USA > New York > Livingston County > History of Livingston County, New York, from its earliest traditions to the present together with early town sketches > Part 78
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Ku a Hilly
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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY
Rev. Samuel Mills of Derby, Conn., a graduate of Yale college, mnoved with his family into the Genesee Valley in 1790 and died at Williamsburg in 1794. He often preached in the open air and in barns, in a most acceptable manner. After his death, his family returned to Derby, except his son William A. Mills, who, thrown upon his own resources at seventeen years of age, came to Allen's Hill in 1794 to make a home, though it was then among the Indians. He built a cabin on the brow of the hill, where now stands the fine resi- dence of his son, the late Dr. M. H. Mills. Here he lived for several years with Indians for his neighbors. He commenced his career rent- ing lands on the flats on easy terms, and employing Indians for help. He also raised considerable stock, whereby he added largely to his business and profits.
When the Mt. Morris tract was opened for sale he purchased from time to time until he became the owner of 1,100 acres of land. The timbered lands skirting the valley west of the Genesee river were offered for sale to the first settlers at $1.50 per acre, and on the east side at $2.50 per acre. The same year fifty cents per acre for 4000 acres more.
The proprietors of the Mt. Morris tract put a price on these flats which kept them out of the market for seventeen years from the time General Mills settled on Allen's Hill. His Indian name was So-no-jo-wa, interpreted it signifies a big kettle, (generous), which indicated their esteem for him. He also rented lands on the Gardeau flats of Mary Jemison, "The White Woman," who was the owner of 17,927 acres of flat and upland, lying on both sides ot the Genesee river. He paid fifty cents per acre rent per season for so much as he occupied.
Following Indian Allen, came Lemuel B. Jennings, Captain Noble, Horatio and John H. Jones in 1789, James and William Wadsworth in 1790.
In 1816 Mary Jemison sold all her reservation of land, except two square miles on the west side of the river to Micah Brooks and Jellis Clute. The Indians having by treaty in 1825 disposed of their reser- vations and gone from the valley. In 1827 Mary Jemison was lonely and wished to join them. For this purpose she sold the remaining two miles square, in 1831, to Jellis Clute and Henry B. Gibson of Canandaigua, and removed to Buffalo Creek reservation, where she
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died September 19, 1833, aged ninety-one. In March, 1874, her remains were disinterred by Hon. William P. Letchworth, under the supervision of her descendants, and together with articles found in her grave, placed in a walnut coffin and deposited in a marble sar- cophagus at Glen Iris, at Portage Falls, six miles from her former home at Gardeau. She lived among the Indians seventy-nine years, had two Indian husbands and eight children. On leaving her home she came to bid General Mills good-bye.
Dr. M. H. Mills, then a boy of eleven, writes in his centennial address that he was present. His father and the white woman con- versed in the Indian tongue. The Doctor's recollection of her looks and appearance was that she was short and undersized, very round shouldered and bent forward, this last caused by toting luggage on her back supported by a strap across her forehead. Her complexion once white was then tawny; her feet small and toed-in. Dressed in the costume of the Indian female, she resembled a squaw, except for her hair and light colored eyes. Her cabin was the stranger's home, none were turned away hungry. She was never known to make trouble among the Indians or among the white people and Indians; she was truly a peacemaker.
William Tallchief, A-wa-wis-ha-dik-hah, (Burning day), chief of his tribe at Allen's Hill when the first white settler came here to live, was always a loyal and trusty friend to them. He was a chief of renown and swayed the judgment and actions of his tribe for good. His name appears in the Big Tree and other treaties, and was otherwise con- nected with the business affairs of the Sencca Nation. He removed from the Genesee river in 1827 to the Tonawanda reservation and died about 1833, aged eighty. His remains were interred in the Indian Mission Chapel Cemetery on the Buffalo creek reservation by the side of Mary Jemison-the White Woman. A few years ago his remains were removed by the late Dr. M. H. Mills to the beautiful cemetery in Mt. Morris, where it is hoped a suitable monument will be erected to his memory.
General Mills was, with Jesse Stanley, an incorporator of an act passed by the Legislature, April 13, 1826, to construct a dam across the Genesee river at Mt. Morris. This secured a good water power for the village which aided the growth and prosperity of not only the village but this entire section.
