USA > New York > Tioga County > Owego > Early Owego, N.Y.; some account of the early settlement of the village in Tioga County, N.Y., called Ah-wa-ga by the Indians, which name was corrupted by gradual evolution into Owago, Owego, Owegy and finally Owego > Part 12
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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
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and Pront streets. In May of the next year Allen & Storrs removed to the south side of Front street, the first. store.cast of Wm. A. Ely's brick store. This store had been occupied several years previous by Gen. Ansel Good- rich. At this time P. Halsey Ball, of Berkshire, who had been a clerk in Curdon Hewitt's store, was in the mercantile . business . with. Daniel Ely in the brick store west of the store oc- cupied, by Allen & Storrs .. In March. 1838, Allen & Storrs purchased Mr. Ely's interest in the store and took Mr. Ball into their partnership. . A year later Mr. Ball retired from the firm. He removed to Erie, where he died. Dr. Allen afterward sold his in terest in the business to Frank I. Jones, who had conducted a branch store for them. at Sheshequin, Pa. Their Owego store was burned in the great fire of September, 1849, and they did not resume business:
In the spring of 1852 John R. Chat- field came to Owego from Great Bar- rington, Mass., with some capital to invest in business. He applied to Dr. Allen to recommend to him some good business man as a partner, and Dr. Allen recommended .Mr. Storrs. In April, 1852; the firm of Storrs & Chatfield opened a hardware store in the brick store at the northeast cor- ner of Front and Lake streets under the firm name of Storrs & Chatfield. Frank L. Jones was a partner in the. business until February, 1860 .. In May, 1855, they bought the hardware store of R. Woodford & Co. at the northwest corner of Lake and Front streets and removed across the street thereto. In the spring of 1886 A. P.
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Storrs, Jr., and Geo. S. Chatfield bo- came members of the firm.
Mr. Storrs died Sept. 9, 1888. He was one of the organizers of the Owe- go gas light company in March, 1856, and was for many years president of the company.
Joseph M. Ely was born Jan. 15, 1802, at West Springfield, Mass. The Elys came originally from Wales and were among the earliest emigrants in- to New England. . He was a son. of Richard Ely, who was a. sergeant in ' the revolutionary war. He came to Owego in 1830 and was the second principal of the Owego academy from 1850 to 1835. From Owego he went to New York city, where he engaged in the wholesale grocery business. About the year. 1857 he came to Waverly; where he was station agent for the New York & Erie railroad. In 1859 he went to Athens, Pa., where he es- tablished a select school. He died there 15 Nov., 1$73.
Judge . Charles Curtis . Noble was born at Unadilla, N. Y., and was a graduate of Union college. He came to Owego soon after having com- pleted his professional education and formed & partnership . with judge Stephen Strong, which continued sev- fral years. On the death of his father he returned to Unadilla, and . practised law there. . He was first judge of Otsego county several years and up to 1847, when a new constitu; tion was adopted. That year he was elected to represent Otsego county in the assembly. Judge Noble was one of the three persons who organized St. Paul's Episcopal church in Owe- go. He died at the home of judge
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Strong in Owego June 13, 1851, aged 11 years.
George Sidney Camp was born in Owego February 5, 1816. He was one of the first pupils at the old Owego academy, from which he was gradu- ated in 1832. He entered Yale col- lege, but at the end of his sophomore . year he left there and entered the University of the city of New York. At the close of his junior year he left college and became a law student in the office of Stephen Strong. Later he went to New York city and com- . pleted his law studies in the office of Gerardus Clark. He was admitted to the bar May : 18, 1838. He practised law three years in New York .. He re- turned to Owego in Deceniber, 1841, where he practised law all the rest of his life. He was appointed district at- torney of Tioga county in 1845. He died at Owego Feb. 14, 1888. Mr. Camp was one of the ablest lawyers of his time in Owego.
Joseph Clizbe was a New York law- . yer and a man of property. He came here late: in life in feeble health and died here. He lived in the house which is still standing on the south side of Main street, the second house cast of Parker's lane:
Jared C. Gregory was born at But- ternuts, N. Y., Jan. 13, 1813, and. studied and practised law there until in the sixties when he removed to - Madison, Wis., where he died Feb. 7, 1892.
NATHAN.AND ANSON CAMP.
Nathan Camp was a religious man, fond of literature, and he founded the village library in 1813. . He was one of the incorporators of the Owego and Ithaca turnpike . company in April,
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1807, and was one of the board of in- spectors of schools in 1815-16. In 1807 he was appointed comet in the second squadron, fifth division, troop of cavalry, and in 1816 he was, ap- pointed second fientenant of the 8th regiment of cavalry. . ".
