USA > New York > Broome County > Gazetteer and business directory of Broome and Tioga Counties, N. Y. for 1872-3 > Part 20
USA > New York > Tioga County > Gazetteer and business directory of Broome and Tioga Counties, N. Y. for 1872-3 > Part 20
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who soon after took Fort Waggoner and battered down Sumter. The next spring it returned north and formed a part of Gen. Butler's James River expedition. At Bermuda Hundreds those whose term of service expired were mustered out, while those who re-enlisted in this company, remained with the regiment until it was mustered out. The dead of this company sleep at Hatteras, Roanoke Island, South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericks- burg, Suffolk, Folly Island, Bermuda Hundreds, in front of Petersburg and at Chapins Farm.
# Capt. Judd's rank dated from Oct. 31, 1861, and his commission, Dec. 18, 1861. He re- signed Oct. 1, 1862, and was re-commissioned Nov. 7, 1862. He died at Fortress Monroe, Aug. 27, 1864, of wounds received in action before Petersburg, June 15, 1864.
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Budd and John P. Weaver. Its first pastors were Revs. Dun- ham and Leach ; the present pastor is Rev. L. F. Ketchum. Their church edifice, which will seat 250 persons, was erected in 1865, at a cost of $500. There are forty-two members. The Church property is valued at $600.
The M. E. Church, at East Windsor, was organized with seven members, in 1812, by Revs. Nathaniel Reader and Nathan Dod- son, its first pastors. Their house of worship was erected in 1852, at a cost of $600. It will seat 200 persons. The present number of members is twenty-five ; the present pastor, Rev. C. D. Shepard. The Church property is valued at $1,000.
The Windsor Baptist Church, at Randolph Center, was or- ganized with twenty-eight members, by a council composed of representatives from the churches of Chenango, Colesville and Great Bend, Sept. 20, 1838. Their first house of worship was purchased in 1850, and sold in 1866; the present one, which will seat 275 persons, was erected in 1867, at a cost of $1,500. There are fifty-seven members, and though there is at present no settled pastor the pulpit is regularly supplied each Sabbath. The Church property is valued at $2,000. The first pastor was Rev. Abiah P. Worden.
The Zion Episcopal Church, at Windsor, was organized with five members, by Rev. Dr. Van Ingan, in 1842. The church edifice, which will seat 150 persons, was erected in 1863, at a cost of $1,600. The first pastor was Rev. James Keeler ; the present one is Rev. Wm. Roberts. There are thirty-five mem- bers. The value of Church property is $5,000.
The First Wesleyan Church of Windsor, located at Hazard- ville, was organized with eight members, in 1843, by Rev. D. E. Baker, its first pastor. The church edifice was erected in 1860. It cost $800, and will seat 250 persons. It has a membership of twenty-seven. Rev. Seth Burgess is the present pastor. The Church property is valued at $1,400.
The East. Randolph Wesleyan M. E. Church was organized with sixteen members, by Rev. D. E. Baker, its first pastor, in 1844. The church edifice, which was erected in 1865, and is designated Union Chapel, will seat 250 persons. It cost $500. The present value of Church property is $600. Rev. Seth Burgess is the pastor ; and the number of members, thirty- seven.
The Christian Advent Church, located at Wilmot Settlement, was organized with ten members, in 1867, by Rev. C. F. Sweet,
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its first pastor. The church will seat 100 persons. It was erected in 1868, at a cost of $1,000. The present value of Church property is $1,200. There are twenty members. The pulpit is supplied by Rev. E. C. Cowles and J. W. Taylor.
The First Free M. E. Church, located at Windsor, was organ- ized with ten members, in 1867, by Rev. Wm. Gould, its first pastor. The house of worship was purchased from the Baptist Society in 1866, for $2,000. It will seat 300 persons. Rev. Wm. Jones is the pastor. The number of members is thirty- six. The Church property is valued at $3,500.
TIOGA COUNTY.
