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GENEALOGY COLLECTION
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ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 02214 6887
P
LANDMARKS
OF
RLEANS COUNTY
NEW YORK
Illustrated
EDITED BY
HON. ISAAC S. SIGNOR OF ALBION, N. Y.
ASSISTED BY H. P. SMITH AND OTHERS
SYRACUSE, N. Y. D. MASON & COMPANY, PUBLISHERS 1894
INTRODUCTORY. 1206109
In presenting this historical and biographical record of Orleans county to its readers, the editor and his associates feel that no apology is de- manded, either for the motives which first prompted the undertaking or for the accomplished results. While several more or less incomplete works treating upon the history of this locality have been published prior to the inception of this volume, it is true that the field has never been properly occupied. This fact was realized and appreciated by the rep- resentative people of the county, most of whom had long entertained the desire that a work worthy of the subject, and comprehensive and reasonably correct, might be published before many of the sources of information should become extinct,
No person unfamiliar with work of this kind can properly appreciate its difficulties. Were it otherwise, and could the many who will turn these pages have followed the long course of the task, their censure would fall very lightly upon the heads of the editor and his helpers. No writer ever has-probably never will-produce such a volume, con- taining a great mass of material and thousands of names and dates, without numerous errors. For this reason, if for no other, absolute accuracy will not be expected herein. It is believed that all who may read these pages will feel kindly disposed and pass over the occasional flaw, to the perusal of that which fully meets their expectations.
A great amount of time and space has been devoted to the record of the earliest purchases of the land in Orleans county and it is confidently believed that this will be found an exceedingly interesting and impor- tant part of the work, not only as giving, as nearly as could be done, a complete record of the earliest owners of each lot, but also as giving
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INTRODUCTORY.
the names of hundreds of the very earliest settlers in the county, many of whose names might otherwise be forgotten.
To all who have aided in the preparation of this work (and they are so numerous as to render it impracticable to name them here), the grat- itude of editors and publishers is due and hereby expressed. No worthy history of this county could have been written without such aid. Es- pecially valuable has been the volume published long ago by Judge Arad Thomas; the manuscripts embodying the researches of Dr. Thomas F. Cushing, which he has generously placed in the custody of the Orleans County Pioneer Association; the work of Prof. Freeman A. Greene in aiding in the preparation of the history of the educational institutions of the county; the history of Free Masonry by George A. Newell; the account of the Odd Fellows Order by John H. White; the History of the Town of Clarendon recently published by David S. Cope- land, and the personal assistance of county and town officers, newspaper editors, and many others.
The editor of the work desires to make especial acknowledgment of the great assistance rendered him in his part of the labor by Edwin L. Wage and Herbert T. Reed, and to render due acknowledgment to Dr. Thomas Cushing for his part in the preparation of the articles on the land purchases, and for several articles, some of which were pre- ' pared especially for this work and others of which were prepared by him for other works and rewritten, in whole or in part, by him and used in this work by his permission.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
Original Counties-Montgomery County and its Subdivisions-Act Erecting Orleans County-Map of Original Genesee County-The County Scat 1
CHAPTER II.
General Topography of the County-" The Ridge"-Geological Formations -Tonawanda Swamp-Salt Springs-Streams.
CHAPTER III.
Original Occupants of the Soil-Cessions of Lands-Pre-Historic and Indian Re- mains-Review of Events Leading to Settlement by White Men. 20
CHAPTER IV.
Original Claims and Titles-Boundaries of the Province of New York-Gradual Encroachment of White Men upon Indian Territory-Conflicting Claims of New York and Massachusetts-The Dispute Settled at Hartford-The Phelps and Gorham Purchase-The Morris Reserve-The Transit Line-The Con- necticut Tract-The Holland Land Company-Indian Title Extinguished- Survey of Orleans County-Policy of the Holland Land Company. B1
CHAPTER V.
Indian Trails-The Ridge and the Ridge Road-The Lake as an Early Avenue of Transportation and Travel-Construction of Early Roads-Building of Mills-Legislation in relation to Roadmaking-Map of 1809. 50
CHAPTER VI.
Early Settlements-Character of the Pioneers-Their Hardships and Privations -The War of 1812-15-Effects of the " Cold Summer "-Early Mills and Man- ufactures-The Morgan Case-The Lake and its Traffic-Town Organiza- tions and Formation of the County-Establishment of Schools and Churches. 55
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CONTENTS.
