USA > New York > Lewis County > A history of Lewis County, in the state of New York, from the beginning of its settlement to the present time > Part 23
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The principal business point in town is at Osceola vil- lage and post office, or as it is usually called The River, situated in the deep narrow intervale of Salmon river, five miles from Florence and thirteen from the W. and R. R. R. station at Camden. It has three inns, a store, school house, saw mill, large tannery and about a dozen dwellings. The first saw mill in town was built by Wm. Roberts in 1841. A tannery, 200 feet long, was erected on the south bank of Salmon river in 1859, by Cowles, Sliter & Co., for the manufacture of sole leather, chiefly from Spanish hides.
An Independent (Congregational) religious society was formed in 1850, but there is no church edifice.
PINCKNEY.
This town embracing township No. 9, or Handel, was annexed from Mexico to Harrisburgh, Mar. 24, 1804, divided in the erection of the county in 1805, the eastern part being retained by Harrisburgh, and the western attached to Harrison [Rodman] ; and finally erected into a separate town Feb. 12, 1808, with its present limits. It was named by the legislature, doubtless in honor of one or all of the three illustrious citizens of South Carolina of this name.
1 Mr. G. is a native of Washington county, and when he received the agen- cy was living in Oneida county. A political opponent many years since, ap- plied to him in derision the title of the " Osceola chief," which has been accepted among his friends, and by which he is widely known. As super- visor, assemblyman and local magistrate, he has taken an active part in public a ffairs.
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Gen. Thomas Pinckney, his brother Charles C. or William, were alike worthy of the honor.
The first town meeting was held at the house of Stephen Hart, but as the early records were burned in 1826, our knowledge of the earlier town officers is derived from other sources.
Supervisors .- 1808-9, Ethan Green; 1810-4, Stephen Hart ; 1815, Augustus T. Wright; 1816, S. Hart ; 1817, G. Waite; 1818-20, S. Hart; 1821, James Hunt; 1822-3, E. Green ; 1824-6, S. Hart; 1827-8, J. Hunt ; 1829, Benjamin Jeffers ; 1830-1, S. Hart ; 1832-4, J. Hunt; 1835, Tyrannus A. Wright,1 J. Hunt; 1836-7, John Spencer ; 1838-43, John Lucas ; 1844, Joseph Boynton, Jr .; 1845-8, John Newkirk ; 1849, Jehiel H. Hall; 1850, J. Lucas ; 1851-3, Hamilton Cobleigh ; 1854-5, Gilbert E. Woolworth ; 1856-7, Phineas Woolworth ; 1858-9, Samuel H. Tolles ; 1860, John Paris.
Clerks .- 1826-8, James Armstrong ;1 1829-30, John Spencer ; 1831, J. Armstrong ; 1832-5, J. Spencer; 1836-43, J. Armstrong ; 1844-6, Lewis M. Burtch ; 1847-8, Jehiel H. Hall; 1849, John Lucas; 1850-5, Samuel H. Tolles; 1856-9, Blodgett Stoddard.
In 1826, 31, 2, 5, a bounty of $10, in 1838, of $15, and in 1834 of $5, was offered for wolves. In 1841, a bounty of $5, and in 1845, of $10, was voted for the killing of bears. In 1834, crow bounties of one shilling if killed in May and June, and 50 cents for foxes within the year, were voted at town meetings.
This town fell to the share of Wm. Henderson, who em- ployed Abel French, and afterward Jesse Hopkins and others as agents. Henderson died about 1824, and Wm. Denning, his brother-in-law, subsequently became princi- pally concerned in the title, and under the Denning family most of the town has been sold. But small remnants now remain in the hands of the former proprietors. From B. Wright's field book of survey around the town in the spring of 1796, we derive the first estimate of its value which was as follows :
" This town is a pretty good one and is extraordinarily well watered with large and small streams. There is a pretty large creek towards the S. E. part of the town known by the name of Deer creek on which probably there are fine mill seats, although I have seen none. A large gulf where the Deer creek crosses the east line of the town. Along the north line of this town there is some very fine land. The soil in general is good and
