faculty of ready assimilation with the savage and half-civilized races, thus gaining an influence over them. The efforts of Joncaire were materially aided by his half-breed sons, Chabert and Clauzonne.

Among the earlier Jesuits and French emissaries among the Iroquois, some of whom visited the Seneca country, were Fathers Breboeuf, Chaumonot, who have been mentioned, and also Fathers Bablon, Isaac Jogues, Simon Le Moyne, Francis Joseph Bressani, Julien Garnier, Jacques Fremin, Jean Perron, Francis Boniface, Father Hennepin and Francis Vaillant de Gueslis. These were followed in later years by such noble and wholly unselfish workers as Talbot, Henry Barclay, John Oglivie, Spencer, Timothy Woodbridge, Gideon Hawley, Eleazer Wheelock, Samuel Kirkland, Bishop Hobart, Eleazer Williams, Dan Barnes (Methodist), and others of less distinction, all of whom labored faithfully for the conversion of the Indians. All, however, were forced to admit that their efforts as a whole were unsatisfactory and discourag- ing ; and even subsequent efforts to establish education and Christianity among the Indians, while yielding perhaps sufificient results to justify their prosecution, have constantly met with discouraging obstacles.

In March, 1744, war was again declared between Great Britain and France, and the former power at once prosecuted measures for the conquest of the French possessions. The Mohawks took up arms with

EXTINCTION OF FRENCH POWER. 13

the English, while the Senecas. notwithstanding their affection for the French, were unwilling to make war against their friends at the eastern extremity of the Long House.

The contest from 1744 to 1748 had an important object in the pos- session of the Mississippi Valley, which the English claimed as an ex- tension of their coast discoveries, and the French by right of occupancy, their forts already extending from Canada to Louisiana, and forming "a bow, of which the English colonies were the string." At this time the English colonies contained more than a million inhabitants, while the French had only about sixty thousand. The Iroquois would not engage in the war until 1746, and were disappointed at its termination, as they had compromised themselves with the allies of the French (the Canadian Indians), and therefore the question of Iroquois supremacy was renewed and intensified.

In April, 1748, was concluded the ineffective, if not actually shameful treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, and while it was a virtual renewal of the treaties of Ryswick and Utrecht, it left unsettled the disputed questions regarding the Iroquois territory. After two years of nominal peace the nations again had recourse to arms, and while the French were at first everywhere victorious, the tide of contest turned in favor of the English with Sir William Johnson's invasion of western New York, the result of which was the fall of Niagara and the evacuation of the entire region by the now humiliated French.

The domination of France was ended by the fair of Quebec, Septem- ber 18, 1759, thus leaving the English masters of all Canada, for the surrender of Vaudreuil on the 8th of the next September was an inev- itable result. However, a formal peace was not established until 1763, when, on the lOth day of February, the treaty of Paris was signed, by which France ceded to Great Britain all her possessions in America.

Applied locally, this war had but little importance except as the ter- ritory of Steuben county formed a part of the French possessions. The chief seat of operations was farther west and north and any pilgrimages to this 'locality were merely incidental.

Records and tradition both inform us that during the period of the French and English wars, there came to dwell in the vicinity of Canisteo a fragment of one of the tribes of the Delawares, and that to their num- ber were added several deserters from the British army and other

14 LANDMARKS OP STEUBEN COUNTY.

renegades from the eastern colonies. They were the source of much annoyance to the colonists and especially to the Indian traders, for they maintained themselves chiefly by a system of outlawry and plunder, and did not hestitate at committing murder in accomplishing their nefarious work. In 1762 these brigands were charged with the murder of two traders, British subjects, which ofifense. with other an- noyances, so aroused the colonists that Sir William Johnson dispatched a force of one hundred and forty of his faithful Iroquois, and a few sol- diers, to punish the offenders, destroy their habitations and drive them from the region.

In this connection the statement may be made that the Delawares were permitted to come among the Iroquois after they had been con- quered and completely subjugated. The conquest of the Delawares was made between 1640 and 1655, ^"^ from the latter year the Iroquois were masters and recognized as the owners of all the territory formerly held and occupied by the Delawares and their ancestors, the Lenni Lenapes.

CHAPTER III.

Events Preceding the. Revolution— Pontiac's League— Action of the Senecas— The Revolutionary War— Sullivan's Campaign — Brief Reference to the Indian History and Antiquities of Steuben County.

Notwithstanding the results of the war between the French and the English, and the disappearance of the former from the region, the west- ern Indians were still disposed to remember them with affection and were yet inclined to wage war upon the English. The celebrated Pontiac united nearly all these tribes in a league against the redcoats, immediately after the advent of the latter ; and as no such confederation had been formed against the French during their years of possession, the action of Pontiac must be attributed to some other cause than mere hatred of all civilized intruders. In May, 1763, the league surprised nine out of twelve English posts and massacred their garrisons, and there is no doubt that the Senecas were involved in the slaughter, and

THE JOHNSONS. 15

were also active in the fruitless attack upon Fort Niagara. They were unwilling to fight against their brothers of the Iroquois, but they had no hesitation in killing English soldiers when left unprotected, as was soon made manifest in the awful butchery at Devil's Hole in Septem- ber, 1763.

Becoming at length convinced that the French had really yielded their possessions in this country, and that Pontiac's scheme was a failure, the Senecas agreed to abandon their Gallic friends and be at peace with the English, and in April, 1764, Sir William Johnson had little difficulty in concluding a peace treaty with eight of the refractory chiefs; and at the same time Sir William succeeded in winning the affections of all the Six Nations and enlisting them under the banner of the king. But the Senecas, true to their instincts, sullenly held aloof and only ratified the treaty under compulsion of threatened annihila- tion. However, the baronet proved the firm friend of the Senecas and did his utmost to redress their grievances, and besought them to remove their isolated villages to their chief seats in the province, that they might be more completely under his protection. Ere this could be done, however, public attention was attracted by unmistakable disturb- ances in the political sky, low at first, but growing rapidly louder and more angry until at length there burst upon the country that long and desolating storm known as the Revolutionary war. This contest had an important bearing on the early history and settlement of Steuben county, yet the events of that memorable period may be briefly nar- rated in this chapter

The war in fact began with the battle of Lexington, in April, 1775, but before the actual outbreak, as the danger of hostilities increased, the Johnson influence showed itself clearly on the side of the king. Sir William loved America and was himself an important factor in its early and best history. Had he lived his interests and affiliations might have impelled him to espouse the American cause, but his sudden death ended an important career, and his position and influence descended to his son and nephew. Sir John Johnson, and his brothers-in-law, Guy Johnson and Daniel Glaus, were creatures of the king, having no senti- ment in common with the people, being evidently imbued with aristo- cratic notions Sir John succeeded to his father's military title and position among the Iroquois, though never to his popularity and infiu-

16 LANDMARKSS OF TEUBEN COUNTY.

ence, and in his efforts was seconded by Colonel Guy and Claus, all of wliom sought to completely alienate the Indians from the whig colon- ists, and also to bring into submission all of the settlers who might yield to their influence. Prominent among the latter were John and Walter Butler, and also Joseph Brant (the Mohawk chief), all of whom became infamous from their bloody deeds during the Revolution, and yet their pillage and slaughter were generally ascribed to the instigations of the Johnsons.

The " Continental Congress," as it has ever been termed, was held at Philadelphia in September, 1774, and having adopted a declaration of rights, it added a petition to the king and an appeal to the people of Great Britain and Canada. The New York Assembly alone did not sanction these proceedings, and instead addressed a remonstrance to parliament, which was treated with disdain.

In 1776 the war had become national instead of colonial, and on the 4th of July American independence was formally declared. The policy of the Americans had been simply to secure the neutrality of the Indians, but their success was limited to the Oneidas, while the British made undisguised efforts to unite them in close alliance with the royal cause. One of their officers exclaimed, " We must let loose the savages upon the frontier of these scroundrels to inspire terror and make them submit." The Senecas held off for a while, but the prospect of both blood and British gold was too much for them to withstand, and in 1777 they, with the Cayugas, Onondagas and Mohawks, made a treaty with the British at Oswego, agreeing to serve the king through the war, John Butler established himself at Fort Niagara and organized a regi- ment of tories known as Butler's Rangers, at the same time inciting the Indians to deeds of violence on the American frontier.

The most prominent chief of the Iroquois during the war was Brant, or Thayendenaga, a Mohawk, who had received a moderate PLnglish education under the patronage of Sir William Johnson. Tiie conspicu- ous Seneca chiefs during the same period were Farmer's Brother, Corn- planter and Governor Blacksnake. At the massacre at Wyoming the author of the " Life of Brant " says the chief in command of the Senecas was Guiengwahtoh, supposed to mean the same as Guiyahgwahdoh, " the smoke-bearer." This was the title of the Seneca afterward known as " Young King," but the latter was then too young to have been at

SULLIVAN'S EXPEDITION. 17

Wyoming, yet his predecessor (maternal uncle) might have been there. Brant was certainly not there. At Cherry Valley the Senecas were present in force, together with a body of Mohawks under Brant, and also a parties of tories under Walter Butler.

These sudden and unexpected attacks upon the frontier settlements and the merciless slaughter of their inhabitants, determined Congress and General Washington to set on foot an expedition, having for its ob- ject a retaliation upon the Indians, and especially the Senecas. The campaign of August and September, 1779, devolved upon General John Sullivan, who at that time was an officer in the American army. The full force organized for the expedition amounted to 5,000 men, who were formed in three divisions. Sullivan commanded in person the division that marched through and laid waste the Indian villages in the Seneca region, and in the execution of his plans, sent a detachment of troops within the limits of the present county of Steuben and destroyed a small settlement supposed to have been located near the site of the present village of Painted Post. According to established authorities, other points within the county were visited, buildings burned and grow- ing crops and orchards destroyed.

However, the invaders were determined to lay waste the larger and more populous Seneca villages, and soon passed on up Seneca Lake to Kanadesaga and thence westward into the heart of the Genesee country. No opposition was encountered except at Newtown, and as a result of the expedition forty villages were reduced to ashes, 160,000 bushels of corn destroyed, besides large quantities of vegetables of various kinds. Another and more beneficial result of the campaign was the temporary though entire evacuation by the Senecas of the eastern part of their domain, and they were compelled to seek protection from the British at Fort Niagara ; nor could they be persuaded to return to their former habitations during the remaining years of the war. The warriors, how- ever, were kept active by Butler and frequently marauded frontier settlements, though without the serious results of former years.

The other events of the war had no important relation to this imme- diate vicinity, other than to acquaint the eastern people with the value and general fertility of the whole Genesee country, and this materially hastened settlement and development in later years. The surrender of

18 LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY

Lord Cornwallis in October, 1781, was followed by a virtual cessation of hostilities, but not until the fall of 1783 was peace formally agreed upon between Great Britain and the revolted colonies, the latter hence- forth to be universally acknowledged as the United States of America. By the terms of the treaty the boundary line between the British pos- sessions and the territory of the United States was established along the center of Lake Erie and the Niagara River, Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence, and thence northeastward to the Atlantic coast. For several years afterward, however, the British maintained armed posts on the United States side of the line and their officers continued to exercise an influence over the Indians which was both prejudicial and annoying to the State and general government.

Thus far in our narrative little has been said of the Indian occupants of the immediate territory now forming Steuben county. In truth this locality was an unimportant portion of a vast countrj', located between the possessions of the Delawares and the Iroquois, and prior to the con- quest of about 1 650 was debatable ground. Mr. Minier, in his historical address, says the valley of the Cohocton, prior to the invasion of Sullivan, was little known, but informs us that the Moravian missionaries prose- cuted their labors in the vicinity as early as 1750 ; also that in the locality of the present village of Painted Post was the Indian village of Assinisink, where dwelt Jacobus, the Muncy chief, which fact confirms our previous statement that the Delawares were suffered to live in the valley after their subjugation. In the valley Zeisberger found the " pyramids of stone which appeared to have been made with human hands," the largest of which was about " three stories " in height. These pyramids were at what is known as the Chimney Narrows, and are still preserved.

The county possesses few antiquities and has never been specially rich in aboriginal history. The valleys of the Chemung, Tioga, Conhoc- ton and Canisteo Rivers, and also the vicinity of Lake Keuka, were favorite resorts of the Indians for fishing and hunting, and along the banks of each, and elsewhere in the region, were well defined Indian trails. In a preceding paragraph we have noted the destruction of one of the villages of the region by Sir William Johnson's Mohawk warriors, and reference has also been made to Sullivan's campaign in 1779, the

THE "PAINTED POST." 19

result of which was the devastation of all that was valuable to the Indian occupants at that time.

In this connection mention may also be made to the historic landmark which has been preserved in name and fact to the present day, the famous post from which the village of Painted Post received its name. The " post by the river" was in the Indian tongue called Te-can-nes-to, and concerning it Stone says: "The Painted Post was a noted landmark in the early settlement of Western New York, and in the history of Indian affairs long before. It was literally a post of oak timber planted in the ground upon the bank of Cohocton Creek, within the boundary of New Vork, but near the Pennsylvania line. It was painted in the Indian manner, and tradition avers that it was a monument of great antiquity, erected to commemorate the death of some celebrated war chief whose name has been lost in the lapse of years." A second ac- count has it that the post was erected by the Indians to designate a spot where councils were held, and was painted a bright red that it might be more easily discovered. This account, however, is regarded as purely mythical, as no councils of any importance were known to be held in this locality.

The investigations of Judge McMaster undoubtedly brought to light the true story of this historic landmark, but according to his narrative, the post was erected to mark the burial place of Captain Montour, the son of Queen Catharine, who was wounded during the summer of 1779, and who died at this point while his party were returning from an ex- pedition to the settlements on the Susquehanna. The original post was standing in 1792, though much decayed. The white settlers erected a new post in 1803, and at various times during later years the people of the town have done some act of public spiritedness in pre- serving this interesting relic and its memories.

In the vicinity of Avoca the early settlers found abundant evidences of the former occupation, among them fragments of weapons, utensils, implements and other indications of the Indian period. It is also claimed that a village was within the limits of the town, which is undeniably true although it must have been small and of little importance. When this town was first settled by the whites the Indians were quite numerous, and the same may also be said of many other localities in the county ; but wherever found they were of little or no benefit to the

20 LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

pioneers and are remembered as a generally shiftless, begging aad an- noying class. The town of Canisteo abounds in Indian recollections, and the reminiscences of the Stephens family are well known by nearly all the older residents. The valley of the Canisteo was a resorting place of some note among the Indians as fish and game are said to have been abundant in the locality. The vicinity of Hornellsville also has its In- dian traditions and reminiscences though they were unimportant in his- tory. Here dwelt the noted chief Shongo, who took part in the massacre at Wyoming, and who was regarded with some fear about the time of the second war with Great Britain. In Greenwood was a salt spring of great value to the early settlers, while the Indians made use of its water many years before, and even after the advent of the whites. In the Indian language the Conhocton River was known as Ga-ha-to, meaning "log in the water," The valley of this stream was called " Do-na-ta-gwen-da," and meaning " an opening within an opening." Lake Keuka in the Seneca, was " Ogoyago," " a lake with an elbow."

CHAPTER IV

After the Revolution — An Era of Peace — Controversy between Massachusetts and New York — The Hartford Convention — The Phelps and Gorham Purchase — The Lessee Companies— Settlement of Diificulties — The Surveys — ^ale to Robert Morris — The Pulteney Association — Charles Williamson — Foundation of Land Titles in Steuben County— The Anti-Rent Conflict.

The close of the Revolutionary war and the return of peace marked the beginning of a new era in the history of the vast Genesee country, for the Indian occupation soon afterward terminated, and the pioneers from New England, Pennsylvania, with many others from the eastern part of this State, and a few foreigners, became the possessors of the territory. They were a hardy and patriotic class, and under their energetic efforts lands were cleared and the forests gave place to farms of rare fertility, thus developing the agricultural resources at least to the extent which supplied domestic requirements.

However, soon after the war was ended it was found that the treaty agreement had made no provision for the Indian allies of Great Britain.

CLAIMS OF MASSACHUSETTS AND NEW .YORK. 21

The English authorities offered them lands in Canada, but all the tribes except the Mohawks preferred to remain in New York. The United States treated them with great moderation. Although they had twice violated their pledges and without provocation had plunged into a war against the colonies, they were readily admitted to the benefits of peace, and were even recognized as the owners of all the lands in New York over which they had previously ranged. The property line, as it was called, previously drawn between the whites and the Indians, ran along the eastern border of Broome and Chenango counties, and thence to a point seven miles west of Rome.

In October, 1784, after two other ineffectual attempts, a treaty was made at Fort Stanwi.x (Rome) between three commissioners of the United States and the sachems of the Six Nations. The Marquis de La Fayette was present and made an address, though not one of the commissioners. Red Jacket, the noted Seneca, was present, but did not really take part in the council. Brant was not present, though he had been active in a council with Governor Clinton a short time before. Cornplanter spoke for the Senecas, but Sayengeraghta or " Old King " was the recognized Seneca sachem. This treaty fixed the western boundary of the Iroquois territory, beginning at Lake Ontario, four miles east of the Niagara River, and running thence southerly across the lands of the State to the Pennsylvania line. The several councils held with the Indians resulted in the purchase of vast tracts of their land, but in each case the authorities made them just compensation.

In this manner matters progressed favorably for a time, but rather unexpectedly there arose a controversy involving questions of title and right to purchase from the Indians, all of which vi^as due to the imper- fect understanding on the part of the crown regarding the situation or extent of the territory of America. The colonies of Massachusetts and New York had charters under which each could claim not only all cen- tral and western New York, but also a strip of land running from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. The charter to the Plymouth colony of Massachusetts was made in 1627, while that to the Duke of York was made in 1664, and after the overthrow of the English dominion in the United States and the organization of the States themselves, the au- thorities of each naturally began an inquiry into the extent of their possessions, that definite and permanent boundaries might be estab-

22 . LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

lished. The conflicting character of these grants was known even before the Revokition, but not until after the formation of the States did the matters in dispute become at all complicated. However, that a settlement might be reached both States ceded to the United States all claim to the territory west of a line drawn south from the western ex- tremity of Lake Ontario, being the present western boundary of Chau tauqua county.

After divers negotiations regarding the remaining part of the dis- puted territory, commissioners from the two States interested, and from the general government, met at Hartford in December, 1786, to en- deavor to harmonize their claims. It was then and there agreed that Massachusetts should yield all claim to the land east of the present east line of Ontario and Steuben counties, while west of that line New York should have the political jurisdiction and sovereignty, while Massachu- setts should have the title, or fee simple, of the land, subject only to the Indian right of occupancy. That is to say, the Indians could hold the lands as long as they pleased, but were only allowed to sell to the State of Massachusetts or her assigns. This title, thus encumbered, was called the pre-emption right, literally, the right of first purchase.

While these events were taking place a combination (a " ring," it would now be called, or perhaps "a syndicate") was formed by capitalists in New York and Canada, to obtain control of the Indian lands in this State. Two companies were organized, the one known as the New York and Genesee Land Company, of which John Livingston was the manager, and the other the Niagara Genesee Land Company, composed largely of Canadians, with Col. John Butler at the head, and associated with him were Samuel Street, Captain Powell, William John- son and Benjamin Barton.

As the State forbade the sale of Indian lands to individuals, these companies, working together, sought to evade the law by a lease, and so great was the influence of Butler and his associates that in 1787, the Six Nations, or some chiefs and sachems claiming to act for them, gave the New York and Genesee Company a lease of all their lands, except some small reservations, for a term of nine hundred and ninety nine years. The consideration was to be $20,000, and an annual rental of $2,000. At the next session of the Legislature the lessees applied for

PHELPS AND GORHAM PURCHASE. 23

a confirmation of their lease, but the intent to evade the law was too plain ; the petition was promptly rejected and the lease declared void.

The lease having been annulled, the promoters of the scheme next proposed to procure a conveyance by the Indians of all their lands in the State, provided the latter would reimburse Livingston and his asso- ciates for all their expenses, and to convey to them half the land ; which specimen of effrontery can seldom be surpassed in these pro- gressive days, considering that Livingston, Butler and company would have secured several million acres of the finest lands in America as a free gift. However, this proposition was also rejected.

