USA > New York > Chautauqua County > Gazetteer and business directory of Chautauqua County, N.Y., for 1873-4 > Part 14
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
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 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54
* The census of 1870, gives a population of 400.
-
102
CLYMER-DUNKIRK.
counsel were Samuel A. Brown and Joseph Waite, of James- town, who, with the prominent witnesses, lodged on a "field bed," on the floor of one of the neighboring log houses.
The first religious services were held by the Baptists, at the house of Mr. Cleca. land. in 1820, and were presided over by Elder Powers. The first Church (Baptis: was formed in 1830; but a church, the first in town, was built in 1824, by meinbers cf that denomination. The first settled pastor was Rev. Samuel Alvord.
The Clymer M. E. Church erected their house of worship in 1870. It will seat persons. There are seventy-six members. Their pastor is Rev. W. L. Riley, our informant. The Church property is valued at $6,000.
DUNKIRK was formed from Pomfret, Nov. 17, 1859. I: lies upon the shore of Lake Erie, east of the center of the conn- ty, and contains 6,632 acres, about one-half of which is occu. pied by the village of Dunkirk. It is by far the smallest town in the county. The surface is level, and has a slight inclin- ation toward the lake. The town is entirely included in the strip of comparatively level land bordering the lake, and known as the lake shore slope. The soil is a clay and gravelly loam. The only important stream is Canadaway Creek, which de- bouches into the lake near the west line of the village of Dun- kirk. Excellent building stone is quarried along the lake shore, which has been used in constructing the arches on the railroad, and upon the public works at Dunkirk.
The Lake Shore & Michigan Southern R. R. passes through the town, near the lake shore. The Erie, and the Dunkirk. Allegheny Valley & Pittsburgh railroads terminate in the cast part of the village. A horse railroad extends through the town, connecting Dunkirk and Fredonia, three miles south.
The population of the town in 1810 was 6,912, of whom 4,493 were native, 2,419, foreign and all, except seventeen. white.
During the year ending Sept. 30, 1812, the town contained three school districts and employed twenty-eight teachers. The number of children of school age was 2,611; the number a :- tending school, 1.074 ; the average attendance, 935 ; the amour: expended for school purposes, $23,082.22; and the value of school houses and sites, 880,000.
DUNKIRK, (p. v.) a village of about 8,000* inhabitants, and incorporated May 15, 1837, is situated on Lake Erie and the L. S. & M. S. R. R., and is the western terminus of the Erie K. R. and the northern terminus of the D. A. V. & P. R. R.t
The population in 1-10, according to the census of that year, was 5.201. + Darius the year 1542 the average unmber of men employed on these railroad .. : Dinkirk. and it ..
Total
3151.7-0)
-----
------
. ......
103
DUNKIRK.
harbor, though entirely artificial, there being no stream avail- able for navigation, i's deemed one of the best on the southern coast for all vessels drawing not more than thirteen feet of water. The breakwater inclosing the harbor is still incom- plete, but moderate appropriations are being made for the accomplishment of that end. Its wharves and extensive warehouses give it facilities for the transaction of a large amount of business, and these were formerly util- ized to their fullest capacity; but since the completion of other branches of the Erie railroad, making the line to this village one of minor importance, and the withdrawal of the Erie line of steamers, its importance as a lake port has largely diminished, The removal of the Erie repair shops, the discontinuance of the immense freight transfer business of the Erie road and the devastating fires which have ravaged the vil- lage have proved serious drawbacks to the growth of Dunkirk. But its recuperative energics have not been permanently erip- pled. The busy hum of industry which issues from its many manufacturing establishments evinces vitality and gives evi- dence that its future prosperity is assured, since it is establish- ed on a more enduring basis than beretofore." The village contains nine churches.t five schools, with an excellent graded school system, four good hotels. two banks, two newspaper offices, ( Dunkirk Journal and Advertiser and Union,) one job printing office, an extensive locomotive manufactory,§ a large foundry and machine shop, an extensive engine and boiler
* The manufacturing interests of Dunkirk, already extensive, are rapidly increas- ing in importance and value. In 182 not less than MS persons were employed in this branch of business; and the value of the manufactured articles was about $1.500,000.
