USA > New York > Lewis County > History of Lewis County, New York; with...biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 34
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About 1831, ten German families set- tled in this town, and these have been followed by others, until the population of foreign birth equaled half, and with their children born in this country, con- siderably more than half of the whole population of the town. Of these Euro- peans, 376 were reported by the State census of 1855 as Germans, 171 French, and 21 Swiss. They are divided between the Catholic, Lutheran and Reformed Protestant Dutch denominations, in the relative order here named, and although they used their native languages at home for some years, they are now able to speak English with facility, and the rising generation uses no other. These foreigners were mostly an industrious, hardy and frugal people, obedient to the laws, and mostly became naturalized citizens as soon as the law allowed. The European settlement in this town, was preceded by that in West Turin.
In 1841, a bridge was built over Fish creek, and a road opened from the town of Lee, near the line of the old road of 1805, noticed in our account of Osceola. It led only to the line of Township 13. The first deeds to actual settlers in this part of the town, were issued in May, 1840, amounting to 1,74614 acres, for $3,194.60. The bridge was swept off in the winter of 1842-'43, and soon rebuilt, and in 1843, a mill was built by Mr. Her- ron, and afterwards owned by David L. Swancott.
Several branches of lumbering have been followed in this town, for which it formerly afforded special facilities. About 1840, the manufacture of oars from white ash was begun and continued some seven years. The quantity is esti- mated at about 500,000 linear feet per annum, during that period, and the prin- cipal market was Boston. Whaling oars were sold in sets of seven, of which two were 14, two 15, two 16, and one 18 feet long. The price ranged about 6 cts. per
252
HISTORY OF LEWIS COUNTY.
foot, linear measure. The business was continued until the supply of timber be- came scarce.
Of birds-eye maple, Lewis county for many years produced about 100,000 feet (board measure) annually, mostly from this town, and the greater part sent off by Richardson T. Hough .* Of this quantity, nine-tenths went to the Euro- pean market by way of New York. The accidental variety of the sugar maple is found somewhat common upon the range of highlands, extending from this town to Adams. It was estimated by Mr. R. T. Hough, that two-thirds of all the timber of this variety, used in the world had, during the twenty years preceding 1860, come from Lewis county. The market price depended upon the fashions of the day, with regard to styles of furniture, and prices ranged from $60 to $80 per M. ft., board measure. A mill for cut- ting veneers was formerly established, four miles west of West Leyden, but was burned in 1845. Of hoops, for oyster kegs, this town and Ava, in Oneida county adjoining, were producing in 1860, about 4,000,000, averaging $2 per M., shaved and delivered, on the railroad at Rome. They were mostly used at Fairhaven and Cheshire, Connecticut. They were made of black ash and were bought in a rough state by a few dealers who shaved and forwarded them to mar- ket. Considerable quantities of hard- wood lumber, chiefly maple and birch, for flooring, turning, etc., are still sent from this town.
WEST LEYDEN VILLAGE.
This is a small village located upon
the Mohawk river,-here a mill-stream almost dry in summer, but sufficient for a considerable amount of water power in the winter months. It is 17 miles from Rome, 6 miles from Boonville and 8 miles from Constableville. It is now connected with the first two of these places by a telephone. The business of the village has declined since the con- struction of the railroad to Boonville, as compared with the time when a plank road supplied the country travel from Rome northward. The business of the village in August, 1882, was as follows :-
Cheese Factory .- Michael Ernst. There are two others in town, viz: Bierly & Sims, known as the "Crofoot Road Factory," and the Hayes Factory near Fish creek.
Carpenter .- Jacob Rauscher.
Flour and Feed Mill .- Charles S.
Myers.
Furniture and Undertaking. - Peter Lukel.
Hotel .- Adolph Domser.
Saw-Mills. - Calvin B. Hunt and Charles S. Myers, each having a planer. Stores .- George Pohl, Mathew Kilts, Andrew Katsmeyer and F. A. Edgerton.
Wagon and Blacksmith Shops .- Valen- tine Pohl, owner of both, but separately located.
Besides the two saw-mills above men- tioned there are seven others in town, viz : George S. Thompson, George Powell, D. L. Swancott, M. Shrader, and T. L. Davis, using water power, Eames & Bridgman, using steam, and Houghton, Hough & Ambler using steam. The latter is new and large.
Some years since, this town raised moneys to aid in the survey of a railroad that was to run from Boston to Oswego, passing through this town, but nothing further was ever done.
