History of Jefferson County, New York, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 42

Author: Durant, Samuel W; Peirce, H. B. (Henry B.)
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Philadelphia : L.H. Everts & Co.
Number of Pages: 862

USA > New York > Jefferson County > History of Jefferson County, New York, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 42

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156

HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY, NEW YORK.

Year

No. Policies.

Year.

No. Policies.| Year.

No. Policies.

1853

888

1861

3,541

1869

26,900

1854

689

1862

3,874

1870

35,500

1855

990

1863

4,210

1871

41,580

1856

1440

1864

9,130

1872

48,395

1857

1724

1865

14,671

1873

59,837

1858

2089

1866

18,377

1874

46,959

1859.

2954

1867

23,335

1875

43,837

1860

3125

1868

25,040

1876

41,002

Total policies issued.

This company has now been in existence a quarter of a century, has during that time paid $2,325,150 for losses, has always met them promptly, and has accumulated cash assets to the amount of about $1,100,000. It has erected for itself the finest marble-front office in northern New York, in which it is still prosecuting its business with its wonted caution and success. Not only have these results been obtained by this company, but out of its prosperity- or in consequence of it-has grown up in this city a large insurance interest. The Watertown Fire Insurance Com- pany was really an outgrowth of the Agricultural, and the success of these two companies induced the organization of others, until there are now over $2,500,000 invested in this enterprise in this city. What is a little remarkable in the history of this company is the fact that six of the original fifteen corporators are now living, and the present vice-president, secretary, and general agent are among the number. They have been for twenty-five years and still are actively engaged in furthering the interests of the com- pany, with a view of placing it upon a basis of safety and solidity, that it may remain a monument to their zeal and energy, and continue an honor to the county, and one of its permanent institutions, long after their labors in its behalf shall have ended.

John C. Cooper, Esq., whose watchful care over the interests of the company as its president for twenty-two years was unceasing, died in January, 1877, and the vaeancy was filled by the election of John A. Sherman, the former vice-president.

No less to be mentioned for energetic effort and efficient management, and one who has done more to enlarge the busi- ness of the company than any other person, is its present secretary, Isaac Munson, who has given his life-work for the good of the company, and who will be honored and remembered as one of its most useful members.

Favorable mention might also be made of the present general agent, Hiram Dewey, and others, who have been most able financiers and managers.

THE WATERTOWN FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY.

This company was organized December 7, 1867, in less than seven wecks from the date of the first proposition to incorporate a company to do exclusively a dwelling-house business.

The corporators were men of experience in the insurance business, and to such an extent did they command public confidence that the capital was all subscribed in twenty-four hours after the books were opened for subscription to the full amount proposed in the charter, to wit, $100,000. It commenced its business cautiously in a comparatively circumscribed locality, and kept extending its lines as the confidence of both stockholders and policy-holders seemed to demand, until its business has attained large proportions for a company confining its business to a specialty on

dwellings and contents. In less than ten years this com- pany has grown from $100,000 to about $750,000, steadily growing in the confidence of its patrons. The following table will show its steady uniform increase :

Policies I-sned.

Assets. $101,254.21

Policies Issued.

Assets.

During Dec. 1867

139

During 1872 ...... 23,892

$438,890.54

1868.

3,961

124,084.66

1873 .. .... 35,912

556,849.90

1869

5,881

148,5331.47

1871 ..... 36,400

648,941.51

1870 .....

7,717

171,753 98

1875 ...... 36,890

694,075.63

1871 ...... 15,616

338,693.13

1876 ...... 36,980

725,819.08

At the first election of officers Hon. Norris Winslow was elected president, Jesse M. Adams secretary, and Henry S. Munson general agent. Mr. Winslow resigned his position as president in 1876, and Hon. Willard Ives was elected to fill the vacancy. Chas. H. Waite was elected general agent in 1868 and still retains his position, as also does Mr. Adams, who have carefully watched over its in- terests, assisted for the last few years by U. S. Gilbert, the vice-president.

