USA > New York > Franklin County > A history of St. Lawrence and Franklin counties, New York : from the earliest period to the present time > Part 68
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 68
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Justices of Sessions .- (Elected) Elisha B. Smith, Frederick P. Allen, 1847; George W. Darling, Samuel Manning, 1849; Jonathan Wallace, Solon Parvin, 1850; Milton Heath, Elisha Hollister, 1851.
Surrogates .- Joshua Nichols, March 23, 1808; Albon Man, April 7, 1814; Ebenezer Brownson, July 8, 1816; James B. Spencer, July 8, 1828; Sydney Lawrence, May 16, 1837; Martin L. Parlin, March 31, 1843.
Since the adoption of the constitution of 1846, this office has been merged in that of the county judge. Joseph R. Flanders and John Hut- ton have accordingly acted in the capacity of surrogates since the adoption of the present constitution.
Coroners .- Ezekiel Payne, Oliver Brewster, 1808: Joseph Mason, Anthony Sprague, February, 1809; John Amsden, February 13, 1810; Noah Moody, Libius Fairman, February 26, 1812; John Wood, L. Fair- man, March 30, 1813; L. Fairman, Abel Wilson, March 29, 1814; L.
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Fairman, Leonard Conant, February 28, 1815; L. Fairman, L. Conant, March 16, 1816; N. Moody, March 27, 1816; John P. Andrus, July 8, 1816; N. Moody, John P. Andrus, March 13, 1817; N. Moody, Samuel Peck, June 16, 1818; N. Moody, S. Peck, L. Fairman, March 13, 1819; S. Peck, L. Fairman, February 12, 1820; S. Peck, S. Hyde, Warren Briggs, John Mitchell, C. M. Erwin, February 13, 1821; S. Peck, S. Hyde, W. Briggs, C. M. Erwin, Jeduthan Sherman, March 6, 1822.
Elected by the people under the late constitution :
Aretus M. Hitchcock, Samuel Hyde, Samuel B. Roberts, Luther Tay- Jor, 1828; Asaph Watkins, Sidney Lawrence, Ezra Styles, Allen Lincoln, 1831; Leonard Conant, Lowell W. Gurnsey, George A. Cheeney, Timo- thy Beaman, 1834; Archibald Fisher, Leonard Conant, George A. Cheeney, Simeon Bellows, 1837; Luther Taylor, Timothy Beaman, Elisha Kellog, Milton Heath, Thomas S. Mears, 1840; Carlos C. Keeler, Lucius Plumb, Samuel H. Payne, Dorius Cox, 1843; Henry Mallon, Eli B. Smith, Reuben Cady, Samuel H. Payne, 1846; Samuel H. Payne (did not qualify in 1846), 1847; William Gillis, Thomas J. Looker, Jonathan Hoyt, Charles J. Rider, 1849; John R. Merrill, 1851.
Deputy Superintendents of Common Schools, for the county of Franklin, appointed by the board of supervisors:
Dana H. Stevens, of Moira (Mr. S. was a physician, and died in Moira about 1850), appointed November 12, 1841; Elos L. Winslow, appointed November, 1845; DeWitt C. Backus, appointed November, 1847, but the office was abolished before he entered upon its duties.
Congressional Districts .- In 1812, Franklin was, with Washington, Clinton and Essex, made the 12th district; in 1822, with Clinton, Essex and Warren, the 19th; in 1832, with St. Lawrence, the 14th; in 1842, with Warren, Clinton, and a part of Hamilton, the 15th; and in 1851, with Clinton and Essex, the 16th.
Superintendents of the Poor .- A. White, B. Roberts, S. Langdon, 1848.
