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Gc 974.701 Er4w v.2 1128264
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01177 0358
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015
https://archive.org/details/ourcountyitspeop02whit
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
A DESCRIPTIVE WORK ON
ERIE COUNTY
NEW YORK
EDITED BY TRUMAN C. WHITE
VOLUME II
THE BOSTON HISTORY COMPANY, PUBLISHERS 1898
GC 974.701 E . r. 4 w 1,2
1128264
CONTENTS.
PART II.
BIOGRAPHICAL 1-47
PART III.
PERSONAL REFERENCES 1-596
INDEX
597-617
SURNAME FILE
.
PART II.
BIOGRAPHICAL.
Between two breaths what crowded mysteries lie- The first short gasp, the last and long-drawn sigh ! Like phantoms painted on the magic slide, Forth from the darkness of the past we glide, As living shadows for a moment seen In airy pageant on the eternal screen; Traced by a ray from one unchanging flame, Then seek the dust and stillness whence we came. -OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES.
BIOGRAPHICAL.
JOSEPH ELLICOTT.
JOSEPH ELLICOTT is generally conceded to have been the founder of Buffalo. While there might have been a village begun and a city ultimately built where now stands Buffalo, there was at one period, as the reader has learned, a strong rival for supremacy in a neighboring locality; and it is well known that to Mr. Ellicott's sagacity and good judgment is due the early plan of the village and the successful estab- lishment of its first conspicuous institutions. Very much of the record of his life is embodied in earlier pages of this work, leaving for this place only a few details of his personal career.
Joseph Ellicott was a son of Andrew and Ann Bye Ellicott, who were natives of the town of Cullopton, Wales; they came to this country in 1731, having been "disowned " by the Society of Friends through the marriage of Andrew to his wife, who was not a member of that sect. These adventurers, with an infant son, landed in New York, and being possessed of some means they purchased a tract of land and settled upon it. From that date until about 1760, little is known of their his- tory. Previous to 1760, however, they had become residents of Bucks county, Pa., and had four sons, the elder having at that time just be- gun operations in several business engagements. It is probable that the family did not long remain in New York after their immigration and were among the pioneers of Bucks county. The four sons of Andrew Ellicott were Nathaniel, Joseph, Andrew and John. As early as 1770 they purchased a tract of wild land on the Patapsco River in Maryland and there built mills which were long known as Ellicott's Mills.
Joseph Ellicott, son of Andrew, was the father of the subject of this notice. He was a man of liberal scientific attainments for that period and was a naturally skillful mechanic. Without special instruction he
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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
constructed a clock with four faces, showing the time, motion of some of the heavenly bodies, a chime of bells playing twenty-four tunes, etc. ; it was pronounced a marvel of mechanical ingenuity and skill. The other sons of that Joseph were Joseph (the subject), Andrew, Benjamin and David. Andrew became a prominent surveyor and was at one time surveyor-general of the United States; his three sons were An- drew A., John B. and Joseph, all of whom became residents on the Holland Purchase. Benjamin entered the service of the Holland Com- pany and was assistant to his brother Joseph. He was one of the judges of Genesee county and a member of Congress. The younger son of the first Joseph (David), was a surveyor on the Purchase in early life and then went south and was not heard from again. There were also five sisters, daughters of the first Joseph, three of whom married three brothers named Evans. The family were prominent in Maryland as millers, founders, builders of wharves, inventors, etc.
Joseph Ellicott was only fourteen years old when his father removed from Bucks county to Maryland. His educational opportunities up to that time were confined to the public schools. His early lessons in surveying were taught him by his brother Andrew, and his first prac- tical experience in that business was as assistant to his brother in the survey of the city of Washington. In 1791 he was appointed by the secretary of war to run the boundary between Georgia and the lands of the Creek Indians. Soon after this he was selected by Mr. Caze- nove to survey the Holland Company's lands in Pennsylvania. This work finished he was engaged a short time in Maryland in business with his brothers, and then began his service for the Holland Company on their lands in this State.
The active years of Mr. Ellicott's life were principally those between 1790 and 1821. Ten or twelve of those years were passed in the ar- duous duties of surveyor, mostly in unsettled districts, to be finally given up for the little less trying task of local land agent. His success in these positions was largely due to his practical education, his great industry, his careful and systematic methods and his natural adapta- bility for executive work. These qualities are clearly shown in his voluminous correspondence and his journal. His memory must forever be identified with the surveys and settlement of Western and Central New York and the origin of the Erie canal, in both of which capaci- ties his influence upon the future of Erie county was paramount.
