USA > New York > Wyoming County > Gazetteer and business directory of Wyoming County, N.Y., for 1870-71 > Part 9
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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
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F
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1871
1875!1876
1872
1978 1879
1880
1881
1882
1883
1: 8 15,22 20; Sun.
Sat.
Frid'y.
Thurs.
Wed.
T'ues.
Mon.
2: 9162330
Mon.
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Sat.
Frid'y.
Thurs.
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3 1017 24,31
Tues.
Mon.
Sun.
Sat.
Frid'y. Thurs.
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4 11,18:25
Wed.
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Sun.
Sat.
Frid'y.
Thurs.
5 12:19 26 .
Thurs.
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Frid'y.
6:13.2027.
Frid'y. | Thurs.
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7112128
Sat.
Frid'y.
Thurs !!
Wed.
Tues.
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Jan. and Oct.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
May.
B
0
D
E
F
G
A
August.
C
D
E
G
A
B
Feb., Mar., Nov.
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
June.
E
F
G
A
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Sept. & Dec.
F
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April & July1
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EXPLANATION .- Find the Year and observe the Letter above it; then look for the Month, and In a line with It find the Letter of the Year; above the Letter fad the De. ; and the figures on the left, in the same line, are the days of the same name in the month.
Leap Years have two lettere ; the first is used till the end of February, the secondt during the remainder of the year.
63
WYOMING COUNTY.
WYOMING COUNTY.
THIS COUNTY was formed from Genesee, May 14, 1841. Eagle, Pike and a part of Portage, were annexed from Allegany County in 1846. It is an interior county, situated in the south- west part of the State, and separated from Lake Erie by Eric County, and from the Pennsylvania line by Allegany and Cat- taraugus Counties. It is centrally distant from Albany 228 miles, and contains 590 square miles.
"The surface is a broad rolling upland, divided into ridges and broken by ravines worn by the streams. It has a slight inchina- tion towards the north. The highest ridges rise to the hight of 1,200 to 1,500 feet above Lake Erie, and 1,700 to 2,000 feet above tide. Some of the ravines are 1,000 feet below the sum- inits of the adjacent ridges in the north part. As we approach the interior we find the ridges broken, and the country begins to assume the hilly character which is more fully developed in the south part.
Genesee River forms a portion of the east boundary, and is bordered by bluff's from 200 to 400 feet high. Near Portage- ville the river descends from the platean, in a series of three Falls, to a depth of more than 300 feet within a distance of two and a half miles. The Upper or Horse Shoe Falls are about three-fourths of a mile below Portageville, and a few rods below the railroad bridge. The name is derived from the curve in the Falls resembling a horse shoe. For a short distance above the edge of the precipico the water is broken by a succession of steps in the rock, forming a series of rapids. The hight of the fall, including the rapid, is about seventy feet. About half a mile further down are the Middle Falls. For a few rods above the edge of the cliff, the water is broken into rapids, and then plunges down a distance of 110 feet in an unbroken sheet. The chasin below is bounded by perpendicular ledges. A cave. called the " Devil's Oven," has been worn in the rocks under the West bank, near the bottom of the Falls. When the water is low, one hundred persons can be seated within this cave, but in
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WYOMING COUNTY.
high water it is filled, and is only accessible by boats. The Lower Falls consist of a series of rapids about half a mile in ex- tent, with an aggregate fall of 150 feet. For about two miles below the Middle Falls, the river pursues a winding and rapid course, between bigh perpendicular walls, then descends in reg- ular steps, almost as regular as a staircase, dives under a shelv- ing rock, shoots out in a narrow pass, not more than fifteen feet wide, and rushes down a nearly perpendicular descent of twenty feet. A short distance below the foot of this fall, the current strikes against the base of high rocks, standing almost directly in its course, and whirls back, and turning almost at right an- gles, rushes into a deep pool overhung with shelving rocks. mass of rocks, about fifteen feet in diameter and one hundred feet high, and known as " Sugar Loaf," rises from the river bed at the bend of the stream, and receives nearly the whole force of the rushing water. This mass of rock is bordered on one side by the present bed of the river, and on the other by a deep chasm which separates it from the cast bank of the river. Within the memory of people now living, the river flowed over the precipice, on the level of the rock which now forms its west bank, making " Sugar Loaf" an island. These falls are acces- sible only from the west. The deep gorge, and the rapids and falls, form one of the wildest and most picturesque scenes in Western New York. The perpendicular bank on the west side of the river, at one point, is 380 feet high.
