USA > New York > Lewis County > Gazetteer and business directory of Lewis county, N.Y., for 1872-73 > Part 19
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The first religious services were conducted by the Methodists who held meetings long before a Church was organized, or a house of worship was erected.
The First M. E. Church, at Davansville, was organized Feb. 19, 1849, in which year their church edifice, which will seat
* French's State Gazetteer, which raye he wettled here in 1793.
136
NEW BREMEN-OSCEOLA.
400 persons, was erected, at a cost of 81,206. There are eighty members. The first pastor was Rev. O. C. Lathrop; the present one is Rev. Z. B. Hitchcock. The Church property is valued at $2,000 .*
The German Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized with twenty-eight members in 1846, and its house of worship, which is located at the corner of State road leading to Beaverton, east of Dayansville, and will seat 300 persons, was erected in 1850, at a cost of $400, or one-half the present value of Church property. Rev. J. Weiskotten was the first pastor ; Rev. John Boehrer is the present one. There are sixty five members.t
OSCEOLAt was formed from West Turin, Feb. 28, 1844.§ A part was annexed to Montagne Nov. 22, 1867.| It lies upon the high region" in the south-west corner of the County, and contains, 55,680 acres. The surface is undulating and has a general inclination to the south-west. The highest elevations are 1,500 to 1,600 feet above tide. It is abundantly watered by the west branch of Salmon River, which flows through the south part, Stony, Fall and Prince brooks, which flow south into the latter, and several branches of Fish Creek, in the east part. The soil is a moderately fertile, sandy loam, and nearly all the town is yet a wilderness.
In 1870 the town had a population of 688, of whom 532 were native and 156, foreign ; and all were white.
During the year ending Sept. 30, 1871, the town contained seven school districts and employed seven teachers. The
* The first Trustees were David A. Stewart, Griffith Meredith, Peter Van Atter, Wm. Holmes, Egbert Arthur, John Wakefield, Frederick Ford, Simeon Dinslow aud Alex. Y. Stewart .- Information furnished by Griffith Meredith.
t Information furuished by Edward Thomas.
The name, which perpetuates the memory of the celebrated Seminole chief. was adopted in preference to Greenfield, which was suggested in compliment to the resident agent, in deference to the request of Miss day, of New York, afterwards Mrs. Henry E. Pierrepont, of Brooklyn, who in return presented the town with a set of record books. The town embraces a part of Township No. 8 and the whole of 13, or Hybla and Rura- bella, of the Boylston Tract.
§ At the first town meeting, bell at the house of Seymour Green, in 1814, Seymour Green was elected Supervisor, and John Roberts. Town Clerk.
That part annexed to Montague embraced thirty-eight lots in the north part, or from 1 to BS, both inclusive, of Townsh.p No. S.
Moses Wright, while surveying the least elevated portion of the town, in 1797, thus graphically, though with some degree of exaggeration, reveals hia conception of the ditli- culties which ate elevation interposed. Herecords: " Lots 112, 113: 30 chains up the high- est hill that ever was. S.w 0,conpo tret high." This, read in the light of an entry made by him under date of Oct. 9, 1757, would seem to indicate that the absence of liquor in one who is accustomed to its use is as fintil a source of amplification as its exe s- sivense. He writes : " This 8th day of October. it being Monday, had the pleasure of running all day in the coldest rain I ever was sensible of. The rain that fell the day before yesterday, last night and to-day, raised the brooks and creeks over their banks, and what gave me the worst feeling is, that the hard, pinching hand of Poverty, seven days ago took all the rum."
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OSCEOLA.
number of children of school age was 300; the number attend- ing school, 228; the average attendance, 110; the amount expended for school purposes, $1,791.19; and the value of school houses and sites, $2,030.
OSCEOLA (p. v.) is situated in the south-west part, two and one-half miles from the Oneida county line, and one and one- half from the Oswego county line, and contains one church (Congregational,) a school house, two hotels, a town house, two stores, a tannery, saw mill, blacksmith shop, carriage shop, cooper shop, about thirty houses and 160 inhabitants.
