History of Oneida County, New York, 1667-1878, Part 108

Author:
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Philadelphia, Everts & Fariss
Number of Pages: 932

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" The next year after Esquire Bloomfield arrived at Tuberg he employed a man by the name of Gere to dig a well. Gere resided in the present town of Leo. After he had progressed to a considerable depth the sand caved in, and caught his foot and legs, and Mr. Bloomfield went down to extricate him. When he had landed at the bottom ho looked up, and saw that the sides of the well were erick- ing and heaving, ready to fall in upon them. He sprang and canght hold of the rope used for drawing up the earth, and, by powerful exertion, succeeded in extricating himself, while poor Gere was covered to a great depth, and with him all the shovels on or near the premises. A messenger was immediately dispatched to Lee, and

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HISTORY OF ONEIDA COUNTY, NEW YORK.

another to Rome, to get help and shovels. This was about the middle of the afternoon. Gere could talk with those on the surface; said that the tub which was suspended by the rope over him had prevented the sand from falling upon his head, and that he was not hurt. and only suffered for the want of fresh air. Ilow intensc.were the feelings of the few bystanders ! Minutes secmed ages before help arrived ; but very soon, in proportion to the distance, men came scattering in with shovels. Each went to work as if the preserva- tion of the life of a human being depended on his individual exer- tions. Such, however, was the vast amount of earth which had eaved in, and the constant running in, like water, of the sand from the sides, that the work proceeded very slowly. All night they toiled on, without succeeding in reaching the sufferer. Each snc- ceeding hour his voice grew more feeble, until some time in the night it ceased forever. In the morning the force was increased, but it was nearly noon before all that remained of the poor well-digger was exhumed. The body was taken to Lec to be buried. He left a wife and children, and two of his sons afterward lived with Mr. Bloom- field.">

A couple of incidents regarding Mr. Bloomfield's experi- ence with the Indians are thus related by Hon. Pomeroy Jones, in his interesting " Annals of Oneida County" :

" Previous to the breaking up of the settlement of the Oneida Indians at the Forks they usel to bring salmon to Mr. Bloomfield, at Taberg, for which he paid them a certain price per pound. The Indians were not slow in learning that the heavier the fish the more money they received. One day an Indian brought him a back-load of fish, and they were as usual weighed and paid for. On dressing them it was found that each fish had been heavily charged with gravel stones; but before the discovery was made the poor Indian was far on his way to the Forks with his ill-gotten gains. A few days afterwards Mr. Bloomfield saw Powlis, their chief, and com- plained of the fraud practiced upon him. Powlis was very indignant, and said that Mr. Bloomfield had ever paid a fair price for every article he had purchased of them, and that he should not again be so illy treated; and in all his purchases afterwards Mr. B. never found a fish with so indigestible a dressing.

" One day, while Mr. Bloomfield was out upon his farm, an Indian eame to his house and requested Mrs. Bloomfield to let him have somne liquor. This she resolutely refused, and he still as resolutely demanded it, saying that he knew they had it in the house. Finding that words did not terrify her he drew his knife, and by threatening gestures drove her into a corner of the room, thinking thus to terrify her, so that the liquor would be forthcoming. In this he was mis- taken, for she then, in a determined voice, directed some member of the family to go out and call Mr. Bloomfield, who was not far distant. By this time he had learned the spirit of the woman, and thought he had better beat a hasty retreat while he could with a sound skin, which he at once effected. The next day, to make peace with her, and to convince her that he highly appreciated her firmness, he brought a fine saddle of venison and presented it to her. She was cver afterwards well treated by the Indians."

Elias Brewster, one of the early settlers of Annsville, and a descendant of the Pilgrims of New England, came to Oneida County from Connecticut, in 1789 or 1790, and located at first upon a farm in the town of Western, near what is now the village of Delta. In 1806 he pur- chased land in Annsville, began clearing it in March of that year, and April 1, 1807, removed with his family to the new location, the snow at the latter date being five feet in depth. Mr. Brewster's cabin was of the primitive kind: crotches set in the ground held the poles which supported the roof, which latter and the siding were made of rough boards and slabs ; these had to be hauled a distance of three miles over a route where there was neither road nor bridge. A huge fireplace was constructed in one end of the building, and a hole left in the roof allowed the smoke from the fire to escape; the door was rough, and hung

with strips of raw hide; while the window-panes were made of paper, rendered partly transparent with oil. This was the style in which many of the first settlers lived. Mr. Brewster's nearest neighbors were two miles distant, in the town of Lee. Wild animals of various kinds were plenty, and many were the encounters-some of them amusing-which the settlers had with them. The cattle were allowed to graze in the forest during the summer, and were brought home and penned every night.

