USA > New York > Steuben County > A history of Steuben County, New York, and its people, Vol. I > Part 62
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MAJOR JOHN BARTON.
Major John Barton enlisted from Hornellsville as first lieu- tenant in Company F, in the One Hundred and Forty-first Regi- ment of New York Volunteers, August 23, 1862. It was ordered to
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the front September 15, 1862, and was then mustered into and became a part of the Army of the Potomac. In February, 1863, the regiment was sent to Suffolk, Virginia, in the department com- manded by General John A. Dix. In June the regiment resumed its march to White House Landing. General Lee was in Pennsyl- vania and Richmond was supposed to be almost deserted by his march to Antietem. It was supposed the Confederate capital might be easily taken and the One Hundred and Forty-first Regiment, with others, was ordered on to Richmond. But every step was contested. At Bottom bridge a sharp engagement took place and Lieutenant Barton was so severely wounded by the bursting of a shell, that he died several days after. He was a good soldier; a genial and popular officer. His remains were taken to Hornells- ville and buried in Hope Cemetery. He left a widow since dead, and one daughter, Miss Anna, afterward Mrs. Bassitt.
MAJOR CHARLES STRAWN.
Major Charles Strawn enlisted in the One Hundred and Sixty- first Regiment of New York Volunteers and was commissioned major . of the regiment. It was mustered into the service of the United States at Elmira, New York, on the 27th of October, 1862, and was assigned to the Department of the Gulf, joining the expedition under General N. P. Banks. On December 4, 1862, the expedition, with this regiment included, sailed from New York and arrived at New Orleans on the 17th of that month. This regiment participated in all the engagements of the campaign, including the assaults on Fort Hudson, the operations in the Bayou Teche county and the "Red River expedition. At Pleasant Grove a terrible battle was fought and the One Hundred and Sixty-first regiment saved the whole army from a crushing defeat. It was complimented by General, afterward Judge Charles C. Dwight, for its bravery, and was mustered out at Elmira, New York, in October, 1865. After the war, Major Strawn engaged in business at that place, where he died. He is buried in Hope Cemetery, Hornell.
CHAPTER XXI.
BENEVOLENT AND SOCIAL.
HOMES FOR THE UNFORTUNATE-HOSPITALS-MASONIC HISTORY -- PAINTED POST LODGE NO. 203-OTHER LODGES-STEUBEN SO- CIETY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK.
No locality or civil division that neglects to make provision for those of its inhabitants who by reason of the impairment of their physical or mental health are unable to care for themselves now has a place within this state. These sheltering homes for the unfortunate are a credit to the localities maintaining them. Their well maintained condition is alike a credit to the justice and charity of civilized communities.
It is no crime or taint to become inmates of these institutions. In the days of their prosperity most of them discharged the duties imposed upon them. If they are worthy, they are entitled to all the benefits of such homes. The proportion of moral and intellectual worth is fully as large as is possessed by the habitues of the clubs and resorts of the idle-rich and vicious.
HOMES FOR THE UNFORTUNATE.
Steuben county was early cognizant of and provided for this grateful duty. The Board of Supervisors of the county, at the annual meeting held in November, 1833, took measures to procure a farm and establish thereon suitable buildings for the reception and care of the deserving poor of the county. In the following December, the supervisors directed the purchase of the farm offered by Hiram Barney, and appropriated $2,000 to pay for the property, and erect thereon a building for a poor house. This location is in the town of Bath, on the Hanmondsport road, about two miles north of the village of Bath. Additions and improvements were made to the buildings. About 1878, a portion of these buildings was burned and a number of lives were lost, mostly children. A rigid investiga- tion was made, developing the faulty construction and want of care, and new buildings of brick were thereafter erected, with in- creased security for the safety, care and comfort of the inmates. More land was bought. The farm is well managed and stocked with the best of animals. The buildings include separate structures for male and female inmates. The barns and outhouses are sup- plied with excellent water, with the best sanitary arrangements; all built of stone, brick and wood. The institution is rated among
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the best of its kind in the state and is subject to the visitation, inspection and government of the state authorities. This institu- tion is maintained by levy on the taxable property of the county.