1 Made ineligible by ordination. Hunt was elected November 6, 1835.
2 Mr. A. died December 7, 1853, aged 74 years.
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well watered. There is some gulfs on the branches of Big Sandy which are rather bad. The timber is maple, beech, basswood, ash, birch, elm and hemlock. Along the E. line is very fine soil for about half the distance, from the N. E. to the S. E. corner. The soil is not so good but rather more cold. Some hemlock interspersed in some places with spruce, &c. Along the south line the land is rather cold, some excellent spots but some swampy and bad. The timber is maple, beech, birch, ash, hemlock, bass and some elm, &c .; along the west line there is a very fair country except that it is cut to pieces with small streams which form gulfs."
The outlines of this town lie 9º from the principal cardi- nals, and its area is 25,045 acres. The first survey gave its N. line 506 chains, its E. 490, its S. 508, and its W. 498. The whole town is elevated from 400 to 800 feet above the level region around Copenhagen, and from many places the blue hills east of Black river, and the waters of lake Ontario with the vessels upon them, may both be seen. The horizon in a serene day, is more clear and bright than in the plains below, as we find in elevated regions, and a perceptible difference is observed in its climate. Haying comes on an average about a week later than in the adjacent town of Denmark, and snows have been observed over six feet deep on a level in the woods. The winter of 1854-5, was remarkable for the depth of snow on this town. Drouth is however, seldom noticed, and the soil is finely adapted to grass and coarse grains, and since the introduction of dairying, the inhabitants have rapidly acquired the means of comfortable support, and a steady increase in wealth.
The streams flow east, west and north from this town, which is entirely underlaid by the Hudson river shales. Weak sulphur springs are common, and were formerly frequented by deer. Game was abundant in early times, especially deer, bears and wolves, the latter of which often proved destructive. Trout were common in the streams when the town was first settled.
Usage has sanctioned the use of the preposition on, when speaking of residence or the occurrence of events in this town, as for example a man is said to live on Pinckney. This application is by no means peculiar to this town, although perhaps more generally used than in the neighbor- ing towns of Jefferson co. The early land holders adopted the custom of speaking of such and such persons, as living on their towns, as we speak of tenants on a farm. Hence living on Pinckney or being on the town, does not imply all that would be understood elsewhere. Although there are
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over 1000 persons on the town, but a very small number are paupers.
Settlement began on this town about 1803, Samuel and Joseph Clear, located in the S. W. part, but soon went off. In 1804, Ethan Russell and J. Greene from R. I., and one or two years after, John Lucas, Levi and Elisha Barnes, Stephen Hart,1 James Armstrong,1 James Hart,1 Phineas Woolworth,2 Joel Webb, Silas Slater, and several Stoddard families became settlers. The first birth was in the family of James Hunt or John Stoddard, and an early death if not the first, was that of Mrs. Elisha Moody. The first school was taught by Miss Gould, before the war.
There are three post offices on this town. Pinckney P. O., at Boynton's corners, Cronks Corners P. O., and Barnes' Corners. The latter is the only locality in town that has pretensions to the name of a village. It is situated on Gulf creek, a branch of Sandy Creek, and has two churches, a steam saw mill, a saw mill using water power, a small tannery, a few mechanic shops, two stores, an inn, and a dozen houses. The village is quite recent and considerably scattered.
The stream a little below descends into a ravine worn in the slate rock, which presents scenery of some interest. From a swell of land a short distance west, there is pre- sented an extensive view of the lake, and a wide expanse of country north and west.
New Boston is a neighborhood on the Deer river, where it is crossed by the Lowville and Henderson state road. The first improvement was made here by David Canfield, who acting as agent of Henderson, made an extensive clearing and built a bridge and saw mill. About eighty acres of wheat were sowed the first season, which yielded bounti- fully, but the death of Henderson and other causes prevented the extension of these improvements. Dr. S. Allen was associated in this enterprise and the locality probably re- ceiveded its name from them. The state road although opened through soon after 1816, fell into disuse, until quite recently. It is now well settled and considerably travelled.
