History of Montgomery and Fulton counties, N.Y. : with illustrations and portraits of old pioneers and prominent residents, Part 33

Author: Beers, F.W., & co., New York, pub
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: New York : F.W. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 664

USA > New York > Fulton County > History of Montgomery and Fulton counties, N.Y. : with illustrations and portraits of old pioneers and prominent residents > Part 33
USA > New York > Montgomery County > History of Montgomery and Fulton counties, N.Y. : with illustrations and portraits of old pioneers and prominent residents > Part 33

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Phelps Button, of Ames, says his grandfather, Jonah Phelps, cleared the place where Button lives, and that he used to carry his grist on his back two miles and a half to Sharon Springs. He made the first payment $10 on his place by burning potash. Mr. Button's great-grandfather, Benjamin Button, was in the war of the Revolution five years, and died, aged eighty-eight. Being granted a furlough of three days while in the army he went home, walking seventy miles between sunrise and sunset, staid one day and returned to his regiment the next.

John Van Epps, grandfather of R. L. Wessels of Ames, was in the Revo- lutionary war. He was taken prisoner by the Indians and held by them for three years. When captured he was on his way to a neighbor's with some money which his father owed the latter. He had time to hide the money at the foot of a certain gate-post, where, on his return, he looked for it, to find only the pocketbook. He then enlisted as a captain. George Harring, the grandfather of Mr. Wessels, once incurred the hatred of an Indian at Fort Plain by throwing mud in his face. The insulted savage was afterward caught trying to shoot Harring, was driven off and never seen again. Most of the pioneer settlers at Buel and Ames were New Eng- land men, but the order of their coming to this town has not been pre- served. About 1797, a grist-mill, a saw-mill and a wheelwright's shop were set in operation. A pottery and nail factory followed, while as yet there was no communication with other settlements, except a trail to Can- ajoharie.

SPROUT BROOK is the name of a small village with a post-office a mile to the westward of Buel, near which place Justus Van Deusen has an establishment for the manufacture of woolen yarn.

MAPLETOWN, a hamlet three or four miles southeast of Canajoharie vil- lage, is a place of some interest. Here as early as 1791, Jacob Ehle and James Knox, his brother-in-law, located, paying for their lands 82.62! per acre. Mr. Ehle built his house on the old Indian trail from Canajoharie to New Dorlach ; and in clearing near his dwelling he left all the promty- ing hard maple trees, which sugar-bush, gave the place its name. Mr Knox was for years an efficient supervisor of the town, and for a long time a popular justice of the peace ; so conscientious was he, and so lit. tle did he covet the fees of the office, that he made it a rule to notify de. fendants before issuing a summons; hence his legal business did not en. rich him. During the war of 1812, there were thirteen justices in th town, made such by the council of appointment, and eleven ronstahle- chosen by the people ; it is not to be presumed that any of them depended on the avails of their offices for a livelihood. Mr. Knox's oldest son, the late General John Jay Knox, of Augusta, Oneida county, was one of the best and most widely known men in central New York. His brother Wil- liam remained upon the homestead and died there, while his brother- Herman and James went to Illinois, and there made their mark. Other pioneer settlers at Mapletown were John St. John, Philander Barnes, We's. sel Cornue, John Sweatman, a tanner and shoemaker ; John Perrig, and Elisha Payton. A Reformed church was built at this place near the be- ginning of the present century and Domine Toll, if nnt its first pastor, w.1- one of the earliest.

MARSHVILLE is a hamlet near the center of the town. Here the first extensive saw-mill in the town was built at an early day by one of the Seebers. Stephen and Henry Garlock subsequently bought the property and operated the mill successfully for several years. At this place om Joe Carley did the horse and ox shoeing for a large circle of country being near the main route to Cherry Valley. Carley was alive after the war of 1812, and about the shinplaster period. Some sheep having been stolen from Mr. Goertner, a wealthy farmer in the vicinity, the thief w" traced to a dwelling near by, where bones and horns were found und the floor. Shortly after manuscript shinplasters appeared purporting to } issued by "the Muttonville Bank," signed by " Joe C'arley, President," .in " payable in good merchantable mutton." Hence the name of Mutton ville, by which the little hamlet is still sometimes called. George Wath an apprentice of Carley, bought him out and carried on the blacksmit business until his death, when he was succeeded by his son

N.E. LLIS; HOUSE:,, CANAJOHARIE, N. Y.,, A .. NELLIS. & CO.,, PROP.

