Historical sketches of the town of Portland : comprising also the pioneer history of Chautauqua County, with biographical sketches of the early settlers, Part 23

Author: Taylor, H. C. (Horace Clefton), b. 1813
Publication date: 1873
Publisher: Fredonia, N.Y. : W. McKinstry & Son
Number of Pages: 468


USA > New York > Chautauqua County > Portland > Historical sketches of the town of Portland : comprising also the pioneer history of Chautauqua County, with biographical sketches of the early settlers > Part 23


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).


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


Family of Mr and Mrs. Granger .- (1.) MORGAN L .: b. Dec. 2, 1812 : m. Asenath Wright Sept. 8, 1836 ; lives in P. (2.) MARTHA C .: b. Dec. 12, 1813; m. Daniel P. Bowdish ; settled


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in P .; Mr. B. d. in 1861 ; Mrs. B. now lives in Mayville, this county. (3.) JANE E .: b. Nov. 5, 1815; m. Thomas Hill : settled in town of Chautauqua : d. April 25, 1868. (4.) SAMUEL M .: b. Dec. 20, 1816 ; m. Orpha A. Wight ; lives in P. (5.) DAVID : b. March 22, 1818 ; m. Juline Webster ; now lives in Westfield, this county. (6.) LAURA: b. June 27, 1819; m. Joseph Odell in June, 1846; settled in Carroll, this county. (7.) HENRY A .: b. Nov. 7, 1820; d. in the U. S. army at Jalapa, Mexico, Jan. 19, 1848. (S.) LOUISA: b. March 3, 1822; m. Thomas Thompson ; settled in P .; d. Aug. 31, 1852. (9.) Lucy : b. July 10, 1823 ; m. Abram Correll ; settled in P .; d in 1872; (10.) HARRIET : b. Feb. 24, 1825; m. Darwin Holen- beck in 1871 ; settled in Oneida county, N. Y .: now lives on the Granger homestead in P. (11.) LOVISA: b. July 18, 1826 ; m. Leonard Tisdale ; settled in Iowa. (12.) JULIETTE M .: b. Aug. 30, 1827 ; m. S. W. Davis; settled in Chautauqua, this county. (13.) MARY ANN : b. July 29, 1829 ; d. Aug. 21, 1864. (14.) MARGARET M .: b. Dec 20, 1830; m. Charles M Fellows : settled in Buffalo, N. Y. (15.) ALICE W .: b. July 29, 1832 ; m. Oscar Hall ; settled and lives in P. (16.) PAMELIA : b. Oct. 30, 1835; m. Norman Goodsell; settled in P .; now lives in Mayville, this county.


23. DANIEL BARNES-Was b. in Connecticut Dec. 4. 1763. The last three years of the Revolution he served in the Continental army. At the close of the war he m. Lucina King and removed to Vermont, where he lived until 1809. when he lost his farm from defective title He came to P. in the spring of 1810 and located all of lots 4 and 5 and part of lot 3, T. 5, land now owned by A B. Post, Sanford Martin and others. His article bears date March 29, 1810. His first house stood a few feet east of the house of Mr. Post In 1811 he opened a tavern which he kept until some time after the war of 1812. In 1830 he built a new frame house, which, newly covered, was burned in Dec , 1864, and upon the ruins of which the house of Mr. Post now stands, on the central part of lot 4, T. 5. He sold his land to settlers and about 1832 or '33


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sold his homestead He lived in town most of the time until his d., which occurred about 1854 During the last years of his life he was entirely dependent upon public charity Mrs. Barnes d. some years earlier than her husband.


Family of Mr. and Mrs. Barnes .- (1.) FANNY : b. in Vt .; m. Samuel Perry, father of Oliver H. Perry ; Mr. P. d in 1815, and his wife Feb. 14, 1822; Mrs. B. and Mrs Perry were bu. at Evergreen Cemetery ; Mr. B at Brocton. Mr. B. was a Methodist for many years, but in later life a Christian.


24. PERRY HALL-Was the the son of Aaron, b. in Mass., and in early life emigrated to Springfield, Otsego Co., N. Y., from whence he came to P. in 1810. He located pt. of lot 62, T. 4, upon which he built a log house. For reasons not known to the writer he returned with his family to Otsego county ; but in 1816 or '17 he again came to P. and settled on pt. of lot 32, T. 4. He again changed to lot 52, T. 4. He removed with a team of horses, and experienced the usual vicissitudes of those making a home in the wilderness. It is stated "that often on the journey they were obliged to lay their two youngest children down at the foot of a tree while with poles they pried their wagon out of the mud." Mr. Hall m. a dau. of Thomas Klumph, a native of Germany. He was a carpenter, millwright and farmer. He d. in P. Sept. 4th, 1852, aged 67. Mrs. H. d. Mar. 6th, 1864, aged 66.


