USA > New York > Oneida County > Annals and recollections of Oneida County > Part 53
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Mr. John Parkman, son of Alexander Parkman. Esq aged thirty-six years, was shot July 9th, 1818. The cireuni- stances were briefly these. Some boys, belonging to four .most respectable families in the neighborhood, went in the evening to shoot Mr. Parkman's dog. They did this by way . of retaliation for some injuries received by their own dogs. The young men. some five or six in number, stopped in the road in front of Mr. Parkman's house, when his dog com. meneed barking at them. James Smith, jr., one of the num- ber had a heavy gun, one of those muskets known in olden times as " king's arms," which, as shown by the effect pro- dueed. was heavily loaded with powder and ball. While the dog was barking, although from the darkness but indistinctly seen. Smith resting upon the road fence fired, but missed the dog Mr. Parkman was in bed, and his child then sick with whooping cough was lying in a child's bed at the foot of his
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own. The child requiring some attention, Mr. Parkman arose in a sitting position in his bed just in time to receive the ball through his heart. If the gun had been fired but & few seconds sooner, the ball would have passed harmlessly over his bed. Before reaching him, it passed through a three- quarter-inch clap-board, a two-inch plank and the lath and plaster upon the wall. After passing through his body, it passed through another thickness of lath and plaster, an ineh board, a third thickness of lath and plaster, and then struck a board with foree so expended that it fell on the floor: The next morning, the young men all gave themselves up to the officers of justice, admitting every part of the transaction, but Smith only, was bound over to court. In a few months he was tried, convicted, and sentenced to State's Prison for three years. He was convicted upon one of the common law definitions of the offence of manslaughter, " extreme careless- Dess, while engaged in committing a trespass." Although our courts were governed by that definition, still the punish- ment prescribed by our statutes was far more severe for the. lower grades of this offence than in England, from whence we received the common law. The injustice of such a state of things was never more manifest than in this case, but pow- erful concentrated public opinion corrected the wrong. The foreman of the grand jury which found the bill of indietment, every man of the petit jury by which he was convicted, the court. the bar, and every citizen, who could be reached in season, as well as the father of the deceased, signed a petition for an immediate pardon. The petition was forwarded in haste to DeWitt Clinton, then Governor, and a pardon gran- ted before the court had adjourned, and before Smith had been removed from the place of trial. Happily, our revised statutes, in the more perfeet classification of homicides, have rendered it impossible that such a state of things should
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again happen. Now, a short term in the county jail, or a small fine, can be imposed by the court for the lower grades. of manslaughter. No unprejudiced person at the time be- lieved, that Smith or his companions intended to do any vio- lence to the person of Parkman. On the trial, Smith's char- acter was proved by the whole neighborhood to have been en- tirely good, and ever since he has well maintained his previ- ous good reputation.
About the years 1816 or '17, a young man named Judson. who resided, with his father, a short distance east of Hampton. was accidentally shot, under the following circumstances : Upon a militia training day, and after the company had been dismissed, some of the men were engaged, as was the custoni, in firing their pieces with blank cartridges. Mr. Palmer Cone, son of Walter Cone, had loaded his gun. but from some defect. he could not discharge it. Another member of the company primed his piece, and held it so as to ignite the powder in the pan of Cone's gun, which was held in a horizontal position, and just as it was discharged, Judson, not knowing the state of things, stepped before the muzzle and received the charge in his groin. The wound was a very severe one, but the wad was extracted, and for several days he was thought to be doing well. Suppuration taking place, and the main artery of the leg having been injured by the powder, it burst, and he bled so rapidly, that his father, who was immediately called from the barn near by, did not arrive in the house until he had expired. The public being so well satisfied that the oc- currence was purely accidental, although the result of care- lessness on the part of all concerned, no legal proceedings were had in the matter.
Orrin L. Fenton, aged twenty-five years, who resided with his father, Amariah Fenton, one mile west of Lairdsville, ac- cidentally shot himself, June 4th, 1843. He went out with
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his rifle to shoot crows, and when about a quarter of a mile south of his father's house, in getting over a fence, his rifle went off, and the ball entering his head just back of the right ear, passed out about three inches above. Its course was so near the inner surface of the skull, that it cracked it from one orifice to the other. A variation of half an inch outwardly, and he would have been unharmed. He fell entirely uncon- scious, and so remained about twenty-two hours. when he ex- pired.
