USA > New York > Chautauqua County > Gazetteer and business directory of Chautauqua County, N.Y., for 1873-4 > Part 16
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CLEAR CREEK, (p. o.) situated on the east line and partly in Cattaraugus county, contains one church, one hotel, two stores, a harness shop, shoe shop, cabinet and cooper shop and about 25 houses.
Settlement was commenced. about 1812 or 1813 by Benj. Follett, who settled in the north part of the town, on lot 40. He built a house, but remained only a short time, removing to Cattaraugus county. Joshua Bentley, from Stephentown, Rensselaer county, came in 1813 or 1814, and settled in the east part of the town, on lot 7. Joseph Bentley came the latter year and settled on the same lot. Joshua Bentley kept the first hotel in town, in a framed building, built of rough lumber, in which also was kept the first store by Messrs. Camp, Colvil & Holbrook. In the latter year or the year following James Bates,t from Massachusetts, settled in the north part, on lot 48. Wyman Bugbee, a native of Connecticut, moved into this town from Stockton, where he had settled with his father's family in 1811, and located in the valley of Clear Creek, in the north part of the town, where
* The population in 1870 was 314.
+ It is related of James Bates, a son of this pioneer, that when a young man, wh .! r warning home from Myman Bugbee's through the woods in company with his Hit! Father. he met what he supposed to be a large dog. He called to it, but with"." et. He then tried to irichten it, but with as littin effect, and as it manifested ne visition to turn out for him. ba proenred a stout stick and struck the animal ile bead. and with a seem I blow broke its back. Alarmed at the suppositiva killed am ighbor's dog be requested his brother not to mention the cir.
wolf. The gul ligt in company with his father : n.l Mr. Pa
! The w If was still affre. Init was soon dispatched and sainted, ami ts I wanty, which was then SD, obtained.
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he resided till 1832, when he removed to Ohio .* Samuel Mc- Connell and Simon Lawrence settled in the town in 1816. The former was from Cayuga county, and located on lot 47. in the north part; the latter came with his family from Rutland county, Vt., with an ox team, and located on lot 38. The journey occupied six weeks, and for six weeks after their arrival the family lived without bread. Alvah and Simon, Jr., are still living upon the same lot! The latter, born in 1817, was the first child born in the town. Simon Lawrence set out the first orchard in town and raised the first apples. Ward King, from Massachusetts, came in 1817. He settled on lot 16 in the north-east part, and on this lot, three years later. he built the first grist mill. The mill stones were obtained in the locality and fashioned by himself. The bolt was made of bleached factory. The stones were propelled by an overshot wheel, the water being conveyed to it by means of a trough hewn in logs. In this year (1817) the first marriage was contracted, by Rufus Hitchcock and Ranah Hadley; and the death of the former, which occurred six weeks after his marriage, by falling from a building, was the first in the town. In 1821 David Gross was killed while felling timber on lot 30. His father was killed in a similar manner the following year. Reuben Penhollow and Aber Bates settled in 181S. Penhollow came from Pittsfield, Mass .. and located on lot 39 on the first of April of that year. He built a log house aud cleared a small patch of ground, on which he planted a few potatoes. He was one of the party who threw the tea overboard in Boston harbor. Bates came from Chesterfield, Mass., with his family, consisting of his wife ( Nancy) and five children. (Vinal. Joseph P., Mariah, Alvah atid Corydon.) and settled ou lots 48 and 50, on the 12th of July, 1818. He carried the most of his provisions on his back from Fredonia. Ebenezer Green, came from Pittsfield, Mass ..
* While hunting one day soon after his settlement. in company with two of his neighbors, his dog started a bear, at which he fired his last shot. But the hear. the ugh hit. was not disabled, and after running a few rolls, climbed a tree. Bugger Glad to his cong anions, who came to the resene. Alvab Lawrence shot the bear in the head, but did not MIX it, and it began to descend. The party (which now con- Sard. Besides the two already mentioned. of Simon Lawrence. Z. Davenport. Geo. McConnell and Joseph Bates, the two former being armed with axes which they had len grinding surrounded the tree with axes and clubs, awaiting the bear's descent. When about ten feet fran da ground it dropped, and Mcconnell dealt it several Hows apon the head with his club. but without any apparent effect. The bear Brated to run and Busbee's dog followed in close pursuit. Bring sorely annoyed by the dog the bear corred non it and gave it a terrible hug. The ories of the dor Lenght Back to its assistance. He got behind the bear and tried to open its werth, but the animal spento back and Buzbee fell. A terribles mizde now ensued du ing which the Har bit Buchee several times in the leg. The position of the com- rants was sofr anaed that the latter's com. ,i
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weary to carry ina hele. and his injuries confined him to his house for six montles.
