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 82
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" Also for sale, a township of land lying on Black river, near Lake Ontario. These townships are all laid out in lots, and will be sold by large or small quantities, to suit purchasers, and the title indis- putable. Also ten lots of land to be leased on first tract.
"LEMUEL STORRS.
" May 10, 1797."
Settlement was commenced in this town by Noadiah Hubbard, in 1787, the details of which we give in the fol- lowing letter, which was written to Dr. Hough in 1853 :
" CHAMPION, June, 1853.
"DR. F. B. HOUGH,-Dcar Sir : As you requested some months since, I now transmit to you a few of my recollec- tions of the early settlement of this county. . . . I am past the age when most men write at all, being now in my eighty- ninth year, and past events may well be supposed to be be- coming dimmed by reason of age, and more like a dream than a reality ; yet I have been, and am, wonderfully blessed, both as respects health and the possession of pres- ent memory,-some of the choicest gifts of a kind Provi- dence. All the companions of my early youth and of my more mature years have passed away, and I am left alone to tell the tale. Yet not alone as it respects friends. Others have risen up around me to take the place, in some measure, of those that are gone. Of the friends of my early manhood's years I often feel to exclaim, 'Where are they ?' And echo answers, ' Where are they ?' Gone to that 'bourne from whence no traveler returns.' The origi- nal land-holders, even, of all this region of country are passed away, and have left no trace or name save in the title-deeds. I have not very many records of those early days ; so full of life and bustle were they that little time was left to record their stirring events ; yet some I have, and when I give you dates at all they are from memoranda made at the time.
" I first came to this town, Champion, in the year 1797, with Lewis Storrs, a large land-holder, when he came on for the first time to view his purchase. I was then residing in Steuben, in what is now Oneida county, but then, or shortly before, Herkimer. Mr. Storrs then hired several pack-men, whose business it was to carry the necessary provisions for
the expedition on their backs. This was late in the autumn. We traveled on foot, by what is called the French road, to the High Falls on the Black river. This road had been cut for the accommodation of the French refugees who had made a settlement at High Falls, and had there a log city. Many of these French belonged to the nobility of France, who were obliged to abandon their country during the revo- lution, in 1793, but who were afterwards permitted to re- turn when the star of the empire rose upon the Bonapartes. Their settlement was made upon what was called the French Tract, on the north and east sides of the Black River, and extending a great distance. From the High Falls we descended the river in a boat to the rapids, called the Long Falls, now known as Carthage. Here we landed, and in two days explored the township, then an unbroken wilder- ness. On our way down, Silas Stow, then a young man, and afterwards known as Judge Stow, of Lowville, joined us. On the third day we re-embarked and proceeded up the river, and it was two days' hard rowing to get back again to the High Falls. As I believe I before mentioned, it was late in November, and the night we were obliged to be out we encountered a severe snow-storm. To protect ourselves from it in some measure, we made a shanty by setting up some crotchets and laying on poles, and covering them with hemlock boughs. We also scattered branches upon the ground upon which to lie, and, by making a rousing fire in front of our shelter, we contrived to be very comfortable. By this time our provisions were nearly ex- hausted, and we had before us the prospect of a hungry day. But in ascending the river we fortunately killed a duck and a partridge ; these being stripped of their feathers in the evening, I cooked them for our breakfast the next morn- ing. I prepared them as nicely as I could with our scanty means ; salt we had none. I had a little pork left; this I cut in small bits and inserted into the flesh of the fowls, where it served the double purpose of salt and butter for basting. To cook them I set up a couple of crotched sticks, laid another across, and from it, by strips of bark, suspended my fowls before the fire, where they cooked most beauti- fully, and were all in good time partaken of by the com- pany with a rare relish. Indeed, Messrs. Storrs and Stow declared they had never eaten so good. Hunger and a limited supply gave a keenness of relish not often expe- rienced.
