USA > New York > Chautauqua County > History of Chautauqua County, New York > Part 52
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444
HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY, N. Y.
of the excellent women whose presence and influence at Chautauqua have done much to give character to the place.
The School of Cookery has been regarded by the Chautauqua managers as one of its most useful and important departments; it has been largely attended, many of the pupils are the first ladies of the land. This popularity has been largely due to the skill and attractiveness of Mrs. Emma P. Ewing. As a lecturer she is intelligent, elear, breezy and interesting. She has had her assistants, but no rival has entered the field. Mrs. Coleman E. Bishop, was permitted to introduce at Chautauqua that form of physical culture known as Delsarte. Her motto is "Economy in the use of nerve force." She teaches us to be free, to rest, to be at ease, and saves a ruinous expendi- ture of vitality. Mrs. Bishop can teach her science, lecture on it, or act it.
Mrs. Bishop has made the Delsarte system of physical culture one of the conspicuous departments of Chautauqua work. Mrs. McClintock, a native of Kentucky, was educated at Millersburgh College and at Wellesley, is now pro- fessor at Wells College, Aurora, N. Y., and the only female professor at Chau- tauqua. She makes a specialty of Anglo-Saxon with reference to English, and teaches phonology and grammar. It is said her pupils read 1,200 lines of Beowulf during the six weeks of the Assembly, as much as ordinary stu- dents accomplish in the regular college year. Mrs. McClintock is an enthus- iast in her well done work. The amiable and expressive face of Mrs. Frank Beard is familiar to all old Chautauquans. She is much prized as a lecturer on the poets and poetry. She excels in the decorative art, and is in demand on Recognition and other great " days " when the Amphitheater must be at its best.
At the Missionary Institutes Mrs. Cunningham, Mrs. Milton Bailey, Mrs. WV. I. Sessions, and others have taken a conspicuous part. Woman's work in the mission field has received special attention. Miss Landfear is a teacher in the Huguenot Seminary, Wellington, Cape Colony, South Africa. She has traveled much in South Africa, and through her influence a well-organized " Chautauqna " was established at Cape Colony. Her visit to Chautauqua was to gather information for her work among the ignorant people of Cape Colony.
Dr. Jesse L. Hurlburt, president ; A. M. Martin, general secretary, and Miss Kate F. Kimball, secretary, have been special agents in making efficient the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle. With energy and ability Miss Kimball directs 20 assistants, controls $30,000 per annum of Assembly funds, and answers about 50,000 letters. Her books show the exact standing of the 200,000 readers belonging to the circle, and her annual reports are models.
Other names have figured in the history and growth of Chautauqua. A. K. Warren was secretary and superintendent of grounds for seven years.
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445
THE CHAUTAUQUA ASSEMBLY.
During that time were built the Childrens' Temple, the Museum, the Hall of Philosophy and the Hotel Athenaeum, and eleven miles of driveways laid out. Dr. W. W. Wythe constructed the miniature Palestine and Jerusalem. In 1876 Dr. J. L. Flood published the Assembly Daily Herald, the editorial work being done at Chautauqua and the printing at Mayville. It has since kept a record of Chautauqua work. Its files will be invaluable to the future his- torian. Dr. Flood grasped the spirit of Chautauqua and saw its possibilities. A good financier, a good manager, and a careful calculator, his suggestions and counsel have been of value. In 1880 he issued the first number of the Chautauquan, a literary journal, and the special organ of the Chautauqua Scientific and Literary circle. This magazine has now 70,000 subscribers, and 300,000 readers. It has been managed with skill, and the best talent of two continents has contributed to it.
On the death of A. K. Warren, Dr. Win. A. Duncan was made secretary. Dr. Duncan found a debt of $95,000 resting upon the Assembly. President Miller however sustained the credit of Chautauqua. Prosperity continued, and, without checking improvements, the indebtedness has been paid. Under Dr. Duncan's administration the college of liberal arts, college hall, the dock building, the arcade, the new amphitheater, the reservoir, the vast system of sewerage and waterlines have been constructed during his official life. His reports have been refreshing to the board of trustees. Dr. Duncan can make a speech, drive a bargain, or conduct a Sunday school, and . is everywhere successful. He also conducts an Assembly at Albany, Georgia, a favorite institution of Governor Gordon, Senator Colquitt and the best men of the state.