The hotel of Lewis Hoffman, in West Leyden, was burned December 21, 1872, and Christian Yokey was killed by the falling of timber.
The population of West Leyden vil- lage in 1880, was reported as 181.
* Mr. Hough was born in Warrensburgh, N. Y., July 15, 1806, and died in this town August 26, 1871. His wife Chloe (Warner,) born in Kirkland, Oneida county, December 3, 1803 ; died at West Leyden, August 12, 1876. Their children are : Myron B. W., born January 20, 1829 ; Delia, (Mrs. Selden Dewey), born January 12, 1831 ; Boardman S., born December 10, 1832; Hen- ry H., born October 28, 1838 ; Helen M., born Sep- tember 16, 1841 ; and William W., born September 14, 1845.
253
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF LEWIS.
The following are dates of death of several well-known citizens of this town, not elsewhere mentioned in these pages, some of them having been early settlers :-
Anken David, died July 19, 1863, aged 55.
Bell Henry G., died September 15, 1847, aged 59.
Billings Horace, died October 12, 1848, aged 42.
Ernst Christian, died November 22, 1874, aged 79.
Fox Ashbel, died November 13, 1860, aged 64.
Hunt Darius, died August 16, 1872, aged 100 years, 2 months, 7 days.
Hunt Elisha, died April 3, 1822, aged 41. Kent Enos, died September 29, 1841, aged 57.
Maurer Frederick, died March 13, 1868, aged 80.
Pease Charles, died March 16, 1881, aged 75.
Terry Levi, died March 19, 1836, aged 66.
NOTES FROM THE TOWN RECORDS RE- LATING TO THE WAR.
In 1872, a corresponding committee was appointed, consisting of William Brown, Charles Pease, and Paul Fin- ster.
August 15, 1863 .- A special town meeting was held, at which Oliver Cap- ron, A. B. Billings, F. Schopfer, R. T. Hough and C. B. Hunt were appointed a committee to borrow money to pay bounties for filling town quotas.
A second committee, consisting of William J. Gray, Hiram Jenks, Peter Stephens, Lewis Staleger, Lewis Gleas- man, Paul Finster, and Alden P. Doyle, was afterwards appointed. At a special town meeting held December 29, 1863, a committee was appointed to borrow $6,000, and the sum of $300 was offered for bounties.
RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES.
Meetings were first held in 1804, by
Justus Billings,* a Presbyterian, at the house of John Putnam.
The " Second Presbyterian Church of Leyden," was formed in the summer of 1806, by the Rev. Nathaniel Dutton, of Champion, consisting of Josiah Dewey,t Justus Billings, Cornelius Putnam, Sol- omon Washburn, and their wives; Major Alpheus Pease, Widow Horton, Cyrus Brooks, and a Mr. Wood, and their wives ; of whom the last four lived a mile east of Ava Corners, and the others in this town. This church erected a house of worship a mile north of West Leyden, many years after, and in February, 1826, it joined the Water- town Presbytery. The church has be- come extinct, the building removed, and its site sold for cemetery purposes.
A Baptist church was formed in May, 1829, with fourteen members. Elders John Marshall, Riley B. Ashley, and Martin Salmon were present at the or- ganization. A legal society was formed September 9, 1837, with Winthrop Fel- shaw, Jonathan A. S. Pease, and Nathaniel Wadsworth, trustees, and a small plain church edifice was erected. The Reverends - Burdick, William Rice, R. Z. Williams, R. W. Chafa, David D. Barnes, and others, have preached here, and meetings are occa- sionally held, but no regular services are at present maintained.
The Methodists have a small organ- ization in town, and for some years used the old Presbyterian church.
The United German Lutheran and Reformed Congregation of West Ley- den, was formed August 16, 1847, with Frederick Meyer, Frederick Schopfer and George Fries, trustees. It was formed of the German Lutheran and
* Died July 31, 1847, aged eighty years.
t Died January 14, 1838, aged eighty "years. Mr. Dewey was one of the first deacons of this church. Josiah Dewey, his son, died August II, 1860, aged seventy-four, and Lemuel Dewey, another son, died March 9, 1858, aged fifty-three years.
254
HISTORY OF LEWIS COUNTY.
Reformed churches, and their new meeting-house was to be called the Church of St. Paul. It was to remain a German house of worship, so long as the number of members of the congre- gation speaking the German language was more than two. A law-suit has oc- curred between the two sects, in which the Lutherans have gained the case. After this decision, the Reformed Protestant Dutch built a church edifice. The church was formed September 12, 1856,with John Boehrer, minister ; Philip Rübel and Frederick Meyer, elders ;
and Frederick Schopfer and Valentine Glesman, deacons. The Rev. John M. Reiner is present pastor.