" In due time we arrived safe and well in Steuben, from whence we had started, where I passed the winter. Mr. Storrs offered me very liberal inducements to come on here and commence a settlement ; so liberal that I determined to accept them, though I may say in passing, and then dis- miss the subject forever, that he failed to fulfill his liberal offers. But, in consideration of those offers, I left my home in Steuben, June 1, 1798, and started for this place, accompanied by Salmon Ward and David Starr, with fifteen head of cattle. We traveled again upon the French road, as far as it availed us. This township had been surveyed by Benjamin and Moses Wright the year before, and this year Mr. Storrs had engaged Benjamin Wright to survey Hounsfield, and on his way there he was to mark a road to this place and to precede me. I met the surveyors agreeably to appointment at a Mr. Hoadley's, and from there
{PHOTO? BY L.S. WELLER. ANTWERP.)
A. LOOMIS .
MRS. A. LOOMIS.
RESIDENCE OF MRS. LUCINA . LOOMIS, CHAMPION, N. Y.
PHOTO BY GENDRON.
MRS ELIAS SAGE.
RESIDENCE OF COL. ELIAS SAGE, CH.
PHOTO. BY GENDRON.
( FORMER RESIDENCE Of ELIAS SAGE. )
ELIAS. SAGE.
1, JEFFERSON CO., N. Y. ( No. of ACRES 496.)
A.W. TWINING
MRS. A.W. TWINING.
RESIDENCE OF A. W. TWINING, CHAMPION, JEFFERSON CO., N. Y.
-
333
HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY, NEW YORK.
we came on to what is ealled Turin Four-Corners. There was only one log house there then. From there we went west about thirty or forty rods to Zaecheus Higby's. There we laid down our maps and consulted them, and eame to the conclusion to take from thenee a north course. This led us on to the top of the hill, now known as the Tug hill.
" We were entirely ignorant of the face of the country, and of the most eligible route to pursue, and therefore took the one which seemed the most dircet, not knowing the obstaeles to be encountered. We had before come down by water, and on this route there was not even a marked tree. It was the duty of the surveyors to prceede us, mark a road, and chain it. Mr. Wright started in advance of us for that purpose. It was a beautiful, elear morning, and we followed on, progressing finely until the middle of the afternoon, when we eame to a great gulf, and an abundanee of marked trees. We went over the gulf, but could find no more trees marked. We then made a fire, and took out the stoppings from our bells, and suffered our cattle to feed around the fire while we set ourselves to search for marked
trees, over the gulfs, and up and down, but could find no place to eross, or marks by which to determine what course the surveyors had taken. In this predicament we prepared to construct a shelter for the night, of hemloek boughs, ete.
" The next morning the sun came up elcar and bright, and I called a eouneil. I told the men how much damage it would be to me to return, how great a loss not to pro- eced, and asked them if they were willing to come on. David Starr replied that he would go to h-1 if I would. Though no way desirous of going to the latter place, even in good company, I determined to come on, if such a thing were possible without a compass or guide. We then set ourselves to work and felled trees, with which we made an inelosure, into which we drove our eattle, and then shoved them down the preeipiee one after another. They went up slantingly on the other side, and much better than we got them down, so that finally they were all safely over, after mueh toil and trouble. I then agreed to pilot the com- pany down ; took off the ox-bell, and carried it in my hand, leading the way, and steering a north course by the sun and wateh. We had to eross a number of gulfs and one wind- fall, which was the worst of all. We continued to travel upon the summit of the hill, where we found mueh fine table-land. The cattle would travel as fast as I could lead the way. One man drove them and another followed, axe in hand, to mark the trees and leave traees behind us, so that if we could not advance we could retrace our steps.
" We descended the hill before reaching Deer river. The latter we struck and erossed above the falls, not far from where the village of Copenhagen now stands ; and coming on, we succeeded in finding the town-line, which was identi- fied by marked trees, not far from where the toll-gate now is, on the Champion and Copenhagen plank-road. We then changed our course, following the line of the Black river, at Long Falls, where we arrived before night. We there found W. and men. They had not arrived more than an hour before us. When seeing us, Mr. W. ex- elaimed, ' How in the name of God have you got here ?' I replied, 'You scoundrel! you ought to be burnt for leaving us so.' It was a most raseally piece of business,
their leaving us as they did. But I suppose the truth was they thought it impossible for us ever to get through with our eattle. But this does not exeuse them for not having marked the road; 'twas for that they were sent, and if others could not follow they were not answerable; but their duty was plain before them.
