A history of Jefferson County in the state of New York, from the earliest period to the present time, Part 40

Author: Hough, Franklin Benjamin, 1822-1885. dn
Publication date: 1854
Publisher: Albany, N.Y. : J. Munsell ; Waterton, N.Y. : Sterling & Riddell
Number of Pages: 634


USA > New York > Jefferson County > A history of Jefferson County in the state of New York, from the earliest period to the present time > Part 40


Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).


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Rodman. East Rodman, Rodman.


Rutland. Black River, Felt's Mills, Rutland, South Rutland.


Theresa. Military Road, Theresa, West Theresa.


Watertown. Burr's Mills, Watertown.


Wilna. Carthage, Natural Bridge, North Wilna, Wilna. Worth. Worthville.


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List of Public Officers.


CHAPTER VII.


LIST OF PUBLIC OFFICERS.


Congressional Districts .- By an act of March 20, 1804, Her- kimer, Oneida and St. Lawrence were made the 15th. The act of erection made Jefferson and Lewis a part of this, and April 8, 1808, Herkimer, Lewis, Jefferson and St. Lawrence were made the 10th. On the 10th of June, 1812, Lewis, Jefferson and St. Lawrence were made the 18th; April 17, 1822, Oswego, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence, the 20th, entitled to two members; June 29, 1832, Jefferson the 18th; September 6, 1842, Jefferson the 19th; and July 10, 1851, Jefferson and Lewis the 23d.


Members of Congress, with the years when they were elected.


1806-William Kirk Patrick.


1808-John Nicholson.


George Fisher.


1830 Daniel Wardwell,


1810-Silas Stow.


1812-14-Moss Kent.


Charles Dayan. 1832-4-Daniel Wardwell.


1816-David A. Ogden.


1818-William D. Ford.


1836-Isaac H. Bronson.


1820-Micah Sterling.


1838-40-Thomas C. Chittenden.


1822-Ela Collins.


1842-4-Orville Hungerford.


Nicoll Fosdick,


1846-Joseph Mullin.


1824 Egbert Ten Eyck.


1848-Charles E. Clarke.


Silas Wright,


1850 -- Willard Ives.


1826 Rudolph Bunner.


1828 Joseph Hawkins,


1852-Caleb Lyon.


The candidates who were run against these in the several years, and not elected, were: 1806, John Nicholson; 1808, Moss Kent; 1810, Simon Ford; 1812, Perley Keyes; 1814, Samuel Whittlesey; 1816, Ela Collins; 1818, Horatio Orvis; 1820, Perley Keyes; 1822, Egbert Ten Eyck; 1824, Daniel Hugunin, Jr., Horace Allen; 1826, Elisha Camp, Nicoll Fos- dick; 1828, Silas Wright, Perley Keyes; 1830, Chester Buck, George Fisher; 1832, Daniel Lee; 1834, Jesse Smith; 1836, Elisha Camp; 1838, Isaac H. Bronson; 1840, Alpheus S. Green; 1842, Eldridge G. Merrick; 1844, John Bradley; 1846, Orville Hungerford; 1848, Willard Ives; 1850, Charles E. Clark, Jesse C. Dann; 1852, Pearson Mundy.


Assembly Districts .- By an act of March 31st, 1802, Oneida and St. Lawrence were allowed four members in Assembly. On the 1st of April, 1808, Jefferson was allowed two, and on the 12th of April, 1822 three, which has since been the number.


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List of Public Officers.


Assemblymen .- In 1805, Joseph Jennings, George Brayton, and Joseph Kirkland, from Oneida county, when divided.


1806, Henry Coffeen.


1807, Moss Kent.


1808, Lewis Graves.


1809, Corlis Hinds, D. I. Andrus.


1810-1, Moss Kent, E. Bronson.


1812, D. I. Andrus, John Durkee. 1813, E. Ten Eyck, Clark Allen. 1814, E. Bronson, Clark Allen.


1815, E. Bronson, M. Hopkins,


1816, Amos Stebbins, Abel Cole. 1817, A. Stebbins, Eben. Wood. 1818, Abel Cole, Horatio Orvis.


