USA > New York > Ontario County > A history of Ontario County, New York and its people, Volume I > Part 42
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454
HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY.
although the types cannot show the quaint writing and the old style long letter "s:"
I Gideon Pitts Town clerk of the town of Honeoye in the County of Ontario do solemly and sincerely promise and swear that I will faithfully and honestly keep all the books, records, writings and papers, by verture of my said office town-clerk committed, and which shall from time to time be committed unto me; and in all things, to the best of my knowledge and understanding, will and faithfully perform' the duties of my said office of town-clerk without favor or partiallity.
Gideon Pitts.
this may certify that Gideon Pitts took and subscribed the oath of town Clerk of the town of Honeoye this 5 Day April 1796 before me
Ebenezer Curtiss Justice Pea.
The above is the oath of office of the first town clerk, and shows that the town was first called Honeoye.
The overseers of poor oath reads as follows :
we do solomnly and sincerely promise and swear that we will in all things to the best of our knowledge and understanding and abilities well and faithfully execute and preform the trust imposed in us as Overseers of the Poor for the Town of Honeoye in the County Ontario.
Philip Reed William Pitts
On the reverse side :
This may Certify that Phillip Reed and William Pitts took and Subscribd the Oath for Overseers of the Poor for the Town of Honeoye this 6th day of April, 1797, before me
Gid'n Pitts J. P.
Levi Blackmer, town clerk of the town of Pittstown, took the oath of office before Gidn. Pitts, J. P., April 3d, 1798. An oath signed by Gideon Pitts, is dated Honeoye, 4th April, 1809.
The following is a list of the names of the supervisors who have represented Richmond in the county legislature: Lemuel Chip- man, 1786-1800, 1806, 1814, 1821 ; Philip Reed, 1801-4; Gideon Pitts, 1805, 1807-9, 1818-20: Noah Ashley, 1810, 1813, 1815; James Heren- deen, 1811; Peter Allen, 1812; Noah Ashley, 1812, to fill vacancy ; Amos Mead, 1816-17; Issachar Frost, 1822-23, 1828; Nathaniel Allen, 1824, 1826; John Dixon, 1825; Philip Short, 1827; Jonathan Mason, 1829; Hiram Pitts, 1830-34; Gilbert Wilson, 1835-38: William F. Reed, 1839-40; Hiram Ashley, 1841-43 ; Robert L. Rose, 1844-45: Zach Longyor, 1846: David A. Pierpont, 1847-48, 1852, 1855: Thomas Barkley, 1849-50; Lyman Haws, 1851; David L. Hamilton, 1853-54: Zoroaster Paul, 1856; William F. Reed, 1857- 58: Willard Doolittle, 1859-60; Evelyn Pierce, 1861-68; Spencer D. Short. 1868-72: Charles E. Reed, 1873-76; Marion P. Worthy,
THE TOWN OF RICHMOND. 455
1877-80; Frederick L. Ashley, 1881-82; John A. Reed, 1883-86; Edwin W. Gilbert, 1887-88; David A. Pierpont, 1889-91; Charles E. Reed, 1892-93; Ira N. Deyo, 1894-6; Edwin W. Gilbert, 1897- 1900; H. Harrison Reed, 1901-2; Richmond C. Beach, 1902-5 ; George W. Patterson, 1906-7: John C. Briggs, 1908-9; Daniel C. Menihan, 1910-11.
The present town officers are as follows: Supervisor, D. C. Menihan; town clerk, George W. Patterson; justices, R. C. Beach, J. J. White, R. M. Allen, Charles W. Howcroft; assessors, H. F. Briggs, John R. Green, W. B. Smith; highway superintendent, E. D. Hawkes; collector, W. G. Pierce; overseer of the poor, H. H. Reed ; constables, W. G. Pierce, George C. Briggs, Frank Prescott, A. H. Francis; school directors, Henry M. Patterson and George P. Reed.
Honeoye Village.
