USA > New York > Lewis County > History of Lewis County, New York; with...biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 58
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Mr. Martin arrived with his family March 4, 1802, and during this season, many families came on for permanent settlement. Among those who arrived the first and second years, were Mrs. Richard Arthur and sons, Ehud Steph- ens, Levi Adams, John and Orrin Moore, Chillus Doty, Silas Conkey, Wm. Miller, John Atwater, Joseph Sheldon, Jotham Strickland, Elisha and Daniel Tiffany, Nathan Cheney, Justus Sacket, Eli Kel- logg, Stephen Root, Roswell Miner, Daniel Ashley, Ephraim Luce, Stephen Searl, Dr. Danforth Shumway, Enoch and Theron Thompson, John McCol- lister, and others on Martin's triangle. The first settler near West Martinsburgh was Asahel Hough, who removed from Leyden in the spring of 1802. His neigh- bors along the West road within the next three years, were Lobdell Wood, Arba Jones, James Coates, Samuel Gowdy, David and Chester Shumway, Clark McCarty, Asa Brayton, William, Jonas, and Watson Henry, Nathaniel Babcock and Truman Stevens. First settler on Township 4, was Nathaniel Alexander, in July, 1805. In the south part of the town, included in the Shaler tract, and a part of Turin, until annexed in 1819, the first settlers were Reuben Pitcher and Eli Rogers, from Westfield, Mass., who set- tled in 1802. Like many other families who came on in the spring of that year, they were delayed until late in February by the want of snow. The company in which they came had twelve or four- teen ox teams, and were fourteen days upon the road from Westfield. At Al- bany the Hudson was broken up, and they were obliged to go up to Half
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HISTORY OF LEWIS COUNTY.
Moon Point, now Waterford, to cross, where the ice, although a foot under water was considered safe.
The first blacksmith who settled in town was John Peebles, who removed from Salem in 1804. He was the ances- tor of all of the name now living in town. The first birth in town was that of Jane, daughter of Ehud Stephens, born Feb. 2, 1802. She became the wife of Shepard Lee. The first male child born was Walter Martin Searl, of Lowville. Mr. Martin brought on the remainder of a store of goods which he had owned in Salem, to accommodate his settlers, until a regular merchant could be established. A grist mill was got in operation in 1802 or 1803, but as Lowville and Turin had been some years settled, the people of this town were relieved from much of the hardship arising from long journeys to mill. The water power wherever considered available, was reserved by Martin in his sale of lands.
BRIEF MENTION OF SOME OF THE EARLIEST FAMILIES WHO SETTLED IN MARTINSBURGH.
Elijah Baldwin settled a short distance south of the village, on the State road. Died in Houseville, February 6, 1857, aged 84 years.
David Waters, originally of Salem, was a mill-wright and builder, and built the large frame house opposite the brick house of Doty, as a tavern. He died there March 25, 1843, aged 67 years.
John Waters, brother to the above, was a carpenter and farmer. His dwell- ing was half a mile south of the village on the State road, the same now owned by Martin Sheldon. He died February 20, 1843. His widow some years after married Charles Lee. His son, Van- Rensselaer Waters, was afterwards County Sheriff. John and George, other sons, settled in Utica.
Richard Arthur, ancestor of all of this name in the county, (so far as we have knowledge,) died in Westfield in 1790, aged 40 years, leaving eleven children, most of whom became heads of large families in this town. The sons were :-
Bradford Arthur, who settled just north of the village, on the State road, and died there September 9, 1855, aged 82 years. He was a most intimate friend of General Martin. He came in 1803, and was several years, Supervisor, Coroner, etc. His only son, Warren Arthur, a wealthy farmer, died June 19, 1876, leaving a son, Franklin H. Arthur, now living on the farm his father owned. Mrs. Louisa Finch, a daughter of Brad- ford Arthur, and widow of Merlin Finch, died in this town August 16, 1882, aged 83 years.
Levi Arthur settled next north of his brother Bradford, and died November 28, 1853, at an advanced age. He had three sons, Orlando, Alfred and Levi, and several daughters, most of whom are still living.
Richard Arthur, died February 7, 1841, aged 64 years.
