USA > New York > Cayuga County > History of Cayuga County, New York : with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 42
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The successive mayors and clerks of Auburn have been :
Mayors
Clerks.
1848. Cyrus C. Dennis. Theodore M. Pomeroy.
1849. Daniel Hewson,
1850. Aurelian Conklin.
1851.
Wm. F. Segoine. Frederick Prince.
1852. Benj. F. Hall,
1853. Thos. Y. How, Jr.,
1854. Geo. Underwood,*
1855. John L. Watrous,
1856. Sylvanus H. Henry,
1857. Lansingh Briggs,
James Seymour.
1858. 1859.
Theodore H. Schenck. "
1860. Christoph'r Morgan, Amasa B. Hamblin.
1861. George Humphreys, Wm. H. Meaker. Amasa B. Hamblin.
1862.
1863. Jonas White, Jr.,
Charles E. Cootes.
1864. Chas. G. Briggs, Charles F. Durston.
1865. Geo. Humphreys, Daniel O'Sullivan.
1866. John S. Fowler,
James Lyon.
1867.
1868. James E. Tyler, Albert L. Sisson.
1869. John M. Hurd,
Sereno E. Payne.
1870. Thos. Kirkpatrick,
1871. Eli Gallup,
1872. Edward Thomas, Edwin Baldwin.
1873. John S. Brown,
1874. Charles N. Ross,
1875. Theo. M. Pomeroy, Urban S. Benton.
1876.
1877. Alexander McCrea, Sumner L. Paddock.
1878. Martin L. Walley,
The present city officers are :
Mayor-David M. Osborne.
City Clerk-Sumner L. Paddock.
City Treasurer-Jay E. Storke.
City Fudge-Edwin A. Woodin.
Assessors-Hiram H. Rhodes, Wm. S. Bills, Wm. Gibbs.
Commissioner of Charities and Police-(3 yrs.) David H Schoonmaker.
Commissioner of Charities and Police-( 1 yr.) Edwin Downer.
Constables-(3 yrs.) Artemas W. Bodman and John Mulvey.
(2 yrs.) Richard Adams and Nor-
man L. Parker.
(1 yr.) Charles D. Stephens and Frank Rich.
Game Constable-George F. Brown. Aldermen-Ist Ward-B. Frank Andrews.
2d Allen McKain.
3d F. Van Patten.
4th H. M. Whipple.
5th Thomas J. Bell.
6th C. W. Miles.
* George Underwood having resigned, Joshua Burt was chosen in June at a special election to fill the vacancy.
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Aldermen-7th Ward-P. E. Donnelly.
8th H. J. White.
9th “ Charles P. Burr.
10th B. H. Leonard.
Supervisors-Ist Ward-John Murray.
2d
Robert Peat.
3d
= Alexander Stephens.
4th
Eli Gallup.
5th
L. S. Goodrich.
6th
Edward Selover.
7th Wm. Q. White.
8th
Charles F. Guion.
9th
Leonard D. Leach.
10th
Wm. Lamey.
City Attorney-James Lyon.
Street Superintendent-Lewis Paddock.
Chief of Police-Chas W. Jennings.
Captain
George Fullmer.
Police Fustice-John D. Teller.
Fire Commissioners-Lansing D. Wilder, Rob- ert Peat.
Keeper of City Hall-Michael Barry. City Surveyor-Vacant.
Board of Health-Samuel Titus, David Wilder, Robert Bell, Jr.
Physician to Board of Health - Truman K. Smith.
City Sexton-Jacob Wride.
City Scavenger-Robert Hazlitt.
Scaler of Weights and Measures -- Corydon Haynes.
Door-Keeper of Common Council Chamber- Alonzo M. Hurd.
POSTMASTERS-A post-office was established at Hardenbergh's Corners in 1800, and Walter D. Nichols, an early lawyer, was the first post- master. He was succeeded by Dr. Samuel Crossett, who held the office till 1809 ; Enos T. Throop, from 1809-'15 ; Geo. B. Throop, 1815- '33 ; Hiram Bostwick, 1833-'37 ; Geo. Rathbun, 1837-'41 ; Wm. C. Beardsley, 1841-'45 ; Amos S. Rathbun, 1845-'47 ; Michael S. Myers, 1847- '49 ; Ethan A. Warden, 1849-'55 ; Elmore P. Ross, 1855-'57 ; Charles W. Pomeroy, 1857-'61 ; Wm. Allen, 1861-'69; Clinton D. McDougall, 1869-'73 ; John B. Richardson, 1873 '77, when he was followed by Noah P. Clark, the present postmaster.
