USA > New York > Franklin County > A history of St. Lawrence and Franklin counties, New York : from the earliest period to the present time > Part 62
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 62
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Cash premiums for one year, are taken in lieu of a note at 25 per cent on the amount which would have been demanded on the note, and the insurance may be renewed annually without a new survey. Steam mills, cotton factories, powder mills, distilleries, manufactories of printers' ink, and extra hazardous property not insured by the company. By the first annual report up to the 1st of January, 1852, the number of policies is- sued previously was 6,707, upon property valued at $4,918,679. Cash premiums less agent's commissions, $35,550-65. Losses and expenses paid, $13,085-23. Refunded on cancelled policies, $237-57. Balance of cash premiums, $22,237-84. A dividend of 30 per cent was declared on all risks of the first class, and 20 per cent on those of the second class which expired previous to Jan. 1, 1852. The company is responsible for the correctness of the surveys made by its agents, in this particular differing from some other mutual companies. Losses are allowed to the full amount insured.
The North American Mutual Insurance Company .- Was organized at Brasher Falls, July 1, 1851, up to Oct. 1, 1852, it had issued 1386 policies, and had at that time at risk $897,562-50.
The Franklin County Mutual Insurance Company .- Was incorporated, May 12, 1836, with Benjamin Clark, Hiram Horton, Jonathan Stearns, Jacob Wead, Aaron Beaman, Jonathan Thompson, William King, Sylvester Langdon, Jonathan Wallace, Henry N. Brush, Sidney Law- rence, Joseph Plumb, Timothy Beamar, directors. The business was to be carried on at Malone. The details of the provisions of this act were made to be like those of the Jefferson County Mutual Insurance Company, passed in March, previous. Policies were not to be issued until applications amounting to $50,000 had been received, and the du- ration of the act was limited to twenty years. An organization was
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HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE
effected under this act, in June, 1836, by a meeting convened at the academy, and has continued in operation since. Benjamin Clark, Asa Hascall, Joseph H. Jackson, Samuel C. Wead, William King, and Abijah White, have been successively elected presidents. Uriah D. Meeker, A. B. Parmelee, and D. N. Huntington, have held the office of secretary, and Jonathan Wallace, Benjamin Clark, D. N. Huntington and Albert Andrus, that of treasurers. The last mentioned of each of the above are the present officers, up to Oct., 1852, it had issued about 4,200 policies, and has now about $1,000,000 worth of property covered by insurance, mostly in Franklin county. Within the last year, it has issued about 900 policies and paid $2,400 on losses.
Banks .- The wants of the county led the supervisors in 1825, to pass a resolution in which they asserted the unsound state of their currency which mostly consisted of Canada bills, from which loss constantly en- sued and set forth the claims of Northern New York, to the benefits of the corporate privileges of banks. Passed by a vote of 11 to 7. On the 30th of April, 1829, the Ogdensburgh Bank, was incorporated for 30 years, capital $100,000, in 2,000 shares. Horace Allen, Anos Bacon, David C. Judson, Baron S. Doty, and Win. Bacon, were appointed to open books for subscription of stock. This bank went into operation soon after, and has continued business without interruption. It is the only safety fund bank in the two counties.
On the 9th of Oct., 1838, articles of association were filed for a new bank, to commence operation Oct. 15, 1838, and continue 100 years, capital $100,000, in 1,000 shares, and to be managed by 21 directors, one third of whom to be chosen annually. It began to issue bills in Jan., 1839. The name assumed was The St. Lawrence Bank. After continuing business two or three years, it became insolvent, and its affairs were closed up.
On the 26th of Feb., 1841, The Franklin Bank, of Fort Covington, was to have begun operations, and continued till Nov. 2, 2301, on a capital of $100,000, in 2,000 shares, held by four citizens of Lewis county, but this never went into operation. The Bank of Rossie, projected by Samuel Linscott of Albany, was designed to commence business, April 15, 1841, with a capital of $100,000, but never organized. The Citizen's Bank, lately doing business in Ogdensburgh, was organized in Jefferson oounty, and in August, 1852, removed to Fulton, Oswego county. The Drover's Bank, now at Ogdensburgh, was originally established in Chautau- que county. Circulation, Dec. 1, 1851, $98,887.
