History of Cayuga County, New York : with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 81

Author: Storke, Elliot G., 1811-1879. cn
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason
Number of Pages: 762

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 81

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Following is a statement of the resources and liabilities October Ist, 1878 :

RESOURCES.

Loans and discounts $ 77,248 69

Overdrafts

131 42

U. S. bonds to secure circulation. 95,000 00

Other stocks, bonds and mortgages

41,450 00

Due from reserve agents.

16,124 45

Due from other National Banks

2,102 II

Banking House

3,300 00

Checks and other cash items.

53 36

Bills of other banks.

1,753 00

Fractional currency and nickels

12 94

Gold and silver coin.

140 00

Legal tender notes

3,200 00

Redemption fund with U. S. Treas- urer

4,275 00

$244.790 97

LIABILITIES.

Capital stock

$ 100,000 00

Surplus fund

5,000 00

Undivided profits

7,294 II

Circulation outstanding

85,500 00

Dividends unpaid

18 00

Deposits

46,672 06

Due National Banks

306 80

$244,790 97

SCHOOLS .- Aurora is justly noted for its ex- cellent schools.

CAYUGA LAKE ACADEMY AT AURORA .- On the 2d of February, 1801, Walter Wood, Daniel Shepard, Frederick Delano, Daniel Foote, Daniel Avery, Thomas Mumford, Silas Marsh, Seth Burgess, Jr., Jared Cornell, Samuel Brush, Seth. Phelps and Glen Cuyler, made application to the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York for the incorporation of Cayuga Academy, they having contributed more than half in value of the real and personal property of the Academy.

On the 23d of March, 1801, the Regents granted their certificate of incorporation, with the following named persons as first Trustees, viz : Seth Phelps, Benjamin Ledyard, Walter Wood, Seth Sherwood, John Tillotson, Thomas Hewitt, Silas Hutchinson, Jonas Whitney, Silas Halsey, Benjamin Dey, Wilhemus Mynders, Thomas Mumford, John L. Hardenbergh, Eze- kiel Sales and Elijah Price.

The document was signed by

" JOHN JAY, ESQUIRE, " Chancellor of the University."

410

TOWN OF LEDYARD.

On December 21st, 1802, Benjamin Ledyard, by a deed of gift, conveyed to the Trustees the present Academy lot with the buildings then upon it. The first Academy building was de- stroyed by fire in 1804, and a larger and more commodious building was erected upon its site and occupied for the purposes of the Academy until the year 1835, when it was supplanted by the brick building which now contains the school- rooms and lecture hall. The old building was removed to another site, and is now occupied by the Methodist Episcopal congregation of Aurora as a place of worship.

In 1856 another brick building, 38 by 56 feet in size and four stories in height, containing the library, apartments for the Principal's family and rooms for fifty students, was added.

In 1827 Walter Wood, by a legacy in his will, gave to the Trustees $1,000, to be kept in- vested by them as a permanent fund, and the in- come to be applied towards the education of orphans and indigent children, which trust has been faithfully performed, and many now occupy- ing positions of responsibility and honor, whose education was obtained by this means, thankfully testify to the wisdom and forethought of the founder of "The Walter Wood Fund."

The Academy has also received other endow- ments, John Morgan, in 1840, giving by will $3,500 for the general purposes of the institution, and Edwin B. Morgan, in 1854, establishing a permanent fund of $5,000, the income of which has ever since been applied to increase the equip- ment and usefulness of the institution.

The first President of the Board of Trustees was Seth Phelps, and the first Secretary, Glen Cuyler.

John Ely was the first Principal of the Academy.

January 15th, 1860, the name was changed to Cayuga Lake Academy.

This institution thus ranks among the oldest academies of the State, and has enjoyed a long career of honor and usefulness, sending forth from its halls many whose names have justly been held in high esteem in every vocation of life,- names that have been an honor and a power in the pulpit, at the bar, on the bench, and in the councils of the State and Nation.

The present Board of Trustees are Edwin B. Morgan, President ; Allen Mosher, Henry Mor-

gan, Lewis Himrod, N. L. Zabriskie, Augustine C. Boyer, James B. Smith.