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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY
The first dam proved too weak and a large portion went out. In the construction of the second dam, in 1833 the citizens aided, by surrendering to the proprietors of the Mt. Morris tract the public square of the village, which was divided into lots and sold, the pro- ceeds assisting in the building of the dam. In 1852 this dam was carried out by high water and rebuilt by the state of New York, the state having taken possession for canal purposes. In 1899 it was again carried away, and at the present time July, 1902, it is being rebuilt with stone and cement, and is expected to be completed by November of this year.
General Mills was prominently connected with many of the meas- ures for public utility, especially in his locality, from the time he settled on Allen's Hill in 1794 to the time of his death in 1844. He was born in New Bedford in 1777 and died in Mt. Morris at the age of sixty-seven.
From the survey of Augustus Porter it is shown that the portion of the Gardeau reservation east of the Genesee river commenced at the south western part of the town of Mt. Morris, at a large flat rock on the north side of the road near St. Helena, thence east substan- tially following the line of the road to St. Helena on the east side of the river to a point on land now owned by the heirs of Emory Kendall on what is known as the creek road two and one-half miles north of the village of Nunda; thence north to a point, north of the Ridge, on lands now owned by Richard Williams, thence west to a point on the river to the line of the town of Castile (on the op- posite side of the river); thence southerly on the east side of the river to the place of beginning. This tract was more than six miles long from north to south and about four miles wide at the south boundary.
The White Woman was naturalized in 1817, by special act of the Legislature, to enable her to convey lands.
General Brooks took up his residence at Brooksgrove, nearly in the center of this plot, and superintended the sale and settlement of a large portion of this tract. Being a man of positive yet liberal views in all matters of public importance, he labored earnestly to promote the advancement of the Genesee country. He was born May 14, 1775, in Cheshire, Connecticut. His father, Rev. David Brooks, was a graduate of Yale College in 1765. On invitation of General David Wooster be delivered a sermon in 1774 at Derby, Conn., which was
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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY
a powerful and stirring appeal for resistance to the oppression of Great Britain. This was published and widely circulated among the colonies. In this sermon he gave utterance to sentiments almost identical with those of the Declaration of Independence two years later. Micah was the eldest of his father's family, schools were few, and he received but a limited education, but making the most of his opportunities, he came to be an exceptionally well informed and distinguished type of the self-made man.
In 1796 he first visited the Genesee country, walking the whole dis- tance to Bloomfield, N. Y., where he introduced himself as a school- teacher, and proposed that they should build a school house, and he would teach their school. His offer was accepted, and a log school- house was soon built, and filled with scholars. Returning to Con- necticut in the following summer, he took a course in surveying with Professor Meigs of Vale College and received a certificate from the court of New Haven county appointing him surveyor within and for said county. Returning to his log school-house in the fall of 1798, he again taught the school, and had several pupils who studied sur- veying. In 1800 he was Associate Commissioner with Hugh McNair and Matthew Warner to lay out a road from Canandaigua to Olean, and also one from Hornellsville to the mouth of the Genesee river. He returned to Connecticut, where he was married December 13, 1802, to a daughter of David Hall. In 1806 he was appointed to the office of justice of the peace, by Governor Morgan Lewis. In 1808 he was made associate justice of the county of Ontario, and the same year was elected to the Legislature of New York, taking his seat in January, 1809, Daniel D. Tompkins being Governor. During the war of 1812 he served on the Niagara frontier, and rose to the rank of Major General. In 1814 he was elected to Congress, and represented all of the state of New York, west of Cayuga Lake. While in Congress he presented an extensively signed petition, which was drawn by De Witt Clinton, asking the General Government to assist in the construction of the Erie Canal. It was referred to a select committee of which General Brooks was chairman. Daniel Webster and Henry Clay were members of this committee. A favorable report was made, and a bill passed both houses, but it was vetoed by the President, James Madison. This was one of the greatest disappointments of his life, and he was ever after an opponent of veto power. Through his
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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY
efforts while in Congress the first government mail service through Rochester was established. Much more could be written in regard to the efforts made by General Brooks to build up various enter- prises in his town, but space will not permit. On July 7, 1857, while sitting in his chair he leaned back and died without a struggle.
The first road in this section was surveyed in 1788 and was designed as the eastern boundry of the Phelps and Gorham purchase, running from Pennsylvania to Lake Ontario. Besides blazing the trees, sharpened stakes were set up at intervals, which gave it the name of "Picket Line." Owing to the high banks of the river where the line crossed near Gibsonville, it was never completed as a roadway, but is still the town line between Nunda and Portage and between the . counties of Livingston and Wyoming.
