USA > New York > Ontario County > A history of Ontario County, New York and its people, Volume I > Part 29
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In 1811, there were five flour mills in town, the first being built by Joel Steele on Mud creek. This did away with the long trips with ox team and sled which were necessary before in order to obtain flour. No better flour could be had in eastern markets than that sent out from these mills. It was marked "Genesee Flour. Bloomfield." In 1805, there were three wool carding and cloth dressing machines in the town, all having extensive patronage in Western New York.
Three clock factories were doing business in 1811. Wooden
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one-day clocks were made by one James Blake in the northern part of the town. Eight-day brass clocks were manufactured, some of them giving the changes of the moon and the day of the month, selling for ninety dollars. Andirons and candle sticks of brass were made, also sleigh bells from two to five inches in diameter, the ringing of which, it was said, could be heard at least two miles away. Hats of fur and wool were made here. Gun shops, cooper and blacksmith shops, and tanneries, abounded.
To give a little idea of the condition of things in 1813, we quote from an article published in the "Gazetteer of the State of New York" of that time: "This is the most populous town in the county and one of the best farming towns in the State. The inhab- itants are wealthy, enjoying all the ease of independence, derived from agricultural industry and economy. The soil is of the best quality of loam, good for grain and grass, and the surface but gently undulated."
The demand for some educational facilities was met in 1792 by the building of a school house at the place of the first settlement. Laura Adams was the first teacher to give instruction here. To her came the children through the forest paths from every direc- tion within a radius of three miles. Three years later, the second one was built. It was composed of logs having a fire place almost the entire width of the interior. The window was formed by means of a hole cut in the logs and covered over with greased paper. The roof was of clapboards held in place by means of heavy poles and the low door was hung on wooden hinges. In the fall of 1797, a young man carrying his worldly possessions upon his back arrived in town, and introducing himself as a teacher from Con- necticut suggested that a new school district be formed with his services as teacher. The proposition was accepted and another log school house went up.
In an article written by one of our townsmen about the district schools of 1825 and 1830, he states that men were usually employed to teach the winter terms and women the summer terms. This arrangement was probably deemed expedient because it was during the winter months that the large boys flocked in. It seems to have been the custom of these young men to test the ability of their instructor, the first day, by an attempt to put him out. If they failed in accomplishing this feat, as we are told they frequently did, they retired gracefully and gave no more trouble during that winter
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HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY.
at least. Men teachers were paid from twelve to eighteen dollars a month with board, and women from one to two dollars a week and board. These last were expected to teach the art of needle- work and of embroidery in addition to their other work. The boys of these schools were taught to acknowledge their teacher upon entering the school room by making a low bow, hat in hand, the girls by making a low courtesy. They were also instructed to acknowledge every one whom they chanced to meet on their way to and from school, and most people were polite enough to recognize and to return this salutation. It was also the duty of the long suffering teacher to make and to keep in repair the goose quill pens, metal pens being, of course, an unheard of thing in those days. The paper in the writing books was of unruled foolscap and those learning to write were obliged to rule their own paper with a plummet made of lead. When this was done the copy was written by the teacher. In many of the schools it was the custom, at stated times every week, to repeat in unison the multiplication table, the ten commandments, the Lord's prayer, or passages from the New England primer.
On the ninth of April, 1838, an act passed the Legislature, incorporating the East Bloomfield Academy. Accordingly, a three story brick building was erected, capable of seating two hundred pupils. School was opened in May, 1839, having three depart- ments : a primary, a higher English, and a classical. In 1840 the school became subject to the Board of Regents and the Academy was converted into a union school. June of 1909 marked the close of the career of the old brick building as a school house, which it had held for seventy years. Thirteen hundred dollars was voted to buy the lot for the fine new building of pressed brick on Main street, twenty-five thousand to put it up, and twenty-five hundred to furnish it. This building was completed and made ready for occupancy in the fall of 1909. It is fitted with modern, scientific appliances for heating, lighting, and ventilating, and apparently is considered in every way thoroughly satisfactory.
At one time Miss Sophia Adams, sister of Myron Adams, kept. a select school in the house now occupied by the Rev. Mr. Howard. This was the first of its kind in East Bloomfield to take up more than the common branches. This school must have been famous for its beauty as well as its learning, for we read that when Miss Adams appeared in Canandaigua with her young charges, at a
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THE TOWN OF EAST BLOOMFIELD.
reception given at the home of Judge Taylor in honor of General Lafayette, the latter, after meeting one of them, Miss Julia Parrish, kissed her and remarked that she was the handsomest lady he had met in America !
