USA > New York > Seneca County > Romulus > Centennial celebration of the official organization of the town of Romulus, Seneca county, New York > Part 6
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A hamlet on Military Lots 71 and 78, on Cayuga Lake, with store, mills, distillery, tavern, (Capt. Frisbie's), and boat landing, has entirely disappeared.
Another village mapped and laid out, in the first quarter of this century, on Cayuga Lake, locally known as Clark- town, (opposite to Levanna, with which it had ferry communica- tion) with its warehouse, store, tavern, pottery, etc., is now en- tirely extinct.
As early as 1819, there was a store kept, and several years
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previously a publie inn, at the place locally known as Lemmon's Corners on Military Lot 52. North Romulus Post Office estab- lished at this point, with Judge Benjamin Lemmon as Postmaster, was afterwards removed to West Fayette. The first town meet- ing held in the town of Varick, April 6, 1830, was held at tlie public house of Benjamin Lemmon at that place, which inn was subsequently for a time also kept by Col. John Y. Manning, (and sometimes called Manning's Hill). This little hamlet has also ceased to exist.
As indicating changes in population, it may be mentioned, that the little hamlet of McDuffeetown, on Reservation Lot 77, dating back about eighty-five years, the inhabitants in and near which, were once nearly all persons of the name McDuffee, now contains only one family of that name, and 110 person of the name Dey, now lives at Dey's Landing, a hamlet on Seneca Lake at the southwest corner of Varick,
Other villages of the town of Romulus, which now have exis- tence, althoughi none of them incorporated, are Romulus village, (partly in Varick), Hayt's Corners, and Kendaia in Romulus, and East Varick and a part of Bearytown, in the town of Varick. It is with difficulty, that precise information can now be collected relating to the same.
Romulus village, dates back to the early years of this century, and in 1806 a log school house had been erected near the present village. The Presbyterian church, organized in 1802, and its church edifice, a little west of the village, completed in 1809, was followed by a store, ashery and other places of business, and soon after by a public inn. A bank, known as the Farmers Bank of Seneca County, was organized May 15, 1839, and opened for business with the State, July 6, of the same year,-the existence of which terminated, by action of the courts, in less than two years. The village early became and continued to be, the center of business for the town, up to the division in 1830. The open- ing of the Geneva, Ithaca & Sayre Railroad, with a railway sta- tion, gave a new impetus to the village, which has gradually in- creased in population and importance. Romulus post office,
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established in 1802, on the Seneca Lake road, was removed to this village and Wm. McCarty appointed as postmaster, Nov. 23, 1825.
Hayt's Corners, takes its name from the Hayt family, who were early settlers there in 1806. The first store was opened in 1816 and the first tavern in 1820, and tradesmen of the various crafts and pursuits in business, followed. The growth of the village has been slow but since the opening of the Geneva, Ithaca and Sayre railroad, and the branch line to Ovid and Willard cen- tering there, it has increased in business and population. Its postoffice was not established until after the establishment of the railway station and bears date Dec. 8, 1873, with George Markel, as its first postmaster.
It was a thoughtful and commendable act on the part of the people of the locality, who named the little village of Kendaia, in honor of the extinct Indian village, once situated two miles south- ward. Kendaia is of comparatively modern growth, the establish- ment of its postoffice dating back to April 17, 1862, under the person (Amos Crane) now again holding the office of postmaster. There were, however, places of business there at an earlier date, in fact the first grist mill in the town had been erected by Francis Albright near there, in 1796, and was completed soon afterwards. Since the opening of the new direct line of the Lehigh Valley rail- road, about two years ago, with a railway station there, it has enjoyed some increase in business and population. It is now the only railroad station on this line of railway, in the town. .
Of Bearytown, where the first building in Varick, was erected as a public inn by Joseph Haynes, early in this century, it can also be said, that the first church edifice (German) was erected there up- on the organization of the church in 1809, and its cemetery was then also opened. in connection with the church, a German school was early established. A tavern was erected by Henry Beary, from whom the village is named, in 1819, and the first store kept there- in by Charles L. Hoskins (still living at Seneca Falls at the ad- vanced age of 95 years) in 1821. It is a quiet, pleasant little vil- lage, the greater part of which is located in Fayette and lacks . railroad communication to give an impetus to its business interests.
