USA > New York > Lewis County > History of Lewis County, New York; with...biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 57
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Eliphaz Ager married Esther Wheeler, of English origin, who was born in Dun- barton, New Hampshire, August 15, 1800, and died August 28, 1821. He died in Lyonsdale, Lewis County, No- vember 19, 1870.
Joel W. Ager resided in Warner until about ten years of age, when his parents removed to Franklin Falls, N. H., where the elder Ager engaged in the trade of paper manufacturing, in the firm of Pea- body, Daniels & Co. With this firm Joel learned the art of paper making, receiving the education of the common schools and the academy at Franklin, and remaining with his parents until he had attained his majority. At the age of twenty-one he went to Springfield, Mass., where he had for one year the charge of the paper manufactory known as the Springfield Paper Manufacturing Company. From there he went to Fitch- burgh, Mass., where he engaged in set- ting up paper machinery and in starting new mills for Rice, Goddard & Co., of
Worcester. Here he remained some three years, and then went to Louisville, Kentucky, where he built a paper mill for Kellogg, Weisenger & Co., remain- ing in their employ and in charge of the mill two years. In 1848, in company with a gentleman from Louisville, Ky., David Lane, he took an extensive jour- ney through the Western States prospect- ing for a site for paper manufacturing. Mr. Lane, who had in boyhood lived in Lewis County, and had remembered its streams and excellent water privileges, suggested a visit to this locality. Their visit resulted in the purchase of thirty acres of land with its water privileges, of A. G. Dayan, which comprised a por- tion of the Lyon estate.
He could not have chosen a better location for his enterprise, or one pos- sessing more of the beautiful in nature. Utility and picturesqueness are here combined. The stream which never fails in its volume, flows through the valley between hills crowned with ever- greens, expands itself in the broad ponds above the mills, and rushes with a roar, and whitened, as in anger, through the narrow gorge and over the falls to the quieter level below, and in its course is caught by the hand of man, and com- pelled to do duty for the benefit of the world. Here in a region which was then in its primitive state of wildness, Mr. Ager determined to locate and build for himself a business and a home. His
LITTLE
JOEL WHEELER AGER,
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF LYONSDALE.
friends endeavored to dissuade him from settling in a region so uninviting and in- accessible, and prophesied that his stay would be brief. But he had inherited too much of the vigor of the New Hamp- shire hills to fear the labor that laid before him, and was possessed of that indomitable perseverance which enters into the characters of all successful men. He began soon to cut roads and clear the land preparatory to building his mill. Remote from neighbors and villages, cut off as it were from the outside world, he felt oftentimes lonesome, but never discouraged. He knew that in that rushing stream, whose waters were never still, was a power that would turn the wheel of his fortune if he but re- mained and trained its forces to his use. Time has shown the wisdom of his determination. The old adage, " They laugh best who laugh last," is pertinent- ly applicable in his case, for those who would have deterred him from his en- terprise have seen him make a success where they supposed failure was certain. His success was merely another instance of the triumph of pluck and persever- ance. He converted that region of wild country into a region of usefulness, and founded a business and a home in one of the most picturesque localities in the county. Even now it retains some of the wildness of its primitive days. The approach to it is over roads which wind through woods and boulders, and past
fields of blackened stumps, where the hand of man has robbed nature of some of her beauty to enrich himself. As one passes over these roads where the still- ness is almost as unbroken as in early days, it would require no great stretch of imagination to believe that behind those stumps and boulders, and in the tangled underbrush, lurk some of the dusky aborigines who once peopled this section. But the hum of the busy wheels on the river remind us that they have gone, and that a race more useful to mankind has taken their place. Vil- lages have sprung up where once stood their wigwams, and the railroad has taken the place of their trails and the draft roads of their successors, the early pioneers. Foreseeing these possibilities of inhabitation and railroad facilities, Mr. Ager in that year, 1848, built his present paper-mill, which was the first machine mill of the kind in the county of Lewis. Mr. Lane engaged with him as partner, and was with him in the business eleven years. In those days there were no railroads, and their paper was carted from forty to eighty miles to market. The first paper of their manufacture was sold to Cyrus W. Field & Co., of New York. From small beginnings the man- ufacture of paper was increased to a steady and uniform business, and his purchase of land was extended to seven hundred acres. About 1871, he engaged in lumbering, and built in that year the
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HISTORY OF LEWIS COUNTY.
present saw-mill with a capacity of 6,000 feet per day. Mr. Ager set up the first Fourdrinier paper machine west of the Alleghany mountains. For twenty-one years he has filled the office of postmas- ter of Lyonsdale, which position he now occupies. Religiously, he is a Unitarian of comprehensive and liberal views, and socially is esteemed for his honest and genial nature. In December, 1845, he married at Fitchburgh, Mass., Celia A.