The following were the children of Nathan and Susanna (Avery) Camp;
L. Frederick Mortimer Camp, born 3 July, 1813, at Owego. Married Sarah Platt, daughter of Jonathan Platt, of Owego. He died at Ithaca 16 March, 1848, and she at Trumansburg 23 Jan., 1894.
2: George Avery Camp, born at Owego. Died 10 July, 1827.
The only child of Nathan and Fanny (Collier ). Camp was Nathan H. Camp. He was unmarried.
When Gen .. Anson Camp came to Owego he began the pottery business, but later went into business as a hatter. His; store was on the south side of Front street, a short distance east of the "white store" on Dr. Tink- ham's land. He made and sold hats there.
. Gen. Anson Camp was active in military affairs. In 1809 he was ap- pointed a lieutenant in Capt. Ansel Goodrich's : company . in Col. Asa . Camp's regiment. The next year he was promoted to captain, in 1811 to second major, in 1812 to. brigade . major and inspector of the 18th bri- gade of infantry, with rank from May 23, 1812. In 1816 he was appointed lieutenant colonel of the 33d regi- ment of infantry, and in 1820 he was promoted to brigadier-general of the Alst brigade.
Gen Camp was also active in pub- lic life. He was one of the incorpora- . tors of the Owego academy. He was
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supervisor of the town of Owego . in 1815, 1816, 1819, 1820, and 1831. He was president of the village in 1832 and 1833, and he represented Tioga county in the assembly in 1825, In ISIA he was appointed one of the three trustees of ""Owego settlement" in place of Capt. Mason Wattles, who Had removed from the village. He was also one of the three commissioners who built the old court house at the corner of Main and Court streets in 1823.
Anson Camp was never married but lived all his life at the home of his brother. William Camp. He died March 22, 1888.
HERMON CAMP.
Hermon Camip was not long a resi- dent of Owego. Two of his brothers, Williama and Nathan Camp, has ostab- ished a branch store at. Trumansburg, Tompkins county, in 1805. In Decem- ber of that year when Hermon Camp was eighteen years old he was sent there by his brothers to manage the store, and he lived there all the rest of his life. He was for many years a proiuinent man of Tompkins county. In military life he became lieutenant- colonel of a regiment of cavalry. In 1809 he was appointed adjutant in lieutenant-colonel Hugh Graham's regi- ment,and in 1810 captain of acompany of cavalry in the first squadron, 9th regiment. In 1812 he was captain ofthe only volunteer company of cavalry in western New York, which he had uni- formed, armed, equipped, and mount- ed on fine horses at his own expense. Within five weeks after the war was declared this company marched to the headquarters of Gen. Stephen Van-
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Itensselaer at Lewiston, on the Ni- agara frontier. In 1820 he was ap- pointed lieutenant-colonel of the 10th New York cavalry, with rank from July 8, 1819.
de was sheriff of Seneca county from Jan. 28, 1817, to the 17th of the following April. In April, 1817, upon the formation by the legislature of Tompkins county out of a portion of tie. territory belonging previous to that time to the counties of Cayuga and Seneca, he was appointed sheriff of the new county. In November, 1819, He was elected member of as- sembly: for Tompkins county. He was president of Tompkins county bank at Ithaca several years. He was a firm temperance man and was the first merchant in Tompkins county who discontinued the sale of liquor. He was president of the state temperance society in 1854-2 ..
Mr. Camp was thrice married. His first wife was Mary Caroline Cook. His second wife was her sister. Cath- crine Cook. His third wife was Sarah Platt, daughter of Jonathan Platt. of Owego. She was first married in 1832 10. Frederick M. Camp, a nephew and employe of Hermion Camp. In 1848, . after Frederick M. Camp's death, she Was married to Hermom Camp, who was then 61 years old. She died at Trumansburg Jan. 28, 1894, aged 82 years.
The children of Hermon and Mary Caroline (Cook) Camp were as. fol- lows:
1. Caroline Camp.
2. Clinton Camp.
3. Henrietta Camp.
4. Anna Sarah Camp.
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5. Charles Camp.
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6. Mary Catherine Camp, born 18 Jan., 1840, at Trumansburg, Married Henry W. Swanton 29 Sept., 1864. Died at Bath, Maine, 17 Nov., 18T3.
The children of Hermon and Cath- erin (Cook) Camp were as follows:
1. Edward Camp, born 13 June, 1842. Married Susan J. Winfield 28 Jan., 1862.
2. Hormon Camp. .
Hormon and Sarah ' (Platt) Camp had one daughter, Alice Hermomne Camp, who was born 23 March, 1851, at Trumansburg. She married Frank Hackley Griswold, of Auburn, 13 Oct., 1870. Hormon Camp died at Trumans- burg June 8, 1878.