TIOGA* COUNTY was formed from Montgomery, Feb. 16, 1791. Broome was taken off March 28, 1806; Chemung, March 29, 1836 ; a part of Chenango, March 15, 1798 ; and a part of Tompkins, March 22, 1822. A part of Broome was re- annexed in 1822. It lies a little westof the center of the south border of the State, centrally distant 135 miles from Albany, and contains 542 square miles. Its surface is broken by the prolongation of the Allegany Mountains, which extend in a series of ridges northerly through the county, and whose sum- mits attain a nearly uniform elevation of 1,200 to 1,400 feet above tide. These ridges are cut diagonally by the valley of the Susquehanna, and are separated by numerous lateral valleys which extend in a north and south direction and give a great
* Tioga is written in Mr. Morgan's work, The League of the Iroquois, in the Oneida dialect, Te-ah-o-ge; the Mohawk, Te-yo-ge-ga; the Cayuga, Da-a-o-ga; and Seneca, Da-ya-o-gch, meaning "at the forks." In the text of his work it is written, Ta-ya-o-ga, the first a having the broad sound as in fall. Upon Guy Johnson's map of 1771, it is written Ti-a-o-ga. The eloquent Red Jacket pronounced it Tah-hiho-gah, discarding the suffix, "Point," which has been universally added when applied to the lo- cality now called Athens, saying that the Indian word carried the full meaning-"the point of land at the confluence of two streams," or "the meeting of the waters."
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variety of feature to the surface. The width of these valleys varies from a few rods to a mile and sometimes more. They are generally defined by steep acclivities which rise from 250 to 400 feet above them, and whose summits are commonly broad and rolling, though occasionally broken and rocky.
The rocks of the County belong to the Chemung and Cats- kill groups. All the rocks cropping out upon the surface north of the river, and those underlying the hills south of it, may be classed in the former group; and those crowning the summits of the hills south of the river, with the latter. Except the sandstone of the Chemung group, which is quarried for flag- ging; the red sandstone of the Catskill group, some of which is sufficiently compact to make good building stone ; and lime- stone, from which lime is manufactured and which is found along the Pennsylvania border, there are no important min- erals. A deep drift, consisting of sand, clay and gravel, lies in the valleys and covers the adjoining hills. This deposit near Factoryville is eighty feet deep, and a wide belt of it seems to extend north, in an almost unbroken line, from that place to Cayuga Lake.
The principal streams are Susquehanna* River, and Owego.t Catatunk, Cayuta, Pipe and Apalachin creeks, with their branches. These streams have, generally, rapid currents, though few waterfalls ; and they furnish all necessary water power for local purposes. Their valleys are generally narrow and rocky in their upper courses, but toward the Susquehanna they expand into broad and beautiful level intervales.
The Susquehanna enters the county a little south of the cen- ter of the east border of the town of Owego and extends in a south-westerly direction through the south part of the County,
* See page 63 for origin of name.
+ Owego was pronounced by the Indians who frequented this section, Ah-wah-gah, with the accent on the second syllable. In "Morgan's League" it is spelled Ah-wa-ga, the a in the second syllable being pro- nounced as in the word fate. Upon Guy Johnson's map of 1771, it is writ- ten O-we-gy; it is also so written on the map accompanying the treaty of 1768, at Fort Stanwix ; but in the deed of cession, drawn at the same time, it is spelled Os-we-gy, showing conclusive inaccuracy, probably, in both.
By the early settlers it was pronounced O-wa-go, the a being pronounced as in fate. In a document of 1791, and letters written in 1799, 1801, and as late as 1805, it is so written. Mrs. Whitaker, who was acquainted with the locality of Owego village during her captivity with the Indians, and be- came a resident in its immediate vicinity previous to, or about the time of the extinguishment of the Indian claim, has given sanction to the last or- thography. It signifies-" Where the valley widens." The narrows, be- low and above upon the river, and also upon the creek, about two miles from its mouth, to which this name was also given, render that meaning peculiarly significant as applied to this extended valley or basin, the outlet to which, on all sides, is through narrow gorges or passes .- The Saint Nicholas, March, 1854, p. 411.
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passing in its course through the town and village of Owego, forming the boundary between the towns of Nichols and Tioga on the north, and Barton on the west, and leaves the County on the south line, between Barton and Nichols.
Owego Creek takes its rise by its east branch in Virgil, Cort- land Co., and, its west branch in Dryden, Tompkins Co. The east and west branches flow south, the former centrally through the towns of Richford, (on the north line of which it enters the county) Berkshire and Newark Valley, and across the north- west corner of the town of Owego, to its confluence with the west branch, which enters the county on the north line of Rich- ford, and forms the boundary between that town, Berkshire, Newark Valley and a small portion of Owego on the east, and Candor and Caroline (Tompkins Co.) on the west. They unite about five miles north of Owego village, and form the boun- dary, below their junction, between the town of Owego to the north line of Owego village and of Owego village to the Sus- quehanna, (into which they empty) on the east and the town of Tioga and a part of the town of Candor, on the west.
