USA > New York > Oneida County > Annals and recollections of Oneida County > Part 2
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.
THE Dutch originally settled and governed the territory within the present limits of the State of New York, and by them it was called New Netherlands. As late as 1638 that portion of it lying west of Fort Orange (Albany) was termed by the Dutch chroniclers, "Terra Incognita," or Unknown Land. In 1674 the Dutch finally surrendered the colony to the English, and it was named New York, in honor of the Duke of York, to whom the colony had been granted by Charles II in 1664. It had, however, been surrendered by the Dutch Gov. Stuyvesant, in 1664, to the English, by whom it was held until 1673, when it was taken by the Dutch, and held by them until the next year. In 1683 the colony was divided by its Legislature into twelve counties, viz .:- New York, Albany, Dutchess, Kings, Queens, Orange, Ulster, Richmond, Suffolk, Westchester, Dukes, and Corn- wall. In 1768 and 1770, the counties of Cumberland and Gloucester were added. Dukes and Cornwall, after a bitter controversy, were surrendered to Massachusetts in 1693; and a part of Gloucester and Cumberland was, after a quarrel, ceded to New Hampshire, and now forms a part of Vermont; and the portion of the two counties retained was formed into a county called Charlotte, now Washington County.
This chapter is written to show the changes made in the territory now or formerly in, or connected with, the territory
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of the County of Oneida, including the formation of counties and towns, and the changes made in their boundaries.
In 1772 the County of Tryon was formed from the terri- tory of Albany County lying westwardly of a line running nearly north and south through the present County of Scho- harie. The name Tryon having become highly obnoxious from the active hostility and acts of wanton cruelty of Gov. Tryon towards the Americans during the Revolution, the Legislature, on the 2d of April, 1784, changed the name of Tryon County to Montgomery, in honor of the General of that name who had fallen at Quebec. By the same act Montgomery County was divided into five districts, called Mohawk, Canajoharrie, Palatine, German Flats, and Kings- land. German Flats district included all the western part of the State, and was then an unbroken forest, excepting a few German settlements upon the Mohawk. Kingsland dis- trict included the northern part of Herkimer County, and extended westwardly to the West Canada Creek. In 1786 Montgomery County contained fifteen thousand and fifty- seven inhabitants.
By the act of March 7, 1788, defining the boundaries of the several counties in this State, the County of Montgomery was declared to contain "all that part of this State bounded easterly by the Counties of Ulster, Albany, Washington. and Clinton ; southerly by the State of Pennsylvania; and westerly and northerly by the west and north bounds of this State." By an act of the same date the following towns in Montgomery County were bounded and described, viz .:- Vaughnawaga, Palatine, Herkimer, Mohawk, Harpersfield. Otsego, Canajocharrie, German Flats, and Whitestown. By an act of the same date, German Flats district was divided. and the town of White's Town (thus written) was formed, and bounded easterly by a line running north and south to
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the north and south bounds of the State, and crossing the Mohawk River at the Ford near, and on the east side of, the house of William Cunningham, and which line was the west- ern boundary of the towns of Herkimer, German Flats, and Otsego; southerly by the State of Pennsylvania; and west and north by the bounds of the State.
The house of William Cunningham referred to, stood near the foot of Genesee street in Utica, and upon, or near the site of the store now occupied by Stephen Comstock. These were the boundaries of the County of Oneida in embryo, in 1788; but we shall see that, by subsequent enactments, its eastern line was removed eastwardly to its present position at the eastern boundary of the county.
By an act passed March 22, 1788, the town of Chemung was formed in and from a part of Montgomery County lying on the Owego and Tioga Rivers, but its bounds would be hardly intelligible now.
By an act passed January 27, 1789, the County of On- tario was formed and bounded as follows :- " All that part ยท of the County of Montgomery which lies to the westward of a line to be drawn due north to Lake. Ontario from the mile stone or monument, marked eighty-two, and standing in the line of division between this State and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, shall be one separate and distinct county, and be called and known by the name of Ontario."
By an act passed Feb. 16, 1791, Montgomery County was divided, and the Counties of Tioga, Otsego, and Herkimer formed from its territory, and the bounds of the County of Ontario changed.
The County of Herkimer (including the present territory of Oneida) was bounded as follows :- " All that tract of land bounded westerly by the County of Ontario, northerly by the north bounds of this State, easterly by the Counties of
ANNALS OF ONEIDA COUNTY.