CHAPTER XXX.
HISTORY OF AUBURN, (CONCLUDED. )
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF PROMINENT CITIZENS.
ENOS THOMPSON THROOP.
ENOS THOMPSON THROOP was the oldest son of George Throop, and was born at Johnstown,
Fulton county, on the 21st day of August, 1784. He derived his name from Enos Thomp- son, bis maternal grandfather. His father was liberally educated and capable, but was early dis- abled by an accident, resulting in his early death, leaving his family, consisting of two sons, Enos T. and George B., and two daughters, without in- heritance. Mehitable, the eldest sister, married Thaddeus Martin, of Johnstown, who died carly, and their son, Enos T. Throop Martin, found his home with his uncle, Enos T. Throop. The youngest sister married David Akin, who sub- sequently settled at Throopsville in this County.
The mother of George Throop married a sec- ond husband, George W. Hatch, then of Johns- town. By this marriage the pecuniary circum- stances of Mrs. Ilatch were not much improved, though she had a good home, and the aid and counsel of a husband. Her son Enos had profit- ed by the instructions of his father while the lat- ter lived, and was ambitious and aspiring. But he had mainly to educate himself, aided by the inferior schools of the place. His father had de- signed him for a profession, and it was the aim of the mother and the hope of the youth to carry out the plan. But they were poor and the means by which he could accomplish the object not clear. In this dilemma a friend appeared in a cultivated and wealthy lady, the wife of George Metcalf, a lawyer of fine attainments who, being appointed District-Attorney for four counties, including Albany county, removed to and took up his resi- dence in the city of Albany. Mrs. Metcalf made known to her husband the wishes of Mrs. Hatch, and he kindly offered to take the lad into his family. The latter accompanied the family to Albany and began his legal studies on the 17th of October, 1798, at the age of fourteen. Of the classics he had no knowledge, and the legal term of study was seven years. His patron was a thorough classical student, and under his instruc- tion Mr. Throop entered upon and pursued the study of the Latin language.
Associated at the State capital with an emi- nent lawyer, Mr. Throop had rare opportunities for improvement which he faithfully and indus- triously improved. His patron was also an ac- tive politician and his young student was rapidly learning the lessons of party politics. Ilis pat- ron was removed from office on the triumph of the Republicans in 1800, and, in the spring of 1801, Mr. Throop returned to Johnstown and for the following year pursued his legal studies in the office of David Cady, an eminent lawyer and ju- rist. He then spent eight months in the study of the classics, and completed his legal clerkship in the office of Matthias Hildreth, of Johnstown, in 1805. He was admitted an attorney in the Supreme Court in January, 1806. He had pre- viously visited Auburn at the instance of Mr. Hildreth's father, who had been one of the com
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CITY OF AUBURN.
mission that had located the court house at that village, and had concluded to settle there.
He borrowed of his kind preceptor, on his own note, two hundred dollars, and on the first day of
March, 1806, reached the village of Auburn. In the winter of 1807 he formed a partnership with Joseph L. Richardson, which continued three years, when Mr. Throop was elected County Clerk.
The parties which divided the electors at that time were " Federal " and " Republican." Mr. Throop adhered to the latter. He was a firm and zealous partisan, and no one could misun- derstand his political position. He held the of- fice of County Clerk from the Republican Coun- cil of Appointment, but in 1813 that body was composed of Federalists and Mr. Throop was re- moved, Elijah Miller, a prominent Federalist, being appointed to the place. Two years later the Republicans triumphed and Mr. Throop was restored to the office.
Mr. Throop married Miss Evelina Vreden- burgh, of Skaneateles, in July, 1814, by whom he had three children, all of whom died in infancy. Mrs. Throop died in 1834.
In 1814 he was elected to the 14th Congress as a friend of the war, representing the counties of Cayuga, Seneca, Tioga and Broome, a double district sending two members. In Congress his restless activity led him to take a conspicuous and influential part in its deliberations. He sup- ported what was called the " compensation act," by which the salaries of the members were raised from about thirteen hundred to eighteen hundred dollars per year. This was a very unpopular measure, and led to the defeat at the next elec- tion of nearly all its supporters, including Mr. Throop. This manifestation of disapprobation led him to resign his seat ; which he held for a single session only. In the election to fill the vacancy caused by his resignation, Mr. Throop received a majority of six hundred in Cayuga County, but it was overcome in the balance of the district. The vote showed the popularity of Mr. Throop with those who best knew him.
