History of Livingston County, New York, from its earliest traditions to the present together with early town sketches, Part 88

Author: Doty, Lockwood R., 1858- [from old catalog] ed; Van Deusen, W. J., pub. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1905
Publisher: Jackson, Mich., W. J. Van Deusen
Number of Pages: 1422

USA > New York > Livingston County > History of Livingston County, New York, from its earliest traditions to the present together with early town sketches > Part 88

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He also stored and shipped largely for other operators, among whom was Cyrus Hawley, a merchant of York, who in the winter of 1833 had in store a large quantity of pork and lard when the warehouse and dwelling were both consumed by fire. The failure of Mr. Hawley in business soon followed, not without serious detriment, however, to some of his best neighbors, friends, and customers, and not entirely without some suspicions, either just or otherwise, touching the matter of incendiarism in the loss of the Gardner buildings and contents. Mr. Gardner was a man of most undaunted courage, and a tradition early obtained relates that one evening, while performing some labor in the basement of his warehouse, he was attacked by an enormous army of wharf rats, through which he was obliged to cut his way in order to make his escape. After the fire he disposed of his premises to Hon. Thomas Kempshall, of Rochester, and became, along with his son-in-law, Milo Powell, one of the early emigrants to Michigan.

Mr. Kempshall, along with Col. D. H. Abell, erected upon the prop- erty purchased from Perry Gardner, what was known as the "red warehouse" and a small dwelling a little lower down stream. The latter was occupied by Hon. D. D. Spencer during the construction of the Genesee valley canal and for some years afterwards, and is now the property of LeRoy Budlong. The warehouse was operated by Messrs. Kempshall & Abell until the completion of the canal in 1840, and was generally attended by Addison T. Ramsdell and others. What was originally a part of the Gardner property a year or two previous to the completion of the canal, came into the possession of Mr. Thomas Emerson of Rochester, who erected a dwelling upon the foundation of the former Gardner residence, and a store adjacent thereto; sending hither a stock of goods, and fifty-one years ago the Hon. Thomas Parsons, of Rochester, with his young bride, to manage the entire business, including the grain business upon the river, in which he was assisted by Ira Piersons.

At quite an early day Messrs. Roberts & Crooker built some eighty rods above the Gardner warehouse a very large one for Messrs. J. H.

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and E. S. Beach, who were extensively engaged in milling in Roch- ester and Auburn, and who sent hither from the former city about the year 1833, as a purchasing agent, Hiram C. Martin, who resided in a dwelling erected by Erastus Bailey midway between the river and the Cottage tavern, and was assisted in the warehouse by George W. Root and others. In 1834 Mr. Martin, who proved a most lively man in the market, solicited Mr. Niel Stewart to forego his oxen and his plow upon his father's broad acres and to take the entire charge of the warehouse and boats, which he did for six years; Mr. Martin remov- ing to York Centre, where he bought largely upon the streets previous to his engaging in hotel-keeping in the Harrington House, and his removing to Milwaukee, just then coming to the front as one of the great grain marts of the new northwest.

Mr. Peres P. Peck, one of the earliest merchants and postmasters of Vork, was also the builder of a warehouse on the river bank some forty rods above that of the Beaches. After Mr. Peck's removal to Rochester, it was for many years utilized by Mr. J. B. Bloss, who came from Rochester and operated in the interest of Messrs. Elys, of the same city, doing a large business. It was reached by a road con- venient to those coming from the south, running directly east from the Fowlerville and Geneseo road at a point near the Cottage school- house. After being abandoned as a warehouse it was used as a dwell- ing by Henry Osborne and others mostly in the employ of the state.

David McDonald, another of York's most early and successful mer- chants, was quite an operator in grain and the manufacture and ship- ping of potash, using for the most part the Peck warehouse. Ira Pier- sons another good specimen of New England Yankee, coming to the landing early in the thirties, opened his log dwelling at the junction . of the foregoing mentioned highway-and that leading directly east to the Beach warehouse-as the Cottage tavern, where many a thirsty, dusty farmer slaked the greater thirst of his faithful animals and wet his own whistle, while hastily pursuing his way to the warehouse be- yond or holding his position in the long procession of teams patiently waiting to be unloaded. Mr. Piersons having sat at the receipt of six- pences at this point until 1840, was enabled to rebuild his hostelry, and in the course of time to reduce it to a private and comfortable residence for himself and family until 1865, when Mr. and Mrs. Pier- sons were both called to occupy that house not made with hands. The

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property is now owned and occupied by Hon. D. D. Spencer and fam- ily as a residence.

