USA > New York > Herkimer County > History of Herkimer county, New York > Part 25
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During the period from 1830 to 1835 extensive improvements were made in the village streets, including First (now Main), Albany, Mary, Catharine (now Main), Canal, John, Ann, Second, Mohawk and Bridge streets ; and German, Jefferson, Bellinger and Mohawk, on the south side, were declared public highways. The cholera raged throughout this country in 1832-33, and attention was called to the matter in the board of trustees, by ordering thorough cleaning of premises and abatement of all nuisances; but there was very little of the disease in this village, as far as shown by the records. A census was ordered in 1832, which showed that there were 246 families in the village, with a population of 81 1 males and 791 females, 436 of whom were on the south side. In 1834 a fire company was organized for the south side, an engine house was built at a cost of $192, and a hook and ladder company was attached to engine company No. 1. In 1835 Martin W. Priest and J. C. Dann were authorized by the trustees to purchase two new engines and a hose, and to dispose of the apparatus on hand. It is of interest to pre-
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serve the names of the early fire companies about this period on both sides of the river, for it will be seen that many of the leading citizens were members They were as follow :
Fire company of May, 1830: Amos Parkhurst, James Sanders, Robert Stewart, Andrew Oliver, Elijah Case, jr., William Talcott, Charles Ellis, James Smith, Charles Smith, Moses Drake, Washington Van Driesen, Thompson Parkhurst, Gordon Steven- son, Samuel Alexander, Richard S. Thompson, Horace Johnson, Ilenry Meloy, Josiah Lockwood, Jolin Beardslee, Henry P. Alexander, Jesse Styles, Truman Fox, Harman G. Ten Eyck, Orange Angell, John Phillips.
Fire company on South side in 1834 : Henry Thompson, William I. Skinner, John J. Taylor, Amon J. French, Henry Hastings, Martin W. Priest, William Page, Samuel Miller, Martin L. Easterbrooks, Charles Ellis, Henry Secknor, Barney H. Ellis, Leander Britton, J. S. Hayes, Simon Marcomb, H. H. Petrie, Eli Holden, David Labau, S. W. Shepard, Wm. Walradt, Robert Casler, Henry C Loncks, Joseph Lee, Gaylord Heath.
Hook and ladder company, 1834: Ezra C. Southworth, James O. De Grush, Samuel P. Fuller, Ferdinand P. St. John, Charles B. Eddy, Jeremiah Gurney, Charles A. Gir- van, Norman Tryon.
During the period from 1840 to the breaking out of the civil war advancement in the village was rapid and of a permanent character. The grievous lease system had been wiped out and a greater degree of confidence was felt by investors and tradesmen. New streets were opened and many new industries established. The village ran in debt, of course ; that seems to be the natural result in all corporations of a municipal character. By 1847 the debt had reached about $6,000 and a charter amendment meeting was called at the stone school-house for April 12, to consider means for the extinguishment of the indebted- ness The result was the raising of the amount of annual tax in 1850 to $800, $500 of which was to be applied annually to debt-paying pur- poses. While this action sufficed for that time, it did not prevent the after accumulation of another burden of a similar character.
On the 9th of June, 1848, a special election was held to vote on the question of raising and appropriating $950 to pay for piping water from the cistern in the public square to near the intersection of Catharine (now Main) and Ann streets for fire extinguishing purposes ; the measure was carried. In the following year (1849), the inhabitants were affected by the prevailing cholera scare, but the village and its vicinity were not destined to suffer severe affliction from that disease. In 1851 $300 were appropriated for improvement of the fire engine
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houses, and a like sum for an addition to the cemetery. In 1852 a watch-house was ordered built on the north side of Main street, about opposite Fifth street. The committee were Asa Wilcox, Joseph K. Chapman, and Thomas Dale. It was built by the late Col. Leonard Boyer for $186, and the materials of the old watch- house. Gas was introduced in the village in 1853 and A. G. Story was given the ex- clusive privilege of laying pipes in the streets for that purpose. In the same year $1,000 were raised for improvement of the fire department. By this time the general village fund had reached nearly $3,000 an- nually, and it stood near that for a number of years. The charter was again amended in 1857, making the trustees the assessors and commis- sioners of highways, fixing compensation of the clerk and street com- missioner, etc.
Among the prominent residents of Little Falls, many of whose names have been mentioned, it is proper at the first to give a brief account of the careers of Zenas C. Priest, Harry Burrell, and William I. Skin- ner.