"Onvone occasion it was near night before Mr. Brewster started for these useful animals, and ascertaining their direction by the tink- ling of the bell suspended from the neck of the ' old cow,' he at once dashed into the forest. He found them a full mile fromn his house, and sunset warning him that darkness would soon be upon him, he therefore started the cows rapidly for home. The road was circuit- ous, to avoid a miry swamp. The more rapid striking of the bell notified the family that the cows were found, and in full motion for home, as well as of the progress made. When about two-thirds of the distance was accomplished the wild, unearthly seream of a pan- ther on the track in the rear gave notice to all concerned of the ex- treme danger of the father. These screams were continued at short intervals, and distinetly showed that the panther was fast gaining upon the bell. Soon the eattle reached home, and were let into the little clearing, when such a shrill and prolonged scream rang out from the darkness, apparently but a few rods from the house, as, if once heard, will ever be remembered. As soon as the cattle were yarded a fire was kindled in the inelosure, which, with the aid of horns, tin pans, and brass kettles, successfully frightened away the unwelcome visitor,-not, however, until it had given a full and fair specimen of the hideousness of its notes, and its capabilities in pro- longing them. On the following morning the hark of a recently- fallen beech-trec showed the capacity of the animal to harm a subject more congenial to its appetite.

"In the autumn of the second season of Brewster's residence in town the bears committed great depredations in his corn-field. A neighbor, who had recently moved to within about one mile of him, was the owner of a large black sow. In her perambulations this ani- mal bad also learned the whereabouts of the corn-field, and seemed to vie with Bruin in her sad havoc of the crop. The apology for a fence was what was known in those days as a ' tree fence,' which was not a very good barrier against the grunting quadruped. She had often been forcibly ejected, but as often made a forcible re-entrance. One evening, and about dark, Mr. Brewster heard the work of destruc- tion again going on in the corn-field, some thirty rods from the house, and from the earliness of the hour he concluded it was the tame and not the wild trespasser. He therefore directed his son, of about twelve years of age, to go and again dispossess the animal. The little fellow demuried, saying that it was of no usc. A reiteration of the order, however, caused him to start, not, however, in the best possible humor with things in general or the black sow in particular. By the time he had arrived at the point of the animal's depredations he had laid in, as instruments of expulsion, a number of good-sized stones. The beast was so busily engaged as not to discover the boy until he was elose upon it, and had saluted it with a full volley of stones. At first the animal stood on the defensive, but another volley caused it to seek safety in flight. Satisfied with the ease with which he had expelled the sow, he returned to the house reflecting upon her expertness in climbing the brush and logs of the fence. He told his father it was of ' no further use to try to keep out the sow, as she could climb as well as a cat, as she went over the fence where it was fifteen feet high.' This aroused the suspicions of the father, and he inquired how the beast behaved when he commenced stoning it. The boy replied that.' she raised herself upon ber hind feet, as if to make fight, when he sent a good big stone, that hit her in the side of the head, which caused her to run and climb the fence,' as described. By this time the father was satisfied with the nature of the beast the boy had driven from the field. IIe said nothing, however, for fear of alarming the family. The next morning, upon repairing to the scene of operations, he dis- covered hy the size and shape of the tracks that, instead of a sow, his boy had been dealing with a huge bear. The next day two guns were set in the field, and some time in the night following the report of the guns announced that something had crossed the eord. The

# Joncs' Annals.

HON. NELSON DAWLEY.

Photos. by Hovey & Brainerd.

MRS. NELSON DAWLEY.

