USA > New York > Chautauqua County > History of Chautauqua County, New York, and its people, Volume I > Part 24
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At the annual meeting of the Nationa Grange, Patrons of Husbandry, held at Grand Rapids, Michigan, week of November 16, Sher man J. Lowell, of Fredonia, was elected maste of the National Grange.
During the night of Friday, November 21 1919, Obed Edson, "the grand old man" o Chautauqua county, died at the home of hi son, Walter N. Edson, in Falconer, age eighty-seven years, nine months, four days. detailed account of his wonderful life and worl is given elsewhere in this work, but his spiri lives in every page of this history, one in which he took the deepest interest, and to whose earl- encouragement and loyal support it is largel. due. Several chapters are entirely from hi pen, and had not death intervened he would have carried out plans he had made for other chapters. Well trained in the law, an able ad vocate, an honest man-he stood high amon; his professional brethren of the Chautauqu bar, and held the confidence of his clientele an of opposing counsel. He was the best informer man of his day concerning early Chautauqu. county history and of the region long befor the white man came. His historical research early recollections and wonderful memory made him a veritable encyclopedia of local in formation, and he took perhaps greater interes in historical research than he did in his profes sion. Living a life of activity and good works quietly pursuing the path that lay before him shirking no responsibility, nor seeking honor which did not belong to him, he lived ant
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ARKWRIGHT FALLS
ASA BURNHAM'S CHEESE FACTORY AT ARKWRIGHT-FIRST IN THE COUNTY
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OPENING OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
labored long beyond man's allotted years and carried with him to the grave the love and respect of every Chautauquan who knew him or of his work.
The population of Chautauqua county, its towns, villages and cities, has just been an- nounced by the Federal Census Bureau, Sep- tember 1, 1920. The figures for the census of 1920, as compared with those of 1910 and 1900 follow :
Pomfret town, including Fre-
donia village
7,973
7,309
6,313
Portland town, including Broc- ton village
3,140
3,058
2,690
Ripley town
2,116
2,239
2,256
Sheridan town
1,887
1,888
1,633
Sherman town, including Sher- man village
1,467
1,568
1,560
Stockton town
1,674
1,781
1,852
Villenova town
961
1,1.40
1,208
Westfield town, including West- field village
4,390
4,481
3,882
Incorporated place
1920
1910
1900
Incorporated places :
1920
1910
1900
Chautauqua county
115,348
105,126
88,314
Arkwright town
757
8.43
918
wood village
1,995
2,136
2,192
Carroll town
1,761
1,564
1,684
Charlotte town, including part
Falconer village
2,7.42
2,1.41
1,136
of Sinclairville village
1,173
1,258
1,406
6.20
721
623
Chautauqua town, including Mayville village
3,533
3,515
3,590
Jamestown city **
38,917
31,297
22,892
Cherry Creek town, including Cherry Creek village
1,204
1,380
1,745
Mayville village
1,442
1,122
943
Clymer town
1,205
1,164
1,229
298
337
359
Dunkirk city
19,336
17,221
11,616
Dunkirk town
512
429
454
Ellery town, including Bemus Point village
1,496
1,695
1,628
Westfield village
3,413
2,985
2,430
Ellicott town, including Cel-
5,463
4,371
3,118
Dunkirk and Jamestown cities by Wards :
1920
1915
Dunkirk city
19,336
Ward I
6,047
Ward 2
4,005
Ward 3
4,178
Ward 4
5,106
6,016
5,670
4,778
Jamestown city
38,917
37,780
ama village
1,443
2,847
3,988
Ward 2
5,606
4,536
Jamestown city
38,917
31,297
22,892
Ward 3
5,633
5,416
Kiantone town
623
520
491
Ward 4
6,909
8,034
Mina town
903
1,033
1,038
Ward 5
8,601
7,942
Poland town
1,308
1,447
1,613
*No wards.
** Previously announced as 38,898.
CHAPTER XVI.
Towns : Arkwright-Busti-Carroll-Charlotte-Chautauqua-Cherry Creek-Clymer.