In 1788 Massachusetts sold all her land in New York, about six and one-half million acres, to Oliver Phelps and Nathaniel Gorham, acting on behalf of themselves and others, for $1,000,000, to be paid in three equal annual payments, the purchasers having the privilege of paying in Massachusetts currency, then worth about twenty cents on the dol- lar. The purchase was of course subject to the Indian right of occu- pancy.

Oliver Phelps, the active manager of the " Phelps and Gorham Pur- chase " enterprise, made an arrangement with Livingston, who agreed, doubtless for consideration, to assist in negotiating a treaty with the Indians. But meanwhile there arose a disagreement between Living- ston's and Butler's companies, and when Phelps reached Geneva, or Kanadesaga, where the council was to have been held, he learned that Butler and his associates had assembled the Indians at Buffalo Creek, and had persuaded them not to meet with either Livingston or Phelps ; and learning that Butler had greater influence with the savages than Livingston or himself, Phelps proceeded to Niagara, came to a satis- factory arrangement with them, and then procured a council at Buffalo Creek.

Although in no manner pertinent to this narrative, the statement may be made incidentally that this council was in many respects a notable assemblage, and a meeting in which that shrewd Yankee, Oliver Phelps, found himself pitted against not only a number of the most cunning land sharpers of the whole country, but as well against the most crafty representatives of the Indian race.- Among the notables present, whose names can be recalled, were Joseph Brant, the Mohawk chief, famed both for his cunning and inhuman ferocity; John Butler, the once active

24 LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

man of the lesser land company, and formerly colonel of Butler's Rang- ers ; Rev. Samuel Kirkland, the agent of Massachusetts, a man of noble character and varied experience. At this meeting he also acted as one of the interpreters. William Johnston was another of the inter- preters present.

Oliver Phelps was a Connecticut Yankee by birth, a son of the Bay State by adoption, and a New Yorker by subsequent residence. He was an active participant in the Revolution, and was now, as the agent of an association of Massachusetts speculators, negotiating for the pur- chase of a principality. He was a shrewd, persistent, enterprising, politic, typical business man of the day, and to the time of his death was regarded with profound respect by the residents of the Phelps and Gor- ham Purchase. In his representative capacity, and associated with Na- thaniel Gorham, Mr. Phelps once owned all the territory now compris- ing Steuben county, and the titles established by him have been the foundation for all subsequent real estate transactions in the shire. Still, Steuben county was but a small part of the vast purchase negotiated by this remarkable proprietary.

Among the Indian owners of the land were present Honayewus, the Seneca chief, who had then lately received the name of " Farmer's Brother." There, too, was also Sagoyewatha, "The Keeper Awake" (a tribute to his oratorical powers), the far-famed Red Jacket. Another was Capt. John O'Bail, or Abeel, more widely known as Cornplanter, half white by blood, yet thoroughly Indian by nature. Sayengeraghta, "Old King," or "Old Smoke," was also present but not active in the council.

As is well known, the eastern boundary of the purchase began at the eighty-second milestone on the Pennsylvania line, thence ran due north to Lake Ontario. The west line ran from the lake up the Genesee to the mouth of the Canaseraga, thence due south to the Pennsylvania line. This was the " Phelps and Gorham Purchase," and included about 2,600,000 acres. The price was left by the complaisant aborigines to Colonel Butler, Joseph Brant and Elisha Lee (the latter Mr. Kirkland's assistant), and was fixed at $5,000 in hand, and $500 annually, forever. This was about equal to $12,000 in cash, or half a cent an acre. Within two weeks after the council Colonel Butler called on Mr. Phelps by letter for a conveyance of 20,000 acres of land, in accordance with a

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PHELPS AND GORHAM'S SURVEY. 25

previous arrangement, to be deeded to persons designated by Butler; from which it is fair to infer that as the colonel had been one of the com- missioners to fix the price of the main purchase, this transfer looks as if some of the Indian operations of that era would not bear more close investigation than those of later years.

While Oliver Phelps was busily employed in his negotiations with the Indians, and in compromising with the annoying claimants in the lessee companies, Mr. Gorham was engaged in preparing for the sur- vey of the east and west boundary lines of the purchase as preliminary to the survey of the general tract. For this work the services of Col. Hugh Maxwell, an engineer of good repute, were engaged, and the work was done during the year 1788; not, however, by Colonel Max- well, or even under his immediate direction, for he was taken ill about the time the work was begun, and the line was in fact run by his assist- ants and subordinates. The survey into townships was also begun in 1788, and completed in 1789, and was made from the eastern boundary. So far as the character of the surface would permit, the townships were supposed to contain the contents of six miles square. Running from south to north, and six miles apart, were first surveyed the range lines, and throughout each of these, at the end of every six miles, monuments were placed, and by running lines at right angles with the range lines, at the designated points, there would be included six miles square, (thirty-six square miles) or a township.

The statement may be made in this connection that the survey into townships in the southeast part of the Phelps and Gorham purchase was made by Augustus Porter, Frederick Saxton and their assistants. In explanation of the system of surveys adopted for the Phelps and Gor- ham purchase, which, by the way, was afterward employed generally in the Western States and Territories, it may be stated that the present town of Caton comprises, substantially, township i, range i ; Lindley, township I, range 2; Tuscarora, township i, range 3 The town of Corning comprises township 2, range i ; Erwin, township 2, range 2.

In 1789 the Phelps and Gorham proprietary found themselves in a financially embarrassed condition. The Massachusetts currency, which, at the time the purchase was made was worth only about twenty cents on the dollar, had, through the organization of the affairs of the State and the assistance afforded by the general government, advanced in

26 LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

value to nearly par, and the proprietors themselves had made enormous outlays and expenditures in surveying and developing their lands. In addition was the unlooked for expense of the contingent of persons who claimed to have assisted in bringing about a peaceful settlement of diffi- culties, and who were persistent in their demands for money and lands. The result was that the proprietors were unable to meet their obliga- tions, although at this time they had disposed of nearly one- half of their vast estate. Many of the townships, however, had been conveyed to stockholders in the association in exchange for their interests in the company.

In this emergency Phelps and Gorham petitioned the Massachusetts Legislature, asking that they be released from payment of the entire principal sum, and expressed a wilHngness to pay for that part of the land to which the Indian title had been extinguished, and surrender the tract west of the Genesee and the mill seat tract. This proposition was acceded to. Again, in the early part of 1790 our proprietors effected a sale to Robert Morris, the financier of the Revolution and a man of large means and influence, of all the unsold portion of their purchase within the lines we have previously described. At this time Phelps and Gorham had disposed of about fifty townships, among those in what is now this county being Campbell, Canisteo, Corning, Erwin. Hornells- ville and Lindley. The lands transferred to Mr. Morris embraced about one million two hundred and sixty- four thousand acres, for which he paid iJ"30,000, New York money.

After becoming fully possessed Mr. Morris proceeded to investigate tlie character and condition of his purchase, and soon discovered that a fraud had been practiced in running the eastern boundary line. For the purpose of accurate information, he engaged Adam Hoopes to ex- plore the country, and particularly to re- survey the east boundary and determine upon the accuracy of the disputed line. However, before this could be done, Mr. Morris's agent in England negotiated a sale of the tract to a company of English capitalists, comprised of Sir William Pulteney, John Hornby, and Patrick Colquhoun. Charles Williamson acted in the capacity of agent for the purchasers and received the deeds in his own name, which the actual vendees, being aliens, could not hold. (This prohibition, however, was soon afterward removed.) The deed to Williamson was executed April 11, 1792, and in March, 1801,

CHARLES WILLIAMSON. 27

the then unsold lands were conveyed to the Pulteney Association. The titles to land in this county, other than in the towns specially mentioned in the preceding paragraph, have generally descended from the Pulte ney Association, Pulteney estate, the Pulteney heirs or the Hornby estate, as variously termed.

Under the new proprietorship the eastern boundary line was resur- veyed, though at the expense of Mr. Morris. A material deflection from the correct course was discovered, more serious north than in this county, which, as is well known, is bounded by the line on the east. In the association the Pulteney interest was nine-twelfths of the whole, the Hornby two-twelfths, and the Colquhoun one twelfth.

Captain Williamson was a Scotchman by birth, and in 1792 became a citizen of the United States. He had served in the British army and during the war then recently ended had gained a fair knowledge of America and the natural resources of the country. In connection with the trust reposed in him by the English capitalists. Captain Williamson came to the United States in December, 1791, remaining for some time in Pennsylvania, and locating for his business operations at Bath in the early part of 1793. We have no place in this chapter for the thousand and one enterprises set on foot and carried to a successful completion by Captain Williamson, but it may be said in this connection that the early settlement and development of what is now Steuben county was largely due to his efforts To be sure he had at his command almost unlimited resources and means, and he made generous use of both. In fact his principals soon complained of the seemingly prodigal expendi- tures made by their agent and were disposed to call him to account, but whatever was done in the way of improvement was of great benefit to the inhabitants of the region in general, and of the townships owned by the association in particular. The town and village of Bath owed all their early prosperity to the generosity of Captain Williamson, However, this subject will be further mentioned in connection with our allusion to the several towns of the county, hence may be only casually treated in this chapter.

An interesting and quite important element of local history was the outgrowth of the Pulteney and Hornby titles, although the period of its occurrence was more recent than that referred to in the preceding narra- tive. We refer to the event which has ever been known as the "Anti-

28 LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

rent Conflict," which was occasioned by the inabihty of the settlers to pay for their lands under the contracts of purchase made with the agents of the proprietors. And we may also add that the sentiment prevailing at the time was not confined wholly to Steuben and Allegany counties, but existed in the region known as the Holland Purchase, and also in other localities in the eastern part of the State.

The causes which led to this unfortunate situation were numerous, and chief among them was the construction of the Erie Canal, thus affording to the settlers north of us superior facilities for the transporta- tion of agricultural products to market in which the inhabitants of this region could reap no benefit. The lands here were generally poorer in quality than those to the northward, and were cleared and fitted for cultivation only after much labor and expense. The price of all pro- ducts of the soil was much depreciated and the yield not abundant. The proprietary contributed to the distress of the struggling purchasers by the practice of adding to the principal sum to be paid all arrearages of interest and charging interest on the whole. In fact the inhabitants became discontented with their condition, and the sentiment became rampant throughout the region ; and being utterly disheartened, showed little disposition to effectually relieve themselves, but rather were given to the habit of commiserating one with the other until the situation be- came really serious. In their distress they assembled a convention, to meet at the court-house in Bath on the 19th of January, 1830, " to take into consideration the condition of the settlers on the Pulteney and Hornby estates " in the counties of Steuben and Allegany. In the convention were delegates from many of the towns of this county, as follows :

Addison. — William Wombough, Lemuel B. Searls, David Shumway, Eber Scofield and Daniel Burdick.

Alfred. — Edward Green, Daniel Babcock, Spencer Sweet, Richard Hall and Clark Crandall.

Bath. — William Woods, James Warden, John Corbitt, Peter Hunter, Melvin Schenck, Caleb P. Fulton and Elisha Hawks.

Cameron. — Jacob Thayer, Joseph Loughry, Isaac Santee, Sheldon Porter and Hiram Averill.

Cohocton. — Paul C. Cook, David Weed, Elnathan Wing, Peter Haight and Alfred Shattuck.

THE ANTI-RENT CONVENTION. 29

Canisteo — Henry D. Millard, William Stephens, Jeremiah Baker, George Santee and Moses Hallett.

Dansville. — Thomas M Bourn, Peter Covert, Annis Newcomb, Leeds Allen and Martin Smith.

Erwin. — John E. Evans, Samuel Erwin and John Cooper, jr.

Greenzvood. — Levi Davis, Thomas Johnson, Anson Cook, William J. Strong and Randall Pease.

Hornby. — Isaac Goodsell, Samuel Oldfield, Josiah Wheat, Francis Northway and Levi Nash.

Hornellsville. — Oliver Coon, Othniel Call, Oliver Pettibone, Jabez Lamphere and John J Sharp.

Howard. — Daniel U. Bennett, Byram L. Harlow, William Goff, John D. Collier and Jacob G. Winne.

Jasper. — William Hunter, Benjamin Heliker, Ira Smith, Uzal M. Mynderse and Hinckley Spencer.

Painted Post. — Robert H. Hoyt, Joseph Gillett, Charles Wolcott, jr., William Webster and Henry D. Smith.

Prattsburg. — Stephen Prentiss, Gameliel Loomis, Josiah Allis, Ira C. Clark and Joseph Potter.

Piilteney. — David Hobart, William Sagar, Barnet Retan, Daniel Ben- nett and Seth Weed.

Troupsbiirg. — Samuel Cady, Samuel Griggs, Joshua Slater, Jesse Wilden and Nathan S. Hayes.

Urbana. — Henry A. Townsend, John Sanford, jr., John Powers, Elias Ketchum and Dyer Cranmer.

Wheeler. — Jonathan Barney, Nathan Rose 2d, Abram J. Quacken- bush, David Barney and John C. Overhiser.

Wayne. — Latham Fitch, John H. Sherwood and Thornton F. Curry.

Woodhull. — Caleb Smith, Samuel Stroud, Asher Johnson, Jeffrey Smith and Martin Harder.

Representatives were also present from several towns in adjoining counties, and in many respects the assemblage was one of the largest and most noteworthy of any held in the county during its early history. The court-house was not large enough to hold the delegates and inter- ested spectators, hence the meeting was held in the Presbyterian church. An organization was effected by the selection of Henry A. Townsend, chairman, and Edward Howell and George C. Edwards, secretaries.

30 LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

After much deliberation and discussion and the adoption of a series of resolutions setting forth the unhappy condition of affairs, the convention caused to be sent to Col. Robert Troup, agent of the Pulteney estate, and to John Greig, agent of the Hornby estate, a memorial or petition asking that the proprietary take some action for their immediate and effectual relief

The memorial was dated January 20, 1830, and on the 14th of March following Colonel Troup replied at length and suggested a plan of re- lief; and while the latter tended to lessen the burdens of the settlers, it did not in fact satisfy their desires. Further meetings were held, some of them general and others local, and the ultimate result was generally beneficial to the suffering inhabitants, although the hoped for blessing was so long delayed by the detail of proceedings and formalities as to have lost much of its savor. The settlers succeeded in obtaining a moderate reduction in the price of their lands, and the product of their farms was accepted as payment of principal or interest at fair cash values. Still, there has ever been expressed a doubt as to the propriety of the proceeding or whether any substantial and lasting benefit was derived therefrom.

CHAPTER V.

Division of Montgomery County- — Creation of Ontario and Steuben Counties — Brief Allusion to Baron Steuben — His Life and Services — The Original Territory of Steuben County divided into Towns — First County Officers — County Buildings — Second Jury District — Steuben County Civil List.

On the 27th day of January, 1789, the Legislature passed an act dividing the mother county Montgomery, and out of its territory the region of country in this State west of Seneca Lake was erected into a separate county by the name of Ontario. This vast tract of rich and fertile land became known to the American colonists during the closing years of the French war, and the constant passage of troops along the frontiers during the Revolution likewise afforded an excellent opportu- nity for the observing New Englander to determine upon the general desirability of the whole region as a place of permanent residence and

ERECTION OF STEUBEN COUNTY. 31

profitable agricultural employment. Indeed, so well known was the character of the Genesee country, that within two years from the time Phelps and Gorham concluded their historic purchase, we find the hardy pioneer clearing the forests, developing the lands, and paving the way for future prosperity. So rapidly were the towns taken and settled, that the proper management of affairs made necessary the creation of a new county west of the lake, and the act mentioned was the result.

After the lapse of seven short years the same necessity led to the erection of another county, and, therefore, through the energetic efforts of Charles Williamson, agent of the Pulteney association and others, Steuben county was formed from Ontario, the act therefor being passed and approved on the 8th day of March, 1796. At the census taken in 1790 the districts comprising the new jurisdiction contained only two hundred inhabitants; in 1795 about one thousand, and in 1800 a total of two thousand. Within its present boundaries Steuben county con- tains about one thousand three hundred square miles of land, and is among the largest civil divisions of the State.

The county was named in honor of Frederick William Augustus, Baron Steuben, who with several other titled and honored foreigners gave substantial aid to the American cause during the first war with Great Britain. The life and services of this distinguished and patriotic " Knight of the Order of Fidelity " are worthily recorded in the pages of history and need no reproduction here, yet, as a brief tribute to his memory, we may state that Baron Steuben, previous to his departure for America, was aid de camp to Frederick the Great, King of Prussia. Under Congress and General Washington he was major-general and inspector-general in the American army, serving during the Revolu- tionary war. " Esteemed, respected and supported by Washington, he gave military skill and discipline to the citizen soldiers, who (fulfilling the decrees of Heaven) achieved the independence of the United States."

Baron Steuben was born in one of the German provinces about the year 1730. He came to the United States on the ist of December, 1777, where he ever afterward lived. He died on the 25th of Novem- ber, 1795.

Steuben county, as originally constituted, was materially larger in area than at the present time, having surrendered portions of its territory

32 LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

to other jurisdictions, which we may briefly note. On March ii, 1808, the seventh range of townships was set off to Allegany county, which was created April 7, 1 806. The part in the fork of Lake Keuka was annexed to Ontario county, F'ebruary 25, 1 8 14. A part of Dansville was attached to Livingston county, February 15, 1822, and a part of Reading to Yates county in 1 824. Another part of Reading was set off to Schuyler county on the creation of the latter, April 17, 1854. When Steuben was erected its territory was divided into six towns or provi- sional districts, and known respectively as Bath, Canisteo, Dansville, Frederickstown, Middletown and Painted Post. Of these original divi- sions the names of only two are now preserved as towns of the county. Bath originally comprised the entire northern portion of the county, including the towns now known as Bath, Urbana, Wheeler, Prattsburg, Pulteney, Avoca, Howard, and a portion of Cohocton Dansville com- prised all that is now Dansville, Fremont, Wayland, and part of Howard and Cohocton. Frederickstown included Wayne and Bradford in this county, and also Barrington and Starkey in Yates county, and Tyrone, Reading and Orange in Schuyler county. Middletown comprised all that is now Addison, Rathbone, Thurston, Tuscarora, Woodhull, and parts of Troupsburg and Jasper. Canisteo comprised the present town so named, also Greenwood, West Union, Huntsville, Hornellsville, and parts of Jasper and Troupsburg.

After the erection of the county a complete organization was effected with little difficulty. The first officers were William Kersey, first judge ; Abraham Bradley and Eleazur Lindley, associate judges ; George D. Cooper, county clerk ; William Dunn, sheriff; Stephen Ross, surrogate. In accordance with the determination of the most influential element of the county, the village of Bath was designated as the seat of justice, and the agents of the proprietary made generous provision for the county buildings and other public purposes.

The first court-house was completed and occupied for court purposes on the I St of June, 1796. The building was of frame, one and one- half stories high, with two wings, and served the necessities of the county until 1828, then being superseded by a more substantial brick structure, the latter, however, being destroyed by fire in October, 1859. Following the disaster, in i860, the present attractive court-house was erected. In 1796, also, the first county jail, a log building, was erected

PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND INSTITUTIONS. 33

and stood in the rear of the subsequent stone jail, the latter standing at the northwest corner of the square. The next jail was built in 1845, and, in turn, was replaced with the present brick building, erected in 1882, at a total cost of nearly $30,000. The new clerk's office was built in 1872, at a cost of about $1 1,000, and the surrogate's office in 1886, at an expense of %2,,'jo'/.'/'j.

As the county increased in population and commercial importance, the convenience of the inhabitants demanded a division into jury dis- tricts for court purposes. Consequently, on the 19th of July, 1853, an act was passed making the desired division, and designating the now city of Corning as the seat of justice of the second jury district of the county. From that time courts have been held alternately at Bath and Corning. However, during the legislative session of 1888-89 s" at- tempt was made to secure the passage of an act establishing a western jury district in the county, the proposed seat to be at Hornellsville, and although the act was passed by both houses of the Legislature, the bill failed to become a law through lack of the executive approval. The court-house at Corning, a substantial and attractive brick building, was built during the years 1853 and '54, and cost $14,000.

