USA > New York > Orleans County > Gazetteer and business directory of Orleans County, N.Y. for 1869 > Part 9
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ORLEANS COUNTY.
fined on the inland side." From a close examination of this Ridge and its similarity to the shore of large bodies of water there can he no reasonable doubt that it once constituted the shore of Lake () :- tario. Fragments of wood, shells, &c., have been found on the Ridge in digging wells and in other excavations. From the earliest settlement of the County a road has extended along the summit of this Ridge.
The second plateau is gently undulating and from four to six miles wide, attaining an altitude of three hundred feet at the base of the Mountain Ridge, which is a continuation of the Mountain Ridge of Niagara County and is formed by the outcropping of the Niagara limestone. This Ridge extends nearly east through the towns of Shelby and Barre, and south and east through Clarendon.
The upper plateau is undulating, and from the Mountain Ridge southerly, rises gradually for two miles, when we arrive at the cul- minating ridge, which is the highest land in the County, and nearly four hundred and fifty feet above the lake. The surface is quite level for about two miles further south and then descends gradually to the Tonawanda Swamp on the south border of the County. The principal stream is Oak Orchard Creek, which received its name from a grove of oaks which grew upon its banks when first settled. and resembled a magnificent orchard. It takes its rise in Genesce County and flows north-easterly to Lake Ontario. The other streams are Johnson's and Sandy Creeks. The channels of these streams are deeply excavated and upon them are numerous rapids affording water power for mills.
The underlying rock in the north part of the County is the Me- dina sandstone, while the upper plateau rests upon a base of Ni- agara limestone. The sandstone appears along the canal from Holiey to Medina, and north of the canal it is seen in the banks and bels of the creeks. The upper layers afford an excellent ma- terial for building and flagging purposes, and quarries have been opened at Medina, Albion and other places along the canal. In many places this rock is friable and disintegrates on exposure to the air. It separates at first into sinall angular fragments and then decomposes into a dark red loamy clay. Along the Ridge in Clar- endon, and on the banks of Oak Orchard Creek, in Shelby, are out- crops of the Niagara limestone. Hydraulic limestone has been ob- tained from both these localities, and quick lime is burned at va- rious places along the Ridge.
North of the canal the springs and wells furnish good soft water. but on the limestone range, south of the canal. the water is har l. containing lime. Numerous salt springs are found upon the range of the Medina sandstone from which salt was manufactured pre- vious to the completion of the Erie Canal. One of these springs was in the town of Ridgeway, one and a half miles north of' Me-
65
ORLEANS COUNTY.
dina, near Oak Orchard Creek, and another in the town of Kendall, on lot 137. In almost every town north of the canal, salt was formerly manufactured. A boring of 140 feet at Oak Orchard re- sulted in slightly increasing the strength of the brine but not its quantity. There are three springs at Holley at which salt was made in considerable quantities about the year 1821, and was sold at five dollars a barrel. The completion of the Erie Canal brought these manufactories into competition with the Syracuse salt works and they soon after suspended. There are two sulphur springs at Holley Village the water of which has been used in cutaneous dis- eases.
Blue, yellow and variegated clays occur in many places and are employed in the manufacture of bricks. There is a small deposit of calcareous marl, about a mile south of Holley, on the west side of Sandy Creek. It is white, in a state of powder and contains an abundance of shells. Calcareous marl also is found two and a half miles north of Medina. Calcareous tufa is formed in large quan- tities at the falls of Oak Orchard Creek, at Shelby, from the de- composition of the calcareous shales.
Bog iron ore occurs in several places in the County. In Ridge- way, between the Ridge and the west branch of Oak Orchard Creek, there is a large swamp containing an abundance of bog ore from which iron has been manufactured.
The prevailing character of the soil in the north part of the County, north of the Ridge, is sandy and loamy with limited tracts of a clayey nature. Proceeding from Ridgeway to the lake we find a sandy soil extending from the Ridge to within two miles of the lake, then clay predominates, and the soil is a clay loam which pro- duces good crops. In the vicinity of Albion clay predominates in the soil; and upon the limestone range in the towns of Shelby, Barre and Clarendon, the soil is an excellent mixture of clay, sand and lime, and is very productive.
The various branches of agriculture form the leading pursuits of the inhabitants. In addition to the various kinds of grain, apples, grapes and other fruits are raised in large quantities. Large quan- tities of apples are exported. During one very productive year not long since 280,000 barrels of apples were shipped by canal and railroad at different points in this County. Manufactures are car- ried on to a limited extent in the County.
