Growth of a Century : as illustrated in the history of Jefferson County, New York, from 1793 to 1894, Part 103

Author: Haddock, John A. 1823-
Publication date: 1894
Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : Sherman
Number of Pages: 1094

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ing to Dr. Avery Ainsworth, in Pleasant Valley. The Doctor, with the rest of his family barely escaping in time to save them- selves. These Indians came over from Wolf Island. For the most part, the burning and plundering was done by the crews of British gun-boats, which frequently passed up and down the river. One morning, however, just in the grey of dawn, a gun-boat landed at the foot of James street, for the purpose of plunder. The crew leaped ashore, eager to begin their depredations, when they were met by a detachment of Forsyth's riflemen, who had followed their course up from Port Putnam, and a sharp skirmish ensued, in which nearly all the boat's crew were cap- tured, and several killed and wounded ; only four or five escaped to the boat, which they got out of harm's way as rapidly as possible. The prisoners were sent to Greenbush-on-the- Hudson, and the dead were buried at the corner of Broadway and Murray streets. It was about this time that a man named Draper, belonging to Captain Getman's com- pany, obtained permission to dislodge a party of Indians on Wolfe Island; but the raid was badly managed, Draper was killed, and, it is said, scalped; two of his men were wounded, and the party retreated, leaving the victory with the redskins, Just before the British attacked Sackets Harbor, a gun- boat landed at Cape Vincent in the night, and surrounded a private dwelling which stood near the corner of Broadway and Essel- styn streets, where Dr. E. M. Crabb's house now stands, in which were three dragoons from Sackets Harbor; one of them was a Sergeant Moore, who had formerly been in the British service. By some means the enemy had learned that Moore was in the house, and they demanded his surrender, which was refused. They then broke into the house, and Moore, grasping his saber, backed into a corner of the rooom, while his cowardly comrades fled to the chamber. He was an expert swordsman, and so gallantly defended himself, saber against bayonet, that finally the cowardly order was given to shoot him down. It was done, and with his last breath he anathematized both comrade and assailants as the veriest cowards. Some years ago, when the house was moved, the bullet which destroyed the life of the gallant sergeant, was found embedded in the plank- ing.

The Royal George, a British vessel of war, carrying 24 guns, touched at the Cape once, but retired without making any hostile demonstrations, although for a time there was no little excitement, and great fear was expressed as to what would be the outcome of the visit. A boat loaded with flour was captured by the British fleet, while on its way from Cape Vincent to Sackets Harbor, May 28, 1813. Although no great events transpired here, its situation made it a place of much importance.

As already stated, most of the early settlers left the town during the war, and

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not half of them ever returned; and this fact had the effect of greatly retarding settlement generally. Until 1825, Warren Settlement was an untrodden wilderness. In that year Sheppard Warren and his brothers, James and Asa, made a clearing, and were soon followed by Edwin Tuttle, Joel Torrey and John Howland; and not until a still later period was the St. Lawrence region oc- cupied; the first settlers there were Jacob St. Oars, Silas Mosier, Eli Wethey, Horatio Humphrey, Hamilton C. Wallace, Samuel Dillen, Jerome Wethey, Daniel Corse, Charles Cummings and Dyer Pierce. A little later, and the names of Curtis, Camp- bell, Carpenter and Wheeler, appear among the list of settlers. The settlement was called Rogers' Corners, because James Rogers built the first tavern there; next it was Gotham Corners, and then Crane's Corners- until finally the mail route was established, when, in honor of a Miss Lawrence, of New York, who owned a large lot of land adjoin- ing, the name of Lawrenceville was sent in, but as there was already a post office of that name in the State, St. Lawrence was finally decided on, and is probably a fixture. In what is yet known as the "French Settle- ment," the first comers were nearly all Americans, and Yankees at that. Among the first were Thomas Shaw, Samucl F. Mills, Jacob Van Nostrand, Aaron Whit- comb, Asahel and Phineas Powers. These sold out their lands and gave place to a num- ber of French families, whom LeRay or his agents had induced to emigrate to this country, and many of whose descendants still occupy the farms which their fathers and grandfathers cleared in the wilderness.