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Clinton, Washington, and Saratoga, and southerly by the Counties of Montgomery, Otsego, and Tioga." The north parts of the towns of Palatine and Caughnawaga, lying north of a line beginning at a place called Jersey Fields, on the line between the towns of Herkimer and Palatine, and thence easterly to Saratoga County, were added to Herkimer County.
By an act passed April 10, 1792, the town of Whitestown was divided, and the towns of Westmoreland, Steuben, Paris, Mexico, Peru, and Whitestown formed of its territory.
Westmoreland was bounded by a line beginning at the eastern line of the Oneida reservation, where the line of Steuben crosses the same, thence southerly and westerly along said reservation line to a point opposite the south-west corner of a tract granted to Abraham Wemple, thence along the southern line of Wemple's tract to the " old line of pro- perty," thence northerly at right angles with said line of property to the Oriskany Creek, thence down said creek to the southern bounds of the Oriskany Patent, thence north-west- erly parallel to the old line of property, to " Steuben Town." thence along the line of Steuben to the place of beginning. First town meeting to be held at the house of James Dean.
Steuben was all that part of Whitestown bounded as fol- lows :- Beginning at the mouth of the Nine Mile Creek, running thence north-eastwardly to the north-east corner of Holland Patent, thence northerly along the eastern bounds of Steuben's Patent to the north-east corner thereof, thence due north to the northern bounds of the State, and also from the place of beginning due west to the line of the Oneida reservation, thence north-west along said line to Fish Creek, thence due north to the northern bounds of the State. First
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town meeting at the house of Seth Ranney, near Fort Stanwix.
Paris was all that part of Whitestown bounded as follows: - Beginning at Stillman's Bridge on Oriskany Creek, thence south-easterly to the house of Jas. Fairwell, on lot No. 80 in the 7th Division of Cox's Patent, thence southerly in a direct line until it meets the New Hartford road, where it crosses a creek a few rods west from the house of Samuel Wells, thence southerly in a line to the south-western corner of lot No. 7 in the 11th Division of Cox's Patent, thence due east to the line of German Flats, thence southerly along said line to Tioga County, thence westerly along the line of Tioga County to the western line of the twenty Townships, thence northerly to the line of Oneida reservation, thence along the last line to the line of Westmoreland, thence along the last line to the place of beginning. First town meeting at the house of Moses Foote, Esq.
Mexico was all that part of Whitestown bounded as fol- lows :- Easterly by the eastern bounds of the Military Tract. and a line drawn northward from the mouth of the Connisse- rago Creek across Oneida Lake to Lake Ontario, southerly by Tioga County, westerly by the western bounds of the town- ships of Homer, Tully, Marcellus, Camillus, Lysander, and Hannibal, of said Military Tract, and northerly by Lake Ontario. First town meeting at the house of Benjamin Moorehouse.
Peru was all that part of Whitestown bounded easterly by the town of Mexico, southerly by Tioga County, westerly by Ontario County, and northerly by Lake Ontario. First town meeting at the house of Setli Phelps, Esq.
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All the remainder of Whitestown to be and remain a town by the name of Whitestown, and the first town meeting to be held at the house of Jedediah Sanger, Esq.
The County of Onondaga was formed by an act of March 5, 1794, and was composed of the Military Tracts.
By an act passed March 5, 1795, the town of Cazenovia was formed of parts of the towns of Whitestown and Paris, Herkimer County ; and the towns of Hamilton, Sherburne, Brookfield, and Sangerfield, were formed of parts of Paris.
By an act passed Feb. 26, 1796, the town of Mexico was formed of part of Herkimer County, with bounds different from those stated on last page. The reasons why this town was twice formed, are not stated. The bounds of Mexico as now formed were as follows :- Beginning at the north-west- ern corner of Fonda's 40,000 acre patent, thence along the western side of Canada Creek to Wood Creek, thence down Wood Creek to Oneida Lake, thence through the middle of Oneida Lake to its western end, thence to the northern shore of Onondaga River, thence down that river to Lake Ontario, thence easterly and northerly along the shore of that lake to the mouth of Black River, thence up that river to the northern corner of 25,000 acres sold by Wm. Constable to Wm. Inman, thence southerly 37 deg. 30 min. west along the north-western bounds of the last-named tract to the north-western corner of Oothout's Patent, thence southerly 1 deg. west along the western line of the last-named patent to the place of beginning. First town meeting at the house of John Myer, " in Rotterdam, in said town of Mexico."