The word Honeoye is of Seneca Indian origin meaning "finger laying." This is the meaning given the word by Sullivan's so.diers in 1779. The writer of this sketch asked a Seneca chief as to the meaning of the word and the reply was the same. The soldiers were told that the place derived its name from an accident which occurred to an Indian. It seems that the Indian was gathering berries near the foot of the lake on land now belonging to William Morrow and was bitten by a rattlesnake. He cut his finger off with his tomahawk. His finger was laying there, or as the Iroquois would say "Ta-nyah-yeh," or at this place Ha-nyah-yeh, the first Indian word being used in the sense of distance or "over there." Rattlesnakes were common to this vicinity two hundred years ago.
In the writings of Sullivan's officers and men the village is mentioned many times and nearly each time the word has a different spelling. This was due to the difficulty of representing the Indian language in English. It is likely that its population (1779) was nearly as large as at present. The soldiers' letters state that there were from five to twenty houses, and as at that time the Iroquois lived in long houses to a large extent and several families in a house, we may conclude that the village had from two to three hundred people. There were about fifty acres under cultivation. There were also some fruit orchards. The settlement was used as a base of supplies by Sullivan when he went to the Genesee river, and upon his return, the houses were burned. The archaeological
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HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY.
remains at Honeoye show evidences of Huron occupation, but it is likely the Hurons were captives of the Iroquois.
As the principal and practically the only industry of Richmond is agriculture, the villages are small. Honeoye is the largest and its location was largely due to the water power produced by the fall in the outlet of the lake. The land upon which the village is located was originally owned by Captain Pitts, but to Artemas Briggs is accredited the proprietorship of that on which the village is located. About 1813, a grist mill and a saw mill were built by Gideon Pitts, on the site now occupied by the John A. Quick flour mill. The location of the old saw mill is still marked by a turbine wheel, the building having been removed some time previous to 1890. For a number of years the mill was idle, owing to the decline of lumber- ing on a large scale, the small portable mills taking its place. In 1813, Moses Resden was the proprietor of a tannery, which he later soid to Daniel Phillips. Gideon Pitts, his helper, Way, and Abner Mather were the first blacksmiths.
About 1814 Caleb Arnold built the house now occupied by Edward D. Hawkes. The next house was built by Mrs. Hovey and was owned by Dr. Hamilton for some time. E. W. Gilbert now occupies it. Eliab Soles followed and built the A. Franklin residence now owned by Dr. Standish. Soles was one of the early black- smiths. The next year R. Davis built an addition to the Hawkes house and opened a tavern and after a few years sold to Samuel G. Crooks, who in time sold to Smith Henry. In 1817 John Brown and Linus Giddings built a fulling mill. Part of this building be- came the foundry, long since gone. The fulling mill was sold to Joseph Blount and it was successively transferred to Walter Blount, to John Culbertson, to Huntly, to Hiram Pitts, and to Joseph Lavill.
In 1822 John Brown built a store and was the pioneer merchant of the place. He sold to Erastus Hill and Richmond Waldron. Dexter K. Hawkes, Edward D. Hawkes's father, carried on the business under the firm name of Hawkes & Whipple. Later Hawkes sold out and built a store for himself. In 1823 Edwin Gilbert, Edwin W. Gilbert's father, opened a store and in 1825 built the store on the corner now occupied by his son and grandson. Isaac G. Hazen erected the next store building, near Hawkes's, and later sold it out to M. M. Gregory, who engaged in the hardware busi- ness. About this time Lyman Pearce started an ashery, which
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THE TOWN OF RICHMOND.
after his death was conducted by his brother Evelyn. The original A. Franklin store was built about 1826 by Benton Pitts, who rented it to Pearce. Isaac Seward, the first shoemaker, came about 1815 and opened a shoe shop and tannery. About 1825 Oliver Adams erected a building and engaged in the same business. Part of Stout's hotel was built by Caleb Arnold and Tubbs in 1830 and was used as a shoe and cabinet shop. The Methodist church was built in 1832 where the Eliza Phillips residence now stands.
Richmond Center.
