USA > New York > Steuben County > A history of Steuben County, New York, and its people, Vol. I > Part 15
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good nature. They come to him prepossessed with a certain con- fidence in him, and they never leave him dissatisfied. He is at all times ready to converse with any who have business to transact with him. He will break off a conversation with his friends, or even get up from dinner, for the sake of dispatching those who wish to speak to him. From this constant readiness of receiving all who have business with him, should any conclude that he is in- fluenced by a thirst for gain this surmise should be contradicted by the unanimous testimony of all who have had dealings with him ; those not excepted who have bought land of him, which many have sold again with some considerable advantage to themselves. But were it even undeniable that money is his leading or sole object, it is desirable that all who are swayed by the same passion should gratify it in the same just, honorable and useful manner. His way of living is simple, neat and good. Every day we had a joint of fresh meat, vegetables and wine. We met with no circumstances of pomp or luxury, but found ease, good humor and plenty. His wife is yet a young woman of fair complexion, civil, though of few words, and mother of two lovely children, one of whom, a girl three years old, is the finest and handsomest I ever saw." From the Duke we also learn there was a small settlement on the Will- iamson road, at Five Mile Creek, now Kanona.
In 1796, after the organization of this county, Captain Will- iamson was elected member of the assembly in the legislature of the state of New York, representing the counties of Ontario and Steuben, then constituting one assembly district, and held that office for four successive terms. On March 23, 1797, John Jay, then governor of the state of New York, commissioned him a "lieutenant colonel, commanding a regiment of militia in the county of Steu- ben," and thereby he became the original and field officer of the military forces of the state of New York within this county; the progenitor of a long line of valiant and dashing majors and colonels, pompous and ponderous generals, usually invincible in peace and invincible in war. Hereafter he is Colonel Williamson.
WILLIAMSON LAKE AND ROAD.
In the midst of his judicial, legislative and military duties, which sometimes interfered with the extensively advertised fairs and races, he was called upon to entertain, in a most regal manner, the fastidious speculators in land and horseflesh; but, in the midst of all this, he found time to plan, oversee and erect an imposing mansion on his "Springfield Farm." This was located on the shore of a little gem of a lake in the hill country-a sapphire dewdrop among the mountains-about a mile below the village of Bath. This beautiful body of water was one time called Lake Salubria, but later. and at the centennial of the settlement of Bath, held on June 7, 1893, it was unanimously voted, upon the recommendation of the general committee presented by Rev. Dr. Benjamin S. San- derson, that its name be changed from Lake Salubria to Lake Will- iamson, as a slight but grateful recognition of the well planned labors of Colonel Charles Williamson.
'T'he "Williamson Road" ought to be marked by signboards across the county, where practicable, from the place where it enters the county on the south to the point where it leaves it on the north,
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and at its intersection with town lines and principal highways. It would be a graceful act; a generous recognition; a useful designa- tion of the ronte of an improvement that was the marvel of its day; an interesting event in our local history. The attention of the board of supervisors of the county is called to the consideration of this grateful task.
A German traveler, who visited the locality in 1800, wrote: "Here on the Williamson road, on a pond of crystal water, on the Springfield Farm, Colonel Williamson has built an excellent man- sion, much superior to the one in Bath village, and which he pro- poses as his future residence. The plan is original, the colonel be- ing his own architect. I have seen no plans for country dwelling houses that I would more readily adopt. This is a single house, with two stories and wings. The Americans have a great antipathy to wings; they invariably adhere to the solid column, the cellar kitchen and the dormer windows. In this house, with its high ceil- ings and heavy mouldings, Colonel Williamson dispensed his gener- ons hospitality on a liberal scale. For years it was famous for the brilliant assemblies which gathered the beauty, wealth, wit and fashion of the Genesee and Susquehanna valleys and of the lake region." He did not devote himself entirely to races and social gatherings, which were only some of the many means he employed to make this domain attractive to settlers, speculators and promoters who boasted of fortunes, family relations and influence.
WILLIAMSON RETIRES AS ENGLISH AGENT.
