USA > New York > Madison County > History of Madison County, state of New York > Part 45
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*Luther C. Niles and lady have been married 55 years, and on the fiftieth anni- versary celebrated their golden wedding. Mr. Niles is now in his 78th year. Mrs. Niles is the oldest daughter of Ephriam Gray, of Lebanon.
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the greatest, have been committed to the care of Sanford Head and his sons. Sanford Head is still living, at the ad- vanced age of 84 years, on the homestead he first planted, enjoying the benefits of his well-directed labors.
Ephraim Gray from New Lebanon, Columbia County, N. Y., became another of the substantial citizens of this town. His son, Cooley C. Gray, resides on the same farm his father owned in 1815. Competent, public spirited men, in whom people reposed confidence, have been the Grays, father and sons.
Dr. Constant Merrick, the first physician of Lebanon, and one of the large land owners of the early days, was very prominent in educational matters. He was also an able physician, greatly respected, and " did a world of business." His family name is no longer represented in Lebanon.
Silas Seymour was born in Hartford, Conn., in 1777. In 1801, then a young man of great energy and enterprise, he removed to Lebanon and located in the northwest quarter on the west border of Campbell Settlement, taking up a farm of about two hundred acres. He became a useful and in- fluential citizen, always interested in the prosperity of his town. The welfare of common schools largely engaged his attention. He remained on his homestead his life through, reared a family of ten children, who are all living except one, and died at an advanced age. His life was character- ized by industry, economy, sobriety and temperance, which secured to him their agreeable fruits-competence and a hap- py old age. Silas Seymour and his sons were frequently chosen to public offices, from the least to the greatest in the system of town government.
Daniel Clark, from Colchester, Connecticut, came to Lebanon in 1803, and located a large farm in the south east quarter, about two miles from Earlville. He took up a large piece of wild land, cleared it, and brought into culti- vation a fine farm. He was a worthy and useful citizen, and reared his family to positions of usefulness. At an
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honored old age, he died on the farm where he had so long lived, and was buried with many an other fellow-pioneer, in Earlville cemetery. The Clark homestead is owned by his grandson, F. B. Clark. Squire David Clark, of Earl- ville, is son of Daniel Clark.
Curtis Hoppin was born at Guilford, Connecticut, July 12, 1785 ; his parents removed to Berkshire County, Mass- achusetts, and died leaving him an orphan at an early age. It was said of Curtis Hoppin at the time of his death :
" He inherited a robust constitution and an empty purse ; com- menced life with two sheep, one copy of Morse's School Geogra- phy, one suit of linsey woolsey, and an energetic, self-reliant dis- position. He, during winter evenings and early mornings soon ac- quired an education which rendered him competent for a teach- er, an avocation which he followed for a few years in Massa- chusetts, and during the winter for several years in Lebanon. In the spring of 1810, he started on foot for what was thought the far West, in search of cheap lands, and bought on what is known by old settlers as Hoppin's Hill, and later in the season moved his family to his new home, at the same time driving with him his flock of 230 merino sheep, (the first flock of merinos ever brought to the country,) which under his judicious care, in- creased in a few years to 4,000, making him the largest wool grower in Madison County. He served as an officer of the N. Y. Militia which was called to Sackett's Harbor in the year 1814, and served his town as Supervisor, and in other capacities, and his county as Member of Assembly in the year 1827, with fidelity to the interests intrusted to his care, and with honor to himself. He was an earnest advocate of what he believed for the good of society. He introduced many improvements in ag- riculture which were satisfactorily tested upon his large and pro- ductive farm, and which became the means of lifting, by his ex- ample, many of his brother farmers from out the ruts of obso- lete and unprofitable customs in which they had been plodding for years, owing to a want of knowledge of and communication with the world and its improvements."
Curtis Hoppin died at his residence in Lebanon, Novem- ber 8, 1868, in the 84th year of his age. From his obitu- ary we learn that "he was an efficient working member of the Congregational Church for many years, served as one of its deacons, was a sincere christian, a useful and respected citizen, a careful business man, a kind and venerated father and an affectionate husband."
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F. B. Hoppin and B. E. Hoppin, his sons, (the last named now living in Lebanon,) have been members of Assembly, the former elected in the year 1851, and the latter in 1867.