In 1819 the council of appointment was favor- able to the friends of Mr. Clinton, and Mr. Throop was removed from the office of county clerk, after which he devoted his attention to his private af- fairs until 1833, when he was appointed judge of the Seventh Circuit, the duties of which position he discharged with signal acceptance.
Mr. Throop always had strong rural tastes, and in 1826 he purchased and removed to the beautiful farm of Willow Brook, on the shore of the Owasco Lake, intending to pass there the re- mainder of his life. But in 1828 he was induced to accept the nomination of Lieutenant-Gover- nor on the ticket with Martin Van Buren, the candidate for Governor, the understanding being that the latter would be called into the cabinet
of President Jackson if the latter were elected. He was elected, and Mr. Van Buren resigned to accept the office of Secretary of State of the United States, Mr. Throop becoming acting Gov- ernor. He discharged the duties of the office with such satisfaction that he was nominated for and elected Governor in 1830. In his second official term he was supported by friendly majorities in both branches of the legislature, and his measures generally endorsed. Yet the jarring and disso- nant wrangles of party strife were becoming more and more distasteful to him and he decided not to be a candidate for reelection. He longed for the peace and quiet of his lake-shore farm. He had made an honorable political record, but his private fortune had not been augmented. His wife dying in 1834, and being childless, he had no family ties to bind him to his home, and for these reasons he was induced to remain longer in public life than he had intended. He accepted the position of naval officer of the port of New York tendered him by President Jackson, hold- ing the office until 1838, when he was appointed Chargé-de-Affairs to the kingdom of the two Sicilies, by President Van Buren. Here he re- mained until the election in 1840 of General Har- rison to the presidency, when he returned and retired to his Willow Brook farm. He was now fifty-six years of age, with his mental and physic- al powers yet vigorous and active. He had pur- chased a large farm near Kalamazoo, Michigan, and improved and put under cultivation about two hundred acres. To this farm he removed disposing of his Willow Brook property to his nephew, and for several years devoted his atten- tion to agricultural pursuits. But with the ap- proach of age he returned to his old beautiful home on the shores of the Owasco, living with his nephew and enjoying the society of his kin- dred and of the many dear friends who were hos- pitably entertained in his rural home. His old age was free from many of the disabilities to which that period is usually subject, and his end was peaceful. He died November Ist, 1874.
ELIJAH MILLER.
HON. ELIJAH MILLER, one of the early and distinguished residents of Auburn, was the son of Captain Josiah and Paulina Titus Miller, and was born in the town of Bedford, Westchester Co., New York, April 11th, 1772. His ances- tors on both sides were of English origin. His father was an industrious and respected farmer in Bedford, and a captain in the Revolutionary army. He was also an active member of the lo- cal "Committee of Safety," and pledged to " pro- tect the American colonies against the hostile attempts of the British fleets and armies."
In his farm operations he was aided by two
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
slaves ; and Mrs. Miller, aided by the same num- ber of female servants, performed the diversified labors of the household, which at that time in- cluded spinning, weaving, and the preparation of the family apparel. They were Quakers in be- lief, manners and habits of dress, yet it would seem from the military service of the Captain, that he was not averse to bearing arms in de- fense of the liberties of his country. In person, both the father and mother of Judge Miller were about the medium size, of imposing presence, and held a highly reputable social position in the community of which they were members.
Their farm was in the immediate vicinity of the rival armies, and the husband and father in the field. On the wife and mother rested the responsibility of managing both the farm and the household, and of so hiding movable property as to save it from the plunderers who would appro- priate whatever fell in their way. But all her vigilance and care could not prevent the theft of the products of the farm or even the food pre- pared for family use, and, for years, this heroic woman maintained this life-struggle uncomplain- ingly, as her part of the purchase price of national freedom. At the close of the Revolution they had six children, the oldest twelve years, and four were born subsequently. Elijah was their sec- ond child and he received his elementary instruc- tion from his mother, during the dark days of the Revolution.
Captain Miller, about 1790, removed to Rens- selaer county, in this State, and soon after bought the soldiers' rights to several 640 acre lots in the military tract, the lands lying in what was after- wards Cayuga and Seneca counties. One of those lots was located in the town of Romulus, whither he removed, and on which he died in 1817, at the age of sixty-eight years. His widow survived him and died in Auburn in 1835, at the age of eighty-four years.
Elijah Miller was mainly self-educated. The instruction given him by his mother, a few years in a select school in his native town, and one to two years in an academy in Pittstown, Mass., constituted his school advantages. While at Pittstown he made the acquaintance of Miss Hannah Foote, whom he afterwards married.