The first settlement was made by Jabez Green, Christopher Divine and Harvey Potter, who squatted on lot 138, about 1822. Green remained until 1827, when he removed to Red- field, Oswego county. Divine and Potter did not stay long. Samuel W. Nash located a little above soon after, but only tem- porarily. A man named Clark burned a wind-fall in 1826, and planted corn upon it. The yield was abundant, but the crop was gathered entirely by bears. "This wind-fall," says Dr. Hongh, " was the track of a tornado that had passed across the town three years before, and the fire, when applied, ran through it with tremendous energy, sending up columns of flame and smoke, which were observed at an immense distance, the former by its reflections upon the clouds at night, and the latter by its ,dense sombre masses by day." Settlement was retarded .by the lack of concerted action on the part of owners of scattered lots, in the appointment of an agent for the opening of roads, the sale and settlement of lands and the introduction of improve- ments in which each had a common interest. James S. T. Stranahan of Florence was the first agent of the Pierrepont estate in this town. He was succeeded in July, 1839, by Sey- mour Green, brother of Jabez Green, who was empowered to sell lands at 81.50 per acre for cash, or $2.00 on credit of four years. The laying out of a road from Florence, extending north nearly through the town, and the favorable reports cir- culated relative to the tract which it was designed to traverse, attracted such an influx of land seekers that within four months during the latter part of the year nearly 18,000 acres were con- tracted by persons contemplating their settlement. This influx proved to be abnormal however and within three years. owing in a measure doubtless to the unusual severity of the following winter, half the lands thus sold had reverted. The road as designed was never completed, and at the present day the town has less than fifty miles of public roads. The first family that actually settled with title on Township No. 13, was that of Robert Russell, which located on lot 139, in Dec., 1839.
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138
OSCEOLA.
They wintered there alone, and in the spring were joined by Ira and Thomas Hulbert and others .* Warren Andrews came in 1838 and built a house and saw mill on Salmon River, about one mile below Osceola village. Both have long since gone to decay. In 1841 a Mr. Kenfield introduced suitable machinery into. the saw mill and manufactured wooden bowls there. Roswell A. Hubbard, Wm. G. Smith, Lyman Wellman, David Shorey, Silas A. Fox, Henry J. Baker and Anthony Rowell were early settlers. Seymour Green, the agent, settled on the north- east corner of lot 132, in 1842. Mr. Green is a native of Wash- ington county, and received the appointment of agent while residing in Oneida county, whence he removed to this County. He has been actively identified with the material interests of. the town, and has been honored with important trusts by the franchises of his townsmen. He still retains a land agency, and is still a resident of the town, having reached the age of 79 years.t Elisha Bennett took up twenty-five acres about two miles north of Osceola village, and settled on it in 1847. At that time there were, he says, but few inhabitants north of Salmon River. It was a dense woods, infested with numerous bears. The next year 1,600 acres were under contract and 5,491 acres were deeded, and in 1850 the town had a population of 412. The settlers came principally from adjoining towns. On the suspension of public work on the Canal in 1842, a considerable accession was made. The first birth was that of Russell Chase ; the first marriage, that of Capt. Edward Humaston and Jane Smith ; and the first death. that of Agnes Russell, a child eight years of age. Jerusha Wetmore taught the first school in 1844, and the first two framed school houses were erected that year. With the exception of a very small portion in the north-west corner of the part annexed to Montague, the whole of Town- ship No. 8 is unsettled, and less than half of Township No. 13 is settled. That that is, the west and south borders, are very sparsely so.
Benj. Wright subdivided Township No. 13 into 151 lots, in 1:95, and Township 8, into 111, in 1805. The former, by his survey, contains 37,0414 acres, and the latter, 28,419.53. In 1805 a road, designed to intersect the State road in Redfield, was cut from Fish Creek, across Townships Nos. 1, (now Lewis.) and 13 and S in this town, to the line of ? (the north part of Redfield, Oswego Co .. ) " but the north end and the por- tion south of the Macomb purchase were never cut ont, and
* Iloagh's History of Louis Cour ty.
t"A political opponent many years since applied to him in derision the title of the 'Osceola chief," which has been accepted among his friends, and by which he is widely known .- Hough's Historyof Letis County.
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139
OSCEOLA.
the route soon relapsed into a state of nature. It entered Township 13, on lot 137, and in Township 8 crossed lots 96, 85, 84, 73, 62, 61 and 50." James Constable and Hezekiah B. Pierrepont, two of the executors of the estate of Wm. Constable, traversed this road in Sept., 1805, and in the journal of the former is the following allusion to this town : .