Henry Palmer came from Windham, Connecticut, at the age of 24 years, in 1817, and purchased a large farm on Lot No. 6, on the north line of the town. Upon this, his fath- er's family, consisting of parents, five sons, including him- . self and one daughter, settled in 1818. The family came all the way from Windham to Lebanon, in Madison county, with an ox team, in the month of February. Calvin Palmer, (his father's name,) and his wife, and some of the children died here. Henry and Ephriam still live on the homestead farm, which is one of the best in Lebanon. Gurdon Palmer, another of the brothers, resides near Morrisville. Henry Palmer, before leaving his native country, Windham, was a manufacturer of paper, and came to the new country on account of ill health. He engaged in school teaching soon after arriving in Madison county, in which occupation he continued many years, regaining his health, which has con- tinued to a hale and active old age. He has been Justice of the Peace for some years, and filled many other town offices. He was elected Member of Assembly from the 2d District in 1843.
Amos Crocker was another early settler of Lebanon. He settled the farm now owned by Mrs. Ladd, on the Chenan- go River road. He removed to Hamilton afterwards and became a merchant.
Deacon Abram Webster came very early. It is said that Mr. Webster brought in the first wagon that was ever in this town. Noah Webster, of Spelling Book and Dictionary fame, was Abram's brother ; his coming here on a visit when the country was very new, created no little curiosity in the minds of some, and a great deal of respect and ven- eration in the minds of those (and they were not a few) who took pride and pleasure in fostering education.
Richard Taylor, from Lebanon, Conn., was one of the
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pioneers of this town. He located where his son Henry Taylor now lives. He reared the first nursery of this sec- tion of country, from which the old orchards of Lebanon, and many of those of adjoining towns, were planted. Rich- ard Taylor spent many years of an active life here, and died a few years since at an extremely advanced age. He was respected for his neighborly qualities, kind heart, and native good sense .*
All through Lebanon, one fact is noticed ; families who were established, many of them, more than sixty years ago, are yet represented by their descendants, a great many on the original patriarchal homestead. Those substantial people, whose history is so interwoven with the history of the farms they have brought out of the wilderness, and with the annals of the town, whose interests have been identified with the concerns of society about them, deserve more than a passing notice. There is sufficient learned to show that they labored with a will to hew down the wilderness, build them homes, and to improve society.
When the rough corners of pioneer life had become rounded, there arose a desire for religious instruction. Peo- ple who all their lives before coming here had habitually obeyed the summons of the Sabbath bell, began to feel yearnings for spiritual sustenance. Accordingly a church was formed of the Presbyterian order, and early in this cen- tury this society built a house for worship about one mile north of the " Centre." This building was afterwards moved to the " Hollow," and has since been taken down.
In 1806 Elder Matthias Cazier came in from Salem, Conn., and settled upon land which had been taken up by Capt. Stevens, near the north west part of the town. Elder Cazier was a regular graduate of the Congregational school, and had been the pioneer pastor of Castleton, Vermont, for
*Richard Taylor was sometimes called to serve as petit-juror, in which capacity he was distinguished for his strong common sense. His son, Henry Taylor, was drawn in the list of grand-jurors for Lebanon, in 1871, being the first colored man in Madison County honored by that position.
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which he received a grant in that State of 160 acres of land. Rather enjoying the freedom of the pioneer, and still more desiring the religious freedom which a new country gave its ministers, he took up the same labors in Lebanon. He preached here about twenty-one years, receiving no compensation, as was usually the case with ministers of this section at that day. He usually held religious services at his own house or at school houses. Elder Cazier held to the liberty of expounding his own views in his sermons, without reference to the opinions of others, and hence was denominated an original character. He closed his labors in 1827, and died soon after.
Simultaneous with the desire for religious improvement, there developed a strong tendency in favor of education. The first school, as has been related, was taught by widow Nancy Campbell. Several were taught in different parts, in the houses of pioneers, before school houses were built. Elder Matthias Cazier taught in his house in the winter of 1806-7. Soon, however, in various localities amid the set- tlements, were log school houses, largely patronized by the increasing population. At one time, the school in Campbell's Settlement and that at Webster's Corners, ad- joining, had each one hundred pupils per day. At a later period, schools and school houses demanded a great deal of attention. Among those earnestly engaged in the cause, the talented and influential John W. Bulkley was conspicu- ous. The first frame school house of the town was built in Smith's Valley, the neighborhood in which Mr Bulkley spent his last days. There is a bit of history connected with it : Justus B. Smith sold to this district a half acre of land, on which to build their school house, for the sum of sixty dollars ; he then purchased a fine bell, costing sixty dollars, and gave to the district. The bell was famous, for there was no other in the country round ; consequently this was called Bell District. The day is not forgotten when its clear tones could be heard of mornings far and near, bring-
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ing in companies of merry children from the remotest area to which it belonged. One day, however, it failed to wake the echoes of the woodland ; the school house had caught fire and burned to the ground, and the old bell was melted in the fervid heat.