After a life of great activity and usefulness he approached its close
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
in a manner greatly to be regretted and deplored. As early as 1816-17 he became subject to periods of great depression of spirits and melan- choly which, in course of time, settled into confirmed hypochondria. The causes of this condition may be sought in his natural tempera- ment, his lonely unmarried life, disappointments in the outcome of some of his hopes and expectations and the apparent emptiness of his later years. His land agency ceased in 1821 by his own act. No neg- lect of duty was ever charged to him, but his condition had become such that further useful activity in that direction was not to be expected from him. Fully conscious of this, he resigned. This was practically the close of a busy and useful life. In November, 1824, by medical advice, he was removed to New York, making the journey on a canal packet. In New York a council of physicians was called, who decided that he should enter Bellevue Hospital. Anticipated benefits from this step were not realized; mental and physical infirmity increased and in July or August, 1826, he escaped from the vigilance of his attendants and took his own life. His remains were brought to Batavia for burial.
MILLARD FILLMORE.
MILLARD FILLMORE, who became president of the United States upon the death of Zachary Taylor, was born in Locke, Cayuga county, N. Y., January 7, 1800. He was a son of Nathaniel and Phoebe Fillmore; the father was a native of Bennington, Vt., and descended from the early pioneers of New England. The family was possessed of only limited means, but in their new home in Cayuga county, whither they removed in 1798, Nathaniel Fillmore became a respected citizen, es- teemed for his intelligence and his efforts for the advancement of edu- cation and religion. There the young son received the rudiments of education, and was constantly taught by his father what he was unable to learn at school. An intense love of books was developed in the young man in early life, which grew with his years and was largely in- strumental in shaping his destiny.
On the 10th of March, 1820, the family arrived in Buffalo. In the mean time the son had begun work at the clothier's trade at the age of fifteen years, in what is now Livingston, Ontario county; but the re- stricted opportunities of that vocation were not at all pleasing to the
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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
ambitious young man and he soon left it and returned home, where he continued work on the farm, mingled with persistent study and read- ing. Again in the spring of his sixteenth year he was apprenticed to a clothier and although against his own inclinations he labored faith- fully until he had mastered the trade. In the fall of his eighteenth year he began teaching his first term of school in the town of Scott, Cortland county, N. Y., at the close of which he returned to work at his trade. During a few preceding years he had entertained the plan of becoming an attorney. His studious habits and expressed wishes at- tracted the attention of Judge Wood, near his home, and he finally en- tered his office. Industry and zeal characterized his studies and he made rapid progress during the two years he remained in Judge Wood's office, at the end of which he determined to remove to Erie county, where his father and family had already settled. Arriving in the vil- lage by the lake in 1821, he resumed his studies, teaching a part of the time to earn funds for his necessary expenses. In 1826 he was admit- ted to practice in the Court of Common Pleas, and settled in Aurora, where he taught school and attended to such practice in law as came to him. He won the first case he tried, and from that time until 1830 he made that village his home, gradually acquiring reputation for ability, integrity, and such political influence as he had acquired from his con- nection with the Whig party and sharing in its local affairs. In 1826 he was married to Abigail Powers, daughter of Rev. Lemuel Powers, of Erie county. In 1827 he was admitted to the higher courts. Mr. Fillmore had learned practical surveying and owned a compass, and while he remained in Aurora, added materially to his income by sur- veying in various towns. He soon took an advanced position in his profession, his practice extending largely into the Supreme Court. He showed little disposition to seek political preferment, but he was an impressive speaker and was frequently called upon to address political meetings. In 1828 he received the nomination for the Assembly and was elected, thus first entering public life. His career in the Assem- bly, while in no sense brilliant, was strictly honorable and so satisfac- tory to his constituents that he was re-elected in 1829. In 1830 he settled in Buffalo, where he entered into partnership with Joseph Clary and in the same year was sent for the third time to the Assembly, where he continued to add to his high repute. Anti Masonry was then rampant throughout the country and no where more so than in Western New York, where party lines between that misguided organization and
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
the administration party were closely drawn. The new party had a large majority in this section and found no difficulty in electing its candidates. Mr. Fillmore became affiliated with the Anti-Masons and in 1832 was chosen by them to represent the Thirtieth District in the Twenty-third Congress. This success in life attained at the age of thirty-two years, was attributable to his native good qualities; he had no aid from extraneous sources, none of the qualities by which the masses are most easily captivated; he was not a brilliant orator, nor would he abandon his own convictions to please others. He succeeded thus rapidly by virtue of his industry, perseverance, clear judgment and wise foresight, all of which qualities were dominant in his nature.