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Res. of Hi.A. AND W. A. VANI DEUSEN, near Sprout Brook Montgomery Co . N .Y.

THE CHURCHES OF CANAJOHARIE VILLAGE.

THE VILLAGE OF CANAJOHARIE.

It has already been mentioned that in the closing years of the last cen- tury Canajoharie consisted of less than a dozen houses. It is impossible to say when the first settlement upon its site was made, or to sketch the exact condition of the village at all stages of its growth, from its small beginnings to its incorporation April 30, 1829, and thence to a thriving town of about two thousand inhabitants. Its progress is best traced under the principal divisions of a community's development-religious, educa- tional, business, etc.

CHURCH HISTORY.

The first village church, a pretty edifice with a steeple, was built by men of different denominations, in 1818. When the canal was opened, it ran so near this building as to leave. barely room for the tow-path. Rev. George B. Miller, a Lutheran, was the first settled preacher. He had many difficulties to contend with, among them that of having to be his own chorister. In this musical capacity he had to compete with the bugles played on the " line " and "packet " boats, just before the church windows, in the summer of 1826, the first year of through canalling. These instru- ments were even sounded before the open windows in prayer time. This annoyance was only broken up by an appeal to the State authorities. Mr. Miller died at the Hartwick Seminary, of which he was long principal. His ministrations at the union church continued for nine years from its erection.

THE. REFORMED CHURCH.

On the 13th of January, 1827, Rev. Douw Van O'Linda, Gerrit A. Lans- ing. Jacob Hees, John Cooper, John M. Wemple. Jacob Gray and Henry Loucks met at the house of Mr. Lansing, a little red wooden building. a few hundred feet east of the present Reformed Church, "for the purpose of taking into consideration the subject of organizing a Protestant Dutch Church in this place." Messrs. Lansing and Loucks, Silas Stilwell and John Cornue were elected elders. The church thus organized was under the pastoral care of the Rev. Mr. Van O'Linda until 1831, by which time considerable progress had been made; though it was not until 1830 that the society had a settled pastor-Rev. Ransford Wells, under whose administration it increased largely in membership. His successor, Rev. Richard D. Van Kleek, served the church but a year and a-half, leaving in the autumn of 1835. At this time an ineffectual effort was made to raise funds for building a church edifice, the society having thus far used the union church. Rev. Samuel Robertson followed Mr. Van Kleek, and from his departure in April, 1339, services were not held for more than two years. About the end of the year 1841, a union Sunday-school of this society and the Methodists across the river they had as yet no organ- ization in Canajoharie was formed, which met in the little red school house then standing about where F. L. Allen's house now is, and was superintended by Pythagoras Wetmore, a veteran of the war of 1812, who is still living. In 1841, the present stone church of the society was built, the dedication occurring March 10, 1842. Rev. E. P. Dunning, a young Congregational clergyman of New Haven, was called to the pastorate, whose duties he performed very successfully for three years. His suc- tesssor was Rev. James Mc Farlane, during whose ministry here, which closed in 1848, deacons were first chosen. The next pastor, Rev. John DeWitt. held the position but a year, when he was succeeded hy Rev. Nathan F. Chapman, who came in 1850 and remained until :854. Rev.

E. S. Hammond was pastor during the next two years. Rev. Alonzo Welton then supplied the pulpit for a year, when Rev. Benjamin F. Romaine entered upon a five years' pastorate, during which the church was repaired, the galleries removed, the pulpit taken from the south to the north end, and the pews correspondingly reversed. The next pastor was Rev. B. Van Zandt, D.D., who ministered from 1862 to 1869, when the present pastor succeeded him.