>> >> faint that it
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in 1819, with an ox team, the journey occupying thirty days. That year he erected the first house on the site of the village of Ellington, and the same year made maple sugar on the site of the park in that village. The first sermon in the village was preached at his house in 1820, by Rev. A. Williams, a Methodist. While Mr. Green was looking after his cattle at a late hour one night he was chased into the village by wolves. The first saw mill in the town was built the latter year (1820) on lot 30, by Simon Lawrence. James Thacher settled on lot 64, Dec. 9, 1820. It was the custom at that time to turn the cattle into the woods to browse. At one time, Mr. Thacher lost a cow twenty-six days. It had strayed into a timber slashing, and when found had its head entangled in some bushes in such a manner as to be unable to extricate itself. It was alive when found, and continued to live. Nathan Bugbee, brother of Wy- man, who had also previously resided in Stockton, settled on lot 20 in this town in 1822. About 1825 he removed to Say- brook, Ohio, where he died in the spring of 1860. Daniel C. Green settled on lot 24 in February, 1823, and in that and the following year many settlers came into the town. The first female child was born in the family of Benj. Follett. Milo Camp taught the first school in a part of McConnell's log house.
On the 8th of Sept. 1865, a rain storm of only three or four hours' duration produced a flood which did great damage throughout the town. It carried away nearly all the bridges, and threatened the destruction of the village. The hotel and Baptist church were swept from their foundations into the street. The Walden block was entirely destroyed. A. Mat- toek's house was carried across the park, and four of his chil- dren were drowned, one of them, a little four-years-old boy was never found. His wife was carried a distance of thirty rods under water, to a pile of drift-wood, on which she lodged. J. Torrey was swept from a shade tree in the park, up which he had climbed, by a small barn, which was carried down with the carrent, and was only saved from drowning by having a rope thrown to him from Holmes' store.
The first religious services were held at the house of James Bates in 1814, by Rev. Daniel Hadley .*
V ... Christian Church, at Ellington Center, was organized with seven members. in 1-31. by Rev. Freeman Mallen, the first pastor. The church edifice was erected in :- at & cost of $1,99, and will seat 3rd persons. There are twenty-four members. w .... are under the pastoral care of Rov. L. S. Gibson. The Church property is valu: d .: * ] +
DR. Airoh Lawrence, one of the first settlers, says insi section was preached by Rev. John Spencer, a Presbyterian. + Information furnished by Mr. Ira S. Gateg.
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ELLINGTON-FRENCH CREEK.
The First. M. E. Church of Ellington was organized with fifty members in 1826. by Rev. John P. Kent, the first pastor. Their house of worship was erected about 1942. at a cost of $1.000. and was repaired in 1858. It will seat. 400 persons. The present number of members is 150; and the present pastor, Rev. P. W. Schofield. The Church property is valued at $5,000 .*
The First Congregational Church of Ellington was organized with twelve members, Feb. 4, 1828, by Rev. Wm. J. Wilcox. the first pastor. The church edifice was erected in 1842, at a cost of $1,500, and was repaired and enlarged in 1871 and '72, at an ex- pense of about $3.000. It will seat 250 persons. The pastor is Rev. A. D. Olds. The Society numbers 113 members ; its property is valued at $5,000.+
The Ellington Freewill Baptist Church, at Ellington village. was organized with eight members in 1829 or 1830, by Rev. Amos C. Andrus. the first pastor. The church edifice was erected in 1840, at a cost of about $1.200, and will seat about 200 persons. There are about 65 members ; but the Church is without a pastor at present. The Church property is valued at about $2,000.+
FRENCH CREEK was formed from Olymer, April 23. 1829.§ It lies in the south-west corner of the county, border- ing upon Pennsylvania upon the south and west, and contains 21,886 acres. The surface is hilly and broken by the deep val- ley of French Creek, which, with its tributaries, are the only streams. The soil consists mostly of a heavy clay loam, well adapted to dairying, which forms the chief pursuit of the people.
The population of the town in 1870 was 973, of whom 815 were native, 158, foreign, and all white. Next to Kiantone it has the smallest population of any town in the county.
During the year ending Sept. 30, 1872, the town contained seven school districts and employed seven teachers. The num- ber of children of school age was 293; the number attending school, 261; the average attendance, 140; the amount expend- ed for school purposes, 86,646.67; and the value of school houses and sites, $5,665.