Williamson improved the navigation of the Chemung, Conhoc- ton and Canisteo rivers. He built bridges, roads, hotels, jails, conrt honses, churches, mills, schoolhonses and theaters, and was a large contributor to the building of the great road from Whitestown to Geneva and the road from Geneva to Niagara. He was a large stockholder in the great bridge across the foot of Caynga lake. All these enterprises required money and his principals were not sat- isfied ; they declined to advance any more or ratify any more out- lays and decided to take advantage of a recent law of the state per- mitting aliens to take title to lands in this state. So in 1801 Will- iamson conveyed this whole tract to Sir William Pulteney, and a new agent was appointed to take charge of the property. In the ac- counting Willianison assigned to them $551,700 in bonds, mortgages and notes; the lands he conveyed to his principals were valned at $3,547,500. Besides the original purchase, he conveyed over five thousand acres of land just west of the Genesee river ; the Cottinger tract in the Morris Reserve; six hundred acres in the Military tract and thousands of acres in Otsego, Herkimer, Chenango, Clinton, Albany and Montgomery counties. During his agency he had ex- pended in purchasing lands, making improvement and expenses of his trust $1,374,500. He had received for lands sold $148,000; besides there was an outstanding indebtedness of about $300,000, most of which was the unpaid purchase price of land outside of the original tract. The financial condition was better than either the agent or his principals had anticipated. The English . owners spent but little after that, and by Williamson's exertions the land had increased in value. The integrity of Williamson was unques- tioned. His principals should have thanked him for his devotion to their interests, instead of criticising his methods.
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WILLIAMSON'S LAST YEARS.
Williamson was disappointed at the turn affairs had taken. Nothing definite and direct exists showing the true state of feel- ing between him and the English people, yet sidelights show that the relations on both sides were dangerously acute and strained. After closing his relations with his principals, Williamson found himself in possession of several farms; village property in Geneva and Bath; wild lands, bonds, mortgages and other personal property. He owned the whole of Bluff Point, in the town of Jerusalem, Yates county, and once contemplated the erection of a magnificent castle on its highest place. It is said that he used to ride his horse to the nearest point on the west branch of Keuka lake, and from there swim his horse, he remaining on its back, to his elevated domain ; but, like Jemima Wilkinson, his schemes vanished into thin air, giving place to the builders of air castles of a later day.
Colonel Williamson at the Springfield house maintained his headquarters, upon which he had put Major Thornton and his charming wife. Williamson's wife was in Albany much of this time. He busied himself with his personal affairs; much of the time he was a frequent visitor at New York, Philadelphia and other large cities of the country. From letters written about the time of his retirement from the agency, his domestic relations were appar- ently somewhat strained, and the presence of the new hostess of the Springfield mansion did not allay the irritation. It was said by the gossipers of that day that this situation was the primary cause of the ructiou between the owners and their agent. William- son was fond of entertaining and social gatherings, where wit and beauty and high-rollers congregated. His mansion by the lake and its occupants and attractions were irresistible.
THE THORNTONS AND CAPTAIN HELMI.
Major Presley Thornton, a kinsman of Washington and an officer in the American army during the Revolutionary war, was a man of affairs. The major's wife was a woman of rare intellectual attainments, of graceful and commanding presence, of surpass- ing wit and beauty. She was called "The Madam" and retained the title during her life. The colonel, with the assistance of the major and the madam, maintained the establishment and dispensed its hospitality with a generous and luxurious hand. The place became famous for its brilliant assemblies and gatherings of noted and distinguished men and beautiful and accomplished women; for there gathered on such occasions all the beauty and aristocracy from all western New York, from the valley of the Susquehanna and from Philadelphia and New York. The major died in 1806 and the colonel soon after left for Europe. He went to Egypt in the in- terest of certain English interests and made a report upon the con- dition of affairs there upon his return. Later he was sent on a governmental mission to the island of Cuba, and on the return voyage in 1808 died of yellow fever, in the fifty-first year of his age. It can be truthfully said of him that no wilderness ever disappeared and became the abode of a numerous population in so short a period as did that of western New York under his ageney. Oppressing the settlers by hard and ill-judged contracts, or driving them to despair by incessant demands of compound interest, formed no part of his
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methods. The remuneration of the proprietors from the future ability of the settlers to pay was the controlling feature of his policy. The colonel's wife died at Geneva, New York, in August, 1824. Four children were born to them. The oldest, a daughter, Christian, born at Bath in 1786, who died at the age of seven years, was buried in the old burying ground on Steuben street; the re- maining lived to adult ages. A grandson survives in Scotland; where he is in possession of an estate containing fifty square miles of land.