Richmond Center, "a diminutive settlement, located as the name indicates, sprang into being, flourished and now rests in quiet," as McIntosh wrote. Here the first business of the town was done, here the first religious society and the first school of the town were formed. The following is a list of the early settlers at and near the "Center;" Noah Ashley, Elias and Joseph Gilbert; David, William, Sanford, and Heman Crooks; Philip Reed and sons, John F., Silas, Wheeler, William, and Philip; Whitley Marsh, John and Eleazer Freny, Deacon Harmon, Roderick Steele, Cyrus Wells, Isaac and Alden Adams, Daniel H. Goodsell, O. Risden, and a few others.
Noah Ashley, in 1802, purchased a farm of one hundred and eighty-six acres at five dollars an acre. This land passed to his son Noah. Deacon Elias Gilbert bought the John Norgate farm in 1803. Deacon Gilbert was a tanner and shoemaker. He lived on the farm for half a century, and then moved to Iowa, where he died at the age of ninety-five. Eleazer Freny settled near the old church and near by lived Whiting Marsh. David Crooks and family came from Massachusetts in 1800. He sold, in 1803, at a nominal figure, ten acres of land for public use. It is the land upon which the church, school house, and parsonage were erected. About two acres in the rear was set apart for a cemetery. After seven years' residence at the Center, he bought seven hundred and fifty acres east of Honeoye, around Blackmer's corners, and erected a grist and saw mill, likely the first in town, on Mill creek, and also built the Myron H. Blackmer house. David Crooks and family came from Massachusetts in 1800. David Crooks's father, William Crooks, came from Massachusetts in 1802 with his two sons, Heman and Sanford. Orsamus Risden was a blacksmith and lived in a log house near Whetstone brook. His shop was south of the cabin. John Freny was the early owner of the Frank Ashley farm.
458
HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY.
Allen's Hill.
Moses Allen, with his two sons, Peter and Nathaniel, and their families, became residents of this locality in 1796 and 1797. Peter became a soldier and commanded a regiment at Queenstown and rose to be a brigadier general. Nathaniel was a blacksmith and started a shop near the tile factory, south of Allen's Hill, and later opened a shop at the Hill. Joseph, son of James Garlinghouse, came here from New Jersey about 1800. He bought twenty-five acres near the Hill and paid for the same with a militia officer's uniform. David Pierpont came from Vermont in 1816, bought the Gates tavern, which he ran for years, worked at his trade of cabinet maker, and put on the first daily post-coaches on the Canandaigua- Genesee road. He died in 1862. He was the father of the Hon. David A. Pierpont. Joshua Philips, of Dighton, Massachusetts, worked for Philip Short in 1791 and in 1803 bought land and built a house.
Richmond Mills and Dennison's Corners.
Asa Dennison and Levi Blackmer came to this locality in 1795. They settled at what is now Dennison's Corners, because of the fine stand of timber, thinking that this denoted fertile land. Denni- son contracted for one hundred and fifty acres for three dollars an acre. He soon built a tavern, a framed structure, two stories high and forty feet square. The building had a fine ball room and was noted for the festive parties that took place there. Later Mr. Dennison, by the erection of an addition, doubled the size of the original building and made two ball rooms. Here he kept tavern for sixty years. The bill of fare was plain but substantial. It is said that it was principally bread, pork, potatoes, and whiskey-last named but first called for. That part of the old farm passed through many hands and was at last acquired by Richmond Blackmer. Levi Blackmer bought one hundred and fifty acres for three dollars an acre, paying $100 down on the purchase price. He cut and cleared some land and piled his first brush heap on a knoll a few rods south of the Richmond Blackmer house. On September 5, 1799, he married Hannah Pitts, daughter of Captain Pitts. They raised seven children, of whom Richmond, the youngest, lived on the old homestead for years.
Roswell Turner bought land on Hemlock lake outlet in 1796, made a ciearing, and two years later moved to Allen's Hill. Calvin
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THE TOWN OF RICHMOND.
