USA > New York > Livingston County > History of Livingston County, New York, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 91
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John P. Whaley is another of the early pioneers whose name has been made historical through its connection with the records of the past. One of the progenitors of this family, Edward Whalley, was born in 1615, in Northamptonshire, England. When the contest between Charles II. and his Parliament arose he sided with the latter, and was one of the fifty-nine who signed the King's death warrant. At the Restoration he was obliged to flee for the safety of his life, and came to New England, where he arrived July 27, 1660. Edward A. was a son of John P. Whaley, and was born Jan. 17, 1786, in Berkshire county, Mass. Charles E. who now resides in Avon, is a son of Edward and was born in this town Nov. 14, 1825. John P. settled in Avon in 1805.
A Mr. Barrows settled about three-fourths of a mile north-east of Avon, about 1800. Captain James Austin married one of his daughters.
Ephraim Hendee moved to the town of Avon, in October, 1810. His children were Hannah P., af- terwards Mrs. Jonas Howe ; Amy Lovisa, who mar- ried Hiram Pierson ; Worthy L., who moved to Michigan ; Ruby Orvilla, who married a Mr. Ran- som, (now dead ;) Churchill, born Jan. 15, 1812, in Michigan, and the Honorable A. A., now dead. John Barnard located near the old ferry on the old State road as early as 1806.
The Pierson-or Pearson as some of the mein- bers spell it-family consisting of Benjamin, John, Jesse, Joseph and David, brothers, settled a little
430
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
cast of East Avon, on the State road as early as 1797. Hiram Pearson is a son of Jesse Pearson, and was born September 21, 1805. His father set- tled upon lot 68. Ira Pearson was born in 1793, and was brought to this town with his parents who settled upon lot 113. He died in Feb. 9, 1850. S. B. Pearson is a son of Ia's, and was born Octo- ber 22, 1815.
Joseph Pierson was born in Ellington, Conn., April 15, 1767. At the age of twenty-one he emigrated to Schenectady county, where he was married to Sarah Watrous. July, 1797, he re- moved with his family to Avon. Of his nine chiktren only four are living :- Catherine, Wealthy, Frederick B. and Bradley M. Mr. Pierson died Dec. 10, 1843, and his wife, Sept. 17, 1810. Frederick B. has acquired no little notoriety for the excellence of his stock farm and for his efforts to improve the quality of the live stock of the county. Horses reared upon his farm have not been regarded unfit gifts for two Presidents of the United States.
There came to the Genesee country with Messrs. Fitzhugh, Rochester and Carroll, or at about the same time, Col. Jonas Hogmire, of Washington county, Md., and William Beal and John Wilson, of Frederick county, Md. Col. Hogmire purchased of Mr. Wadsworth, on the river, in Avon, 1,500 acres of land, upon which his sons, Conrad and Samuel Hogmire, afterwards re- sided. The father never emigrated. Austin Hog- mire, who resides near South Avon, is a son of Conrad's, and was born in Avon, April 11, 1820. '
Thomas Wiard came in 1802 from Waterbury, Conn., and settled in Geneseo. Ile had purchased his farm of the Wadsworths before coming, and was to have the privilege of selecting his land from among any of their vast possessions in the Cenesee country, which at that time comprised nearly all of this section. Owing to a subsequent difficulty arising from political discussions, he experienced considerable trouble in locating his land, but finally located in 1805 upon the tract occupied the year before by Josiah Waters, and upon which the latter had built a log-house. Four of his children :- William, Seth, Margaretany, and Rachel E., were born in Connecticut, and came in with him. Henry, George, Thomas, Matthew, Caroline and Mary Ann, were born after his settlement here. Upon his removal to Avon he carried on farming, backsmithing, and the manufacture of plows. He was the first Supervisor of the town of Avon, holding that office
in 1821, 1822, 1829, 1830 and 1835. He died in 1837. Of his children :- Seth, Thomas, Matthew and Henry in East Avon, and Mary Ann, in Michigan, are the only ones living. Seth married Acsah Dayton ; Thomas married Almira E. Alder- man ; Matthew is unmarried and Henry married Caroline Palmer. Matthew was born Sept. 8, 1813. From 1852 till 1870, he was largely engaged in the manufacture of the Wiard Plow. He was Supervisor in :858, 1859, 1860, and 1876, and was Member of Assembly in 1861 and 1862.
Deacon Hinds Chamberlain came to Avon in 1790. He afterward moved to LeRoy, Genesce county.