" Sept. 7. * * * The soil of the whole of No. 1 is very indifferent, the timber mostly hemlock except sometimes beech or a hard mossy birch, the face of the country uneven and ridgy though not much stony. I fear it will not settle speedily. The south-easterly part of No. 13 not much better, though we have occasionally some better timber, ash, bass, &c As we advance to the Salmon river we find better land fit for settlers ; some good swales and very little hemlock. Forded the river, it being here a small stream, and there being some grass for our horses we stopped to bait them and ourselves. A tire being soon kindled each man cut his slice of pork, toasted or fried it, and we made a hearty meal. The brandy brought with us and the water made a good drink. Passed on, the land improving till we came to the 13 and 14 mile tree, to a good spring and a brook where there was a good hut of the road makers, and although we might have gone two or three miles further before dark, yet Fairservice being doubtful whether we should meet such good accom- modations, it was determined to remain here for the night. Another cause was, that we got some hay for the horses. We made our fire, cooked our pork and made our meal with an excellent appetite. Our horses were not neglected.
"Sept. 8. After sleeping pretty soundly till day-light, the weather seemed likely to turn to rain, and we resolved to proceed on through the road so far as to insure our getting to Redfield in the course of the day, as the provisions would not hold out longer. Went on to the 18 mile tree, and at another hut prepared and eat our breakfast of pork and bread, with brandy and water for tea. I found these articles less palat- able at this meal than the others, however the pork improved (?) very mildly. We went down the road some miles further, leaving No. 13 and going on to No. 8, and found the latter very good land, such as settlers will not refuse. The road is equal to roads as new as it is. The weather looked threatening, and to be sure of reaching Redfield in good time, we took a course south-west to strike the State road, and coming to a good stream which was at first supposed to be Salmon river (it is certainly a branch of it), as it afforded some grass for our horses we thought it a proper place to halt and refresh. Accordingly dinner was provided as usual; we ate heartily, and finished the last of our brandy. We had now to pass through the woods, the south part of No. 7 and north part of Redfield, which was very difficult to ourselves and dangerous to our horses, from the swamps and heavy fallen trees covered with under- brush."*
The First Congregational Church, at Osceola, was organized with ten members, Dec. 15, 1853. Their church edifice was erected in 1864, at a cost of 82,300, and will seat 300 persons. The Society now numbers twenty-seven members. Their first pastor was Rev. David Dann ; but at present they have only a stated supply. The Church property is valued at $3,000.t
* From Hough's History of Lewis County.
t Information furnished by Hiram J. Cowles.
140
PINCKNEY.
PINCKNEY* was formed from Harrisburgh and Har- rison (now Rodman, Jefferson Co.,) Feb. 12, 1808.+ It liesabout the center of the west border of the County, from which it projects to the extent of about half its area into Jefferson county, and contains 23,448 acres. Its highlands, which have an average elevation of 1,300 feet above tide, form the water- shed between Deer River and Sandy Creek. The head waters of the north branch of Sandy Creek and Big Gulf Creek lie in this town, and form its principal streams. Deer River crosses the south-east corner. A series of swamps extend along the east border. There are several mineral springs in the town. one of which has acquired considerable notoriety for its medicinal qualities.] Upon the hills the soil is a light, slaty loam, and in the valleys, a deep, black loam. It affords some fine grazing country.
In the note book of Benj. Wright, who surveyed around this town in the spring of 1796, appears this description of its qualities :
"This town is a pretty good one, and is extraordinarily well watered with large and small streams. There is a pretty large creek towards the S. E. part of the town known by the name of Deer creek, on which probably there are fine mill seats, although I have seen none. A large gulf where the Deer creek crosses the east line of the town Along the north line of this town there is some very fine land. The soil in general is good and well watered. There [are] some gulfs on the branches of Big Sandy which are rather bad. The timber is maple, beech, basswood, ash, birch, elm and hemlock. Along the E. line is very fine soil for about half the distance, from the N. E. to the S. E. corner. The soil is not so good, but rather more cold. Some hemlock interspersed in some places with spruce, &c. Along the south line the land is rather cold, some excellent spots, but some swampy and bad. The timber is maple, beech, birch, ash, hemlock, bass and some elm, &e. ; along the west line there is some very fair country, except that it is cut to pieces with small streams which form gulfs."'s
The east part, except a narrow strip along the east line, is little settled, owing doubtless to its swampy nature. Elsewhere the town is pretty generally and uniformly settled. The pop- ulation in 1820 was 1,149. Of this number 981 are native, and 168, foreign ; all are white. The population are largely engaged in dairying.
