USA > New York > Cattaraugus County > History of Cattaraugus County, New York, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers > Part 120
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Previous to his settlement here, Mr. Delap served his country as a soldier at Sacket's Harbor during the war of 1812. From the close of the war until the time of his settlement here he had been engaged at the Taburgh Fur- nace, in Oneida County, where large quantities of hollow- ware were manufactured. After his settlement at Mansfield he engaged in the sale of these goods, and for many years supplied a wide scope of country hereabouts with all the cauldron, potash, five-pail, and smaller kettles, spiders, bake-kettles, etc., that were needed. Mr. Delap died at Bristol, Wis., about 1852, while visiting his son, G. N. The homestead is now owned by Sidney N. Delap, Esq., and shows every evidence of being one of the finest farms in the county of Cattaraugus.
Amasa Smith, a soldier of 1812, and his sons, Stacy, David, and Daniel, came from Onondaga Co., N. Y., and settled on the north part of lot 39, in 1828. Daniel Smith, of Eddyville, aged seventy years, is the only sur- vivor of this family.
Among other settlers who were here prior to 1828 were Sewell and Lucius Gunn, in the south part; Hiram Stanard, south of Union Corners; Nathaniel Walker, where Enos Eddy now resides; Roswell Ball and his son, William, southwest of Eddyville; William and Isaac Case (brothers), G. II. Willson, the first supervisor, Oliver Tripp, and Hosea Brown, in the west part; Timothy Gowen, Nathan- iel Manley, John F. Manley, Nelson Manley, Joshua Par-
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HISTORY OF CATTARAUGUS COUNTY, NEW YORK.
melce and his son, Erastus, in the southwest part; James Huggins, on lot 48, who built the first and only grist-mill in 1830, also a fulling and cloth-dressing mill at about the same time ; Joseph Griffin and Robert Kidney, just south of Eddyville; Jacob and Cyrus Galloway (brothers), at Eddyville; Ezra Canfield, Andrew Gray, in the southeast ; Truman Hinman and his son, Peter C., in the northeast ; Enos Eddy, near Union Corners; David and Asher Skin- ner, in the south part ; besides Asel Satterlee, Linus Lattin, Alexander Stone, Nathaniel M. Healey, James Puddy, William Travis, Peter Breuer, Thomas G. Baily, and Andrew Harmon.
Moses Bowen, a native of Massachusetts, and the four- teenth child of Moses B. Bowen, removed at an early day to Hartwick, Otsego Co., N. Y. In 1830, accompanied by his wife, Betsey Hopkins, and children, viz. : Geo. W. G., Emily M., Sarah A., and Hopkins, he settled in Mans- field. There was added to his family after his settlement here, Cyrus II., Frances M., and Moses, Jr., the last named with whom he at present resides.
Munson H. Clark and his brother, George, settled here in 1830. In 1831 and 1832 they built the first saw-mill, on lot 23, on the south branch of Cattaraugus Creek. They emigrated to Nebraska at an early day in its history, and at the time of its formation into a territory Munson H. Clark was one of the territorial officers chosen.
In 1830, Mansfield had a population of 378 people. Amos Morgan built the first log house and the first framed barn. James L. Smith built the first framed house, about 1835, and still resides in it. Sidney N. Delap built the first brick house, about 1868. Win. H. Robinson and Truman Hollister established the first ashery, at Union Corners, about 1850. James Huggins was the first post- master, and kept the office at his mills, about 1834.
The first birth in town was that of Mahala, daughter of Nathaniel and Nancy Fish, who was born Dec. 9, 1820. The first male child born was Edwin, son of Samuel L. Hollister, Feb. 5, 1822. The first marriage was that of Prince Wm. Fish, of Mansfield, and Miss Lois Grover, of Connewango. The ceremony was performed by Aaron Razey, Esq., Jan. 1, 1824.
Indications exist that this locality was visited at a very carly day by an apparently civilized people. Mr. Daniel Smith informs us that in 1829, while cutting a large sugar- maple which stood on the north part of lot 39, he discov- cred marks which indicated that the tree had been tapped. The incision was overgrown by 125 circles, and was made, apparently, as early as 1704. While cutting two large elms, some years later, Mr. Smith discovered marks of an axe, or other edge-tool, which referred to a similar period,- more than a century prior to the beginning of the present settlements. Mr. Sylvester Mckay has also found trees similarly marked. There may exist no positive evidence that this locality was visited at so early a day by civilized man, but it is possible that these incisions were made by some small party of French, who, at the beginning of the eighteenth century, and previously, in conjunction with Indians friendly to them, penetrated all this western part of the State in their incursions from Canada and the lakes to the Ohio River.
