USA > New York > Lewis County > History of Lewis County, New York; with...biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 60
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"The county of Lewis, by the last cen- sus contained 15,300 inhabitants, and at no time since its organization, has it been so rapidly increasing in population, wealth and enterprise, as at the present. The fertility of its soil, the extent of its hydraulic privileges, the abundance of its iron ore and its valuable timber, will ensure it ere long a dense and flourishing population. By a review of the official statements of 1825 and 1830, it will be found to equal any county in the state, in agricultural productions, the quantity of land cultivated and the number of its inhabitants comparatively estimated.
" Your petitioners, from a careful and candid examination of facts derived from known data, have arrived at the follow- ing results :-
" This county furnishes for the Eastern and Canada markets,
Cattle, value, $40,000
Horses & Mules, 66
35,000
Flour & Wheat, 66
50,000
Pot & Pearl ashes, 66
25,000
Pork & Hogs,
25,000
Whiskey,
15,000
" There is annually manufactured and sent to market from 50 to 75,000 pounds of wool. Hemp is an increasing article of exportation and large quantities are purchased for the New-York Market. From the iron ore found in our borders, are manufactured annually 250 tons pig iron, besides that used for ware, castings of every description and nails.
462
HISTORY OF LEWIS COUNTY.
"Our ore, from its richness and abund- ance is of no inconsiderable importance at the present time, and it may be justly anticipated, that the day is not distant, when it will constitute a principal article of exportation. Lumber has become an item in our list of exportations to the New-York and eastern markets, and from the vast quantities with which our for- ests abound, an extensive and increased business is expected.
" Martinsburgh (the place proposed as the location of the Bank) is the County town, and is the centre of wealth, popu- lation & territory, and contained at the last census 2,386 inhabitants. The village is situated on a tributary to the Black River and possesses valuable water priv- ileges. Its distance from Uticais 50 and from Watertown Jeff. Co. 31 miles, to one of which places the inhabitants re- sort for temporary loans, and the ex- pense, trouble and delay in effecting them, embarasses and retards to a great extent, the successful application of means. By comparison, therefore, of this with the location of similar institu- tions, none can be found where invest- ments would be more productive of profit, or furnish more extensive accom- modation to community.
"There is an accumulation of capital in our County, that seeks investment in a Banking Institution located in our sec- tion, and upon which, in a great measure, the business population depend for pe- cuniary facilities, to aid them in the va- rious branches of industry. It is esti- mated that the amount of purchases made by the Merchants of the County exceed $200,000, and that they conse- quently require frequent accommoda- tions for which they seek in vain from the distant Banks, in the season when they are most needed.
"The short time our manufacturing es- tablishments have been in operation, they have more than met the expectations of their proprietors. Our Manufactures are Flour, Hemp, Sattinet, Linseed oil, pig and bar Iron, Whiskey, Pot & Pearl ashes, some of which articles have gained a celebrity, to which those of few coun- ties in the State have attained.
" The waters of Black, Moose and Bea- ver rivers, and of Sugar, Martin's, Low- ville, Deer, Crystal and Independent
creeks, afford privileges for hydraulic purposes, not surpassed by any county in the State.
"In conclusion, your memorialists would beg leave to express their con- fidence in the belief, that this County from its resources, that are now wait- ing a perfect development of successful operation, and from its wealth, location and progressive improvement, present indisputable claims to the benefit of the extension of the Banking system to this section, and that your Honorable Body will not refuse to aid us in ad- vancing the interest and prosperity of this valuable portion of the country. Your petitioners therefore pray, that an act may be passed, incorporating a Bank at Martinsburgh, with a capital of a $100,000, to be called the LEWIS COUNTY BANK. And your peti- tioners, &c."
It will be noticed that no allusion is made to that great feature of produc- tive industry, the dairying interest, which has conferred wealth and reputation up- on Lewis county, as this resource was entirely unknown, and did not begin to develop itself until about two years af- ter. A few years before, a merchant in Lowville who had advertised * for three hundred pounds of butter, payable in goods at ten cents the pound, was considered an adventurer, in a county which twenty years ago produced over 2,000,000 pounds of butter, and a much greater amount of cheese.
The profits upon banking capital had for many years been great, and the prices upon bank stock had been much above par. The franchises implied in a char- ter were difficult to obtain, and it is not surprising that multitudes should seek this investment, or that an immense sub- scription should have been offered beyond what could be taken. The charter limited the amount which one person might take at fifty shares, or $2,500, and left the Commissioners the invidious task of deciding who should
* Black River Gazette, Sept. 18, 1827.
