USA > New York > Oneida County > Our county and its people; a descriptive work on Oneida county, New York; > Part 1
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D. E. WAGER.
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
A DESCRIPTIVE WORK ON
ONEIDA COUNTY
NEW YORK
EDITED BY DANIEL E. WAGER
THE BOSTON HISTORY COMPANY, PUBLISHERS
1896
PREFACE.
There are few sections of this country that are richer in historical ma terial than the one of which this volume treats. Especially is this true in its relation to the old wars for supremacy between the French and the English, and the war of the Revolution. Stirring events then took place within the borders of what is now Oneida county, in which stately figures took part And in those struggles for supremacy the Indians who once populated the valley of the beautiful Mohawk were a conspicuous element. One of the historical battles of the Revolutionary war was fought on Oneida county soil-a battle upon the issues of which many writers contend turned the success or failure of the attempt of the colonists to secure their independence. Neither is the history of this locality in later years, during which settlement, growth, and development marched forward to present advanced conditions, without interest.
To properly set before the reader a brief record of the long and bloody strife that at last culminated in the triumph of American independence, was a labor of love on the part of the late Daniel E. Wager, of Rome, and the last important literary undertaking of his busy life. That he was eminently qualified for the great task, no one who knew him well will dispute. Persons unaccustomed to literary and historical labor can scarcely comprehend the difficulties attending the preparation of such a work as this; but no one will doubt the painstaking care, the unflagging patience in research, and the appreciative value of sources of information, brought to task
iv
PREFACE.
by the author in his unwearied efforts to produce a historical work that would be a monument to himself and of great value to the people of Oneida county. It was most fortunate that his work was so nearly completed before he was stricken with his last sickness. He was given liberal assistance in the preparation of the histories of the various towns and the chapters devoted to modern topics, by persons skilled in that class of work. The compiling of the vast list of personal sketches, also, was in other hands than his; and it is confidently believed that this department of the work, a feature never before attempted in this county, will be considered of the greatest value.
CONTENTS.
PART I. CHAPTER I.
PRELIMINARY HISTORY 1-5
CHAPTER H. .
1754-1756. FORT BULL. EN 5-12
CHAPTER III.
1756-1758 .- OSWEGO. - HERKIMER 12-17
CHAPTER IV.
1758-1760 .- FORTS STANWIX AND SCHUYLER 17-21
CHAPTER V.
1760 TO AUGUST, 1707 22-32
CHAPTER VI.
177 .- SIEGE OF FORT STANWIX. - BATTLE OF ORISKANY 32-52
CHAPTER VII.
1783-1788 .- EMIGRATION WESTWARD. 53-62
CHAPTER VIII.
1788 .- TOWN OF WHITESTOWN .- GREAT INDIAN TREATY
63-74
CHAPTER IX.
1789-1792 75-93
vi
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER X.
COLONIAL LAND PATENTS
93 126
CHAPTER XI.
PHYSICAL FEATURES OF ONEIDA COUNTY 126 133
CHAPTER XII.
DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTY 133-141
CHAPTER XIII.
1788-1806 .- FORMATION OF ONEIDA COUNTY
141-155
CHAPTER XIV.
155-160
.1806-1812
CHAPTER XV.
THROUGH THE WAR OF 1812
161 175
CHAPTER XVI.
1814-1819
CHAPTER XVII.
1820-1830
185 192
CHAPTER XVIII.
1830 TO THE CLOSE OF THE CIVIL WAR .. 192-198
CHAPTER XIX.
1866 TO THE PRESENT
199-208
CHAPTER XX
PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS 209-215
CHAPTER XXI.
CANALS AND RAILROADS 215-228
175 184
vii
CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXII.
THE BENCH AND BAR OF ONEIDA COUNTY 229-247
CHAPTER XXIII.
MEDICAL SOCIETIES AND PROFESSION OF ONEIDA COUNTY. . . 248-260
CHAPTER XXIV.
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
260-278
CHAPTER XXV.
THE CITY OF UTICA 278-371
CHAPTER XXVI
THE TOWN OF ANNSVILLE
- - -- 312-379
CHAPTER XXVIL.
THE TOWN OF AUGUSTA 379-393
CHAPTER XXVIII.