CIVIL HISTORY.
Mansfield was formed from Little Valley as " Cecilius," Feb. 23, 1830, and contains all that part of the said town of Little Valley known as the fourth township in the sev- enth range of townships. (See Laws State of New York, Chapter 49, Fifty-third Session.) By an act of the Leg- islature, passed April 21, 1831, to take effect June 1, 1831, its name was changed to Mansfield. The name, we believe, was suggested by Mr. Amasa Smith, and is derived from Earl Mansfield, a celebrated English nobleman of the eighteenth century.
" At the first town-meeting, held at the house of Reuben Newton, in the town of Cecilius, Tuesday, March 2, 1830, the following-named town officers were elected : Supervisor, Gideon H. Willson ; Town Clerk, John F. Manley ; Over- seers of the Poor, Nathaniel M. Healey, James Puddy ; Collector, Nathaniel Fish ; Assessors, Samuel Harvey, Syl- vanus Stebbins, Enos Eddy ; Commissioners of Highways, William Case, Nathaniel Manley, Amos Morgan ; Commis- sioners of Common Schools, Joshua Parmelec, John Chap- man, Truman Hinman ; Inspectors of Common Schools, Gideon H. Willson, James Higgins, Sylvanus Stebbins; Justices of the Peace, Prince Wm. Fish, Silas Mckay ; Constables, Nathaniel Fish, William Travis, and Hiram Stanard.
"Overseers of Highways .- District 1, Nathaniel Fish; 2, Peter Brewer ; 3, James Puddy; 4, Asher Skinner ; 5, Joseph Griffin ; 6, Silas Mckay ; 7, Isaac Case ; 8, George Delap; 9, Samuel Harvey ; 10, Darius Warner; 11, Peter C. Hinman."
At this town-meeting it was voted :
1st. That the next town-meeting be holden at the house of John F. Manley the first Tuesday of March next. 2d. To raise $250 for the support of highways.
3d. To raise double the amount of money for the support of common schools than is appropriated to the town by the State.
4th. To raise $10 for the purchase of books for the use of the town.
5th. To purchase said books on a credit.
6th. That Nathaniel Fish be a committee to purchase said books.
7th. That such part of the money raised in Little Val- ley for weights and measures as shall be appropriated to the town of Cecilius be appropriated to the poor funds.
8th. That all neat cattle be free commoners.
The following is a list of supervisors, town clerks, and justices of the peace from 1830 to 1878 inclusive :
SUPERVISORS.
1830-32. Gideon II. Willson. 1856. Elisha C. Eddy.
1833. Ezra Canfield. 1857-59. James M. Smith.
1834-39. Samuel Harvey. 1860-61. George Gray.
1840-42. James M. Smith. 1862-63. Daniel I. Huntley.
1843-44. Samuel Harvey. 1864-65. James M. Smith.
1845. Alanson B. Head.
1866. H. S. Huntley.
1846-48. Elisha C. Eddy. 1867-73. George Gray.
1849. Darius Warner.
1874. Alvin Lattin.
1850. Peter M. Stonebreaker.
1875-77. Addison Sprague.
1851-54. Elisha C. Eddy.
1855. Peter M. Stonebreaker.
1878. Chauncey Smith.
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LIVERJUSMS KAY,
PHOTO BY J. H. BLESSING
RESIDENCE OF LIVERIUS MOKAY, MANSFIELD, CATTARAUGUS CO., N. Y.
SUSAN MCKAY
PHOTO BY CLARK.
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SAMUEL HARVEY,
RESIDENCE OF THE LATE SAMUEL HARVEY, MANSFIELD, CATTARAUGUS CO., N. Y.
MARY HARVEY.
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HISTORY OF CATTARAUGUS COUNTY, NEW YORK.
TOWN CLERKS.
Owned. Imp.
Owned. Imp.
Griffin, Joseph 100 124
Persons, John 160
Grimes, Aaron. 100
1
Parmelee, Erastus. 100
Gunn, Lucius. 100
...
Parmelee, Joshua ... 110
20
Gowen, Timothy. 70
Rasey, Aaron .... 280
18
Harrison, Truman ... 100 3
Riddle, Freeborn 150
...
Hull, Joseph
90
18 Reed, Asa 50
...
Hinman, Peter C 100
Rice, Levi. 150
...