* Named in honor of Chas. C. Pinckney, a statesman of South Carolina. It embraces Township No. 9. or Hardie', of the Bayarton Truct. It was annexed to Harrisburgh from Mexico, Mar. 24. 1504 and on the erection of Lewis county in 1805, it was divided, the eastern part bring retained by Harri -burgh, and the western attached to Harrison Rodman, Jefferson Co.) The dividing lite was ren from the south-west angle of the town of Denmark, to the north- west corner of Montagne. Upon its erection as a sepa- rate town, that portion annexed to J. forson county, upon the erection of Lewis County, was re-annexed to the intter County.
t At the first town meeting, held at the house of Stephen Hart, Ethan Green was elected Supervisor, and James Armstrong, Town Clerk.
+ French's At de Gazether.
§ Hough's History of Louis County.
141
PINCKNEY.
During the year ending Sept. 30, 1871, the town contained eleven school districts, and employed the same number of teachers. The number of children of school age was 479; the number attending school, 402; the average attendance, 175; the amount expended for school purposes, $2,832.93 ; and the value of school houses and sites, 84,267.
BARNES CORNERS (p. v.) is situated on Big Gulf Creek, in the south-west part, fourteen miles south-east of Watertown, with which it is connected by daily stage, and nine miles south-west of Copenhagen, and contains two churches (Baptist and M. E.) a school house, hotel, three stores, a blacksmith shop, carriage shop, about 45 houses and 200 inhabitants. A knoll west of the village affords a fine view of Lake Ontario and the country north and west.
PINCKNEY (p. o.) is situated in the north-east corner, three miles south-west of Copenhagen, and contains a M. E. church, a blacksmith and wagon shop and about eight dwellings.
NEW BOSTON is situated on Deer River, in .the south-east part, and contains a saw mill and cheese-box factory, black- smith shop and about six families.
CRONKS CORNERS is a hamlet in the north-west part, at the head waters of Sandy Creek.
Settlement was begun under Abel French,* agent of Wm. Henderson, to whose share this town fell, in 1803, in which year Joseph and Samuel Clear located in the south-west part, but only temporarily. The following year Ethan Russell and J. Greene from R. I. settled in the town, and one or two years later John Lucas, Levi and Elisha Barnes, Stephen and James Hart, James Armstrong, (the last three were from Stillwater, Saratoga Co.,) Phineas Woolworth, (who came from Grayville, Mass., in 1806, and had a family of six sons and three daughters, several of whom became heads of families in the town.) Joel Webb, Silas Slater and several families named Stoddard became residents. J. Penington and N. E. Moody were early settlers. David Canfield made the first improve- ments on the site of New Boston, while acting as agent for Henderson. He made an extensive clearing and sowed about eighty acres with wheat the first season. It vielded an abund- ant harvest. He erected a saw mill and built a bridge across Deer River. But the improvements thus auspiciously in- augurated were suspended in consequence of the death of
* French was succeeded in the agency by Jesse Hopkins, in 1805, and the latter by I. W. Bostwick, a few years later.
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PINCKNEY.
Henderson and other causes. The settlement of the town was retarded by the deep snows to which its elevation subjects it, and which produce a marked influence in the retardation of crops; but the dairying interests, which give sure promise of a comfortable subsistence, if not of wealth, have, since their introduction, rendered it more attractive. To-day as compared with the other towns in the County with regard to the number of inhabitants to the acre this town stands as the eighth, and is considerably above the average for the whole County. The first school was taught by Miss Gould previous to 1812. The first birth occurred in the family of James Hunt or John Stoddard, and an early death, if not the first, was that of Mrs. Elisha Moody.
The First M. E. Church of Pinckney was organized August 8, 1831,* though meetings were held previous to that time. Their church edifice is located in the north-east corner of the town, at Pinckney. It was erected in 1832 and in 1862 about $1,200 were expended in its repair. It will seat 300 persons. Rev. G. W. Miller is the present pastor. The Church property is valued at $1,200.t
Barnes Corners Baptist Church was organized with twelve members, in 1854. Their house of worship was erected the following year, at a cost of $1,200. It will seat 350 persons. The first pastor was Rev. Charles Bailey; the present one is Rev. Nelson Smith. The Society numbers 65 members. The Church property is valued at $2,500.1
The M. E. Church of Barnes Corners was organized with ten to twelve members, in 1855. Their church editice was erected in 1857, at a cost of 81,500, and will seat 350 persons. There are about 100 members, who are under the pastoral care of Rev. N. E. Bush. The Church property is valued at $2,000.§
St. Peter's Church (Catholic) was organized with about eighteen members, by Rev. Father Clark, in 1858. Their church edifice is located one-half mile west of New Boston, and was erected in 1860, at a cost of about 82,000. It will seat 300 persons. Rev. Father Clark was the first pastor; Rev. Thomas McNelly of Copenhagen is the present one. The Society numbers about 200 members. The Church property is valued at about $3,000.67
* The first trusteen were Tyrarius A. Wright, Stephen Hart, Rufus Stoddard, Timothy Woolworth and Barney Spalding.
t Information furnished by Amos Stoddard.