Erastus Bailey, a native of Vermont, residing at South LeRoy, con- structed across the river at this point a damn with a lock for the pass- age of barges, as well as the good steamer River Genesee, and erected upon the west bank what was then considered a first-class custom flouring mill, with three run of stone and a capacity of 130 barrels of merchant work in addition to a good custom business. The winter being an open one, the enterprise was given a successful and satisfac- tory start on the first day of January, 1831, amid the general rejoic- ing of the people of a wide radius, as the scheme had been looked upon as an intricate one. Mr. Bailey also built the mill house upon the hill, Father Lowe was installed as miller, and subsequently succeeded by Grant Sprague, Mr. Norton, Mr. Chilson-who was drowned in the river -- and others until the coming of Job H. Ensign in 1845, who be- came owner of the plant in 1849 by purchase from the Bailey estate, Mr. Bailey having died at LeRoy in 1847. During Mr. Ensign's ownership the mill was burned and rebuilt by him and Neil Stewart. Subsequently Duncan Cameron, George W. Root, Mr. Gilbert, F. A. Gray, D. D. Spencer, Abram Stocking, George K. Whitney, and J. W. Ensign, have variously held interests in the establishment. While Jay W. Ensign was proprietor, the dam was carried away by high water, and by him permanently replaced. On the 15th of December, 1887, he lost his life by being wound around the line shaft in the wheat house of the mill. A boy had met with a similar fate in the mill in 1866. Upon the death of Jay W. Ensign his father, Job H. Ensign, resumed ownership and operations, and in his experienced hands the establishment is now doing a large and profitable business.

Inasmuch as York Landing was practically the head of navigation on the Genesee, and hence its greatest grain mart and interport, not only for the surplus of her own town, but for large portions of Lei- cester, Perry, Castile, Covington, Pavilion and other regions beyond as well, it called for the means of transportation and men and muscle to manage the same, as flesh and blood constituted the propelling power at that period. Prominent among such were Captains David Drew, (while John Robinson, George and Mose Cavenaugh, sailed among his crew), Jehial Freeman, and Alexander Dale, along with their respective crews. Capt. Drew built the comfortable residence near the

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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY

cottage tavern in which he resided until 1842 and in which he died, when Dexter Bond became possessor of the buildings and excellent gardening grounds now owned and occupied by Miss Christy Mckay. Capt. Freeman entered the employment of Roswell Stocking and afterwards that of the Wadsworths as one of their principal stock men, when he became owner by purchase of the Tobey farm on the York Landing road and subsequently that of the larger Campbell Harris farm on the Geneseo road where he died several years ago.

Capt. Dale finding his occupation of river boating gone, resumed it upon the canal for a time and afterwards went into business at Cuy- lerville. The log house at the top of the hill was built when the mem- ory of man goeth not to the contrary, and was in turn for many years occupied by John Robinson, Solomon Sherwood, and Hugh O'Hara, until burned down some three years ago. There were a few other un- important buildings erected in the vicinity of which we have neither time nor space to speak.

It is somewhat of a mooted question what eventually became of all these river warehouses or the immense timbers and quantities of lumber employed in their construction, but it is possible that much of it was utilized in providing business houses upon the Genesee valley canal; which was completed to Mt. Morris and the water let therein in September of 1840, which event proved quite a new era to York Landing; two basins having been provided in its construction, by Hon. D. D. Spencer, who had charge of the work in the respective ravines putting in at this point. Thomas Emerson owning several acres contiguous to the lower basin plotted it into a city, which was called the city of Emerson, and placed the lots upon the market. Hon. Thomas Parsons here early erected upon the basin a large and com- modious warehouse and at once entered upon an extensive produce storage and forwarding business. It was here he resided and that his son the Hon. Cornelius R. Parsons, who after being chosen for three successive terms to represent his ward in the common council of the city of Rochester, was by large majorities called to the mayor's chair for seven successive terms, covering a period of fourteen years of the city's greatest growth and prosperity, and now representing the as- sembly district in the popular branch of the state legislature, was born; and the venerable Dr. John Craig of Geneseo claims the honor of having been present on the august occasion.