Col. Abner Morgan, athough not one of the first settlers, on account of his prominence, is worthy of mention. Ilis collegiate education was obtained at Harvard College, from where he was graduated in 1763. He left his home in Brimfield, Mass., where he was engaged in the practice of law, in 1775, and accepted, at Cambridgeport, Mass., the commission of Major and Adjutant in the first regiment of Continental troops raised in the war of the Revolution. Nehemiah Porter was the colonel. This regiment formed part of the force with which General Arnold joined Montgomery before Que- bec. When Montgomery was killed, Arnokl took his place, and upon his being disabled, Major Morgan assumed command of the "forlorn hope" and led the last and final attack the morning of Jan. ist, 1776, which was repulsed by overwhelm- ing numbers .*
Colonel Morgan came to Avon in 1828, and died there in December, 1837, at the extraordinary age of 100. Mrs. Salisbury, the widow of Dr. Samuel Salisbury, of Avon, now residing in Rochester, is a daughter of his.
At a census of Avon, taken by General Amos Hall, in 1790, the town contained a population of ten families, sixty-six persons.
The first bridge was built across the Genesee at Avon, in 1803 or 1804.
The earliest records attainable bear date of April 7, 1797, at which time Ebenezer Merry was Super- visor, Wm. Hosmer, Town Clerk, and Timothy Hosmer and Gad Wadsworth Commissioners of Highways. In 1798 the following names appear upon the records: Ebenezer Merry, Supervisor ; Wm. Hosmer, Town Clerk; John Beach, John Hinman, John Pearson, Assessors; Stephen Rog- ers, Josiah Wadsworth, John Markham, Commis-
* Irving's "Washington " vol. xxIv page 148 inadvertently confounds Major Morgan with Captain afterwards General Daniel Morgan.
Mattheus Mark
Matthew Wiard, the subject of this sketch, was born in the town of Avon, Livingston county, Sept. 8, 1813. He is the fourth son of Thomas Wiard, who came from Waterbury, Conn., about the year 1802, and located at Geneseo, where he commenced farming and afterwards carried on blacksmithing in the village. After remaining there two years he purchased a farm in the town of Avon, to which he removed, and carried on farming, black- smithing and the manufacture of plows. He was the first Supervisor of the town of Avon, performing the duties of that office in the years 1821, '22, '29, '30 and '35, and was also Justice of the Peace for many years. His first wife was Susan Hall, a native of Waterbury, Conn., by whom he had ten children, as follows: Wil- liam, (deceased, ) Margaretany, (deceased, ) Seth, Rachel E., (deceased, ) Thomas, Mary Ann, Caroline, (deceased, ) Matthew, Henry and George, (deceased. ) ITis second wife was Nancy Gansen, of Genesee county, by whom he had three children, viz .: Nancy J., Louisa, (deceased, ) and Elizabeth. He died in 1837, at the age of 67 years.
Matthew lived at home, working on the farm and at- tending the district school-the only advantage for an education he ever enjoyed-until about twenty-two years of age, when he and his elder brother, Thomas, took the hotel at East Avon, which had been kept for many years previously by William T. Hosmer, one of the early set- tlers in the town. He continued there until abont the year 1852, when he sold the house-having purchased it
after his father's death-and engaged in the manufacture of plows, then and now known as the "Wiard Plow, "and which obtained a world-wide fame for its superior excel- lence. The plow now manufactured in Syracuse, and known as the "Syracuse Chilled Plow," is an outgrowth of the Wiard Plow, and was first made from a set of pat- terns sold by Matthew Wiard to John S. Robinson, of Canandaigua. Mr. Wiard sold out his interest in 1870, and about 1876 the manufactory was removed to Batavia, N. Y. Mr. Wiard has since followed fanning in a small way and speculating in real estate, but considers himself as retired from active business. He has been elected to many of the offices in the gift of the people of his town and county. He was Supervisor in 1858, '59, '60 aud 76. In 1861 and '62 he represented his county in the State Legislature, has been Justice of the Peace nearly twenty years, holding that office at the present time, and has been Notary Public about ten years. In politics Mr. Wiard was an old line Whig until the Republican party was formed, with which he united and has given an in- telligent and firm support to its principles and measures. During the late war he was one of the first enrolling officers appointed for the town of Avon by the Governor. He is a staunch and true friend to those who prove theni- selves worthy. By a life of industry and honest dealing he has secured a competence, and it is agreed by all who know him that in their social and business relations with lum they have ever found him a man of sterling fidelity.
