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 26
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6 Mr. Crofoot was a native of Berlin, Ct. He removed from Middletown April 25, 1797, having spent the summer previous in this town. He died March 29, 1813, in his 60th year. His wife died March 16, 1813. His chil- dren were Mary and John, who never came to this county ; Isaac, formerly a judge of the county court, and now of Fond-du-Lac, Wis .; Rachael, who died March 11, 1813 ; James, still living in town ; Anson, who died July 23, 1825 ; and David, who died Sept. 2, 1814.
2 Mr. H. settled on the old French road where it crossed the east road, south of Collinsville. He was from Westfield, kept an inn several years, and died Jan. 8, 1811, aged 57 years. Jacob Hoadley, his father, died aged 84. 3 Died Jan. 12, 1849, aged 88 years.
4 Elijah W. died Oct. 17, 1836, aged 72 years. Ebenezer W. died in Vienna, N. Y. Seth Miller, sen., and Willard Allen married sisters of these brothers.
5 Died in Martinsburgh, April 3, 1858, aged 87 years. He settled in 1799, near the state road, in this town.
6 Died Nov. 3, 1834, aged 66 years. He settled between the villages of Turin and Collinsville, on the place now owned by his son, Edmund Bald- win.
7 Settled in 1801, from Granby, Ct. Died Dec. 1, 1854, aged 91. He left numerous descendants, many of whom still reside in town, on the road be- tween Turin and Constableville.
8 Rev. James Miller died March 31, 1843, aged 67 years. He was a Metho- dist preacher. His brother Levi, also a Methodist minister, removed some years after to Louisville, N. Y., where he died, Jan. 26, 1853, aged 73 years. 9 Setttled in 1798. Died June 28, 1828, aged 61. He was the first tanner in Turin.
10 W. was from Berlin, Ct. In 1804 he exchanged his place near Collinsville with Coxe for 400 acres in Jefferson county. Many years after he removed to New Hartford, where he died. He was the father of the late Norris M. Wood- ruff of Watertown, who also resided here several years.
11 Richard Coxe belonged to an old and respectable family, on the Delaware, in New Jersey, and his sister Grace married James D. Le Ray. He came in 1800 to supersede Tillier in the agency of Castorland, and continued for some time to carry on the store which the French had established under Obous- sier. He was appointed first county clerk, and traded several years on the hill, a little west of Collinsville, where he built a stylish curb-roofed house and store, still standing. He went off about 1816, and was afterwards many years a clerk in the post office department at Washington. Charles C. Coxe, his brother, was several years consul at Tunis.
12 Coleman settled on the Rees Place, east of Collinsville, and went to the Western Reserve six years after.
13 Came in 1800 with Coxe, as clerk to the French store, and still living in town.
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Shaler built a house near St. Paul's chapel in the village of Constableville, and was accustomed to spend several weeks of each summer in town but never came to reside. He employed James T. Ward,1 a man of plausible address and considerable means, to induce people to emigrate to this town; whether the result be due to Ward or Shaler, it will be conceded that a better class of citizens seldom emi- grated to a new country than those who began improve- ments in this town. They were mostly in easy circum- stances, and early acquired clear titles to their farms. Ex- cepting the first year or two, the settlers did not suffer those hardships which are often incident to a new country, as the earth yielded its fruits kindly, and the principal difficulties arose from the poorness of the roads, and the difficulty of reaching markets. As an instance of the ex- pense attending the transportation of provisions we may notice that Jonathan Collins upon coming into town in March, 1797, offered to furnish a cart and one yoke of oxen, to any one who would furnish another yoke and bring in a lot of
1 The following anecdote is related by Mr. Alson Clark in his historical articles upon this county :
As Mr. Ward was coming in from fort Stanwix, he met at the foot of the long hill now Lee Corners, two suspicious looking men, who went on before while he stopped at the inn. Two or three miles beyond he overtook them, wlien one of the men challenged him to wrestle, as Ward thought to try his strengtlı, and if able, to rob him. He accepted the proposal, and having slightly fastened his horse a short distance beyond, took from his portman- teau a bottle of spirits to treat them with, before beginning the contest. He found some other occasion to return to his horse, when springing upon its back he soon disappeared, leaving the bottle in their possession.