CHAPTER VII.
Modes of Transportation and Travel in Early Years-Opening of the Erie Canal -Changes Wrought by this Waterway-Early Public Legislation-The First and Second Locations of the County Seat-The First Banks -- Railroads-The " Hard Times" of 1837-38-A Deplorable Accident. 61
CHAPTER VIII.
Outbreak of the Great Civil War-Enthusiasm of the People-The First Organi- zation to Leave this County for the Seat of War-Formation of Other Organ- izations-Number of Volunteers from the Various Towns-Death Roll of Orleans Volunteers. 70
CHAPTER IX.
Since the War-Business Activity and Plentitude of Money-Establishment of Various Business and Public Undertakings-County Statistics-Civil List -Political-Orleans County Pioneer and Historical Association. 91
CHAPTER X.
Comparison of State Law with the Common Law-Evolution of the Courts-The Court of Appeals-The Supreme Court-The Court of Chancery-The County Court-The Surrogate's Court-Justice's Court-District Attorneys-Sheriffs -Court House-Judicial Officers-Personal Notes 98
CHAPTER XI.
The Medical Profession. 139
CHAPTER XII.
The Press of Orleans County. 145
CHAPTER XIII.
The Quarrying Industry-Its Development and Present Proportions-First Quarry Opened-Operators and Owners-Statistics. 152
CHAPTER XIV.
Secret Societies, Public Institutions, etc. 161
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CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XV.
Schools of Orleans County.
CHAPTER XVI.
The Town and Village of Albion.
216
CHAPTER XVII.
The Town of Ridgeway and Village of Medina. - 292
CHAPTER XVIII.
The Town of Murray.
378
CHAPTER XIX.
The Town of Gaines.
416
CHAPTER XX.
The Town of Barre.
461
CHAPTER XXI.
The Town of Shelby.
508
CHAPTER XXII.
The Town of Clarendon.
556
CHAPTER XXIII.
588
The Town of Yates.
CHAPTER XXIV.
The Town of Carlton 623
CHAPTER XXV.
The Town of Kendall. 659
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CONTENTS.
PART II.
Biographies, .
1-48
PART III.
Family Sketches, 1-230
Index to Part I. 231-234
Index to Part II.
235
Index to Part III.
235-241
Index to Portraits.
241-243
Landmarks of Orleans County.
CHAPTER I
Original Counties-Montgomery County and its Subdivisions-Act Erecting Orleans County -- Map of Original Genesee County -- The County Seat.
THE original ten counties of what is now the State of New York were created November 1, 1683, and named Albany, New York, Dutchess, Kings, Queens, Orange, Richmond, Suffolk, Ulster, and Westchester. On the 11th of March, 1772, Montgomery county was erected under the name of "Tryon," in honor of William Tryon, governor of New York in 1771. The change in name was made in 1784, on account of the odium that attached to Tryon's name. He was made a colonel in 1772 and a major-general in 1777, and led in person the expeditions that destroyed Danbury, Fairfield, and Norwalk, Conn. Montgomery county embraced nearly the whole of the western and central part of the State. In 1789 all that part of the State lying west of Phelps and Gorham's " pre- emption line," was erected into the county of Ontario. In 1802 Genesee county was formed from that part of the State lying west of the Genesee river. At the same time the town of Northampton, which had theretofore embraced the whole of the great Holland purchase, was divided into four towns, of which Batavia included all of the State west of the west transit line, to be described a little further on. In 1804 Batavia was likewise divided into four towns, the easternmost one retaining the original name and embracing the territory as far west as a line crossing the State from Lake Ontario southward through the middle of what are now the towns of Yates, Ridgeway, and Shelby, in Orleans county. The town next west of this was named Willinck.
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From Genesee county was erected Orleans county by the following act of Legislature :
" Be it enacted by the people of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, That all that part of the County of Genesee comprising the territory herein- after mentioned, viz., the towns of Gaines, Barre, Murray, Clarendon, Ridgeway, Yates and Oak Orchard, in the County of Genesee, shall, from and after the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty-six, be a separate and distinct county of the State of New York, and shall be known and distin- guished by the name of "Orleans," and the freeholders and other inhabitants of the County of Orleans shall have and enjoy all and every the same rights, powers and privileges, as the freeholders and inhabitants of any of the counties of this State are by law entitled to have and enjoy.