431
AVON-TOWN OFFICERS.
sioners of Highways ; John Pearson, Wmn. Mark- ham, Overseers of Poor, and John Mack, Constable.
At the "Anniversary" election held April 30, 1801, Stephen Van Rensselaer received forty-one votes for Governor, and James Watson fifty-six votes for Lieut .- Governor; Ebenezer Merry, Job Pierce, John Hinman, John Beach and Ransom Smith were Inspectors of Election.
The following persons have held the office of Supervisor and Town Clerk since 1802 :-
Supervisors.
Town Clerks.
1802. Ebenezer Merry.
Wm. Hosmer.
1803-'7 do do
Chas. Little.
1808-19 .* WVm. Markham.
do do
1810.
Chas. Little.
Bradley Martin.
18II.
Thomas Wiard.
Matthew Hanna.
1812. Wm. Markham.
Bradley Martin.
1813.
Asa Nowlen. do do
1814.
Wm. Markham.
Asa Nowlen.
1815. Thomas Wiard.
1816-17.fWm. Markham.
1818. Asa Bishop.
do do
1819-20. do do
Augustus A. Bennett. Asa Nowlen.
1821. Thomas Wiard.
1822. do do
A. A. Bennett.
1823. Asa Nowlen.
Hervey Brown.
1824. do do
Emanuel Case.
1825-26. do do
David Firman.
1827-28. Wm. J. Hosmer.
do do
1829.
Thomas Wiard. do do
1831.
David Firman.
Matthew P. Thomas. do do
1832. Tabor Ward.
C. D. W. Gibson.
1833. do do M. P. Thomas.
1835-
Thomas Wiard. do do
1836-37. Curtiss Hawley.
L. W. Beecher.
1841.
Richard Torrence.
do do
18.42.
Thomas Wiard.
Peyton R. Morgan. Clark K. Estes.
1844.
do do
M. P. Thomas.
1 8.45.
Thomas Wiard.
Isaac Wells.
1846.
Aaron Barber.
Hugh Cameron.
1847.
Amos Dann.
Wm. A. Firman. do do
1850.
do do
V. P. Whitbeck.
1851.
Curtiss Hawley.
Chas. A. Simonds.
1852.
Chas. L. Shepard. Volkert P. Whitbeck.
1853-54. N. Chappell.
Calvin Knowles.
1855- do do
Stephen Hosmer. do do
1856. W. C. Hawley.
John Watkins.
1858. Matthew Wiard.
do do 1859-60. do do
1861. Hiram B. Smith.
Wilson D. Palmer. do do
1862.
do do
John Sabin.
1863.
Russell Beckwith. Solon Watkins.
1 864. do do Francis J. Hedenberg
1865. James Hosmer. H. H. Isham.
1866-68. Geo. W. Swan. Samuel Churchill.
1869-70. C. H. Marsh.
Elias H. Davis.
1871. Homer Sackett. do
1872-74. Geo. D. Dooer.
do
1875. do do
H. E. VanZandt.
1876. Matthew Wiard.
do do
1877 Geo. D. Dooer. do do
1878. Aaron Barber. do do
1879 *- 80.W. S. Newman. do
do
The following is the present list of officers :-
Supervisor, Joseph A. Dana ; Town Clerk, Henry E. VanZandt; Justice of the Peace, Calvin Knowles, full term ; Justice of the Peace, Samuel L. Harned, vacancy ; Highway Commissioner, E. H. Clark ; Assessors, Charles E. Whaley, W. P. Low, C. Lan- don ; Overseer of the Poor, William B. Calvert ; Collector, H. Mckinney ; Constables, Edward B. Reed, Jason B. Benedict, A. O'Neill, Benjamin G. Nixon, William Pierce ; Game Constable, Milton C. Smedley ; Excise Commissioners, J. E. Jenks, Wm. Clendening, John Klett ; Inspectors of Elec- tion, Dist. No. 1, Underhill D. Torrance, Henry WViard ; Dist. No. 2, Charles P. Quick, W. W. Hodgmire.