1819, Geo. Brown, Jr., J. Cowles. 1820, H. Steele, C. McKnight.


1821, Amos Stebbins, R. Goodale. 1822, G. Andrus, J. B. Esselstyn.


1823-5, Richard Goodale, George White, John B. Esselstyn.


1826-8, David W. Bucklin, Daniel Wardwell, Alpheus S. Greene.


1829, Jerre Carrier, Titus Ives, Fleury Keith.


1830, Aaron Brown, Curtis G. Brooks, Charles Orvis.


1831, Walter Cole, Fleury Keith, Joseph C. Budd.


1832, William H. Angel, Philip Maxwell, Nathan Strong.


1833, Jotham Ives, John Burch, William H. Angel.


1834, William H. Angel, Eli West, Calvin McKnight.


1835, Charles Strong, Eli Farwell, Calvin Clark.


1836, Lowrey Barney, Otis P. Starkey, Richard Hulbert.


1837, Jotham Bigelow, Richard Hulbert, John W. Tamblin.


1838, Daniel Wardwell, Richard Hulbert, John W. Tamblin.


1839, Calvin Clark, Charles E. Clarke, Philip Gage.


1840, Calvin Clark, Charles E. Clarke, Stephen Johnson.


1841, William C. Pierrepont, Joseph Webb, William McAllaster.


1842, Elihu McNeil, Elihu C. Church, John W. Tamblin.


1843, Elihu C. Church, Joseph Graves, Job Lamson.


1844, Samuel Bond, William Carlisle, Eli West.


1845, Edward S. Salisbury, Azel W. Danforth, Lysander H. Brown.


1846, Levi Miller, Henderson Howk, Elihu M. McNeil.


1847, John Boyden, John D. Davidson, Samuel J. Davis.


Jefferson County, under the new constitution, was divided into 1 three assembly districts as follows:


The First District, comprises, Watertown, Henderson, Adams, Ellisburgh, Lorraine, Rodman, Houndsfield, and Worth. The Second District, comprises, Rutland, Champion, Wilna, Philadelphia, Antwerp, Le Ray, Theresa, and Alexandria.


The Third District, comprises, Brownville, Lyme, Cape Vin- cent, Clayton, Pamelia, and Orleans. The members have since been:


1848, 1st, Benjamin Maxson, 2d, Harvey D. Parker, 3d Fleury Keith.


1849, 1st, George Gates, 2d, John L. Marsh, 3d, Bernard Bagley.


1850, 1st, John Winslow, 2d, Joel Haworth, 3d, Alfred Fox.


1851, 1st, William A. Gilbert, 2d John Pool, Jr., 3d, Lorin Bushnell. 1852, 1st, William A. Gilbert, 2d, Merril Colburn, 3d William Rouse. 1853, 1st, James Gifford, 2d, Dewitt C. West, 3d, Charles Smith.


1854, 1st, Calvin Littlefield, 2d, Jesse E. Willis,* 3d, William Dewey.


Delegates to the convention of 1821 .- Egbert Ten Eyck, and Horace Steele. To the convention of 1846 .- Alpheus S. Greene, Azel Danforth, and Elihu M. McNeil.


* The county canvassers awarded the election to Alden Adams, on account of a clerical error in the returns from Antwerp. The question will be settled by the legislature.


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List of Public Officers.


Jefferson County formed a part of the 5th Senatorial District, under the late constitution, and candidates were elected on a general ticket. It now forms, with Lewis, the 21st district, from which the following senators have been elected:


1848, John W. Tamblin; 1850, Alanson Skinner (Caleb Lyon to fill vacancy); 1852, Ashley Davenport; 1854, Robert Lansing.


County Clerks .- By annual appointment of governor and council, before 1821, since which time they have been elected triennially.


Henry Coffeen, April 3d, 1805; Egbert Ten Eyck, March 5th, 1807; Benjamin Skinner, February 2d, 1811; Richard M. Esselstyn, February 28th, 1813; B. Skinner, February 16th, 1815; George Andrus, June 3d, 1820; Henry H. Sherwood, March 5th, 1821, who was elected and held the office one term, under the late constitution; Peleg Burchard, 1828 (4 terms); Daniel Lee, 1840; Charles B. Hoard, 1843; James G. Lynde, 1846; Isaac Munson, 1849; John L. Marsh, 1852.