" My boat, which I had dispatched from the High Falls, soon after arrived, with my provisions, yokes, ehains, eook- ing utensils, ete., ete. The next day we left one to watch our effeets, while the others were searching for a desirable location. In a few days I selected the farm upon which I now live, principally for the reason that it was the centre of the township, rather than for any peculiar advantages it possessed over other portions of the town. Yet the soil has proved good, and sufficiently luxuriant with proper eulti- vation. This was what I sought, a good agricultural location, rather than one possessing hydraulie privileges. Not one tree had been eut here for the purpose of making a settlement, nor was there a white man settled in what is now the county of Jefferson when I came here. I was the first white settler in the county.
" I remained here through the summer and until Oeto- ber, engaged in making a elearing. We then returned to Steuben, where my family was to spend the winter. During the summer some families had come into Lowville, and Mr. Storrs had eaused a road to be marked from there to the Long Falls, and by that we returned, driving our eattle home again. These had become fat by running in the woods during the summer, and I sold them for beef. I would mention here, though rather out of place, that I found a living spring of pure water a few rods from where the publie-house in this place now stands, which had its influenee in deeiding my location. Near it I built my
FIRST HOUSE,
and there I kept ' bachelor's hall' two summers, being my- self ' chief eook.' My first habitation was a eabin, erected in a few hours' time with the aid of my men. It was a rude structure, but served our purpose. We set some posts, and then, having felled great trees, stripped them of the bark, and with this covered the roof and three sides of our dwelling; the front was left open, so that it may truly be said we kept open house. The covering was kept firmly in its place by withes of bark. After the completion of our house the next most necessary thing was an oven in which to bake our bread, for bread we must have, it being the staff of life. This was soon made with two logs for a foundation and a flat stone thereon ; the superstructure was soon reared with smaller stones, cemented together by a mortar of muck from the side of the spring, and erowned by a flat stone. This answered my purpose as well as one of more elaborate construction. For a door we split out a plank of basswood, and for a kneading-trough we again had reeourse to the basswood, from whenee we eut a log of the required length and dimensions, split it, and from one half dug out, with the axe and an instrument named a houell, -which we had brought for such purposes,-in a short time, a trough which answered our purpose very well. I brought some yeast with me to make my first batch of bread ; after that I used leaven, kept and prepared after
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HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY, NEW YORK.
directions given me by my wife before leaving home. We had cows, a plenty of milk, etc. We sometimes washed dishes, when we could not remember what we last ate upon them, but oftener turned them the bottom-side up, there to remain until wanted again. Some even pretended to say that when our table needed scouring we sprinkled salt upon it and put it out for the old cow to operate upon. . ..
" Early in the spring, 1799, I sent on two men to make sugar before I eame on myself. They commenced making sugar, and one day went out hunting, leaving their sugar boiling. The consequence was the house took fire and burned down, with all of the little it contained. During the winter the Indians had stolen all the cooking utensils I had left, and the potatoes which I had raised and buried the autumn before. Thus my riches were taking to them- selves wings and flying away. I came on soon after. This spring Esquire Mix and family came on ; John and Thomas Ward, Ephraim Chamberlain, Samuel and David Starr, Jotham Mitchell, Salmon Ward, Bela Hubbard, David Miller, and Boutin, a Frenchman, came to Carthage. The above were all young, unmarried men, save Mix. We eon- tinued our labors through the summer of 1799, but not with the spirit which we should have done had not a rumor reached us of the failure of Mr. Storrs, and the probability that we should lose not only all our labor but the money which I had advanced for my land. But I will not enter into particulars here ; let it suffice that I could not afford to lose all I had done and paid, and consequently entered into a compromise with him to save a moiety of what was justly mine, of not only what I had actually paid for, but of what I was to have had for leading the way in this first settle- ment of a new country, and subjecting myself again to all its diseomforts and inconvenienees. Consequently, in view of making this my permanent home, I moved my family here in the autumn of 1799.