By an act passed March 4, 1796, the town of Steuben, Herkimer County, was divided, and the towns of Floyd and Rome erected from its territory. Floyd was bounded as follows :- Beginning at the north-western corner of the great lot No. 36 in Fonda's Patent, and thence along the western
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bounds of that lot and lots Nos. 50, 63, and 71 in Fonda's Patent, and in the same course continued to the southern bounds of Steuben, thence easterly along the same to the mouth of the Nine Mile Creek, then along the south-eastern bounds of Steuben until a western line shall intersect the north-eastern corner of the great lot 41 in Fonda's Patent, thence along said line and the northern bounds of said lot 41 and lots Nos. 40, 39, 38, 37, and 36 in Fonda's Patent to the place of beginning. First town meeting at the house of Saml. J. Curtiss.
The town of Rome was. bounded as follows, viz .:- All that part of Steuben bounded northerly by a line to begin at the north-western corner of said town of Floyd, and then directly along the northern bounds of great lots Nos. 35, 34, 33, 32, 31, 30, 29, and 83 in Fonda's Patent to Canada Creek, thenee down said creek to its junction with Wood Creek, thence along the western and the southern bounds of said town of Steuben to the south-west corner of Floyd, thenee along the western bounds thereof to the place of be- ginning. First town meeting to be held at the house of Ebenezer Claffin. The first town meeting in Steuben was to be held at the house of Joshua Wells.
By an act passed March 10, 1797, the town of Steuben, Herkimer County, was, divided into three towns, viz .:- Steuben, Western, and Leyden. The first town meetings were to be held as follows :- In Steuben, at the late residence of Baron Steuben, deceased; in Western, at the house of Ezek. Sheldon ; and in Leyden, at the house of Andrew Edmonds.
By an act passed March 24, 1797, the town of Schuyler, Herkimer County, was divided, and the town of Trenton formed from its territory, and bounded as follows, viz .:-- Beginning at a point in the western line of Schuyler, four
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miles north in the direction of said western line from Mohawk River, then northerly on said line to the north-western corner of said Schuyler, thence easterly on said town line to the great Falls on Canada Creek, thence down said creek to the north-western corner of lot No. 55 Gage's Patent, thence on the western line of said patent south to the north-western corner of lot No. 18 on said patent, thence westerly in a straight line to the place of beginning. First town meeting at the House of Thos. Weeks. Remainder of Schuyler to be the town of Schuyler, and first town meeting at the house of Geo. G. Weber-now Wearer.
By an act also passed March 24, 1797, the town of San- gerfield, Herkimer County, was divided, and the town of Bridgwater formed of its territory, and bounded as follows. viz .:- " All that part of the town of Sangerfield lying east- erly of the division line between the third and fourth quar- ters of the twentieth township so called, be, and is hereby erected into a separate town, by the name of Bridgwater." First town meeting to be held at the house of Thos. Convers: and first town meeting in the town of Sangerfield. thus newly formed, at the house of Ebenezer Hale.
At this time Herkimer and Montgomery constituted the Ninth Congressional District.
An act was passed March 15, 1798, dividing the County of Herkimer, and forming the additional Counties of Oneida and Chenango from its territory. The boundaries of Oneida were as follows, viz. :- " All that part of Herkemer County beginning at the south-west corner of the town of Bridg- water, and running thence easterly on the line of said town to the Unadilla River, thence northerly and casterly on the line of Bridgwater to the town of Litchfield, thence north- erly on the line of Bridgwater and Litchfield to the south- cast corner of the town of Paris, thence the same line
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continued on the eastern line of Paris and Whitestown to the southerly line of Cosby's Manor, thence north-easterly in a direct line to the northerly bounds of said Cosby's Manor, at a point where the same is intersected by tlie division line between Gage's and Walton's Patents, thence northerly on the line between the said Walton's and Gage's Patents to the West Canada Creek, thence northerly up the waters of said creek to the forks thereof, thence cast- erly up the cast branch of said creek to the north-east corner of Service's Patent, thence northerly to the northern bounds of this State, thence westerly along the northern bounds of this State to Lake Ontario, thence along the easterly shore of said lake to the mouth of the Oswego River, thence easterly up said river to the Oneida Lake, thence along the southern side of said lake to the Oneida Creek, thence up said creek on the eastern line of the County of Chenango to the north- ern line of the town of Hamilton, thence easterly along the northern bounds of said towns of Hamilton and Sangerfield to the north-western corner of the town of Bridgwater, thence southerly on the western line of said town of Bridgwater to the place of beginning."