The following miscellaneous items are taken from the town records :-
In 1802 Zephania Beach, Josiah Rathbone, Gid- eon Dunham and Wm. Poor were Pathmasters. The town expenses for the year 1802 were $8.00. In 1814 the first appropriation was made for a common school fund. In 1820 there were fourteen school districts and six hundred and fifty-four scholars. The amount of public school moneys distributed was $269.22. In 1833 12} cents bounty was paid for each crow killed in the town, which bounty was increased to 25 cents in 1835. The total number of votes cast November 2, 3 and 4, 1840, was for the Whig candidate 394, and for the Van Buren candidate 199. In 1841, Robert McLaughlin and Stephen S. Briggs were the only persons voting the Abolition ticket.
CERTIFICATE OF FREEDOM :- This may certify that it hath been made to appear to my satisfac- tion that Oliver Payne, a black man, is free ac- cording to the laws of the State of New York; that said Oliver is of the age of forty-one years ; that the place of his birth is the town of Grafton, State of Massachusetts ; that he became free by virtue of an Act of the Legislature of said State for abolish- ing slavery in said State, passed more than twenty years ago; and that said Oliver is about six feet in height, slender built. Witness my hand this 27th day of April, 1815.
One of the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas for Ontario County.
* Avon erected from Hartford.
t Rush set off in April 1817.
* Elected for two years.
1848.
Wm. C. Hawley.
Norman Chappell. H. S. Firman.
1849.
Lewis Chandler.
1843.
1834. Wm. T. Hosmer. do do
1838-40. M. P. Thomas.
do do
1830. do do
do do
do do
MATHEW WARNER.
1857. C. L. Shepard.
432
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
SLAVE CERTIFICATE :- I hereby certify that Dion, a black woman, is aged about 33 years, her son Henry was born Oct., 1815, her son Robert was born July 28, 1817. All of the above names are slaves of mine till their times shall severally ex- pire agreeable to the laws of this State.
Avon, 8 Nov., 1817. JEREMIAH RIGGS.
WAR RECORD :- The part that Avon took in the great interneciary struggle that was precipitated upon the country in 1861, will in all probability never be fully told, as no records were ever kept to portray in living colors the noble services of her sons upon the field, or their sufferings within the prison-pens of the enemy. The following is all that appears in the records of the town, and is but a brief epitome of the support given by those at home to their brave townsmen who had gone or who were to go to the defense of their country.
The first resolution appearing in the town records relative to the war bears date of Aug. 18, 1863, and is as follows :-
" Resolved, That the sum of Two Dollars per week be appropriated to the indigent wife of any volunteer or drafted man, who is now or may be hereafter called into the service of the United States from this town with the additional sum of fifty cents per week, for each child of such family who has not arrived to an age sufficient for its own support."
Three hundred dollars were voted to be raised for this, and Nov. 5, 1863, it was resolved that one thousand dollars be raised for the same purpose. April 5, 1864, it was
" Resolved, That $1,221 be assessed upon the taxable property of the town of Avon for the pur- pose of paying the extra bounty pledged to volun- teers, and other expenses pertaining thereto."
At a special town meeting held at the house of I. R. Newman, East Avon, Aug. 20, 1864, of which John I. Burleigh, was chairman, the fol- lowing resolution drawn by Matthew Wiard, Rus- sell Beckwith, Wm. E. Hall, James Hosmer and Josiah Brooks, was adopted :-
" Resolved, That the clerk of this town be authorized to issue the bonds of this town, bearing annual interest of seven per cent., borrowing money thereon to pay cach volunteer who shall be mustered into the U. S. service for three years and credited to this town, four hundred dollars in ad- dition to all other bounties, and two hundred dol- lars for one year, * *
* * * * said bonds to be payable in five years, in five annual instal- ments."
Sept. 8, 1864, the following resolution was adopted unanimously :-
" Resolved, That the Supervisor of the town of
Avon is hereby authorized to pay in cash or bonds of Livingston county, one thousand dollars to each recruit or person who has furnished and caused to be mustered into the military service of the United States, a substitute under the last call of the President for five hundred thousand men, provided that such recruits or substitutes are credited upon the quota of Avon."
February 14, 1865, the following resolution was adopted :-
" Resolved, That there be assessed and collected upon the taxable property of the town of Avon, a sum of money sufficient to pay to each and every volunteer, who shall enlist on the quota of the town, for one year's men, three hundred dollars ; two years' men, four hundred dollars ; three years' men, six hundred dollars, *
" Resolved, That the sum of two hundred and fifty dollars be paid to each man who may be drafted from the town of Avon and mustered in the service of the United States."
