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 54
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The town officers in 1878 were : Matthew Hun- ter, Supervisor ; William H. Slack, Clerk ; P. D. Blass, Assessor; Grover Lane, Commissioner ; William Thomas, Town Auditor; R. Hutchins and Samuel Townsend, Overseers of the Poor ; George W. Fuller, Henry S. Wendover, John H. Blakeman, George Presho and Willie Winne- gar, Constables ; Alfred P. Thompson, Game Constable; George Parsell, H. C. Slack, Mat- thias Huffman and W. B. Priddy, Fustices.
CONQUEST CENTER.
Conquest Center (Conquest p. o.) is situated about the center of the town, six miles north- west of Port Byron, with which it is connected by daily stage, and five miles south-west of Cato, on the Southern Central R. R. It contains two
churches, (M. E. and Protestant Methodist,) one district school, one hotel, (of which Lawrence J. Lindsley, from Ira, became proprietor May Ist, 1878,) two stores, one wagon shop, (of which John VanAuken is proprietor,) and one black- smith shop, of which George Parsell and Henry Blakeman are proprietors. It has a population of seventy-five or eighty.
The first settlement in this locality was made in 1802, by James Perkins and his four sons, as previously stated. It is pleasantly situated, and is surrounded by a country sufficiently fertile to render a generous return for the care and energy of the husbandman. It lies in the midst of an industrious and thrifty community of farmers, to whom the practical and really useful are held of greater importance than the ornate or the beall- tiful.
MERCHANTS .- The first merchant at Conquest Center was Jonathan P. Davis, who opened a store in 1824, but remained only three years. He was succeeded by Seth Sheldon, who bought his stock of goods, and who, in the winter of 1826, started an ashery on the lot owned by Sarah A. Cook. Sheldon was born in the cast part of the County, near the line between Brutus and Sen- nett, whence he came to this town. He likewise kept the store only about three years. The third merchant was Albert Crane, who remained some twelve years ; and next after him was Asahel Mundy, who remained two or three years and removed to Seneca Falls. Henry J. Wilcox and - Worthington bought out Mundy in 1845, - and dissolved partnership and discontinued, in 1847.
David Horton started a second store in 1844. In 1849 he sold his store and goods to Enos Wetherell, who continued about two years, when he sold to Joseph Gifford, who removed the store and goods about a mile and a half south of the village. Gifford was a blacksmith, and his wife tended the store. After four or five years he removed to the west part of the State, and the store, which was subsequently converted into a dwelling, stood till the spring of 1878. Wm. C. Hardenbergh was the next merchant in the vil- lage. He was succeeded by Henry Follett, A. P. Crowell, and George Stone. The latter died after three or four years, after which his wife car- ried on the business till burned out some ten years ago. A store was kept after this by a Mr.
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Shedd, from an eastern county in this State, by Peter Hood, and by Abraham Van Pelt, neither of whom remained long. Van Pelt sold to David C. Horton, who continued six years, and in the spring of 1877, sold to the present occupants, Velie Mead and Frank E. Davis, who keep a general stock such as is usually kept in a country store. Horton removed to Michigan.
About a year ago Henry J. Lake opened a small grocery, which he still keeps.
There is no manufacturing establishment in the village; but about half a mile north is a saw-mill owned by Eugene Olmstead, who moved in from Mentz, his native town, and has carried on the business some eight or ten years. The first mill in this locality was built by Henry Switzer some fifty years ago. It was the second saw-mill in the town, and stood near the site of the present one.
PHYSICIANS .- The first physician in Conquest Center was Dr. Nathan Wood, who joined the County Medical Society August 4th, 1808, and practiced here a good many years. He died October 6th, 1824, aged forty-two years. After Wood's death John Jakway, who resided at Cato, practiced here, making the circuit on horse-back. For several years there was no resident physi- cian here. Alvah Randall, from Massachusetts, commenced the practice of medicine here fifty- one years ago, and remained ten or twelve years. He was succeeded by Eleazer R. Palmer, from the eastern part of this State, about 1839, Janu- ary 3d of which year he joined the County Med- ical Society. He died here January 28th, 1852, aged forty-one years. His widow still lives here. He was succeeded by his brother-in-law, George Washington Reynolds, the present and only phy- sician in the village, who studied medicine with Dr. Palmer, and joined the County Medical So- ciety January 17th, 1867.
POSTMASTERS .- The first post-master was Benjamin Osgood ; the present one is Dr. Geo. W. Reynolds.