Having referred to the general buildings and properties, in this con- nection we may also properly make some brief allusion to another im- portant institution of the county, that in which are kept and supported the unfortunate poor. At the annual session of the Board of Super- visors held in November, 1833, it was "Resolved, that a poor-house shall be established in the county of Steuben for the reception of the poor of said county, and that all distinction between the county poor and town poor be abolished, etc.;" also " that Messrs. Knox, Reynolds and Towsley be a committee to ascertain where a farm can be had for the use of the poor, etc" In December following the supervisors directed the superintendents of the poor to purchase the farm offered by Ephraim Barney, and also appropriated the sum of $4,000 for the purpose of paying for the farm and the erection of a poor house build- ing. The county farm is located in the town of Bath, about two miles north of the village. From the humble beginning noted above the present excellent institution for the care of the county poor has grown. The property consists of a large and well tilled farm, while the build-

34 LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY

ings, of brick, stone and frame, are ample and comfortable. This de- partment of the county government receives the same careful attention as do all others.

Now, having referred to the various properties and interests of Steu- ben county, it is proper that a record be made of the names of persons who have been identified with the county in its civil and political his- tory. In other words, it is fitting that we publish a complete list of officers who have represented this county in Federal, State or local government ;

Presidential Electors — John Lloyd, 1828; Grattan H. Wheeler, 1840; John D. Higgins, 1844; Ferral C. Dininny, 1852; James Alley, 1864; Horace Bemis, 1868; John McDougall, 1876; Amory Hough- ton, jr., 1880; Anthony L. Underhill. 1884; James B. Day, 1892.

Representatives in Congress. — Daniel Cruger, 18 17-19; William Woods, 1823-25; John Magee, 1827-29, and 1829-31; Grattan H. Wheeler, 1831-33; Edward Howell, 1833-35; John T. Andrews, 1837-39; William S. Hubbell, 1843-45 ; David Rumsey, jr , 1847-49, and 1849-51; Robert V. Van Valkenburgh, 1861-63, and 1863-65; C. C. B.Walker, 1873-75; John N. Hungerford, 1875-77; David P. Richardson, 1878-80, and 1880-82; John Arnot, 1882-84; Ira Daven- port, 1884-86, and 1886-88; John Raines, 1888-1890, and 1800-92; Charles W. Gillett, 1892-96.

Liettte?ia7it- Governor — Robert Campbell, of Bath, elected November 2, 1858. Mr. Campbell was also regent of the university, appointed February 2, 1846, vice John A. Dix, resigned.

Canal Commissioner. — Stephen T. Hayt, of Corning, elected No- vember 6, 1866.

Canal Appraiser. — Henry H.Hull, of Bath, appointed April 5, 1855.

Superiiitendcnt of Banks. — Daniel C. Howell, of Bath, appointed February 3, 1870.

State Senators — Vincent Matthews, i 798-1 804; Henry A. Towns- end, 1811-15; Grattan H. Wheeler, 1829-32; George Huntington, 1836-40; William M. Hawley, 1848-49; William J. Gilbert, 1851; Andrew B. Dickinson, 1854-55 ; John K. Hale, 1856-57; Samuel H. Hammond, i860 61 ; Stephen T. Hayt, 1 864-66 ;G. T. Harrower, 1872- y-i, ; George B. Bradley, 1874-76, and 1876-78 ; Ira Davenport, 1878- 80; Charles E. Walker, 1892-93.

CIVIL LIST. 35

Members of Assembly — Charles Williamson, 1798-1800; James Faulkner, 1804; John Wilson, 1805-07; George Hornell, 1808; Henry

A. Townsend, 1809; John Knox, 1810-11; Jacob Teeple, 1812-13; Daniel Cruger, 1814-16; William B. Rochester, 1817-18; John Dow, i8[9-2i ; Grattan H. Wheeler, 1822; George McClure and William Woods, 1823 ; George McClure and Grattan H. Wheeler, 1824; John Kennedy and James McBurney, 1825 ; D. Cruger and G. H. Wheeler, 1826; Paul C. Cook and George McClure, 1827 ; Dugald Cameron and William Woods, 1828; Randall Graves and Henry Phoenix, 1829; Andrew B. Dickinson and Josiah Dunlap, 1830; Paul C. Cook and Josiah Dunlap, 1831; P2dward Howell and John McBurney, 1832; William Hunter and William Kernan, 1833 ; Joshua Healey and Will- iam Kernan, 1834; Jeremiah Baker and Joshua Healey, 1835 ; Lemuel

B. Searles and Henry Switzer, 1836; Henry G. Cotton, John I. Pop- pins and Benjamin Smead, 1837 ; Samuel Griggs, David Hall and Manning Kelly, 1838; Andrew G. Chatfield, Abram M. Lybolt and Johnson N Reynolds, 1839; Richard Brower, Andrew G. Chatfield and Abram M. Lybolt, 1840; A. G. Chatfield, William S. Hubbell and Samuel A. Johnson, 1841 ; Aaron W. Beach, PVancis E. Erwin and Ziba A Leland, 1842 ; Morris Brown, Francis E. Erwin and Ziba A. A. Leland, 1843 \ John Jamison, Asa McConnell and Jeffrey Smith, 1844; William C. Rogers, Ansel C. Smith and Jacob Van Valken- burgh, 1845 ; A. G. Chatfield, Otto F. Marshall and William C. Rogers, 1846; Hiram Chapman, William Diven and William Hunter, 1847; Abel Kendall, John G Mercereau and Alex. H. Stephens, 1848 ; Abram J. Ouackenboss, John G. Mercereau and John K. Hale, 1849; Edwin F. Church, Ferral C. Dininny and James Alley, 1850; Charles G. High}', James M. Miles and Joel Carrington, 1851 ; R. B. Van Valkenburgh, Benajah P. Bailey and Nathaniel M. Perry, 1852 ; Dryden Henderson, John McBurney and Henry H. Bouton, 1853 ; John F, Williams, B P. Bailey and Obediah Stephens, 1854; Seth B. Cole, Sylvester Smith and Peter C. Ward, 1855 ; Goldsmith Denniston, Albert C. Morgan and Harlo Hakes, 1856; R. B. Van Valkenburgh, George T. Spencer and Solon O. Thacher, 1857; R. B. Van Valken- burgh, Washington Barnes and William B. Jones, 1858 ; Abel Eveland, Wickham R. Crocker and John T. Plato, 1859; David B. Bryan, Henry Sherwood and Samuel M. Alley, 1862 ; John W. Taggart, Henry

36 LANDxMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

Sherwood and Horace Bemis, 1863; William E. Bonham, Alexander Olcott and J. Harvey Stephens, 1864; William E. Bonham, Alexander Olcott and Horace Bemis, 1865 ; William B. Boyd, Amaziah S. McKay and Frederick M. Kreidler, 1866; William B. Boyd and Christian Minier, 1867; John F. Little and Lyman Balcom, 1868; Monroe Brundage and Samuel Mitchell, 1869; James G. Bennett and John Davis, 1870; Thomas M. Fowler and James B. Murdock, 1871 ; Thomas M. Fowler and Stephen F. Gilbert, 1872 ; Stephen D. Shattuck and Charles F, Houghton, 1873; Stephen D. Shattuck and Lucius C. Pierson, 1874; William B. Ruggles and Jerry E. B. Santee, 1875; William B. Ruggles and Jerry E. B. Santee, 1876; Azariah C. Brundage and George R. Sutherland, 1877-79; John W. Davis and Russell M. Tuttle, 1880; Charles S. Longwell and Russell M. Tuttle, 1881; Orange S Searle and Allen A. Van Arsdale, 1 882 ; Orange S. Searle and Andrew B. Craig, 1883; George E. Whitman and Andrew B. Craig, 1884; George E. Whiteman and Charles D. Baker, 1885; Franz S. Wolt' and Charles D. Baker, 1886; Azariah C. Brundage and Charles D. Baker, 1887; Azariah C. Brundage and Milo M. Acker, 1888; Charles H. McMaster and Milo M. Acker, 1889; Peter B. Pealer and M. M. Acker, 1890 ; Grattan H. Brundage and M. M. Acker, 1891 ; Gor- don M. Patchin and Herman E. Buck, 1892-93; Willoughby W. Bab- cock and Merritt F. Smith, 1894-95.

Justices of the Stipreme Coitrt. — Thomas A. Johnson, April 7, 1847, to November 7, 1865 ; David Rumsey, appointed January 7, 1873, vice Johnson, deceased; elected for full term in November, 1873; William Rumsey, elected November 2, 1880; re-elected; George B. Bradley, elected November 6, 1883 ; appointed judge Second Division, Court of Appeals, January 21, 1889; now on General Term bench.

County Judges. — William Kersey, appointed March 31, 1796 ; James Faulkner, P'ebruary 16, 1804; Samuel Baker, January 18, 1813 ; Thos. McBurney, April 15, 1816; James Norton, February 7, 1823 ; George C. Edwards, January 13, 1826; Ziba A. Leland, January 9, 1838; Jacob Larrowe, April 17, 1843 ; William M. Hawley, January 30, 1846; David McMaster, elected June, 1847 '■> Jacob Larrowe, November, 1851 ; David McMaster, 1855 ; Washington Barnes, 1859; Guy H. McMaster, 1867; George T. Spencer, 1871 ; Guy H. McMaster, 1877; Harlo Hakes, 1883 and 1889; Frank H. Robinson, 1892.

CIVIL LIST. 37

Surrogates. — Stephen Ross, appointed March 31, 1796; Henry A. Tovvnsend, March 24, 1800; George McClure, March 25, 1805 ; John Metcalf, April 6, 1813; James Read, April 8, 1815 ; Samuel Baker, April 10, 18 17; Wni. Read, March 20, 1821 ; James Brundage, March 28, 1823; Wm Woods, January 8, 1827; Robert Campbell, January 31, 1835: David Rumsey, jr., January 24, 1840; Ansel J. McCall, February 3, 1844, county judge from June, 1847, to January, 1884; Guy H. McMaster, elected November, 1885; John F. Little, appointed to fill vacancy, September 19, 1887; M. Rumsey Miller, elected No- vember, 1888, and November, 1894.

County Clerks. — George D. Cooper, appointed March 31, 1796; Henry A. Tovvnsend, February 1 1, 1799 ; John Wilson, March 21, 1807; Henry A. Tovvnsend, February 8, 1808; Dugald Cameron, February 16, 1810 ; Henry A. Townsnd, February 11, 181 i ; John Wilson, Feb- ruary 13, 1815; Edward Howell, March 19, 1818; John Metcalf, Feb- urary 19, 1821 ; and elected in November, 1822; David Rumsey, 1829; Wm. H. Bull, 1832; Wm. Hamilton, 1838; Paul C. Cook, 1844 ; Philo R Hubbell, 1850; Chas. W. Campbell. 1853 ; Samuel M. Alley, 1856; Orson Moshier, 1859; Oscar J. Averell, 1862; Allen Van Orsdale, 1865 ; Nirom M. Crane, 1868; Henry C. Faucett, 1871 ; Archie E. Baxter, 1874; Lucius A. Waldo, 1877; Wm. W. Wilson, 1880; Jacob H. Lansing, 1883; James A. Drake, appointed to fill vacancy, Novem- ber 12, 1885; Robert K. Faulkner, 1886; Edward P. Graves, 1889; James H. Giffin, 1892.

Sheriffs. — William Dunn, appointed March 31, 1796; John Wilson, March 3, 1800; Dugald Cameron. February 22, 1 804 ; Jacob Teeple, February 16, 1808; Howard Bull, March 22. 1810; Cornelius Young- love, March 25, 181 1 ; Thomas McBurn^^y, March 7, 1812 ; Benjamin Wells, February 23, 1813; Lazarus Hammond, March 2, 1814; Geo. McClure, February 28, iSk; Henry Shriver, March 2, 1819 ; John Magee, February 19, 1821. and elected November, 1822; John Ken- nedy, 1825 ; Alva Ellas, 1828; Geo. Huntington, 1831; Jno. T. Andrews, 1834; Henry Brother, 1837; Hiram Potter, 1840; Hugh Magee, 1843; Henry Brother, 1846; Oliver Allen, 1849; Gabriel T. Harrower, 1852; Lewis D Fay, 1855; Orange Seymour, 1858; Ed- win R. Kasson, 1861 ; Wm. N. Smith, 1864; Willis E. Craig, 1867; Wm. B. Boyd, 1870; Holland B. Williams, 1873; Frank D. Sherwood,

38 LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

1876; Erastus P. Higgins, 1879; P2sek Page, 1882; Henry Baldwin, J885; Oscar B. Stratton, 1888; George Hollands, 1891; Leslie D. Whiting, 1894.

District Attorneys. — This office was created April 4, i8oi,andthe State comprised seven districts (Steuben county being in No. 7). Each county was constituted a separate district in April, 18 1 8. Previous to this year the seventh district was represented as follows : Wm. Stewart, appointed March 2, 1802; Daniel W. Lewis, March 9, 1810: Wm. Stewart, February 12, 181 1 ; Vincent Matthews, March 12, 1813 ; Daniel Cruger, April 17, 1815; Daniel Cruger, June 11, 1818; John Cook, February 19, 1821 ; Henry Welles, October 22, 1824; Edward Howell, February 7, 1829; B. W. Franklin, 1834; Edward Howell, June 21, 1836; Lazarus H. Read, March 4, 1840; Andrew G. Chat- field, December 2, 1845; Morris Brown, June 20, 1846; Alfred P. Ferris, elected June, 1847; Robert L. Brundage. November, 1850; Jos. Herron, 1853 ; John Maynard, 1856 • Ciiris. John McDowell, 1859 ; Harlo Hakes, 1862; John H. Butler, appointed 1865, elected Novem- ber, 1865 and 1868; Alphonso H. Burrell, 1871 ; Ellsworth D. Mills, 1874 and 1877; Daniel L. Benton, 1880; Irving W. Near, 1883; Frank H. Robinson, 1886 and 1889; William W. Clark, 1892.

County Treasurers — An act of the Legislature, passed December 16, 1847. authorized the election of a county treasurer in each county of the State ; previous to that time the office was appointive by the super- visors. James R. Dudley, elected November, 1848 ; Perry S. Donahoe, 1851; Alex. Hess, 1857; Peter Halsey, 1858; John T. Allen, 1861; Peter Halsey, 1864; Theodore A. Silsbee, 1873; Sebastian G. Lewis, 1876; Frederick L. French, 1882; S. Smith Fairchild, 1885; Zenas L. Parker, 1888; Gameliel T. Conine, 1894.

School Commissioners. — By an act passed April 17, 1843, supervisors were directed to appoint county superintendents of common schools, but the office was abolished in 1847. During its operation, Ralph K. Finch and Alanson S. Phillips filled the office in Steuben county. Previous to 1 857, school commissioners (an office which succeeded county superintendent) were appointed by the supervisors, but since that year have been elected. The incumbents of the office in the several districts of this county have been as follows:

First District. — Geo. McLean, Stephen Vorhis, Eli H. Brown, R. R.

THE CIVIL DIVISIONS OF THE COUNTY. 39

Calkins, Jos. B. Westcott, Geo. P. Avery, Jno. C. Higbee 2d, Zenas L. Parker, Geo. H. Guinnip, Edgar A. Higgins, Loring H. Barnum, Albert W Fenton, Clark W. Halliday and Edwin C. Smith.

Second Distiict. — P. J. Farrington, Noble H. Rising, Edmund A. Peckham, Wm. M. Sherwood, Jacob H. Wolcott, Reuben H. Williams, Abner Morrill, Wesley W. Smith and Howard B. Harrison.

Third District. — (Created in 1859, abolished in 1874, and restored in 1890) Wm. S Hall, Horatio Pettingill, Rodney Dennis, Albert T. Park- hill, Edwin Whiting, William P. Todd, Charles Moore, 1890; Charles Marlatt, 1893.

Having furnished a brief civil and political history of Steuben county, and having referred to each of its public buildings, properties and depart- ments of government, and also to its representatives in public offices, it is deemed appropriate that succeeding pages be devoted to the several civil divisions of the county, that the reader may acquire some tangible idea of the settlement, organization, growth and development of each. However, in treating of the towns only incidental reference will be made to the villages and harnlets, and in another department of this work will be found more extended histories of each. Churches, also, are made the subject of a separate chapter in this volume, classification being considered desirable for purposes of reference.

CHAPTER VI.

THE CIVIL DIVISIONS OF THE COUNTY.

Addison. — Addison is not only one of the most progressive and prosperous interior towns of Steuben county, but it is one of the oldest of its civil divisions. It was formed under the name of " Middle- town " in March, 1796, and was one of the original provisional dis- tricts created at that time, that some form of authority might be exercised over the sparsely settled region. The old name was preserved until 1808, and then changed to Addison; and so called, we are told, in respectful allusion to Joseph Addison, the English author of note in his time.

40 LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

The old town of Middletown embraced a large area of territory, in- cluding all that is now Addison, Rathbone, Thurston, Tuscarora, Wood- hull, and a part of Troupsburg and Jasper. In fact, the district included the entire southern portion of the county, chiefly hill lands, yet so inter- spersed with valleys and elevated flats as to invite early settlement and consequent subdivision. As now constituted, under the present name, the town contains 16,500 acres of land, small indeed, comparatively, but rich in resources and enterprise, hence one of the best divisions of old Steuben.

Samuel Rice was the pioneer of what is now Addison. He was a Connecticut Yankee by birth, a farmer by occupation, a hero and sur- vivor of the Revolution by patriotic instinct and love of country, and a worthy pioneer in the Genesee countr}'. Mr. Rice made his settle- ment on Tuscarora Creek, near the so-called Wombaugh mills, in 1791, and built the first house in the town. Other pioneers soon followed Rice, and among them we may mention Reuben and Lemuel Searles, George Goodhue, Oliver Miller, John Martin, Jonathan Tracy, Isaac and James Martin, Abel White, James Benham, Silas Morey, Asahel Stiles, Lemuel Stiles, Elisha Gilbert, William Wombaugh and Martin Young. These pioneers were farmers and lumbermen, kindred pursuits in the then wilderness region. They came prepared to fell the forests, manu- facture lumber for domestic use, and also to ship to market, but the ultimate purpose of the majority of them was to build up comfortable farms and homes in the new country. That they were successful is fully attested in the fine farms and beautiful homes that line the streams in this town of hills and valleys. Later generations, perhaps, have im- proved upon the condition of things left by the pioneers, yet the founda- tion for this after prosperity was laid by the first comers during the last years of the eighteenth century.

The beautiful Tuscarora vallev extends south from Addison village ; the equally charming valley of the Canisteo stretches away to the west, while to the northward is the lesser valley of Goodhue Creek. The little body of water called Goodhue Lake lies in the extreme northwest of the town. At the village the Tuscarora unites with the Canisteo, while to the eastward the creek from the north adds its volume to the general flow, and the Chemung River eventually receives the combined waters of the three. These " boatable " streams were large enough to

NELSON COWAN.

THE CIVIL DIVISIONS OF THE COUNTY. 41

permit running large rafts during the early history of the region and as lumbering and rafting were important and profitable industries of the time, this was a central locality, and one widely known to lumber- men and speculators. Therefore we are not surprised at the very early settlement of the town, nor at loss to account for early evidences of thrift and comfort which distinguished this from some other localities less favored by nature.

The inference that Addison, or Middletown, was comparatively well settled at a very early day seems to be borne out by fact, for the census reports show that the population of the district in 1800 was 174, and in 18 1 3 had increased to 369, and that despite the fact that a large part of Troupsburg was taken off in 1808. Although the records throw no light on the point, it is confidently believed that when this district was formed in 1796, there were one hundred inhabitants on the territory. At all events there was population sufficient to perfect the town organi- zation.