The other principal streams in the County are Cayuga, Ton- awanda, Little Tonawanda, Oatka, East Coy, Wiscoy, Cattarau- gus and Buffalo Creeks. The valley of Oatka Creck is bordered by hills from 400 to 1,000 feet high, and extending from the south border of Warsaw to near the north border of the County. The principal body of water is Silver Lake, in the town of Cas- tile ; it is three miles long and about half a mile wide.
The rocks of the County are principally the shales and sand- stones of the Portage group. The rocks of the Chemung group appear on the summits of the hills in the south part. The Portage sandstone is found in many parts of the County, in thin compact layers, and is quarried extensively for flagging. Tittle rounded knolle are seen upon the ridges, and at first an- pear like drift hills, but upon a close examination are found to be shale rock, covered with a thin laver of soil. The swamps afford marl and muck in considerable quantities. The waters of Silver Lake, and some of the streams, are constantly deposit- ing lime in the form of marl. The drift deposits in the County are quite extensive, and the soil in some parts is formed from the disintegration of the rocks. The soil upon the hills is
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WYOMING COUNTY.
chiefly a clay loam, underlaid by hardpan, and in the valleys it is a fertile gravelly loam and alluvium.
The people are principally engaged in raising stock and wool, and in dairying, for which the soil upon the hills is admirably adapted. The various kinds of grain and fruits are largely cul- tivated in the valleys. The manufactures are very limited and confined to such articles as are necessary in an agricultural community.
The County Seat is located at Warsaw. The Court House is a commodious brick edifice, located in the north part of the village. The Commissioners named in the act to select a loca- tion were Peter B. Reed, of Onondaga, Davis Hurd, of Niagara, and John Thompson, of Steuben County. The Building Com- missioners were John A. McElwain, Paul Richards and Jona- than Perry. Trumbull Cary, Esq., of Batavia, gave to the County the public square upon which the County buildings are erected.
The first Courts were held at a public house at East Orange- ville, in June, 1841, and the first meeting of the Board of Su- pervisors was at the same place. At the opening of the first Court in Orangeville, the following attorneys, most of whom were residents of the County, were admitted to practice: John B. Skinner, James J. Petit, Harvey Putnam, Lewis W. Pray, Moulton Farnham, F. C. D. McKay, William Mitchell, Linus W. Thayer, Leverett Spring, James R. Doolittle, Levi Gibbs, Miles Moffitt, Harley F. Smith, W. Riley Smith, Isaac N. Stod- dard.
The first County officers were Paul Richards, First Judge ; James Sprague, Peter Patterson and Jos. Johnson, Associate Judges ; W. Riley Smith, District Attorney ; N. Wolcott, County Clerk ; W. R. Groger, Sheriff ; and Harvey Putnam, Surrogate.
The County Clerk's Office is a fire-proof building, adjacent to the Court House. The Jail is a wood building, arranged so as to enable the keeper to classify the prisoners according to law. The County buildings were erected in 1842, at a cost of $12,000.
The Sheriff's of this County, since its organization in 1841, have been Wm. R. Groger, Roswell Gardner, Abraham Smith, Timothy H. Burton, Jarius Moffitt, Newcomb Demary, Jr., Mills L. Rice, Wm. D. Miner, John Renwick, William Davis. The County Clerks have been Nelson Wolcott, Walter Howard, Abel Webster, Ransom B. Crippen, Nathan P. Currier, John H. Bailey, Charles O. Shepard. Charles W. Bailey, Ransom A. Crip- pen, John P. Robinson. The County Treasurers have been Tru- man Lewis, Wm. Bingham, Roswell Gould, John A. McElwain, Samuel S. Blanchard, Peter Caner, Lloyd A. Hayward, Leonard
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WYOMING COUNTY.
