USA > New York > Livingston County > History of Livingston County, New York, from its earliest traditions to the present together with early town sketches > Part 52
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The county contributed a plurality of 1567 to President Harrison's election in 1SS8. At the annual meeting of the Board of Supervisors in 1888 a committee was appointed for the purpose of taking into consideration the matter of constructing a new jail and sheriff's resi- dence. This committee consisted of Dr. Crisfield, of Dansville, Mr. Wheelock, of Leicester, and Mr. MeNinch of Conesus. At the Decem- ber session the committee reported in favor of a proposition to con- struct the jail at a cost of $15,000 or $16,000. The report was not unanimous, however, Mr. McNinch having presented a minority
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report adverse to the construction of the new jail at that time. The majority report was adopted and it was determined to construct the building at an expense, including heating and plumbing, not to exceed $16,000, and the Treasurer was authorized to borrow the money for that purpose. The following building committee was appointed for the purpose of carrying into effect the resolution: Dr. Crisfield, of Dansville; Mr. Wheelock, of Leicester; Mr. Frazer, of West Sparta; Mr. Lockington, of Lima, and Mr. Walker, of York. The building was constructed by Cauldwell & Gray, of Owego. N. Y., for the sum of $17,100, including certain incidental expenses. The old jail, which was constructed in 1823, was torn down in April, 1889, and the new building was completed in that year.
A very severe freshet occurred in June, 1889, bringing the river up to the highest point since 1865, and doing much damage.
A meeting was held on the 16th day of January, 1891, at Geneseo, for the purpose of organizing a log cabin association to accomplish the erection of a log cabin in the village of Geneseo, for the reception of relics. The following officers were elected: President, Herbert Wadsworth; Vice President, Joseph D. Lewis: Secretary, Lockwood R. Doty; Treasurer, Kidder M. Scott. An executive committee con- sisting of Joseph D. Lewis. William W. Willard, Samnel H. Blyth, John F. Scott, William P. Boyd, Chester Armstrong and George W. Jackman was appointed. All persons contributing the sum of one dollar or a log were to become life members of the association. A committee was appointed for the purpse of preparing by-laws. A building committee was also appointed, consisting of Joseph D. Lewis, A. J. Willard and R. M. Jones, to procure material and supervise the construction of the log house, under the direction of the executive committee. The size of the building was fixed at 30 x 50 feet outside measurement, and a story and a half in height. An auxiliary com- mittee of one was appointed from each town to procure logs, relics and other contributions, and assist generally in promoting the objects of the association. The meeting adjourned, subject to the call of the President. Nothing more came of this project than procuring a few logs and developing an interest in the subject of a log cabin. The cabin would probably have been constructed at once and in the place designed, had it not been for some opposition to its location in the public park at Geneseo, and it was not until the subject was taken in
Henry Clay.
A
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hand by the Historical Society in 1895, that the cabin was constructed.
Although the Democrats in 1891 had a majority of one on the Board of Supervisors, a Republican, James B. Hampton, was elected Clerk of the Board contrary to what were apparently well matured plans. In 1892 the Republicans secured a majority of five members of the Board; the whole Republican county ticket was elected in the fall of that year and General Harrison's plurality for President in this county was 1220.
William A. Wadsworth imported from England a thoroughbred stallion, the "Devil to Pay," in January, 1893. He was a son of "Robert, the Devil," a horse which stood at the head of one of the best studs in England. He was bay in color, 16 hands high and weighed 1200 pounds. Mr. Wadsworth purchased him for the reason that he was the most perfect animal he had ever seen, and he wanted him as a sire in his own stud and for the farmers of Livingston. Twenty years before, Mr. Wadsworth had imported the Percheron stallion "Napoleon," but it was not until his value as a sire was impaired by age that his services were much sought. In 1850, or thereabouts, Mr. Wadsworth's father brought to this county, from England, the famous "Henry Clay," son of Andrew Jackson, a descendant from the Arab barbs. It may yet be said that the blood of Henry Clay flows in the veins of a large majority of the best trotting stock in America, although when he was in Geneseo and his services were offered to the public he was deemed hardly good enough to breed to.