The first town meeting was held on the first Tuesday in February, 1797, at which time officers were elected as follows: Reuben Stiles, supervisor; Oliver Miller, town clerk; Lemuel Searle, constable; Jonathan Tracy and Asahel Stiles, poormasters ; John Martin, George Goodhue and Stephen Dolson, highway commissioners; Lemuel Searle, collector; Abel White, Oliver Miller and Jonathan Tracy, school com- missioners ; Elisha Gilbert and Silas Morey, fence viewers, and Reuben Searles, poundmaster.

From this it will be seen that the governmental affairs of the town were placed in proper condition in the year next following the creation of the county, but it would appear that the first meeting of electors was rather poorly attended, for there were not enough incumbents for the several offices without " thrusting double honors " upon some of the freemen present.

Pioneer Reuben Searle held the office of supervisor until 1804, and Clerk Miller had charge of the town records until 1800. However, as is done in each of the town chapters of this work, we may also in Addison furnish the succession of supervisors from the organization meeting to the present time, viz.: Lemuel Searle, 1 797-1 803; George Martin, 1804; Semuel Searle, 1805; George Martin, 1806-09; David Dickinson, 18 10; Timothy Searle, 1811-13; Wm. B. Jones, 18 14-16; Samuel

42 LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

Colgrove, 1817-20; Wm. B. Jones, 1821-22; Samuel Colgrove, 1823 -27; Edward Nichols, 1828; Wm. Wombaugh, 1829-30; John Loop, 1831-32; Jas. Baldwin, 1833-35; Jno. H. Thompson, 1836-37; Wm Hamilton, 1838; Jno. H. Thompson, 1839-42; L.A.Jones, 1843-44; Frederick R. Wagner, i 845 ; Wm. Wombaugh, 1846; Rufus Baldwin, 1847; W.W.Smith, 1848; Jas. H. Miles, 1849-50; H. Ross Jones, 1851-52; E. D. Root, 1853; Geo. W. Carr. 1854; Abram Dudley, 1855; Edwin J.Horn, 1856; O. Seymour, 1857-58; Thos. Paxton, 1859; Henry Baldwin, i860; E. J. Horn, 1861-63; F. C. Dininny, 1864-71 ; Henry Baldwin, 1872-73 ; S. V. Lattimer, 1874-77 ; Albert G. Crane, 1878-80; Henry Baldwin, 1881-85; D. C. Hagar, 1886; E. D. Root, 1887-93; James S. Harrison, 1894-95.

The town officers for the year 1895 are: James S Harrison, super- visor ; Frank B. Orser, town clerk ; Philander C. Daniels, Eugene Wade, Charles Turnbull, W. A. Bartlett, justices ; J. J. Martin, F. H. Wheaton and C. O'Connor, assessors ; R. B. Orr, collector ; Oliver D. Stewart, overseer of the poor ; Jos. Thompson, highway commis'^i'^ner ; Frank Bliss, C. Conno'.s and A. Allison, excise commissioners.

The town of Addison, inclusive of the village, had a population in 1890 of 2,908. In the history of the town there has ever been shown a gradual increase both in population and business interests, though the frequent reductions in areas, taken for other towns, makes it difficult to present any comparative tables showing actual progress in all directions. As we have mentioned, the inhabitants in 1800 numbered 174, and 369 in 1 8 10. In 1820 the number was 652, and in 1830 was 944. It was 1,920 in 1840, and the greatest number, 3,721, was reached in 1850. 1856 Rathbone was taken off, and the census of i860 gave Addison a population of 1,715. From this time no further reductions in territory were made, and subsequent years have witnessed a constant increase as follows: 2,218 in 1870; 2,534 in 1 880, and 2,908 in 1 890.

In the early history of the town it appears that Addison had in its population a number of enterprising men, who were firm believers in improvement of the region as well as personal gain, and from well preserved records we learn that George Goodhue built the first saw mill in 1793, while William Wombaugh's saw mill was built in 1805, and his grist mill one year later. Samuel Smith was the first storekeeper. Stephen Rice, son of Samuel, was the first white child born in the town,

THE CIVIL DIVISIONS OF THE COUNTy. 43

while the first marriage was that of Brown Gillespie and the daughter of Elisha Gilbert. A post-ofifice was established in 1804. Slavery was not an unknown institution of the town, although the number of slaves owned here was far less than noticeable in some other localities. The records show occasional entries of ownership and birth of slaves, yet this custom of the past was found not to be congenial to the interests of proprietors, and the bondmen were soon set free.

The first settlers also found a few straggling Indian occupants still in the region, and the latter reluctantly withdrew before the steady ad- vance of civilization. Little trouble was occasioned by their presence and few indeed are the Indian traditions and stories of a century ago. A little later, during the war of 1 812-15, much excitement prevailed in the region, growing out of the discussions of the events of the time, and there seemed to be a small though determined element of Federalism pervading this community. However, public feeling seldom went be- yond animated controversy and the patriotic pioneers enrolled them- selves on the side of " home and country," joined the militia and made ready for war and the threatened possibilities of an invasion.

About the }ear 1825, and from that time on to 1855, Addison was the very center of a vast lumber region. Indeed, this was one of the most famous pine lumber localities in the State, and also a place of resort for all the lumbermen on the northern border of Pennsylvania and Southern New York. " In the spring of the year," says a cotem - porary writer, " the surface of the Canisteo was a complete sheet of rafts from Hornellsville to the ' Deadwater,' as Addison was then called; and the story has often been told that during the rafting season that one could almost walk from Hornellsville to Addison on rafts, except where there were dams across the river."

A few years before lumbering was at its height in this region, the settlers passed through the period remembered as the anti-rent conflict, and all local interests were more or less affected by it ; and at one time, it is said, business was practically at a standstill. Many of the foremost men of the town were active participants in the events of the period, and in the Bath convention, in January, 1830, the local delegates were William Wombaugh, Lemuel B. Searles, David Shumway, Eber Scofield and Daniel Burdick.

Another interesting subject for perusal and reference in the history

44 LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

of this town is found in the record made by her contingent of volun- teers enUsted and sent into the service during the war of 1 86 1-5, by which it is known that the early martial spirit of the ancestor was in- herited by the later generation of descendants. By the acts of the lat- ter the patriotic reputation for which this town has long been noted was upheld and elevated. A brief reference to the roster of volunteers from Addison discloses the fact that during the period of the war the town furnished two hundred men for the service, who were scattered through the several regiments recruited in the county and in this part of the State. In another chapter the reader will find a complete list of the several commands, and also a record of their service at the front, wherefore the subject may be briefly mentioned in this place.

In matters pertaining to the spiritual and educational welfare of the youth of the town, the first settlers gave full heed, and their example has been accepted as a rule of action for the authorities during later years. The church and religious societies will be found mentioned in another department of this work, hence repetition here is unnecessary. Unfortunately, the early records afford but little reliable information concerning the first schools of the town, or the division of the territory into districts, yet well verified tradition informs us that the schools have kept even pace with progress in other directions. As at present con- stituted the town is divided into five districts, each of which is provided with a good school. In the town, including the village, sixteen teachers were employed during the last current year, and the whole number of children attending school was 646. The value of all school property is estimated at $33,715, and the assessed valuation of the districts is $879,870. There was apportioned to the town public moneys to the extent of $2,313.34, and the town raised by tax the sum of $8,387.38, all used for maintenance and support of schools.

AVOCA. — On the 12th of April, 1843, the towns of Bath, Cohocton, Howard and Wheeler surrendered portions of their territory to a new formation by the name of Avoca ; and so called, it is said, in allusion either to Moore's poem " Sweet Vale of Avoca," or " Meeting of the Waters." However, to the pioneers this locality was known as Bu- chanan, from the fact that William Buchanan was the first settler in the region. The locality also bore the designation of " Eight Mile Tree," being eight miles distant west from the county seat, from which point all early reckonings were made.

THE CIVIL DIVISIONS OF THE COUNTY. 45

Speaking briefly of the natural features of the town, the statement may be made that Avoca is to be numbered among the hilly divisions of the county, a few of the summits reaching a height of nearly 500 feet. Nearly north and south across the town runs the Conhocton, which, with its principal tributaries, Twelve-Mile, Ten-Mile and Niel's Creeks, form beautiful valleys and scenery unsurpassed in the county. Notwithstand- ing the rough and hilly character of the land surface, Avoca is regarded as one of the first towns in the entire Conhocton valley in point of general fertility and productiveness ; and during comparatively recent years an additional importance attaches to the town, for its villages and hamlets on the lines of railroad are shipping points of much note. Although very irregular in surface and boundary, the 21,300 acres of land which comprise the town are in favorable comparison with any similarly situated division of historic Steuben.

Going back a hundred years and more the sole occupants of this part of the Conhocton valley were Indians, scattered fragments of the once powerful Iroquois tribes who were loth to leave their favorite resorts and fishing grounds, although the voice of the savage nation had spoken in favor of a sale of the land. Pioneers William and Michael Buchanan found a considerable Indian settlement in the valley in 1794, while as late as 1808, Abram Towner came and described from 50 to 100 lodges on the flat lands below his house. All settlers, early and late, referred to these occupants as a lazy, shiftless set, and occasionally inclined to create trouble, but about 1 81 8 they had departed for the reservations generously provided for them by the State.

As we have stated, William Buchanan and his son Michael were the pioneers in this town, having been sent into this part of the then town of Bath in 1794 to open and maintain a public house for the entertain- ment of prospective settlers. These pioneers made various improve- ments, among them putting up a log inn and planting an orchard. From his settlement the locality became known as Buchanan's, although the name " Eight Mile Tree " was more suggestive of the distance from the settlement to the village at Bath. Following soon after the Buchan- ans, came James and Hugh McWhorter, James and George Moore, Gershom Townley and Finley McClure, all of whom were here previous to 1800, and who were active in clearing and improving the region in one direction and another. McClure was a farmer and opened a road

46 LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

from Kanona to his cabin home. Towner was an inn keeper and kept a resort of much fame in early days, and was noted for his generosit^v and hospitality.

The other early settlers who came to this region between the years i8oi and 1815, and were scattered over the entire district, were Abram Towner, Asa Phillips, James Babcock, Richard and John Van Buskirk, James Davis. Henry Smith, Daniel McKenzie, William Moody, Jon- athan Tilton, John Donahue, Allen Smith, Samuel Burnham, Oliver Rice and Eleazbr Tucker, all of whom settled in that part of the town which was set off from Bath

The Howard contribution comprised Isaac Baldwin, William Allen, Timothy Parkhill, Charles Robords, Henry Kennedy and William Gofif. Still later comers, yet worthy to be mentioned among the pioneers, were Gershom Salmon, John B. Calkins, Joseph Matthewson, John Putnam, James Silsbee, Hugh Briggs, Van Heusen Hopkins and others. Being taken from older and prominent towns, Avoca has little to present in the way of important early events, yet it is said that William McWhor- ter and Michael Buchanan 2d, were the first children born ; that Michael Buchanan died in 181 1; that James McWhorter and the widow Buchanan were married in 1812 ; that in 1809 Henry Kennedy built the saw mill at the place called Goff' s Mills, while Eleazur Tucker is credited with having built the first saw mill in the town, though at a now unknown date. William Gofif built the first grist mill in 1812. Alonzo Simmons kept the first store. Tucker, above mentioned, built a saw mill on the river in 1825. Previous to 18 12 there were but two teams of horses in the town. The first framed dwelling in Avoca was built by James McWhorter. Elders Buzzell and Elisha Brownson were the first preachers.

Such were the early events of town history in Avoca, but they took place long years before the town itself was formed or even contem- plated. Settlement here was of much the same character as in other parts of Bath and Howard ; there were the same hardships and the same pleasures as attended pioneership elsewhere in the county. Dur- ing the war of 1812-15, the same excitement existed here as lower down the valley, and the immediate presence of the Indians occasioned a feeling of fear and uncertainty not experienced in some other locali- ties. But the period passed without serious disturbance and tiie return

THE CIVIL DIVISIONS OF THE COUNTY. 47

of peace witnessed great strides in settlement and prosperity. A little later came the anti-rent conflict, but this was the cause of not more than temporary embarrassment to local interests.

Settlement, growth and development in this part ofConhocton valley was so rapid that as years passed a new town was considered desirable, yet not until about 1840 was the subject seriously discussed; and still three years more passed before the older towns were called upon to yield portions of their territory to the new formation. Thus, when the organization was in fact effected the affairs of the locality were all in order, the hamlets had been built up and established, and the simple act of election of town officers was the only necessary thing to be accomplished

The records show that the first town meeting was held at the house of James G. Barto, on May 12, 1843, ^t which time these officers were elected : Henry A. Louck. supervisor ; Jesse Louck, town clerk ; Oliver Rice, Simeon Holmes, Luther Tilton, justices; John Donahe, John L. Robords, Marcus Peck, assessors; James Gorton, John Collier, John T. Allen, highway commissioners ; Jonathan Silsbee and Abram Turner, overseers of the poor ; Perry S. Donahe, collector.

In this connection it is also interesting to note the succession of supervisors from the time of organization to the present, viz.: Henry A. Loufks, 1843 ; George W. Burnham, 1844-48; Henry H. Bouton, 1849-52; Jos. I. Burnham, 1853; H. H. Bouton, 1854; Henry Goff, 1855 ; Salmon Waterbury, 1856-57; Joel Carrington, 1858-59; Henry A. Loucks, i860; A. M. Waterbury, 1861 ; J. H. Nicholson, 1862-63 ; Salmon H. Palmer, 1864-66; Joel Carrington, 1867-68; I. J. Haskin, 1869; S. E. Haskin, 1870; I. J. Haskin, 1871; F. N. Barney, 1872; I J. Haskin, 1873; D. E. Hoadley, 1874; Thomas Cotton, 1875-76; N. B. Chase, 1877-80; Thomas Cotton, 1881-82; C.Patterson, 1883; Lawrence Saltsman, 1884; C Patterson, 1885; Jerry Hall, 1886; A. J. Arnold, 1887-88; Lemuel Matthewson, 1889-90; A.J. Arnold, 1891-92; A. L. Zielley, 1893-95.

The town officers for the year 1895 are Alex. L. Zielley, supervisor; J. L Hunn, town clerk; George C. Silsbee, Thomas J. Redhead, George A. Fox and Ripley C. Oxx, justices ; A. C. Wagner, Martin Brown and James Robinson, assessors; Joseph Ells, collector; Lyman Arnold, overseer of the poor; John E. Olmsted, highway commis-

48 LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

sioner ; Orton Dye, Frank Shultz and Fred L. Peck (did not qualify) commissioners of excise.

When set off and organized in 1843, the inhabitants of Avoca num- bered about 1,660, and, according to the enumeration of 1845, the number was 1,668. In 1850 it had fallen to 1,574, but during the suc- ceeding ten years increased to 1,885, the greatest population in the history of the town to that time. In 1870 the number was 1,740, and in 1880 was 1,843 I" 1 890 Avoca contained 2,242 inhabitants, show- ing a somewhat surprising growth in the pretty little village of Avoca, a historical sketch of which will be found elsewhere in this work.

From what has been stated in this brief chapter it will be seen that the early and perhaps the most interesting history in this town was made while its territory formed a part of the older divisions from which it was created. Yet, notwithstanding this, it may truthfully be said that the greatest strides in advancement and prosperity have been made during the last half century, and many of them may be placed to the credit of the last twenty five years. The construction of the railroad (now the Erie) through Conhocton valley was the one event which above all others contributed to local welfare, and the more recent building of the D. L. & W. road only added to the progress then being made, and also stimulated the inhabitants to greater exertions. The result of local energy and thrift are apparent, for Avoca enjoys the pleasant reputation of being one of the best and most productive towns in all Steuben. It lies well within the "potato belt" and produces remarkably in that and also in general farm crops under careful atten- tion. This condition of things has built up and made Avoca village what it is, and the hamlets of the town have shared in the general pros- perity.

The only event of general importance in the history of the town, outside of ordinary affairs, was the period of the war of 1861-65, dur- ing the terms of office of supervisors Waterbury, Nicholson and Palmer, all of whom were prominently identified with the "war measures" adopted and the hearty support accorded to all efforts of raising troops and creating bounty funds. During the war, Avoca sent into the service a total of one hundred and twentj' three men, and exceeded her quota by a fair number. Of a truth it may be said that no town in the region displayed more patriotism or public-spiritedness during that

THE CIVIL DIVISIONS OF THE COUNTY. 49

terrible four years than did Avoca, and none made more free and gen- erous provision for the payment of bounties to recruits.

The early history of the schools of Avoca was a part of the record of the older towns and furnishes little of interest to this chapter. At the organization meeting, John B. Stevenson and John Conner were elected commissioners, and Charles W. C. Howard and Addison Niles inspec- tors of common schools. After the erection of the town its territory was regularly divided into new districts, formed to suit the convenience of the inhabitants, and these have been changed in later years as neces- sity required. As now constituted the town contains eleven school districts, and fifteen teachers are annually employed. During 1894, four hundred and sixty- nine children attended school. The value of school property is estimated at $9,445. The town received of public moneys, $1,852.14, and raised by local tax $3,582.09. Four trees were planted during the year.

Bath. — On the 15th of April, 1793, Charles Cameron and a party of pioneer woodsmen landed from their flat boats and made a camp near where the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western station now stands in the village of Bath. This was the advance guard of civilization in an uninhabited and comparatively unknown region, and the adventurers themselves were sent hither at the direction of Charles Williamson, the latter the owner of almost a principality, though in fact he was only the representative of a syndicate of capitalists whose only aim was personal gain. Yet Charles Williamson was vested with almost extraordinary authority and power and lavishly did he expend his principals' money in improving and developing the country in which he afterward lived for several years.

Captain Williamson reached Bath very soon after the arrival of Cameron and companions. They came from Northumberland, Penn- sylvania, by water and brought supplies and provisions for both sub- sistence and the founding of a settlement. At that time we are told this region was a vast, dense forest, inhabited only by wild animals and a few scattered fragments of the once powerful Seneca Indians. The latter had signed away their domain to the Phelps and Gorham proprie- tary, and through a series of transfers the lands had come into the ownership of the Pulteney associates, whose agent Williamson was and

50 LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY

under whose direction was now to be undertaken the development and sale of this vast estate.

If we correctly interpret his character there was nothing of the nig- gard in Captain Williamson, nor did he enter half-heartedly into any of his many enterprises; and while he was ever mindful of the rights and interests of his principals, he also kept faith with his promises to settlers, thus gaining their respect and admiration. True, he was charged with prodigality and unnecessary expenditures in the use of the revenues of his principals, yet no person who knew the genial captain ever believed he acted or dealt solely for personal purposes or gain. The Pulteney as- sociates, being foreigners and non-residents, were never in a position to fully appreciate the situation of affairs on their territory in New York, nor the fact that their agent was engaged in an effort to settle quite un- desirable land in competition with some of the most fertile and beautiful tracts for which Western New York is and ever has been noted To accomplish this it became necessary for the agent to make outlays in building a principal thoroughfare of travel from far across the Pennsyl- vania border into the very center of the region sought to be disposed of at best advantage. And it became necessary, too, to found a new village in the region, and to this end the pioneers were sent up the Conhocton and pitched their camps on the site of the village of Bath. Captain Williamson had previously made headquarters at Northumber- land, from which point he did effective work, but the necessities of the occasion and the situation of the lands in New York demanded a change, hence his action in founding the settlement which soon afterward be- came the shire town of one of the largest and most important inland counties of this great State.

"The first comers," says Mr. McCall's address.^ "were not roman- cers, but stern workers who braced themselves for the toils and priva- tions before them. Thomas Rees, jr., the surveyor, with his corps of assistants, began at once to plot the village, locate the streets and squares, and number the lots, while Cameron and his helpers, after clearing the ground and making rustic cabins in which to shelter them- selves, proceeded to erect a log building on the south side of Pulteney

' Ansel J. McCall is conceded authority on all matters of local history, and the writer has made free use of his valuable manuscripts and excellent memory in the preparation of this chapter.

