USA > New York > Franklin County > A history of St. Lawrence and Franklin counties, New York : from the earliest period to the present time > Part 34
USA > New York > St Lawrence County > A history of St. Lawrence and Franklin counties, New York : from the earliest period to the present time > Part 34
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84
(Lossing's Field Book of the Revolution, ii, p. 667, note.)
Memoranda from the Town Records .- 1808. Voted that the weed called tory weed (Cynoglossum officinale), shall not be allowed to grow on any man's improvements, or in the roads. Penalty $1 for every neglect to destroy it, after ten days' notice. This law passed annually until 1816. 1809. A penalty of $1 for allowing Canada thistles to go to seed. Renewed till 1816. 1810. $2 offered for every wolf scalp. 1813. A committee appointed to enforce the destruction of thistles and tory . weed, or exact the penalty. 1818. The supervisor and town clerk a committee to petition for a road, to be laid out from Indian river to Hamilton (Antwerp to Waddington). 1820. $500 raised for the support of the poor. $10 bounty on wolves and panthers. Voted that all the public books in town be sent to the town library, and subject to its regu- lations, but not to be taken by persons out of town. 1823. Wolf bounty, $5. The avails of the gospel and school lots applied to common schools. 1828. Resolved, That it is inexpedient to pass any resolution in relation to the county buildings. 1849. A special town meeting called March 27, to consider the necessity and propriety of petitioning the legislature for a grant to pledge the credit of the town to raise money to build a plank road on the main stage road, through the villages of Richville and De Kalb. The petition was not sustained.
Supervisors .- 1806, Isaac Stacy; 1807-15, Isaac Burnham; 1816-18, Gideon 'Townsley; 1819-20, Elisha Griffin; 1821-8, Asa Sprague, Jr .; 1829-30, Jonathan Round; 1831, Nathaniel Martin: upon his failing to qualify, Roswell White was appointed to fill vacancy. 1832-5, Asa Sprague; 1836-9, Seth Alexander; 1840-2, Harlow Godard; 1843-5, Asa
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Sprague ; 1846, Dwight Spencer; 1847-9, Orin M. Fisk; 1850, Edward H Hopkins. In September, Orin M. Fisk appointed to fill vacancy; 1851-2, Orin M. Fisk.
The following is a list of the jurors in the town of De Kalb, in Sep- tember, 1806:
Joseph Anderson, Elias Alexander, Seth Alexander, Ichabod Arnold, Isaac Burnham, Thomas B. Benedict, James Burnett, Amos Comly, James Farr, James Farr, Jr., Elisha Griffin, Potter Goff, Nathaniel Holt, Levi Holt, Jonathan Haskins, Horatio G. Johnson, Obediah Johnson, Israel Porter, Solomon Pratt, Solomon Rich, Isaac Stacy, Henry Smith, Nathaniel Smith, Timothy Utley, Abner Wright, Joseph Woodhouse, William Woodhouse, Joshua Sweet.
The following is a list of the electors in the town of De Kalb, on the 2d of December, 1807, made by Thomas B. Benedict and Joseph Wood -. house, who were appointed to take the census of the electors of that town. It embraces, with one exception (N. Holt), the heads of families:
Joseph Anderson, Ichabod Arnold, Elias Alexander, Seth Alexander, Daniel Barker, Ralph R. Bell, Mansfield Bristol, Truman Bristol, James Burnet, Isaac Burnham, Barton Carver, Abraham Cole, Elisha Cook, James Cooper, William Cleghorn, Abel Cook, David Day, James Farr, Elisha Farr, Joseph Fisk, Ephraim Fisk, Mathew Grover, Elisha Griffin, Potter Goff, Russell Goff, Nathaniel Holt, Levi Holt, Philo Hurlbut, John Jackson, David Judson, Philo Lord, Abial Lyon, Richard Merrill, James Merrill, Solomon Pratt, Jacob Preston, Samuel Phelps, Solomon Rich, Salmon Rich, Joseph Rounds, William Sloan, Nathaniel Smith, Joshua Sweet, John Seeley, Isaac Stacy, Elijah Stockwell, Marvil Thair, Josiah Thornton, Samuel Thatcher, Timothy Utley, William Van Booscirk, William Woodhouse, Abner Wright, Eseck Whipple.
