Geographical gazetteer of Jefferson county, N.Y. 1684-1890, Part 77

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 77

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).

Lawrence Van Epps, a native of Holland, came to Schenectady about 1790, where he died in 1833. Of his five children, James L. was born in Schenectady, and in 1848 located in the town of Lyme. He married Rosina Michael, of Duanesburg, Schenectady County, and their children were Nelson L., Ellen E., Andrew J., Peter L. (deceased), Ruth A., Rosina F., Marialı H., Catharine A., Peter L., 2d, Sarah F., and James C. The latter was born in Glenville, Schenectady County. He married Mary J. Thompson, of Lyme, and they had four children, viz .: Byron P., Mortimer N., James G., and Jennie E. Upon the death of his first wife he married Sarah A., daughter of Dennis and Rachel (Arnold) Lagraves, of Orleans. He has an adopted daughter, Maude. He served three years in the late war in Co. G, 10th N. Y. H. A., and has served as deputy sheriff four years.

Seth Clark was born in Connecticut, and in 1824 located in Watertown, where he died in 1850, aged 76 years. He married Asenath Corbin, of Root, Montgomery County, and their children were Betsey, Susan, Lucy, Abigail, Dorcas, Chandler, and Rev. Lemuel. The latter

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was born in the town of Root. He married, first, Harriet Putnam, of Clayton, and by her had four children, viz .: Philo, Amasa, Prudence, and Lucy. He married, second, Diana, daughter of Ruel and Margaret (Middleton) Randall, of Rutland, and they have two children, S. Corbin, who is corresponding secretary of Warner's Safe Cure Co., and Florence N. Rev. Lemuel Clark commenced preaching in 1853, with the Methodist Episcopal Church, with which denomination he has since continued. He is now pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Sandy Creek, Oswego County, having gone there from Sackets Harbor. His maternal grand- father, Elkanah Corbin, served in the Revolutionary war, and was one of General Washington's life-guards. Seth Clark, who was one of the early settlers of Clayton, served at the battle of Plattsburgh in the War of 1812.

Charles E. Knapp, son of Er, a native of Pinckney, Lewis County, came to Hounsfield in 1881, where he resided until his recent removal to Watertown, engaged in farming. He married Julia E., daughter of James and Adaline (Sperry) Griswold, of this town, and their children are Fred, James, and Ada. His grandfather, Jared T. Knapp, a native of Lewis County, reared five children, viz .: Talcott, Homer, Er, Sally, and Betsey. Er Knapp married Lucinda Forward, of Copenhagen, and reared three children, Charles E., Jared, and Emily, dying in Brownville, aged 47 years.

Robert Gilmore, a native of New Hampshire, removed thence to Vermont, where he died. He married a Miss Houston, a relative of General Sam Houston, of Texas, and they had seven children. His son Horace was born in New Hampshire and came to Watertown in 1826, where he engaged in the grocery trade, dying in that town at the age of 42 years. He married Pamelia, daughter of Ebenezer Cook, of Vermont, and their children were George, James E., Robert A., William W., Harris O., Martha, Sarah A., and Horace O. The last named married, first, Jane E., daughter of Levi and Anna (Van Schaick) Livermore, and second, Lucy M., a sister of his first wife, and his children, all by his second wife, are Orville H., Lucy Ann Erskine J., and Bert Q. Mr. Gilmore served in Co. I, 10th N. Y. H. A., three years, and was honorably discharged. He enlisted as captain and served in the defense of Washington one year and a half, then served in the battles of Cold Harbor and Petersburg, then again in the defense of Washington, then with Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley, and was at Bermuda Front at the time of Lee's surrender. He was mustered out June 27, 1865.

Andrew Ferguson, an architect and builder, was a native of County Tyrone, Ireland, where he died. Of his four children, Andrew married Martha Pollock and died at the age of 75 years. Of their eight children, William immigrated to New York city in 1857, and in 1883 came to Sackets Harbor, where he is now located. He married Elizabeth Murphy, of Brooklyn, daugh- ter of Timothy and Margaret (Doyle) Murphy, and his children are Lonisa E., Emma A., Ida A. A., Jennie, and William P. Mr. Ferguson has served in Cos. C, F, K, and I, 6th U. S. Infantry, continuously from August 20, 1858, and participated with his regiment in the fol- lowing battles and skirmishes during the late war: Siege of Yorktown, Va .; Gaines Mills, Va., where he was wounded and taken prisoner; second Bull Run, Antietam, South Mountain, skirmish near Shepardstown, Va., and at Snicker's Gap, first battle of Fredericksburg, Chan- cellorsville, and Gettysburg. He purchased the Redfield homestead in Sackets Harbor, where he is now stationed as ordnance sergeant, U. S. A., at Madison Barracks.