ST. JOHN'S GERMAN LUTHERAN.

St. John's German Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized in 1835 under Rev. John Eisenlohr as pastor, the membership including C. Scharff, C. Sauerland, Henry Otto, F. Jones, Henry Lieber and F. Miller. Charles Aebeling was superintendent of the Sunday school. In 1836 the place of meeting was in the academy building. A frame church was built in 1848, and in 1871 a stone one, which was consecrated in March, 1872. The present pastor is Rev. J. A. Hoffman. The Sunday school numbers one hundred and fifty scholars, under the superintendency of H. Herk.

ENGLISH LUTHERAN.

This church was organized in 1839, by Rev. since Doctor Wm. N. Scholl, and in that year or the next, the union church building was bought by the society. It was dedicated in February, 1841, the sermon being preached by Dr. Lintner, of Schoharie, who gave the first sermon in the same building twenty three years before. Mr. Scholl was pastor of the new church until 1850. Its first trustees were Herman I. Ehle. Daniel Yerdon, Joseph White, George Goertner, jr., Jacob Anthony, D. W. Erwin, Livingston Spraker, James Wagner and J. W. Netterville. Rev. F. W. Brauns was pastor during most of 1852, and was succeeded in January, 1853, by Rev. Reuben Dederick, whose ministry covered a period of five years. Next came the Rev. Mr. Hersh, after whose one year pastorate the Rev. Mr. Whipple labored for the church seven years, leaving the field in 1866. His successor was the Rev. Mr. Luckenback, whose stay was less than two years ; then for about the same time the church was without a pastor. In the mean time the old building was torn down and the present stone edifice on Church street was built, together with a chapel, at a cost of $15,000, The new building was dedicated August 10, 1870, and Dr. Lintner, who had delivered the first dedication sermon, fifteen years before. again preached. The present pastor, Rev. L. D. Wells, was installed Dec. 28, 1870. The membership of the church is 115.

PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL.

The Protestant Episcopal Church in Canajoharie was organized under the auspices of Rev. 1. Leander Townsend, rector at Cherry Valley, early in 1852. The first wardens were John E. Young and Amos A. Bradley, and the first vestrymen, George Yost, David W. Erwin, Sumner S. Ely, Samuel G. Wilkins, Abraham Seeber, John I. Brandon, Chester S. Brum- hly and Joseph White. These gentlemen, together with Wm. McMiller, Andrew Gilchrist, Daniel S. Read, Morgan L. Harris, Delevan C'orey, Tru- man M Richards, Peter D. Betticher, John I. Roof, Daniel G. Lubdell, George Smith, Ralph R. Lathrop, and Charles Miller, signed the request for the organization of an Episcopal church at Canajoharie. At the sug- gestion of Rev. Mr. Townsend, the name of St. Polycarp was given to the

100

THE HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

parish. This was changed three or four years since to "The Good Shep- herd." Meetings were held at first in the Lutheran, and afterward in the other village churches, or in the academy. The present church building was erected at an expense of $9,000, furnished almost entirely by one person, who holds the title to the edifice, which has not yet been consecrated. It seats about two hundred and fifty persons. Occasional preaching servi- res were held until March 1854 when Rev. Joseph W. Mellwain began an engagement of six months. From his removal occasional services were held by Kev. Mr. Dowdney and Rev. Mr. Howard until 1873, when Rev. Mr. Widdemer of Amsterdam began holding semi-monthly meetings, which have since been continued by his successors, Res. Messrs. Poole, Lusk, Schuyler and Van Dyne.

ROMAN CATHOLIC.

Sts. Peter and Paul's Roman Catholic Church edifice was built in 1862, at a cost of about $5,000, and dedicated in April, 1863, by Father Daly, of Utica. The society was organized immediately after, with a membership of about seventy families. The first pastor, Rev. Father Clark, was fol- lowed in 1865 by Rev. John J. Brennan, who was succeeded by Rev. John P. Harrigan, in 1858. He remained until 1875, when the present pastor, Rev. Charles Zucker, took charge of the congregation, which now includes about one hundred families.