463
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF MARTINSBURGH.
be favored in the assignation of stock. The total amount offered is said to have been about $1,200,000, which would nec- essarily leave eleven in twelve on the disappointed list. As an unavoidable re- sult, many were free to charge upon the Commissioners the most selfish and un- generous motives. Each of their number modestly appropriated to himself all that the law allowed. The rest went to their personal and political friends, and to their " wives' relations."
A bank building was erected in Mar- tinsburgh, adjacent to the Court House in 1833, and the bank was opened for business in December of that year, at- fording the only banking facilities in the county until after the passage of the gen- eral banking law of 1838. While the Bank of Lowville was in course of or- ganization, an unsuccessful effort was made to increase the capital of this bank to twice the sum named in the charter. On the 3d of May, 1842, the bills of this bank were rejected by the Commercial Bank of Albany, and on the same day an injunction was served upon its officers. Mr. Forbes, one of the Bank Commission- ers, had been for some days investigating its affairs and deemed the measure neces- sary as large assets were not available for use. The bank was allowed to resume business Jan. 3, 1843, and public confi- dence had not been entirely restored so as to allow its bills to circulate freely at a distance, when a second injunction was served in 1845, and business was again resumed in September, 1846, with the capital reduced one-half. It went on until November, 1854, when it finally failed, beyond prospect of recovery.
This bank paid ten per cent. dividend upon its stock until 1842, and a single dividend upon its preferred stock after its first suspension. Frederick Hollister, of Utica, in 1845, bought a large interest, and for some time held a controlling amount of stock.
The following is a list of Presidents and Cashiers of this bank :-
Presidents.
1833-John W. Martin.
1843-Isaac W. Bostwick.
1844-Lyman R. Lyon.
1845 -- Isaac W. Bostwick.
1846-Lyman R. Lyon.
Cashiers.
1833-Andrew W. Doig.
1834-Charles L. Martin.
1842-Lyman R. Lyon.
1844-S. D. Hungerford.
1845-Andrew W. Doig.
1846-Ela N. Merriam.
1852-F. W. Grannis.
Statistics.
Statistics as reported annually near the beginning of each year :-
Loans and
Years.
Discounts.
Circulation.
Total Resources.
1834
$116,610
$ 86,242
1835.
. . 211,484
129,525
$259,116
1836
245,315
192,656
349,607
1837
245,882
172,538
355,300
1838
196,890
147,066
311,123
1839
238, 108
139,679
308,519
1840
236,896
128,555
329,461
1841.
228,248
137,754
321,180
1842
204,763
97,422
274,878
1843
162,710
72,864
257,232
1844
114,366
72,452
229,239
1845
119,038
97,097
248,407
1846.
1 36,787
97,117
223,227
1847
147,165
101,824
255,649
1848
166,057
128,807
276,898
1849
117,912
1850
149,997
1851
149,988
1852
48,981
1853.
99,987
..
1854 ....
149,995
.....
THE MARTINSBURGH LIBRARY.
This library was formed at the house of John Atwater, February 10, 1807, and Nathan Cheney, John Atwater, John
464
HISTORY OF LEWIS COUNTY.
McCollister, David Shumway, Truman Stephens, Enoch Bush and Horatio G. Hough, were chosen its first trustees. A good selection of about two hundred volumes was made, and the library was continued till the spring of 1835, when it was broken up and distributed among its remaining shareholders. Asa L. Sheldon, was for many of the later years the librarian.
FEMALE ACADEMY.
A wooden building, two stories high, and furnished with a small cupola, was built in the village in 1828, for an aca- demic school, and probably with the ultimate design of obtaining an incor- poration. The expense was defrayed by subscription, and the property was to be managed by trustees elected by the contributors. The first trustees were Rev. David Kimball, John B. Hill, David Waters, Edward Bancroft, Philo Rockwell and Enoch Thompson. It was opened as a young ladies' seminary by Miss M. S. Williams, June 15, 1829, and a few years after was used as an infant school. Calvin B. Gay, from Leyden, (1832), the Rev. Calvin Yale and others, have taught at different times, and scarcely a winter has passed without a select or other school being taught. Since 1854, it has been used as a district school house, and in recent years has been thoroughly repaired. The district now holds the title from the Rockwell heirs.
MARTIN INSTITUTE.