A Heroine .- Mr. Samuel Bailey was an early settler about three miles and a half north of Hampton, on the road from that place to Rome. One day when Mr. Bailey was absent, his wife heard a dismal squcal from one of their hogs, some sixty rods distant in the woods, by the side of the road towards Hampton. She immediately ran to ascertain the cause of the trouble, and found their porker in the clutches of a huge bear. Armed with nothing but a club, picked up for the oc- casion, she beat off the bear from the swine. Bruin, however. retreated but a few feet, seeming loth to leave the repast upon which he had but just commenced. Mrs. Bailey, undaunted. took a position between the two, the bear making various au- gry demonstrations, by growling and showing his ivory. The woman, however, was determined to maintain her right of property in the mangled domestic animal, at the hazard even of her life. How long her tour of duty lasted she could not determine, as minutes seemed hours. The bear made no ef- fort to attack her, but seemed intent only upon regaining its prey and dinner, but the up-lifted club every where met him as he attempted it. Opportunely, a man, on horseback, made his appearance, and perceiving the dilemma of the woman, immediately gave the alarm to two carpenters who were at
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work for Mr. Bailey, a short distance from his house. The three soon reinforced our heroine, when the bear finding the odds so strongly against him, beat a hasty retreat into the forest, thus relieving the faithful sentinel, and leaving her mistress of the field. Few instances can be found of greater heroism than here displayed, and none but the woman fitted for the settlement of a new country, would have dared dispute for the prize with the most savage of all the denizens of the American forest.
In the latter part of the summer of 1796, a most virulent dysentery swept off many children and a few adults in the town. It was the most severe upon Dean's Patent, althougha at the time no local cause was suspected. The author well recollects that in his neighborhood, two died in each of three families, so near the same time, that the six were buried in three coffins, and all within a few days, and he further recol- lects of hearing his father state, after the disease had abated. " that fifteen had died within call of his house," and that in a sparse population. much more so than at present. This was the same year that the disease prevailed in Floyd.
In 1760, General Amherst with a British army of 10,000. men, on his way to complete the conquest of Canada (Quebec having been taken the preceding year), marched through Oneida County, on his way to Oswego. From old Fort Schuyler he kept across the country to Oneida Castle. His route was through what is now the south-west part of West- moreland, parallel with, and about half a mile south of the present plank road. In a piece of wood-land, south of the author's residence, this old military road can still be distinct- ly traced, for the distance of about sixty rods. When the land was first cleared upon this road, remains of cause-ways
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made by the pioneers of the army, for the passageof baggage wagons and artillery, were discovered, and in other places the ruts made by the wheels were plainly to be seen.
What was singular, when the land over which this road ran was first cleared of its timber, Canada thistles immediate- ly made their appearance in a number of places, and thesc were the only ones known in the vicinity, for the first twenty years after the settlement of the town. Quere: had their seed lain upon the surface of the ground for thirty years, and then, when the timber was cleared away, and they were reach- ed by the rays of the sun, were they capable of germinating ?
The following is a list of twenty persons who moved into town within the first five years of its settlement, with the ages of eighteen at the time of their decease, and of two yet living. Their names are inserted in the order, or nearly so, of their arrival. Notwithstanding the hardships they endur- ed, it is remarkable that such a number coukl be selected from so small a population, whose ages averaged over eighty- five years.
James Dean, died in the 76th year of his age.
Jonathan Dean,
Sist
Eunice, his wife,
83đ
Silas Phelps,
87th
Lucy his wife,
97th
Nehemiah Jones,
79th
Anna his wife,
8:2d
Mary, relict of
Ephraim Blackmer, “
86th
:
Joseph Jones,
79th
Joseph Blackmer,
S1st
-- John Townsend, " 33d
Benj. Blackman. (yet living) 90th
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Amos Smith, died in the 84th year of his age.
John Vaughan. 88th (:
Benjamin Waters,
101st
Stephen Brigham,
96thı ..