The Davenport Home for Orphan Girls was founded and is maintained by the munificence of Col. Ira Davenport, of Bath, and was the consummation of a purpose long cherished. The condi- tion of friendless and destitute female orphan children had always produced in the mind of the founder the most lasting commisera- tion. Colonel Davenport conveyed sixty-five acres of fine land in the village of Bath upon which to erect this home. The building was begun in 1861, and was opened for the reception of inmates in 1864. It is a massive and substantial structure of stone and iron. The home is endowed with a fund of $160,000, and the management is well provided for. The inmates are carefully selected and are taught all branches of industry proper for females, being thor- oughly drilled in all that makes up a practical education. The girls who have been inmates of the home have made useful and. honored members of society.
In 1861, after the beginning of the War of the Rebellion, and after the call of President Lincoln for seventy-five thousand men, Hon. Edwin D. Morgan, then governor of New York, issued a proc- lamation asking for volunteers to fill the quota of the state under that call. In that proclamation he promised that the widows and children of these volunteers who should die in the service, for any cause, should become the wards of the nation; that the state of New York would provide a home, in all that the name implies, for the maintenance and care of those soldiers of this state who were in- capacitated by reason of disease, wounds or other infirmity con- tracted in the military service, to be governed and attended by men who, like themselves, had served in organizations of the state of New York; and that such home should be free from the control or influence of politicians or political parties. These assurances went a long way towards encouraging and hastening enlistments.
The first attempt to carry out this promise was made by Ex- Governor Edwin D. Morgan, in 1863, soon after his term of office had expired. He and others procured the passage of an act of the legislature of New York, on April 24, 1863, to incorporate the Soldiers and Sailors' Home. Upon canvassing the state it was found that but few could be induced to enter the home. In 1872 the Grand Army of the Republic of the state of New York took the subject in hand and by voluntary contributions were encouraged to. vigorously renew the undertaking. Localities were asked to submit. propositions for selection of a site, and Penn Yan, Watkins and Bath responded. Bath offered the McCoy farm of one hundred and twenty acres and the sum of six thousand dollars in money. In September, 1876, it was selected and building operations com- menced. The corner-stone was laid on June 13, 1877, and addresses were made by Rev. Henry Ward Beecher and Corporal James Tanner, commander of the Grand Army of the Republic for the Department of New York. By the provisions of the act of the leg- islature, passed March 11, 1878, the home was transferred to the state of New York, and a board of trustees was appointed by the governor to hold office for three years. The assurances of Governor Morgan have not been fully kept, as appointments to this board have
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been made to gratify personal ambition and pay political debts. The home is one of the best conducted in the country. The number of inmates is increasing; during the past year the attendance was about two thousand. It is a lasting credit to the town of Bath, to the state of New York, and to the nation at large.
HOSPITALS.
After Rev. James M. Early was designated by the bishop of the diocese of Buffalo as rector of St. Ann's parish and church, at Hornellsville, in November, 1879, he expressed a firm determina- tion to establish a.hospital, and for that purpose declared his inten- tion to make a generous provision therefor in his will. During the month of February, 1890, by the advice and through the assistance of Hon. Francis G. Babcock, Father Early purchased the farm and residence formerly owned and occupied by Mr. Phillip Van Sexter, one of the well-known early inhabitants of Hornellsville, and which is the site of the first white man's house in Hornell. The property is on the west side of Canisteo street, near the south line of the city, upon an elevation commanding a view of the city and of the Canisteo valley and its eastern hills for miles below. Father Early paid five thousand dollars in cash for this prop- erty.
.- The necessary changes, improvements and additions speedily followed. The institution was incorporated under the name of the St. James Mercy Hospital, and the property was, by its generous founder, conveyed to the hospital. By the terms of its organiza- tion its board of trustees is to be composed of the Roman Catholic bishop of the diocese of Buffalo, the rector of St. Ann's parish, two Sisters of Mercy, the mayor of the city of Hornellsville, and four citizens of said city. The good work accomplished by the beneficence of this good and generous prelate is a household recog- nition; the rich and the poor alike receive the same kind care at the hands of the faithful Sisters, who have direct control of the place. Resident physicians are assigned on regular days to the care of their patients and to other inmates, if desired by them. The institution is supported by the contributions without regard to creed, race or condition; the city fund of one thousand dollars and compensation from the care of the patients supported by the municipality. The different societies, orders and guilds are as- signed rooms, which they furnish as well as care for the patients. The hospital is the pride of the city and of the diocese.