Loun Commissioners .- Asa Wheeler, John Mazuzan, April 11, 1808; William Bailey, Amasa Fairman, February 13, 1810; John L. Fuller, March 30, 1813, in place of Fairman (declined); John H. Russell, 1814; Thomas Smith, Cone Andrus, February 5, 1820; John McCrea, Febru- ary 25, 1822; James Campbell, Thomas Smith, February 7, 1824; Asa Wheeler, James Campbell, April 8, 1826; Oliver Westcott, James B. Spencer, February 20, 1829; Ebenezer R. Daggett, Orlando Furness, March 9, 1832; William King, in place of Furness (deceased), May 11, 1835; Aaron Beeman, in place of Daggett, February 13, 1840; Cephas Watson, in place of King, February 13, 1840; Hiram B. Miner, in place of Beeman, February 24, 1843; Ebenezer R. Daggett, in place of Wat- son, February 24, 1843; Ebenezer R. Daggett reappointed, March 19, 1845; Reuben Cady, in place of Miner, March 19, 1845; Thomas J. Looker, in place of Daggett, March 3, 1848; Samuel C. F. Thorndyke, in place of Cady, March 3, 1848.
At this period the old loan fund of 1808, was consolidated with the United States deposit fund.
Commissioners of U. S. Deposit Fund .- Orrin Lawrence, Goodrich Hazen. April 11, 1837; George B. R. Gove, in place of Lawrence, Feb- ruary 13, 1840; Joshua Dickinson, in place of Hazen, February 13, 1841; Hamlet B. Mears, in place of Gove, February 24, 1843; James Adams,
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in place of Dickinson, February 24, 1843; Martin R. Durkee, in place of Adams, March 9, 1845; John Roberts, 4th, in place of Durkee, March 3, 1848; Henry H. Hosford, March 3, 1848; Henry H. Hosford, March 19, 1850; John Roberts, 4th, March 19, 1850.
This county received $30,771.91 of the United States deposit fund.
Assemblymen from Franklin County .- By its act of incorporation, this county was attached to Clinton, forming one district, which was repre- sented by the following persons: 1802, William Bailey; 1803-4, Peter Sailly ; 1805, Benjamin Mooers ; 1806, William Bailey ; 1807, Nathaniel Platt ; 1808, Elisha Arnold; 1809, Kinner Newcomb; 1810-11, Gates Hoit; 1812, no returns; 1813-14, Allen R. Moore; 1815, Robert Platt; 1816-17, Benjamin Mooers; 1818, Gates Hoit; 1819, Ebenezer Brownson; 1820-1, Platt Newcomb; 1822, Abijah North; 1823, William Hogan. In 1823, Franklin county was erected into a single assembly district, and has since so remained. 1824, George B. R. Gove; 1825-6, Asa Hascall; 1827, James Campbell; 1828-30, Luther Bradish ; 1831-2, James B. Spencer; 1833-4, Jabez Parkhurst; 1835, Asa Hascall; 1836-8, Luther Bradish; 1839. Asa Hascall; 1840-1, John S. Eldridge; 1842, Thomas R. Powell; 1843, Joseph H. Jackson; 1844, Francis D. Flanders; 1845, Hiram Horton; 1846, Sidney Lawrence; 1847, Joseph R. Flanders; 1848, Elos L. Winslow; 1849, George B. R. Gove; 1850-1, Wm. A. Wheeler; 1852-3, Darius W. Lawrence.
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CHAPTER VIII.
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES.
T is the most pleasing part of the historian's duties to record the names and services of those who have acted a leading part in the events which make up the annals of any period or of any country ; and, in short, history may be considered but the record of the actions of leading men, as all popular movements and all the events of life are originated and guided by a few. In a work like the present, it is a delicate task to discriminate in the selec- tion of subjects for notice, and numbers are necessarily omitted from the impossibility of obtaining data concerning them. We trust it will not be deemed invidious that a few living citizens are noticed in the following pages. We have been induced to this from a frequently ex- pressed desire of numerous friends, and regret our inability to extend them to that of others, who through a long series of years, have been foremost in measures tending to the general welfare of the country, and the promotion of its internal improvement and prosperity.
