USA > New York > Seneca County > Fayette > Centennial historical sketch of the town of Fayette, Seneca County, New York > Part 8
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Dr. Coventry in his journal under date of Dec. 14, 1793, makes mention of a curious law suit tried in Justice's Court as follows : " Rode up to Bordmon's (Benajah Boardman, doubtless), with Mr. Widner and heard a case tried, concerning a hog, which on being driven out of a field adjoining the lake, fell over the bank and was drowned. The owner of the hog sued the owner of the field for his hog, but did not recover damages. Arrived home after sunset, having come about ten miles."
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Prior to May 7, 1840, justices of the peace were not author- ized to take acknowledgments of deeds, etc. Under an act passed in 1818, commissioners of deeds were appointed first by the Governor and Council of Appointment, and under an act of 1825, by the board of supervisors and court of common pleas.
Under these acts a number of such commissioners were appointed from timeto time for Fayette, including James Sweet, Alexander Rorison, John Watkins, Charles L. Hoskins, Daniel Holman, Jacob G. Markel, Peter H. Peterson and William Burling.
Under the first Constitution, in force up to January 1, 1823, general State elections were held beginning on the last Tuesday of April. By the second Constitution the time for holding the general election in 1822, and thereafter, was designated to begin on the first Monday of November.
Under both the first and second Constitutions down to 1842, general elections were held for three successive days, by the seme election board in different localities of the town-the board consisting of the supervisor, town clerk and three assessors. Since November, 1842, the general election has been held for one day only, conducted by separate boards of inspectors of election in the several election districts of the town-to wit on the Tuesday succeeding the first Monday in November.
At the town meeting held in April, 1843, Peter Pontius and John S. Frantz, were elected the first inspectors of election for the eastern or election district No. 1, with polls at Canoga. James Rorison was declared chosen as the third or minority inspector.
At the same town town meeting, Samuel F. Illick and Wm. Yost were elected the first inspectors of election district No. 2 and Wm. K. Strong was declared the minority inspector- with election polls in the west part of the town.
Under the early three days' system of voting referred to at general elections, the polls of the election were held in the eastern, middle and western parts of the town-to wit: at Canoga in the eastern part, usually at Hendricks', Stucks' or the Yellow tavern in the middle part ; and in the western part either at Christian Keims' or James Rogers' tavern, or some point further east from the Seneca Lake road.
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At the first general election held in Seneca County in 1804, the election polls were held at Benajah Boardman's at Canoga, at John Rumsey's, on Seneca Lake road and at Benjamin Hen- dricks'.
At the general election of 1805, the polls were held at Benajah Boardman's, Peter Bush's on Military Lot 19, and at Peter Reynolds' on Seneca Lake road.
The town was divided into two election districts in 1842, to take effect in that year, as already stated.
In 1863 the town was divided into three election districts to take effect the following year. Since the erection of these three districts, the election polls have usually been held at Canoga in district No. I, at the Yellow tavern in district No. 2 and at South Waterloo in district No. 3.
Town meetings, up to and including 1848, were held on the first Tuesday of April, in each year. Commencing with 1849 to and including 1877, on the second Tuesday of March, and commencing with 1878 to the present time, on the second Tuesday of February.
The places where town meetings were held (except the first one) are not known up to 1803-in which year and up to 1806 inclusive, the same were held at Vincent Runyan's at the Burgh. From 1807 to 1830 at Hendricks' tavern, upon Military Lot No. 27 and from 1831 to 1878-usually either at the Yellow tavern (near Jerusalem Church) or at Stuck's tavern, on Military Lot No. 28.
In 1877, the town meeting voted Ayes 426, Noes 158, to hold town meetings thereafter, in the three election districts of the town, and the same have been so held since February, 1878.
The State in the early year, of the century occasionally ordered an enumeration of voters to be taken, the first of which, after the organization of Fayette, was made in 1801, when the town extended to Lake Ontario. This enumeration includes only 178 names of male heads of families and 228 voters in the several classes, to-wit: 105 in the first class, two (2) in the second classand 121 in the third class. A majority of these voters resided in the present boundaries of Fayette, although a considerable number
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resided in the territory of the present four north towns of this county, and still others in the eastern part of the present Wayne County. A copy of this interesting census is appended.