In the midst of this period of creation and of toil came the desire and the need for a way to express the religion that was in these people, and on September 8. 1795, six years after the first settlement, the first religious society in the town was formed. It was called the Independent Congregational society. The first step taken after organizing the society was to purchase a "burying ground and a meeting house green." With this end in view, six acres of land were purchased of Benjamin Keyes on October first, 1798. Upon the west half of this lot, in 1801, was erected the first church this side of Clinton, Oneida county. It was completed six years later, 1807, and was regularly incorporated in 1811. This building was fitted with galleries on three sides, with square pews both above and below, in which not more than one-third of the audience could face the minister. It faced the south, having a high pulpit at the opposite end, and it stood just a little north of the present building. Twenty-nine years later, in January, 1836, it was decided, rather than to remodel the old edifice, to raise four thousand dollars to build a new one. Thus the present Congregational church was built.
The Methodist church was first established on Mud creek, in the northeast part of the town, and the first church was built there. The society was organized May 12, 1834, as the "First Methodist Church of East Bloomfield." In 1840 the church was reorganized and the first church edifice built. This building was afterwards moved and used as a dwelling house. In 1859 the church was reorganized a second time, when the building put up by the Univers- alists was bought from the Episcopalians for $2,000, together with the parsonage. This church is in use at the present time.
An Episcopal church society was organized in 1830, taking the name of St. Peter's. The services were held at first in private houses and in the Universalist church previously mentioned. As far as can be learned, the present edifice was built in 1859, after the society sold the Universalist building to the Methodist society. The church now has an endowment of $8,000 bequeathed by Mrs. Hiram Holcomb.
The first Catholic church was erected in 1851, the parish at this
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HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY.
time numbering sixteen families and about seventy persons. On the twenty-first of August, 1874, the corner stone of the present church was laid. It stands in the north part of the village and is a substantial brick building, containing a fine organ in the gallery and a number of rich memorial windows.
The history of East Bloomfield would not be complete without some mention of the pretty little park which lies between the Methodist and Congregational churches. It was originally called the "square" and was a part of six acres of land deeded by Benjamin Keyes to the Congregational church in 1798 for one hundred and eight dollars. For many years it was a rough, uneven plot of ground, full of old stumps and fallen trees. Cattle, sheep, and swine wandered about, and the ducks and geese of the neighbor- hood found amusement in the small pond contained in it. Finally, in 1848, the ground was graded, seeded, and fenced, and, a few years later, planted to trees. Dr. Murphy planted the elms, Luther Barber the chestnuts, S. Emmons the locusts, and the Rev. Luther Conklin the wild cherry trees.
In 1868, a fund of $6,000 was raised by subscription, entertain- ments, and bazars, to erect a monument in this park to commem- orate the lives of those who went from East Bloomfield to fight for the Union cause in the Civil war. Of the one hundred and fifty- eight young men who enlisted at this time, thirty-one never returned. Of the five men named as a finance committee to whom the subscriptions were to be paid, Mr. Charles Buell, of Canan- daigua, alone is living. This monument is of brown granite and stands in the center of the park. It is surmounted by the figure of a soldier in fatigue uniform, looking toward the south. Upon the four sides of the shaft is carved the war record of the town. On the front is the roll of honor of the 85th regiment, New York Volunteers, and above, the names of battles. On the base is this inscription : "East Bloomfield. To the memory of her sons who died in the defense of the Union, 1861-65." The column is forty-five feet in height, and stands on a stone foundation which is ten or twelve feet below the base. Its weight is estimated at one hundred and fifty tons. The heaviest stone, weighing nine tons, was drawn from the depot by twelve horses. The work of erection was begun in December, 1866, and was completed in January of the year following. The dedication took place on the fourteenth of October, 1868, at which a famous dinner was served beneath a large tent in
1
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THE TOWN OF EAST BLOOMFIELD.
the park. . Three thousand were served at this dinner and it was said that at its close enough of provision was left to feed a small army. This was followed by music, prayer, an oration by an Auburn resi- dent, the reading of an original poem by one of our townsmen, and an address by the Rev. Luther Conklin, pastor of the Congregational church. In the evening a large audience assembled in the Congre- gational church to listen to an oration given by Col. W. H. C. Hosmer, of Avon. The cannon at the base of the monument were presented by the Government in 1884.