STEPHEN STRONG.
Stephen Strong was born Oct. 11. 1791, at Lebanon, Conn. He was a descendant of John Strong, who came from England and settled in Massa- chusetts.
John Strong, Jr., lived at Northamp- ton, Mass. His son, Jedediah Strong. was born in 1637 and died in 1733. Jedediah Strong, Jr., was born in 1667 and was killed by Indians.
Mis son, Stephen Strong, was born in 1090 and died in 1785.
. Stephen Strong's son, . Daniel Strong, of New Lebanon, Conn., was born in 1719 and died in 1806.
His son Adonijah Strong was born in . 1760 and died in 1815. He was a soldier in the revolution from 1780 to 1783 and was at the taking of York- town. He married Hepzibah Bliss.
Judge Stephen Strong was a son. of Adonijah Strong. His parents remov- ed to Jefferson county, N. Y., when he was a child. He received his princi- pal education at Oneida academy, Clinton, N. Y., now Hamilton college He came about 1814 to Owego, where
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he at first taught school. He was ad- mitted to the bar in 1822. He was dis- triet attorney of Tioga county from July, 1836, to July, 1838, and from 1844 to 1847. He was appointed first judge of Tioga county April 18, 1835, and held that office until Peb. 2, 1843. He was elected county judge in No- vember, 1855, and served four years. Ile was the representative of the 22d district in the congress of 1845-7 Judge Strong was one of the incorpo- rators of the old bank of Owego in 1836. His law office in 1828 was ou the bank. of the river, a little below Paige street. In May, 1838, his step- son, George Sidney Camp, was ad- mitted-to. the bar and in the following October they became law partners. Soon afterward Mr: Camp removed to New York city, and in January, 1840, judge Alansou Munger became judge Strong's law partner. Mr. Camp re- -turned to .Owego in December, 1841, and resumed his partnership with "judge Strong, which partnership con- tinued until judge Strong's election to the office, of county judge in 1856.
The law office of judge Strong and Mr. Camp. was on the south side of Front street on the lot now occupied by the Standard butter. company's creamery. It was afterward removed to the north side of the street. Mr. Camp later built a large addition to it as a residence and lived there until it was burned in October, 1867. He immediately rebuilt an office and resi- dence on the same site and lived there: until his death. It then became the property of A. P. Storrs, Jr., who made changes and improvements and now lives there.
In July, 1861, judge Strong removed
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back to Jefferson county and settled at Watertown. There on June 19, 1861, he married Roxanna Terry Woodruff, widow of N. M. Woodruff, a hardware merchant, and daughter of Eli Bush, of Perry, N. Y. Mrs. Wood- ruff was the mother of the wife of governor Roswell P. Flower.
. Judge Strong died at Watertown Apri 15, 1866. In the centennial his- tory of Tioga county Win. F. Warner writes at considerable length of judge Strong whom he considered "one of the most remarkable men of the period." . Mr. Warner says:
"For upwards of fifty years judge Strong was among the foremost men of his profession, and for many years was the leading jury advocate of this county, and of the counties of Sus- quehanna, Bradford, and Luzerne in Pennsylvania; his business extended largely into the latter three counties: In the prime of life he found few equals, especially in the trial of crin- inal cases, on which account his ser- vices were sought in almost every im -. portant case for many years. To a tall and commanding person he added elegance and grace of manner, and a pleasing address. His features were strongly marked and bore a firm and decisive . expression, while his eyes were full and dark, with dark brows. Amid a crowd of a thousand persons he would have been selected as a prominent . figure. .... His social qualities were of the highest or der. ..... As a judge he possessed a rare firmness that enabled him to re: main unbiased by public clamor. The general judgment of his character was that in ability he had few equals, . and that, with an over-generous na- ture, he possessed untarnished in- tegrity."
In the "Strong Genealogy," the au- thor, Benj. W. Dwight, writes as fol- lows of judge Strong:
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"He was an eminent advocate, famous not only for his technical Innowledge but for his great tact and ingenuity and wonderful resources of his own in handling of cases, and for his inspiring and magnetic powers of eloquent speech, which was always more. powerful than polished. He was stinetively polite, and free with both hand and heart everywhere, and re- markably frank and reserved on all occasions and made , alike warm friends and bitter enemies. He had an mexaustible fund of good spirits at all times. 'He was a great reader, rather than a close student. He was very tall, about six feet in stature, of dark complexion, high and prominent check bones, a large mouth, and marked but interesting features."