" We had a very unfavorable time to come. There had been a snow-storm in which about six inches of snow had fallen. We were obliged to travel on horseback, and the horses' feet balled badly ; we had sloughs to go through, and, altogether, it was very uncomfortable traveling in that manner with children. We arrived at Mr. Hoadley's the first night, and our ox-teams and goods the next day. From there we came to the High Falls, where I had a boat awaiting us which I had caused to be built for my own use. Here we embarked with all our goods and chattels of all kinds, loading the boat to its utmost capacity, so that when all were in it was only about four inches out of water. We spent one night at the Lowville landing, where a family were living. During the evening there eame a number of men, wet, cold, and hungry. Among them was one named Smith. He went to pull off the boots of one of his com- panions, which were very wet and clinging close. He pulled with all his might,-the other braeing himself against him as firmly as possible. All at once, and with unex- pected suddenness, the boot eame off and poor Smith was sent, with his bare feet, into a bed of live coals. There was both music and dancing for one while. We arrived at the Long Falls about noon the second day from our em- barkation. The weather had by this time become warm and pleasant. Our oxen arrived soon after by land. We
unloaded our boat, put our wagon together, loaded it with some of our effeets, set off, and before night reached our ' wilderness home.' My wife said, in view of the difficul- ties in getting here, that if she had anything as good as a eave to live in she would not return in one year at the least. She, of ehoiee, walked from the Falls here, a dis- tance of four miles through the forest. We arrived on the 17th of November, 1799. The weather eontinued pleasant until the 27th, when it commenced snowing; the river soon froze over; the snow, of which a great quantity fell, and continuing to fall, lasted all winter, and we were entirely eut off from all intercourse with the. world. I kept fifteen head of eattle through the winter by browsing them, and they wintered well. Isolated though we were, yet I never passed a more comfortable winter. We had a plenty of provisions ; my wheat-I had raised a very fine crop from seed sown in the autumn of 1798 ; and my pork, etc., was fatted in Oneida eounty and brought here by boat. And, take it all together, I perhaps settled this eountry as casy as any one ever settled a new country as completely isclated as this was at that time, and easier than I settled in Stcuben, eighteen miles from Utica. At that time we had to go to Utica or Whitesborough for provisions, and it always took one day to go out and another to return, incredible as it may seem. In the spring of 1800 people began to floek into the country by hundreds, and as my log house afforded the only accommodation for wayfaring men, we were obliged to keep them whether we would or no. Sometimes, and that very often, my floors were strewn with human beings as thick as they could lie, some so near the huge fire-place as not to pass unscorched ; one man, in particular, it was said by his companions that his head baked by too elose a proximity to the oven. This rush continued two or three years, and was full of ineident and interest, but at this distance of time I can not recall these ineidents with suffi- eient aceuracy to detail them here.
" The town settled rapidly with an intelligent and energetic class of people. The society was good ; it might be called good anywhere. Perhaps there was never a more intelligent and interesting people eongregated together in an obscure little inland town, than in this within a few years from its first settle- ment. I cannot state the order of time in which they eame, but the names of a few of them I will reeord, that in future time, when this place shall have sunk into insignificance, as it too probably will, before the greater lights around it, it may be known that we were onee honored by having in our midst sueh men as Egbert Ten Eyck, afterwards first judge of the court, who was then a young lawyer, and married here to one of our beautiful maidens ; Olney Pearce and wife ; Hubbel and wife; Judge Moss Kent, brother of the late chancellor ; Henry R. Storrs, who opened an office here, and afterwards became one of the most distinguished lawyers of the State ; Dr. Bandy, a Frenchman ; Drs. Dur- kee and Farley, and many others, too numerous to mention, as well as many ladies of grace and beauty, whom it would be invidious now to partieularizc. Common schools were soon established. Religious meetings were held on the Sabbath, after old Deaeon Carter came into town ; and in a very few ycars, I think as early as 1805, the Rev. Nathaniel Dutton came. Ile was sent out by some missionary society at tlie
335
HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY, NEW YORK.
cast to form churches in this western world, and coming to this place, was invited to remain, which he did, and con- tinued here until the close of his valuable life, in September, 1852, and for the greater part of that time was the pastor of the Congregational church, which flourished under his ministrations, and enjoyed many powerful revivals of re- ligion.