The library contains about 3,000 volumes, judiciously and carefully selected.

The Academy, under the able direction of Charles Kelsey, A. M., and Mrs. M. A. Kelsey, with a competent corps of assistants, is one of the most flourishing institutions of learning in the State. One of its peculiar features, and in which it is believed to differ from any other in this State, is a class for the instruction of deaf mutes in articulation, which was organized in 1871, and is under the personal care of Mrs. Kel- sey, who has had very gratifying success in this department.

Care is taken to promote physical health by timely and judicious exercise, and to inculcate sound morals.

WELLS COLLEGE, at Aurora, was incorporated March 28th, 1868, under the title of " Wells Seminary for the higher education of young wo- men." The name was changed in 1870, to Wells College, and by the Legislature was granted all the rights and privileges pertaining to its ad- vanced character.

The trustees named in the charter of incorpora- tion were Henry Wells, Charles H. Wells, James H. Welles, William W. Howard, Alexander Thompson, Edwin B. Morgan, Talmadge Dela- field, William H. Bogart, Frederic W. Seward, Nathan K. Hall, Jonathan B. Condit, Charles J. Folger, Alexander Howland, John Scott Boyd, William E. Dodge, Charles B. Sedgwick and Henry Foster.

July 19th, 1867, the corner-stone of the college building was laid with appropriate ceremonies. It is a brick edifice of the Elizabethian style of architecture, with gray stone trimmings, ample in size to accommodate eighty students, a full corps of teachers and the requisite servants. It is heated by steam, and a private gas house and reservoir furnish light and water to the entire building. Its cost together with furniture and appurtenances was met entirely by Henry Wells, who, July 23d, 1868, gave to the trustees a deed of the same, including twenty acres of land sur- rounding. He also, in August, 1875, made a further donation of twelve acres of land adjoin- ing, upon which was a handsome residence for the president of the institution.

August 12th, 1873, Edwin B. Morgan of Au-

411

AURORA VILLAGE-CHURCHES.

rora, generously supplemented the gift of Mr. Wells by presenting to the college an endowment fund of $100,000, the principal to remain intact and the interest to be devoted to the furtherance of the educational interests of the college accord- ing to the best judgment of the trustees. In 1878 he further increased his donation by erecting at his own expense a fine additional building of brick and stone, adapted most fully to the grow- ing want felt in the departments of natural and physical science, music and painting. A large and well-appointed gymnasium also forming a part, at a cost of $25,000.

No more desirable location could be selected for a school of its character. Surrounded by its fine grounds of more than thirty acres, sloping picturesquely with lawn and woodland to the edge of the lake at its borders ; with a quiet re- tirement and privacy most favorable to the high- er needs of a scholastic life ; with apparatus, libraries, cabinets, laboratory, and every facility for the acquirement of a thorough education at the hands of an experienced corps of professors and teachers; the college has rapidly advanced to a leading place among the best schools for the education of women.

Much atention is paid to physical culture- gymnastics and calisthenics in the winter ; boat- ing, archery and walking excursions in the fall and spring. The healthy body, fully as much as the sound mind, is regarded a most essential requis- ite to success in whatever sphere in life man or woman may be called upon to move.

The first term of the College began in Septem- ber, 1868, and a class has been graduated each year since then. Several hundred young ladies, representing some nineteen States, have received the benefit of its educational advantages.

Rev. Wm. W. Howard, D. D., was elected President at the opening of the institution ; he resigned in 1869.

Rev. I. Iranaeus Prime, D. D., was elected in 1869, and resigned in 1873.

Rev. Thos. C. Strong, D. D., was elected in 1873, and resigned in 1875.

Rev. Edward S. Frisbie, D. D., the present in- cumbent, was elected in 1875.