Early in July of 1895 a very successful entertainment was held under the auspices of the Historical Society at Geneseo, in behalf of providing funds for constructing a log cabin. This enterprise netted about $500 which went into the construction of the log cabin building ; this was built and dedicated at the 20th annual meeting of the Society, February 18th, 1896. It is situated near the center of the public park in the Village of Geneseo, and is the receptacle for the relics and other property of the Historical Society.
The Mckinley presidential electors received in 1896 a plurality in Livingston county of 1514.
A special meeting of the Board of Supervisors was held August 17th, 1897, to consider the condition of the court house building which had become the subject of much discussion, and some apprehen-
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sion existed as to its safety. Reports were received from an architect and a building engineer, which joined in condemning the building as unsafe and beyond repair A committee of the Board was appointed to make a further examination, and report with an estimate of the cost of repairs. This committee later reported the result of such examination of the building by experts, which confirmed the previous reports as to its condition. A resolution was adopted, authorizing a special committee to advertise for plans and specifications for the con- struction of a new building, and to report at the regular session of the Board.
The apparent necessity of a new building was the occasion of the renewal by Mt. Morris of its offer to put up new buildings for the county at its own expense, if the county seat were removed to that place, and a paper was exhibited at the meeting of the Board of Supervisors, subscribed by forty or more citizens of Mt. Morris, pledging the payment of $30,000 for this purpose. A resolution was adopted by the Board calling upon the Mt. Morris supervisor to pre- sent a bond in the sum of $60,000, conditioned for the payment of the $30,000 promised as an assurance of its good faith. This was not produced. A resolution was finally adopted at the annual meeting, in favor of constructing a new court house, and appointing a com- mittee to employ an architect and procure plans, specifications and estimates. This committee reported at the December session that it had employed C. F. Bragdon, an architect of Rochester, and they presented his plans and estimates, which involved an outlay of $30,000. The report of the committee was adopted, and the building committee was authorized to advertise for bids accordingly. A further resolution was adopted, appointing J. H. Adams, R. M. Jones, C. A. Norton, I. B. Knapp, F. A. Christie, W. H. Clapp and R. J. Cranmer the building committee having the work in charge, with full power to expend a sum not to exceed $30,000. The Treasurer was authorized to borrow that amount and pay out the proceeds on the order of the committee. On the 25th of June, 1898, the corner stone of the new court house was laid with appropriate Masonic cere- monies, by William A. Sutherland of Rochester, formerly of Mt. Morris, Grand Master of Masons of the State of New York, with associate officers.
A procession numbering about two hundred and fifty Masons formed
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in front of the rooms of the Geneseo Masonic Lodge on the west side of Main street and marched to the court house in the following order, under the direction of P. M. John Young :
Geneseo Cornet Band, Livonia Lodge, Dalton Lodge, Avon Lodge, Kishequa Lodge, Nunda, Mt. Morris Lodge, Dansville Lodge,
Union Lodge, Lima, the oldest in the county, and Geneseo Lodge acting as escort to the Grand Lodge.
The Grand Lodge was represented as follows: M. II'. William A. Sutherland of Rochester, Grand Master; R. II. George W. Atwell, Jr. of Lima, Deputy Grand Master ; R. II'. John M. Milne, Geneseo, Senior Grand Warden; II'. Lockwood R. Doty, Geneseo, Junior Grand Warden; IV. J. Hungerford Smith, Rochester, Grand Senior Deacon; II. Charles W. Bingham, Mt. Morris, Grand Junior Deacon; Rev. D. L. S. Parkhurst, Rochester, Grand Chaplain; William W. Killip, Geneseo, Grand Treasurer; IV. C. A. Norton, Nunda, Grand Secre- tary; R. II'. Isaac Fromme, New York, Grand Marshall: IV. O. H. Cook, Nunda, Il'. Samuel H. Blyth of Geneseo, II'. S. M. Daniels of Perry, and II. George W. Krein of Dansville, Grand Stewards; R. IV. William H. Whiting of Rochester, Grand Lecturer; II". Andrew Ferguson of New York, Grand Tiler.