By the United States census of 1800, the total population of Fayette, under its original territorial area, was 863 or an average of about five persons to each family.
In 1810, under the present area, its population was 1,754. In 1814, it had increased to 2,210 and in 1820 to 2,869. The greatest population reached by the town was 3,786 in 1850, and by the last State census it had decreased to 3,022, showing the tendency to decrease in agricultural towns, with movement of population towards large villages and cities, with corresponding increase of population therein. The Cayuga County election records show, that in April, 1801, only eighty-two votes of first class were cast in Fayette for Governor-70 for George Clinton and 12 for Stephen Van Rensselaer.
At a special election in August, 1801, to elect a delegate to con- stitutional convention 89 votes were cast, and in April, 1802, there were 95 votes cast for Representative in Congress for the seventeenth district.
Spafford's Gazetteer of 1813 preserves much valuable local data and statistics. It is mentioned therein, that the census of 1810 showed 156 voters of the first class in Fayette, also that there were 43 Negro slaves in town, in the same year, out of IOI in the entire county. The early town records show the names of six owners of slaves in the town, some of which slaves were manumitted during the period of nominal slavery in this State, ending July 4, 1827, and there were doubtless other owners having slaves whose names are not recorded.
There was no post office in existence in the town, in 1810, and the first one therein was established in 1826.
At the first session of the board of supervisors of Seneca County in 1804, the total valuation of the Town of Fayette, with present boundaries and area, was $97,891, out of a total for the then six towns of the county, of $1, 104,547-it being the lowest valuation of any of the towns, and about one-twelfth of the aggregate for the county. The amount of county tax assessed to Fayette in that year was $166.20, and of town
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charges $87.81, a total taxation of $254.01. The taxation1 schedule of the same year states the number of " taxables " for the town at 158 out of 1,334, for the entire county. In 1807 the number of " taxables " had increased to 219. In 1825, after the county had been reduced to its present area (by the erection of Tompkins County in 1817, and of Wayne County in 1823), and there were then only five organized towns in this county, with a total real and personal valuation for the county of $2,648,568, the valuation of Fayette was $473, 214 real estate and and $24,264 personal valuation. The tax of the town in the same year was: County tax, $415.44. Town tax, $178.95. School tax, $176.00. State tax, $236.12. Total, $1,006.51.
By the census of 1830, the population of Fayette; was the greatest of any of the ten towns of the county (the same then in area and number as now).
In 1838, with the present ten towns, and a population in Fay- ette, greater than at the present time, its valuation was $1,043,- 367 real and $46,188 personal. Its taxation in that year for County tax and schools was $2, 129.07. Town tax $542.60, Road tax $526.32, a total of $3, 197.99. In 1838, the valuation and the aggregate tax of Fayette were the highest of any town in the county, and its population the largest of any town in the county, with a single exception.
This comparative statement might be further extended, show- ing the changes in valuation and population of the town, but also showing a much larger proportionate tax rate now, than in the years herein above referred to, as can be readily ascertained by reference to the proceedings of the board of supervisors, which have been printed in pamphlet form since 1856.
By the last census, Fayette ranks third on the roll of the towns of Seneca County in population, as it does also in its prop- erty valuation.
The assessed valuation of the town has a little more than doubled since 1838-while its aggregate tax list, is now six fold as great, as in that year.
It is a matter of regret, that no Historical Society has been organized in this town, but the want is well supplied by the Waterloo Library and Historical Society, in the adjoining town
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of Waterloo, incorporated in 1876, which has a handsome library building occupied since 1883, and liberally endowed by Thomas Fatzinger, Esq. There are now over 6,500 volumes in this library, with many valuable historical papers, maps and pam- phlets.
This Historical Society in September, 1879, as already stated, celebrated the centennial of the destruction of Skoiyase, and in October, 1891, dedicated a monument to Red Jacket at Canoga, both of which were commemorative of important events in the history of the Town of Fayette.
