History of Clinton and Franklin Counties, New York : with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 78

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) 1n; Lewis, J.W., & Co., Philadelphia
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Philadelphia : J. W. Lewis & co.
Number of Pages: 922

USA > New York > Clinton County > History of Clinton and Franklin Counties, New York : with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 78
USA > New York > Franklin County > History of Clinton and Franklin Counties, New York : with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 78

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).

At another hunt about these years, in Champlain, about a mile from Champlain village, on the premises of Mr. Abijah North, two wolves were killed,-one by William Savage, of Champlain, and one by A. G. Carver, of Chazy.

About the year 1835, another hunt took place near West Chazy and east of that village, at which three wolves were killed ; one by R. C. North. One was given to the young men connected with the school of the late Alexander H. Prescott, who then kept a high school in Chazy village. The proceeds, $10 bounty, was spent by them for a supper at the public-house of the late Shubel Burdick, who then occupied the Fillmore place, now owned by George Clark, and still kept as a hotel.

It was a custom, when there was not time to make a hunt the day the wolves were known to be secreted in a piece of woods, to build bonfires around them, and for men to remain all night to keep the fires going to prevent the escape of the animals during the night. During one of these night watches, Mr. Augustus Pitcher, son of Lieu- tenant-Governor Pitcher, and acting Governor on the death of De Witt Clinton, who was then a clerk for his uncle, Ebenezer A. Scott, at Chazy village, was poking up the fire, when his powder-flask unfortunately exploded, and caused him so much injury that he had to forego the pleas- ure of the hunt that time.

In 1834, during the progress of Mr. Prescott's school, Mr. Russel C. North, Mr. Lemuel North, his brother, and A. G. Carver went out to hunt deer about two miles north- west of Chazy village. Russel and Carver stood on run- ways on the ridge near the Waters place. Lemuel went into the woods with the hounds. It was not very long before the baying of the hounds was heard, and soon a fine deer came dashing through an open field, when Russel, with his usual dexterity, brought it to the ground.

The deer having been properly disposed of after the manner of hunters, Lemuel again set thie hounds at work, and it was not long before the woods again resounded with their roar, but this time the sound indicated that the game did not move as is the habit of deer. Soon the crack of Lemuel's rifle was heard in the direction of the dogs. Still the dogs continued their barking. Again the sound of the rifle was heard. Still the dogs kept on barking. Russel was puzzled to understand the situation of things. He then proposed to Carver to go where Lemuel was and find out. As they started they heard the third report of

292

HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY, NEW YORK.

the rifle. When they reached him there lay upon the ground a panther that measured eight feet from tip to tip.

In 1830, Mrs. Howard and a Miss Foster started on foot to visit Mrs. Brown, who resided on the east branch of the Big Chazy River. When near the house, a wolf came bounding towards them, and in a moment more the wolf and a large dog owned by Mrs. Howard were in close and deadly combat. In the struggle they fell into the river, and Mrs. Howard apprehending that her dog might get drowned, waded into the water, pulled him out, and sepa- rated them, the wolf fleeing in the direction of the mills, now the depot.

The wolf proved to be raving mad, a genuine case of hydrophobia. On his route he bit a number of hogs, geese, and other animals, most or all of which began to show symptoms of the disease and were killed. Mrs. Howard's dog was kept till he showed unmistakable signs, when he was dispatched. The wolf created great conster- nation on his route, and was finally assaulted with clubs and killed by Obadiah Maxfield, Rodney Ober, and others.

" CREMATION" TO PREVENT CONSUMPTION.

In 1818 an event occurred in Chazy showing how blind is superstition. As old people will remember, the notion was quite prevalent in those days that from the lungs of a person dying with consumption there sprouted a growth which, proceeding through the earth, communicated the consumption to the blood relatives of the deceased, and that the only way to save the lives of the surviving rela- tives who were predisposed to consumption was to burn the body. In the year named, Shepard Woodward died with the regular old-fashioned consumption. His sister, the wife of Rev. Mr. Boynton, was quite feeble, and threatened with the samne discase.