Alexander Parkman " 82d
Amos Dodge, (yet living) 93d
Peleg Havens. died in the 87th
David Hawkins,
82d
The first death in this town was that of Oren Jones, an ix fant. a few months old, son of Nehemiah Jones, and brother of the author, who died March 29th, 1788. At the time of writing the notices of Kirkland, and of the death by drown- ing of Miss Tuttle, it was supposed that hers was the first death of a resident within the county, but the precise time cannot be ascertained, nearer than that it was in the same spring, and probably later than that of this infant. The wri- ter's mother has often said in his hearing, "that leaving her friends in New England, and enduring all the privations of the new settlement, never caused her a tear, until after the death of her babe, and then the reflection that it must be buried without a coffin, as boards could not be procured near- er than the German Flats (and from the breaking up of winter. the roads and streams were nearly or quite impassa- ble). caused her to weep." But her trouble, on this account, was of short duration, for Esquire Ephraim Blackmer soon put her mind at ease, by telling her, that he had the sleigh box in which they removed into the country, and which he would use for the purpose, and from it he made a very decent coffin
The first death of an adult in town was that of Pelatiah Rawson. father of the late Pelatiah Rawson. a graduate of Hamilton College, and a teacher in seminaries at Whitesboro, Rome and Clinton The elder Mr. Rawson resided about
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half a mile south-east from the Heela Works. and died very suddenly in the summer of 1789.
The first marriage in the town was that of Mr. Samuel Hubbard of Clinton, and Miss Mary Blair. eldest daughter of Deacon John Blair. already named. It was solemnized March 23d. 1790, by Rev. John Sargeant, the Indian Mis- sionary, in the rude log cabin of the settler, which stood near the first framed house north of William Griffin's. on the Hampton road. It can not now be ascertained that there were any other marriages in town previously to the settle- ment of Mr. Bradley. By his entries, on the church book. it appears that October 17th, 1793. he married Mather Bos- worth and Bathsheba Deming; February 24th. 1794. Daniel Williams and Lovina Hovey ; May 8th. 1794, Peter Pratt and Dolly Smith ; August 17th. 1794, Samuel Cornwell and Hannah Finney ; November 12th, 1794, Asahel Porter and Abigail Smith. These were probably all the marriages in town within the first eight years after its settlement.
The first merchant in Westmoreland was Abraham Van Eps. who. as will be seen by his biography in the history of Vernon, here very early established himself in business. It has been stated as a fact, that. although a considerable number of merchants and mercantile firms commenced business in this town within the forty years after its settlement, all. with the exception of Mr. Van Eps, failed. Lest this should go to the discredit of the town, the writer gives the reasons, as related by a citizen of an adjoining town, who had attentively observed the business operations of those merchants a considerable number of years. It should be borne in mind, that, in those days, almost all business was conducted upon credit system. as the merchant purchased upon credit in New York. and sold his goods upon a year's eredit, the pay-day arriving in the spring or fall The individual referred to stated. " that
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the Westmoreland merchants had been in the habit of selling their goods at such high prices, that they drove the indepen- dent farmers to Utica and other places where they could pur- chase much cheaper, retaining but the very poorest class of customers, a considerable proportion of whom eventually failed to pay, which in the end broke down the merchant." For the last quarter of a century, a new class of merchants have secured a good share of the business of their townsmen. and have well sustained themselves.
RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES.
There are nine houses of public worship in this town, viz three for Methodists, three for Baptists, two for Congrega. . tionalists and one Friends' meeting house. Two of these houses, that of the Baptists in Lairdsville and that of the Congregationalists in Lowell, are at present unoccupied.
The first religious society formed in town, the " First Con- gregational Church in Westmoreland," was constituted Sep- tember 20, 1792, by the Rev. William Bradford, he acting moderator of the meeting. At its formation, it included fif- teen members, eight males and seven females, and Nehemiah Jones was the first clerk. On the 14th of May, 1793, the church gave Mr. Joel Bradley, a native of Hampden, near New Haven, Connecticut, a call to become their pastor, and he was ordained, and settled July 16th of the same year. Upon the occasion of the ordination, Rev. Ammi R. Robbins preached the ordination sermon, Rev. Samuel Kirkland gave the charge, and the Rev. Dan Bradley gave the right hand of fellowship.