Another public library with an historical branch, has recently been organized at Seneca Falls, which already has a library of 3,250 volumes exclusive of pamphlets, etc. and which promises to be of great value also, in collecting and preserving early local history. In 1899, steps were also taken to organize public libra- ries in the Villages of Ovid and Lodi.
In a work of so much detail, involving a vast amount of re- search and a large correspondence, as the preparation of the local history of any town necessitates, it is impossible to include every feature of interest, and omissions and errors will unavoid- ably creep in-for which short-comings, I crave the kind indulgence of my readers.
I am pleased to add, that very generally requests for informa- tion have been cheerfully responded to, and I cannot but regret, that in a few instances, information which would have been of value in a work of this kind, has been withheld.
When so many public officers in town, county, and State, and aged citizens of Fayette and other localities, contributed valuable data and information, it would be difficult to give due individual credit to each one, and I therefore take this occasion, to extend my hearty thanks to all who aided me in my under- taking.
The one hundred years of official existence of Fayette, covers the life time of more than three average generations and embraces substantially the same period, as the nineteenth century soon to close.
Pioneer life had its many hardships, trials and privations and the transformation wrought from 1800 to 1900 represents much of toil and labor, energy and perseverance.
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In a community like ours, the changes brought about in the removal of the forest, the opening of public roads, the con- struction of dwelling houses, churches, school houses and other buildings, the planting of fruit trees and vineyards and the many other improvements and advancements made by the strong hands of the sturdy pioneer, making the wilderness, the waste and desert places to rejoice and " blossom as the rose," cannot be too greatly appreciated by the present generation. As we enjoy the blessings and comforts secured to us by their labors, let us not forget what God has wrought for us, through the fathers!
This century has been remarkable for the great advancement and progress made during the years thereof.
The question is sometimes asked : "Is it possible for the next (20th) century to make a record equal to the nineteenth ?"
While man may feel this to be impossible, God the ruler of the universe, who directs and governs, may have in store for the twentieth century, events and marvels which may far exceed the achievements of the nineteenth !
But as the future for wise although inscrutable purposes is veiled to us, let us enter the second century of the official exis- tence of the town, and the new century (the portals of which are soon to open to us) with renewed hope and reliance upon the guidance and direction of a Divine Providence, who has been with us, as a people in the past !
"Oh ! Make Thou us, through centuries long, In peace secure, in justice strong ; Around our gift of freedom draw The safeguards of Thy righteous law ; And cast in some diviner mould,
Let the next cycle shame the old ! "
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF DECEASED SUPER- VISORS .*
WILHELMUS MYNDERSE, the second supervisor of Fayette, was born in the city of Albany, N. Y., July 11, 1767. Becom- ing interested in the development of the country between Cay- uga and Seneca Lakes, he visited thislocality, in 1794 and located permanently at the falls of the Seneca River, then in the town of Romulus, early in the year 1795.
Having acquired the ownership of a one-fifth interest, in a company owning the land and water power, at the present vil- lage of Seneca Falls, he became the resident business agent for the company. He early erected a saw mill and the first grist mill at Seneca Falls was opened for business by him in the year 1796, also a store building in connection therewith, and a log house, early in the same year. The first entry of sales of prod- ucts of the grist mill appears upon the Day Book of sales kept by him Oct. 22, 1796. He continued to act as business agent for the company, generally known as the "Bayard Land Com- pany " for a period of thirty years.
Two of the Day Books and a Ledger kept by Mr. Mynderse, in connection with his early milling and merchandising business are preserved in the rooms of the Waterloo Library and His- torical Society. One of these dates back to April 20, 1796, and its accounts are kept in pounds, shillings and pence-
The owners of the village site were frequent customers, under the head of "The Proprietors of Seneca."
One of the entries in the Day Book in January, 1798, is: " Let sugar works (maple sugar camp) for 120 pounds to Michael Vreeland and Gideon Orton (residents near Canoga). Trees to be tapped with an auger."
He early took an interest in public affairs and on March 14, 1799, was appointed a justice of the peace for the town of Romulus, Cayuga County, and in April, 1799, was elected at
*See sketch of James McClung, first supervisor, at page 36.