It will be remembered that a part of the present town of Depeyster was a part of De Kalb, when the above census was taken.
De Kalb was purchased from Samuel Ogden, by judge William Cooper, the father of J. Fenimore Cooper, the illustrious author.
In May, 1803, judge Cooper, of Cooperstown, with a company of thirty- four persons, mostly from the towns of Cooperstown and Richfield, Otsego county, started to form a settlement on'his purchase, in the town of De Kalb. A part of these, with two wagons, each drawn by a span of horses, and a cart drawn by two yoke of oxen, proceeded by way of the Black river country and the old state road, to the clearing of Abram Vrooman, near the present village of Ox Bow. Here, from the extreme badness of the road, it became necessary to build boats for a part of the loading, and two log canoes were made under the direction of Jehiel Dimick, which were lashed together, and loaded with a part of the freight. The party consisted of William Cooper, the proprietor, Salmon Rich, Isaac Stacy, Eseck Whipple, Richard Merrill, Elisha Cook, William Brown, Gardner Brown, William Stone, Asa Ransom, Timothy Utley, Elijah Utley, Abner Wright, Andrew McCollom, Asa Ransom, Jun.,
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James Farr, Elijah Farr, wife and wife's sister, Joseph Woodhouse, William Woodhouse, Dr. Robert Campbell, Ralph R. Bell, wife, sister and daughter, Elijah Stockwell, Jehiel Dimick, John Hewlett and William Sloan. Of these, Dimick, Rich, Bell and Hewlett came down the Oswegatchie river with the load, and the remainder along the road towards Ogdensburgh. The first night was spent at a deserted shanty, five miles from the Ox Bow, and in the night the party were alarmed by the cries of one of their number, who discovered that a large dry birch tree, which they had fired to keep off the musquitoes, was about to fall upon them. They fled in the greatest haste, just in time to save them- selves, for the tree fell with a heavy crash upon the hovel, crushing and -consuming it. A part of their bedding was lost by this misfortune.
On the second night, they arrived at Bristol's, in the present town of Depeyster, where the women were left, and the men proceeded to open a road through to De Kalb. This was effected in eight days, and they proceeded to their location, just above Cooper's falls. Alexander McCol- lom, Potter Goff and Stephen Cook, who formed a part of the original party, came up the Mohawk, with goods, which Judge Cooper had bought in Albany, for the purpose of opening a small store, and with these, they reached the location in De Kalb, by way of Oneida lake, the St. Lawrence, and the Oswegatchie, arriving on the 12th of June, 1803, with the other parties, at the present village of Dekalb. On the first day, they put up the body of a house, and slept without a roof over their heads, the first night. On the second day, another house was built, and on the third day, a store, which like the others, was of logs, and covered by barks. Goff, Campbell and Andrew McCollom, were surveyors, and se- veral farms were run out. Salmon Rich, took up 11,850 acres, in the south corner of the town, Mr. Farr, a larger tract, in the eastern corner, and Stacy, another large tract, near the north part of the town. Most of these afterwards reverted to Mr. Cooper's heirs. Clearings were begun in various places, and a party was set to work in preparing to erect a mill at the falls. A canal was blasted, and one or two houses built, Wm. Brown cleared and got in two acres of winter wheat. A saw mill was raised during 1803.