THE CIVIL DIVISIONS OF THE COUNTY. 51

Square, of sufficient capacity for the accommodation of Captain William- son's family and the transaction of his official business. On the north side of Morris street, about twenty rods west of the square, they erected a log structure for John Metcalf's hostelry. James Henderson, the mill-wright, sought a mill site on the Conhocton (now owned by John Baker and occupied by his flour mill) and with his crew began building a saw mill to furnish boards for floors, doors and roof for the new land office, hotel and other structures being put up. It was the first saw mill in the town, and was completed on the 25th of August. Captain Williamson in a few days was on the ground in person, super- intending operations and cheering the faint hearted by his presence and stirring words "

In the Cameron party of pioneers and builders of a county town were these persons: Andrew Smith, familiarly called " Muckle " Andrew, in allusion to his remarkable size and strength, and grandfather to John L. Smith ; William McCartney, the pioneer of Dansville ; Hector Mc- Kenzie, who died in the West Indies and Henry Tower, an afterward prominent business man, all of whom came from the vicinity of Cap- tain Williamson's home near Balgray, Scotland. There were also Thomas Corbett, pioneer at Mud Creek ; Thomas Rees, jr., the sur- veyor who plotted the village and likewise made many surveys in the vicinity, all of which have ever been regarded as a standard ; Alexander Ewing, who afterward settled at Mt. Morris ; William Ewing, also a surveyor, who moved to Ohio ; John Metcalf, the pioneer tavern-keeper, and one of the village worthies ; James Henderson, the millwright • Samuel Doyle, an old patriot of the Revolution, and whose descendants still live in the vicinity, and Joseph Arbour, Richard Armour, John Scott, Charles McClure, Peter Loop, Mr. Upton, Benjamin Patterson, the hunter, and Joseph Bivens, who kept the first tavern at Bloods, now Atlanta. Most of these were Scotch Irishmen from the West Branch, and came to the new settlement chiefly as laborers and me- chanics, yet many of them became permanent residents, developed into useful and capable men, and were in all respects worthy citizens and upright men.

But these were not all, as well verified records, the results of untiring research, have preserved the name of still other pioneer town builders under the direction of the active agent of the Pulteney associates. In

52 LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

this connection may be named Hector McKay, William Lemon, Samuel Ewing, John and Samuel Ewart, George Moore, George Baittie, Francis Conway, William Carroll and Robert Biggars, the latter the tanner who in 1793 purchased thirteen acres on the south side of Morris street, west of the cemetery, whereon he built a tannery. Others of the same period were Obediah Osborn, the mill builder; George McCullough, the blacksmith ; Robert Hunter, the schoolmaster ; Jacob Glendenning, Andrew Shearer, Dr. Schott, Gottleib Dougherty and one Paul.

Henry McElwee, " a stalwart young Scotch-Irishman," as described by Mr. McCall, " (always called Harry) made his entry into the new town on New Year's day, 1794," and thus describes the condition of municipal settlement as he found it: "I only found a few shanties in the wood. Williamson had his house near the site of the present land office, and the Metcalfs kept a log tavern on Morris street nearly oppo- site the (present) Mansion House. I went to the tavern and asked for supper and lodging; they said they would give me neither, for their house was full. I could get nothing to eat. An old Dutchman was sitting there, and he said to me: 'Young man, if you will go with me, you shall have some mush and milk and a deer-skin to lie on, with your feet to the fire, and another to cover yourself with.' We went up through the woods to where St. Patrick Square now is. There the Dutchman had a little log house." In the following spring this same McElwee made the first substantial clearing, being the Pulteney Square, also four acres in rear of the agent's house for a garden. (For the culti- vation of this garden Williamson imported a gardener from England, named Dominic Ouinn.) McElwee left a single pine tree in front of the agent's house for a " Liberty Tree." It was trimmed so as to leave a tuft at the top, and it "bid defiance to the elements until after 1820," and was soon afterward blown down.

The pioneers who came to the settlement during 1794 may be men- tioned about as follows : George McClure and James Moore, from Northumberland; Isaac Mullender, with his wife, three sons and three daughters, direct from Scotland ; Richard Cuyler, John Shearer, Rich- ard Carpenter, Dr. William Petrie (the surgeon of the settlement), John Wyman, William McElwee, Frank Scott, Gustavus and Brown Gilles- pie, Joseph and Robert Dunn, Robert Sterret, James McFarland, Sam- uel and John Mettler, Samuel Baker, Amos Stone William Barney,

THE CIVIL DIVISIONS OF THE COUNTY. 53

William and Eli Read, and Samuel McKenzie. These settlers were both mechanics and farmers, the former seeking work in the little ham- let, and the latter selecting lands in the region on which they might establish houses and farms. All, however, before acquiring title, were of necessity compelled to repair to the land office and make their con- tracts. Williamson treated them with the greatest generosity, offering the land at reasonable prices and extending help to those not able to build for themselves. By his uniforn) kindness Williamson won the esteem of all who came to his settlement.

When Charles Williamson began his work of improvement and settle- ment there was little civil organization or jurisdiction attempted in this remote part of Ontario county. In 1 79 1 the provisional district of Painted Post was foimed, yet, being practically uninhabited, there was no need of the exercise of civil authority over the region. The district mentioned included all that is now Steuben county, and in 1793, Jede- diah Stephens, of Canisteo, was elected supervisor. However, in 1794, at the January sessions, through Williamson's influence, a new district was created embracing all the territory west of the second range of townships, and was named Williamson. Bath was included in the new formation, but where or when the district meetings were held is not now known.

The now growing settlement was much in need of post and stage ac- commodations, for down to this time Captain Williamson had employed his own post- riders to and from Northumberland, 140 miles distant; and the trips were made once in two weeks. A permanent post-office, with all necessary facihties for transmission of mails, was established at Bath in 1800. This year, 1794, was eventful in still another direction, for the new yet now flourishing settlement was threatened with British invasion and subjection ; but through the energetic and determined action of Captain Williamson, suggested by the governor of the State, the proposed invasion was stayed until the federal government took charge of the affair and effected a speedy settlement of the dispute. However, in protecting his rights and interests. Captain Williamson caused a block house to be built in Bath, while young McClure raised a company of militia for defensive purposes.

The succeeding year, 1795, "opened brightly," using Mr. McCall's words, for the Genesee country, the doughty agent vigorously

54 LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

pushed improvements, and settlers came pouring in from all quarters. Among them were Robert Campbell, Alexander McDonald, John Mor- rison, Dugald Cameron, Daniel Cruger, Dr. D. B. Stockton and William Kersey, all of whom were prominently identified with subsequent events of local history, and some of whom, as well as their descendants, occu- pied positions of trust and importance.

In March, 1 796, the county of Steuben was erected from the south part of Ontario, and was named in honor of Frederick William Au- gustus, Baron Steuben, through the influence of Col. Benjamin Walker, a close friend of Charles Williamson. The colonel had been the aide of Baron Steuben, who had just died, and Walker was residuary legatee under his will.

Through the undisputed influence of Captain Williamson, Bath was designated as the shire-town of the new county, and forthwith provis- ion was made for the erection of county buildings. Fully mentioned elsewhere, no extended reference to them is necessary at this time. However, in accordance with the authority of the erecting act, the Court of Sessions divided the territory of the county into six towns, one of which was the town of Bath, the subject of this chapter. As constituted at that time, it was bounded on the north by the county line; east by Lake Keuka and Fredericktown ; south by Painted Post and Middle- town, and west by Dansville.

Bath was now the capital town of Steuben county, and was so named in token of respect for Lady Henrietta, Countess of Bath, the daughter of Sir William Pulteney, the chief owner in the land association, whose representative and agent was Capt. Charles Williamson. The first move of the land agent was to establish a newspaper, not only for the dissemination of news, but for the main purpose of properly advertising the new county and setting forth the desirable qualities of land and climate, in the hope of inducing settlement and increasing the revenues of his principals. (Even at this early day the owners were annoying their agent with demands for returns, and were indirectly charging him with unnecessary expenditures). William Kersey, the newly appointed judge, an attache of the land office, was sent to Pennsylvania to pur- chase the necessary equipment for a printing-office, and the result was the issue October 19, 1796, of the first number of the Bath Gazette and

THE CIVIL DIVISIONS OF THE COUNTY. 55

Genesee Advertiser, the first newspaper printed in this State west of Oneida county.

In the same year, also, the colonel erected a frame building on the noi thwest corner of Pulteney Square for use as a public school, and so completed the race track that widely advertised fairs and races were held on the 20th of September. A public hall or theater was likewise built in due season and Bath was brought into prominence as a desira- ble place for all kinds of entertainments; and to the present day the county town of Steuben is noted for the excellence of its annual fairs. Tlie chief object of these improvements was, as Mr. McCall says, "to attract attention to the purchase and its new metropolis." He was anx- ious to make rapid sales of the land in his charge, and he knew that it was necessary to create some excitement which would draw strangers to look at them. Weld, an English traveler, visited the town in 1796, and described Bath as the "principal town in the western part of the State, containing about thirty houses, and increasing very fast."

Among the settlers in the town in 1796 were Dr. B. F. Young, Dr. Shults, Philip Oilman, George D. Cooper, William Cook, Daniel Curtis, James Edie, James Miller, Fisher Whitney. John Woodward, Josiah Wright, David Jones, James Love, Leonard Beaty, George Dixon and F'inla McClure.

Organization and Officers. — The first town meeting in Bath was held at the house of John Metcalf, on the 4th day of April, 1797, at which time these persons were elected to office: Charles Cameron, supervisor; James Edie, town clerk ; William Aulls. Patrick McKell, Hector Mc- Kenzie, commissioners of highways; Gustavus Gillispic, collector; Amos Stone, George Dixon and Abijah Peters, constables ; Daniel Cruger, and Patrick McKell, overseers of the poor; Amos Eggleston, Joseph Inslie, William Read, John Woodward, Henry Bush, Henry McElwee and Jacob Phillips, overseers of highways ; Eli Read, Andrew Smith, James McKell and Thomas Streeter, fence viewers ; Robert Bigger, Samuel Miller and Samuel Baker, assessors ; Samuel Baker and Silas Beers, poundmasters ; George D. Cooper, John Sheather, Charles Williamson and Benjamin F. Young, commissioners of schools.

However interesting for purposes of reference might be a complete succession'of all town officers, such is deemed inadvisable in this work, and the reader will therefore be content with the list of supervisors

56 LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

clerks and justices of the peace, these being recognized as the chief offices in the town government.

Supervisors. — Charles Cameron, 1797-98; George McClure, 1799- 1801 ; Henry A. Townsend, 1802 ; Samuel Baker, 1803-5 ; George McClure, 1806-7 ; Howell Bull, 1808; Henry Kennedy, 1809; James Faulkner, 18 10; Cornelius Younglove, 181 1; Thomas Aulls, 18 12-14; Howell Bull, 1815; Elisha Hanks, 1816-17; William Woods, 1818 ; Samuel Baker, 1819-20; Elisha Hanks, 1821-23 ; Henry Wells, 1824; John W. Fowler, 1825-26; James G. Higgins, 1827-28; George C. Edwards, 1829-30; Reuben Robie, 1831-32; William J. Neally, 1833- 34; Henry W. Rogers, 1835; William Hamilton, 1836-38; D. Mc- Mastcr, 1839 ; Robert Campbell, jr., 1840-44 ; Chester Whitaker, 1845 J John W. Fowler, 1846-49; John Ostrander, 1850-51; Paul C. Cook, 1852-54; David McMaster, 1855 ; William Howell, 1856-57; Alva E. Brown, 1858-60; H. H. Hull, 1861 ; William Howell, 1862; John L. Smith, 1863-64; Uavid Rumsey, 1865-71; Samuel Balcom, 1872; William Rumsey, 1873; G. H. Brundage, 1874-75; Henry Faucett, 1876; James Faucett, 1877; Orange Seymour, 1878-82; John F. Little. 1883-85; James Faucett, 1886; John F. Little. 1887; W. H. Nichols, 1888-90; J. F. Little, 1891 ; W. H. Nichols, 1892-95.

Town Clerks. — James Edie, 1797-98; Charles McClure, 1799; Henry A. Townsend, 1800-1 ; Charles McClure, 1 802-3 ; Henry A. Town- send, 1804; Howell Bull, 1805 ; Henry A. Townsend, 1806; Howell Bull, 1807 ; Thomas Metcalf, 1808 ; Howell Bull, 1809-14; John Met- calf, 1815-18; William H. Bull, 1819-21 ; John W. Fowler, 1822-24; Reuben Robie, 1825-28; Lewis Biles, 1829; Reuben Robie, 1830; William S. Hubbell, 1831 ; William H. Bull, 1832; Franklin Metcalf, 1833; William Hamilton, 1834; Alex. Hess, 1835; N. W. Gardner, 1836-37; George Edwards, 1838-42; Alex. Hess, 1843; Peter Swart, 1844; Perry S. Donahe, 1845-51; James R Dudley, 1852. John Palmer, 1853; Charles H. Howell, 1854; Peter Halsey, 1855 | James Lindsay, 1856-57; James R. Dudley, 1858; James Lindsay, 1859-1884; William W. Lindsay, 1885-95.

Justices of the Peace. — Henry W. Rogers. 1830; Oliver Rice, 1831 ; William Hamilton and George Wheeler, 1832 ; George Wheeler, 1833 i John D, Higgins, 1834; Oliver Rice, 1835; William Hamilton, 1836; George Wheeler and Henry Pier, 1838 ; Oliver Rice and A. D. Read,

■■" chief

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rorje C.

-DMARKS O of the peac:

ized as t

veil Bull, -ornelius ; ; Elisha

1825-26 ., j; Reube ■\ Kogers, 1835 ; . Robert Campbell . \ler, [846-49; Job i.'avid McMaster, 185 i«58-6o; H. H. Hull, 1861 1863-64; Uavid Rumsey, 18 . .1 Rumsey, 1873; G. H. Briii lames Faucett, 1877; Orange ^383-85; James Faucett, 1886; . hols, 1888-90; J. F. Little, 1891 ; W

Clure, 1799- 1503-5 ; George :dy, 1809; James s Aulls, 1812-14; .m Woods, 1818 ; enry Weils, 1824 ; :7-28 ; George C. 11 J. Neally, 1833- ;,.n-. :.; .11, 1836-38; D. Mc- 14; Chester Whitaker, 1845 ; 1-, 1850-51; Paul C. Cook, n Howell, 1856-57; Alva E. Viliiam Howell, 1862; John L. - -1 >,,:-: ej Balcom, 1872 ; ■ Henry Faucett, --j>:;i.ui. 1878-82; John F. John F. Little, 1887; W. H.

H. Nichols, 1892-95. Town Clerks. — James Edie, 1797-98; Charles McClure, 1799; Henry \ Townsend, 1800-1 ; Charles McClure, 1802-3; Henry A. Town- : nd, 1804; Howell Bull, 1805 ; Henry A. Townsend, 1806; Howell ■ ull, 1807; Thomas Metcalf, 1808; Howell Bull, 1809-14; John Met- fdf, 1815-18; William H. Bull, 1819-21 ; John W. Fowler, 1822-24; Lewis Biles. 1829; Reuben Robie, 1830; Wi: "

Reuben Robie, 1825-28 "vViitiam S. Hubbell, 1831 '^??- William Hamilton, 1834 - ; George Edwards. ' i844; Perry S, Donahe >iin Palmer. 1853; Charles }

Lindsayj J 856-57; Jamc

■•84; William W. Lindsa es of the Peace. — Henry \V ^ .^^ i -. 1 ' H^^piilton and George Wheeler, 1832 : vrins, 1834; Oliver Rice. 1835; >

Franklin Metcalf, ; N. W. Gardner, -ss, 1843; Peter tv Dudley, 1852 . Peter Halsey, 1855 |

sy- , 'iwcv J^ice, i»3i ;

George Wheeler, 1833 I

Vwiiani Hamilton, 1836;

.k:- and Henry Pier, 1838; Oliver Rice and A. D. Read,

'^ 4 A^.

^-^ C^/^C

THE CI\^IL DIVISIONS OF THE COUNTY. 57

1839; Ziba A. Leland, 1840; Chester Whitaker, 1841 ; George Hunt- ington and William S. Muihollen, 1842 ; Nathan Barney, 1843 ; Will- iam S. Muihollen, 1844; Chester Whitaker, 1845; James Shannon, 1846; Arnold D. Read, 1847; William S. Muihollen. 1848; Chester Whitaker and Luther R. Hopkins, 1849; Nathan Sawyer, 1850 ; Arnold D. Read, 1851 ; Henry Pier, 1852; Chester Whitaker, 1853; James Lindsay, 1854; Arnold D. Read, 1855; Henry Pier, 1856. Chester Whitaker, 1857; James Lindsay, 1858; Arnold D. Read^ 1859; Henry Pier, i860; E. W. Buck, 1861 ; James Lindsay, 1862; Joseph B. Westcott, 1863 ; Abram C. Bryan, 1864; Charles L. Bailey, 1865; Dwight Ostrander and James Lindsay, 1866; Augustus F. Barnes, 1867 ; Frank Hardcnbrook and Abram C. Bryan, 1868; Frank Hardenbrook and Henry J. Norris, 1869 ; James Lindsay, 1870 ; Hiram R. Hess, 1871 ; Hamilton Lane, 1872 ; Frank Hardenbrook and Henry J. Norris, 1873; James Lindsay, 1874; Hiram R. Hess, 1875; Horace L. Lewis, 1876 ; Frank Hardenbrook and Henry J. Norris, 1877 ; James Lindsay, 1878; Hiram R. Hess, 1879; Frank Orcutt, 1880; Frank Hardenbrook, Frank Wayland and Frank Orcutt, 1881 ; James Lindsay, 1882; Edwin R. Kasson, 1883 ; Otis H. Smith, Valentine Brother and Edgar Knight, 1884; Frank Hardenbrook, Edwin R. Fuller, William W. Lindsay and Daniel Brian, 1885 ; John S. Bosenbark, 1886; Otis H. Smith, 1887; William W. Lindsay, 1888 ; John K. Bancroft, Edwin R. Fuller and Frank Hardenbrook, 1889; John K, Bancroft, 1890; Clar- ence Willis, Frank Hardenbrook and Edwin R. Fuller, 1891 ; William W. Lindsay, 1892 ; Frank Hardenbrook and William H. Kearney, 1893 ; John K. Bancroft, 1894; John A. Adams, 1895.

Town Officers, 1895. — I^^ the present connection may also properly be given the names of the town ofificers as the list stands at this time, viz.: William H. Nichols, supervisor ; William W. Lindsay, town clerk ; Frank Plardenbrook, of Savona, William W, Lindsay, of Bath, John Bancroft, of Sonora, William H. Kearney, of Kanona, and John A. Adams, of Bath, justices of the peace ; John Hedges, Thomas Rob- inson, jr., and George K. Bowlby, assessors; Stephen Read, collector ; James M. Thomas, highway commissioner; James Faulkner and Joseph Kleckler, overseers of the poor ; William H. Davison, Jacob E. Bedell and Washington Sutherland, excise commissioners.

58 LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY

Returning again to the events of early history, all authorities con- cede that the greatest growth and benefit accrued to the town through the designation of Bath as the seat of justice of the county, while the organization of the town itself was an important though auxiliary factor in promoting its early welfare. The name " County Seat " alone was a sufficient inducement to attract settlement, and professional men, merchants, mechanics and agriculturists alike hastened to the village^ hoping to be first in their class and thus became early established in general favor and popularity.

The court-house was completed in 1797, and during the same year Captain Williamson organized a splendid regiment of militia, he being appointed its lieutenant- colonel, from which fact he was ever afterward styled "Colonel" Williamson. In 1798 the first bridge across the Conhocton was built at Bath, and in the same year a raft of lumber was safely sent down the river to Baltimore market. Among the settlers in this year were Henry A. Townsend, Joseph Grant, William Howe Cuyler, John Wilson, James Woodruff and Daniel Bennett. In March^ 1800, Swing & Patterson built an ark eighty feet long by twenty wide, loaded it with wheat and lumber and shipped it to market at Baltimore. Other similar ventures followed, with equal success, to the great satis- faction of Colonel Williamson and the entire towns people, and the re- sult was the construction of several storehouses at convenient points along the river.