CANAJOHARIE'S JOURNALISTIC HISTORY.

Canajoharie's first newspaper was the Telegraph, published in 1825 and 1826, by Henry Hooghkirk.

The Canajoharie Sentinel followed in 1827, with Samuel Caldwell as editor.

The Canajoharie Republican was published in 1827 and the following year. It was edited at the outset by Henry Bloomer, and subsequently by John Me Vean and D. F. Sacia.

The first of these gentlemen in 1831 started The Montgomery Argus, of which be retained the management for about two years, when it passed into the hands of S. M. S. Grant, who conducted it until 1836.

Andrew H. Calhoun published The Canajoharie Investigator, from 1833 [836.

The Mohawk Valley Gazette was published by W. H. Riggs, from 1847 to 1849, and The Montgomery Union by W. S. Hawley, from 1850 to 1853.

In 1837, Levi S. Backus, a deaf mute, started the Radii. He continued its publication until November, 1840, in which month the office was burned out When Mr. Backus renewed his journalistic labors in the February following, it was at Fort Plain. The Canajoharie Radit was re- vived in the spring of 1858, and at the opening of the year 1863 came under the management of Mr. James Arkell, the sack manufacturer of almost world-wide reputation. In the spring of the same year Mr. I .. F

. Allen purchased a share of the paper. It was at this time enlarged and called the Canajoharie Radii and Tax-Payers Journal, a name now familiar to so many readers. On the first of January, 1866, Mr. Arkell sold his in- terest in the Radii to Angell Matthewson, and he in May 1868 to Mr. Allen, who thus become sole proprietor. Later in the same year, however, Mr. Alvin J. Plank, of Fort Plain, bought a share of the concern, and Messrs. Allen and Plank compose the present firm of L. F. Allen & Co.

Mr. Allen, who was born in Schenectady, learned the art of printing at the office of the Reflector in that city, and afterward practiced it in Albany before assuming the management of the Radii. The historian Simms is an occasional contributor, and Mr. Arkell and Mr. Charles C. Barnes write regularly for the paper, which is in a highhy prosperous condition. It is the only local journal taken to any extent in the rich old village in which it is located, as well as in Palatine Bridge and Stone Aralna on the north. and Ames, Marshville, Rural Grove and Spraker's Basin on the south and east; while it's circulation in the adjoining counties of Fulton, Schener tady, Schoharie, (sego and Herkimer is considerable, and it has a scattered subscription list of about three hundred in the western States. It thus stands on a secure basis, and is steadily increasing its circulation, which has more than doubled since Mr. Allen entered the concern.

THE CANAJOHARIE ACADEMY,

It is very creditable to the citizens of the village, that in its infancy they

established an academy, which was in successful operation before the canal was completed. The building was erected about 1824, and the institution incorporated by the Regents of the University about 1826. The first principal was Rev. Geo. B. Miller, who, previous to the creation of the academy, taught a select school in the old Roof stone tavern building. In 1826 or 1827 Samuel Caldwell was principal of the school ; about which time he edited a village newspaper, afterward conducted by Henry Hoogh- kirk, a practical printer. Caldwell, who was a lawyer of some ability, re- moved to Buffalo, where he died. Among the early manager, of the academy we find, as late as 1832, the Rev. Mr. Canning, a Congregational clergyman from Massachusetts, assisted by two sons. The eldest of these, Ebenezer S. B. Canning, for a time held a position in the navy, which he finally left, and was just beginning to make his mark as a journalist in Buffalo, when he fell a victim to the cholera, in its second visitation After the Canning> a Mr. Parker was for some years principal of the acad- emy, and with him, about 1834. was the accomplished preceptress, Mis. Allen, now Mrs. Geo. G. Johnson, of Palatine Bridge. Henry Loucks, Emj., of Palatine Bridge, was for many years a most efficient trustee of the institution. The academy bell was a novel one, being a bar of cast steel, in triangular form. As the village church had no bell, that of the academy was used on the Sabbath to call the worshipers together. A similar bell was then in use on the Lutheran stone church in Palatine, and another on the court-house at Johnstown. The original wooden building of the acad- emy still stands near the old site, having been moved to give place to the present structure. The institution, which has a large library, and chemical and philosophical apparatus, is now the academic department of the vil- lage free school.

