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GEN
PIONEER HISTORY & ATLAS OF STEUBEN COUNTY N.Y.
CUBEN
COUNTY
796
Moren will work
1996
NY
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
3 1833 01800 2144
GENEALOGY 974.701 ST4TH
As a way of marking the two hundredth anniversary of the establishment of the county the Steuben County Bicentennial Commission is making available several publications. This, the first, is the reprinting of a concise volume assembled in 1942 by W. B. Thrall from materials submitted by local historians and other sources throughout the county.
It is the hope of the commission that this publication will spark the interest of both younger and older students of local history. It traces the development of Steuben County from its earliest days to the time of publication.
The book is being reprinted as it appeared in 1942 with no attempt to update the text.
EUBEN
COUNTY
1796
1996
N.Y.
一
一
PIONEER HISTORY & ATLAS OF STEUBEN COUNTY N. Y.
COMPILED FROM
HISTORICAL
STATISTICAL & OFFICIAL
RECORDS
A
Printed By SOUTHERN TIER NEWS Inc, Addison, N. Y.
By W. B. THRALL, Perry, N. Y. Author & Publisher Copyrighted 1942
4
PREFACE
One of the aims of this book is to furnish for the teacher's use, (no matter where the teacher is from,) local historical and statistical material, and maps of each township,-for the study of the subject of Social Studies as it relates to the Geography and History of each township in Steuben County, and as outlined in the "County Unit" program of the District Super- intendents of Steuben County.
Another aim is to insure to every pupil in the county uniformity and thoroughness in some of the conditions and problems that faced the pio- neers of Steuben County. Those conditions and problems brought out many sterling qualities in those early settlers, and thus built our heritage of today.
Many creditable books have been published dealing with material on the state, nation, and continents, for use in the subject of Social Studies, - but with little or no material or data on an individual county or township. It is one thing to furnish an outline or plan for teachers to follow, and it is quite another, and more diffi- cult matter to gather the information and ma- terial answering the outline. Both are very necessary.
It is our belief from experience that we should build on the concepts to be gained by the study of our immediate environment.
With propriety we can state we have had years of teaching and administrative school ex- perience and are therefore familiar with the prob- lems of teachers. We are also keenly aware of the obligation of the school to the pupils and parents.
GENERAL AND SPECIFIC AIMS
The general aim of this work is to present a picture of the land, conditions, and problems that the pioneer settlers encountered in making homes in a new land.
The conditions and problems developed initiative, self-reliance, decision, independence, freedom, hospitality, and many other qualities that made for character, and citizenship.
We must ever keep in mind the conditions that the earliest pioneer settlers encountered ;-
primeval forest everywhere, the presence of Indians, wild animals, and other wild life. Dense forests covered the valleys, hillsides, and upland.
There were no roads and few game or Indian trails that were well defined. It is also to be noted that there were few places in the county that were not covered by dense forests. The spaces were limited in area and covered with very high grass. It is recorded that a man riding through on horse-back,-only his head could be seen, -and sometimes even that was not visible. The sod was very thick and spongy, and very difficult to plow ;- that even after burn- ing it took 4 oxen to break up the sod.
We believe that with the information and facts contained herein the teacher can guide the pupil :-
1st. To a knowledge and understanding of the pioneer days.
2nd. To the interpretation of geographic princi- ples and the effect that physical environ- ment has had upon man's activities and progress.
3rd. To learn how achievement has been effected by his ability to understand and to use his physical world.
4th. To help pupils trace the operation of cause and effect as related to social change as influenced by the topography of the region.
5th. To help pupils gain historical information, understanding, interpretation, and its ap- plication.
There were no plowed fields with waving grain to greet the pioneer; no droves of cattle or sheep; horses and oxen were few; no carriage or wagon roads ; no stoves or furnaces; no matches or lamps. From the spring came the water,- not from the faucet.
We are told by educators and those con- ducting classes in "Social Studies" that this book gives an impctus and added interest to the "County Unit" program of study, instituted by the District Superintendents in all their schools, since this book furnishes much material that is needed and not otherwise readily available to the teacher. It furnishes uniformity and thorough- ness in factual information to all schools in Steuben County.
