USA > New York > Otsego County > Maryland > A concise history of the town of Maryland from its first settlement. Its geography, productions and striking events; also, the history of the first settlement of the village of Schenevus > Part 3
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A granddaughter of Timothy Murphy resided for some time at Schenevus, and she had heard him tell of his and Colonel Harper's scouts with the redskins in the place and vicinity. She had also heard him tell that Brant and his Tory and Indian allies had twice passed through the now town of Maryland, once going north toward Cherry Valley, and once to the Susquehanna.
A vague and " undefinable " belief always existed that
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Tories and Indians hid stolen or " British " gold near Schenevus, and this was handed down to successors and kept alive by Indians at various times visiting the place, and their supposed strange movements, and also strange movements of some white visitors. In 1870 an Indian claiming the suffix of M. D. arrived, and hung around for a long time. After this two strangers, white, men, drove up to a farm house a mile or two from the village and had their horses put into a stable, and themselves went off. They were, however, soon seen in certain fields apparently reconnoitering, and as it in close search. After a few hours they returned, got out their horses and drove off. Some days after this they returned at early evening, and after putting their horses in the stable went away ; but some time in the night returned, took their horses and drove off. These strange movements excited the curiosity of some persons, which was greatly increased from the report that the men of mysterious movements were descendants of Tories living in Schoharie county in Revolutionary War times. A search was instituted for the cause of their strange con- duct, when it was found measurements had been made from certain springs and other permanent landmarks, stakes stuck, an excavation of earth made at a certain point, and the dirt thrown out had been returned. On re-opening the hole, at the clay bottom was the plain form, legs and all, of a " fire place dinner pot," of carly pattern, and near it a flat stone, evidently hammered to fit it as a cover.
Dr. Nathaniel Hazen, mentioned as an early settler, or some years previous to his death dwelt alone. In
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the autumn of 1857 he went away, and as he was fre- quently absent for many days, or even two or three weeks at a time, nothing was thought of his continued absence for some time, but after a time his friends made enquiries for him, and learning nothing, they felt anxiety, and with more enquiry and search, and the protracted absence, anxiety became fears for his safety, and a diligent, closer and more extended search was made. It was ascertained he started to visit, on invitation, a family some five miles away, that they wished to buy some of his valuable medical recipes and some other things. On the way he was seen by several persons, who conversed with him and learned where he was going. Within one-fourth of a mile of his visiting place, but not in sight of the house, he found several men at work, sat down aud rested and conversed with them, and they learned of his visit and the cause of it, and that ended the trail. The family denied his having come there, or of having seen him. Suspicion and excitement were created, and hundreds of men made enquiry and search. At length spring came, and hundreds turned out to search the premises, the house, the fields and vicinity, without avail ; but after some days his lifeless body was found lodged under a stick of wood in a mountain stream some half a mile from the above-named house, where the water, in spring freshet, had run over him. His mittens, rubbers and bits of clothing were found in the stream below him, but the diligent and careful search of hundreds found nothing of the considerable amount of silver coin it was known he had carried in his pocket, his metal tobacco box, his watch, or even his
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heavy pocket knife. At a protracted and searching coroner's inquest it was found some bones were much broken, and some other bodily injury sustained, but no legal evidence was adduced to convict any person.
FIRES .- Besides those mentioned elsewhere are the following : A distillery near the now Worcester line ; the dwelling house of Joseph Worden, about 1827; an old house of Daniel Seaver; In 1873, the house for years known as the Captain Rose tavern house; two saw mills and barn of J. C. Burnside and H. Spencer ; in or about 1872, at Maryland station, steam saw mill of Mr. Ray ; and not far from the same time, at the same place, a wood-working mechanic shop ; the dwelling of B. Wightman, of Maryland, burned about 1855; the Crippen flouring mill, at Chaseville, burned about 1870. At Schenevus, the tannery of A. H. Brown, hardware store of John Milk, and shops of P. Brown; a barn of J. E. Tyler, in 1872, or near that time, burned ; about 1840, a blacksmith shop belonging to A. Hotchkin ; August 21st, 1875, sash and blind factory of Lane & Hotchkin and other buildings; In 1875, C. Brownell's house burned ; about 1873, M. Webster's house burned.