In 1 801 the Legislature having passed an act authorizing aliens for three years to take title to land in this State, Colonel Williamson con- veyed the unsold portions of the townships, previously held by him in trust, to his principals, and then resigned his agency position. In 1799 he had begun the erection of a grand country seat on his so-called Springfield Farm, a mile and one half below the village, near Lake Salubria (now Lake Williamson). It was the largest private dwelling in Western New York, and when completed was placed in charge of Major Presley Thornton, a kinsman of General Washington and a former officer in the Revolution, who had just come from Virginia with a young wife of rare beauty and attainments. She was long known as " The Madam," from her graceful and commanding ways. The colonel made his home with them after he retired from the agency, and dispensed

THE CIVIL DIVISIONS OF THE COUNTY. 59

hospitality with a generous hand, and the place became famous for its brilliant assemblies. Major Thornton died in 1806, and Colonel Will- iamson soon afterward left for Europe and never returned. He died in 1808.

As we have stated, Major Thornton came to Bath in 1801, and was placed in charge of Colonel Williamson's mansion. He brought with him Virginia customs and many of the adjuncts of southern life and manners. Among the family belongings were several house slaves, servants rather than laborers, yet bondmen and women. This is be- lieved to have been the first formal introduction of slavery into Bath, although other and perhaps earlier settlers may have numbered a slave man or woman among their servants. And in this statement there is nothing surprising, not even unusual, for slaves were then the property of owners, the subjects of sale and traffic in the South and some other States, yet is understood as contrary to the statute laws of New Yotk. However, in the town of Bath slaves were treated as chattel property, and were bought and sold, occasionally under process of law and the apparent sanction ol the courts. '1 his practice, too, was continued for several }'ears.

Capt. William Helm came to the town in 1801, from Prince William county, Va., with his family and a retinue of about forty slaves. He purchased a number of farms, and set his slaves cultivating them. He built a fine mansion on the site of the present First National Bank, and also rebuilt the old grist mill near the bridge. Captain Helm was un- fortunate in business, his property was seized by the sheriff and several of his slaves were sold to satisfy executions. One was purchased by Dugald Cameron for $30, and was set free in 18 19. This slave was Daniel Cooper.

This is only one of the many instances of slavery existing in this town during the early years of the century, and the fact reflects no dis- credit or stain upon any person or family. It was the recognized cus- tom of the period, and that there were more slaves owned in Bath than in many other localities only shows that a large number of the aristocratic and wealthy early residents of the town came from slave States, as commonly called. In the year i 800 there were twenty-two blacks in the county, and all were slaves. In 18 10 the colored in-

60 LANDxMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

habitants numbered 1 16, of whom 87 were slaves. The early town records, noticeably from 1800 to 1820, contain frequent reference to slave ownership, as births, sales and acts of manumission were required to be recorded.

Among the other slave owners in Bath, there may be mentioned John Fitz Hugh, Samuel Hanson Baker, Howell Bull, Dugald Cam- eron, Henry McElwee, Capt. Samuel Erwin (of Painted Post), Ira Pratt, Daniel Cruger, Thomas McBurney and others.

From all that is stated on preceding pages the reader will discover that the town of Bath was early and rapidly settled, and with a class of pioneers who were in all respects desirable to a new community. Under theinspiring influences of Williamson the result was to be expected, and in the brief space of less than ten years he succeeded in building up a fine and substantial village, a county seat, while within its boun- daries, and those of the town surrounding it, were accumulated nearly five hundred inhabitants. As shown by census statistics, the town of Bath, in 1800, had a population of 452, the result of only seven years colonization. In 1810 the number had increased to 1,036, and in 1820 to 2,578. The inhabitants in 1830 numbered 3,387, and 4,915 in 1840. Ten years later there were 6,185 persons living in the town, and 5,129 in i860. In 1870 the number was 6,236, and in 1880 was 7,396. The census of 1890 showed the town to contain 7,881 inhabitants, though the count of 1892 gave but 7,057 population.

As now constituted Bath is by far the largest in area of the civil divisions of Steuben county, containing by actual survey 57,100 acres of land. The original town was even larger, but, like many others, has surrendered portions of her territory to later creations. Pulteney was taken off in 1808, and parts of Howard and Cohocton in 1812. A portion was set off to form Wheeler in 1820, and another part to Urbana in 1822. Still another reduction helped to form Avoca in 1843, and and in 1852 Cohocton received an annexation from the mother town. Savona was organized as a town, December 30, 1859, ^"^ was con- solidated with Bath, April 8, 1862.

The early history of Bath was uneventful except as the usual mo- notony of pioneership was varied by the rapid strides which marked the settlement of the region. The settlers were peaceable and law-abiding,

THE CIVIL DIVISIONS OF THE COUNTY. 61

yet fond of entertainment and pleasure. Public houses and places of resort were numerous, and in the year 1824 no less than twelve persons were licensed to keep tavern and sell " strong and spirituous liquors ;" the number of licensed places in the town in 1825 was fourteen.

The war of 18 12-15 was an event of much importance in local annals, and the occasion of some excitement and alarm. Bath was the rendezvous for the newly organized companies and regiments raised in the county, and several of her citizens played prominent parts on the frontier. General McClure, Majors Cruger and Gaylord, Captain Read and Lieutenant Kennedy rendered efficient service. Two companies were drafted on Pulteney Square in 1813.

The town and village of Bath were also the chief seat of operations and discussion during that period in which took place the anti-rent con- troversy, and although the people of this immediate vicinity were but little affected by the tumult and excitement of the occasion, this was the central point and the place of meeting of the disaffected element. The town was represented in the convention of January, 1830, by William Woods, James Warden, John Corbitt, Peter Hunter, Melvin Schenck, Caleb P. Fulton and Elisha Hawkes. However, this embryo strife was soon passed into history and peace and general prosperity prevailed. Nothing further of importance occurred to disturb the serenity of domes- tic life until the outbreak of the war of 1 861-5, ^"d during that long and disastrous struggle the town of Bath made a record which stands through all time as one of the brightest pages in her history. Still we cannot in this place refer at length to the military records of the town, the subject being fully covered in another chapter of this work. Yet, the statement may be made that during the war the town furnished for the service a total of 500 men.

Before closing this chapter it is appropriate that at least passing men- tion be made of the schools of the town at large, although much that might be said in a general way will be found in the history of the vil- lage of Bath in another part of this volume. However, on this im- portant subject the old records afford little reliable information, and of the character and condition of the districts previous to 1847 nothing is known. At the first town meeting in 1797 George D. Cooper, John Sheather, Charles Williamson and Benjamin F. Young were elected

62 LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

commissioners of common schools, yet, in 1793, the year in which the town was founded, a school was opened in Bath and Robert Hunter was the master. The first school house stood on the northwest corner of Pulteney Square, and was built previous to 1800. The first convey- ance of land for school purposes was that of October 4, 1 803, by Sir William Pulteney to Samuel Baker, William Read and Eli Read, being fifty acres in Pleasant Valley. That region then formed a part of Bath. On February i, 181 5, the Duke of Cumberland and others conveyed to the trustees of District No. 5 two acres of land in lot 33, now in the town of Wheeler. On December 29, 181 2, Henry A, Townsend con- veyed to the trustees of Bath school a lot on the north side of Steuben street, and here a school house was built in 18 13.

The territory of Bath was divided by the first board of commissioners into five school districts, and each district had three trustees. Later records are imperfect and defective, but from the results of Mr. Kings - ley's research we learn that a school was early established at Kanona, and that in the " White School house " in old district No. 2, William Howell taught in 1826. The first school house in the southeast part of the town was built of logs, near the four corners, where the Marshall Stewart house stands John Wicks was one of the earliest teachers in that section. In 1847 the number of school districts in the town was twenty- seven, of which sixteen were entire and eleven joint with districts of other towns. As at present constituted the districts number twenty- five, located and known, respectively, as follows : No. i, Savona, organized 1891 ; No. 2, Harrisburgh Hollow; No. 3, Irish Hill; No. 4, Unionville ; No. 5, Bath; No, 6, East Union; No. 7, Chamberlain's; No. 8, Kanona; No. 9, Mt. Washington; No. 10, Wolf Run; No. ii, Babcock Hollow; No. 12, Eagle Valley; No. 13, Spaulding's Bridge; No. 14, Sonora ; No. 15, Freeman Hollow; No. 16, Veley District; No. 17, no distinguishing name; No. 18, Oak Hill; No. 19, Cossville ; No. 20, Campbell Creek; No. 21, West Union ; No. 22, Knight's Settle- ment; No. 23, Buck's Settlement; No. 24, Moore Settlement; No. 25, Bowlby District.

The total value of school property in the several districts is estimated at $56,745. During the last current year the town received public moneys to the amount of $5,660.51, and raised by local tax for school purposes $6,547.13. Sixty trees were planted by pupils in 1894.

THE CIVIL DIVISIONS OF THE COUNTY. 63

The villages and 'hamlets of the town are subjects of special mention in another department of this work. However, we may state in this connection that the town has two incorporated villages, Bath and Savona, both conveniently situated on the line of the Erie and Delaware and Lackawanna Railroads, and well known among the municipalities of the county. Kanona is in the northwest part of the town, also on the railroads and a place of importance in the region. Unionville is a small hamlet situated about three miles southwest of Bath.

In the department of this work devoted specially to ecclesiastical history, will be found a record of each of the church organizations of the town.

Bradford. — On the eastern border of Steuben county, lying north of Campbell, south of Wayne, and east of Bath and Urbana, is a district known as Bradford, having an area of 14.500 acres of land. This town was created as a separate division of the county on the 20th of April, 1836, and was formed from the old town of Jersey, now known as Orange in Schuyler county. The surface is a hilly upland, broken by the valley of Mud Creek. Mud Lake is a small though pretty little body of water situated in Schuyler county, near the Steuben line, and it was on the outlet of this lake that Philip Bartles and John Harvey made a settlement in 1793, and two years later, at the suggestion of Charles Williamson, built both saw and grist mills. These industries had much to do with the development of the region. During the early period of the history of the region the outlet was a navigable stream, and in 1798 Mr. Bartles rafted one hundred thousand feet of lumber to Baltimore. Benjamin Patterson and one Brocher were noted hunters in this locality and supplied many of the settlements with both bear and deer meat. They were said to have killed during a single season as many as two hundred deer and a dozen bears.

Among the other pioneers and early settlers in this then wild and un- inviting region were John Hemiup, Samuel S. Camp, Abram Rosen- berg, Capt. John N. Hight, Henry Swifzer, John Schrinner, Thomas Rolls, Michael Schott, Daniel Bartholmew, Henry Axtelle, Ezekiel Sackett, George Schnell, Stephen Edwards and a Mr. Smith, the christian name of the latter having been forgotten. These pioneers were chiefly lumbermen, though their ultimate purpose was the de-

64 LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

velopment of the land for farming purposes. Several of them built mills and became proprietors. Nearly all were from the lumber regions of Pennsylvania and came to the new region hoping to better their condition. They were chiefly Germans by birth or extraction, and were, withal, a hardy, persevering and industrious class of men and women. The descendants of many of them still live in the county, but the pioneers are all gone.

Another element of the early settlers were New Englanders, while still others were from New Jersey. Lacy Hurd, John Moore and Jesse Munson were Vermont Yankees; Capt. John Phelps came from Con- necticut ; James Longwell was from New Jersey, though an Irishman by birth. Still other settlers were John Zimmerman, David Woodward, Caleb Wolcott, John Inscho, Abel Eveland, Elias Thomas, James D. Morris, Rumsey Miller, David Dennis, Evan F. Thomas, John Kish- paugh, Charles and Benjamin Whithead, Daniel Taylor, John Stilts, Caleb Roch, Philip Morse, and others perhaps equally worthy of men- tion but whose names are lost with the lapse of years.

The land being at length cleared of its valuable timber growth, good farms were developed, and this part of the old town of Jersey became an agricultural region, and while it produces well in return to the proper efforts of the husbandman, it has never been noted for superior excellence in this respect. However, the farmers are generally prosperous and many fine farms are found in the town.

During the early history of the town, and while its lands formed a part of the older town of Jersey, the inhabitants felt the serious effects of the so-called anti-rent war. In the Bath convention Jersey was rep- resented by her strongest men, a portion of whom lived in the district afterward forming Bradford. They were Abraham M. Lybolt, Gilbert Reed, Caleb Wolcott, Peter Houck and Henry Switzer.

Six years after this event, or in 1836, the town was set off and made a separate division of Steuben county, and was named in allusion to and in honor of General Robert Bradford. A portion of its territory was an- nexed to Orange, April 17, 1854. The first town meeting was held at the dwelling of John Zimmerman on the fourth Tuesday in Ma>, 1836, at which time these officers were chosen : Supervisor, S. Snell ; town clerk, Charles McFane ; collector, Thomas Rowles ; justices, James Wolverton and James Bradley.

THE CIVIL DIVISIONS OF THE COUNTY. 65

The supervisors of Bradford, from the time of its organization to the present, have been as follows: S. Snell, 1836-37; William H. Seybolt, 1838-39; J. C. Cameron, 1840; Joseph S. Fenton, 1841 ; James Barkley, 1842-43, and 1849; Hosea Longwell, 1844; William Bovier, 1845-46. and 1848; John Phelps, 1847; Charles Hubban, 1850; Will- iam Phelps, 1851-52; John D. Seybolt, 1853-54, and 1860-61 ; John F. Havens, 1855-56; Lewis Bennett, 1857, '6y, and '71 ; Jesse Mun- son, 1858-59, and 1863-66; Edgar Munson, 1862; B. B. Switser, 1868; Frank Aulls, 1869-70; Theron Cole, 1872; Alonzo Eveland, 1873-74, and 1881-86; J. M. Gilmore, 1875-76; Isaac Esterbrook^ 1877; Ephraim Bennett, 1878-80; Frank Aulls, 1887 ; Philip Yawger, 1888 and 1891 ; Frank Hedges, 1889-90; S. A Zimmerman, 1892-95.

The ofificers of the town for the year 1895 are S. A. Zimmerman, supervisor; David Whitehead, Albert W. Dodge, W. C. Stetler and L. E. Bartholmew, justices; John C. Switzer, Arthur Gilmore and John O. Dennis, assessors.

Bradford is one of the few towns of Steuben county in which there has been a noticeable decline in population, indicating clearly that the agriculturists of the region have suffered in common with those of the whole country. When first set ofif from Jersey in 1836 the inhabitants numbered about 1,500, and increased to 1,885 in i860. From that time until the present there has been a general decHne in population, hence in productiveness and value of property, and the population of the town in 1890 was only 765 ; a less number than any town in the county, save Hartsville. Notwithstanding all this, Bradford possesses natural resources equal to many other outlying towns, and her people are energetic, thrifty and persevering. The institutions of the town are as firmly rooted and as substantial as in other similar districts. During the period of its history there have been built up two small villages, Bradford, in the northeast part of the town, and South Bradford in the southeast, both of which are elsewhere mentioned in this volume.

The early settlers were fully mindful of the educational and spiritual welfare of their families, and made generous provision for schools and the support of the public worship. A flourishing school was main- tained as early as 18 14, and after the separation of the town from Jersey the new territory was arranged in convenient districts and schools pro-

66 LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY

vided for in each. From this beginning has grown the present system of the town, more complete in arrangement than ever before, yet possi- bly not as strong in point of number of pupils attending school. There are now five districts having school houses, and during the last current year six teachers were employed. Of public moneys the town received $720.70, and raised by local tax $1,00690.

Cameron. — Within its present boundaries this town contains 27,700 acres of land; as originally formed on April 16, 1822, it included all its present area, and also the 22,000 acres set off to Thurston, as well as a portion of Rathbone. The former was created in 1844, and the latter in 1856. Geograpically, Cameron is located a little south of the center of the county, and its surface is high rolling upland, broken by the deep and quite narrow valley of the Canisteo, which stream crosses southeast through and near the center of the town. The soil is a clayey and gravelly loam, fertile and reasonably productive in many localities, but quite barren in others by reason of the stony and rocky character of the slopes.

When created, Cameron was named in allusion to and honor of Dugald Cameron, an early settler of Bath, at one time agent of the Pulteney estate, and withal one of the foremost men of the county dur- ing the period of his active life.

Directly, this town was formed from the original town of Addison, and its early settlement was made while the territory was a part of that jurisdiction. The pioneers of this locality were Richard Hadley, who afterward became known by the odd title of " The Second James," and Phones Green. Hadley first settled on the village site, near the rail- road crossing, and is said to have been ousted from his domicile by a landslide. He built the first saw mill, while the honor of building the first grist mill fell to Capt. Samuel Baker, who came to the town in 1 8 16. Phones Green made his improvement about a mile below Baker's mill. Both these pioneers made their settlement in 1800, and it seems they must have been alone in this wild region for some time, for the next settlers, Joseph Butler, John Sauter and John Hollet did not reach here till several years later. Hollet kept the first tavern, while the first storekeeper was Andrew G. Erwin of still later settlement. James B. Wheeler was the grandchild of Mr. Baker, and was but seven years

THE CIVIL DIVISIONS OF THE COUNTY. 67

old when he came to the valley. He lived to witness wonderful changes in the town, and was himself afterward owner of the mill, which he rebuilt several times. About 1816 Amos Caldwell built a carding mill which was later on operated by John Place. John Dean soon came in and also located near the mills, the latter being a center of trade and settlement.

Still later settlers were Isaac Santee, in 1820, followed by the Hal- letts from the North of Ireland, originally, but hardy and enterprising men, whose descendants are still numerous in the valley. Silas Wheeler, a Scotchman, was here early, as also were Joel Clark, Amasa Downs, Isaac Jones, James Lawrence, Capt John White, William Moore, Skel- ton and Joseph Robinson, Nathaniel Bundy, and others.

On South Hill Elisha Leach settled in 1825, and Reuben Drake in the Swale about the same lime. James and Henry Knickerbocker set- tled on the north ridge in 1826 and Elias Mason came about the same time. Thomas Allen came in 1827, Richard Smith in 183 1, John W. Barrows in 1832, and so on until even early settlement ceased. Still,* in the same connection, justice demands mention of Andrew Bates, John Shaw, Timothy Carpenter, Joseph Plaisted, N. Rouse (the fiddler and an important functionary on all public occasions), Samuel Pugsley, John Barber, Harley Sears, Hiram Averill, John French, David Ames and Amos White as early and worthy residents, all willing to brave the dangers and privations of pioneership in a new and then certainly un- inviting region. Some of these men were farmers while many others were lumbermen, and in fact the latter pursuit prevailed for many years. Indeed, this whole valley was primarily covered with a splendid forest growth and the lumber shipped down the Canisteo from Cameron and vicinity amounted to millions of feet annually. But as the lands were cleared the town became an agricultural region, while the water power of the river turned the wheels of many mills of various kinds.

The advocates of a new town project became earnest in their discus- sion as early as 1820 although it was not until two years afterward that the matter took definite form. The act was passed April 16, 1822, and the first town meeting was held at the house of Samuel Pierson, a mile and a half north of Cameron village, in February, 1823, Unfortu- nately, the early town records have been lost or destroyed. However

68 LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

it is known that Elias Mason was the first supervisor ; Moses L. Pierson town clerk and collector, and James Brownell, constable. At this time the local population could not have exceeded 400, as in 1825 the num- ber of inhabitants was but 553. As evidence of later rapid growth we may state that in 1830 the population had increased to 924, and in 1840 to 1,359- Ten years later the greatest population in the town's history was reached, being 1,701 in 1850. In i860 it had fallen to 1,569, and in 1870 to 1,334. The next ten years, however, showed an increase to 1,611, but in 1890 had decreased to 1,564. In 1892 the population of the town was 1,455.