After much debate and mature deliberation, a consulta- tion of the elderly bodies, of large experience and observa- tion, it was decided to exhume the body of Mr. Woodward and commit it to the flames. So, a few days after the burial, Messrs. Chandler Graves, Aaron Adams, and Seth Graves took up the remains in the night, with lanterns dimly burning, and placed them on a pile of logs prepared for the purpose near the burial-ground, where they were consumed by fire. Among those who observed their pro- cecdings were Marictte and Maria Carver, who were at- tracted by their lanterns in the burying-ground, and went out to see what was being done, but were required to return. Maria is still living, the wife of Henry Gregory. But we do not learn that the "cremation" prolonged the life of Mr: Woodward's sister, who soon after fell a victim to the same disease.

GRAND SLEIGH-RIDE IN JUNE.

On the 9th day of June, 1816, there was a heavy fall of snow, and sleighing was good from the Five Nations (Chazy) to the city (Saxe's Landing). Seth Graves came out with his big covered sleigh, drawn by four horses, and with Rev. Mr. Boynton, Deacon Wells, Deacon Ransom, and others, proceeded to the city in grand style. Reining up to the inn of Francis Chantonett, they remained a while and had a jovial time,-a sort of holiday of relaxation.

RECOLLECTIONS OF HON, JULIUS C. HUBBELL OF OLD TIMES IN CHAZY *- BATTLE OF PLATTSBURGH.

Of the hundreds who witnessed the battle of Plattsburgh out on Cumberland Bay sixty-four years ago from adjacent shores, probably not a dozen who were then adults remain alive. A few days ago we met a man, decrepit with age, who remembered that event. "I was a small boy," said he, " attending school at the Plattsburgh Academy, and day after day was the school dismissed and we little fellows scampered home as news came that the British had crossed the lines or the woods were full of Indians." So, even most of those who were children at that eventful period have either passed away or are admonished by the increas- ing weight of years that they have not much longer to stay. But there is occasionally a person left who had ar- rived at manhood's cstate when the battle of Plattsburgh was fought, and perhaps in this whole region there is not a more marked representative of this class than Hon. J. C. Hubbell, of Chazy, whom we found, just at the close of a bleak winter day recently, sitting in his little stone office, which he has occupied personally for almost three-quarters of a century.

" I was born in Lanesboro', Berkshire Co., Mass.," said he, in answer to our request for some personal reminiscences, "on the 17th of March, 1788,-St. Patrick's Day, as you see,-and shall be ninety-one next March, if I live. I well recollect hearing the guns fired in honor of the elec- tion of Thomas Jefferson to the Presidency. My father, Wolcott Hubbell, moved to Lanesboro' from Connecticut, -a scion of the Puritan stock,-and served as judge and State senator for several years, and died in Lanesboro', at the age of eighty-six. About the year 1800 my brother, Silas Hubbell, moved to Champlain, where he commenced the practice of law, and in 1805 I followed him, and en- tered his law-office as a student, at the age of seventeen. At that time there were, I believe, only three lawyers in Clinton County, -my brother, Caleb Nichols, and a man by the name of Peabody, in the south part of the county. In 1808 I was admitted to the bar,-a little under age, but they overlooked that, I was so near twenty-one. There was no court-house in Plattsburgh then ; the courts were held in a public-house, and my examination was also held in that house. It was nearly all a dense wilderness between Champlain and Plattsburgh at that time. For several years we used to go on horseback by a bridle-path, usually taking a day to go and another to return; after that the State road was built, which made communication a little better, and now it takes only half an hour to go to Platts- burgh.

" Immediately after being admitted to the bar, in 1808, I moved here to Chazy, and commenced the practice of law, boarding with Septa Fillmore, who lived down across the river, near where the hotel now stands. This section was very sparsely settled then, and the inhabitants were largely engaged in the business of making potash for the English market, shipping it in summer down the lake and Richelieu River to St. John's, and thencc overland to Montreal, and in the winter on sleds all the way. The timber here was

# From the Plattsburgh Republican.

293

TOWN OF CHAZY.

mostly hard wood, and large traets were cut down and piled into log-heaps and burned for the ashes, to make potash f. 'Logging-bees' were all the fashion in those days, fifteen or twenty neighbors getting together and helping each other by turns. There used to be plenty of whisky on hand at thesc logging-bees, and as a natural consequence considerable fighting followed, and that made litigation brisk, assault and battery cases coming up in abundance, and as I was the only lawyer between Champlain and Platts- burgh, it made me plenty of business. It was no rare sight in those days to see Champlain filled with a drunken erowd, many of whom came from Odelltown. Later, the business of lumbering for the Quebec market was taken up.