The Frontier Bank, of Potsdam, begun by Henry Keep, at Water- town, and removed to this place about May 1, 1851, owned by J. C. Dann, of Sackett's Harbor, H. P. Alexander, of Rockton, and Bloomfield Usher, of Potsdam, circulating, Dec. 1, 1851, $61,633. The Bank of Malone, was established in Sept. 1851, at Malone, and was owned by about 40 individuals, securities $35,110.80 in mortgages, and $65,000 in United States and New York stocks. The first directors were S. C. Wead, Hiram Horton, Wm. King and Wm. Andrus, of Malone, L. Fish, of Bangor, Henry B. Smith, of Chateaugay, G. A. Austin, of Or- well, Vt., O. A. Burton, of St. Albans, Vt., and D. P. Noyes, of Burling- ton, Vt .; S. C. Wead, president, Wm. A. Wheeler, cashier. A majority of the directors must reside in the county. This is the first bank for doing business in the county that has been established, and it is found eminent- ly useful. The Franklin County Bank, principally owned abroad, and like the following, having no office of discount and deposit in the
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county, was founded several years since, but is mostly closed. In Dec., 1851, it reported a circulation of $2,811. The Northern Bank of New York, with a nominal existence at Madrid, but owned abroad, and with no office or circulation in the county, in Dec., 1851, reported $39,000 in circulation. The Northern Exchange Bank of Brasher Falls, of the same character as the preceding, reported $132,925 in circulation.
THE PRESS.
The first paper published in St. Lawrence county, was the Palladium, by John C. Kipp, and Timothy C. Strong, of Middlebury, Vt., who were furnished by David Parish and Daniel W. Church, with money to pur- chase a press and erect a building for the purpose of printing a paper in 1810. The enterprise was started in December of that year. The printers had a small quantity of type; Mr. Church built the office and sent for the press, while Mr. Parish furnished the money with which to begin business. Strong continued in the concern less than a year, when his partner took the office alone, and sold in the fall of 1812 to John P. Sheldon. The first paper was printed on a sheet 11 by 173 inches, and had but two pages. Sheldon enlarged it to a folio, but difficulties being experienced in getting regular supplies of paper, many of the numbers were issued on a common foolscap sheet. It was printed on an old fashioned wooden press, published weekly, and distributed through the county by a foot post, an old Swiss about 60 years of age, acting as carrier. Sheldon discontinued his paper about 1814. From several numbers of this paper before us, it is learned that it was Federal in politics and denounced the war. For a time it had but three columns and two pages of 7 by 11 inches, exclusive of margin.
David R. Strachan and Platt B. Fairchild, purchased a Ramage press of James Bogart, of the Geneva Gazette, and commenced in Dec., 1815 a weekly paper under the title of the St. Lawrence Gazette, a small folio sheet, 20 by 25 inches, 5 colums to the page, at $2 per annum. Fair- child subsequently withdrew, and the paper was continued by the remaining publisher, until April 12, 1826, when Dan. Spafford and James C. Barter purchased the office and continued the paper without change of name or size, till Dec., 1829, when Spafford became publisher and continued it till about the 1st of January, 1830. He then sold it to Preston King, who had also purchased the St. Lawrence Republican pre- viously issued at Potsdam. The Gazette thus ceased to exist, and the press on which it had been printed was laid away, and finally destroyed in the great fire of 1839. It espoused the cause of Mr. Adams, after his election in 1824, and advocated his reelection in 1828. Its politics were changed to republican on its union with the other paper .*
The Northern Light, an anti-masonic paper, was begun at Ogdensburgh, July 7. 1831, (20 by 26 inches), by W. B. Rogers, and in October, 1831, was assumed by A. Tyler and A. B. James, who published it about a year, when the latter became its editor. On the 10th of April, 1834, its name was changed to The Times, and at the end of the 4th volume it was enlarged to six columnns, and its title changed to the Ogdensburgh Times. In July, 1837, Dr. Tyler again became associated with Mr. James,
* The author is indebted to a work entitled, The Typographical Miscellany, by J. Mun- sell, Albany, 1850, for numerous facts concerning the press of St. Lawrence county. They were prepared for that work by Mathew W. Tillotson, of Ogdensburgh, one of the present publishers of the St. Lawrence Republican. A very minute and extensive account was also furnished by Wm. H. Wallace, Esq. of Potsdam.
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HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE
and the name was again changed to the Times and Advertiser. In July, 1838. Dr. Albert Tyler became its sole publisher, and continued until March, 1844, when it was transferred to Foote and Seely, and it became the Frontier Sentinel. Upon the change of parties about 1834, the politics of the paper became Whig, and it has continued till the present time, to be the organ of that party in the county, under the following names:
The Frontier Sentinel begun April 2, 1844, by Foote and Seeley, (six columns folio), at $1 per annum. Mr. Stephen B. Seeley, of the above firm, died August 17, 1844, and the paper was thenceforth continued by Henry G. Foote. On the 8th of June, 1847, the name was changed to the Ogdensburgh Sentinel, under which it has continued till the present time. It was at the same time enlarged to eight columns, and the price increased to $1.75. On the 27th of November, 1849, this paper was transferred to Stillman Foote, by whom it has been continued till the present time. In June, 1850, the price was reduced to $1. It has been printed since 1847, on an Adams power press.