Henry Metcalf, a native of England, married Mary Colwell, and his children were Albert, Bailey, Minnie, Lottie, and Thomas. The latter was born in Sackets Harbor. He married Abbie Little, of Syracuse, by whom he had two children, Gracie (deceased) and Julia. FIe died March 25, 1889.

William W. Hadley, son of Samuel G. and Sarah (Anthony) Hadley, was born at Cape Vincent, September 2, 1860. He studied medicine with Dr. A. B. Stevens, of Black River, and graduated from the medical department of the University of Buffalo in 1886, commencing practice at Henderson in the spring of the same year. Dr. Hadley recently removed to Sackets Harbor, where he is now located in the practice of his profession. He married Stella Belle, daughter of Stephen and Mandana (Clark) Merriman, of Black River, September 23, 1845.

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TOWN OF LE RAY.

LE RAY.

L E RAY received its name from James Le Ray de Chaumont, the pro- prietor, and was formed from Brownville, February 17, 1806. Ant- werp was taken off in 1810, a part of Wilna in 1813, and Philadelphia and a part of Alexandria in 1821. It is an interior town, east of the center of the county, and lies nearly in the form of an equilateral triangle, of which the western boundary is a north and south line, against the towns of Orleans and Pamelia, the northeast side joining Theresa and Philadelphia, and the southeast border being formed partially by Wilna, but principally by the Black River, which is its main water course. The next stream in size is Indian River, which enters from Philadelphia, flows in a southwesterly course to within one mile of Evans Mills, then turns sharply towards the north and returns to Philadelphia, after a meander of nearly five miles in Le Ray. Pleasant Creek, rising in the southeast, turns the mill-wheels at Le Raysville, Slocumville, Churchill's, Henry's, and Evans Mills, then, having received the waters of West Creek, passes on towards Indian River, which it joins at the point where the latter turns its course northward. Gardner's Creek falls into the Indian River from the eastward, above the bend. Several very small streams take their rise in the northwest, and flow thence through Pa- melia into Perch Lake. The surface of the town is level or gently rolling, and the soil is principally a clayey loam. A strip of barren sand, known as the "pine plains," once covered with pine, extends along Black River into Wilna.

A small part of Le Ray was included in the Chassanis tract, its north line running from Great Bend, north 87° west, and being also the south line of Le Ray's purchase, which embraced four-fifths of the present town.

The first town meeting was held March 3, 1807, at the house of Abiel Shurtleff, and at this meeting the following were elected to manage the municipal affairs of the town : James Shurtleff, supervisor ; Thomas Ward, town clerk ; Ruel Kimball, John B. Bossuot, and Richardson Avery, asses- sors ; Daniel Child, Daniel Sterling, and Lyman Holbrook, commissioners of highways ; and Thomas Thurston, constable and collector.

In 1807, at the town meeting, it was voted $5 bounty for all wolves caught or killed in town. In 1808 this bounty was reduced to $2.50, and in 1809 raised to $5, and to $ro in 1810, and in this year a bounty of 50 cents a head was voted on foxes and one cent a head on squirrels. In 1811 the bounty on squirrels was raised to three cents.

The first action taken by the town for educational purposes was at a special town meeting, June 6, 1813, held for the " choice of one school com-

TOWN OF LE RAY.

52f

mittee and one school inspector." Ruel Kimball had one vote for commit- tee, and Thomas Ward three votes and was elected. Ralph Huntington was chosen inspector.

The first 13 roads surveyed after the town was set off from Brownville were surveyed by Cadwallader Child, who had already surveyed roads in Brown- ville, which comprised all north of Black River. The fourteenth and seven- teenth roads were surveyed by Musgrove Evans. " Road No. I, surveyed by Cadwallader Child, April 15-16, 1806, from Ethni Evans's to the road lead- ing from Benjamin Brown's to the bridge at the bend of Black River, three miles, 309 rods." "Road No. 2, surveyed May 5, 1806, from the bridge of the bend of Black River to Elizabethtown [Philadelphia], eight miles, five furlongs, and 24 rods."

From Spafford's Gazetteer of 1813 we quote :-

" In 1811-12 there were in this town, in the vicinity of Evans Mills and Le Raysville, several saw-mills, a grain-mill, carding machine, two store-houses, and two school-houses."

The same author in 1824 says :-

"In 1821 there were two small villages, or hamlets, Le Raysville, where is the postoffice, containing 20 houses, a store, tavern, school-house, grist-mill, and saw-mill, and that called Evans Mills, containing 25 houses, two stores, two taverns, a grist-mill and saw-mill, a tannery, a clothier's works, distillery, and school-house."