W. Smith, Harwood A. Dudley. The First Judges of the County have been Paul Richards, John B. Skinner, W. Riley Smith, Marvin Trall, Harlow L. Comstock, Byron Healy. The Dis- trict Attorneys have been W. Riley Smith, James R. Doolittle, Harlow L. Comstock, F. C. D. McKay, Thomas Corlett, Byron Healy, Elbert E. Farman.
The County Poor House is located at Varysburgh, nine miles west of Warsaw. The following, from the Report of the Com- missioners of Public Charities, gives a good idea of the situation at the time of their visit :
" The principal building, erected in 1804, is constructed of wood, is two stories in hight and forty fect square, with a wing extending to the rear, fourteen by sixteen feet on the ground. The structure is painted white and adorned with an appropriate observatory, and the windows are protected by suitable blinds. The place presents an attractive appearance, and the building resembles a well appointed farm house. The old buildings, sit- uated in the rear, are soon to be demolished, and new ones erected in their stead. They are now used in part, and are sufficient to meet the wants of the County poor.
" The asylum for the insane is situated at the left and rear of the other buildings. It is nearly new, constructed of wood, is two stories high and thirty by thirty-six feet on the ground. The lower hall, occupied by the men, is fourteen by thirty feet in area, and connected with and opening into it are nine well furnished rooms ; the upper hall, twenty by twenty-six feet, is connected with seven similar rooms used by the women. The building is well arranged, and a proper regard is paid to ventil- ation and the cleanliness of the patients. Large vards, situated at the rear, afford them sufficient grounds for out-door exercise in pleasant weather, and in inclement weather the halls are used. A matron devotes her entire time to the care of the women, and the keeper attends to the wants of the men. Their food is pre- pared and served apart from the other inmates, and is of suit- able quality and furnished in sufficient quantities. Nine con- tribute three dollars per week towards their support; the resi- due are maintained at the expense of the County. A physician visits the asylum daily and devotes special attention to the in- sane. Recent cases are received, not only from the County, but also from adjoining counties, and it was stated that several have been discharged cured during the past year. Of those present, none were found in restraint, and a large proportion of them la- bor more or less about the house or upon the farm. The insti- tution is admirably managed, and the good order and neatness apparent, are alike creditable to the authorities of the County and to those in immediate charge.
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WYOMING COUNTY.
. The general affairs pertaining to the poor of the County are ntrolled by three superintendents. A keeper, who bas occu- pind the position for the past eight years, residing upon the ; remises, has the immediate charge of the institution. Con- povod with the house, and constituting a part of the property, a farin of one hundred and seventy-eight acres, estimated to ly worth $13,500. The Superintendents report $200 derived from the aid of pauper labor for the past year. During the . the period there were supported in the house 178 persons, at s cost of $5,375.03, and there was expended also for temporary a. Bef for the year, 8420.27; the aggregate expenses amounting 10 85.728.90. A majority of those supported or relieved at the publie expense, were native born, and nearly all were of adult hey, there being but six children in the house during the year. At the date of visitation sixty-five persons were found present, thirty of whom were of foreign and thirty-five of native birth. There were included among the number five children, sixteen Insane, ten idiotic and one blind. A large number were of ma- ture age and presented appearances of respectability. One, a Anisle, was said to be one hundred and ten years old. She was mitted to the house in 1865, and is in good health, retaining vifor sufficient to enable her to attend to her own room. Quite a number were over seventy years of age, and there was a re- Markable absence of that middle aged, able-bodied class of per- sons, that overrun most County houses.
" Intemperance contributes but slightly towards the amount of pauperism in the County, a large majority of those accepting alms being reduced to a condition of dependency in conse- Rence of insanity, sickness or old age."