A few years ago, Mr. James Elton of Waterbury, Connecticut. erected an arch in front of the park and gave the sum of $1,000, the interest of which is to be used toward keeping the park in order. This was done in memory of his wife who died some years previous At the same time it was named Elton park.
In 1898 the work of laying crushed stone roads was begun. At present there are about fifteen miles of stone road in East Bloom- field. Natural gas obtained from nearby wells was piped into the village in 1904. There are about five miles of cement walks in the village at present, the first being laid in 1905.
The first county tuberculosis hospital in New York State has just been erected on a high rise of ground in the south part of the town, a location admirably adapted in every way for such an institution. Fifteen thousand dollars was appropriated for this building and for its equipment. At its completion, the building committee turned it over to the board of managers, which consists of Father Dougherty, of Canandaigua ; Dr. C. C. Lytle, of Geneva : Dr. W. B. Clapper, of Victor: Mr. Levi A. Page, of Seneca, and Mr. Heber E. Wheeler, of East Bloomfield. Dr. S. R. Wheeler, of East Bloomfield, is the superintendent.
The population of the town, according to the census of 1910, is 1,892.
At the first town meeting in April, 1796, officials were chosen as follows: Supervisor, Amos Hall; town clerk. Jared Boughton : assessors and commissioners of schools, Asa Hickox. John Adams. David Parsons, Samuel Starling. Roger Sprague ; commissioners of highways, Jonathan Adams, David Parsons, Joseph Brace: over- seers of poor, Jasper Peck Sears, Asher Saxton; constables, Daniel Bronson, Clark Peck, Seymour Boughton: collectors, Nicholas Smith, Philander Saxton, Julius Curtis.
The town has been of its present proportions since 1833, when
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HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY.
it was established as East Bloomfield and West Bloomfield was set off as a separate town. The succession of supervisors since 1838 has been as follows: Timothy Buell, Jr., 1838-41; Philo Hamlin, 1842-45; Josiah Porter, 1846; Edwin W. Fairchild, 1847; Moses Shepard, 1848-49; Guy Collins, 1850-52; Henry W. Hamlin, 1853-55 ; Elisha Steele, 1856-58; Edward Brunson, 1859-61 ; Frederic Munson, 1862-66: Edward Brunson, 1867-69; Reuben E. French, 1870-71 ; Henry W. Hamlin, 1872; Reuben E. French, 1873; Cholett Collins, 1874-76: Harley Hamlin, 1877-80; George W. Hamlin, 1881-82: Daniel R. Bostwick, 1883 : John S. Hamlin, 1884-86; Myron Mariner, 1887; Frank W. Page, 1888-89; John M. Norton, 1890-91; Harry G. Chapin, 1892: Peter Neenan, 1893-95; Roswell M. Lee, 1896-1903 ; Edward F. Burt, 1904-05 : James Flynn, 1906-07 ; Edward E. Rigney, 1908-11.
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THE TOWN OF FARMINGTON.
NO. XXVII.
THE TOWN OF FARMINGTON.
Named After a Connecticut Town-Purchased by a Company of "Friends" from Massachusetts - Names of the Pioneers - Early Houses of Worship-The School Districts and Their Settlers-Survivors of the Union Armies of 1861-65-Decrease in Population Noted-Present Town Officers.
BY ALBERT H. STEVENSON.
Farmington, which was named after Farmington, Connecticut, is happily situated in the heart of a beautiful, prosperous, and healthful, farming region, as the chance traveler can testify. The soil in the northern and central part of the town is a gravelly loam and is very productive, while a strip of land across the southern part has a heavy clay soil which is also very productive of certain crops, and there are many splendid meadow and grazing lands throughout the town. The villages are New Salem, hereafter men- tioned, Brownsville, and Mertensia, and the streams, Black brook, Beaver creek or Trap brook, and the Ganargua or Mud creek.
The township now known as Farmington constituted the first sale of land made from the Phelps and Gorham tract, it being township No. 11, range 3, of the great tract. It was purchased in 1789 by members of the Society of Friends, or Quakers, from Berkshire, Massachusetts, their purchase embracing also the terri- tory now comprised in the town of Manchester. The two town- ships continued to be known as Farmington until 1821, when Man- chester (township No. 11, 2nd range) was set off.
