USA > New York > Herkimer County > Gazetteer and business directory of Herkimer County, N.Y. for 1869-70 > Part 12
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
"This house was erected in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety six, under the directions of John Por- teous, Abraham Neely, Nicholas Thumb, and Henry Klock, Esq. and completed in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and eighteen, under the superintendence of
Dr. James Kennedy, William Girvan, and John Dygert, Esq'rs. Joseph Dorr, and ) William Lovland, S
Building Committee.
Master Builders.
Dan Dale,
James Dorr,
Benjamin Carr,
Workmen.
Sanford Pierce,
James Sanders,
Martin Easterbrooks,
Robert Wharry,
William Haddock, S. Apprentices.
The Rev. Hezekiah N. Woodruff, Pastor of the church and congregation. Little Falls, 23d April, 1818.
In handwriting of Josiah Parsons."
The present church edifice is of brick, was erected in 1832, is 42 by 80 feet, and cost about $4,000. It is located on the corner. of Ann and Albany streets. It has been quite prosperous from the beginning and is now probably the largest Protestant Church in the County.
The Episcopal Church was organized February 22, 1823, with Nathaniel S. Benton and George H. Feeter, church wardens ; Oran G. Otis, Lester Green, Solomon Lockwood, Abner Graves, Andrew A. Barton, Wm. G. Borland, Thomas Gould and Daniel H. Eastman, vestrymen .. The first rector was Rev. Phineas L. Whipple, who officiated one-half the time for one year from the 3d of January, 1824, for the sum of two hundred dollars. The pres- ent church edifice is a substantial stone structure, well finished inside, and furnished with a fine organ. The beautiful stained glass windows cost $2,000 ..
The Baptist Church was organized December 21st, 1830, and the following persons elected trustees : Daniel Rogers, Alanson Ingham, Parley Eaton, Henry Haman and Stephen W. Brown. In 1832 the society erected a stone church on the corner of Albany
96
GAZETTEER OF TOWNS.
and Mary streets. The number of members at the organization of the society was thirteen ; the present number is 184.
The Methodist Church was organized November 19th, 1832, and Edmond L. Shephard, Gilbert Robinson, George Warcup, Ebe- nezer S. Edgerton and Henry Heath were elected trustees. A subscription for a church edifice was started in October, 1836, and the house, 45 by 50 feet, was completed in 1839. In 1848 it was enlarged to its present size, 45 by 75 feet. The audience room will seat 425 persons. The church is valued at $10,000. The society own a parsonage valued at $2,500. Rev. Charles L. Dun- ning was the pastor at the time of the completion of the church. The number of members is 170. Rev. M. Gaylord Bullock is the present pastor.
The Universalist Society was organized May 3, 1851, and M. M. Ransom, O. Benedict, A. Zoller, L. O. Gay, J. K. Chapman, L. M. Gray, A. Fuller and O. Angel, were elected trustees. The number of members at its organization was twenty ; the present number is fifty. The church edifice is a fine brick structure of the Gothic style of architecture, 43 by 85 feet, and cost $20,000.
The Roman Catholic Church was organized in 1853 with 40 communicants. The present number is 2,200. The church edifice was erected in 1867 at a cost of $45,000. It is of brick, 60 by 152, and 45 feet from floor to ceiling.
The population in 1865 was 5,588; its area is 17,393 acres.
There are ten school districts, employing twenty teachers. The number of children of school age is 2,127; the number attending school 1,343; the average attendance 524, and the amount ex- pended for school purposes during the year ending September 30, 1868, was $8,165.62.
MANHEIM, named from Manheim, in Baden, the native place of the first settlers, was formed from Palatine, Montgomery County, April 7th, 1817. It lies on the north bank of the Mohawk, upon the east border of the County. The surface gradually rises from the flats along the Mohawk, to the north border, where it at- tains an elevation of 500 feet above the river. East Canada Creek, called by the Indians Ci-o-ha-na, forms the east boundary. Catha- tachua Creek flows south, through near the center, and Bennett Brook flows south-east through the north-east corner. There is a series of cascades upon East Canada Creek, about one mile above its mouth, where the water descends 180 feet in three fourths of a mile. The soil is a gravelly loam upon the upland, and a fine, fer- tile alluvium in the valleys.
97
GAZETTEER OF TOWNS.
Brocketts Bridge, (p. o.) situated upon East Canada Creek, in the north part, contains two churches, viz: Methodist and Free church, a tannery, a cheese factory and about 250 inhabitants.