Mr. Fillmore formed the distinguished law firm of Fillmore, Hall & Haven, his partners being Nathan K. Hall and Solomon G. Haven, both of whom were to reach high positions in the political field. Re- turning from his first Congressional term, Mr. Fillmore industriously pursued his profession for two years, when he was again elected to the same office in the fall of 1836, and re-elected in 1838. The record of his conservative, honorable, and successful career is a part of general history and so raised him in the estimation of the people of his district that for the fourth time, in 1840, he was elected to the same office.
In the fall of 1847 when the first State officers were chosen under the new constitution, Mr. Fillmore was nominated for the office of comp- troller by the Whigs. The Democracy was then hopelessly disunited and Mr. Fillmore and his associates on that ticket were elected by large majorities.
In the Philadelphia National Convention of 1848, Gen. Zachary Tay- lor was nominated for the presidency and Millard Fillmore for the vice-presidency. The famous Buffalo convention of that year, which is described elsewhere in this work, followed on the 9th of August, one of the consequences of which was the election of both Taylor and Fillmore to the highest two offices in the gift of the people. On the 9th day of July, 1850, General Taylor died and Mr. Fillmore became president of the United States. He was then fifty years old, and it was only twenty-one years since he first entered public life. He formed a strong cabinet by placing Daniel Webster in the office of secretary of state; Thomas Corwin, secretary of the treasury ; John J. Crittenden, attorney-general, and his former student and partner, Nathan K. Hall, postmaster-general.
Congress was in session when Mr. Fillmore became president, and
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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
all through the ensuing summer that body wrestled with the historical compromise measure, the influence of which upon the country was to be so momentous. Those measures were embodied in five acts, the most important of which was the fugitive slave law, the other relating to the admission of California, the organization of territories of New Mexico and Utah without prohibition of slavery, and the abolition of slave trade in the District of Columbia. The president signed all of these measures and was loudly denounced by a part of the Whig party, particularly for his action on the slave law. It is not necessary at this time to discuss the wisdom of his policy in that connection; that he acted conscientiously there is no doubt. After the adoption of the compromise measures, his course was generally in harmony with the Whig party and was creditable in every way. He was, however, con- sidered the leader of the conservative element in the party and when the Whig convention of 1852 assembled, he was opposed by all of those who called themselves more progressive and radical, especially in re- gard to slavery. Hence, General Scott received the nomination for president. The Whig party was ovewhelmingly defeated, so that it made little difference to Mr. Fillmore.
Upon the formation of the American, or Know-Nothing party, Mr. Fillmore joined its ranks and in 1856, after the organization of the Re- publican party, he was nominated by the new party at its national convention in February for the high office which he had so recently left. The disaster that followed the new political organization is well known. That was the last appearance of Mr. Fillmore in the political field. He retired to his beautiful home in Buffalo, where he was sur- rounded by friends and enjoyed to the utmost the happy domestic rela- tions which fell to his lot. His death took place on the 8th of March, 1874.
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
AARON RUMSEY.
AARON RUMSEY was born in Hubbardton, Vt., in 1797. His grand- father came to this country from Wales and settled in Connecticut. His father, who was a farmer, moved in early life from Connecticut to Vermont. The latter was a man of great force of character and like many of his contemporaries, at the age of seventeen or eighteen, en- listed and fought as a private soldier in the campaign in which Gen. Burgoyne was defeated by Gen. Gates.
At the age of eighteen Mr. Rumsey walked from Vermont to War- saw, N. Y., where he entered into partnership with an elder brother in the tanning business. From this time his material prosperity began. By unceasing energy, business sagacity and restless activity, he laid the foundation of a moderate fortune. During his residence at Warsaw there occurred an unprecedented cold summer which ruined all the crops and Mr. Rumsey, with several others, drove to Albany, and re- turned with wagon loads of much needed provisions.
In 1820 he married Sophia Phelps. In 1824 he moved to Westfield, N. Y., and went into the tanning business on his own account. In 1834 he moved to Buffalo, N. Y., and here passed the remainder of his life, dying in 1864.
