History of Jefferson County, New York, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 83

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 83

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

FIRST SAW-MILL

in town was built by William Hadsall and John A. Eggle- son, from Greenwich, New York, in 1802, on Mill ereek, near the line of Rutland, where, several years afterwards, a grist-mill was built.

In 1804, David Coffeen removed from Rutland to the west side of the river, opposite Carthage, and in 1806 built a mill on this side of the river, which was the first hydraulic improvement at that place. Finding the supply of water in the channel insufficient, he. constructed a wing-dam partly aeross the river, which was completed by Le Ray upon his commencing his iron-works at Carthage.

One and a half miles from the present village of Cham- pion, towards Great Bend, is a hamlet known as the " Huddle," where mills and a distillery were crected several years before the war.

It has been intimated that Champion had been eontem- plated as the probable centre of a new county. A special meeting was held November 13, 1804, to choose delegates to discuss this measure, and Egbert Ten Eyck, Olney Pearce, and John Durkee were chosen by ballot for this purpose. At the same meeting the two latter were reeom- mended for appointment as justices of the peace. In 1806 one hundred dollars were raised for killing the Canada thistle, to be expended by a committee consisting of Abel Crandall, Olney Pearce, and one other .* Wolf bounties of five dollars were offered in the years 1807-13 ; in 1812, a panther bounty of five dollars, and fox bounty of fifty eents ; in 1815, a fox bounty of one dollar, and a wolf and panther bounty of ten dollars ; in 1820, fifty cents for foxes, twenty-five cents for young foxes, the wolf and panther

# Name illegible.

334

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 came 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 Thonias 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 nien, save Mix. We con- 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 discomforts and inconveniences. Consequently, in view of making this my permanent home, I moved my family here in the autumn of 1799.

" We liad 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 came 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. Hc pulled with all his might,-the other bracing himself against him as firmly as possible. All at once, and with unex- pected suddenness, the boot came off and poor Smith was sent, with his bare feet, into a bed of live coals. Tlicre was botlı music and dancing for one while. We arrived at the Long Falls about noon the second day from our em- barkation. The weatlier 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 effects, set off, and before night reached our ' wilderness home.' My wife said, in view of the difficul- tics in getting here, that if she had anything as good as a cave to live in she would not return in one ycar at the least. She, of choice, walked from the Falls here, a dis- tance of four miles through the forest. We arrived on the 17th of November, 1799. The weather continued 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 cut off from all intercourse with the world. I kept fifteen head of cattle through tlie 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 county and brought here by boat. And, take it all together, I perhaps settled this country as easy as any one ever settled a new country as completely isclated as this was at that time, and easier than I settled in Stcuben, eightcen 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 flock 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 close a proximity to the oven. This rush continued two or three years, and was full of incident and interest, but at this distance of time I can not recall thesc incidents with suffi- cient accuracy 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 congregated 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 came, but the names of a few of them I will record, 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 once honored by having in our midst such 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 particularize. Common schools were soon established. Religious meetings were held on the Sabbath, after old Deacon Carter came into town ; and in a very few years, I think as early as 1805, the Rev. Nathaniel Dutton came. IIc was sent out by some missionary society at the

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 meeting-house. A part of it is still stand- ing, and is now converted into a dwelling-house. Some years later it was determined to crect a church, but the de- tails of this and other movements I presume you will obtain more fully from other sources. " Yours, etc., " 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, humhly sheweth : That your memorialists, indneed hy the extraor- dinary fertility of the soil, have made an establishment in said Cham- pion, and extended the frontier settlements of the State in a northerly direction from Rome to Lake Ontario. That in prosecuting this en- terprise, those of your memorialists who have emigrated from Con- neeticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and the eastern parts of this State, have not only been subjected to the inconvenience of excessively bad roads, but have been and are still obliged to go around hy the way of Rome to Utiea, and through Boone's settlements and Steuhen, a distance of at least forty miles farther than it would be in a dircet line. That from the High Falls, on Black river, on a line tolerably direet to Johustown, aud from thenee to Albany, on the 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 be made in the direction they have pointed out, by which all the aforesaid saving in distance would be realized. But the country through which it must run is either not settled at all, or so thinly inhabited that neither the towns through which the proposed road must be laid out, nor individuals, are eom- petent to the opening of said road. Your memorialists would further ohserve that the road would not only be a great accommodation to them, but would be of so much public utility as to elaim the patron- age of the legislature. It would save at least forty miles of travel from Albany to Upper Canada, between which places the commercial intercourse, particularly in articles of skins and furs, is at present very considerable, and is daily increasing.

" The fur traders from this State, who have been bound to Kingston and the hay of Quinto (from whence 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 Lako Ontario, and thence to Kingston, either of which routes (as is evident from the map) is very circuitous; whereas the road which your memorialists propose would make the traveling for these tradors as direct as possible. Besides, it is believed that those traders who are bound to Niagara would find the aceount in traveling the new proposed route, and passing from Black river to Kingston, and taking passago from thenee by water. It must also be the post-road between this State and Upper Canada.

