Geographical gazetteer of Jefferson county, N.Y. 1684-1890, Part 29

Author: Child, Hamilton, 1836- [from old catalog] comp; Horton, William H., [from old catalog] ed
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., The Syracuse journal company, printers and binders
Number of Pages: 1384

USA > New York > Jefferson County > Geographical gazetteer of Jefferson county, N.Y. 1684-1890 > Part 29

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).

The first deeds of land to actual settlers were given August 20, 1802, to George Houseman, Peter Doxtater, Francis McKee, Robert Myrick, and David Smith. The first death in town was that of Alexander Salisbury, who

* Mr. Fox, with his wife, remained upon this farm about 50 years and reared a family of 12 children.

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was drowned March 21, 1801, while attempting to cross the creek above the dam in a scow. The first marriage is said to have been his widow to Daniel Ellis, June 8, 1802. In 1803 schools were begun at Smith's Mills. The first innkeeper in town was Abel Hart; the first merchant Jesse Hale. Dr. Green is said to have been the first physician to settle in town.

From Spafford's Gazetteer (1812) we quote :-

" On the N. branch of Sandy Creek in the S. part of this town is situated a flourishing village *

* * by the name of Smith s Mills {now Adanis village]. * * * Here are 2 saw-mills, 1 grist-mill, 1 fulling-mill, a small air-furnace, 2 distilleries for grain spirits, a card- ing-machine, and a convenient variety of artificers, tradesmen, &c. In the north part of the town are 2 saw-mills, 1 grist-mill, and a distillery."

From the same author's Gazetteer of 1824 we learn that in 1821-23 the village contained the postoffice, 45 dwellings, a church, school-house, several stores, and about 400 inhabitants. There were then in the town three grist- mills, five saw-mills, two fulling mills, one carding machine. four distilleries,* and 13 asheries. There were, according to the census of 1820, 2,314 cattle, 447 horses, 4,136 sheep, and there were woven, in families, 18,959 yards of cloth.

CHURCHES.

The Presbyterian Church of Adams village was organized as the " First Con- greg ational Church of Adams," by Rev. Ebenezer Lazell, in July, 1804, with the following six members : Joshua Beals, Jacob Kellogg, Abram Griswold, David Comstock, Betsey Griswold, and Asenath Cooper. Religious meet- ings had been held on the Sabbath, in 1801, at the house of Jacob Kellogg, and in 1802 the first sermon was preached by Mr. Woodward, a missionary. From the time of the organization of the church until 182 I the church services were conducted according to the ordinances of the Congregational Church. January 29, 1821, while the Rev. George W. Gale was pastor, the Presby- terian form of government was adopted, and has prevailed ever since. The membership increased gradually, and in 1811, while Rev. Chauncy Cook was. pastor, at a meeting held September 9, it was "voted that a meeting-house,. 45 by 55 feet, the body to be painted white and the roof red, be built the ensuing season." Jacob Kellogg, Joseph Stirling, and Simeon Whitcomb were appointed to serve as a committee to superintend the building. This committee was inactive, however, and in 1814 Morris Homan, Joseph Stirling, and Jacob Kellogg were appointed to superintend the building of a church 28. or 34 by 45 feet in size. It appears from the records that this building was commenced after some delay, and left in an unfinished state. July 5, 1817, Joseph R. Rossiter, William Benton, and Elijah Wright were appointed a

* Whiskey in those days was believed by many to be a necessary adjunct to the success- ful harvesting of the crops, the raising of buildings, or the satisfactory issue of any " bee"; and so, as the means of transportation was limited, local distilleries seemed to be as nec- essary as the blacksmith shop or the school-house. The county contained 33 distilleries.