Family of Mr. and Mrs. Hall .- 1)DELOS, b. April 26th, 1807 ; m. Ennice Ely ; settled and now lives in P. on the Ely homestead. (2) LOUISA, m. Brewer Hubbell. (3) MARY, m. Lawson T. Bigelow ; now lives in Minnesota. (4) FERDINAND, m. Louisa Ely ; settled in town of Chantanqua, where he d. (5) PERRY, jun, m. Janette Sikes : 2d Arvilla Armstrong ; d. June 29th, 1860. (6) HENRY, b. in P .; m. Sarah Newcomb. (7) FANNY, b. in P .; d. May 30th, 1825. (8) HAMILTON, b. in P .; m. Louisa Shuff; settled in S. W. P. (9) HARRIET, b. in P .; m. Steplien Vanscoy ; 2d Bennett Swetland.


25. ANDREW KELSEY-Was the son of James and Catharine Brown Kelsey. and b. in Tyringham, Mass., May


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17th, 1789. In 1811 he came to P., performing the journey in eleven days on foot. Like most emigrants he was under the necessity of exercising the strictest economy, and laid in a supply of provisions to last him the entire journey. His capa- cious knapsack, strapped upon his shoulders, was like the load that Pilgrim carried in his flight from the city of Destruction. His outlay in cash for the eleven days was sixty-eight cents. He returned the same season, but in 1812 removed his family to P. and settled on pt. of lot 63, T. 4. He m. Elizabeth House, dau. of Dea. John House. Mr. and Mrs. K. lived on this and an adjoining farm until 1832, when he removed to Elm Flats where he lived until 1837; after- ward living in the town of Westfield until his d., May, 22d, 1858. Mrs. K. d. Jan. 12th, 1864. Mr. K. was a man of strict honesty, and of great energy of character.


Family of Mr. and Mrs. Kelsey .- (1) JOHN H., b. July 27th. 1821 in P .; m. Philinda Vanguilder, Apr. 8th, 1847; lives in P. (2) CATHARINE, b. July 21st. 1823; in. Emery L. Titus, July Ist, 1847 ; lives in P. (3) JAMES, b. Oct 7th, 1825. (4) RHODA A., b. Sept. 23d. 1827. (5) ANDREW, b. July 18th, 1829. (6) MANY E. b. June 16th, 1831 ; m. W. A. Crossgrove, Nov. 14th, 1850; Mr. C. d. Oct. 18th, 1861 ; Mrs. C. lives in Westfield. (7) MALVINA P .; b. Dec. 30th, 1833; m. H. B Crandall, Sept. 2d, 1858 ; lives in Brocton. (S) ABBY N., b Jan. 24th, 1836. James, Andrew, Rhoda A. and Abby N. live upon the farm first settled by Mr. K. in P.


26. AUGUSTINE KLUMPH-Was the son of Thomas K, and Margaret Davis his wife, and was b. in the town and county of Otsego, N. Y., June 15th, 1768. He m. Sarah Simpson, Jan. 31st, 1795 Mrs K was b. Jan. 17th, 1778. They came to P. from Springfield, Otsego county, in 1810. and settled on the piece of land now owned by Chester Munson, N. pt of lot 37, T. 5. His log house stood nearly on the ground now occupied by the dwelling of Mr. Mun- SO11 He lived upon this land until the death of Mrs. K. Apr. 5th, 1828: after which he lived with his ch. until his


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own death, Jan. 16th, 1837. Mr. K. taught the first winter school in town, in winter of 1810-11.


Family of Mr. and Mrs. Klumph .- (1) THOMAS, b. in Otsego Co., Oct. 3d, 1796. He kept the first store in P. in 1817. He afterward kept a tavern at various places in the county, and amongst them at the old Mckenzie place in P. where his father d. He m. Polly Couch, dau. of Dea. Wm. Couch. Jan. 14th, 1821. Mrs. K. d. Apr. 28th, 1823. He m. 2d Eliza Eby in P. He removed to Illinois in 1837, where he opened a store and tavern, was elected a justice of the peace, and appointed postmaster. In 1848 he removed to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he d. Dec. 15th, 1856. Mrs. K. d. Dec. 1855. (2) HARRIET : b. Oct. 8th, 1800; m. Asa Andrews Oct. 20th, 1821 ; settled on the homestead : now lives in Pom- fret, this county.