When long concocted rebellion broke forth with mur- derous fury to destroy the free government of the people, and beloved by them, two hundred and twenty- five sons of the town of Maryland met the enemy on the gory battle field to join in the terrific struggle. Some fell, and are deeply mourned by the people, and with the wounded and the afflicted all the good people mourn and sorrow.
The struggle of 1812 with England called to the battle
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field from Maryland the following : Samuel Chase, Heman Chamberlin, Elisha Chamberlin, Stephen Scudder, Wil- liam Spencer, Jesse Dunham and Henry Crippen ; the latter died on the battle field. If there were others their friends will please give their names to the writer.
The wit, humor and anecdotes that might be related of early times would fill a volume, but for only a little can we find space and time to write. The first trial under " lynch law " and summary punishment in town was within the now village of Schenevus. This was for larceny, kidnapping and murder. Daniel Seaver-Uncle Daniel, as he was familiarly called-heard one of his hogs calling for help with a tremendous squealing, and being satisfied the trouble arose from a villainous bruin, he instantly seized a heavy handspike that lay near by and made pursuit. The bear took an easterly direction through the woods, and could easily be followed, from the constant squealing of the hog, and was overtaken about where the sash and blind factory now stands. To save his prey the bear took an instant to kill him and prepare for defense, and this instant was occupied by the pursuer in making complaint, getting the court organized, empaneling a jury, getting a trial and convic- tion, and sentence of immediate death, and by the execu- tioner, who, suiting the action to the sentence, with his muscular arms brought with great force the heavy hand- spike on the animal's neck and felled him dead to the ground.
" Unele Daniel " was one of those spoken of by St. Paul as being " a law unto themselves ;" would do as they would be done by. Of the productions of his farm,
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if he had a surplus of such as would " keep over," unless in large amount, he declined selling in ordinary seasons, but if the article became scarce and suffering was likely to ensue, call on " Uncle Daniel " for it, and " O, yes, he could spare some," and did " divide with his neigh- bors " so long as he had anything to divide, and on settling and paying for it not one cent more for it would he take than the price it sold for at when plenty. He had a loud voice, and his ordinary conversation was humorously called " whispering," and said to be heard half a mile. Ephraim Boardman was among the earliest settlers and lived something over a mile north of Chase- ville, "that now is." He was a man of a great deal of pleasantry and humor, and greatly enjoyed a "rich " joke, and he was much liked particularly by young people. One winter morning, after a considerable fall of snow, Jacob Spencer and Leander Chamberlin, (sons of the first settlers Phineas Spencer and Elisha Chamber- lin, mentioned before) with their guns, were passing Boardman's house, when one remarked to the other, " Let us go in and hear . Uncle Eph.' lie some." This was overheard by him; so when the boys entered he was, as usual, very sociable and very glad to see them, " wished they had come earlier, it was such a good time to catch foxes-there lay one under every clump of pine bushes over on ' Esquire ' Tuttle's side hill, where there was no snow, and there were partridges there, too. Mart. (he had a son Martin, a comrade of theirs) had waited for them some time, but had gone on and left instructions for them to follow, and if the wind had filled his traeks with snow they must come over on the
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brink of the hill and hollow and he would answer." The brink of the hill was in an easterly direction, more than half a mile distant, and the side hill was a " chopping" which extended down to the Elk creek road, where was the dwelling of John Tuttle, Esq., now Samuel Hubbard's. Elated with the prospect of catching foxes, the boys trudged through the snow to the brink, and called for Mart., but no Mart. replied, " so he must be so far down the hill he could not hear, and they must go down." But here was a difficulty : The west wind had blown the snow over the brink till the perpendicular or overhanging east side of the drift was twenty-five or more feet high. After thinking, studying and planning for some time, they resolved to go to the edge and slide down, but on nearing the edge the hard drifted snow broke, and with them went to the bottom. However, after much floundering, they escaped from the avalanche, and re-commenced their search for Mart. But after tug- ging amidst stumps and bushes and climbing over logs till they were tired out, and hollowing and shouting for Mart. till they were hoarse, the thought flashed into mind " Uncle Eph." had heard their unmannerly expres- sion, and they were getting their punishment and the full benefit of " Uncle Eph.'s lies," and commenced a move for home. Their only way was down the Elk creek road to the bridge at the main road, then to Mary- land Centre, now station, and thence eastward up the hill home, a distance, in all, of some four or five miles. However, they succeeded in finding Mart. enjoying the day at Col. Houghton's.