Johnson, of Bellows Falls, Vt. One child was born to this marriage in Louis- ville, Ky., October 31, 1846, and died in infancy. On the 25th of October, 1864, he married for his second wife, Julia F. Williams, of Martinsburgh, who was born in Ogdensburgh, N. Y., August 22, 1839. Their children are: Josephine E. W., born May 27, 1866; C. Leonard J., born August 29, 1869; A. Florence, born July 28, 1871 ; F. Pet, born July 16, 1874.
Lyman R. Lyon
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF LYONSDALE.
LYMAN RASSELAS LYON.
Lyman Rasselas Lyon, than whom no citizen of Lewis County, past or present, is more entitled to the touch of the biographer's pen, was born in what is now Walworth, Wayne County, N. Y., in 1806, and came a lad of twelve years with his father to Lewis County. He was educated under the Rev. John Sher- man, at Trenton., and at the Lowville Academy, and at an early age evinced a decided interest in public affairs. From 1830 to 1835, he was Deputy Clerk in the Assembly, and was several years Cashier and President of the Lewis County Bank. In 1859, he was elected to the Assembly, and by his active efforts secured to the people the locks and dams on Black river, which completed the water connection between Carthage and the Erie canal; to which object he de- voted much time and energy in laboring for the Black River canal, which was finally built from Boonville and Lyons Falls. He built in 1856, a steamer on the river, modeled after those on the
Ohio, to tow up the canal boats, thus securing forty miles of additional navi- gation. In his younger years, he was largely interested in western govern- ment contracts, and his favorite remark was, that if he made his money abroad he desired only to expend it at home to benefit his own town and county. It was his energy and capital that started the business enterprises known as Moose River and Otter Lake tanneries, still in operation. Mr. Lyon was one of the largest land proprietors in Northern New York, and his reputation as a suc- cessful, energetic, and reliable business man is well known. At the outbreak of the Rebellion, he manifested much in- terest in the Union cause, and proffered his services in defense of the govern- ment, which were declined on account of his age. He gave a musket to every young man who enlisted from his town, and contributed in various other ways to the success of our arms. His deep anxiety during that struggle, in addition
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HISTORY OF LEWIS COUNTY.
to his extended business cares, affected his health, and in 1867, he went abroad with his family. He traveled through Southern Europe, Palestine, and Egypt,
and was somewhat benefited; but re- turning, died on the 7th of April, 1869, at Savannah, Georgia, on his way home from Florida.
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF MARTINSBURGH.
CHAPTER XXX.
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF MARTINS- BURGH.
THIS town was formed from Turin,
Feb. 22, 1803, in accordance with a vote of that town, and originally em- braced townships four and five of the Boylston tract, or Cornelia and Porcia,* as designated on the Surveyor-General's maps of 1802-'04. The act took effect on the first day of March following, and di- rected the first town meeting to be held at the house of Ehud Stephens. Harris- burgh and Ellisburgh were created towns by the same act.
By a law passed April 2, 1819, that portion of Turin north of a line pass- ing nearly east and west, through the point of intersection of the State and West roads, at what was then the site of Johnson's tavern, was annexed to this town.t It has been stated that this measure was effected against the wishes of Turin, by Levi Adams, then in the Sen- ate,and a few settlers east of Martinsburgh village, who found their residence in Turin equivalent to a deprival of their civil rights, on account of their distance from elections. The latter town consent- ed to a change that should fix the line on Whetstone creek, but upon receiving notice of the proposed alteration, called a special meeting, voted against the di- vision with but one dissenting voice, and appointed a committee to petition against it, but without avail.
The early records of town meetings in this town appear to be lost. In 1806 the
town officers were : Walter Martin, Su- pervisor ; Levi Adams, Clerk; Ehud Stephens, Asa Brayton, Orrin Moore, Assessors; Truman Stephens, Collector ; Ehud Stephens and Elijah Baldwin, Overseers of the Poor ; John McCollis- ter, Oliver Allis and Avery P. Stoddard, Commissioners of Highways; Truman Stephens and Bradford Arthur, Con- stables.