Capt. Ward returned to Middlefield, where his habits reduced him to pov- erty. A pleasing incident occurred near the close of his life. One of his settlers, who in paying for land had given several twenty dollar notes, found the relation of debtor unpleasant and resolved to take them up. They were all written upon one piece of paper. Ward opened the paper, computed the sum due, and stated the amount at less than what was expected. Upon being told of this, he carefully revised his figures, assured the purchaser that it was all right, and gave them up with a receipt in full. The latter on going home discovered that one of the notes had not been unfolded. He had previously lost more money than this through Ward, and finally concluded to let the error offset the previous transaction and he kept the secret. About thirty years after, as he felt death approaching from a slow but incurable disease, this act came up before him, troubling his sleep, and haunting his waking hours with the chidings of a burdened conscience. He at length sought the advice of his family and for the first time related the circumstances of the case. They at once agreed upon the only course that should be taken. Com- pound interest was reckoned upon the note, and nearly sixty-five dollars were placed in the hands of a messenger to deliver to the owner, with an explan- atory letter. The agent found Mr. Ward, enfeebled by age, but forced to earn a scanty support by day labor among the farmers. He had never de- tected the error, and read the statement with surprise and gratitude, for an act which of itself possessed no merit, but which has too few parallels in the business dealings of mankind.
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flour and pork from Whitestown for half, and much of his first year's provisions were brought upon these terms. Game and fish formed an important element in the line of provisions, and of the latter, salmon from Fish creek were taken in great numbers. A long stretch of deep still water in that stream still bears the name of Shaler's Hole, from its its being an important fishing ground for his people. Deer, wolves and bears were numerous, and two men coming through from Redfield to Shaler's, once killed an enormous panther over seven feet long, and dragged him out to the settlement.
During the winter of 1799-1800, three deserters from the British fort at Kingston, escaped to this state, and were making their way up the Black river valley, when they were pursued and arrested by a citizen of the district now included in Jefferson co., shut up in an smoke house over night, and the next day taken back to the garrison, for the bounty offered by the British government. The facts spread quickly through the settlements, losing nothing in passing from mouth to mouth, until in reaching this town, they had gained many details of cruelty, that were well calculated to excite indignation. With an impulse prompted by virtue, a prominent citizen of Constableville, seized his gun, declaring that the statutes against kidnap- ping should not be trampled upon, and that the laws of his country should be enforced against the sordid villain who had sold the freedom of men for a few pieces of silver. He called upon his neighbors to arm and follow, and the expedition gaining a recruit at every cabin, amounted to about forty armed men by the time it reached Champion. A warrant was taken out from Justice Mix, and delivered to a constable, with whom they proceeded to their destina- tion, notwithstanding word was sent, that the offending party had employed Indians to aid in defending him, and that resistance would be made. The warrant was served and the party was escorted up to Champion, where he was bound over to the next term of the Oneida court, and the avengers quietly returned home. The trial resulted in the heaviest fine which could be imposed, amounting with ex- penses, it is said, to about $800, and a stigma was attached to the culprit, which half a century of virtuous life could not outlive. He died in 1813. The first local agent after Ward was Samuel Hall,1 who resided here but a few years.
1 Mr. Hall returned to Middletown, where he died about five years since. He owned extensive brown freestone quarries, which have supplied building material to an immense extent, in New York and elsewhere.
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The state of the colony in 1803 is thus described by James Constable in his diary :
" Remained at Rome till Monday, Sept. 12, when I left at 9 A. M. for Shaler's settlement, in company wtth B. Wright. Travelled through a middling good country but well settled, though the lands are principally held under lease from Gov. Clinton and Chancellor Lansing. This tenure is, I am told, very objection- able in the country, and it must be given up when the lease ex- pire. Came to Clark's tavern 6 miles from Rome, in the town of Western. This town the Governor is considerably interested in, but except near Clark's the settlers are few and the soil not inviting. Some places appear to have been occupied, but are now deserted. We saw people going near a mile for water. This is however the driest season ever remembered through the country, and such a circumstance may not happen again. If it does the people will abandon this part.