RUSSELL ATTWATER Was born June 20. 1762, at Cheshire, Ct., and was a son of Renben Attwater, of English descent, and one of the committee of safety in New Haven connty during the revolution. Mr. Attwater en- gaged in mercantile pursuits at Blanford, Mass., in early life, and while on business in New York in 1798, he was induced by McCormick, with whom he had dealings, to purchase parts of the present towns of Russell, Pierrepont, Hopkinton, &c., and to become an agent for McCormick, Harrison and others. An account of his labors has been given in our history of Russell, Norfolk and Brasher. In 1808 he was appointed an associate judge, and held the office many years. In the opening of the St. Lawrence turnpike, and the roads towards Lake George and Albany, he had the principal direction, and his energies were for many years de- voted to the promotion of the various internal improvements of the coun- try. In 1814 he was elected a senator, and in 1816 a presidential elector, and voted for Clinton. He died at the residence of his son, Phinneas Attwater, in Norfolk, in June, 1851.
THOMAS B. BENEDICT Was a son of a clergyman, a native of Woodbury, Ct., where he was born October 23, 1783. When a young man, he came into De Kalb with judge Cooper, and engaged in mercantile pursuits. In 1812 he held a colonel's commission, and had principal charge of the military operations at Ogdensburgh in the summer of 1812. During the war he was promoted to a brigadier general. He was a man of much ability, and merited the confidence reposed in him, but military affairs impaired his relish for the quiet pursuits of peace, and presented tempta- tions to which stronger men have yielded. He died at De Kalb, March 11, 1829.
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JOHN BOYD was born in New York city, August 2, 1772, and settled in Hamilton in 1805. Being appointed sheriff, he removed to Ogdensburgh, and remained with an interval of two years, a citizen of that village till his death, July 17, 1833, after a long illness. He possessed much perse- verance and energy, and was an active and useful member of society who deeply felt the loss occasioned by his death.
JAMES CAMPBELL. Few citizens of Franklin county have held more public offices or have seen more of the growth and progress of that country than Mr. Campbell. He was born in Rockingham, Vt., June 3, 1784, and in 1809 settled at French Mills, as a mechanic. In 1812 he was appointed inspector of customs, and during the summer of 1812, he acted as adjutant of the 66th regiment, then including the county, and assisttant U. S. store keeper, to receive the immense quantities of supplies ordered to the place during the sojourn of Wilkinson's army. From 1815 to 1818, he held the office of slieriff, and from 1818 to 1823, was one of the judges of the county. In 1820, as deputy marshall, he took the census of the county, and in 1827, was a member of assembly. In various. military and civil capacities, as justice, presidential elector, and in numerous town and county offices, he has been equally useful.
DANIEL W. CHURCH, whom we have so often mentioned as a pioneer millwright, and to whom we are indebted for many facts relating to the origin of the several towns, was born May 10, 1772, in Brattleboro, Vt., and moved into the county in 1801, and for many years was actively engaged in erecting the first mills in various parts of this county and Franklin. In the hardships and labors neces- sarily involved in these pursuits, there was constantly afforded an op- portunity for the exercise of that presence of mind and self reliance which rendered him particularly useful to the country, and during the military operations at Ogdensburgh, which terminated with its capture in February, 1813, he was particularly active. He is living at an advanced age, with a son in Morris- town.
Daniel in Church
THOMAS J. DAVIES, a na- tive of Washington, Conn., came into the county in 1800, at the age of 33, selected a farm on Black lake, eight miles from Og- densburgh, commenced improvements and in the following winter brought in his family by way of Vermont and Canada, and from an early period, took a leading part in political and public affairs, being the first acting sheriff of the county, which office he held for many years. He also for some time, held the office of county judge. He died on his farm at Black lake, April 18, 1845. Judge Davies, with only an ordinary education, possessed a business talent which joined with much energy of character, rendered him valuable as a public officer, and prosperous in his private affairs. He acted with the democratic party. His son, Charles Davies, has attained distinction as a mathematician, and for many years held a professorship in the military academy at West Point.