March 2, 1875, it was resolved that one thou- sand two hundred and eighty-four dollars be raised to build a soldiers' monument. F. H. Davis, J. A. Dana, Orange Sackett, Jr., Matthew Wiard and Hugh Tighe were appointed a committee to purchase and superintend the erection of the same.
March 7, 1876, it was resolved to raise three thousand dollars for a soldiers' monument.
Feb. 17, 1877, it was resolved that the soldiers' monument be accepted, and it now stands a beau- tiful granite structure, forty-five feet high.
On the south side of the monument are in- scribed the following names :-
George Blackall, 116th Regiment, N. Y. S. V.
Denis Bulkley,
Charles Barnard,
Houghton Gerry,
J. T. Morrison,
D. E. Sunderlin,
David Rich,
Edwin Winans,
F. E. Whaley,
66
Samuel Whitmore,
Patrick Brennigan, 104th
66
Edward Roberts, 104th
66
Patrick Conner, 140th
Simon Deal, 108th
On the east side those of :-
Edgar Nobles, 14th H. Artillery.
G. E. Slater,
A. B. Milliman,
Enginecr.
A. K. Damon,
Wm. Hall,
Wilbur Waterous,
Peter Zimmer.
H. N. Stowell,
66
27
Wm. Hover, 27
433
AVON VILLAGE.
On the north side those of :-
Wm. Fisher,
13th Regiment, N. Y. S. V.
Joseph Shadlow,
33d
Gilbert Fuller,
27th
Chas. Hosmer,
27th 66 66
H. C. Cutler,
B. Cav.
John Canfield,
66
James Halligan,
George Hosmer, Jr.
66
John McGraw,
J. J. Peck, 22₫ 66
J. K. Snyder, Ist
26th Battery,
Jeremiah Von Kleeck,
Homer Hilburn,
8th H. Art.
Milo Moran,
On the west side is inscribed :-
ERECTED BY THE TOWN OF AVON, IN MEMORY TO HER DECEASED AND FALLEN SOLDIERS
WHOSE NAMES ARE
INSCRIBED HEREON.
At the bottoni is inscribed-
" Rest Here for the Night."
Around the shaft are the names-
FREDERICKSBURGH, GETTYSBURGH, WILDERNESS, ATLANTA.
The monument is surmounted by a fine marble statute of an infantry soldier and stands in the center of the park at the top of the hill on the street leading from the depot. It is an ornament to the town and an honor to the townsmen of these fallen heroes, that they should thus perpetuate their memory upon the enduring stone.
AVON VILLAGE.
The village of Avon or West Avon as it was formerly called, lies in the northwest portion of the town upon the line of the New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad, it being the junction of the branch from Corning to Buffalo, with the one run- ning from Rochester to Dansville.
It is a thriving village containing in 1880, 1,620 inhabitants and derives considerable notoriety from the sulphur springs that are located here and which have been found decidedly efficacious in curing many diseases. Even among the Indians the water from these springs was regarded as a good reme- dial agent.
The village is charmingly situated upon the edge of the highlands bordering the Genesee flats, thus giving a magnificent view across the intervening
lowlands to the highlands upon the other side of the valley.
The springs are the principal point of attraction for summer tourists, yet the inducements for pleas- ure seekers will be greatly enhanced this summer by a line of stages which is to be run to Conesus Lake, thus making that beautiful place easy of access.
The village contains two newspaper offices, the Livingston County Herald, E. H. Davis, editor and proprietor, and the Avonian, which is printed in Warsaw.
Timothy Hosmer was one of the first settlers in the present village, occupying a log house on the hill. This log house was used as the first hotel here, and during the war of 1812 was made very lively with the companies of soldiers that often camped here, this being on the principal route to the Niagara frontier.
Captain Asa Nowlen came from Connecticut in 1812, and bought a farm between Avon and East Avon, known as the John Hillman farm. He was a prominent character of his day. After locating on this farm he came to the villageand on the south- west corner of Main and Genesee streets, erected what with alterations was afterwards known as " Comstock's" and still later, was known under the more pretentious title of United States Hotel.
The incorporation of the village took place May 17, 1853. At an election held at the hotel of Samuel Davis, June 11, 1853, relative to ac- cepting the charter, fifty-three votes were cast, forty-nine of which were in the affirmative. George Hosmer, Orville Comstock and David Brooks were the inspectors of this election.