+ There are nine church edifices belonging to the Baptists. Catholics, Episto- palians, German Catholics, German Lutherans. German Methodists, German Re- formers, Methodiets and Presinterians and three societies-Free Medianlists. Spiritualists and Universalists-which have no edifices, though the former hire a building in which meetings are held.
* The public schools of Dunkirk " are not surpassed by any in the State." They are managed by a Board of Education consisting of six members, who, by a special law, enacted in 15%, have their entire control. They are divided into four praks: the academic department, under the patronage of the Recruits of the University. and grammar, intermediate and primary departments. A thorough and compre- hensive system of education has been adopted; which, with a rigid enforcement of discipline, has placed the schools in the front rank of educational institutions. The school buildings consist of five elegant brick structures and a wooden one, which is rented. These, with other property connected therewith. cont about Solo. At present May, 1973, 1 there are 26 teachers employed. and about 1.html pupils are in daily attendance,
& The Brooks Lavorative Works were established in 199 under the general mann- facturar law of the state, with a stuckervital of sound, which has been increased 1 10
11. . Bur-h. hs of wine it are
wyorkarenot to whom se ) ! ! ining connected with them for that purpose.
:
The works cuver about nine actes of ground. The motive power is supplied by ast horse power steam engine.
--
-
-
104
-
DUNKIRK.
manufactory,* Flesher's Iron Works, two sash, door and blind manufactories, two flouring mills, one lime and one plas - ter mills, a nut-tapping machine mannfactoryf and several smaller manufacturing establishments employing from three to ten men each.
It has several planing mills, and an extensive lumber trade. The village is lighted by gas and is supplied with water for fire, domestic and manufacturing purposes by the Holly system of water works.
The Water Works of Dunkirk are justly regarded with pride by its citizens. They are under the control of a Board of Water Commissionerst created by an act of the Legislature, passed in 1871. The water is drawn from Lake Erie, after being filtered through a crib sunk in its waters, and is forced by powerful machinery to all parts of the village, through more than ten miles of iron pipe. The power and perfectness of the machinery is such that a constant pressure can at all times be maintained for domestic and manufacturing purposes; and in case of fire, large and powerful streams can, at a moment's notice, be taken from any of the numerous hydrants, located in sufficient number throughout the village, to speedily drown the most serious confiagration. The total cost of the entire work -- including crib in the lake, building, machinery, ten miles of pipe and sixty-four double hydrants-done in the most thorough manner, was 8100,000, for which the village issued bonds payable in twenty-five years. The work will ever be regarded as a monument to the energy and perseverance of its projectors and to the enterprise and munificence of the tax- payers of the village. Its importance is already shown and felt by the numerous manufacturing establishments which
------
* The Dunkirk Iron Works, situated on the corner of Lion and Ruggles streets, about you fert from the railroad depot, were established in 1-05, under the direction of Clark & Allen, who carried on the business until the spring of iss, when they dis- posed of the whole business to Sullew & Popple, the present enterprising proprie- tors. Since purchasing the establishment they have added three large brick build- met at a cost of nearly $29,000. besides a large amount of new machinery, thereby furnishing facilities for carrying on a large amount of business. The manufacture of betters, engines, saw mill, tannery and grist inill gearings, and castings forms a large part of their business. They also manufacture various articles of machinery -Janers. matchers, corn shellers, circular saws, de. and the business is constantly Their boilers, engies and other machinery are in use throughout the curry-in New York, Penn. Ohio and Michigan. From 75 to Go men are constantly taipland. They have built up a large business, which has contributed much to the If erity of the town and redeets great credit upon the proprietors.
+ This business was established about a year ago by J. N. Durrell, and although started on a small scale, gives promise of developing into an important one as the i. .? to. principh. involved in the minchine beenthes known. At present four experience the present your (1) is about 1) machines,
to Water Commissioners at its organization, as at present, consisted of Chas, D. Murray, President, J. J. Williams, Merytory, T. R. Colman, Treasurer, Horatio G Brooks, S. M. Newton, John S. Brags, H. M. T. Smith and John Madigan.
