USA > New York > Tioga County > Historical gazetter of Tioga County, New York, 1785-1888. Pt. 1 > Part 7
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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 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35
The next attempt to establish a daily journal was made by Mr. Beebe, in 1855, the first number appearing on the 18th day of October. It was discontinued on the 6th of the following December.
The Daily Gazette was revived May 27, 1851, at the commence- ment of the civil war. It was not properly sustained by the public and its publication was discontinued in the following October.
. Backed by neither capital nor brains, the first number of the Daily Owegoan appeared October 7, 1879. It was published by Dorsey B. Gibson. It struggled along until the 4th of the follow- ing August, when it ceased to exist.
The Owego Daily Blade was established by E. B. Gere, and its first number was issued November 4, 1882. With its issue dated April 23, 1887, its publication was discontinued. 1
The daily edition of the Record, previously mentioned, was started December 20, 1886, by Messrs. Scott & Watros, its present publishers.
Waverly Newspapers .- The Waverly Luminary was established by Thomas Messenger, October 3, 1851. The office of the paper was on the second floor of the Spalding block, and here under Messenger, " Brick" Pomeroy took his first lessons in " the art preservative of arts," and, it is said, at an early age developed those traits of character which have since made him so well known. The Luminary had a brief existence of about ten months. F. H. Baldwin soon after purchased the office and material, and, September 17, 1852, published the initial number of the Waverly Advocate. M. H. Bailey succeeded him in 1853, publishing the paper for a few months, when, in 1854, F. H. Baldwin and William Polleys purchased the paper, and continued the publication until 1860, when O. H. P. Kinney succeeded to Mr. Baldwin's interest. Polleys & Kinney continued as publishers till 1883, during which year both died, the former in June and the latter in September. G. D. Genung, who for about a year previous to Mr. Kinney's death had edited the Advocate, continued its publication, for the administrators of the estates, G. F. Wellar and J. G. Kinney. until the following April, when legal questions regarding the set- tlement of the estates of the deceased publishers arose that resulted in the closing of the office. Soon after this, J. C. Shear purchased the Kinney interest in the business ; and, July 15, 1884,
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E. M. Fenner purchased the paper and resumed its publica- tion. January 1, 1885, Mr. Fenner's father became nominally associated with him in the publication of the Advocate, under the firm name of E. M. Fenner & Co., and G. D. Genung was again engaged as manager and editor of the paper, a position which he has filled to the present time. February Ist., E. M. Fenner retired from the concern, and June 15th it was sold to Messrs. Wellar & Shear, who continued the publication until November I, ISS5, when they sold to its present proprietor, E. L. Vincent, a talented newspaper man. The paper has been increased to a nine-column folio, new type, presses, etc., have been added, and it is now the leading paper published in the place, and ranks with the fore- most country newspapers of the day. It is Republican in politics, liberal and enterprising, and under the present management more prosperous than ever before in its history.
The Waverly Enterprise, was established October 15, 1867, by Frank T. Scudder, a young man of much ability. It first appeared as a four-column monthly folio, 12x18 inches, then as a semi-monthly of 18x24 inches, and thus continued for about three years, when it was changed to a five-column folio, and published as a weekly. It was enlarged from time to time until, in 1873, it was an eight-column folio, and one of the most prosperous news- papers in the county. Mr. Scudder's health failing, he sold a half interest, in 1874, to P. C. Van Gelder. The partnership continued about six months, when Mr. Van Gelder purchased Mr. Scudder's remaining interest, and then sold a half interest to Amos Roberts. Shortly after, Mr. Van Gelder leased his inter- est to J. A. Fraser, and the business was continued until October 7. 1876, by Roberts & Fraser, at which date the office was entirely destroyed by fire. The subscription list and good-will of the office were then purchased by James B. Bray, who was formerly foreman of the office, but was at that time conducting a job office of his own, and the paper was revived under its present title, The Waverly Free Press. Mr. Bray, who had been in failing health for many years, soon found that the added responsibility was undermining his remaining strength, and in December, 1877, he sold the office to Cyrus Marsh, who continued in the office but two weeks, when Mr. Bray assumed control again, and has since continued as editor and proprietor. The office has always been prosperous, especially so under the management of its founder and the present proprietor. The paper is especially devoted to local news and home interests, and is fearless in all
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matters pertaining to the public interests. It has always been Independent Republican in politics, but never extremely partisan.