At Corning the Sisters of St. Mary maintain a hospital similar to that at Hornell. This institution owes much of its success to the laborious efforts of Rev. Father Colgan, of blessed memory, to whom Corning is much indebted in many other ways.
Within the past two years Bath has organized a hospital asso- ciation composed of all citizens, irrespective of creeds, societies or orders, for the care and treatment of all persons desiring aid. It secured the use of the large and pleasant building formerly occu- pied as the land office of the Pulteney estate. It is well provided with nurses and attendants and is governed by very liberal rules and regulations. During its short existence it has proved to be a very popular, well-conducted and much-needed institution, where the injured, the sick, the tired and the care-worn can receive the
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treatment, attention and change of surroundings that cannot be enjoyed elsewhere.
Well conducted hospitals are the highest evidence of a progres- sive and enlightened community.
MASONIC HISTORY.
In the year 1779 the American congress sent General John Sullivan, of New Hampshire, a worthy Mason in good standing, into what was then called the Six Nations' country to punish the Indians for their barbarous treatment of the inhabitants of the Susquehanna country, and to stop their cruel and unbearable ravages. The different detachments of these forces formed a junction at the Indian Arrow, now known by the name of Tioga Point. While there Colonel Proctor, an officer in the artillery branch of these forces, obtained for the Grand Lodge of Pennsyl- vania, a warrant to hold in camp and in the different camps, where the army or portions of it might be, a movable lodge of Free Ma- sons. During the campaign this lodge was opened almost every evening in the different encampments when circumstances, locations and surroundings would permit. At Tioga two tents were con- nected for its accommodation.
On clearing away the heavy accumulations of leaves and rub- bish, where these tents were to be pitched, which had the appear- ance of being there for many years, the men so employed found an old iron square, very much rusted, but still sufficient for the use of the lodge; and it was so used during the remainder of the expedi- tion. This square was recognized by Captain Andrew Montour and his Tory associates as having been used at the Painted Post, and in the expedition against the outlaws and renegades at Kenes- teo in 1760. It is said Colonel Proctor returned his dispensation with this square to his Grand Lodge, from whom it was obtained. The above is condensed from the centennial address of St. Johns Lodge, No. 1, at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, January 21, 1836, the home lodge of General Sullivan.
The principle and object of the Masonic fraternity early found an abiding place in Steuben county, and were loyally and cour- ageously upheld and fostered so that in nearly every town the order was represented. Outside the official records their histories have not been intelligently preserved. Only the events of the orig- inal lodge-not those of chapters, encampments and other affiliated or advanced organizations-will be attempted.
The origin, cause and history of Masonry in its primitive form remains today as much of a mystery as when the disorganized and discouraged workmen, after laborious and unsuccessful efforts, met on the highest hills of Palestine, on the call from "labor to refresh- ment" and for council.
PAINTED POST LODGE No. 203.
To the muse of history, it is not a far cry from 1779 to 1790. The beginning of Masonry in this section of New York state seems to have followed closely upon the heels of civilization.
In 1790 what is now known as Steuben county was but a howl- ing wildnerness-a black forest, inhabited almost solely by In- dians; the hunting ground of "Red Jacket;" the scene of many
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battles; its rivers the common highways east and west, north and south, with Indian villages dotting their banks.
The first known white settler to push his way into this wilder- ness was Samuel Harris (son of John Harris, the founder of Har- risburg, Pa.), who in 1786 or 1787 landed from his canoe and built his cabin but a few feet from where now stands the Indian monu- ment in the present village of Painted Post.
In 1788-90 a few other permanent settlers arrived. Their number increased during the next ten years until in 1800 the total population of the county numbered 1788. This was but a month after the death of George Washington.