The Lutherans have a small church north of the village, which is attended by the Rev. Mr. Cludius, from Olmstead Creek church in West Turin. Services are held both in this and the last pre- ceding churches in the German lan- guage.
The Catholics have a small stone church three miles west of the village, which is attended from St. Michael's on Mohawk Hill.
255
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF LEWIS.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.
Calvin & Hent
C. B. HUNT.
The genealogy of the Connecticut division, Northampton line, of the Hunt family, is briefly as follows :- Elisha Reynolds Hunt, born July 12, 1781, was son of Elijah Hunt, of Leba- non, Conn., son of Stephen Hunt, being one of a family of eight children, three sons and five daughters. His mother was Abigail Reynolds, daughter of Elisha Reynolds, of Norwich, Conn., who was born in 1773 and died in Octo- ber 1820. Elisha died in the town of
Lewis, then Leyden, April 22, 1822. Only one daughter of this family mar- ried, Sally, who married Calvin Billings, of Somers, Conn., and died in New York State May 6, 1810. Elijah Hunt, of Lebanon, father of Elisha R. Hunt, was son of Stephen Hunt, was son of Eben- ezer, born in 1730, died July 6, 1751. His wife's name was Esther Jones. The family is of English origin.
Elisha R. Hunt came to Lewis county for a permanent residence in June, 1815, and located in the town of Lewis, then known as Leyden. He was a
256
HISTORY OF LEWIS COUNTY.
farmer of some repute. He married November 17, 1808, Persis Billings Perkins, who was born in Somers, Conn., March 29, 1777, and died October 14, 1865. They had the following chil- dren :- Samuel, born September 7, 1809, died August 5, 1875 ; Sally, born May 25, 1811, died August 3, 1814; Persis Malvina, born May 10, 1813, married Alpheus Pease, March 7, 1833, died October 12, 1865; Roxana, born Septem- ber 23, 1815, married Thomas Richards ; Hannah Adelia, born September 29, 1817, died March 27, 1818 ; Calvin B.
Calvin Billings Hunt was born in the town of Lewis, July 21, 1819, where his life has been passed. He received a common school education and took up the business of farming in which he has been more prosperous than the average of men engaged in that pursuit. He is quite an extensive land owner, having in his possession over a thousand acres, and is largely interested in the dairy business.
Some fifteen years ago he engaged in the manufacture of lumber in which he is now doing a thrifty trade. Dur- ing his busy life Mr. Hunt has taken much interest in political matters, not as an office seeker, but as an opponent or advocate of the questions and issues of the day. On the questions which in- volved principles he has often been in the minority, but has had the satisfac- tion of knowing that he acted conscien- tiously, and was possessed of the courage that never barters honest convictions for temporary political triumphs. In the ante bellum days he was a pronounced abolitionist, in times when it required
a rare moral courage to befriend the slave and denounce slavery ; and when the war for their freedom broke forth he was an ardent friend of the Union cause.
Mr. Hunt has never united with any church. His parents were Presbyterians, but he has regulated his life by the rules of right, and endeavors to so live that he need not fear to meet any of his fellow men. He married December 14, 1848, Charlotte L. Bush, daughter of Walter Bush of Turin, who was born May 4, 1819. But one child was born to this marriage, which died in infancy.
CHAPTER XXVII.
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF LEYDEN.
T HIS town was formed from Steuben,* March 10, 1797, embracing besides Inman's Triangle, all of Lewis and Jef- ferson counties lying east and north of Black river. By the erection of Brown- ville in 1802, Boonville in 1805, Wat- son in 1802 and Lewis in 1852, it has been trimmed down to its present limits. It derived its name from the settlement made by Gerret Boon in Boonville, under the auspices of the Hol- land Land Company, whose members chiefly resided in Leyden, in Holland.
* Whitestown was formed March 7, 1788, embracing the whole of the State west of German Flats. Steuben and Mexico were formed April 10, 1792, embracing all of this county and a vast area north, south and west.
257
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF LEYDEN.