Arkwright-The town of Arkwright, in the northern part of the county, surrounded north, east, south and west by Sheridan, Villenova, Charlotte and Pomfret, was formed from Pom- fret and Villenova, April 13, 1829. The high- est points in the town range from eleven hun- lred to twelve hundred feet above Lake Erie. Sheridan separates Arkwright from Lake Erie ind Villenova from Cattaraugus county. While he original forests have all been felled and given way to the fields, and the soil is well .dapted to the raising of crops, agriculture is tot the leading industry of the town, the hilly
nature of the town making it more profitable for grazing. The chief source of wealth is the dairy product, which compares favorably with the other towns of Chautauqua county.
Arkwright has the distinction of having ab- solutely no aliens among its inhabitants, the entire population in 1915-843-being all citi- zens, according to the New York State census.
There are many points of comparison in which the town is surpassed by its neighbors, yet there is no scenery in the county so pic- turesque and beautiful as that at and near Ark- wright Falls. There banks of shale rise pre-
...
Fredonia village*
6,051
5,285
4,127
Lakewood village
714
564
574
Sherman village
8.47
836
760
Silver Creek village
3,260
2,512
1,944
Sinclairville village
514
5.42
577
oron and Falconer villages. . Ellington town
1,061
1,235
1,330
French Creek town
806
882
1,014
Gerry town, including part of Sinclairville village
993
1,155
1,198
Hanover town, including For- estville and Silver Creek vil-
Harmony town, including Pan-
Ward I
4,825
4,662
North Harmony town*
1,235
Ward 6
7,340
7,160
Bemus Point village
227
Brocton village
1,383
1,181
900
Busti town, including Lake-
Celoron village
757
610
506
Cherry Creek village
527
606
701
Dunkirk city .
19,336
17,221
11,616
Forestville village
Panama village
lages and part of Cattarau- gus Indian Reservation
*Included in Harmony until 1920.
II6
CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
cipitately from one hundred to one hundred and fifty feet, their tops covered with shrub- bery and delicious wintergreen to tempt the skill of the visitor in climbing. The student of geology, go where he may, will find much to interest him, as nature's work is plainly demonstrated.
Original Purchases:
1807-November, Zattu Cushing, 63 (articled to Uriah L. Johnson).
1809-June, Benj. Sprague, 56; August, Aug. Burn- ham, 60; Ed. McGregor, 62; September, Oliver Taylor, 55; October, Aaron Wilcox, 56; November, Nathan Eaton, 64; Benj. Perry, 64.
1810-January, Horace Clough, 42; May, Aug. Burn- ham, 56.
1812-March, Robt. Cowden, 54.
1814-October, Moses Tucker, 62; November, Dan- iel Harris, 53.
1815-October, Robt. W. Seaver, 37.
1816-February, Abiram Orton, 55; December, Tha- dius Barnard, 16.
1817-March, Robt. Cowden, 53; April, Jabez Har- rington, 39.
1818-March, Silas Matteson, 8.
1821-July, Isaiah Martin, 3; October, Bela Kings- ley, 13; Hiram Kingsley, 13.
1822-March, Simeon Smith, Jr., 39; Caleb Weaver, Jr., 39: April, David Weaver, 31; John Weaver, 32; Bethnel Harvey, 12; October Ashbel Scott, 10; No- vember, Asahel Burnham, 26, 27; Moses and Aaron Luce, 18.
1823-July, Sylvester Gould, 42; August, Stephen Chase, 2; November, Orestes Thatcher, 18.
1824-September, Simeon Clinton, 21; October, Benj. White, 28; Arna Wood, 51.
1825-September, Stephen Chase (2d), 9; October, Ellsworth Griswold, 25.
1826-January, Andrus M. Huyck, 16; July, Wm. F. Peebles, Jr., 33; October, Zephania Briggs, 42; Abijah Mason, 8.
1828-January, Benj. Perry, 47.