Hollister, Samuel L .. 75
10
Saxton, Henry 238
7
Hollister, Josiah R .. 50
5
Stone, Levi 50
Hinman, Truman 100
61
Skinner, David 78
6
1846. William H. Robinson.
1871-72. Alvin Lattin.
1847-48. Seneca R. Willson.
1873. G. W. G. Bowen.
1849-50. Jedediah A. Windsor.
1874. Harlan W. Smith.
1851. Peter Smith.
1875-76. Charles G. Locke.
1852-53. George C. Mckay.
1877-78. G. II. Bowen.
JUSTICES OF THE PEACE.
1830. Prince Wm. Fish.
1852. Stephen B. Stone.
Silas Mckay.
1853. Cyrus G. Mckay.
1831. James Huggins.
1854. James M. Willson.
1832. Oliver Tripp.
1855. Chauncey L. Butterfield.
1833. Andrew Harmon.
George W. Brown.
Thomas G. Bailey.
1856. William II. Eddy.
Aaron W. Stebbins.
1857. Stephen B. Stone. James L. Smith.
1834. Linas Lattin.
William Travis.
1858. George W. Brown.
A masa Smith.
1859. Chauncey L. Butterfield.
1835. Lockwood D. Beardsley.
1860. William H. Robinson.
1836. Andrew Harmon.
1861. Stephen B. Stone.
1837. Linas Lattin.
William H. Eddy.
Silas Mckay.
1862. George W. Brown.
1863. William H. Robinson.
1864. Horace S. Huntley.
1839. Luzon M. Botsford.
1840. Lock wood D. Beardsley.
Joshua Parmelec.
1841. Shepherd S. Willson.
1867. Enos Schofield.
Addison M. Smith.
Silas Mckay.
James L Smith.
1843. Cyrus G. MeKay.
1868. Francis Larabee.
Nathaniel Fish.
1869. George C. Mckay.
1844. James L. Smith.
G. W. G. Bowen.
William H. Eddy.
1870. James L. Smith.
James Colwell.
Zenas Butterfield.
1845. Cyrus G. Mckay.
1871. J. A. Windsor ..
1846. L. M. Botsford.
1872. Francis Larabee.
1847. Charles II. Barber.
1873. Robert B. Kidney.
1848. Peter Bunn.
1874. James L. Smith.
1849. Cyrus G. Mckay.
1875. J. A. Windsor.
1850. L. M. Botsford.
1876. Francis Larabee.
1851. Seneca R. Willson.
1877. Robert B. Kidney.
1852. J. A. Windsor.
1878. Edwin M. Bunn.
C. L. Butterfield.
The following is an alphabetical list of the names of the resident land-owners of the town of Mansfield, in 1832. Showing also the number of acres owned and improved:
Owned. Imp.
Owned. Imp.
Alvord, Elihu 173
...
Butterfield, Zenas .... 100
Canfield, Ezra. 146 20
Butler, James.
50
...
Clement, Solomon 100
1
Bunn, Peter
70
104
Charlton, Adam 107
8
Bowen, Moses. 180
31
Courter, David 195
Binney, John .. 99
18
Courter, William 125
1
Barnes, Joel 100
...
... Cook, Mr 164
...
Baker, Samuel.
86
...
Case, William 114
10
Brown, Erastus. 131
6
Case, Isaac. 100
12
Beardsley, Lockwood 100
Chapman, John. 85
15
Ball, Roswell.
50
218 Delap, George 374
Ball, William
60
14 Eddy, Enos. 1 150
100 Earl, Henry. 11
Ball, Salmon 123
12
Fish, Prince Wm 100
18
Burroughs, Rufus .. 100
Number of school districts in town.
10
Brown, Hosea .. 85
8
Giles, Levi. 217
1
Bacon, Peter 75
5
Galloway, Jacob 150
13
Value of
with sites.
$6245
Bacon, Alanson 75
-
34 Galloway, Cyrus. 130
12
Volumes in library ..
87
:
Howe. Parley. 50
4
Swarthout, Oakley. 50
Harvey, Samuel. 290
53
Smith, Amasa. 188
15
Jay, Washington. 50
12}
Stebbins, Aaron W 152
12
King. George 150
10
Sprague, Argalus. 207
25
Kidney, James
85
...
Stebbins, Sylvanus. 180
25
Kidney, Robert K 85
11
Taylor, Lyman ...... 141
...
Lat:in, Linns.
50
...
Tracy, Horace ... 100
7
Larabee, Miner G ...
103
3
Tripp, Oliver. 75
10
Lyon, Nathan.