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Fayette post office, located there, was established Aug. 25, 1826.
East Varick on Cayuga lake, a mile east of McDuffeetown, dates back its starting point, about forty-five years. At one time it was a bustling little village, having a store, warehouse, hotel and other places of business, and had considerable lake traffic, but the opening of railways, and the loss of steamboat connections, has injured its business prosperity of late years. Its post-office was established July 5, 1850, with Benjamin Barrick as its first Post Master.
The earliest settlers, found it necessary in the absence of any grist mills, for grinding flour, to resort to the stump mortar and hominy block for pounding the same. The grist mill early erected on the west side of Seneca lake, near Dresden, Benajah Boardman's inill, west of Ovid village, with Major Bear's mill at Skoiyase, and Judge Halsey's mill at Lodi, were but little in advance in time of erection, of the mill constructed by Francis Albright near Kendaia, in 1796,and afterwards run by Michael Baldridge. Other early grist mills were those of Benjamin Dey's; Capt. Andrew Smith's, (afterwards John Sinclair's) ; Benjamin Sutton's; Wm. Chamberlain's, and one, two miles east of Romulus village, run by Silas Allen and others, and there were several others which had a brief existence.
Early stores as already mentioned, were kept at the villages of Lancaster, Romulus, Hayt's Corners, and other villages and hamlets named herein. There were also stores kept in the early days of the town, by John Sayre and John Bainbridge, by Zebedee Williams, by Stephen R. Miller, by David Harris, at Schuyler's Point, (north of Clarktown), one at Cooley's Landing, and another at the Ashery Corners, one mile east of Romulus village,
Early auctioneers of real and personal property were John Williams, Thomas Mann and Haynes Bartlett, and later on Samuel Lerch and Buun Brokaw.
Were the information at hand, and time permitted, it might be of interest, to give a complete list of all the sawmills, tanneries, and asheries, throughout the town. as well as to give the names of early shoemakers tailors, carpenters, blacksmiths, coopers,
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saddlers, &c, but any attempt to do so, from vague and indefinite data, at hand, is impracticable. Many of the earlier settlers had been instructed in mechanical trades in youth, and although here devoted to farming, they found abundant opportunity also to practice their handicrafts, as numerous blacksmith shops &c, in all parts of the town attested.
It is well in passing, to note the changes, as well as the ad- vance and progress made in town, not only in population but also in material wealth and prosperity. Under the first Constitution of this State, adopted in 1777, and in force until 1822, the right of suffrage was restricted under property qualifications, to three classes of voters.
The first class, which had the right to vote for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, State Senator, and all other elective officers, was required to possess a freehold of the value of one hundred pounds ($250) over and above all debts charged therein.
The second class, embraced those who were possessed of a freehold within the county of the value of twenty pounds ($50) and the third class, those not possessed of a freehold, but who rented tenements of the yearly value of forty shillings ($5).
Voters of the second and third classes were authorized to vote for Members of Assembly and town officers.
County officers were first appointed by the Governor and Council of Appointment of the State, and in a few cases by Boards of Supervisors, and did not become elective by vote of the people until 1822. Justices of the Peace were not elected by the people until 1827, in which year, Mather Marvin, Samuel Blain, Stephen R. Miller and James Purdy, were chosen as the first elected Board of Justices of Romulus.
Early Justices of the Peace, appointed for the town of Romu- lus, March 14, 1799, while still a part of Cayuga County, were William Brewster, Benjamin Dey, Wilhelmus Mynderse, and Elijalı Miller, and on Jan'y. 22, 1802, Isaac Johnson, John Sayre, John Hood and David Wisner were appointed.
Upon the erection of Seneca County in 1804, the names of John Sayre, Asa Smith and John Hood were included in the first list of Judges, and Justices commissioned for the new county.
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Among other Magistrates (Justices of the Peace), of Romu- luis, appointed prior to 1810, were David Burroughs, Silas Allen and Alvah Gregory.
Commissioners to take the proof and acknowledgment of Deeds were appointed for the several towns under an act of 1818, by the Board of Supervisors and Court of Common Pleas. John D. Coe, Stephen R. Miller and Nathaniel N. Hayt, are known to have served among other Commissioners of Deeds for Romulus. In 1840, Justices of the Peace were empowered to take the ac- knowledgment of deeds, and the office of Commissioner of Deeds in towns was abolished.