FIRES IN CANAJOHARIE.

This place has been peculiarly unfortunate in its experience of fires. Three times has it specially suffered, in 1840, 1849, and the spring of 1877, the flames in each case sweeping over almost the same ground, namely, all the business blocks on both sides of Church street, from Main street to the canal. The last great fire occurred April 30th, and destroyed nearly one-half of the business part of the village, including property worth over a quarter of a million dollars, and insured for a little more than one-third of that amount. In place of the burned buildings have arisen massive and handsome brick structures, which, it is hoped, will not prove so easy a prey to the devouring element.

CANAJOHARIE'S FIRST BUSINESS MEN.

About 1805, Henry Nazro began to trade within the present limits of Canajoharie village. At the end of a few years he removed to Troy and was succeeded by Abram Wemple, a good business man, who for a time commanded a company of cavalry. He was a tall, handsome and resolute officer, and died greatly lamented, about 1815. When he began trading. his father was with him. Their place of business was "the yellow build- ing " vacated by Barent Roseboom, which occupied nearly the site of the dwelling subsequently built by the late Thomas B. Mitchell ; but having built a store across the creek he took possession of it, and Joseph Failing hegan trading in the vacated building, where he also kept a tavern. Hi- brother Warner joined him in trade, but soon sold out to John Usher. In 1817, this store took fire from ashes stored under [the stairs and burned down, entailing a heavy loss on Failing and Usher. The former still being indebted to Warner Failing, turned over to him all his property, even to a silver watch, setting an example of integrity not always imitated in the present generation. The old Abram Wemple store was occupied in 1820 ly the somewhat eccentric Richard Bortle, without a mention of whom the village record of that period would be incomplete In this building " Dick Bortle," as famiharily known, fixed up at his opening a lot of bottles of colored fluids so as to make a very noticeable hquor show, and here he kept a saloon. He drew an easy fiddle how, spun an inimitable yarn, and could gracefully entertain any guest from a beggar to a prince. He came from schoharie county, and did not live long in Canajoharic.

James B Alton, who had previously kept a store and publw house it Ames, traded for a time at Canajoharie, after the death of Wemple, and during the construction of the canal, but he failed before its completion in 1825. In 1821, Herman I Ehle began to trade here, and in 1824 erected

HOUSE & GROUNDS OF MR. BENJAMIN BAUDER, MINDEN, MONTGOMERY Co., N. Y.

HOUSE & GROUNDS OF

MR. JOSIAH LIPE, MINDEN, MONTGOMERY Co., N. Y.

BREWERY OF L. BIERBAUER, MILL ST. CANAJOHARIE, N. Y.

101

CANAJOHARIE'S BUSINESS MEN.

his store on the canal. Henry I.ieber established himself as a merchant in 1822 or 1823, and in connection with his mills did a lucrative business. He built several eanal boats to facilitate his own traffic, and one, the " Prince Orange," was the first of the class called lake boats constructed in this part of the State. It was built in 1826, and was launched near the site of the brewery which Mr. Lieber built in 1827. This building, which was of brick, and known latterly as a malt house, was destroyed by the great fire of the year 1877. One of the industries of this period. removed to Canajoharie from Palatine Bridge, was a furnace for plow and other castings, in which Mr. Ehle was a partner, the firm being Gibson, John- son & Ehle. Mr. Ehle, with whom the historian J. R. Simms was for two years a clerk, and afterward a partner, was for a number of years known as one of the best dry goods dealers in central New York Edward H. Winans was in trade here in 1826, and John Taylor as a partner of Ehle moved in in 1827.

The first remembered physician at Canajoharie was Dr. Jonathan Fights, who removed to Albany prior to 1820. He was succeeded by John Atwater, and 1.ebbeus Doty, and to the craft was added, as early as 1825, Walter 1 .. Bean.