HON. NELSON DAWLEY,

son of Job and Lovicia Dawley, was born in Peters- burg, Rensselaer Co., N. Y., Sept. 9, 1803. At the age of two, on March 7, 1805, he settled in Florence, Oneida Co., N. Y., in company with his parents. His father was a farmer by occupation, hence Nelson was reared to industry and economy. On the 22d of August, 1827, he was married to Miss Ann Eliza Seger, daughter of Joseph Seger, of Annsville, Oneida Co., N. Y. Mrs. A. E. Dawley was born Dec. 8, 1805. By this union nine children have been born, four of whom are now living. In March, 1829, Mr. Dawley removed into Annsville, and settled on the farm he now owns, situated about a mile west of Taberg. He owns some 225 acres of good land, on which are some good buildings. He is a progressive farmer, and is alive to all the im- provements of the day. In politics he was a Dem- ocrat until 1856, when he joined the Republican party, and since has been one of its active supporters.

He has always been one of the leading men of his town, and his fellow-townsmen have honored him with many official positions. In the fall of 1839 he was elected to the State Legislature, and served one term to the general satisfaction of his constituents. Since 1833 he has been a strong advocate of temper- ance, and by word and action is doing all he can to suppress that great curse-intemperance.

Mr. and Mrs. Dawley have been members of the Presbyterian Church at Taberg for more than thirty- five years.

Farming has been Mr. Dawley's principal business, but in addition to this he has been extensively en- gaged in the manufacture of lumber.

On the 22d of August, 1877, Mr. and Mrs. Daw- ley celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of their mar- riage, and now (July, 1878) they seem to be in the full enjoyment of health, surrounded by the comforts of a happy home.

HISTORY OF ONEIDA COUNTY, NEW YORK.

405

following morning a bear was found dead but a few rods from the Accne of operations. It was of the largest size, weighing ahout 400 pounds." **

One of Mr. Brewster's neighbors, a man named William Lord, went to Taberg, Aug. 16, 1816, after some neces- saries for his family, and some rum for the use of his harvest hands. The distance was about two miles through the for- est, and there was no road to guide him. He crossed Fish Creek, where the Coalhill bridge is now located, reached Taberg, transacted his business, and just at night started to return home, in a partial state of intoxication. Ilis con- dition, together with the darkness, eaused him to lose his way, and instead of reaching the ereek at the usual crossing- place he struck it about forty rods farther up stream, walked off the bank where it was forty feet high, fell upon the rocks below, and rolled into the water. He caught the bushes as he fell, but they were not strong enough to sup- port his weight, and gave way. Two days afterwards, when he was found, the handle of his jug was in his left hand, the bushes in his right, and his neck was broken. The place from which he fell was on the west side of the creek, and opposite the eentre of the island above Coalhill bridge. The still water in which the body was found has since been known as the " Rum IIole."

The following anecdote, illustrating some of the hardships of attending school in the early days of the settlements, is also told by Judge Jones :

" Two little sons of the early settlers were attending the summer term of their district school in 1816. The eldest was nine, the young- est six years of age. Rain or sunshine, cold or hot, they had to walk three miles in the morning to reach the school-house, and the same distance at night. Two little girls of ahout the same age re- sided on their road, one mile nearer the school. The eldest girl was a slender, delicate thing, while her younger sister was stout and robust. The same disparity existed between the boys, but in the reverse,-the elder heing a strong, athletic little fellow, and withal possessed of an indomitable will, that enabled him to do anything which could be done by an urchin of that age. Of these four the youngest girl was the only one that possessed a pair of shoes, the others having to walk with bare feet; and even the small girl was not fortunate enough to possess those comfortable accompaniments of shoes,-a pair of stockings.

"Those old enough will remember the 6th of June, 1816. It had been proceeded hy cold, frosty nights, and on that day it snowed in every part of the county, and in some parts it fell several inches in depth. Cold as was the morning these four children were punctually at school. The school-house-none too comfortable for pleasant weather-had become so cold by two o'clock in the afternoon that the pupils were dismissed, with directions to go to the nearest house on their way home. There was a house on the road of the four, about one-fourth of a mile from the school-house. To this house, by moving in double-quick time, they managed to get; hut, to their utter dismay, they found the door fastened and its inmates from home. Here was a dilemma. To retrograde was useless, for the home of the girls, one and three-fourths miles distant, was as near as any inhab- ited dwelling. Snow was falling, and it was already two inches deep. Our eldest hoy's strength of nerve was now put to the test. Nothing daunted, however, he well laid his plans and at once proceeded to put them in execution. He had that morning-rather clandestinely, it is truc-appropriated his father's roundabout, quite too capacious for him, yet possessing two very important advantages,-it shielded him from tho cold, and its extensive pockets, one on each side, served as a deposit for all the et ceteras of the school-hoy, viz. : a hall, fish-hook and line, top, knife, sling, and whistle,-toys as necessary to the man in miniature as others to those of larger growth. Little could he have imagined to how much more important uses these huge pockets