Inghams Mills, (p. o.) on East Canada Creek, three miles below Brocketts Bridge, contains a grist mill with two runs of stones, a saw mill, a church and about 100 inhabitants.
East Creek (p. o.) is a station on the N. Y. C. R. R., near the mouth of East Canada Creek.
Manheim Center is a post office. A short distance south-east of this place is a Reformed Dutch Church, that was organized before the Revolutionary war.
This town was settled at an early day, probably as early as 1756, by Germans. A grant of 3,600 acres was made in 1755 to Jacob Timmerman and Johan Jost Schnell, commonly known as Snell and Timmerman's Patent. Suffrenus, Peter, Joseph and Jacob Snell, four sons of one of the patentees, made a donation of seven acres of land for a church lot, and twelve acres for school purposes. They and their neighbors continued to meet and work upon the land Saturday afternoons until it was cleared and fit for cultiva- tion. A church was erected on the land designed for that purpose, and remained until 1850, when it was replaced by a new one. The school house in the district stands on the donated lot. Nine of the Snell family went into the Oriskany battle under Gen. Herkimer, seven of whom were killed. Henry Remensneider and Johannes Boyer settled on Glen's Purchase, a few miles north of Little Falls, previous to the Revolution. Among the other early settlers who located in the town before the Revolution were the Keysers, Van Slykes, Newmans, Shavers, Klocks, Adlesands, Garters, all of whom suffered greatly during the struggle for Independence.
This, like other settlements in the Mohawk Valley, suffered severely from the attacks of the Indians. On the 3d of April, 1780, a party of about sixty Tories and Indians attacked Remen- sneider's Bush, a settlement a few miles from Little Falls, burned a grist mill and carried away nineteen prisoners. They took John Garter and his son John prisoners at the mill, and captured three men in the road near by, one of whom was Joseph Newman. Among the other prisoners were John Windecker, Henry Shaver, George Adle, Cobus Van Slyke and - Uker. Twelve of the prisoners were taken in one house by less than half their number of Indians, no effort being made to escape or resist. All but two of the prisoners returned after the war, John Garter having died in Canada and George Adle having escaped and returned previously. There was a block-house in this neighborhood called Remensnei- der's Fort, to which the inhabitants were accustomed to resort at night for safety and protection. After this visit from the Indians
98
GAZETTEER OF TOWNS.
most of the families retired to the lower valley and abandoned their farms. John G. Snell, while looking for cattle in the woods, was surprised and shot through the body by the Indians. He recovered and lived to a good old age.
John Beardslee, a native of Sharon, Conn., a practical mechanic and civil engineer, came to the Mohawk Valley in 1787, and erected mills at Whitestown, where he remained until 1792, when he was employed by the State to build a set of mills for the Onei- da Indians. About this time he erected the first bridge.across the Mohawk at Little Falls, and the old red mill at the same place. Bridges and mills were erected by him at various places in this and adjoining counties ; among them was a bridge over West Canada Creek, another over East Canada Creek, and a grist and saw mill and cloth dressing works about half a mile north of the present Mohawk turnpike bridge. The bridge across East Canada Creek was paid for by Montgomery County, and in order to obtain the necessary timber, he purchased a hundred acre lot west of the Creek and adjoining the site of the bridge, for which he paid 330 pounds New York currency, in March 1774. He subse- quently erected mills which were in operation the next year. The mills attracted emigrants, and in 1800 there was quite a village, containing two stores, two tanneries, a blacksmith shop, a nail fac- tory, a cooperage and a brewery. After a successful business life, Mr. Beardslee died on the 3d day of October, 1825.
The first church in this town, built in 1774 or '5, was burned during the war but was rebuilt soon after.
The population of the town in 1865 was 1,831; its area is 18,034 acres.
There are eight school districts, employing nine teachers. The number of children of school age is 405; the number attending school 306; the average attendance 155, and the amount expended for school purposes during the year ending September 30, 1868, was $2,333.12.
NEWPORT was formed from Herkimer, Fairfield, Norway and Schuyler, April 7, 1806. It was named from Newport, Rhode Island, the former residence of many of the early settlers. It lies on the west border of the County, near the center. The surface is broken by ridges of highlands which rise from 400 to 500 feet each side of the narrow flats along West Canada Creek, which flows south-easterly through near the center of the town. White Creek flows south through the east part. The soil is a clayey loam, with a mixture of gravel on the hills. It is chiefly underlaid by lime- stone which is quarried in some localities.