The Nestor in the literary department of Chautauqua work is Dr. Win. R. Harper of the University of Chicago. As a scholar he is second to no man in the nation. He had only to know Chautauqua to fall in love with it, and approve its plans. To his scholarship he adds practical common sense. Oriental and especially old Testament literature he makes a specialty. He was born at New Concord, Ohio, in 1856, was educated at Muskingum col- lege, took a post-graduate course at Yale, taught at Macon Masonic college ('Tennessee), Denison University, (Ohio), Baptist Theological Seminary, (Illinois), and, since 1886, at Yale. Dr. Herbert B. Adams, Professor of History, comes from Johns Hopkins University. He takes high rank as a scholar and is a most instructive and entertaining lecturer. His favorite topics are Greek politics, Roman constitutional law and church history. For some years Prof. J. T. Edwards, D. D., LL. D., has been a member of the board of trustees and since the organization of the college of Liberal Arts has had charge of the department of physical science. His influence at Chautauqua has been felt in all departments of the work. George E. Vincent seems to be heir apparent to the chancellorship. For some
446
HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY, N. Y.
years has the management of the Assembly been largely in his hands ; and his superior ability is a recognized fact. He is thoroughly trusted by the trustees. Clem Studebaker, of South Bend, Ind., is now vice-president of the board of trustees. He takes a lively interest in all the affairs of this institu- tion and has by inheritance and culture a genius for business. Music, under such leaders as Sherwin, Case, Ellis, Seward, Kelso and Palmer, has held high rank at Chautauqua. W. H. Sherwood, as a pianist, is regarded as its bright particular star. R. L. Cumnock, of Evanston, Ill., has taught elocution ten years. Dr. W. G. Anderson, of the Adelphi Aca- demy, N. Y., has made the gymnasium one of the most complete in the country. Philander W. Bemis, Franklin Hunt, Edwin Whiteside, George Rowland, and George Taylor in various capacities as heads of departments have rendered efficient service.
Perhaps the most interesting thing at Chautauqua is the model of the Holy Land, made in the early years as an aid in the study of Bible geogra- phy. This is 300 feet long, Lake Chautauqua serves as the Mediter- ranean ; the Jordan valley is excavated, and a stream of water flows from the foot of Hermon to the Dead Sea. The rocky character of the country is rep- resented and the sites of cities are marked by miniature towns. A model of modern Jerusalem is found under a kiosk near Palestine. These two models are famous throughout the United States. The musein contains an excel- lent assortment of casts from Assyrian, Egyptian, Greek, and Roman origi- nals, articles of dress, utensils, etc., from Palestine, a collection of original " finds" from the managers of the Egyptian Exploration Fund, to which Chantanqua has subscribed, reproductions of important Biblical manuscripts, two or three cases of well selected minerals, and photographs illustrating different periods of art and architecture.
The Chautauqua Assembly is incorporated under the laws of New York. Its management is intrusted to a board of 24 trustees, elected either by the owners of property at Chautauqua, or by the board itself. The Assem- bly is not a stock company, nor are the trustees interested in the land beyond the ownership of lots for private use. By the charter all surplus funds must be used for the improvement and extension of the Assem- bly's work. The president and chancellor have never received com- pensation. Those officers who manage details are paid such salaries as prevail in other institutions. The Hotel Athencum was built by a stock company because such an establishment was essential to the prosperity and growth of the Assembly. The investment has never been' profitable, and has been a donation rather than a business enterprise. The Assembly owns one-fourth of the stock. A statement of the Assembly finances is made each January and is published through the press.
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447
PATRONS OF HUSBANDRY.
CHAPTER XLV.
PATRONS OF HUSBANDRY.