The business of the company has ever been strictly con- fined to private residences and their contents, although the charter was changed the present year to give a little more latitude in regard to its risks, but no change to any extent has been made nor any contemplated. The organization of this company has been one of the fortunate enterprises of Watertown, as proved by its success. Not only has it at- tained this steady uniform growth until it has become the largest moneyed corporation in the city, with one exception, but it has every year made liberal dividends to its stock- holders, and loaned nearly $500,000 upon bond and mort- gage in the county. It has received nearly $2,000,000 for premiums and paid nearly $1,000,000 for losses, and no one month's losses have ever yet exceeded its premium re- ceipts. Its prospect is such that all may well be proud of it, and abroad, as well as at home, it reflects a credit upon the enterprises of Jefferson County. Its present directors are Hon. Willard Ives, Isaac Munson, Hiram Dewey, John A. Sherman, J. M. Canfield, H. M. Stevens, E. F. Carter, J. R. Stebbins, U. S. Gilbert, F. H. Munson, C. H. Waite, J. M. Adams.

NORTHERN INSURANCE COMPANY OF NEW YORK.

This company was organized as the " Black River In- surance Company," in March, 1872, and is the only Watertown company transacting a commercial business. It is not confined to dwellings and farm property, but insures stores, merchandise, manufacturing establishments, mills, etc. The company was organized after the Chicago fire of October 9, 1871, had made many vacant places in the insurance ranks, and its projectors had naturally bright visions of future good. The Boston conflagration in November, 1872, however, found the company scarcely established, and ill prepared to withstand the heavy losses entailed by that disaster. The Black River paid over $80,000 to Boston sufferers, the stockholders voluntarily paying into the funds an amount equal to twenty-five per cent. of the capital stock. The year 1873 was not a suc- cessful one for the Black River, and the stockholders were called upon for an additional subscription of twenty-five per cent., which was cheerfully responded to, and thence- forward the success of the institution was assured.

460,093

157

HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY, NEW YORK.

Early in 1875 the name of the company was changed to its present one, as it was found, after due trial, that the original title, though locally popular, was provocative of unfriendly criticism and distrust among distant communi- ties where agencies were planted.

The company is now one of the established institutions of the county ; is well known and deservedly popular in all the principal cities from the Atlantic to the Pacifie; its reputation for fair and honorable dealing being second to none. Its assets now reach the respectable figure of almost $400,000, and its net surplus (or undivided profits) over all liabilities is over $50,000.

The first president of the Black River was Loveland Paddock, and its directors and stockholders comprised most of the leading men of Watertown. Mr. Paddock died during the summer of 1872, and was succeeded in the office by his son George F. Paddock, who remained the president until January, 1875, when he was succeeded by the present popular and enterprising president, Hon. Gilde- roy Lord, to whose unswerving faith and business tact much of the later success of the company is due.

The present officers and directors are as follows : Gilde- roy Lord, president; W. W. Taggart, vice-president ; A. H. Wray, secretary. Directors, John L. Baker, Henry M. Ball, C. A. Holden, G. W. Knowlton, Jr., Gilderoy Lord, Joseph Mullen, Joseph Mullen, Jr., Pearson Mundy, Isaac P. Powers, George H. Sherman, H. G. P. Spencer, Wm. W. Taggart, B. B. Taggart, Samuel B. Upham, George L. Woodruff, A. H. Wray, all of Watertown ; R. P. Flower and Reuben S. Middleton, of New York City ; A. F. Barker, of Clayton ; and Henry Spicer, of Perch River, Jefferson County.

THE HOMESTEAD FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY.