There is an amusing yarn spun from a trade between
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Boardman and said Jacob Spencer. The former had a very pretty gun, which the latter wanted, and there had been some chaffering between the parties in relation to a trade, the gun on one side and a watch on the other. By some means the barrel of the gun had become bent, and was quite crooked. This the owner contended " was a very great advantage in shooting deer around ' Round hill.'" There was a hill called " Round hill," and near it was a grass plot where deer congregated, but in attempting to get a shot at them they ran round the hill and were quickly out of reach. " But this gun," the owner said, " would spin a ball around that hill farther than any gun could send a ball straight ahead ; for in going straight ahead the ball pressed the air together till it was so hard it produced great resistance, and greatly retarded the ball ; but spinning around it cut through the air, and that little gun would shoot, I tell you now, Jacob. Why, the first deer I pointed it at after it was bent had got half way around the hill when I pulled the trigger, and bang went the deer!"
On the other hand, " the watch," the owner said, " was a most dreadful good one, and could outrun any watch about there, if that little defect, that broken wheel, was mended, and that was nothing, for he had a piece of brass, and a wheel could be cut out with a knife." The gun and watch were exchanged.
It has been said " bang goes the deer" was the origin of " pop goes the weasel," and that Aaron Day, who sometimes "coined music " and " figured " some in. the time of or just before the noted fiddler, the elder Peter Van Slyek, was the author.
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Joshua Knapp, or Uncle Josh, as he was called in the early days of Sehenevus, caused considerable amusement and laughter material. "He would drink whisky and get boozy and happy, but not drunk," as he said.
In the eastern part of the town the hill ealled Pine hill was covered in early days with a growth of fino pine timber, and Uncle Josh was a shingle weaver and ob- tained his stock from that hill. The owner, whom we will call Provost, knew of his depredations, and through others sent requests for him to let the timber alone, and finally sharp remonstrances ; but it availed nothing in saving the timber. At length he came on himself, saw Uncle Josh, and remonstrated, but could get no promise or assurance of better conduct. Failing in this, he told the trespasser " he would make him an offer and buy him off. If he would let the rest of the timber on the lot alone, he would give him all he could get from such a portion of it ;" said to have been some forty acres of good timber. Uncle Josh listened attentively, and after apparently considering it some moments, exclaimed : " Mighty generous, Mr. Provost, mighty generous, but I can't do it-I can't take your offer, for if I should when the timber you would give me was used up I would have no place to get any more !"
Unele Josh planted with corn, on shares, a piece of land on the farm of L. Griswold and had done every- thing necessary and in good order till it had been hoed the second time, which he supposed to be enough ; but Griswold thinking differently, and urging a third hoeing, an altercation ensued. Meeting when both had been " taking a little," but Unele Josh a little the " deepest,"
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Griswold commenced the subject with the question, " Will you hoe that corn, Uncle Josh ?" and received for reply, " I shan't do it, Neighbor Griswold !" The latter stormed, and threatened to whip Uncle Josh if he did not promise to hoe the corn again, and receiving constantly for answer, " I shan't do it, Neighbor Gris- wold !" pitched in, and, for reasons before mentioned, fell on " top of the heap," and gave the culprit a severe " drubbing ;" then again, " Will you hoe that corn again, Uncle Josh?" and again the response, "I shan't do it, Neighbor Griswold." Then followed another "drub- bing," and then the stereotyped question and the response, " I shan't do it, Neighbor Griswold," till the latter, from exhaustion, stopped the " drubbing," and Uncle Josh was the victor.