On arriving at the court house the Grand Lodge was opened and the corner stone was laid in due Masonic form, the Grand Master using a silver trowel made for the purpose and presented to him by Geneseo Lodge No. 214; and after the stone had been tested by the proper officers, and declared to be square, level and plumb, and the corn had been sprinkled on it from a golden cornucopia, and the libations of wine and oil poured on from silver cups, the Grand Sec- retary read the names of the various articles which according to custom were deposited in a receptacle cut in the stone. These con- sisted of a copy of the Supervisors' proceedings for 1897; a list of the members of the Board of Supervisors for 1898; a Supreme Court calendar for Livingston county for the May term, 1898; a photograph
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of the old court house; a photographic view of the court room in the old court house; copies for the current week of the Livingston Repub- lican, Livingston County Despatch, Dansville Express, Nunda News, Mount Morris Enterprise, Lima Recorder, Dalton Enterprise, Dans- ville Advertiser, Avon Herald, Livonia Gazette, Springwater Enter- prise, Caledonia Advertiser, Livingston Democrat, Mount Morris Union and Dansville Breeze; copy of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle for June 25, 1898; constitution of the Grand Lodge of Masons of the State of New York; calendar of Geneseo Lodge, 214, and a list of representatives of Grand Lodge officers who officiated at the laying of the corner stone, all of which were in the custody of the Grand Treasurer.
Grand Master Sutherland then made an address of some length in which he spoke of the pleasure it gave him to officiate on an occasion of so interesting a nature in the county where he formerly lived- the dedication of an edifice in the archetype of which it had been his pleasure and duty for some years to act as a counselor in associa- tion with others, many of whom had passed away; these he men- tioned by name, and paid them a graceful and fitting tribute. He spoke of the judges who had occupied its bench, faithful, learned and incorruptible arbiters of some of the most important cases that ever came up for decision. He referred to the analogy between the principles of the Masonic order and those which are laid down by the most advanced jurisprudence, and expressed his confidence that in the building then to be erected there would be repeated all those exhibi- tions of wisdom, purity, justice and high intelligence that had always been the distinguishing characteristics of Livingston county.
The Grand Marshal then made proclamation that the corner stone was laid agreeably to the usages of Ancient Craft Masonry and in ample form. The first verse of Old Hundred was then sung, Mr. Killip, at the request of the Grand Master, leading in the singing and the band playing in accompaniment; the benediction, pronounced by the Grand Chaplain, closed the ceremony.
Past Grand Master William A. Brodie, who officiated at the laying of the corner stone of the foundation of the Bartholdi Statue in New York City, in the year 1884, was very active in making preparations for the ceremony and to his efforts it is chiefly due that everything worked in such complete harmony.
Livingston County Court House.
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The building was completed in the winter of 1898 and '99. The old building was demolished in the spring of 1898, and the work of construction began in April of that year. During this time the courts were held in the hall of the Rorbach Block in Geneseo. The total cost of the building was $31,211.62. Bonds were issued to the amount of $30,000, bearing four per cent interest, payable at the rate of $5,000 each year. They were purchased by the Albany Savings Bank at a premium of $1,250. The proceeds of the bonds and the premium paid the whole cost of the building and left $38.38 in the hands of the County Treasurer. This indebtedness has all been paid. The court house building was furnished and equipped at an expense of $6,000. This sum was entirely paid from moneys received from the State, for the value of the insane asylum building constructed in 1879, in consequence of the removal from the county of the indigent insane under the State Care Act. The whole amount awarded to the county upon this claim was $7,500, the net amount received above the ex- pense of establishing the claim being $6,000.
Of the design of the building, "The Brick Builder," an architect- ural publication of Boston, had this to say : "Another most excellent example of brick work is shown by the design for the new court house of Livingston county, at Geneseo, N. Y. The building itself is shown as a colonial combination of Flemish bonded brick, with stone quoins and a center treatment consisting of a high two-storied colonnade with pediment presumably of wood, a design which handled with less nicety of proportion and sense of fitness might easily become common- place, but which is a charming bit of composition and is ably present- ed by the drawing. The perspective is in black and white, and shows the building set in a winter landscape, with a few hunters on horseback in the foreground, the coats of the hunters a bright scarlet, as if at the last moment Mr. Bragdon, after having made the whole drawing in pen and ink, had felt the need of a sharp note in the foreground. What makes the drawing all the more interesting is that instead of using hard India ink, the draughtsman has employed a writing ink, just a slight purplish gray black, which softens the effect wonder- fully."