Among the early settlers were: Byron T. Orton, Benjamin Perry and Augustus Burn- ham, who settled in the northwestern part of the town in 1807; Aaron Wilcox, 1809; Na- than Eaton, 1810; Uriah Johnson and John Sprague, 1811 ; A. Z. Wilson and Robert Cow- den, 1812. On May 11, 1811, the first white child, Horatio Nelson Johnson, was born in the town ; the first death was that of Augustus Burnham, in 1813; the first marriage, Chaun- cey Andrews to Louisa Wilson, was solemn- ized in 1814. Isaiah Martin built the first frame house in 1814, and kept the first tavern. Lucy Dewey taught the first school in 1813. Benjamin Orton built the first saw mill in 1818. The first religious services were held in the house of Aaron Wilcox in 1810 by Rev. John Spencer, and in 1820 Elder Thomas Grennel organized the first Baptist church. William Wilcox was elected the first supervisor of the town in 1830.
One of the oldest and most influential citi- zens was Simeon Clinton, born in Ballston, Saratoga county, February 13, 1779. In early life he moved to Fly Creek, Otsego county, where he remained about fifteen years. In 1813 he journeyed to Buffalo and thence along the shores of Lake Erie until he nearly reached the present site of Dunkirk, then leaving the . lake he arrived at the present township of Gerry, near Canadaway or Mill Creek, where he sold his horse and invested the proceeds in a farm. He then returned home, sold all of his possessions except some cooking utensils and furniture, loading these into his wagon to- gether with his wife and three children, the youngest, one year old, and started with his ox-team for his newly purchased home. When he arrived at Buffalo he found it had been burned by the British, and only a single house standing. While passing from Buffalo to Dun- kirk he and his family had a narrow escape from being thrown from a rocky cliff into the lake. After many hardships they arrived at their Gerry home. He remained here only a short time, for the creek overflowed and came near carrying away his dwelling. Selling his place, he purchased a new farm at the center of the present site of Arkwright, 1813, on which he resided to the time of his death, April 29, 1858. Mr. Clinton, an honest and educated man, took great interest in public affairs and was instrumental in forming the township of Arkwright. He was the first postmaster, and held his office for twenty years. The first town meeting was held at his house, May 2, 1830. At different times he held the office of justice of the peace, superintendent of schools, town clerk and commissioner of deeds. He made the first survey of the plot of Dunkirk. He also surveyed the present site of Sinclairville, and with the help of Mr. Peacock laid out the Chautauqua road. He understood weaving plain cloth and flowered and figured flannel. A short time before his death he was talking : to a neighbor, when a fly lit on his hand, which he killed with the other. "There," said he, "when I pass from time to eternity, I wish to go just as quick as that." It seems that his request was granted, for while he was stand- ing in his barn door he was struck by lightning and instantly killed.
Arkwright was the first town in the State to establish extensively the cooperative system in the manufacture of cheese. Asahel Burnham was the first to institute that industry on a large scale. He was the grandson of the pio- neer of that name, the first settler of Ark-
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wright. He was born in Arkwright, about 1826. He had poor opportunities for educa- tion and 10 business experience ; he had, how- ever, energy and natural business ability. In early years he was a farmer. Prior to 1861, each farmer manufactured his own butter and cheese ; that year Mr. Burnham built in Ark- wright the first cheese factory in the county upon the cooperative plan, at Burnham's Hol- low on Canadaway creek, and was called the Canadaway Cheese Factory. While still owner of this factory, in 1865 he built the second of the kind in the county at Sinclairville, which it is believed was at that time the largest in the State. That year in this factory he manufac- tured into cheese 4.349.364 pounds of milk from 1,450 cows, belonging to 120 patrons and made 7,200 cheese, each weighing 60 pounds, a por- tion of the time 60 cheese a day. He also built and owned factories in adjacent towns. He was called the "Cheese King," because he bought and handled a large portion of the cheese made in Western New York.
