USA > New York > Allegany County > A Centennial Memorial History of Allegany county, New York > Part 56
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VIAL THOMAS.
The venerable Vial Thomas, who was for so many years prominently and usefully identified with the public, religious and business affairs of Al- legany county, was born in Scituate, R. I., Oct. 15, 1783, and died in Angelica, N. Y., March 22, 1885, aged 101 years, 5 months and 7 days. From an ances- tral history written by himself in 1876 we take the following: "In the latter part of the sixteenth century, our first parent by the name of Thomas came to America. It is said that his father died without a will, leaving a large es- tate which by English law his elder brother inherited, but he told his younger brother that he would give him out of the estate all the education he wanted to get, then a good nice present. The first was got, but the present was so small in comparison with the large estate left by their father, that he was disgusted, came to America, and settled in Wickford, a port town in Rhode Island, where he raised a family. I have forgotten his given name if I ever knew it, but this man's oldest son was named James Thomas. He was my great-grandfather. He purchased in 1711 a farm in Scituate, R. I. His wife's name was Mary. Their family was one son and one daughter. This
Vial Thomas
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son was named Vial Thomas. He was my own grandfather. He also mar- ried, had a son and daughter and died before arriving at the middle age of man. His son was born Dec. 31, 1755, and named Nicholas. This Nicholas Thomas was my father. He was married Nov. 5, 1780, to Miss Phebe Knight, daughter of Dea. Stephen Knight of Cranston, R. I." Vial Thomas was the second child of the six sons and five daughters born to his parents, and he, after marrying Ruth Hammond, of Scituate, Jan. 1, 1806, soon began to think of the possibilities of the Genesee country for an active young man, and, Feb., 1810, they came to Angelica where Mr. Thomas articled and located on 160 acres of land which he transformed into a fine farm where they resided until 1835, when, selling this, he purchased one adjoining the homestead of Moses VanCampen, and made this his home until his death. His children were Mary A., James M., William H., Stephen W., Wilbur E., Harriet N., Charles K., and George W., of whom but two, Harriet N., wife of Rev. F. V. Warren, of Northeast, Pa., and Stephen W., of Bolivar, survive. (Mrs. Thomas died in March, 1848.) The strong physique and vital powers that caused Mr. Thomas to round out more than a century of life was of great avail in the pioneer days of Angelica, for he could work untiringly and for many years never seemed to know fatigue. He was in public office continu- ously for a long term of years, keeper of the poor house six years and county superintendent of the poor one year, was supervisor, assessor, justice of the peace of Angelica when the town stretched over many times its present area, and whatever he did was done well and faithfully. His name was a syno- nym for integrity in both public and private place. He was appointed by Governor Clinton one of the side judges of Allegany county and held that po- sition six or eight years. He was one of the members of the court before which was arraigned the first convicted murderer in the county in 1824, and no member of that distinguished body possessed more dignity. Judge Thomas was a man of conscience and deep religious principles. He brought up his family in the good old-fashioned way of strict obedience to the Deca- logue, and they like himself were members of the Presbyterian church of Angelica. He was a deacon and a ruling elder for many years, chosen first in October, 1827, and among the subscriptions to build the society's first house of worship his name appears for $200. He was the superintendent of the first sabbath school organized in Angelica (doubtless the first of the county). This is a mere outline of an extended and fruitful life, the life of one who bore all honors meekly, preserving a simple guileless nature amid all the changing years of a wonderfully extended period of life, and who, dy- ing, left an impress on many fields of his county's prosperity that will exist for generations.
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HISTORY OF ALLEGANY COUNTY, N. Y.
