USA > New York > Herkimer County > History of Herkimer county, New York > Part 35
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Kendrick E. Morgan was born in the town of Winfield, September 8, 1854, and was admitted to practice law in 1876 and continued from that date to practice his profession at Little Falls until July 3, 1888. He is now engaged in business in Chicago, Ill.
The first town meeting in Winfield was held at the house of Rufus Dodge on the 7th of June, 1816. It is said that the snow was several inches deep on that day ; it was the remarkable cold season which is still remembered by old citizens. At that meeting the following officers were elected :
James Orton, supervisor ; Martin Luce, town clerk; Nathan Brown, Charles Burt, and Hezekiah Leamans, assessors; David Wood and Richard Bonfoy, overseers of the poor ; Simeon Bucklin, Asahel Brace, and Nathaniel Crandal, commissioners of high- ways; Elisha Gates, Elijah Gates, jr., and Jesse Burgess, constables; Elisha Gates, collector ; Charles Burt, Charles Brace, and Almond Lnce, school commissioners.
The usual regulations were voted at the meeting, governing the run- ning at large of stock, licenses, etc. The following reference to slavery, bearing a comparatively recent date, is worthy of preservation here :
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This may certify that Pegg, alias Margaret, a female servant born of a slave, appears to be of the age of eighteen years and upwards, that is to say of the age of twenty-one years, and of sufficient ability to maintain herself; hath this day been abandoned by James Orton, who hath claimed her services and doth hereby relinquish them.
ANSON BACKUS, NATHAN BROWN, Overseers of Poor.
The surprising part of this document is the date, which is in the year 1826. Further account of Anson Backus is given a little further on.
Under the enterprising and industrious labors of its settlers, Winfield rapidly became a prosperous and progressive community. The first settlers obtained their few necessaries from Fort Herkimer over what was known as the Carr path, through the woods ; but early in the cent- ury (1805) the Cherry Valley turnpike was built and connection made with it by other roads, giving the farmers and merchants comparatively easy communication with Albany and other points. Sheep raising, with the manufacture of potash, distilling liquor, etc., occupied the chief attention of the people of the town for some years ; but between 1845, the time when the wool industry was at its height and when there were nearly 16,000 sheep in the town, and 1865 when there were less than 700, the dairy industry rapidly increased, and before the year last mentioned had become the principal occupation of the farmers of the town. At one time there were eleven cheese factories in the town. This number was gradually decreased by consolidation mainly, and at the present time there are only three or four ; although there are many near by the town lines at various points, which are patronized by Win- field farmers. C. T. Wheelock is proprietor of five factories, and C. A. Eggleston has no less than twelve under his control ; most of these are outside of this town. Within a few years past several milk stations have been established on the line of the D. L. & W. Railroad (which was opened in 1870), and dairymen are taking large quantities of milk to them for shipment to New York. This practice is having an impor- tant bearing upon the cheese and butter industry here; but it is the the general opinion that this direct sale of milk will, on the whole, be beneficial. As compared with most other towns of the county, Win- field ranks among the best as a dairy town.
The Winfield Agricultural Society was organized in 1856, and included in its jurisdiction seven towns in this and Otsego and Oneida counties. For many years its fairs were very successful and it was the means of
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advancing the welfare of the agricultural operations of this locality. After some twenty-five years of usefulness its affairs have been suf- fered to stagnate.