Russell Arthur lived on the East road, northeast of Martinsburgh village. He was the father of George Arthur and E. J. Arthur, of Lowville.
Joseph Arthur, died September 12, 1872, aged 86 years. Was the father of Augustus, Charles and Horatio Arthur, and had several daughters who became heads of families.
Elisha Arthur, died October 17, 1859, aged 75 years. He was the father of William Arthur, Flavius J. Arthur, John Arthur, Dwight Arthur, and several daughters.
Mrs. Arthur, the mother of the above named brothers, died in this town in 1815. She had tour daughters, who married early settlers, viz. :- Mrs. Orrin Moore, Mrs. Elisha Tiffany, Mrs. Joseph Sheldon, (mother of the late Ira Sheldon,)
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF MARTINSBURGH.
and Mrs. Jerry Hillman. By far the greater part of the land taken up by the Arthur families along the State road from the village to the town line of Lowville, is still owned by their descend- ants.
Levi Adams was from Westfield, and settled in this town on the East road, and near the town line of Lowville. He was elected to the State Senate in 1819, and served four years, being in 1820, one of the Council of Appointment. He was often elected to town offices, and in 1815-'18, was Sheriff. He died June 18, 1831, aged 68 years.
Captain John Moore settled on the swell of land a little south of the resi- dence of Warren Salmon, on the State road, between Martinsburgh and Low- ville, where he was accidentally shot, as elsewhere noted.
Orrin Moore, died in 1827.
Chillus Doty, a brother-in-law of Gen- eral Martin, was many years an inn keeper in Martinsburgh, and built the brick house in the north part of the vil- lage. He was Sheriff in 1805 -- '08, and 1811-'14, and Surrogate in 1815-'23. He held the office of Assessor under the law imposing a direct tax, after the War of 1812-'15, and was several years County Judge. He died in this town October 16, 1824. Mrs. Sarah Doty was born August 19, 1767, and died September II, 1843. James Duane Doty, their son, was born in Salem, N. Y., in 1799, and spent his boy hood in this town. In 1818, he removed to Detroit, and in 1820, be- came became Secretary to Governor Cass. In 1839, he was chosen to Con- gress. In 1841, he was appointed Gov- ernor of Wisconsin Territory, and in 1848 was again elected to Congress. He was afterwards appointed Governor of the Territory of Utah, and died in June, 1865. His wife was a daughter of Gen- eral Oliver Collins, of New Hartford, and a sister of Hon. Ela Collins, of Low-
ville. He is buried at Camp Douglas, near Salt Lake City, Utah.
Baron Steuben Doty, another son of Chillus Doty, settled in Ogdensburgh, and represented St. Lawrence County in the Assembly in 1826-'27. He after- wards removed to Portage City, where he was living in 1860.
Silas Conkey married a sister of Gen- eral Martin, and died in this town April 16, 1813, aged 54 years. His wife, Zuriah, was born May 19, 1763, and died October 16, 1849, aged 86 years.
William Miller was a house-joiner and from New Hampshire. He brought on his family in 1805, having worked in town the year before, and died in June, 1836. His son, Dr. David Miller, held the office of Sheriff, and various town offices, and died of heart disease, March 27, 1863, aged 70 years. His wife died eleven days before him. William Miller, another son, died in Martinsburgh vil- lage a year or two since.
John Atwater was from Westfield, and was, we believe, the first distiller in the county, his business dating from 1803. He lived a quarter of a mile south of the village, at a place some years a tavern, but returned in 1808 to Westfield, and died there. He sold his place in Martinsburgh to Enoch Lee.
Enoch Lee was the father of Winthrop Lee, Charles Lee, Enoch Lee, Shepard Lee, Lewis Lee and Williams Lee, after- wards well-known citizens of this town. Mr. Enoch Lee, Sen., died June 17, 1834, aged 77 years. His son, Charles, died June 12, 1868, aged 85 years, on the farm now owned by his son, Lafayette Lee. Enoch, the next son, died in Turin, May 11, 1874, aged 77 years. Shepard was a merchant, for many years in Mar- tinsburgh, and afterwards at New Al- bany, Indiana, where he died in 1860. The two remaining sons removed to Milwaukee, Wis.