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Messrs. Kempshall and Abell built upon the upper basin a large warehouse in which they transacted a large business for themselves and others. It was with them that Neil Stewart did his large business. while buying on commission or his own account after dissolving his relations with the Beaches. It was the popular point for the landing of both freight and packet boats upon the canal, and for the transac- tion of a general forwarding business. A few years' experience after the completion of the canal demonstrated the fact that York Landing must divide the prestige which it had so long enjoyed as a wheat mar- ket with Piffard, Cuylerville, and other points, both above and below. Mr. Parsons disposed of his property to Henry Chamberlain and removed to the former place, and subsequently to Rochester, having transacted a large business at both places, and from the latter was chosen a member to the state senate. Henry Chamberlain sold the warehouse to Niel Stewart and after the abandonment of the canal in 1878 Mr. Stewart disposed of it to Joseph Trimble who converted it into a barn upon his own premises. The discontinuance of the Gen- esee valley canal resulted in the removal or desuetude of other property and upon the completion of the Rochester and Genesee valley canal railroad in 1879 a depot was established near the Ensign flouring mill where Mr. Don A. Scott is now station agent and telegraph oper- atór and the station is designated York, upon the line of the growing Western New York & Pennsylvania railroad. In the great salt dis- covery in the valley of the Genesee and its development, York Land- ing or Station, has shared in its benefits. In the fall of 1884 Neil Stewart, Alexander Reid, Hon. Archibald Kennedy, Thomas Gilmore, Alexander Stewart, A. D. Newton, George K. Whitney, Charles N. Stewart and Mr. Wolcott became the incorporators of the York Salt Company, and purchasing from James W. McArthur at an expense of $2500 some thirty-four acres of land lying immediately upon the river and the line of the former canal and the railroad, and which had originally been a part of the lands of Michael West transferred to Holloway Long and others, proceeded to vigorously prepare for the manufacture of salt by drilling a well upwards of 1000 feet in depth, which struck salt of superior quality, and the erection of one of the finest and most complete salt blocks in all the valley with a corres- ponding cooper shop, etc., at an outlay of some $50,000 or $60,000. With Alexander Reid as manager, Mr. Theodore Freeman of Fowler-

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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY

ville as foreman, and the employment of about eighteen hands, the average annual output has been 70,000 barrels of superior salt for which a ready market is found at remunerative prices.

THE STREAMS OF YORK.

The town of York being one of the largest and most fertile in the county of Livingston, is also almost entirely exempt from any broken or waste lands, as well as being uniformly and generally well watered for stock and other purposes. Its entire eastern border being laved by the tortuous course of the meandering Genesee, whose several tributaries flowing from west to east, nearly equidistant through the entire town, betoken a most wise and essential provision of nature for both man and beast.

The most northerly of the latter has its source upon lands originally entered by Duncan McColl in the western part of Caledonia, and run- ning in a southeasterly direction through farms formerly owned by Angus Haggart, Rev. Alexander DeNoon, Daniel Robertson, Niel Mc Lean, Donald McLean, Thomas Baker, John D. Cameron, Geo. W. Thomson, James Maxwell, Donald D. Christie, Dugald Thompson. Hugh Christie, Ebenezer Watson, Archibald Mclean and Colonel Orange Sackett, where it debouches into the parent stream about one mile south from Canawaugus.

The first improvement upon this stream, and perhaps the first in the town, was a sawmill, erected in 1807 by Ezekiel and Joseph Mor- ley, about one mile from its mouth upon lands now owned by the heirs of the late Homer Mclean. A short distance above the Morley mill, at an early day, Marsenus Haxton operated for several years a card- ing machine which he abandoned to open the Caledonia House, built by James Shaw in 1831. Some half a mile farther up stream, at that point where it crosses the old Ellicott road, or town line. known in pioneer days as the City of Ghent, where the late David McDonald in 1819 commenced his long and successful mercantile career, upon lands purchased of Ebenezer Watson and Hugh Christie, Elijah Heath & Co., constructed in 1840 a saw mill and an extensive hand hayrake factory, when the locality became familiarly known by the euphonious designation of Toggletown, which; along with the city of Ghent, as business centers, long since became extinct.

Another half-mile above, Moses Gibson and Colonel Robert Mc-

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Kay, as early as 1814, built a grist mill which, in the year 1826, along with the valuable farm attached became the property of Hugh Christie, in whose family it has remained until the present day. Here, upon the premises of Hugh Christie and Dugald Thompson, during the construction of the Genesee Valley canal in 1837 a very superior blue limestone quarry was developed, from which was supplied the finest of material for nearly every lock and other stone work upon said canal between Dumpling Hill and Mt. Morris.

This branch crosses the Leicester road at that well-known locality of Teasle Hollow, where, upon lands of Thomas Baker, a natural gas spring was long since discovered, whose brackish water ever seemed to possess a rare attraction for wild pigeons, and where in 1838 par- ties prospected for coal, and where, since the great salt find of the Genesee valley, a company consisting of William Hamilton, Malcolm Campbell, John Clunas and others have drilled for it, reaching the strata nearer the surface, with a quality of brine superior to that of any other point yet tested. The stream has generally been known as Christie's creek.