In 1880 Le Ray had a population of 2,660. The town is located in the second school district of Jefferson County, and in 1888 had 18 school dis- tricts, in which 20 teachers were employed 28 weeks or more. There were 476 scholars attending school, and the aggregate days attendance during the year was 41,651. The total value of school buildings and sites was $6,640, while the assessed valuation of all the districts was $1,468,588 .. The whole amount raised for school purposes was $4,186.78 of which $2, 165.16 was received by local tax. Truman C. Gray was school commissioner.

EVANS MILLS is a pleasant post village situated near the center of the town, at the confluence of West and Pleasant creeks, one mile south of the point where their united waters fall into Indian River. It is also a station on the R., W. & O. Railroad, distant from Watertown Ir miles, 192 from Albany, and 334 from New York. The village now contains telegraph, telephone, and American express offices, seven general stores, two hotels, a tin store, two hardware stores, drug store, shoe shop, four blacksmith shops, a cheese factory, one grist and saw-mill, a printing office, harness shop, several dress- making establishments, a millinery store, a restaurant, and about 500 inhabi- tants. The village received its name from Ethni Evans, who came to Jeffer- son County in 1802, from Hinsdale, N. H., first locating in Brownville, where he was employed by Jacob Brown. He became acquainted with the water-power on Pleasant Creek at this point, and, being himself a millwright, he purchased a tract of land on both sides of the stream for the purpose of erecting mills upon it. The tract contained 192 acres, and embraced the present site of the village. The price paid was $3 per acre, and the date of

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purchase July 9, 1804. Mr. Evans at once made a clearing, built a log house, and commenced the construction of a dam. The mills were built and completed during the years 1805 and 1806. About 1808 a store and public house were opened by Jenison Clark, in a frame building which stood on the corner of Main and Noble streets, where the Brick Hotel now is. The latter was opened in 1827, and is now occupied by Peter Farmer. The letters "J. H." on the front of the block signify that it was erected by Capt. John Hoover. In June, 1812, the inhabitants of this village commenced the erec- tion of a block-house to serve as a general shelter and defense against the attacks from the Indians, which they thought probable. It was located across the road from the present Railroad House. The alarm subsided before the body of the house was finished, and it was never used. The first cemetery here was given to the public by Ethni Evans. The present Main street, when it was laid out, cut the old graveyard in two. The remains of the south- eastern part were removed to the opposite side. Subsequently they were transferred to the present old cemetery. A few years ago a number of prom- inent citizens purchased another tract of land adjoining the old burying- ground, have laid it out into lots, and have given it the name of Maple Grove Cemetery.

Evans Mills became an incorporated village in 1874, the incorporation be- ing ratified by a vote of 54 to 49, at a legal meeting held September 7 in that year. The territory embraced in the corporation was 720.44 acres. A. M. Cook was elected president of the corporation, and George Ivers, B. M. Strong, and Bowen Root, trustees. The last named declined to serve and William M. Reese was appointed in his place. But notwithstanding that the incorporation was legally accomplished, and the officers properly elected and qualified, the organization never went into effect. An adverse feeling sprung up, a new meeting was called at which the vote of ratification was rescinded, and the village was shorn of the dignity of incorporation, in which condition it has since remained. The advent of the railroad, in 1854, increased the commercial importance of the village by furnishing means of transportation for the products of the agricultural district surrounding. The postoffice was established here in 1824. The first postmaster was William Palmer, who kept the office at his store in the old tavern building of Jenison Clark. In 1846 the name of the office was changed to Evansville, but five years later the original name of Evans Mills was restored. The first physician in the village was Dr. Ira Smith, who continued in practice here many years after 1822. Since the commencement of Evans Mills there have been located here a fulling-mill, clothiery, tannery, one or two potasheries, about the same num- ber of distilleries, a spinning-wheel manufactory, and several other enterprises which have been discontinued. It is accounted one of the enterprising vil- lages of Jefferson County.