THE TOWN OF AVA 393-396
CHAPTER XXIX.
THE TOWN OF BOONVILLE
396-407
CHAPTER XXX.
THE TOWN OF BRIDGEWATER
407-414
CHAPTER XXXL.
THE TOWN OF CAMDEN 414-426
CHAPTER XXXII.
THE TOWN OF DEERFIELD
426-432
CHAPTER XXXIII.
THE TOWN OF FLORENCE 432-437
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
THE TOWN OF FLOYD 437-445
CHAPTER XXXV.
THE TOWN OF FORESTPORT 442-445
CHAPTER XXXVI.
THE TOWN OF KIRKLAND 445-460
CHAPTER XXXVIL.
THE TOWN OF LEE 460-469
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
THE TOWN OF MARCY 469-473
CHAPTER XXXIX.
THE TOWN OF MARSHALL
473-479
CHAPTER XL.
THE TOWN OF NEW HARTFORD 479-491
CHAPTER XLL.
THE TOWN OF PARIS. 491-505
CHAPTER NLH.
THE TOWN OF REMSEN
506 511
CHAPTER XLIII
THE TOWN OF ROME 511-533
CHAPTER XLIV.
THE TOWN OF SANGERFIELD
533-543
CHAPTER XLV.
THE TOWN OF STEUBEN 543-552
ix
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XLVI.
THE TOWN OF TRENTON 552-566
CHAPTER XLVII.
THE TOWN OF VERNON 566-579
CHAPTER XLVIII.
THE TOWN OF VERONA
579-588
CHAPTER XLIX.
THE TOWN OF VIENNA 588-596
CHAPTER L.
THE TOWN OF WESTERN 596-603
CHAPTER LI.
THE TOWN OF WESTMORELAND
603-614
CHAPTER LIL
THE TOWN OF WHITESTOWN 615-636
PART II-BIOGRAPHICAL
PART III-FAMILY SKETCHES.
FAMILY SKETCHES 1-382
INDEXES 383
x
CONTENTS.
PORTRAITS
Abeel, James S., Capt.,
facing 176, Part I
Ablett, Robert. facing 627, Part I
Adams, Silas facing 579, Part 1
Allen, Bion Pemberton, M. D.,
facing 43, Part 11
Anthony, Jesse B. facing 173, Part HI
Babbitt, John L. facing 161, Part 11
Bagg, M. M., M.D.
facing 250, Part I
Bailey, E. Prentiss ..
facing 355, Part I
Ballou, Walter facing 401, Part I
Barrows, Samuel J facing 46, Part II
Birdseye, Rufus P facing 365, Part I
Bissell, Gordon N facing 130, Part II
Booth, Wilbur 11 facing 178, Part II
Boyle, John W facing 35, Part 11
Brewster, Amos F facing 582, Part I
Brown, Calvin facing 584, Part 1
Butler, John Milton facing 363, Part 1
Butler, Morgan facing 453, Part I
Capron, Seth, Dr .. facing 136, Part II Chadwick, sr., George W ..
facing 170, Part II
Chadwick, jr., George W.,
facing 172. Part 11
Chamberlain, Ephraim facing 326, Part I Cloher, jr., William H ..
facing 166, Part 11 Coggesball, H. J. .. .. facing 198, Part II Comstock, Calvert .. bet. 122 123, Part II Comstock, Edward. bet. 122-123, Part II Conkling, Roscoe facing 219, Part 1
Costello, P. C. bet. 120-421, Part I Costello, P. HI. bet. 420-421, Part 1 Coxe, Alfred C. facing 230, Part I
Cromwell, Stephen facing 414, Part I
Curran, Edward facing 288, Part I Darling, Charles W. facing 132, Part 11 Denio, Hiram facing 237, Part I Dickinson, Albert M. . facing 357, Part I Dorrance, D. G., facing 566, Part I Douglass, James A. facing 392, Part I
Draper, Virgil. facing 109, Part II
Dunham, George E. facing 356, Part I
Dunmore, Watson T. -facing 232, Part I Dwight, Benjamin W. . facing 979, Part I Ethridge, Alfred. facing 102, Part II Farman, Henry. ... facing 386, Part I Farwell, Samuel facing 202. Part I Faxton, Theodore S. facing 344, Part 1 Flandrau, Thomas M ..