" This improvement in the road will rapidly inerense the emigra- tion to this part of the country, and consequently the prosperity of this part of the State. Your memorialist-, therefore, pray your hon- ors to tike this caso into your consideration, and to appoint eommis- sioners to lay out a road from Johnstown, in the nearest direction to

the 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 bouud, 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 one, more san- guine 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 the outside world by the completion of the Carthage, Water- town and Sacket's Harbor railroad. The

FIRST SAW-MILL

in town was built by William Hadsall and John A. Eggle- son, from Greenwich, New York, in 1802, on Mill creek, near the line of Rutland, where, several years afterwards, a grist-mill was built.

In 1804, David Coffeen removed from Rutland to the west side of the river, opposite Carthage, and in 1806 built a mill on this side of the river, which was the first hydraulie improvement at that place. Finding the supply of water in the channel insufficient, he. constructed a wing-dam partly across the river, which was completed by Le Ray upon his commencing his iron-works at Carthage.

One and a half miles from the present village of Cham- pion, towards Great Bend, is a hamlet known as the " Huddle," where mills and a distillery were erected several years before the war.

It has been intimated that Champion had been contem- plated as the probable centre of a new county. A special meeting was held November 13, 1804, to choose delegates to discuss this measure, and Egbert Ten Eyck, Olney Pearce, and John Durkee were chosen by ballot for this purpose. At the same meeting the two latter were recom- mended for appointment as justices of the peace. In 1806 one hundred dollars were raised for killing the Canada thistle, to be expended by a committee consisting of Abel Crandall, Olney Pearce, and one other .* Wolf bounties of five dollars were offered in the years 1807-13 ; in 1812, a panther bounty of five dollars, and fox bounty of fifty cents ; in 1815, a fox bounty of one dollar, and a wolf and panther bounty of ten dollars ; in 1820, fifty cents for foxes, twenty-five eents for young foxes, the wolf and panther

$ Name illegible.

336

HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY, NEW YORK.

bounty remaining at ten dollars. Every man was required to cut the Canada thistles growing in the road in front of his lands, under a penalty of one dollar for each thistle. In 1822 a bounty of fifty cents was offered for both old and young foxes. While referring to the subject of bounties, the following may not be inapplicable :

The anecdote is related that a magistrate in this town, having had an altercation with a leading citizen in Lowville, heard that his opponent had offered a bounty of five dollars for his head. Feeling somewhat uneasy under this, he resolved to ascertain its truth, and made a journey on foot on purpose to demand satisfaction or a withdrawal of the offensive reward. Upon reaching the place, he found the person of whom he was in search in company with several others, and not wishing to make their quarrels a subject of publicity, he requested a private interview. This was promptly refused, on the ground that there was nothing between them that required secrecy, and he was told that if he had anything to say he might say it where he was. He then commenced by repeating the story he had heard, and demanded to know whether it was true. His enemy denied at once the charge, calling his neighbors to witness whether they had ever known him guilty of the folly of offering such a sum, but admitted that he might have bid twenty shillings, and was very sure he had never gone higher. Finding that it was impossible to get this bounty taken off, he returned home. We are not informed of the result, or whether the reward was sufficient to tempt the cupidity of his neighbors.

During the year 1812 the town was visited by fever which baffled the skill of the physicians, and proved fatal in nearly every case.

We have stated that the town was owned at the time of settlement by Henry Champion, of Colchester, and Lemuel Storrs, of Middletown, Connecticut. On May 12, 1813, an instrument was executed between them, by which the latter conveyed, for $18,300, his half of the sums due for lands in this town and Hounsfield, but this conveyance not being delivered during the life-time of Storrs, was subse- quently confirmed by his heirs.

THE VILLAGE OF CHAMPION

is situated near the centre of the town, upon the main road, at the point at which it is crossed by the Great Bend and Copenhagen (formerly plank) road. It has about one hundred inhabitants ; two churches,-Methodist and Con- gregational; a stone edifice built for academic purposes, but now used by the Episcopalian society as a place of worship; a hotel, owned by Mr. J. A. Hubbard ; a store, owned by Mr. M. G. Coughlan ; a blacksmith-shop, and a shoe-shop.

GREAT BEND.

This village is situated mostly upon the south side of Black river, at the base of the peninsula formed by the Great Bend, and at the point where the Chassanis line crossed the river. Among the first settlers in this portion of the town were a large number of Martins, who came

from the east, and located upon the road leading from Great Bend to Carthage, since known as Martin street. Promi- nent among them were Enos, Mason, Timothy, Samuel, Harry, and Captain. James Colwell and Samuel Fulton located near the village about 1805.

The first white child born in this portion of the town was the wife of Elisha Barr. A bridge was built as early as 1804, but was swept off by the spring flood of 1807, which was very general in this section, and of extraordinary height. It was, however, soon rebuilt.

In 1840 a substantial covered bridge at this place was burned, and a few weeks after an act was passed authoriz- ing a loan of $2500 to the town of Champion, $750 to Le Ray, $2000 to Wilna, and $750 to Pamelia, for building bridges over Black river, among which were those at this place and Carthage. These loans were to be repaid by a tax, in eight equal annual installments.