PETER S. NORRIS. *
Peter S. Norris, son of Samuel H., was born at Smithville, Chenango county, April 8, 1818. In February, 1847, having learned the printing busi- ness, he came to Angelica and went to work as a journeyman in the Alle- gany County Advocate office. In April, 1849, he married Ann M., daughter of Robert Ramsey. They had three children, Ella M. (Mrs. M. L. Rumpff), editor and proprietor of the Every Week, Hamilton C., publisher of the An- dover News at Andover, and Mary L., who died Oct. 28, 1882, aged 20 years. In December, 1851, Mr. Norris became editor and proprietor of the Advocate, and about a year later the paper was purchased by W. H. & C. M. Beecher, and consolidated with another paper, under a new name, and he became a journeyman in that office. In January, 1856, he was appointed deputy sheriff, and in 1857 was elected constable. After his term as deputy sheriff expired he worked as journeyman printer most of the time until the early part of 1868, when he started a book and job printing office, and in Decem- ber of the same year, resumed the publication of the Allegany County Advo- cate in small size. His principal object in reviving the publication of this journal was to afford opportunity for instructing his children in the printing and publishing business, and at the end of one year, having in a great meas- ure accomplished this purpose, the paper was abandoned, he continuing the book and job printing. In the fall of 1870 the only newspaper then pub- lished in the village was removed to another part of the county, and in December, 1871, by the urgent request of many of the citizens, Mr. Norris was induced to re-enter the publishing business, and founded the Angelica Republican. In the office of this paper his children applied themselves dili- gently to the business, and rendered valuable assistance in the work, became proficient in the art of printing, and got a good start in journalism, all soon becoming writers of more than ordinary ability. In the summer of 1875, failing health compelled him to sell his printing office and business and re- tire, for a time, from these exhausting labors. Having in a considerable degree recovered his health, his habits of activity would not allow him to remain idle, and he returned to his chosen and cherished profession, work- ing a part of the time as journeyman and part of the time in a job printing office of his own, finally selling to his daughter, Mrs. M. L. Rumpff, in 1886, and afterward assisting her in the office of Every Week. Mr. Norris also held the office of justice of the peace, doing a considerable amount of busi- ness twelve years of the time between 1863 and 1888, and was police justice three years, and though a number of cases, both civil and criminal, tried be- fore him were appealed to a higher court, no judgment or decision of his was ever reversed or set aside. At the age of 75 years he still assisted his daughter in the Every Week office a part of the time. "On Sunday morning, March 11, 1894, Peter Spencer Norris passed over the river, out of the dark- ness into the light of the Life Beyond."
* Autobiographical.
443
AMITY.
AMITy.
BY JOHN S. MINARD.
CHAPTER XLI.
THE TOWN OF AMITY was organized by and under an act of legislature T
passed Feb. 22, 1830. It wasformed out of territory three miles wide by nine miles long running east and west, taken from the south part of the town of Angelica, and the same quantity of land taken from the town of Scio. It originally included all of township three in range two of the Morris Reserve, but when the town of Ward was organized in 1857 the east part of township 3 was incorporated into that town. Until that time it had been a part and parcel of the town of Angelica, and cannot be said to have had any history as an independent territory. Amity is an interior and central town. Its surface is hilly, and broken by tributaries of the Genesee river, the most notable being VanCampen's creek from the west and Philip's and Plum Bot- tom creeks from the east. The river enters the town about two miles west of the southeast corner, and leaves it about the same distance east of the northwest corner, its general course through the town being quite direct for the Genesee. Along the river are some very fine flats, but the valley of the creeks are for the most part narrow. The hills back from the river attain attitudes, in some cases, of 800 or 900 feet above the river. The soil along the river is mostly a vegetable loam, and clay and sandy loams appear in in different parts. The route of the Erie railway follows the Genesee valley from the south on the east side of the river to Belmont where it crosses it, and reaching VanCampen's creek crosses that stream and follows it toward Friendship. The drive afforded by the public highway from Belmont to Scio is one of the finest to be found along the Genesee river. The subdivision of the town was originally made by Moses VanCampen and prior to 1810, though the date is not positively so asserted. The town contains 21.960 acres and the population has been: 1860, 2,268; 1870, 2,087; 1880, 1,972; 1890, 1,996; 1892, 2,051. The first birth in town was that of Hannah Hyde, Nov. 4, 1804, and the first death was that of Harvey Manning in 1806. The first marriage was of Laomi Ashley and Rachael Baker in 1807.
In 1803 John T. Hyde came into the town from Andover, and took up land on what is now known as the farm of Nehemiah Bosworth on the river road about half a mile south of "Belvidere Corners." He was a native of Vermont, and spent the remainder of his life until 1848 with the earliest set- tlers of the valley of the Genesee. His youngest son, Thatcher Hyde, mar- ried Polly Gorton, a resident of Belmont, who yet survives him. In 1804 Dr. Ebenezer E. Hyde built a home on the place now occupied by S. Hale Whit- come at Belvidere Corners, and practiced medicine and kept a hotel for many years, until a railroad and other forerunners of civilization and
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HISTORY OF ALLEGANY COUNTY, N. Y.
improvement did away with the necessity of the public house. Here was held the first masonic lodge in the county, which met as early as 1812. He died in 1848 in Amity.
