History of Oneida County, New York, 1667-1878, Part 164

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

USA > New York > Oneida County > History of Oneida County, New York, 1667-1878 > Part 164

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Isaac Jones, the first supervisor of this town, was en- gaged during most of the period of the Revolution in transporting military stores. In 1787 he removed to Clin- ton, Queida Co., and soon afterwards to Westmoreland. He died in the town of Vernon in 1808. His brother, Joseph Jones, came to Westmoreland in the spring of 1787, and for many years resided a short distance west of the Baptist Church at Lairdsville. He was supervisor four years. jus- tice of the peace more than twenty years, and for some

+ Written in 1851. Now ( 1878) deceased.

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HISTORY OF ONEIDA COUNTY, NEW YORK.

time postmaster and town clerk. When he was justice he was the only acting magistrate in his section of the town, and his duties were manifold. He died in Vernon in 1835.

Captain Stephen Brigham, another veteran of the Revo- lution, settled in this town in 1790. Some years later he was unfortunately made the victim of a perjurer, and lost his property here, from having been bail for his nephew, a merchant of Hampton, named Abel Brigham. This was before the abolition of the law imposing imprisonment for debt.

Joseph Blackmer, Sr., moved to this town in 1789, and died in 1795. He was the father of Ephraim (already inentioned ) and Joseph Blackmer, Jr. The latter removed in 1808 to Wheatland, Monroe Co., where he died in 1848.

Roderick Morrison, a native of Hebron, Conn., and a Revolutionary patriot, emigrated to Westmoreland in 1797. He became very popular in this town,-was its supervisor fifteen years, many years a justice of the peace, and in 1816 a member of the Assembly. He died in 1843.

Jared Chittenden, Esq., a native of Connecticut, and a soldier of the Revolution, removed to Oneida County, and settled carly in Whitestown. A few years later, and some years previous to 1800, he came to Westmoreland. He was supervisor of the town one year, and for some time a magistrate. He died in 1828.

Captain Phineas Bell, an early settler of this town, was a soldier during the Revolution, and with many others suf- fered the tortures of the Sugar- House prison, on Long Island. He died May 13, 1845, aged eighty-four years, and is buried in the old cemetery near Lairdsville.

John Townsend, Esq., another Revolutionary patriot, settled in Westmoreland in 1790, in the southwest part of town, on the level lands which have long been known as the " Townsend Flats."

In the winter of 1786-87, or the spring following, there came to this town, besides Joseph Jones and Joseph Black- mer, Jr., already mentioned, Judge Dean's younger brother, William, with a large family. In 1788, Samuel Laird, from New Marlborough, Mass., located at what is now Lairdsville, and soon after commenced keeping a public- house, better known in the early days as a "log tavern." Pelatiah Rawson also came this year, as did Deacon John Blair, who was the first to fix his home outside of Dean's Patent.

In 1789 there arrived John and Nathaniel Townsend (brothers), Benjamin Blackman, Captain John Vaughan, Josiah Stillman, Nathan Loomis, Adonijah Strong. Mr. Strong built a frame house and barn on his place (which he purchased of Nathan Loomis), and abont 1797 sold it to Captain Peabody. This transaction was afterwards the subject of so much litigation that it ate up twice the value of the farm to settle the dispute. Joshua Green, Joseph Blackmer, Sr., John Morse, Daniel Seeley, a Mr. Blodget, and others also came in 1789. Joseph Blackmer, Sr., lived a little over a inile west of Lairdsville, and Mr. Blodget was the first settler upon the site of Hampton village. Elijah Smith and Samuel Starr located in the latter place early. A deed on record in the county clerk's office for a farm in this town, adjoining Hampton village, was executed

to these two men by George Washington and George Clin- ton, and transferred 153 acres of land. Another deed, from Washington and Clinton to John Baxter, of 259} acres, is dated September 2, 1799. Deeds from those dis- tinguished men are also on record to Joseph Blodget, Daniel Babcock, Asa Turner, Stephen Hutchinson, John Babcock, and Ebenezer R. Fitch, all in Westmoreland, and numerous others in what are now Whitestown, Paris, and New Hartford. These were principally conveyed by George Clinton, as attorney for Washington.

Alexander Parkman, Esq., and Captain Stephen Brigham settled in this town in 1790, together with numerous others.

The spring and summer of 1787 were very cold and wet, and it was almost impossible to raise any crops. The corn was spoiled by frosts before it had begun to mature, yet so scarce had it become that it was dried in that shape, and prepared by pounding in a samp mortar, formed by burning out the end of a log. Judge Dean's saw-mill was built in 1787 or '88, and the grist-mill a year later. The first run of stones used in this grist-mill was manufactured by Ed- ward Higbee from a large granite rock, which lay a few rods east of Samuel Laird's dwelling. These stones answered every purpose. Higbee soon after built another grist-mill on the same stream, in the castern part of town.