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committee to draft plans and ascertain expense and devise means for finishing the meeting-house. The committee reported July 14, 1817, and their plans and estimates were adopted. John Cowles, William Doxtater, and Elijah Wright were appointed a committee to superintend and receive proposals for building. It was also voted the pew ground be sold July 2Ist. Terms of sale, one-fourth cash in two months, one-fourth in four months, one-fourth in six months, and one-fourth in eight months. The house contained 42 pews, and 36 of them sold for $2,300. The building was completed in 1818, and at the annual meeting August 25, that year, William Benton was chosen sexton. In a few years this church proved to be too small to accommodate the fast growing settlement, and in 1824, August 30, it was voted that a new meeting-house be built " if a sufficient sum can be raised." Francis McKee, M. V. V. Rosa, P. D. Stone, J. H. Whipple, and Rev. G. W. Gale (then pastor) were appointed a committee to procure a plan with expense of the same, and it was voted that the owners of pews in the old house receive 40 per cent. on their stock in exchange for stock in the new house. In 1825 the old church was moved off to make room for a new building. Worship was continued in the old church until 1827, when it was sold to William Grer ell for $102. November 25, 1825, the building committee (William Grenell, P. D. Stone, and Seth Gaylord) reported the house enclosed and ready for glazing and painting at an expense of $2,057. January 3, 1826, the society met and more than $5,700 was realized from the sale of pews. In 1858, at an expense of about $2,000, the church was thoroughly repaired and an organ put in. In 1850 the society purchased of R. B. Doxtater and S. D. Hungerford the Adams Seminary for a chapel, and it was used for that purpose until 1881, when a new chapel was built upon the church lot. In 1866 the society purchased the parsonage on Park street for $3,300, and held it until 1883, when it was sold, and from the avails a new parsonage was erected on the church lot. In 1881 extensive repairs were made to the out- side of the church. These repairs included a new roof, a new tower, a new cut-stone foundation, a new chapel with kitchen attached, and new stained glass windows in both church and chapel, a new furnace put in, the total expense being $5,940. In 1884 the church was refurnished, carpeted, and decorated, and a new window put in the south end, the whole at an expense of $1, 100, making in all for repairs of the whole church the sum of $7,040. The church was dedicated and reconsecrated by the pastor, Rev. James I. Root, December 1, 1884. In 1818 this church established the first Sunday- school in Adams, which is also said to have been the first Sunday-school in Jefferson County. Deacon Stone was its first superintendent.

Adams Village Baptist Church -On October 22, 1846, a number of per- sons holding membership in several Baptist churches in the neighborhood met in the " old school-house " for the purpose of prayer and conference, and exchanging views with reference to forming themselves into a Baptist church. It was resolved at this meeting that the several persons present should procure

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letters from the churches of which they were members with this end in view. The services of Rev. Charles Clark, of Denmark, who had been laboring in the vicinity, were secured, and at a meeting held November 14, 1846, articles of Faith and Covenant were adopted and resolutions passed to organize a Baptist Church. At a meeting held December 4, 1846, the following Baptist churches were invited to send their pastors and one delegate each to sit in council to consider the propriety of recognizing the newly-organized church : First Adams, Lorraine, Belleville, Henderson, and Smithville. The council met at the old " engine-house," where the meetings were held from this time, December 17, 1846, and the church was duly recognized and the hand of fellowship was given. The sermon on this occasion was preached by Rev. E. Sawyer, the charge to the church was given by Rev. Thomas Bright, and the hand of fellowship was given by Rev. A. Webb.

At a meeting held March 1, 1847, a subscription was circulated for "the purpose of purchasing a site and building a meeting-house," and the amount raised at this time was $1, 125. At a meeting held March 9 it was resolved to build, and the following persons were appointed a building committee: Rev. Charles Clark, W. Warriner, Spencer Woodward, Jesse Wright, and Hannibal Miller. The house stood on the siteof thepresent church, and was built of wood at a cost of $2,000. It was dedicated October 9, 1847. The dedicatory sermon was preached by Rev. J. Freeman.

In March, 1849, the church denounced secret societies and put itself on record as regarding "connection with such societies as inconsistent and sin- ful to all professing godliness." It is difficult to say, after a lapse of so many years, whether under all circumstances this was wise or otherwise. But it is clear that this movement greatly hindered the church in its work by causing dissension, discord, and even bitter enmity among the members for many years, and more than once threatened its destruction. The church grew and prospered until 1870, when the old building proved too small and inconven- ient for the growing congregation, and a movement was commenced for the erection of the present church edifice. On January 1, 1870, the following were appointed a building committee: Rev. S. P. Merrill, Judge A. J. Brown, H. O. Kenyon, J. S. Brown, and A. W. Ingraham. The church was built by H. A. Wheeler and Asa Lyons, of this village. The total cost of the building and furnishing was $30,000, and $12,000 of this amount was paid by the Kenyon family. The church has had 13 pastors, their names and terms of service being as follows: Rev. Charles Clark, November 14, 1846, to Octo- ber 6, 1850; Rev. C. M. Manning, October 12, 1850, to March 26, 1854; Rev. A. Cleghorn, July 1, 1854, to February 28, 1857; Rev. H. C. Beals, July 11, 1857, to November 1, 1858; Rev. William Garnett, January I, 1860, to January 1, 1861; Rev. I. N. Hobart, March 1, 1861, to March I, 1866; Rev. Thomas Cull, September 1, 1866, to September 1, 1868; Rev. S. P. Merrill, December 1, 1868, to December 1, 1873; Rev. William Ost- ler, April 1, 1874, to October 1, 1875; Rev. W. H. Hawley, January 1, 1876,

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to May 23, 1880; Rev. A. M. Hopper, D. D., October 24, 1880, to April r. 1882 ; Rev. G. E. Farr, October 1, 1882, to August 1, 1885. The present pastor, Rev. Thomas Simpkins, commenced his labors January 1, 1886.