Stephen Rogers became a resident of the town in 1804, and purchased land on lots 54 and 55. He afterwards sold and removed to the farm on the east side of the river about midway between Scio and Belmont, where he died. He lived to the remarkable age of 102 years and 2 days, and died May 14, 1895. His son, Col. D. Rogers, now occupies the farm, one of the finest in the valley.
Amos Goodspeed, Stephen Cole, Nathaniel Goodspeed, Harry Davis, Arnold Hill, Jacob Manning, became settlers along from 1805 and 1806, and, from that time to 1812, Nathan Wright, John Galt, David Downing, Jeffrey Horne, Abram Aldrich and Levi Simons became permanent residents. Be- tween 1812 and 1820, Elisha Sortore, Elijah Sortore, Jonathan Sortore, Moses Hood, John Hood and Richard Longcore joined the ranks of the pioneers, and were followed by Hiram Abbott, Isaac Newton, Geo. W. Horner, Elizur Ingra- ham, John and Jedediah Holmes, Luke Crandall, and others whose names are closely connected with the history of the settlement of the town. Simeon Brown came here in 1824 from Yates county. He settled on the stream bearing his name, and when he made his first clearing his nearest neighbor was three miles away. Robert Reed, the first town clerk, came from Massachusetts in 1826, and made his home here until his death, and this brings us down to 1830 when a government was organized with a population of 872 persons.
The first town meeting was held at one of the first schoolhouses on the 6th day of April, 1830. John Simons and William D. Easton were the elec- tion inspectors and justices of the peace who had charge of the polls. The officers elected were: Supervisor, John Simons; town clerk, Robert Reed; assessors, Chas. P. Perry, Jesse Rogers, Abram Aldrich; commissioners of highways, David Walworth, David Downing. Jr., John Hood; justices of the peace, Hiram Abbott, Elijah Sortore; school commissioners, Samuel Wads- worth, Wm. Van Campen, Hiram Abbott; school inspectors, Azel French, Francis Norwood, Batman Fitz Simmons; overseers of the poor, Jacob Gillett, Arnold Hill; collector, George Waldorff; constables, Aaron D. Brown, George Waldorff, William Sortore. $250 was voted to be raised for highways, to be distributed among the thirty-one road districts of the town.
One of the most conspicuous landmarks of the town is the old stone gristmill, built in 1823 on the east side of the river. It was erected in 1823 by Jeffrey Horne and Philip Church, Mr. Horne being the general manager of the work. The millwright was Capt. Higgins, who resided a short dis- tance below Belvidere on the river road. Richard Longcore was the boss mason, and the stone with which it was built was taken from the bed of the river near the site of the mill. Col. Jas. Mapes and Henry Sortore were two of the workmen on the mill, both of whom were well known in after years as prominent and esteemed citizens of the town. Some changes have
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been made in the mill by way of additions, etc., but the same stone work stands to-day a monument of the enterprise of its founders, and it was pat- ronized for many years by the farmers and woodsmen who came from a cir cuit of twenty-five miles to get their corn and other grain ground for their families. It was a common thing to have men with ox-teams drive from twenty to thirty miles through a dense wilderness to get to this mill, and from two to three days was often taken for the journey.
The first schoolhouse was erected on what was then the Jonathan Sor- tore farm, afterwards owned by Henry Sortore, and now by Mrs. Emily Wilcox. The town records say that the first town meeting and election was held at the schoolhouse near Arnold Hill's, which was built on land just south of the so-called Norton cemetery.
In 1830 Alvan E. Parker opened the first store in the town on the bank of the river at the east end of what is now the Schuyler street bridge in Belmont. He put in a general stock of such plain and staple goods as were suited to the time and place, and continued the business until about 1858, when he was succeeded by his son-in-law, Charles S. Whitney. Mr. Parker was one of the most careful, methodical business men that ever lived in the town, and in his business career he accumu- lated a fortune estimated at from $200,000 to $250,000. He was intimately acquainted with the wants and responsibility of his customers, and al- though he drove close bargains, yet in all business matters he was what the world would call rigidly just in all his dealings. Ebenezer Norton came to Amity in 1831, was a farmer and practitioner of law in justices' courts.