facing 117, Part 11
Foster, Henry A .. ... facing 23%, Part I
Frisbie, Willard J. facing 419, Part 1
Graham Edmund .1 .facing 227, Part 1
Hagedorn, Henry facing 563, Part 1 Hall, Bemamin facing 145. Part II
llarvey, Edwin .1 facing 423. Part I Haselton, J. S. .. facing 532, Part I
Helmer, Robert J facing 106, Part 1
Ilieber, John C facing 67, Part 11 Hunt, James G., M D facing 18, Part II Hunt, Myron Wi, M.D.
facing 157, Part II Huntington, Edward facing 110, Part 11 Hutchinson, Charles W .
facing 211, Part 1
Jenkins, Timothy facing 570, Part 1
Jones, Thomas S facing 233, Part 1
Kellogg, Spencer .. facing 304, Part 1
Kernan, Frants facing 243, Part I Kingsley. W. J. P. MI ...
facing 128, Part II Laird, Frank F., M D, facing 64, Part 11 Lamb, Harrison facing 93, Part II
Lawton, Elon J. facing 115, Part II
Lee, Arthur D. facing 605, Part 1
Lewis, Lad 1 J facing 456, Part I Locke, William P .facing 5.10, Part I Loomis, Jon J. facing 10, Part 11
McGuire, Philip facing 444, Part 1 Mann, Newton facing 100. Part II Middleton, Robert facing 365. Part 1
Millar, Charles facing 370 Part I
Miller, Addison C. facing 56, Part II
Munson, Altred. faung 302, Part 1
XI
CONTENTS.
Munson, Edmund .... facing 367, Part I Nicholson, Charles A. . facing 145, Part II Nock, Thomas G. facing 125, Part II
North, Edward. facing 271, Part I
Osborn, Amos (). facing 16, Part II
Owen, Philip facing 201, Part II
Penfield, Thomas D. facing 29, Part II
Perry, Josiah facing 60, Part II
Philo, Charles H. facing 488, Part I Prescott, Cyrus Dan. facing 127, Part II Ralph, George facing 320, Part I Reid, Christopher C., M. D.,
facing 119, Part II
Rogers, Publiuş V ... facing 362, Part I Sanger, Jedediah . facing 64, Part 1 Sanger, William Cary facing 181, Part II Sayles, Joseph 1. facing 120, Part H
Scott, Isaac R ... .. facing 21, Part II
Scripture, W. E .. facing 197, Part H
Seudder, Samuel (). facing 111, Part II Searles, James H. .. facing 131, Part HI Seaton, Albert P'. . facing 150, Part I Seymour, Horatio .. facing 201, Part I Smith, J. Arthur. V. S ..
facing 36, Part II
Soper, Albert .. .bet. 112-113. Part II Soper, Arthur W. bet. 112 113, Part II Spencer, James D. .... facing 594, Part 1
Spencer, Joshua A .____ facing 239, Part I Stoddard, Davis Curtis,
facing 74, Part II
Stryker, John facing 105, Part II Studor, George M. facing 443, Part I
Tower, Reuben facing 537, Part I
Trevvett, Edward facing 146, Part II
Utley, David. facing 108, Part II
Utley, Squire facing 538, Part I
Wager, Daniel E. . frontispiece
Wardwell, Daniel facing 97, Part II
Warren, David A. facing 580, Part 1
Weaver, Fred G. facing 430, Part I
Wells, John B. facing 296, Part I West, M. Calvin, M. D.,
facing 104, Part II
Whiffen, Isaac. facing 168, Part II White, Canvass facing 82, Part HI
White Hugh.
facing 81, Part II
White, William M facing 89, Part II
Wiley, George H. facing 308, Part I
Willard, Garry A. facing 403, Part 1
Wilhams, Abijah J. facing 280, Part I Willams, Elliott S. .. facing 458, Part 1 Williams, Robert S. .. facing 163, Part II Wilson, Claude, M. D .-. facing 6, Part II Woodruff, Arthur C. _ _ facing 416, Part I
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
CHAPTER I.
PRELIMINARY HISTORY.