The anti-rent conflict, as it has been commonly called, was not with- out its disastrous effects upon the people of this town, though local interests suffered no more seriously than did those of other localities whose settlers held their land under the Pulteney and Hornby titles. The delegates to the Bath convention from Cameron were Jacob Thayer, Joseph Loughry, Isaac Santee, Sheldon Porter and Hiram Averill, the latter serving on the committee which prepared the memorial presented to the agents of the proprietary. However, after the period of disturb- ance had passed, and after the settlers had become quieted in the posses- sion of their lands, all affairs resumed their natural channels, and thence- forth the history of the town was uneventful.

During the period of the Rebellion the town of Cameron furnished eighty-three men for the service, who were scattered through the vari- ous companies and regiments recruited in the county, notably the 86th, 23d, the 107th and the 189th regiments of infantry.

The supervisors of Cameron, in succession, have been as follows : Elias Mason, 1823-27; Joseph Loughry, 1828-30; Moses L. Pierson, 1831 ; Andrew G. Pierson, 1832; Isaac Santee, 1833-36; C. P. Hub- bard, 1837; James H. Miles, 1838; Joseph Loughry, 1839-40; Moses De Pue, 1 841 ; James Lawrence, 1842-44; H. L. Swift, 1845 ! Luther White, 1846-47; H. J. Hyatt, 1848; John Miles, 1849-50; H. J. Hyatt, 185 I ; William N. Smith, 1852-53 and 1856-59; Peter Chase, 1854; John Mitchell, 1855 ; Samuel D. Sellick, 1860-61 ; Orange W. Hinds, 1862-64; Luther White, 1865; Heman S. Swift, 1866-67; Jesse Santee, 1868 and 1881 ; A. J. Lawrence, 1869-70; Charles A. Bateman, 1871 and 1877-78; Lucius C. Pierson, 1872-73 and 1882-85 ;

THE CIVIL DIVISIONS OF THE COUNTY. 69

Grattan H. Wheeler, 1874-75 ; S. A. Gardner, 1876; John E. Dicky, 1879-80; Royal S. White, 1886-88; Joel Clark, 1889-90; Almon Waters, 1891 ; Joel Clark, 1892-95.

Half a century ago Cameron had more and greater industries than dur- ing recent years, for the lumbering operations were of great magnitude in this valley and brought to the town a class of people who possessed means and circulated it freel3^ Taverns and public houses were num- erous and each arriving stage coach brought its contingent of new- comers and buyers. In 1850 the New York and Erie railroad was built through the town, but even this great thoroughfare of travel had not the effect of keeping alive the interest of former years. Cameron village, West Cameron and North Cameron were places of note and importance at that time, yet only one has maintained its standing to the present day. West Cameron is now a hamlet of half a dozen dwell- ings, a church and a school, and its post-ofifice was discontinued in 1874. Here was once the home of Isaac Santee, David Ames and Luther White. North Cameron now consists of a few dwellings, and other evidences of the days of stage travel, especially the old buildings once used as hotels, for there were four of them on the old Bath road. The post-ofifice, however, has been maintained here, the present postmaster being Galen A. Clark. Cameron Mills is also a post station on the railroad, in the east part of the town. The postmaster is James Craw- ford.

The town of Cameron has several organized church societies, being four Methodist Episcopal and located at Cameron, West Cameron, South Hill and North Hill; also a Baptist church at Boyd's Corners, and a Christian church located in the Gardner district, so called.

Cameron has thirteen school districts, with 355 children attending school. For their instruction fourteen teachers are employed annually. The public moneys apportioned to the town in 1893-4 was $1,628,53, and there was raised by town tax $3,533.88.

The town officers of Cameron for the year 1895 ^^^ ^s follows : Joel Clark, supervisor; J. D. Wheeler, town clerk; James A. Smith, W. E. Ferguson, Mowry Stuart and G. M. Reese, justices of the peace ; P. P. Mason, M. G. Dickey and J. Halliman, assessors ; George Gunderman, highway commissioner; R. K. Wilson, overseer of the poor; F. E. McKenzic, C. E, Stuart and Z. D. Stuart, excise commissioners.

70 LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

Campbell. — Adjoining the town of Bath on the southeast is a dis- trict of land containing 25,500 acres, known by the name of Campbell, though previous to white settlement and civil organization the same district was called township 3, range 2, Phelps and Gorham purchase. The proprietary just mentioned sold this township to Prince Bryant, a Pennsylvanian, and conveyed it by deed dated September 3. 1789, in consideration of ^1,000, New York currency. On October 2d, fi^llow- ing, Bryant sold the township to Elijah Babcock, and the latter in turn sold in parcels, and at divers times, to Roger Clark {7,680 acres), Samuel Tooker, David Holmes and William Babcock. However, by some process of law the title to a large portion the township reverted to Oliver Phelps, who afterward sold Joshua Hathaway, Zalmon Tousey, Robert Campbell and Gideon Granger. Campbell purchased half the entire tract, his deed bearing date November 21, 1801. Tousey had 1,132 acres, under deed dated December 2, 1801. Hathaway became possessed of 2,037 acres, paying therefor $5,092.52, his deed bearing date October 2, 1801. Under these land operators the first settlements were made.

The pioneers of this town were Joseph Wolcott, Elias Williams, Samuel Calkins and David McNutt, who came in 1801 or '82, Pre- vious to this, however, Abram and Isaac Thomas had built a cabin in the town, but they were hunters and trappers rather than pioneer settlers. James Pearsall and one Sailor are also said to have been among the earliest settlers. In addition to these, many of the pur- chasers mentioned in the preceding paragraph also became settlers in the town, and were among its most inflential and useful men.

Conspicuous among the pioneers were the Campbell family, of whom Rev. Robert Campbell was the recognized head, and while the town was named after the family in general, he was regarded as the leader of them all and was in the minds of the organizers of the town when that event took place. Robert Campbell and his nephew, Samuel Campbell, the latter having served with credit during the Revolution, came to the Conhocton valley from Saratoga county in 1803. Robert brought with him four sons, Robert, jr.. Miner, Bradford and Philo. Bradford died in 1804, and was -the first person buried in the Campbell cemetery. Joseph Stevens settled in the town in 1805, and his sons, Joseph and John, were also early settlers.

THE CIVIL DIVISIONS OP THE COUNTY. 71

The Mead Creek colony, as it has been called, was brought to the town in i8i6, through the influence of David and William Holmes, who traded lands here for Vermont farms, thus inducing settlement by several sturdy sons of the Green Mountain State. They were Jonas and Jacob Woodward, Hinsdale Hammond and Stephen Corbin, all from Windham county. They were followed by Sampson and Amasa Bixby, and still later by others now forgotten. These Vermonters were chiefly Baptists, and as early as 1823 organized the " First Baptist Church of Painted Post," Rev. Jonathan Stone, pastor. Later on they were also instrumental in organizing the Baptist church at Cooper's Plains.

Recalling britfly the names of some others of the early settlers in Campbell, we may mention Selah Hammond, who built an early saw mill on Mead's Creek ; also Samuel Besly, Reuben W. Millard, Capt. John P. Knox, an extensive lumberman ; John D. Hamilton, who with others built a tannery in 1854, and the Campbell tannery in 1857, and was also an early storekeeper ; Daniel B. Curtis, also a tanner ; and Joel Orlando Comstock, Clark Bassett and others. The first birth in the town was that of Bradford Campbell ; the first marriage that of Asa Milliken and Rachel Campbell, and the first death that of Fred- erick Stewart, in 1806. Campbell & Stephens built the first saw mill, and Campbell & Knox the first grist mill. Robert Campbell kept the first tavern, and Frederick Stewart the first store.

In local history in the county Campbell has always been regarded as one of the rough, mountainous towns, but notwithstanding this it was as early settled, and by a class of inhabitants as thrifty and determined as found in any town in the entire region. The first settlers here found the timber as good and as abundant as they could desire, hence gave their first attention to lumbering. The more important tribu- taries of the Conhocton, such as Wolf and McNutt Runs, Mead's Creek, Dry Run, and Stephens's and Michigan Creeks, together with the main stream, furnished abundant water power and rafting facilities, and dur- ing the first quarter of a century of the town's history the business in- terests were equal to those even of the present day. As the forests were cleared away fine farms were developed, for the bottom lands are a rich alluvium, while the elevations have a strong clay and gravelly soil.

72 LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

In 1830 this township, then and previously a part of Hornby, con- tained about 500 inhabitants, and measures were soon taken for the erection of a new town. The desired act was passed April 15, 1831, and Caiupbell was brought into existence. At the first town meeting held in the spring of 1832, these ofificers were elected: Daniel Clark, supervisor; Milo Hurd, town clerk; William Stewart, Samuel Cook, Daniel Horton, assessors ; Adin J. Pratt, collector. The first justices were Parley Seamans and Alvin Corbin.

The supervisors of Campbell have been as follows : Daniel Clark, 1832 ; William D. Knox, 1833-34; Benjamin Farwell, 1835-37 ; Will- iam Stewart, 1838-39; S. A. Campbell, 1840-42 ; William Stewart, 1843-44; Willis McNeil, 1845-46; J. P. Knox, 1847-48; S A. Campbell, 1849; W. P. Knox, 1850; Willis McNeil, 1851-52; Joseph Hammond, 1853; S. J. Teeple, 1854; Alson Pierce, 1855; Daniel Curtis, 1856; Samuel Balcom, 1857-60; George W. Campbell, 1861- 65 ; Charles Cass, 1866-69; Charles H. Bemis, 1870-72 ; E. J. Arm- strong, 1873-74; G. R. Sutherland, 1875-77; Elias A. Overhiser, 1878; John D. Hamilton, 1879-84; George R. Sutherland, 1885-87; N. H. Piatt, 1888; E. B. Ross, 1889-91; H. B. Willard, 1892-93; John S. Curtis, 1894-95.

The town officers for 1895 are John S. Curtis, supervisor; Ira M. Piatt, town clerk; Daniel A. Stark, Harmon Stevens, John Wilcox and and Obed Nute, justices of the peace ; Myron A. Beard, Miles J. Wood- ward and Benjamin Balcom, assessors ; W. Bradley McNeil, collector ; James Greek, overseer of the poor ; John King, highway commissioner ; Thomas A. Sawyer, Josiah T. Burrows, Floyd Fuller, excise commis- sioners.

The population of Campbell, by decades, has been as follows : 1840, 852; 1850, 1. 175; i860, 1,622; 1870, 1,989; 1880, 1,881, and in 1890, 1,533. The population in 1892 was 1,539.

In 1852 the Buffalo, Corning and New York Railroad was built through the Conhocton valley, and a station was established in this town, but it is doubtful if even this great thoroughfare of travel and transportation brought to the vicinity a more prosperous period than existed during the days of stage travel and river traffic. During the war of 1861-65, the town of Campbell sent into the service a total of 175 men, twenty-three of whom were enlisted in other towns.

LAN

;o this township, th

and Ca- ■>._■■■■ .■ .v held in tije ^prins^ supervisor; Mile Daniel Horton, :i \yere Parley

The supci 1832; Willi,. iam Stewai : 1843-44; • Campbell, 1 K Hammond, Curtis, iSs^" 65 ; Charle: ■ strong, 1873-74 ■ \RyS] John D. .1 X. H Piatt, 18.^ ;■ hn S. Curtis, i:

The town offi> Piatt, town clerk , and Obed Nute, }> ward and Benjan ■ ^mes Greek, ovt

•ornby, con-

.. .aken for the

■■\ April 15. 1831,

.if= arst town meeting

'-cted : Daniel Clark,

iewart, Samuel Cook,

•. The first justice'^'

Daniel Clc.

•rwell, 1835-37; \\ 42; William Stewai l, Mox, 1847-48 ; S A. Xeil, 1851-52 ; Joseph Pierce, 1855 ; Daniel .>57-60i U'orge VV. Campbell, 1861- rles H. Bemis, 1 870-72 ; E. J. Arm- ^nd, 1875-77; Elias A. Overhi? , r_ -.,...,,. o Sutherland, 1885-' B. Willard, 1892-'.

ns, supervisor ; irmcii Stevens, Jolin Wilcox and Vlyron A. Beard. Miles J. Wood- , W. Bradley McNeil, collect, -., :. j .- ,ohn King, highway commissions imas A. Sawyer, losiah T, Burrows, I-'loyd Fuller, excise comm icrs. he population of Campbell, by decades, has been as follows : 18 ;

I

S50, 1. 1 75; iH6o, 1,622; 1870. ih; ,' ■'. i^ The population in 1892 w«

!;• : tile Buffalo, Corning and ihior-r '"■■ "hocton valley, p^^'

u>v.v,. 1 oubtful if even

transpoitario; ij • nght to the vicimt existed during the days of stage tra\ . war of 1861-65, the town of Campbell sc

S81, and in

iiiroad was built

.. . established in this

'Ughfare of travel and

fosperous period than

•: r traffic. During the

ito the service a total *

175 men, twenty-three of whom were enlisted in other towns.

THE CIVIL DIVISIONS OF THE COUNTY. 73

Well verified tradition informs us that the first school in this town was opened by Rhoda Simmons in 1817, in what was known as the " hunter's cabin," also that the second school was kept in a barn, and that Betsey Woodward and Mrs. Davis were the earliest teachers there. The first school house was a log building. After being set off from Hornby, in 1831, the territory of Campbell was divided into school districts and provision made for the support of a school house in each. As now constituted, the town contains nine districts, each provided with a school house. During the current year, 1893-4. twelve teachers were employed. The number of children of school age was 309. The amount of public moneys received was $1,374.43, and the town raised by tax, $2,355.82.

Canisteo. — The originial town of Canisteo, erected cotemporane- ously with Steuben county, contained the territory of the present town of that name, and also Greenwood, West Union, Hartsville, Hornells- ville, and portions of Troupsburg and Jasper. A part of Troupsburg was taken off in i8o8, and a second portion in 18 18. Hornellsville was set off in 1820, and portions of Jasper and Greenwood in 1827. Re- duced to its present area, Canisteo contains 32,200 acres of land, being sixth in size among the existing towns of the county. In the survey and subdivision of the vast Phelps and Gorham purchase, Canisteo was township 3, range 5, and was purchased conjointly with township 4 of range 6 (now Hornellsville), the early history of each being common in many respects, and also rich and interesting.

Previous to the advent of the white man this town, and in fact the whole valley of the Canisteo, was the abiding place and favorite hunt- ing and fishing grounds of the American Indians. The region was originally the land of the Senecas, but by sufferance the Delawares were permitted to occupy portions of it. We are told that within the limits of this town was once the Indian village of " Kanestio," where also lived a number of deserters from the British army and other rene- gades from the white settlements. The murder of two Dutch traders by these outlaws brought upon them the vengeance of Sir William Johnson, and the result was the destruction of their settlement.

According to the oft- repeated story, the valley of the Canisteo was discovered by the whites early in the year 1788, by Solomon Bennett,

74 LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

Capt. John Jamison, Uriah Stephens, Richard Crosby, and we may add possibly Ehsha Brown, all of whom left their Pennsylvania homes on an exploring expedition into the southeastern part of the Phelps and Gorham purchase. After examining several localities in the Conhocton valley the party crossed the hills to the south and entered the Canisteo valley. Here they found land suited to their desires, and the result was the formation of a company and the purchase of township 3 of range 5, and township 4 of range 6, now known respectively as Canisteo and Hornellsville. Each of these townships was surveyed and divided into great lots, twelve in number, and were drawn for by lot. In Canisteo the lots were drawn in this order: Arthur Irwin, No. i ; Christian Kress, No. 2 ; Solomon Bennett, Nos. 3 and 4; Joel Thomas, No. 5 ; John Stephens. No. 6 ; John Jamison, No. 7 ; Uriah Stephens, No. 8; Uriah Stephens, jr., No. 9; William Wynkoop, No. 10; James Hadley, No. 11 ; Elisha Brown, No. 12.

This disposition of the lands having been made the company sent a party of men to cut and stack the hay found growing on the extensive Canisteo flats. This was in 1789, and in the fall of that year Uriah Stephens, sen., and Benjamin Crosby, with portions of their families., came from Newtown (Elmira) and made the first permanent settlement. Their personal effects were brought up the river on flatboats, while Elias, Elijah, Benjamin and William Stephens drove the cattle along the shore to the new settlement. These pioneers passed the following winter in the town, and in the spring of 1790 were joined by Solomon Bennett, Uriah Stephens, jr., Col. John Stephens and their families. Soon afterward there came Jedediah Stephens, John Redford and Andrew Bennett.

Thus was made the pioneer settlement in the town of Canisteo. One of the most active and wealthy of the settlers was Solomon Bennett, who in 1793 built the first grist mill in the town, it being located on Bennett's Creek about half a mile above its mouth. The building was soon burned, after which the settlers were obliged to go to Hornell's Mills for their " grist." Mr. Bennett also opened the first store, while Jedediah Stephens kept the first tavern. The first birth was that of Olive Stephens, November 18, 1 790 ; the first marriage that ol Richard Crosby and Hannah Baker, and the first death was that of Henry Stephens,

THE CIVIL DIVISIONS OF THE COUNTr. 75

Referring still further to the subject of early settlement in this town, the statement maybe made that Solomon Bennett came from Wyoming, and that his wife was a sister of Col. John Stephens. Daniel Jamison was a native of Scotland. His wife was Mary M. Baxter, and in their family were eight children, a number of whom were intimately associ- ated with the early history of this locality. Col. John Stephens married Olive Franklin, and was for many years an important man in the new settlement. He and Rev. Jedediah Stephens were natives of Connecti- cut. Recalling the names of other prominent men and families in the town, we may mention Capt Nathan Stephens, Joshua C. Stephens, Jeremiah Baker, sen., the Moore families, nicknamed respectively " Big John" and "Little Johnny," William S.Thomas, James McBurney, Uriah Upson, James Moore, John Stearns, Nathan Hallett and others, all worthy of mention among the substantial men of the town at an early day.

Once fairly begun, settlement in this part of the valley increased rapidly, and in i8oo the town had a population of 510. Ten years later, Troupsburg having in the meantime been set off, the population of Canisteo was 656. In 1820, its territory being reduced to substan- tially its present limits, the town contained 891 inhabitants. In 1830 the number was 619, and 941 in 1840. During the next decade the population was more than doubled, being in 1850, 2.030. In i860 it increased to 2,337, '" iSyo to 2,435, ^"cl in 1880, principally on account of the growth of Canisteo village, to 3,694. In 1890 the population of the town was 3,629, and in 1892 was 3,593. The population of the vil- lage of Canisteo in 1 890 was 2,071.

In 1 81 2 Judge Hurlburt, of Arkport, wrote a descriptive history of Canisteo in which he said the town then contained 266 square miles, and was nineteen miles long, north and south, by fourteen miles wide. Speaking of the streams, he said that the Canisteo was " boatable" as far up as Arkport. He also described Canisteo village as having twenty houses and stores, a post office and considerable trade.

As we have already stated the early settlement of the town was ac- complished rapidly, and indeed the organization was effected at the time of the creation of the county. But, unfortunately, the first records of this pioneer town are not to be found, nor any other reliable data

re LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

from which we may learn the names of its first officers. This, however, cannot be regarded as important, for at that time the town was so large that the present Canisteo comprises comparatively little of its original territory. At the town meeting held in the spring of 1801, at the house of Benjamin Crosby, (Hornellsville), these officers were elected : Uriah Stephens, supervisor ; Joseph A. Rathbone, town clerk ; Obediah Ayres, Richard Crosby and Nathan Hallett, assessors ; Samuel Hallett, jr., collector ; James Hadley and Nathan Hallett, overseers of the poor.