The first deacons, Thomas Halbert, sen., and Nathaniel
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WESTMORELAND. 737
Townsend were appointed October 10th, 1793. Deacon Halbert, sen., held the office until November 1st, 1822, when. as a peculiar coincidence, his son, Thomas Halbert, was chosen in his place, and he held the office at the time of his death in the summer of 1851-an office which was filled by those of the same name for more than fifty-seven years. The late Deacon Halbert, at his decease, and his wife, were the oldest members of the church, having joined June 6, 1800.
Mr. Bradley continued his pastoral labors until April 7tl .. 1800, when he was dismissed by the advice of a council. convened for the occasion. This was very much to the grief of the church, by whom he was greatly beloved and esteemed. The causes which led to his dismission were a division in the society, and the erection of two meeting houses in 1798; one, their present house at Hampton, the other upon " South Street." Heart-burnings and bickerings continued between the north and the south, and Mr. Bradley could no longer be useful.
This state of things continued until 1803, when the two portions united, and agreed to occupy the house at Hampton as their place of worship, and the south sold their house to the Methodists. Mr. Bradley was afterwards settled as pastor at Ballston Springs, where he continued his labors for a few years, when his health having failed, he was obliged to discon- tinuc preaching. He returned to Westmoreland, and united with his old church again as a private member, but. in a short time, he removed to Clinton, without, however, changing his church relationship.
In October, 1822, his health having partially recovered. and having received an invitation to settle at Orville, now De Witt, Onondaga County, he was dismissed to that church. and was subsequently installed over the church at that place. He died August 3d, 1824, and his funeral was attended just
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ANNALS OF ONEIDA COUNTY. [CHAS.
a year from the day of his installation. The Rev. Hezekiah Woodruff of Manlius, preached both the installation and fu- neral sermons. His death was very sudden, as his disease, the typhus fever, did not assume an alarming form until within three hours of his deccase, when it arrived at its crisis. and he sank in that length of time into the arms of death. He left on his table an unfinished sermon, from the text, " Why stand ye here all the day idle." He was most emphat- ically a good man. We have penned the foregoing, with the most hallowed feeling of veneration for him who preached to us the first sermon, and was our first pastor.
From 1800 to 1804, the church was without a pastor. A Mr. May preached to them for a short time, and the Rev. Robert Porter, preceptor of Hamilton Oneida Academy, sup- plied them about a year, but for a considerable portion of the time they were without stated preaching.
In April, 1804, they gave Mr. James Eells a call to be- come their pastor, which was accepted, and he was ordained July 11th of the same year. The council, which assisted in his ordination, were the Rev. Messrs. Steele, Kirkland, Nor- ton, Spencer, Johnson, Woodward and Knapp.
June 10th, 1821, the church paid out of their treasury twenty dollars for foreign missions, which was their first con- tribution to that object.
Mr. Eells was dismissed from his charge February 10th, 1825. He had been a successful pastor and preacher, and during his ministration, of more than twenty years, the church had been largely increased, but as the records of the church for twelve years of the term are lost. the extent cannot be ascertained.
After the dismissal of Mr. Eells, he removed to Ohio, where he resided a number of years. He is now superannuated and resides in Auburn in this state.
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The Rev. Abijah Crane was installed soon after Mr. Eells was dismissed, and continued as pastor until June 17, 1832, when he was dismissed.
Edward Fairchild was installed July 3, 1833, and with- drew February 26th, 1836.
John Ingersoll preached as stated supply from March, 1836, to March, 1838.
Rev. Nathaniel IIurd became the stated supply March, 1838, and left March, 1841.
The present pastor, the Rev. Franklin A. Spencer, com- menced his labors with this people April 1st, 1841. He was installed in September, 1850.
. This was constituted a Congregational church, in 1819, it adopted what was then known as the " accommodating plan," a plan partly Presbyterian and partly Congregational. In November, 1821, that plan was abandoned, and the plan of the Oneida Presbytery adopted. The church has more re- cently discontinued its connection with the Presbytery, and is now a purely independent Congregational body. At this time (1851) it numbers about 200 members.