131
Travis, William. 100
2
Mitchel, Hugh 100
6
Van Aernam, Abram .. 184
84
5
Mckay, Silas ..
144
... 19
Wade, Halscy. 138
MeKay, Liverius
86
Willson, Thomas, 100
Morgan, Amos. 90
Manley, John F. 100
Willson, Seneca R. 100
...
Manley, Nelson. 59
3
Walker, Nathaniel .. 184
6
Manley, Nathaniel .... 185
27
Walker, Reuben .... 130
24
Newton, Reuben. 200
Warner, James.
100
3
Newton, Lyman. 125
3
Warner, Darius .. 100
4
Puddy, James.
110
27
EDDYVILLE,
situated in the north part, on lot 39, contains one church (Universalist), a district school-house, post-office, checse-box factory, saw-, shingle-, and planing-mill, cider-mill, black- smith-shop, shoe-shop, wagon-shop, and a population of about 100 inhabitants. Jacob Galloway was the original owner of the site, and erected the first log house. Wil- liam H. and Levi Eddy built the first framed buildings. Thomas H. Mckay kept the first store here, in 1848. The church edifice of the Methodist Episcopal Society, and an extensive cheese-factory, are situated about three-fourths of a mile northwest of the village.
UNION CORNERS,
a hamlet in the northeast part, contains a district school- house, store, wagon-shop, blacksmith-shop, two cooper-shops, a saw-mill, 10 or 12 dwelling-houses, and about 75 inhabit- ants. Samuel L. and Josiah R. Hollister were the first settlers in this vicinity, and James L. Smith erected the first framed building, in 1835.
SCHOOLS.
Lefo Chase taught the first school, in 1821. The first school-house, a log structure, was built in 1825, and stood on the line between the towns of Mansfield and New Albion. Miss Polly Parmelee, daughter of Joshua Parmelec, taught the first school in it.
The town records contain no papers or reports by which anything further can be learned concerning the condition of the schools at an early day.
From the report of the county school commissioners for the year ending Sept. 30, 1878, are taken the following statistics :
Ball, Oreman. 40
10
Gray, Andrew. 392
38
buildings
10
1856. James L. Smith.
1833. Thomas G. Bailey.
1857-59. Seneca R. Willson.
John F. Manley.
1860-61. Henry W. Eddy.
1834. Jacob Galloway.
1862-63. Myron L. Newton.
John F. Manley.
1864. Morris W. Butterfield.
1835-39. Gideon H. Willson.
1840-44. William HI. Robinson.
1845. John F. Manley.
1865. M. K. Butterfield. 1866-69. Edwin M. Bunn. 1870. Wmn. R. Burroughs.
Huggins, James. 200
Harmon, Andrew 245 Howe, Joseph. 50
...
Stone, Alexander, Jr. 100 Stanard, Hiram. 59
4
Hollister, Andrew.
100
Smith, Daniel. 50
4
...
Stebbins, Benjamin ... 100
10
Kilbourn, Clark 30
...
McClellan, John. 453
Van Acrnam, J. B ..
Willson, Gideon II. 70
12
1838. B. B. Colton.
Silas MeKay.
1865. Stephen B. Stone.
William H. Eddy.
1866. Linas Lattin.
1842. Andrew Gray.
Brown, John. 100
...
Clark, Weeden 50
Bailey, Thomas G 50
...
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Skinner, Isaac .. 12
51
1854-55. Henry W. Eddy.
1830-32. John F. Manley.
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HISTORY OF CATTARAUGUS COUNTY, NEW YORK.
Value of library.
$27
Number of teachers employed .. 10
Amount paid in teachers' wages. $1768.25
Number of children of school age. 398
Average daily attendance.
196,312
Number of weeks taught. 2802
Amount of public money from State.
$1101.20
money from tax.
$617
CHURCHES.
The Baptists formed the first religious society, about 1827. Their meetings were held at the house of Stephen Sprague, who often conducted the services, and at Reuben Newton's. They were never strong in numbers, and soon after disbanded.
THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF MANSFIELD,
whose cdifice is situated one mile west of Union Corners, was organized with 10 members, in 1833, by Rev. Mr. Bronson, their first pastor, a circuit preacher. The first meeting was held at the house of Daniel Smith, and among the first members were Bradley Stone and wife, William H. Robinson and wife, a Mr. Buell, and Widow Reed. They were connected with the Otto charge, and at one time were quite prosperous, having a membership of about 35. They are now disbanded,-no society, no pastor. The church edifice was erected in 1852, at a cost of $1500, and has sittings for 300 people.