Amity, like some other towns of the county, had a mine of wealth in pine timber, which was not appreciated, however, until after the cream of it had been used up, destroyed or manufactured. Many of the early settlers avoided land that was covered with pine because it required so much hard work to get rid of it. The timber was large, making it difficult to handle, and land covered with smaller hard wood was usually first taken up. After sawmills were put in operation, lumber was drawn from forty to eighty miles to Dansville, Canandaigua, and even Buffalo, and exchanged for salt, flour, and other necessaries of life. "Salts " or pearlash was made from hardwood ashes, and drawn "north " to exchange for commodities. On one occasion a resident of the town went with a load of lumber on the top of which were piled packages of salts. His faithful dog followed the team and at night slept with the load, and happened to make a bed of the salt packages. When the teamster returned home the dog had no hair, the potash having completely tanned the animal.
But the fact is patent that the first settlers of this town and the county incurred all of the hardships and braved all of the dangers of frontier life for a compensation that would seem now a mere pittance. About 1850 out- side parties began to realize the worth of the pine forests that were yet standing in the town and surrounding country, and erected two large mills at the center of the town, one for sawing boards, plank and lath, and the
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HISTORY OF ALLEGANY COUNTY, N. Y.
other for shingle. The Shongo mill as it was called, was erected about half- a-mile above the present site of the old stone mill. where an immense pond was formed, furnishing a valuable water power. The timber that was sawn there came principally from the towns of Wellsville and Alma, and was trucked on a tramroad.
Belmont is a beautiful name and no doubt was suggested for the village by the grand old hills in the neighborhood; not rugged, precipitous or ab- rupt, not cragged and repulsive to the sight, but gracefully receding from the widened river bottom, they ascend by easy gradations to heights ma- jestic in their lofty altitudes. They are as beautiful in their appearance as the name is beautiful in significance, the word Belmont is derived from belle, beantiful, and mont, mountain, Belmont, the beautiful mountain.
Belmont was incorporated as a village under the name of Philipsville, Feb. 21, 1853, and the railroad station also bore the name. The postoffice was later changed to Belmont, and village and station soon were under the same name. In 1870 the population was 795; in 1880, 804; in 1890, 950. The village owes its location to the fine water-power which the fall of several feet in the river with rock bottom affords. Its facilities were to some extent utilized as early as 1806-8, and the water-power has from that time been such an element of promise as to attract capital and en- terprise, and its recent manufactures have made its name known all over the world.
Although the saw and gristmills of Philip Church were erected in 1806- 8, there were no attempts, excepting the " Mansion House " begun by Church in 1808, and the old " Mill House, " at anything like building up a permanent settlement, a few log houses and board shanties, scattered here and there, being sufficient for the mill hands, teamsters, etc.
In 1828 Francis Parker from Vermont built a small house near the river on the lot which was owned by Mr. John Russell in 1879, a small space in the woods being "cleared off." Close by a clearing of four or five acres had been made, and these, with the small opening around the mills, were all the "improvements " within the limits of the village as we know it to-day. All else was covered by the native forest in which lofty pines largely pre- dominated. Francis Parker had already started a carding mill, dignified by some by the name of woolen mill, and in the upper story of this building Alvan E. Parker exhibited a few hundred dollars worth of the goods most in demand by the settlers. This was an event of great importance, as, be- fore this, " going to the store " involved a trip through the woods and deep mud of the primitive roads to Angelica or Friendship. Mr. Parker was the first postmaster of the village, and the name of the office was Philipsville.
The lumber manufactured in those early days was drawn over to Cuba, there made into small-sized rafts, and when the swollen waters of spring came were floated down to the Allegany at Olean, then doubled up, then on to Warren, where they were again doubled and sent on down to the Ohio. Some lumber was drawn to Buffalo and exchanges made for goods, and thus
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hauling was afforded each way. The stone mill now owned by Mr. Frank Van Campen was completed in 1827, superseding the old pioneer mill of 1808. It is said however that some portions of it were in operation earlier.
About 1832 the possibilities of the water-power became so apparent as to attract attention, and the " Washington Company " was formed, so named because all its members, except Judge Church, were Washington county men. Their names were Philip Church, John Norton, Benjamin Norton, Ellis May, and Timothy H. Burbanks. (Mr. Burbanks soon sold his interest to Ebenezer Norton). The later prosperity of the place is thought to be directly traceable to the directing enterprise of this company. A survey of a part of the tract, called the "Phillipsburg Mill Reserve," into village lots, streets, public square and sites for public buildings, churches and school- houses, was made, and the public spirit and enterprise thus manifested attracted settlers, so that in a few years a thriving village grew up, many branches of trade and industry being well represented. At one time the Philipsburgh Mill Reserve was in the possession of Walter S. Church, who made a contract with Daniel Crabtree to erect a sawmill at the mouth of Philips Creek, with the privilege of taking water from the river by means of a canal from the Genesee, just above the dam to the creek. Mr. Church was to furnish the power and Mr. Crabtree was to build the mill, and the two be joint and equal in ownership. The property soon passed to J. Lang- don & Co., and pine timber being considerably enhanced in value, the com- pany purchased large tracts of pine lands in Amity, Scio, Wellsville, Alma and Bolivar, tram roads to the river were constructed, and the logs floated to the mill. Another mill was constructed by the same firm near where the Carter Package mills now stand, which ran a large gang. This was operated for a long series of years. It was known as the Shongo mill and its capacity was from 50,000 to 75,000 feet of lumber per day.