" In 1812 I married Judge Pliny Moore's daughter, with whom I lived happily nearly fifty years. About this time the last war with England broke out, and I was ap- pointed issuing commissary. At one time there were 3000 troops here and 6000 at Champlain, and for all of them it was part of my duty to provide commissary stores. The cantonment was about half a mile north of the village. When the campaign of 1814 opened the times were lively along the border and about this whole region. Nearly all the inhabitants of Champlain and Chazy packed up their valuables and moved south, mostly to Peru, but my family remained here. Alarms were frequent, and we were in almost constant expectation of an invasion after the spring of 1814. One summer night 500 British troops eame out across the lines, but there was a good strong regiment of Vermont artillery here, ready to give them a warm recep- tion, and after looking the ground over they concluded to go back, and did go back. There would have been hot work if they had made an attack that night, for our men were prepared to stand their ground.

" In August a British general came out with 1000 men. Col. Riley (who afterwards was made general, and distin- guished himself in the Mexican war) was in command here at the time with about 100 men. Of course he could only retire with this insignificant force. The British general came to me and said they had only come out to look us over, and should disturb no one if the people kept quiet, but when they got ready they were coming out in force, and were going on to Albany, and there would be ' no shilly- shallying about it either.' I told him Burgoyne had tried that once before, and that they would have no better luck this time. Finally they went back, and the weather being terribly hot many of the British soldiers died from drinking too much water at a cold spring a short distance north. At another time about 300 Indians came out in their war-paint and feathers, but they did little damage. A number of them went into a school-house and stole an old spelling-book or two, and others went into my garden and pulled up and ate a quantity of raw onions. A British officer told me that they were not very proud of their Indian allies.

" Finally one morning we heard the roll of the British drums to the north, and soon the head of the main column appeared, 14,000 strong, with bands of musie, and flying banners. We could see them for a long distance, and it was a grand sight : a solid column which filled the road full. Our troops retired as the British advanced, skirmishing as

they retreated. The British made a halt here, and one regiment remained all the while and did not go to Platts- burgh at all. Sir George Provost stopped at Judge Scott's, and several officers quartered themselves at my house, pay- ing for their food and lodging in good British gold. Soon the British flect came up the lake and anchored at Saxe's Landing, where they remained several days waiting for sup- plies. I went down to the landing while they were there, and one of the British officers asked me what I thought of their fleet. I told them they would find that their long, cumbersome guns would be no match for McDonough's short carronades, and they afterwards had oeeasion to think of this again. Finally the fleet moved, and we knew one Sunday morning that there was to be a big battle before night, as it was generally understood that MeDonough would make a stand in Cumberland Bay, where he was an- chored. So Judge Scott and I got our passports, and mounting our horses rode out to Cumberland Head. When we got there the shores were thronged with people from all quarters, and we had not long to wait before the battle commeneed. McDonough's fleet was anchored between Cumberland Head and Crab Island, a little inside, and the British fleet bore down upon them under a good northerly breeze. The British guns had much the longest range, but strangely enough they came down within easy range of our guns, instead of keeping off farther out of reach and using their advantage. This was perhaps owing to a miscalcula- tion on the strength of the wind, but anyhow it seemed provi- dential. Soon the firing commeneed. I cannot begin to describe that scene. I was near the point of the Head, on the west shore, and had a perfect view of the whole battle. The firing was terrific, fairly shaking the ground, and so rapid that it seemed to be one continuous roar, intermingled with the spiteful flashing from the mouths of the guns, and dense clouds of smoke soon hung over the two fleets. It appeared to me that our guns were discharged three times to the enemy's once, and a British officer afterwards told me that their guns worked so hard that it took twelve men to manage each of them. I am not going to tell you the story of the battle : history has done that already, so that everybody is familiar with it. I saw the two midshipmen (Platt and Bailey ?) go out in their small boat, as it was necessary for somebody to do, in order to swing the ' Sara- toga' around so as to bring her fresh broadside to bear upon her enemy, the ' Confiance.' It seemed as if that little boat must be struck, the shot were flying so thick all about it, and I believe it was struek several times, but the ' Sara- toga' was warped about, and when that freshi broadside opened it seemed as if she was all on fire. The battle was soon decided after that, and the British flags came down one after another. Several gentlemen from Burlington were on the shore where I stood. They had a small canoe, and after the battle was over they invited Judge Scott and my- self to go in their boat with them aboard the 'Saratoga,' and we did so. I had the pleasure of shaking hands with Commodore MeDonough, whom I had met before, and con- gratulating him on the fact that he had escaped unharmed. He replied that he was knocked down once by a boom which got ent in two by a shot, part of it falling upon him ; and showed me the place where he stood only a moment