Ward, with his wife and young son, Harry, came from Vermont in 1816. He bought fifty acres of land at twenty dollars an acre. This land formed part of the Harry Ward farm. Ward raised wheat and made it into flour and drew it to Albany. Philip Reed came in 1795 from Vermont. He found that five families had preceded him. He bought land till he had fifteen hundred acres, most of which his descendants now own. Reed and Chipman built the first brick house in town, the original Reed homestead, the brick being made on Chipman's land. This is now known as the Fayette D. Short house, north of Richmond Mills. The house was begun in 1802 and finished in 1804. The timbers were cut on the Short farm. The bricks were made across the road in the field now owned by C. E. Reed. The nails were hand forged by a black- smith in the "Hollow." The contract stated that the men were to receive one gill of whiskey per day, besides their wages. The one hundredth anniversary of the completion of the building was observed by the Shorts in 1904.
Mr. Reed was considered wealthy, as he had $3,000 to pay for his land, and he built a grist and saw mill just above Richmond Mills. Isaac Adams came as Reed's hired man and bought one hundred acres. Colonel Lyman Hawes came on foot in 1812. He had served on the Niagara frontier. He worked at blacksmithing for John Abbey for some time, at sixteen dollars a month. He bought land and engaged in wheat-raising and wool-growing and became a prominent man. George McClure, of Bath, sent some goods to Allen's Hill in 1809 and '10. In 1810, Amos and John Dixon opened a store at Dennison's Corners. They carried a general line of goods, including a hogshead of West India rum, and had a good trade. Parley Brown and Luther Stanley were also early settlers. John Dixon resided for some years at Canandaigua and lived to a ripe old age.
The Pan-Handle.
The section of the town east of the lake has appropriately been called the Pan-Handle.
Hugh Hamilton came from Massachusetts in 1810, and after looking over the State as far west as Lake Erie he returned to Ontario county. He then took charge of and ran the Phelps grist and saw mills on Mill creek. In a short time he bought the mills, but later resold to Phelps. Later he bought a small tract of land
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HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY.
for a farm, the tract now known as the D. L. Hamilton farm. Here he died in 1856, aged 80 years.
Davis Knapp, from Connecticut, became a settler in 1790, buy- ing what is now the William Allen farm. John Parker was the first settler on the James Kelly farm. Job Wood was an early resident on the Pierce place. Jacob Flanders, a soldier under Sullivan in 1779, settled on the north part of the farm long owned by John G. Briggs. Colonel John Green became the owner of the Briggs farm in 1794. Aaron J. Hunt settled in the southwest corner of this section in 1795. John Green built a saw mill in Briggs's gully at an early date. It was the first of its kind in the town south of Mill creek. Briggs built a saw mill north of the old mill after the first mill had run down. Andrew Bray was another early resident. He settled upon the General Thomas Barkley place.
Churches.
The first sermon in Richmond was preached in 1792 by Rev. Samuel Mills. In 1795 Rev. Zadoc Hunn and his sons were engaged by Captain Pitts to "preach 1-8 of his time," which was done till Mr. Hunn's death, May 12, 1801. Services were held in an irregular way till 1798, when Deacon Nathaniel Harmon moved in from Vermont. There was a revival in 1799.
The First Congregational Church of Richmond was organized November 4, 1802, by Rev. Joseph Grover, assisted by Rev. Jacob Cram. The newly organized church had fourteen members. Nathaniel Harmon and Elias Gilbert were the first deacons. In 1804 it was voted to purchase of David Crooks ten acres of ground located in the center of the town for a "burying-ground and meet- ing-house green." The land was purchased and arrangements made to build a school-house and church. In 1806 the society voted $200 toward a school-house at the Center. Later the church organ- ization became Presbyterian and in 1810 was placed under the Geneva presbytery, but returned to Congregationalism in 1843. About 1828 several members were dismissed to form the church of South Richmond. This they did and held services at Honeoye.
In 1818 a substantial church edifice was completed and dedi- cated and in 1835 a parsonage was built. The society is not now in active existence, the church having been removed a decade ago.