THE EDDYVILLE UNIVERSALIST CHURCH
was organized as the Mansfield and Otto Universalist Society, by Rev. Gideon S. Gowdy, in 1850, and their house of worship, which is a frame structure, and will seat 400 persons, was erected in 1852, at a cost of $1000. The first members were William H. Eddy and wife, Levi B. Eddy, E. C. Eddy and wife, Peter M. Stonebreaker, Clark Smith, L. H. Smith, Stephen Smith and wife, Oakley Swarthout and wife, Moses Bowen and wife, George W. G. Bowen and wife, Wooster Benton and wife, Reuben Walker and wife, Darius Warner and wife, Zenas Butter- field and wife, J. M. Wilson, and G. II. Wilson, of Mans- field; and Selleck St. John and wife, David St. John and wife, F. Skeels and wife, George Skeels and wife, Truman Skeels and wife, Livingston Cross and wife, C. F. Nye and wife, Joel Walkup, and Jacob Galloway, of Otto. The society was reorganized in 1873, by the Rev. O. B. Clark, as the Eddyville Universalist Society, and has a present membership of 30. No pastor.
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.
The first highway laid out and improved in the town of Mansfield was surveyed by R. Burlingame, Dec. 3, 1823, and described as follows :
" Beginning at the town line on the east bounds of lot 4, and extending, in a general northwesterly course, six miles, to the north bounds of the town, two chains west of the northwest corner of lot 48."
The Erie Railway cuts across the extreme southwest corner of the town. It was completed in 1851, and has po station in this township.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
LIVERIUS MCKAY
was born in Smithfield, Madison Co., N. Y., June 7, 1809, being the oldest of a family of ten sons of Silas and Sally Mckay. Of these children, one died in infancy ; four are living at the present time in this county : Sylvester and George E., in the town of Mansfield; Cyrus J., in Alle- gany ; Hiram V. R., in Little Valley ; while the others are residents of the West,-John J. being located in Minne- sota, Daniel B. in Kansas, Napoleon B. in Wisconsin, and Thomas H. in Iowa. His father, Silas, died in Mansfield, in the year 1843; his mother in Kansas, in 1874, at the ages of sixty and eighty-four years respectively.
In the fall of 1824 he came with his father, who that year purchased a farm in Mansfield, and settled thereon in the following spring, then removing his family thither from Madison County. He remained upon his father's farm until he was become of age, when he purchased a tract of eighty-six acres of wild land, which is a portion of his present farm, the original purchase having been increased to two hundred acres, but reduced by subsequent sales to one hundred and fifty-seven acres. He has also made large divisions of property to his children.
April 24, 1832, he married Huldah, daughter of Roswell and Huldah Ball, of Mansfield, she being a native of the State of Vermont. She passed from earth, Jan. 14, 1838. One child, the result of this union, is also deceased. He was again married, June 28, 1838, to Susan, daughter of John and Olive Johnston, early settlers of the town of Ashford, this county. She was born at Avon, Livingston Co., N. Y., Dec. 27, 1815. The issue of this marriage was six children, of whom we give the following record : Levi, born May 1, 1839, is a farmer, and resides in Hum- phrey, this county ; Olive M., born August 5, 1840, mar- ried Seward Harvey, of Mansfield, and since deceased ; Martha, born Jan. 7, 1842, married Lysander Harman, of Randolph, and died June 28, 1874 ; Hanford Silas, born Sept. 29, 1843, died June 14, 1853; Eugene Aram, born July 28, 1845, died Jan. 8, 1874; and Louisa Cordelia, born April 25, 1848, is the wife of Le Roy Fargo, and resides with her aged parents.
A view of the homestead of this venerable couple, sur- viving pioncer residents of the town of Mansfield, may be seen in this work, together with their portraits.
SAMUEL HARVEY,
one of the early settlers of the town of Mansfield, was born in Marcellus, Onondaga Co., N. Y., March 28, 1801, he being the fourth child and second son in a family of twelve children of Medad and Anar (Buell) Harvey. His parents were natives of New England. His father being a farmer, Samuel spent his early days upon his father's farm, engaged in agricultural pursuits, until the year 1823, when he emi- grated to the town of Mansfield, Cattaraugus Co., and settled on the farm where he now resides. His first location consisted of three hundred acres, which he has since, by
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HISTORY OF CATTARAUGUS COUNTY, NEW YORK.
years of labor and economy, increased to cleven hundred acres, situated in this and adjoining towns. Jan. 28, 1824, he married Mary, daughter of Jonathan and Rhody Reed. Her parents were natives of Massachusetts, and settled in an early day in Marcellus, N. Y., where their daughter was born, April 13, 1802. They have had four children, one of whom died in early childhood. Mary J. was born Dec. 11, 1828, and is the wife of Warren D. Allen, of Chicago, a noted florist. Albert R., born Nov. 16, 1831, is married and resides with his parents. Samuel Austin, born Aug. 9, 1837, is married, and lives upon one of his father's farms, located in the town of Little Valley.
