History of Cattaraugus County, New York, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers, Part 85

Author: Franklin Ellis and Eugene Arns Nash
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Disdaining the cumbersome appliances of horse, carriage, or pill bag, equipped with a rustic hat and a bundle of fra- grant herbs, she was instantly on the trail ; and many a patient sufferer has had abundant occasion to say, " God bless Mother Warner!"

The boys inherited their mother's constitution and many of her peculiarities, and were proverbial for their good nature, daring courage, physical energy, powers of endur- ance, and love of fun.

The four boys could man one side at the raising of an ordinary 30 by 40 frame barn, and always worked up the motto " Our end first."

John Warner married Naomi Holister, in 1811, this being the first marriage within the limits of the town. In 1807, Thomas Morris, from New Jersey, and Henry Conrad, from Tompkins Co., N. Y., located their lots and erected their dwellings. Morris selected the north part of lot 38, and Conrad the north half of lot 37, township 4, range 4. During the same summer Morris opened a store upon the ground now occupied by the residence of Horatio Stilwell. Conrad commenced the erection of a mill the same season, about twenty-five rods northwest of the mill now owned and operated by Thomas Grierson. The mill was not com- pleted until the summer of 1808.

Nicholas, John, and Daniel Kortwright, three burly Teutons from Tompkins Co., N. Y., settled upon the north part of lot 36 and the south part of lot 37, township 4, range 4, in the early part of 1807, on lands now owned by Jonas K. Button and James and John Johnston. They were millwrights by profession, and superintended the building of the first grist-mill for Henry Conrad, and in- itiated " Uncle Hank," as he was familiarly called, into the mysteries of primitive millcraft, particularly into the science of taking liberal toll. The mill was but a crazy affair at best, weak in its propelling force, and sadly de- morahized in its mechanical behavior.

To illustrate a prominent characteristic in the Warner family, a brief anecdote is in point. Parley Warner, who lived hard by, on the discovery of some customer emerging from the forest with a bag of grain athwart his brawny shoulders, would quietly approach the rear of the mill, and seizing the arms of the wheel in his giant grip, his turgid muscles firmly set for the ordeal, would patiently await the approaching conflict with one of the elements ; the water-gute was slowly raised, but the wheel was as firmly fixed as was Prometheus to the rock in the domin- ions of Pluto.

After delivering himself of some horrid imprecations in bad Dutch and worse English, Uncle Hank, armed with axe and bar, would go around the mill to see " Vat vas der ail mit der tamn veel." Meanwhile, Parley would betake himself to an ambush among the alders, to enjoy with a high zest Uncle Hank's perplexity and amazement.

To overbalance his few shortcomings, Mr. Conrad pos- sessed many amiable qualities, and beneath a rough exterior

* The pronunciation of the two names is identical, but different branches of the same family have adopted different orthography.

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carried as kind a heart as beat in the bosom of man. Mr. Conrad's children, by the first marriage, were Samuel, Katy, Betsey, and Peggy, the two former being deaf mutes, who were sent to New York in about 1820, where they learned to read and write, and to converse by means of the hand- alphabet. Samuel died of smallpox at the residence of his brother-in-law, Deacon Elijah Sill, of Hinsdale, in about 1830. Katy still survives, and finds a pleasant home among her numerous relatives, patiently waiting for those delicate organs to be unscaled in the better land not far distant.

Certain traits of their nationality exhibited themselves in this family. Accustomed to the vigorous exercise of out-door labor, Betsey or Peggy would rake and bind as much grain in a day as any man in the country could cut with a cradle, invariably taking the last clip as the cradle swung to the rear to complete the sheaf, and with a mock challenge, go through the performance of sharpening her rake handle with a dry elder every time the cradler stopped to whet his scythe.

Peggy was married to Thaddeus Farwell, and Betsey to Elijah Sill, in about 1824. Five of their daughters now reside in the immediate vicinity of the " Old Mill," and are respectively the wives of Lyman Searl, Thomas M. Sill, James Morris, Fayette Searl, and Robert E. Gardner. In the spring of 1807, Benjamin Gibbs settled upon the north part of lot 30, township 4, range 4, on the farm now owned by John Davis; and his three sons, Benjamin, Jr., Elijah, and Elisha, settled upon lot 30, on the farms now owned by Eunice Bacon and Wilson Hogg.

The same year Deacon Ira Norton, father of the Hon. Nelson I. Norton, of Hinsdale, settled upon the east part of lot 21, township 4, range 4, but subsequently removed to the town of Great Valley, where he died a few years since, full of years and full of honors.