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JOHN FINE was born in New York, August 26, 1794, and was prepared for college by Andrew Smith, a Scotchman, a well known and severe teacher. He entered Columbia college in 1805, and graduated in 1809, at the age of 15, receiving the second honor, the English salutatory. Among his college classmates were bishops B. T. Onderdonk and J. Kemper, Rev. Dr. W. E. Wyatt, Rev. C. R. Duffee and J. Brady; Drs. J. W. Francis and E. N. Bibby, and the Hon. Murray Hoffman. Mr .. Fine studied law four years with P. W. Radcliff, one year with G. W. Strong, and attended a course of law lectures of one year under judges Reeve and Gould, at Litchfield, Conn. He removed to St. Lawrence county in 1815, and formed a law partnership with Louis Hasbrouck, which continued until the death of the latter in 1834. In 1824 he was appointed first judge of the county, and was continued in this office by reappointment till March, 1839. In the fall of 1838, he was elected to congress, and in the latter of the two years was on the committee on foreign affairs. In 1844 he was reappointed first judge, and held that office until the adoption of the new constitution in 1847. During his service of over eighteen years on the bench, three only of his decisions were reversed. In 1848 he was elected to the state senate, and served one term, during which period he introduced and aided in carrying into a law, the bill to punish criminally the seduction of females, and also the bill to protect the property of married women. The latter has made a great change in the common law, and raises the female sex from a menial and dependant condition, as regards the control of their property, to an equality with man. The refinements of civilized society, and the spirit of the Christian religion, justify the law which has been incorporated into our code, and from the favor with which it has been received by the public, there is a probability it will never be repealed. Judge Fine re- ceived the degree of Master of Arts from Columbia college, in 1812, and that of Doctor of Laws, from Hamilton college, in 1850. In 1847 and 1849, he was nominated for judge of the supreme court, but on each oc- casion was unsuccessful, the venerable Daniel Cady, of Johnstown, being elected. From 1821 to 1833, he held the office of county treasurer, and upon resigning, the board of supervisors passed resolutions expressive of their confidence in his integrity and ability .* In 1852 he published a volume of lectures on law, for the use of his sons, of which Judge Cady bas said: "I do not believe there is another work in the English lan- guage which contains so much legal information in so few words; all I read and hear of the lectures, strengthens my conviction that they should be in the hands of every student who wishes to acquire in the shortest time, a knowledge of the laws of his country." 'The high station and distinguished attainments of the one by whom this opinion was given, confer great value upon it. In the various benevolent movements of the day, and especially in the founding and support of the County Bible society, Judge Fine has been foremost, and he will long be regarded as the efficient supporter of this and other benevolent societies; as a dis- tinguished lawyer, an able jurist, and as one who in every respect has adorned and elevated the society in which he has lived.
STILLMAN FOOTE, the first permanent settler of Canton, was born in
* " Resolved, That the board regrets that Mr. Fine finds the duties of the office incompatible with his other business, and that in accepting his resignation they have been governed by a desire to comply with his request.
Resolved, That this board have the fullest confidence in the able manner in which he has discharged his official duties, which have been highly satisfactory to the board of supervisor and to the public."
Ingraved by J J Puuse hom a inmert otype
TOAN FING. TLU
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Simsbury, Ct., Sept. 10, 1783, and was the son of Daniel Foote, who was one of the first settlers of Middlebury, Vt., where he erected the first mills. In 1840, at the age of 80, he divided his property among his children, and with that fondness for the life of a pioneer, character istic with the family, he accompanied his son in 1801 to Canton, where he died. S. Foote was the first magistrate appointed in town, and for inany years took a prominent part in public affairs. He died in 1834. George Foote, his brother, was born in 1749, and in the revolution was taken prisoner, but escaped. At an early day he settled in Canton, where he died May 12, 1830.