A large part of the business of this town tends to Water- town, and the remainder to Copenhagen.
A small social library was formed on this town at an
1 From Stillwater, N. Y.
2 Mr. W. was brother of Levi, and uncle of Elijah, Justus and Reuben Wool- worth, who settled in Turin. He removed from Grayville, Mass. in 1806, and had six sons and three daughters, several of whom became heads of families in this town.
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early period, and at one time numbered about two hundred volumes. It was broken up, and the books distributed several years before the introduction of school district libraries.
RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. - The First Methodist Episcopal Society of the town of Pinckney, was formed Aug. 8, 1831, with Tyrannus A. Wright, Stephen Hart, Rufus Stoddard, Timothy Woolworth and Barney Spalding as trustees. A framed meeting house was erected near Boynton's corners, and is still in use. It was the first, and until recently, the only church edifice in town. The first religious meetings on this town, were held by traveling preachers of this sect. . A small Baptist church was built at Barnes' Corners, in 1854, and a Methodist church in the year following. New Boston Mission, of the M. E. Ch. was formed in 1851, sup- plied at the discretion of the presiding elder, except in 1854, when J. Hall was assigned to this place. A Roman Catho- lic church was begun on the State road, about one and a half- miles west from New Boston, in 1856, but it is not yet completed for use.
TURIN.
This town was formed from Mexico, (now in Oswego Co.), March 14, 1800, including all of the present county of Lewis, west of the river, between Inman's triangle and the south lines of Lowville, Harrisville and Pinckney.1 It was named from the capital of the kingdom of Sardinia, in Italy, pro- bably upon the suggestion of Nathaniel Shaler, agent and proprietor, under whom the town was settled. Martins- burgh, or townships 4 and 5 of the Boylston Tract was taken off in 1803, another part annexed to that town in 1819, and West Turin was taken off in 1830, reducing it down to its present limits. The statute ordered the first town meeting to be held at the house of Jonathan Collins, at which Jona- than Collins was chosen supervisor, Samuel Hall, clerk, John Ives, Zaccheus Higby and Philemon Hoadley, assessors, Seth Miller and John Salmon, overseers of the poor, Nathan Coe, Wm. Rice and Levi Hough, commissioners of highways, Elijah Wadsworth, constable and collector, Lemuel Scovil, Gershom Birdseye, Edward Johnson, Levi Benedict, Abner Rice and Heman Merwin, overseers of highways, Aaron Par- sons, pound master, Ichabod Parsons, John Salmon,2 and Elisha Crofoot, fence viewers.
1 Redfield, Watertown, Lowville and other towns were formed by the same act.
2 Died July 26, 1813, aged 56. He lived on the east road.
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Supervisors .- 1800, Jonathan Collins ; 1801, John Ives ; 1802-4, Eleazer House ; 1805, J. Collins ; 1806, E. House ; 1807-8, J. Collins ; 1809, J. Ives ; 1810, J. Collin's ; 1811, Hamlet Scranton ; 1812, Ebenezer Baldwin ; 1813, J. Ives ; 1814, Levi Hart ;1 1815, Oliver Bush (Deuel Goff,2 Sept. 26, 1815); 1816, D. Goff ; 1817, E. Baldwin ; 1818-9, J. Collins; 1820, Walter Dewey ;3 1821-2, James McVickar ; 1823, Leonard House ; 1824-9, J. McVickar; 1830-5, Eli Rogers, Jr .; 1836-9, Royal D. Dewey ;4 1840-4, Leonard H. Huma- son ; 1845-6, Pardon C. Case ; 1847-9, Joseph House ; 1850-2, Winfield S. Whitaker ; 1853-4, Judah Barnes ; 1855, J. House ; 1856, Charles G. Riggs ; 1857-60, Emory B. Holden.