Passed through Leyden1 which appears very indifferent, and the settlers were of course few, most of them indeed had not been long there. Arrived at Jones' 15 miles from Rome and ex- pected to find it a tavern to dine at, but they had left off that business as they told us was the case with their neighbors 4 miles further, and that there was no public house nearer than Shaler's settlement, so we baited our horses and proceeded through Adgate's purchase and Inman's Triangle, both of which are and appear very rough and bad, though of the latter Wright tells me the part to the eastward is very good. We do not find a settler in several miles, and the road, bad as it is, is the only sign of improvement, Pass the two main branches of the Mo- hawk, now nearly dry, though very formidable streams gener- ally. The Triangle improves in quality somewhat, and after some distance we entered Shaler's No. 4, where we immediately saw settlers, good buildings, and crops of corn. His house and other buildings being not far from the south line, we soon ar- rived there, being 5 o'clock, so that we were 8 hours going 26 miles, which in a new road is pretty good speed. While dinner was getting ready we looked at the buildings. The house is a good large frame house, well finished and grand for that part of the country. The barn, stable and other places for cattle also good. The mill is a common country mill with one run of stone and well finished. The saw mill like others of the country, but not covered in, though the boards cannot be wanting. Neither of these mills had run for some time for want of water. The dam seems firm and good though it has been twice heretofore carried away.1 There is also a house for potash work which is
1 Leyden then included Boonville and Ava.
2 The summer of 1803 was the driest upon record in the Black river coun- try. On one occasion a party of 17 men, working for Shaler, rather than to go without flour, mounted the wheel by turns, tread-mill fashion, and ground out sufficient grain for present use. Several of the early settlers went
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equal to what I have seen in this country; but knowing that up- wards of $10,000 were expended in these buildings, I was as- tonished to see that so much could have been laid out on them; but of this more hereafter.
After our view it was near dark; we got our dinner, sat an hour or two and went to bed. Everything was well provided for us, and plenty of good liquor from Mr. Shaler's stock. Look- ing from the house, about 150 acres appear to be well cleared which is called the homestead, and there are also some very fine farms covered with good buildings, but there is a street (as they call it) about a mile west from the house and of that length, of good farms in high cultivation, which the lateness of the hour and my other route did not permit me to see. I had to go to Martin's, 12 miles north of us, next morning, Tuesday, Sept. 13, and accordingly set off after breakfast, travelling over a road which the settlers by laying ont judiciously and using have made infinitely superior to that between this place and Rome.
Our course from Shaler's to Martin's is N. W. through No. 4, and part of No. 3. This No. 4 Wright considers superior to any land belonging to the estate. It is indeed very fine, and being more settled and cultivated than Ellisburgh appears to greater advantage, but the soil so far as I am a judge is not superior. There is however an advantage it possesses over the other in being so remarkably well watered throughout, while Ellisburgh depends upon the two branches of Sandy Creek in the dry season. The buildings are all framed and well finished including barns, &c. We seldom see log houses. On our route we met two men who were desirous of buying lands on the other No. 4,1 which they had been to view, and which they said contained land good enough for any man. I told them the ex- ecutors2 had not yet determined about opening that town for sale but soon would, and make it known. This account of No. 4 was pleasing, as I had formed a very indifferent opinion of it, and Wright says they must have been on the N. E. corner, as the remainder is bad. Crossed from Shaler's No. 4 to No. 3, which seems somewhat inferior though very little. It has few settlers, his whole force having been hitherto applied to the other, but his object now is to settle No. 3, and he is raising the price of the other to $6 and $7 which the people will not at present give, but go to the other at half the price. Passed to Capt. Clapp's tavern 8 miles from Shaler's. The landlord is a very active, industrious and intelligent man, the buildings and farm about him in excellent order, the work of two years. He told me when he set down there, there was not a neighbor north-
to Whitestown to mill, and one Wm. Barnes backed home two bushels of corn meal from that place. The first dam at Constableville was built like a log house, and stood less than a year. The house above mentioned was af- terwards burned.
1 In Martinsburgh, No. 4 of the Boylston tract.
2 Executors of the estate of Wm. Constable, then recently deceased.
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ward of him as far as Lowville, and now there are about 40 families in a distance of a few miles. I found from the conver- sation of him and Wright, that he knows every spot of the country; he informed us that he had been running a line for a road through the whole length of No. 3, and found the soil and ground good. This he did by order of Mr. Shaler, and when the road is cut the town will settle immediately."