When a site was donated by General Walter Martin for a court house, it was to remain public property so long as it was used for this purpose. Upon the removal of the county seat from Mar- tinsburgh to Lowville, in 1864, the court house and its site, by the terms of the original gift of the land, reverted to
the Martin family. Mr. Charles L. Martin, of New York City, gave to the town one-fourth part, this being the amount of his interest, and the rights of the remaining heirs were purchased. The town had always used the building as a town hall, and it was thought proper to continue it for that purpose, and to establish what was intended to be a per- manent academy. A provisional charter was obtained January 13, 1870, for what was known as the Martin Institute, so named in honor of Charles L. Martin, the donor of a part of the purchase. About $4,500 were expended in making the changes necessary for school pur- poses. The upper part of the cupola was removed, an addition for stairways was built in front and the internal ar- rangements were changed generally. The county jail had formerly occupied the south side of the first story, and had originally consisted of three cells-the " debtor's cell "-the "woman's cell," and the " criminal's cell." The latter had a strong picket railing outside of the door in the hall, and was for a long time the only cell in use-in fact the jailor was without boarders a consider- able part of the time, in the first half-cent- ury of the county. Of escapes from this jail there were few or none. Once a prisoner undertook to set fire to the jail, hoping doubtless, to be released and to escape, but the fire was dis- covered before it had made much prog- ress. The floor of the cells were of timber, and underneath, the space was filled with large boulders that would effectually prevent crawling by any creature larger than a snake, should a hole be cut through the floor. The framework was solid, and is to-day prob- ably as substantial as ever.
Nearly every winter since, a school has been taught upon the premises, in one large school room, and generally by college graduates, but usually upon
A.LITT. :
[DANIEL LOUCKS. ]
DANIEL LOUCKS.
The family of Loucks is of German descent on both the father'e and mother's side. Peter Loucks, his grandfather, the fourth generation from Germany, wse & lieutenant in the war of the Revolution, under General Herkimer, and took part in the battle of Orisksny, In which he wae wounded.
His son, Peter Loucks, Jr., was born September 11, 1770. He married Annie Clark, January 21, 1798, who died on the 15th of the following May, and in 1805 he married Margaret Moyer. He died in 1847 at the age of 77 years. His children were: Nancy, born April 2, 1799; Peter, born January 26, 1805; Margaret, horn August 24, 1806; Jacob, born April 8, 1810; John, born February 27, 1812; Mary, born May 4, 1814; Betsey, boru May 17, 1817; Katherine, horn Msy 30, 1819; William, born July 21, 1821; Benjamin, born February 13, 1829, died October 10, 1834; and DANIEL, whose portrait appears in this connection.
Daniel Loucks, the fourth child, was born in the town of Manheim, Montgomery county-now In Herkimer county- July 31, 1808. In March, 1822, his parents removed to Low- ville, Lewis County, snd at the age of seventeen he went to . the town of Herkimer, in the county of that name, 88 an spprentice in the tanning and shoemaking trade. There he remained about two years; but his father, old and in feeble health, required bis sid in caring for the family, and he
returned to Lewis County, and engaged in the multifarious labore of farm life until he was twenty-four years old. He received his education in the common schools of Lowville, and remained at home until twenty-four years of age when on the 10th day of December, 1831, he married Julis Ann Strader, and took up his residence In the town of Martins- burgh. In the spring of 1832, he took a contract for s traot of land on which he remained a few years and then removed to West Martineburgh where he has since resided. He worked at the trade of shoemaking until the year 1863, when he and his two eldest sone, Hudson and Charles, engaged in the hop growing industry, In which they continued until the death of Hudson. After that he and Charles kept up the business until the desth of the latter, and since that time he has virtually retired from business.
On the 14th of December, 1854, his wife died of consump- tion. He has served ss Justice of the Peace in Martine- burgh thirty-six years, and is numbered among the estima- ble and representative men of the town. His obildren were seven in number, se follows: Hudeon, born September 2, 1832, died October 11, 1877; Eliza, barn December 28, 1834, married Daniel Vanderburg, of Martinsburgh, July 17, 1858; Charles, born February 24, 1837, died June 20, 1880; Melvlile, born February 13, 1841, a graduate of West Point, dled February 20, 1872; Delevan, born Auguet 7, 1843, died. June 4. 1867; Mariette, born March 21, 1847, died December 21, 1854; Sedate, born November 2, 1851, died December 16, 1854.
465
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF MARTINSBURGH.
their responsibility, the rent being given. The grade of instruction has been excel- lent, but neither library nor apparatus have been provided, nor have the con- ditions of the charter been as yet ful- filled. A teacher's institute has also been held nearly every autumn in the village, and in some years upon these premises, under the direction of the Commissioners of Schools, by persons appointed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the incidental ex- penses being paid by the State.