The following persons have served the church as deacons, and dates when they were elected: Jesse Wright, 1847; Samuel Harmon, 1848; James Wheeler, 1850 ; William Woolworth, 1855; Horace Brown, 1866 ; Henry F. Overton, 1874 ; Henry J. Brimmer, 1874; William H. King, 1878; Albert Washburn, 1878. The present deacons are Samuel Harmon, William Wool- worth, Horace Brown, Albert Washburn, and H. F. Overton. The rest have died or moved away. The following have been the Sunday-school superin- tendents: Hannibal Miller, Libbeus Andrus, W. D. Cook, Rev. I. N. Hobart, A. J. Brown, J. O. Brown, and H. F. Overton. The present superintendent is Prof. O. B. Rhodes. The present membership of the church is 290, and that of the Sunday-school 225.

Emanuel Protestant Episcopal Church, of Adams, was organized in 1849, with 10 members, the Rev. J. M. Bartlett being rector. October 9, 1849, the corner-stone of a church was laid, and it was completed at a cost of $2,000. Henry B. Whipple and William M. Johnson were chosen wardens ; and John McCarty, David Gaylord, Hiram Salisbury, Philip R. Ward, John Wright, Justus Eddy, Charles W. Rogers, and Thomas Dobson, vestrymen. Rev. T. F. Wardwell succeeded the Rev. Mr. Bartlett as rector, and remained a year. The other rectors of the church have been the Revs. O. E. Herrick ; William Paret, 1861-63 ; J. H. Bowling, 1865; L. Weaver, 1866 ; Jedediah Winslow, 1866; E. Dolloway, 1867 ; W. H. Lord, 1867-69 ; D. E. Leveridge, 1870- 71; George Hepburn, 1871 ; A. H. Ormsbee, 1872-76; F. B. A. Lewis, 1877-78; George Bowen, Jr., 1879-83 ; E. Moyses, 1883-86; William Cooke, 1886, the present rector. April 28, 1875, a rectory was purchased on Main street for $2,300. The present membership of the church is 142,. and the church property is valued at $3,500. In connection with the church is a flourishing Sabbath-school, of which the rector is superintendent, and W. G. Bentley is assistant superintendent.

Adams Center Baptist Church .- About 50 members having withdrawn from the old Adams church, for the purpose of forming themselves into a church at the Center, on December 17, 1852, they were organized with the above name. Abram Sheldon, J. W. Horton, and L. Allen were elected' deacons. In March, 1853, the " Adams Center Baptist Society " was formed, with 32 members, and Oliver McKee, Ezra Hull, and Silas Glasier, trustees. The following summer a fine frame church, 44 by 60 feet, with a tower in front, was erected on the principal street of the village, at a cost of $3,500. It will comfortably seat 400 persons. J. F. Nelson is the present pastor. Dea. Edward Dillon is superintendent of the Sunday-school, which is in a flourishing condition.

Adams First Baptist Church, located at State Road, was organized in.

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1805 .* and Timothy Heath was the first pastor. In 1825 their first church building, a wood structure, was built, one mile east from Adams Center, on the State road, and in 1838 their present house of worship, also of wood, was erected at a cost of about $6 ooo. The present value of church property, including buildings and grounds, is $8,000. William Gussman is the present pastor. The Sunday-school has a membership of 110, with V. W. Heath, superintendent.

The Seventh Day Advent Church, of Adams Center, was organized in 1863, by J. N. Andrews, with about 17 members. Their first house of wor- ship was erected of wood in 1852, at a cost of about $2,000, and will com- fortably seat 350 persons. The present number of members is 44. Mrs. C. W. Wright is superintendent of the Sunday-school.

The First Methodist Episcopal Church, of Adams village, was organized in 1827, by Rev. Elisha Wheeler. The trustees elected were Laban Ross, Philip Younge, David Wright, Zephaniah Jacker, Chester McKee, Daniel Dikeman, and John Adams. Rev. William W. Ninds was the first pastor. Their first house of worship, a wooden structure, was erected in 1831. Their present edifice, also of wood, was built in 1852, at a cost of $10 oco, will comfortably seat 400 persons, and is now valued, including grounds and other church property, at $15,000. The present membership is 285, under the pastoral charge of Rev. I. D. Peasley. The Sunday-school has a mem- bership of 300, with Hon. I. L. Hunt, superintendent. Hon. James G. Kellogg is president of the board of trustees.