State elections prior to 1822, were held on the last Tuesday of April. After that date, as now, in November, but up to 1842, were held for three successive days, at as many different places in each town, under the same Board of Election officers. Town meetings were for a long time held in this county, on the first Tuesday of April in each year, afterwards changed in 1849 for a time, to the second Tuesday of March, and of late years, since 1878, are held on the second Tuesday of February.
Enumerations of voters in this State, were ordered under acts of 1790 and 1795 (the latter, one year after the organization of this town) but no returns of these enumerations for this locality, have been found at the State Library at Albany, upon inquiry.
The enumeration of voters of this State, taken under an act of 1801, and made for this town, by John Sayre, bears date Octo- ber 20, 1801. It includes one hundred and eighty names of voters of the first class, in the territory of Romulus and Varick, ninety-four of the second class and seventy-two of the third class. (See Census of Voters in Appendix E.)
Another enumeration of voters was made in 1807, by John Hood, David Burroughs and Robert Fleming, when three hundred and twenty voters were found, one hundred eighty-seven of the first class, seventeen of the second and one hundred and sixteen of the third class, showing that the number of voters had nearly doubled in the previous six years.
By the census of. 1810, the number of families in the town as
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then constituted, is given as four hundred and thirty-one, and of voters of the first class, one hundred and seventy-nine.
The United States census of 1800, the first taken after the organization of this town, gave its population as 1,025.
In 1810, the population which had nearly tripled during the decade, was 2,766. In 1820, it was 3, 129.
By the State census of 1825, it was 4, 127.
In 1830, after the erection of the town of Varick from Romu- lus, the population of each, was as follows :
Romulus, 2,089, and Varick, 1,890.
While there has since been some fluctuation in the population, there has been no material increase since 1830, except at Willard village, in Romulus, and by the last census of 1892, the population of this town, is given as 2, 181.
The population of Varick has fallen off of late years, and by the last census, was only 1,379, showing the movement of popu- lation from rural towns to cities and villages.
By the census of 1810, some very interesting industrial sta- tistics were collected, which are set out in Spafford's Gazetteer of the State of New York.
This authority assigns to the town of Romulus that years one hundred and two mechanics, employed at eleven different trades. There were one hundred and thirteen weaving looms in families, producing in 1810-30,342 yards of cloth, and as truthfully re- marked by the author-the household spinning wheel and loom, and the farm, (by flax culture and sheep raising) supply a large part of the clothing of the inhabitants.
In those days of household frugality, there was little occupa- tion for milliners, and dressmakers. Tailors and shoemakers (when indeed such were employed) went about from house to house, and were occasionally employed in the family, the farmer furnishing the cloth of his own manufacture for the clothing, and leather made in tanneries within the town, for boots or shoes. At that time, jewelers, confectioners and like tradesmen, were but little patronized. In 1810, there were located in Romulus, three tanneries, five potash works, three grist mills, and seven saw-
-
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mills-at the present time not a single ashery or tannery-and no grist mill, (since the unfortunate destruction of one recently by fire) with but one saw mill.
By the same census, there were six distilleries of grain and fruit spirits, which in that year, made 12,730 gallons, valued at $7,956 or an average value of seventy-two cents per gallon. Now there is not a distillery of any kind in the town. The manufac- ture of maple sugar as an article of household use, an important industry in the early days, has been almost entirely discontinued, by the destruction of the forest, and the consequent scarcity of sugar maple trees.
The first thirty-five years of the official existence of Romulns were years of intense activity. The forests were largely cleared, orchards planted, churches and school houses reared, log houses gave place to comfortable frame or brick structures, and the people of the town advanced steadily, in material wealth and comfortable surroundings. The aggregate valuation of the town, in real and personal estate, liad increased from $137,173 in 1804, when the first Board of Supervisors of Seneca County met, to $655,209 ill 1829.
In 1830 the Legislature of the State again divided the town, and created a new town, embracing nearly one-half of the area of Romulus-and named the same in honor of the Revolutionary patriot and statesman, Col. Richard Varick, of whom, the people of the town receiving his name, may well say :
"We love the heroes of our land, Whose name shall live in story. The wise of heart, the strong of hand, Whose life and death is glory."