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HISTORY OF LEWIS COUNTY.
Joseph Sheldon, died in Antwerp, May 16, 1844.
The Tiffany families were from Mont- gomery, Mass., and settled in 1803. They settled in the eastern portion of the town, and were members of the first Methodist Episcopal class formed in this circuit. Daniel Tiffany died April 14, 1863, aged 82 years.
"Squire " Nathan Cheney, settled about half a mile south of the village, where there is an angle in the State road. He removed to Ontario county, and died in Richmond, N. Y., about 1826. Bishop Cheney, of the Reformed Episcopal church, is his grandson.
Justus Sackett settled on the north bank of the creek south of the village, where the State road crosses. He was from Westfield, Mass., and died Febru- ary 28, 1831, aged 52 years.
Stephen Root was from Westfield, Mass., and died August 28, 1857. He was the father of Daniel and Avery Root, of whom the former was killed by a bull, July 13, 1862. He had several daughters who settled in the Western States.
Daniel Ashley was the father of Stephen, Daniel, Otis, Cyrus, and Rev. Riley B., all formerly of this town. He died June 18, 1816, aged 67 years. Ephraim Luce, mentioned in the pre- ceding list, married one of his daugh- ters.
Stephen Searl was from Westfield, and settled on the southern border of the town, where he died about 1830.
Enoch Thompson died March 3, 1845, aged 61. He held some years the office of Loan Commissioner, and kept an inn where Chillus Doty had lived in Mar- tinsburgh village.
John McCollister was from Salem, and first settled on the farm afterwards owned by Charles Lee, a mile and a half south of the village. In fulfillment of a fortune-teller's prediction, which prom-
ised the possession of a large tract of valuable land, he sold his place about 1818, and went to Buffalo, where he kept a tavern for a while, and then went on with his family to come into posses- sion of the estate which the hag had promised him. He placed his family on a boat in the Ohio and floated down to the Mississippi. He then ascended that river to the mouth of the Illinois, where he died of a fever with three of his sons, (John, Charles and Hamilton,) the survivors, some of whom were sick, having scarcely the strength to bury their dead. With great suffering the remainder of the family at length reached their destination, penniless and wretched. Of this family William, Saun- ders and Mary, were living in 1860.
Asahel Hough first settled in Leyden, removed to this town in 1802, and died near West Martinsburgh, October 6, 1842, aged 73 years. His wife, Abigal, died June 26, 1870, aged 96 years, 6 months. They were the parents of Eli B. Hough, of that place.
Lobdell Wood, died October 30, 1860, aged 77. His wife Anna, died April 5, 1853, aged 73.
Samuel Gowdy, died April 19, 1840, aged 80 years. His son of the same name, died September 15, 1862, aged 76 years.
David Shumway, died December 5, 1849, aged 74 years. He was the father of Horatio Shumway, a lawyer, who died at Copenhagen.
Chester Shumway, died May 1, 1861, aged 82 years. The Shumway families were from Belchertown, Mass., and thrifty farmers, on the West road, about a mile south of West Martinsburgh vil- lage. The farm of Chester Shumway is now owned by his son of the same name.
Watson Henry, died March 10, 1836, aged 51 years.
Jonas Henry, died October 19, 1821, aged 77 years.
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF MARTINSBURGH.
Jonas Henry, Jr., born November 18, 1776, died March 30, 1853.
Thomas Henry, died October 18, 1837, aged 25 years.
Mr. Alexander was from Chester, Mass. He died February 14, 1829, aged 86. His son Gaius, died September 22, 1863, aged 79 years.
The following names of inhabitants, some of whom were early settlers, are found in the burial grounds at West Martinsburgh, besides those elsewhere mentioned :-
Bingham, Oliver, died Dec. 25, 1857, aged 71 ;
Mary, his wife, died May 25, 1853, aged 58. Birks, Frederick, died Aug. 26, 1854, aged 76. Collins, Samuel, died April 28, 1841, aged 65. Curtis, Peter, died March 9, 1837, aged 57. Easton, Giles, died June 28, 1829, aged 66. Easton, Giles, died Aug. 16, 1856, aged 59. Easton, Henry R., born Oct. 7, 1802, died June 22, 1848.