JAMES M. CLEVELAND.

The history of the town of Adams and of Jefferson County would not be complete, nor should it be written, without prominent mention of James M. Cleveland, an old and nearly life-long resident of Adams. Mr. Cleveland was born in 1820, from a family early identified in the history of New Eng- land, and is a direct descendant of Moses Cleveland, who came from Suffolk County, England, in 1635, and settled in Woburn, Mass., as appears by the custom house lists and militia rolls at that date ; and from said Moses Cleve- land can be directly traced, as descendants, all persons bearing the Cleveland name in the Northern states. Mr. Cleveland was educated for and com- menced life as a farmer, and up to 185 t was successful in his vocation, and by industry and foresight paying for and owning a fine property in the town of Adams. He was always a thinking man, not only devising schemes for his own advancement, but for the benefit of the agricultural community in which he lived. He was a prominent and valuable member of the agri- cultural societies of Jefferson County, and was always looked up to as a man of excellent judgment. In 1851 he conceived the idea and established

* Mrs. E. J Clark, in Transactions of Jefferson County Historical Society, published in 1887, gives this date as 1804.

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at Adams the business of growing peas, beans, and other seeds for seed pur- poses for the domestic and foreign markets. This was the first business of the kind ever established in Northern New York, and proved of incalculable value to the farmers of his town and of Jefferson County, whose lands were so well adapted to the cultivation of such products, and furnished them a fine income from their farms, as hundreds can testify who have paid for homes out of this industry alone. Mr. Cleveland conducted this business from 185 1 to 1877, when the business was removed to Cape Vincent, and subsequently to New York city. As long as Mr. Cleveland was interested in the business it was one of the finest enterprises in the state, and from which he retired with a competency. The farmers of this county will for years to come grate- fully remember Mr. Cleveland for the advantages he furnished them, and the fair dealing which characterized his transactions with them. Few men, and certainly no other man in this section of the country, have been endowed with the love of the beautiful and taste for adornment of nature in an equal degree with Mr. Cleveland. His house and grounds where he resides are arranged with the finest idea of symmetry, and a veritable paradise of flowers greets the eye of the visitor in their season, and his neighbors and friends delight in viewing his collections and asking his advice in laying out and beautifying their homes. The people of the village of Adams have fully ap- preciated this quality on the streets and improvements of different kinds affecting the public.

Mr. Cleveland has always borne an enviable reputation for honesty, integrity, and charity. He has been foremost in the advancement of all the interests which pertain to the best advantage of his village and the community in which he lives. All of the religious societies of Adams have in time of need met with liberal donations from him, and the cause of education has received sub- stantial tokens of his liberality from the competence which he enjoys. The poor and needy have cause in every instance to thank him for kindly re- membrance in their adversity, and on all occasions speak of him in terms of praise. In rounding out a life full of business activity Mr. Cleveland can rest assured that he is and will be gratefully remembered by his fellow citizens.

In politics Mr. Cleveland has always been a Democrat, and though not in any sense a politician, has always stood well in the councils of his party. In 1880 he was nominated for member of Assembly for the First Assembly District of Jefferson County ; and though the district was hopelessly Repub- lican, he made a very successful canvass and lead his ticket throughout the district, showing in an eminent degree his personal popularity. Though the general public attest to his worth, yet it is in his own village that he is most appreciated .. Eight times have the citizens of Adams elected him to the presidency of the village, and each time by majorities that have made his election almost unanimous ; showing their appreciation of his judgment and conservative actions in controlling their municipal affairs.

Mr. Cleveland is a man of culture and information, which has been acquired

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by contact with men and affairs, augmented by wide experience in travel and research. At various times in his life, on business and pleasure, he has visited nearly all the cities of note in his own country, and traveled through the South and on the Pacific coast, visiting all the places of interest, thus acquiring an inexhaustible store of knowledge upon topics connected with his country which it is a pleasure to hear him recount, enjoyed by his neigh- bors and friends.

DE ALTON DWIGHT.

De Alton Dwight was born in Henderson, Jefferson County, September 25, 1825. He was the son of Dr. Pelatiah Dwight, who was born in Somers, Conn., January 14, 1785, and died in Adams, N. Y., December 12, 1882, aged nearly 98 years. His genealogy is traceable directly back through seven generations to John Dwight, the settler who came over from England in 1634 or 1635 and settled in Dedham, Mass. From him it is believed sprung all who bear that honored name in this country, -a name traceable far back in English history. His mother, Azubah (Redway) Dwight, daughter of Pre- served and Azubah Redway, was born in Galway, N. Y., August 25, 1792, was married in Adams, N. Y., July 9, 1822, and died in Henderson, April 6, 1871, aged 78 years. The family records show his ancestors to have been very long-lived ; his father, Pelatiah, attaining the age of 98, his grandfather, Alpheus Dwight, 85, his grandmother, Phanna (Prentice) Dwight, 97, and his great-grandmother, Dorothy (Sexton) Prentice, 99.