The Daily Sentinel was the first attempt to establish a daily paper in St. Lawrence county. It was started April 14, 1848, by S. Foote, at one cent per number, and continued until Sept. 14, of the same year. Its pages were nearly square, and three columns in width. It was made up from the matter prepared for the weekly sheet, with a few advertisements. The St. Lawrence Budget, a very small advertising sheet, was issued from the press of the Sentinel, semi-monthly, for about two years, in 1850-1.
The Meteorological Register, was the title of a monthly quarto, com- menced January 1, 1839, by J. H. Coffin, then principal of the Academy, and now of Fayette College, Easton, Pa. It was devoted to scientific in- quiries, and continued but four numbers. It was issued by one of the printing offices in the village. This highly meritorious publication is be- lieved not to have received the patronage which rendered its continuance practicable, although conducted with an ability very creditable to its editor. The Ogdensburgh Forum, was commenced April 24, 1848, by A. Tyler, to support the Whig party, and the interests of Gen. Taylor. It was of small sized folio, in small type, and at first issued tri-weekly and weekly, at $1.50, and 50 cts per annum. When first started it was issued in the quarto form, with four pages to the sheet, but at the end of six months the tri-weekly was discontinued, and after the first year the folio form was adopted. It was discontinued in February, 1851. The office from which this paper was issued had been supplied with new furniture complete, and was at first designed for a job office only, and it was the first attempt to establish an office of this kind in St. Lawrence county. After the paper was stopped it continued to do job work until 1852, when it was sold and removed to Gouverneur.
'The first attempt to establish a daily paper in St. Lawrence county of a character comparable with the daily press of the cities, was made in March, 1852, by Wm. N. Oswell, a former editor of the St. Lawrence Republican, assisted by Mr. Fayette Robinson, in the editorial department. It was entitled the Daily Morning News ; professed neutrality in politics, and was conducted with an ability and enterprise which entitled it to a liberal support. The presses, type and furniture of this office were new. In September, 1852, was commenced the issue from the press of the Daily News, a large sheet, neutral in politics, and devoted to literary and general intelligence, by the name of The Weekly News, by Williamn N. Oswell. The latter paper soon after was temporarily suspended, but again issued in a smaller sheet, and continued as a daily paper. Both of
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AND FRANKLIN COUNTIES.
these are believed to be now discontinued. The Ogdensburgh Daily Times, a second daily paper, was begun October 18, 1852, by William Yeaton and Warren Dow, and was printed at the Republican office. It proposed to act independent in politics, and the first number was a small folio, five columns to the page, and appeared to be edited with ability, but the publication was arrested by a disastrous fire after one or two issues.
The Potsdam Gazette was begun January 13, 1816, (neutral in politics), by Frederick C. Powell, 18 by 22 inches, from a screw press made by J. Ouram, in Philadelphia, and bought in New York for $150. It was dis- continued in April, 1823. It was issued weekly, and contained four columns to the page. Zenas Clark was connected with it a few months. In January, 1824, Mr. Powell commenced issuing from the same press, a neutral paper, 20 by 24 inches, four columns folio, entitled The Potsdam American, which afterwards was published by Powell and Reddington, discontinued in April, 1829. In May, 1829, Elias Williams issued from this press and of the same size as the last, an anti-masonic weekly entitled The Herald, which continued but from May 29 till August. In April, 1830, Wm. Hughes printed on the same press an anti-masonic weekly called The Patriot. It was 20 by 26 inches, five columns to the page, and was stopped early in 1831, when the press was removed to Ogdensburgh, by W. B. Rogers, and used in publishing the Northern Light. This was afterwards sold to Judge Buell, of Brockville, for $25, and used for job work, and its place supplied in 1834, by an iron No. 3, Smith press.