The names of the purchasers were Nathan Comstock, Ben- jamin Russell, Abraham Lapham, Edmund Jenks, Jeremiah Brown, Ephraim Fish, Nathan Herendeen, Nathan Aldrich, Stephen Smith, Benjamin Rickenson, William Baker, and Dr. Daniel Brown. The deed was given to Messrs. Comstock and Russell as representatives
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HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY.
of the company. A settlement was commenced in 1789 by Nathan Comstock, with his sons Otis and Darius, and Robert Hathaway, these pioneers accomplishing their journey by both land and water routes. They made a clearing in the wilderness, near where now stands the little hamlet of New Salem, familiarly known as Pump- kin Hook, built a cabin, and sowed a small piece of wheat. The little company brought but one horse with them and that they had the misfortune to lose, so they were obliged to walk to Geneva, some twenty miles or more distant, for their weekly provisions and household supplies.
When fall came, all returned to Massachusetts, except Otis Comstock, who was left alone in the new country, with no neighbors nearer than Canandaigua and Boughton Hill, excepting, indeed, the wild animals inhabiting the forest, or the Indians. Truly, his must have been a brave and dauntless spirit, nor had he the solace of a daily, nor yet a weekly paper. However, in the spring of 1790, Nathan Comstock, Nathan Aldrich, Isaac Hathaway, Nathan Her- endeen, and others started to join Otis, traveling with ox teams and making a camp-fire where night overtook them. After weary days they reached the little clearing and soon had erected cabins, and before fall had sowed several fields of wheat, the soil having received no further preparation than the clearing away of trees and the raking in of the seed. During this first summer, owing to decaying vegetation, these pioneers suffered greatly from the disagreeable disease known as fever and ague.
The cabin of Nathan Aldrich was the second built in the town. In it, in the year 1797, was held the first town meeting in the town. and there Mr. Aldrich died in 1818. Nathan Herendeen built the third cabin and raised the first barn in town in 1794, in what is now known as District No. 1, and on the farm known to many now as the Mercereau place. Here, in 1807, Herendeen died. In 1790 the first white child, Welcome Herendeen, was born in Farmington.
The first house of worship was erected by the Friends near New Salem, in 1796. It was built of logs and was the first house of worship west of Clinton, Oneida county. Destroyed by fire in 1803, it was replaced in 1804 by a frame building, for which Nathan Comstock drew the timbers to Smith's mill, which had been built in 1795. This building, in its turn, was destroyed by fire, in 1875. It was again rebuilt, the first service in the new building being held in June, 1876. At this meeting spoke Thomas Kimber and
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THE TOWN OF FARMINGTON.
wife, of Philadelphia; Elwood Scott, of Iowa; Mary Knowles, Margaret Hathaway, and Jarvis Rider. From the beginning of the settlement, the Friends held regular meetings, increased in num- bers, and lived in peace and unity, which continued until the year 1828, when one Elias Hicks was moved to expound a new doctrine, which caused a division in the society. Thereafter the seceders were called Hicksites, while those adhering to the original doc- trines of the society were called Orthodox Friends. About the year 1816, a large meeting house had been erected to accommodate the increasing congregation, the old house of 1804 being left standing, and in this new building remained the Hicksites, while the Orthodox returned to the old building. The church built in 1816 is now standing and is a well preserved building, being one of Farmington's quaintest landmarks. The first speaker of the Friends in this town was Caleb McCumber, who died in 1850. The following is a list of the ministers of the Orthodox Friends church to the present time, as nearly correct as it is possible to obtain: Bersheba Herendeen, Lydia McCumber, Margaret Hath- away, Jarvis M. Rider, Adelaide H. Wood, Mary S. Knowles, Edwin P. Wood, Thomas E. Williams, George B. Evans, Leverett J. Rugg, James Renfrew. Of the Hicksites we may mention John J. Cornell, Sunderland P. Gardner, a resident minister, Isaac Wil- son, and others.
It can be truthfully said of the Friends that they were honest, God-fearing, peace abiding citizens, and we of later days must look well to it that we preserve that integrity of life and purpose so nobly set before us by our respected Quaker ancestors.