The act dividing the town, Chapter 23, Laws of 1830, directs, that "from and after the first day of April of that year, Romulus shall be divided into two towns, by a line commencing at Cayuga Lake, on the south line of the late west Cayuga Reservation ; thence west along the same to the south-west corner of said Reser- vation ; thence north eight degrees, east five chains and twenty- five links, to the center of the highway running west through the farm of Jacob Vreeland, thirty-one chains; thence west on the
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line between George Alexander and Albert Earll, thirty-three chains and ninety links to the east line of Military Lot 63; thence south two chains and thirty-three links to the south-east corner of Lot 63 ; thence west on the line of Military Lots 63, 68, 62, 67, 61 and 66, to the east line of Military Lot 64 ; thence north to the north-east corner thereof, and from tlience west to Seneca Lake."
The same act directed, that the first town meeting thereafter be held in Varick at the house of Benjamin Lemmon, and in Romulus at the house of Ira Giddings.
The present area of Romulus, (since 1830), includes 22,500 acres of land, and that of Varick, 19, 500 acres.
Since the division, the most cordial relations have continued between parent and child, and much business is still transacted in both towns, at this village, on the division line of the two towns, as in olden times. Neither of these towns embarked in railroad bonding and neither has a public debt. Although the labors of the husbandman are not now as remunerative as in earlier years, when greater economy was also practiced, and the new ill- dustries of the two towns, grape culture to the extent of fully 1, 200 acres, and fruit raising, have not as yet brought profitable returns, all are still hopeful of brighter days to come. During the present year, two creameries have been established, which it is. hoped, will bring favorable revenue to our farmers, for when the owner and tiller of the soil is well rewarded and prosperous, all classes and conditions profit by such success.
The farmers of the town, were from the first, vigilant in pro- tecting their interests, as already shown.
At the town meeting held in April, 1810, it was " Resolved, that any man letting a Canada thistle go to seed on his farm, to be fined five dollars." This commendable action of the people, doubtless had a restrictive effect for a time, but unfortunately the Canada thistle came to stay, and is largely spread over the fair fields of the town.
Let it be hoped, that we may never have to contend with a European foe in the Russian thistle, for which like the Hessian fly, the Canada thistle and the Russian La Grippe, we can have no love whatever.
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The changes and improvements in farming in the past one hundred years, covering the transition from the sickle to the self- binding reaper, also from the threshing flail to the steam thresher, have indeed been marvellous.
It is creditable to the farmers of Romulus to mention, that as early as the year 1842, a farmer's club had been established by voluntary membership and association, having among its members Hon. Peter J. Van Vleet, Hon. Helim Sutton, Gen. Thomas J. Folwell, Edward Sayre, Ebenezer S. and Benjamin Bartlett, and Joseph Wyckoff, with their wives, of whom only the first named and wife, now survive. This club held frequent meetings by alternation, at the homes of the respective members, to discuss the best methods of farming etc, and on the part of the lady members, to exchange practical views upon methods of house keeping. As can readily be understood, these meetings were as well instructive and profitable, as socially pleasant gatherings.
Kendaia Grange, Number 64, Patrons of Husbandry, an or- ganization formed January 28, 1874, with Andrew J. Bartlett as Worthy Master, which has for its large membership, farmers with their wives, mothers, sons and daughters, has for twenty years past exerted its influence to instruct, improve and elevate the con- dition of the farmer, and to benefit the community as well.
Seneca County Pomona Grange, Patrons of Husbandry, with its membership of about one thousand, is to-day well represented here, forming one of the special features of the procession, and unites with us in honor of the occasion for which we have assen1- bled, under the leadership of its chief officer, W. M. Andrew J. Bartlett of Romulus.
It would perhaps have been more satisfactory if we could have united with us to-day in commemorating this event, representa- tives from all the towns formed from the old original town of Rom- ulus, especially of the neighboring town of Fayette, which with Seneca Falls, occupies a part of the territory of the military towil- ship of Romulus, but it was not deemed feasible to attempt so ex- tensive a re-union at this time. It is however gratifying, to see many present here to-day from all parts of old Romulus.