This company was organized in 1873. Its business is confined to farm buildings and property, detached eity and village residences, and takes no hazardous risks of any description. While the company is comparatively a new onc, it has met with a success somewhat remarkable. The report of the company, January 1, 1877, shows that its assets were $271,865.80, and since 1874 it has not failed to make its semi-annual dividend. Its present officers are Hon. Allen C. Beach, president, who has filled the position from the organization; John C. Sterling, vice-president ; Charles F. Sawyer, secretary ; Myers Thompson, treasurer.

THE EMPIRE STATE LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY,

of Watertown, was conceived and projected by John Shel- don, of Watertown, and was incorporated in April, 1869, and commeneed issuing policies in June following. The first officers were, James A. Bell, president ; Loveland Pad- dock and Ezra B. Cornell, vice-presidents ; John Sheldon, secretary and treasurer. In January, 1870, George B. Phelps succeeded to the presideney, and continues in that position at the present time. The business of the company was run successfully and economically under the direct management of John Sheldon, secretary and treasurer, and at the end of three years, or July 1, 1872, the assets had reached over $350,000, policies to the number of 6000 having been issued. In August, 1872, the directors re-

solved to discontinue business by reason of large losses by death, and the financial depression which was already bur- dening the resources of the country, and entered into an arrangement with the Life Association of America, of St. Louis, Missouri, to assume the carrying out of its poliey contraets, and also to reimburse the stockholders.

Since that arrangement all the policies have been trans- ferred to the association, or otherwise closed out, leaving the company at this time (October, 1877) with an organ- ization merely.

The company, while running, had a record of which it could well fcel proud, and undoubtedly much of its success was owing to the large business experience of George B. Phelps, president, and of Messrs. T. II. Camp and Isaae Minison, of the board of directors.

A BOARD OF FIRE UNDERWRITERS

was organized in 1866, and reorganized in 1872, and is now in operation, with D. M. Bennett as president, and Charles B. Fowler secretary, the latter having served since its first organization.

TRADE.

The first merchants to bring a stock of goods to Water- town were John Paddock and William Smith, who brought their wares from Utiea in wagons and opened their store in 1805. In March, 1807, seventeen sleighs, laden with goods for these pioneer tradesmen, were twenty-three days in getting from Oneida county to Watertown by way of Red- field. A census of the village in 1827 gave twenty-eight mercantile establishments of various kinds. The city di- rectory of M. M. Kimball for 1877-8, gives the number of mercantile houses as one hundred and seventy-four.

A summary of the business of the present, of the city of Watertown, admits of the following classifications : 1 ac- countant, 5 agricultural-implement dealers, 2 architects, 2 artists, 53 attorneys, 4 bakeries, 6 banks, 10 barbers, 7 blacksmith-shops, 1 blind-hinge manufactory, 3 binde ries, 5 book and job printing-offices, 5 dealers in books and stationery, 10 boot- and shoe-dealers, 9 boot- and shoe- makers, 3 dealers in bottled lager (wholesale), 1 dealer (wholesale) in bottled soda and ginger ale, 1 brass-foundry, 1 brewery, 1 briek-yard, 2 eandle-factories, 5 carpet-dealers, 10 carriage-, sleigh-, and wagon-factories, 1 carriage-reposi- tory, 7 cigar- and tobacco-manufactories, 9 dealers in elothing and gents' farnishing goods, 2 dealers in eoal, salt, and eement, 2 dealers in coffins, robes, and plates, 6 confectioners, 2 coopers, 2 dealers in crockery, glass, and china ware, 1 eotton-yarn factory, 7 dentists, 8 dress- and cloak-making establishments, 7 dealers in drugs, medicines, etc., 9 dry- goods houses (1 wholesale), 2 dye-works, 1 vacuum-brake manufactory, 1 express office (American), 1 dealer in fire- and burglar-proof safes, 4 dealers in oysters and fish, 2 florists, 1 flour- and feed-dealer, 1 flour-sack manufactory, 5 foundry- and machine-shops, 8 fruit and vegetable garden- crs, 3 furniture-manufacturers, 7 gas-fitting and plumbing establishments, 1 grain-dealer, 6 flouring- and grist-mills, 26 grocery and provision houses, 1 gunsmith, 4 hardware houses, 5 harness and trunk dealers, 4 hat, eap, and fur dealers, 2 dealers in hides and felts, 11 hotels, 1 manu-