This book interests pupils, teachers, and
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persons outside of the school-room, since the College of Agriculture at Cornell University; material contained herein relates to one's im- William Stempfle, Steuben County Farm Bureau Agent; I. S. Bowlby, District Forester at Bath; and W. G. Kellogg, County Superintendent of Highways.
mediate environment,-the town and county in which he lives. Besides it contains much infor- mation and many facts with which he is unac- quainted,-though living in the midst of it.
Many interesting lessons and concepts can be obtained from these pages and maps. Many days are spent in the study of mere remote regions in our land,-not but that the pupils should learn about such areas and regions,-but would not his appreciation, apperception, and observation be stimulated by a more thorough study of the immediate region in which one lives ? Cause and effect are as much alive here and now as in the pioneer days, or foreign regions.
SUBJECT MATTER
This book is not a compilation of material taken from the several local biographical his- tories, -except in a few cases which fact is noted, - but from records and maps which we possess, and contacts with descendants of the early pioneers. In passing,-will state that the PIONEER HISTORY & ATLAS OF STEU- BEN COUNTY is not intended, in any sense, to be a biographical history, but of historical and statistical records prior to 1850. In order to furnish some comparisons between pioneer days and the present we have included material on the highways, railroads, school facilities, population, reforestation, livestock, rainfall, growing season, maps, etc.
EXPRESSING APPRECIATION
We wish herein to particularly express our thanks to, and appreciation of the sincere co- operation and aid of the following District Superintendents of the Schools of Steuben County ; - Calvin U. Smith of Painted Post; Winfred Morrow of Bath; Otto J. Stewart of Addison; Virgil H. Hussey of Greenwood; Henry M. Brush of Arkport; and Guyon J. Carter of Avoca.
Also do we wish to thank the following for statistical and other information ;- Dr. C. A. Hartnagel, State Geologist; Dr. Arthur Parker of State Museum; the Department of Soil of the
We also wish to thank the following per- sons for their assistance in checking events as recorded herein ;-
Addison Clark Baxter and Miss Helen Smith
Avoca
Mrs. Maude Shults and Miss Mary Shults
Bath R. B. Oldfield, county clerk; Miss Lair, librarian; and Otto F. Marshall Mr. Whitehead
Bradford
Cameron Frank Smith
Campbell
Miss Elizabeth McCabe
Canisteo
Miss Elizabeth Bennett
Caton
Burt Richards
Cohocton
W. Lander; Atty. McDowell, Sr.
Corning
Wilson Messer
Dansville Mr. Weirmiller and Mrs. Bessie Rex
Erwin
Miss Sophia Erwin, J. R. Wilder and Frank Pierce
Fremont
Charles Kilbury
Greenwood
Alfonso Lewis and Miss Young
Hartsville
Daniel Comstock
Hornby
E. Stephen
Hornellsville Frank Hurlburt and Miss Helen Thacher, librarian
Howard
Lewis Bennett
Jasper
L. E. Hunt
Lindley
George Riffle
Prattsburg
Charlotte Howe
Pulteney
Miss Prentiss
Rathbone Fred Martin and Mrs. W. E. Church
Thurston
James Jerry
Troupsburg
William Rude
Tuscarora
Mr. Wells
Urbana
Miss Laura Bailey
Wayland
W. W. Clark and Mrs. Burt Patchin
Wayne
G. H. Bliss
West Union John Harden
Wheeler Otto F. Marshall
Woodhull
Frank Park
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45.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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LAKE ONTARIO
43°
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IRIS
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THE INDIAN CONFEDERACY
The confederacy comprised five nations,- the Mohawks on the eastern side; next the Oneidas and the Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas following in the order named. The Senecas occupied the territory west of Seneca Lake and were the guardians of the west door of the long house. Their dwellings, even among the most stationary tribes were rude, their food coarse and both their domestic habits and sur- roundings, unclean and barbarous. The Senecas occupied the territory to the west and it is with them that we have to deal in Steuben County. They perhaps, were as peaceful and as domes- tic as some others of the confedracy, yet all the early efforts for their civilization and con- version to Christianity were unsatisfactory and discouraging. In 1776, they were reported to have 1,000 warriors. The present village of Painted Post was the home of the Assinisinks where dwelt Jacobas the Muncy chief which fact confirms the statement that Delawares were suffered to live in the valley after their subjuga- tion.