After surveying, more land was found than the Phelps & Gorham grant called for. Going several miles west a parallel line was run called "The Transit Line" which was the eastern line of the "Holland Purchase." Major Moses VanCampen is believed to have laid out the "State Road" from Mt. Morris to Angelica at an early date. The other roads of the town of Mt. Morris were changed several times by the commissioners, especially the River Road, before the lands were offered for sale.
Commencing on the state road at the town line between Nunda and Mt. Morris, the first settlers and owners were as follows in the order named:
Wm. Mosher, Mr. Wood, John and Hiram Prentice, Dean M. Tyler, James McCartney, Wm. Chandler and Micah Brooks. These were south of Brooksgrove. North we find John Carr, Elias Rockfellow, Geo. Babcock, Henry Hoffman, Samuel Phillips, Benjamin Hoagland, Wm. C. Dunning, Hosea Fuller, Joseph Ackers, David O. Howell, Mr. Brown, Benjamin Sherman, Orrin Hall, James Rolland, Sylvester Darrien, Wm. D. Morgan, Ephraim Sharp, George Burkhart, Edwin Stillson, and Eben Stillson which brings us to the Ridge.
East of the Ridge were Orrin Sackett, Elder W. Lake and Jonathan Phillips; and a little to the south Sylvester Richmond. North of the Ridge were Humphrey and Henry D). Hunt, Wm. Williams, Thos. Wisner, who kept a hotel in the building now owned by the heirs of Geo. W. Barney, and Moses Marvin. The first settler on the River Road, north of the town line, on the place now owned by Frederick
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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY
Marsh, was George Wilson. His son Thomas in 1824 built a saw mill on the Genesee river, in the big bend south of St. Helena, which is believed to have been the first mill erected in the town. On the east side of the road, Deacon W'm. L. Lotten was the first settler. He was the father of Thompson, Levi, George, Joseph, Hector and Philetus Lotten, all of whom became prominent men of our town. He had a tannery and shoe shop, which were erected previous to 1820, The first farm west, on the north-west corner of the road leading to St. Helena, was settled by Wm. Gay. North of his house the first burial place of that section was laid out, and about fifty persons were buried there. This, however, was soon abandoned, owing to the estab- lishment in 1839 of the present cemetery of Oak Hill, in which Wm. Mosher was the first person buried. This cemetery has been en- larged several times, and has always been well cared for, and now contains several hundred graves and many costly monuments.
Elisha Mosher was the first settler on the road running from Oak- land to the river road, north of the town line. Next were Noah and Reuben Roberts, and then William Swan. Thence on the river road Benjamin Shepard, on the west; on the east Horatio Reed, who was blind, and our first town clerk. His son Charles, settled near Princeton, Ill., and was for several terms a member of the Leg- islature of that State. Next north was Wm. Miller. On the west, Isaac Bovee, Isaac and James Miller, Win. Bailey, Luke Conway, Wm. Dake and Joseph Thorp. This brings us to the River Road Forks. North, Daniel Ellsworth, who erected and kept a store for years at the Forks; Pattie Brown; Ansel Owen, who built and kept a hotel, long known as the Half Way house between Mt. Morris and Portage; Jabez Whitman, who also built and kept a hotel; James Ward; Chauncey Tyler; Deacon Israel Herrick; Samuel Cady; Jonah Craft; Wmn. G. Wisner; Barney Criss; Garrett Van Arsdale; O. Thorp; Jacob Van Arsdale; Henry Crane, (now known as the Jacob Tallman homestead), where he located his son-in-law, Aaron Rosekrans and next his son James. Later Justine Smith purchased the first of these places of the heirs and Ellis Putnam the last place above named. Next came Joseph Barnes, James Van- Sickle and sons, John and Henry, Jesse B. Jones, Lucins Brown and Eben Sturges.
The first settler on the Picket Line road north of the town line
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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY
was Samuel Mosher. Then, in their order, Ruslin Hark, Jacob Kil- mer, George Bump, Ovid Hemphill, Christopher Haines, and Solomon Wood. Martin Pixley, Jonathan Miller and Peleg Coffin. The latter walked, in 1822, from Saratoga county, N. Y., with a knapsack on his back, looking for a home in the Genesee country. He passed over the ground where now is the city of Rochester, and fearing the malaria of the river flats, selected his home on the Picket Line. Returning to Saratoga county, in March of the following year, he started with an ox team and sleigh, with his wife and all they possessed, for their western home. There being no snow in Cayuga county, they ex- changed their sleigh for a lumber wagon. On arriving at the Forks, they spent a day in clearing the road, so that they could get to their place a mile south. Next, Alexander Blood, Ashel Thayer, and David Whiteman.