The County Seat is located at Albion, in the central part of the County. Previous to the erection of the County buildings at Al- bion, the courts were held at the house of Selah Bronson, in the vil- lage of Gaines. Philetus Swift, of Ontario County, Victory Birds- eye, of Onondaga County, and J. Hathaway, of Cortland County, were appointed by the Legislature, Commissioners to locate the County Seat. After visiting Gaines and hearing from the citizens
66 1
ORLEANS COUNTY.
the advantages afforded by that place as the County Seat, the Com- missioners proceeded to Albion where they were treated with the greatest respect and hospitality by the citizens. After being dinel and wined and taken about the village in a carriage by Nehemiah Ingersoll, and receiving from bim the offer of a site for the County buildings upon an eminence the most beautiful in the village, they very naturally came to the conclusion that Albion was the place, and forthwith so decided. The wisdom of that decision the people of Albion have never doubted. Gilbert Howell, of Ridgeway, Elihu Mather, of Gaines, and Calvin Smith, of Barre, were Com- missioners appointed to superintend the erection of a Court House. The building is a fine brick structure situated in the midst of a park, on an eminence near the center of the village. It is surmounted by a dome one hundred and ten feet high. It contains rooms for the court, jury, supervisors and surrogate, and cost about $20,000. The Jail is a .commodious edifice, of Medina sandstone, situated upon the same lot, a little east of the Court House. The County Clerk's Office is a small one story brick building upon the west side of the Court House. The first officers of the County were Elijah Foot, First Judge ; S. M. Moody, Cyrus Harwood, El- ridge Farwell and Wm. Penniman, Judges ; Wm. Lewis, Sherij, and Orson Nichoson, County Clerk. The County Judges since the retirement of Judge Foot have been Alexis Ward, Henry R. Cur- tis, Gideon Ward, Arad Thomas, Edwin R. Reynolds and John G. Sawyer. The School Commissioners since the organization of the County have been Edwin R. Reynolds, J. O. Willsea, John H. Smith, Oliver Morehouse, Marcus H. Phillips and Abel Stilson.
The County Poor House is located on a farm of 121 acres in the town of Barre, about three miles south of Albion. From the Re- port of the Superintendent we learn that a school was taught upon the premises about seven months during the past year, with an average attendance of seventeen pupils. Religious services were held nearly every Sabbath and a sermon preached to the paupers.
The total number of paupers admitted to the County
House during the last year, including the number
present at the date of the last report was
270
The average number per week,. 102
The total number of weeks' board, 5,216
The average cost per week to support each pauper, ex- clusive of Superintendent's salary, $1.12
The total number of deaths since last report, .. G
The total amount of expense for the support of the poor of the County during the year, . 89,490.39
The value of the farm is . 9,000.00
Value of personal property, .. 5,985.50
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ORLEANS COUNTY.
The stock upon the farm consists of one yoke of oxen, one span of horses, nine milch cows, four calves, two heifers, one bull and thirty-five swine.
The produces of the farm were as follows :
480 bushels of wheat, valued at. 960.00
312 bushels of oats, valued at. 202.80
659 bushels of corn, in ear, valued at 329.50
311 bushels of potatoes, valued at 233.25
60 bushels of peas, valued at. 45.00 16 acres growing wheat, 240.00
40 tons hay, 480.00
Corn fodder,
40.00
Straw,
50.00
Other products, 662.25
Total,
$3,242.80
The net profit of the farm was $2,157.70
Of the whole number of paupers, 95 are reported as being brought there directly by intemperance; twelve were the wives of intem- perate husbands, and ten were children of intemperate parents.
The nationality of the paupers is as follows :
Americans, 79
Irish,. 103
English, 28
Dutch, 29
Negroes,
15
French, Scotch, Indians and Canadians, 16
The main building is of brick, 45 by 55 feet, and two stories high, with a wing 18 by +2 feet, also of brick, and two stories high. The barns and outbuildings are in a good state of repair.
The works of internal improvement in the County are the Erie Canal, extending through the County from east to west, the New York Central Railroad, forming a direct line from Rochester to Suspension Bridge, and the Tonawanda Swamp Feeder, conducting the water of the swamp into Oak Orchard Creek and the canal at Modina.
Four weekly newspapers are now published in the County.
The first paper published was
The Gazette, started at Gaines, in 1822, by Seymour Tracy and John Fisk, and continued about four years. This was followed in 1827 by
The Orleans Whig, published at the same place by John Fisk.
68
ORLEANS COUNTY.