There are no villages in the town.
FRENCH CREEK and MARVIN, both situated on French Creek, are post offices. The former is in the north part; the latter, in the south-west part, and is kept by A. Scarratt, who also keeps the only grocery in that part of the town.
A steam saw and shingle mill, in the north part, gives em- ployment to six persons and manufactures 2,000 feet of lumber and S,000 shingles in ten hours.
* Information furnished by Mr. Horatio M. Jacobs.
t Information furnished by Rov. A. D. Olds, the pastor.
+ Information furnished by Mr. Joseph Sorkins, who is the only surviving member connected with the Church at its organization.
§ The first town meeting was hehl at the house of Win. Hooker, the first Tuesday anders were elected: Alex. Wilson, Super- staniel Thompson and Sales W. Pogled Hann and Angustur Bolva. Som and Roval Harrick, Commissioners If. F. S. O. Colsun and Mi Belknap, Commissioners of Common Park, A. Noble and Ephraim Dean, Inspectors of Common Schools : Wm. and tion, Mas, c'estbien; Ephraim Dean, dieties of the Pedre ; laninh 1.
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FRENCH CREEK-GERRY.
Settlement was commenced in 1811, by Andy Noble, who came from Oswego county and located on lot 44. John Cleve- land settled on lot 31 in 1812, and Nathaniel Thompson on lot 9 in 1813. Roswell Coe, Ammon Beebe, Paul Colburn (from Oneida county) and Gardner Cleveland, settled in 1813, Coe, on lot 39 and Colburn on lot 44. The first death was that of a son of Nathaniel Thompson, who was drowned in French Creek. The first school was taught by ---- Chitsey in 1818. The first inn was kept by Wm. Graves, who also built the first grist mill, in 1822. The first store was opened in one end of the grist mill by John Dodge.
The first religious services were held on lot 46, in 1818, by Elder Ashford, who also organized the first church, (Baptist) in 1921, in a school house which stood on the farm now owned by John Jones. This worthy Elder evidently attached great im- portance to "the outward and visible sign in the form of baptism, " for it is related that he refused admission to the Church to an aged couplo until they were immer- -! in his presence. although they had previously been baptized in accordance with his prescribed method. The aged couple were unwilling that personal comfort sh and be a barrier to their salvation, and accordingly a hole was cut in the ice, while the mercury stood below zero, and they went down into the water.
The French Creek Society of the M. E. Church, in the north-west part of the town. was organized with four members, (Isaiah and Betsey Golding and Wm. and Ais Adams.) in 1830, by Rev. J. K. Hallock, who. and J. Chandler, were the first pastors. Their house of worship was erected in 1858, at a cost of $2.000. and was fois! ! painted and carpeted in Ist. It is a fine country church, stands on lot 46, and wal seat 300 persons. Ju rear of the church is a continuous row of double sheds extend. ing ten rods. The pastor is Rev. C. R. Waters. The Society numbers thirty-fix- members; its property is valued at $2,500 .*
GERRY+ was formed from Pomfret, June 1, 1812. Elling- ton was taken off April 1, 1824, and Charlotte, April 18, 1823. It is an interior town, lying a little north-east of the center of the county, and contains 22,105 acres. The surface is a hilly upland, the highest summits being in the north-east part and 900 feet above Lake Eric. The broad valleys of Cassadaga and Mill creeks extend along the west border, from north to south. The principal stream is the Cassadaga, which crosses the south-west part of the town. Several of its tributaries hay- their sources among the hills in the north-east part. Several sulphur springs exist in the town ; and a gas spring has been
* Information furnished by Lorenzo Golding. + Named from Elbridge Gerry, who was born at Marblehead, Mass., July 1 ;. 1741. and graduated at Harvard College in 1762. For several years he devoted himself : . commercial pursuits, tle was a member of the Massachusetts Legislature in It: and served on the Committee on Correspondence. In 1774 he was chosen a men - of the Provincial Congress, and from 1746 to 10:5, was a Delegate to the Continent ... Congress, whore he held the front rank on commercial and naval subjects. B. signed the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation; al. : though Le opposed the Federal Constitution, he yielded his opinion when it bee.t . the organic law of the reallie. While in Congress he was a member of the Cus matt . of Public Safety at supplies, and when the Committed Were
: " mi mkt, whi! BA Federal Congress from ITSA to KUS, and in the latter your was a Pre- Llector. also again in 194. In 1997 he was appointed Minister to France. fr Governor of Massachusetts in 1810 and 1911, and in 1'13 was inaugurated V: President of the United States, which office be filled till his death, at Washing: Nov. 23. 1>11.