The Waverly and Athens Democrat, a seven-column folio, was established by David P. Shutts, in the winter of 1867-68, and was continued by him about one year, when he formed a partnership with S. C. Clizbe ; but the partnership existed but a few months, when Mr. Clizbe retired, and Mr. Shutts continued the paper until 1870, when it suspended. The material was purchased by Polleys & Kinney, then proprietors of the Waverly Advocate. Mr. Charles Rogers was the political editor of the Democrat.
The Waverly Review was established by Ira L. Wales, during the summer of 1875. It was a seven-column folio, Democratic in politics, and from the first had a precarious existence. Two attempts were made to establish a daily paper, but neither suc- ceeded beyond a few months, and in April, 1882, Mr. Wales closed his office here, and moved the material to Binghamton.
The Waverly Tribune, an eight page weekly, was established in 1882, by W. H. Noble and A. G. Reynolds, under the firm name of Noble & Reynolds. The first number appeared April 27, and three numbers were issued by this firm, when Mr. Reynolds sold his interest to A. C. Noble, a brother of the senior partner. Since that time the paper has been conducted by these brothers, under the firm name of Noble & Noble. From the outset the Tribune has met with success, the office having grown from a small job office to one of the best equipped in the county. The paper is non partisan.
Newark Valley Newspaper. - The Tioga County Herald was estab- lished March 4, 1876, by G. M. Jordan, now a resident of San Antonia, Florida, and George Riley, Jr., now one of the proprie- tors of the Press, at Ottumwa, Iowa. In May of the same year Mr. Riley disposed of his interest in the business to H. A. LeBarron. Messrs. Jordan and LeBarron conducted the paper until August 25, 1877, when Charles L. Noble purchased the interest of Mr. LeBarron. On January 1, 1878, Mr. Noble be- came sole proprietor, and conducted the paper until January I, 1884, when G. E. Purple became a member of the firm, and since that time the paper has been published by Noble and Purple.
Spencer Newspapers .- The first attempt at publishing a news- paper in Spencer was made in 1874. In the spring of that year, Otho Hedges, a young man who probably possessed more enter. prise than capital, took up his residence in the village and began the publication of the Spencer News. The first number had four
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pages, about 9x12 inches. In a few weeks the paper assumed somewhat larger proportions ; but struggled along with a small circulation. Toward the close of the summer, an enlargement was made to four six-column pages, with a " patent " outside, and the News made quite a pretentious appearance ; but this sudden expansion seemed to be in excess of the elasticity of the editorial funds, and a financial explosion took place in the fall of that year. No further effort at journalism was made in Spencer until the summer of 1878, when the Spencer Herald was started by Pride &Foote, on the 22d of August, an independent journal which is maintained to the present. In the fall of 1878 Mr. Pride retired from the concern, and Foote continued the publication to the summer of 1880, when it was purchased by J. LeRoy Nixon, who enlarged the paper from seven columns to eight, and soon thereafter to nine; but finding this size too expensive for profit, dropped back to eight columns, its present size. On January I, 1887, the office was purchased by its present owners, P. C. Van Gelder & Son, who put in steam-power, and other facilities, dressed the paper in new type, and changed its form from four to eight pages. The paper has a large local circulation, and a liberal local advertising patronage.
Candor Newspapers .- The first venture in journalism in Candor was made in 1867, by Clizbe & Mandeville, who issued the Candor Press for a time, and sold it to Benjamin Graves, who continued its publication under the name of the Candor Free Press for some time, and then discontinued it. In 1872, Wales & Cameron issued the Candor Review, Ira S. Wales succeeding : and in 1873 the office was burned, and the publication of the paper discontinued. The Independent, the next in order, was established by T. H. Pride, October 14, 1876, and was continued until a recent date, since which time the village has been without a paper.
CHAPTER VII.
WAR OF THE REBELLION-FIRST MEETING OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS- SUBSEQUENT MEETINGS-APPROPRIATIONS-STATEMENT OF TOTAL EX- PENDITURES.
1 N a work so brief in its scope as this Gasetteer, it would be folly to attempt a detailed history of the various regiments and companies made up wholly or in part by Tioga county men, who served in the late rebellion. In our remarks on this
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subject, then, we will confine ourselves to the action of the county supervisors during the war period.