The Friends were not the only religious society which started churches in Farmington. In 1817, a Presbyterian society was organized, but it lived but fifteen short years. In 1846 the Wes- leyan Methodist church was built in the village and enjoyed a prosperous life about forty years. The first pastor of this church, was Thomas Burrows. After the dissolution of this society, the edifice was sold to the trustees representing Farmington Grange, No. 431, viz: George E. Lapham, Ellery G. Allen, and Albert H. Stevenson, said society taking possession in 1892. The German Lutheran denomination built a neat edifice in the village of New Salem in 1894 and now has a prosperous and growing society here. The first resident pastor was Rev. Herman Leibich, who was fol- lowed by Ernest Resseig, E. Saul, W. Siedel, and J. Flierl.
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HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY.
We would not leave the subject of the settlement of Farming- ton without recording the first death, that of Elijah Smith, in 1793, or the first marriage, that of Otis Comstock and Huldah Freeman, in 1792. Other interesting facts to note are the building of the first grist mill, by Jacob and Joseph Smith, in 1793, and that Otis Hathaway was the founder of New Salem, a quiet little village of one hundred inhabitants, and in 1810 erected there the first store building of which Jonathan Batty was the keeper for about ten years. An ax factory was established by Lewis Lombard in 1825, and a wagon shop by George Hoag in 1823. Walter Whipple established an iron foundry in 1843. Matthew Windsor was the pioneer shoemaker, and Waters and Cook the pioneer hatters. The first inn keeper was Daniel Allen, who was followed by several others; but here as always the Friends' society manifested its purity of thought and motive by purchasing the last hotel and closing it, and to this day there is no place in Farmington where intoxicating liquors can be legally purchased.
The schools of Farmington rank well with the schools of other towns. The Friends, in the year 1838, established a manual and labor training school, which, however, did not prove as decided a success as did the good old district school.
In order to be more definite, we will now take up the history of Farmington by the school districts. Commencing with District No. 1, Abraham Lapham was a resident in that district in 1790, and in the spring of 1790 John Payne came from Massachusetts. Jona- than Reed, the pioneer blacksmith, and a son-in-law of Nathan Herendeen, moved upon the farm now owned by the Trenfield sis- ters. Another son-in-law of Nathan Herendeen settled upon and cleared the land where Richard Broomfield now lives, and was the pioneer cabinet maker. John Dillon was also a pioneer settler in this district. Joseph Smith and James Smith started an ashery in 1793 and Thomas Herendeen a tannery in 1800.
District No. 2 had for its pioneer settlers Adam Nichols, Joseph Wells, and Jacob Smith. It is recorded that during the year of 1806, made memorable by the great eclipse, one Elam Crane taught the district school and upon that day took his pupils to the road, pointed out to them the dark body passing slowly across the face of the sun, and taught such a lesson as may never be forgotten. Schoolmaster and pupils have all passed away. In this district, the present town hall is situated.
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THE TOWN OF FARMINGTON.
District No. 3 had for its pioneer settler Arthur Power, who cleared and fitted for cultivation the farm now owned by Dr. W. G. Dodds, of Canandaigua.
District No. 4 borders upon Victor and is traversed by the Ganargua river and contains the hamlet of Mertensia. Upon this stream McMillan built the first flour mill in the town for Jacob Smith, in 1793, and two years later a saw mill was erected on the opposite side of the stream. It is claimed that the site of these mills was a familiar hunting and fishing place of the Indians, and that to Mr. Smith's mill they came to trade their fish and game for flour and feed. David Smith, Farmington's first constable, lived for many years in this locality.
District No. 5 had for some of its pioneer settlers Gideon Grin- nell, Germond Ketcham, and a man by the name of Pratt, all of whom have passed away.
District No. 6 had for its pioneer settler Isaac Hathaway, from Adams, Massachusetts, who located at what has since been known as Hathaway's corners. A framed barn built by Ananias McMillan' for Mr. Hathaway in 1793 was the first building of its kind in the town. In this district, at the home of Isaac Hathaway, occurred the first marriage in town, that of Otis Comstock and Huldah Free- man. The ceremony was performed by Dr. Moses Atwater, of Canandaigua. Asa Wilmarth lived near the corners and was one of the first justices of the peace. Robert Power settled near the corners and was said to have been an excellent carpenter and joiner and was the workman employed upon the woodwork of the Yale college buildings. The Aldriches were also pioneer settlers in this district. In the early days of the settlement, the district had a log school house and Lydia Smith was one of its teachers.
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