HOTELS .- The present hotel was built by Isaiah Cortright fifty-two years ago. Cortright kept the hotel a number of years, and was the first hotel-keeper in the village.
CHURCHES .- One of the first preachers in this locality was Manonah Harris, who settled near Conquest Center about sixty years ago, long be- fore there was any church organized here. He
used to go on a circuit with his saddle bags, in one of which he carried his Bible, and in the other such things as he needed on the journey.
THE PROTESTANT METHODIST CHURCH, at Conquest Center, was organized about 1831, by Rev. Joshua Beebe,who was the first settled pas- tor. Prominent among the first members were, David Horton, Timothy and Martin Beebe, brothers of Joshua, the pastor, Amasa T. and Burt Currier, brothers, John S. Horton and wife, Paulina, and James and Simon Haley. For the first two years meetings were held in the school- house. At the expiration of that time their church edifice, the one now in use, was built by David Horton, who furnished and drew all the timber, had it hewed, and supplied all the money used in its construction. It cost about $1,600, which sum was mostly reimbursed to Mr. Horton. It was repaired at an expense of some $200 about twelve years ago. Mr. Beebe continued the pastorate about eight or ten years. The pres- ent pastor is Rev. John Forbes,who has performed the duties of that office a little less than a year. The present membership of the church is about one hundred ; the attendance at Sabbath School, about forty.
THE M. E. CHURCH, at Conquest Center, was organized about 1843 or '44, by Rev. H. Madi- son. John Hamilton and Jacob Struble were among the first members. The first pastor was Rev. William Castle, who remained two years. Other pastors of this church were, Revs. Alden, Peleg Barker, Marclius Rowe, D. E. Davis, Isaac Harris, -- Phillips, William J. Mills, Richard Clark, Calvin Connell, and the present one William N. Sharp. Their church was built about twenty-five years ago. It is now under- going extensive repairs, which will cost about $1,800. The present number of members is about ninety, and the attendance at Sabbath School, about fifty.
The Society met with the Protestant Metho- dists, as a Union Church, until some misunder- standing arose, which resulted in a separation and the building of the present church.
SPRING LAKE.
Spring Lake (p. o.) was formerly known as Pineville, which name it derived from the pine forests which, at an early day, covered the locality, pine being the principal timber in this immediate
RESIDENCE OF ESTHER HARRIS, CONQUEST CENTER, CAYUGA CO. N. Y.
N
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RESIDENCE OF ROBERT E. WILCOX, CONQUEST CENTER, CAYUGA Co. N.Y.
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SPRING LAKE.
section when the first settlements were made. The name was changed in the spring of 1874, when the post-office was established here. It is an attractive little village of ninety-five inhabi- tants, pleasantly situated on Duck Lake outlet, which is, however, of little hydraulic importance. It contains one church, (Prot. Meth.,) one hotel, (the Spring Lake House, which was built about 1851, by Hiram Worden, who kept it about nine- teen months, and has been kept for fourteen years by his nephew, George K. Worden, the present proprietor, who bought the property of Alfred Disbrow,) one store, two blacksmith shops, (kept by Jacob White and Daniel Palmer,) two pump factories, one tin shop, (kept by Frank Garity and David Wickham,) and one milliner shop, which is kept by Miss Allie Reynolds.
MERCHANTS .- The present merchant at Spring Lake is D. E. White, who came in from Rens- selaer county, and has kept the store about twelve years. He is also the postmaster, an office he has held for four years, having been appointed when the post-office was established here.
PHYSICIANS .-- The first physician was Dr. Wm. Thomas, who came from Butler Center in the spring of 1849, and has since practiced here. He belongs to the botanic school of medicine. The only other physician is Charles S. Stocking, an allopath, who came from Red Creek about ten years ago.
MANUFACTURERS .- There are two establish- ments for the manufacture of wooden section pumps. One is owned by Henry Curren, who came in from Port Bay, north of Wolcott, about twenty-eight years ago, and has been engaged in the business about twenty years ; the other by Frank Garity, who has been engaged in the busi- ness about twelve years.
THE PROTESTANT METHODIST CHURCH, at Spring Lake, was organized in 1853, by Rev. Nathan R. Swift, the first pastor. Some of the first members were Charles Frost and wife, Peter Thompson and wife, Jacob White, Archi- bald Forbes and wife, and Timothy Beebe. Swift served a pastorate of two or three years, and was succeeded by Revs. James Smith, - Ballou, Ira H. Hogans and - Ellis. Swift again became the pastor, remaining this time five years, and was succeeded by his brother Philip,
the present pastor, five years ago. Their house of worship was built in 1855, and in 1875 it was moved back, enlarged and remodeled, nothing but the old frame being used, at an expense of $3,800. It will seat about 300 persons. The present number of members is 140. The attend- ance at Sabbath school is about 100.