The first meeting of the board for war purposes was held April 27, 1861. It was called by the clerk, by request of seven supervisors, and Watson L. Hoskins was chosen chairman and Franklin Slosson, clerk. Six thousand dollars were appropriated for relief of soldiers' families, and a committee appointed to negotiate a loan for that amount on the faith of the county. The disbursement of the funds was placed in the hands of the super- visors of the respective towns, with authority to draw on the treasurer for such amounts as were needed. The resolution passed unanimously. At the annual meeting in November an additional sum was appropriated to the volunteer aid fund. At a special meeting held July 29, 1862, Charles C. Thomas, chair- man, and Watson L. Hoskins, clerk, the board voted to raise $3,920.00 to pay a bounty of $10.00 each to 392 men to fill the quota of the county, and also $1,500.00 to pay the expenses of procuring the enlistment of the same. On August 20, the same year, $4,840.00 were appropriated to pay the same bounty to 484 men, then required to fill the quota of the county under the call of the president. Supervisors Pratt, of Barton, Deming, of Rich- ford, and Thomas, of Owego, were the disbursing committee. The clerk having enlisted, Thomas C. Platt was elected to fill the vacancy. The treasurer reported in November, 1862, the pay- ment of $7,317.00 for relief of soldiers' families, of which $817.00 were refunded by the state, and for bounties $7,420.00, expenses $1, 134.00, and interest $298.34-total, under bounty resolutions, SS,852.34.
On December 17, 1863, at a special meeting, a bounty of $300.00 was offered to volunteers under the call of November, 1863, requiring 427 men to fill the quota of the county. Bonds to the amount of $130,000.00 were authorized to be issued, payable $40,- 000.00 on the first day of February, 1865 and 1866, and $25,000.00 on the same day in 1867 and 1868, provided so much funds were needed. The amount paid for each town was to be charged against the same, and collected of the town by tax.
On February 5, 1864, the board voted to continue the bounty of $300.00 for men enlisting under the call of January, 1864, and changed the time of payment of the bonds to $20,000.00 February 1, 1866 and 1867, and the balance in IS6S. On February 25 the bounty was voted to be paid to 286 men already enlisted and credited.
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On July 26, 1864, the treasurer had paid 702 volunteers, and had issued bonds to the amount of $210,600.00. A bounty was then voted of $300.00 per man for volunteers, under the call for 500, 000 men, and a vote was had making the bonds already issued a general county charge, to be assessed at large upon the county. Other bonds were voted, $40,000.00 to be paid February 1, 1869, and the balance February 1, 1870, with interest at seven per cent., and for an amount sufficient to pay for men to fill the quota, which was subsequently found to be 327, and $98, 100.00 of bonds were issued. At the annual meeting of November, 1864, the sum of $2,660.00 was voted to pay recruiting agents $10.00 per man for recruits. $63, 564.00 were raised, by tax on the several towns, for bounties paid this same year.
On December 30, 1864, the bounty of $300.00 was continued to volunteers enlisting to fill the quotas, and on January 24, IS65, a bounty of $300.00 for one year and $600.00 for three years was offered to volunteers enlisting for the respective terms, and bonds voted to be paid. one-half in one year and the balance in two years. On March 1, 1865. the bounty to one-year volunteers was increased to $450.00 and bonds for same made payable February 1, 1866. On May 10, bonds for $5, 100.00 for expenses were issued, payable February 1, 1866. At the annual meeting, the county treasurer was authorized to re-issue bonds falling due February 1, 1866, to the amount of $125.000.00 and to pay the towns $3.355.00 for bounties paid by them respectively. A claim made by Broome county for volunteers furnished, and credited to Tioga, was com- promised by the payment of $3,000.00.
The total amount of appropriations for war purposes by the county authorities was as follows:
Under the orders of 1861 for relief of volunteers and their families. $ 13,079.00
Under calls of 1863 and 1864 for 700,000 men, 702 volunteers at $300 210,600.00
Under the call for 500,000 men 1864, 362 men ... 97, 800.00
I'nder the call of 1865. 128,550.00
Total bounties and relief. $450,029.00
Expenses. .
13,978.00
Interest paid on bonds. 102,302.00
Total payments by the county. $566,309.00
From this amount is to be deducted the amount refunded by
the state under the general bounty law, viz., cash $ 49,100.00
Kevenue 7 per cent. bonds. 210,000.00
Interest paid to the county on the latter 18,076.00
Total from state.