Three families, and most of the party remained the first winter. During the winter, and following spring, several families came in, among whom were Salmon Rich, Isaac Stacy, James Farr, Jonathan Haskins, James Merrill, Richard Merrill, Timothy Utley's family. Sackett Dodge, Dr. J. Seeley, Barton Carver, Seth, and Elias Alexander, Elijah Pooler, James Burnett, Nathaniel Holt, James Cooper, a brother of the proprietor, Elisha Griffin, and many others. In 1805, Philo Lord, Thomas B. Benedict Horatio Johnson, Obadiah Johnson, Jacob Preston, Wm. Cleghorn, Daniel Smith and sons, Harvey John, Nathaniel, Daniel, Phineas and
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Richard. The latter were from Canada, Solomon Pratt and many others, came in. In the spring of 1804, Mr. Cooper commenced the erection of a grist mill, under the direction of three brothers by the name of Jack- son, (Cyrus, Asahel and Asa,) and at the raising of the frame, Asa Jack- son was severely |hurt by falling upon his head. Dr. John Seeley per- formed the operation of trephining, with no other instrument than a steel thimble, which was fashioned into an annular saw, and fitted on a handle. This was the first surgical operation performed in town, and was suc- cessful. Dr. Seeley died, May 24, 1829.
On the 13th of Sept. 1804, commenced a violent rain, which continued several days, and produced a freshet, which was very destructive, and raised the Oswegatchie as high as has since been known. Geo. Cowdry, one of the settlers, was drowned in going over the falls, at this time, and was the first white person known to have died in town. Early in May, 1804, the first birth occurred in the family of Jebiel Dimick. The second was a daughter in the family of Salmon Rich, May 16th, of the same year. The first marriage was May, 27, 1804, of Elisha Cook to Letta Willey, and the ceremony was performed by Stillman Foote, Esq., of Canton, then the nearest magistrate. The second was Alexander Mc Collom, and Olive Sprague, on the day following, and by the same ma- gistrate. The first school in the town was taught by Bella Wills, a method- ist minister, in the winter of 1807, at De Kalb village, then called Coop- er's village. In 1805, Judge Cooper erected a large hotel, on a hill in the village, which was three stories high, sixty feet square, and a curb roof, and was the first public house in town. After a few years, it fell into decay, and has since been entirely destroyed. Isaac Stacy was the first tenant, and was soon succeeded by Wmn. Cleghorn, who kept the house for some time.
The early settlers were often annoyed by their horses escaping into the woods, and wandering off in the direction of their former homes. Se- veral were thus lost, and an incident occurred while in pursuit of some of these, which is worthy of notice. Late in December, it being very cold and the ground covered with snow, two men started in pursuit of some horses, which were tracked to a distance of many miles to the south- west, about into the present town of Fowler. The pursuit led them much further than anticipated, and they had not provided themselves with provisions sufficient for supporting the hardship of their journey, and in returning were oppressed with excessive hunger, cold and fatigue. Yield- ing to these, one of them wished to lie down and rest on the ground, a course which the other knew would be fatal, and against it he remon- strated in the strongest manner, but to no purpose, for the inclination to
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sleep was irresistible, and arguments were of no avail with one who lost in emergencies of the moment, all control of his reasoning powers, and all hope of safety, by continuing on. He accordingly threw himself upon the ground to sleep, but his companion acting upon the principle, that the end justifies the means, provided himeslf with a green beech twig of suf- ficient length and weight to give it effect, and with this he aroused the sleeper by several severe blows, and thus he continued to apply the rod, as occasion indicated, disregarding the present effect upon the temper of his friend, until they reached the settlements, both nearly exhausted and famished by the hardships they had encountered.
The St. Regis and St. François Indians sometimes visited the settle- ments on hunting expeditions. They were entirely peaceable, except when intoxicated. In 1806, Tom, a St. Regis Indian, and Joe, his father- in-law, got into a quarrel over a quart of whiskey, and Joe got badly wounded, but finally recovered. It was observed that although much addicted to drink, at least one would keep sober to take care of the guns knives and tomahawks, which were concealed till the rest were sober.