Easton, Samuel, died Mar. 7, 1835, aged 50 years, 8 months.
Gordon, David, died Ang. 9, 1840, aged 55. Green, Paul, died Mar. 9, 1837, aged 57.
Hough, Lois, (wife of John,) died Mar., 1813, aged 72.
Hoyt, Ogden A., died May 4, 1865, aged 23. (Late of Co. M, 5th N. Y. Artillery.) Jones, Thomas, died May 12, 1862, aged 70. Knight, Daniel, died April 23, 1879, aged 76. Loucks, Hudson H., died Oct. 11, 1877, aged 45 ; Charles, died June 20, 1880, aged 43 ; Melvin R., died Feb. 20, 1872, aged 31 ; Delivan C., died June 4, 1867, aged 23. Miner, Guy, died May 15, 1853, aged 59. Miner, Maj. Henry, died Sept. 7, 1850, aged 40. Sackett, Samuel, died Mar. 12, 1846, aged 55. Salmon, George, died Aug. 1, 1839, aged 37. Seymour, Martin, died Oct. 6, 1843, aged 59. Stow, Lucy, died Sept., 1869, aged 94. Taylor, Dwight, died Mar. 3, 1875, aged 65. VanDriessen, Harvey, died Oct. 4, 1869, aged 63.
Williams, Bartholomew, died June 22, 1846, aged 84. (A Revolutionary soldier.)
Wilson, Joseph, died Aug. 7, 1849, aged 84 years, 9 months. (Formerly of Killing- worth, Conn.)
Wood, Aaron, died Dec. 29, 1876, aged 70. Wood, Alva, died April 19, 1844, aged 39.
Reuben Pitcher, the first of the name in this town, was a son of Elijah Pitcher, and a brother of Daniel Pitcher. The
latter settled in Boonville, and is the ancestor of a numerous family of this name, and of many of the name of Fisk and Jackson, from the inter-marriage of his daughters with men of these names.
The Pitchers are descendants of An- drew, who settled from England at Dor- chester, Mass., in 1630. Governor Na- thaniel Pitcher, of Sandy Hill, N. Y., also belonged to this family.
Reuben Pitcher died in this town February 15, 1844, aged 81 years. His wife, Martha (Barrett) Pitcher, died in 1829. Their sons were :-
David, died in Cecil county, Maryland, while working on the Delaware and Chesapeake canal, in 1826. His sons were :- Edward, Edwin, David, Charles and Hiram. He had three daughters who lived to adult age.
Daniel, died April 8, 1863, aged 78 years. Mrs. Rebecca (Rice) Pitcher, died April 24, 1874, aged 82 years. Their sons were :- Moses B., Ly- man, Morrison R., Cyrus A., Sey- mour H., and Marcellus. All now living.
Reuben, died of cancer, August 5, 1865, aged 81. years. His widow, Lydia (Herrick) Pitcher, is still living at a very advanced age. Their sons were :- Leonard, James Harvey, and Lewis A. They had five daugh- ters, who all married and have de- scendants.
Moses, drowned in Black River bay, December 3, 1846. Had sons :- Milton, (deceased,) and Rev. Oliver P. Pitcher, of Adams. He had two daughters, who married and have children.
Philander, drowned at mouth of Inde- pendence creek, in Black river, Sep- tember 15, 1847. His sons were :- Horace, Francis, Duane, Almond, William and Leicester, who became heads of families. He had three daughters who married.
Almond, died in Gouverneur in Novem- ber, 1882, aged 83 years. His sons were :- Albert A., and Orville. He had three daughters, of whom two married.
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HISTORY OF LEWIS COUNTY.
They had three daughters, who mar- ried as follows :-
Martha, married Dr. Horatio Gates Hough, in 1803, and about twenty vears after his death, married Judge Ichabod Parsons, of Denmark. She died at the home of Warren Arthur, in this town, August 20, 1874, aged 87 years. Her sons were :- Horatio and Franklin B. Hough. Her daughters were :- Almira, Martha, and Dema R. Hough.
Roxana, married Stephen Ashley. Re- moved to Illinois and died there, leaving a large family.