$277,176.00
Net amount paid by county. $289, 133.00
Besides this, the towns paid heavy amounts for bounties, in addition to the county bounty. The last county bond for war purposes was paid in 1870.
GAZETTEER OF TOWNS.
B ARTON# lies in the southwestern corner of the county, and is bounded north by Spencer and a small portion of the county line. east by Tioga and Nichols, south by the state line. and west by the county of Chemung. It has an area of 32,686 acres, of which about 28,000 acres are improved land. It was taken from Tioga and formed into a separate township by an act of the legislature passed March 23, 1824. It has been the scene of tragic events-its early record rises to the romance of history, and is traced by a competent hand in the first chapter of this work. The original titles to the soil, how obtained, etc., is detailed in chapter two. To these chapters we refer the reader.
Topography .- The surface of the town is generally hilly, though a small portion of level land lies along the southern border. The highlands on the west rise abruptly from the valley of Cayuta creek,t and are divided into two ridges by the valley of Ellis creek. Their summits are broad and rolling, and to some extent covered with forests. The principal water-courses are the Cayuta, Ellis, and Buttson creeks. They flow in a southerly direction, and empty into the Susquehanna, which forms the south part of the east border, dividing the town from Nichols. The Chemung river forms a very small portion of the west border of the south part. The soil is a rich alluvium in the valleys, and a sandy and gravelly loam upon the hills. A sulphur spring is found on Ellis creek, near the center of the town. The inhabitants are chiefly engaged in agricultural pursuits, stock-raising and dairying being the specialties.
Origin of the Name of Barton .- In 1849, Prof. Chauncey A. Goodrich published what he styled A Revised and Enlarged.
* For this sketch We are largely indebted to Hon. William Fiske Warner, and city editor George D. Genung, of Waverly.
+ Locally, this stream is known as Shepard's creek.
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Edition of Noah Webster's Unabridged Dictionary. In this work the word " Barton " is defined as follows : " Saxon, (bere-ton, Bar- ley town.) The demain lands of a manor; the manor itself, and sometimes the out-houses." He gives as authorities, Johnson and Blount. In 1656, Thomas Blount, of England, published a Dic- tionary of Hard Words. In 1754, about a century later, Samuel Johnson published his celebrated dictionary, in which he follows Blount as to the origin and meaning of this word. As we see, about a century later, Noah Webster publishes his dictionary, giving the same origin and meaning of the word, and Johnson and Blount as authorities.
The first constitution of the state of New York was adopted April 20, 1777. Up to this period, and until the year 1813, the law pertaining to personal and real property was the same as it was in England, and many of the original owners of land granted by patent by the state, made arrangement for the formation of " manors," whereby, as in England, large landed property might be held and perpetuated in families. Some of the well-known families of this state owned large manors upon the Hudson river, such as the Livingston Manor, Radcliff Manor, and others.
Upon a map of the county of Tioga, published by the Surveyor- General of the state of New York, in 1829, showing the original survey and numbers of lots, there appear two large lots in the plot of Coxe's Patent. These large lots appear, by this old map, to be reserved, and the word " manor " is printed upon them. Upon the same map appears lot No. 175, in the town of Barton, bounded on the west by Cayuta creek, and extending eastward about four miles, and one and one-half miles in width. Undoubtedly this large lot was intended by the original patentee to be reserved as a manor, and we will suppose that being familiar with the quaint old Saxon word, he placed the word " Barton" upon the survey of the land that was filed in the proper office in Albany.
A town frequently derives its name from that of some prom- ment individual resident, or the owner of a large amount of its territory. For example, the town of Nichols derived its name from Nichols, the patentee of a large portion of the land in that town, but who never resided there. No prominent person by the name of Barton ever lived or owned property in Barton. It is a reasonable conjecture, therefore, that when the project of form- ing a new town from Tioga was conceived, surveys and original maps were consulted for proper boundaries. Upon making such
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examination, probably, this word " Barton " was found upon one. of the maps, and hence the name of the town became Barton.
In this connection it should be stated that the ambitious pro- jects of the original patentees for reserving large landed estates for their families, and perpetuating thein, were forever defeated by the legislature of the state, in 1813, by a law forbidding the creation of such estates, and providing that land could only be devised for the benefit of two lives in being, and twenty-one years beyond two such lives.