EUROPEAN CONTACTS
The coming of the white man from Europe to the New York area wrought considerable changes in the culture of the Indian. Hitherto, they had used the simple means found about them to satisfy their simple needs. They labored long with flint tools to carve their tools and weapons; their game was killed with crude spears or ar- rows. They had no easy means to accomplish anything that required change or form; life was a hardship, best endured by him who complained least and was best aware of his resources. At the same time the most vital needs were jealously guarded by both rational means and by the use of charms and ceremonies.
The coming of the Europeans caused a gradual upheaval among the natives, and they saw themselves poorly equipped in many material things, as compared to the pale visitors. The white man valued speed and had sought the means to attain it. He rode horseback and out- distanced his swiftest human pursuer who had none. He had guns and powder, -terrifying means of killing his foes and game.
The most amazing thing was his steel axe and knife, with these, trees could be felled and he could hew, cut and carve. The finest flint tool was a clumsy, inefficient competitor of a steel implement. The white man also brought brass kettles, steel scissors, awls of iron, sheet metal and wire. He brought a new fabric that he called cloth, and he had blankets, coats and trousers made of it. All of these things and inany shining trinkets as chains, beads, thimbles and mirrors, the white man was eager to trade for such simple natural things as beaver pelts.
The red man was eager to get these wonder- ful articles. To obtain them the red man became more and more a hunter and trapper. Gradu- ally he gave up his stone tools, his skin mantle, his clay kettles, and his bone awls. The white man's things were better. Thus the red man became a trader always giving great quantities of raw materials for a small amount of manu- factured things. Soon the red man was depen- dent upon the white man for many things he did not have the means to produce and in whose mak- ing he had no part. He draped the white man's
7
shirt over his shoulders and hung the lower flaps KEY TO CHARACTERS USED ON MAPS over his leggings but he was not a white man. FOR INDIAN SITES He bought a white man's gun and cut his food with the white man's knife and cooked it in a A Village site white man's kettle; yet he was only a barbarian X Camp site or other indications covering small area who did not make what he used so constantly. O Earth work or stockade In this manner the Indian's material culture 3 Burial site or grave faded away and the white man's supplanted it. Sites are noted with above characters on the township maps in which they occur. The entire process can be traced on the village sites of the New York Indians.
INDIAN SITES IN STEUBEN COUNTY
List of Sites
1. Village site in Avoca on the Haskins farm.
2. Village site near Avoca on the Conklin farm.
3. Camp sites near Hammondsport and along the inlet of Keuka Lake.
4. Stockade site in Canisteo.
5. A second stockade site of this kind is also described. One of the villages may have been the Canisteo of 1762, a Delaware town of sixty houses.
6. Stockade site on Colonel Bill's Creek.
7. Village site near Painted Post. Graves have been found in this locality.
8. Village site near the junction of the Canisteo creek and the Tioga River. This is at the fork of the river in the town of Erwin. On the Pennsylvania historical map this site is indicated as Assinisink.
9. Site on Post Creek north of Corning. This site and others and small camp sites in gen- eral lay on the Steele & Furman and on the Low & Wallack tracts.
10. Village site at the bend in the Chemung River in East Corning and opposite the mouth of a creek flowing from the highlands to the south.
11. Village site near the county line on the north bank of the creek on lot 16, Corning.
12. Camp site and cache on the farm of Curtis Gyles a mile from the forks of Cowanesque and Tioga rivers. In the cache were found pieces of sea shells blocked out for discs.
ARCHEOLOGICAL RESEARCH
Since the remote days when man appeared upon earth, he has been writing his own history. The writing has been found in the mother earth. Ages have covered the traces with layers of earth and obscured them. It is the Archeologists who locate the precise spots where this buried history is hidden and lift the accumulated debris of the centuries and then translate the records into the language that men understand. The story of ancient man and his activities is of much importance to us of today, for what man has been, helps man of today to understand whence he came and why he is as he is; and what man is, has a most important bearing on what man may become. Without this knowledge, history is without a basis, and many important branches of science are incomplete.
Primitive people everywhere have passed through a succession of similar cultural stages. Thus, the earthen pottery, the chipped arrow points, and bone awls of the British Isles are so similar to those found in America that one can scarcely tell them from the same objects found on the site of the Indian villages of New York State. This means that the ancient inhabitants of York, England 2,500 years ago were living ir: about the same way, and making the same things that the ancient inhabitants of America made at the same time, though one race was white and the other red, and though the Atlantic intervened and the two people had never seen or heard of each other.