Gen. Zenas C. Priest was born in the town of Fairfield, April 18, 1806. When seventeen years of age he began business on his own ac- count, remaining in his native town until 1824, when he removed to the village of Little Falls and became a clerk, and acted as such until he acquired an independent business as owner and manager of several bakeries in the valley. In 1835 he was deputy sheriff, and in that and the following year aided in acquiring the right of way in this vicinity for the Utica and Syracuse Railway Company, and in July, 1836, he became one of its three conductors, acting also as trackmaster between Little Falls and Utica part of the time. From 1840 to 1847 he had charge of the western department of the road, and upon the consolida- tion of the several roads into the New York Central in 1853, he was made superintendent of the Syracuse and Utica division ; in 1867 his division was extended to Albany. Thereafter his division included the Troy and Athens branch. He enjoyed the confidence of President Erastus Corning, Commodore Vanderbilt, President William H. Van- derbilt and his son, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and other executive officers of the road down to and including Hon. Chauncey M. Depew. Com- modore Vanderbilt and his son and grandson so highly appreciated the
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general's services that they contributed $500 every six months extra compensation in each year down to and including the year of his death ; the last $500 being handed over to the executors of the general's es- tate, in token of their appreciation of his faithful, earnest and effectual services to the road. In 1835 he was appointed major in a Herkimer county militia regiment, and in 1860 he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general. When the war broke out he became a very energetic war Democrat, and by voice and purse and numerous efforts aided the Union cause like the consistent patriot that he was during the whole struggle. He was for many years vice president of the National Herki- mer County Bank, and subsequently became its president, which office he held at the time of his death, which occurred December 4, 1887, when in his eighty-first year, having been ill only a week. Having been in the service of the railroad for more than fifty years, he was familiar with all its needs, and was distinguished by being pre-eminently a good railroad man. He was a kind, liberal man, using his best judgment to protect the interests of the employees of the road. He was at one time president of the village, and several years represented his town in the board of supervisors ; was a presidential elector, and well deserved and received the confidence of the community in which he was so long an active and valuable citizen. For many years he was a conspicuous Mason, Knight Templar, and his funeral was conducted by that order and attended by President Depew, the directors and superintendents of the New York Central Railroad, and a large concourse of people, the services being conducted in the Baptist church, to which he was many years attached and to which he was a very liberal contributor.
The late Harry Burrell was so long and so conspicuously connected with the farming and dairy interests of the county, that a proper defer- ence to those industries demands a record of his life and business career. He was born in Sheffield, Mass., November 28, 1797, and was a son of Jonathan and Lucinda Burrell. His parents moved into the town of Salisbury in the year 1804. Upon the death of his father he succeeded to the possession of the old homestead known as the Hackley farm. About that period the business of dairying began to attract the attention of the farmers of Herkimer county, and when he was about twenty years of age, at the solicitation of his neighbors,
34
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he took charge of their dairy products, which were drawn to Albany on wagons and thence transported to New York in sloops. He early com- menced the purchase of cheese and other dairy products for the New York market, and soon after engaging in that enterprise became the largest buyer in the country. As his business increased he established a house in New York city under the firm name of H. Burrell & Co. His son, Seymour Burrell, was at one time connected with him, and sub- sequently his son, David H., became a purchaser for the house. At the suggestion of Erastus Corning and others he commenced the busi- ness of exporting cheese, having formed reliable connections with for- eign houses, and he was probably the first shipper of dairy products from this country to foreign markets ; he continued a buyer on a large scale and shipper until near the close of his life. Mr. Burrell acquired a high reputation for integrity and sagacity and met with exceptional success. At the time of his death he was the owner of several farms in Salisbury and other towns, which passed by virtue of his will to his children, who still continue to own the same. In 1854 he removed to Little Falls where he built a handsome residence at the corner of William and Main streets, which he occupied until the time of his death, and the same now remains in the possession of his widow, and son Edward J. Burrell. His sons, David H. Burrell and Ed- ward J. Burrell, acquired from him a knowledge of the business of handling dairy products, which to a greater or less extent they have continued to carry forward until this time; Edward J. Burrell giving especial attention to that branch of the numerous kinds of business carried on by the firm of D. H. Burrell & Co. Harry Bur- rell was a member of the Presbyterian Church from the early years of his life until the time of his death, and contributed largely to its success in Salisbury and Little Falls ; he was for many years presi- dent of its board of trustees, and was several years a trustee of the Lit- tle Falls Academy. He died at Little Falls March 5, 1879.