Rev. Abijah Warren was the first pastor. Other early pastors were Rev. Samuel Fuller, 1805; Rev. Aaron C. Collins, 1808-16;
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THE TOWN OF RICHMOND.
Rev. Warren Day, Rev. S. Mills Day's father, 1819-28; Rev. Orange Lyman, 1828-34; Rev. Linus W. Billington, 1835-41 ; Rev. Warren Day, 1845-49; and others for shorter periods.
The first Congregational church of Honeoye was organized in November, 1854, by Rev. Cyrus Pitts, of Honeoye, assisted by Rev. William Fisher, of West Bloomfield. At the time of the organiza- tion it had about twelve members. The first deacons were George W. Pitts and D. Leonard Hamilton. The organization had become a strong church by 1862. In 1861 a church building was erected and in 1871 it was enlarged and improved. The succession of min- isters has been as follows: Rev. Cyrus Pitts, 1854-5; Rev. R. W. Payne, 1855-8: Rev. Milton Buttolf, 1858-61; Rev. Isaac Ely. 1861-2; Rev. S. Mills Day, 1862 to 1896, when he became pastor emeritus, after which date he supplied the pulpit at different times and for a period of some months during 1900 and 1901. For nearly half a century he looked upon the congregation of the church from this pulpit. Later pastors were Rev. Mr. Herman, 1896-8; Rev. T. A. Stubbins, 1899-1900; Rev. W. C. Burns, 1901-6; Rev. A. C, Dill, 1906-9; Rev. Mr. Hawthorne, 1909-1911. A fine church par- sonage was built in 1903. The church parlors were built in 1897. Extensive improvements to the church grounds were made in 1910. A prosperous Sunday school is one of the features of the church work.
St. Mary's Catholic church is the only other church in Hone- oye. The church edifice was dedicated in 1876, with Rev. Father Burns as the first pastor, who was soon followed by Rev. Father Seymour. Rev. Father Hendrick was a pastor for some years. The present pastor is Rev. M. J. Krieg. The pastors have ministered both to this church and the one of the same denomination at Livonia Center. The church is the only one of this denomination in the vicinity and is in a prosperous condition.
The Protestant Episcopal church of Honeoye (town of) was organized in 1813 and a few years later erected a house of worship at Allen's Hill, as a result of the work of Davenport Phelps, an Englishman, who spent some time in the county as a missionary, in 1808. Samuel Whitney and David Crawford were the first war- dens and Alanson W. Welton, 1815, the first settled minister. Meetings were first held in the Chipman tavern ball-room and until the church edifice was finished. The church was consecrated in 1817 and sixteen members were confirmed, Warren Pierpont being
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HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY.
the last survivor. Forty-two pews were sold at auction and war- ranty deeds given, about $3,400 being thus realized. One pew was reserved for the clergyman's family and four others for visitors, or as stated "for other persons." Nathan Allen gave a plot of ground for a church and church-yard. Rev. George H. Norton began a twenty-year pastorate in 1823 at a salary of $300 a year. The old church edifice at Allen's Hill remains standing and is occasionally used.
The Methodist Episcopal church of Richmond was organized at the home of William Baker about 1833 and a house of worship constructed in the eastern part of the town, on what is now the David O. Pierpont farm. The building was quite a large structure and built with galleries, as was the custom at that time, The. society was reorganized in 1859, and in 1861 a new church, located at Allen's Hill, was completed and dedicated. The church has continued in a prosperous condition.
The First Methodist Protestant church was organized as the result of meetings held by Dr. Covill of New York in the old tav- ern ball-room at Honeoye. Later meetings were held in the school-house. A church was organized and a building erected, in 1832. Dr. Covill was the first pastor. In 1869 the building was burned, thereby crippling the society, and the site was sold. It is now occupied by the Mrs. Mary Eliza Phillips residence. A Bap- tist church was organized about 1808 with forty members and a church edifice built in 1832. There is no society of this denomina- tion in town at present.