Supervisors .- 1805, Asa Brayton; 1806 -'08. Walter Martin ; 1809- 10, Chillus Doty ; 1811-'14, Levi Adams; 1815, C. Doty ; 1816-'17, Bradford Arthur; 1818- '22, Baron S. Doty ; 1823, B. Arthur ; 1824, Barnabas Yale; 1825-'29, B. Arthur ; 1830-'32, Asahel Hough; 1833-'35, Da- vid Miller ; 1836-'38, Noah N. Harger ; 1839, A. Hough ; 1840, David Griffis; 1841, Harvey Stephens; 1842, Henry McCarty ; 1843, Morgan Harger; 1844, Edwin S. Cadwell; 1845, H. Stephens ;* 1846, Eleazer Alger ; 1847-'51, Diodate Pease ; 1852-'53, Avery Babcock ; 1854, D. Pease ; 1855, Horatio Shumway ; 1856 -'60, Edwin Pitcher ; 1861, Sidney Syl- vester; 1862-'64, Chester Ray ; 1865, Orlando Arthur ; 1866-'70, Marion Nash; 1871, Alfred Arthur ; 1872-'81, Martin Sheldon; 1882, Roland Evans.
Town Clerks .- 1803 and 1806, Levi Adams; (ın 1807-'10, the record is not to be found;) 1811-'13, Enoch Thompson ; 1814, Edward Bancroft; 1815-'26, E. Thompson ; 1827, John B. Hill ; 1828-'30, Walter Martin, Jr .; 1831-'33, Charles L. Martin ; 1834-'35, W. Martin, Jr .; 1836- '37, Elijah L. Thompson ; 1838-'40, Lewis G. VanSlyke; 1841, William King ; 1842, John E. Jones; 1843, C. L. Martin ; 1844, David Griffis ; 1845, James M. Sturte- vant; 1846, William King ; 1847, Daniel A. Smith; 1849-'51, Henry W. King; 1852, Edwin S. Caldwell; 1853, Alonzo J. Buxton ; 1854, John M. Michael; 1855, John S. Hill; 1856-'75, E. S. Caldwell ;
* Died April 7, 1845, and Harvey Easton elected April 19th.
* The latter has been sometimes erroneously written Persia. These names were derived from Roman ladies, conspicuous in classic history. They never received a local application among the settlers, and are perhaps nowhere found as geographical names, except upon the maps quoted, and on the statutes.
t The line was directed to be run from the point where the line of lots, 151, 152, township 3, touched the river, to the place where the line, between the farms of Oliver Bush and Edward Johnson joined on the State road, and on the same course to the east line of town- ship five.
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HISTORY OF LEWIS COUNTY.
1876-'80, Samuel L. Mott; 1881, Chaun- cey Morse; 1882, S. L. Mott.
Among the town records of Martins- burgh are noticed in 1809, '12 and '15, a vote imposing a fine of $4 for allowing Canada thistles to go to seed ; the money, when recovered, to be applied towards the support of the poor.
In 1823, it was voted that the collec- tion of taxes should be made by the per- son who would bid to do it at the least price. The support of certain town paupers was put up at auction in like manner in 1820, and this practice has precedent in the usages of other towns in the county.
THE FIRST PROPRIETOR AND NAMESAKE OF THE TOWN.
Walter Martin, a son of Captain Adam Martin, was born in Sturbridge, Mass., December 15, 1766, and in 1787 removed to Salem, N. Y., where he married Sarah Turner, a daughter of James Turner, of Pelham, Mass., and whose widow af- terwards married John Williams, of Salem, N. Y. Another daughter of James Turner, named Jane, married David Thomas, State Treasurer. Mr. Martin became engaged in business in Salem, before making his purchase in this town. An uncle, named Moses Martin, was one of the first settlers of Salem, and great numbers, from his native town, removed to that place. One of his sisters married Judge Asa Fitch, and another Andrew Freeman, of Salem. Silas Conkey and Chillus Doty married two other sisters, and removed with him to the Black River country. They both died in this town as did also their wives.
While living in Salem, Mr. Martin narrowly escaped death from an acci- dent, which he could never, in after life, relate without emotion. He owned a grist mill, in which it was found neces- sary to cut away the ice on a winter's morning, before it could be started.
While engaged at this work, the miller, without knowing the danger, let water upon the wheel, which began to revolve with Martin in it, and continued to do so until it was stopped by his body. A leg was broken and he was dreadfully bruised by being thrown repeatedly from axle to circumference, as the wheel re- volved.