The first settlement of Richville, originally called Rich's Settlement, was made in the spring of 1804. In March, Salmon Rich and Jonathan Haskins, having loaded a sleigh with provisions, cooking utensils and camp apparatus, at Cooper's village, with the assistance of three or four hired men, drew it by hand up the river on the ice, a distance of ten miles, opposite the present village of Richville, where they formed a camp and commenced clearing. On the approach of warm weather, their shanty got overflowed, and they were driven to another stand. In April, a small log house was built by Jonathan Haskins near the river, and in June following P. Rich began a clearing at the present village, and erected a log house covered with bark. A house afterwards built by Haskins, a little southeast of the present tannery, became the first school house a few years afterwards. Joseph Kneeland was the first teacher. He was shot at the taking of Ogdensburgh. About 1807, the first tavern was kept by Solomon Pratt. About 1810, Chas. Boreland erected a grist mill, the second one in town, on the stream which bears his name, a mile and a half above Richville. He had erected a saw mill the year previous.
In 1824, on the establishment of : post office, the place received the name of Richville, and John C. Rich was appointed post master. This office he held for about twenty-five years. The village at present con- tains two churches, three stores, a tavern, post office, tannery, grist mill, two saw mills, the usual variety of mechanic shops, and about thirty families.
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HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE
In this, as in some other towns, a large amount of poor money had ac- cumulated, by taxes levied ostensibly for the support of the poor, for which there was no use after the adoption of the poor house system. By an act of Feb. 22, 1830, the overseers of the poor in this town were directed to pay $1,000 to the trustees of the public lots, to be invested for the support of schools. From this source, and the sale of the school lot, this town has acquired a larger fund than any other in the county. The location of the two reserved lots was at first not known, and they were sold by Mr. Cooper. This afterwards became a subject of differ- ence, to settle which, Simeon Dewitt, the surveyor general, was empow- ered by an act passed April 3, 1811, to settle with the legal represent- atives of Wm. Cooper, on such terms as he might deem just and rea- sonable, for any differences which might have arisen between the state and the said Cooper, in consequence of any mistakes committed in lo- cating the public lots in De Kalb. In the general law relating to the gos- pel and school lots of these towns, De Kalb was excepted.
Religious Societies .- The first religious organization in town, was said to have been the Methodist, but they did not form a legal society, until Feb. 25, 1839, when the First Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in De Kalb, was incorporated, with Seth Alexander, Dwight Spencer, Obadiah R. Rundell, Orin C. Spencer, Elijah Pooler, Thomas Spafford and John D. Smith, trustees. The First Presbyterian Church and Society in the town of De Kalb, was incorporated Dec. 7, 1818, with Seth Pome- roy, Joshua Dewy, Isaac Burnham, Elisha Griffin, Isaac Stacy, Jun., and Jonathan Haskins, trustees. Elisha Griffin declining to serve, Gideon Townsley, was on the 18th of December, of the same year, chosen in his place. A church had been formed August 30, 1817, through efforts of missionaries, sent out by a missionary society of Massachusetts. The Rey. James Johnson, who was in the service of that society, in 1817, made an appointment to preach in the adjoining town of Russell, and at the urgent solicitation of Seth Pomeroy, of De Kalb, he consented to visit his town, which he did, and preached on a week day, and consulted with the inhabitants on the practicability of forming a church. He recommended that all who felt interested should meet and consult on the subject, on the next Lord's day, and notice to that effect was given. In relation to the prospects of forming a religious society at that time, we can not do better than copy from an original narrative drawn up by one of the first foun- ders.
" The people were in general moral, but as to Christian or praying ones, I did not know any, except a Baptist elder, who preached one half of the time, and an old man with his wife, who were Methodists. You can not picture to yourself a more unlikely place to form a church; the prospect to me was all barren and dry, and I thought there was nothing to form a church with, unless it was dry trees. It was a time of anxiety and prayer to the Great Head of the church. The day arrived, and there came two elderly men who were many years ago, professors of religion, but who had wandered a great way from the fold of God. It was affecting to hear them give an account of themselves. Their wives were also pro- fessors, and one of them did indeed, pray earnestly that God would ap- pear and build up his cause. Just as the meeting was opened, a kind Providence sent us a minister, the Rev. M. Bunt, from Massena, who
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was of great service to us, and before the meeting broke up, it was evi- dent the Lord was there. The Rev. Mr. Johnson, came soon after, and the subject was pursued till we found in all, seven professors, and three who gave evidence of piety,-ten in all. These on the last Sabbath in August, 1817, were organized into a church, and the Lord's supper was for the first time, administered."