The proverbially cold season of 1816, when snow fell to the depth of several feet, completely discouraged many of the settlers. They abandoned their farms and habitations, and sought the more congenial climate of Western Ohio; and many broad acres were left to commons,-a grazing-ground for wild deer and domestic animals that roamed at large. Up to the period of the organization of the county the people were almost without the pale of laws ; and being of a romantic and adventurous class, some novel scenes were enacted. Owing to some disagreement with regard to the location of a certain State road, the people took sides, and were nearly equally divided into parties, each of which, under their respective leaders, was known by the unique and in- harmonious names of " Monkeys" and " Railanders." One took its name from a fancied resemblance that " Dancing Dick Robeson" bore to a full-grown chimpanzee, while the other took its title from a free use of rails in barricading windows and doors to prevent a mob from forcibly dis- organizing a court-martial, convened for the purpose of trying delinquents for an infraction of the military laws. Prominent as leaders in these parties were the names of Joseph McClure, Ashbel Freeman, Seymour Boughton, Henry Conrad, Julius C. Underwood, - Wheelock, and Lewis Wood.

Another peculiarity of some of the early settlers may here be mentioned. Prior to their division into the two

parties before named, a society was formed, called the " Lazy Society," and one of its fundamental articles was that no member should perform any act of physical exer- cise that could be possibly avoided, under severe penalties. It will be remembered that at that period the eastern part of this county was attached to Allegany. The division of the population into the Monkey and Railander factions produced a schism in the Lazy Society, and hence frequent complaints for the purpose of annoyance. Two incidents may be cited as a sample.

Dr. James Trowbridge and Elijah Rice were summoned, with all due forms of law, to appear, at a stated time, be- fore the court at Angelica, to answer to the charge of com- mitting high crimes and misdemeanors. The charges were not specifically made in the warrants, which was a cun- ningly-devised sham,-as near to a reality as could be with- out absolute forgery. They, however, had the desired effect, and brought the accused to Angelica, where a cor- responding court was speedily organized in a bar-room, and the accused were put upon trial.

Trowbridge was charged with the crime of unnecessary activity, in that he raised his cane to drive a poodle-dog from making too free use of the leg of his pantaloons, when he should have obeyed the law of perfect supineness, and allowed the dog the luxury of obeying the laws of instinct.

Rice was charged that, while seated in a cushioned rocking-chair, in the shade of his old log barn, he reso- lutely held a loaded gun at arms' length, to shoot a mink that was dragging away one of his hens, when he should have waited until his wife brought another chair upon which to rest his gun.

To these grave charges the accused pleaded guilty, and confidingly placed themselves upon the mercy of the court. Stern justice lifted her scales, and the oracle spoke forth that it would require two gallons of rum to adjust the balance; the culprits to stand committed until the beverage was forthcoming.

With all their foibles and romantic follies, kindlier hearts never beat in the human bosom, with hands to do and souls to dare. Too benevolent to be rich, too proud to beg, and too honest to steal, they lived on in a state of reckless con- tentment until the almost general hegira that followed the cold summer of 1816, when many of them sought new adventures in distant places, while their children's children occupy respectable positions in society, and are numbered among the best inhabitants in our land.

During the seven years from 1817 to 1824, the tide of immigration centered largely in this region, and Franklin- ville received its share of the influx. During this period, Isaac and Jacob Searl, Aaron Osgood, Eleazer Densmore, William, Deodatus, and Elijah Sill, and John Reynolds, with their families, settled in the Ischua Valley, in the south part of the town ; Oliver Root, John Scott, Henry and Hiram Morgan settled in the southwest part; Eli Rockwell, Jacob Ford, and Moses Chamberlain settled in the western part ; Samuel and Elijah Silliman and Henry Huyck in the northeast part. Ephraim Fitch, Edward E. Smith, and Ashbel Church settled upon what is known as East Hill; John McNall, Nehemiah Rogers, and Howland Washburn settled at or near Cadiz, in the summer of 1817.

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John McNall erected the first saw-mill at what is now the village of Cadiz, in 1826, and Tilly Gilbert erected a carding-machine and clothing-works in 1825.

The early merchants were Cook & Day, Wm. Phoenix & Co., E. C. Hyde & Co., Partridge and Gates, Flavel Partridge, I. H. Lyon, Lyon & Newton, Carpenter & New- ton, and L. & J. R. Salisbury, most of whom dealt largely in pot- and pearl-ashes, thousands of tons of which were here manufactured and sent to Eastern markets, they being at that period the principal marketable commodity of the county.