Sheriffs .- By appointment before 1821, by election since. Abel Sherman, April 5th, 1805; Perley Keyes, March 15th, 1808; David I. Andrus, March 16th, 1812; John Paddock, February 23d, 1813; David I. Andrus, February 16, 1815; Joseph Clark, February 26th, 1818; Amasa Trowbridge, March 6th, 1819; Jason Fairbanks, February 12th, 1821, and elected under the late constitution one term; Henry H. Coffeen, 1825; John Fay, 1828; Heman Millard, 1831; Chauncey Baker, 1834; Abner Baker, 1837; Albert P. Brayton, 1840; Herman Strong, 1843; Walter Collins, 1846; Rufus Herrick, 1849; John R. Rouse, 1852.


Surrogates .- By appointment previous to 1847, by election since. Benjamin Skinner, April 13th, 1805; John M. Canfield, March 15th, 1811; Elisha Camp, February 28th, 1813; David Perry, June 27th, 1815; Lyman Munson, April 2d, 1816; Ben- jamin Wright, February 26th, 1820; L. Munson, February 13th, 1821; B. Wright, March 27th, 1827; John Clarke, February 28th, 1840; Nathaniel B. Wardwell, February 28th, 1844, who held till his death, February 15th, 1847, when John Clarke was appointed; Lysander H. Brown, June, 1847 (elected); James R. A. Perkins, November, 1851.


Local officer to discharge the duties of Surrogate .- George W. Hungerford, 1849, Isaac Van Vleck 1851. The seal of the surrogate of the county consists of the words "Jefferson County Surrogate Seal" in a circle, around the words " The End," in the centre.


County Treasurers .- By appointment of supervisors, till the adoption of the present constitution, since which time they have


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List of Public Officers.


been elected by the people. Benjamin Skinner, October 1, 1805; Joseph Clark, October 7, 1807; William Smith, October 20, 1813; Marianus W. Gilbert, October 17, 1823; Jason Fairbanks, November 20, 1828; Thomas Baker, November 15, 1838; Adriel Ely, November 1840; John Sigourney, November 1842; Wil- liam H. Robinson, November 1843; Silas Clark, November 1846.


William Smith, elected 1848; Silas Clark, do. 1851.


Circuit Judges, under the late constitution, appointed by the governor and senate. 5th district: Nathan Williams, April 21, 1823; Hiram Denio, May 6, 1834; Philo Gridley, July 16, 1838; S. Beardsley, was appointed in 1834, and J. H. Bronson, in 1838, but neither served.


First Judges, Augustus Sacket, February 26, 1807; Moss Kent, February 26, 1810; Abel Cole, February 26, 1818; Egbert Ten Eyck, November 14, 1820; Calvin McKnight, Jan- uary 29, 1829: Thomas C. Chittenden, February 28, 1840; Cal- vin Skinner, January 25, 1845; Robert Lansing (elected) June 1847; William C. Thompson (elected) November 1851.


Judges. Under the first constitution, the following persons held this office with the year of their first appointment:


1805, Joshua Bealls, Perley Keyes; 1806, Isaac Conklin, Augustus Sacket; 1800, Joseph Clark, Lyman Ellis, Thomas White; 1811, John Durkee; 1812, Eliphalet Edmonds; 1813, Ethel Bronson, John Brown, Joel Doolittle, Noadiah Hubbard, Jabez Foster, Clark Allen; 1814, Jesse Hopkins; 1815, Abel Cole; 1818, William Robinson, Amasa Trowbridge, Elijah Fields, Jr., Aaron Palmer, Calvin Mcknight; 1820, Hart Massey, Sam- uel C. Kennedy; 1821, Hiram Steel, Richard Goodale, Joseph Hawkins; 1823, Egbert Ten Eyck, Zeno Allen, Alpheus S. Greene.