Members of that school in the days long ago, who are yet living, speak of John W. Bulkley, who, when aged and broken, and infirmities physical and mental had dimmed the eye and palsied the hand of this once great man, used frequently to visit the school to note the progress of the pupils ; his love for children made many a sunny spot in his life. They remember him leaning his trembling weight upon his staff, tears streaming down his furrowed cheeks as he rises to address the school, and they will give the closing of his impromptu speech, verbatim, as follows :- " I am an old man ; the place that knows me now will soon know me no longer. You are children ; you have a lifetime before you ; even your small hands can do something which will prove a blessing, and for which you shall be re- membered. I say to you children, each, plant a tree ; and the birds of the heavens will come down and build nests in their branches ; and you, and your children, and your children's children will come and rest in the shade thereof. I say children plant a tree." The thoughtless are subdued and tears are on the cheeks of the listeners as the aged man leaves the school room. It is not so much his words which affects them as the impressive voice and manner, the same which once distinguished him as the eloquent member of the House of Representatives.
When John W. Bulkley was dead, and his voice was no more heard among them, they cherished his familiar utter- ances, and in a few years the yard around that school house was planted full of trees.
Lebanon in the past has not been ambitious in the matter of villages. Earlville lies mostly east of the Chenango River, which is the boundary line between Hamilton and
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Lebanon at this place. The south east corner of the town is the center of the highway at the grist mill, it being the point where four towns and two counties corner. These towns are: Smyrna and Sherburne, of Chenango, and Hamilton and Lebanon, of Madison County. At Earlville, within the town of Lebanon, is situated the Midland Rail- road depot, the grist mill and a few houses. The Syracuse and Chenango Valley Railroad has its terminus at the Mid- land here. The admirable situation and the railroad facili- ties will cause the village to extend in this direction, and a few years hence marked changes will be witnessed in the Lebanon side of Earlville.
Thomas Kershaw was one of the early business men of this place, living on the Lebanon side. He was an Eng- lishman, who brought into the States the first carding ma- chine. This, it is said, he smuggled across the ocean, as the English Government was determined, at that day, that their manufacturing secrets should not benefit America. On the river above the present grist mill he built his card- ing works, and afterwards built a grist mill and saw mill near. He had a family of seven sons and one daughter. Himself and sons carried on a large and lively trade in all these branches of business. The grist mill was subse- quently purchased by Wm. Felt, and by him was rebuilt on the present location.
LEBANON VILLAGE is situated west of the center about two miles. Dr. Constant Merrick, Jonathan Thayer, Dane Bullard, Orsamus Gilbert and Ephraim Gray were the original owners of the land and settlers of the village. Jon- athan Thayer was the first postmaster and the first mer- chant. He also had a potashery. Israel Thayer was a hat- ter, and pursued the trade in Lebanon. The Thayers, as a family, were especially adapted to the mercantile business, and were the first who successfully established trade in Lebanon. Sylvester Thayer, son of Jonathan, was prominent as a merchant in Eaton, as well as in Lebanon. He built
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the present store in Lebanon village about 1833. Orsamus Gilbert kept the first tavern as early as 1805, and contin- ued in the business for many years. The present tavern was built by Horace A. Campbell, for a store, in 1831. About 1834 it was converted into a tavern. When Orrin Thayer, the last of his family, (the elder Thayers having died,) re- moved west, the trade in Lebanon passed into other hands. Hoppin & Lamb were mercantile firms here some years, and later Avery & Lamb. The present merchant in the Lamb store is L. B. Pike, Esq.
Lebanon village, nestled in a basin formed at the foot of extensive hills, and was called the "Hollow." Its indus- tries are a tannery, saw mill, cheese factory, hotel, store and postoffice ; there is a blacksmith, wagon maker and gen- eral mechanic, boot and shoe maker, tailor, dress maker, milliner, and artisans, such as are usual in villages ; the Congregational Church, the Union School, and twenty-five houses. The Syracuse and Chenango Valley Railroad, which passes directly through the place, has here a good depot.