By 1818-20, Joseph Cross, Benjamin Estes, Dr. Brewster, Dr. Sacket, Captain Merritt, John Vincent, Willard Ainsworth, Captain Caton, Michael Van Schaick, and others, had located in different parts of the town; some of them, it may be, came a year or two earlier; and very soon after came James Borland, Jacob Bedford, James Buck- ley, Abner Rogers, Ira Hadley, Oliver Pool, Philip Gage, Abner Gage, Messrs. Hoff, Van Housen, Marshall, Holman, Pigsley, Con- verse, Hassler, Green, Fuller, and many others, whose names are not now accessible. Most of these were farmers, and many of their descendants are yet living, cither in the village or in the adjoining country.

About the year 1815, several educated and accomplished French families located at Cape Vincent. Among these were Count Pierre Francois Real, who was chief of police under the First Napoleon, and his son-in-law, Gen. Roland, Camille Armand, Col. Jer- moux, Prof. Pigeon, private secretary to . Count Real, and Capt, Louis Peugnet, of Napoleon's body-guard, and an officer of the " Corps d'elite." That these brilliant and daring, but somewhat reckless exiles, were engaged in a plot to abduct their beloved emperor from the Island of St. Helena, and bring him to Cape Vincent, has something

more than mere tradition to support it. It is but a few years, since there were old citi- zens yet alive who had themselves heard from the lips of these enthusiastic Imperial- ists, that such was their object. Count Real and his fellow-exiles were just the men to entertain a scheme so daring, and which, with the aid of an American sea captain of oft-tried skill and undoubted bravery, they hoped to successfully accomplish.

The letter written by Count Bertrand to Joseph Bonaparte, on the death of Napoleon, shows that the exiles on the lonely island of St. Helena were awaiting a welcome sum- mons from America. After announcing the sad news of the death of his adored chief, Marshal Bertrand says : "The hope of leaving this dreadful country often presented itself to his imagination. We sometimes fancied that we were on the eve of starting to America; we made plans; we read travels; we arrived at your house; we wandered over your great country, where we might hope to enjoy liberty."

As a further confirmation, the negotiations of Joseph Bonaparte with James D. LeRay, for lands in and around Cape Vincent, may be referred to; but a stronger evidence is the building of that unique edifice, known far and wide as the "Cup and Saucer House." This was erected by Count Real in 1816, ostensibly for his own private residence. It was octagonal in form, and crowned with a cupola and tower, the whole combined so closely resembling a cup and saucer, that it gave rise to the name which it ever after re- tained. The house, which stood on Real street, at the head of, and looking down Gruvello street, was burned on the 14th of October, 1867. It was richly furnished and contained many valuable relics of the de- ceased emperor, almost all of which were stolen at the time of the fire-such, at least, is the statement of one who resided in the house at the time. Count Real was an ac- complished scholar and philosopher, and had furnished his house with the best astronomi- cal, philosophical and chemical apparatus of that time, all of which was destroyed. An upper room, containing this apparatus, to- gether with a great number of curios, was known as the "museum." A valuable library and some rare paintings were a part of the contents of the house, all of which were lost.

Count Real, among other accomplish- ments, was a fine musician, and was the owner of a valuable "Stradivarius." On his return to France, the home and its con- tents were left in the care of Mr. Theophilus Peugnet, including the costly violin. On one occasion, at a party given in the village by a prominent lady, a wish was expressed by the young people to have a dance. It chanced that there was a young musician from Watertown present, who was willing to play for them, but he had no instrument, so Mr. Peugnet very kindly sent for the " Stradivarius," and the dance was enjoyed

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by all. When the violinist returned to Watertown he took the violin with him, promising to return it in a short time, when he came again. But he never came. He left Watertown, was heard of occasionally in Detroit and other cities, became dissipated, and died in a short time. The violin was twice heard of afterward, but with so heavy a bill attached that Mr. Peugnet refused to settle it, and so in time it was wholly lost sight of, and now some one probably rejoices in the possession of a " Stradivarius " worth its thousands, and it may be with no knowl- edge of its real value. It is affirmed, but with how much truth the writer cannot say, that there are at this time, many articles in the possession of families living in or near the village, which were once the property of the Bonaparte family. Mrs. Frasier, now living in the village, has a fowling piece which once belonged to Joseph Bonaparte, and was by him presented to Mr. Theophilus Peugnet, her first husband. She has also a small military camp-chest, which belonged to the Emperor himself, and was by him pre- sented to Capt. Louis Peugnet, and she avers that at the burning of the " Cup and Saucer House," many relics of the deceased monarch were appropriated by some one, but by whom, and where they are, is not known.