After the death of Colonel Williamson the Springfield Farm, with all its appurtenanees and belongings, passed into other hands. The purchaser failed, it fell to his creditors, soon the famous and well-appointed mansion, with its gardens, orchards, parks and walks,, showed signs of neglect and deeay, becoming a picture of ruin and: desolation, the abode of the owl and the bat and other uncanny and. mysterious things. Nearly fifty years ago it was razed to the ground, and the site is now occupied by the descendants of the pioneers, Bartholomew Wilkes and General Francis Erwin. :
ORIGIN OF COLORED POPULATION.
Major Thornton brought with him from Virginia a few slaves as household servants. He was followed the next year by Captain William Helm, a wealthy planter of Virginia, with his family and. about forty slaves, who purchased a number of farms and placed them under cultivation of his colored people. He built a fine man- sion on the corner of Steuben and Liberty streets, now occupied by the building known as Cook's bank, and lived there in great splendor, purchasing and rebuilding the old grist mill above the Lake Erie Turnpike bridge, originally ereeted by Williamson, His wife died, and on the death of Major Thornton he married the widow, "The Madam." He entered into large speculations that turned out badly ; his money gave out ; his enterprises failed; some of his slaves ran away; some were sold by the sheriff to satisfy executions and his whole estate vanished.
The last attempt of Captain Helm to save some of his property was on a spring day in 1818. Startling outcries brought to the doors of the buildings all of the residents, who saw an immense conestoga wagon completely enclosed, drawn by six horses, with mounted driver, followed by a Simon Legree sort of a fellow, with a great bullwhip in his hand. The wagon was loaded with living human freight, who sent out yells, screeches and cries that would have made the aggregations of Pawnee Bill, Buffalo Bill and the natives. of the Canisteo take to the hills if within hearing distance. Captain Helm, with confederates, had rounded up and seized a number of his old slaves and their families, pitched them into this great, dark. wagon and was now on his way to Olean, where he expected to ship them down the Alleghany and Ohio rivers to Kentucky for sale; thereby hoping to retrieve his rapidly diminishing fortunes. There was no interference at Bath, but before they reached Olean most of them had escaped, and he succeeded in getting to his destination with two small children. Helm was indieted for kidnapping, was tried and convicted. He was imprisoned in the county jail and fined a small sum, which he was unable to pay. Thomas McBurney, then first judge of the county, who was tried in the same year for the
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same offense, was convicted and fined $1,000. Helm after this was in disgrace and became habitually intemperate. The Madam was compelled to leave him, and he died at Bath in penury, cared for only by one of his former chattels, rendering kindness for the cap- tain's cruel treatment of his race. From these slaves and those of three other families sprang the colored people of Bath and vicinity. In 1800 there were 22 in the county, all slaves; in 1810 there were 116, and of these eighty-seven were slaves; in 1855 there were 408; and since 1865 the race in this county seems to be gradually dimin- ishing.
THE CHARMING AND STERLING "MADAM."
Madam Susan Thornton (she would never consent to be called by any other name) continued to reside in Bath many years after, and her strong individuality and exceptional and peculiar character- istics were impressed upon the society of her day, lived for genera- tions after, and still live in tradition. She was of stately and grace- ful carriage, while the brightness of her eyes and her handsome, at- tractive face made her presence sought at all social functions, and gave her prominence on all occasions of festivity and lavish hos- pitality, where the old customs of the high-bred Virginian, with all of grace, refinement, intelligence and wit were transplanted to the valley of the Conhocton. Many interesting events and occasions connected with the life of this lady, whom all recognized as the authority, arbiter and exemplar of good conduct and high breed- ing, and for years after her departure her queenly manner and lov- able ways still vividly impressed these people; in fact, that the pre- vailing graee, manners and usages of the villagers of Bath present a marked contrast to other and surrounding localities, being largely the offspring of the ways and manners of this wonderful and charm- ing woman, Madam Susan Thornton.