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n meeting one of the assessors of Romulus, and also in the year was chosen one of the trustees of the Gospel and ol lot of that town. The interest thus early shown in pub- hools continued during his life, and at his decease he left a ome bequest to the Academy at Seneca Falls, this invest- - constituting a part of its school fund. "Mynderse Aca- demy," the high school building of the village being named in his honor.
After the erection of the town of Washington (now Fayette), Col. Mynderse in 1801 served as one of the commissioners of highways of the town, and in the spring of 1802 he was elected supervisor of Washington. In after years he was ehosen to fill several public positions in the Town of Junius. During his resi- dence at Seneca Falls, he resided in four different towns.
In the local military, as early as 1801 .he was appointed lieu- tenant-colonel of a regiment formed in Cayuga County, for the territory lying west of Cayuga Lake, and soon reached the rank of colonel, and when in 1807 the militia of Seneca County was formed into a brigade he was appointed brigadier-general thereof.
His life was one of great activity and usefulness. His death occurred January 31, 1838.
His sons, Charles and Edward, are deceased ; the last named dying in 1896 at the age of eighty years. Several grandchildren survive.
BENAJAH BOARDMAN, son of Israel Boardman, was born at Newington, in the township of Wethersfield, State of Connecti- cut, May 14, 1749.
His ancestors came to this country from England as early as 1638, locating for a few years in Massachusetts, and about 1640 removing to Connecticut.
Very little is known of Mr. Boardman's early history. In May, 1772, he married, and his only child by this marriage, a son, Meekins Boardman, became in after years, with his father, an early settler of this county. His wife dying a year after their marriage, he in 1775 married a second time, and became the
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father of eight children by this marriage-three sons and five daughters.
In, or about the year 1788, Mr. Boardman removed with his family to Newtown, near the present city of Elmira, N. Y., where he resided several years. He removed to the Town of Ovid, in this county in 1791, and while a resident in that vicin- ity, built about 1793, a primitive grist mill a short distance west of Ovid Village, which was the earliest mill erected in the south part of the county.
Mr. Boardman was at one time a large land owner, owning a number of lots and tracts of land in the Town of Romulus ; and removing into the territory of that town, was elected the first supervisor of Romulus-then extending in area to Lake Ontario -in the spring of 1794, and was re-elected in 1795 and 1796. He was also elected a commissioner of common schools in April, 1796.
Mr. Boardman, it is known, lived for several years upon Military Lot No. 29, Romulus, and there kept a public inn in a locality known as Boardman's Burgh, near the center of the present Town of Fayette, and it is probable that he resided there already during a portion of the time while serving as super- visor of Romulus. He was appointed a justice of the peace for Herkimer County, March 12, 1793, and for Romulus, Onondaga County, March 14, 1794, and he continued to hold that position for Cayuga County after the erection of Fayette in 1800. His name appeared also as a justice of the peace in the first commis- sion of magistrates issued for Seneca County in 1804, he having thus served as justice for four counties, while living all the time within the bounds of the present Seneca County.
During the last year of the eighteenth century, or the first year of the present century, Mr. Boardman removed to Canoga Springs, and became interested in the first grist mill and distill- ery erected at that place. Hamilton Childs' Gazetteer and Business Directory of Seneca County, published at Syracuse, ยท N. Y., in 1867, says that this grist mill was erected in 1799. He also kept a licensed inn at Canoga Springs as early as 1803.
In the spring of 1802, Mr. Boardman was elected commis-
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sioner of highways, and in 1803 was elected supervisor for Washington (Fayette) under its new territorial area.
He was afterwards, in 1805, elected to the office of assessor, and in that year, and also in 1806, was selected by town meeting to serve upon a committee to ask from the Legislature an alter- ation of the boundary line between Fayette and Junius, and his interest in public affairs continued unabated during his life time.
Mr. Boardman died while residing upon a farm north of Canoga Village, near Cayuga Lake, Feb. 27, 1813, in the sixty-fourth year of his age, from an epidemic fever, known also as the army or camp fever, supposed to have been introduced by returning soldiers of the War of 1812. His wife survived him only about three months-with several children.