In the County of Oneida three terms of the Court of Common Pleas and General Sessions were to be held annu- ally, viz .:- On the third Tuesday in May, first Tuesday in September, and last Tuesday in December, at "the School House near Fort Stanwix ;" but no Circuit Court was to be held in the County unless the Justices of the Supreme Court should "in their juelgment deem it proper and neces- sary." Oneida and Chenango were to form a part of the district previously composed of Herkimer and Otsego, re- specting all prosecutions in the Court of Oyer and Terminer. The same act provided that a Court House and Jail should "be erected at such place within one mile of Fort Schuyler,
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ANNALS OF ONEIDA COUNTY.
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otherwise Fort Stanwix, in the town of Rome, as the Super- visors" should designate ; also that this County should be represented by three Members of Assembly, and that the first meeting of the Board of Supervisors should be held at the School House in Rome, on the last Tuesday in May.
By the terms of the same act, all that part of the town of Frankfort included within the boundaries of Oneida, should be added to the town of Whitestown ; and all that part of Schuyler included within Oneida was erected into a new town called Deersfield, and the first town meeting in the latter was to be held at the house of Ezra Payne; and all that part of Norway included in Oneida was erected into a new town by the name of Remsen. and its first town meeting was to be held at the house of Samuel Howe.
By the same act all that part of Whitestown bounded westerly and southerly by the County of Chenango, casterly by Brothertown and Paris, and northerly "by the southern- most Great Genesee Road," was formed into a new town called Augusta, and its first town meeting was to be held at the house of Timothy Pond, Jr .; and the remaining part of Whitestown "lying within the Oneida reservation, so called," was annexed to Westmoreland.
The Counties of Montgomery, Herkimer, Oneida, and that part of Chenango formerly a part of Herkimer, were formed into a Congressional District.
By an act passed March 15, 1799, the town of Mexico, Oneida County, was divided, and a new town called Camden formed from its territory ; and the first town meeting in the latter was held at the house of Samuel Royce ; and "all that part of Township No. 2 in Seriba's Patent lying east of Fish Creek," was annexed to the town of Rome.
By an act passed March 14, 1800, the town of Mexico was again divided, and the town of Redfield formed.
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Upon the revision of the laws of this State in 1801, an act was passed on the third of April in that year, fixing and re- asserting the boundaries of the several counties. By this act the boundaries of Oneida were as follows, viz .:- " All that part of this State bounded easterly by the County of Herkimer, northerly by the County of Clinton and by the northern bounds of this State, from the most westerly corner of the County of Clinton to a place in Lake Ontario, where the said northern bounds shall be intersected by the new pre-emption line aforesaid," (a line from Lake Ontario to Seneca Lake.) "continued due north, westerly by the line last mentioned to the south bank of Lake Ontario, and south- erly by the Counties of Cayuga, Onondaga, and Chenango, and the southern bounds of the patent granted to William Bayard and others, called the Free Masons' Patent."
By the act passed the 7th of April, 1801, dividing the counties into towns, the following towns were described in the County of Oneida, viz .:- Bridgwater, Deerfield, Tren- ton, Paris, Whitestown, Remsen, Floyd, Steuben, Western, Leyden, Rome, Camden, Redfield, Watertown, Champion, Lowville, Turin, Mexico, Westmoreland, and Augusta.
By an act passed March 3, 1802, the County of St. Law- renee, with nearly its present limits, was formed from the territory of Oneida.
By an act passed Feb. 17, 1802, the towns of Verona and Vernon were formed of parts of the towns of Westmoreland and Augusta ; and the first town meeting in the former was held at the house of Martin Langdon, and in Vernon at the house of David Tuttle.
By an act passed April 1, 1802, the towns of Leyden, Watertown, and Mexico, in Oneida County, were divided, and the towns of Brownville, Adams, and Rutland, formed from their territory.
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By an act passed Feb. 22, 1803, the towns of Mexico. Turin, Lowville, and Champion, in Oncida County, were divided, and the new towns of Ellisburgh, Harrisburgh, and Martinsburgh formed from their territory. And by an act passed the same day, all such parts of the patent of land granted to Baron Steuben as were previously included within the towns of Trenton and Remsen, were annexed to the town of Steuben.