By 1810 the population had reached 7246. But, some five years before this latter date, Masonry had been established among the inhabitants and was growing stronger the full length of the river valleys. A lodge at Newtown (now Elmira) was in existence, and that lodge evidently had much influence in creating a desire to es- tablish a lodge among the inhabitants of "the painted post" district,. where Masonry began to bud in 1805, resulting in the establishing of a Mark Masters' Lodge, under letter of dispensation granted to Steuben Lodge of Mark Masters at Painted Post, in the county of Steuben, dated September 23, 1806, and signed by Ezra Ames, grand high priest. This letter of dispensation is now in the pos- session of Painted Post Lodge No. 117, and reads as follows :
To All Mark Master Masons to Whom These Presents Sball Come, GREETING:
Be it known that I, Ezra Ames, Grand High Priest of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter in the State of New York and jurisdiction thereunto belonging, by virtue of power in me vested by the Fifth Section and Second Article of the General Grand Royal Arch Constitution of the Northern States of America, do, by this my Letter of Dispensation, authorize and empower our worthy Brethren Frederick Stewart, Robert Campbell, John Knox, Ansel McCall, Arch Campbell, Solomon Campbell, Sr., and Nebemiah Hubbell, to form, open, and hold a Lodge of Mark Master Masons in the town of Painted Post, County of Steuben, and State of New York, by the name and style of Steuben Mark Master Lodge, of which Lodge I do hereby appoint our Worthy Brethren Frederick Stewart to be Master, Solomon Campbell, Sr., Senior Warden, and Jolin Knox to be the Junior Warden, and I do enjoin it upon the officers and members of said Lodge to conform in all their transactions to the Constitu- tion of the General G. R. A. Chapter aforesaid, and to the Regulations of the Grand Chapter of the State of New York, otherwise this Letter of Dispen- sation, and the Powers herein granted to cease, and be of no further effect, and further that the said Dispensation is to be in force 'till the next meet- ing of the Grand Chapter, to be holden in the City of Albany on the First Tuesday in February next, at which time it is returnable.
Given under my hand and seal, at the City of Albany, this twenty-third day of September, A. L. 5806.
EZRA AMES. [Seal.]
Here, then, is evidence of a lodge authorized by the Grand Chapter, some time before the beginning of Painted Post Lodge. What it was? Why it existed? What connection it had later with Painted Post Lodge is not shown, but the latter seemed to control its funds, as appears by the old records.
The fact of its having existed, and the discovery of the old letter of dispensation is a matter of considerable interest and is not generally known.
The first meeting was held at the house of Nehemiah Hubbell, whose son, Philo. P. Hubbell, was then a young lad, but who was made a Mason fourteen years later, in 1820. An ancient letter
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from Philo P. Hubbell is a treasured possession of the lodge, in which he speaks of this first meeting at his father's cabin.
It is often asked, and younger Masons wonder, why the Ma- sonic citizens of Corning cling to the ancient name of Painted Post; why a modern lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, existing and maintained in the City of Corning, should be known and dis- tinguished among the many lodges of the state by the crude, unro- mantic name of "Painted Post" Lodge; why they should carry the name of a small village existing two miles west of them ?
Following is an official reply: "We answer, because under that name we began; because of our love for and loyalty to tradition; because those who created Painted Post Lodge and so named it were the hardy pioneers who hewed their way through the forest and established a condition which makes our present homes happy -our present condition possible; because they were our Masonic forefathers, who first displayed the Three Great Lights, which it is our honor and duty to perpetuate.
"In 1791 'the painted post' district comprised practically all the present county of Steuben, being then a part of Ontario county. Steuben county was formed from Ontario in 1796, of which the town of Painted Post was a large portion, taking in all of the present town and City of Corning, and most of the towns of Hornby, Lindley, Erwin and Campbell.
"Thus Painted Post Lodge at its birth in 1807 represented much, stood for much, and is now our glory to maintain. It is this birth that we here celebrate at the passing of its hundredth anniversary. The name Corning did not come to us until 1852, and now Painted Post as a name clings only to the pretty village that clusters around the ancient site of that old Indian relic that once gave name to the whole country in this section of the state, and to our lodge created within its borders.