The cooperative system in the manufacture , of cheese thuis established by Burnham grew into a great industry. In Arkwright in its three cheese factories were made 263,403 pounds of full-cream cheese in 1902. In the county the same year in thirty-five cheese factories 3.307,- 938 pounds were made. Of the fifty-four but- ter and cheese counties in the State, Chau- tauqua county ranked eleventh. In 1902 in its thirty-four butter factories 3,243.940 pounds of butter were made. and the county stood fourth in rank in the State in quantity. The four counties that exceeded it were each much greater in extent, and Chautauqua ranked above them according to its territory in the quantity of butter made.
Mr. Burnham was noted all over the United States as the owner of a famous stable of thoroughbreds, his most noted racer being "Brambaletta." He had for an emblem a pine- apple cheese, which he emblazoned on his jockey's colors.
Supervisors-1830-36, Wm. Wilcox; 1837-40, Levi Baldwin ; 1841, Lewis E. Danforth ; 1842, Levi Baldwin; 1843, Lewis E. Danforth ; 1844- 52, Wm. Wilcox ; 1853-4, Levi Baldwin ; 1855-6, Chauncey Abbey ; 1857, Levi Baldwin ; 1858-9, Chauncey Abbey ; 1860-1, John C. Griswold; 1862-5, Chauncey Abbey ; 1866, John C. Gris- wold : 1867, Delos J. Rider ; 1868, John C. Gris- wold ; 1869, Oscar H. Houck; 1870, Levi C. Baldwin; 1871-2, Leander S. Phelps ; 1873-5, Geo. WV. Briggs; 1876, John C. Griswold; 1877-8, Edson I. Wilcox; 1879-80, Ezra Scott ;
1881-2, Richmond Putnam ; 1883, Eaton Burn- ham ; 1884, John C. Griswold ; 1885, Ezra Scott ; 1886-7, Cassius M. Griswold; 1888, Richmond Putnam ; 1889-91, Chas. E. Cole; 1892-5, Mar- vin Cardot; 1896-9. Frank W. Horton ; 1900-1, Marvin Cardot ; 1902-5, Marvin Horton ; 1906-9, Edes A. Tarbox ; 1910-13, Chas. C. Cole ; 1914- 17, Rawson A. Matthewson; 1918-19, John A. Griswold; 1920, Edgar M. Towns.
There are 22,083 acres included within Ark- wright limits, of which the equalized assessed value in 1918 was $354,414; full value, $451.731. The villages of the town are Arkwright and Griswold. The schools are excellent, and sev- eral religious denominations are represented by congregations and church edifices. Ark- wright's farmers and public men have always been of a high class and influential in county affairs.
Busti-Extending from Chautauqua Lake south to the Pennsylvania line and from the town of Kiantone on the east to the town of Harmony on the west. Busti contains an area of 29,152 acres, or about forty-five and one- half square miles.
The town was organized from Ellicott and Harmony, April 16, 1823, and named for Paul Busti, general agent of the Holland Land Com- pany.
Original Purchases:
1810-April, Saml. Griffith, 4; May, Theo. Bemus, 12; December, Jonas Lamphear, 48.
1811-March, Wm. Matteson, Jr., 40 (Ellicott); May, Jedediah Chapin, 4; Palmer Phillips, 11; October, Nath. Fenner, 15.
1812-February, Jos. Phillips, 11; March, Anthony Fenner, 6; Thos. Fenner, Jr., 15; April, Theron Plumb, 7; August, Barnabas Wellman, Jr., 38; Reuben Lan- don, 7.
1814-May, Arba Blodgett, 25; Elisha Devereaux, 1; July, Asa Smith, 2; October, Wm. Bullock, 17.
1815-April, Peter Frank, 5, 6; June, Josiah Thomp .. son, 28; Cyrenus Blodgett, 33; Ford Wellman, 47; No- vember, Josiah Palmeter, 15.
1816-April, Harris Terry, 63; October, Harris Terry, 47.
1817-September, Nicholas Sherman, 16; Lyman Crane, 8.
1818-September, Wm. Gifford; October, Samuel Hart, 8.
1822-September, Ransom Curtis, 39; November, Peleg Trask, 17; Jared Farnam, Jr., 34.
1823-June, Jos. Taylor, 39; October, Ethan Allen, 45; Silas C. Carpenter, Isaac Foster, 54.