William I. Skinner was born in the town of Little Falls on the 24th of October, 1812, and was the son of Josiah H. Skinner, who came from the State of Connecticut some years prior thereto. Mr. Skinner was elected sheriff of the county in 1848, having prior thereto served several times as a deputy. In 1859 he was elected canal commissioner
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and served until 1866, acquitting himself creditably in the office, as he had practical knowledge of the affairs of the canal, had many years been a contractor, and was able to deal with many of the practical ques- tions arising in respect to the canals which came under the review of the canal commissioners. He was president of the village, on sev- eral occasions was elected one of its trustees, and at one time chief of the fire department. He was a member of the memorable committee of twelve citizens who investigated the facts relating to and recommended the construction of the present system of water works. He was by an act of the Legislature named as one of the Board of Water Commissioners, was elected president of the board, and his practical judgment and industrious attention to the affairs of the system were valuable in securing the proper construction of the works. In 1869 he erected the Skinner Opera House at the corner of Main and Second streets. At the time of his death he was a director of the National Herkimer County Bank. In all the relations of life he exhib- ited strong common sense and good practical judgment ; he formed correct opinions of men and measures, and during his seventy-nine years residence in Little Falls contributed largely to its prosperity. He died February 13, 1891, leaving three sons and two daughters sur- viving him.
Turning again to the newspapers of the period from 1840 to the war we learn of other events and changes which deserve mention. The winter of 1842 witnessed a great temperance agitation in this section and fifteen hundred signed the pledge in Little Falls. Early in Febru- ary of this year (1842) occurred a very destructive freshet which on the first day swept away a dwelling below the " Railroad Hotel," and on the following day carried off the new paper- mill of A. Loomis, and the saw-mill, axe factory, grist-mill and flouring-mill were greatly dam- aged. On the south side the barn of S. W. Shepard was carried away and the stalls for hogs at the distillery were inundated. Colonel Leigh's mills and the iron works of Shepard, Babbitt & Co. were badly dam- aged. William Paige's large paper-mill was wrecked in the lower story. The damage amounted to about $8,000 ; and in June of the same year this disaster was followed by another of similar nature in which the creek through the village caused damage to the amount of $15,000. These losses caused much depression among the inhabitants.
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In 1845 we again find the editor expressing congratulations as fol lows : " The constant, rapid, yet sound growth of our village must be a subject of high gratification to its citizens. Our prosperity is based upon the sure foundation of capital, labor and rational enterprise. Fancy stocks have never been in demand here." He wrote further of this being the commercial center of a very large district on both sides of the Mohawk, with great thoroughfares running east and west; its extensive water power, etc., and concluded by designating Little Falls as " The Lowell of the Empire State "- which we must admit was de- cidedly bright.
By the year 1850 the debt before mentioned had become a decided bugbear to many citizens, and its payment, with other charter changes was demanded. The newspaper commented freely upon the folly and burden of such a state of affairs, spoke of the former small debt incurred mainly for the fire department, and deplored the fact that the corpo- ration credit had become depreciated to about ninety cents on the dollar. These conditions led to prompt and radical changes. An entire new charter was adopted, providing for raising $5,300 on village bonds, in - creasing the annual tax to $800 and paying off the debt at the rate of $500 annually (as before described). The new charter was a great im - provement on the former ones, and most of its important provisions are in force to-day. It being on record in numerous places, we need not quote from it here. Another important change was made, which in some respects seems at this day to have been the result of thoughtless folly, although many good citizens advocated it at the time. This was the changing of the name of the village to " Rockton." The most im- portant reason advanced for the change was, that the village had become of sufficient importance to have a name of its own, and not longer exist under the title of the whole town. The name was changed ; but much to the dissatisfaction of many of the older citizens, and in less than a year their influence was such, and the general defer- ence to their wishes so pronounced, that the old name was restored.
In July of 1850 a terrible flood occurred which exceeded that of 1842. Buildings were inundated by the overflowing of Furnace Creek; John Miller's house and barn were swept away, with the dwelling of Joseph Boyer, and many others were damaged. The loss was about $15,000.