At a reception held during the centennial observances at Bath, in 1893, an old gentleman, then residing in St. Louis, whose early and middle manhood were spent in Bath, then present after a long absence, observing many stately dames of about his age among the audience, said: "I can see they possess the refined and stately man- ners of Madam Thornton." He further remarked that with all of her singularities and unique use of language, she had wonderful and sterling qualities. Great reverses came to her. She had been the owner of many slaves and possessed of much property. She once held a high and leading position in Virginia society, and although descending thence to real poverty and want, through severe trials, she manifested admirable patience and bravery, always maintaining the womanly dignity and superior presence that of right belonged to her; never complaining or bewailing her lot; cheerfully saying: "I shall be content, if during the remainder of my life I shall be sure of as good fare as my old servants always had in my kitchen." Early and true friends and relatives in Virginia during her early life, who became distinguished residents of Ogdensburg, New York, learning of her adversity, insisted that she share with them the com- forts of their homes. This she did, and, though advanced in years, she presented and maintained all the evidence of high breeding, dignity and superior culture, even noted by such as John Van Buren, Silas Wright and Preston King. Rev. Dr. L. M. Miller, an early pastor of the Presbyterian church at Bath, who while there mar-
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ried a sister of Mr. Justice David Rumsey, afterwards removed to Ogdensburg in early life, and became pastor of the principal Pres- bytcrian church of that city, which he held until his death ten years ago. He was present at the Bath centennial and spoke at the sym- posium, on that occasion, June 6, 1893. He said of the Madam : "I remember well Madam Thornton. While I was living in Bath she was. then a little past her prime; was stately in her uprightness and queenly in her movements. Afterwards she came to Ogdens- burg, where I saw her to the last, preserving and maintaining her wonderful and sterling qualities; supported by simple faith in Christ and trusting to Him as the resurrection and the life, she calmly waited her deceasc. To friends, telling her death was near, she replied: 'Hush.' She wished to go quietly and silently. I am glad to add this simple testimony to Madam Thornton."
Returning to the general history of the county, from which digression has been made, to present the advent of the ownership of Sir William Pulteney and his associates, it may be stated that the true purpose of turning the stream of emigration in this direc- tion was not to build a city, but to prepare homes for themselves and their descendants, and that something besides games, sports, horse-racing, frivolities and even cultured society were required for success. It was no place for romancers; only stern and hardy work- ers, who willingly bared themselves to those toils and privations which presented an unattractive picture to the indolent and the idle. The valleys and ravines were covered with dark and dense forests of pine, oak and elm. The hillsides and hilltops were cov- ered and crowned with magnificent pines, giant hemlocks, dark and sombre, apparently adding a hundred feet or more to their for- bidding elevations. The work before these pioneer workers would have appalled and discouraged less adventurous and determined spirits. When we of the present day consider and earnestly contem- plate their heroic efforts, crowned with the present appearance of the country, with productive farms and healthy surroundings, smil- ing villages and pretentious tax-ridden cities, we must admit there were giants in those days. It is best for this county that the fertile plains of the middle west, the mines of the mountain regions and the fruitfulness of the Pacific coast were unknown and inaccessible to the restless pioneers of the close of the eighteenth and the dawn of the nineteenth centuries; else this region, like "John Brown's tract," would be unknown to all but trappers, fishers, hunters, weaklings, loafers and the new-rich for subsistence, health and sport ; greeted only by the angry snarl of the disturbed wolf and the cry of the wise and moping owl from every treetop.