The first settler on the Short Tract road, north of the town line, is only remembered by his sudden death from poison sumach, which resulted in the raising of ten dollars, with which to pay Joseph Carter for its complete extermination in the entire neighborhood. Next was Benjamin Dake, then Wm. Miller and Otis Denvey. The rest of the land, on this road to Brooksgrove, was long retained by General Brooks. These early settlers erected nearly all the buildings, still standing on their respective places, between 1835 and 1845.
"The antique oven constructed nearby,
Where was baked the corn-bread and the thick pumpkin pie."
This was superseded by the large brick oven, constructed inside the house and connected with the large chimney, with its broad, open fire place. They also corduroyed the roads over the marshy places, where the ends of the logs can still be seen. The school districts of this section are about the same as when first established, except that the VanSickel district was joined to the Ridge, and district No. 12 was formed on the Picket Line, from a part of the Forks and Brooks- grove districts, and some farms of the town of Nunda. From the records of the Forks district since 1828 it appears that the contract for furnishing and preparing fuel was let to the lowest bidder, for such sums as $2.45, $2.49, and $2.50; and that the total expense of the school in 1833 for eleven months was $76.06, as follows: Alanson Slater, teacher winter term, $61.50; Lucy M. Russel teacher, summer
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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY
term, $12.07; Luke Coney, wood 82.49. The number of pupils in 1837 was one hundred, three families in the district having ten chil- dren each.
Among those who have taught in the districts of this section were Joseph Weller, afterwards governor of California; Joseph McCreary, later a prominent preacher; Addison Crane, later a lawyer and mem- ber of the legislature of Illinois; Gideon Draper, afterwards one of the Regents of common schools of this state; Dr. E. P. Miller, now of New York City; T. J. Gamble, Esq. and Byron Swett of our village.
In 1849, the M. E. Society, at the Ridge, purchased their present church edifice of the Baptists, in which they have maintained religious services. They have had but few settled pastors, having been sup- plied from Mt. Morris. From the steeple of this church on a clear day can be seen with the naked eye places in seven different counties. The Methodists formed a society at Brooksgrove, about 1840, and the present church edifice was built in 1844-45. Rev. Seneca Short was their pastor at the time. They have always maintained a settled pastor, and for many years were counted as the strongest church of their denomination, in western New York.
Through the efforts of the pioneer M. E. preacher, Rev. John B. Hudson, a Methodist society was organized early at River Road Forks. In 1828, the Baptists organized a society in the south part of the town. Rev. Wm. G. Wisner, a cousin of R. P. Wisner, was their pastor in 1835. Through his efforts a church was built on the south- east corner of the intersection of the Oakland and St. Helena roads, about a half mile north of the town line. The society numbered at that time about eighty, and was the second Baptist church erected in the town. Previous to the building of this church the Baptist and Methodist societies held their services on alternate Sabbaths, in the Forks and Portage school houses. In 1837 a powerful revival took place in this vicinity, ninety persons joining the Methodist class, and sixty being baptized into the Baptist church one Sunday in the river at St. Helena by the pastor, Rev. Mr. Robbins. These societies con- tinued harmonious until March 1844, when the Methodists, having procured the use of the church for their quarterly meeting, were hold- ing their love-feast, with closed doors, Benjamin Dake, then a Baptist trustee, unlocked the doors and bade his people on the outside to enter. This act broke up the peace of the whole community, and de-
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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY
stroyed much of the influence of these religious societies. Both declined from that date, and their members afterwards joined their respective churches at Nunda. The church building is now a cider mill at Oakland. The Rev. John B. Hudson refers to the meager pay of the ministers of this early period-$100 per year.
The first post office, established about 1824, in this section, was about a mile south of the Ridge, on the place owned by the late Howdin Covey. Its name was "Leona. " The next was kept in the log house, still standing on the River Road on the farm now owned by Chas. Tallman. This was called the River Road post office. The postmaster was David Lake. The next was established about 1830, and the name was River Road at Forks. The mail was carried by post boys between Mt. Morris and Portage on the river road daily.