Returning the same day from Martin's, he adds :
" Wednesday, Sept. 14. Arose and breakfasted by 5 o'clock, that we might go by Shaler's new road through No. 3 and 2. The former appeared in this part rough and hilly, the soil not very good and no settlers, but the road being only just cut, there has not been time for them to sit down. The travelling rather bad, there being no bridges or causeways to cover the mud holes. Passed on 7 miles without seeing a house till we come to Inman's Triangle. I was sorry to find No. 2 so indiffer- ent. The timber was mostly beech and hemlock, which denotes a very poor soil, and the country is rough and uneven without being relieved by intervale."
In the year following, Constable notes under date of Sept. 11, that after leaving Collins for Rome the wind blew very hard, and they heard and saw the trees falling in every direction. One dropped in the wood just before them and obliged them to go around it ; and in several places they leaped their horses over trees newly fallen. In 1805 he re- marks, Sept. 4 :
"Passed on to Coxe's at the High Falls, or rather 1} mile west of them, where he lives and is finishing a house he bought. He is clerk of the new county of Lewis but has not yet got the books for the papers, and the records are in a very insecure place."
Township No. 2, or Flora, was first opened for settlement under Shaler as agent, who was authorized June 13, 1803, to lay out a road, and sell at not less than $2.50 per acre. Abraham Scranton was appointed agent Dec. 15, 1804, through the aid of Shaler. On the 25th of August, 1804, Hamlet Scranton,1 his son, was associated in the agency, and the rule, hitherto invariable, of requiring a quarter payment down was relaxed by the executors of the Consta- ble estate. The terms allowed were 2, 3, 4, and 5 years, in equal installments. The diary, under date of August 6, 1806, says of this agency :
1 Mr. Scranton was from Durham, Ct. The family removed to Rochester in April, 1812, where they became early settlers. Hamlet Scranton died of apoplexy, April, 1851, aged 78 years .- Memorial of the Scranton Family, p. 61; Lives of Pioneers of Rochester, p. 9. Hamlet D. Scranton is the present mayor of Rochester.
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" Left Rome and arrived at Scranton's in Turin towards evening, having travelled through the old road from Deacon Clark's in Western, through town No. 2, which appeared a good soil, though not a little hilly. Saw no settlers, and the road requires a good deal of working, which Mr. Scranton informed me was to be done in about two weeks, the people from Leyden having undertaken to meet them and do their part. We find Mr. Scranton (the son) not so sanguine of settling this town as the father was last year, at $5, tho' he thinks settlers will come forward at a less price. We there- fore authorized him to proceed in the business on the best terms he could, without adhering to $5. He had a frame prepared for a saw-mill, which was to be raised to-day. The other business remained as last year. The grist-mill was at a stand both for a want of water and itself appearing to be worn out."
The attempt to settle No. 2, except along the direct road to Rome, which crosses the N. E. corner, failed, as from its great elevation, grains did not thrive, and its value for grazing was unknown. In 1826 some Germans came to the office of H. B. Pierrepont in Brooklyn, to buy lands, and selected portions of this town. Among these were Joseph Kochly, Capt. Wider and others, chiefly from Alsace on the Rhine. They were joined by others from the borders of France and Germany, and from Switzerland ; and in 1834 Kochly counted 75 German families, on 3,400 acres in No. 2. In 1836, 2,000 acres were under contract, and as much more deeded, and in 1839, 5,000 acres were contracted. These foreigners are chiefly Catholics and Lutherans. They prove a hardy, laborious, patient and well disposed class of people, and mostly become citizens as soon as the legal forms can be complied with. Settlement was begun on Fish creek by one Wright, who was supported for some time by Pierrepont's agent, on condition of his remaining. Others were induced to venture in, and a permanent settlement was formed. Many Irish from the canals settled in 1841, and at present the greater part of the township is settled.
The first birth, was that of Richard, a son of Joshua Rock- well, and the second that of Julia, daughter of John Ives. The second male child born in town was Seth Miller, jr. On the second summer of settlement, a young man named Coe was brought to Shaler's house to be nursed, and died. In 1799 a sickly season occurred, and two men named Platt died of a putrid fever. About thirty persons who came to attend them sickened with the fever. In the early settlement a child of Samuel Hall was drowned at Constableville. The
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first school was kept by Miss Dorothy Wadsworth, daughter of Timothy Wadsworth and afterwards wife of Willard Allen. A school-house was built in 1798, near the house of Horace Johnson, Esq., in Constableville.