---
6
DUNKIRK.
105
have been built and are in course of construction since its completion.
St. Mary's Orphan Asylum and School, situated on Buffalo street, was established in 1857, and incorporated under the general law of the State, Jan. 11, 1858. It has no permanent income, but depends chiefly upon the voluntary contributions of the charitable and benevolent. The State aid hitherto re- ceived was of great aid, but of this it has been deprived. The asylum is under the immediate charge of a religious society of ladies, known as the "Sisters of St. Joseph," who also conduct charity schools in the vicinity. Since its establishment, 135 orphans-half of them destitute girls-have been admitted; and of this number 100 have been provided for, four have died, and twenty-two remain in the asylum. The children are edu- cated, receive religious instruction, are trained in domestic labor, plain and fancy needle work, and are taught trades if desired.
Dunkirk Library and Free Reading Room was instituted in 1872 and opened in July of that year. It contains 1500 vol- umes, to which monthly additions are made. It is located in the Monroe Block, second floor, on Center street, and is open from 9 A. M. to 9 P. M.
Irondequoit Lodge No. 301, F. & A. M. meets at 7.30 P. M., from April to October ; and at 7 P. M. from October to April.
Dunkirk Chapter No. 191, R. A. M. meets at 7.30 P. M.
Dunkirk Council No. 25, R. & S. M. meets at 7.30 P. M. from April to October; and at ? P. M. from October to April.
Dunkirk Commandery No. 40, K. T. meets at 7.30 P. M. from March to October; and 7 P. M. from October to March.
Settlement was commenced in 1808, by Timothy Goulding. who settled one mile west of the harbor. Solomon Chadwick* located on the site of the village the following year, and - Gaylord, Daniel Pier and Luther Goulding settled soon after at the same place. The first vessel was brought into the harbor by Samuel Perry, in 1810. Walter Smith built the first grist mill in Dunkirk. Hle conducted the water from Canadaway Creek by means of a race-way a distance of three miles. The first male child born in town was George D. Alton, who was born Sept. 15, 1817, and still resides in the village. Mr. and Mrs. Adam Fink, who are still living in the town, were the first couple married in Dunkirk, in 1919. Mr. Fink cleared with his own hands the plat now occupied by H. I. Miner & Co's
* From Solomon Chadwick, who first settled on the site of the village, Dunkirk was formerly known as Chadicick 's Bay.
106
DUNKIRK.
Bank, and sowed it to wheat. He also made the first cast-steel edge tool in the county.
In 1837, the year in which the village of Dunkirk was in- corporated, a striking mania for speculations in real estate was displayed, in consequence of the supposed importance which the New York and Erie railroad would attach to lands in this locality, and much loss and serious embarrassment resulted therefrom. In referring to this subject, Warren, in his His- torical Sketches of Chautauque County, says:
" The speculations in real estate, which were at their hight during this period, and which have resulted in such incalculable injury to the interests of the whole people, affected the village of Dunkirk more seriously than any other point in the county. The termination of the New York and Erie Railroad at this place, pointed it out to those most deeply affected with the contagion, as a spot on which operations of the kind might be carried on for a while at least with success. The rage for corner lots and eligible sites, was rife, and ran to so high a pitch, that men of all pur- suits -- farmers, mechanies, merchants, lawyers, and even ministers of the coppel, embarked upon the wild sea, without rudder or ballast, with noth- ing to propel them but a whirlwind, that soon scattered them in broken fragments upon a lee shore.
" The general result has been a stagnation of trade, depreciation in the prices of all kinds of property, the rain and entire prostration of many families who had been in prosperous circumstances, and on the high road to competence and even independence, and the hopeless bankruptcy of thousands of others. Though affected to a greater degree, this village was not alone in its madness. Most of the other villages were more or less influenced by the mania that swept over the land, and suffered in propor- tier to the extent of their operations."