They were the same persons who were concerned in the great Holland Land Purchase of Western New York. In the division of the town, upon the erection of Lewis county, the old name was re- tained by a section to which it was not strictly applicable in order that Boon's name might be perpetuated in the chris- tening of Boonville,
At the first town meeting held at the house of Andrew Edmonds (Boonville), April 4, 1797, Andrew Edmonds was chosen Supervisor ; John Stormes, Clerk ; Asa Brayton, Jacob Rogers and Phineas Southwell, Assessors; Jared Topping and Levi Hillman, Constables and Col- lectors ; Bela Hubbard and Luke Fisher, Poormasters; Asa Lord, Reuben King and Elisha Randall, Commissioners of Highways ; Sheldon Johnson, Eliphalet Edmonds, Amasa King and Archelius Kingsbury, Road-Masters; Lilly Fisher, Asahel Hough and Timothy Burges, Fence Viewers; Chandler Otis and Joshua Preston, Pound Masters.
Supervisors .- 1797-'98, Andrew Ed- monds; 1799, Phineas Southwell ; 1800, Asa Brayton; 1801, P. Southwell; 1802, A. Brayton; 1803, Silas Southwell; 1804, John Dewey ;* 1805, Peter Schuyler ; 1805 (April 18th), Lewis Smith ; } 1806-'07, L. Smith ; 1808-'10, James Hawley ; 1811, J. Dewey ; 1812-'16, Nathaniel Merriam ; # 1817, John Fish ; 1818-'23, Stephen Spencer ; 1824-'30,
Michael Brooks; 1831, Amos Mil- ler ; 1832 -- ' 33, Ezra Miller; 1834-'36, Isaac Parsons ; 1837-'38, Allen Alger ; 1839-'42, Joseph Burnham; 1843-'44, Alfred Day ; 1845-'48, Thomas Baker ; 1849; Aaron Parsons; 1850, T. Baker ; 1851, J. Burnham ; 1852-'53, T. Baker ; 1854-'56, Wm. J. Hall ; 1857-'58, Wm. J. Olmstead; 1859, Samuel Northam : 1860, David Alger ; 1861-'62, Thomas Baker; 1863-'67, Linus Birdseye ; 1868-'70, James A. Merwin; 1871-'76, Thaddeus E. Munn; 1877-'78; Joseph H. Wilcox ; 1879, J. Merwin ; 1880-'81, J. H. Wilcox ; 1882, Friend Hoyt.
Clerks .- 1797-1803, John Stormes; 1804, Aaron Willard; 1805-'07, Stephen Butler; 1808-'09, David Higby ; 1810, Benjamin Starr; 1811-'12, Augustus Chapman; 1813, D. Higby ; 1814-'17, Stephen Spencer ; 1818-'19, Martin Hart; 1820-'22, Allen Alger ; 1823, Samuel Northam, Jr .; 1824-'25, Parsons Tal- cott ; 1826-'33, A. Alger; 1834-'39, Thos. Baker ; 1840-'42, Lewis S. Alger; 1843, 48, E. R. Johnson ; 1849, Alfred Day ; 1850-'54, E. R. Johnson ; 1855, David Al- ger; 1856-'58, James M. Malcom; 1859, Chester J. Munn ; 1860-'66, Benjamin S. Jones; 1867, David Spencer ; 1868, Chas. D. Alger ; 1869, Edward D. Spencer ; 1870, Thomas Baker, Jr .; 1871-'73, Chas. D. Alger ; 1874, Geo. Sommers ; 1875-'82, Edward D. Spencer.
The supervisors of Herkimner county, in 1797, allowed £17, IIS. 2d. school money to this town, then a part of that county. A special town meeting was held June 17, 1797, to appoint School Commissioners, and Luke Fisher, Elias- hab Adams and Jacob Rogers, were chosen. This is the only money received in this region from the State school grants of 1795.
In 1798, the names of Ezra E. C. Rice, Asa Lord, William Topping, Bela But- terfield, Chandler Otis, Amos Miller, David Miller, Lilly Fisher, Reuben King,
* Born at Westfield, Jan. 20, 1754, served in the Revolution, removed to Leyden in the spring of 1802, and died Dec. 31, 1821.
+ Deacon Smith died May 21, 1841, aged 89 years. He was a soldier in the Revolution.
+ Nathaniel Merriam was born in Wallingford, Conn., June 3, 1769, and in 1800 removed to Leyden and set- tled on a place partly new and the remainder first taken up by Asahel Hough. He continued to reside at this place until 1838, during many years as an inn-keeper when he removed to Indiana, but in 1846 he returned to this town. He died August 19, 1847. In 1811, and 1820, he served in Assembly, and in 1815 he was ap- pointed a County Judge. He was widely known as an enterprising and public spirited citizen. His son Gen. Ela Merriam is elsewhere noticed. This family name occurs among the founders of Meriden, Conn., and has been till the present time a common and prominent one in that town.