It would appear that the word "barton" isused by modern writers in a much more restricted sense than formerly attached. For example, Thomas Hardy, one of the most careful writers of England, in a recent work, revives this almost obsolete word in the following sentence: "Now his nearest way led him through the dairy barton,"-a yard or appurtenance of a dairy farm, as is evident from the context. But this is only one of many instances in which words have lost their original meaning.
Spanish Hill .- This interesting elevation, though just without the town's limits, must be noticed in the history of Barton. Span- ish hill is situated in the immediate vicinity of Waverly, in the township of Athens, Pa. This hill is one of the notable features of the valley. A range of hills stretches from the Chemung river along the north side of Waverly for the distance of a mile and more, to Cayuta creek; Spanish hill lies south of the west end of this range, and is about five hundred yards east of the Chemung river. Its east, south and west sides are quite abrupt and form nearly three-fourths of a circle, rising to the height of one hun- dred and twenty-five feet above the river. The top is nearly level, and embraces about 'twelve acres. The broken hillocks lying adjacant to the north suggest the idea that at some period they formed a part of this hill, and that Spanish hill had then the form of a cone, and that by some titanic labor the cone had been cut away and the earth carelessly thrown in uneven masses to the north side, leaving a level plane one hundred and twenty-five feet in elevation above the surrounding plane below. An examination of the stones upon the top of the hill quickly dispells this supposition, as it is at once observed that these stones contain shells, and that the surface of this hill once formed the bed of the sea, and the hill therefore was formed by natural causes and not by the hand of man. Spanish hill is a beautiful object, and visable from all parts of the triangular valley. But why is it called Spanish hill? Like the origin of the name of the town of Barton, the answer to this
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question is only speculative, and yet the following theory is so plausable as almost to force conviction as to the genuine origin of the name; and being so plausable it is decmed of sufficient im- portance to entitle it to a place in a work of this character.
The discovery of this continent by Columbus, in 1492, necessa- rily created a great excitement in Spain, then one of the most powerful nations of the world. Her naval power was superior to all others, and England had trembled by reason of the powerful naval force that had been sent by Spain threatening to crush the . kingdom. After the discovery, the Spanish government sent many expeditions to make further discoveries and conquests. Cortez, Pizzaro and other Spanish leaders carried the Spanish flag to Central America, Mexico and Peru, bringing back rich spoils from these conquered lands. De Soto, in 1541, conducted one of these notable expeditions through Florida and made the discovery of the Mississippi. These were expeditions sent by the government of Spain. But the intense interest caused by these regular expe- ditions sent out for legitimate purposes, led to the organization of private and irregular expeditions, organized for the purpose of plunder and the search for gold and silver, that in their character were not unlike pirates. It is supposed that a band of this char- acter, composed of about two hundred, sailed from Spain about the time De Soto landed in Florida, in the year 1541. This band made their way further north and entered the bay of Chesapeake. They were armed to the teeth, and were provided with all imple- ments needful for mining purposes. The idea prevailed that all the rivers of the new continent led to rich mines of gold and silver. The discovery of gold along the streams of California, in 1849, gives a fair illustration of the wild excitement that prevailed in Spain in the year 1540, about three centuries earlier. This band of two hundred anchored their vessel in the Chesapeake Bay, and leaving it in the care of a portion of the crew, made their way up the Susquehanna. Above the rapids, below Harrisburgh, they made suitable boats for the conveyance of their provisions, camp and mining tools. At this period the Five Nations of Indians occupying the territory that now forms the State of New York, had been formed as a confederacy, and dominated all the tribes as far south as the gulf of Mexico. They had become enraged by reason of the Spanish treatment of their tributary tribes in- habiting Florida, and kept a watchful eye upon all the movements of the Spanish expeditions, large and small, regular and irregular. Of this powerful confederacy the Spaniards appear to have been
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wholly ignorant. The moment, however, this marauding band of 200 Spaniards landed in Chesapeake Bay, a fast runner carried the information to the chiefs of the Five Nations at the head waters of the Susquehanna. The southern border of these five tribes was at Tioga Point (Athens), four miles south from Spanish hill, and at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Tioga (Che- mung) rivers. The confederate Indians watching the approaching Spaniards, prepared to meet them somewhere in the vicinity of Spanish hill. The pirates, finding that an armed force was assem- bled to contest their invasion, sought this prominent hill for shel- ter.
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