In 1796, at the age of twenty-four years, he came to Romulus, and soon began the study of the law in the office of Daniel Shepard, in Aurora. Between the preceptor and student there were formed the most intimate relations, which after- wards extended to their respective families.
The study of the law pleased him. He had that plodding perseverance necessary to work his way through the dull and ponderous books of that era and his capacious mind could retain, di- gest and assimilate their crude contents.
His admission to the bar was at the first ses- sion of the County Court, after the organization of 39-2
Cayuga County, in May, 1799. On the first day of January following he married Hannah Foote of Williamstown, Mass. They removed to Cayu- ga Ferry and began house-keeping in a dwelling, which, having been improved, is now occupied by Edwin H. Whitney, Esq. In October, 1802, he was admitted to practice in the Supreme Court.
He was now fully prepared for the successful practice of his profession in the different courts. He soon became especially distinguished as a real estate lawyer, to which he gave particular atten- tion. He began his land speculations in 1796, and continued them so actively that in four years he had purchased over 6,000 acres of land, in parcels varying from 50 to 640 acres each, and he was generally successful in his purchases and sales.
In 1799 he joined Joseph Annin and Thomas Mumford in the purchase of 1200 acres of land at Cayuga, Mr. Miller's interest being one-third. The courts were then held there, and in the ex- pectation of its becoming the County seat, this purchase was made. The lands were speedily cut up into lots, offered at low rates, and mostly sold to speculators, the projectors realizing a good profit. The sale and transference of these lots were made in Mr. Miller's law office at Cayuga, as well as that of other real estate in which he was interested.
Mr. Miller was a man of few, yet of terse and expressive words. He had no patience with the old and verbose legal forms. " Brevity," he said, was " the soul of wisdom as well as of wit." He set himself to eliminating every useless word from the various legal forms then in use, and caused the revised blanks to be printed, reducing them about one half, and reducing to that extent the labor of recording and other clerical work. These concise forms are now in general use by the profession.
As one of the earlier and most active of the pioneers of this region he made many, and to him, interesting acquaintances, among whom were Judge Silas Halsey, Daniel Shepard, Benjamin Ledyard, Walter Wood, Thomas Mumford, Wil- hemus Mynders, Garry V. Sackett, and many others. These, all solid men intellectually, dis- tinguished as the incumbents of important offi- cial and social positions, were frequent visitors at his office, house and table. Mrs. Miller was a lady of refinement and culture yet of delicate constitution. The bleak position of their home, exposed to the winds from the lake, so affected her health that she passed the winters of 1809-'1I, at her father's in Williamstown, and died there of consumption in the latter year, in the twenty- seventh year of her age. She left two daughters, Lazette Maria, wife of Alvah Worden, and Fran- ces, aftewards the wife of William H. Seward. Mr. Miller never again married.
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CITY OF AUBURN.
As a lawyer he was successful and was en- gaged, as the records of the courts of that day attest, in fully one-fourth of the cases that were tried, indicating the public confidence in him as a lawyer and his financial success in his profession. He was counsel in the trial of " Indian John," and sought to induce the court to modify its opinion that the plea made was one of " guilty." He was unsuccessful and the Indian was execut- ed. In the following year he was also counsel in the trial of David Williams, who, like " Indian John," had mistaken his man, and killed one against whom he had no grudge. In this case the same line of argument was pursued, and in addition, a plea of mental unsoundness was in- terposed. He was tried by jury and declared sane. The trial proceeded and Williams was found guilty of murder and sentenced to be ex- ecuted. But on the review of the case, he was declared to be of unsound mind and was sent to, and died in the insane asylum. These cases are chiefly interesting as showing that in both instan- ces Mr. Miller maintained the ground now uni- versally accepted by enlightened jurists, and also indicating the great care with which he prepared his cases. His brief in the Williams case em- braced over twenty thousand words, equal to two solid pages of our large city journals, and con- tained citations of authorities from more than one hundred different books. It was so com- plete and exhaustive of the subject as to engage the general attention of the profession. Many copies of the brief were called for and supplied, and they were largely instrumental in settling the law of murder.
From 1799, when Cayuga County was formed, to 1804 the courts had been held at Cayuga and Aurora. Seneca county, during this period, was a part of Cayuga County, and the village of Cay- uga was most convenient to the inhabitants and the natural place for the county seat. But in 1804, Seneca county was detached from Cayuga, leaving the hamlets of Aurora and Cayuga on the margin of the latter county and making a change of the county seat necessary. This Mr. Miller clearly saw, and although his pecuniary interests were to be unfavorably affected by the change, he did not resist it, but sought to secure for the court house the most favorable locality. This he considered to be Hardenbergh's Corners, which he favored, and where, after a contest of several years, the court house was erected.