On the 5th of July, 1853, the first election was held, at which the following officers were elected : George Hosmer, Orville Comstock, James Hosmer, David Brooks and Benjamin P. Ward, Trustees ; Joseph F. Miller, Orin H. Coe, and Curtiss Haw- ley, Assessors ; Thomas C. Chase, Collector ; John Sabin, Treasurer ; Charles A. Hosmer, Clerk; Ed- win M. Price, Darius M. Gilbert, and Wm. W. Jones, Fire Wardens, and Wm. E. Pattee, Pound Master.
The following persons have held the office of President and Clerk at the date designated :-
President.
Clerk.
1854. Curtiss Hawley. C. A. Hosmer.
1855. James Hosmer.
do
1856. Jesse H. Loomis. do
1857. O. Comstock. do
1858. *
do
* No election.
James Chase,
66
434
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
1859. Charles 1. Shepard.C. A. Hosmer.
1860.
J. II. Bennett.
Wilson D. Palmer.
1861.
James Hosmer.
Elias H. Davis.
1862.
T. E. Winans.
do
1863.
James Ilosmer.
T. E. Winans.
1864.
Hiram B. Smith.
G. H. Nowlen.
1865.
T. E. Winans.
do Daniel Lacy.
1 867.
Geo. W. Swan.
do
1 868.
James Hosmer.
S. G. Fay.
1869.
Sylvester G. Fay.
S. Hosmer.
1870.
J. R. Marsh.
do
1871.
G. W. Swan.
Daniel Lacy.
1872
Stephen Hosmer.
M. H. Bronson.
1873.
H. H. Haile. do
Geo. W. Swan.
1874.
Geo. W. Sherman. M. U. Bronson.
1875.
T. E. Winans.
W. S. Newman.
1877.
WV. S. Newman.
J. R. Fryer.
1878.
J. C. Davenport.
Patrick Gleason.
1879.
E. J. Whiting.
do
I 880.
do
W. B. Bassett.
The present (1881) officers of Avon Village are :- Trustees, E. J. Whiting, George D. Dooer, John S. Peters, J. L. Falkner, W. B. Bassett ; As- sessors, Samuel Armstrong, Michael Dowdall ; Police Justice, Wm. Carter; Treasurer, C. F. Whiting ; President, E. J. Whiting; Clerk, W. B. Bassett.
AVON SPRINGS .- Through the kindness of Mrs. Samuel Salisbury, we are able to give the follow- ing valuable extraets in relation to these celebrated springs from a pamphlet published by her husband, the late Dr. Samuel Salisbury, in 1838, entitled "Avon Mineral Waters, etc."
"The Avon Mineral Springs were long known to the Indians who resorted to them for the cure of diseases of the skin. A portion of the Seneca tribe inhabited a village on the opposite branch of the river which they called Canawangus. Captain Parish informed me that the name signified lively water, and was applied to this settlement in conse- quence of the great nember of clear and limpid fountains of water in the vicinity. The far-famed chief Red Jacket as Dr. Francis informs us in the U. S. Medical & Surgical Journal enumerated them among his remedial measures for the cure of diseases of the skin ; and wasting disorders, as they were termed, were supposed capable of being removed by their use even when applied ex- ternally."
"Great numbers of deer were in the habit of re- sorting to these springs, thus making the vicinity a desirable hunting ground for the aborigines. The outlet of the Conesus, a creek which empties into the Genesee river near the lower spring is a spot
distinguished for the abundance of excellent fish which are caught there ; and even to this day, we occasionally find some of these sons of the forest encamped along the bank of the river and busily engaged in taking fish for which they find a ready sale to the inhabitants of the neighboring village."
In the year 1792 one of the inhabitants used the waters with perfect success in the cure of a disease of the skin consequent upon intermittent fever. In 1795 a case of rheumatism of long standing which had resisted the treatment of a number of intelli- gent physicians, was speedily and entirely cured by their use. The first improvement was made at the springs by the proprietor, Mr. Richard Wadsworth, in 1821, when a small building was erected at the lower spring that contained a showering box. This building was enlarged and a bathing house erected in 1823, and some effort was made to sup- ply visitors with accommodations necessary for the external use of the waters. In 1828 there was erected a large building at the upper spring. In 1828-29, three houses were erected in their imme- diate vicinity, one by Nehemiah Houghton, one by D. Knickerbacker, and one by a Mr. Cartright. About a mile southwest of the lower spring upon what is called the Black creek, there is a spring at which Paul Knowles, its proprietor, in 1834 erected a very large house for boarding with accommoda- tions for bathing.
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