The first mill at Great Bend was built by a Mr. Tubbs, who also constructed a dam across the river in 1806 for Olney Pearce and Egbert Ten Eyck, who had purchased a pine lot of one hundred acres in the vicinity. Henry G. Gardner subsequently became interested in the improve- ments, and in 1807 the mill which had been destroyed in the flood of that year was rebuilt. In 1809 a distillery was put in operation, and in 1816 the premises were sold to Watson & Gates, who, in 1824, conveyed them to Charles E. Clarke. A destructive fire occurred at Great Bend, March 5, 1840, by which all of the business portion of the village was destroyed, including the grist-mill and bridge. The loss was estimated at $20,000. The mill was imme- diately rebuilt on an extensive scale.

INCIDENTS.

During high water in the spring of 1862 a crowd had collected upon the bridge, attracted by the unusual height of the river. While they were watching the flood wood and timber that were being carried over the dam an old, deserted mill, standing a short distance above the bridge, was suddenly loosened from its foundation, and carried with such violence against the bridge as to sweep it from its po- sition. The greater number of those upon the bridge suc- ceeded in reaching the shore in time to avert the accident. A son of Mr. Fox, the miller, with Charlie Lewis, a com- panion, were not so fortunate. Young Lewis was carried down the river for several miles, but finally succeeded in reaching the shore. The Fox boy was not seen after the accident until his body was found, several weeks later, upon the bank of the river.

On Thursday, January 9, 1873, it was reported that the body of an unknown man had been discovered on Deer Lick creek, on Martin street, about two and a half miles from Great Bend. It was a very stormy day,-snow very deep, and the weather very cold. The body of the mur- dered man was taken to Watertown. In one of his pockets was found an envelope directed to " Charles Wenham, Copenhagen, N. Y., care Wm. Davenport," in the hand- writing of Charles Sutherland. In the envelope was found one hundred dollars in national currency. A little exami- ination left no doubt in the minds of the officers that the body found was that of Wenham; that he had been mur-

GEORGE BUSH .

MRS. GEORGE BUSH

RESIDENCE of GEORGE BUSH, SOUTH CHAMPION, JEFFERSON CO., N. Y.

WM. M. COBURN.

HOW. MERRILL COBURN.

HON. MERRILL COBURN was born in New Hampshire in 1792. He came to Jefferson County in 1816, and the following year was married to the estimable and amiable lady who survived him. About 1825 he was elected justice of the peace, and for many years after he was very gener- ally known as "Squire Coburn," as he held that office, and often others, until he declined to serve any longer. In 1825, Mr. C. was engaged in the wool-carding and cloth- manufacturing business at Felt's Mills. About 1840 he went to Chicago, where a member of his family was living. Here he took a large contract from the State of Illinois to build a section of canal. He was eminently successful in this, as he was in nearly all of his business undertakings. After the completion of the above contract he returned to Felt's Mills, and embarked extensively in the lumbering business, and those who were burnt out in the fire of 1849 will remember the enterprise exhibited by him in supplying the timber and lumber in time to rebuild. Mr. Coburn was one of the first directors of the Union Bank, which was founded in 1853 by the late Henry Keep, and be- came its president on the resignation of that gentleman. He was a prominent and valued director of the old Jeff- erson County Bank for sixteen years, and until he resigned and transferred his stock to his son, Wm. M. Coburn, who was unanimously elected to take his father's place in the board of directors. In 1851 he was elected to the as- sembly, and won the respect of all the members by his clear and just expressions of opinion on public affairs. Mr. Coburn left three children to cherish, revere, and re- spect his memory, for if there ever was a good father he was one. His eldest daughter married Charles Fallansbe, formerly of Watertown, but now of Chicago. His second daughter married Mr. Clancy, also of Chicago. These are in the enjoyment of financial and social prosperity. Of his son, Wm. M., we write more fully below. Mr. Coburn was eminently a frontier man, self-reliant, enterprising, and en- ergetic. He was a faithful and loving husband, affectionate and indulgent parent, but firm in exacting obedience to his rule; a just and accommodating neighbor and citizen, ready

and willing at all times to do right, never oppressive, but ever striving to give a helping hand where worthily needed. After a long, busy, and useful life, in August, 1871, he departed this life, leaving behind him, in his character and works, the best assurances of a blissful hereafter.

WILLIAM M. COBURN, son of the subject of the above sketch, was born at Felt's Mills, January 26, 1825, and was brought up under the strict rule of his worthy father ; taught by example and precept to practice strict integrity, equal and exact justice to all men with whom he had deal- ings, untiring industry in bringing to a successful issue his undertakings, and great firmness in maintaining his convic- tions of right. As soon as he got through with his edu- cation he was admitted a partner with his father in the lumber business, with two mills, one at Felt's Mills and another opposite the Huntington mills, with which was connected a farm, which he carried on successfully for seven years. About 1860 he moved to Carthage, where he prose- cuted the manufacture of lumber with great energy.

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

History of Jefferson County, New York, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 83

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