West Winfield .- This thriving little village of about 600 population is situated in the western part of the town, on the Unadilla Creek and the Richfield Springs branch of the D. L. & W. Railroad, and the old turnpike passes through it. Here small business operations were begun early in the present century, including the Walker mills, and later a store, shops, etc. In 1822 a store on the northwest corner at the inter- section of the streets was erected and there, in 1823, Col. David R. Carrier began his long and successful business career. He dealt in all kinds of produce, shipping largely to Albany and New York, and for many years was one of the leading merchants of the county and also president of the First National Bank. The post-office was established in 1825, with Colonel Carrier as postmaster. The money received for postage during the first three months was about $5.00. In those early years there was a great deal more business done at East Winfield than here. On the corner where is now the store of O. H. Wilcox, a tavern was built very early, but it was burned while under the proprietorship of John K. Fuller. The present structure on that corner was erected by Russell Huntley. On the opposite corner where is now the Hag- gerty House, a tavern has been kept by various landlords since early in the history of the place. Benjamin Harrington built, not far from the year 1800, a fulling and carding-mill and put in the necessary ma- chinery ; this was operated for many years, but has disappeared with many other similar mills in various parts of the county, following the decline of sheep raising and domestic wool production. About the year 1820 a small tannery was erected here. The bark used was ground by horse-power. In 1823 it came into possession of Rufus Wheeler, father of C. J. Wheeler, and later passed to the latter, who owned it to 1884. In 1884 E. D. Beckwith and John and Henry Hiteman, who had been carrying on a tannery at Cedarville, gave up their business there and purchased the Winfield tannery. They were experienced tanners and energetic and industrious men, and from an output of 600 calf skins per week have increased to 1800. Their plant has been cor- respondingly enlarged, in the years 1886, 1887, and 1888. From forty-
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five to fifty hands are employed and the excellence of their product has given it a wide- spread market, which they are now unable to fill. Their bark is brought from Pennsylvania.
The saw-mill, which has been already noticed, was in possession of Griffin & Armstrong in 1872, when A. C. Hackley, its present owner, purchased it. Griffin & Armstrong had supplied the mill with a circular saw, planer, etc. Mr. Hackley has added the manufacture of cheese boxes, heads and hoops, and the sale of lumber to the business. The mill was formerly owned by Phineas Hall, Chauncey Bentley and vari- ous others.
The grist-mill is now the property of the Hiram Brown estate, and is operated by his son, H C. Brown. Hiram Brown bought it of Bent- ley & Lackey in 1874. When the present operator took it he rebuilt the machinery, and fitted it for a large flouring trade, but at present only custom grinding is done.
Charles Weeks started a manufactory of sash, doors and blinds and a lumber yard in 1857, which he continued until 1870, when George S. Weeks purchased the business and still conducts it on a greatly enlarged basis. These constitute the manufacturing interests of the place.
A meeting was held in the village for the organization of a bank on the 16th of February, 1854. The organization was perfected and the corporate name of "West Winfield Bank " chosen; the capital stock was fixed at $100,000 and the following directors were chosen : David R. Carrier, Vose Palmer, Dennis Hardin, Curtis Hemingway, James M. Rose, Samuel McKee, Joseph Hardin, Henry II. Babcock, Hiram Brown, N. R. Brown, Harry G. Hardin, T. W. Morgan and Isaac L. Moors. On the same day Colonel David R. Carrier was elected presi- dent and Hiram Brown vice-president, and on the 27th of February, Curtis Hemingway was chosen cashier and Erastus D. Hardin was ap- pointed teller and acted as such until 1857, when he became a banker in Peoria, Ill., where he still resides. The bank opened for business August 29, of that year. It was changed to a national bank, with the same amount of capital, on the 14th of February, 1865, with the follow- ing directors :
David R. Carrier, Vose Palmer, James M. Rose, Samuel McKee, Joseph Hardin, Hiram Brown, T. W. Morgan, I. L. Moors, Alonzo Wood, E. P. Rose, Erastus Kirg, David Gardner and Rufus Wheeler. Mr. Carrier remained president until his death in
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1880, when Alonzo Wood was elected and now efficiently fills the office. The vice- presidents have been Hiram Brown to February 10, 1859; H. H. Babcock to February 12, 1863; James 31. Rose to January 10, 1871 ; Samuel McKee to January 8, 1878; Myron A. McKee to January 9, 1883; Charles D. Wheeler to the present time. The cashiers have been Curtis Hemingway to May 10, 1856; Alonzo Wood to March 1, 1858; James P. Lee to April 3, 1869 ; John O. Wheeler to the present time. Follow- ing are the names of the present directors : T. W. Morgan, Alonzo Wood, Jolin O. Wheeler, George A. Hardin, Myron A. McKee, H. II. Wheeler, and Charles D. Wheeler.