We must leave it to the people of Fayette (the centennial of
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the organization of which town will occur in the year 1900) to do honor to the pioneer settlers of the Military Township of Ron- ulus (and upon the Cayuga Indian Reservation) within the boun- daries of that town, and to worthily remember the labors of Dr. Alexander Coventry, John Rumsey, William Gamber, James McClung, Maj. Samuel Bear, Martin Kendig. Israel Catlin, Vin- cent Runyan, Martin Hogan, Capt. Win. Irland, and the Vost, Rorison, Bachman, Hendricks', Schott, Sweet, Peterson, Tooker and Van Riper, families with other pioneers of that locality, including many Pennsylvania German families, forming, with some already mentioned, a leading element in the population of that town, of whom, those of the name Pontius, Disinger, Reed, Hoster, Riegel, Singer, Shankwiler, Kuney, Deppen, Garnet, „ Alleman, Flickinger, Shaffer, Stoffet, Pratz, and Markel were among the earliest settlers.
The town of Fayette has much historic material to be pre- served. Mention may here be made briefly of the early history of Mormonism in this locality and the translation or transcribing for publication of the Mormon Bible by Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, in 1830, (in which year it was printed at Palmyra, N. Y.) while residing with the family of a Fayette farmer, Peter Whitmer, on Military Lot 13, who with Christian, Jacob, John David and Peter Whitmer, Jr., and others, became converts to Mormonism and followed Smith to Kirtland, Ohio, and onward in his removals westward. David Whitmer, one of the last sur- vivors of these converts, died at Richmond, Missouri, a few years ago, (1885), at the age of eighty years.
A monument to the celebrated Indian Chief, Red Jacket, Sa-go-ya-wat-ha, was unveiled at his birth place at Canoga, in Fayette, under the auspices of the Waterloo Library and Histori- cal Society, with appropriate ceremonies, October 14, 1891, and the exercises and proceedings upon that occasion, have been pub- lished in pamphlet form, by that society. Canoga and two other Indian villages near by, on Cayuga Lake, were destroyed by a de- tachment from General Sullivan's army, in September 1779.
The town of Seneca Falls, a part of the territory of the old town of Romulus, fittingly observed the centennial of its first
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settlement, and made a suitable record of the pioneer services of Job Smith, Lawrence Van Cleef, Col. Wilhelmus Mynderse, David Lum and others-on the fourth day of July, 1887. The Historical address on that occasion. was delivered by Henry Stowell, editor of the Seneca Falls Reveille.
The Library and Historical Society, at Waterloo as elsewhere stated, has laid aside in its archives, much material relating to the early history of that town, and the Indian village of Skoiyase, lo- cated therein, -a monument to commemorate the destruction of which, by a detachment of General Sullivan's army, having been dedicated in September, 1879, an account of which was published in a volume issued in 1880, entitled Seneca County Sullivan Cen- tennial.
Let us hope, that the good people of the towns of Junius and ' Tyre, will collect and preserve such data as may still be accessible, to complete and perpetuate their early history, so far as possible.
The history of the old towns of Galen and Wolcott, former towns of Seneca county, until the erection of Wayne county, April 11, 1823-with the four towns afterwards erected therefroni, Savannah, Butler, Rose and Huron, (all a part of the territory of · the original town of Romulus) has been intelligently and thor- oughly written up, by Prof. Lewis H. Clark, of Sodus, in his Military History of Wayne County, issued in 1884.
A local History of the town of Rose, edited by Alfred S. Roe, under the title, "Rose Neighborhood Sketches," is now also in process of publication.
The towns of Romulus and Varick entered with a patriotic spirit upon the celebration of the centennial of American Indepen- dence, in 1876, and in 1879, when the centennial of the Sullivan expedition was observed at Waterloo, these towns also bore an important part in making the same a success. All honor is due to the Waterloo Library and Historical Society, for the successful management of that celebration, and for its zeal and activity, ever shown in efforts to collect and preserve facts and incidents relating to the settlement and history of Waterloo and its pioneer settlers, as indeed, in the absence of a county Historical society, it has ex-
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tended its influence and efforts also to collect and preserve the early history of the several towns of this county. It is gratitying to know, that this society is worthily represented here to-day.
In 1889, the centennial of the first settlement of Romulus, was observed in this beautiful grove, where we this day meet, and our presiding officer of to-day, gave a very instructive and interesting address on that occasion, which doubtless gave some incentive also, to our celebration to-day.
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