Three members of the Wadsworth family in this county participated in the Spanish-American war and worthily maintained its patriotic traditions. From General William Wadsworth at Niagara to Craig W.
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Wadsworth in the trenches in Cuba we find each generation furnishing its quota of hard-fighting men in the service of the Union. 1
William A. Wadsworth took a deep interest in the war with Spain and, associated with his friend Mr. Chandler, raised and offered to the government a regiment, which was, however, declined. Still deter- mined to see service in that war he was on May 23rd, 1898, commis- sioned by President Mckinley a Major of Volunteers, and was assigned to service in Manila on the staff of General Merritt in the Quarter- Master's department ; here he remained more than a year and a half and was present and participated in the operations during that eventful period.
Craig W. Wadsworth, the grandson of General James S. Wadsworth. and son of Craig W. Wadsworth, enlisted as a private in the First Volunteer Cavalry-the Rough Riders-and served with this organi- zation throughout the campaign. He was a member of Troop K of this now famous regiment, and his courage and efficiency on the fighting line, where he manifested the most complete indifference to danger, evoked the unreserved praise of his commander-Colonel, now President, Roosevelt. Soon after the termination of his service he was appointed by Governor Roosevelt a member of his military staff with the rank of Major. He has since been made third Secretary of the American Legation at London and is now serving in that capacity.
We are permitted to quote from a letter of Mr. Wadsworth, written at the seat of war to a friend during the fiercest part of the struggle:
"I suppose you have followed the campaign in the papers, which reports are very near correct. We certainly have had severe fighting and the worst of hardships. Our regiment of Rough Riders has been bearing the brunt of all the fighting. At La Quasina we had it hot and heavy for several hours on empty stomachs. Wheeler said when he saw the trees that nothing equalled it in the Rebellion. Our regi- ment of 560 with 400 regulars as reserves drove 3,500 Spaniards back toward Santiago. We were really ambushed and lost in killed and wounded seventy-six, a large percentage. On July 1st we went to the
I. The three sons of General James S. Wadsworth were in the War of the Rebellion. Charles F. was attached to the Department of the Gulf, served as Captain under General Banks, and parti- cipated in the attack on Port Hudson, Craig W. was for a time a member of his father's staff and later held responsible positions in various departments uutil May 1864. He retired with the raok of Brevet Brigader General of Volunteers. James W. served as a member of the staff of General G. K. Warren until the close of the war.
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front, followed by 9,000 troops, and immediately started the ball rolling. After three days hot fighting we drove 10,000 Spaniards from their intrenchments on the hills about Santiago and now we have them penned in the city and outskirts. These three days were the hardest I have ever spent-no food except, perhaps, a little hardtack and one cup of coffee per day, and no sleep, for at night we dug trenches and repulsed the enemy's attack, and during the day we fought steadily. The rainy season is on and we sleep in drenched clothing in the mud holes. Yellow fever has started in on a small scale, but we cannot be surprised for we sleep as I said on the bare ground, some of us with no coverving whatever except our wet trousers and shirts. The last eleven days have been ridiculously spent in having truces on and then off until we are tired of it. However we are now getting quarter rations and therefore feel somewhat better.
"I have been lucky, only a few bullet scratches, my shirt has been . four times shot through, and the string on my hat severed. I have brought bad luck to others, however, for on July 1st four men were shot dead at my side and three wounded.
"Our regiment numbered 560, but is now cut down to 300. I was appointed to a sergeantcy yesterday."
James W. Wadsworth, Jr., another grandson of General James S. Wadsworth, and son of James W. Wadsworth, enlisted as a private at Newport News in Battery A. of the Pennsylvania Volunteers in July, 1898. This company was selected to go with the second expedition under General Fred D. Grant to Porto Rico. He accompanied the regiment in July and remained there until September. The fighting had ceased, however, and he was mustered out about December 1. In February, 1899, he sailed from New York to the Philippines, via Suez, on the transport Sherman, with the Third Infantry. At Manila he was appointed Orderly to Colonel Page and had charge of the regi- mental commissary. He was on the firing line during four engage- ments, in the last of which Malolos, Aguinaldo's capital, was captured. This embraced the expedition known as McArthur's Northern Advance.