Under the late constitution: 1823, Egbert Ten Eyck, Eli- phalet Edmonds, Joseph Hawkins, Zeno Allen, Alpheus S. Green; 1824, Daniel Wardwell; 1829, Benjamin Wright, Zeno Allen, John Macomber, George Brown; 1834, the same; 1840, Hiram Carpenter, E. Ten Eyck, M. K. Stowe, E. G. Merrick; 1841, John Thurman, Hiram Dewey; 1843, G. C. Sherman; 1845, Jason Clark; 1846, Thomas Wait, Joseph Boyer.


Assistant Justices, under the first constitution: 1805, Thomas White, Wm. Hunter, Lyman Ellis, Ethni Evans; 1807, Asa Brayton, Corlis Hinds; 1811, Abel Cole, Wm. Huntingdon, James Henderson, Jr .; 1813, Jesse Hopkins, Jonathan Davis, Wolcott Hubbel, George White; 1814, Wm. Baker; 1815, Con- verse Johnson, James Shurtliff, Seth Peck, Asa Smith, Elijah Fields, Jr., Amasa Trowbridge, Melvin Moffatt, Daniel Sterling; 1818, Henry H. Sherwood, John S. Porter, John Macomber, Thomas Brayton.


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List of Public Officers.


Justices of Sessions, elected under the present constitution: 1847, Samuel Boyden; 1849-50, Geo. Brown; 1850, Dexter Wilder, A. S. Babcock; 1851, Dexter Wilder, Medad Cook, Henry Lord; 1853, Geo. A. Gates, Eleazer W. Lewis.


Insolvent Commissioner: Samuel Whittlesey, April 8, 1811. Commissioners to perform duties of judge of Supreme Court: 1817, Wm. D. Ford; 1821, David W. Bucklin.


Local officer to discharge the duties of judge : 1849-52, Thomas / P. Saunders.


District Attorneys. By an act of March 11, 1808, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence, were to have one district attorney. In 1818 Jefferson was to have one. 1808, S. Whittlesey; 1810, Amos Benedict; 1811, S. Whittlesey; 1813-14, A. Benedict ; 1815, Ela Collins; 1818, D. W. Bucklin; 1820, Horatio Shum- way; 1821, D. W. Bucklin. Under the late constitution, this officer was appointed by the court. The succession has been, D. W. Bucklin, Robert Lansing, Geo. C. Sherman, Wm. D. Ford, D. N. Burnham, Joseph Mullin, Robert Lansing. Elected under the present constitution: 1847, Joshua Moore, Jr .; 1851, James F. Starbuck; 1853, Delano C. Calvin. By a resolution of the board of supervisors, passed November, 1852, the salary of this officer is fixed at $800.


Coroners, with date of first appointment: 1804, Eleazer House, of Turin; this territory extended over this county; 1805, Am- brose Pease, Hart Massey, Fairchild Hubbard; 1808, Orimel Brewster; 1809, Benjamin Pool, Jr .; 1810, Nathaniel Haven; 1811, Jason Fairbanks, William Waring, Andrew S. Bond; 1812, Simeon Forbes; 1813, Elijah Fox, Henry Martin, Seth Bailey, Ezra Stearns; 1814, Daniel Leonard; 1815, Elijah Shel- don, Nathan Burnham; 1816, James Perry; 1817, Hiram Steele; 1818, Seth Otis, John B. Esselstyn, James Shields, Joseph Kel- logg, John Cowles, Nathan Brown, Abijah Jenkins; 1820, Wil- liam Merrills; 1821, Suel Wilson, Luther Gilson, Gideon S. Sacket, Eseck Lewis, Jacob C. Greene, Sylvester Smith, John Chamberlain, Eleazer A. Scott, Pardon Smith; 1822, Alfred M. Ackley.


Under the late and present constitution, coroners have been elected, but we have not been able to procure the names of those between 1822 and 1828.