"This Indian relic is of more than passing interest. It named this whole section of the country, which was known as the district of "the painted post." It was indeed a painted post, a squared timber planted in the ground, erected when and by whom we do not know (but supposedly in 1779), painted red, with black rings and figures. Whether to mark the grave of a fallen chieftain; whether to mark the spot of a great victory ; or whether, as Francis Parkman, the Indian historian, states, it was used in one of the Iroquois religious dances, will never be known. But it was the cen- ter of an Indian village. From it and by its fame a large section of country was named and known. And through it, by it, and from it our lodge name came-and may it so ever remain.
"In 1795 there came into this valley, then a part of the dis- trict of 'the painted post,' one by name John Knox, who proved an active, stirring citizen, of great usefulness to the struggling community. He kept a public house or tavern situated somewhere in the present Pulteney street on the north side of the river, about which a village sprang up. This was for many years known as Knoxville, until incorporated in the now City of Corning. This John Knox seems to have been the inspiration-the moving spirit who first injected the desire for Masonic light into the community. "Imagine, if you will, a small, struggling hamlet-peopled by a few hardy pioneers, placed in the midst of a forest, surrounded
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by Indians and wild beasts; the entire district sparsely settled; in- habitants living remote from one another. A few men gather at the house of one of their number. Each probably has been made a Mason somewhere, and through it has come to know the others- all proven, tried, and true.
"The result of this meeting is shown by the letter of dispensa- tion previously mentioned granted to the Steuben Lodge of Mark Masters, September 23, 1806. No records show what became of this Mark Masters' Lodge, or that it ever received a full charter. But reference to it is frequently made upon the old records of Painted Post Lodge during 1808-12. Thus it is shown that our Masonic age is greater than supposed, and that this is the one hundred and second anniversary of the beginning of Masonry in our dis- trict, although it may be the hundredth anniversary of Painted Post Lodge, which made application for a dispensation on Decem- ber 28, 1807. This was granted by the Grand Lodge of the state- Dewitt Clinton (afterward a famous governor of the state) being grand master. Thus was Painted Post Lodge No. 203 of the state, born.
"The lodge seems to have existed and worked under this dis- pensation for four years, until March 14, 1812, when a regular war- rant or charter was granted, Dewitt Clinton still being grand mas- ter of the Grand Lodge of the state of New York, and our country about to go to war with England.
"The first meeting of Painted Post Lodge Number 203 was held July 14, 1808, and the records state that 'officers were in- stalled agreeable to the constitution.' These were: John Knox, master; Benjamin Patterson, senior warden; Solomon Campbell, Sr., junior warden; Frederick Stewart, senior deacon; Elisha Searl, junior deacon; Thomas McBurney, treasurer; Samuel Colgrove, secretary ; Solomon Campbell, Jr., senior steward; Joseph Gillett, junior steward; Abel Spaldwin, tyler.
"The lodge was opened in due form. The name of George Gardner was proposed for membership. He was found worthy, and received his Entered Apprentice degree at the next meeting, held August 11, 1808. Thus George Gardner was the first initiate. He was undoubtedly the son of Caleb Gardner, one of the original purchasers of what is now Corning, town and city, in 1790. Peti- tions-or more properly, proposals for membership-came thick and fast; for the old records show initiations regularly at nearly every monthly meeting, and the names mentioned throughout these old records are of those most prominent at the time, and of many whose descendants are among us to this day :
"John Knox, dear, loyal old soul, whose shoulders carried the burden of Master during the early struggling years, 1808, 1809, 1810, 1811, 1812, 1813, 1814 and again in 1818, 1819, 1820, 1821. The lodge rooms were in his tavern, for the rental of which he was paid the sum of ten dollars a year.
"Benjamin Patterson, the famous old pioneer and hunter, his mother a cousin of Daniel Boone, was one of the strongest characters of that time, a veteran and scout of the Revolution, a physical giant and terror to Indians. The Patterson farm is still known, and lies two miles above the present village of Painted Post, where the old man first settled and where his first year's crop
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produced twenty-two wolves, nine panthers, a few bears, and count- less deer.
"Thomas McBurney, the determined, vigorous old judge, whose temper and strong mind brought him in frequent conflict with his neighbors, whose land embraced much of the present north side of the city of Corning. It was he who owned the present Cen- terville and laid it out into streets and lots, and whom history accuses of secretly removing the famous post, by night, to the tavern corner in Centerville, to improve the value, and increase the sale of his lots.
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