258
HISTORY OF LEWIS COUNTY.
Silas Southwell, Josiah Goodrich, Leb- beus Ford, Archelaus Kingsbury, and Jeptha King, were reported from Ley- den, as qualified to serve on the grand jury.
In 1800, a special town meeting was held for choosing persons to be appoint- ed Justices by the State Council of Ap- pointment, and another, March 19, 1803, to choose two persons to a County Con- vention, to nominate candidates for As- sembly. The delegates were Nathaniel Merriam and Samuel Snow. They were paid by the town, and present the only instance we have known, in which dele- gates were thus authorized and paid.
CENSUS OF 1800.
A census of Leyden, taken in the year 1800, while the town included Boonville and a vast uninhabited region east of the river, in what are now Lewis and Jefferson counties, showed a population of 623, distributed among rII families, by far the greater portion being within the present limits of Leyden, and emi- grants from Connecticut. Of these, 344 were males, 104 being under ro; 49 from Io to 16; 63 from 16 to 26; 102 from 26 to 45 ; and 26 over 45. Of 278 females, 99 were under 10; 42 from 10 to 16; 47 from 16 to 26; 69 from 16 to 45 ; and 21 over 45. One was a slave, owned by John Stormes, of Boonville. We give the names of the heads of families, in the following list, the first number after each name being the number of males in the family, and the other the number of females :---
Aldridge, Peter A., 3, 4. Briggs, Richard, 1, r. Auger, Allen, 1, 2. Britton, Samuel, 4, 2.
Ballard, David, 2, 3. Brown, George, 3, 2. Barnes, Tuder, [Judah] Brown, Henry, 9, 4. Boardman, J., 6, 3. [7,6. Brown, Samuel, 13, 3. Bossout, John B., 7, 1. Burges, John, 4, 3.
Branch, Zeba, 1, 4. Burgis, Timothy, 4, 4.
Brayton, Asa, 2, 5. Butler, Stephen, 5, 5.
Brayton, Thomas, 5, 2. Camp, Asahel, I, I. Briggs, Enoch, 2, 3. Carr, Caleb, 2, 2.
Claflin, Moses, t, I. Lord, Asa, I, I.
Combs, John, 1, 3. Lord, Lebeus, 1, 1.
Coe, Brainard, 2, 2. McCarty, Clark, 5, 3. Merriam, Nathaniel, 2,5
Coe, Joel, 6, 2.
Combs, Solomon, 3, 4. Merry, John, 3, 3. Cook, Joseph, 4, 5. Miller, Amos, 2, 2.
Cooper, William, 1, 0. Copelin, Joseph, 2, 5. Culver, Silas, 1, 1.
Miller, David B., 5, 3. Miller, Joel, 3, 1. Mitchell, L. S. D., 4, I.
Cummings, Abr'am, 3,3. Morgan, Plena, 2, 2. Darrow, Amrous, 5, 4. Morris, Samuel, 5, 3. Davis, Ebenezer, 4, 2. Ostrander, Moses, 5, 5. Otis, Chandler, 4, 1.
Dewey, E., 2, 2.
Douglass. Samuel, 2, 1. Porter, Asel, 3, 2.
Dowas, Francis, 2, I. Porter, Ezekiel, 1, 3.
Dustin, Nathaniel, 4, o. Putnam, John, 3, 2. Edmonds, Andrew, 4, 5. Ransom, William, 2, 4. Edmonds, Eliphalet, 4,3. Reaves, Asel, 1, 2.
Elensworth, A., 3, 2. Fisher, Lille, 4, 3. Rice, Ezra E. C., 1, 1. Fisher, Luke, 2, 2. Rogers, Jacob, 3, I. Simmons, Jinks, 3, 5.
Fisk, Job, 5, 3.
Francis, Simeons, 1, 1. Smith, Lewis, 2, 2. Goodrich, Jonah, 3, 2. Snow, Jotham, 2, 1. Grant, Elisha, I, I. Snow, Samuel, 3, 2. Southwell, F., 2, 4. Green, Nathan, 2, 0.
Harger, Ebenezer, 3, 1. Sprague, Frederick, 3, 6
Harger, Philo, 4, 3. Hillman, Levi, 4, 2.
Horton, Moses, 5, 3. Hough, Asahel, 4, 5. Jenks, Joel, 5, 6.
Stockwell, David, 3, 1. Stormes, John, 2, 2; (1 slave. )
Talcott, Daniel, 2, 2.