The store kept by John B. & Richard M. Esselstyn, stood on the site of Mr. John Buckley's shingle mill, now used as a coal house. Between the Horr house and the stone blacksmith shop, was a store, first oc- cupied by Dr. Avery Ainsworth, and later by Henry Ainsworth. This was the first store opened in the village. The principal wharf was at the foot of James street. On the beach of the river at the foot of Point street, there stood, in 1815, a beautiful grove of elm trees, and on the lot now owned by Mr. John B. Grapotte, Esq., was an exten- sive "deer lick," where, 85 years ago, the crafty hunter lay in wait for his game, and the crack of his rifle was often heard.

John and Samuel Forsyth built the first blacksmith shop across the street from where the stone shop now stands, and there they made the iron work for the first large schooner -the Merchant-built at Cape Vincent. Sub- sequently they built the stone shop, and afterward added a foundry, a machine and boiler shop, and an axe factory. They carried on a large business in all the branches. They also manufactured here the first cook- ing stove ever invented-the "Rotary."

About 1818, Joseph Cross erected a tannery on Market street above the old cemetery, which he carried on for several years, and finally sold it to a man by the name of Powell, who, in addition to the tannery, car- ried on a boot and shoe factory, in which a number of men were constantly employed. In the days when the rafting trade was at its best, there was a great demand for able- bodied and skillful raftsmen, and many young men from other places were attracted to this point, as the demand was great and the

wages good. In those days, to be a skillful raftsman on the St. Lawrence river was as great a distinction as it was to be a successful harpooner on board a whale ship. Among the skillful pilots of those days, the ones who gained the greatest distinction were Elisha P. Dodge and Christie Irving; and many are the tales of venturesome runs and narrow es- capes encountered in the rapids between Cape Vincent and Montreal. Gradually the lumber traffic was transferred to Millen's Bay and thence down to Clayton, where it finally ended.

The first mill in the town of Cape Vincent was built on Kent's creek. Before this it was no uncommon feat for a settler to shoul- der a bushel of corn, carry it to Chaumont and have it ground and return with the meal in the same manner. This first mill was built by a man named Perkins, just below where the present saw-mill stands. It was a primi- tive affair, with scarcely a piece of iron in the whole structure, its gears and shafting being made of wood. One of the mill-stones may yet be seen. It was made of a granite boulder, the like of which may be found in many places in the town, having been brought from the far north and deposited here during the ice period. A Mr. Powers erected the first saw-mill on the site of the present one, and sold it to Henry Shaw, father of Hon. A. D. Shaw, of Watertown ; Roswell T. Lee purchased the grist-mill of Per- kins, but finally built a new one on the oppo- site side of the creek from the saw-mill and fitted it up with all the then "modern im- provements," and for years it was the grist- mill of the country. Justus Esselstyn was the miller. Later it was sold to Henry Shaw, and finally to Mr. Remy Dezengremel, and his son Louis became the manager. It was, un- fortunately, burned in 1876.

A steam saw-mill and grist-mill were built by a Mr. Noble, where the Sacket boat-house now stands. It finally became the property of Mr. Peugnet, and later on was burned. The "Old Stone Mill," recently purchased by the United States government for a fish hatchery, was built by George Bartlett and Antoine du Villard, some time in the fifties. It was the best equipped mill that had been built up to that time; but unfortunately it did not succeed-probably for want of capital to carry it on. Lastly, a steam grist- mill was erected on the site of the old ship- yard, by the late Alfred Burnham. That, too, was burned some years since, but was rebuilt and fitted with modern roller ma- chinery and is now running, with Mr. Will. Burnham as its manager.

In the days of which we are writing, there were no hotels. Places kept as houses of public entertainment were known as "inns," or "taverns," and of these Cape Vincent has had its share. It has already been noticed that the first tavern in the town was built by Eber Kelsey, where the Rathbun House now stands. General John Tabor built a small hostelry where the Horr House stands ;