294

HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY, NEW YORK.

before a 20-pound shot swept across the deck over the very spot and buried itself in the mast. The dead were all packed up in order here, and the decks were cleaned up, but the seams full of blood, and the torn hull, masts, and spars told the story of the fearful struggle. From the ' Saratoga' we went aboard the British flag-ship, the ' Con- fiance,' and here was a horrible sight. The vessel was ab- solutely torn to pieces ; the decks were strewed with muti- lated bodies lying in all directions, and everything was covered with blood. It was the most fearful sight I ever beheld or ever expect to, and one I shall never forget. One poor fellow whom I had seen before- a pilot, named Brown- lay groaning on the deck, his head swathed up with a bloody shirt. He recognized me, but when I returned to him a few moments afterwards he was dead. I went below and saw the body of Commodore Downie lying in his state- room. He was a large, fair-looking man, and the surgeons could find no mark upon him, but on examination concluded that he must have been killed by a spent shot. The dead sailors on the vessels were buried on Crab Island, near which they appeared to be lying at anchor when I boarded them. Judge Scott and myself returned to Chazy the same night, and found everything in confusion along the road. At the Brick Tavern we fell in with the reckless and enraged Muron regiment, and had it not been for our passports our lives would not have been worth much. The British lost no time in getting back to Canada after the battle. When they went south there was considerable display,-music and banners, and dress parade. But now not much attention appeared to be paid to thesc matters. The main idea seemed to be to get back. Their ammunition and commissary wagons were very heavy and costly ; one of them, drawn by six noble horses, broke down a short distance south of the vil- lage, and the powder was trodden into the mud so as to discolor it and scent the air for a long time afterwards. My wife, one day before the battle, at the table, had spoken pretty plainly to one of the British officers who had quar- tered themselves upon us. 'Your cause is unjust,' she said, 'and you will surely be defeated.' The officer's wrath was aroused. 'By heavens, madam !' said he, 'there's not a woman in England who would dare to say that to me.' ' But you forget ; I am not an English woman,' she retorted, proudly, ' I am an American woman !' When the British retreated this same officer, as he passed our house, saw Mrs. Hubbell standing in the door, and pulled his cap down over his eyes ; he passed on with bowed head, evidently smarting under the defeat, and perhaps remembering that former conversation. During the retreat a British guard was left a short distance south of the village, on a knoll, with orders to hold this position until a certain time. They expected the victorious Americans would be after them, and the captain of this guard examined his watch pretty often, and when his time was up lie and his men followed on after their retreating comrades without losing much time. This was the last of the enemy's occupation of our village, and when they had fairly gone all the people came out and gave three good hearty cheers. Soon afterwards a squad of British soldiers was seen returning. Then there was a panic, and some of the more timid suggested that we had hallooed before we were out of the woods. But it was soon observed

that the returning soldiers had no arms, and when they proved to be British deserters all were glad that we were finally rid of our invaders. There were about sixty of them, and we placed a guard over them and sent them to Platts- burgh,"

" This office must begin to seem like home to you by" this time," we remarked.

" Yes ; for almost sixty-seven years I have occupied it for my business. A big hemlock-tree grew on this very spot. I commenced to build it in the summer of 1811, but the cold weather came on, and it was not finished until the spring of 1812. Gen. Wade Hampton occupied it for his headquar- ters in 1813 for about a week. One morning he had disastrous news from his Chateaugay expedition, and when I came in he acted pretty cross, almost as if he would like to turn me out of doors. I afterwards remarked to his son, a tall, dashing young fellow, aid to the general, and father of Senator Hampton, of South Carolina, that the old gen- tleman seemed to be a little out of sorts that morning. ' Yes,' he replied, ' he's so crabbed you can't touch him with a rod pole.'"

INDUSTRIAL.

The principal occupation of the inhabitants is the tilling of the soil. But other important industries exist within its territory, and have been carried on from the earliest day.

The water-power of Little Chazy River and that of Cor- beau Brook have been the principal site of these.