Azariah Walton, Alfred M. Ackley, William Wood, Abijah Jenkins, in 1828; A. Jenkins, Archibald Fisher, James McKen- zie, Elijah Fields, in 1831; Luther G. Hoyt, E. Fields, Mahlon P. Jackson, in 1834; Truman S. Angel, E. Fields, Jotham Bige- low, Ebenezer Sabin, in 1837; Henry D. Caldwell (did not qualify), Asahel Smith, Liberty Comins, Samuel W. Vincent, James G. Lynde, in 1841; Arba Strong, Jedediah McCumber,


370


List of Public Officers.


Pearson Mundy, in 1843; Samuel W. Gilbert, in 1844; Samuel J. Davis, in 1845; James White, Thomas Benjamin, Jacob Cramer, John W. Fuller, in 1846; Andrew Cornwell, in 1847; Abraham Schuyler, Thomas Benjamin, Horace P. Mitchell, in 1849; Jesse Davis, in 1850; A. Schuyler, Aaron Eddy, Patrick Keon, in 1852; Lyman E. Hungerford, in 1853.


Loan Commissioners .- 1808, Gershom Tuttle, Amos Stebbins; 1810, Henry H. Sherwood, in place of Stebbins; 1818, Daniel Eames, in place of Tuttle; 1822, Seth Otis, in place of Eames; 1829, Curtis G. Brooks, in place of Sherwood; 1835, Joseph Graves, in place of Brooks; 1839, Daniel Eames, in place of Otis; 1840, Albert P. Lewis, in place of Graves; 1843, Joel Woodworth, in place of Lewis; Martin L. Graves, in place of Eames. M. L. Graves and Joel Woodworth were commissioners when this fund was consolidated with the United States deposit fund in 1850.


United States Deposit Fund .- The principal of this fund, deposited in Jefferson County, was $130,779-06, and the com- missioners have been as follows:


April 28, 1837, Jason Marsh, John Macomber; February 28, 1840, Edward B. Hawes, in place of Marsh; January 12, 1841, Oliver Child, in place of Macomber; April 4, 1843, Moses Brown, in place of Child; Rufus H. King, in place of Hawes; February 29, 1848, Nathan Ingerson, in place of Brown; Wells Benton, in place of King; February 28, 1852, Philander Smith, in place of Benton; Solon Massey, in place of Ingerson.


At the revision of the constitution in 1846, there were the following officers in the county, who were appointed by the go- vernor, viz: a first judge, four judges of county courts, a surrogate, four masters in chancery, three examiners in chancery, eleven notaries public, two supreme court commissioners, two commis- sioners of loans, two commissioners United States loan, two in- spectors of beef, one inspector of lumber.


The several questions that have been submitted to the popular vote in the county, resulted as follows:


For convention of 1821, 3,432


For no convention, 119


For the adoption of the constitution of 1821, 1,953


Against the adoption of the constitution of 1821, 1,144


1826. For election of justices of the peace, . 4,702 Against election of justices of the peace, 1


1846. For the amended constitution, 6,603


Against the amended constitution, 1,712


For equal suffrage to colored persons, . 2,791


Against equal suffrage to colored persons, 4,536


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371


Relative Strength of Political Parties.


1846, May. For license, .. 4,012


For no license, 5,644


1849. For the free school law, 5,997


Against the free school law, 3,312


1850. For the repeal of the free school law, 6,064 Against the repeal of the free school law, 3,959


In May, 1846, Champion, Pamelia and Theresa voted for license, and the remainder of the county for no license. The majorities for license in the towns in which it was voted, amounted to 78; and in those that voted against, 1,700. In 1847, Hen- derson and Lorraine gave small majorities for no license, in Pamelia no vote was taken, and in all the other towns license was voted with aggregate majorities of 1512 over 81.


To convey a knowledge of the relative strength of the po- litical parties since the county was settled, we select the vote for governor, as the one best calculated to represent that object, being less influenced by personal considerations than that for persons residing in the district. The elected candidate is given in Italics.


1801, George Clinton, 56. Stephen Van Rensselaer, 56.


1804, Morgan Lewis, in Oneida County, 2,165; Aaron Burr, 1,782. The following are for Jefferson County.


1807, Daniel D. Tompkins, 765; Morgan Lewis, 615.


1810, Daniel D. Tompkins, 1,076; John Broome, 1,077.