158

HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY, NEW YORK.

factory of carving-tables, 3 iee dealers, 4 insurance com- panies, 10 insurance agents, 1 intelligence offiee, 10 dealers in jewelry, watches, and clocks, 2 justices of the peace, 4 dealers in ladies' furnishing goods, 1 dealer in ladies' sani- tary goods, 1 lamp-manufactory, 3 laundries, 1 dealer in leather and findings, 1 Limburger cheese dealer, 3 dealers in lime, land-plaster, etc., 5 livery and sale stables, 3 lum- ber-dealers, 1 malt-house, 3 marble-dealers, 12 meat-markets, 1 (firm) dealer in mechanics' tools, 6 merchant tailors, 10 milkmen, 11 milliners, 2 music and piano houses, 7 musie- teachers, 2 news-depots, 5 newspaper offices (3 weeklies, 2 dailies), 1 notions and jewelry house, 10 nurses, 10 dealers in ornamental hair-work, 2 manufacturers of ornamental iron-work, 6 paint-shops, 4 paper-manufactories, 1 pattern- and model-maker, 1 pawnbroker, 1 pearl-barley mill, 2 pension and claim agents, 3 photograph galleries, 19 phy- sicians, 2 piano-tuners, 4 dealers in pieture-frames and chromos, 5 planing-mills and moulding-manufactories, 2 plow-factories, 3 pump-manufactories, 2 pop-corn dealers, 1 post office, 4 restaurants and boarding- and dining-saloons, 2 railroad stations, 2 salt-dealers, 4 sash-, door-, and blind- factories, 1 saw-manufacturer, 2 saw-mills, 1 scrivener, 3 second-hand stores, 1 sewing-machine factory, 2 sewing- machine agents, 2 sextons, 6 dealers in silver and plated ware, 2 electro-platers, 2 shirt-manufactories, 2 soap-facto- ries, 2 dealers in sportsmen's goods, 2 steam-engine manu- factories, 1 stair-builder, 10 stove dealers, tinsmiths, etc., 4 tanneries, 2 telegraph offices, 2 ticket agencies, 1 tile and sewer-pipe manufactory, 3 dealers in toys and fancy goods, 2 umbrella-repairers, 2 undertakers, 1 file-works, 3 wine- and liquor-dealers, 1 wool-carding and cloth-dressing estab- lishment, 1 wood-engraver, 3 wood-yards.

The capital invested in the business enumerated above is approximately as follows :

In manufactures. $$1,285,000

In trade ..

₴2,117,000

Insurance-capital and surplus ..

2,500,000

Banking ...

1,009,466

Railroad capital in the city ..

+233,961

Total. $7,145,427

The shipments of the Rome, Watertown and Ogdens- burgh railroad from the station at Watertown, for the year ending Sept. 30, 1877, aggregated 11,219 tons, of which there were 1017 tons of butter and cheese, 1356 tons of flour and wheat, and 3499 ton's of paper.

SIX DECADES IN THE POST-OFFICE OF WATERTOWN.

During the administration of President Monroe, from 1817 to 1824 inclusive, the Watertown post-office was kept on the corner of Court street and the Publie Square, on the site now occupied by the Merchants' Bank. Here Dr. Henry H. Sherwood officiated as postmaster, and inter- spersed his official duties with the sale of drugs and medi- cines until 1825, when he was succeeded in the office by Daniel Lee, an appointec of John Quincy Adams. Mr. Lee removed the office temporarily to the Fairbanks eor- ner, and thence to the old Symonds store, near where the