The first sormon in Daukirk was peached by Eder Joy Handy, the pioneer minister of Chautauqua county.
The First Pridetterian Church of Dunkirk was organized with eleven members a. not 14,8. by Tin . thy Stillman, the first pastor. Their first house of worship was erected about 140. A new one is in process of erection, which is designed to seat fhpersons. and cost $20,000. The present pastor is Rev. M. Adams, There are 140
St. Mary's +ZurZ. Roman Catholic) at Dunkirk; was organized with 500 members by Rev. Peter Colgan. the first pastor, in 151, in which year was erected the first mas of worship. The present church edifice was erected in 1-53-4. ar a cost of Hmm, and will what &# persons. The present pastor is Rev. Basil Keating; and the quinn of members about 4.500. The Church property is valued at 235.000. A pas- re rosignano was built inreal, as a house of studies for ecclesiastical students of .r.for of Passionists in whose charge the congregation now is. The Passionist 's came to Dunkirk in 1. They are a missi mary body. and extend their 1: bors to all parts of the country. The house erected in 1861 is designed as a home for the missionaries of the order, and is known as St. Mary's Monastery. It now contains six priests, six students and four lay brothers.t
Juk ihre, i Episcopal at Dunkirk, was organized in 1832, and its first house of worship was created the same year. The present edifice was created in 1699, at % cost of Sled, and will set ( to 450 persons. There are 150 members. The pariuri. R.v. P. P. Kidder. The Church property is valued at $15.();
German United Frangelied Church, at Dunkirk. was organized with mersin 1. by Rev. Mr. Voigt, of Buffalo. The in house of worship. i.
. M. Adams, the pastor. The early records weil
+ Information finished by Rev. Basil Keating tho pastor. Information furnished by Rev. P. P. Kidder, the pastor.
-
-- -
DUNKIRK-ELLERY.
107
which will seat 600 persons, was erected in 1858, at a cost of $1.000. Rev. Mr. Strauss was the first pastor; Rev. T. Voegelin is the present one. The Society numbers about 500 members, most of whom are from the northern part of Germany. Its property is valued at $2,000 .*
The German M. E. Church, at Dunkirk, was organized with fifteen members, by Rev. C. Blinn. the first pastor, in 1857. The church edifice was erected in 1859, at a cost of $1.200, and will seat 200 persons. There are seventy-five members. The pastor is Rev. Dr. G. A. Moelling. The Church property is valued at $4,000.t
Zion Church, (Evangelical Association) at Dunkirk, was organized with nine mem- bers, by Rev. J. J. Bernhardt, the first pastor, in 1865, in which year the church edifice, which will seat 250 persons, was erected, at a cost of $2.200. The present number of members, including 29 in Laona, is 97. The pastor is Rev. Martin Yauch. The Church property is valued at $2,500 .;
The First M. E. Church, at Dunkirk, consists of eighty-five members, who are under the pastoral care of Rev. L. L. Luse. The Church edifice will seat four hundred per- sons. The property of the Church is valued at $6,000.5
ELLERY| was formed from Chautauqua, Feb. 29, 1821. A part of Stockton was taken off Dec. 11, 1850. It is the cen- tral town in the county and contains 30,073 acres. The sur- face is hilly, the highest summits being about 400 feet above the valleys, and 1,000 feet above Lake Erie. The principal stream is Bemus Creek, which flows south into Chautauqua Lake. The lake forms the west and south boundary of the town, with the exception of a small portion of the former. Cassadaga Creek crosses the north-east corner. The soil upon the hill is a clay loam and in the valleys is a gravelly loam.
The population of the town in 1870 was 1616, of whom 1581 were native, 35, foreign, 1614, white and two Indians.
During the year ending Sept. 30, 1872, the town contained fourteen school districts and employed thirteen teachers. The number of children of school age was 498; the number attend- ing school, 418; the average attendance, 224; the amount expended for school purposes, 84,722.93; and the value of school houses and sites, 88,313.