The Crabtree mill was purchased in 1876 by Messrs. Hall and Wier, who greatly increased its capacity by the introduction of improved machinery and labor saving devices. About 1887 or '88, Mr. Hall sold his interest to Mr. Wier, and soon after Mr. J. H. Bissell bought in with Mr. Wier, and they continued in partnership till Jan. 1, 1893, when E. I. Davis bought Wier out. The business, which includes a shingle and planing mill, is conducted by Davis and Bissell. It cuts about 20,000 ft. per day. The firm sells about 1,000,000 ft. of lumber per year, to home customers and neighboring towns. When running, the business employs about 20 men, and during good sleigh- ing 100 teams are sometimes employed.
About 1840 John Milton, a son of Ellis May, bought that part of the Mill Reserve lying east of the river, and north of Philip creek, and shortly after laid it out and offered village lots for sale. Quite a number were purchased and houses and barns erected, forming a settlement which came soon to be called Miltonville. Some of the older people still persist in calling it by that name. In 1852 a tannery was established by Samuel S. Watson. Three
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HISTORY OF ALLEGANY COUNTY, N. Y.
years later he died, and his son R. M. Watson conducted the business for some time. At the present no business of the kind is done.
A steady conservative growth of the village continued up to 1850, when work, which had a short time before been resumed on the Erie railway, was being prosecuted with great vigor, causing an influx of transient population, which made itself felt in increased trade at the stores, shops and public houses, and upon the completion of the railroad a year later, gave a very perceptible impulse to business, and opened new enterprises and avenues of industry.
In 1860 or 1861 a large flourishing mill was erected on the west side of the river on the water power of Messrs. W. W. Ballard & Co. The mill has passed through several hands, been added to, repaired and improved to keep pace with modern methods of manufacture. It has been for some years owned by Hood and Bradley, who have put in an engine of 65 H. P. and 10 pairs of rollers for wheat, 4 for buckwheat, and 2 " runs " of stone for grind- ing feed, and are doing a large custom and flouring business.
In 1866 the Belmont Manufacturing Company was organized. It was a stock company and David Rawson, the inventor of a popular mowing machine, was the inspiring genius. F. N. Whitcomb was also interested. The busi- ness was conducted by the company for two or three years, when it passed into the hands of D. Rawson & Co., and was in charge of David Rawson until his death. In 1874 Mr. A. W. Miner, of Friendship, became the owner, and in 1875 the firm of A. W. Miner & Co. was organized and the business established on a solid foundation. In 1879 the shops were partially burned. William P. and Charles E. Clark, from Brookfield, Madison Co., N. Y., bought the plant, rebuilt the shops and devoted them to the manufacture of agricul- tural implements and sawmill machinery. In 1889, when 60 men were em- ployed, the plant was again burned. Upon hearing of the fire, Mr. J. Adsit of Hornellsville, wired them, placing his shops in that place at their disposal, and four days later the men were at work in Hornellsville. They were then manufacturing sawmills and electric-light plants. Fears were enter- tained that the shops might not be rebuilt at Belmont, and the people and business men of Belmont determined to secure the re-establishment of the business here, and in a short time raised from $10,000 to $11,000 to insure it. Work was resumed on new buildings in 45 days after the fire, and in four months' time the present buildings were completed, over the heads of the shop workmen, and with the machinery running. Clark Bros. employ about 100 men. Sawmills, mill machinery, electric-light plants, and engines for street railways are here manufactured at these shops. Practically, all the different parts which enter into the construction of a sawmill are made by Clark Bros., and they claim to come the nearest to furnishing the entire outfit for such a mill of any manufactory in the United States. Their mills have been sent into nearly every state in the Union, and Mexico and Canada. One of their specialties is the Pelton set works. The business now amounts to $150,000 yearly.
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