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discovered on lot 44, a little south-west of the center, the gas from which has been used for illuminating purposes. The soil is chiefly a clay loam ; that in the Cassadaga valley being some- what sandy, The town is well adapted to grazing, and dairy- ing forms the chief pursuit of the people. The hills are timbered principally with beech and maple, and the valleys with hemlock, black-ash and pine.
The Dunkirk, Allegheny Valley and Pittsburgh R. R. enters the town in the north-west corner, and passing through the west part, along the Cassadaga valley, leaves it a little east of the center of the south border.
The population of the town in 1870 was 1096, of whom 1027 were native, 69, foreign and all, white.
During the year ending Sept. 30, 1872, the town contained eight school districts and employed eight teachers. The num- ber of children of school age was 351; the number attending school, 300; the average attendance, 150; the amount ex- pended for school purposes, 82,037.78 ; and the value of school honses and sites, 83,175.
VERMONT, (Gerry p. o.) (formerly known as Bucklins Cor- ners,) situated in the south part, is a station on the D. A. V. & P. R. R .. and contains a Union church, hotel, two stores, a cheese factory, thirty dwellings and 150 inhabitants.
SINCLAIRVILLE STATION on the D. A. V. & P. R. R., is in the north-west part of the town.
Settlement was commenced in 1810, near Sinclairville, in the north-west part, by Stephen Jones aud Amos Adkins. Early in the spring of that year Jones built a log house about one mile south of Sinclairville, and Adkins, his brother-in-law, built another near him. The same season James and William Gilmore came in and built a house near the Sinclairville railroad depot, upon the street leading from the depot to Sinclairville. In 1811 Melzar Sylvester and Hugh B. Paterson, and soon after David Cobb, settled this street. During this year, (1811,) the old Chautauqua road from Marville to Ellicottville, Cattaraugus county, was cut through the north part of the town; and soon after it was opened, John Love, - Bartlett, Seth Cole, jr., Ichabod Rus- sell, Aber Comstock and Seth Grover settled upon it. A road was also opened from Sinclairville to Jamestown, which crossed the north-west portion of the town, and upon this Elijah Has- well. Cornelius DeLong (who was wounded at the battle of Bett do in the war of 1812,) Jesse Dexter and others settled. Prior to Isla to settlements were made in the town, except along the north and west borders, and much the greater por-
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tion of the town remained a dense and undisturbed forest. In the spring of 1812, Wm. Alverson came from Halifax, Vt., on horseback, to Gerry, and selected land south-west of the center of the town, about one mile north of the village of Vermont. He then returned to Vermont. In 1816, he, Porter Phelps, and Hezekiah Myers, from Vermont, and Jason Strong, from Rhode Island, purchased and settled lands there. This consti- tuted the first settlement in this part of the town, which has since been widely known as Vermont Settlement. During the years immediately following, the eastern, southern and central portions of the town were rapidly settled, almost entirely by Vermonters, most of them from Windham county. At the present time, much the larger portion of the population of the principal part of the town are Vermonters, or their descend- ants. The first settlement upon the site of the village of Ver- mont was made by James Bucklin, and the place was formerly known as Bucklin's Corners. The first death in the town was that of the wife of Amos Adkins; the first birth was in the family of Stephen Jones. Howard Blodget kept the first store at Vermont in 1826. John Hines and Wm. Newton erected the first saw mill on Cassadaga Creek, in 1819, and the first grist mill in 1822 .*
The first religious meeting was held in the spring of 1818, by Elder Jonathan Wil- son.
Tarmont M. E. Church was organized with ten members in 1867 or '68. by Rev. A. L. Kellogg, the first pastor. The Society is without a church elifice, and worships in a free church, which will seet 200 persons. There are thirteen members, who are ministered to by Rev. H. W. Leslie, our informant.
HANOVER was formed from Pomfret, June 1, 1812. Villenova was taken off January 24, 1823, and a part of Sheri- dan, April 16, 1827. It lies in the north-east corner of the county, upon Lake Erie, and contains 29,112 acres. A part of the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation lies in the north-east part of the town. Along the lake shore the surface is level or undu- lating, and in the central and southern parts it is hilly, with an inclination toward the north. Cattaraugus Creek forins a por- tion of the north boundary. The interior streams are Silver and Walnut creeks, with their tributaries, the former flowing in a north-westerly, and the latter in a northerly direction, which unite near the lake and discharge their waters into it within the limits of the village of Silver Creek. The soil is clay, gravel and gravelly loam, and, except where the clay large- ly predominates, is very productive. The town is admirably adapted to dairving. Deposits of excellent building stone exist in the vicinity of Forwaralle.