The first grist-mill in town was erected by Seth Graves, not far from the year 1800, and was located on the east side of the Little Chazy River, at the upper end of Chazy village, opposite the present store of L. F. Merrihew. Ezra Graves, the brother of Scth, was the miller till his death. Several years thereafter the old mill was demolished and a new one erected on the same site. Salmon M. Graves, the son of Seth, was miller at this time, and was succeeded by Chaun- cey Graves, a brother of Salmon, now living. This mill was accidentally destroyed by fire, as was afterwards another on the same site.

On the opposite side of the river at this point was a saw- mill with one gate and a single saw, which stood for many years and was rebuilt at sundry times. This site is now occupied as a shingle-mill, and owned by the Norths.

About one mile and a half up the river from Chazy vil- lage, near the present residence of Mr. Curtis Buckman, was a woolen-factory, erected by Mr. Stevens Mooney, and carried on by him thirty or forty years since. It was de- molished many years ago, and part of the stones were used in the construction of the Episcopal chapel in the village.

Not long after the Graves grist-mill was built another grist-mill was constructed by Jonathan Douglass, at the lower end of the village, and for many years Mr. David Douglass acted as miller. It was, after a term of years, purchased by Capt. Lemuel North, and stood for some time after the present mill was built lower down the river.

Early in the present century a fulling-, cloth-dressing-, and dyeing-mill was erected on the river, a little below the present residence of George Severance, by Mr. Nehemiah Merritt, who carried on the establishment as long as he lived, and after his death the business fell into the hands of his son, B. W. Merritt, who carried on the works for a few

295

TOWN OF CHAZY.

years. No traces of this establishment remain, and it was demolished probably thirty years ago.

The large stone tannery now standing a little distance below the site of the Fisk tannery was built by William H. Brockway at least forty years sinee, who carried on the tanning business for a time. He was succeeded by Mark Hartford, who was followed by Morris Little, and he by Francis Gilbert.

At the mouth of the Tracy Brook, and about three- fourths of a mile above the lower bridge, was formerly a large stone blacksmith-shop, having in it a trip-hammer. The shop was erected by the late Ebenczer Sherman, about fifty years ago, and was carried on by him several years, and afterwards by his son-in-law, Oscar Livingston. For a time a part of the shop was occupied by M. Vandervoort, now of Dannemora, for the manufacture of lasts.

At the southern end of the upper bridge, fifty years ago, was a chair-factory, having a turning-lathe. It was carried on by a man by the name of Hawley. At the northerly end of the bridge was a wheelwright-shop, carried on by Harry Graves, assisted by Jaek Ransom, Hubbell Wells, and others.

At Suckertown, a hamlet about a mile and a half north- east of Chazy village, somewhere about the year 1830, Alexander Scott and Ebenezer A. Scott, brothers, erected a marble-factory. Their stock was procured at Isle La Motte and sawed into slabs for market. They also owned a woolen- factory there, which was for many years carried on by Wil- liam Treadway, some of whose family now reside at or near Crown Point, N. Y. Both of the above-named factories are now reekoned among the things that were. Near their plaees are now a saw-mill, starch-factory, and grist-mill, owned by Bullis & Fordham.

The water-power at Chazy village is now all owned by F. C. & P. F. North, and ineludes two dams, on which are located a shingle-mill, a grist-mill, and a saw-mill and starch- factory.

The earliest industrial enterprises at West Chazy have been already considered.

In about 1830 the partnership of Lawrence & Wood was dissolved, the Woods taking the grist-mill privilege, and Lawrence the saw-mill privilege, where he put up a carding and eloth-dressing factory, a trip-hammer shop, and other works. Higby Lawrence attended the factory. Law- rence also took the privilege below the grist-mill, where E. Angell put up a tannery, which has been continued to this day, doing a large and profitable business. It is now owned and run by the Harris Brothers. The title to the land has remained in the Lawrence family, Putnam Law- rence now receiving an annual rental. This tannery is about the only manufactory at West Chazy that has not passed into the hands of the Woods.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Clinton and Franklin Counties, New York : with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 78

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) 1n; Lewis, J.W., & Co., Philadelphia Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Philadelphia : J. W. Lewis & co. Number of Pages: 922

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) 1n; Lewis, J.W., & Co., Philadelphia
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Philadelphia : J. W. Lewis & co.
Number of Pages: 922