From the report of the Superintendents of the Poor, Nov. 12, 1-09. we learn that the expense of supporting the poor at the Poor House, during the last year, was $5,069.00. The average number supported was sixty-seren, at a weekly expense of $1.37 each. The amount expended for temporary relief was 8544.18. The following resolution was passed by the Board of Super- visors after visiting the County Poor House in November 1869 :
Resolved, " That the Board of Supervisors, having visited the County Poor House in a body, report to the people that they found the house and premises in the usual well ordered con- dition, which is as high praise as can possibly be awarded to the excellent and competent Superintendent and Keeper. That the internal affairs are in good hands, and the County Poor well cared for."
The Buffalo Division of the Erie Railway, extends south-east through Attica, Middlebury, Warsaw, Gainesville, Castile and
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WYOMING COUNTY.
Genesee Falls, crossing the river near the Portage Falls, and connecting with the main line at Hornelleville.
The Genesee Valley Canal crosses the river at Portageville, on an aqueduct supported by stone piers forty feet high. The structure cost 870,000.
The Rochester and State Line R. R., connecting Rochester with the Pennsylvania State line, is in contemplation. The route from Rochester to the junction with the Erie Railway has been located. It passes up the valley of the Oatka Creek, through Covington, Middlebury and Warsaw. This road will open a direct communication with the coal mines of Pennsylvania, and a large and prosperous agricultural region.
The first newspaper published in the County, was
The Genesee Register, which was established at Warsaw, in 1828, by L. & W. Walker, and was continued six months.
The Warsaw Sentinel was commenced by Andrew W. Young, in May 1830, and continued until December 1831, when it was merged in the Republican Advocate of Batavia.
The Attica Republican was started by David Scott, in 1833-4. It was soon after changed to
The Attica Republican and Geneste Advertiser. E. A. Cooley became its publisher, who changed it to
The Attica Democrat, and continued it until 1846.
The Genesee Recorder was commenced at Perry, by George M. Shipper, in 1834, and continued about two years.
The American Citizen was commenced at Warsaw, in 1836, by J. A. Hadley. The next year it was removed to Perry, and pub- lished by Mitchell & Warren. . The publication was continued until 1841, when it was removed to Rochester.
The Pike Whig was commenced by Thomas Carrier in 1838. Soon after the name was changed to
The Pike Gazette, and was continued for about a year.
The Watch Tower, a Baptist paper, was issued from the office of the American Citizen in 1839. It was published about a year by Ansel Warren.
The Register was published as a campaign paper in 1840, at Perry, by Isaac N. Stoddard and John H. Bailey.
The Perry Democrat was commenced in 1841 by Peter Law- rence. In 184S it passed into the hands of C. C. Britt, who continued it until 1853.
THE WESTERN NEW YORKER was commenced at Perry, in January 1841, by J. H. Bailey. A few months afterwards it
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WYOMING COUNTY.
passed into the hands of Barlow & Woodward, who removed it to Warsaw. It was successively published by Barlow & Blanchard. Blanchard, and H. A. Dudley, until April 1, 1858, when it passed into the bands of Elijah W. Andrews, and afterwards to Andrews & Harrington, Harrington & Farmer, Morse & Mer- ril, and then to W. HI. Merrill, who continued its publication until October 1864, when it was united with the Wyoming Mir- ror, and has since been published by Dudley & Merrill.
The Countryman was commenced at Perry, by N. S. Wood- ward, in 1843. It soon after passed to Daniel S. Curtis, who changed its name to
The Impartial Countryman, and continued it until August 1864, when it passed to Ansel Warren, who changed its name to The Free Citizen, and continued it until August 1847.
The Wyoming Republican was commenced at Warsaw, by E. L. Fuller, in 1844, and continued until March 1847.
The Attica Telegraph was commenced by Abraham Dinsmore, in October 1846, and was continued about two years.
The Old Eighth Whig was commenced at Attica, April 1, 1818, by R. W. Dibble and W. H. Civer. About six months after- wards Mr. Dibble retired, and Mr. Civer continued the paper as
The Spirit of the Old Eighth, until 1850.
THE ATTICA ATLAS was commenced January 1, 1851, by Silas Folsom, by whom it is still published.