SPRING LAKE TEMPERANCE SOCIETY was or- ganized in December, 1877. Edson H. Marvin was elected President ; Henry Curren, Vice- President ; and Wm. Thomas, Secretary. It has a membership of 120 ; but does not hold regular meetings.
Among the early settlers at Spring Lake was Jason Goodell, who owned at one time about seventy-five acres of the village site. He is now living in the north part of the town.
"THE PEPPER MILL."-In the south-east cor- ner of the town is a hamlet, which is locally known as The Pepper Mill. Theophilus Emerson, one of the first settlers, and probably the first in that locality, built a small grist-mill there at a very early day, and ground corn in small quantities for the settlers. This mill, which is still standing on the farm now owned by Lewis Emerson, a son of Theophilus, was built in 1810, and was the first grist-mill erected in the town. It was and is still known as The Pepper Mill, a name derived, says one authority, from its diminutive size, and by another, from the fact that at first a store was kept in it. Previous to the erection of this mill the settlers carried their grists to Springport, the journey being made by way of Seneca River and Cayuga Lake, and occupying four days. A canoe capable of holding sixty bushels of grain, was constructed by their joint efforts, and in this the grists of the whole neighborhood were conveyed. "In 1813, John Filkins took a load of wheat to Albany, and was obliged to sell the wheat and one horse to defray the expenses of the jour- ney."*
Among the first settlers in this locality were families named Slayton and Lucas, descendants of both of which are now living in the town.
There is in the locality known as The Pepper Mill, a Christian church, a small store, owned by Wm. S. Freer, two blacksmith shops, owned by Leonard Rickard and --- Beach, a wagon shop, owned by Wm. Wilson, and some fifty inhab- itants.
* Gazetteer and Business Directory of Cayuga County, 1868.
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TOWN OF CONQUEST.
HOWLAND'S ISLAND.
HOWLAND'S ISLAND, in Seneca River, has the general form of a parallelogram, is nine and a half miles in circumference and contains between 3,000 and 4,000 acres, one-third of which is swampy and submerged during high water. It derives its name from Humphrey Howland, who acquired the title to it by buying soldiers' scrip for nominal sums, and took possession of it about 1823-'4. Previous to Howland's connection with it, it was known as Walnut or Hickory Island, and was occupied and improved by families of squatters named Stone, Spiller, Hyde, Butterfield, Campbell, Herrick, Woodward, Phaddock, Har- ris and Springstead, there being two families by the latter name. They had established them- selves as a colony and built houses and a school- house, supposing that no one owned the island. They were forced to yield to Howland's superior claims, and, though each was paid something for the improvements made by him, they relinquished with reluctance the possessions which years of privation and toil had secured, and which they had fondly hoped to leave as a heritage to their families. Harris, who was a minister, preached, taught school, did the cobbling, and made him- self the useful man of the island.
.
" In 1804 the job of clearing four hundred acres
* of land was let to * * John A. Taylor, Crandall, Giles, Adam Cuykendall, Z. Wackman, James Hamilton, Jonathan Vaughn, Martin Harker, Daniel Walling and his father Jeremiah Walling, two Mc Wetheys and Daniel Size. These men took the job by contract, clearing from ten to fifty acres each. This was a great enterprise for this part of the country at that time, but the echoing click of a hundred axes told that the island, instead of being a haunt for game, must soon be covered with fields of waving grain. The next year found the work of clearing off well done. Great elms and maples and mighty oaks had been felled and piled in windrows ; none were spared for any purpose. The whole mass was as dry as tinder and a sufficient number of men were employed to fire it at one time. Dur- ing the day the smoke was seen for fifty miles around, and at night the blaze lit up the country for the same distance. The sight was magnifi- cent and grand beyond description. The heat was so intense that men and cattle were driven into the swamps and into the river even, and it ruined fields of green oats a great distance away.