Early in 1801, Mr. Martin came up into the Black River country, and after spending a short time at Lowville, ex- ploring the lands south, he went to New York in June of that year, and bought of James Constable 8,000 acres of land, including the east subdivision of Town- ship five of the Boylston tract.
It has been said upon good authority, that Martin upon this journey, repre- sented a number of associates in Salem, who proposed to unite in the purchase. He came first to Lowville, where settle- ment had begun four years before, and employed Ehud Stephens to go with him over the tract. It proved to be ex- cellent, and instead of reporting to his associates, he went down to New York and bought it himself. Not having mon- ey enough to pay down, he gave a mort- gage, which was not settled up until long afterwards. We are not aware whether this mortgage covered the whole town, but after the failure of John W. Martin, proceedings of foreclosure were com- menced upon what was called the " Oo- thoudt Mortgage," upon which interest had been paid for some fifty years. It was finally settled by an assessment of a few dollars apiece upon those interested in the title thus impaired. Mr. D. M. Bennett, for a long time a lawyer resi- dent in Martinsburgh, afterwards in Watertown, and now of Saratoga Springs, was employed to collect this debt. It is generally thought that a mortgage is a good investment, especial- ly if the property is ample security. But in a case like this, the holders perhaps
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF MARTINSBURGH.
thought that they had got too much of a good thing.
The incidents of his settlement are re- lated in these pages. A few years after his arrival, he again escaped death by the slightest chance. He had gone to a place not far from the cemetery, west of the village, and near the creek, which was frequented by deer, and climbed a beech tree, for a better opportunity of shooting his game as it passed in the evening. Mr. David Shumway, a set- tler who was also out hunting, came near the place, and seeing a dark, living object in the tree, mistook it for a bear after nuts, and taking deliberate aim was on the point of firing, when Martin discovered his danger, and by giving a timely warning, escaped instant death. It would be difficult to decide which party felt most grateful for this happy escape from a dreadful casualty.
Mr. Martin held successively the of- fices of Assistant Justice of the Oneida Court, Loan Commissioner, State Road Commissioner and State Senator. Be- fore the erection of Lewis county he held the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, and soon after was promoted to that of Brig- adier-General, in which capacity he served a short time on the frontier in 1814. He was appointed postmaster upon the establishment of a postoffice, January 19, 1804. His successors have been John W. Martin, May 23, 1831; William King, May 6, 1845; David T. Martin, June 14, 1849; Daniel S. Bailey, August 24, 1853; James H. Sheldon, September 27, 1854; and G. W. Locklin, since the death of the latter in Septem- ber, 1871.
In whatever promoted the interests of the town or county, General Martin felt a lively interest, and when a measure of public utility wanted the means for its accomplishment, he generally contrived to find them. It appeared to be a governing maxim of his life, that when
a thing was to be done it must be, if not by one way, by another. In many other ways his example was not a good one to be set before a temperate and virtuous people. His sessions in the bar-room, especially on Saturday afternoons, with two or three chosen companions, were of a kind that would not now be called respectable. He was, however, never backward in aiding to the full extent of his share, however large it might be, in any public enterprise. For some years after his first arrival, he evinced a par- tiality for a kind of investment in the erection of saw-mills, of which he owned several in Martinsburgh and Turin, upon which the country around depended for their supply of the essential materials of a comfortable house or a commodious barn. General Martin died at his resi- dence in Martinsburgh village, Decem- ber 10, 1834. His father, Colonel Adam Martin, was born August 27, 1739, re- moved with him to Martinsburgh, where he died August 9, 1818, aged seventy- nine years. He had been an officer in the French and Revolutionary wars and was a Member of Assembly from Wash- ington county in 1787. His wife died in this town December 2, 1820.
The family of General Martin was as follows :-
Jane Martin, married Stephen Leon- ard, of Lowville.
Abigal Martin, married Philo Rock- well, who came to this town from Had- ley, N. Y., about 1806 or '07, and settled as a merchant. In 1816 he removed to Aurora, Cayuga county, but returned to this town and remained till 1829, when he removed to Utica, and engaged in the hardware trade, in the firm of Rock- well & Sanger. On the alarm of ap- proaching cholera, he was appointed one of a health committee, and fell the first victim in Utica, August 13, 1832.
Susanna Martin, married Dr. John Safford, from Salem, who settled about
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HISTORY OF LEWIS COUNTY.
1806, and was for a time Deputy County Clerk, under Richard Coxe, and kept the Clerk's Office in one of the wings of his house. He practiced medicine several years in this town, but in 1826, removed to Watertown, where he en- gaged in merchandise, and erected a block of stores on the north side of Court street, that was afterwards burned. He died there many years ago.