Clerks .- 1800-3, Samuel Hall; 1804-17, Levi Collins ; 1818-9, Ebenezer Baldwin; 1820-42, Amos Higby, Jr .; 1843, Henry Paige; 1844, Orrin Woolworth ; 1845, Harrison Barnes ; 1846-7, O. Woolworth; 1848, Horace R. Lahe ; 1849, Charles D. Budd; 1850, Charles G. Riggs; 1851, Walter B. Foster ; 1852, Albert H. Litchfield ; 1853-5, Harrison J. Thayer ; 1856-7, Henry A. House ; 1858-9, John O. Davis ; 1860, Arthur Pond.
If there has been anything that distinguishes the civil history of this town from all others, it is the unusual number of special town meetings that were held during the earlier years. At the first town meeting Jonathan Collins, Phile- mon Hoadley, John Salmon, John Ives, Zaccheus Higby, Seth Miller and Judah Barnes were appointed a committee to report a place for future town meetings. They reported the next year, that on the first Monday of May preceding, they had set a stake on the lot of Ebenezer Allen, as the most convenient point for this purpose. This locality was near the old Episcopal church north of Constableville.
1Judge Levi Hart was an early and prominent settler, and in 1818 repre- sented the county in assembly. He was many years a judge of the county court. He died June 30, 1834, aged 61 years.
2 Judge Goff was a pioneer settler. He died at Houseville, September 8, 1852, aged 68 years.
3 Dr. Walter Dewey was the first physician who settled within the present limits of Turin. He was a son of John Dewey of Leyden, and was born in Westfield, Mass., August 20, 1785. He built the first house in Turin village in 1803, and in two or three years removed to Collinsville, where he died February 28, 1821. He was skillful in his profession and generally esteemed.
4 Dr. Royal Dwight Dewey, a cousin of the above, and son of Aaron Dewey, was born at Westfield October 3, 1791, and removed with his father to Frank- lin, Delaware county, N. Y., where he lived till 1809. He studied medicine with Walter Dewey, at Collinsville, attended lectures at New York and Fair- field, was licensed July 13. 1812, and after practicing in company with his preceptor until 1816, settled at Turin village. He died November 13, 1839. He was appointed a justice of the peace and post master in 1818, and held both offices several years.
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In 1802 the town voted to petition for two men for mag- istrates, and that Judah Barnes and Samuel Hall be the two men.
A call signed by 15 freemen led to a town meeting, Sept. 25, 1802, at which Walter Martin, Eleazer House and Wm. Rice were appointed to consult with delegates from other towns, as to whether there should be two half shires, if a county is set off. On the 25th of Oct. 1802, Jonathan Col- lins was chosen a delegate to prepare, circulate and forward a petition for a turnpike road from Whitestown down the Black river. In December of that year the town decided not to send a delegate to the legislature with the petition above named, and agreed upon the erection of a new town on the north which was done at the next session.
In December, 1803, Jonathan Collins, John Ives and Ezra Clapp were chosen delegates to a meeting at Denmark, in January, 1804, to discuss plans for a division of Oneida county. In February another meeting was called in Cham- pion, for a like purpose, and J. Collins, E. Clapp and Z. Bush were sent as delegates from this town.
The location of the state road in this town between Hal- liday's tavern and Dan Taylor's, now A. R. Lee's resi- dence, excited the most active opposition of conflicting in- terests, and led to several town meetings, at one of which the town clerk was directed not to record the road, and the town voted to indemnify the clerk and road commissioners in any suit that might be brought in consequence of said road not being recorded. They resolved : "that this meet- ing views with indignation and concern, the shameful and improper conduct of the commissioners in laying and estab- lishing the state road through Turin, in which they have neither consulted the interests of the inhabitants generally nor the town of Turin in particular."
The present village of Turin has since been built upon the proscribed section, and more than a mile of the new road led over a causeway through swamps, which were not brought under cultivation until many years after. A line of well cultivated farms, owned by substantial farmers, had before this been established along the east and west roads, and the location of the commissioners between them was very naturally regarded as hostile to almost every resident interest in town. Their opposition however was unavailing and the new section of road was soon found to offer a more central and convenient point of business than had before been found in the town.