Among the physicians of olden times we point with laud- able pride to the names of Charles McLouth and Lewis Riggs, both of whom achieved an enviable reputation in their profession and an ample fortune of worldly goods. Among the teachers of Franklinville antiquity may be mentioned P. T. Jewell, H. W. McClure, Rogers, the Burlingames, and the Olders, all of whom left their im- press upon the rising generation. Their pupils filled hon- orable positions in the pulpit, the bar, and the bench, with no other diplomas than those issued from the rustic school- houses of the primitive pioneers.

Among the mechanics and builders were William Stil- well, Otis W. Phillips, and William McNall; and some of our oldest buildings bear the impress of their handi- work, made more than a half-century ago. In the preced- ing part of this article mention was made of the name of James Cravath, who, in an early day, purchased a part of lot 40, adjoining the village. In the summer of 1822, Uncle Jim, as he was called, cleared eighty acres of new land, and in the fall it was sown with wheat, and the next season being favorable an abundant crop was produced, which was very fortunate for the many new-comers who had just set- tled, and were destitute of provisions. This being the only stock of grain for sale anywhere in this vicinity, the cir- cumstance presented a rare chance for speculation.

And here let me digress, to give a brief outline of some of Uncle Jim's prevailing characteristics. He was a widower with one daughter, whose mother died when this child was in infancy. Uncle Jim was a miser and an anchorite. Though possessed of great wealth, he never had on a cotton, linen, or silk garment in his life ; he never wore a suspender, a fur hat, or a fine boot, and his face never felt the touch of a razor. He knew not the taste of tobacco, and seldom or never used any stimulant.

He was never known to be angry or in a hurry, and never indulged in levity or jest. He never used profane language or attended a church. He never took a penny unjustly or gave one in charity ; yet, with all these peculiarities, there was one trait of character which challenges the admiration of mankind. Possessing, as he did at that time, all the marketable grain in the country, with an active demand, he refused to take advantage of the situation, or to allow others to do so. His price for the wheat was $1, or a day's work for a bushel. Two of his neighbors offered him $1.25 per bushel, for all he had, but he refused, saying, " If you get this, you will raise on the price and distress the poor." He offered them ten bushels each for their own use, but refused the offered price for the purpose of speculation. The past and passing events subsequent to 1824 are within

the memory of many of our citizens, and would therefore be commonplace and tiresome. I will therefore relate one circumstance and have done. The organization of the first Sunday-school in the county, so far as I have been able to learn, was in this wise. In the summer of 1821, a young lady by the name of Velina Older taught the district school in a small log house built amid the forest-trees, about three- quarters of a mile north from the village of Franklinville. Being fully impressed with the importance that religious instruction should go hand in hand with a secular educa- tion, she resolved to try the experiment by organizing a Sunday-school, an institution which no person in town, ex- cept herself, had ever attended. Accordingly word was given out that on a given day the new school would be opened.

Speculation was rife and curiosity on tiptoe to know what might be the outgrowth of such an innovation upon the established usages of our democratic empire in the forest. The young lady in question being a Methodist, and about the only one in town, those who had been educated in other creeds became alarmed at the ghost of proselytism among the youth. The day came; the slab benches were lined with children of all ages with bronzed faces and naked feet, clad in neat and tidy homespun slips and trowsers, all sedately waiting the progress of events. There, too, were the skeptics and scoffers of both sexes, but that faithful girl was equal to the occasion. When the hour arrived she arose from a seat in the corner of the room, and coming to the front briefly stated the object of the meeting, with the remark that she thought the importance of the occasion required the blessing of God, and that was only to be had by asking. She politely invited each of her seniors to open the exercise by prayer, which each declined. I knew every lineament of that young girl's face as I knew my spelling- book, and could read the conflict going on within, but the triumph was complete as she bended her knee and said, " Let us pray."

I have heard eloquence before and since, but never so in- tensified, and with the word " Amen" the first Sunday- school was organized in Cattaraugus County, and from that day to this there has never a Sabbath passed without a Sunday-school.

The first land contracts issued by the Holland Land Company in the county were to Adam Hoops in 1804, on townships 1 and 2, range 4, now Olean. Joseph McClure early in 1805, in township 4, ranges 4 and 5, now Frank- linville. Still later in the same year the following took contracts : John Kent, John L. Irwin, Solomon Curtis, Henry Conrad, Daniel Cortrecht, David McClure, John S. Warner, Job Pixley, Thomas Horton, Willard Humphreys, and John Warner.

ORGANIZATION OF TOWN.