* Our thanks are due and tendered to Mr. Obed Edson, of Sinclairville, for valus- ble data relative to this town and Charlotte.
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The Lake Shore & Michigan Southern R. R. crosses the north part of the town, near the lake shore, and the Erie R. R., the central part.
The population of the town in 1870 was 4,037, of whom 3,526 were native, 511, foreign, 4,015, white and 22, colored.
During the year ending Sept. 30, 1872, the town contained sixteen school districts and employed twenty-six teachers. The number of children of school age was 1,350; the number at- tending school, 1,371; the average attendance, 670; the amount expended for school purposes, $11,009.18; and the value of school houses and sites, 824,250.
FORESTVILLE, (p. v.) situated in the south -west part of the town, on Walnut Creek, and on the Erie R. R., and in the midst of a fine farming country, where dairying forms the chief agricultural pursuit, was incorporated April 4, 1849. It con- tains three churches, (Baptist, Episcopal and M. E.) a Union school and free academy, a printing office, ( Chautauqua Farmer,) a bank,* two hotels, some twenty-three stores of various kinds, an extensive flouring mill, with steam and water power, and another not in operation, two saw mills, a tannery,t three blacksmith shops, two shoe shops, a carriage factory and plan- ing mill, with machinery operated by steam and adapted to a general jobbing and house building business, a wagon shop. a sash, door and blind factory, a harness shop, a manufactory of patent roofing, a photograph gallery, meat market, dress mak- ing establishment and 800 inhabitants. It is connected with Kennedy station on the Atlantic & Great Western R. R. by a stage which leaves the village every 'Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The village contains some fine business blocks and elegant private residences, which evince thrift and refinement.
The Forestville Cornet Band consisting of eleven members, under the direction of Frank Spencer, was organized in 1868.
SILVER CREEK.1 (p. v.) situated on Lake Erie, at the junc- tion of Silver and Walnut creeks, and on the L. S. & M. S. R. R., in the north-west corner of the town, was incorporated June 8, 1848. In 1870 it had a population of 666, but the number is rapidly increasing in consequence of its manufac-
* The Forest ile Banking Co. was organized in 1870, with a capital of $50.000.
+ Fir An's Timmery gives employment to eight persons, annually consumes 1.000 corda of !ark and has fachrits for tanning 15, um) sides per annum.
* In I menafor the visit of Gen. Lafayette to thiscountry. the man of Fy fe Was Another shown in honor of the French patriot and Revolutionary Pory The man was changed about forty years ago to correspond with that of the creek at whe se mouth it is located, and which derives its name from an Indian tradition that there was a sliver unine upon it.
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tures. It contains two churches, (M. E. and Presb.) a bank,* two hotels, eight or ten stores. an extensive smut machine fac- tory,t a manufactory of the " Excelsior Bran Duster and Mid- dlings Purifier,"f two tanneries, a hay press manufactory, a flouring mill,§ two carriage shops, two blacksmith shops, three shoe shops and a photograph gallery.
Previous to the construction of the railroads, an extensive business was carried on at the harbor, and several lake vessels were built here, among which was the steamboat, W. F. P. Tuylor, which was built in 1836 by Oliver Lee and others. The first was built by Ira Fairchild, in 1816. Mr. Lee, with some assistance from the general government and individuals. built a convenient dock, where vessels and steamers discharged large quantities of merchandise and received produce of almost every description. A light-house was kept at the expense of the government for many years; but the completion of the railroads so effectually revolutionized business and the means of transportation, that these works have gone to decay.
IRVING.| (D. v.) situated in the north part, near the mouth of Cattaraugus Creek, and on the L. S. & M. S. R. R., contains one church, (M. E.,) a school, one hotel, six stores, a grist mill."" saw mill, wagon and blacksmith shop, two broom fac- tories and about 600 inhabitants. At the mouth of the creek is a harbor admitting the entrance of vessels.
During the years of 1832 to '46, Irving was an active center of business, and its shipments of valuable lumber and other
* The Bank of SFer Creek was organized in 1839, with a capital of $100.000, and having been conducted with fidelity and ability, has always enjoyed a fair degree of prosperity.
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