The first settler on MeKesson's Patent, in the north part of town, including the site of Lowell village, was Stephen Stilson, who located in 1802. Doddridge Loomis soon fol- lowed, and John Tuttle (who took up the lot on which Lowell is located), Zebulon Tuttle, Caleb Thurston, Calvin Adams, and David Stilson probably came the same year. Sullivan and Abel Brigham, Cyrus Rice, Isaiah Shed, Joseph Perkins, Ezekiel Miller, James Hempstead, Amos Smith, Nathan and Park Adams settled on the same tract in 1803.

In the northeastern portion of town the early settlers were Captains Lay and Lee, Sherman Patterson and his sons, John and Josiah Patterson, Isaac Goodsell, William and Ebenezer Cheever, George and Consider Law, Elijah Waters, Thomas Barnum, Ebenezer, Ephraim, and Heman Besse, George Williams, Alfred Richardson, families named Peckham, Bicknell, and Barker, Samuel Bailey, John Nicholson, Henry Halleck, Peter Doolittle, and many others, who came in the latter part of the last and the beginning of the present century. On and near the road between Hampton and the Hecla Furnace were Walter Cone, Wil- liam, Josiah, and Jonathan Patten, John Bowen, Stephen Hutchinson, Stephen Brigham, and Daniel Babcock. East of Hampton the first settlers were Chester Stillman, Samuel Collins, Benjamin Waters, Nathan Thompson, and John Baxter.

Several cases of accidental shooting have occurred in this town, and on one occasion, in 1806, a terrible murder and suicide was perpetrated, Mrs. Betsey Halleck, wife of Henry Halleck, in a sudden fit of insanity taking the lives of her- self and her four daughters, cutting all their throats with her husband's razor, he being away at a " raising."

The wife of Samuel Bailey, who lived about three and one-half miles north of Hampton, kept a bear at bay on one occasion with a club till assistance came, he having de- scended with dire intent on the pig-sty.

605

HISTORY OF ONEIDA COUNTY, NEW YORK.

A very severe dysentery visited this town in the latter part of the summer of 1796, and many children and a few adults were swept off by it. The disease prevailed fatally the same year in the town of Floyd.

The army of General Amherst, on its way to complete the conquest of Canada, in 1760, passed across this town, and traces of its road were seen for a hundred years. The first and only Canada thistles in the vicinity for twenty years after the town was settled sprang up along this old road when the timber was cleared away, and it was a mat- ter of conjecture for many years from whence they came.

The first death in this town was that of Oren Jones, an infant son of Captain Nehemiah Jones, who died March 29, 1788. As no coffin could be procured, it was buried in the sleigh-box in which they had removed from Massachusetts, Esquire Ephraim Blackmer making out of it a very decent coffin. The first death of an adult was that of Pelatiah Rawson, who resided about half a mile southeast of the Hecla Works, who died very suddenly in the summer of 1789.

The first marriage was that of Samuel Hubbard, of Clin- ton, and Miss Mary Blair, eldest daughter of Deacon John Blair, who has been mentioned. The ceremony was per- formed by Rev. John Sargeant, the Indian missionary, March 23, 1790, in the log cabin of the settler, which stood near the first framed house, on the Hampton road. After Rev. Mr. Bradley was settled he married the following per- sons at the dates given : Oct. 17, 1793, Mather Bosworth and Bathsheba Deming; Feb. 24, 1794, Daniel Williams and Lavina Hovey ; May 8, 1794, Peter Pratt and Dolly Smith ; Aug. 17, 1794, Samuel Cornwell and Hannah Fin- ney ; Nov. 12, 1794, Asahel Porter and Abigail Smith. Very probably these were the only marriages in town dur- ing the first eight years of its settlement.

The first merchant in the town of Westmoreland was Abraham Van Eps, a more extended notice of whom will be found in the Vernon town history, he having removed to that town, and opened also the first mercantile establish- ment within its limits.

In the old cemetery west of Lairdsville, on the turnpike, are buried many of the early settlers of the town, and others who lived to a great age. Among them are the following, viz.

Mrs. Lucretia Morse, died Sept. 1, 1812, agedl 42.

Elder Ora Butler, "pastor of the Baptist Church of Christ, in West- moreland," died Jan. 16, 1811, aged nearly 39.

Chloe, wife of Hezekiah Joslin, died April 27, 1822, aged G1.

Samuel Crary, died Oct. 16, 1810, aged 40.

Ephraim Blackmer, died Feb. 27, 1796, aged 40.

Mary Jones, his wife, diod Oct. 19, 1844, aged 86.

John Loomis, died Dec. 23, 1835, aged 61.

Mary, his wife, died March 11, 1861, aged 76.

Deacon Moses Upham, died March 21, 1812, aged 67.