The Christian Investigator was published at the office of the Free Citizen for one year. It was edited by Wm. Gooddell.
The Wyoming County Advertiser was commenced Decembr 22, 1833, and was published one year by Horace Wilcox.
The Wyoming Times was commenced at Perry, by T. S. Gil- lett, in May 1855. It was destroyed by fire in 1856, and revived soon after, and its publication continued for a time.
The Wyoming County Mirror was commenced at Warsaw, in March 1848, by Alanson Holley. In the fall of 1849, H. A. Dudley became a partner in the concern, and the paper was pub- Ished by Holley & Dudley until September 1850, when Mr. Dudley disposed of his interest, and Mr. Holley continued its publication until may 1855, when he sold out to E. L. Babbits and R. S. Lewis. In March 1857 Mr. Lewis became sole pro- prietor. In March 1858 W. H. Merrill became a partner, and January 1, 1859, H. A. Dudley became its publisher, and con- tinned to issue it until October 1864, when it was united with the Western New Yorker.
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WYOMING COUNTY.
The Arcade Enterprise was started March 31, 1859, by J. II. Gibson, by whom it was published for several years.
MASONIC TIDINGS was commenced in 1865. It is pub- lished semi-monthly, at Warsaw, by John Ransom. Its name indicates its character.
THE WYOMING DEMOCRAT was started at Warsaw in March 1863, by John Ransom, its present publisher.
THE SILVER LAKE SUN was started at Perry, Dec. 1, 1865. George A. Sanders is the present editor and proprietor.
The eastern tier of towns in this County, except a portion of Castile, belonged to the Ogden, Silver Lake and Cotringer Tracts, of the Morris Reservation, and the remaining parts of the County to the Holland Purchase. The Gardeau Tract, containing 17,927 acres, on both sides of the Genesee, was reserved for Mary Jemison, by the Seneca Nation, in their treaty with Robert Morris in 1792. About half of this tract lies in the present town of Castile. She and her descendants continued to reside upon this tract until 1816, when she sold all but two square miles on the west side of the river. to Micah Brooks and Jellis Clute. The remaining part she sold, in 1831, to Henry B. Gibson and Jellis Clute, and removed to Cattarau- gus Reservation.
Mary Jemison, known as the " White Woman," was of Irish parentage, born in 1743, during the voyage across the ocean. The family settled upon the western frontier of Pennsylvania, where they remained in peace until the breaking out of the Trench War in 1754. In the summer of 1755, the house was surrounded by a band of Indians and Frenchmen, who plun- dered all that was valuable and carried the whole family away captive. They were taken into the forest immediately, and all murdered and scalped, except Mary and a small boy, who were carried to Fort DuQuesne. She was soon after adopted by two Indian sisters, and taken to an Indian settlement on the Ohio. to supply the place of a brother who had been slain in battle. She received the name of Deh-he-wa-mis, meaning "a beautiful girl." The sorrow consequent upon being torn from her friends. gradually wore away, and she became quite reconciled to her condition. After arriving at a suitable age she was married to a young Delaware Indian named Shenenjee. In 1759 she changed her residence, traveling on foot to the Genesee, and fixing ber residence at Little Beard's Town. Her husband died soon after. and she married an Indian named Hickatoo, two or three years after. At the close of the French War she might have returned to the English, but she chose to remain with the Indians. At-
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WYOMING COUNTY.
tor the close of the Revolution she received a grant of the " Gar- deau Reservation," which was about six miles in length and five in width. Though she adopted the customs and habits of the Indians, she retained her knowledge of the English language and remembered the early instructions of her mother. Towards the close of her life she embraced the Christian religion, and died September 19, 1833, aged 90 years. When Gen. Sullivan invaded the Genesee country, her house and fields shared the fate of the rest. Seeing them all destroyed, she set about pre- paring for the coming winter. Taking her two youngest chil- dren on her back, and bidding three others to follow, she sought employment where, by husking, she paid for twenty-five bushels of shelled corn, enough to supply her through the winter. She passed through such vicissitudes as fall to the lot of but few in this life.