DAVID FORD, the pioneer of Morristown, was a native of New Jersey, and followed Judge Ford, his brother, to the county, in 1804. In early life he was a zealous politician, of the federal school, and in 1794, par- ticipated in the military expedition called out to suppress the whiskey riots of Western Pennsylvania. In this affair he held a major's commis- sion in a troop of horse. He died at Ogdensburgh, Nov. 6, 1835, at the age of 75.
NATHAN FORD, was born at Morristown, N. J., Dec. 8, 1763, and hav- ing at an early age lost both parents, he spent his childhood with his pa- ternal grand-father, Jacob Ford, and remained after the death of the latter in 1777, with the family, receiving but a common education. In 1779-80, he, though a youth of but 17, solicited a service in the continent- al armies, and obtained and faithfully discharged the duties of assistant deputy quarter master general during the memorable winter of suffering in which the American army lay encamped on the hills back of Morris- town. While still a young man, he obtained the confidence of several of the parties, who had, many of them, been officers in the revolution, and who had become interested in the land speculations of Northern New York, and was sent by them in 1794 and 1795 to explore the north- ern part of the state where they had made their purchases, and also to examine and report upon several of the islands near Kingston, which they were proposing to purchase upon speculation.
We have given some of the details of his settlement at Oswegatchie, from which it will be learned that he was a man of indomitable energy and force of character, which proved adequate to the trying emergencies which surrounded him,, and which would have discouraged common men from proceeding. The Oswegatchie Indians often proved annoying, especially when stimulated by ardent spirits, and on one occasion a num- ber of them in the night time, entered the old stone garrison which he inhabited, seized Dick his negro slave, and was about to put him into the fire which was burning in the room, but the cries of the frightened negro aroused Mr. Ford, who seized his sword, and without waiting to dress, he rushed into the room, and succeeded with the help he assembled, in driving out the intruders. This affair probably occurred in a drunken row, for after the Indians had been driven from the house they began to quarrel among themselves, and one Battise, said to be a chief of the tribe, got stripped and beaten till he was nearly dead. During the night he knocked at the door of Mr. Lyon for admission, and was allowed to enter and spend the night on the floor. In the morning as he arose to depart, he stooped down to the hearth, blackened both hands with coal, and rubbing them over his face, he with a whoop and a bound, sallied forth to avenge the injuries he had received on the previous night. These Indians were peculiarly addicted to intemperance, having for many years resided near a post where liquors were easily procured, and in conse- quence frequent quarrels arose among them, and the night was often
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made hideous by their bacchanalian riots and yelling. Two or three of their number got killed at these revels in 1796 and 7.
Early in 1803, a dispute concerning timber on Ogden's island, alluded to on p. 343, had reached such a pitch that life was threatened, and the affair necessarily came under the notice of Judge Ford, who wrote to Governor Clinton as follows: "Upon my arrival here, I availed myself of the first safe opportunity to forward the letter (your excellency did me the honor to commit to my care), to the chiefs of the St. Regis vil- lage. Upon inquiry, I found they had carried a very high hand respect- ing the island business, and absolutely went so far as to threaten the taking of scalps. This threat was made by Gray, and was previous to Judge Edsall's sending the express forward. Upon my being informed of this outrageous conduct, I wrote Gray a letter upon the subject, and wished to know how he durst throw out such threats against the citizens of this state ; and told him it was absolutely necessary for him to come forward and make such concessions as conduct like this required; that harmony and good understanding the citizens of this country were wil- ling to cultivate, but threats like this they would be far from submitting to, and the sooner he gave satisfactory explanations upon the subject, the sooner harmony would be restored. Had he resided in the county or state, as a magistrate, I should have pursued a different method with him. Col. Lewis, who was on his way home from Oneida, (and who had not seen your excellency's letter to the chiefs, or mine to Gray), called upon me. I explained to him the subject of your excellency's let- ter, and also mine to Gray. I told him it was a matter of astonishment, that he and Gray should have to act in such open defiance of the laws of the state as they had done respecting the sale of the timber upon the