Isaac. Pinato
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Meanwhile, as we have intimated, the business interests of the place increased in the most satisfactory manner. Plank roads had been built in several directions from the village between 1847 and 1851, during which period almost the entire State was covered with a network of those useful, but short lived highways. While they were in use, at a time when ordinary roads were worse, if possible, than now, they gave the farming community means for getting their produce to market and were certainly instrumental in building up commercial centers like Little Falls. A list of the principal business houses in the place in 1850-51 will be of value as indicating the growth of the village. The list is made up from the advertising in the newspapers, and probably embraces most of the principal establishments :
S. N. Foote, dry goods ; H. M. Heath, furnace and plows ; Mrs. S. A. Fox, and Miss A. J. Swift, milliners ; Jones & Hinds, agents for rub- ber goods ; J. C. Kellogg, dentist ; Herkimer County Insurance Com- pany; Reddy & Cunningham, furnace ; Gordon Stevenson, cabinet maker; B. W. Franklin, dentist ; Henry W. Fox, tailor and ready- made clothing; C. P. Hunt, Little Falls drug store ; A. W. Golden, cabinet maker in the green store ; Harris & Houghton, sash and blind factory ; F. Adams, bookseller ; Usher & Caswell, flour, etc. ; Cook & Petrie, hatters; Pratt & Company, boots and shoes; Jones & Hine, tailors; T. Burch & Company, stoves and general merchants ; William Taylor, clothing and tailor ; J. C. Clarke, meat market ; J. W. Helmer, crockery, etc. ; John St. John, tailor; G. B. Young, furniture ; W. H. Cressy, stoves and hardware ; Ford & Waterman, John H. Wooster, Nolton & Lake, Loomis & Griswold, and William Brooks, lawyers.
In 1852 the editor of the local paper said : " There are few villages in the country whose streets exhibit a busier or more cheering aspect than this," and followed with encouraging comments on the schools of the place, its churches, etc. The fact is, the village enjoyed a good de- gree of growth and general prosperity between 1855 and the breaking out of the war ; streets were opened and improved ; miles of sidewalks were laid ; parks were improved ; the academy, incorporated in 1844, was in full and successful operation; and all municipal affairs were prosperous. In 1860 a local paper said that in no time in a number of years had there been so much building, repairing and general activity.
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HISTORY OF HERKIMER COUNTY.
All this was, of course, changed by the opening of the great struggle for the preservation of the Union. This event paralyzed action in re- gard to public improvements throughout the country and turned uni- versal attention to war and its hundreds of related activities. The chief occurrences in connection with the war, as far as this county is con- cerned, are sufficiently noted in the earlier pages of general history. It is sufficient for the present purpose to say that Little Falls was the cen- ter of military activity for the county during the momentous contest, and that her leading citizens gave freely of their time and means and energy for the success of the struggle.
The major portion of the history of the village since the war is em- bodied in the immediately following pages devoted to the various insti- tutions and industries of the place ; and it only remains to sketch briefly the more important acts of the village authorities. Business activity was renewed at the close of the rebellion; money was plenty and the guarantees of peace inspired all men with hopefulness for the future. A somewhat disastrous fire occurred in July, 1866, burning the Hinchman House and the stores of seven merchants, and other buildings; the loss was about $45,000. On the following Sunday what was known as the Valley House was burned. These fires led to an early reconstruction and improvement of the fire department. The general fund of the vil- lage had now reached about $6,000, and the population of the town was nearly 6,000. In February, 1871, a movement was made to organize the State Dairymen's Association and Board of Trade; the organiza- tion was effected on the 27th; Judge George A. Hardin presided at and addressed the meeting held for the purpose. A steam fire engine had been recently purchased, and in August a meeting was held and measures adopted for the purchase of a second one, which was accom- plished. The Union Free School system was adopted in the fall of this year (1873), and street improvements were numerous about this period. In 1881 the fire alarm was introduced, and in the following year a be- ginning was made upon the present complete sewer system. At the same time the stone crusher was purchased, to be followed in 1892 by one of the first-class steam road rollers, and under the present policy the streets are being rapidly and effectively improved. The village debt at the present time is about $330,000, and the annual general tax reaches
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the sum of about $40,000. To the progressive citizens of the vil lage these figures are not at all appalling, for they realize that owing to its peculiar physical situation, Little Falls improvements are necessarily costly. They also realize that in order to keep in the front rank in the march of human progress, money as well as energy must be expended.
Following are the trustees of the village from the year 1828 to the present time :
1828, Sanders Lansing, James Sanders, John McMichael.
1829, Thomas Smith, A. Loomis, Gould Wilson, Moses Drake, N. S. Benton, Alanson Ingham.