The next most northerly and perhaps the longest stream of the town takes its rise in the extreme southwestern part of Caledonia, upon lands owned by James Reed, and flowing in a southeasterly course through farms belonging at an early period to Donald D. McColl, James Sinclair, Alexander Mann, Donald McColl, Archibald Gillis, David Martz, James White, Dudley Newton, Spencer Pomeroy, Rob- ert Vallance, Asa Arnold, David Wild, Plynn Weller, James Calder, William Taylor, Colonel Henry Janes and Hon. William Janes, where it discharges into the river one mile east of the village of Fowlerville, through which it runs. Midway between the two points last men- tioned, Wells Fowler and William Taylor, between the years 1815 and 1820, completed the first grist mill of the town, the timbers of which, after being in use for many years, were taken down to be used in the erection of warehouses upon the Genesee Valley canal at the time of its completion.

In the early part of the year 1817 Wells Fowler and Plynn Weller were associated in erecting upon this stream that essential to all new countries, a sawmill, at what afterward became Fowlerville. In the year 1836 it became the property of Abijah Pierce and James M. Bigelow, who rebuilt it, making it one of the finest mills within a large region.

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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY

In the spring of 1840 John W. MeNeil purchased the interests of Mr. Pierce, and after operating it for several years in connection with Mr. Bigelow, conveyed it to Hon. H. E. Smith, and he, in 1854, to Messrs. Dow & Fowler, who added a fifteen-horse power engine and during all the years of the active operation of that firm the mill was an important factor, and is now owned by one Mr. Lewis.

Adjacent to the sawmill, Eliakim Weller and Ira Torrey for sev. eral years carried on quite an extensive tannery, in which business they were succeeded by John M. Beach, Esq., late of Geneseo. On the opposite bank of the creek Alonzo Fowler for a number of years did quite a large business in the manufacture of potash; and just above the mill pond in those years when Alonzo Fowler and Walter Whitcomb were associateed in the mercantile business, they main- tained an ashery.

Half a mile farther up the stream, in the days when such things were tolerated, upon land purchased from David Wild, Alexander Murray, Jr., constructed a distillery, which business was abandoned many years ago. In the same vicinity upon lands purchased from Asa Arnold, Bailey Bodwell established a wool-carding and cloth- dressing business, which proved of great convenience to the community and in which much superior work was done for a long time. A short distance above Mr. Bodwell's works one Campbell, at an early day, upon lands of Spencer Pomeroy, maintained a blacksmith shop, axe factory and trip-hammer; and in the same locality a brick yard was for several years operated and may be said to have been the head of business enterprises upon the branch. But a good deal of interest for several years attached to a certain locality near by upon the southern bank and upon lands of Robert Vallance where one Joel Bullock, known as the wandering Jew, on account of the full beard he sported, excavated for what was currently reported to be a large amount of gold and silver coin, buried midway between the river and a small tamarack swamp upon the premises of James White, by a detachment from the British army during a forced march in the war of 1812. As absolute silence during the progress of the work was a part of the the- ory of the treasure-seeker's key to success, and the same being broken by a heavy outburst of laughter on the part of the proprietor of the land, and, the spell broken, the precious pot was never exhumed. An- other party under the lead of one John Glace, is said to have sought

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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY

for the same prize at the mouth of the creek but allowed the work to cease by reason of some monster of the deep bearing down upon them while quietly engaged in their nocturnal search.

At that point where it crosses the Leicester road, David Martz, in the early history of the country, erected upon its banks a two-story hewn-log inn, which for a series of years was kept open for the accom- modation of travelers and emigrants by said Martz, subsequently by his widow, and lastly by Henry VanValkenberg. Here, early in the thirties, an episode occurred, which for a time seemed fraught with serious results. It was on the occasion of the marriage of Donald A. Cameron to Jennett McBean, on a balmy afternoon in April at the house of her brother, Gillis McBean, on the farm of Malcolm McNaugh- ton two miles west from York Centre. After the ceremony and feast were ended and the all-day ball game had been played, the procession took up its line of march for the home of the bridegroom in the edge of Caledonia, moving to the enlivening strains of the bagpipes in the hand of said Gillis McBean. Before reaching the locality indi- cated the sky had become overcast and the evening one of thick dark- ness accompanied by vivid and frequent flashes of electricity. In attempting to cross the somewhat swollen stream, the bridge was in a measure missed and some of the conveyances with their occupants were precipitated into the water. In the party were such personages as Colonel Alexander Gordon, Angus Gordon, Peter J. and Daniel J. Campbell, with their sisters, and many others. After the cutting of several traces and otherwise righting up, the entire party reached terra firma and their objective point, where a goodly number of the girls and young men were obliged to do their dancing in very damp shoes and stockings. This stream has long furnished water to numer- ous flocks and herds, pools for sheep and wool washing, and swimming, fishing and skating rinks for the boys, and its banks and bottoms slate pencils, sassafras, wintergreens, pigeon-berries and the finest of chewing gum for the girls. It has variously been known as Mann's, McCall's, Newton's Calder's and Fowlerville creek, and its chief branch as the McIntyre Kelso creek.