1824-February, John Badgley, 43: March, Ford Wellman, 54 (Harmony); July, Elijah B. Burt, 37; October, Barnabas Wellman, 31; November, John Kent, 30; December, Saml. Darling, 35.
1825-January, Jolin Buck, Jr., 20; February, Xavier Abbott, 10; March, Jarius Buck, 19; June, David Hatch, 7; August, Wm. Nichols, 38; Geo. Martin, 13. 1826-November, Benj. A. Slayton, 43.
1827-September, Alex. Young, 24.
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I18
CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
A tannery was built by John Frank in 1812. The first vats were made of logs. It was burned, and rebuilt, and continued until about 1865. No other tannery, it is believed, was ever in this town. The last factory established by Mr. Frank, was destroyed by fire and not rebuilt. A trip hammer built by Giles Chip- man and Lyman Fargo continued for several years. Uriah Hawks later built a chair and spinning wheel factory, which was discon- tinned on account of the difficulty of maintain- ing dams on the streams.
The first blacksmith shop is said to have been Patrick Camel's, at the tannery. Next, Chipman and Fargo commenced business near Camel's, and removed sixty rods south and added the manufacture of edged tools with a trip hammer. The first store was kept by Van Velzer, about 1830. Stephen J. Brown was probably the first physician. He came about 1837, and practiced about twenty years. Be- fore his death, Dr. Bennett came and practiced a few years.
The first saw mill at Busti Corners was built by Heman Bush. A clock factory was built in 1830, by Samuel Chappel and James Sart- well, and continued several years. After its discontinuance, a grist mill was built on the same site by Heman Bush and another after- wards by Francis Soule.
Busti's lake front is now almost a continu- ous village of summer resorts from one end to the other, beginning with Lakewood, with its large hotels, parks, drives, promenades, golf links, and many attractive homes. Lakewood is connected with Jamestown by a modern electric railway, and has an excellent steam- boat service. Above Lakewood are Clifford, Lowe and Sherman parks, which are each year presenting added attractions for summer vis- itors. Below Lakewood's Shady Side, a most beautiful spot, and still farther east at Clement Park and Squier's Park, are many costly sum- mer homes. In the western part of the town is the village of Boomertown, on the Erie rail- road; and in the southern central part is the village of Busti, a quiet rural community made up largely of descendants of the early families of the town; Stoddard, Broadhead, Gallup, Hazeltine, Jones, Martin, Curtis, Northrop, Matteson, Frank, Andrews and Babcock are all familiar names in Busti's past and present.
Busti is without railroad connection, but is a thriving and prosperous village, with three churches, a union school, grist and saw mills, and modern stores.
According to the State census of 1915 the town of Busti had a population of 2,279 citi-
zens and 52 aliens. The assessed value of real estate in the town in 1918 was $1,894,651 ; full value, $2,460,585. The town is strictly a farm- ing, grazing and residence district, there being no factories of importance.
Palmer Phillips came to Busti in 1811. He became well known as a maker of the best grain cradles and hand rakes. Rev. John Broadhead, another well-known pioneer, was a Methodist minister, and in 1835 came to Busti from Green county, New York, the first Broadhead to settle in Chautauqua county. The Blodgett family left a deep impress upon the history of Busti. The founder, Arba Blodgett, a soldier of the War of 1812, settled in the town near the State line in the south- western part soon after his military service ended. In that day town meetings were held in private houses and the owner of the house was expected to and did furnish liquor for the voters. This rule was first broken in Busti by Arba Blodgett, who in the face of ridicule and criticism refused to furnish the customary bottle of whiskey. He was a strong Abolition- ist, and tradition says his home was a station on the Underground Railroad. Loren Blodgett, son of Arba, "was known throughout the United States as a statistician, economist and journalist ; and his works connected with the Smithsonian Institution and Treasury Depart- ment won for him a reputation as one of the world's greatest statistical compilers." He was in charge of the Department of Physical Research at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington City, and assisted in supervising the survey for the Union Pacific railroad. He was later placed in charge of the financial and 1 statistical reports of the United States Treas- ury Department ; was general appraiser of cus- toms, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ; chief of the customs division of the United States Treas- ury Department, and appraiser of customs, New York City. He died in Busti in 1837, meeting an accidental death.