BY MRS. B. B. LORD .*
This order, which has accomplished a thorough and systematic organiza- tion among the farmers of the United States, was the direct outgrowth of the unsettled condition of our country at the close of the great civil war. The national goverment felt the necessity of learning from a reliable source the exact condition of the affairs of the southern country and its people, such report to be unbiased by political or personal motives. To accomplish this purpose, O. H. Kelley, a young Minnesota farmer, then employed by the gov- ernment as a clerk, was sent as a special agent to glean from actual observa- tion and personal acquaintance with the inhabitants of the south the needed statistics. While engaged in this work he conceived the idea of organizing the agriculturists of the nation into one great fraternal order, which should be non-partisan in politics and non-sectarian in religion ; which should know no north, no south, no east, no west, but " united by the strong and faithful tie of Agriculture," should develop a bond of fraternity that would effectu- ally defy the power and intrigues of all disposed to foster the seeds of dis- cord. Impressed with the belief that such an organization would restore kindly feelings among the mass of the people, and that, if a real peace ever came to our country, it must be through the love that fraternity brings, and not from military power or through the work of politicians, he decided to commence work in the direction named.
This was early in 1866, but not until December 4, 1867, nearly two years later, did he succeed in organizing the National Grange, and this date is considered the " birth-day " of the order. The next April, having given up all other business that he might be at liberty to devote his entire time and attention to this work, giving it the benefit of his wonderful enthusiasm and energy, and finally staking his ALL upon its success, Brother Kelley left Washington to organize subordinate granges, and thus make this " Castle in the air," a living reality.
This measure was strongly opposed by his more conservative associates ;
*Mrs. Lord was elected master of the Chantanqua County Pomona Grange in 1590, and has the distinction of being the first woman to hold the office of master of a grange. She was re-elected in 1991, but declined to serve. She has however been a member of its executive committee from its first appointment. She has been master of Sinclairville Grange twice, and is now serving her seventh term as secretary. This is her second year as deputy and inspector of the granges of Chautauqua county.
448
HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY, N. Y.
but, with supreme confidence in the future success of his plan, he worked bravely on and started for Harrisburg, Pa., with only his ticket and $2.50 of grange funds. At Harrisburg he failed to create sufficient interest to perfect an organization, and, Tuesday, April 7th, he started for Penn Yan, N. Y., where Brother F. M. McDowell gave him a hearty welcome, but their com- bined efforts failed to establish a subordinate grange there. Brother McDow- ell gave Brother Kelley $50, and many kind and cheering words, that helped him through the dark hours of struggle, for as he tersely expresses it, " the order of Patrons of Husbandry ought to endure, for it was founded upon the hardest of all rocks-the solid rock of poverty." F. M. McDowell was our National Grange Treasurer for a quarter of a century and lived to see this small commencement develop until it had become one of the institutions of the Nation, with vast resources, and with hundreds of thousands of dollars passing through his hands as its representative. When he this year joined the " silent majority " he left his record so pure and clean that every penny was faithfully accounted for. Brother Kelley often refers to him as the "Savior " of our order.
Another effort had to be made toward organization, and April 15, Bro. Kelley reached Fredonia, where April 16, 1878, he organized the first real LIVE grange. A. S. Moss, H. Stiles, W. H. Stevens, U. E. Dodge, I. Mckinstry, A. P. Pond, D. Fairbanks, W. Mckinstry, Wm. Risley and M. S. Woodford were present at this meeting, and were the first members of the first subordinate grange ever organized, where every member paid their fee, and Fredonia Grange, No. 1,-bears the proud distinction of being No. I- of all the world. U. E. Dodge was the first master of this first grange, and is at this writing lecturer of old No. 1. April 16, 1893, this grange, having reached its " silver anniversary," made the occasion one of national rejoicing, and, in connection with Chautauqua County Pomona Grange, celebrated the event in a manner which was ereditable to the vast interests it represented. O. H. Kelley, the venerable founder of the order came from his home in the far-away sunny Southland to enjoy this great reunion with the patrons of Chautauqua county and the officials of New York State Grange. The National Grange was ably represented by Bro. Mortimer Whitehead, for many years its national lecturer.