A revival soon after occurred, and about seventy professed to be con- verted, of whom forty or fifty joined the Methodist, and fifteen or twenty the Baptist churches.
The Rev. Mr. Johnson, was employed about eighteen months, when he left for Vermont, and the Rev. Thomas Kennan, was hired to preach three quarters of the time, for three years. The organization subsequently was at one time nearly lost, from death of members
The first religious society formed in Richville, was the United Religious Society, June 15, 1827 ; Orson White, Orson Shead, Josiah Walker, Henry C. Miller, John C. Rich and Marshall Allen, trustees. This was succeeded by the United Baptist and Methodist Religious Society of Richville, March 16, 1836, of which Nathan Barker, Harlow Godard, John Chase, James Phelps, Danford Johnson and Russell Johnson, were trustees. By this society the church edifice by the cemetery in Richville, was built in 1837, mostly by the Baptists, and the other party not having assisted on the 2d of Oct., 1837, the First Baptist Society of Richville, was formed, having Eleazer Dewey, Jacob C. Temple, Jabez Bozworth, John C. Rich, H. Godard, and Simeon Millen, trustees.
The First Congregational Church and Society in DeKalb, was formed Dec. 1829, Stephen Thompson, Jun., Orson White and Marshall Allen, trustees. A church was formed in Richville, in 1827 or 8, as a branch from the First Presbyterian Church in DeKalb, which was in a year or two, changed into a Congregational one. On the 11th of Feb., 1840, the First Congregational Society of Richville, was formed, having Marshall Allen, Darius Wiser, Jonathan Barker, Josiah Walker, Orson White, and A. V. Chandler, the first trustees. The Presbyterians and Methodists, have each a church, on the Gouverneur and Canton plank road, and south of DeKalb village; the former reported in the census of 1850, worth $900, and' the latter $800. The Baptist and Congregational societies have each a church in the village of Richville, the former worth $1000, and the latter $600. The years 1826 7, were marked by religious revivals at the latter place.
DE PEYSTER,
Was erected from Oswegatchie and DeKalb, by an act which passed the legislature on the 24th of March, 1825, but did not take effect till the first of April following. The poor moneys belonging to the several towns, were to be equitably divided. It was first proposed to name the town Stilwell, from Mr. Smith Stilwell, who was at the time a prominent citizen in town, and many of the inhabitants were very anxious that it should receive this name, but Mr. Stilwell declined, on the ground that some one among the proprietors, might be willing to make the town a liberal present, for the privilege of giving it their name. A correspond- ence was opened with Mr. Frederick DePeyster, of NewYork, who owned a portion of the part that had been in DeKalb, and resulted in the selec- tion of this name, for the new town. Its location rendered an organiza-
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tion necessary, for it was separated from the greater part of Oswegatchie by Black lake, and the Oswegatchie river, and from the settlements of DeKalb, by an intervening wilderness.
Frederick DePeyster, was an extensive shipping merchant for many years in the city of New York, and distinguished for his integrity, liberality and punctuality in business. At an early day he purchased of Judge Cooper, a part of the town of DeKalb. On the erection of a Union church in DeKalb he presented $300 to assist in it; and in 1840 his son made a present of a fine bell weighing about seven hundred pounds, which had belonged to a Spanish convent, and which was forwarded to its destination free of cost.
Memoranda from the Records. The first town meeting was held in pur- suance of statute, at the house of Timothy Morris, May 3, 1825. Smith Stilwell, elected supervisor ; Timothy Morris, clerk; John Wilson, Moses King, Horace Plympton, assessors ; Jonathan Morris and Bela Bell, over- seers of the poor.