The St. Lawrence Republican was commenced in Potsdam, in the fall of 1826, or early in the following year, by Wm. H. Wyman, on a Royal press. It was afterwards published in company with Jonathan Wallace, as a republican paper in opposition to the St. Lawrence Gazette, and was the first democratic paper in the county. It was 20 by 29 inches, weekly, and distributed by a post. In the summer of 1827, it went into the hands of Mr. Wallace, and in the winter of 1828, Wyman became the proprietor. In 1827 it was removed to Canton, and printed awhile as the Canton Advertiser and St. Lawrence Republican, and in 1830, to Og- densburgh, where it was published by Preston King, until January, 1833. Samuel Hoard then purchased it. Up to this time, and until May follow- ing; this paper had been printed on a Ramage press, bought for $40 in New York, in 1826. It had a stone bed for its form, which being broken, it was replaced by a wooden plank. In May, 1833, Mr. Hoard brought from Fort Covington, an iron Smith press, and enlarged it to 212 by 32 inches. In 1834, he took into partnership F. D. Flanders, the present editor of the Franklin Gazette. In December, 1834, it was taken by M. W. and J. M. Tillotson, and published two years, when the former with- drew, and it was continued by J. M. Tillotson until the fall of 1841. In April, 1839, the establishment was consumed by fire, but early in the summer resumed, and enlarged to 23} by 36 inches, and with seven columns to the page. The new press was a Washington press, by Hoe & Co. In the fall of 1841, Franklin B. Hitchcock and Henry M. Smith, purchased the office, and issued it until July 16, 1848, when the former withdrew, and his place was taken by Wm. N. Oswell, who published the paper until December 3, 1851, when Hitchcock repurchased of Os- well, and it was continued by him and Smith till March 17, 1852. Mr. Smith's health then failing, he sold his share to M. W. Tillotson, a former proprietor, and it has since been continued by Hitchcock and Tillotson. While owned by Smith & Oswell, a steam power press by Hoe & Co., was procured. In the last and most destructive of the fires in Ogdens- burgh in October, 1852, this office was again consumed, but the paper was continued on a small half sheet a short time, and is at the date of
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HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE
writing (January, 1853), published in folio, 22 by 25 inches, five columns to the page. . Before its late disaster, this paper had attained a size, and was conducted with an ability that would compare favorably with any weekly paper in the country. It is proposed to enlarge it and provide new materials for an office during the coming season. This paper has long been the official organ of the democratic party of the county.
In 1827, while Mr. Wallace was publishing the St. Lawrence Republi- can, he issued a semi-monthly folio, 13 by 20 inches, called The Day Star. It was a Universalist paper, and continued six months, when it was united with the Gospel Advocate of Utica. While this paper was being published the press was removed to Canton.
In July 1832, C. C. Bill, started a whig paper in Canton, called the Northern Telegraph, and after printing it a time, sold his interest to Or- lando Squires, who commenced publishing a democratic paper on the same press, which was called The Canton Democrat, who continued it a short time. A paper called The Luminary of the North, was published here in July 1834. The St. Lawrence Democrat, a whig paper owned by several individuals, and published by Edgar A. Barber, was commenced in September 1840, and its publication finally ceased in April 1842. It was printed on a No. 3 Washington press. The Northern Cabinet, and Literary Repository, a neutral and literary paper, was begun at Canton, Jan. 2, 1843, by Charles Boynton, in the quarto form, semi-monthly, at $1 per annum. The press and materials were the same as those which had been used in Mr. Barber's paper. On the 11th of April, 1844, Mr. Boynton commenced issuing The Enquirer, and Tariff Advocate, a cam- paign paper devoted to the whig party, and continued only till the No- vember, following. It was a small folio, terms 50 cts., and issued from the same press as the preceding. In consequence of this the Cabinet be- came unpopular with the democratic party, and it was removed at the end of the second year to Potsdam, and continued weekly on the same plan as before, one year, when it was changed to folio. The literary matter of this folio was issued on a semi-monthly octavo in covers,-double columns- with title and index one year, under the name of The Repository, which was commenced July 20, 1846. At the end of the fourth volume, the Cabinet was sold to Wm. L. Knowles, and thenceforth issued under the name of The St. Lawrence Mercury. Mr. Knowles continued its pub- lication two years, when he sold to William H. Wallace, who continued to publish it about two years longer under the same name, when he sold, in June, 1851, the establishment to H. C. Fay, who changed the name to The St Lawrence Journal, and continued its issue till July 1852, when it was united with the Potsdam Courier. It professed to be neutral in politics.
The Potsdam Courier was commenced by Vernon Harrington, in fall of 1851, and continued till July 1852, when it was combined with the Journal. It was issued from the same press which had been previously used at Gouverneur. It was neutral in politics. The Potsdam Courier and Journal formed in July 1852, by the union of the Courier and Jour- nal, and published by Harrrington & Fay, is at present the only paper published in Potsdam. It professes to be neutral in politics, and is con- ducted with much ability. Terms $1 per year.