The Newport Patriot was started at Newport, (now Albion.) February 1st, 1823, by Franklin Cowdrey, and continued by him until October, 1825, when the press and paper were purchased by T. C. Strong, who changed the name to
The Orleans Advocate, under which name he continued its publi- cation until 1828, when in the midst of the excitement caused by the abduction of Morgan, the name was changed to
The Orleans Advocate and Anti- Masonic Telegraph. In July, 1829, John Kempshall purchased the paper and changed its name to The Orleans Anti-Masonic Telegraph. It was subsequently pub- lished under the name of
The Orleans Telegraph and afterward that of
The American Standard, until January, 1831, when it was pur- chased by T. C. Strong and its name changed to
THE ORLEANS AMERICAN. It was published by Mr. Strong until. 1844, when it passed into the hands of J. & J. H. Denio, who continued its publication until 1851. From 1851 to 1853 it was published by Byron C. Beebe, and from 1853 to 1860 by S. A. Andrews and by Reynolds & Andrews, at which time it passed into the hands of H. A. Bruner, its present publisher.
THE ORLEANS REPUBLICAN was started at Albion in 1828, by Cephas S. McConnell, and was continued by him until 1841. It was subsequently published for a few months by H. W. Dupuy, and by an association until 1845, when it passed into the hands of H. E. Purdy, who continued to issue it until 1846. It then passed into the hands of Mr. McConnell, in whose hands it re- mained until 1848, when it was sold to Willsea & Beach, who con- tinued its publication until 1868, when it passed into the hands of Randolph & Beach, its present publishers.
The Orleans Democrat was started in 1848 by C. S. McConnell, who continued to issue it until 1852, when it was merged in the Orleans Republican.
The Albion Times was established in October, 1853, by J. O. Nickerson. In January, 1855, it was changed to
The Spirit of Seventy-six, and continued until May 27, 1858.
The Albion Herald was started at Albion, in 1859 or 1860, by J. M. Alvord; D. W. Ray, editor. It continued about a year when it was consolidated with the Orleans American.
The Medina Herald was started in 1832, and continued two or three years.
The Medina Sentinel was started in August, 1837, by J. & J. HI. Denio. The next year it was changed to
The Orleans Sentinel and continued until May, 1842.
The Bucktail was started in 1840 by S. M. Burroughs. It was subsequently changed to
The Medina Democrat and continued two or three years.
69
ORLEANS COUNTY BUSINESS DIRECTORY.
Court Street Foundry ! N. H. GALUSHA,
MANUFACTURER AND DEALER IN
STOTES!
OF EVERY DESCRIPTION. Ground Hollow Ware, SCOTCH BOWLS CALDRON KETTLES!
MISCELLANEOUS CASTINGS, &C. SCOTCH & No. 1
AMERICAN IRON.
The first-class COAL and WOOD Cooking Stove
GEN, GRANT.
During the past two years has fully established a reputation not excelled by any Cook Stove made. Also, the new Coal Base Burning PARLOR STOVE
ETNA! Warranted in every particular. None Superior. No. 20 Court St .. Near South St. Paul Street, ROCHESTER, N. Y. E
70 ORLEANS COUNTY BUSINESS DIRECTORY.
A. M. LATIMER,
BUILDER AND MANUFACTURER OF
DOORS, SISH IND BLINDS.
AND ALL KINDS OF
Mouldings! MADE TO ORDER ON SHORT NOTICE. ALSO, MANUFACTURER OF
Brick Moulds!
10 For J. A. LAFLER'S IRON CLAD BRICK MA- CHINE. Also, BRICK MOULDS made to order to fit any other machine. All orders promptly attended to. Address :
WILLIAM LATIMER, Agent, Medina, N. Y.
ORLELAS JASURINGE IGENCE!
Issues Policies of Insurance for the
Imperial, of London, England, (Capital in Gold,). $8,000,000
Hanover, New York, 610,000
Security, New York, Marine,. 1,500,000
National Life, Washington, D. C., Stock, 1,000,000
United States, Casualty, .. 130,000
Etna Live Stock. Hartford. 500,000
United States Plate Glass Insurance Co., 125,000
Total Capital, $11,865,000
This Agency extends from Brockport to Lockport, and from Batavia to Lake Ontario.
Applications by Mail within the jurisdiction of this Agency, will meet with im- mediate attention, addressed to
McConnell & Tanner, Agents,
No. 6 Canal Street, Albion, N. Y.
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ORLEANS COUNTY.
The Medina Citizen was started in 1850 by H. A. Sinith. In 1852 it was changed to
THE MEDINA TRIBUNE, and its publication continued by Mr. Smith until it passed into the hands of S. E. Clark, its present publisher.
The People's Journal was published at Medina a short time in 1838, by I. W. Swan.