The principal merchants of West Winfield are O. H. Wilcox, J. D. Folts, I. A. Crandall, Edward McFarland and George Bell, who keep general goods; B. S. Davis, grocer and baker ; D. S. Marshall, boots and shoes ; Patterson & Eldredge, hardware ; Frank H. Wilcox, furni- ture; H. H. Wilcox, drugs; Casler & Edick, grocers ; George A. Walker, jeweler. The Cottage Hotel was opened by J. K. Armling, in January, 1892, and the other hotel is kept by Mrs. Alonzo Haggerty. Albert B. Crumb is postmaster and has an insurance business.
The West Winfield Water Works were established as a private enter- prise in 1878, the water being pumped from six artesian wells It is of great benefit to the village, and is liberally patronized. The proprie- tor is Rev. W. A. Fenn.
The schools of the town of Winfield are taught in eleven districts. The first school in the town was probably taught by Josiah Harwood. On the 14th of August, 1817, a year after the erection of the town, Charles Burt, Larkin Smith and Dr. Abner N. Clark, as school com- missioners, met and divided the town into twelve districts. There has been very little change in the district lines since that time.
Previous to the year 1850 land was donated in the village for an academy site, by Colonel David R. Carrier, consisting of one acre on a sightly hill. The academy was established in 1850, with Prof. L. R. Bliss as principal. Prof. Bliss, who was a graduate of Hamilton College, was very active in raising the necessary funds for the institution, and the building was erected in the summer of 1850. The original building was 60x 40 feet in size, and in 1856 an addition 32 x 36 feet was made, for a boarding hall and principal's residence. The academy was a suc- cessful institution ; was provided with chemical and philosophical apparatus and a considerable library. In the year 1883 it was changed
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to a Union Free School, as a part of the school system of the town. The principals, after Prof. Bliss, have been W. W. Bass, G. R. Aiken, D. M. Haggart, E. O. Hovey, D. T. Blackstone, A. R. Goodwin, T. W. Roberts, S. D. Allen, James B. McGifford, F. J. House, who taught nine years, and was succeeded by A. J. Merrell in 1892. The number of teachers is seven and the attendance nearly 300.
Newspapers -West Winfield had a newspaper as early as 1859, when on the 23d of August appeared the first number of the Standard Bearer under the management of Cornelius Ackerman. The paper passed through many vicissitudes and changes. In 1870 it was sold to William McLaughlin, and he transferred it within a year to John H. Cunningham. The latter changed its name to the Winfield Standard, and on the 23d of March, 1872, sold it to Miles A. Davis, who left in a few months and the establishment reverted to Mr. Mclaughlin, who sold it to R. W. Ackerman, son of the first publisher. In May, 1874, H. D. Kellogg became a partner, but retired in eight months. In March, 1875, Will- iam R. Merrill purchased the property, and about a year later trans- ferred it to Frank Spooner, who conducted it about a year and removed it to Brookfield. On the Ist of April, 1883, - Lansing started the West Winfield News. About a year later it passed to the posses- sion of C. D. Wheeler, who afterwards associated with himself H. H. Wheeler. Stillman & Fitch bought the paper in 1888, and on the 15th of April, 1889, Clarence G. Fitch bought out Stillman's interest and now conducts the paper.
The West Winfield Star is a handsome newspaper, which was started from a new and complete plant on the 18th of August, 1892, by F. L. Brace. It is Republican in politics, and promises to be a permanent organ.