ELLERY CENTER (p. o.) contains one church, (Baptist,) a store, hotel, blacksmith shop, cooper shop, wagon shop, steam saw mill and sixteen dwellings.
BEMU'S POINT (p. o.) is a hamlet pleasantly situated on the
# Information furnished by Rev. T. Voegelin, the pastor.
t Information furnished by Rev. Dr. G. A. Moelling, the pastor.
+ Information furnished by Rev. Martin Yauch, the pastor.
§ Information furnished by Rev. L. L. Luse, the pastor. The early records were destroyed by fire.
, Named in honor of Wm. Ellery, who was born at Newport, R. L. Dec. 22, 17227. He graduated at Harvard College in 1747, when be commenerd the practice of law in his nativ . town. He was an early opponent of British misrule, and enjoying public candidates was elected a delegate to the Continental Camer as, where he * !!
...
4 : Was redd warf Justice of the State; and in How he was appointed by Washington the first Call For of Newport, which other he held until his death, Feb. 15. 1:20.
.
108
ELLERY.
east shore of Chautauqua Lake, about midway between May- ville and Jamestown. It contains one church, two hotels, (one of them large and built with a view to accommodating the numerous visitors who frequent the shores of the lake during the summer season,) a blacksmith shop, harness shop and fifteen dwellings. The steamboat upon the lake stops at the landing at this place.
Settlement was commenced at Bemus Point in 1805, by Wm. Bemus, from Rensselaer county. James Bemus, his son, who was then eight years old and still resides in the town, says that when his father started in search of a home he journeved first to within fifty miles of Philadelphia, whence he turned his steps westward until he reached the Ohio, near Marietta, and from there he came by way of Meadville and Erie, Pa., to this county. Thomas, James and Jedediah Prendergast accom- panied Mr. Bemus in his southern trip, and they with their families to the number of about thirty persons settled along the lake shore. They brought with them sixteen horses, six wagons and one coach. Jeremiah Griffith and Azariah Ingerson brought their families in the following year. The former set- tled in the south part of the town, on the place where Nelson Griffith now resides, and the latter, in the north-west part. Mr. Griffith's family consisted of his wife, five sons (Samuel, Jeremiah, Jr., John, Seth and Alex. H.) and one daughter. They came from Madison county by way of Buffalo, thence to Fredonia by Lake Erie and Canadaway Creek, and thence through the woods a distance of twenty-two miles to Chautauqua Lake, at Mayville, where the party separated, Mr. Griffith, his wife and daughter, in company with Samuel and one other son, proceeding upon the lake which was then frozen over, drawing after them a hand-sled. Night overtook them before their destination was reached and they encamped in the woods, sleeping upon hemlock boughs with blankets for a covering. The other party came down the shore of the lake, following the path cut by the Bemnses a few weeks previous to the Point, from which place they cut their way through the forest to their destination. They brought with them a sled, containing their effects, drawn by an ox team. At that time, says Samuel Griffith, who is now in his 8th year, there was only one family living between Fredonia and Mayville, and but two at Mayville. Game and fish were abundant, and on these they chiefly sub- sisted until their farms became productive. Their grain was pulverized with mortar and postle, the common substitute for mills in new countries. Samuel Griffith and his brother Jeremiah were called to the defense of Buffalo during the winter of 1813 and saw it reduced to ashes by the victorious
watha
----
ELLERY.