The next, being the middle or most central stream of the town, heads in the northeastern part of the town of Pavilion, in the county of Genesee, and bearing east by southeast, finds its way through lands originally owned by Thomas Simpson, George Hall, James Walker,

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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY

George N. Russell, Elijah Heath, Erastus Harris, Daniel McMillan, William Bryce, John McCleary, Ralph Brown, Holloway Long, Ros- well Stocking, Daniel Holmes and Arad Hitchcock, where its waters are received by the friendly Genesee, near York landing.

Some three-fourths of a mile from its confluence with the river, William Bryce constructed at an carly day a sawmill which, after operating for several years, he disposed of to Daniel Holmes, who erected the inevitable distillery, and added to the water power a mill for preparing the grain for distillation. A little hamlet sprung up upon the banks of the stream with one store kept by Perez P. Peck. The point was one of much attraction for many years for those whose tastes led in the direction of stimulation and revelry, and this dis- tillery was among the last in the town to discontinue the manufac- ture; but many years since, it, with all its appliances and surround- ings, went into absolute desuetude. At this point on the northern bank of the stream, is located the pleasant little Mt. Pleasant ceme- tery, where repose the remains of many of the fathers.

Half a mile farther west, at what afterwards became York Centre, Ralph Brown, in 1808, erected a grist mill and a distillery. Titus Goodman, jr., also built and operated a distillery at this point and Cyrus Hawley an ashery. The grist mill after being operated by water for many years, was in 1840, by Major George W. Brown, converted into a steam mill and by him conveyed to Barney McBride, in whose hands it fell a prey to the devouring element.

About the year 1819 Duncan and Colonel Hugh McMillan built a sawmill upon the same stream, one mile farther west, at what is now known as "Limerick" and in the construction of which the ances- tors of Senator McNaughton of Monroe county were employed.

Duncan McMillan transferred his interest to his brother Hugh, who sold the property to Eber Holmes, after which Flaggler Bigelow and Joseph Kingsley severally became owners, the latter disposing of it to William Bryce, whose son, James Bryce, in 1844 rebuilt it, making it in all respects a first-class mill with the best site and best dam and pond of any similar institution in town. In its time it was a favorite resort for skating, bathing, sheep washing and immersions.

The creek was usually known as "Brown's Creek" or "Long's Creek" and not one of its water powers is now utilized.

The longest, largest, most historic and important, with abundant

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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY

promise of a great future and the most southerly stream of the town, only, remains to be spoken of. It had its source at or near the west boundary of the town in three different branches, the most northerly of which takes its rise upon lands formerly possessed by Ebenezer A. Carlisle; the middle one upon that of James Guthrie, and the most southerly one upon that of James Dow, and after watering the farms of James P. Stewart, Farquer McKercher, William Craig, James Newall, Robert J. Guthrie, James Cullings, Thomas Gorden and Hugh Innis, unite upon the farm of Dexter Bond and after flowing with a strong and rapid current through the former well-known lands of James Spital, Asa Davis, Samuel Warren, Schuyler Richardson, Samuel Dorris, Lyman Casey, William McCleary, Josiah Fisher, Asa Bidwell, Jr., J. M. Howell, Paul Goddard, James B. Harris, Hon. Moses Hay- den, and Campbell Harris, where it empties into the parent stream midway between York Landing and Piffard. At that point where it crosses the highway leading from Fowlerville to Geneseo, the first York post-office is said to have been established in a log house upon the bank, with Hon. Moses Hayden as post-master, who about the same time erected half a mile above, a saw mill, which was afterward owned and rebuilt by John Allen and others, going out of use about the year 1856.

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History of Livingston County, New York, from its earliest traditions to the present together with early town sketches, Part 88

Author: Doty, Lockwood R., 1858- [from old catalog] ed; Van Deusen, W. J., pub. [from old catalog] Publication date: 1905 Publisher: Jackson, Mich., W. J. Van Deusen Number of Pages: 1422

Author: Doty, Lockwood R., 1858- [from old catalog] ed; Van Deusen, W. J., pub. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1905
Publisher: Jackson, Mich., W. J. Van Deusen
Number of Pages: 1422