II. And be it further enacted, That there shall be held in and for the said county of Orleans, a Court of Common Pleas and a Court of General Sessions of the Peace, to be held in three terms, to commence as follows, to wit: The first term of the said courts shall begin on the third Tuesday of February, the second term shall begin on the third Tuesday of May, and the third term shall begin on the third Tuesday of September in each and every year; and each of the terms of said courts may continue to be held until the next Saturday following the third Tuesdays inclusive. And the said Courts of Common Pleas and General Sessions of the Peace shall have the same jurisdiction, powers and authority in the said county, as Courts of Common Pleas and General Sessions of the Peace in the other counties of the State in their respective counties : Provided, That nothing in this act shall be construed to affect any writ or action in any court or action whatsoever already commenced, or which shall be commenced before the third Tuesday of May, 1826, so as to work a wrong or to prejudice the parties therein, or to affect any criminal or other proceeding on the part of the people of this State; but all such civil and criminal proceedings shall and may be prosecuted to trial, judgment and execution, as if this act had not been passed.
III. And be it further enacted, That Samuel G. Hathaway, of the county of Cort- land, Philetus Swift, of Ontario county, and Victory Birdseye of Onondaga county, shall be commissioners for the purpose of examining and impartially determining the proper site for a court house and gaol to be erected in the said county of Orleans; and when the said commissioners, or any two of them, having so determined, shall put their determination in writing, with their signatures and seals affixed thereto, and cause the same to be filed in the clerk's office of the said county of Orleans, such deter- mination shall be final and conclusive in the premises; and it shall be the duty of the said commissioners to meet and examine, and to make known their said determination of the site of the said court house and gaol, on or before the first Monday of June, 1826. And the said commissioners shall be entitled to receive the sum of three dollars per day for every day they may be necessarily employed on said service, which sum shall be levied, collected and paid, as part of the contingent expenses of the said county of Orleans.
IV. And be it further enacted, That the first term of the Court of Common Pleas and General Sessions of the Peace for the said county, shall be held at the house of
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ORLEANS COUNTY.
Selah Bronson, in the town of Gaines, and all of the subsequent terms of the said Courts of Common Pleas and General Sessions of the Peace in and for the said county, at such place within the said county of Orleans as the Judges of the Courts of Common Pleas in and for said county shall from time to time appoint, until the court house in and for said county shall be erected, and so far furnished as to be, in the opinion of the Judges, convenient to hold their courts therein, and said Courts of Com- mon Pleas and General Sessions of the Peace shall thenceforth be holden in and for said county in said court house.
V. And be it further enacted, That it shall and may be lawful for all courts and officers in said county of Orleans, in all cases civil and criminal, to confine the prisoners in the gaol of the county of Genesee; and it shall be the duty of the sheriff of the county of Genesee to receive the said prisoners into custody, and retain them until such time as there shall be a sufficient gaol prepared in the county of Orleans, or they shall be discharged by due course of law.
VI. And be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas and General Sessions of the Peace in and for the said county of Orieans, as soon as a site of the court house and gaol shall be fixed and determined on by said commissioners appointed for that purpose, to lay out the gaol liberties in such manner as they shall deem most suitable and convenient for the prisoners who may be confined thereon, not exceeding one hundred acres, in a square or parallelo- gram, as near as may be.
VII. And be it further enacted, That the said county of Orleans shall be entitled to elect one Member of Assembly, in the same manner as the other counties of this State are by law entitled to elect; and the county of Genesee shall be entitled to elect three Members of Assembly.
VIII. And be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of the supervisors and county treasurers of the counties of Genesee and Orleans, to meet on the first Monday of June, 1826, and at the court house in the town of Batavia, in the county of Genesee, and apportion and divide all debts belonging to the county of Genesee, and apportion such part thereof as shall be just and equitable to the said county of Orleans.