Near the Blodgetts lived the family of Wil- liam Storum, colored, whose daughter married Lewis Clark, a fugitive slave from whose life Harriet Beecher Stowe drew the character of George Harris for "Uncle Tom's Cabin." A granddaughter of William Storum married a son of Frederick Douglass. This Storum home was the scene of a cruel incident in 1851, when a runaway slave from the South was taken from there and returned to his old masters.
The Gallup family came in 1828 from Otsego county, bringing their effects drawn by an ox- team. The Gallup farm, on the mail route be- tween Busti and Sugargrove, which long held
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the reputation of being tilled and most produc- tive in the town, was converted into a poultry farm, and under its owner, Miss Flora Gallup, a former high school teacher of Jamestown, gained enviable reputation.
The first hotel in Busti was built by Heman Bush, and the first town meeting was held in "the long room" of this hotel, March 2, 1824. Daniel Sherman, father of Daniel Sherman, of Forestville, was the first supervisor.
Rev. Ira Stoddard came to Busti in 1825, and was pastor of the Baptist church many years. His descendants ranked among the influential and respected citizens of the town. Oren Stod- dard (a relative), a well-known citizen from 1840 until his death, was a man of considerable inventive genius. He erected a steam saw mill and a basket factory and much of the machin- ery was his own invention. In 1878 he built a large brick house, the second brick house in the town.
George Stoneman, of Chenango county, was a neighbor of Daniel Sherman, the first super- visor. He was somewhat eccentric. He built a saw mill west of the residence of the late Abram Sherman, on a little bank within a few rods of the lake shore, with no visible water power. The question was often asked, where is the water to come from to run the thing when he gets it built? An old farmer asked Mr. Stoneman where he was going to get vater, to which he replied; "You see, don't you, that I have built close to the lake, where is always plenty of water." "Yes, I see ; but how tre you going to get the water above the mill?" 'Bring it in corn baskets," was the prompt reply. But soon a force of men and teams was constructing a race and for many years the 'corn basket, or dry saw mill" was operated vith more or less profit to the owner and as a great convenience to farmers and lumbermen.
Later, when there were no steamers on Chau- auqua Lake, Mr. Stoneman constructed a torse-boat, built upon two huge dug-out anoes. These canoes were placed several feet part and decked over from one to the other, atamaran style. An immense horizontal wheel extended across the deck, upon which he horses traveled. The under surface of this wheel was geared to the shaft of a paddle wheel in the center of the boat-the motive ower, a horse on each side of the boat. Upon ssuming command of this quaint craft, his riends dubbed him Commodore Stoneman. `he commodore's boat could make the round rip in from three to four days, and in those asy-going times this means of transportation 'as quite liberally patronized. George Stone-
man was father of Gen. George Stoneman, of the United States army, who was elected Gov- ernor of California after the close of the war John Stoneman, another son, became a lawyer, went West, and became a State Senator. One of the four daughters, Kate Stoneman, of Al- bany Normal School, was the first woman law- yer in the State of New York.
Uriah Bentley settled in what is now the town of Busti in 1810. He was a brave and sturdy pioneer, a practical cooper and black- smith. He built in 1837 a large brick house, the first of its kind in Southern Chautauqua county. This house was the later summer resi- dence of Fred A. Bentley, then president of the Bank of Jamestown.
Daniel Sherman, the first supervisor, and his two brothers, Isaac and Nicholas, were among the early settlers. They took up large tracts of land, and were men of thrift and influence. The Wellmans settled in the southwestern part of the town, and in 1812 Mr. Wellman was called to the defense of Buffalo. The Garfields settled in the southeastern part of the town, and for many years were famous as farmers and county fair exhibitors.
Elias H. Jenner was a well-known school teacher, and for more than twenty years was clerk of the board of county supervisors.
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