THE HOLLEY BULLETIN was started November 12, 1868, by L. A. Densmore, publisher and proprietor ; Jay Densmore, editor.
*THE ORLEANS. AMERICAN was established at Newport, now Albion, with the title of The Newport Patriot, by Franklin Cowdrey, Feb. 9th, 1824. In February, 1825, Timothy C. Strong became proprietor and changed it to The Orleans Advocate. In February, 1828, when the Morgan abduction excitement was at its hight, Mr. Strong changed the name to The Orleans Advocate and Anti- Masonic Telegraph ; and in February, 1829, it took the name of The Orleans Anti-Masonic Telegraph. In June of the same year it was changed to The Orleans Telegraph, and soon after to The American Standard. It was published two years by J. Kemp- shall, when it passed back into the hands of Mr. Strong, who changed it to The Orleans American. In April, 1844, it was pur- chased by J. & J. H. Denio, who conducted it until 1853, when they sold it to S. A. Andrews, who continued proprietor, with several different partners, till January, 1861, when it was pur- chased by D. S. Bruner, who, in connection with his brother, H. A. Bruner, conducted the paper, under the firm name of Bruner Brothers, from the time of the purchase from Andrews till July 1st, 1868, when the interest of D. S. Bruner was purchased by his partner, who continues its publication as sole proprietor. On the 19th of December, 1868, the establishment was entirely destroyed by fire ; not an article in the office was saved except the account books in the safe. The proprietor has caused to be fitted up a fine suit of rooms in good style, and supplied them with the best and most modern presses for newspaper, book and general job work, with a full assortment of the latest styles of type and other fixtures to correspond. The American office is now one of the most com- plete and valuable country printing establishments in this or any other locality.
*THE ORLEANS REPUBLICAN was established in the year 1828, by Cephas S. McConnell, and published by him until 1841. It then passed through several hands, returning again to Mr. McConnell, by whom it was transferred to Mr. J. O. Willsea in the year 1848. Soon after this transfer Mr. McConnell established
*The sketch of this paper was received after the preceding sketch of the same was printed.
E
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ORLEANS COUNTY.
The Orleans Democrat. In August, 1851, C. G. Beach became as- sociated with Mr. Willsea as joint proprietor and editor, and in November, 1852, this firm purchased the establishment of the Or- leans Democrat, merging that paper in the Republican. In May. 1858, The Spirit of '76 was also purchased by the proprietors of the Republican and its business transferred to this office. A time after Messrs. C. G. Beach & Co. became the sole proprietors, Mr. Willsea retiring. In May, 1868, Mr. B. H. Randolph became con- nected with the establishment and is now editor and manager of The Republican. During the forty-one years of its existence, The Republican has shared largely in the confidence of the people of the County.
Long before the advent of the whites this County was the. hunt- ing ground and probably the residence of the Iroquois. There are some indications that the French missionaries visited this territory soon after their advent along the southern shores of Lake Ontario and the Niagara River. There are traces also of its occupation long anterior to this by a different race and one much farther ad- vanced in the arts of civilized life than the Indians. Mounds of earth are found in various parts of the County containing skeletons and implements of war and husbandry. About one and a half miles west of Shelby Center there were the remains of an ancient fort when the County was first settled. A broad ditch inclosed, in nearly a circular form, about three acres of land. The ditch was well defined and several feet deep. Adjoining the spot on the south was a swamp about one mile in width by two in length, probably impassable at the time this work was constructed. On the side next to the swamp there appeared to have been a passage-way, the only breach in the embankment. Within and near the fort were piles of stones of convenient size to be thrown with the hand, and arrow heads of flint in great numbers, stone axes and other imple- ments. Trees of several hundred years growth stood upon the em- bankment, and underneath them were found earthen ware, pieces of plates or dishes, bearing marks of skill in their manufacture, and presenting ornaments in relief of various patterns. Human bones and some skeletons almost entire and of very large size were ex- humed. Half a mile west of the fort is a sand hill, in which were found a large number of human skeletons, many of them appear- ing to have been buried in the same grave, leading some to suppose that a great battle was fought upon this spot.
The tier of towns upon the east border of the County belonged to the Connecticut Tract and Pulteney Estate, the remaining part to the Holland Purchase. The original charter of Massachusetts em- braced an indefinite amount of territory ineluded between certain degrees of latitude and extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, or the "South Sea," as it was called in the original charter.
73
ORLEANS COUNTY.