As we are about to take leave of Uncle Josh, an inelination arises to record a just tribute to his son, Carpenter, or Carp., as he was called, as it may find and stimulate something good in other barren or weedy places. When a lad the closest scrutiny could scarcely detect one particle of the valuable in his composition, till attending writing school the surprising discovery was made his forte was penmanship. His proficiency was so rapid he soon passed from the pupil to the teacher ; first in country places, then in larger places, and, finally, in cities. His ability and skill soon attracted the atten- tion of a noted penman (Rightmyer) who called on him and made overtures for a copartnership, which were accepted. The latter having some money, they com- menced getting out copy writing books for learners, of various kinds, for different ages and degrees in profi-
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ciency ; and, then, soon followed the publishing of several works on penmanship, exhibiting by cuts and explanations his system, and showing its beauty, ease of learning, and its advantages over other systems, accom- panied with beautiful specimens of pen euts and flour- ishes, scarcely to be equaled by engravings and types. They furnished and sold vast quantities of steel pens, of different sizes, forms and styles, originating with them, for the different business hands of Knapp's system, and for cuts and flourishes. These pens were manufactured expressly for them in Liverpool. Knapp lectured con- siderably before public schools in cities, and his system . was decidedly popular, literary men and leading jour- nals commending it, and to this day is more used, per- haps, than the extolled Spencerian or any other system. " Carp." felt the importance of his position and standing, and often, in speaking of early mates, remarked : "Why could not such and such boys leave the vulgar throng, who are as good by nature as I am, and have a father's money to help them, push forward and be somebody, instead of jockeying " hosses," as they call those noble animals, or have traced to their doors by feathers and blood chickens from their neighbor's henroost !"
If " Carp." had failings and filled an early grave, how cutting the evidence against those who make and sell the " accursed stuff," and those who uphold and encourage such things. Though he did not idolize money, or think the accumulation of it denoted superior wisdom, or more than a selfish tact; yet he exhibited a noble trait in leaving to a worthy mother a sufficient sum to make her comfortable for life, and some to a sister.
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VARIETY .- Some items, since writing the foregoing, press forward for a place for record, if not of particular interest to the present reader, and if not in chronological order, will be inserted here :
While in a confessional mood and acknowledging the reception of much valuable material for this work from an intelligent and worthy octogenarian, Mrs. Olive Waterman, we confess we write this wolf story, as related by her, without her knowledge or consent, and, therefore, owe her an apology and thanks for material : " One sugar making season, when about twelve years old, I was sent with an eight-year-old brother to a sugar camp in the woods on South Hill, to assist another . brother, who was about fourteen years old, in the eve- ning. Some time after dark I asked my brother what made the brush crack a distance from the fire, and he rather carelessly and evasively said, the squirrels ; but I knew they were not about at that time of night, yet said nothing to frighten my younger brother. When the pails were filled with the syrup, the neck yoke to carry them in readiness, and we were about to start for home, an axe was given to my little brother and a lighted torch made of splints and bark to me. The brush-cracking continued at a distance until we got into the hemlocks, near the creek, when from the burning off from the torch a bark band, the light fell to the ground and we were in almost total darkness, when the cracking came rapidly near us and eyes like stars flashed very near us. My elder brother seized the axe and had us children kindle the fire fast as pos- sible, and soon as a good chance offered we sprung into
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the canoe and pushed across the stream. When we got into the clearings on the flats near the house the wolves howled their anger for the disappointment of losing their supper.
In 1847 a building was erected by Isaac Slingerland on the corner formed by the intersection of the Elk creek road with Main street for a co-operative store. Many who took stock, not considering store keeping, for obvious reason, was overstocked, were misled as to profits made by merchants, and were, after experience, dissatisfied, yet charged much to the mismanagement of the store. However, it soon became a private or indi- vidual store.
In 1833, Abram Stever made spinning wheels in the shop of Alden Chester. This may seem strange to con- positors, since they made the types on page 17 say Dr. Hazen made " hatchets," when, in fact, he made hatchels, to hatchel flax for mammas and lassies to spin.
A hop yard was planted in 1825, in Schenevus, by Samuel Chase. It was one of the first in town if not in the county. Jacob Vandusen obtained the roots of his friends in Madison county. Hops sold in those years, almost invariably, for fifty cents a pound.
The first cast iron plow in town was bought by Dr. Carpenter, and tried by his " hired man," it is thought Daniel Hubbard, who pronounced it a failure, and said, " the devilish thing will break all to pieces." However, Mr. Green Blivin, a good farmer, who used the plows in Greene county, New York, was engaged to test it. It was scoured by use in gravelly ground, the gange " to run it to or from land " was properly adjusted, and the
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recommendation changed to perfection. A Quaker by the name of Wood, in Madison county, N. Y., invented the plows, and another Quaker, Aaron Wing, of Laurens, Otsego county, made them. Wing's first use of them was to plow, for wheat, an hundred-acre field- an advertisement.