This little acorn of grange-work, planted in the genial soil of Chautan- qua's agriculture, as represented by her warm-hearted sons and daughters, has grown to be a mighty oak of educational influence, whose green branches spread over the farms of the Nation, and whose benefits cannot be estimated. New York has nearly 50,000 Patrons ; and of this number Chautauqua county has more than 3,000. Her subordinate granges are :
Fredonia Grange No. 1., Fredonia. E. K. Hough, master ; Mrs. Sarah H. Pettit, secretary. Membership 240.
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449
PATRONS OF HUSBANDRY.
Brocton Grange No. 2, Brocton. Alvah Mathews, master ; Mrs. Ella Mead, secretary .. Membership 115.
Sherman Grange, No 36, Sherman. Wellman Bates, master ; Angie Rice, secretary. Membership 91.
Westfield Grange, No. 109, Westfield. Miss Clara Mead, master ; E. E. Weaver, Secretary. Membership 100.
Clymer Grange, No. 169, (lymer. J. B. Knowlton, master ; J. B. Johnson, secretary. Membership 60.
Sheridan Grange, No. 235, Sheridan. M. J. Tooke, master ; C. N. Dye, secretary. Membership 78.
Stedman Grange, No. 241, Stedman. A. W. Cowles, master ; W. L. Marcy, secretary. Membership 135.
Union Grange, No. 244, Jamestown. C. D. Gifford, master ; R. F. Stern- burg, secretary. Membership 478.
Ross Grange, No. 305, Ross's Mills. Newell Cheney, master; Irwin Bedient, secretary. Membership 112.
Stockton Grange, No. 316, Stockton. A. R. Woodard, master ; A. D. Warren, secretary. Membership 120.
Ellery Grange, No. 353, Ellery. J. A. Sherman, master ; Oscar Hale, secretary. Membership 52.
Sinclairville Grange, No. 401, Sinclairville. W. E. Strong, master ; Mrs. B. B. Lord, secretary. Membership 241.
Gerry Grange, No. 412, Gerry. John A. Almy, master ; A. J. Mathews, secretary. Membership 84.
Dewittville Grange, No. 480, Dewittville. S. D. Thum, master ; Mrs. H. D. Spring, secretary. Membership 78.
Kennedy Grange, No. 496, Kennedy. P. L. Saxton, master ; Mrs. Rena Gilberts, secretary. Membership 78.
South Harmony Grange, No. 525, Watts Flats. E. W. Lloyd, master ; D. W. Dean, secretary. Membership 30.
Panama Rocks Grange, No. 526, Panama. Seth Eggleston, master ; Mrs. J. M. Ransom, secretary. Membership 120.
Cherry Creek Grange, No. 527, Cherry Creek. Geo. W. Rood, master ; WV. L. Weaver, secretary. Membership 96.
Ellington Grange, No. 528, Ellington. Stephen A. Markham, master ; Mrs. Mary Brainard, secretary. Membership 95.
Chautauqua Grange, No. 571, Mayville. Mary J. P. Hewes, master ; L. W. Lathrop, secretary. Membership 60. Hanover Grange, No. 595, Forestville. T. B. Winchester, master ; Mrs. E. E. Davis, secretary. Membership 170.
Villenova Grange, No. 604, Hamlet. Geo. W. Warner, Master ; Milo Wheeler, secretary. Membership 85.
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HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY, N. Y.
Centralia Grange, No. 612, Centralia. J. D. Wilder, master ; Deloss Put- nam, secretary. Membership 65.
Cassadaga Grange, No. 659, Cassadaga. Homer Todd, master ; H. H. Fox, secretary. Membership 32.
Charlotte Center Grange, No. 669, Charlotte Center. E. F. Lake, master ; A. J. Norman, secretary. Membership 100.
Harmony Grange, No. 694, Ashiville. Mrs. E. W. Connelly, master ; Mrs. Ella James, secretary. Membership 89.
Lombard Grange, No. 714, Lombard. James Breads, master; E. B. Hewes, secretary. Membership 60.