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indeed the present dwelling is the old Tabor tavern, enlarged by a Mr. Ferrin. Still later Mr. Joseph Cross built a tavern on the corner of James street, where the house of Mrs. Fuller now stands, which soon became, be- cause of its locality, the principal tavern of the place. At that time a great traffic was carried on with Kingston, and as many as 20, and sometimes 30, teams might be seen at at one time in the tavern yard ; some of them were from Little Falls, some from Utica and some from Rome. Among these there were sure to be three or four loaded with oys- ters. Cross' tavern was also the stopping place for the Watertown stage, the Kingston ferry being close at hand. Later a hotel was built on the west corner of Broadway and Market streets, where the undertaking rooms and insurance office of Mr. L. C. Kelsey are. This was built by Fred Folger, although there was one on the opposite corner, where the old Crevolin building is. Still later, the St. Lawrence was built on the southeast cor- ner of Market and Broadway, by Buell Fuller ; this was burned in 1882, and in its place was erected one of the finest hotels on the St. Lawrence river, by H. J. Crevolin, now deceased. This passed into other hands, and its name was changed to the Al- gonquin. It, too, was burned lately, and only a heap of ruins shows where an elegant hotel once stood. On the remaining corner of the square stood Jerome's Hotel, a large building not yet finished. It was here that the late disastrous fire originated, but how, is a mystery ; at all events no blame attaches to any one, and Mr. Jerome has, at this writing, a fine brick structure well under way. At present, however, there are but two hotels in the village.

In the early days, however, there was no lack of taverns. In the "French Settle- ment," just beyond the old cemetery, Betise Robeair kept a very popular tavern, which was sure to be well patronized, especially on Sundays, owing to its close proximity to the church. Peter King kept a tavern and store combined, near the mills, and, on the same street, Antoine Seymard had a drinking place and a small gin distillery.

FORT HALDIMAND.

THE earliest settlement was made within the present limits of the town of Cape. Vin- cent, and indeed, so far as is known, within the limits of Jefferson county, with a single exception (the old French redoubt on Six Town Point), was on Carleton Island, then known to the English as Buck, or Deer Island. The island lies in the centre of the American channel of the St. Lawrence river, about three miles east of north from Cape Vincent village. Some time during the year 1774, the island became a depot of supplies for several Quebec merchants, who were en- gaged in the rapidly growing and very profitable trade with the Six Nations, and also with the Indian tribes of the Northwest;

several stores were opened, and in connection with similar houses in Niagara, and other points on the lakes as far north as Macki- naw, a brisk trade was carried on. By 1775 the British government had located a govern- ment supply-store on the island, to which quartermaster stores were shipped from Quebec and Montreal, and thence up the lake wherever needed. In 1776, when the war broke out between the colonies and Great Britain, the island became at once a rendezvous for the Tories of the Mohawk Valley, and especially for the tenants and retainers of their leader, Sir William John- son, and also of those Indians friendly to the King. Among these Sir John Johnson re- cruited a regiment, known as the Royal Greens, a detachment of which was for some time stationed on the island. In 1777, Bur- goyne's great campaign, which was to end the Rebellion, was organized. The plan, in brief, was to make a descent on Albany, by the way of Lake Champlain, with a strong force under Burgoyne's immediate command, while Col. Barry St. Leger was to ascend the St. Lawrence river, rest and recruit at Deer Island, and then proceed by way of Oswego to the capture ot Fort Stanwix (now Rome), thence down the Mohawk to a junction with Burgoyne at Albany. At the same time Sir Henry Clinton was to co-oper- ate from New York, by sending a strong force up the Hudson.

The intelligent reader is already aware that tbis grand scheme miscarried, and how ; hence a recital of the particulars is unneces- sary, only so far as they relate to the matter in hand. Suffice it to say, that Burgoyne surrendered at Saratoga, St. Leger was de- feated at Fort Stanwix, Sir Henry Clinton failed to connect, and the campaign was a failure. St. Leger, however, landed on Deer Island, and encamped there for 10 days on his way to attack Fort Stanwix, but history is silent as to whether he halted there on his retreat. Sir Guy Carleton, who was Gover- nor General of the Canadas, and commander- in-chief of the forces, was relieved at his own request, and superseded by Sir Freder- ick Haldimand, who deemed it advisable to take some steps toward the better protection of His Majesty's interests in this part of the country. Kingston was too far out of the way to be of any service in checking a force which might attempt the passage of the river, and in any case additional fortifications were necessary. Acting upon this idea, General Haldimand sent Lieutenant Twiss, who was Burgoyne's chief engineer, Lieut. Schank, of the navy, and Capt. Aubrey, of the 47th Regiment, with his own company and a detachment of the Royal Greens, and a body of artificers, to select such a place as was in their judgment the best for the pur- poses required, which were to build a fort, establish a ship yard, build gun-boats and vessels, and, in short, to do everything necessary for the good of His Majesty's cause in this part of the country. After a