Voted to raise a subscription for a town house and church, and a com- mittee of three, consisting of Smith Stilwell, Nathan Dean, and Philo Hurlbert, were appointed for this purpose. A special town meeting was held on the last Monday of June, to decide on the subject of a town house, and it was resolved to erect one, at a cost not to exceed $1,500, The church in DePeyster village was erected accordingly.
The Bethel Union Society, which owns this church, was incorporated Oct. 23, 1827. Bela Bell, Luke Dean, Joseph Sweet, Zenas King, Jonathan Curtis, Horace Plympton, and Smith Stilwell, being named as the first trustees. 1828, voted in favor of the High falls on Grass river, as a county seat. 1841, voted to have those parts of Morristown and Gouverneur, annexed to this town, which were afterwards formed into the town of Macomb.
Supervisors-1825-9, Smith Stilwell; on the 7th of November, Luke Dean elected to fill vacancy, occasioned by the removal of Mr. Stilwell; 1830-4, Horace Plympton; 1835-9, Johnathan Curtis; 1840, Abner McMurphy ; 1841-3, Sylvester Johnson; 1844, Jonathan Curtis; 1845, John Blaisdell; 1846-7. David Fuller; 1848, Thomas D. Witherell; 1849-51, Levi Fay; 1852, Thomas D. Witherell.
The first settlement in the present limits of De Peyster, was made by Samuel Bristol originally from Sandgate, Vt., but who had for a short time, lived on the St. Lawrence, four miles above Ogdensburgh, in the month of November, 1802. His location was on lot No. 12, on the ex- treme south border of the township of Oswegatchie, and two and a half miles from the line of Hague. This location had been selected the sum- mer previous, and he had been sent thither by Judge Ford, to form a stopping place for the accommodation of travelers who about this time were beginning to come into the country from the central and southern parts of the state, in considerable numbers. He had a large family. During the first summer, he had cleared about thirty acres, and got three
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of them sowed with wheat, and a house erected for a tavern. No other settlers arrived until the next winter (1803-4), when Thomas Wilson, from Hebron, N. Y., Joseph Round, Samuel Barnard, - Green, Icha- bod Arnold, and Robert Hill, from Rhode Island, Frederick Plympton, from Sturbridge, Mass., and David Day, most or all, except the latter, having families, moved into town. The first school was opened at the house of Samuel Bristol, in the winter of 1805-6, by Bela Willes. He was also the first preacher who held regular meetings (Methodist), al- though traveling ministers had casually happened to stop and hold meetings. Silas Kellog, in 1806, came in and erected a tavern some distance west of the corner. The first store was opened by James Averell 2d, near Kellog's tavern. Mr. Averell was then a young man of about eighteen years of age, and was established in business by his father.
Capt. Rufus Washburn, who removed in 1806, to what is now Macomb, was among the first settlers of De Peyster. In 1809, Smith Stilwell, then from Albany, but a native of Saratoga county, came in, and purchased lands, but did not remove with his family until the year following.
This town suffered its full share from the cold and backward seasons which form a striking epoch, from which many of the oldest settlers are able to date events. In 1815, but little was raised in consequence of the cold, and most of that little, was claimed by the birds and squirrels, which in that year are said to have been extremely numerous.
In 1816, many families were obliged to live without bread, as flour was very expensive, and difficult to be bought at any price. During this year, the first barley in town (about two acres), was raised by Mr. Stil- well. While it was still growing, it was watched by the neighbors with great interest, and they would stand by the fence which enclosed it, and count the number of days that would elapse before it would be suitable to cut, with an anxiety which proved how much their hopes depended upon that little field for food. It was scarcely ripe, when with the own- er's permission, it was reaped, dried, threshed, and ground in small quantities, by his neighbors. Oats and potatoes sold for $1 per bushel, and wheat at from $2 to $3 a bushel.
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