LE RAYSVILLE (p. o.) is a small hamlet in the southeastern part of the town. It contains a store, blacksmith shop, shoe shop, a Friends meeting-

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house, and about 20 or 30 dwellings. The first settlement was made here in 18or by Benjamin Brown, a brother of Gen. Jacob Brown. Mr. Brown erected mills on Pleasant Creek, across which he constructed a dam. He spent the winter of 1801-02 in Brownville with his brother, and in the spring returned to his purchase, where he erected a log cabin, in which, in the July following, he established his newly-made bride, the first white woman to set foot in the present town of Le Ray. Four years after Brown settled here Dr. Baudry, a Frenchman, who had been sent by James Le Ray, the pro- prietor, to choose a location for his residence and land office, arrived here, and, after visiting several localities, decided upon this as the most desirable one for the grand manor-house, for the erection of which he immediately com- menced preparations. The lumber was sawed at Brown's mill, and early in 1807 the frame was made ready and raised under the superintendence of Ethni Evans. Mr. Le Ray came in 1808 and took possession of the house, although it was not yet finished. The site of the mansion was half a mile southwest from Brown's, on an eminence overlooking the village. In 1825 this structure was demolished to make room for a more elegant and luxuri- ous one. It was built of stone and smoothly plastered upon the outside. The main building was built with about 60 feet front, and nearly or quite the same depth. Attached to this was a wing, large enough for a mansion in itself. A lofty portico on the southerly front was supported by four massive columns. Internally the finish was of the best. The mansion was completed in 1827, and at that time was said to be the most splendid establishment west of the Hudson. In this mansion Le Ray lived and dispensed a refined hospitality for a period of five years before his return to France in 1832. In 1836 he again visited America and spent a few months in Le Raysville, finally returning to France, where he died in 1840, aged 80 years.

In 1840 the mansion was purchased by Jules Rene Payen, who came to this country from Paris, where he had been a student in the Polytechnic School. Becoming interested in chemistry, and having discovered a process by which gunpowder could be manufactured in a less expensive than the ordinary way, he came to this country, and finding the former home of Mr. Le Ray a suitable place for such a manufactory, purchased it with that intent, but soon abandoned his experiments for a less hazardous occupation. The place is now owned by his daughter, Mrs. Julia Phelps, and is occupied by herself and family. The interior is in perfect order and preservation, having had many thousand dollars expended upon it by Mrs. Phelps. The only sign of decay upon the exterior is where the plaster has become detached. The mansion contains many beautiful pieces of furniture, once the property of Mr. Le Ray, among them an old music box the size of a large trunk, very ancient and curious ; two beautiful clocks, with mantle ornaments ; a hand- some and unique table ; a writing desk of brass and mahogany ; several bed- steads and dressing cases, and many other articles. No pleasanter time could be passed than in a visit to this historic place and attractive home of Mrs.

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Phelps. One can enjoy a sail upon the beautiful, artificial lake, upon whose sunny surface float several St. Lawrence River boats. The land office, chapel, and greenhouses are in ruins; the extensive parks, wild and beautiful, are filled with roses and other flowers, which were planted during the occupancy: of James Le Ray de Chaumont.

The first public house in Le Raysville was opened in 1810. The first store was opened by Mr. Le Ray, and was conducted for the proprietor by' Mr. Devereaux. The first physician of the village, and also the first to locate. in the town, was Dr. Horatio Orvis, who settled here in 1808, and continued in practice a great many years. The postoffice was established in the spring. of 1818, upon the first opening of the mail route from Denmark to Wilna,. via this village. Samuel C. Kanady was the first postmaster, and held the: office until his death in 1835.

One mile north of Le Raysville, on Pleasant Creek, is a locality known as SLOCUMVILLE. Settlement was commenced here in 1819 by one Desjardines,. whom Le Ray had sent from France for the purpose of erecting a powder- mill. This enterprise was short-lived, as the powder produced was of an inferior quality. A grist-mill was also built here about the same time, and was said to have contained the first burr-stones brought to Le Ray, they having been sent from France for this especial purpose. The first miller was a Frenchman named Bidrot. A brick house was erected here, one of" the first dwellings of that material in Jefferson County. The powder-mill was. subsequently converted into a potato starch manufactory.

BLACK RIVER is a post village located in the towns of Le Ray and Rut- land, being divided by Black River, which is spanned at this point by a fine iron bridge, built in 1875. The Le Ray portion of this village was embraced in a tract of 150 acres purchased about '1828 by Christopher Poor, from Alex- ander Le Ray, as agent for the Chassanis tract; this purchase covering all the water-power of the north side, which was Mr. Poor's chief inducement in making the selection of this spot. He had been an early settler in Rutland, whence he removed to his new purchase in Le Ray on Christmas day, 1829. During the preceding summer he had, with some assistance from other resi- dents of the place, built the first bridge across the river at the point where it is. crossed by the present iron bridge. The first grist-mill was built about 1836 by A. Horton, a little distance above the bridge. It became the property of Christopher and Peter Poor, and was destroyed by fire about 1842-43. The first saw-mill was built at the time of the construction of the dam in 1831,. and was destroyed by fire at the time the grist-mill was burned. A second mill was built a short distance below the first, and was also destroyed with the grist-mill. It was rebuilt, and was carried away by the flood which de- stroyed the first iron bridge. In 1848 a planing-mill and wood-working shop was erected, which was afterwards converted into a chair factory, and still later into a box factory. A machine shop, located upon the lower side of the iron bridge, was carried on for several years by Isaac and Joseph Howe,.