27. DAVID JOY .- "Old Capt. Joy" came to P. from Ver mont in 1810. He built a log shanty in the woods near where the house of M. J. Munson now stands, on pt. of lot 33, T. 5. He left this claim the next year, and returned to Ver- mont. Early in 1812, having removed his family to P. he rented the log tavern house of Wm. Berry, standing near where the house of Lincoln Fay now stands, on lot 25, T. 5, and continued the tavern. Within the next two or three months the house was burned, but a frame house was at once built and a public house continued. Early in 1814, Mr. Joy and his son Moses erected a large frame build- ing, on pt. of lot 19, T. 5, where the house of W. W. Pettit now stands, and opened it as a tavern. It was sold to Wm. Harris, sen., in 1817, and a double log house built on the N. pt. of the lot, where the house of H. A. S. Thomp- son now stands, and opened as a tavern. [See Taverns. ] Sometime, previous to 1831 the house now on the farm was built. In 1831 the farm was sold, and the farm now owned by Linus Burton, S. of Brocton, S. pt. lot 13, T. 5, purchased. In 1837 Mr J removed to Michigan, where he d, many years since. Mrs. Joy d. in P. June 1st, 1831, aged 69. Mr. Joy's


41


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aged father d. in P about 1816. As before hinted, Mr. Joy left his family in their home in Vt. until he could prepare for them a place in the wilderness, After building his shanty on lot 33, as stated, he furnished it with a bed of straw in one corner on the bare earth, a brown earthen pan or two, a bowl of the same material, and one wooden spoon. Chairs or stools were of no account, and were not used, a block of wood answering every purpose. A fire- place was built of two or three bowlders, in one corner, and an old blanket was hung up at the doorway. The inven- tory of cooking utensils was not large, including but one iron kettle. He purchased a small cow and turned her into the woods to browse; a half bushel of corn meal and a pound or two of salt. After the labors of the day he would drive home his cow, secure her milk, and cook mush sufficient for his supper and two meals the next day. The mush and milk thus prepared and eaten from his brown bowl with his wooden spoon he described as delicious. On a certain occasion while at his work, his faithful cow came about the cabin, and finding the door easy of removal, pushed it aside and made her way into the best apartment the cabin afforded. A slight exploration discov- ered to her the mush kettle, and claiming an interest in the property of her master, she soon cleared it of its entire contents ; then going to the bed of Mr. Joy very compla- cently laid herself down in it. When Mr. Joy came in for his dinner he was not a little surprised to find his mush kettle empty, and the intruder very quietly chewing her cud in his bed. He had not the heart to eject her rudely, but quietly drove her out, and took good care that she did not again thus deprive him of "his bed and board."


Family of Mr. and Mrs Joy .- (1) MOSES; m. Patty Hill ; settled in P .; but removed to Michigan in 1837, where he d. some years since. (2) EZRA ; m. --; for some time lived on N. pt. lot 25, T. 5 ; afterward removed west. (3) DORREL ; never m .; went west with the family in 1837. 4) DIAH ; m.


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Sophia Everden; lived in P. for some years; eventually removing west. (5) ANNA; m. Asa Brooks; lived on the lake shore ; afterward went west. (6) -; m James Wilder. [See Biog. Sketches No. 41.] (7) POLLY ; m. Wm. Miller.


28. JEREMIAH POTTER .- Capt. Potter was the son of Jeremiah and Sarah Mathewson Potter. and was b. in R. Island, Apr. 17th, 1765. He m. Polly Barnes, in Herkimer county, N. Y., Nov. 9th, 1799. Mrs. P. was b. in Mass., May 16th, 1777. They came to P. from Herkimer in the fall of 1810. He purchased of Rufus Perry a claim to pt. of lot 33, T. 5, his article bearing date Sept. 3 that year. He occupied a log house on a little elevation S. of the residence of J. Bur- ban's. Early in 1812 he built the first frame house built in P. on or near the spot where the house of M. J. Munson now stands, but d. Aug. 12th the same year. He was bu. in Ever- green Cemetery ; the second man bu. there. Mrs. P. d. in Mayville, this county, Nov. 5th, 1815.