Catatunk Creek rises in the south part of Tompkins county, enters this county on the north line of Spencer and flows in a south-east direction through that town, Candor, and across the north-east corner of the town of Tioga. It empties into Owego Creek from the west about equi-distant from the mouth of the latter stream and the confluence of its two branches.
Cayuta Creek rises in Cayuta Lake (Schuyler Co.) and enters this county from Chemung county in the north-west corner of the town of Barton, forming, for a short distance, the boundary between that town and Van Etten, in the latter county, and flowing in a southerly direction through the west part of Bar- ton it leaves the county on the south line of that town a little east of Waverly.
Pipe Creek rises in Barton and flowing diagonally across Tioga empties into the Susquehanna at Tioga Center.
Apalachin Creek rises in the town of Apalachin, Susquehanna Co., Penn., and flows north through the south-east part of the town of Owego, near the south-east corner of which it enters the county, and empties into the Susquehanna a little south- east of Apalachin Corners.
The soil along the valleys is a deep, rich, gravelly loam, with an occasional intermixture of clay and sand. The intervales along the Susquehanna are especially noted for their fertility. The uplands are gravelly and sandy and moderately fertile. Upon the summits the soil is hard and unproductive, and in
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many places the rocks are entirely bare. A considerable por- tion of the uplands is still covered with forests. Since the removal of the most valuable timber and the consequent decline of the lumber and tanning business, the attention of the people is mainly directed to agricultural pursuits and a good degree of success is exhibited in its various branches. The cereals and root crops are mostly cultivated on the lowlands, or valleys of the streams, and the uplands are devoted to stock raising, wool growing and dairying. The opening of the railroads has developed considerable commercial interest, and a stronger dis- position to engage in manufacturing enterprises is manifested along the line of these thoroughfares.
The County Seat is located at Owego, where, since the erection of Chemung county in 1836, the courts have been held. By the organic act of 1791, Tioga was constituted a half-shire county, and it was provided that courts should be held alter- nately at "Chenango" (now Binghamton) and "Newtown Point" (now Elmira.) Upon the organization of Broome County in 1806, the half-shire was abolished, and in 1811-12 the court house was removed from Elmira to Spencer village, in conformity with the decision of a committee* appointed Feb. 17, 1810, to select a site for a new court house and super- intend the erection of the building. The County was divided into two jury districts June 8, 1812, and the courts were held at Elmira and Spencer.t In 1821 the court house at Spencer was burned, and in 1822, by an act of the Legislature, the half- shire system was re-established and Elmira and Owego were made the half-shire towns. In 1836 Chemung county was erected from Tioga, and Elmira then became the county seat of the former county, and Owego, of the latter .; The court house, a wooden structure, was erected about fifty-two years since, at a cost of $8,000, on ground donated for a public square by James McMaster, the patentee. The jail, jailor's house and barn, all of brick, were built in 1851, at a cost of about $6,000. The jail contains eight double cells. The clerk's office is a fire-proof building, and was erected in 1855, at a cost of $2,200. All these buildings occupy a square in
* This committee consisted of Nathaniel Locke, Anson Cary and Samuel Campbell.
+ The East Jury District embraced the towns of Berkshire, Candor, Caroline, Danby, (the two latter now in Tompkins Co.) Owego, Spencer and Tioga; and the West, those of Cayuta, Catharine, Chemung and El- mira, the two former being now in Schuyler county, and the latter two, in Chemung.
# The first county officers were Abram Miller, First Judge ; Wm. Stuart, District Attorney; Thomas Nicholson, County Clerk; James McMaster, Sheriff ; and John Mersereau, Surrogate.
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the center of the village. The present court house and clerk's office being deemed inadequate to satisfactorily meet the re- quirements of the business transacted in them, at a special session of the Board of Supervisors in 1870-71 it was resolved to erect a new court house and clerk's office, on grounds deeded to the County for that purpose by the village of Owego, Feb. 1, 1871, and an appropriation of $30,000 was made for that purpose March 21, 1871 .*
The County Poor House, a stone building, is located three miles from Owego, upon a farm of sixty-five acres. The num- ber of persons relieved and supported in 1871 was 194, at an average expense per week of $1.642. The present (July, 1872,) number of inmates is forty. The average number is about fifty.
The principal works of internal improvement are the N. Y. & Erie R. R.,t which extends through the south part of the County, along the north bank of the Susquehanna, and passes through the towns of Owego, Tioga and Barton ; the Cayuga Division of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western R. R., Į which .