Union National Bank offree now stands. In 1829, Alpheus S. Greene was appointed by President Jackson, and the post-office again occupied the Fairbanks corner until the erection of the old American block in 1835, when it was removed to the corner basement of that building. Mr. Greene kept the office here until 1839, when he gave way to Mr. Alvin Hunt, an appointment of President Van Buren. In 1841, John F. Hutchinson was appointed post- master by President John Tyler, and soon after removed the office to the west store of the old American block on Arsenal street. In 1845, Pearson Mundy was appointed to the office by President Polk, and kept the same in the last- named place until the spring of 1849, when the building, office, and its contents were destroyed by the fire that laid waste the business portion of Watertown,-a eonflagration still spoken of as the great fire, an account of which is given elsewhere in this work. Philo S. Johnson, an appointee of President Zachary Taylor, succeeded Mr. Mundy, and on Saturday evening, the 29th of May, 1849, Mr. Johnson called upon Mr. Mundy and made arrange- ments for the transfer of the post-office property, and Mr. Mundy's interest thercin also, which amounted to several hundred dollars. The transfer was to be made the next Monday morning; but at two o'clock on the next morning (Sunday), within one hour of the changing of the night mail from Sacket's Harbor to Utica, the same being brought through by eoaeh, the Watertown post-office was in flames ; and so complete was its destruction, Mr. Mundy had scarcely more to pass to his sueeessor than the title of his office. However, the new postmaster, assisted by the one he had displaced, gathered together the fragments that had escaped destruction and opened an office on the cast side of Washington street, in a building situated near the present site of D. B. Sanford's store, in Washington Hall block, where it remained until the completion of the Pad- doek Arcade in 1850, when it was removed to its present loeation, where it has ever since remained. Wm. H. Si- gourney was Mr. Johnson's successor, and served during the administrations of Presidents Pieree and Buchanan. In 1861, Levi Smith was appointed by President Lincoln, and held the office until March 1, 1870. During his official term the office was considerably enlarged by the addition of the store known as Rand's News-room, and remodeled and improved generally. Mr. Smith was suc- cceded by Wm. G. Williams, the present incumbent (by whose courtesy this sketch has been prepared), who held the office until April 1, 1874, when he was succeeded for a few weeks only by Alexander Campbell, whose health would not permit him to discharge any of the duties of the office except to attach his signature to official papers. On Mr. Campbell's deeease, April 28, 1874, Mr. Williams was reappointed. In 1873 the office was again remodeled, and supplied with new distributing cases and efficient appliances to facilitate the distribution of mails and meet the growing needs of the community.

To give an approximate idea of the growth of Water- town, and the increasing business of the office, a statement is annexed showing its business from July, 1876, to July, 1877. During this year there were sent from this office 520,176 letters, 105,570 postal cards, 175,500 packages

# Estimates of commercial reports.

+ As assessed by the county for taxation.

159

HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY, NEW YORK.

and pieces of second-class matter, such as newspaper pack- ages from offices of publication, etc .; 85,250 pieces of third- class matter, such as circulars, books, samples, merchandise, etc. ; making a total of 886,496 pieces, the total weight of which was 117,000 pounds. There were 2842 pieces sent daily, weighing 375 pounds. There were registered 590 domestic and 207 foreign letters, and of such there were received 2013, and 3403 passed through the office in transit to other points, of which a record was made. There were issued during the year money-orders amounting to $30,725.67, and there were paid orders amounting to $71,625.67. During the same time stamps, stamped en- velopes, and postal cards were sold to the amount of about $17,000. During the year named over 14,000 lock-pouches and 1500 sacks were sent from the office to convey mails dispatched, and about the same number received, and of the same weight. Money-orders were first issued from this office November 1, 1864, and the number of the first year's issue was 292. The total number issued to date (Novem- ber 1, 1877) is 26,115, 3000 being issued during the last year. Mr. Bruce F. Martin is the assistant postmaster of this office, and four clerks are regularly employed therein, fifteen mails being received and fifteen dispatched daily, except Sunday.