December 10th, 1878, the founder of the Col- lege, Henry Wells, died in Glasgow, Scotland. By his death his friends lost a genial and warm- hearted companion, his associates a sagacious and

far-seeing advisor, society an upright man, and the cause of education a hearty and generous supporter .*

CHURCHES .- Of the early settlers in Ledyard and the adjoining towns a large proportion were Friends, who rapidly became a numerous and in- fluential body of citizens. Their simple lives, tem- perate, frugal and industrious habits and peaceful characteristics, are still manifested in their de- scendants, modified, to some extent, by the great changes which have occurred in the community at large. They were devout, consistent Chris- tians, and soon after the settlement of the first family they commenced to hold religious meet- ings. In 1799, the first Friends meeting in the County was organized at the house of Benjamin Howland, who came in with his family the pre- vious year, and was assisted in its formation by the families of John and Isaac Wood and James Wood and sister, who came in that year (1799). During the first six months meetings were held at Mr. Howland's house. After that an adja- cent log-house was purchased, and an addition built thereto. This was the first Friends meet- ing-house in Cayuga County. This meeting was termed an "indulged meeting," it was subordi- nate and belonged to the Farmington Quarterly Meeting in Ontario County. In 1811 their num- bers had so increased that a new meeting-house was built two miles west of Poplar Ridge, asso- ciated with which were the names of Allen and Abial Mosher, John Brotherton, Ebenezer Wan- zer, John Winslow, John and Nehemiah Merritt, Sylvanus Hussey, Rufus Winslow and others, all of whom are dead.

In 18,18, a meeting-house was erected in the Salmon Creek Valley, in Venice, associated with which were the Halsteds, Kenyons, Sherwoods, Uptons and others. In 1821, a meeting-house was built two miles west of Scipioville, associated with which were Thomas Estes, Charles and Ab- ner Gifford, Israel Cox, Joseph Hoxie, Aaron Baker, Joseph Frost and others. In 1834, the brick meeting-house one and one-half miles west of Sherwood was built. Its elderly members were Humphrey and Slocum Howland, Joseph Talcott, Joshua Baldwin, John E. Williams, Job Otis, David Thomas and others.

* We acknowledge our indebtedness to Col. E. B. Morgan of Aurora, for the preceding sketches of Cayuga Lake Academy and Wells College.

412

TOWN OF LEDYARD.

THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF AURORA was organized August 24th, 1818, by Rev. J. G. Ogilvie. It was composed of the following per- sons, who were members of the First Congrega- tional Church of Scipio, of which this is a contin- uation, viz : Lucius Stebbins, Lucius Gaylord, John Spalding, Eliza McCarty, Emily Hills, Elizabeth Hills, Rhoda Benedict, Elizabeth Hug- gins and Deborah Avery, who adopted articles of faith and were received under the care of the Presbytery of Cayuga, which met at Aurora, September 22d and 23d, 1818.

Stated public worship was established by mem- bers of this denomination in 1799. They were visited occasionally by missionaries from the Eastern States, prominent among whom was Rev. Seth Williston, whose labors culminated in the formation of a church in 1800. They adopt- ed the Congregational form of government ; and were, at an early day, one of the most able and promising churches in Western New York. As early as 1804 or '5 Rev. Hezekiah N. Woodruff was installed its pastor. He served them until June 22d, 1813.

Subsequently a second church, composed most- ly, it is believed, of members from this, was formed and was received under the care of the Presbytery, February 20th, 1816. The forma- tion of the present church in Aurora seems to have consisted simply in the change of the name of the one organized in ISco, which adopted the name of the First Presbyterian Church of Scipio.

The Presbytery which met at Aurora Septem- ber 22d and 23d, 1818, installed Rev. James G. Ogilvie pastor. There were present at the meeting Revs. L. Parsons, D. C. Lansing, J. Lane, Wm. Wisner, J. Poole, Seth Smith, and Elders J. Hicock, J. Leonard, J. Oliphant, E. Cady and J. McKinne. Mr. Ogilvie's pastorate continued till 1823. He was succeeded June 30th of that year by Asa K. Buel, who remained till March 29th, 1825. Revs. Medad Pomeroy, Salmon Strong and George Allen preached occa- sionally between 1825 and 1829. Pomeroy died at Auburn June 20th, 1867, aged seventy-five. Strong was principal of Cayuga Lake Academy from 1813-'15 ; three years at Princeton Theolog- ical Seminary ; tutor for two years at Hamilton College ; and again principal for eight years of Cayuga Lake Academy. Rev. E. N. Nichols served them as pastor from July, 1829, to Decem-