" A house was built at a very early day on the hill west of the village, which combined the double purpose of a church and school-house. It was an expensive house for the times and community. In a few years it was burned to the ground. The next school-house was also a large one, lo- cated across the gulf, on the road to the Great Bend. This was also used as a mecting-house. A part of it is still stand- ing, and is now converted into a dwelling-house. Some years later it was determined to ercct a church, but the de- tails of this and other movements I presume you will obtain more fully from other sources. " Yours, ete.,
" NOADIAH HUBBARD."
The difficulties attending the early settlement of this town and the country generally are set forth in the follow- ing petition to the legislature, dated the third Tuesday of February, 1801 :
"The memorial of the subscribers, proprietors and inhabitants of Champion, on Black river, in the county of Oneida, in said State, humbly sheweth : That your memorialists, indueed by tho oxtraor- dinary fortility of the soil, havo mado an establishment in said Cham- pion, and extended the frontior settlements of the State in a northerly dircetion from Rome to Lake Ontario. That in prosoeuting this en- terprise, those of your memorialists who have emigrated from Con- necticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and the eastern parts of this State, have not only boen subjected to the inconvenience of excessively bad roads, but have been and aro still obligod to go around by the way of Rome to Utiea, and through Boone's settlements and Steuben, a distance of at least forty milos farther than it would be in a direct lino. That from the High Falls, on Black river, on a line tolerably direet to Johnstown, and from thence to Albany, on tho old road, is but 105 miles ; but from the High Falls to Albany, by way of Rome, is 145 miles. Your memorialists are informed, and verily believe, that a good road may bo mado in the direction they have pointed out, by which all the aforosaid saving in distance would be realized. But tho country through which it must run is eithor not settled at all, or so thinly inhabitod that neither the towns through which the proposed road must be laid out, nor individuals, aro eom- petent to the opening of said road. Your memorialists would further observe that tho road would not only be a great accommodation to them, but would be of so much public utility as to claim the patron- age of the legislaturo. It would savo at least forty miles of travel from Albany to Upper Canada, between which places the commercial intercourse, particularly in artieles of skins aud furs, is at preseut very considerable, and is daily increasing.
" The fur traders from this State, who have been bound to Kingston and the bay of Quinto (from whenee a great proportion of the furs have been brought), have heretofore been obliged to go through Ver- mont and Lake Champlain, or through Rome, the Oneida lake, into Lake Ontario, and thence to Kingston, oither of which routes (as is evident from tho map) is very circuitous; whereas the road which your memorialists propose would make the traveling for theso traders as direct as possible. Besides, it is believed that those traders who aro bound to Niagara would find the account in traveling the new proposed route, and passing from Black river to Kingston, and taking passago from thence by water. It must also be the post-road between this State and Upper Canada.
" This improvement in the road will rapidly inercaso the emigra- tion to this part of the country, and consequently tho prosperity of this part of the State. Your memorialist-, therefore, pray your hon- ors to tike this caso into your consideration, and to appoint commis- sioners to lay out a road from Johnstown, in the nearest direction to
tho High Falls on Black river, and to grant out of a future lottery a sum of money which shall be necessary to open a road and make it passable, or in some other way grant relief; and they, as in duty bound, will ever pray, etc."
This petition was signed by N. Hubbard, Benjamin Pike, Jr., Eli Church, Harrison Mosely, Timothy Townsend, Joel Mix, Samuel Foster, Abner White, Mathew Kemp, Bela Hubbard, Jr., Elisha Jones, William Davis, and Wil- liam Crowell.
The virgin soil of this town was found to yield bounti- fully, and return an abundant increase to the hand of the cultivator ; but the difficulty of realizing any means from the sales of produce, from the difficulty of getting to market, led to efforts like the foregoing to obtain aid for opening lines of communication, and it was related by one who had shared in these privations that once on an even- ing, when a few neighbors had assembled to exchange the news, the subject was being discussed, and ouc, more san- guinc than the rest, hazarded the prediction that " there were those then living who would see a weekly line of mail- stages pass through the town." This prophecy, like the dream of Oriental fable, has come and gone, for within thirty years not only weekly, but a daily mail was established, and the town has been placed in direct communication with thic outside world by the completion of the Carthage, Water- town and Sacket's Harbor railroad. The
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