In this connection also it is interesting to note the succession of super- visors from the year 1801 to the present time, viz.: Uriah Stephens, 1801-10; William Hyde, iSii; William Stephens, 1812; Christopher Hurlbut, 1 8 13-15 ; Uriah Stephens, 1815-19; Thomas Bennett, 1820- 22; William Stephens, 1823-26; Joshua Chapman, 1827; William Stephens, 1828-29; William Bennett, 1830-32; William Stephens, 1833-34; Elias Stephens, 1835-37; Finley McClure, 1838; Daniel Jamison, 1839-40; H. C. Whitwood, 1841-42; Finley McClure, 1843- 44; William H. Mead, 1845-46; Obediah Stephens, 1847-50; Hart Eason, 1851-52; W.B.Jones, 1853-54; Hart Eason, 1855-56; Joshua C. Stephens, 1857-58; Lucius C. Waldo, 1859-60; Nelson Hallett, 1861-62; William H. Mead, 1863-64; N. C.Taylor, 1865-66; George Riddell, 1867-68; Thomas Hallett, 1869; John H. Brown, 1870-72; George Riddell, 1873-74 ; Miner Sammons, 1875-76 ; Albert J. Carter, 1877 ; Smith Eason, 1878; Leroy Riddell, 1879-82 ; W. E. Stephens, 1883-84; Nathan J. Stephens, 1885-86; U. E. Buck, 1887; M. D. Ellison, 1888; Harrison Crane, 1889-91; James Roblee, 1892-93; Julius M. Hitchcock, 1894-95.

The town officers of Canisteo for the year 1895 are as follows: Julius M. Hitchcock, supervisor; Jay Patchen, town clerk; Almon W, Burrell, Emmet Stephens, Adelbert Rosa, James Eben Wilson and Albert Sunmer, justices of the peace; D. W. Comfort, D. C. Thomas and Ney Wilson, assessors; Stearns Jamison, collector; Daniel Ordway, overseer of the poor ; J. M. Peterson, highway commissioner ; Elijah Hallett, Jacob Vickers and W. P. Goff, commissioners of excise.

The civil history of the town of Canisteo, although uneventful, has nevertheless been a continuous record of growth, development and pros- perity. Naturally, settlement began in the region of the Canisteo

THE CIVIL DIVISIONS OF THE COUNTY. 77

River, thence extended up the valleys of the lesser streams, Bennett's and Col. Bill's Creeks, and finally spread throughout the entire town. All, however, was practically accomplished during the first thirty-five years of the town's history, while pioneership ceased with the last century. The "Swale" region was settled before 1825, and most of the town lands were fully settled within the next half score of years. The war of 18 1 2 had little effect on the people here, though the attitude and disposition of the Indians was carefully watched, for the inhabitants feared an outbreak from them. However, the whites had by this time thoroughly impressed the natives with their superiority, and although an occasional demonstration was made by the savages, they were at all times under reasonable control.

The greater portion of the settlers were farmers, whose time and energies were devoted to clearing and tilling the land, paving the way for future successes by their descendants, and as a result of this early industry Canisteo is now regarded as one of the best agricultural towns of the valley. The soil generally is a clayey and gravelly loam, and not all the fertile lands are found in the valleys, but even on the hills are some of the most productive farms in the town. General agriculture has been the chief pursuit of the farming element of population, and the most profitable crops of the present day are hay, oats and potatoes.

For their personal convenience the settlers at an early day built up several small villages, the principal one of which, Canisteo, has grown to importance in commercial and business circles, and has become an incorporated municipality. However, this village is made the subject of special mention in another part of this work. The others we may briefly mention here.

Bennett's Creek is a post-office (established 1845) ^'id hamlet situate in the southeast part of the town, on the stream of the same name. A store has generally been maintained here, and the place now and for some years past has had an additional industry in the possession of a good cheese factory, the latter known as the Bassett cheese factory. The postmaster and merchant here is Elihu D. Conklin.

Swale is located in the southeast part of the town, and has a post- office (established i860) and one or two business enterprises. This region is somewhat extensive and was settled between 1820 and 1825.

78 LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

The office was established here for the convenience of the people of this part of the town. The postmaster is Orren I. Jones, and E. O. Downs is local tinsmith. In this locality is a Union Methodist and Universalist church, built by the people of the vicinity.

South Canisteo is also a post office in the southeast part of the town, for local accommodation. The postmaster and storekeeper is Elmer D. Van Ormen.

Spring Brook is the name of a locality in the vicinity of Col Bill's Creek. This is an agricultural portion of the town and has no village settlement. However, here are two Methodist Protestant churches, each of which has a good membership and a comfortable church home. Both of these societies, as well as that at Swale, are under the pastoral care of Rev, S. E. Matthews.

Adrian and Crosbyville are the different names of a little hamlet on the Erie road, less than two miles east of Canisteo. The former is the post-office and railway designation, while the latter suggests the name of one of the old families of the town. Here are two stores, a black- smith shop and a wagon shop. The postmaster is Hiram Crosby, and the merchants are Messrs. Crosby and Delaney.

Canisteo Center is between Canisteo and Adrian. Its only industry is the grist mill of J. V. Carman.

The inhabitants of the town and village of Canisteo, ever mindful of tlie spiritual and educational welfare of their families and children, have made generous provision for the erection and maintenance of churches and schools throughout the town. Those of the former in the outlying districts we have already mentioned in this chapter, while those of the village will be found referred to in the church history in this work. Of the earJy schools little is known except in a general way, and even unreliable tradition furnishes us no data from which can be deter- mined the location of the first schools. Still, the fact is well known that about 1800 a primitive school was opened in the village, and as settlement advanced into the more remote localities, the town was divided into districts and good schools provided for each. According to the present disposition of school interests, there are thirteen districts, each of which is provided with a good school. The whole number of children attending during the school year 1893-94 was

THE CIVIL DIVISIONS OF THE COUNTY. 79

yS^, for whose instruction nineteen teachers were employed. There was received of public moneys from the State, $2,506.08, and the amount raised by local tax was $3,609.21. The value of school build- ings and sites in the town is estimated at $8,770.

Caton. — On the 28th of March, 1839, the Legislature passed an act, by which " all that part of the town of Painted Post, in the county of Steuben, being township No. i, in the first range," etc., "shall con- stitute a new town of the name of Wormley." However, on the 3d of April, 1840, the erecting act was amended and the name of the town was changed to " Caton," in memory of Richard Caton, one of the orig- inal land proprietors in the region. The first name — Wormley — was given to the town in allusion to Samuel Wormley, the first postmaster at the office having his name.

This town is situated in the extreme southeast corner of the county, and contains 22,700 acres of land. The surface is a rolling upland, yet more nearly level than most lands in the county. Its soil is a clayey and shaly loam, and the streams are small brooks flowing northward. At an early day lumbering was extensively carried on in the town, and the forests were not generally cleared away until a comparatively recent date. From that time the chief pursuit of the inhabitants has been farming and sugar making, and as an agricultural town Caton ranks well among the divisions of the county. The farms as a rule are well cultivated, the buildings neat and attractive, and the general appear- ance of things throughout the town indicates thrift, energy and prosperity on the part of its people.

The pioneer of townslTip i is said to have been one Ford, who built a log cabin and made a clearing a little east of the Center in 1 8 1 o, although during the same year other woodsmen made a clearing in the town, but no settlement. However, Ford left the vicinity after two years of hard- ships, and was succeeded by the first permanent settler, Isaac Rowley, a native and former resident of Bradford county. Pa., though previous to locating in Caton he had lived in Lindley. In 18 19 this doughty pioneer cut a road from over the Pennsylvania line into the southwest part of Caton, to the point where he made his location The next settlers were Stephen and Simeon Hurd, Uriah Wilmot, John Rowe and Erastus Kidder, all of whom came to the town in the spring of 1821.

80 LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

Salmon Tarbox came in 1822, and about the same time Elias P. Bab ■ cock, E. Robbins and Abner Gilbert purchased 4,000 acres of land near the Center. Mr. Gilbert built a saw mill near where the Baptist church was afterward erected. The settlers in 1824 were Ephraim Hill, Levi, Willys and Eli Gridley and their families. In 1025 Dr. Gregory located southeast of the Center. Isaac Thompson settled in 1827. In 1832 Frederick and Gershom Bernard built a saw mill near the Corning line, and in the same year Bennett Breeze built the first grist mill in the town, and located on Barnard's Creek, about two miles north of the Center. The first steam mill was put in operation in 1842 by Dexter and Daniel Davis, and was located in the heavy pine woods above Barnard's Mills. James Davison was another of the early settlers of Caton, while among the many others may be mentioned Jonathan S. Hurd, Simeon Hurd, Joshua Russell, Titus Smith, Samuel F. Berry, Henry D. Smith, Benoni Johnson, John Gillette, Salmon Tarbox, Orlando Gregory, Ephraim Robbins, Rufus Howe, Horatio Gorton, George Bucher, Amos Lewis, and others of later date, but all of whom were devoted to the best interests of the town by building up substantial homes and farms for themselves and their families.

In 1840, when first set off from Painted Post, Caton had only 797 inhabitants, but during the next ten years, the population increased to 1,214. In i860 the inhabitants numbered 1,550, and 1,554 in 1870. In 1880 the number increased to 1,642, but during the next ten years fell off to 1,445. The population of Caton in 1892 was 1,388, or less than at any census enumeration since 1850

The act creating the town provided that the first meeting for the election of officers should be held on the second Tuesday in F'ebruary, 1840. In fact, the new town itself did not have an organized existence previous to the first Monday in February of the year mentioned. The first officers were Amos Lewis, supervisor ; Orlando Gregory, town clerk ; John Gillett, Russell Stanton and Zimri B. Robbins, asses- sors ; Israel Woodworth, Jacob Robbins, George Westcott and N. C. Babcock, justices of the peace.

The town officers in 1895 are Alonzo Deyo, supervisor ; P. F. Grid- ley, clerk; Alonzo Deyo, F. W. Speer, John Wellman and Edgar Matteson, justices of the peace; J. S. Holmes, E. W. Barnard and E.

THE CIVIL DIVISIONS OF THE COUNTY. 81

A. Hill, assessors ; B. S. Niver, collector; Jonas Johnson, overseer of the poor; H. D. Davis, highway commissioner; H. J. Farran and Henry Russell, excise commissioners.

The supervisors of Caton, in succession, have been as follows: Amos Lewis, 1840; John Gillett, 1841 and '43; Naboth C. Babcock, 1842; James L. Whitney, 1844-45 J Amzi English, 1846; Orlando Gregory, 1847-48; Henry D. Smith, 1849 '53 ;■ Christian Minier, 1850, '54, 1860-62, '66; James Lawry, 1851-52; D. Clinton Westcott, 1855-56; P. H. Brown. 1857, and 1864-65 ; William D. Gilbert, 1858-59, '63 and '6y ; J. B. Rathbun, 1869-71 ; Levi Force, 1872; Edwin C. Eng- lish, 1873-74; Alonzo Deyo, 1875-77 and 1893-95; Abram J. Whit- ney, 1878; W. O. Matteson, 1879-92.

During the period of its history, there have been built up within the limits of the town two small hamlets or trading centres, each established for the convenience of the inhabitants. They are named, respectively, Caton and West Caton, the former located near the center of the town, and the latter near the northwest corner. However, both these ham- lets are specially mentioned in the department of the work devoted to municipal history. The same may also be said of the churches of the town, which are referred to in the chapter on ecclesiastical history.

The town of Caton has a military record equal if not superior to any other civil division of the county, for if statistics be accurate there were sent into the service during the war of 1861-65 ^ total of 196 men, as reference to the official roster will disclose. In i860, a single year before the outbreak of the war, the town's population was only 1,550. Few towns in the county can equal this record. Also in this little town are twelve school districts, with twelve teachers employed annually. The value of school property is $6,415. During the school year 1893-4, the town received of public moneys $1,379.09, and raised by town tax the further sum of $1,613.05. n

82 LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY

CHAPTER VII.

THE CIVIL DIVISIONS OF THE COUNTY.

COHOCTON. — About the year 1794, that enterprising pioneer and colonizer, Charles Williamson, sent Joseph Biven to build a tavern and found a settlement at the "Twenty-two Mile Tree," on the Conhocton River. The result of this early effort was the establishment of a ham- let known to the early settlers as " Biven's Corners," and so designated until the settlement was made a post station under the name of North Cohocton. This was done in 1825. Richard Hooker is also credited with having been a pioneer of the same locality, but recollections of him are meagre. James and Aruna Woodward, Vermont Yankees, came to this part of the valley in 1802, the former settling on the after- ward called Waldron place, where he built a cabin. Obediah Wood- ward was a son (as also Wcis Aruna) of James, and was a stalwart young man when the settlement was made.

Another of the pioneers, and one whose surname has been preserved by substantial landmarks until quite recently, was Frederick Blood, a native of Germany but who came here from the older settlement at Saratoga. Blood's Station was named from this family, for Frederick had several sons, all earnest and industrious men and of great assistance in developing the resources of the new country. Jonas and James Cleland, father and son, came into the region from old, historic Pom- pey, in Onondaga county, in 1805, and the Cleland cabin was the first dwelling between Cohocton and Avoca This pioneer built the first saw and grist mills in Cohocton, the former on the site of the Warner mill of later years, and the latter opposite the Cleland dwelling. The saw mill was built about 1808, and the grist mill at a later date.

Alvin Talbot and Ezra Parker were early settlers, as also was Job Briggs, the cooper and otherwise useful man at that time. Other early settlers were Stephen Burrows and Ebenezer Keeler, the latter a man of

THE CIVIL DIVISIONS OF THE COUNTY. 83

means and influence. In the Loon Lake locality Joseph Jackson, Eleazer Tucker, John, George and Paul Wilson, and also Salmon Brownson and his sons, were the first comers. Joseph Chamberlin came from Herkimer county in 1805, and settled near Liberty (now Cohocton), and in the year following Levi Chamberlin, Joseph Shattuck and Deacon Horace Wheeler were added to the now rapidly increasing roll of pioneers. Still others worthy of mention were Timothy Sherman, James Bernard, Samuel Rhodes, Jesse Atwood, Isaac Morehouse, Charles Burlingham and Richard Hooper, all of whom were in some manner identified with the early and interesting history of the valley. Mr. Hooper's death is said to have been the first event of its kind in the town.

Among the other principal first events may be noted the marriage of Joseph Biven and Sarah Hooker in 1798, and their child, Bethiah Hooker Biven, was the first born in town, in the year 1800. Sophia Trumbull taught the first school, about 18 10, in the house built by James Cleland. William Walker built the first tannery, about 1816, and Rudolphus Howe put in operation the first distillery. The latter was an industry of much note, if not of importance, in the region and many are the anecdotes connected with it. In 1823, Gabriel Dusenbury and his sons, Seth and John, built a saw mill on the site of the later Hoag mill, and run it nearly twenty years, when Stoning & Brown con- verted the building into a paper mill. During the period of its history, Cohocton has been the home of many transient industries, several of them useful in the time of their erection, but afterward passing away and giving place to more profitable and enduring interests.

In the North Cohocton locality were a number of substantial and prominent settlers, among whom was Richard Hooker, from Baltimore, Md., former owner of a plantation and imbued somewhat with southern ideas and notions. He brought several slaves to the town, but when he united with the Society of Friends he manumitted his blacks and made suitable provision for their welfare. Henry and Richard Crouch were also early settlers, and in the same connection may be mentioned the Moultons and Tylers, Daniel Raymond and sons, John and Duty Waite, John Bush, Chauncey Atwell, Elijah Wing, David and Abijah Fowler, John Nicholson, Samuel Salisbury, Dr. F. H. Blakeley, Solomon Hub- bard, an early storekeeper, Benoni Danks, Jerry W. Pierce, " Uncle " Reuben Clason, Caleb Boss, and others whose names are now lost.

^i LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

As will be seen from this narrative, the settlement of this part of Bath and Dansville was accomplished rapidly. Indeed, as early as the year 1814 the newly formed town contained 746 inhabitants, hence it is little wonder that they sought the formation of a separate district, for public convenience demanded that they have the same town facilities as were possessed elsewhere in the county. The act erecting the town was passed June 18, 18 12, and the first town meeting was appointed to be held at the house of Joseph Shattuck, jr.

The electors met at the designated place on the 13th of April, 1813, and chose these officers : Samuel Wells, supervisor ; Charles Bennett, town clerk ; Stephen Crawford, John Slack and William Bennett, asses- sors; Jared Barr, John Woodward and Isaac Hill, highway commis- sioners ; John Slack and Samuel D. Wills, poormasters ; James Barnard, collector and constable.

The town records in which were kept the proceedings of town meet- ings, between the years 18 13 and 1839, have been lost, thus making it impossible to furnish a complete succession of supervisors. However, having recourse to other records extant, a reasonably accurate list can be furnished from 1823, viz.: Paul C. Cook, 1823-26; David Weld, 1827-28; Paul C. Cook, 1829-30; David Weld, 1831; John Nichol- son, 1832; Paul C.Cook, 1833-35 ; EHas Stephens, 1836; Paul C.Cook, 1837-38; Calvin Blood, 1839; John Hess, 1840-41; Paul C. Cook, 1842; John Hess, 1843-44; Calvin Blood, 1845 J Zephman Flint, 1846 ; John Hess, 1847; Calvin Blood, 1848; Zephman Flint, 1849; C. J. McDowell, 1850-52; David H. Wilcox, 1853; C. J. McDowell, 1854; A. Larrowe, 1855-57; James Draper. 1858; Stephen D. Shattuck, 1859 ; David Wilcox, 1860-62 ; F. N. Drake, 1863-64; D. H. Wilcox, 1865 ; John H. Butler, 1866-67; C. E. Thorp, 1868 ; S. D. Shattuck, 1869-70; J. M. Tripp. 1871 ; S. D. Shattuck, 1872; Thomas Warner, 1873-74; James P. Clark, 1875 ; O. S. Searle, 1876; Myron W. Har- ris, 1877; Byron A. Tyler, 1878; Myron W. Harris, 1879-80; C. E. Thorp, 1 881; D wight Weld, 1882-83; James M. Reynolds, 1884; Asa McDowell. 1885 ; W. T. Slattery, 1886; C. E. Thorp, 1887; H. W. Hatch, 1888; Charles Oliver, 1889; Dwight Weld, 1890; A. H. Wilcox, 1891-92; H. C. Hatch, 1893-95.

The officers of the town for the year 1895 are as follows: Hyde C.

THE CIVIL DIVISIONS OF THE COUNTY. 85

Hatch, supervisor ; W. K. Fowler, J. L. Waugh, J. J. Crouch, and E. A. Draper, justices of the peace ; William Craig, William Hammond and Henry Schwingel, assessors ; Eugene Slayton, collector ; Martin M. Wilcox, highway commissioner; MelchoirZeh, overseer of the poor ; Murray Tripp, Philip Folts and George I. Shoultice, commissioners of excise.

As we have before stated, Cohocton was formed from the still older towns of Bath and Dansville, and was, originally, much larger in area than as now constituted. A part was taken off in 1843 to form Avoca, and a considerable area was taken for Wayland in 1848. In 1874 a portion of Prattsburg was annexed to Cohocton. The town was named in allusion to the principal stream which crosses its territory in a rather tortuous course, but the framers of the town project, either for brevity or euphony, dropped the " n " in the first syllable, from which we have the name " Cohocton " instead of Conhocton.

As at present constituted, this town has an area of 34,600 acres of land, as good, fertile and generally productive as can be found in Steu- ben county. In fact Cohocton has long been classsd among the best towns of the entire valley, and the volume of business, in all branches, exceeds that of some of the larger towns. Cohocton, Atlanta and North Cohocton are villages of some note and shipping points of more than ordinary importance. These villages, however, are made the subject of special- mention in another department of this volume, to which the attention of the reader is directed.

When this town was formed in 18 12, the public mind was consider- ably agitated by the events of the war then in progress ; and the inhab- itants of this particular region had an additional element of disturbance in their very midst, for the Indians were still in the valley and some attempts were made to incite them to deeds of violence against the set- tlers. A number of the men of the town joined the army and saw service on the frontier, and nearly all the able-bodied men were among the enrolled militia and prepared for military duty on call. However, the storm of war passed without disaster to local interests, and the In- dians were restrained by the determined attitude of the settlers. Soon after 181 5 the last remnant of them withdrew from the valley and went to the State reservations.

86 LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

In 1 8 14, two years after the creation of the town, the inhabitants numbered 746, and in 1820 the number had increased to 1,560. Ten years later,