Before us we have definite problems of the influence of climate, of food, of environment, and of geographical location upon large groups of mankind. Nowhere else upon so fresh and fertile a field may this record of human develop-
8
inent be studied to advantage as in America. It is thought that the ancestors of the human race lived in some restricted geographical area until stich a time as certain initial usages had become fixed parts of the Pan-Human material culture. These were the use of fire, the use of flint knives and spears, sharp-pointed bones and stone hatchets. With those things man was ready to travel afar and to cope with devouring beasts and hostile elements. To the roaming bands of proto-men who departed from the mother land before the primal inventions came, one of three things happened; they became exterminated through lack of means to cope with environment, they independently discovered the primal arts, or wandering back to offshoots of the parent stock that had made the primal discoveries, they learned to make and apply them.
Archeologists deduce the former presence of man in any given area by the discovery of human skeleton remains and by the finding of pottery, stone implements, such as chipped flints, etc. In America no extensive evidence comparable to those of Europe have been found. While there has been such notable discoveries of supposed very ancient human remains in America, there is as yet no evidence that any possess characteris- tics differing from those of Indians today. No human remains found in America as yet ap- proach the antiquity of European or of Asiatic discoveries.
The problem of the coming of man to America is placed before us for solution. This problem has occupied the attention of thinkers from the time that America was found to be a distinct land area, and separated from the old world by vast expanses of water.
Excavations of Indian village or camp sites disclose that they had implements for use in the teepee and for hunting and fishing. Pottery for cooking, stone weapons for the chase; bones for fish hooks; shells and bone for combs, and bones for awls; stone tomahawks and knives, bows and arrows for protection. The discovery and use of fire marked a great advancement with the Indian. With every invention that helped to surmount the obstacles encountered by the Indian, the Indian became more and more self reliant,-and independent.
GEOLOGY AND ROCKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY
Due to the southerly dip of the rocks and the higher elevation of the Allegany plateau,- the thickness of the latter Paleozoic sediment above the Precambrian base would probably be 9,000 to 10,000 feet along the Pennsylvania bor- der. Steuben County lies principally in the Genesee and Chemung formation of sedimentary shales.
The native rocks of this county are gener- ally of a shaley nature and not fit for use. There are a few exceptions, however. One mile north of Bath is a stratum three feet thick of a tough Argillo-Calcareous rock, forming an excellent building stone. In Woodhull, Canisteo and Jas- per, the sandstone ledges furnish an excellent quality of grindstones. At Arkport, and in Dansville, Wayland, and Troupsburg are marl beds which furnished in the past lime for local manufacturing purposes.
The shales and sandstones of the Portage group of rocks,-outcrop in all the deep ravine regions in the north part of the county and in the west bank of Keuka Lake. Elsewhere the Chemung group comprises most of the surface rock. Near the state line the highest hills are capped with a coarse siliceous conglomerate which forms the floor of the coal measure.
MARL
There are numerous beds of marl and tufa in this county. At Arkport and South Dansville lime was made from the marl beds. There are also other large deposits of marl at Wayland and Troupsburg.
NOTE: MARL, -a deposit containing lime, clay and sand, is used as a fertilizer. Some deposits contain very little clay or sand. Valuable as a neutralizing agent to correct soil acidity and it is also valuable in the mak- ing of brick.
TUFA,-is a variety of calcium carbonate (CaCo3) with cellular structure,-as de- posited from springs and streams.
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MUCK
The summit level between Canaseraga Creek and Canisteo River has extensive beds of muck. Also in other sections of the county are other beds of muck.
MASTODON
At the town of Randall, on Route 17, a very few years ago, the skeleton of a mammoth mas- todon was unearthed and carefully dug up,- under the supervision of C. A. Hartnagel, State Geologist, and carefully crated and shipped to Albany.
The tooth of a mastodon was dug from a bed of blue clay near the steam sawmill of Mr. George Mitchell in the Gulf Road between Bath and Wheeler. It measures 8 or 10 inches in length. A large bone was also dug up. In the marl beds at Perkinsville many bones of the mas- todon were uncovered a few years ago.