island ; had it been by common Indians, some little apology might have been made for them, but for him and Grey, there certainly could be none, because they knew better, and they as certainly could have no doubt resting upon their minds as to the islands being comprehended in the sale of those lands to the state; and as an evidence that at the time of the treaty, he and Gray applied to your excellency, to know if the islands would not be taken possession of before the corn which was then upon them would be fit to gather. This was too strong a circumstance to admit of a quibble, and too well grounded in their recollection to be de- nied. He attempted a weak apology, and concluded by saying, he hoped good understanding would not be broken up, and that similar conduct would not take place. I then stated to him Gray's threats, and the necessity there was of his coming forward and making satisfactory ac- knowledgements which should be made as public as his threats had been. This he assured me he should do, and accordingly Gray came up, and after making the fullest recantation, declared he never meant or intended harm to any of the citzens of this state, and that he must have been in liquor when so unguarded an expression escaped him, and hoped the thing might be overlooked. I then talked with him upon the subject of the island. He did not pretend but that the islands were con- tained in the sales to the state, but attempted to apologize by impressing the idea of a grant made to the St. Regis people of that particular island, by the Oswegatchie Indians. I found no difficulty to confound him in this specious pretext, for it has been his and Lewis's uniform declara- tion to me, that the Oswegatchie Indians never had any claim whatever, to lands in this part of the state, consequently they could not grant an island in the river. In consequence of his excellency's letter, the busi- ness of the island I hope is happily concluded, and I hope a similar oc-
Engraved by J. C.Buttre from a Painting by Ames
believes on your
A. Ford
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casion will not present itself. I consider it proper to give your excel- lency the earliest information upon this subject, and it was but yesterday that Gray came forward."
Mr. Ford was appointed first Judge, which office he held for many years, and in this capacity he ever evinced that promptness and decision, joined with sound judgement, that rendered him peculiarly valuable to the public, and a terror to evil doers. In politics he was federal, and although he denounced the policy of the war, his course was such as to secure the confidence of the officers stationed at Ogdensburgh, and he was particularly useful in disnading from predatory incursions for plun- dering, which led only to retaliations. For several years previous to his death, which occurred in April, 1829, his constitution had been yielding to the insidious approaches of consumption, but the vigor of his mind remained unimpaired, and he continued to feel a deep interest in public affairs, after his strength had denied him the power of taking part in them. He had seen and felt the first feeble beginnings of a colony which had grown up to a populous and thriving town, and the howling wilder- ness traversed only by savages and wild beasts, transformed into cultiva- ted fields and inhabited by an intelligent and prosperous people. With the progress of a third of a century before him, he looked forward into coming years, and with the prophetic faith natural to his employment, realized in his mental vision the change which a century would work in the condition of the country around him. Some time before his death, a friend conversing on this subject, asked him if, in his dreams, the future aspect of the town ever presented itself. The idea instantly struck him, and with an energy beyond his strength, and an eye kindling with enthusiasm be replied, "Dream? I see it! A rich and populous city! A wide extent of country covered with houses; a harbor crowded with the fleet of the lakes!" He then went on and in glowing language, portray- ed the coming greatness and opulence which natural advantages were destined to confer upon the town. From the earliest period, Mr. Ford had taken the strongest interest in the welfare of the Presbyterian church in the village, and the day before his death, he had a conversa- tion with some of the officers of the society, in which he said, " You know the deep interest I have always taken in the society; and how ardently I feel at the close of life for its welfare. I enjoin it upon you all to cultivate peace among each other, and let no jealousies or dissen- tions creep in among you. Let every one of you try to excell the rest in giving up their own individual wishes for the good of the whole. I am drawing near the close of life, I look forward to the salvation pur- chased by Christ, as abundantly sufficient to save all who will put their trust in lin."
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