ber Ist, 1830. He was succeeded in December, 1831, by Henry R. Hoisington, who served them till 1833, when he joined the Ceylon Mission. Chauncey Cook served them as pastor from December, 1833, to 1837. James Richards, Jr., commenced his labors with this church May 3Ist, 1837. He was installed July 19th, 1837 ; and dismissed in April, 1841. Charles N. Mat- toon served them as a stated supply from May, 1841, until September, 1847. Richard Dickin- son was a stated supply the latter year. Wm. R. Chapman served them from October 7th, 1850, to 1854. He was installed December 15th, 1850. P. P. Burnham was a stated supply from May, 1855, to September, 1856; and Daniel H. Temple, from October 4th, 1856, to April 7th, 1863. Wm. H. Howard entered upon the pas- toral duties June 21st, 1863, was installed August 7th, 1863, and continued his labors with them till his death, July Ist, 1871. Thomas C. Strong, D. D., was installed pastor December 13th, 1871, and labored with them until August 22d, 1875. The pulpit was vacant from the time Dr. Strong left till March, 1877, when Wm. Aikman, D. D., the present pastor, commenced his labors with them. He was installed June 6th, 1877.

Lewis Stebbins was elected to the office of ruling elder at the organization. Samuel Man- dell, a highly respected citizen, was elected ruling elder in 1836, and has held the office continuous- ly since. Though ninety-one years old, he at- tends the morning service regularly.

The total number of persons who have joined the church is 564. The present number of mem- bers is 105. The Sabbath school numbers 85, with an average attendance of about sixty. Both spiritually and temporally, the church is in a healthy and prosperous condition.

The church edifice was built in 1819, and re- built in 1860. It is a handsome structure, occu- pying a beautiful site and supplied with a superior organ. It is at once a credit to the village and an honor to its projectors.

In addition to other memorial windows and works of art which have been noticed elsewhere, it contains an elaborately and beautifully finished window, which is a memorial to the sister of ex- Governor Dix, and bears this inscription :

" In memory of Rachel Dix Temple, the first Missionary Lady from this to the Holy Land. Died 1827. Gift of her sons, Daniel H. and Charles."

413

AURORA VILLAGE - CHURCHES.

THE M. E. CHURCH OF AURORA was organ- ized about 1836, and held meetings in an upper room in the residence of Stephen Gifford, de- ceased. The house is now occupied by his son, George W. Gifford. Their meetings were con- tinued there until the old academy building was purchased, removed to its present site and re- paired. The first pastors of whom we can obtain any account were S. C. Phinney and Sylvester Minier, who were here in the spring of 1839 and during that year. Peter Bridgeman succeeded them and remained one year. He was followed by A. Hamilton, John Crawford and O. M. McDowell. Isaac Parks, L. D. Tryon and Henry Ercanbrack served them in 1842 and '3 ; Edward L. Wadsworth and L. D. Tryon, in 1844-'5; Aaron Cross and Benoni I. Ives, in 1846; Aaron Cross and Hezekiah C. Hall, in 1847; H. C. Hall and Edwin G. Bush, in 1848; Edwin G. Bush and E. Nelson Cuykendall, in 1849 : Doc- tor Lamkin, in 1851 ; Alanson Benjamin, in 1852; S. Orcott, in 1853 ; Richard L. Kenyon, in 1854; W. M. Spickerman, in 1855 ; I. O. Bower and William N. Cobb, in 1856-'7; A. Ensign, in 1859; F. B. Harrison, in 1860; D. R. Carrier, in 1861-'2; Albert B. Gregg, in 1863-'4; Ephraim C. Brown, in 1865, '6 and '7; Francis M. Warner, in 1868- '9 ; H. T. Giles, 1870-'72 ; E. Hoxie, in 1873-'5; J. S. Lemon, who left before the completion of the year and joined the Episcopal church, in 1876; W. M. Henry, in 1877-'8 ; and Wesley Mason, the present pastor, who commenced his labors with this church in the fall of 1878. The church is on the Union Springs charge. It is in a feeble condition, having a membership of only twenty-five.