FERN FOSSILS
A few years ago at Naples, New York, (a bordering town of this county, ) Mr. D. D. Luther of the State Geological Department found and dug out a section of a fossil of the fern. This fossil section of fern was 10 or 12 inches thick and the section recovered was 10 or 12 feet in length. The fossil was buried centuries ago under many hundreds of feet of Genesee shale. What does this signify? That at one time the lowly fern, that we are accustomed to see,-grew to the size of trees. The evidence of fossil shells, ferns, mastodons, etc., taken from the pages of "Mother Earth", indicate that the temperature and moisture of this region was much warmer and humid centuries ago, -- even tropical.
SALT SPRING
On the farm of Mr. Davis at LaGrange (now Greenwood,) is a salt spring. This was well known,-since the early Indians made salt there. Later the white settlers made much use of it. At one time two men undertook the commercial manufacture of this commodity,-but gave it up.
GLACIAL OCCUPATION AND RESULTING CHANGES
Steuben County was at one period of time covered with a mighty ice cap. That period was called the Glacial Period. This ice cap was sev- cral thousand feet thick. Its presence stopped the northward flow of many rivers that might have flowed north,-turning their courses southward. Evidence and proof of the existence of the Glacial Period is found in the presence of deposits of sand, gravel, and boulders which came from rocks far to the north in Canada,-since the com- position coincides with that of rock formation many miles north. During the glacial times the Canisteo and Conhocton Rivers carried away a great volume of water and sediment from the melting glacier on the north.
DEEP ROCK BORINGS AND GAS FIELDS
A number of deep rock borings have been made in different parts of Steuben County. The deepest hole was completed in the town of Erwin a couple of years ago. Its depth is 6,825 feet. In addition a hundred or more deep holes have been drilled in the county within the last ten years. In the town of Wayne lays the western extension of the Wayne-Dundee field. Also in the county are the Woodhull and Greenwood gas fields. These fields have all been developed within the last ten years or so. There are also many scat- tered wells drilled years ago. A shallow gas field in the town of Rathbone was active several years ago.
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RIVERS OF STEUBEN COUNTY
The Conhocton River flows southeasterly through near the center of the county. In high water it was once navigable for arks fourteen iniles above Bath.
Canisteo River flows through a valley south- west of the Conhocton River and nearly parallel to that river. In 1858 Canisteo River, in freshets, was navigable for arks and boats for about forty miles.
Tioga River flows north from Pennsylvania into Steuben County through a wild and moun- tainous region, and unites with the Canisteo River at Erwin,-and unites with the Conhocton River at Painted Post to form the Chemung River. "Early settlers describe these rivers in the time of high water as being full from hill to hill." These streams were all much larger before the destruction of the forests.
Canaseraga Creek in the northwest part of the county flows north into the Genesee River. Also a number of small streams in the southwest corner of the county form branches of the Gene- see River.
ELEVATIONS
The following elevations above sea level have been determined principally by actual sur- veys. Keuka Lake 709 feet; Corning 925 feet; village of Bath 1,090 feet; Hornell 1,150 feet; Arkport 1,194 feet; summit between Bath and Arkport 1,840 feet ; summit between Arkport and Angelica 2,062 feet; Troupsburg hills 2,500 feet. For other elevations see the Steuben County Map herein.
TOPOGRAPHY
Steuben County occupies the summit and western slope of that region which divides the streams west of Seneca Lake that flow to the Susquehanna from those that enter the Genesee. The course of this watershed ridge is northeast and southwest. Its elevation is about 900 feet at the northeast and in the southwest of the county is about 1800 feet. The highest inter- vening upland attains an elevation of 2500 feet above sea level. The summit of that ridge fol-
lows the curve of the Genesee at a distance of about 10 miles from the river. The streams flow- ing through the brief western slopes are therefore but inconsiderable creeks. While the waters col- lected from the other side supply the channels of three rivers, the Tioga, the Canisteo, and the Conhocton which uniting form the Chemung and add essentially to the power of the noble Susque- hanna River. The region composing this divid- ing range is an intricate hill country consisting of rolling and irregular uplands intersected by river valleys and by the beds of several lakes and by the crooked ravines worn by innumerable creeks. Few rocks are present at the surface of the ground and the whole land was originally covered by a dense forest, except in a very few places. The river valleys are bounded by abrupt walls from 200 to 800 feet high which sometimes confine the streams in gorges of a few rods in width.
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