Family of Mr. and Mrs. Potter .- (} )HANNAH, b. Aug 10th. 1800: m. Thomas Orton, Feb. 4th, 1827. Mr. O. d. in Nov. 1831. Mrs. O. m. Wm. Ensign of Sheridan ; now lives there. (2) JOHN, b. Jan. 14th, 1802 ; m. Delilah Crosby, dau. of Luther Crosby in 1823; d. in Ill. Apr. 1867; Mrs. P. d. in P. in 1873. (3) LEWIS, b. July 17th, 1804; m. Arvilla Gilbert in P. Jan. 1832 ; lives in Ill. (4) JEREMIAH, b. May 8th, 1807 ; m. Cath- arine Foote in Niagara county in 1838. (5) ANGELINE, b. June 23d, 1809 ; m. Luther Clark, Jan. 29th, 1829; settled on lot 29, T. 5; now lives in Wisconsin. (6) MARY ANN, b. in P. Sept. 28th, 1811 ; m. Frederick Goodrich in Sheridan, this county. Mr. G. d. in Wisconsin, and was bu. in Ripley this county. Mr. P. was not a religionist ; politically he was a Whig.


29. DANIEL DODGE-Settled on N. pt. of lot 55, T. 4, in 1810, and is said to have lived on lands now owned by S. M. Granger. Like many of the early settlers, he remained but a short time, a few years, and left for the west.


30. CALVIN BARNES-Was the son of Comfort Barnes


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and Hannah Cook his wife, and was b. Nov. 7th, 1766, at Wes- ton, Mass. He came from Norway, Herkimer county, N. Y., to P. in Apr. 1811, and purchased a claim to E. pt. lot 33, T. 5 ; cleared a few acres of land, planted it to corn, and built a log house, and removed his family in Sept. following. Mrs B. was b. in Voluntown, Conn., Mar. 3d, 1772. They occu- pied their log house until 1824, when the frame house now on the farm and occupied by J. S. West, was built. Mr. B. was the first Postmaster appointed in town, and held the office until it was discontinued in 1829. He was in the war of 1812, and was wounded at the battle of Black Rock, a ball passing through the knee joint, rendering him a cripple for life. He was an antislavery man, but acted with the Whig party. He was not a religious man. He was universally respected.


Family of Mr. and Mrs. Barnes .-- (1) MOLLIE, b. Oct. 28th, 1793 ; d. May 5th, 1795. (2) CALVIN jun., b. Nov. 7th, 1795 ; d. in Austin, Miss., in Dec. 1852. He was in the war of 1812 with his father ; went to Illinois in 1818 ; went to Alabama in 1823 or '24, and afterward to Miss. as a surveyor. (3) LYDIA, b. Jan. 17th, 1798 ; m. Nathaniel Fay July 17th, 1815; settled in P .; d. Sept. 4th, 1872. (4) ANNA, b. Sept. 3d, 1400; m. James Andrews in P. Sept. 1818 ; d. at Marengo, Ill., Aug. 1873. (5) MARIA, b. May Ist, 1803 ; m. Martin Coney in P. in Nov. 1823 ; now lives at Elgin, Ill. (6) RACHAEL, b. Nov. 17th, 1805; d. Sept. 24th, 1822. (7) FATIMA, b. Dec. 26th, 1807 ; m. J. S. West Feb. 4th, 1827 ; settled in P .; d. upon the old homestead in 1872. (8) ROBERT K., b. Apr. 10th, 1810 : m. Mercelia West in Sept. 1832 ; d. in Brocton in Sept. 1849; bu. in Evergreen Cemetery. (9) LUCY, b. Apr. 23, 1812 ; m. Martin Quigley, Jan. 26th, 1833 ; now lives in Missouri.


31. WILLIAM BERRY-Came to Sinclairville this county with Maj. Samuel Sinclair, from Madison county this state, in March or October of 1810. In 1811 he came to P. and pur- chased the Nathan Fay Farm of 246 acres, W. pt. of lot 25, T. 5, now occupied in pt. by Lincoln Fay. He opened a tav-


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ern that year, but in 1812 rented it to David Joy, and returned to Madison county. He was an active, energetic man, was once sheriff of that county and afterward a member of the Legislature.