IX. And be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of the supervisors of the said county of Orleans, to meet at the house of Selah Bronson, in Gaines, on the first Mon- day of June, 1826, and that the supervisors, or a majority of them, shall there appoint commissioners to supervise the erection and building of a court house and gaol, on such site within the county of Orleans, as the commissioners for that purpose in and by this act appointed, shall designate; Provided, that a suitable and convenient lot or lots therefor shall have been first conveyed to the supervisors of said county of Orleans, and to their successors forever : and whenever a gaol shall be so far completed, as, in the opinion of the sheriff of the said county it will be safe to remove the prisoners thereto, it shall and may be lawful for the said sheriff to remove all his prisoners then confined in the gaol of the county of Genesee, to the gaol of the county of Orleans, and such removal shall not be considered or deemed an escape.
X. And be it further enacted, That the first annual meeting of the Board of Super- visors for said county shall be held at the house now occupied by the said Selah Bron-
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son, in Gaines aforesaid, on the first Tuesday of October, 1826, and being so met they shall cause to be assessed, levied, collected and paid into the treasury of the said county, the sum of $3,000, and at the first annual meeting thereafter, the further sum of $3,000, over and above the ordinary fees of collection and distribution, in like manner as taxes to defray the contingent charges and expenses of said county are assessed, levied and collected.
XI. And be it further enacted, That said commissioners, or a majority of them, may contract with workmen, and purchase materials, for building the said court house and gaol, and shall from time to time draw upon the treasurer of said county for such sums of money, for the purpose aforesaid, as shall come into the treasury by virtue of this act; and the treasurer is hereby required, out of the monies aforesaid, to pay to the order of said commissioners, or a majority of them, the several sums of money to be by them drawn for : and it is hereby made the duty of the said commissioners to account with the supervisors of the said county of Orleans for the monies which they shall have received from the treasurer, when thereunto required.
XII. And be it further enacted, That the commissioners appointed in and by this act, for the superintending the erection of the public buildings in and for the said county of Orleans, shall, before they enter upon the duties of said office, give bonds, with approved sureties, to the supervisors of said county, for the faithful expenditure of the monies committed to their charge for that purpose ; and they shall each of them be entitled to receive the sum of two dollars per day for each day they may be employed in the duties of that office: and the amount of their charge shall be levied and collected in like manner as other contingent expenses of said county are levied and collected.
XIII. And be it further enacted, That the sheriff of the county of Orleans shall be liable to the supervisors of the county of Genesee for the maintenance of all criminal prisoners which he may commit for confinement in the gaol of the county of Genesee, and that the supervisors of the said county of Orleans are required to levy the amount of the charges for the maintenance of such persons in the same manner as other con- tingent expenses are levied and collected in the said county, and to order the treasurer to pay over the same to the sheriff for the payment of the supervisors of the said county of Genesee.
XIV. And be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of the supervisors and judges of the court of Common Pleas of the county of Orleans to meet at the house of Selah Bronson, in said county, on the third Monday of May, 1826, for the purposes of nominating justices of the peace in said county, and when thus assembled, they shall proceed in the manner directed by the act entitled, "An act regulating the time and manner of electing general State officers, justices of the peace, and prescribing the num- ber of coroners to be elected in each county, by the people," passed April 12, 1822, and the proceedings therein shall be as valid and effectual as if the same had taken place at the time prescribed in said act ; and that the present justices of the peace in said county shall hold their offices until the new appointments are made.
XV. And be it further enacted, That an election for sheriff, clerk and coroner in said county shall be held therein on the first Tuesday of April, 1826, and the two succeed- ing days, which election shall be conducted in all respects in the manner now prescribed
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ORLEANS COUNTY.
by "An act to regulate elections," passed April 17, 1822; and the sheriff, clerk and coroner then elected shall hold their respective offices for the same time as if they had been chosen at the last election held in this State agreeably to the requirements of said act.
XVI. And be it further enacted, That the clerk of said county of Orleans shall do and perform all the duties enjoined by law on county treasurer, until there shall be a treasurer appointed.
XVII. And be it further enacted, That the said county of Orleans shall be a part of the Twenty-ninth Congressional District, and shall remain a part of the eighth Senate District of this State.
XVIII. And be it further enacted, That the inhabitants of the territory by this act incorporated into a new county, shall until the organization of the same as such, be exempted from all taxes, other than the contingent and ordinary taxes which may hereafter be assessed or imposed upon the said county of Genesee. This act was passed November 12, 1824.