Dema, married Paul B. Yale, died in Martinsburgh about a year after marriage, leaving no children.
Mr. Eli Rogers, died April 12, 1849, aged 80. He had a large family, most of whom died before he did. The names of several of them are mentioned in our account of Houseville, where they are mostly buried.
Horatio & Hough. son of Tho- mas,
son of Daniel, son of James, son of Samuel, son of William, the first emi- grant of this branch of the family in New England, was born in Meriden, Ct., January 5, 1778, and at the age of three years, removed with his parents to Southwick, Mass. When sixteen years old he entered the office of Dr. Coit of that place, and in four years was admit- ted to practice medicine. His classical studies were pursued with the Rev. Isaac Clinton, pastor of the church of which his father was an active mem- ber, and a warm personal friendship continued between preceptor and pupil through life.
In 1798, the newly licensed physician received as his only patrimony, a horse, saddle, bridle, and a few dollars' worth of medicine, made a tour into Maine with the view of settlement, but not
finding an attractive location returned and joined the current of emigration then setting towards the Black River country. He came to Constableville and settled as the first regular physician in the county, taking up a small farm, afterwards owned by Willard Allen, and laboring in the intervals of his professional employment. In the win- ter of 1803-'04 he taught a school near Constableville. In the fall of 1803, he married Martha, daughter of Reuben Pitcher, and early in 1805 removed to Martinsburgh, and settled on a farm, a mile and a quarter south of the village, where he resided till his death, which oc- curred from an organic disease of the heart, Sept. 3, 1830.
He was an original member, and at his death, President of the County Medical Society, and on many occa- sions he read at its meetings essays upon professional and scientific subjects, which evinced a strong attachment to philosophical studies, and much profi- ciency in them. In an obituary notice, written by his friend Dr. Sylvester Miller, the hardships of the pioneer physician are thus graphically described :--
" How often has he been seen traveling on foot with his saddle bags on his shoul- ders, making his way through the woods by the aid of marked trees, to some dis- tant log house, the abode of sickness and distress ! There has he been seen almost exhausted by fatigue, and suffering from want of sleep and food, reaching forth his hand to restore the sick, and by his cheerful voice pouring consolation into the minds of the afflicted family. He was an obliging neighbor, a kind husband and an affectionate father. In his death literature has lost a friend, and the world a valuable citizen." -- Black River Gazette, Sept. 15, 1830.
Dr. H. G. Hough left two sons and three daughters. The older son, Ho- ratio Hough, resides upon the homestead in this town. The younger son, Frank- lin B. Hough, is the author of this
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF MARTINSBURGH.
volume. The oldest daughter, Almira, married Warren Arthur, and resides a mile north of the village. The second daughter, Martha, married Orrin Wool- worth, and lives in Turin village. Both are widows. The third daughter, Dema R., married Richard C. Smith, of Phila- delphia. They afterwards resided in Gouverneur and Canton, and finally settled in Martinsburgh, about midway between Martinsburgh and Lowville village, where they both died. They were the parents of W. H. Smith a prominent business man in Lowville vil- lage, and of Miss Celestia M. Smith, of that place.
Barnabas Yale, son of Amasa Yale, was born in Rupert, Vt., April 9, 1784, and removed when a child to Salem, N. Y., where his father died, leaving him and two younger children to the care of a poor but industrious mother. He at- tended the Salem Academy two years, and then entered the law office of Mr. Blanchard, where he remained two and a half years. After removing with the family to Schenectady, Amsterdam, Johnstown, Minden and Little Falls, he was, in February, 1807, admitted to practice, and settled in Martinsburgh. He continued a member of the Lewis county Bar about twenty-five years, when he settled on a farm, and in 1836 removed to St. Lawrence county. He died Octo- ber 11, 1854, at the residence of his son Lloyd C., in Norfolk, N. Y. While liv- ing in Martinsburgh, he held many years the office of Justice of the Peace, and in 1820, was appointed Surrogate. He was an active member of the Presbyterian church, and took a leading part in the various reform movements of the day. In 1825, he offered his name as an inde- pendent candidate for the office ofCounty Clerk, and came within twenty-four votes of election. His brother, Paul Baxter Yale, lived many years in this town, and for a few years run a distillery. He af-
terwards removed to Turin, and died near Houseville, Sept. 16, 1872, aged 80 years. They had one sister, who married Allen Hills, and lived on the East road in Turin. He died Dec. 5, 1843, aged 59.