32. WILDER EMERSON-Was the son of Nathaniel and Dolly Derbin Emerson, and was b. in the town of Stodard, Cheshire Co., N. H., Apr. 23d, 1780. In 1801 he removed to Cortland county, N. Y., where he m. Ruth House, dau. of John House. In 1812 he removed to P. and in Sept. settled on the N. pt. of lot 55, T. 4, land now owned by S. M. Granger and A. Lilly. He remained here fourteen years, building in the time a frame house and barn. In Feb. 1818, Mrs. E. d. In Feb. 1819, Mr. E. m. Lydia Ballard. In 1826 he removed to Westfield, this county, and in 1845 to Spartansburg, Pa., where he d. Oct. 28th, 1865, aged 84. His wife d. Nov. 21st, 1858, aged 83. Mr E was a Congregationalist ; and politically a Whig. He was drafted in the war of 1812, but excused. In getting to his land Mr. E. took advantage of the old road way in school dist. No. 3, traversed by human beings possibly a thousand years ago. It is still occupied as a roadway.


Family of Mr. and Mrs. Emerson-(1) JOHN H., b. in Solon N. Y., Feb. 19th, 1811 ; m. Henrietta Willet, Apr. 26th, 1835, in Ontario county, this state ; settled in Spartansburg, Pa. (2) SARAH H. b. May 24th, 1813, in P .; m. Sylvester Taylor of Sheridan this county, May 5th, 1836; settled in Spartans- - burg, Pa. (3) WILLIAM H., b. in P. Sept. 8th, 1814; left home in 1833, supposed to be d. (4) BETSEY, b. in P. July 22d, 1816, m. Asaph Walling of Sheridan this county, in 1836; went to Illinois and d. there in 1848.


33. HOLLIS FAY-Was the son of Nathaniel, and b. in Westbury, Mass., April 10, 1793. He came to P. in 1811 in company with his brother Elijah. He first articled the lot of land on which the east portion of Brocton is situated, N W. p't of lot 13, T. 5, but in 1815 sold to Moses Sage and articled p't of lot 42, T. 5, in the N. W. corner of the town. For three years he lived alone in a small log cabin, the stones


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of the chimney of which are still to be seen In 1818 he returned to Mass., m. Phebe Mixer, dau. of Raymond Mixer, on June 16. Mrs F. was b. in Mass. Jan. 21, 1793. They at once started for their home in the west with an ox team and covered wagon. Their wagon was their sleeping apartment and the roadside their kitchen and dining room. The journey lasted six weeks. They lived upon their farm until 1851 when they removed to Concord, Erie Co., Pa., where Mr. Fay d. July 27, 1868. Mrs. Fay d. there the 19th of Oet. following. They were bu. in W. & P. U. Cemetery. Mr. and Mrs. Fay were members of the West Baptist church. Mr. F. was a whig and afterward a republican, and never failed of voting at an election from the time he was old enough to vote. He was a brother of Elijah, Elisha and Nathaniel.


Family of Mr. and Mrs. Fay .- They had a family of three ch., one only surviving infancy, ROXANA E., who was b. Dec. 20, 1822 ; m. Edmund Ellis Sept 18, 1842 ; Mr. Ellis d. Oct 6, 1857; Mrs. Ellis now lives at Concord.


34. ELIJAH FAY-Was the son of Nathaniel and Ruth Rice Fay, and was b. in Southborough, Mass., Sept. 9, 1781. He m. Lucy Belknap of Westborough, Jan. 20, 1807. Mrs. Fay was b. Dec. 1. 1785. They came to P. in the fall of 1811. The experience of Mr. and Mrs. Fay-leaving their home in New England and seeking a home in the western wilds-is so truthful aud so well sets forth the experience of so many others that it is inserted as furnished by Mrs. Fay and others of the family, together with many incidents of early life in P. "They came to P. in a wagon drawn by a yoke of oxen and one horse, and were forty sone days on the road. Tearful and sad was the good-bye of loved ones, for the Holland Purchase was thought to be beyond the possibility of a return. Prayers and the blessings of endeared friends followed them. Last, but not least, was the early call of the aged father of Mrs. Fay. He came bearing a Bible, his last and parting gift to a loved daughter. He spoke kindly, comforting words, and in humble faith as he traveled on beside the wagon to an adjoining town.