The subject of this sketch engaged in his first business enterprise in 1847, with his brother-in-law, Dea. Horace Brown, in Henderson, where they car- ried on a lumbering business successfully together for five years. He then purchased a farm in the same town, upon which he lived two years. Having sold this he purchased another, in 1857, in Belleville, where he lived four years. He then moved to Adams, in 1861, and purchased a book store, just five days before the firing upon Fort Sumter. There was also connected with the store a news agency, where were sold, during the excitement of the war, as many as 200 daily papers to this small village of 1,400 inhabitants. and the surrounding country, an evidence that Adams was not behind in eagerness for news from the front in those perilous times. Mr. Dwight still. continues the same business. In 1882 he purchased a part of his grandfather Redway's farm, which he still continues to own. In 1887 and 1888 he took a deep interest, in common with many others, in the material interests: of the village of Adams, and gave liberally to various measures for their ad- vancement. With others he formed the Adams Furniture and Manufacturing. Company (limited), and was one of its first directors and president of the board. He also, with others, upon its completion, purchased the plant of the Adams Electric Light and Power Company (limited), and was the first presi- dent of the company. He was an incorporator of the Adams National Bank,

'A, Dwight

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and one of the directors during its existence, from January 1, 1883, until its dissolution, in 1889. He was also one of the founders of the Farmers Na- tional Bank of Adams, which commenced business July 8, 1889, and is now one of its directors.

Mr. Dwight's connections with the educational interests of the county began in 1852, as a teacher of common schools, an occupation which he con - tinued for four successive winters, during which time he was elected commis- sioner of the common schools of the town of Henderson. During his term of office he assisted in establishing the first teachers' institute in the county, which was held at Watertown, October 9, 1854. In 1882, when the Hunger- ford Collegiate Institute of Adams was discontinued, he, with his devoted wife, purchased the Cooper House, and rented it to the newly-incorporated Adams Collegiate Institute, which organization afterwards bought the build- ing. He was one of its first trustees, and after the removal to Albany of Dr. A. B. Watkins, the first president of its board of trustees, Mr. Dwight was elected to that honorable position, which he has held to the present time (1890).

The institute to which Gen. S. D. Hungerford gave so liberally of his time and money, and which, passing through various misfortunes, had finally been sold, was bought back in 1884 by Mr. and Mrs. Dwight, in cooperation with the trustees and citizens, and was offered to the Presbyterian denomination upon their giving it a suitable endowment to insure its becoming a permanent Christian school. This noble object has been the desire of their lives, and they fondly hope to see it accomplished.

When the Washingtonian temperance movement first swept over this county, in 1842 and '43, Mr. Dwight became one of its ardent supporters, and has ever since been a persistent temperance worker. In Henderson he was secretary of the temperance society during its existence. In the spring of 1856 he was a charter member of the Good Templars Lodge in Adams, and one of its lead- ing officers during its entire existence. He was also one of the founders of the Jefferson County Lodge of Good Templars, and held his full share of the offices, both as secretary and chief templar. During the " Reform Club " effort he was also fully identified with the cause. In the endeavor to carry and enforce the local option law he has been among its best supporters in the town, having lectured in nearly every school-house and church in Adams, and in many of the adjoining towns, laboring side by side with that devoted apostle of temperance, Rev. Silas W. Hatch.

June 4, 1854, Mr. Dwight was married to Catherine S., daughter of Dea. Amasa and Sarah (Hopkins) Brown, (daughter of Judge Jesse Hopkins, of Henderson,) who has since been the sharer of his toils and the comfort of his life. She united with the Congregational Church at Smithville at the early age of 11 years. During her married life she has been connected with the same church with her husband, to which it has been her chief delight to give her best services and liberal gifts. The devotion and generosity extended

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Geographical gazetteer of Jefferson county, N.Y. 1684-1890, Part 29

Author: Child, Hamilton, 1836- [from old catalog] comp; Horton, William H., [from old catalog] ed Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., The Syracuse journal company, printers and binders Number of Pages: 1384

Author: Child, Hamilton, 1836- [from old catalog] comp; Horton, William H., [from old catalog] ed
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., The Syracuse journal company, printers and binders
Number of Pages: 1384