1813, Daniel D. Tompkins, 733; Stephen Van Rensselaer, 795.


1816, Daniel D. Tompkins, 908; Rufus King, 858.


1817, Dewitt Clinton, 951; Peter B. Porter.


1820, Dewitt Clinton, 762; Daniel D. Tompkins, 795.


1822, Dewitt Clinton (nearly unanimous); Solomon South- wick (the returns of this year could not be found).


1824, Dewitt Clinton, 2,779; Samuel Young, 2,619.


1826, Dewitt Clinton, 2,900; William B. Rochester, 2,902.


1828, M. Van Buren, 3,328; Smith Thompson, 1,763; S. Southwick, 2204.


1830, Enos T. Throop, 3,705; Francis Granger, 3,054.


1832, Wm. L. Marcy, 4,363; Francis Granger, 4,418.


1834, Wm. L. Marcy, 4,558; Wm. H. Seward, 4,433.


1836, Wm. L. Marcy, 4,543; Jesse Buel, 3,439; Isaac S. Smith, 135.


1838, Wm. H. Seward, 4,082; Wm. L. Marcy, 4,946.


1840, Wm. H. Seward, 6,196; Wm. C. Bouck, 5,737; Gerrit Smith, 59.


1842, Wm. C. Bouck, 5,635; Luther Bradish, 4,774; Alvin Stewart, 292.


1844, Silas Wright, 6,341; Millard Fillmore, 5,571; Alvin Stewart, 717.


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The Periodical Press.


1846, John Young, 4,798; Silas Wright, 5,295; Henry Bradley, 748.


1848, Hamilton Fish, 4,858; Reuben H. Walworth, 2,527; John A. Dix, 4,326; William Godell, 24.


1850, Washington Hunt, 4,905; Horatio Seymour, 5,756.


1852, Horatio Seymour, 6,496; Washington Hunt, 5,752.


CHAPTER VIII.


THE PERIODICAL PRESS.


The Black River Gazette, was the pioneer paper, north of Utica. It began at Martinsburgh, March 10, 1807, under the patronage of Gen. Walter Martin, and was continued by James B. Robbins, a year. It was republican in politics.


The American Eagle was begun at Watertown, by Henry Coffeen, Abram Taylor, printer, about 1809, also republican ; but an acrostic, that was published inadvertently, brought ridicule upon the name, and it was soon changed. It was purchased in January, 1812, by Jairus Rich; its name was changed to the American Advocate, and by him it was issued several years.


In 1817, Seth A. & Dorephus Abbey, owners of a job office, in Albany, concluded to start a paper, somewhere west. D. Abbey, and John H. Lord, Jr., a journeyman in the office (now of Oswego) accordingly, removed to Watertown. The press of Mr. Rich, being at the time of their arrival under a sheriff's levy, was bought, and soon after the Jefferson and Lewis Gazette appeared in the spring of 1817. It was of the royal size (20 by 26 inches), republican in politics, according to the light then had, and issued at two dollars per annum, until April, 1819, when it was stopped. Seth A. Abbey then commenced the Independent Republican, which was issued weekly, until February, 1825, when the house and office of the publisher were burned. It was, however, revived in May, 1828, as the Independent Republican and Antimasonic Recorder, of five columns, two dollars per annum, and continued till 1830. In June, 1830, S. A. & D. Abbey established the Oswego Palladium, in the name of Chauncey Abbey, a younger brother, which, in a few months, was sold to John H. Lord, Jr., and by him continued many years.


Mr. Perly Keyes, the leader of the democracy in the county, procured the Watertown Freeman, to be started by W. Wood- ward, January 27, 1824. It was folio, five columns, the pages


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Newspapers.


20 by 24 inches, and delivered for $2.50 by the carrier. A. L. Smith was afterwards editor, and during the campaign of 1832 it supported Jackson. Early in October, 1833, the name was changed to the Democratic Standard. It continued to be published by Smith till July 29, 1835, when it was united with the Watertown Eagle, and became the Eagle and Standard. For some time previous, although of the same politics, these two papers were hostile to each other, and the points on which they contended divided the democratic party in the county.