ST. PAUL'S (EPISCOPAL) CHURCH OF AURORA was founded February 11th, 1835, under the Di- ocesan administration of Bishop Onderdonk, whose diocese was then the whole State of New York, a territory which now embraces five im- portant dioceses. The Rev. Mr. Baldwin was its missionary, and under his efforts, which were warmly seconded by the family of Hon. Jonathan Richmond, the organization was effected. It lay dormant, however, for a long time, when services were renewed and continued for a series of years by Rev. John Leech. The meetings for public worship were held in the lower story of the Ma- sonic Hall. Several clergymen continued here 70-2

in missionary service after the departure of Mr. Leech. Revs. Hagar, Beauchamp, Tomkins, Perrine, Williams and Smith, bring the line down to Rev. Alfred Brown, during whose ministra- tions, through the abundant liberality of Mr. E. W. Arms, was erected in 1870-'71, their beau- tiful church edifice, which stands on the east side of Milton or the main street. By its admirable con- struction from the plan of the architect, Mr. S. D. Mandell, it has won a place among the most tasteful edifices in the Central New York Dio- cese. Its ornamented, open-timbered roof is es- pecially admired. The structure is built of light colored brick, profusely relieved by the blue lime- stone of Waterloo. It was consecrated in 1874, by the Rt. Rev. F. D. Huntington. Since the beginning of 1873, the church has enjoyed the intelligent and faithful labors of Rev. William H. Casey, a graduate of Trinity College, Cam- bridge, England.

Strangers visiting Aurora will be well repaid by an examination of the inner roof of this edi- fice, which is a beautiful specimen of skilled workmanship and architectural taste; also the mural tablet, monumental to Mr. Arms, from the designs of Mr. Palmer, the eminent American sculptor. The bas relief of Grief, in bronze, has received merited commendation. The edi- fice fronts the broad and beautiful lake, overlook- ing well kept pleasure grounds, and is entered by successive flights of stone steps, which give a pleasing effect. Its handsome range of solid black walnut pews, made from the designs of . Mr. Mandell, in Mich., were the gift of Hon. Erastus Corning, late of Albany.

ST. PATRICK'S CHURCH (Catholic) of Aurora was organized in 1838. The pastor is Rev. T. A. Hendrick, of Union Springs.

Their church edifice is a neat though unpre- tentious brick structure, and being located upon the bank of Cayuga Lake, it presents a striking and beautiful appearance, as will be seen by a reference to the view of it given in this work.

SOCIETIES .- Scipio Lodge No. 58, F. & A. M., at Aurora, was chartered March 22d, 1797. The charter officers were Seth Sherwood, Master ; Comfort Tyler, S. W .; John Tillottson, f. W. The charter is signed by Robert Livingston, Grand Master; Jacob Morton. D. G. M .; James Scott, S. G. W .; and DeWitt Clinton, F. G. W.

414

TOWN OF LEDYARD.

The lodge was rechartered June 18th, 1846, and received then its present number, 110.

The present officers are : Wm. J. Morgan, Master ; N. L. Zabriskie, S. W .; Christopher B. Morgan, f. W .; P. Seling, Treasurer; E. P. Baker, Secretary ; Charles Kelsey, S. D .; Arthur Parsons, f. D. The present number of mem- bers is fifty. Meetings are held the first Monday of each month, in the building erected by the lodge in 1819. This building is admirably adapted to the uses of the lodge, the room in which the meetings are held being eliptical in shape and separated from the exterior walls by a passage which entirely surrounds it. It is in an excellent state of preservation. The corner- stone was laid by DeWitt Clinton, and still bears the initials of his name. .