The town of Shelby was annexed to Orleans county from Genesee county, April 5, 1825. Later subdivisons of the territory in this region have left the present boundaries of this county as follows: On the north by Lake Ontario; on the east by Monroe county ; on the south by Genesee county, and on the west by Niagara county. The county seat was at first established in the town of Gaines, and the act provided for the organization of courts and the county government, as described in a later chapter.
The whole of the county west of the transit line (all embraced in the Holland Purchase) was originally included in the town of Ridgeway, which was erected from the great town of Batavia June 8, 1812. Mur- ray was taken from the old town of Northampton April 8, 1808, and originally included Kendall, which was taken from it April 7, 1837. Clarendon was taken from Sweden February 23, 1821 (then in the county of Genesee.) Ridgeway was first divided by setting off the town of Gaines February 4, 1816, the latter then including the present towns of Barre (taken off March 6, 1813); Albion, (taken off from Barre in 1875) ; and a part of Carlton. Carlton was formed from Gaines and Ridgeway April 3, 1825. Shelby and Yates were taken from Ridge- way, the former March 6, 1818, and the latter April 17, 1822.
The first meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Orleans county was held at the house of Selah Bronson, in the village of Gaines, in pursu- ance of the act above quoted. A joint meeting of the Boards of Super- visors of the counties of Genesee and Orleans was held in Batavia on
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the 7th of June, 1825, for the purpose of effecting a settlement between the two counties. An agreement was there consummated that the county of Orleans should be considered one-fourth of the whole valua- tion of both counties, and the moneys and indebtedness of the two counties was apportioned on that basis.
LAKE ONTARIO
ALBION
NIAGARA FALLS
LOCKPORT
CANADA
BATAVIA
BUFFALO
GENESE
o
WARSAW O
LAKE ERIE
DUNKIRK
BELMONT
MAY RVILLE
LITTLE VALLEY
OUTLINES OF THE ORIGINAL COUNTY OF GENFSEE, FROM THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF WHICH ORLEANS COUNTY WAS TAKEN.
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ORLEANS COUNTY.
Gaines was made the county seat of the new county, but only for a short time. Commissioners, consisting of Victory Birdseye, of Onon- daga county ; Philetus Swift, of Ontario county ; and Samuel G. Hath- away, of Cortland county, were appointed to locate the county seat, and the public buildings, as before stated. Gaines was then the most prosperous village in the new county, while Albion had the advantage of being located on the new canal as well as on the Sandy Creek. There was considerable strife over the matter, but the activity and persistence of the leading men of Albion finally prevailed, and the county seat was fixed at that village. It has since been sufficiently demonstrated in various ways that this was a wise choice.1
The first meeting of the Board of Supervisors held in Albion took place on the 16th of June, 1826, at which steps were taken towards providing court and other county buildings, as described in the chapter devoted to the legal profession.
1 " The commissioners came to consider the claims of the rival villages about the middle of the dry season. Mr. Nehemiah Ingersoll, Philetus Bumpus, Henry Henderson, and a few other Albion men determined to use a little strategy to help Albion. Knowing when the commissioners would be here, the creek would be too low to move the saw mills, and foreseeing the advantage a good mill stream would give them, they patched the two dams and flumes and closed the gates to hold all the water some days before the commissioners would arrive ; sent some teams to haul logs and lumber about the saw mill and mill yard in the village, to mark the ground and give the appearance of business there. When the commissioners came to see Albion, having been gener- ously dined and wined by hospitable people, they were taken in a carriage to see the place, and in the course of the ride, driven along the creek and by the saw mill, then in full operation, with men and teams among the lumber, with a good supply of water from the ponds thus made for this occasion. The commissioners were impressed with the importance of this fine water power, and gave the county buildings to Albion before the ponds ran out."-Judge Thomas.
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CHAPTER II.
General Topography of the County-" The Ridge " -- Geological Formations -- Tona- wanda Swamp-Salt Springs -- Streams.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS .- The surface of Orleans county is nearly level with a general slope to the north. It may be divided into three levels, or stages: That lying between the shore of Lake Ontario and " The Ridge," having a width of about, eight miles and a descent from the summit of the ridge of 188 feet ; from the summit of the ridge south to the Niagara Limestone Terrace, a breadth of two to four miles and an ascent from the ridge of about 120 feet; and from this terrace to the southern boundary of the county, an ascent of about fifty feet.
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