The Philomathean, a literary magazine, conducted by the Philomathean society of the St. Lawrence Academy, was started in the spring of 1849, and continued several numbers. It was made of selected productions of the members of the society.
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AND FRANKLIN COUNTIES.
It was proposed to be issued at the end of each academic term, or three numbers in a year, at a subscription price of 373 cts.
The Northern New Yorker, a small folio weekly paper, neutral in poli- tics, was commenced at Gouverneur, April 26, 1849, with the same press and materials which had been used in the Carthage papers several years previous. Published by W. M. Goodrich, and M. F. Wilson, and edited by Charles Anthony. Terms $1. At the end of the first vol- ume it was undertaken by N. J. Bruett, who enlarged it one column, and continued it but twelve numbers. A very small sheet was continued five weeks longer, called the St Lawrence Advertiser. The office was then removed to Potsdamn. Mr. Wilson commenced May 28, 1850, publishing at Columbia village (Madrid), with the press and type formerly used by the Theresa Chronicle,
The True Democrat. It was a small sized folio and professed to sup- port the democratic party. At the end of ten months, it was purchased by O. L. Ray, and its politics changed from democratic to neutral. At the end of a year its name was changed to the Columbian Independent, and continued a year longer under the same title, when it was removed to Canton, and the name again changed to the Canton Independent, under which it is now published. Like the other county papers now published, is issued at $1 per annum. The Canton Weekly Citizen was the title of a very small folio, attempted to be published at Canton, commenced with the 1st of Jan. 1852, by J. S. Sargent. It continued four weeks.
The Labourer, is the title of a small but spirited weekly sheet, estab- lished at Gouverneur in July 1852, by Martin Mitchell, a gentleman well qualified to conduct a journal. It is issued from the same press as that which had been used in the Ogdensburgh Forum, and as a job press at Ogdensburgh. In 1852, it became the organ of the Free Soil movement, in Northern New York.
The Franklin Telegraph, the first paper ever published in Franklin county, was commenced at Malone, in 1824, on a Ramage press-had four columns to the page, and claimed to be national republican or whig, in politics. Its publisher was Francis Burnap. Upon the rise of the anti-masonic party, it supported that cause, and was published a short time by Elias Williams, as the organ of that party when Williams re- moved to Potsdam, and published an anti-masonic paper there a short time. The Northern Spectator was started at Malone, by John G. Clay- ton, who was sent from New York, with a new press and office com- plete, by William L. Stone, of the Commercial Advertiser, in the Spring of the year 1830. At the end of about two years, it passed into the hands of George P. Allen, and subsequently was issued by Frederick P. Allen. It was from the time of its first issue, devoted to the interest of the whig party and continued to be so after the change of name. It was discontinued in February 1835, and in the following month The Palladium was commenced with the same office by F. P. Allen, who continued to publish it ten years. March 1845, Mr. F. T. Heath, became the proprietor, and June, 1850, J. J. Seaver became a partner. It is now published by Heath and Seaver, and is the organ of the whig party in the county. This and the Pranklin Gazette, were very lately the only papers published in the county, and for size, mechanical execution, and editorial management, they will compare favorably with any of the weekly issues from the country press.
The first newspaper published in Fort Covington was the Franklin
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HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE
Republican, which was started in the spring of 1827, by J. K. Averill, upon a press from Plattsburgh. It had four columns to the page, and was published at $2.50 per annum. It was continued till June 1833. Six months after its commencement it was bought by Samuel Hoard, and James Long, but the latter continued but about a half year, and during the last year Mr. Hoard was reassociated with F. D. Flanders. Its poli- tics were democratic.
The Franklin Gazette was begun in the fall of 1837, at Fort Covington, by F. D. Flanders, at $1.75 per annum; five columns to the page. It was democratic in politics. In the fall of 1847, it was removed to Ma- lone, previous to which it had been printed on a Ramage press, but on its removal it was enlarged; a Smith press, previously used in the Senti- nel office in Ogdensburgh, was procured, and it was published one year by Mr. Flanders, in company with Mr. Blaisdell. Since 1848, it has been published by Mr. Flanders alone. It has at present six columns to the page, and is published at $1 per annum. In state politics it has claimed to belong to the barnburner section of the democratic party, but in 1848, it advocated the election of General Cass to the presidency. A small paper called The Messenger, was published in 1850, at Fort Covington, at first by J. D. Fisk, and afterwards by J. S. Sergeant. It was continued a year, when it was discontinued and the press removed to Canton. It claimed to be independent in politics. At first it bore the title of Salmon River Messenger.
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