ISRAEL CATLIN was born in Litchfield County in the State of Connecticut, it is understood, on the 15th day of Sept., 1762. Nothing definite has been learned of his early history. He is sup- posed to have accompanied several brothers, who it is said were early settlers in Chemung County (now in Schuyler Co., N. Y.). The Town of Catlin, Chemung Co., received its name from one of the brothers. Removing in early manhood to the Town of Romu- lus, while it still formed a part of Onondaga County and included within its territory the Town of Fayette, he engaged in farming and at the town meeting held in Romulus in the spring of 1796 was elected one of the assessors and also one of the fence-viewers of that town. He was re-elected assessor in 1797, '98 and '99. In 1797, he was also elected one of the highway commissioners of Romulus, and in 1798 and 1799 one of the overseers of high- ways of that town.
After the erection of the Town of Washington (Fayette) he served as one of its justices of the peace as early as the year 1800.
In the spring of 1804 he was elected supervisor of Washington (Fayette) and was re-elected annually up to and including the year 1813. At the annual session of the board of supervisors in 1808, he was chosen and served as chairman of the board.
He died May 8, 1813, survived by his wife and several children. His mortal remains rest in the Burgh Cemetery in Fayette.
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His head-stone gives his age as 42 years, but there is evidently an error in these figures.
It is to be regretted that so little data has been obtained as to Mr. Catlin, his descendants hereabouts having failed to reply to repeated requests for information.
JOHN WATKINS was born in the eastern part of the State of Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia, July 29, 1776.
In 1804 he removed to Geneva, Ontario County, N. Y., and the following year (1805) removed to South Waterloo, Seneca County, then locally known as Skoiyase. Here he engaged in mercantile business in the year of his arrival, his business grad- ually extending to that of a general store, embracing a large variety of merchandise. Later on he became interested here in a grist mill, a wool carding and cloth dressing establishment, a tannery, and several other branches of business, his enterprise and public spirit making its impress upon the business of the village.
He was early appointed one of the magistrates of the Town of Fayette, and served also for a number of years as one of the asso- ciate judges of the court of common pleas for Seneca County. He was elected supervisor of Fayette in 1813, upon the decease of Israel Catlin, and was re-elected for the three following years, during which he served as clerk of the board (the clerk at that time being chosen from the supervisors forming the board).
Judge Watkins was married in 1810 to Miss Mary Keeler, in which union three sons and two daughters were born to them.
Judge Watkins died Feb. 28, 1854.
Two of his sons, Charles K. and Benjamin, were members of the legal profession, and are now deceased.
A daughter, Mrs. Lucinda Mariner, of Milwaukee, Wis., was recently still living in that city.
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JOSEPH BACHMAN (son of George Bachman, a soldier of the Revolutionary War) was born in Cumberland County, Penn- sylvania, Aug. 18, 1774.
He removed with his father to Seneca County, N. Y., in or about the year 1806, locating upon a farm in the Town of Fayette.
During his residence in Fayette of nearly half a century, much of his time was devoted to public affairs.
As a surveyor he was often called upon to lay out and locate public roads and to survey and sub-divide farms.
He served many years as a magistrate and in other public stations, including those of town clerk and commissioner of highways.
He was elected supervisor of Fayette in 1817 and again in 1819 and 1827.
He died in 1855, at the advanced age of eighty-one years. He was married twice and several children survived him for a time, but none are now living, and it has been difficult to obtain data for this imperfect sketch.
ALEXANDER RORISON, the head of a family which has occu- pied a prominent and honored position in Seneca County, was born in Scotland near Castle Douglas, April 22, 1763.
He came to this country with his father after the close of the War of the Revolution and located in (the present) Centre County in the State of Pennsylvania, where he married a lady of Scotch parentage, Miss Mary Wilson.
He was the father of twelve children, of whom six lived to mature years.
In the year 1798, he removed to a farm in the present Town of Fayette (then Romulus) which he cleared, improved and occu- pied until his death.
The removal from Pennsylvania was made in the old time four horse covered Pennsylvania wagon, and by boat on Seneca Lake.
As early as January, 1802, he served by appointment, as jus- tice of the peace for Cayuga County and in 1805, his townsmen called upon him to take part in the local government by electing him assessor, to which position he was repeatedly chosen, as also commissioner of highways.
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