Church History .- The Congregational Church at West Winfield was organized in 1799 as the Second Congregational Church of Litchfield, by Rev. Eliphalet Steele. It was then located about four miles north of the present village, and in 1816 was removed to the turnpike about a mile east of the village. In 1876 the building was taken down and again removed to its present site in the village, and rebuilt and enlarged at a cost of $11,000. The Sunday-school was organized in 1818. The first regular pastor was Rev. Jesse Churchill, and he has been succeeded by the following :
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Revs. Jonathan Hovey, D. Newell, Edward Everett, Chauncey Goodrich, Chester Holcomb, Chester Brewster, P. S. Pratt, H. B. Wait, M. B. Brown, Wm. J. Knox, C. H. Beebe, Jesse Bradnack. In 1872 and 1873 the church was supplied by the Auburn Theological school. In 1873 came Rev. L. W. Church; then Rev. C. A. Kingsbury, who came in 1885. A. E. Kinmouth closed a three years' pastorate in April, 1889, and was succeeded by Rev. E. A. Burt.
In 1890 about $3,500 were spent on the interior of the church and the purchase of an organ. The present church officers are as follow :
Deacons, H L. Brace, A. A. Leach, Geo. A. Bonfoy ; trustees, A. A. Leach, P. H. Brown, H. Nichols, E. H. Davis, A. C. Day, M. A. Spicer. F. L. Brace, clerk and su- perintendent of Sunday-school. The membership is 141.
The West Winfield Baptist church was first organized in 1796 as the Second Baptist Church of Litchfield. In 1803 it received the name of the Guild Society, in honor of Deacon Oliver Guild, who contributed liberally to its support. In 1828 it was reorganized under the name of the West Winfield Guild Society, which name it bore until 1880, when it was changed to the First Baptist Church of West Winfield. The first church building was erected in 1803, about a mile north of the present village of West Winfield. In 1826 the society purchased their present eligible site in the village, and removed and rebuilt their church at a cost of about $1,400. In 1857 $1,800 were expended on the build- ing, and in 1863 it was enlarged at a cost of $1,000. In 1877 a ses- sion room and audience room were fitted up at a further cost of $1,000. In 1861 a parsonage was built at a cost of $1,900. This church was burned on the 9th of May, 1889, and services were held temporarily in the Congregational church and in the academy. Immediate steps were taken to rebuild, and the following committee was appointed for that purpose : J. B. Murray, chairman ; Dr. J. M. Rose, C. J. Wheeler, T. W. Morgan, J. E. Davis, W. H. Parkhurst, E. P. McFarland. Plans were secured and the present beautiful and substantial brick edifice was erected, the dedication ceremonies occurring on the 8th and 9th of Oc- tober, 1890. Several costly memorial windows were presented to the new church, and many liberal subscriptions made for its construction. The church cost about $23,000.
The pastors previous to 1826 were Elders Vining, Simmons, Philleo, and Holmes. From 1826 the pastors, as far as known, were Elders Clay, Newell, Putnam, Rasco. Ferguson. Nelson, and Tremaine. From 1843 to 1847, Rev. A. Kingsbury. During
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the next several years Revs. Alden, Watkins, and Pixley served the society. From 1859 to 1866, Rev. H. A. Smith preached ; 1866 to 1869, Rev. I. N. Hobart ; 1869 to 1872, supplies by Madison University students; 1872 to 1876, Rev. H. Garlick ; part of 1876, Rev. A. Reynolds; 1876 to 1878, Rev. S. C. Moore; 1878 to 1883, Rev. Wm. A. Fenn; 1883, one year, Rev. P. D. Root; supplied by Mr. Fenn to July, 1885; then Rev. Thomas E. Jepson to close of 1887; from the spring of 1888, Rev. Warren Saphore, to 1891; he was succeeded by the present pastor, Rev. D. Kendall Smith.
The Sunday-school was organized in 1826. The present church trustees are James B. Murray, George S. Weeks, Charles J. Wheeler ; Sunday-school superintendent, O. B. Holmes. The membership is about 140.