Mr. Rumsey was a man of all conquering energy, and so dominant and pervading was this energetic element as to stamp itself in a distinct and distinguishing feature upon the current of his whole life, physical and social. He was in youth and manhood one of the strongest of men physically, with muscles of iron, standing considerably above the ordi- nary height. He was a very swift runner, an almost invincible wrest- ler, and until a few years before he died, his body showed no signs of advancing age nor his springing steps less elasticity. His mind was equally big, broad and active. While liberal almost to a fault, his judgment was sound, and always endorsed the dictates of a warm and charitable heart. He was a man of strong religious convictions, con- tributing materially to the prosperity and eventual success of both the First Presbyterian and Westminster churches. Of the latter he was the permanent chairman of the Board of Trustees. He interested himself also in charities, sparing neither time nor money in their service. "Socially in every sphere of life the energy of his character was as ob-
B
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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
vious as the results were abundant." Mr. Rumsey was the soul of in- tegrity and honor. Whatever he accomplished he did squarely and by hard conscientious work.
He lived for many years on Swan street in Buffalo. Later he built what at the time was thought to be one of the most considerable houses in the city, on the northwest corner of Delaware and North streets, where he lived many years and until his death. He was survived by his wife and two sons, Bronson C. and Dexter P. Rumsey.
SAMUEL FLETCHER PRATT.
SAMUEL FLETCHER PRATT was descended from an old and respected New England family, whose members have for several generations been conspicuous in business and public affairs. He, especially, achieved distinction, and during his long, busy life was one of Buffa- lo's most prominent and respected citizens. In regarding the salient events in his career it is interesting to first glance briefly at his im- mediate ancestry, as by studying that one can best form an adequate idea of those qualities which brought him success and stamped his wonderful individuality upon the history of Western New York.
At a very early date Aaron Pratt removed from East Hartford, Conn., to the neighborhood of Westminster, Windham county, Vt., and en- gaged in farming. Capt. Samuel Pratt, his son, inherited all the sturdy characteristics peculiar to native New Englanders and besides was inspired with a spirit of adventure and daring enterprise. In 1801 he made a visit to Montreal for the purpose of making preliminary arrangements for a project which resulted in establishing his family among Buffalo's pioneers. Gathering about him a few fearless spirits like himself, and leaving behind a wife and several children, he set out in 1802, and after purchasing some articles of barter in Montreal, pro- ceeded up the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes to Mackinaw, exchanging his goods for furs with the Indians. On his return he passed through what is now the city of Buffalo, then New Amsterdam -a small cluster of log cabins-and his quick perception led him to decide upon that as his future home. Accordingly in the summer of 1804, with his family and his household effects packed in two wagons,
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
he left Westminster and reached Buffalo early in September. One of his wagons was decidedly pretentious for those days, being in reality a coach, hung upon high leathern springs, with seats for four inside and a driver's seat in front. It attracted much attention and was acknowl- edged to be the first private family carriage ever seen in Western New York. Besides Captain Pratt the party comprised his wife, who was Esther Wells, of Hatfield, Mass., their children, Asa, Pascal Paoli, Permelia (afterward Mrs. Elijah Leech), Benjamin Wells, Esther, Hi- ram and Mary; the captain's niece, Polly Smith, who became Mrs. Hiram Hanchett; and George Keith, a cabinetmaker. Their eldest son, Samuel, father of Samuel F , remained behind as a clerk in a store in Townshend, Vt. Captain Pratt located upon lot No. 2 (on the south- east corner of Main and Exchange streets), which was articled to him on the books of the Holland Land Company, September 7, 1804. His deed for this property-" 81-100 acres, corner of Willink avenue and Crow street"-is dated April 7, 1807, consideration $150. Here he built a frame house and also a store, both on the site of the present Mansion House, and both said to be the first frame buildings of any importance in the place. Later he erected other frame structures, and for several years prosecuted a successful trade in furs with the Indians, with whom he became a favorite, and who named him Ho-da-ni-da-oh, signifying, " he is merciful, kind, or liberal." In 1805 he returned to New England and brought his aged parents, and also Rev. Mr. Whi- ting, of Boston, to his pioneer home. His father died here in 1806, and his mother in 1809. Mr. Whiting both preached the gospel and taught school, and was the first minister not connected with the Missionary Society, in this region. Captain and Mrs. Pratt were practical Chris- tians and in their house were established the first series of evening prayer meetings ever held in Buffalo. He was instrumental in estab- lishing the first village burying ground (now Franklin Square) and assisted at the first burial therein. He also started the first ferry and built the first bridge across Buffalo Creek and became quite an exten- sive property owner. But the war of 1812, and the incidents that led up to it, overwhelmed him with a flood of misfortunes, and he died two months after hostilities began, on August 30, 1812, aged but forty- eight years. His wife survived him until 1830 and died at the age of sixty-four. Asa and Pascal Paoli Pratt both acquired a fluent use of the Indian language. The former was one of the first to enlist in the government service, and distinguished himself in the battle of Chip-
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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
pewa. Benjamin Wells Pratt spent most of his life on a farm in Col- lins, where he died May 19, 1868. Hiram Pratt engaged in commerce, real estate, and banking, built several steamers, originated the Bank of Buffalo, was elected mayor in 1839, and died May 1, 1840.