Sally Yale, mother of Barnabas and Paul B., died Oct. 13, 1842, aged 80, an early settler, but not one of the first.
Asa Lord Sheldon was born at Provi- dence, R. I., Sept. 29, 1781, and died Nov. 8, 1869. His wife, Harriet (Holmes) Shel- don, died June 21, 1869. They were the parents of the late James H. Sheldon, formerly a merchant in this town, and of Martin Sheldon, for several years Super- visor. Helived on the State road about a mile south of the village. J. H. Shel- don died Sept. 4, 1871, aged 56 years.
Edward Bancroft removed from West- field in 1816, engaged as a merchant, built a grist mill and distillery, was concerned in the manufacture of potash on a some- what extensive scale, and held the offices of County Clerk and First Judge. Hav- ing proved unsuccessful in business, he removed in 1832 to Detroit, and after another crisis in his affairs, removed to Newport, St. Clair county, Mich., where. he died April 15, 1842, aged 58 years.
EARLY EVENTS.
In James Constable's diary, under date of September 13, 1803, we find the fol- lowing notice of this town :---
" Travelled on to Mr. Martin's. We had a rain some part of the day, which we were glad of as it was much wanted in the country. Mr. Martin was not at home, and we went to look at his mills and other improvements. He has a good country grist mill well finished, and a common saw-mill, but the creek is dry as is the case throughout the coun- try. There is also a potash work at which they were busy. His house is of logs, the same as first erected, as he has not had time for a frame building. His father lives in a similar one very near. There are several neighbors about him
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HISTORY OF LEWIS COUNTY.
on his land. The cultivation is not very forward, but considering the time he has been here, for he only made the purchase in June, 1801, the improve- ments do him very great credit. Mrs. Martin being uncertain when he might return home, and it growing late, we took our leave, dined at Captain Clapp's and returned to Shaler's in the evening."
The first framed house in town was built by Amos Barnes, in 1805, a mile and a half south of the village. It is a part of the house now owned by Charles S. Lee.
The first regular merchants were Philo Rockwell and Danforth Shumway, about 1806.
The first inn was kept by Chillus Doty, a brother-in-law of Martin, in a log house a few rods west of the brick tavern, where the first county courts were held, and the first town business transacted. Business centered in the north part of the village in early years, and upon its transfer to a more southern locality, this portion long wore an aspect of decay until several of its buildings rotted down or were removed.
The western subdivision of Township number 5 was settled under Benjamin Wright, of Rome, and much of Town- ship 4 by I. W. Bostwick, of Lowville, agents of the Constable estate. Mr. Bostwick was appointed by John Mc- Vickar, Hezekiah B. Pierrepont and James Constable, executors of the estate of William Constable, November 24, 1806, to sell lands in Township 4, forming the western part of Martinsburgh. He was to sell only to actual settlers at $6 per acre, on an average, more or less, with interest from the Ist of September following. The whole was to be paid within five years, and the first payment was to be paid in two years. His com- mission for selling was 412 per cent.
James Constable, one of the executors of his brother's estate, remarks in his journal of September 10, 1804, of the settlement of this portion :-
"Passed on from Lowville through northeast quarter of Number Four, which is very good, to Captain Mc- Carty's, on our part of number five, dis- tance three miles. He was from home but we found another of the settlers, Ehud Stephens, who with five or six other men whom we saw, have com- pleted a street of nearly a mile long, of very fine farms in less than two years, and it is quite an animating sight to see them. McCarty, Stephens, and two or three others have paid in full and got their deeds. The rest have paid gener- ally as the money became due, they are all valuable men. The country we are now in, exceeds any part we have seen in the whole journey, and it has the ad- vantage of being well watered. Pro- ceeded on a couple of miles to Squire Martin's, the whole well cleared and cultivated. He is engaged in building a stone house, nearly fifty feet square, after the model of Sir William Johnson's. The walls are up, the roof nearly finished and he expects to complete at least a part of it for the ensuing winter."
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