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reluctant to bid the final adieu. But it must come ; the heart must yield its treasure to the stern realities of frontier life and return to its place to rest in the hope of a future meeting in other and better climes. Their household goods and farming implements were packed into the strong, well-built wagon that boasted no spring seat, but in place the well filled 'old red chest ' did service. Their slow, plodding ox team drew its slow length along until Buffalo was reached, and in due time Canadaway, and soon Portland, the Eldorado of their hopes, and the comforts of a ' lodge in some vast wilderness ' were gratefully received and appreciated." Mr. Fay had located the whole of lot 20, T. 5,-179 acres,-his article bearing date May 10, 1811. His deed from the Holland Company bears date May 10, 1820. The price paid for the lot was $547.97. No road had as yet been laid out through that part of the town and Mr. Fay reached his purchase by a path across the now farms of Chester Skinner and Linus Burton. The first log house was occupied on the first of January, 1812. It stood west of the house now on the farm, was without a door or window for a time, a blanket answering the place of the former against which a barrel was set at night. The pantry was but a single shelf against the logs. There was no chimney but a hole in the roof for the smoke. Chairs were not introduced for about three years, but in their place stools were used made of slabs split from a tree, hewed out with an ax and into which three legs were fitted by means of an auger. Kettles were suspended over the fire by a chain fastened to a pole overhead. Within a year a better house was built, the old one converted into a barn and the space between the two closed up for a threshing floor. Three years later another house was built which the family occupied until 1831 when the house now on the farm was built. "The land was thickly covered with trees over the whole town except the patches of clearing here and there. Roads were few and bridges among the things yet to be. No churches were formed or houses of worship erected. For many years when the settlers assembled for worship it was


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at some private dwelling. Under other circumstances it might have been amusing to watch the people assemble for worship. Much greater pains were taken to get to meeting than now. They would come for miles around, some on foot, some on horseback, mothers riding with their little ones behind them, some with ox sleds and some on mud boats. But their worship was none the less sincere. Now and then 'Lo! the poor Indian,' with a sad look, might be seen stealing a longing, lingering look at his much loved but now lost hunting grounds. The deer and lawless bear still disputed the right of posses- sion. Many were the trying scenes grandmother passed through before becoming accustomed to frontier life and troublesome neighbors. Occasionally we get a glimpse of their early doings, for at times some incident will come into her mind and she will drop her knitting to relate it. Shopping then, she says, was not mere pastime but a stern matter of fact and necessity. Going to the store was not a matter of every day occurrence. On such a day the work must be done up at an early hour and all things placed in order for leaving The horse would be brought to the door, on which the woman would be seated with a little one and perhaps two, taken along for safe keeping. In this condition a ride of from seven to ten ยท miles was necessary to procure the articles needed. It occupied a whole day and was the hardest day of the year. So for a friendly visit this was the usual mode of conveyance. These visits were a luxury. It did not matter if the social meal was partaken of from off the lid of the family chest as a substitute for a table, it was as good and perhaps better than some others in better circumstances. Grandmother says that the most delicious teas she ever enjoyed were those when all had to be prepared while visiting. The molasses or maple sugar cake was baked before the fire and a pumpkin pie in the spider. She says : 'You don't know how well you can get along if you only think so. After I came out here I was dress-maker, tailoress and milliner ; and such bonnets ! well, they were all right then. What a job I had to make the first coat. Where


Elyah Fay 0


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to commence I did not know, but it must be done, and in due time it was finished, pressed and culled a coat. The next time a similar garment was needed I exchanged works with a neighbor, she making the coat and I braiding straw sufficient for her a bonnet, not a sham top piece but a capacious covering for the head, requiring a hundred yards of fine seven strand braid. I lived in constant fear for a year or more, with no neighbors nearer than a mile and no roads but a winding foot path. This fear was in no sense diminished by the presence of the tracks of bears and other wild animals near our door nearly every morning. In fact an old bear at one time carried away a pig from our yard in the daytime. The Indians were a constant terror to me. The first that visited our shanty so frightened me that I left everything and with my child under my arm ran a mile through the woods to the nearest neighbor, but to be told when I got there that I was foolish. But after a while my fears subsided and I enjoyed my life in the forest as well as I could so far from my early home and friends.'" The above incidents, furnished me by the family, are given not as anything peculiar in the history of the family of Mr. Fay but as setting forth as well the experience of all the early settlers. The hospitality of Mr. and Mrs. Fay in early as well as after life was proverbial. No traveler was ever sent on his way unfurnished. More or less this was a characteristic of all the early settlers. Mr. Fay was a farmer. He was not in the war of 1812, but furnished a substitute by the name of Huram Haines, paying him a bounty of $30. Mr. and Mrs. Fay were members of the Baptist church in P., uniting in Oct. 1819. For many years Mr. Fay held the office of deacon in the church. In politics he was republican. The west portion of the village of Brocton is situated upon lands sold by him at various times to facilitate the settlement of the town and village. He was much in town office in those early years. It is scarcely possible to conceive of a man more prompt and methodical in all his business transactions. His old account book is a perfect diary of facts, events and dates. A few are here presented, not merely to




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