109
enemy. The daughter of Mr. Griffith was married to Amos Bird, from Mass., and from these families have sprung a numer- ous progeny. Thomas Van Wert settled on the farm on which Jotham Bemus now lives in 1807. Joseph Strong and John DeMotte settled in the town in 1809. The former came from Cayuga county and located in the north-west part, on the farm now occupied by George Belden, where he raised a family of nine children and died at the age of 71; the latter came from Chenango county in the fall, with an ox team and sled, bearing his wife and five children, and located on the north half of lot 5, on Cassadaga Creek. Mr. DeMotte brought with him a quantity of apple seeds, with which he started a nursery, and in a few years set out an orchard, from which he began to har- vest a few apples about 1822. Some of these trees, though old and sere, continue to bear fruit. Daniel, the oldest son of De Motte, was somewhat eccentric, though he was quite intelli- gent and displayed much ingenuity. In his younger davs he spent much time in trying to solve the problem of the feasi- bility of a perpetual motion and his efforts were not relaxed until he demonstrated the fallacy of his theories. He subse- quently turned his ingenuity to practical account by construct- ing a grist mill in the lower story of his house, the motive power for which was supplied by a small spring brook. The stones, which were about eighteen inches in diameter, were made from rock obtained on the farm, and, unlike ordinary mill stones, which run in a horizontal position, they were hung perpendicularly and discharged the flour in the same manner as the domestic coffee mill. The mill was fed with such pre- cision that only three grains of corn were admitted at one time. It would run night and day with a very small quantity of water, and grindabout three bushels of corn in twenty-four hours into excellent meal. As it was designed for his own use and convenience he did not seek the patronage of his neighbors, though when his own grinding was done he was always willing to accommodate them, without exacting fee or toll. Another ingenious contrivance saved him much time and arduous labor in supplying back-logs for his fire-place, which were indispens- able in those days. In one jamb of the fire-place, which was capacious and constructed of stone, was a hole about two feet in diameter, through which was inserted one end of a log which rested on a moveable carriage. As often as that portion of the log exposed to the fire burned away the carriage was moved for- ward until the whole log was consumed. Joseph Smiley and Clark Parker came in Into, and Win. Smiley, about the same time. Both the Smileys participated in the defense of Buffalo, and William sacrificed his life there. James, son of Wm.
-
1
110
ELLERY.
Smiley, and John, son of Joseph, who accompanied their fathers to this town, are still residing here, the former being seventy and the latter sixty-five years of age. Mrs. Siniley, upon the death of her husband, returned with her family to Chenango county, where she remained eight years, when she again took up her residence in Ellery. Abel Bronson and Al- len Manley became residents in 1811. Bronson came from Bridgewater and settled in the north-east corner, where he died at the age of seventy. His sons, Oliver and Alfred, still live on the old homestead. Manley came from Berkshire county, Mass., and still lives on the lake shore, one and one-half miles above Bemus Point. He is eighty-six years old and is the oldest man in town. Thomas Parker, who participated in the defense of Buffalo, came from Otsego county in 1812, and in conjunction with his brother, Clark, who came two years previous, com- menced improving a farm, for which they paid $2.50 per acre. Each worked at his trade until the farm was paid for. John Johnson came about 1812 and settled on the town line road. Mrs. Johnson is now living with John Vandewark, her son-in- law, and is eighty-four years old. David Young settled in the north-west corner, two miles from the lake, in 1815, at which time he says there were only three families-those of John Love, Jared Nickerson and Henry Angerson-living in that locality. Abijah Clark came the same year and settled on the lake shore road, on the farm on which he now resides. He is eighty-five years old. Joseph Loucks, Peter Loucks, his son, and M. P. Loucks, his grandson, also settled in 1815. They came from Madison county and located in Dutch Hollow. John Vandewark, Elias Clark and John Pickard came in 1816. Vandewark came from Herkimer county aud settled on the town line road. Clark located on the farm on which he now resides at the age of eighty-one years. Pickard, with a family of eight sons and four daughters, came in company with Adam Van De Worker and Lawrence Stom, from Madison county, and located on what is now known as Pickard street, on the first of March of that year. He bought of John DeMotte one hundred acres on the south part of lot 5 and built a log house on the east side of the road, nearly opposite the residence of the late Cyrus Ballard. The sons of Mr. Pickard, only one of whom (Abraham) is now living, at the age of sixty-three years, and subsequently his daughters, with their husbands, settled on this street. Van De Worker took up fifty acres on lot 3, adjoining a firm of equal extent taken up by Adam Pickand. near Dry Brott Form bought out doin Love and John Love, Jr., on Int 18. @ unet of 200 acres, then known as the Movey lot, from Josiah Hover, who made a small beginning there in the spring
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.