Masonic Lodges.
Masonic lodges were established at an early date. The first lodge was called Genesee Lodge, Number 32, F. & A. M. It was organized about 1806, with Judge Lemuel Chipman as master. Meetings were held in Dennison's tavern, at Dennison's Corners. The lodge was large and prosperous, till the time of the Morgan episode, following which, owing to the strong opposition engen- dered, it gave up its charter and disbanded.
Eagle Lodge, No. 619, is located in the village of Honeoye. Its first meeting was held August 4, 1866. The following have filled the office of master: A. W. Stevens, Aiken Stark, J. L. Green, George W. St. John, James R. Tubbs, Leonidas F. Wilbur, T. R. Reed, R. H. Knapp, D. S. Stacey, T. Murray, Fred Francis,
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THE TOWN OF RICHMOND.
W. Stevens, William Lightfoot, F. Ingraham, S. W. Abbey, L. A. Mitchell, C. W. Sleight, and T. S. Stevens. The officers of 1911 are: Truman S. Stevens, W. M .; John Burns, S. W .; Henry Kil- lips, J. W .; Charles W. Howcroft, Jr., Secy. ; Samuel Drain, S. D. ; James Morrow, J. D. ; Raymond Francis, S. M. C .; Clarence Hicks, J. M. C .; George Affalter, Chaplain; Carlton Sleight, Tiler. The lodge has recently purchased the Franklin block and now has a permanent home.
A lodge of the O. E. S., No. 350, was organized May 24, 1905. The Worthy Matrons have been Mrs. Caroline Franklin, Mrs. Jen- nie G. Abbey, Mrs. Martha N. Short, and Mrs. Mary Burns.
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HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY.
XXXVI.
THE TOWN OF SENECA.
Original Town of Seneca Included What is Now the Towns of Seneca and Geneva and the City of Geneva-First Settlement as Seen by a 1790 Traveler-Division of the Town in 1872- Four Flourishing Villages-List of the Supervisors-The Churches and the Granges.
BY LEVI A. PAGE.
The original town of Seneca was formed in 1793, under the act of the Legislature for the organization of towns, passed Janu- ary 27, 1789. It was a large town, bounded north by the town of Phelps, east by Seneca lake and Seneca county, south by Benton, west by Gorham and a part of Middlesex. It was twelve miles long north and south, and about eight miles east and west. Across its north end stretched the great stage road from Albany to Buf- falo. It was an excellent township, arable throughout, with fine grazing lands. Its streams were small, Flint creek, the largest, running through the western part of town from south to north. It also took in a portion of Seneca lake on its eastern border. Its farm lands were rich and very productive and have always pro- duced fine crops of grain and farm produce.
The town of Seneca then included the territory now embraced in the city of Geneva and the town of Geneva.
On June 4. 1788, Oliver Phelps arrived at Kanadesaga ( Geneva). He said in his description: "I am well pleased with what I have seen of the country. This place is situated at the foot of Seneca lake on a beautiful hill which overlooks the country around it and gives a fine prospect of the lake, which is about forty miles in length. Here we propose to build a city, as there is a water carriage from here to Schenectady, with only two carrying places one mile each."
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THE TOWN OF SENECA.
The little village of Geneva at this time, 1788, was a pretty brisk place. Here was the speculator, the explorer, the Lessee Company and their agents, all actively engaged in their respective operations. The Lessee Company had a bark-roofed frame tavern and a trading establishment on the lakeshore. The village was the principal seat of the Indian trade for a wide region of country. Asa Ransom, who afterwards became somewhat noted as the first settler at Buffalo, occupied a small hut and was manufacturing Indian trinkets.
Another writer in September, 1790, says of Geneva: "Geneva is a small village of fifteen houses, all log but three, and about twenty families. It is built partly on the acclivity of a hill and partly on a flat, with deep marshes north of town to which is attrib- uted its unhealthfulness. We received decent accommodations at Patterson's on the margin of the lake, but we were troubled most of the night by gamblers and fleas."
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