On account of the loss of town-records many of the facts . pertaining to its early history can not be ascertained. In the act of March 11, 1808, erecting the county, the town of Olean was also erected, comprising the whole territory of Cattaraugus County ; and in the act it was specified that the first town-meeting should be held at the house of Jos- eph McClure, giving to this town the honor of being the

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birthplace of town organization. In an old manuscript of about twenty-five pages, containing the records of the town of Olean from its first meeting in 1809 to 1812 (recently found in the town clerk's office at that place), the following occurs : " At a special town-meeting held at the house of Wyllys Thrall, on Saturday, the 16th day of May, 1812, for the purpose of dividing the town of Olean, the following votes were passed :

" Ist. That the town of Olean shall be divided.

" 2d. That the division line shall be the line between the third and fourth towns, running cast and west.

" 3d. That the south part of said line shall retain the name of Olean.

" 4th. That the north part of said line shall be called Ischua.

" 5th. That the first town-meeting in the town of Olean shall be held at the house of Sylvanus Russell.

" 6th. That the first town-meeting in the town of Ischua shall be held at the house of Joseph McClure.

" 7th. That the postage for to send the same to Albany shall be paid out of the contingent money in the town of Olean."

A copy of the proceedings of the meeting was sent to Albany, and June 16, 1812, by an act of Legislature, the town of Ischua was erected. For many years the belief has obtained that this town was erected by the name of Hebe and changed to Ischua, April 17, 1816, but this is a mistake, as may be seen by reference to the original act, in 1812, and " Revised Statutes," edition of 1829 : " Frank- linville; organized by act June 16, 1812 (6 W., 516), by name of Ischua; taken from Olean."

In view of the intrinsic value of town-records affecting mat- ters of home administration, it might be expected the people would immediately, on the organization of a town, make arrangements for a permanent and safe town clerk's office, supplied with necessary appliances for the proper filing and preservation of records. Documents growing more valuable with the lapse of time are often mixed with recent reports, and stowed carelessly away in some dry-goods box subject to the chances of fire, and all papers and books are bundled loosely together and carted from shop to store, office, or pri- vate house as often as the office changes, frequently leaving the old papers behind as valueless. Again, committees are appointed to look over old papers and destroy those that are considered valueless. The town of Franklinville was erected as Ischua, and comprised the north half of the county, and the assessment-roll of 1812 or 1813 would have given the taxable inhabitants of what now comprises the towns of Franklinville, Farmersville, Freedom, Yorkshire, Machias, Ellicottville, Ashford, Otto, East Otto, Mansfield, New Albion, Persia, Leon, Dayton, and Perrysburg.

The first written record that can be obtained of super- visors is in the journal of the first and second annual meet- ing of the Board of Supervisors, after the organization of the county, and covers the years 1818 and 1819. Thomas Morris was supervisor of this town both of those years. Joseph McClure was clerk of the Board. Nothing more was ascertained till 1839. From that time the list of super- visors, town clerks, and justices are given correctly from the records.

SUPERVISORS.

1839. H. W. McClure. 1857. Jonas K. Button.

1840. Isaac Searl.

1858. Samuel Searl.

1841-42. Thomas Seward.

1859. John Johnston.

1843. James Burt.

1860. Jonas K. Button.

1844. Otis N. Phillips. 1861-62. Isaac Searl.

1845. Isaac Searl.

1863-66. William F. Weed. 1867. Nathan T. Weed.

1849. William Smith. 1868-72. Isaac Searl.

1851-52. Alanson Crosby.

1873-74. William A. Day.

1853-54. Jonas K. Button.

1875. Solomon Cummings.

1855. O. M. Seward.

1876. Alfred Spring.

1856. Lewis J. Mason.

1877-78. Cyrus W. Fay.

TOWN CLERKS.

1839. Warren Kingsley.

1857. Joseph Lawrence.

1840. Perez N. Bradford.

1858. Le Roy Burlingame.

1841. Warren Kingsley.

1859-60. Merlin Mead.

1842. Hiram W. McClure.

1861-63. Dexter C. Weed.

1843-44. John R. Pollard.

1864. Sylvester Curtis.

1845. Le Roy Burlingame.

1865-66. David Phetteplace.

1846-48. James I. McClure.

1867. Marcus Smith.

1849. Merlin Mead.

1868. Wallace Howard.

1850. James I. MeClure.

1869. J. W. Howard.

1851. Tilly Gilbert.

1870. Andrew Chandler.

1852. Henry E. Green.

1871. John Sherry.

1853. Francis O. Clark.

1872-75. Delos J. Graves.