THE SCHOOLS OF WATERTOWN.

The first school-house in Watertown was a barn, and the oldest school-tcacher was a little girl. In the summer of 1802, two years after Henry Coffeen and Zachariah Butter- field made the first settlement within the present city, Sally Coffeen, a daughter of the former, only fourteen or fifteen years old, began a school for the still younger children of the four or five families who then constituted the population of Watertown village, in a barn on the site of the " Despatch" block, on Arcade street. The same year her sister, bearing the peculiar name of Heiress Coffeen, took her place, occu- pying a log house on the Adams road, now Washington street, where she taught for three summers. A Mr. Good- rich taught there one or two winters, being the first male teacher in the village. These were all private schools, there being as yet no public organization.

In 1804 a school district was organized, embracing the whole town of Watertown (which then included Houns- field) except the Burrville district. A small frame school- house was immediately begun, on the road to Champion, its site being now occupied by the Universalist church on the public square. It was not completed until 1805, when there were a dozen or fifteen families in the settlement, and other districts had already been organized in the town. It was at the top of a steep hill, and the west end was upheld four fect above the ground by pine logs set on end. The only seats were pine boards fastened to the wall and run- ning around three sides of the single room.

The first teacher in this primitive temple of education was a Scotchman named McGregor, still remembered for a sternness as forbidding, though in a different way, as that of his namesake, the celebrated Rob Roy. He was suc- ceeded by an itinerant minister named Leavenworth, who preached and taught for two years. He was followed by Roswell Babbitt, and he by a Mr. Laidlaw. In those times

children used to come, in summer, from the Cold creek neighborhood on the east, from Watertown Centre on the south, and from the Parker settlement on the west. In winter only the boys and occasionally some of the large girls made these toilsome trips through the snow. But one after the other these sections were detached from the original district, until the latter was reduced to the innmediate vicinity of the thriving village.

At the little school-house on the hill was held, in 1807, the first court in Jefferson County ; the presiding justice being Hon. Smith Thompson. After the adjournment of the real tribunal a sham one was organized, in which the fondness of our forefathers for rough practical jokes found ample vent. One after the other the principal citizens of the county were convicted of murder, arson, chewing gum, burglary, and of failing to smuggle potash into Canada.

The school-house walls witnessed punishments which had better be imagined than described, and if any one was left unconvicted of crime, it was because he was too insignificant to invite attention.

Mr. Laidlaw taught about 1810. In that year the pub- lic-spirited villagers determined that something should be done for the cause of higher education. Two thousand five hundred dollars was raised by subscription, a lot was pur- chased, and in that and the following year a two-story briek building was erected for an academy, which stood on the cast side of Washington street, on the ground now occupied by Academy street. The war, which broke out in 1812, and perhaps other causes, prevented the academy from being opened, and the building was frequently used as a hospital during that conflict.

In the district school, Mr. Laidlaw was succeeded by an eccentric and unfortunate individual, named Jeremiah Bishop ; more frequently called "Long-legged Bishop" by the irreverent portion of his scholars. He taught school while confined to the jail-limits for debt, and was somewhat famous in old times as a road-maker. Desiring to go frequently from the school-house across the public square to a spring in front of the site of the Woodruff House, and the way being overgrown with thistles and weeds, he sprinkled thickly with salt a space about three feet wide between those two points, so that the cattle and sheep which then roamed on the square would " eat out" the desired pathway. There is some dispute about the result of the experiment, but for the honor of science we prefer to credit those who say that this ingenious plan was followed by a brilliant success.

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History of Jefferson County, New York, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 42

Author: Durant, Samuel W; Peirce, H. B. (Henry B.) Publication date: 1878 Publisher: Philadelphia : L.H. Everts & Co. Number of Pages: 862

Author: Durant, Samuel W; Peirce, H. B. (Henry B.)
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Philadelphia : L.H. Everts & Co.
Number of Pages: 862