* The building committee consisted of D. M. Pitcher, John J. Taylor and Lucien Horton. H. A. Beebe was subsequently substituted for Mr. Taylor. The plans submitted by Miles F. Howes, architect of Owego, were adopted Feb. 3, 1871, and the bid of Messrs. Keeler & Houk, of Owego, for the construction of the building, was accepted March 21, 1871. The latter gentlemen contracted to erect the building according to the original plans and specifications for $55,700.
The building is located in the center of the public square. It is built of brick, trimmed with cut Onondaga limestone, in a style of architecture combining the Grecian and modern styles. It is 70 by 90 feet on the ground. The height of the main building is 46 feet. It is inclosed with Mansard roof. There are four towers, two of which are 120 feet in height, and the other two, 100 feet. It has two main fronts, ornamented with beautiful cut stone porticos, one on Main, and the other on Front street. On the lower floor, on the west side of the main hall, are the offices of the Dis- trict Attorney and Sheriff and the grand jury room; and on the east side, are the Surrogate's and County Clerk's offices, the latter being fire-proof. Up stairs are the court room, (48 by 56 feet) ladies' witness room, library and two jury rooms. The contract provides for the completion of the work by Nov. 1, 1872. When finished the building will cost about $65,000, and will be an ornament to the village and a credit to those having its construction in charge.
+A further description of this road will be found on page 68.
¿ This road was originally known as the Ithaca & Owego R. R., and was chartered Jan. 28, 1828-the second railroad charter granted in the State. The road was opened in April, 1834. At Ithaca was an inclined plane with a rise of one foot in every 4 28-100 feet, up which the cars were drawn by means of a stationary steam engine. Above this was another inclined plane, which rose one foot in twenty-one feet, on which horse power was used. The road was subsequently sold by the Comptroller on stock issued by the State, on which the company failed to pay interest. A new com- pany was organized and the name of Cayuga & Susquehanna R. R. was as- sumed April 18, 1843. The road was reconstructed, the inclined planes being done away with. In 1852 it was sold for $4,500, the sum of $500,000 having been expended in its construction. Jan. 1, 1855, it was leased to the
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has its northern terminus at Ithaca pier, and enters this County from Tompkins, on the north line of Candor, passing through that town and Tioga to Owego village, where it connects with the Erie road; the Southern Central R. R., which has its northern terminus at Fair Haven, (Little Sodus) on the shore of Lake Ontario, enters this county from Cortland, on the north line of Richford, and extends along the valley of the east branch of Owego Creek, passing through Richford, Berkshire, Newark Valley and Owego, to Owego Village, when it diverges to the west, and, following the course of the Susquehanna, passes through Tioga and Barton, and thence into Pennsylvania; and the Ithaca & Athens R. R., whose name indicates its termini, which enters the county from Tompkins, on the north line of Spencer, and runs south to a little south of Spencer village, where it deflects to the west, and passes into Chemung county, where it again turns south and enters the county at the north- west corner of Barton, passing through that town along the valley of Cayuta Creek, and leaving the county on the south line of that town, at Factoryville. Few counties in the State possess railroad facilities superior, or even equal to those enjoyed by this county. Every town in the county except Nichols is traversed by one or more railroads, and that town is in such close proximity to the Erie and Southern Central roads, from which it is separated by the Susquehanna, that the absence of any road is measurably compensated thereby. These roads afford ample facilities for the transportation of the products of the farm and manufactory, and open an inviting field for the pro- secution of mechanical enterprises.
There are seven newspapers published in the County, all weeklies.
THE OWEGO GAZETTE was commenced by Judge Stephen Mack, in 1803,* at Owego, as The American Farmer, the first paper published in Tioga County, and was published on the north side of Front street, near Church. In 1813 it was pur- chased by Hon. Stephen B. Leonard,t who changed its name to that it now bears, and the place of publication to the the north side of Front street, near Paige. Mr. Leonard sub- sequently admitted J. B. Shurtleff as a partner, but in what
Delaware, Lackawanna & Western R. R. Co., by whom it is still operated as the Cayuga Division. This is an important route from the coal mines of Pennsylvania and coal forms the principal item of business.
* Dr. C. J. Seymour of Binghamton has in his possession a copy dated Wednesday, March 18, 1807, (No. 188, or Vol. IV., No. 31) which shows the above date to be correct.
+ Mr. Leonard was originally from New York, from which place he went to Albany, where he worked two years as a journeyman printer, when he removed to Owego, where he still resides, aged over eighty years.