1830, Thomas Smith, N. S. Benton, Gould Wilson, A. Loomis, John McKenster, Richard N. Casler.
1831, N. S. Benton; Moses Drake, William I. Pardee, Wm. Brooks, Lester Green, Hosea Hamilton.
1832, Parley Eaton, Jesse C. Dann, Elisha P. ITurlbut, Daniel McIntosh, Wm. J. Par- dee, Christopher Smith.
1833, Christopher P. Bellinger, E. P. Hurlbut, Parley Eaton, Henry Heath, Joram Petrie, George Petrie.
1834, Gould Wilson, C. P. Bellinger, Martin W. Priest, Thomas Burch, John Bartow, John Beardslee.
1835, M. W. Priest, Jesse C. Dann, Thomas Burch, John Beardslee, Parley Eaton, Richard N. Casler.
1836, M. W. Priest, J. C. Dann, Albert G. Story, James T. Smith, Flavius J. Little- john, Robert Casler.
1837, M. W. Priest, James T. Smith, Christopher Smith, Henry Heath, Frederick Lansing, Jarvis N. Lake.
1838, Jarvis N. Lake, James T. Smith, Noah Stark, George B. Young, James N. Baker, Nicholas Moyer.
1839, M. W. Priest, James N. Baker, Horace M. Burch, Lauren Ford, Frederick Lansing, Amos A. Beardslee.
1840, R. N. Casler, W. Van Driesen, George H. Feeter, Nelson Rust, Henry W. Fox, James N. Baker.
1841, Hiram Nolton, Nelson Rust, George G. Hall, Frederick Lansing, Moses Drake, Henry Heath.
1842, Henry Heath, M. W. Priest, George B. Young, James Sanders, George Heath, William Paige.
1843, M. W. Priest, R. N. Casler, Zenas A. Hall, William I. Skinner, Edmund G. Chapin, James T. Smith.
1844, William Usher, William Ingham, J. N. Baker, Peter P. Bellinger, Jamas Feeter, H. Nolton.
1845, John Beardslee, William Brooks, jr., Rodney Durkee, Wm. Ingham, William Page, jr., Peter P. E. Bellinger.
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1846, William P. Hall, Joseph Boyer, Wm. Brooks, jr., James N. Baker, Michael Reddy, Henry Thompson.
1847, R. N. Casler, Seth M. Richmond, Nelson Rust, Henry Link, Wm. B. Houghton, Henry W. Fox.
1848, Seth M. Richmond, A. G. Rosecrantz, J. N. Lake, Henry Thompson, Robert Stewart, Nelson Rust.
1849, A. G. Rosecrantz, Samuel S. Whitman, Michael Moyer, Delos Lake, G. S. Young, Wm. B. Houghton.
1850, Re-incorporation of the village under name of Rockton : President, George H. Feeter ; trustees, Morris E. Fuller, Peter B. Gildersleeve, Henry Link, Leonard Boyer, A. G. Rosecrantz, Alvan Richmond, John Bielby, Henry M. Heath.
185I, Joram Petrie J. N. Lake, Philo Reed, John Feeter, Michael Boothroyd, Michael Reddy, James N. Baker, Thomas Dale.
1852, Asa Wilcox, J. C. Cunningham, Lorenzo D. Waite, Shadrach Sherman, Wm. Fowler, Levi Casler, Joseph K. Chapman, Thomas Dale.
1853, Henry Link, Thomas Scott, Aaron Carver, H. Thompson, Henry Heath. Ben- jamin R. Jones, Robert H. McChesney, Leonard Boyer.
1854, W. B. Houghton, J. N. Barber, Joseph H. Hinds, S. M. Richmond, Nicholas Moyer, A. Rathbun, Samuel F. Bennett, Thaddeus R. Brooks.
1855, George Heath, John Satterly, Henry Burwell, Eben B. Waite, Ezekiel Heath, Wm. M. Dorr, J. W. Helmer, Alvan Richmond.
1856, George H. Carver, Elijah Wilds, B. R. Jones, Enoch R. Nelson, Shadrach Sher- man (to fill vacancy). From this date only four trustees were elected annually, four of the former board holding over.
1857, Wells Sponable, George Heath, John Satterly, Jolmn W. Bellinger.
1858, James Bellinger, jr., George II. Feeter, Mason S. Van Slyke, Harry Burrell.
1859, George Ashley, John W. Bellinger, J. N. Baker, Gideon Tillinghast.
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