Aaron. P. Storrs, -Jr., of Owego, owns a fine portrait of judge Strong. It was panited by James Bogle, a member of the National Academy and a noted portrait painter, of his day. . Mr. Bogle painted portraits of Calhoun, Clay, Webster, Gen. John A. Dix, and other prominent Americans.
JOHN R. DRAKE.
John R. Drake, who came to Owego in 1809 and who was for many years one of the most enterprising business men and public spirited citizens of the village, was a descendant of Robert Drake, who was born in Devonshire, England, about 1599, and who was a nephew of Sir Francis Drake.
Robert Drake's son, Abraham Drake, came to America in the "Mayflower" and settled at Hampton, Conn. Abra- ham's son, Robert Drake, was born in 1664 and died in 1743 at Hampton .. Robert's son, also named Robert, was» the father of Rev. Reuben Drake, who was born .April 23, 1745, and who was a Baptist clergyman at Pleasant Val- ley (now called Plattekill), near New-
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burgh, N. Y. Rev. Reuben Drake was very wealthy and owned a mile square of land, on which he built a stone church, in which he preached free of charge to his congregation. The church was afterward torn down and the material was used in building a school house. Rev. Reuben Drake had several sons, the third of whom was John Roland Drake.
John R. Drake was born Nov. 28, 1782, at. Pleasant Valley. In early life he was a clerk in the store of judge Stanley at Catskill. While thus eni- ployed he was sent to Painted Post; N. Y., to do some collecting. £
When he reached Owego he stopped at the old tavern, which stood at the north- west corner of Front and Church streets. When he started on his way from Owego some one purposely mis- directed him, so that instead of cross- ing the Owego creek and going west- ward, he went north toward Ithaca. H'e soon met some one who informed him of his mistake. It was at this time he first saw the land on the flats,
. which The afterward induced . his brother, Reuben Drake, to buy. After Reuben had made the purchase his. wife would not come out here into the wilderness to live, and John- R. Drake took the property off his hands. This property judge Drake purchased about the year 1814. It extended from the west line of Evergreen cemetery. to the Owego creek: The north - bound- ary was Drake's lane, now Talcott street, and. the south boundary was the north line of Elizur Talcott's farm.
When judge Drake came here with his family in October, 1809,he lived be- low and adjoining where the river
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bridge now is in Front street in a building, which he rented of Dr. Samuel Tinkham as a store and resi- dence. Here he lived until he bought the farm in the north part of the vil- lage. On this farm, on the west side of North avenue, : midway between where, Talcott and Adaline streets now are, was a farm house. This house he enlarged, and he lived there- in. Later he again enlarged the house and converted it into a tavern for Seth Mosher. After the construction of the New York and Erie railroad to Owego he still further enlarged it. It was then kept a few years by judge Drake's son-in-law, A. B. Gere, as a hotel and was known as the Mansion house.
Judge Drake in February, 1829 pur- chased the house on the south side of Front street, west of Park street, now . owned by Mrs. Emily Gere. " This house had been built for Albert Bacon. Judge Drake died in this house March 21, 1857.
When judge Drake came to Owego the only merchants. in business here were the Camp brothers, Gen. John Laning, major Horatio ; Ross, Gen. Oliver Huntington, and Charles Pum- pelly. Judge Drake was in the gen- eral mercantile business in the Dr. Tinkham store until 1814. In August of that year he purchased for $1,200 of James Caldwell the lot on the south side of Front street directly opposite Lake street, on which he built a wooden store, two stories high. It oc- cupied the ground on which the Cen- tral drug store now stands.
In the rear of this store was a large storehouse with a long dock. Here he stored and loaded into arks for
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shipment down the river salt, plaster, and wheat. This merchandise was shipped on the spring and fall freshets to WilkesBarre, Columbia, and other points on the way to .Baltimore. A great amount of lumber, shingles, and staves was also shipped in arks and rafts. Judge Drake is said to have had a larger number of arks and rafts on the Tiver every year than any other Owego shipper:
He employed men to manufacture shingles and staves of pine and oak in the forest on lands five miles from Owego; . on the. Montrose turnpike. The men camped in cabins in the woods at all seasons while doing this 'work: At that time the country was a wilderness along the Montrose turn- pike from the river bridge to the . Pennsylvania line, a distance of nine miles. During the war of 1812 judge Prake had a. contract for . making Wht pins for the United States gov- ernment.