Talcott, Elisha, 3, I.
Johnson, Elisher, 6, 4. Talcott, Hezekiah, 5, 2.
Johnson, Sheldon, 3, 4. Topping, Daniel, I, I. Johnson, William, 3, 3. Topping, William, 4, 2. Jones, Benjamin, 2, 1. Truman, William, 1, 1. Jones, Hezekiah, 3, 1. Turner, Hezekiah. 2, 3. Kelsey, Eber, 5, 5. Wetmore, Joseph, 2, [.
King, Amasa, 1, 3. Wheeler, Ebenezer, 5, 2
King, Jeptha, 3, 3. Wheeler, Jonathan, 1, 2
King, Reuben, 3, 1. Whitmore, Ether, 3, 5. Wilcox, Elisha, 1, 3.
King, William, 6, 2.
Kingsbury, Ansel, 1, 2. Willeger, William, 2, I.
Kingsbury, Elias, 4, 4. Willey, Nathaniel, 4, 4. Kingsbury, Elijah, 4, 3. Wolcott, Thomas, I, I. Wood Lemuel, 3, 2. Lee, Thomas, 4, 2.
In 1801, John Stormes, Lewis Smith and Eber L. Kelsey were appointed to petition for a division of the town. On the Ioth of January, 1802, and Novem- ber 14, 1804, other attempts at division were voted. By the latter, it was pro- posed to divide the town (as was done the next year, on the erection of Lewis county), the south part to retain - the name of Leyden, and the triangle and part east of the river, Storrsburgh. On
Rice, Ezra, I, 1.
259
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF LEYDEN.
the 3d of February, 1804, Stephen But- ler, Samuel Snow and Richard Coxe, were chosen delegates to a Convention to be held at Champion, February Ist, to take measures for securing the divi- sion of Oneida county. On the 18th of September, 1802, Asa Lord, Job Fisk and Asa Brayton were delegated to attend a meeting at Lowville, to consult about procuring a road from Albany to Johnstown, and thence to the Black river and down to its mouth. This was the beginning of a movement that secured an appropriation for the State Road through the valley.
In 1799, a unique resolution was passed to the effect, that if sleds of less than four feet track were found on the highway more than four miles from home, their owners were liable to a fine of $1, one half to go to the informant, and the remainder to the poor.
Bounties for the destruction of noxious animals have been voted as follows : For wolves, $10 in 1801,'03, '04, '06,'10,'11; for hen hawks, 6 cents in 1815 ; and for chip- squirrels 2 cents in 1806-'07, if killed within one month after May 20th.
This town is comprised within Inman's Triangle, and includes the whole of that tract excepting the acute angle taken off in the erection of Lewis in 1852. This was in some early documents er- roneously named "Storr's Patent," and its south line running N. 68° E., is sup- posed to have been the earliest one sur- veyed in the county. The eastern part comprising its principal area, was sur- veyed into 126 lots by Wm. and James Cockburn, of Poughkeepsie, and the western angle into 28 lots, by Broughton White. The latter is called the " New Survey " and with the exception of the first five lots is now included in the town of Lewis.
On the 5th of June, 1792, Patrick Col- quhoun, high sheriff of London, pur- chased from his friend, William Consta
ble, this tract of 25,000 acres, at one shil- ling sterling per acre,and from his friend- ship to William Inman, interested him in a share of 4,000 acres at the original cost ; and as the purchaser was an alien, and therefore incapable of holding lands in America, he caused the whole to be conveyed in the name of Inman, in trust, and made him agent for the sale and set- tlement of the tract. A few of the early settlers in this town received their titles directly from Innan, among whom were Ebenezer Coe, William Bingham, Jared Topping, Thomas Brayton and Asa Lord.
William Inman was allowed to hold lands in this State by an act of March 27, 1794. He was a native of Somerset- shire, England, and in early life was a clerk of Lord Pultney. He first sailed to America, March 13, 1792, and arrived in June. He soon after was entrusted with the interests of certain Europeans, prominent among whom was Patrick Colquhoun, and took up his residence in Whitestown, not far from the present lunatic asylum, in Utica. He was many years resident in Oneida county and be- came extensively concerned in land speculations in and near Utica, where he was engaged in a brewery. He was a merchant in New York, where he met with heavy reverses. About 1825, he came to Leyden, where he died Febru- ary 14, 1843, aged 81 years. His wife, Sarah, died in Leyden, July 24, 1829, aged 56 years. Their sons were William, John, Henry and Charles.
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