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year we have been unable to ascertain,* and it was published by Leonard & Shurtleff. In 1835 Mr. Shurtleff purchased Mr. Leonard's interest. At this time it was published on the south side of Front street, in the second story of the first building above the bridge crossing the Susquehanna River. In 1841, the office was burned and the paper was soon after continued by Edward P. Marble, "in the second story of Judge Drake's new building, corner of Lake and Front streets." In 1842 it was sold to Thomas Woods, who, in 1843, sold it to Hiram A. Beebe, by whom it was again sold in 1845 to Thomas Pearsall, and by Mr. Pearsall, in 1846, to David Wallis & Son, who kept it one year, when it was again, in 1847, purchased by Mr. Beebe. The office was again burned in September, 1849, when Mr. Beebe removed the paper to the west side of Ithaca Street, (now North Avenue,) opposite the Tioga House (since demolished.) The premises on Front street were rebuilt by Isaac Lillie, and Mr. Beebe returned to his old location in July, 1850, and remained until May, 1853, when he moved to the third story of the: build- ing on the west side of Lake street, owned by T. P. Patch. In January, 1867, Mr. Beebe completed a three-story brick build- ing on the opposite side of the street, (now known as "Gazette Block,") into which he moved and where the paper is now published. August 1, 1871, L. W. Kingman purchased a half interest in the paper, which is now published by the firm of Beebe & Kingman. It is a weekly and in politics has always been Democratic, and generally, as at the present time, has been the only Democratic paper in the county.
THE OWEGO TIMES, weekly, was started as The Owego Adver- tiser in 1835, by Andrew H. Calhoun, who published it until 1853, when he sold it to an association of some twelve persons of Owego, (of whom the present proprietor was one) by whom it was leased for one year to Powell & Barnes, and its name was changed by the latter gentlemen to The Owego Southern Tier Times. In 1854 Wm. Smyth purchased the interest of the other parties comprising the association and changed the name to that it now bears, under which name he conducted it alone until May, 1872, when his son, Wm. A. Smyth, becanie a part- ner, since which time it has been published under the firm name of Wm. Smyth & Son.
The TIOGA COUNTY RECORD, weekly, was started at Owego, by C. H. Keeler, March 18, 1871, and is still published by him.
* The present publishers have copies dated Oct 23, 1827, and Nov. 13, 1827, published by Leonard & Shurtleff, showing that the latter's connection with the paper dates as early as 1827.
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TIOGA COUNTY.
The AHWAGA CHIEF, weekly, was started at Owego, by Horace A. Brooks, Feb. 23, 1872, and is still published by him.
The WAVERLY ADVOCATE, weekly, was started as the Wa- verly Luminary, in 1859, by Thomas Messenger, who published it about two years, when it was discontinued by foreclosure of mortgage. It was resuscitated in 1852, by F. H. Baldwin, who changed its name to the Waverly Advocate and published it one year, when he sold it to M. H. Bailey, who continued it about one year and sold it to Wm. Polleys. F. H. Baldwin purchased an interest with Mr. Polleys, and it was published by Baldwin & Polleys until Dec. 1, 1869, when O. H. P. Kinney purchased Mr. Baldwin's interest, and the firm became Polleys & Kinney, who still continue its publication.
The WAVERLY ENTERPRISE, weekly, was started as a semi- monthly, in 1866, by F. T. Scudder, who'still continues its pub- lication. Jan. 1, 1870, it was changed from a semi-monthly to a weekly.
The CANDOR FREE PRESS was established in 1867 .*
The first settlements were made soon after the Revolution, by emigrants from New England, principally from Connecticut and Massachusetts, in the east part of the County, upon the fertile intervales of the Susquehanna and Owego Creek, under the inspiration of the Boston Company. All that part of the County lying east of the west branch of Owego Creek and north of Coxe's Patent, which extended west of Owego, is embraced in the "Boston Ten Townships."t While settlements were being made in the east part by persons coming directly from
* We have been furnished with no data from which to compile a history of this paper.
The following is a list of defunct publications which have been issued in this County :
The Republican was commenced at Owego in 1833, by - Chatterton, who published it one year.
The Saint Nicholas, a monthly literary magazine, was commenced at .
Owego in 1853, and published at the Gazette office about one year.
The Tioga and Bradford Democrat was started at Waverly, by F. H. Baldwin, in 1864, and was published by him about one year, when he re- moved it to Corry, Penn.
The Waverly and Athens Democrat was started at Waverly, in 1867, by S. C. Clizbe, who, after publishing it about six months, sold it to D. P. Shultz, by whom it was published two years and then discontinued.
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