In speaking of criminal events, it may be mentioned that about 1806-'08, a man convicted of larceny was sentenced to be publicly whipped. This was done in front of Doty's tavern in Martinsburgh. He was stripped to his middle, and the lash was applied to the naked flesh as the law directed. The prisoner's hands were tied up so that he could not move. This incident we have received from a citizen, who as a boy, was present in the crowd of spectators who had wit- nessed the transaction.
WEST MARTINSBURGH.
West Martinsburgh (P. O.) three miles northwest, on the West road, is rather a thickly settled street than a village. The farming region in this vicinity is one of the finest in the county.
The business of West Martinsburgh is now limited to the following establish- ments, and has scarcely been much more :-
Blacksmiths-F. E. Peebles, Harvey Petrie.
Cheese Factory .- Frank Gowdy.
Cheese-box Factory .- Daniel E. Brown, (uses steam power.)
Cooper .- Leonard Morse.
Hotel .- J. D. Taylor.
Store .- Mr. Loucks, (late J. H. Ral- ston.)
Wagon Shops .- Brown & Arthur, (em-
ploy six to seven men, and turn out thirty to forty wagons a year.
Saw-mills are owned in the west part of the town, as follows :- By Edward Beck, on Mud creek; Wesley Alexander, on Roaring brook, and Leonard Alexan- der, at the head of Whetstone gulf.
GLENSDALE VILLAGE .*
Glensdale, before the railroad was opened in 1868, was a hamlet of about a dozen houses, a mill, store, church and a few shops, in the eastern part of the town, where Whetstone creek falls over the last terrace of limestone before reaching the river. The postoffice at this place was established in March, 1855, with S. D. Mason, postmaster.
Upon the opening of the railroad, it was thought necessary to establish a station in this part of the town, and the point opposite the "Tiffany Bridge," so called, was chosen. It has grown to be a place of considerable business, as fol- lows :-
Carriage Shop and Blacksmith .- H. H. Covey.
Carpenters .- Ansel Post, Egbert Root. Cooper .- Norman Phelps.
Flour and Feed .- John Van Aerman, (also general sewing machine agent), S. H. Oliver, (flour dealer, station agent, Notary Public, and Justice of Peace.)
Hardware .- Charles Weller, (tin shop connected.)
Harness and Shoe Maker .- Chas. Bruet.
Hotels .- H. S. Higby, H. H. Phillips. Lawyer .- James D. Smith.
Milliner .- Mrs. Ansel Post.
Physician .- Dr. S. H. Murphy.
Planing Mill, Saw Mill and Machine Shop .- Warren Johnson.
Stores .- Caswell Burdick, Wm. S. Bra-
* The name of the post office and the village is prop- erly Glensdale. The station on the Railroad books is known as Glendale, to distinguish it from another sta- tion in Western New York. The population of Glens- dale, in 1880, was reported at III.
466
HISTORY OF LEWIS COUNTY.
dish, John H. House, (under construc- tion,) B. L. Tiffany, (painter, etc.) Wagon Maker .- H. D. Hopkins. Whip Maker .- Wm. Rosell.
The " Glensdale Cornet Band " is com- posed of sixteen members.
At the old village of Glensdale, three- fourths of a mile distant, there is now only the grist-mill of William Jones, and a blacksmith shop, kept by Frederick Cran- dall. The only church in this part of the town is a small Methodist chapel at the latter place.
Glensdale has the advantage of canal as well as of railroad, but until recently the former has had no accommodations. A warehouse, built some years ago by Edwin Pitcher, was carried away by a flood. Another was under construction, upon the same site, in the summer of 1882, by Homer Markham.
MARTINSBURGH STATION, (East Martins- burgh P. O.)
This place is located opposite the vil- lage of Martinsburgh, and about two and a half miles distant, at the foot of the hills, and is chiefly important as a wood-station. It is only a flag-station, and the principal trains do not stop there. It is a conven- ient point for the eastern border of the town, but the hills render it inconven- ient for the village, the inhabitants of which usually resort to Lowville to make their railroad connections.
TOWN MEETINGS DURING THE WAR.
The records of special town meetings in this town were, owing to the ineffi- ciency of the Town Clerk, not recorded, and the only entry of the period relating to the subject found, was one dated Jan- uary 21, 1865, in which a bounty of $400 was offered for recruits of one year. This shameful neglect of a town officer should by no means be construed to imply that nothing was done. The town was quite
as forward as any other in the county to discharge its duties in that crisis.
RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES.