A*
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The same year it was voted to remove all foreigners from the town, unless they gave bonds with two sureties to in- demnify the town against all charges during their natural lives ; to apply to all who had not gained residence.
In 1812 a fine of $10, and in 1816, of $5, was voted for allowing Canada thistles to go to seed.
The division which gave a part of this town to Martins- burgh in 1819 excited active hostility. A special meeting was called, and Geo. Davis, John Ives, Levi Hart, Oliver Bush and Eleazer Baldwin were appointed a committee to to draw up a petition to the legislature to regain the lost territory.
In 1823, a committee, consisting of Levi Hart, Heman Stickney and Leonard House, was appointed to circulate a subscription for a town house at the Four Corners, and another, consisting of Jonathan Collins, James McVickar and James Miller, 2d, for a like purpose, the location to be near the Episcopal church, north of Constableville. In May a special meeting received the reports of these committees, and decided in favor of the former, which united the plan of a town house and church. This resulted in the union meeting house hereafter noticed. In 1824 the wish of the voters upon a division of the town were tested by a vote which gave 40 for, and 200 against, the measure.
In 1836 a bounty of $5 was offered for wolves ; the only instance in which this town has offered these premiums.
Turin embraces parts of townships 3 and 4, or Pomona1 and Lucretia2 of Constable's Four Towns. They were sur- veyed by Benjamin Wright in 1795, and by a deed executed Dec. 29, 1795, Wm. Constable conveyed to Nathaniel Shaler an undivided half of these towns at $2 per acre, and made him his attorney for selling the remainder in farms of 100 or 200 acres, for which he was to have half the profits over the price above named.3
Settlement was begun upon No. 4, at the village of Con- stableville in 1796, as will be more fully mentioned in our history of West Turin. As Mr. Shaler's mills, house and agency was located there, we have only to notice in this con- nection the settlement of that portion now embraced in this town. The early purchasers paid $4 to $4.75 per acre, and in 1803 new lands were held as high as $17 per acre in favorite localities. The first improvements were made on
1 Pomona was the goddess of fruits.
2 Lucretia was the wife of Tarquinius Collatinus, and associated with Roman history.
3 The profits of this speculation are mentioned page 27.
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township 4, or the more eastern of the two, about 1797, by emigrants from Meriden and Middletown, Ct., who were joined in one or two years by quite a number from West- field and towns adjacent in Massachusetts, among whom during the first three years were Edward Johnson,1 Zac- cheus and Amos Higby,2 Elijah, Justus and Reuben Wool- worth,3 Thomas Kilham,+ Levi and Stephen Hart,5 Giles Foster,6 Zaccheus Bush7 and sons, Oliver, Walter, Edward, Henry, Enoch and Charles, John Salmon, John Wilkin- son.8 Winthrop and Gideon Shepard,9 Judah Barnes,10
1 Edward Johnson removed at an early day to Martinsburgh, near Whetstone creek. He died March 11, 1851, aged 92. He emigrated from Middletown, Conn., to Whitestown, N. Y., when about 30 years of age. He was a soldier of the revolution and a citizen highly esteemed.
2 Amos Higby died at Holland patent, June 14, 1848, aged 95 years. He removed thither in 1843. Zaccheus Higby died February 13, 1816, aged 82 years.
3 Levi Woolworth, uncle to the others, came in 1806 and died October, 1835. He was from Suffield, Conn. Elijah came in 1797, removed to Allegany county, in 1819, and died in 1828. Justus came in 1797. Opened the first inn at Turin village, September 1809, and died October 31, 1845, aged 71 years. Reuben came in 1800, and is still living. Orrin, George, Paris, Cornwell, Edward and Edwin, are sons of Justus Woolworth.