The townships now known as Erwin, Canisteo, city of Hornell, town of Hornellsville, city of Corning, town of Corning, town of Lindley and town of Campbell, with some small lots and pieces, were purchased from and were conveyed to the respective purchasers by Phelps and Gorham, or Robert Morris, before the English associa- tion became the owners of this territory, or what then was unsold ; so that the relations and business connections of the purchasers and settlers of the six townships sold prior to the sale to Sir William Pulteney and his associates were quite distinct from those of the remainder of the county. The former owed no fealty or allegiance to the land office at Bath; the latter were in fear and dread of the
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insatiable maw of the ogre of that lair, especially after the ousting of Colonel Williamson; for with him vanished forever many bright hopes and great expectations.
STEUBEN, AS ONTARIO COUNTY.
From 1786 until 1790 the history of the territory embraced in what became Steuben county is included in that of Ontario county. This county was formed from Montgomery county January 27, 1789, and contained the entire territory of the state of New York west of the Preemption line fixed by the agreement between Massachu- setts and New York December 16, 1786. It was a great wilderness. Canandaigua lake was a central locality. At the foot of this lake Oliver Phelps selected the location of the future shire town of this county. He was one of the original owners of the purchase and fore- saw all the advantages which have made it one of the foremost vil- lages of the state of New York, in wealth, social, political and ju- dicial importance. He erected on the bank of the lake a log build- ing for a storehouse and established an office for the sale of the lands of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase. Next he planned and opened primitive roads to get to and away from the site he had selected. At Geneva men were set at work underbrushing, prepar- ing and continuing a sleigh road (for the use of sleds in summer as well as in winter) along Flint creek to the foot of Canandaigua lake, substantially following the Indian trail. After this was fin- ished a wagon road was made from Manchester, now an important station on the Lehigh Valley Railroad, to the head of navigation on this lake.
In 1789 Joseph Smith, the first actual settler, came with his family from Geneva and occupied the log storehouse built by Mr. Phelps the year before. Soon after he built of timber, hewed square on four sides, a block house on Main street, and in it opened the first tavern. This was stocked with liquors obtained from Canada, on the Niagara river ; transported by bateaux along the south shore of Lake Ontario to the mouth of the Genesee river and thence, by canoe and portages, to the nearest point on the new road. The drink trade was, then as prosperous as since, requiring toil and per- severance to conduct it. It was ever thus. In May, 1789, General Israel Chapin selected Canandaigua as his home and built a log- house for his residence near the outlet of the lake.
Mr. Walker, as the agent of Phelps and Gorham, first occupied the log land office; Mr. Phelps' dwelling house was afterward on the site of this primitive land office.
Horatio Jones, the Indian interpreter, left the place in 1788, and then there was not a single white person in that locality. He was there fourteen months later, when he said the place was full of people-residents, surveyors, explorers, speculators, adventurers, In- dian traders and hunters. Many houses were then being built, and it was a busy, growing place.
THE PICKERING TREATY.
The Pickering treaty of 1794 at Canandaigua has been de- scribed as follows: "As soon as it was known to the Indians that Colonel Pickering, the agent, would come prepared to give them a great feast and distribute among them a large amount of money for annuity and clothing, the attendance was very general. For
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weeks before the treaty they were arriving in squads from all their villages and constructing their camps in the woods upon the lake shore and around the courthouse square. The little village of the whites was invested, overrun with the wild natives; it seemed as if they had deserted all their villages and transferred even their old men, women and children to the feast, to the carousal and the place of gifts. The night scenes were wild and picturesque, their camp- fires lighting up the forests, and their whoop and yells creating a sensation of novelty, not unmixed with fear with the far inferior numbers who composed the white citizens of the pioneer village, and the sojourners of their own race. At first all was peace and quiet, and the treaty was in progress. Beeves had been slaughtered sufficient to supply them all with meat. Liquor had been carefully excluded, but an avaricious liquor dealer secretly dealt out to them the means of intoxication; the council was interrupted, and many of the Indians became troublesome and riotous. General Chapin, how- ever, suppressed the liquor shop; harmony was restored, the treaty was concluded, and the gifts distributed. A general carousal fol- lowed, but no outrages were committed. The Indians lingered for weeks after the council, displaying their new broadcloths, blankets and silver bands and brooches."
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