Following are the names of some of the early members, with the years in which their names first appeared upon the records, though many of them are known to have joined earlier than the years indicated : John Tillottson and Seth Sher- wood, in 1797; August Chidsey, Andrew Simp- son, Abner French, Daniel Shepard, Edward Paine, Edward Richardson, Edward Wheeler, Elisha Durkee, Fred'k Delano, Joseph Richard- son, Jas. Barnes, Joseph Barnes, Jas. Bacon, Jona- than Richmond, Jonathan Hastings, Osborn Par- son, Perley Kenney, Peres Brownell, Roswell Franklin, Victor S. Towsley, Walter Wood, Zebu- lon Taylor, Dudley Avery, Erastus Spalding, Ste- phen Downing, Matthew N. Tillottson, Phineas Rice, Jabez Bradey and George Barkley, in 1799; Thos. Luckey, Robert L. Tracy and Lu- ther Gere, in 1800; Samuel Knapp, Wm. L. Morgan, Edmund Wright, Jedediah Morgan, James M. Devit, Christopher Morgan, Cornelius Cuyler and Benjamin Ledyard, in 1802.

AURORA CHAPTER No. 64, R. A. M., was chartered by the Grand Chapter of New York, at its convocation of 1819. Jedediah Morgan, who represented the Seventh District in the State Senate, from Aurora, in 1825-'6, Christopher Morgan and Jonathan Richmond, were specially mentioned in the resolution granting a warrant. Its name failed to appear in the proceedings of the Grand Chapter, first at the convocation of 1828. Its charter was revived in 1849, and Jonathan Richmond, Salem Town, Charles D. Haight, Samuel Mandell, Charles E. Shepherd, John A. Dodge, Minard V. Babcock, Allen

Thomas, and Peter Yawger, were the petitioners and permitted to become the members thereof. Of these Samuel Mandell is the only one who survives.

The present officers (1878) are Wm. J. Mor- gan, H. P .; Coral C. White, Jr., K ; Samuel D. Mandell, Scribe ; Sanford Gifford, Treasurer ; Delos Aikin, Secretary ; Edward L. French, C. H .; E. P. Baker, P. S .; Charles Kelsey, R. A. C .; Patrick Seliny, M. 3d Veil; Lot C. Husted, M. 2d and Ist Veils ; Maurice Polhemus, Tiler.

LEVANNA.

Levanna is a post village of 100 inhabitants, situated on the east shore of the lake and on the Cayuga Lake Shore R. R., by which it is distant about two miles north from Aurora. It contains a district school, two stores, a store-house, a black- smith shop, (kept by Abraham West) a shoe shop, (kept by Ezra Underhill,) a carpenter shop, (kept by Jacob West,) and a tomato catsup factory, which is known as the Cayuga Lake Tomato Catsup Manufactory, and was established in 1874 by Wm. H. Wakeley, who run it two years, when he sold it to G. W. & W. A. Wakely, the present proprietors. During the season some fifteen persons are employed, and about 7,000 gallons of catsup made in this establishment.

The chief business of the village consists in its lake commerce, which was commenced about sixty years ago by Elias Manchester, who was the first person who shipped grain on the lake. He sold a half interest in 1857 to John Ellis, and the two continued the business until 1865, when Alfred Ellis, brother of John, bought Mr. Man- chester's interest. In 1868, George S. Ellis, son of John, hired Alfred's interest, and he and his father have since carried on the business. They handle from 40,000 to 60,000 bushels of grain, 500 tons of coal, about 200,000 feet of lumber, and 300 tons of phosphates per annum. For storing phosphates they use the old steam grist mill, which was built in 1836, by a company of whom Gardner Chidester was the principal one, and which was bought by them in September, 1876. The first store-house was built about 1818, by Asa Foote, who stored grain for Elias Manchester. He sold the building to Mr. Man- chester, who built an addition to it in 1850. It stands upon the lake shore and forms the land- ing for steamboats and other craft.

415

LEVANNA - LEDYARD.

Levanna gave promise at an early day of be- coming the chief seat of trade and commerce in the County. Here was established in 1798, by R. Delano, the first newspaper in Cayuga Coun- ty, and the first in Onondaga County, which then embraced this County .* But its after life did not develop this promised fruitage. Its impor- tance as a business center seems to have been of short duration. David Thomas speaks of it in 1819, as a deserted village.

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History of Cayuga County, New York : with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 81

Author: Storke, Elliot G., 1811-1879. cn Publication date: 1879 Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason Number of Pages: 762

Author: Storke, Elliot G., 1811-1879. cn
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason
Number of Pages: 762