Chautauqua County Pomona Grange has over 300 members, and holds quarterly meeting, at different points in the county. It is one of the influ- ential organizations of the county, and one of the greatest factors in the edu- cation and elevation of the members of the order. Present master, Newell Cheney, Poland Center ; secretary, A. A. Van Vleck, Jamestown. This grange enjoys the distinction of being the first " Pomona Grange " to elect a woman to the office of master, for in this order women are eligible to any official position witliin the gift of its members. The Chautauqua County Patron's Fire Relief Association, organized by its " Pomona Grange," has met with the greatest success. It now carries over $4,000,000 insurance ; insuring the property of Patrons only. Its first president was A. A. Stevens, Sinclairville ; its present president, Thomas H. Gifford, Jamestown ; secre- tary, Jared Hewes, Stedman. Its management is vested in a board of direc- tors ; one or more from each grange, who choose their officers from among their numbers.
The New York State Grange was organized in Syracuse, Nov. 6, 1873, largely through the efforts of Chautauqua county patrons. Of the five mas- ters who have since served it, Chautauqua county has given two. George Dexter Hinckly, second master of Fredonia grange, was at the organization of the state grange, selected its master, said election being ratified at the first regular meeting held in Albany, March, 1874. He was again elected at Aubarn in 1876. Ira Porter, of Fredonia, was the first treasurer of the state grange. In 1890 Walter C. Gifford, of Jamestown, was elected master of the state grange and reelected in 1892.
The order of Patrons of Husbandry has lived down all opposition, and is one of the solid institutions of the country. It has long since demon- strated its ability to take care of itself, and that the thought of its founder was the only one which has the power to control human hearts and lives. " Fra- ternity " is its watchword ; a pure, true friendship its secret ; seeking the greatest good of the greatest number its object ; it will outlive the storms of time and go on scattering blessings along the path of the tiller of the soil.
45I
HISTORY AND NATURAL SCIENCE.
1
CHAPTER XLVI.
THE CHAUTAUQUA SOCIETY OF HISTORY AND NATURAL SCIENCE.
BY W. W. HENDERSON.
T HIS society was instituted July 19, 1883, at Maple Springs on Chautau- qua lake. A constitution and bylaws were adopted, under which were chosen these officers : president, Samuel G. Love, Jamestown ; vice-presidents, Win. C. J. Hall, Jamestown, (now deceased) ; Horace C. Tay- lor, M. D., Brocton ; secretary, Win. W. Henderson, Jamestown ; treasurer, Judge L. Bugbec, Stockton, (now deceased) ; executive committee, Obed Edson, Sinclairville, Ai Waterhouse, M. D., Jamestown, (now deceased), Daniel Sherman, Forestville, John A. Hall, Jamestown, (now deceased), Charles Parker, M. D., Panama, (now deceased). Thus constituted the mem- bership of this society comprised some of the prominent survivors of the early settlers and their immediate descendants who were deeply interested in the preservation of its history. It is now rapidly increasing in numbers, and has an extended list of active and honorary members, the latter embrac- ing many distinguished names of Chautauquans by birth, now residents of other states, notably, Gen. J. M. Schofield, Gen. George Stoneman, etc. Much credit is due the late Hon. E. T. Foote, Judge E. F. Warren, Fredonia Historical Association, and Jones-Hazeltine Historical Society for material pre- viously collected. The Chautauqua society lias systematized and continued the work, embracing facts of primitive condition, natural history, early settle- ment and subsequent progress, including much valuable scientific data, as the suggestive titles of some of the able and valuable papers read at meet- ings of the society attest. Ancient Mounds and Earthworks in Chautauqua County, by W. W. Henderson ; Geology of Chautauqua Lake Region, Obed Edson ; Pioneer Press, Willard Mckinstry ; Pioneer Homes and Character- istics, (2 papers) J. L. Bugbee ; Methods by which the progress of Civiliza- tion is Maintained, Samuel G. Love ; Flowering Plants in Chautauqua County, Ai Waterhouse, M. D. ; Birds of Chautauqua County, Jolin M. Edson ; . The Six Nations, Judge Daniel Sherman ; Mastodon Americanus, Samuel G. Love ; The " Kings Eighth " Regiment, Obed Edson ; Pioneer Mill Own- ers of the Cassadaga, E. A. Ross ; Biographical Sketches of Nathan Fay, David Eaton, etc., H. C. Taylor, M. D. ; Paul Busti of Milan, agent Hol- land Land Company, Hon. Loren Blodgett; The Erie Railroad, its origin
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HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY, N. Y.