Thursday's Post was commenced October 19, 1826, at Water- town, by Theron Parsons & Co., at $2.50 delivered by the carrier, and $2 by mail; five columns weekly; politics, Clintonian; sixty- six numbers were published, the last being January 17, 1828. The press was then sold to Henry L. Harvey, who, the next week (January 24,) commenced The Register, with the same terms, size, and politics. Mr. Harvey had commenced a paper, called The Genius of Philanthropy, previously, a temperance paper, weekly, folio, but of the quarto shape, which afterwards united with the Watertown Register, both names being retained. On the 1st of May, 1830, Benjamin Cory became a partner in the paper, and May 15, the name became The Watertown Register and General Advertiser. In May, 1831, Cory became sole propri- etor and publisher. In the fall of that year, from being neutral in politics, it adopted the creed of the party that sustained General Root for governor, and subsequently became the organ of the whig party in the county. September 19, the latter part of the name was dropped, and on the 25th of March, 1835, its name was changed to The North American, with John Haxton, editor, for the first six months. This was a paper of six columns to the page, folio; published at $2.50 per annum to village subscribers. It was continued under this name till September, 1839, when its name was restored to the Watertown Register, under the direc- tion of H. S. Noble; the size, terms, and politics, remaining un- changed. Joel Greene was afterwards taken into the partnership, and he, subsequently, became the proprietor. There had been several changes of publishers. In March, 1842, the editor and publisher was William H. Hough.


Mr. Greene continued the paper as the Black River Journal, from the spring of 1843 till August 1846, and by him it was considerably enlarged. Terms $2; circulation 1,600. In the spring of 1846, Mr. Greene commenced publishing the Daily Journal, which failed to meet the expectations of the publisher, who changed it to the Watertown Journal, a small tri-weekly folio, of four columns to the page, at $3 per annum. This tri- weekly, was continued until the press was sold, and the name changed to the following. It is said to have been well patron- ized.


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Newspapers.


The Northern State Journal, by Ambrose W. Clark, was begun August 26, 1846, and like its predecessors has been con- sidered the organ of the whig party in the county. In August 1848, G. W. Smith, and H. S. Noble (the latter formerly en- gaged in the Watertown Register), became the publishers, under the firm of Smith & Noble. John Fayel, subsequently became a partner, and, September 18, Mr. Clark again became one of the publishers, since which time the paper has been conducted by Clark & Fayel. The terms have been reduced to $1.50 by mail, and $2 by the carrier.


The Censor, an antimasonic paper, was commenced by The- ron Parsons, at Adams, July 1, 1828, and continued until Janu- ary 13, 1829, when it was removed to Watertown. It was a small weekly folio, five columns to the page, and published at $2.50 to village subscribers, or $2 by mail. To clubs of thirteen or more $1.50. It was published by Parsons at Watertown, from January 27, 1829, till June 8, 1830, when Enoch Ely Camp, was announced as the editor. He is said to have been more or less concerned in the paper from the beginning. The bitterness of party spirit was at the time excessive, and its enemies, hav- ing christened it The Cancer, its name was changed by Camp to the Antimasonic Sun. It was afterwards published thirty nine weeks by Dr. R. Goodale, commencing December 13, 1830, as The Constellation, and subsequently it passed into the hands of Abner Morton, now of Monroe, Michigan, who enlarged it to six columns, called it the Jefferson Reporter, and published from September 11, 1832, till January 21, 1834, when he removed west, taking his press. Elder Joel Greene, after selling the Journal, proposed to issue at Sackets Harbor and Kingston, a paper called the Northern Luminary, one number of which ap- peared. It was neutral in politics, and to be devoted to religion, temperance, agricultural matters, slavery, &c., but some disap- pointment in the editorial department prevented its continuance, and in January, 1847, he began the Watertown Spectator, a pa- per devoted to the license question, and temperance reform, six columns to the page, $2 by the carrier, or $1.50 by mail. At the end of the second year it was stopped, with the view of enlargement, when it was prevented by the great fire of 1849, which destroyed the form on the press.




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