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careful examination of the different locali- ties in this vicinity, these officers pitched upon Decr Island, and begun operations. This was in August, 1777, and at that time they changed the name of the island to Carleton, in honor of Sir Guy Carleton, and when the engineer had completed his plans, he gave them the name of Fort Haldimand. The work was not fully completed in 1783; but was discontinued by order of General Haldimand, on the cessation of hostilities, pending a treaty of peace, and was never re- sumed. The work occupied three-eighths of an octagon, extending from the edge of the cliff on which it was built, which faces to the southwest. The rear was protected by a strong earthwork, a ditch, and an outer para- pet of stone, evidently quarried from the ditch, a glacis of the same material, and a strong abatis. In the centre of each face of the ramparts, midway between the salients, was a strong bastion constructed for four guns ; two of which in each bastion could en- filade corresponding angles of the ditch, which was cut to a depth of nearly five feet in the limestone rock, with an average width of 24 feet. The scarp was vertical, and was protected by a cheveaux-de-frise of cedar logs sharpened at the outer ends, extending beyond the berme, and held in place by the earth of the parapet. The counter-scarp, was also vertical, and beyond it was a couvert way of about the same width as the ditch. The outer parapet and glacis were of stone, the parapet being about four feet in height, and the glacis from six to eight rods in width. Bomb-proof barracks and magazines were constructed, and a well was dug, reaching below the level of the water in the bay at the foot of the cliff. It is not at this time easy to determine the character of the fortiffcation along the face of the cliff, although it is presumable that it was pro- tected by a strong wall, probably of stone, backed with earth. At all events there was at least two heavy batteries on that side, while there were also strong water batteries on the point under the cliff. This peninsula is flanked by a bay on each side, and is con- nected with the main island by a compara- tively narrow neck of land, which, with the peninsula itself, was devoted entirely to the use of the engineer and naval departments, and was designated as Government Point. The following extract of a letter from Gen. Haldimand, dated Quebec, April 17, 1780, to Capt. Fraser, then in command on the island, explains matters clearly :

* * * * "No part of the head or neck of land which lies under the fort, and is called Government Point, shall be deemed in any way private property, nor shall any hut, house or stable built thereon be sold; because I propose that the whole of this ground shall be appropriated for lodging the arti- ficers belonging to the naval and engineers depart- ments; and the commanding engineer shall have orders to lay it out during the spring so as to form commodious workshops, saw-pits, timber yards, rope walks, etc., after which provision stores are to be built. * * * * Every other part of Government Point, after these services are provided for, must be given up entirely to the officers and seamen of the naval

department, and all officers, commissaries, etc., belonging to the garrison, must have their gardens and other conveniences you may think proper to allow them, on some other part of the island. I am yours, etc.,

FRED HALDIMAND.

Much more might be written of the pas- sive part played by Carleton Island during the war of the Revolution, but space forbids. We may say, however, that it was a most important point in many respects. It was here that the bloody raids upon Wyoming and Cherry Valley were planned and organ- ized. It was the home of Joseph Brant, the noted Chief Thayendanegea. Here the sav- ages assembled to receive their ammunition, don their war paint, dance their scalp-dances, and then set forth, bent upon massacre and bloodshed ; but space forbids further enlarge- ment on this head. On the breaking out of the War of 1812, Abner Hubbard, of Hub- bard's Bay, collected a few of his neighbors and captured the fort, sending its garrison, two old and decrepit ordnance sergeants and three old women, prisoners to Sackets Har- bor, and then setting the old barracks on fire. There was at that time no armament in the fort, the guns having been sent years before to York, now Toronto.

By 1820, Carleton Island, which was re- served in the sale to Macomb, had become a busy place, with a population of 150 souls, which, in another year, increased to 200, all of whom were squatters, attracted by the lumber trade, in which a large business was done. On the head of the island there was a school-house, a postoffice, a shoe shop, a blacksmith shop, three stores and a tavern. Professor Shumway was the school teacher ; James Estes kept the tavern ; Abijah Lewis, James Wood and a Mr. Shaw, were the store- keepers, and a Canadian, whose name is now forgotten, did the blacksmithing. So great was the business carried on at that point that it was no unusual thing to see from 10 to 15 lumber vessels anchored in the bays at the head of the island at the same time.

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Growth of a Century : as illustrated in the history of Jefferson County, New York, from 1793 to 1894, Part 103

Author: Haddock, John A. 1823- Publication date: 1894 Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : Sherman Number of Pages: 1094

Author: Haddock, John A. 1823-
Publication date: 1894
Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : Sherman
Number of Pages: 1094