The most intelligent at that day had very little knowledge of the geography of the country, and the charter of New York embraced a large tract of the same territory. This subsequently gave rise to a conflict of .claims, the State of Massachusetts claiming a large part of the present territory of New York. It appears that the State of Massachusetts relinquished her claim to that part of New York which was settled previous to the Revolution, but after the close of the war her claim to western New York was revived but firmly resisted by New York, each State pleading its charter and considering its own claim valid in law and equity. The contro- rersy was of great importance but was finally settled by Commis- sioners appointed by the respective States, who met at Hartford, in Connecticut, on the 16th of December, 1786, and came to an amicable agreement. The sovereignty and right of jurisdiction to the whole territory in controversy was confirmed to the State of New York, while the right of pre-emption to the soil was conceded to Massachusetts, of all the land in the State of New York lying west of a meridian passing through a point eighty-two miles west of the north-east corner of Pennsylvania, except a tract of one mile in width lying the whole length of Niagara River. . This settled the controversy so far as the States were concerned, but the whole of this vast territory was occupied as a hunting ground by the Six Nations of Indians. By treaties made at different times and for various considerations the Indians released their rights as the orig- inal owners of the soil except to certain reservations named in the treaties. This territory west of the pre-emption line above named was purchased by Oliver Phelps and Nathaniel Gorham, of Massa- chusetts, for 300,000 pounds in Massachusetts currency, payable in the consolidated securities of that State, which securities were at that time at a dicount of more than fifty per cent. The purchase money was to be paid in three installments. In consequence of a rise in the price of the securities in which the purchase money was to be paid, Messrs. Phelps and Gorham relinquished to Massachu- setts a large part of their purchase, retaining what was subsequently called the " Phelps and Gorham Purchase." The western boun- dary of this tract commenced at the Pennsylvania line and ran north along the meridian, passing through the point at the junction of Canaseraga Creek and Genesee River, thence along the Genesee River to a point two miles north of Canawagus Village, thence due west twelve miles, thence north-easterly to Lake Ontario, on a line twelve miles distant from the most westerly bend of the Genesee River. After selling about one-third of this tract to settlers and speculators, the remainder was sold to Robert Morris, of Philadel- phia, the great financier of the American Revolution.
On the 12th day of March, 1791, the State of Massachusetts, by a committee of the Legislature, executed a contract of sale in the
74
ORLEANS COUNTY.
form of an indenture, with Samuel Ogden, by which they agreed, upon certain conditions, to convey to him or his assigns all the in- terest of the State in all lands west of the Phelps and Gorham Pur- chase, except one equal undivided sixtieth part of the same. On the 11th day of May of the same year, this committee conveyed to Robert Morris, the assignee of Ogden, a tract of land bounded on the east by the Phelps and Gorham Purchase and on the west by a meridian passing through a point on the north line of Pennsylva- nia, twelve miles west of the south-west corner of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase, and extending to Lake Ontario. Mr. Morris subsequently sold one hundred thousand acres of this tract to the State of Connecticut and the Pulteney Estate. The three eastern towns of this County were included in this tract. On the same day Robert Morris received four separate deeds from the same com- mittee, conveying the remaining part of the lands in Western New York, the State of Massachusetts reserving one equal and undivided sixtieth part of the same, which was subsequently conveyed to Morris. This tract was subsequently conveyed to a company in Holland and has since been known as the Holland Purchase. It was surveyed into ranges six miles in width and numbered from east to west, and these ranges divided into townships numbered from south to north. A Land Office was established at Batavia and land was conveyed by Article, an instrument granting posses- sion and greatly facilitating the transfer of land from one settler to another. When paid for, the purchaser received a deed in fee.
The first settlers of the County were James and William Wals- worth, from Canada, who came by the way of the lake and settled at the mouth of Johnson's and Oak Orchard Creeks, in 1803. A few settlers came in each year and settled along the Ridge Road and adjacent thereto, the number increasing quite rapidly until the war of 1812, when immigration was checked. The land was cov- ered with a heavy growth of . timber requiring a great amount of labor to clear it, and there was but little market for the products of the soil. For several years after the settlement commenced in the County the only articles exported were black salts, made from the ashes of the timber removed in clearing the land. These were exchanged for merchandise and contributed greatly to the comfort of the settlers. Previous to the opening of roads to Rochester and Canandaigua, the only outlet to market was by Lake Ontario to Oswego and Canada. Supplies of merchandise for the inhabitants came from the east to the mouth of Oak Orchard Creek, thence by the Oak Orchard Road to their place of destination. Goods were very dear and the inhabitants generally poor, and a very small amount was sufficient to supply all demands. Most of the early settlers were from New England and the eastern part of New York, many of whom came with ox teams, and after spending
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