1854. Tilly Gilbert.

1876. Avery W. Kingsley.

1855. Le Roy Burlingame.

1877. Christopher Whitney.

1856. Robert Reed.

1878. Ira T. Gleason.

JUSTICES OF THE PEACE.

1840. William Elliot.

Tilly Gilbert. P. F. Jewell.

1859. Le Roy Burlingame.

1860. Jobn Burlingame.

1841. Tilly Gilbert.

1842. Manley McClure.

1843. Francis G. Clark.

1844. William Elliot.

1845. Merlin Mead.

1846. Manley McClure.

1847. Francis G. Clark.

1848. Lewis Mason.

1867. John Burlingame.

1849. William F. Weed.

1868. Le Roy Burlingame. 1870. Pardon Jewell.

Solomon Cummings.

1871. William F. Weed.

1872. Marcus Smith.

1873. Pardon Jewell.

1854. Ira L. Burlingame. John Little.

1874. Solomon Cummings.

1855. Solomon Curtiss.

1875. Merlin Mead.

1876. Delos J. Graves.

1877. Pardon Jewell.

1878. George H. Chamberlain.

THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF FRANKLINVILLE.

The two characters who have been prominent in the early settlements of our country are the gospel preacher and the school-teacher. The two edifices which almost universally adorn our villages are the Christian church and the school- house. Three or four years at most passed by after the first settlement of the village of Franklinville, as we now call it, before the gospel preacher appeared on the scene.

The Rev. John Spencer, who was sent out by the Connec- ticut Mission Society in 1807, was the first minister of the gospel who labored in this region. He was a Congregation- alist minister, and his work consisted in traveling and preaching ; and wherever he could find six Christians who desired church organization, he proceeded to organize a

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F. G. Clark.

1861. Solomon Cumming.

1862. Peter Carr.

1863. Edward Shearn.

1864. Pardon Jewell. Nathan P. Williams.

1865. Solomon Cummings. 1866. Peter Carr.

1850. Manley McClure. 1851. Francis G. Clark.

1852. Lewis I. Mason.

1853. William F. Wced.

1856. Elnathan Wing. 1857. William F. Weed.

1858. William Smith. Nathan P. Williams.

1846-48. David MeClure.

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church. He traveled on horseback with his effects in the old fashioned saddle-bags. His custom was to preach in houses in winter, in houses or barns in summer. He would go through, preach, and have appointments for service when he returned.

The Rev. John Spencer organized the First Church in this place. The date of the organization is not known, but from records preserved by the Connecticut Missionary Society, it has been ascertained that there was a church here as early as 1813. The following is an abstract report of some of his labors here, which has been very kindly fur- nished by the secretary of the Connecticut Missionary So- ciety, Rev. M. N. Morris, of West Hartford, Connecticut. In that early day there was no name given for this place in Rev. Mr. Spencer's reports, but it was known as No. 4-4th Range.

The following is the abstract of report :

"The church in No. 4-4th Range, as he ( Rev. J. Spencer) always expressed it, must have been formed previous to 1813, for he mentions preaching there Tuesday, May 18, Thursday, 20, and Sunday, 23, and says in connection with the last, ' Should have communed, but could not obtain wine,'-a reason for deferring the Lord's Supper in several other places. The war was raging and the sparse settlements not abundantly supplied with wine. The same year (1813) he preached at No. 4-4th Range. Friday, May 30, also Lord's day, August 1, when he administered the Lord's Sup- per and received one member to the church. In 1814 he preached Friday, July 8, Monday, July 11, Saturday and Sunday, July 16 and 17, administered the Lord's Supper and four baptisms, and received two members to the church. In 1815 he preached Monday, September 4, and Sunday, 17, when there were two baptisms and communion. In 1816 he preached Thursday, November 7, and Saturday and Sunday, November 9 and 10, received one member, administered two baptisms, and Monday, November 18, five baptisms. In 1817 he preached Sabbath, August 24, and two baptisms, and Tuesday, August 26." The secretary adds, "The journals for parts of 1808, 1810, and 1811 I am not able to find, and names of persons admitted to mem- bership or of those baptized are not given. Mr. Spencer's labors closed in 1825." The carliest settlers were from the New England States, and the churches which Mr. Spencer organized were Congregational Churches. They were not formed into associations, but on the " accommodation plan," were accustomed to send delegates to the Presbyterics, and were under their carc.

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History of Cattaraugus County, New York, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers, Part 85

Author: Franklin Ellis and Eugene Arns Nash Publication date: Publisher: Number of Pages:

Author: Franklin Ellis and Eugene Arns Nash
Publication date:
Publisher:
Number of Pages: