History of Oneida County, New York, 1667-1878, Part 155

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

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Mrs. Willard was a member of the Presbyterian Church of Holland Patent. In an obituary notiec, published in the Utiea Herald, the following is said of her :

"During a residence of more than two-thirds of a century in her adopted home, her own generation testify that she was a faithful fol- lower of Jesus; the second generation blessed her as she spoke of par- doning merey and redeeming love; and the third, in the day of tribu- lation, received consolation from her, who had ever found her Saviour a friend that sticketh closer than a hrother. Without fear or regret she passed down into the valley of the shadow of death."

F. A. WILBUR.

Samuel Wilbur, with his wife Anna, daughter of Thomas Bradford, came from Doncaster, in the south part of the county of York, England; settled in Boston in 1634. In 1637, he, with seventeen others, was banished from that colony for nonconformity to the crecds and ritual of the Church of England. They left Boston, and with William Coddington for a leader, purchased the island of Acquiduic of the Indian sachems Canonieus and Miantinomi. They called their new home Rhode Island, in memory of the Isle of Rhodes, to which it is said it bears a striking resemblance. In 1638 we find them a body politic, with William Cod- dington for governor, and Samuel Wilbur as assistant. Aaron Wilbur, a descendant of Samuel Wilbur, was born in Rhode Island, July 22, 1753. IIe married Elizabeth Manchester, a resident of the island, in the year 1773.

He was an officer in the Revolutionary war. Soon after his marriage he emigrated to Trenton, Oncida Co., and purchased a farm of Colonel Mappa, then known as Olden- barnavelt. They had seven children, four sons and three daughters. Barnabas Wilbur, his second son, married Nancy Ford. They had four sons. His sceond son, Francis A. Wilbur, married Harrict C. Sperry, and now inherits the same homestead that his grandparents did in 1773. They have two sons.

CHAPTER XLII.

VERNON.

THE town of Vernon occupies a position southwest of the centre of the county, and has an area of 23,710 acres. It was formed from portions of Westmoreland and Augusta, Feb. 17, 1802. A part of Stockbridge, Madison Co., was taken off in 1836. The greater part of the town is in the Oneida Reservation. A portion in the southwest corner is included in the Stockbridge tract. The various patents in town arc Van Eps', Wemple's, Sargent's, Bleecker's, and Baschard's. The Oneida Reservation was purchased of the Indians in 1795, and sold at auction in 1797. Oncida Creek forms most of the western boundary of the town, being also the county line, and Skanandoa and other smaller streams are also within its limits. The following geological description of this town is from the pen of Henry A. Wil- liams, of Vernon village, and was inserted in Judge Joncs' " Annals" :

" The geology of the town is exceedingly simple. Commeneing on the Verona line, upon the road leading from Verona village to Ver- non village, and from thenee southwesterly on the former turnpike leading to l'eterhoro', we pass over in succession the Clinton, Niagara, Onondaga salt, water-liue, and Onondaga limestone groups. In many places the rocks are seen in place hy the roadside. Diverging a short distance on either hand from said roads suffiees to hring into view the five groups in the order named.

" The Clinton Group enters the town on the northeast. In area it is welge-shaped, its base of ahout three miles lying upon the east line of the town. The mass as exposed is about four feet thiek.

" The Niagara Group is next in order. It enters the town on the east, and follows nearly the line of the turnpike, heing seen at the east on the south side, and at the west on both sides. The first point exposed is in a field near Calvary Wetmore's; it is next found in the hed of the Seanandoa at Stone's factory, from which it may he traced in the bed of the stream as far down as the turnpike bridge. At J. I. Williams' grist-mill it is again found forming cliffs, more or less precipitous, for two hundred rods, on both sides the ereek. It is also seen on the farm of C. MeIntosh, forming the hed of Mud Creek for a short distance. The upper layers are thick beds of impure lime- stone ; the lower (two-thirds of the whole), erumbling shales. The roeks, where exposed, are from twenty to thirty feet thiek, and highly eoneretionary throughout,-eoneretions from half an ineh to three feet in diameter.

" The Onondaga Salt Group is more largely developed, it being thicker and more extensive in area than all the others. Its northern houndary is hut a short distance south of the turnpike, rising imme- diately ahove the blue limestone of the Niagara Group. It may be seen on all the roads leading south from the turnpike, on the slope above C. Wetmore's, above Stone's factory, at the house of Eliakim Root, on the farm of Adua Clark, also of Clark MeIntosh, and finally at the Indian saw-mill. These localities are all within a few rods of the turnpike. Its southern bounds are not as easily traced ; but on the southeast it nearly or quite approaches the Augusta line, and as we

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HISTORY OF ONEIDA COUNTY, NEW YORK.

descend into the valley of the Scanandoa it may be seen forming tho bed of the creek, back of L. T. Marshall's, and may be traced west- erly to the hills between Seanandoa and Queida Creeks, then turning northerly it appears largely on Sargeant's hill, on the hill back of Mr. Jacobs', and both sides of the hill at the Pixley school-house. The lowest division of the group, consisting of red and green shales, is well developed. No fossils have been observed in this group in the town.

" The Water-Lime Group is of very limited extent. The hill back of Mr. Jacobs' is in part composed of it. It is seen above Mr. Iluett's, and also near Mr. Fliut's. It is possible it exists in the southeast part of the town.

" The Onondaga Limestone Group is more limited in extent than the last, covering but an area of a few acres, eapping the hill back of Mr. Flint's, and appearing on the road from Mr. Flint's to Orris Freeman's. These rocks are the highest in the town, geographically as well as geologieally. The fossils peculiar to the group are found herc. In the above survey of the regular rock formations, the nomen - clature adopted in the natural history of the State has been followed. It only remains to notice the drift.

" The Hudson River Group, which lies a few miles north, and the Clinton Group, lying upon the northern boundary of the town, seem to have been largely broken up, and their materials constitute an abundant portion of the pebbles found in the fields. On that singu- lar isolated hill, observed to the right of the road leading from Vernon Centre to Augusta, were found many stones of the former group. The rocks of the Clinton Group are mostly of a yellowish color, owing to the decomposition of the sulphuret of iron. Tho banks of Blue abound in fragments of the Niagara limestone. The great mass of drift seems to be derived from these three formations, beds of sand, gravel, pebbles, clay ; sometimes arranged in singular order, one above the other, and again mixed in all conceivable pro- portions. Sometimes clay predominates, and perhaps on the farm adjoining, sand ; then, a little farther on, both mixed in such a way as to constitute a soil most desirable for tillage. This towu furnishes conclusive evidence of great northerly currents sweeping over it for long periods of time. In the north part of town stiff clays pre- dominate, but nevertheless, when well drained and plowed they pro- duco heavy erops of grass, corn, oats, and barley. In the south, on the flanks of the hills, the soil is better adapted to wheat. The reader is referred to the natural history of the State for an analysis of the soil composing the different groups.

" The general direction of the streams is northerly, until they pass the centro of the town, when those in the easterly section turn north- easterly, and reach the Atlantic by the way of the Mohawk and Hud- son ; while those in the westerly part take a northwesterly course and reach the same ocean by the way of the Oneida and Ontario Lakes, and the river St. Lawrence. Vernou village is more than 200 fect higher thau the Erio Canal on the long level opposite."

INDIANS.

When the county was first settled an Indian orchard containing some hundreds of large and apparently aged apple-trees was found in this town. These trees were proba- bly planted by the Tuscaroras, before their removal to Niagara. The first cider-mill in town was erceted at this płace upon its settlement.

An extensive Indian burial-ground, covering from 75 to 100 acres, has been discovered in the northern part of the town of Stockbridge, Madison Co., near the line of Vernon. It is immediately south of a tract of land granted by the Indians to William Page, and afterwards confirmed by the Legislature. It lies in the woods, and it is stated that when Mr. Page first came there were as many as 400 acres covered with the graves, but most of the land is now under cultivation, and the traces have been obliterated. The old Indians living there when the locality was first settled knew nothing of the origin of this burial-ground. In the graves which have been opened have been found glass beads,

etc., which would cause the inference that it cannot be very ancient.

Rev. Eleazer Williams, the subject of the article published years ago in Putnam's Magazine entitled " Have We a Bourbon Among Us?" was long an Episcopal missionary among the Indians, and preached to them in this town. He went to St. Regis with thein, and died while there. After the old Indian Episcopal Church which stood back of Turkey Street was moved to Vernon village, and con- verted into a Unitarian Church, one of the religious Indians was back here on a visit from Green Bay. He heard the old church-bell and recognized the sound, but on learning that the church was then Unitarian, said, " No like 'em ; no hell now!" To the savage mind it appeared necessary to have a place of torture.

The Indians always inherited from their mothers, because, as they said, " everybody know mudder ; no always tell who fadder !"

Mr. Williams was very prominent among the Indians, and was much beloved by them. His parentage was un- certain, and it was said that he was left when a child among the Indians in Massachusetts. Rev. John Sargent, proprietor of Sargent's Patent, in this town, was also an carly missionary among the Indians. Two schools are at present maintained by the State for the benefit of the rem- nant of the Oneidas,-one in Madison County and the other in this town.

THE FIRST TOWN-MEETING

in Vernon was held at the house of David Tuttle, on the first Tuesday in April, 1802. Samuel Wetmore, Esq., was elected Supervisor, and Joshua Patton Town Clerk. Owing to the loss or destruction of the carly records of the town, it is impossible to give a complete list of its first officers. Esquire Wetmore held the office of Supervisor for nine years, and was succeeded in 1811 by Josiah Patton, Esq., who remained in office until 1819, when John P. Sherwood, Esq., was elected. In 1830, James Kellogg was elected Mr. Sherwood's successor, and remained in office one year. Ashael Gridley, who was chosen Town Clerk in 1813, was the father of Hon. Philo Gridley, afterwards one of the judges of the Supreme Court of New York. He built the first grist mill in town, ou the Scanandoa Creek, a short distance west of Vernon Centre. Abram Van Eps built the second soon after, at Vernon village.

The Supervisors of the town since 1831 have been the following persons, viz. : 1831-33, Nichols Dyer ; 1834, James Kellogg; 1835-36, Josiah Whipple Jenkins ; 1837, John P. Sherwood; 1838, David Pierson ; 1839-40, John P. Sherwood; 1841, Levi T. Marshall ; 1842, Austin B. Webber; 1813, Salmon Case; Mr. Case resigned, and at a special town-meeting Charles Kilbourn was elected to fill vacancy ; 1844, Erastus W. Clark ; 1845, Salmon Case ; 1846, Fitch Howes; 1847-48, David Pierson ; 1849-50, Hiram D. Tuttle; 1851, Josiah Case ; 1852-54, Orson Carpenter; 1855, Eusebius W. Dodge; 1856-57, Orson Carpenter; 1858-59, Sidney A. Bunce; 1860-63, Henry Wilson; 1864, Sidney A. Bunce; 1865-66, Henry Wilson ; 1867-68, Thomas Butterfield ; 1860-70, Edward W. Wil- liams ; 1871-72, William Marsen ; 1873-75, James Mark-

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HISTORY OF ONEIDA COUNTY, NEW YORK.

ham ; 1876, Orson Carpenter ; 1877, A. De V. Townsley ; 1878, A. Pierson Case. The remaming officers for 1878 are : Town Clerk, J. Sherman Carpenter; Justices of the Peace, Daniel C. Burke, J. B. Loomis, F. B. Norton, M. L. Carr, Gilbert N. Lawrence ; Assessors, Christopher C. Dorne, William B. Smith ; Commissioner of Highways, Morris J. Dodge ; Overseers of the Poor, Gottfried Pfister, Ellis Melvin; Collector, D. H. Currie; Constables, William Church, G. Wallace Grower, William Tipple, Henry Wet- more ; Inspectors of Election, District No. 1, William J. Percival, Willis E. Walter, Samuel Dunham; District No. 2, Fletcher A. Gary, Porter Markham, William L. Martin ; District No. 3, Myron C. Treadway, D. Ward Clark, Charles Mullin ; Town Auditors, Elliott J. Norton, Niles Campbell, Charles P. Scoville; Game Constable, Francis M. Carpen- ter; Excise Commissioner, Charles Mullin.

FIRST SETTLERS.

The first white person to locate within the limits of this town was Josiah Bushnell, who settled on the northwest corner lot of Bleecker's (south) Patent .* This lot contained forty acres, and was sold to defray the expense of surveying the patent, long before the balance of the tract was disposed of. Mr. Bushnell emigrated as early as 1793 or 1794 from Tyringham, Berkshire Co., Mass. His children were one son and three daughters. His youngest daughter, Ficha, six or eight years of age, died very suddenly in 1795, before any other whites had located in the town. Her remains were taken to Westmoreland and interred in a burying- ground on the farm of Judge Dean.

About the same time the Oneida Reservation was sold at auction (August, 1797) a company of wealthy farmers in Connecticut purchased the eastern part of Basehard's Patent and portions of Van Eps' and Sargent's Patents, and also sold to actual settlers. The " Oneida woods" be- came the goal of the emigrant, and by the year 1800 but very few lots in the tracts mentioned were without their occupants. Massachusetts and New Hampshire sent out numbers of their sons to swell the settlement, which grew and prospercd.

The first settlers on Baschard's Patent were the follow- ing persons, viz. : Rev. Publius Bogue, Deaeons Hill and Bronson, Samuel Wetmore, David Bronson, Levi Bronson, Seth Holmes, Anson Stone, Asahel Gridley, Heman Smith, Eliphaz Bissell, Adonijah Foot, Stephen Goodwin, Seth Hills, Eli Frisbie, James De Votie, John De Votie, Samuel Austin, Ezra Stanard, Matthew Griswold, Joseph Frisbie, David Alvord, Levi Thrall, Asahel Wilcox, Russell Church, Abijah P. Bronson, Thomas Speneer, Stephen Carter, Ben- jamin Carter, Levi Marshall, Seth Marshall, Harvey Mar- shall, David Tuttle, a Mr. Bush, a Mr. McEwen, Huet Hills, Asahel Wilcoxson, Elijah Webber. These were nearly all from the towns of Winchester and Torrington, Litehfield Co., Conn. The company laid out a town plat in a parallelogram of six acres, which is now known as Vernon Centre. Around the green the lots contained one aere cach, and a number of the settlers located upon them.

All Protestant religious denominations were granted the right to erect houses of worship around this green.

Upon Sargent's Patent the first settlers were Rev. John Sargent, the patentee, Mr. Codner, Mr. Marvin, Zenas McEwen, and Ezra McEwen. On the Oneida Reservation the first settlers were Gideon Skinner, Ariel Lawrence, Samuel Shed, Thomas Gratton, William De Land, Mr. Spalding, Mr. Grant, Mr. Kellogg, Nathan Carter, Thomas Tryon, David Moore, Josiah. Simons, Joseph Doane, Ezra May, William Mahan, Stephen Page, Ebenezer Ingraham, Sylvester Crocker, Chester May, Jonathan Graves, Augus- tus Soper, Philo Soper, Ashbel Norton, Charles Dix, Rufus Vaughan, William Wright, Samuel Cody, Mr. Kelsey, Mr. Raymond, Mr. Alling,. Mr. Haseltine, Mr. Carpenter, Jacob Hungerford, Joseph Bailey, Jedediah Darling. These lo- cated in the eastern part of town.

Those west and southwest were James Griffith, Ebenezer Webster, Elisha Webster, Eli Webster, Russel Webster, Allen Webster, Mr. Freeman, Captain William Grant, Dr. Samuel Frisbie, Joseph Stone, Eliphalet Hotchkiss, Joshua Warren, Calvin Youngs, Simon Willard, Andrew Langdon, Edward Webber.

In the north part of town were Amos Brookway, Mr. Cole, Moses Upham, Aaron Davis, Jonathan Blount, Thaddeus Brookins, Joseph Day, Robert Frink, Stephen Campbell, Jonathan Ney, Calvin Huntington, Luther Huntington (twin brothers of striking resemblance), and a Mr. Cook.

The early settlers on Van Eps' Patent were Abraham Van Eps, the patentee, Richard Hubbell, Gershom Hub- bell, Benjamin Hubbell, Gad Warner, Benjamin Pierson, David Pierson, Josiah Patten, William Root, and Elihu Root. Richard and Gershon Hubbell were twin brothers, and, like the Huntingtons, resembled each other very closely ; the former (Richard) was the first settler on Van Eps' Patent, locating about 1794-95, on the ridge in the north part of what is now Vernon village. Gershom Hubbell resided at the village before 1798.

The first marriage in the town was that of Aaron Davis and Amy Bushnell, daughter of Josiah Bushnell, the first settler; this was previous to 1798. The first white ehild born in town was Edward Marshall, son of Levi Marshall, whose birth occurred April 19, 1799. It is supposed that a daughter of Gershom Hubbell was born about two weeks afterwards.

Abraham Van Eps, who was the proprietor of a patent in this town, was born in 1763, at Schenectady, where his father was engaged in the fur-trade. After the close of the Revolution the latter took a large amount of property to the Canadian shore of Lake Ontario, where he was plun- dered of the whole by a party of refugees and Indians. He never returned and his fate was veiled in mystery. His property was found to be entirely lost, and Abraham was left to seek his own fortune. In the spring of 1784 he made a trip, with a small. stock of fur-trader's goods, to Niagara, passing through Oneida County before Judges Dean or White had arrived. He returned in the fall, and in passing down the old military road through what is now Whitesboro' village, found the trunks and limbs of trees in his path, Judge White and his sons having begun their

# So designated in contradistinction from Bleecker's (north) Patent in the town of Westmoreland.

RESIDENCE OF DANIEL G. DORRANCE. ONEIDA CASTLE NEW YORK

LITH. BY L. H. EVERTS & CO., PHILA, PA.

RESIDENCE of SILAS B. CROCKER , VERNON, NEW YORK.

LITH BY L.H EVERTS &CO.PHILA

MR. SILAS B. CROCKER.

MRS. SILAS B. CROCKER.

SILAS B. CROCKER.

Silas B. Crocker was born in Winehester, Litehfield County, Connecticut, September 18, 1797. He was the only son of William and Deborah Croeker, who had a family of four children. They were farmers, and gave their son as good an education as the common schools of that day afforded.

In 1824 he was married to Miss Mary Breen, of his native town. In the year 1825 he came to Oneida County, and for several years leased a farm. Deciding to settle permanently, he purchased a farm in the town of Vernon, and for many years was extensively engaged in agricultural operations.

He made a specialty of sheep-growing, and was known as a prominent breeder of merinos.

In 1844 his wife died, and in 1845 he was again married to Miss Mareia Blake, of his native town, where she was born February 13, 1812. Her father, the Hon. Jonathan Blake, was prominently identified with Litehfield County. He held many important positions ; was a member of the General Assembly, serving on important committees. Her mother, whose maiden name was Sabra Bronson, was a sister of Silas Bronson, the founder of the noted Water- bury Library, and a prominent New York merchant. The Hon. Alvin Bronson, of Oswego, was her cousin.

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HISTORY OF ONEIDA COUNTY, NEW YORK.

improvements in his absence. Mr. Van Eps came to the mouth of the Oriskany in 1785 and established a small trading-post, bartering with the Indians mostly for furs, and occasionally taking a pack and making a trip to the Oneida Castle. On one of these occasions he met a half- breed Indian named Nicholas Jourdan, with whom he stayed over night. His wigwam was west from Vernon Centre, on the west side of Seanandoa Creek, which at the time was very high and full of salmon. The Indians that night speared about half a eord of them by torch-light, and Van Eps ate one of the finest of them for his breakfast the next morning. A few apple-trees were theu standing on Jour- dan's improvement. The clearing where his wigwam stood was known as " Nicholas' lower place," and another, owned by him on the east side of the ereck, farther up, as " Nieholas' upper place."

Van Eps continued his business at Oriskany until prob- ably 1787, when he left and moved into the town of West- moreland, and built a small log store on the farm of Judge Dean. In 1792-93 he ereeted a building north of the Westmoreland furnace, in a portion of which he plaeed his stoek of merehandise, and in the other began keeping house, having been married to a Miss Young, of Sehenee- tady. He was the first merchant in Westmoreland, as he had been in the county, and supplied both settlers and Indians with such artieles as they needed. He became master of the Oneida dialeet, and transaeted all his business with the Indians in their own language. When his patent in Vernon was granted he innnediately built a store upon it, on the flat in the eastern part of what is now Vernon village. In this same building Gershom Hubbell kept a tavern for a short time for the aeeommodation of emigrants.

Mr. Van Eps built a small dwelling at the village in 1798, and moved into it and opened his store, being the first merehant also in this town. He eondueted his business here with mueh profit, and in 1809 removed to Schenee- tady. He continued for some time as a partner in business at Vernon, but eventually withdrew. In 1828 his wife died, and in 1829 he moved back to Vernon, where he was the same year married to Miss Sarah Underhill. He died, universally regretted, in 1844.

Samuel Wetmore, the first supervisor of this town, was elected to the Assembly about 1820, was magistrate for many years, and for seventeen years a deaeon in the Baptist Church at Vernon village. He ranked as one of the best citizens of the town, and died Nov. 8, 1826, aged sixty years.

William Root, Esq., who died in 1846, settled in town about 1796. He was a prominent man in the settlement, and in 1821 was elected to the Assembly.

Gideon Skinner was another of the early settlers of the town. " A young man and unmarried, with a wallet of provisions, he pushed into the forest in advance of any set- tler. The first day he built a frail hut for his abode, and eommeneed cutting the timber around it. Just at sunset, for the first time, a thought of his exposed position as to wild beasts eame over him, for he was without dog or gun. On the spur of the oeeasiou he fell to work and eut down a large, hollow elm which stood near his hut. He firmly barrieaded with heavy timbers the open end, leaving but a

small aperture for his ingress, and providing a sufficient log with which to stop that when he had entered. With his trusty axe, with which to 'pare the nails' of any assailant that might attempt the removal of the defenses, he retired early to rest and slept quietly and soundly through the night, naught in the least disturbing his repose. He says this was all of fear he ever experienced in his forest home. Mr. Skinner was the first person who ever lodged at Vernon Centre. During the first season of his residenee on his farm, business called him from his home to the westward. He supposed that he had started sufficiently carly to enable him to return before dark, but he was mistaken. It was a dark, cloudy evening, and when he arrived at the Centre he found it utterly impossible to thread his way through the tangled forest and find his little improvement that night. It not being very eold, he coneluded to take lodgings by the side of a large log that lay on the ground, which was afterwards covered by the first meeting-house built upon the town plat."*

Stephen Parkhurst eame to the town of Vernon in 1802, and located at "Turkey Street," two miles east of Oneida Castle, where the shops belonging to the Oneida Community now stand. Mr. Parkhurst had previously kept a publie- house in Rome in company with a man named Walker. He was married in 1803 to Sally Gibson, then living in Westmoreland. He kept a tavern at " Turkey Street" in a building now out of existence. His father, John Park- hurst, located in Whitestown, on the Oriskany battle-ground, and lived in that neighborhood until his death ; he owned 700 aeres of land, and settled there in 1789, coming from Connecticut. He also kept a publie-house, which stood where Mrs. Gibson now lives. Mrs. Gibson and Mrs. Landfear were members of the Parkhurst family, and George Parkhurst, grandson of John Parkhurst, owns a portion of the old place. The wife of the elder Parkhurst lived to the great age of one hundred and three years.

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History of Oneida County, New York, 1667-1878, Part 155

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

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