The Methodist Church of West Winfield was organized in the year 1827, and the first meeting place was in the school-house. In 1828 the first church was built at a cost of $1,200. In 1855 $1,500 were ex- pended in repairs, and in 1865 the church was burned. The present edifice was erected in 1866, and cost $9,000. The parsonage is valued at $3,000.
The first pastor was Rev. Ephraim Hall, and he has been followed by Revs. John Er- canbrack, Wm. Bowdish, Wmn. Round, Edwin Dennison, - Breckenridge, Lewis An- derson, --- Loomis, B. W. Goram, J. D. Torry, H. Tremaine, W. Jerome, HI. J. Rand, J. L. Wells, G. C. Elliott, G. Colgrove, W. E. York, J. W. Hall, W. N. Burr, J. Pilkin- ton, W. B. McDonald, C. Morgan, Gordon Moore, W. S. Titus, J. B. Darling, C. W. Brooks, E. W. Jones, S. P. Gray, A. C. Loucks, S. T. Dibble, William Williams, W. L. Tisdale, and the present pastor, Wm. H. Bury. The membership is 105.
St. Joseph's Church (Catholic) was organized in May, 1867, by Rev. Father T. J. Smith. During about eight years they worshiped in a public hall. In June, 1874, the corner-stone of a new church was laid and the building was finished in September, 1875; its cost was $8,000. Father Smith was pastor until 1874, and was succeeded by Father E. F. O'Connor, who continued until 1884. Then came Father M. C. Gavin, who remained to 1892, and was succeeded by Father Dennis B. Collins. Father Gavin purchased the Dr. Spencer residence for a par- sonage and it burned in 1889. It is now being rebuilt. The church contains about eighty-five families.
East Winfield-Is a post-office and small hamlet about two miles east of West Winfield, on the turnpike. In the old days of staging it was a busy point, but now it contains only one store kept by Milton West, who is also postmaster. Curtis Day owns the saw-mill and carries on an extensive cider-mill in connection with it.
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Here the late Benjamin Carver carried on a mercantile business for many years ; he was the father of Mrs. Leiter, whose husband is of the great mercantile firm of Field, Leiter & Co. of Chicago. Here resided the late Dean Burgess, who removed to Herkimer and was for many years prominent and wealthy. He was president of the Mohawk National Bank. Here was the home of George Thomas, a , merch- ant and prominent abolitionist, who removed to Utica a few years before his death. Samuel McKee, father of Hon. M. H. McKee, cashier of the Richfield Springs Bank, still resides here. Dr. Abner Clark also lived here until he removed to Fredonia, Chautauqua county. He was a descendant of the pilgrims, born in Connecticut; his sister was the wife of Nathan Hardin.
Wood's Corners .- There was an early settlement at this point, which is about a mile south of West Winfield. In 1792 David Wood removed with his brother-in-law, Jotham Chapin, from Monson, Hampden county, Mass., being then twenty-seven years of age, and purchased of John 1 Morgan two farms, then being in a wilderness. One of them is now occupied by Colonel Wood, his son (the president of the West Win- field Bank), and the other is known as the Palmer farm, which was many years owned by Vose Palmer, and subsequently by Walter H. Palmer, the father of Charles J. Palmer, of Little Falls, whose brother now occupies the farm. About the same period Simeon Bucklin took up and began clearing a farm next easterly of the Corners, which is now owned and occupied by his son, Robert Bucklin, whose sister, Phœbe Bucklin, married Avery Backus, and they occupied the farm just south of the Robert Bucklin farm. About the same period Deacon Charles Burt, Larkin Smith, Joseph Gates, Eleazer Brown, Samuel Brown, and Adam Burdick settled in that vicinity. The settlement grew rapidly, and in 1825 Joseph Hardin taught school in the district em- bracing that territory, having one hundred scholars. There were some Revolutionary soldiers who lived in that vicinity, to wit : Joseph Moors, Adam Burdick, John Rutter, James Harris and - - - Vaugn. About 1790 the place known as " Meeting-House Green," about two miles and a half north of West Winfield, was settled. In this neighborhood resided Sewell Town, a public-spirited, energetic man, for many years a magistrate. Also the Leaches and Eldreds; and about a mile west