Newport, (p. v.) situated near the center of the town, on West Canada Creek, was incorporated in 1857 and contains three
99
GAZETTEER OF TOWNS.
churches, viz., Baptist, Universalist and Roman Catholic; two ho- tels, a grist mill, a saw mill, a tannery, a lock shop, two wagon shops, several stores and about 800 inhabitants. It is connected with the N. Y. C. R. R. at Herkimer by a plank road.
The site of the present village of Newport was purchased of Daniel Campbell, of New York City, in 1788-9, by William, Ephraim and Benjamin Bowen, of Newport, Rhode Island. Chris- topher Hawkins was the first permanent settler. He came into the town in the fall of 1791, and in the spring of the next year erected a small house for the Bowens, on their property, to which Benja- min Bowen removed the same year. Other early settlers were Joseph Benseley, William Wakely, Stephen Hawkins, - Bur- ton, George Cook, Nahum Daniels, Edward Coffin, John Nelson, John C. Green, John Churchill, George Fenner and William Whip- ple, all of whom came in previous to 1798. They were all origin- ally from New England and derived their titles to the land from the Commissioners of Forfeiture and from the Waltons, who had received a tract of 12,000 acres from the King in 1768. Israel Wakely, Dr. Westel Willoughby and Sherman Wooster settled here at an early day.
The first death was that of Silas Hawkins, in 1793; the first school was taught by Abby Justine, in 1795; William Wakely kept the first tavern, in 1793, and George Cook the first store, the same year. Benjamin Bowen built the first saw mill, in 1793, and the first grist mill, in 1794. The first town meeting was held in 1807, at which Dr. Westel Willoughby was the Moderator, Christopher Hawkins was chosen Supervisor, and Phineas Sher- man, Town Clerk.
Mr. Christopher Hawkins, the first settler of the town, was a native of Providence, R. I., and in May, 1777, at the age of twelve years, shipped on board the privateer schooner " Eagle," at New Bedford, Mass. The schooner cruised along the course of vessels sailing from New York to England, but meeting with no prize, at length reached the English coast, when, after remaining for a time, she returned and was captured by a British sloop of war, and the whole crew made prisoners. On reaching New York, Hawkins and most of his companions were assigned to the prison ship " Asia," then anchored in the East River. At the expiration of three weeks Hawkins was taken on board the British frigate " Maidstone," to serve as waiter to one of the officers. He re- mained on board this vessel eighteen months, passing the time quite comfortably. He had so far quieted the apprehension of his officer, by saying that he was satisfied with the service and did not wish to go home, that he was permitted to go on shore when the vessel was in port at New York. Taking advantage of this liberty he escaped and reached his home in North Providence in
100
GAZETTEER OF TOWNS.
November, 1778. After remaining at home two or three years, he again shipped on a privateer of sixteen guns, commanded by Christ- opher Whipple. The vessel was captured by two British cruisers the fifth day after putting to sea. The crew were taken to New York and placed on board the Jersey prison ship where they en- dured all the horrors which have been so frequently portrayed, and only equaled by the horrors of Andersonville, Salisbury, and other rebel prisons during the late war. In the fall of 1781, Hawkins and a shipmate, William Waterman, conceived the project of es- caping from their floating prison by swimming to Long Island, a distance of nearly three miles outside of the sentinels posted along the shore. To get clear of the ship was the main difficulty, as it was impossible to leave the upper deck without being discovered, and at night the prisoners were confined to the lower deck, the gun ports of which were secured by bars fastened to the timbers of the ship. With an old ax and a crowbar, during a thunderstorm, they re- moved the bars from one of the port holes and replaced it tempo- rarily to avoid detection. They then placed their wearing apparel and what money they had in their knapsacks, which they fastened to their backs, and in that condition were let down to the water by their comrades. After being in the water about three hours and swimming nearly three miles, Hawkins reached the land, cold, naked and nearly exhausted. A short time before reaching the shore, his knapsack broke loose and he was obliged to abandon it. He then went to a barn where he slept in the hay during the next day, and at evening left it and wandered about in a rain storm, but to no purpose. The next day he slept in a barn until noon and then start- ed in search of food, fearful that he might be detected, as that part of Long Island was frequented by Tories. After wandering for two and a half days naked and without food, he at length approached two young men who were at work in a garden and asked for some old clothes and something to eat. After some explanation, one of the young men told him to wait until he could consult his moth- er. In a short time the young man returned with food and a pair of pants. These being disposed of he was taken to the old lady who asked him varions questions, and among others if he had a father and mother. Hawkins told her his mother was in Providence and his father in the American army. With eyes streaming with tears she said, " I wish you were at home." It was arranged that he should take some clothing then hanging on the fence, and if he was arrested and any questions asked, he was to say he stole them. The kind hearted old lady then gave him a supply of food and told him where he could find a canoe to take him across a small bay in his route to Sag Harbor. After various adventures he arrived at home with no further desire for sea-faring adventures. About the year 1786 he located in
101
GAZETTEER OF TOWNS.