Walter Martin, removed to Marshall, Michigan, and there died.
Adam Martin, was born August, 1796, and died May, 1816, in this town. He was exceedingly intemperate, and this probably caused his death.
John Williams Martin, graduated at Hamilton College, in 1820, married a daughter of Winthrop Lee, of this town, was elected to the Assembly in 1827. Became first President of the Lewis County Bank, and from 1833 to 1843 was first County Judge. A few years later he became insolvent, involving several persons who had endorsed his papers, to a large amount. He removed to Brook- lyn, and died there July 29, 1881, in the 82d year of his age.
Charles Lee Martin, (named from Gen. Lee, of the Revolution,) was the first of the family born in this town, the above named having been natives of Sa- lem, Washington county. He was for some years Cashier of the Lewis County Bank, and County Treasurer. He went to New York and was connected with the Bank of North America, for many years, we believe as Cashier. He died in New York City, December 18, 1868, aged 66 years. He was highly esteemed both in this county and in New York City, as a man of trust and integrity. He was the first owner and resident in the stone house in Martinsburgh village, now owned by Daniel Whittaker.
Morgan Lewis Martin, was born in this town March 31, 1805, graduated at Hamilton College in 1824. Studied law
and settled at Detroit, in 1826. He re- moved the next year to Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he has since resided. He was a member of the Legislative Council from 1831 to 1835, and of the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature, from 1838 to 1844. He served as Delegate to Congress in 1845-'47, and was a Dele- gate in and President of the Second Constitutional Convention, of Wiscon- sin in 1848. He served in the Assembly of that State in 1855, and in the Senate in 1858-'59. He was a pay master in the army in 1861-'65, and an Indian Agent, in 1866-'69. At the present time he holds the office of County Judge, of Brown county, Wisconsin, his home being at Green Bay.
David Thomas Martin, (named from his relative, the State Treasurer) was several years a Magistrate, and to a small extent engaged in business in early life. He removed to Watertown a few years since, and died there.
EARLY PURCHASERS AND TITLES.
A tract of 8,000 acres, supposed to in- clude the east subdivision of Township five of the Boylston tract, was deeded to Walter Martin, of Salem, N. Y., June 17, 1801, for $12,000. As early as Jan- uary 20, 1796, Shaler of Turin, was en- deavoring to purchase No. 5, which would then have sold for more than it brought in 1801. At that time Con- stable refused to sell less than the whole tract of 14,820 acres, and in June, 1798, gave John Stephen a refusal for four months, at twelve shillings per acre. It will be remembered that the political changes in Europe had checked emigra- tion, and that the decline of prices in wild lands was general throughout the country. Just at this time, the land companies in the Western States were opening their domains to settlers upon very favorable terms ; the hostile Indian
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF MARTINSBURGH.
tribes in that region had been brought to terms of peace ; and the tide of New England emigration, although still strong, was diverted to the broad plains and fertile valleys of the Western country. For a few years before this, the "Black River Country " had enjoyed the prestige in certain parts of New England, where the tide of emigration was strong; but after the events we have noticed they went West, to the then remote Genesee country, or into distant regions beyond.
The purchase of this town was made from James, agent of William Constable, and the tract was familiarly known among the first settlers as "The Trian- gle." Upon its being afterwards found that it fell short of 8,000 acres, 703 acres, or parts of lots 2, 4, 15, 17 and 41, in the west subdivision of the same township, were conveyed to supply the deficiency, May 26, 1806. The tract was surveyed the first summer of the pur- chase, by - Montgomery into sixty lots. Township 4, was surveyed into III lots by Benjamin Wright in 1805, and belonged to the Pierrepont family, until sold for settlement. Mr. Martin immediately came on with a company of men, to make a clearing and erect a saw-mill. He was accompanied by Elijah Baldwin of Salem and wife, who came on to cook for the laborers, and she was during the first season the only woman in town. As soon as surveyed, the land was opened for sale in farms at $5 per acre, and with such rapidity was it taken up, that in less than a month, almost the whole of it was under con- tract to persons intending to settle. The purchasers contracted to clear four acres and erect a house within two years. Numerous small clearings were begun in various parts of the tract, especially along the intended roads, and rude log cabins were put up to be ready for the families that were to arrive the
next spring. The first clearing was made by Martin, west of the present mill, and before winter he had built a log house and a saw-mill. His millwright was David Waters, from Johnstown, who with his brother John became pioneer settlers.
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