The greatest of Madison County's recent enterprises, is her cheese factories, which began to multiply about 1866. They are in every dairying district, some towns having as many as fifteen factories and creameries. The manufacture of butter and cheese by a scientific process, produces re- sults sufficiently satisfactory to perpetuate these institutions. One of the best the county affords is at Lebanon village, which, during the present season, (1872,) manufactures 18,000 lbs. of milk per day into butter and cheese, while from six to eight tons of dairy product, per week, have been shipped from this factory during the season.
From the first settlement of Lebanon, individuals im- proved the facilities afforded for mills. Besides the grist mills of the Wheelers in the east part of the town, and that of Mr. Kershaw, at Earlville, there was a mill built about a mile southwest of the center at a very early day, that was
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re-built of stone about 1837, by J. Paddleford. This is a good working mill yet, being owned (1869) by C. Nichols. It is better known, however, as the old Paddleford Mill.
One of the first, if not the first cotton factory of Madison County, was built on the Chenango River, at Middleport, by a company, in 1814. Sheetings and printed goods were made here. Not having machinery for making the first quality of cloth, they changed to woolen manufactures, in which they were more successful. This was then one of the first woolen factories of the county. Pettis & Osgood once run this mill, whether with wool or with cotton we are not informed. In their hands, however, considerable busi- ness was done, eight and ten families being employed. When this factory was discontinued, it was for a time used as a store house, and later was converted into a saw mill.
Middleport, Smith's Valley and Randallsville are pretty much one and the same-Middleport being the old factory location, on the east side of the river, and Smith's Valley the tavern and the store, west of the river, the latter being the location of the present Randallsville postoffice. Many years ago, when the country was new, Clark and Dorrance, from Hamilton, in company with Joshua Smith, kept a store in the basement of the store house now owned by A. Z. Kingsley.
What changes are wrought by the lapse of years! Aged people tell us of days when their cabins in the wilderness had no glass windows, and their doors were hung on wooden hinges and had wooden latches. There was the fire- place furniture, andirons, pot-hooks and trammels, the crane, the long-handled frying pan and the baking board. When the tin baker was introduced it was regarded as a decided improvement. The shelves of the rude kitchen were adorned with pewter platters and pewter spoons. The birch splint broom stood in the corner. The pioneer's meals were hasty pudding and milk, or pudding and maple
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molasses ; bean porridge, pumpkin johnny-cake, baked in its wrapping of cabbage leaves, in the ashes hot with coals, cakes baked on a board before the fire ; "shack fed " pork, fish and wild game, and potatoes baked in the ashes. As prosperity rewarded their labors, pumpkin pies, doughnuts, and bread, both wheat and Indian, baked in brick ovens, graced the farmer's board. Dress, was altogether of home manufacture, and for colors the old black sheep and the blue dye-tub were kept ; witch hazel and butternut bark gave variety. Sheep's gray, fine pressed blue, the fine check linen, and linen white, were ruling styles of dress. The utensils used by the farmers were the old unhandy plow with wooden mold board, the brushy limb of a tree for a drag, and the willow wicker-work hand fan for winnow- ing grain in the wind.
Small value was set upon farms, or a high value upon official positions, as the following story shows :- Previous to 1821, a property qualification was required to enable a man to vote. The election of 1815 was likely to be closely contested, and Wm. S. Smith was on the ticket for Member of Congress from the 5th District of this State. Voters were not plenty in Lebanon, for but few had yet obtained deeds of their land. Justus B. Smith called on a certain citizen in his neighborhood and learned that he would vote for William S., if he only possessed the required freehold. A deed was duly made out by Justus B., signed and placed in the man's hands, and William S. Smith received one more vote, which, possibly, might have cast the die, for he became the fortunate possessor of the seat in Congress.