and the influences which controlled its termination in Chautauqua County, Judge Richard P. Marvin ; Reminiscences of Pioneer Days, (4 papers) Nathan Brown; New Philosophy of the Sun, and other papers on Electric Science, H. R. Rogers, M. D. ; Experiences of the 154th Regt., en route and on the Bat- tlefield, Major W. S. Cameron ; Erie Canal and Modern Transportation, Henry Severance ; Chautauqua regiments in the War of 1812, G. W. Hazel- tine, M. D. ; Old French Portage Road, H. C. Taylor, M. D. ; Relations of the French to Am. Exploration and Settlement-DeCeloron Expedition, etc., Obed Edson ; Memorial papers, Rev. W. L. Hyde ; The Telescope, Rev. Tolin Peate. These papers have awakened public interest, and received prominent recognition and reference from kindred societies and institutions.
Many of those who were its earliest promoters have departed to occupy another field of discovery and experience, the latest being the society's hon- ored president, Samuel G. Love. He was its first and continuous president until his death, and was ever one of its most earnest and interested members and contributors. His death was commemorated with appropriate services by the several institutions with which he was associated, and by none will his loss be more deeply felt and mourned than by the members of this society over which he so long presided.
The present officers are : President, Dr. Horace C. Taylor, Brocton ; first vice-president, Marcus Sackett, Irving ; Second vice-president, Flint Blan- chard, Ellicott ; secretary and treasurer, W. W. Henderson ; executive com- mittee, Obed Edson, Sinclairville, Daniel Sherman, Forestville, Josephus H. Clark and Sidney Jones, Jamestown.
The Chautauqua Society of History and Natural Science through its officers and members rendered cordial aid and encouragement in the produc- tion of this volume, and it is hoped its mission and aim, so far successful in the development and preservation of historic facts of great local and general importance, may continue to be demonstrated as ably and efficiently as in the past.
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453
HON. REUBEN E. FENTON.
CHAPTER XLVII.
HON. REUBEN- EATON FENTON.
.Adapted from " Encyclopedia of Contemporary Biography of New York."
H ON. REUBEN E. FENTON, youngest son of George W. and Elsie (Owen) Fenton, was born in Carroll, July 4, 1819. He was educated at Cary's Academy, near Cincinnati, Ohio, and Fredonia Academy, and gave so much intellectual promise that his parents designed him for a lawyer, but, after studying two years in the office of the Waite Bros., in James- town, ill health caused him to abandon this profession for a more active life. When but 20 years old he became a merchant in Frewsburg, and rapidly developed marked business qualities. The prosperity of a country merchant did not fill his ideal of business and he became a lumber operator. He per- sonally conducted his first raft, which cost him $1,000, down the Ohio, and sold it so advantageously as to decide his continuance in that field. By diligence, sagacity and unerring foresight he made his enterprises uniformly successful, and he was soon recognised as one of the most brilliant of the leading opera- tors on the Allegany and Ohio. His winning personality and cordial man- ner made him popular, and he was early placed in public office. He had risen to be colonel of the 162d regiment, N. Y. S. M., by the time he had attained his majority. In 1846, he was elected supervisor of Carroll, and by successive annual elections held the office seven years, three of which he was chairman of the county board. He was a Democrat, and, in 1849, his party, believing that his personal strength would be of great assistance in an attempt to transform the strong Whig assembly district into a Democratic one, nominated him as its candidate for assemblyman. The Whigs opposed him with Samuel Barrett, one of the oldest and most highly esteemed of their members, yet the Whig majority was but 21. This defeat of Mr. Fenton was a real victory. He had manifested powers as a leader and showed that the people trusted in him. In 1852 he received the Democratic nomination for Congress, and was elected by 52 majority, certainly a remarkable victory, when it is remembered that his congressional district (comprising Chautau- qua and Cattaraugus counties,) had previously given 3,000 majority to Whig candidates. His congressional career commenced in the most chaotic of conditions. The "irrepressible conflict " had already commenced in the arena of politics, and public men were aligning themselves in anticipation of
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