By an act passed March 24, 1804, the towns of Adams and Mexico, Oncida County, were divided, and the towns of Harrison, Malta, and Williamstown formed therefrom.
By an act passed Feb. 16, 1805, the town of Camden was divided, and the town of Florence erected from its territory. and the first town meeting in the latter was to be held at the house of Jolm Spinning.
By an act passed March 28, 1805, the County of Oncida was divided, and the Counties of Jefferson and Lewis erected from the northern portion of its territory ; and also forming the town of Boonville from the part of the town of Leyden remaining in the County of Oncida. First town meeting in Boonville to be held at the house of Joseph Denning.
By this act Oneida was entitled to three, and Jefferson and Lewis each to one Member of Assembly. The boundary line then established between Oneida, Jefferson, and Lewis. was substantially the same as that existing at present.
An act was passed March 21, 1806, dividing the town of Mexico. Oneida County, and forming the town of Fredericks- burgh from a part of its territory.
By an act passed Feb. 20, 1807, the town of Williamstown was divided, and the town of Richland formed, and a part added to the town of Redfield. And by an act passed April 3. in the same year, the town of Camden was divided, and the town of Orange formed from a portion of its territory. And
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by an act passed April 6, 1808, the name of Orange was changed to Bengal.
By an aet passed April 8, 1808, the town of Williamstown was again divided, and the town of Constantia erected.
By an act passed April 3, 1811, the town of Western was divided, and the town of Lee formed from a portion of its territory ; and the first town meeting in the latter was to be held at the house of Samuel Darling. And by an act passed April 5, 1811, the town of Fredericksburgh, Oneida County, was divided, and the town of Scriba formed from its terri- tory, and the remainder of the former to remain a town with its name changed to Volney; and by a law passed in 1816, the name of Bengal was changed to Vienna.
By an act passed March 1, 1816, the towns of Constantia, Mexico, New Haven, Redfield, Richland, Scriba, Volney, Williamstown, (Oneida Co.,) and the town of Hannibal, (Onon- daga Co.,) were formed into a new county, named Oswego.
By an act passed April 7, 1817, the town of Whitestown was divided, and the town of Utica formed; and by a law passed April 12, 1823, the town of Annsville was formed from the towns of Lee, Florence, Camden, and Vienna; and by a law passed April 12, 1827, the town of New Hartford was formed from a part of Whitestown ; and by a law passed -April 13, 1827, the town of Kirkland was formed from a part of Paris. By a law passed Feb. 21, 1829, the town of Mar- shall was formed from a part of the town of Kirkland; and by a law passed March 30, 1832, the town of Marcy was formed from a part of Deerfield; and by a law passed May 12, 1846, the town of Ava was formed from a part of Boon- ville. This completes the history of the formation of the twenty-seven towns constituting the County of Oneida, giving her fair proportions, which should never be marred by divi- sions, or detractions from her territory.
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CHAPTER II.
ONEIDA COUNTY
Is centrally located in the State of New York, and is bound- ed north by Lewis County and a small corner of Oswego. east by Herkimer County, south by Otsego and Madison Counties, and west by Madison and Oswego Counties.
It is situated between 42 deg. 46 min. and 43 deg. 33 min. north latitude, and 1 deg. 05 min. and 1 deg. 55 min. west longitude from the city of New York.
The surface of the county is peculiar. Although the Erie Canal passes quite through it, on the long level which extends from Frankfort to Syracuse, and although the county lies lower than the country west from that city, still the water flows from the county east, west, north, and south. The Mohawk River is formed within its bounds. The East and West Branches, the Lansing Kill, and a number of smaller tributaries, rush together in the town of Western from the cast, south, and north, and form the embryo river Its course from Western to Rome is south-westerly, where it takes a south-easterly course until it leaves the county below Utica. After it leaves Rome. it receives from the north the Nine Mile Creek and several smaller streams, and from the south the Oriskany. Sauquoit, and smaller streams. The West Canada Creek, which for some distance washes the eastern boundary of the county. receives the united waters of the Steuben and Cineinnatus Creeks, just below Trenton Falls, and soon after it passes through a part of
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Herkimer County, and empties into the Mohawk at Herkimer village. It is a fair presumption, that seven-eighths of the water of the Mohawk at this place, is drained from the springs and surface of Oneida County.
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