In 1830, the office "Leona" was removed by Dr. Wm. D. Munson, then post master, to Brooksgrove and the name changed accordingly. About this time the river road postoffice was removed and the name changed to Ridge.
An early stage route was owned and run for many years by Wm. Martin, the large four horse stage making daily trips from Mt. Morris to Angelica and carrying the mail. The River Road Forks office was discontinued about 1860, the patrons, getting their mail at Nunda or Mt. Morris. The mail is now carried to the Ridge from Mt. Morris and to Brooksgrove from Nunda by R. F. D. In 1840 the hamlet of the Ridge consisted, besides the church and school house, of a store, two blacksmith shops, two wagon shops, a shoe shop, and about ten houses.
That of Brooksgrove, besides the church and school house, of a store, hotel, blacksmith shop, wagon shop, tailor shop and twelve houses. Brooksgrove also had for many years a resident physician.
The Forks supported two stores, two hotels, two wagon shops, two blacksmith shops, and three shoe shops.
There were five hotels between Mt. Morris and Nunda, and six between Mt. Morris and Portage.
What was known as the "Tuscarora tract" which includes the pres- ent village of Tuscarora, formerly called Brushville, and in the south east corner of the town of Mt. Morris, was purchased of Luke Tieman, of Baltimore, Md., and in 1822 he appointed Charles H. Carroll as his agent for the sale of portions of the same. Sales were soon made by
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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY
means of articles, for said land; but many who purchased these articles never made the second payment, but followed the tide of emmigration westward. Among the first to become permanent resi- dents, in 1823, was Daniel P. Sedam, who purchased seventy-five acres just east of Tuscarora, and after making the first payment had only sixty dollars left with which to build a home for himself and wife. The first deeds given for land in Tuscarora on record was to David Babcock and others in 1831. Prior to this, however, there were quite a number of residents, and a sawmill had been built by Smith and Driscoll. Jared P. Dodge also had erected a fulling mill in 1826 a carding mill about 1830, and a saw mill a few years later. He proved to be one of the most influential men of the place; was a merchant for twenty-five years, for a long time was Justice of the Peace, and Sup- ervisor of the town for ten or more years in succession. Late in life he moved to Nunda where he died about 1890 at the age of ninety.
James J. Ammerman was another of the first settlers, coming from Cayuga county, N. Y., and locating his farm to the south of Tusca- rora. He was a soldier in the war of 1812; he secured pension papers in 1856, and died in 1876. In 1823 Amos Hungerford settled on a farm a mile north of the village, and the following year his brother Chauncey settled on a farm just west of that of Amos where both lived to the close of their lives. Asahel Northway came in the year 1830, and erected the first frame dwelling house in that vicinity. He, as well as the Hungerfords, was from Coldbrook, Litchfield Co., Conn., and all were known as Yankees. Northway held a number of town offices, and died in 1879. Samuel R. and Jacob Bergen came in the year 1826, but in a few years Samuel sold his land to Jacob, who remained on his farm about a mile east of the village to the time of his death in 1890. He was a deacon in the Presbyterian church for over fifty years. Thomas Bodine purchased one hundred acres north- west of Tuscarora, but remained on it only a few years. Jacob Van- Arsdale came in the year 1830, and remained until his death. Abram VanArsdale was also one of the first settlers.
The school in Rushville, called District No. 13, was organized in 1830. The first recorded number of scholars, which was in the year 1835, was one hundred and six, and the number who were over five and under sixteen, was seventy-six. The school had been kept eleven months and three days, and the amount paid was $127.42. In
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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY
1840 the district was divided, on account of the large number of scholars, and all that part lying east and south of the creek was assigned to a joint district, which in part was in the town of Nunda.
"The first schoolhouse was in the south-west part of the village, on the road leading west. In 1842 a new schoolhouse was built, twenty- six by thirty-six, at an expense of four hundred dollars, just north of the Methodist church, where it still remains. This church was never completed.
Dr. John H. Robinson was the first physician. Others of the first settlers were: J. H. Bowers, John Wheelock, Calvin Damon, who had a carding mill, Jacob Petrie, a blacksmith, and his two sons, William and Peter, William Petrie taught school as early as 1838, and for forty years afterwards. He was also postmaster and justice of the peace. He built the first warehouse and purchased grain. Nicholas Hall kept a hotel fifty years ago. He had three sons, Isaac, Aaron, and Lansing.
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