An independent Congregational Church was formed about 1820, in Lowell, and in 1824, the churchand society erected a very respectable house for worship. The Rev. Mr. Holmes, an English clergyman, was their first pastor, and during his stay the congregation was quite large, and the church and society flourishing. After a few years he left, and was suc- ceeded by Mr. Jackson, also an English clergyman. He re- mained but a few years, when this body began to decline, and in a few years more became extinct. Their house of worship was sold in 1850.
Methodists .- The Episcopal Methodists had a class in this town at a very early period, and which is believed to
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ANNALS OF ONEIDA COUNTY.
[CHAP,
have been gathered between 1795 and 1798. They were supplied by circuit preachers, and here justice requires the remark, that these indefatigable, itinerant heralds of the cross, and of the discipline of Wesley, did much in propaga- ting the gospel in this town. This society met for worship in private dwellings, until about the time that the Congre- gational society became united in occupying the house in Hampton, when the Methodists purchased their house upon "South Street." They occupied this house until 1835, when they deemed it advisable to divide the society, one portion erecting a house for worship in Hampton, the other in Lairds- ville. The society in Hampton was much the largest of the two, and has a commodious house of worship, which has been recently refitted and improved. The society in Lairdsville for a while flourished, and had many additions, but for a few years past has been small. In the winter of 1850 and '51, . this society experienced a revival, and received considerable accessions to its numbers. The society has had preaching one half of each Lord's-day since its formation, by the preacher having both the societies in charge, but who is located in Hamp- ton. The following clergymen have officiated in the two socie- ties since their organization, viz .: Rev. Messrs. Harvey, Simon, Everdell, Fox, Freeman, Paddock, Foster, Matteson and Row.
The third Methodist society is located in Lowell, and was organized, and erected a house of worship in 1838.
Gethsemane ( Episcopal ) Church at Hampton. This church was organized about the commencement of the year 1842, and for a time was supplied by the Rev. Stephen Mc- Hugh of Oriskany. Subsequently the Rev. Mr. Staples took charge of the church, and was succeeded by Rev. Mr. Spal- ding, the present incumbent. In addition to their labors as pastors of this church, Messrs. McHugh, Staples and Spal-
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ding have had the principal charge of the DeLancy Institute, an academy in this village. The institute is under the aus- pices of the Episcopal denomination, and has at present about forty-pupils. The church are making arrangements to erect a house for worship the coming year.
The First Baptist Church was constituted March 17th, 1803, with cleven members, seven males and four females. One of this number, Elijah Waters, is yet living in the north part of the town. He is now ninety-one years of age, and can read the finest print without glasses, never having been under the necessity of using them. In March, 1804, Mr. Ora Butler came to preach to them, and was ordained, and became their pastor the same year. He continued as their pastor until his death, in February, 1811. During his labors the church and society erected a small house for worship in Lairdsville. He was a good preacher, and during most of his pastorate, the church was prosperous. After the death of Elder Butler, Elders Hascall, Gorton, Kincaid, Wade, Phileo, Beach, LaHatt, Bicknell, Green, Simmons, Reed and Belden preached to this people for different periods. Besides Elder Butler, Messrs. Kincaid and Simmons were called and ordained over this church. Messrs. Kincaid and Wade arc now missionaries in India. Although this body has become extinct, and their house of worship left desolate, yet it has not been inaptly termed the "mother of churches." The Vernon, Verona, second Westmoreland and Clinton churches were, at different times, taken from it. The parent stoek had so often been bereft of its branches, and its limits become so circumscribed, that at length it lost its visibility. It was the fifth church of the denomination constituted in the coun- ty, those at Whitestown, Deerfield, Paris and Sangerfield only being its seniors.
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ANNALS OF ONEIDA COUNTY.
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Second Baptist Church .- This body is located in the north-casterly part of the town. Previously to 1817, this part of the town was comparatively new, yet a few of this de- nomination had settled here, and united with the first Bap- tist church. In the winter of 1817 and '18, a revival of re- ligion was experienced in this section, and conference and prayer meetings were frequent, and well attended. The mem- bers belonging to the first church living here, were remote from the place of worship at Lairdsville, made a request to that body for permission to organize as a branch church. The request was granted, and on the 21st of February, 1818, the branch was organized with five male and seven female members. Before their constitution as an independent church, twenty-eight had been baptised and added to the branch. the fruits of the revival.
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