+ Information furnished by Andrew Lonin and Joseph Plank.
§ Information furnished by Dr. A. L. Nichols.
Information furnished by Wm. QuinD.
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143
TURIN.
TURIN* was formed from Mexico, (Oswego Co.,) March 14, 1800.+ Martinsburgh was taken off Feb. 22, 1803, and in 1823, another portion was annexed to that town. West Turin was taken off, March 25, 1830. It lies upon the west bank of Black River, south of the center of the County, and contains 18,672 acres. It is the smallest town in the County. The sur- face is level, except near the west border, where it ascends to the slate hills 800 to 1,000 feet high, and in the east, where it descends to the river intervale. It is watered by several small streams which flow east into Black River, and chiefly rise in this town. The soil is generally a deep, fertile loam mixed with disintegrated slate and limestone.
In 1870, the town had a population of 1,493, all of whom were white, 1,365, native and 128, foreign.
During the year ending Sept. 30, 1871, the town contained twelve school districts and employed fourteen teachers. The number of children of school age was 549; the number attend- ing school, 473; the average attendance, 246; the amount expended for school purposes, $4,366.03; and the value of school houses and sites, $9,630.
TURIN, (p. v.) is situated near the south line, twelve miles south of Lowville, and contains a hotel, a hardware store and tin shop, C. G. Riggs & Sons' furniture store and carriage factory, { two drug stores, three dry goods stores, a sash and blind factory, three shoe shops, three blacksmith shops, a
* Named from the capital of Sardinia. The town originally embraced all that part of Lewis County lying west of Black River and Inman's Triangle and south of the south lines of Lowville, Harri-burgh and Pinckney ; or Constable's Four Towns. (Xenophon, Fiora, Lucretia and Pomona) and Townships Nos. 3. 4. 5. 8. 9 and 13 (Shakespeare, Cor- ne:in, Porcia. Hybla, Penelope and Rurabella of the boylston Tract. It now embraces only the central portion of No. 3. and the north-west portion of No. 4, of Constable's Four Towns. This town and Lowville, which was erected at the same time, are the old- est towns in the County.
+ The first town meeting was held at the house of Jonathan Collins, who was elected Supervisor ; Samuel Hall was elected Town Clerk ; John Ives. Zachens Mieby and Philemon Hoadley, Assessore ; Seth Miller and John Salmon, or-reers of the Poor : Nathan Coe, Win. Rice and Levi Hough. Commissioners of Highways ; Elijah Wads- worth. Constable and Collector ; Lemuel Scovil. Vier hom Birdseye. Edward Johnson, Levi Benedict, Abner Rice and Heman Merwin, Overseers of Highways ; Aaron Parsons, Pound Master ; Ichabod Parsons, John Salmon and Elisha Crofoot, Fence Viewers .- HongL'e History of Lewis County.
+C. G. Riggs commenced the tin-smith business at Torin, in the fall of 1833. at the age of twenty years. In the fall of 1>3> his shop and store were consumed by fire and were only partially insured. He re-established himself and gradually worked into the stove and hardware business, his being the first hardware store in the County. He has since established branch stores at Port Leyden and Boonville. Dec. 25. 1509. be lost by fire two stores and a dwelling house, which were partially insured, In the spring of 1870, he commenced the manufacture of brick for the erection of a brick block on Main and State streets. The Main street front is eighty feet, and is divided into four stores. one for furniture, one for dry goods, one for hardware and one for merchant tailor. The State street frout is 96 fret and contains one store, which is used for carriages, and the entrance to the tin shop and hall, the latter being 40x60 feet. The Mesure. Kungs moved into the hardware store in October, 1870, and completed and occupied the whole build- ing the following winter. Their carriage and blacksmith shops consist of three large wooden buildings situated on State street, and give employment to 15 persons.
144
TURIN.
tin shop, machine shop, cabinet shop, harness shop, foundry, grist mill, cheese factory,* and had, in 1870, 552 inhabitants.t
The Turin Fire Department consists of Neptune Engine Co. No. 1, which was organized March 4, 1872, and numbers fifty mem- bers. Their engine (hand) was purchased at second hand for $1,800. They have 560 feet of rubber and linen hose, which cost $460.1
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