Mr. Harvey is a member of no church ; has always been a Democrat, having cast his first vote for Andrew Jackson. He has been a justice of the peace four years, and super- visor of the town of Mansfield for eight years. But what more especially entitles him to notice in this connection is the fact of his being one of that noble army of pioneers, who, facing westward, in advance of the march of civiliza- tion, not only carved for himself a home, but helped lay the foundations of society in all its varied interests. At the advanced ages of seventy-seven and seven-six respectively, he and his wife are serenely passing down the " River of Time."
GREAT VALLEY.
This town was formed from Olean, April 15, 1818. Burton (now Allegany) was taken off April 18, 1831, and Carrolton, March 9, 1842. It is an interior town, lying a little southeast of the centre of the county, and contains 33,715 acres. The surface is a mountainous and hilly upland, the highest summit, near the southwest corner, being 1300 feet above the river.
The Allegany River runs through the southwest corner of the town, and the Allegany Indian Reservation, lying on both sides of the river, is here over a mile widc. The name of the town is derived from the broad valley of the principal stream running through the town from the north, and uniting with the river at Kill Buck.
The town of Great Valley, by its present limits, is com- posed of township 3 and the north half of township 2, in the sixth range of Joseph Ellicott's survey, and is bounded north by Ellicottville, east by Humphrey and Allegany, south by Carrolton, and west by Salamanca and Little Valley.
The soil upon the high upland is a hard clay mixed with disintegrated slate and shale. In the valleys it is a gravelly loam. The primitive forest consisted of a heavy growth of beech, maple, hemlock, and other trees common to this latitude; and last, but not least, those were largely inter- spersed with numerous stately pines. The conversion of this latter choice timber into lumber, for the markets down the river, constituted the leading occupation of the early settlers of Great Valley. About a dozen water-power saw- mills were built in town by them to manufacture pine lum- ber, and almost incalculable quantities of that commodity were manufactured by them and run down the Allegany, Ohio, and Mississippi Rivers. The lumber was used for building and other purposes in the cities and towns along those rivers, except portions of it, which were shipped to the West Indies and other foreign markets, and up the various rivers of the West and Southwest. But that busy period of lumber-making, which made Great Valley for
some fifty years emphatically a lumber region, has now nearly terminated, by reason of the exhaustion of the sup- ply of pine timber ; and the occupation of the people has greatly changed, from the lumbering business to the less exciting but more reliable occupation of farming, stock- raising, and dairying. Although a large portion of the land is still sct down by the assessors as " non-resident," and is yet in a wild state, there are many good farms under cultivation, mostly, however, in the valleys.
PIONEER SETTLERS.
James Green is credited with being the first permanent settler of Great Valley. He came from New Hampshire, and located first at Olean Point, but removed thence to near the mouth of Great Valley Creek, in 1812, being the first white inhabitant to locate on the Allegany below Olean. He afterwards removed down the river, and died at Gol- conda, on the Ohio River. His brothers, Francis and Richard, came a little later, and settled near the mouth of Wright's Creek. They were men of respectability and good judgment, and engaged in mill-building and lumber- ing. Ira Norton came to Franklinville in 1807, and in 1816 located near Peth, on the farm now occupied by his son, Andrus L. Norton. Jeremy Wooster settled on the place where Orrin Pitcher had made a beginning in 1815. This was the place now owned and occupied by E. H. Hess.
Benjamin Chamberlain came from Little Valley in 1816, and built a mill and resided for some time on lot 9, about a mile above the mouth of Great Valley Creek. He moved to Peth a year or two later and built a house and a store, and bought a grist- and saw-mill of J. & L. Wooster, on the west side of the creek. He either owned, or had an interest in, several mills and stores, and became the owner of a large amount of landed property. The father of Judge Chamberlain and four or five brothers also settled in town. Their names were John, David, Simon, and William. The last named is still living on Wright's Creek. Gen. Calvin
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