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of there was the home of Elijah Gates. His lands were sold in 1832, a portion thereof to Nathan Hardin, and the other portion thereof to Joseph Hardin, who in that year removed from the town of Plainfield, Otsego county. Nathan Hardin was the father of Joseph Hardin and eleven other children, who grew to be adults. llis son, Dennis Hardin, was a merchant and banker at Leonardsville; he was member of the Assembly in 1852. He was the father of Mrs. John O. Wheeler; Mr. Wheeler is cashier of the West Winfield Bank. His son, General A. C. Hardin, settled early in life in Monmouth, Ill., and during the war raised a regiment on his own account, and was distinguished at the second battle of Fort Donaldson. In 1867 he represented his district in Congress. Dan- iel Hardin, another son, resided many years and carried on a mercantile business at Leonardsville, and now resides at Saginaw City and is pres- ident of the Citizens' National Bank. His son Nathan resides near Des Moines, Iowa. His oldest son was Joseph Hardin, who was born in Connecticut in 1804 at East Hampton ; his family removed to Plainfield, Otsego county, about the year 1816, where they resided until they lo- cated in the town of Winfield, above stated. Joseph Hardin resided on the farm purchased of Elisha Gates, where his sons, George A., Abner Clark and William H. were born. He removed to the village of West Winfield about the year 1838, having purchased the farm just westerly of the village and a little beyond the "Old Elm Tree," which has been a landmark or monument for over 125 years. Large portions of the farm were sold for village lots, and the site of the Catholic church by Joseph Hardin prior to his death, which occurred by reason of an accident caused by the overturning of a wagon in the summer of 1870. His widow occupied the farm until her death, which occurred in 1877. Shortly thereafter it was sold by his daughter, Mary E. Hardin, and his son, George A. Hardin, the heirs, to N. D. Taylor, who now occupies what has not been sold for village purposes. The homestead, however, was reserved by the heirs, and was occupied by Miss Mary E. Hardin as a residence until the time of her death, which occurred therein on the 16th day of August, 1880. Subsequently it was conveyed by George A. Hardin to Charles D. Wheeler, a second cousin, who now occupies the sanie.
Half a mile north of the Gates farm, already mentioned, was a neigh- borhood which was settled early in the century, where were the resi-
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dences of Anson Backus, Captain Goff, the Braces and the Holmeses. Anson Backus with his family removed to Gaines, Orleans county, about the year 1836. He was the father of Amanda Backus, who was born in the " Red House " on the Gates farm in 1803. She was mar- ried to Joseph llardin in 1829, and they were the parents of George A. Hardin.
Chepachet .- This is a hamlet in the northeast part of the town, with a post-office, over which James Dager is postmaster, at the railroad sta- tion. There is good water power here, which led to the settlement of the locality and the construction of mills. The first dam here was built by George Rounds to provide power for a saw-mill, which afterwards passed to possession of Isaac Simmons, and later to Charles Rice, who constructed a new dam above the old one and erected a grist-mill and the large stone house still standing. A distillery was once operated by Benjamin Carver where the shop of George Davis is now located. Charles Rice sold the grist -mill and saw mill to Sanders Dodge, and the former was burned about 1840. The present grist-mill was built by Elmer Angell; he also had a blacksmith and trip- hammer shop. A dam was early in existence below the others, which furnished power for a cloth-dressing factory. It stood on a part of the farm of William Green, and was demolished by him about 1885. Charles Rice at one time had a furnace here, and it is said that he cast the first iron plows used in the county; it stood on the place now owned by George Bailey. Much of the business activity of this hamlet has disap- peared.
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