The first church edifice in the State north of the Mohawk, was erected in Martinsburgh, in 1806, chiefly through the aid of General Martin, who defrayed the principal share of the cost, and sold out pews to families and deeded the title as opportunities offered. The first Pres- byterian society of Martinsburgh, was formed December 9, 1810, the original trustees being Walter Martin, Levi Ad- ams, John McCollister, Chillus Doty, Chester Shumway, Nathan Cheney, Eli- zur Stephens, Ephraim Luce and Barna- bas Yale. The society began with for- ty-seven members. The edifice was painted by subscription, and furnished by General Martin with a bell in 1827, in return for the compliment of naming the town after him. This gift of a bell was conditioned to the painting of the church by the citizens of the town. Money was scarce in those days, and barter trade common. To raise the means for painting, a subscription was circulated among the farmers, who put down their aid as so many bushels of flax-seed, which was ex- changed for oil, or other produce con- vertable into paint or painter's wages. The building was thoroughly repaired in 1832, furnished with an organ in 1838, again repaired in 1853, and burned by lightning on the morning of August I, 1854. This fire also consumed the stone school-house in the rear.
The first bell weighed alone about 800 Ibs. and cost $400. It was broken in the fire, and the old metal exchanged in part for the present one, which weighs (with the yoke) 1,556 lbs. and cost $450. Both were from Meneeley's foundry, in West Troy. The site of the church was not deeded to the society until 1818. A new church edifice was erected in 1858, on
467
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF MARTINSBURGH.
the site of the former, at a cost of $3,000, and dedicated in November of that year. A parsonage belonging to the society was burned October 15, 1849. It stood just north of the present school-house.
The first religious meetings were held by missionaries, in private houses, and afterwards in the school-house on the brow of the hill south of the village. The Rev. Isaac Clinton, of Lowville, and others preached occasionally in the meet- ing-house, but none were regularly hired until about 1809, when the Rev. Elijah Norton, an old man from Litchfield, N: Y., was hired a few months .*
The Rev. Aaron Jordan Booge, from Galway, N. Y., having preached a few times, was invited to become the stated supply of the society, February 19, 1810, for a term of four years, from the first of November, preceding. That he might be "free from worldly cares and avoca- tions," the trustees promised to pay $250 per annum in quarterly installments. He accepted, but stooping to meddle in pol- itics was silenced. While endeavoring to retrieve his position, he yielded in an evil hour to a besetting sin.
Having ridden to Turin on the 4th of July, he was seen walking home on the 5th with his garments covered with mud and his saddle on his shoulder. He en- listed as a chaplain in the army June 16, 1813, and was disbanded April 14, 1818.
The Rev. Mr. Mandeville was next employed a short time, when the Rev. James Murdock was installed first pas- tor February 1I, 1812, and remained about seven years. Mr. Murdock was a native of Saybrook, Ct., graduated at Yale College in 1774, in the same class with Mr. Booge ; came to Lewis county March, 1805, preached some time in
Turin and Constableville. From Mar- tinsburgh he went to Gouverneur, and in 1839 to Crown Point, where he died at his son's residence, January 14, 1841, aged 86 years.
Many anecdotes are related of Mr. Murdock, who was partially deaf, and sometimes apt to misunderstand in his own favor. A gift of "half a gallon of rum " for a raising, for example, was un- derstood to be "a gallon and a half," and could not be heard otherwise. Once upon a visit to Dr. H. G. Hough, one of his parishioners, he was shown a young apple tree laden with very fine natural fruit. He was simply expected to ad- mire it, but he took it to mean that the fruit was given him, and there was no chance of explaining to the contrary. That tree still bears the " Murdock Ap- ple," a very fair kind of fruit, which re- ceived its name from that circumstance. Mr. Murdock solicited his own subscrip- tions, and among others asked Mr. Cheeney Conkey, not much of a church going man, who, with an oath, said he would pay him $5, if he would leave the town. Some time after Mr. Mur- dock was called to Gouverneur. The next time he met Mr. Conkey he said " i have concluded to accept your subscrip- tion upon the terms offered," and got it.
The Rev. David Kimball accepted a call December 6, 1821, and was ordained pastor of this church and that of Low- ville village, June 24, 1822. He contin- ued in this relation until October 19, 1830, when he was dismissed at his own request.
Mr. Kimball was born in Hopkinton, N. H., March 18, 1791, learned the print- er's trade at Concord, fitted for college at Phillip's Academy, Andover, gradu- ated at Yale in 1818, and directly after entered the Theological Seminary, at Andover. In 1821, he came to this town and in January, 1831, removed to Plain- field, Mass. He afterwards published a
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