On the 3rd of November, 1900, an enthusiastic Republican meeting, held at Geneseo, was addressed by Governor Roosevelt, candidate for Vice President. He was met by the local Republican campaign organ- ization of Rough Riders, and escorted to the court house, after a parade through the various streets, where he was introduced by Major Wads-
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worth, the President of the day. The Governor made a half hour speech to an audience of three thousand people.
In the fall of the year 1900, the county gave a plurality of 1720 for the Republican electoral ticket, and elected the whole Republican county ticket.
A very severe freshet occurred about March 2nd, 1902, the river rising to a point within nine inches of the high-water mark of 1865. A few days of warm weather melted the large body of snow, filling all the streams tributary to the river at full banks, occasional rains adding to the supply during the thaw. A large amount of property was destroyed and carried away, including a number of cattle, Major Wadsworth suffering a loss of thirty-eight. Bad as this flood was, it was not so disastrous as the midsummer flood in July of the same year. A hard rain storm occurred on July 5th, swelling the streams, and on Sunday morning, July 6th, the overflow began; the rise was very rapid from five until eight o'clock, the river gaining four to five inches in that time. The rise continued steadily until Monday morning, when it reached a point four inches higher than the earlier flood in March. The water began to recede on Monday morning. Travel was obstruct- ed, and great losses to stock, buildings and other property on the flats resulted. It was estimated that the loss of property between Sonyea and Geneseo amounted to $250,000.
John Young, Esq., of Geneseo, was appointed by Governor Odell in 1902 one of the Commissioners to represent New York State at the Louisiana Purchase Exhibition at St. Louis in 1904.
At the Republican county convention held at Geneseo on June 21st, 1902, Hon. Otto Kelsey, who was then the Member of Assembly from this county and had held that office for nine years consecutively, was nominated for the office of County Judge. At a conference of In- dependent Republicans held at Avon September 13th, William Car- ter, who had been District Attorney of the county for two terms, was put in nomination for this office, and his selection was ratified by the Democratic convention, held at Mt. Morris September 16th. After a very energetic campaign Mr. Carter was elected by a majority of 163.
Mr. Kelsey's appointment by Governor Odell to the office of Deputy Comptroller of the State very quickly followed, and upon the retire- ment in November, 1903, of Comptroller Miller to accept a judicial appointment, Mr. Kelsey became Comptroller. Thus for the third
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time has the county of Livingston and the town of Geneseo furnished this important State officer.
A special meeting of the Board of Supervisors was held in August, 1904, for the purpose of acting upon the report of the Building Com- mittee of the Board, Lockwood R. Doty of Geneseo, John F. Dono- van of Mt. Morris and Louis A. Hilliard of Groveland, relating to pro- posed improvements at the County Alms House. The committee had employed J. Foster Warner, the well-known Rochester architect, to prepare a plan to make use of the abandoned west and middle build- ings on the Poor Farm for the better accommodation of the inmates. The plans were approved and an appropriation of $11,500 was author- ized by the Board for this purpose. Work was begun in November and is now progressing.
The political campaign of 1904 was an especially interesting one in Livingston County, from the circumstance that one of its citizens was a candidate for the office of Comptroller upon the Republican State ticket. Otto Kelsey, as previously stated, was Comptroller by ap- pointment of Governor Odell, and his nomination for that office was unanimously made at the State convention. This was a most suitable recognition of the valuable public services of a man whose life in every relation was above reproach, and whose name had become in the public mind a synonym of integrity and efficiency; the confidence of the people of Livingston in Mr. Kelsey was well attested by the vote cast for him in that county. The electors here contributed in substantial measure to the landslide which returned to the presidency Theodore Roosevelt, by the electoral vote of every Northern state and that of Missouri. The vote of Livingston gave a plurality of 2611 for the Republican Presidential Electors; Lieutenant-Governor Higgins for Governor received a plurality of 2165; Mr. Kelsey received a plurality of 2735 for Comptroller. For county offices James W. Wadsworth, Jr., was elected Member of the Assembly by a plurality of 2372, and Bernard H. Oberdorf, County Clerk, by a plurality of 2279. Hon. James W. Wadsworth for Congress received a plurality in the county of 2376.
The following table shows the population of the county for the de- cades from 1830 to 1900 inclusive :
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