" The first crop of grain on this four hundred acres told of the richness of the soil. Ten thous-
and bushels of wheat were taken from the first clearing the first season."*
Mr. Howland was accustomed to entrust the care and management of the island to individuals, who farmed it on shares. The first manager was John Adams Taylor, now living at an advanced age near the south line of Mentz, who took charge of the island April 10th, 1826, and con- ducted its affairs with marked success. As Mr. Taylor was taking his share of the pigs home from the island, the scow, which was used in making the passage, struck a snag in the middle of the river and precipitated the whole cargo into the stream. The pigs finally made their way to the shore and after some difficulty were driven home. Taylor was succeeded the next year by Wm. Toll, a blacksmith, who lost his wife on the island by fever, and gave up the management at the end of the first year, without adding anything to his worldly store. Lincoln & Co., were the third managers, and their success was as marked as Toll's failure. Lincoln found and married a wife on the island, and is believed to have accumulated a handsome fortune, which enabled him to buy his farm in Conquest. They were followed by the Sheldon Bros., who were large, strong and energetic farmers, and who, during the six years they occupied the island, did handsomely both for themselves and principals. The manage- ment was next entrusted to John Wood, and the result under his supervision was as disastrous as that under the Sheldon Bros., was successful. On the death of Mr. Howland, his son, Penn Howland, came into possession of the island, and that, with hundreds of thousands of dollars be- sides, was soon squandered by improvidence and mismanagement.
The property was sold on mortgage in the spring of 1855, to Penn Howland's bondsman, Hiram Sibley, of Rochester, who leased it for a term of years to S. B. Fyler, with the privilege of purchasing it during that time for a given sum. Mr. Fyler commenced a thorough system of im- provements. He took down over twenty miles of old and broken down fences ; removed old hedges and dilapidated foundations ; cleared. burned, plowed and planted waste lands which were overgrown with bushes and weeds; cut
* From contributions to The Port Byron Chronicle, by the late Samuel Hayden, to which we are indebted for information relative to Howland's Island.
REST OF WH WISE FOREMAN .
HOWLAND'S ISLAND, TOM
REST OF S. B. FYLER.
OF CONQUEST, CAYUGA Co. N.Y.
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.
ditches over seven miles in length through the lowlands ; built eight miles of new fence ; and set maple trees on each side of the highway. At present there are six hundred acres more tillable land than when he commenced work on the is- land. He has built a grain barn capable of hold- ing 24,000 bushels of grain ; and within the last year has built a good sized farm house, eight hay barns, each eighty feet long ; a horse barn and tool house, ninety-six feet long, and has repaired and painted such houses and barns as were worth repairing. He is now building a tenant-house. The last season he cut over 1,000 acres of grain and hay. He has cattle barns fitted up, and has at present 300 head of fat and store cattle, be- sides 125 spring calves.
If Mr. Fyler purchases this property, as he now contemplates doing, he purposes to divide it into farms of fifty or one hundred acres each and put them in the market.
The island lies lengthwise across the river. Its surface presents a somewhat singular con- formation. With the exception of about one mile on the east side it is surrounded by a heavi- ly timbered river bottom, varying from forty to one hundred rods in width, that upon one side being one or two feet higher than the opposite side. The south part of the island consists of eight hills, which spread out into inclined plains, separated by narrow intervals, and compose one- fourth of the hard land. These hills are similar in form, rising by a gentle inclination to about one-half of their height, then terminating ab- ruptly and presenting a bold front to the north. Four are exactly 80 feet high ; three others, about 100 feet ; and the eighth some 12 feet higher than the latter. The remainder of the island consists of four ridges or table lands, which are separated from the hills by a narrow interval, and present the boldest front to the south. They are from one-fourth to one-third of a mile wide and one to one and one-half miles long, converg- ing and uniting at the north and forming one general plain. The most easterly ridge is the highest and a line extended from it at an angle of two degrees touches the vertex of the other three. The hillsides are studded with boulders to a height of forty-two feet, but above that not a stone of any magnitude is found.
The soil is an exceedingly friable, sandy and gravelly loam, differing entirely with that of the
surrounding mainland, which is a stiff clay loam. The temperature of the island, from its insular position, is some degrees higher and vegetation some days earlier than in the surrounding towns.
Exactly in the center of the island is a cir- cular basin covering an area of about fifty acres and lying about six feet above the river bottom.
From the hillsides and higher parts of the ta- ble lands issue springs, about a dozen in number, with such force as to indicate their connection with the waters of the southern lakes in the County, which, conducted and kept under by the impervious underlying strata of the interven- ing country, finds an outlet through the porous soil of the island.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.
HARRY JEFFERSON WILCOX.