Samuel Pratt, jr., in 1806, married Miss Sophia Fletcher, of Towns- hend, Vt., a daughter of General Samuel Fletcher, who was born in Grafton, Mass., in 1745, settled in Townshend before the Revolution- ary war, and achieved distinction in the Colonial and Continental armies. When seventeen years of age he enlisted in the Provincial army in the war between the British and French Colonies, and in 1762 was sta- tioned at Crown Point. At the breaking out of the Revolution he was one of the first to volunteer. In March, 1776, he was appointed cap- tain and raised several companies of "Minute Men," with whom he marched to Ticonderoga in June, 1777. He was also at the battles of Bunker Hill and Bennington and the surrender of Burgoyne. He be- came brigadier-general of militia in 1781, served for six years as major- general, and in 1778 was a member of the first General Assembly of Vermont. He was a member of the General Assembly several terms, a councilor nine years, high sheriff of Windham county for eighteen successive years from 1788, judge of the County Court four years and in 1782 was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court but declined to serve. He was highly respected for his courage, integrity and busi- ness capacity. He married a daughter of Col. John Hazeltine, and one of their daughters became the mother of Epaphroditus Ransom, governor of Michigan.
Samuel Pratt, jr., came to Buffalo with his wife and infant son, Samuel F., in August, 1807, and engaged in the fur business with Capt. Benjamin Caryl, under the firm name of B. Caryl & Co., which subsequently became Juba Storrs & Co. by the admission of Mr. Storrs as a partner. Mr. Pratt withdrew in 1810, having become sheriff of Niagara county on March 10 of that year. Later he formed a partner- ship with his brother-in-law, Elijah Leech, and the firm of Pratt & Leech was doing business at the time of the burning of Buffalo, in De- cember, 1813, from which the Pratt families fortunately escaped un- harmed, except for the loss of their property. Mr. Pratt died August 7, 1822, and his wife March 19, 1862.
Samuel Fletcher Pratt, as a boy, was more or less identified with the incidents already related, and grew to manhood amid the dangers and privations of that frontier home. He was born in Townshend, Vt.,
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
May 28, 1807, came with his parents to Buffalo in the following Au- gust, and thus spent practically his entire life in the place where his grandfather had settled in 1804. The scenes of those early years left an indelible impress upon his mind, and at the same time strengthened his constitution, fortified his character, and inured him to the vicissi- tudes of life. He first attended a school kept by Miss Irene Leech, and later the select school kept by Deacon Callender, and for about three years was a clerk in the store of Bigelow & Goodhue in St. Thomas, Canada, where his father was employed for a time. In De- cember, 1822, he entered the hardware store of George & Thaddeus Weed, in Buffalo, the first one of the kind in the place. George Weed became the sole proprietor in 1827, and in February, 1828, he formed a partnership with Mr. Pratt and Lucius Storrs under the firm name of George Weed & Co. For forty-four years thereafter Mr. Pratt's name was a conspicuous one in the business life of the city. In July, 1828, Mr. Weed died, and in 1829 his brother Thaddeus succeeded to his in- terest in the store, which was continued under the style of Weed & Pratt. Mr. Pratt purchased the entire Weed interest March 21, 1836, took his brother, Pascal P., as a clerk, and in 1842 the two formed the firm of S. F. Pratt & Co. In 1846 Edward P. Beals became a partner and the firm was changed to Pratt & Co., which has since continued.
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