In front of his `store judge. Drake laid the first stone sidewalk ever put down in this village. The stones were quarried in this vicinity: They were square, of irregular sizes, and were laid flat on the ground. Other such sidewalks were: afterward laid. by other property owners. The stones were heaved out of place by the frosts and the walks were consequently ir- regular and had to be occasionally re- laid.
Judge Drake was also the first Owe- go merchant to introduce lamps in place of candles to light his store at night. He sold everything usually sold in the general country stores of those days except intoxicating liquor. In 1830 he sold that portion of his
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stock, which was of a kind now kept in drug stores, to Dr. Jedediah Fay and not long afterward closed out the rest of his stock of goods and retired from the mercantile business. . The Front street store he sold in July; 1845, to Joshua 4. Pinney and his son, Hammmon D. Pinney, who under the firm name of J. L Pinney & Son con- dacted a drug store there many years. : Indge Drake became the owner of much property in the business part of the village. He built . Rollin block, · which occupied . the northwest corner of Front and Lake streets. In the third story of this block, was Concert hall, where all 'publie entertainments and shows were given. In the fire of September, : 1849, judge Drake owned nije stores, all of which were burned and on which he had only $2,000 in- surance. He built and owned the mills on the south side of the river, opposite the Owego creek, which were afterward known as the Hand mills, and which he subsequently sold to James Pumpelly, who was his partner in the lumber manufacturing business.
When the New York and Erie rail- road was built to Owego judge Drake. who was one of the projectors and who had used all his influence to have it built through this village, gave the railroad company nine acres of land, comprising the grounds where the station and railroad yards now are. This land was bounded north by what is now the north line of E. H. Miller's hay press, the line extending eastward along south of Erie street. The west line was a little west of MeMaster street, and included the ground on which the old bridge shop stood. The south line was South Depot street,
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the Lenox hotel and the north line of the vacant lot at the southeast corner of MeMaster street and the railroad. .
In 1847, two years previous to the completion of the New York and Erie railroad to Owego, judge Drake opened a land office. At about this time he caused a survey and map of. this village to be made. This map was lithographed in New York and was entitled "A Map of Drake's: Reser- vation in the Village of Owego, N. Y." The map shows the line of the old Ithaca and Owego railroad as it ex- tended down through the village into Front street, the proposed line of the New York and Erie railroad through the then northern part of the village, and the situation of all the residences and stores.
Judge Drake's farm on both sides of the railroad was laid out into village lots on this map, with streets, several , of which streets were opened after- ward and are now in use. They were generally named in honor of members ..
of his family. Delphine, Charlotte, and Adaline streets were opened and still bear those names. Theodore, Harriet, Jerusha; and Arianna streets do not appear on the latest maps. Jerusha street on the Drake reserva- tion map is now "known as West avenue.
When judge Drake gave the nine acres of land to the N. Y. & E. rail- road company there was some kind of an agreement whereby he was to have had the rent of the dining room.at the station and that all trains were to stop here, but at about this time he was stricken with paralysis and the . person who attended to this business for him allowed the arrangement to
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be changed and he did not receive the benefit of it.
It is related of judge Drake that some time before the old Owego and Ithaca horse railroad was built he was present at a public meeting in this village to consider the question of public improvements. Among other things discussed was a proposed sur- yey. for a canal from Ithaca to Owego. At this meeting judge Drake said that if it was found that the building of a canal would not be a profitable ; in- vestment, perhaps the line might be used for a railroad. Thereupon an in- credulous citizen contemptuously re- marked, "What wont the .d-d old fool be at next?" . Yet the railroad was built. . And several years later when the New York & Erie railroad was completed to Owego and the first train came to the station judge Drake, who was then helpless with paralysis . and was sitting in his carriage on the hill above, looking at the arrival of the train, the man who made the dis- paraging remark at the public meet- ing stood by his side.
Judge Drake was prominent in pub- lic as well as in business affairs. He was supervisor of the town of Owego in 1813. He was appointed first judge of Broome county April 8, 1815, and served until 1823. He was reappointed first judge of Tioga county March 27, 1833, and served until April 18, 1838. Hle was a member of congress, from 1817 to 1819; member of assembly, in 1834, and president of Owego village, from 1841 to 1845, inclusive. In 1823 he was one of the three commis- sioners appointed to supervise the 'construction of the first Tioga county court house built in Owego .at the
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southeast corner of Main and -Court streets.
Judge Drake . married Jerusha Roberts, daughter of Joseph Roberts, of Catskill, N. Y. She was born 6 July, 1780, and died at Owego 27 April, 1867. They were married 4 Sept., 1803, at Catskill. The children of John R. and Jerusha (Roberts) Drake were as follows:
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