Those who do not clearly understand the preliminary history of this part of New York, nor fully appreciate the important part it has played in shaping the destiny of the country and determining whether we should be a part of the English speaking people or under the domina- tion of France, it is essential to go back far enough in the past to ob- tain a bird's-eye view of the condition of affairs on this continent when England and France were struggling for its mastery.
Not far from a century before the footsteps of the white man pressed the soil of what is now known as the Empire State, there dwelt along the borders of the Mohawk river and so on westerly to within the sound of Niagara's eternal roar, a powerful race of Indian statesmen and warriors, called by the French, the "Iroquois1 Confederacy," by the English, the Five and later the Six Nations. Their names and location, commencing at the Hudson and going westerly, were as follows :
The Mohawks, the Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas and the Senecas. The easterly boundary of the Oneidas was a line extending from the north to the south bounds of New York and nearly on a line between the present counties of Oneida and Herkimer. The westerly boundary was on a line running from the north to the south bounds of the State, passing through or near " Deep Spring " (Manlius, in Onondaga county,)
1 The meaning of the word is thus explained : Their people, when making a speech or any emphatic declaration, generally concluded with the words, "I have said it." So the French characterized them as the " the people who say, Iro," or "I have said, Kaue," hence Iro-quois.
1
2
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
but making a detour far enough to the west to include the whole of Oneida Lake within the domain of the Oneidas. In 1712, or there- abouts, the Tuscaroras came from North Carolina and were adopted as the Sixth Nation, and assigned occupancy of lands within the territory of the Oneidas, mostly in what is now Chenango county. In primitive times, when the savages roamed at will over this entire continent, and their routes lay entirely by Indian paths and trails and by bark canoes over the water courses, it is easy to see that between the east and the great west, the water route by the Hudson and the Mohawk to what is now the site of Rome and then by a short carry of only a mile or so overland to Wood Creek, and thence down that stream to Oneida Lake, and by that outlet and Oswego River to Lake Ontario, and so on to the great lakes of the west and the head waters of the Mississippi River, would be the shortest, most convenient and expeditious of any that could be selected ; so, too, in later times, when the white men were pushing their trade and settlements into this region, before the age of canals, railroads, or common roads even, this same route, traversed by larger boats and by commerce and by more dangerous munitions of war, was selected by imperative necessity. A glance at the map will show that the location of the Oneidas was more favorable than any of the other nations ; the scenery within the territory was magnificent, the soil proved to be rich and productive, and by reason of the topography of the country, and the course of the streams, the Oneidas, by means of their light and fleet canoes, could easily glide by water into the do- mains of the other nations. The territory of the Oneidas was the summit level, or the great divide, from which streams flowed in every direction. As with the Oneidas, so with Oneida county ; it is perhaps pardonable to say, that in the galaxy and in the setting of the counties, she is indeed the central gem.
England and France commenced explorations and settlements on this side of the Atlantic (1609) about the same time. The former in New England and southerly along the Atlantic seaboard ; the French taking possession of Canada and the St. Lawrence, pushing their discoveries to the Mississippi, and down the sullen tide of that stream to the Gulf of Mexico, before 1700 occupying Louisiana. Along these routes from Canada to the head waters of the Mississippi and down that river, the
3
PRELIMINARY HISTORY.
French had established a chain of trading posts, missionary stations, and forts, sixty in number, with a view of ultimately surrounding the English and driving them into the ocean. Each nation tried to woo and to win the friendship of the Iroquois Confederacy; the French in a great measure by their Jesuit missionaries, who, with their religious zeal, endeavored to imbue the Indians with love of the French nation as well as with a love of the Savior, and hatred of the English. As before in- cidentally stated, the members of this Confederacy were skilled in diplomacy, brave and fierce in battle, and powerful in union. They were important factors in determining the result of the conflicts between France and England in the struggle of over a century, for supremacy in America. The skill, bravery and power of that Confederacy were near their zenith when Champlain, the daring French explorer, sailed up the St. Lawrence and founded the city of Quebec in 1609; when the English discovered Cape Cod and explored the Atlantic coast ; about the same time when Capt. John Smith made the settlement at James- town ; when Hendrick Hudson sailed up the Hudson; when the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, and that influence and power continued and went on increasing during the years in which the two European nations were fighting for supremacy in America and until that Confederacy, or a majority of its members, made the fatal mistake of linking their for- tunes with the English in the struggle of the American Colonies for independence. When that struggle ended the Six Nations as a Con- federacy (called the Romans of America) ceased to exist, and their power and influence vanished from the land as effectually as if they had never been. It does not, however, fall within the design nor the scope of this work to give anything more than an outline sketch of those Six Nations, nor to do more than to briefly mention such historical facts as seem to be required in order to better understand the history in hand.