4 Thomas Kilham was born March 23, 1752, and died April 25, 1825, from an opiate given in over dose by a drunken physician. His wife Mary died March 18, 1845, aged 93. Their sons, were John, who resides near Copenhagen, James and Thomas, who are dead, Heman, who died October 14, 1847, at his residence two miles north of Turin village, Solomon, who resides in Turin, and Samuel, who has been many years inspector in the government armory, at Harper's Ferry, Va.
5 Stephen Hart died August 12, 1857, aged 90 years. He was from Wal- lingford, Conn.
6 Giles Foster, died January 1, 1844, aged 87 years. His sons Sylvester, Isaac, Lyman, Chauncey and Johnson, and several daughters, became heads of families and mostly settled in town.
7 Major Z. Bush died at Houseville, of cancer, November 21, 1811. Major Oliver Bush settled on the state road near the north line of the town. Served as major in the war of 1812-15, and died April 10, 1844, of the prevailing epidemic, aged 75 years. He was highly respected, and in every sense a useful citizen. Walter Bush died March 2, 1841, aged 66 years. Henry Bush died at Houseville, July 23, 1837. Enoch Bush, died August 28, 1849, aged 82 years. Charles Bush resided in Lowville, where he died February 21, 1852.
8 Mr. Wilkinson came to Turin in 1798, and died in this town January 23, 1857, aged 89 years. When he settled his was the last house northward until we reached Lowville.
9 Captain W. Shepard died September 24, 1854, aged 82, and his brother, Major Gideon Shepard died December 12, 1850, aged 81. Both served in the war of 1812-15. They were sons of the Rev. Charles Shepard of Westfield, and nephews of Gen. William Shepard, an officer of the revolution, and after- wards prominent in the suppression of Shay's rebellion in 1787. He died at Westfield, November 11, 1817. George Shepard, son of Winthrop, was sheriff of Lewis county, from 1846 to 1849. He died at Champion, May 1, 1853, on his way home from Kingston, and was buried in Turin with Masonic cere- monies.
10 Judah Barnes was a son of Amos Barnes, who came on afterwards. These men built the first saw mill in the present town of Turin, in 1798. Judah
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Dan. Taylor,1 Consider Williston,2 Jonathan Bush,3 Thomas Ragan,4 Levi Benedict,5 Beekman Sabin, Geo. and Thomas Hoskins,6 Elias Sage, Benjamin Dowd? and others. The Johnson and Higby families were from Middletown, Ct., the Bush, Woolworth, Shepard and Kilham families from Meriden, Ct., and Salmon, Wilkinson, Ragan, Benedict and Sabin, from Pawling, Dutchess county, N. Y.
Settlement upon township No. 3 was delayed until Oct. 1798 when Eleazer House, & Ezra Clapp,9 Winthrop Shepard, David Kendall, 10 Alexander Cooley, and others, purchased on the east road opposite Houseville, in March, 1799; they re- turned and worked through the season. Mr. House built a saw mill, put up the frame of a house and barn, and in March 1800, moved on his family. He resided on the east road till 1808, when he moved to the place since known as House- ville. He kept an inn from his first removal till near the time of his death. He was active in opposing Clapp and others in the location of the state road, on the route finally chosen, and labored hard to secure a business point at his mill. A grist mill was built in 1816, and another many years after by his son, Leonard House. The latter stood on the present site of V. R. Waters' mill, and was built Feb. 10, 1851. An incident occurred near Houseville in the summer of 1808, which is worth preserving, as belonging to the primitive days of settlement. The country abounded in wild animals, especially wolves, bears and deer, and the former became so bold as to carry off on one occasion a sheep from the field of Mr. Clapp, by daylight, although
Barnes was a judge in the county court several years, and in 1808 '9, was in assembly. He died February 23, 1821, aged 67.
1 Settled on the Williston place, near Turin village. He died in this town October 1, 1813, aged 57.
2 Settled on the place now owned by Winfield S. Whitaker, and afterwards on that of Warren H. Kentner. He died September 20, 1851.
3 Died July 3, 1825, aged 80 years.
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