HARRY JEFFERSON WILCOX was the third son of Mr. John Wilcox. He was born in Harpers- field, Delaware county, N. Y., March 3d, 1802. His father, who was born in Dover, Dutchess county, N. Y., February 7th, 1765, moved to Harpersfield in 1781, and purchased a farm of Mr. Alexander Harper, then an extensive land owner ; but in the year 1840 he sold his farm and with his son Harry J., moved west and settled in Conquest, Cayuga County, N. Y. The follow- ing year Mr. John Wilcox died at the age of 76. His son, Mr. Harry J. Wilcox, has followed the occupation of a farmer from that time, taking the entire charge of his farm of 200 acres, until the year 1872. Since then he has spent much of his time in traveling west and south, which has afforded him the pleasure of witnessing the great growth of this nation during his life.
This gentleman has always taken an active in- terest in County and State enterprises. He is a Republican and strongly opposed to the oppres- sion of any nation ; and is always ready to con- tribute to the success or prosperity of our Union. He never sought notoriety, nor accepted public office.
December 21st, 1829, he married Miss Eliza Ann Brown, who was born in Blenheim, Scho- harie county, N. Y., in 1807. They have had nine children-Delia, Mary, Robert, Henry, Ann Eliza, Julia, Martha, John and George, all of
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TOWN OF CATO.
whom are now living, except Ann Eliza, who after- wards became the wife of Sylvester M. Young. Mr. Wilcox is now in his 77th year and enjoying good health. Mrs. Wilcox died August 18th, 1874.
CHAPTER XXXV.
TOWN OF CATO.
C ATO lies upon the east border, north of the center of the County, and is bound- ed on the north by Ira, on the east by Onondaga county, on the west by Conquest, and on the south by Seneca River. It is the south-east quarter of the military township of Cato, (which comprised 143 lots of 600 acres each,) and was formed from Aurelius March 30th, 1802. At that time it comprised all that part of the County lying north of the river. Sterling was taken off June 19th, 1812 ; and Conquest, Ira and Victory, March 16th, 1821. The south-east corner lot of Ira was annexed in 1824, to compensate for the waste lands in Cato.
The surface is level in the south and gently rolling in the north, where the ridges, which ex- tend north and south, rise about fifty feet above the valleys, and 150 to 200 feet above Lake On- tario. Cross Lake, upon the east border, is a shallow body of water, with low shores, about five miles long, through which Seneca River runs. Otter Lake is a shallow basin, with low, marshy shores, situated north of the center of the town. It is one and one-half miles long and three-fourths of a mile at its widest point. Par- ker's Pond, in the north-west part, is a rounded, shallow basin, about half a mile in diameter. It is gradually filling up each year. Its waters were lowered several feet when the improvements at Jack's Reefs were made in 1854-7. It is con- nected with Otter Lake, which empties into it, by Drew Creek, which is about half a mile long, and named from Darwin Drew, through whose farm it runs. The Pond is named from Daniel Parker, an early settler in the town of Ira, and was locally known at an early day as " Parker's pork barrel," because of the abundance of its fish. It empties into Muskrat Creek, a sluggish stream, having a fall of only seven and a half feet in its course south through the central part
of the town to Seneca River. All its waters are well stocked with fish.
In 1872, Hon. Ira D. Brown, then a Member of Assembly, secured an appropriation of $5,000 to prosecute a boring for salt. A spot in the south edge of this town was selected, and a boring over 600 feet deep made the following . year. A brine was obtained, which, according to an analysis made by Prof. J. J. Brown, of Syracuse University, exceeded in strength any obtained at Syracuse, but containing a greater percentage of impurities. Further work was pre- vented by the exhaustion of the appropriation.
The soil is a very productive alluvion, exceed- ingly fertile, and admirably adapted to all kinds of crops. This is one of the best agricultural towns in the County ; but those who subdued its dense forests and drained its extensive marshes, filled with the decayed product of successive growths of vegetation, made terrible sacrifices in health to the noxious miasm arising therefrom. The malarial diseases then so prevalent in this locality caused many to abandon their improvements af- ter a few years' settlement, and seek restoration to health in more favored localities, thus tending to retard somewhat the settlement of the town. These difficulties have, however, gradually disap- peared, and, until the last two summers, have not been experienced for many years.
The Southern Central Railroad enters the town near the center of the south border and leaves it in the north-west part ; and by its con- nection with the New York Central Railroad and Erie Canal at Weedsport and the Lake Ontario Shore Railroad at Sterling, opens up very acces- sible markets for its valuable pomonic and varied agricultural products.
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