The portage at Rome was called by the Indians " De-o-Waim-Sta," signifying the place where boats are carried from one stream to another. The Dutch called it " Trow Plat," and the English in early times called it " the Great Carrying Place," to distinguish it from the " Little Carrying Place," where boats and their cargo were carried around the rapids of the Mohawk at what is now Little Falls. It may be of inter- est to state in this connection that in Washington county in this State
4
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
there is another Wood Creek, called by the French, River au Chicot, (or river of logs), which flows into Lake Champlain, and that between that stream and the Hudson is a portage of six to ten miles, which in early times was also called " the Great Carrying Place," and students of history in this locality sometimes become confused in reading of Wood Creek and the Great Carrying Place where the tragic events around Lakes George and Champlain are described in the old French war and the war of the Revolution. In later times the portage at Rome was called the " Oneida carrying place," as it was within the territory of the Oneidas, and that name prevented it from being confounded with any other carrying place.
In 1693 Albany county was formed and extended to the west bounds of the province and so continued until 1772. It was one of the original ten counties of New York.
Prior to 1755 the territory within Oneida 1 county was without a his- tory. It was scarcely mentioned, except perhaps incidentally.
It 1705 the Oriskany Patent was granted and in that the Oneida carrying place is mentioned. In 1725 it is again mentioned in a peti- tion to the Assembly relative to the Indian trade ; and again in 1736, when the Assembly is asked to erect forts at this carrying place. Those three are the only places where this locality is found to be especially mentioned in history. Nevertheless, this route was traversed by In- dians, by traders and others, and was well known by the men of that period. A fort was erected at Oswego in 1727 and men and materials went over this route to erect it. After its erection, Indians usually went there in May with their furs and remained until the last of July to dis- pose of them. In the summer of 1725, fifty-seven canoes went from Albany over this route and returned with 738 packs of beaver and deer skins; it was estimated that 150 hogsheads of beaver and other fine furs and 200 hogsheads of dressed deer skins were exported annually from this country.
The above sufficiently indicates the importance of this route, and that the French and English were very anxious to control the Indian trade and the influence of the Confederacy. It must also show that this por-
1 It will be observed that the name, Oneida county, is used in this work long before it was organized with its present boundary.
5
1754-1756-FORT BULL, ETC.
tage was of immense importance, and that forts were essential to guard and protect it. This becomes more apparent when it is borne in mind that a dense swamp covered with cedar and undergrowth, with a soil too miry and porous to uphold a person, extending alongside of the whole length (four miles and more) of this carrying place, and two miles in width, forming a barrier as formidable as a solid stone wall of those dimensions ; and that if this portage could not be crossed, a cir- cuit of several miles must be made to the south through the unbroken wilderness. This impassable swamp continued in existence until the fore part of the present century.
Neither history or tradition gives the dates of the erection of the first forts on the Oneida Carrying Place. The first full and reliable account of forts at this point is given in Paris Document XII, obtained by our State government from the archives in France, which account appears in the next chapter, including an account of the destruction of Fort Bull. In 1736 the New York Assembly was petitioned, as before stated, to erect a fort at this point, and was shown the necessity for it; but there is no account as to what action if any, was taken under that petition, nor as to when the first fort was erected at this carrying place ; nor is there any previous plan for the construction of a fort here, until that of Fort Stanwix in 1758 ; although it is undisputed there were forts at this place as early as the spring of 1756.
CHAPTER H.
1751-1756 .- FORT BULL, ETC.