The greater part of this County is embraced in the tract known as the Holland Purchase, some of the eastern towns being included in the Morris Reserve. The territory known as Western New York was originally claimed by Massachusetts, by virtue of a charter granted by the King of England to the Ply- mouth Colony. The same territory was subsequently granted to the Duke of York and Albany. Without giving a history of the disputes which subsequently arose between the States of Massachusetts and New York, we will say that the question was settled by a convention of commissioners who met at Hartford, Conn., December 16th, 1786. According to the stipulations entered into, Massachusetts ceded to New York all her claims to the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the territory lying west of the east boundary of New York, and the State of New York ceded to Massachusetts the right of pre-emption to the soil of all that part of New York lying west of a meridian passing through a point in the south boundary of the State, eighty-two miles west of the north-east corner of Pennsylvania, except a strip one mile wide extending along the east bank of Niagara River, from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. In April, 1788. Massa- chusetts contracted to sell this territory to Nathaniel Gorham and Oliver Phelps, for 300,000 pounds in the consolidated securi- ties of that State, which were at a discount of more than fifty per cent. at that time. The rapid advance in the value of these securities rendered Phelps and Gorham unable to fulfill their contract, and a large part of the purchase reverted to the State. The part retained and subsequently known as the Phelps and Gorham Purchase was bounded east by the pre-emption line already described, and west by a meridian passing through the point at the junction of the Canaseraga Creck and Genesee River, south to the south line of the State, and north from this
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WYOMING COUNTY.
point along the Genesee River to a point two miles north of the village of Canawagus, thence west twelve miles, thence north- wardly to Lake Ontario, at a distance of twelve miles from the Genesee River. On the 12th of March, 1791, the State of Massachusetts sold the territory west of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase to Robert Morris, the assignee of Samuel Ogden. Mr. Morris sold to the Holland Company all this tract lying west of a meridian passing through a point twelve miles west of the south-west corner of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase.
The territory lying between the Holland Purchase and the Phelps and Gorham Purchase was called " Morris' Reserve," and was sold out to various parties in large tracts. The sale was made to the Holland Company before the Indian title was ex- tinguished, but with an agreement on the part of Morris that it should be extinguished as soon as practicable. This was effected at a treaty made at Big Tree, near Geneseo, in Septem- ber, 1797. In this treaty the Indians retained certain reserva- tions in different parts of the Purchase, some of which they continue to occupy. Preparations were soon made to survey this tract, and a line, run with a transit instrument, between Morris's Reserve and the Holland Purchase, was called the "Transit Line." Theophilus Cazenove, of Philadelphia, was the general agent of the Company, and Joseph Ellicott the prin- cipal surveyor. It was surveyed into ranges numbered from east to west, and into townships about six miles square, num- bered from south to north. The townships were subdivided into lots, three-fourths of a mile square, and numbered from south to north, commencing with the east tier. Mr. Ellicott contracted with Thomas Morris to deliver on the Genesee River or on the shore of Lake Ontario, one hundred barrels of pork, fifteen barrels of beef and two hundred and seventy barrels of flour, for the supply of the surveyors the ensuing year. The survey commenced early in the spring of 1798. The principal surveyors were Joseph and Benjamin Ellicott, John Thompson, Richard M. Stoddard, .George Burgess, James Dewey, David Ellicott, Aaron Oakford, Jr., Augustus Porter, Seth Pease, James Smedley, William Shepherd and George Eggleston. Pre- vious to the sale to the Holland Company Mr. Morris had sold the Triangle Tract, of 87,000 acres, to LeRoy, Bayard and MeEvers, and 100,000 acres directly west of this, to the State of Connecticut and Sir William Pulteney. On arriving at the south line of the Connectient Tract, Mr. Ellicott found that the east line of the Holland Purchase would intersect that tract, to avoid which he moved west 2 miles and 25 1-5 rods, and then run the line due north to Lake Ontario. This offset is near the center of the town of Stafford.
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