In 1805 an act was procured, allowing Shaler to make conveyances in the same manner as if Wm. Constable, sen., . were still alive. It was vetoed by the Council of Revision for the following reasons:
" Ist. The bill not only enables Nathaniel Shaler, therein named, to complete the contracts of sale which he had made prior to the death of Wm. Constable, by virtue of attorney from him, but to proceed under the said power and sell the residue of the said lands therein specified, and which are stated in the bill to William Constable, a son of the said Wm. Constable, deceased, and who is now an infant under the age of twenty-one years, thereby absolutely disposing of the estate of the said minor, contrary to the just rights of property and the general principles of law.
"2d. Because if it is deemed necessary that the real estate of the said minor should be sold, it ought to be done under the direction, and at the discretion of the court of chancery, so that the respective interests of all parties concerned might be duly examined, adjusted and secured."
The bill in a modified form passed on the last day of the session.1
1 We may in this connection record a notice of the family so intimately as- sociated with the land titles of northern New York.
William Constable was born in Dublin, Jan. 1, 1752. His father, Dr. John Constable, was a surgeon in the British army, and came to Montreal during the French war, and brought his son William, then an infant, with him. In 1762 Governor Cadwallader Colden granted him a commission as surgeon in the first regiment, in the pay of the province of New York. He then re- moved to Schenectady, where his daughter married Mr. James Phyn, who was there engaged in the Indian trade, in correspondence with Col. Sir Wil- liam Johnson.
Dr. Constable sent his son to Dublin for his education, to the care of his paternal aunt, Mrs. White, with whom he resided, while a student at Trinity college. By inheritance he became possessed of a valuable estate near Dub- lin. On his return to America his kinsman, Mr. Phyn, associated him in his business at Schenectady. On the breaking out of the war of the revolution Mr. Phyn and his friend Mr. Alexander Ellice, removed to England under a pass from the committee of safety, in consequence of which their property was not confiscated. These gentlemen established in England the firm of Phyn, Ellice and Inglis-a firm which gave two members to the privy council in the persons of their sons, Sir Robert Inglis and the right honorable Ed- ward Ellice. Mr. Constable joined the cause of his adopted country, and served in the army as aid-de-camp to General Lafayette. He ever afterwards continued in intimate correspondence with him. When the General visited this country in 1824, hearing that the widow of his deceased friend was at Brooklyn, at her daughter's, Mrs. Pierrepont, he paid his respects to her there.
As Philadelphia and Charleston, were at that time, the chief commercial
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William Constable, Jr., born April 4, 1786, was carefully educated in Europe, married Eliza, daughter of John Mc Vickar, and in June, 1810, came to reside at Constable- ville, first occupying the house built by Shaler. He received
ports of the country, Mr. Constable associated himself with Mr. James Sea- grove and established a commercial house at Philadelphia, while his partner settled in Charleston. Their trade was mainly with the West Indies, and Mr. Constable, in the course of his business, visited Havana, and there took the yellow fever, of which he nearly died. He married in 1782 Ann White, daugliter of Townsend White of Philadelphia ; a lady of beauty of person, and of character, who had been a school friend of Miss Dandridge, and who afterwards became Mrs. General Washington, whose friendship she retained. After the peace, Mr. Constable, in 1784, removed to New York, and estab- lished the firm of Constable, Rucker & Co. On the death of Mr. Rucker, shortly afterwards, the firm of Constable & Co., in which Robert Morris and Gouverneur Morris were partners, contributing £50,000 as their share of the capital. The national debt, and that of the several states, not being yet funded, offered great field for speculation, which the firm was largely con- cerned in, as they were also in furnishing supplies to Europe. Mr. Robert Morris, who was the chief financial agent of our government, remained in Philadelphia, while Governeur Morris, who was sent minister plenipotentiary to France, aided by procuring contracts, and by his advices from thence. The war between France and England threw the carrying trade into the hands of neutrals. The firm of Constable & Co. took early advantage of this, and in 1786 sent the ship Empress to India and China, and made a very profitable voyage. In 1788 the ship America, of 600 tons, which was the finest ship that had been built at New York, was built by Mr. Constable for that trade. In 1790 he proposed to build a ship of one thousand tons, but the demand for China goods in this country did not warrant it, and he aban- doned the enterprise. He fulfilled a large contract with the British govern- ment for the supply of their troops in the West Indies. Through the agency of Col. Jeremiah Wadsworth of Hartford, and Joseph Howland of New London, he shipped seventy-eight cargoes of cattle from Connecticut.
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