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who sold to Thomas Mathews, who used the building as a joiner's shop. It was subsequently used as a store-house. The first merchant on the Le Ray side of the village was Robert H. Van Shoick, who opened a store on the western side of the main street about 1832.º The building afterwards became the property of P. Thurston, who converted it into a hotel, about 1848, the first public house in the village. S. L. Mott opened a store here in 1852, which became the property of Matthew Poor in 1866. The village is a station on the Utica division of the R., W. & O. Railroad, which follows the course of Black River through the town of Rutland. It has telephone, tele- graph, and express offices, one church, a newspaper, three general stores, one hardware store, a flour and feed store, two hotels, a pulp-mill, two chair man- ufactories, a steam planing-mill, several shops, about 80 dwellings, and a population of 400. It is a thriving village and is growing rapidly.

January 20, 1890, it was decided by a vote of 44 to 27 to incorporate the village. Since then those opposed to the scheme have not been idle in their efforts to defeat the project, and the incorporation is not yet completed. Judge McCartin has recently decided that the meeting of January 20 was illegal and void. On February 20, 1890, the village was visited by a most disastrous fire, in which $50,000 worth of property was destroyed, including the following buildings: Poor's opera house and block, Parkinson's store, Whipple & Hadsell's store, postoffice, Arthur House, F. H. Dillenbeck's block, two dwellings, D. H. Scott & Son's block, A. W. McDowell's store, John Burke's dwelling, and George Graham's barber shop. John Hall, N. L. Martin, Charles Lyon, George Lyon, C. H. Burke, G. E. Sheldon, and John Burke lost their household goods. Odd Fellows hall was also destroyed. The fire was stopped by the use of the pulp-mill pump and hose, which saved the Black River Bending Company's factory. The Jefferson House was saved with difficulty. Watertown was appealed to for aid, but before the firemen started word was sent that the flames had been checked.

SANFORD'S CORNERS is a postoffice and station on the R., W. & O. Railroad, in the southwestern part of the town, about five miles from Watertown. It contains a church, store, large cheese factory, several shops, and about 50 inhabitants. The first settlement was commenced here in 1804, by Roswell Woodruff. The hamlet has been known as "Jewett's Corners," " Jewett's School-House," and "Capt. Jewett's," from Ezekiel Jewett, who purchased the farm of Mr. Woodruff, and became, in that particular, his successor. Mr. Sanford, in whose honor the place was named, erected here a stone building, with the intention of opening a store, but this was never done. The post- office was established in 1828, and was kept in a brick tavern, which was afterwards used as a Limburger cheese factory. This hamlet claims the honor of having the first school-house in the town of Le Ray.

F. X. Baumert's cheese factory, at Sanford's Corners, was established in 1853. Previous to this date there had been several unsuccessful attempts to manufacture Limburger cheese here. In this year Mr. Baumert did a small

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experimental business, which proved unsatisfactory. In 1854 he continued the work with better results. At this time, it is said, this was the only Lim- burger cheese factory in the United States. His business gradually increased, until during the late war he had three factories in operation in this vicinity. In 1882 F. X. Baumert died, leaving his vast business interests in the hands- of his widow, at the time of his death having 10 factories in successful opera- tion in various localities. After her husband's death Mrs. Baumert, with the assistance of her sons, extended the business. She sent her son Charles to Europe, in 1883, to be instructed in the various methods of manufacturing European cheese, and he is now master of the art of making 22 kinds of cheese. A large brick factory, 105 by 34 feet, three stories high, has recently been erected at Sanford's Corners, where the greater part of this extensive business is now located. They now manufacture here various kinds of cheese,. among which are Limburger, Munster, Fromage de Brie, Fromage D'Isigny, Camembert, Livarot, and double Crême de Suisse. An office for the sale of their cheese is in New York city, where the principal portion of the products of their factories is disposed of, some kinds at the extravagant price of 45 cents per pound. Mrs. Baumert has six sons, all of whom have an interest in the business, which is conducted under the name of F. X. Baumert, the founder of the first Limburger cheese factory in Jefferson County, and per- haps the first in America.

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Geographical gazetteer of Jefferson county, N.Y. 1684-1890, Part 77

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