Many middle aged men and women may recognize the following description of a spelling school of forty years ago. Human nature, the same in all circumstances, ages and climes, had about the same expression then as it has now. The story is related as follows :-
It was a clear cold winter night, and there was to be a
-
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spelling school in --- District: The boys and girls came over the crisp snow crust in little companies, the small boys brought their sleds and improved every down hill for a ride. A big load came from the adjoining settlement. The familiar old school room was lighted with great motherly halves of tallow candles, pinned all about on the ceiling with jack knives. The dignified master seated in the one splint bottom chair of the room, rapped three times on the cross- legged table beside him, with his rule. Instantly the buzzing of voices began to die away ; it was soon all quiet, the floor cleared, and the seats encircling the room were full. Presently, "James McComb!" (we don't give his true name, as the reader would know him as well as we, and that is our secret,) called the teacher, " take the right side!" Jim, greatly embarrassed came forward, his thick locks of light hair falling half over his face, his pants tucked in the tops of thick cowhide boots, and with an ungainly move- ment took his seat. A feminine voice tittered, and Jim heard it. Being seated, he raised his head erect and with a large hand pushed back his hair, revealing a finely formed forehead and a bright eye, which glanced keenly around ; He was master of the situation now, for Jim was a capital speller.
" Mary Cummings, take the left side !" commanded the master. Mary didn't titter this time. With a little toss of her head and a sparkle in her black eyes Mary went grace- fully across the room. "Girls are never green ; how provok- ing !" was Jim's mental remark.
The two "captains" now proceeded to " choose sides." Jim had the first chance, and deciding to be generous he called out " Rob Allard !" one of the poorest spellers in school. Mary's turn came ; she was embarrassed, but her keen tact enabled her to make a wise choice. Betsey Lee, a well known scholar, and mistress of " Webster," from among the guests, was chosen. They went on choosing sides, Ma- y getting the best and Jim the poorest, till all were drawn.
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Then commenced the battle, mild at first, the little children going down on easy words, the master now giving a page here and a line there among little and big words, till all worth mentioning in Webster's " Elementary" had been " put out." Jim smiled when Mary stumbled on through her rendering of u-n un, i-n in unin, t-e-l tel unintel, 1-i li unintel- li, g-i gi unintelligi, b-i-l bil unintelligibil, i unintelligibili, t-y ty unintelligibility ; and she looked grave when she saw how promptly he went through with h-a-u-t ho, b-o-y boy, ho- boy, and many other words of equally difficult orthogra- phy. During the contest, one by one had fallen out of the ranks, Mary with the rest. Good looking Rob Allard was one of the first, and as he slid in behind the standing file till he came to Olive Leonard and began to whisper to her, it came near costing Jim his laurels as he was spelling the word Isaiah, for Olive was the very girl Jim was going to ask to go home with. The word Deborah fell to the lot of John Allen. A whole row of boys and girls who were " spell- ed down," looked knowingly at Deborah Barton, whose fair face blushed as pink as the ribbons in her hair. John forgot what he was about and finished the word with r-y ry. They were all down now but Betsey Lee and Jim. The two had a pitched battle. The master looked at the can- dles burning low ; he brought out the hardest words Web- ster had produced, which he pronounced badly. Mary was anxious Betsey should win, and undertook to prompt, in which she misled her friend, and she too was spelled down, leaving Jim conqueror of the field, which fully compensa- ted for the fact that Olive Leonard went from the spelling school leaning on Rob Allard's arm.
Those famous spelling schools of which the above is but a sample, performed their part of the work in educating the men of the past generation. The hero of the above sketch subsequently attained to an honored position in business and political circles.
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There has been among Lebanon's citizens, from the first, many men of public spirit, who have encouraged progress and invited improvements. To essay to enumerate these would result in failure, owing to imperfect data ; but some names occur so often in statements made of progress, that we feel impressed to name them in this connection : The Thayers, progressive and prominent men for a long time ; Moses Wylie, a popular teacher, a useful and efficient town officer, who, it is believed, possessed, at one time, greater influence in Lebanon than any other one man ; Squire John Sheldon, frequently serving in official posi- tions, discharging all duties with marked ability, useful and influential ; and William Felt, wealthy and popular,-all of whom are now deceased. Some, now living, in their days of vigorous prime, served in official public places faithfully and advanced the interests of this town. Among these we see Squire David Clark, of Earlville, often public officer, who was Supervisor, Justice of the Peace, &c., for the town, and Member of Assembly in 1860, for the Second District ; and Squire Henry Palmer, a frequent town officer, and also Member of Assembly. Younger men have now stepped in- to the ranks, whose clear practical brains are engineering the car of progress, and they are doing their work well.
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