would be put during the day. Ile directed the two girls to walk on as fast and far as they could without freezing, then to sit down and both rub the eldest girl's fect with their hands till he came up. Ho then took his brother upon his back, with a foot in each pocket and his arms about his neck, and followed on. When he came up with the girls he put down his brother and told him and the smaller girl to proceed as before, aud he took the larger girl upon his hack, with her feet in those now useful pockets, and so on by successive stages until they had arrived within forty rods of the girls' home. Their father, who was chopping in the vicinity of the road, heard the cries of the girls and came to their aid. Our hero then had the eldest girl upon his back, and, without speaking, the father caught the youngest two, one under each arm, and ran for the house. Our hero said ho thought he never saw a man run as fast before, for ere he had gone one-half the distance to the house the father returned, and lifting the elder girl from his hack, took her under one arm and our hero under the other and soon had them deposited before a good rousing fire. The mother of the girls, previous to the arrival of our hero, had learned from them the whole history of the transaction. On his arrival she at once, in tho fullness of her gratitude, loaded him with her caresses. This wounded his pride, although perhaps a very little of that article would have been excusable, for, as he supposed, he had saved his fellow-sufferers from perishing. She also, hy her misjudged kindness, had him sit near to the glowing fire. The pain in his fect soon became almost insupportable, a sickening sensation came over him, his vision hecame ohscured, he grasped at the chair but did not succeed ; his physical powers, which had been so overtasked, gave way, and he fell. The intense agony of the moment was soon lost in a state of unconsciousness. For hours the poor sufferer lay insensi- blc. The first thing he noticed on the return of reason was the kind-hearted woman bending over him, and his father applying some restorative to his feet. It was after dark. Ilis father had started with his team in season to have saved all the suffering, had the school continued to the usual hour of dismission. Ile was wrapped well in warm clothing, put on a sled, and taken home the same evening. Ilis feet were so lacerated by the stones and stieks in his path, while devoid of feeling, that a number of days elapsed before he could even walk ahout the house."

One of the early settlers of Annsville was 'Squire Fair- service, who located on the flats a little above Jervis' Mill. He was a noted fisherman, and only remained in the town until the salmon were shut out of Fish Creek, after which he emigrated to Wisconsin, and died in that State. Mr. Fairservice, while splitting wood one day, did not notice his little child, which, unobserved, walked directly under the axe and was killed, the descending weapon cleaving its skull.

Adam P. Campbell and Nicholas Armstrong were also early settlers in this town, taking up their residence on the meadow in 1805 or 1806. Dan Taft and a man named Jones located near the site where afterwards stood the tavern of Vincent Taft. A man named Wade settled at the Forks about the same time.

The north part of town began to be settled quite early also, and by the year 1803 several families had taken up their abode in that part of the then wilderness. In June, 1803, four brothers, Benjamin, Jonathan, James, and Abraham Morton, came through from Springfield, Mass. Abraham came a short time before the others, driving through with an ox-team. He stopped a while at Whitesboro', and then moved to the farm in Aunsville now owned by Mr. Simmons. The others located in the same neighborhood, Benjamin taking the farm now owned by Jonathan Stanford. The father of the latter, Jonathan Stanford, Sr., married a daughter of Benjamin Morton, and took the old place when the latter moved to Taberg. Jona- than and Samuel Stanford settled in 1805, two years after

* Joncs.

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HISTORY OF ONEIDA COUNTY, NEW YORK.

the Mortons came. One son of Benjamin Morton and three sons of Abraham Morton served in the army during the war of 1812.

A short time previous to the war mentioned, a serious epidemic broke out in this neighborhood, and carried off many of the settlers in the north part of town. Two families, named Hammond and Twist, lost nearly all their members.

Mrs. Lot Sexton, now living in town, is a daughter of Benjamin Morton. Her husband, Lot Sexton, was a son of Amasa Sexton, who located with his brother William in the town of Lee, the latter about 1794 and the former about 1802-3. Amasa Sexton afterwards lived with his son Lot in Aunsville, and died in that town.