The medicinal vegetables, whose names, if not botan- ical in a strict sense, graced Dr. Hazen's pharmacopœia, after acquiring his medical knowledge of his brothers of Little Falls, N. Y., and found in his yard, it is said, were brought by seeds and bulbs, by the first set- tlers, from Spencertown, N. Y., and a few names are as follows : Pennyroyal, catnip, peppermint, spear- , mint, mother-wort, Peter-wort, Johns-wort, spignard, (spikenard ) rhubarb, smellage, comfrey, caraway, may- weed and tansy. The latter, concocted in whisky, was always used by farmers in haying and harvest to prevent hard work making them sore. Well, in early days, when Maryland had four whisky mills, or dis- tilleries, and made one and a half or two gallons as chemically could be, from the saccharine matter in a bushel of rye or corn, instead of the pretended our or five gallons of whisky from a bushel of the present time, when bedeviled with drugs, it might have had a. beneficial effect, while now it has a poisonous. And, it is said, from Spencertown was introduced apples, plums, quinces and currants ; and, it is said, wheat, that would grow in Maryland. Well, the large percentage of potash from the ashes made by clearing land, which necessarily would be mixed with vegetable mold, made
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the wonderful wheat and probably would do the same now.
The flood of August 29th, 1873, for which a desire has been expressed might have a record, scarcely reach- ing beyond Maryland, and its greatest fury was spent on Schenevus. The day was one known by those well- informed and close observers, to portend a fearful storm ; " could not breathe " was an expression. The heat of the sun was reflected by the earth, and so rarefied the air breathing was difficult to some. Two clouds, or showers, not far apart, arose nearly southwest and passed northward till northeast from the village, when they encountered a cold blast from the north, which con- densed the watery vapor, the direction of the storm was changed-" driven back "-and the earth was imme- diately deluged with water; as vulgarly expressed, "a cloud was broke." Some idea of the deluge and its destruction may be gathered from the fact that the water commenced to fall at four o'clock P. M., and at five, one hour, the stream on flat ground back of the writer's house, before dry, running at a rate of forty miles an hour, tvas from four to eight feet deep and twenty rods wide.
In 1864, J. T. Thompson, grandson of J. Thompson, who came in in 1794, and on the maternal side of James Morehouse, who came from Duchess county (types erroneously said, on page 11, Columbia county) built a stone general store and with other goods put in a stock of drugs and medicines, the first in town. In 1868, he built the first jewelry store, and in 1870 he erected a building for a bank, and opened a banking and exchange business.
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About 1870, E. E. Ferrey and Mr. Guy opened a shop for the manufacture of bedsteads.
About 1795, Wilder Rice bought a farm adjoining his father-in-law, Mr. Tainter, near the east town line, and in after years known as the Griswold farm, on which is a stone house, put up a double log house and opened a tavern. The road ran around the foot of the hill, in- stead of over it as now, and the tavern stood south of the present stone house. It had a department for the family and one for the tavern, and has been said had doors opposite each other so a pair of cattle could be driven through to leave a back log in the fireplace. This was made several feet wide and without jambs, the flue for conducting off the smoke was made of sticks plastered with clay above the mantlepiece, a log crossing the house some eight feet above the ground. This farm and tavern was sold to Elijah Griswold, who, with his three sons, Ezekiel, Lyman and Wickham, came in from the Helderberg.
CHAPTER VI.
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SCHENEVUS -ITS ORIGIN, SETTLEMENT, PROGRESS, AND ITS BUSINESS DIRECTORY.
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Ske-ne-vas, meaning when translated " speckled fish," or trout, was the Indian name of the main stream passing through the village and town, and when angli- cized was taken for the name of the second postoffice and for the name of the village.
In 1793 a small log house was built by a Mr. Sisko, and he soon commeneed keeping a tavern, but it soon passed into possession of a Mr. Freeman, and afterwards it again changed hands and passed into possession of Obadiah Benedict, who, with his son Hezekiah, kept the tavern for some time, and from whom it received the name of the Benedict tavern, which it has retained to this day, some sixty years, and was for most of the time owned by some member of that family. The first house stood on the grounds now occupied as the site of the present house, called the upper or eastern tavern in the village. In 1805 the property passed to David Bene- dict, brother of the former, who kept the tavern during his lifetime, when, at his death, it descended to his son, Philor, and from him to his heirs. The Benedicts, as were Sisko and Freeman, were from Connecticut.
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