In 1754 and 1755 war was in progress in America between the French and English, each struggling for the mastery of the country. In the last named year vigorous measures were planned by the English to drive the French from their strongholds on the borders of the Eng- lish possessions. Among other plans three expeditions were that year set on foot by the English, one of which was for the capture of Fort Du Quesne (now Pittsburgh); another against Ticonderoga and Crown
6
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
Point, commanded by Sir William Johnson ; the other to be commanded by General Shirley, to go from Albany up the Mohawk, over the port - age (now Rome) to Wood Creek, thence via Oneida Lake to Oswego, there to rendezvous, and thence west by a journey of five or six days by boat across Lake Ontario and capture Niagara. The latter, with Fort Du Quesne, were the keys to the valley of the Mississippi. The expedition against Fort Du Quesne was a miserable failure, and resulted in the killing of Braddock, who commanded it. Sir William Johnson won a battle at Lake George, resulting in the death of Dieskau, the French commander; but that success was only temporary. Early in the summer of 1755 General Shirley made preparations to go to Oswe- go via Oneida Carrying Place. Seventeen hundred beeves, to feed the men and supply the troops at Oswego, were started on foot from Al- bany and driven by the land route up the valley of the Mohawk ; the probabilities are, that on reaching Stanwix village in Rome, the route was followed past what is now the Custodial Asylum (old county house), thence to Oneida and around Oneida Lake to Oswego, or through Westmoreland, as such a body of cattle could not be taken in the bateaux of those days by the water route. Col. John Bradstreet, with six months provisions and stores costing the government $3,000, started for Oswego, went by the same water route and crossed over the portage between Mohawk River and Wood Creek. Governor De Lancey, writing in August of that year to the home government, highly complimented Colonel Bradstreet for his energy, and says that in three hours time the latter crossed the portage with his men, provisions, bag- gage and whole supply train, and with as little time as was usually con- sumed in getting one bateau and its cargo over that portage. Two regiments of raw provincials soon after left Albany by the same route, followed by General Shirley with 200 regular troops, the whole, about 1,500 or 2,000, to congregate at Oswego with a view to move on and capture Niagara. To the northward fifty miles away was Fort Frontenac (now Kingston), then garrisoned by 1,400 French troops, ready to swoop down upon Oswego, if General Shirley ventured to move towards Niagara. General Shirley took with him to Oswego six brass 12 pounders, one brass 18 pounder, and seven iron six pounders, His whole force reached Oswego the last of August, but not the needful pro-
7
1754-1756-FORT BULL, ETC.
visions and stores. His journey up the Mohawk, over the Oneida Car- rying Place, thence to Oswego, is graphically and poetically described by that elegant historian, Dr. Francis Parkman, in Vol. I of his history on Montcalm and Wolfe. 'He says :
They left Schenectady, passed Fort Johnson, the two villages of the Mohawks, the German Flats, and left behind the last trace of civilized man. They rowed 60 miles up the Mohawk through a wilderness, and reached the Great Carrying Place, which divided the waters that flow to Lake Ontario. Here now stands the city which the classic zeal of its founders has adorned with the name of Rome. Then all was swamp and forest, traversed by a track that led to Wood Creek, which is not to be con- founded with the Wood Creek of Lake Champlain. Thither the bateaux were dragged on sledges and launched on the dark and tortnousstream, which, fed by a decoction of forest leaves that oozed from the marshy shores, crept in shadow through depths of foliage, with only a belt of illumined sky gleaming between the jagged tree tops. Tall and lean with straining towards the light, their rough gaunt stems trickling with perpetual damps, stood on either hand the silent hosts of the forest. The skeletons of their dead, barkless, blanched and shattered, strewed the mud banks and shal- lows; others lay submerged like bones of drowned mammoths thrusting lank white limbs above sullen water ; and great trees, entire as yet, were flung by age or storms athwart the current, a bristling barricade of matted boughs. There was work for the ax as well as for the oar, till at length Lake Oneida opened before them, and they rowed all day over its sunny breast, reached the outlet and drifted down the shallow eddies of the Onondaga, between walls of verdure, silent as death, yet haunted every where with ambushed danger. It was twenty days after leaving Schenectady when they reached the mouth of the Oswego river, and Lake Ontario greeted them stretched like a sea to the pale brink of the northern sky, while on the bare hill on their left, stood the miserable Fort of Oswego.
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