In 1808 he removed to Auburn with his fami- ly and soon after took Mrs. Miller and their two children to her father's in Williamstown, Mass., for the benefit of her health, as she was threat- ened with consumption, he, meanwhile, boarding at the Centre House, using his room there as his law office.
In 1809, he erected a residence and office on the east side of South street, on a lot lying be-
tween the present Universalist and Second Pres- byterian churches, where he resided for twenty- five years. Here he accumulated a large and valuable library.
He contributed liberally for the support of churches and schools. He contributed two hun- dred dollars toward the erection of the first Epis- copal church edifice and eight hundred dollars toward the erection of an academy building. On the death of Mrs. Miller, the 22d of February, 1811, he brought his two motherless daughters to Auburn, under the matronly care of his sister Martha, and commenced house-keeping. In 1813 he was appointed clerk of the council of appoint- ment and held the office two years. In 1816 he was appointed one of the three commissioners to select the site for and erect the Auburn prison. In 1817 he was appointed First Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Cayuga County, the duties of which he discharged with signal ability and acceptance for six years. At no other period in the history of the County has the bar been represented by more able counsel than the courts held by him, and it was their united testimony that his rulings and charges were among the most prompt, clear and correct, of any of our judges, and were given mainly from the capacious store-house of his memory, with little aid from his notes, which are said to have been " prover- bially clumsy." He had a wonderful power of condensing the points of a case in a few expressive words, often to the wonder and surprise of astute but "many worded " counsel. He drafted and adopted new rules of practice for his court, which are said by experts as sufficient of themselves to establish " his judicial greatness."
A HISTORIC DWELLING .- Between William and South streets in the city of Auburn, is lo- cated the house of the late Wm. H. Seward, dis- tinguished for the hospitable entertainment of eminent official guests from many nations. This home was founded and erected by Judge Miller in the years 1816-'17, and although in the center of the village the Judge did not wish to be " pent up." Ample grounds, comprising four acres, were procured and improved by tree planting and garden culture. The late notorious Brigham Young was a journeyman painter and employed in painting Judge Miller's house.
On the death of Judge Miller's father, in 1817, it became necessary for his mother and sister Clarinda to reside with him, while Martha re- turned to Romulus. The presence in his house- hold of his mother and sister and two sprightly and blooming daughters, relieved him of domes- tic cares and added much to the cheerfulness of his home. It was the general custom of the time to entertain those with whom there were impor- tant business relations, and, as Judge of the County courts and commissioner for building the State Prison, he had many occasions for dispens-
Million 18 Second
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
ing that hospitality for which he was distinguished and which to all concerned was a source of inter- est and pleasure.
Judge Miller was ceaselessly active. In 1817, with John H. Beach, he projected and built the first cotton-mill in Auburn. In 1823 he formed a law partnership with William H. Seward, who the year after, became his son-in-law, and, at his request, resided with him .*
In 1826, he was nominated a candidate for rep- resentative in Congress ; but in the disorganized condition of his party failed of the election.
The next important public enterprise in which he engaged was the Owasco Canal project, which, in various forms, engaged his attention for some ten years, resulting finally in the conclusion to build on the site of the present big dam, a mag. . nificent structure sufficiently high to form a slack water communication with the lake, and, by a canal from the dam along the western side of the river, to add immensely to the hydraulic power of the latter. The enterprise was commenced in 1835, by laying the corner stone of the dam with much ceremony and with high hope of com- plete success. The dam was carried up to its present height, when further progress was arrested by the financial crash of 1837.
He had always been a warm friend of internal improvements of every kind and the project of a railroad to the canal commanded, and for five years received, his active support. The Auburn and Syracuse railroad found in him an active supporter. He contributed to it $ 10,000 and much of his time and great influence. This was the crowning and really the concluding public effort of his eventful life.
Judge Miller enjoyed company and visited and received visitors with pleasure and cordiality. He was the honored patriarch of every circle, and by his geniality contributed to the common en- joyment. He had great individuality of charac- ter and, in his later years, was very systematic in his habits, retiring between eleven and twelve at night and rising before six o'clock in the morn- ing. His meals were served and partaken with un- varying regularity. Daily rides and walks werc taken by him in pleasant weather. In his rides he often chose a companion whom he entertained from the great store-house of his memory with an- ecdote and incident, and in his short walks rested his capacious palm upon the shoulder of some friend, whom he would use to steady his steps.
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