Norway, where he remained a short time, then moved to Fairfield, and, in the fall of 1791, moved to Newport. He enjoyed the con- fidence and esteem of his townsmen, who elected him Supervisor for fourteen consecutive years immediately succeeding the organiz- ation of the town. After a short interval he was again elected to that office, which he held for six years more. He died on the 25th day of February, 1837, in the seventy-third year of his age. Mr. Hawkins raised a large family of children, one son and six daugh- ters. The son is still living.
The first public religious services were held in the town in 1796 by Rev. David Haskell, of the Baptist denomination. The Bap- tist Church was organized in March, 1808, with twenty-nine mem- bers. Jeduthan Higby was the pastor. Their first church edifice, of stone, was completed in 1822. The present number of mem- bers is 105. M. N. Negus is the pastor.
St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church, located about three miles from Newport, on the line of Schuyler, was erected in 1839. Ser- vices were held in this place for several years by clergymen from Little Falls and Newport, but it subsequently became attached to Newport under the pastorate of Rev. Mr. Herbst. Services are only held occasionally.
St. John's Roman Catholic Church, in the village of Newport, was organized in 1864, under the pastorate of Rev. Mr. Herbst. They soon after purchased the house previously occupied by the Methodists, and have continued to hold services there until the present time. Rev. Thomas Reading, D. D., is the present pastor.
The population of the town in 1865 was 1,983; its area is 19,960 acres.
There are ten school districts, employing twelve teachers.
The number of children of school age is 650; the number at- tending school 490; the average attendance 243, and the amount expended for school purposes during the year ending September 30, 1868, was $3,792.27.
NORWAY was formed from Herkimer, April 10, 1792. Fairfield was taken off in 1796; Russia, at first called Union, and a part of Newport, in 1806, and Ohio in 1823. It lies in the in- terior of the County, north of the Mohawk. The surface is elevated and rolling. It is drained by several small streams, tributaries of West Canada Creek. The soil is sandy in the north-west, and in the east and south loam mixed with gravel. Limestone is quar- ried in several places, and fossils have been found near White Creek. There is a sulphur spring about a mile north of the vil- lage. G
102,
GAZETTEER OF TOWNS.
Norway, (p. v.) situated near the center of the town, contains three churches, viz., Baptist, Methodist and Episcopal ; one store, a hotel, a carpenter shop containing a steam engine, a cheese fac- tory, a carriage shop, a harness shop and about 200 inhabitants.
Gray, (p. v.) on the line of Ohio, contains an extensive tannery, giving employment to about fifty men and turning out about $125,- 000 worth in 1868. Most of the leather is sold in Boston, Mass. Water and steam are both employed as power to run the ma- chinery. There is also a large cheese factory using the milk of 600 cows and making English cheese, and a saw mill with circular and mulay saws. The village received its name in honor of Latham Gray, who came from New London, Conn., and settled here in 1828. The place was then a wilderness and is largely indebted to his enterprise and energy for its prosperity.
Western, on Black Creek, is a hamlet containing a Methodist church, and a saw and grist mill. The first saw mill in this part of the County was erected at this place.
The first settlement was made by Christopher Hawkins and Whipple, from Rhode Island, in 1786, but they soon abandoned the place. In 1788 Jeremiah Potter and his son; Fisher, settled about eight miles north of Fairfield village. They made a small clearing, built a hut and passed the winter with nothing but pota- toes, a little salt and such game as they were able to secure for the sustenance of their families. John, Andrew and Amos Coe, and Captain Hinman, came from Connecticut ; John and David Corp, N. Fanning, Thomas Manly and David Underhill, from Vermont; five families by the name of Brayton, from Rensselaer County ; Angell, Lemuel and Philip Potter, Edward Henderson, Uri H. Cook, Henri Tillinghast, A bijah Tombling and others, all settled here at an early day. Mr. Tillinghast was from Vermont and settled in 1794, on the farm now occupied by his descendants. He erected a tannery and laid the foundation of his future prosperity.
The first birth in the town was that of a child of Gideon Bray- ton, and the first death that of the wife of E. Hinman. The first school was taught by Jeanette Henderson, in 1793. Amos Coe kept the first inn, and Thaddeus Scribner & Brother the first store, in 1793. Captain Hinman built the first saw mill, and Carpenter Cole the first grist mill, in 1793. Vale & Eddy built a fulling mill the same year.
A tornado had prostrated several acres of the forest near the cabin of the Potters, and here father and son were accustomed to seek the white rabbit with which to replenish their scanty larder. One cold frosty morning, while hunting for rabbits, they discovered a hole in the snow which was four or five feet deep and several inches in diameter. The sides of the hole were hard and covered
103
GAZETTEER OF TOWNS.
with a white frost, indicating that some living animal was below. Using their snow-shoes for shovels they soon removed the snow and found beneath it a mass of hemlock boughs, and beneath these a large cavity in the earth which proved to be the winter quarters of a large bear. Bruin not relishing the disturbance of his winter quarters came forth to see who was trespassing upon his territory. He had no sooner made his appearance than a bullet was lodged in his head and he became the lawful prize of his captors. He proved to be fat, his meat was tender and was a valuable acquisi- tion to the settlers.
In 1842, while cutting down a maple tree, Mr. Fisk found near the center several marks of a hatchet and a small piece of the edge of an iron or steel hatchet, indicating that the incisions were made when the tree was a small sapling. On counting the grains of wood outside of the marks he found three hundred, showing that three hundred years had elapsed since the marks were made in the sapling.
The first religious services were held by - Robertson, in 1792. Rev. Caleb Alexander made a missionary tour through this and adjacent counties, in 1801, and Rev. John Taylor made a simi- lar visit in 1802. Mr. Alexander says in his journal, under date November 16:
" Rode early to Norway, met with the church at Mr. Newland's and attended all day to the settling of difficulties of long standing. It appeared that in many instances they had been irregular in their proceedings, which served to be the principal cause of the conten- tions and animosities existing among them. These were all can- vassed and reduced to a happy train of accommodation. Adjourned to meet on Saturday morning, at which time I agreed to preach a lecture and to administer the sacrament of the Lord's Supper on the next Sabbath so be that all difficulties should be settled. Lodged at Mr. Lewis Hinman's and spent the evening in preparing papers to be laid before the church on Saturday."
" Tuesday, 17, breakfasted at Mr. George Cooks, dined at Mr. Moses Mather's, returned to Fairfield. There has been some at- tention to religion in Norway, several have attained a hope and give evidence of true piety. The church consists of thirty-seven members, incorporated three years since by Rev. Mr. Marsh in union with the associate churches of Morris County Presbytery. Mr. Marsh preached here two years and is now settled in Balls- town. In Norway are two Baptist churches, one on the open com- munion and the other on the close communion plan. The open communionists are Armenians in sentiments."
"Saturday, 21, rode early in the morning to Norway, very cold and rough riding. Convened with the church at Mr. Ruland's and attended to the difficulties and controversies existing among them.
.
104
GAZETTEER OF TOWNS.
After much conversation, explanations and mutual confessions it was unanimously agreed that they would all make a public confes- sion to-morrow in the presence of the congregation, and renew their covenant with God and one another. During the whole of the transaction they all appeared to manifest a tender, charitable and forgiving spirit, and it appeared that their divisions arose more from mistake of judgment than error of heart."
The next day, Sabbath, he says: "Read the confession of the church for their past misconduct, read their covenant to which they all gave consent, administered the Sacrament and took tea at Lieutenant Smith's.
The next year Rev. John Taylor says of Norway: "There is one Methodist church, numerous; two Baptist churches and part of a third; no meeting houses. The people almost universally in- clined to hear preaching of their various sects. I have concluded to visit this place and several other towns in this quarter, near the close of my mission, should I be able to make it convenient."
In 1808 the snow fell to the depth of seven feet, and the only means of communication between neighbors was upon snow shoes. There was great distress and one woman perished. Food was so scarce at one time that the people dug gentian root and carried it to Fort Plain and exchanged it for corn.
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.