To represent the legal profession, the village had in its earliest days Roger Dougherty, and Alfred, father of Rosene Conkling, and a little later, Nicholas Van Alstine, a native of the locality. The two former were suc- ceeded by David Eacker, afterward First Judge of the county Common Pleas Bench, and David F. Sacia. Van Alstine early became, as did James B. Alton, an acting justice of the peace. A number of legal prac- titioners came in soon after, among whom was Charles McVean, one of the first Congressmen from Montgomery county, and afterward surrogate of the county of New York.

THE ORIGINAL INNS.

John Roof kept an inn at Canajoharie as early as 1777, and this was the first of which there is any knowledge, although it is reasonable to sup- pose that " mine host " was there before Roof's coming. In the summer of 1779 Gen. James Clinton and a body of Sullivan's troops, destined to invade the Indian villages of western New York, were at this place several weeks, waiting for supplies and the arrival of batteaux building at Schenec- tady and elsewhere. During that time they opened a road through Spring- field to the head of Otsego Lake, along which the boats were drawn on wagons. Tradition says that Gen. Clinton boarded with Roof at this time, and it is not unlikely that many of his officers were quartered with Roof and Philip Van Alstine. While Clinton's men were here, two spies, Lient. Henry Hare and Sergt. Wm. Newberry, were captured in Florida, tried here and hung. General Clinton is said to have spent the day with Domine Gros, at Fort P'lain, to avoid the importunity of the friends of the con- demned. A deserter named Titus was shot about the same time. The body of Hare was given to his friends, but Newberry and Titus were buried on the flats, and the bones of one of them were unearthed in digging t'ie canal some forty years after their burial. Washington is said to have stopped, when in this quarter, at Koof's house, which was of stone rubble work) 22x38 feet, and a story and a half high, with gable end to the public square. The accommodations were rather meagre, but sauerkrout, Dutch cheese, bread and maple sugar abounded.

The modern house erected in front of the old stone edifice bought of Henry Schremling by John Roof, and kept as a tavern by him, and his son after him , which is called the "Stage House." and has a coach and four pictured on its front, was kept in 1826 by Reuben Peake, and a few years later by Elisha Kane Koof, who, about 1833 was succeeded by George B. Murray. When Murray left. Morgan 1 .. Harris, who had married a dinghter of E. K. Roof, kept the house tor about another decade. The stages ran to Cherry Valley, and originalh had two horses, instead of four; but in 1844 four horse stages, carrying mail and passengers, began running to Cherry Valley and Cooperstown, leaving the Eldridge House daily; this line was kept up for about twenty years

BUSINESS MEN OF TO-DAY.

Arkell & Smith's paper and cotton flour sack manufactory is not only one of the most important establishments in the village, but the largest of its kind in the world. The business was established in 1859, and gives

employment to a large number of operatives. The works are run by water. They occupy two fronts on Mill street ; the main building has over thirty thousand feet of floor, and thecotton warehouse, machine shops, etc., have, in addition, a front of nearly three hundred feet in length on the opposite side of the street. The machines producing sacks have a consuming capacity of over six tons of paper per day. Sacks are pasted, cut off, one end softened for tying, a thumb hole put in one end, bottoms folded and pasted down, a card printed on and are counted by the same machinery at the rate of over seventy thousand per day. Six large drum cylinder presses, running at high speed, are used in the printing department. The paper mills are at Troy, N. Y., and use nearly six hundred horse power of water, being the largest two manilla mills in the United States. The firm have a branch house in Chicago, and agencies in St. Louis and San Francisco, and ship their goods to every part of the United States and to foreign countries.

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History of Montgomery and Fulton counties, N.Y. : with illustrations and portraits of old pioneers and prominent residents, Part 33

Author: Beers, F.W., & co., New York, pub Publication date: 1878 Publisher: New York : F.W. Beers & co. Number of Pages: 664

Author: Beers, F.W., & co., New York, pub
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: New York : F.W. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 664