Peter Abbott, from Windham, Windham Co., Vt., came to what is now Annsville in 1806, and settled in the north part, on the farm now owned by Lorenzo Ward (the old John Ward farm). Mr. Abbott was a veteran of the Revolution, having entered the service when but fifteen or sixteen years of age. He saw Major Andre the day before he was hung, and often spoke of him, always remarking on his peculiar beauty. Mr. Abbott's two sons, Captain John F. Abbott (residing on the Rome road, east of Taberg) and Harvey Abbott (living at Taberg), are the only ones of the family left in town. The others have removed to the Western country. Peter Abbott, Jr., and his brother Joshua, served in the war of 1812.

Lyman and George, sons of Dan Taft, are yet residents of the town of Annsville. The old Taft Hotel stood two and one-half miles southeast of Taberg, on the "State Road," and was destroyed by fire some ten or twelve years since.

Daniel Miller, from Granville, Mass., settled in the north part of this town about 1804, ou the farm now owned by John Whiffin. Part of the house at present standing on the place was built by Mr. Miller. His brother, Eliakim Miller, came in 1814, and purchased the place, and lived upon it until his death, and is buried on the farm. Daniel Miller, after selling out, resided for a time in Lee and Taberg, and finally removed to Ohio. Of Eliakim Miller's family there are now two of the children living in Anns- ville,-Mrs. Nunan, of Taberg, and Smith Miller, near Glenmore. Mrs. Nunan resided in one school district for sixty-three years before removing to Taberg. Her brother, Asher Miller, served in the war of 1812-15.

Occasional relies of the race which, in years long gone, inhabited this region are yet found in the town, often some feet beneath the surface of the earth. A heavy freshet, previous to 1850, washed away the alluvial banks to some extent at the forks of the creek, and exposed the remains of several large earthen vessels from two to three feet in diameter, with other articles of culinary use. Hearths and fireplaces were also exhumed, and here was evidently the site of a village at some date beyond the knowledge of the Indian or white inhabitants. Flint arrow-heads, stone hatchets, and various other rude artieles are found in this town,-evidences of its pre-occupation by a race far superior in knowledge of the mechanic arts to the Indian of to-day, of which no traces remain except these quaint specimens of their handiwork, with an occasional skeleton and the numerous mounds discovered in various parts of the country.

Of their history, the date of their occupation, their habits, etc., nothing definite is known, the shadowy traditions of the Indian tribes throwing but little light of a satisfactory character upon the subject.

SCHOOLS.

As early as 1812-13, a school was taught in a small log school-house which stood on land then owned by a family nained Gee, in the north part of town, east of where Jona- than Stanford now lives. The teacher's name was Fanny Hatch, Mrs. Lot Sexton recollects attending this school for one day before her father moved to Taberg.

In the winter of 1812-13, Rachel Hill taught a school in Taberg, in an old log house, and the next summer the house vacated by John W. Bloomfield, who had removed to Rome, was used as a school-house, and Dr. Ashley pre- sided over the school to the general satisfaction of pupils and parents.

The first frame school-houses in the north part of town were built in 1820, one in the Miller and the other in the west district; the latter building was called the " West School- House." The schools of the town are at present in good condition, and compare favorably with those in any other town in the county.

RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES.

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, NORTH OF GLENMORE.

Annsville contains a large proportion of natives of the land of the shamrock, who have taken the places of the ear- lier settlers and their families. A society of Catholics held meetings for a number of years in a small frame church, which stands a mile from the new one, near the Catholic cemetery. Their first pastor was Rev. Father John Lud- den, of Florence. The new frame church was erected in 1875-76, and numbers in its congregation over 80 families. Rev. Father McNulty, of Taberg, is the present pastor.

METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, GLENMORE.

Meetings have been held here for twenty years or more, in connection with Taberg. The school-house was used until the present frame church was built, its dedication ser- vices being held February 1, 1877. It was erected during the pastorate of Rev. Mr. Wadsworth. Meetings were held quite early in the Miller neighborhood. The present pastor is Rev. T. H. McClenthen, of Taberg, and the class in March, 1878, numbered 27 members.

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History of Oneida County, New York, 1667-1878, Part 108

Author: Publication date: 1878 Publisher: Philadelphia, Everts & Fariss Number of Pages: 932

Author:
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Philadelphia, Everts & Fariss
Number of Pages: 932