Priscilla, his wife, died Aug. 10, 1851, aged 80.

Phineas Bell, " a patriot of the Revolution," died May 13, 1845, aged 84. " He was one of the first to take up arms in defense of his country, at the carly age of 15 years, and served faithfully to the close of the perilous contest. Hlas since been the recipient of the bounty of a grateful people, lived long to enjoy it, and died full of honors and of years."

Sarah Bell, diod Dee. 19, 1866, age 1 95.

Sarah A., second wife of Andrew J. Bell, died May 8, 1874, aged 70. Augusta, wifo of Allen Chapin, diel Dec. 26, 1822, aged 22.

Nehemiah Jones, "a soldier of the Revolution," died Dec. 19, 1838, nearly 79.

Anna, his wife, died Oct. 8, 1844, aged 82.

Mchitabel, wife of Pomroy Jones, died Feb. 11, 1846, aged 54.

Dr. Caleb Goff, died Nov. 11, 1820, aged 59.

Lydia, his wife, died Sept. 28, 1832.

Samuel Laird, died May 21, 1820, aged 60.

Mary, his wife, died July 30, 1823, aged 60.

Uriah Williams, died Sept. 6, 1833, aged 75.

Uriah Goodwin, died June 16, 1835, aged 75.

Abigail, his wife, died May 26, 1845, aged 86.

William Ward, died Feb. 6, 1862, aged 71. Anna, his wife, died Oct. 18, 1866, aged 75.

Roger Wilson, died March 19, 1839, aged 84.

Hannah, his wife, died April 13, 1832, aged 72.

Henry, their son, died Oct. 28, 1823, aged 28. Caleb Kelley, died Jan. 6, 1837, aged 54.

Sclima, his wife, died Nov. 14, 1839, aged 41.

Gurshom Wood, died April 24, 1865, aged 72.

Lucy, his wife, died Feb. 1, 1846, aged 49.

John Irving, died Sept. 17, 1848, aged 65. Elizabeth, his wife, died Feb. 6, 1849, aged 59.

Iliram Scripture, died April 17, 1849, aged 77.

Elizabeth, his wife, died Aug. 23, 1861, aged 90.

Peleg Havens, a Revolutionary soldier, died Feb. 28, 1847, aged 86.

Hannah, his wife, died July 27, 1841, aged 74.

Roderick Morrison, Revolutionary soldier, died Ang. 17, 1843, aged 79.

Charlotte, his wife, died May 18, 1835, aged 64.

Charlotte, wife of Isaac Pixley, died March 3, 1825, aged 28.

As has been stated, Judge Dean, when but a boy, was adopted by one of the Oneida women, and this circumstance was the means of saving his life after he had become a per- manent resident of Oneida County. A party of drunken Indians on one occasion, returning from their annual fish- ing expedition to the Cohoes, found a blacksmith-shop some- where in the valley of the Mohawk, and took possession of it, in the absence of the owner, in order to use the fire for cooking purposes. The blacksmith soon returned, and not wishing so noisy a crowd occupying his shop, attempted to drive them away. A fight was the consequence, and the sturdy smith made such free use of his hammer as to kill one of the Indians, whereupon they left. An ancient law of the Oneidas was, that if any of their tribe should be inur- dered by a member of any tribe with which they were at peace, the first person belonging to the offending nation who should pass through their territory should be executed to appease the sorrow of the murdered man's relatives. The one who had committed this murder was a white man, and a council declared that a white man should be executed in return, and Judge Dean was selected as the vietim. It was only through the interposition of his Indian mother, who threw herself before the executioner, Powlis, and threatened to take her own life if that of her adopted son was taken, that he was spared .* %

On another occasion, about 1792-93, an Indian, bearing the Dutch name of Hon Yost, who had married a grand- daughter of the celebrated Scanandoa, was seen coming, about noon one day, toward Judge Dean's house, evidently intoxicated, and nttering the dismal Oneida death-knell. He passed through the kitchen of the house to the sitting- room, and demanded of the judge money which he pre- tended he owed him. On the refusal of the judge to pay

# There are several different accounts of this affair.

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HISTORY OF ONEIDA COUNTY, NEW YORK.

what he did not owe the Indian drew his knife and sprang towards him. Mrs. Dean caught up the heavy iron fire- shovel, and but for her husband would have cleft the skull of the savage in an instant. The judge wrapped his hand- kerchief around his hand, dispossessed the Indian of his knife, and soon had him confined in the eellar, snoring away the effects of the " fire-water" he had imbibed ; and when the savage was onee more himself he humbly begged pardon and was allowed to go.

Judge Dean was greatly beloved by the Indians, and was held in high esteem by his fellow-eitizens. For a number of years he was one of the judges of the Oneida Common Pleas, and twiee held a seat in the Assembly. He was quite an extensive farmer. As a scholar hie ranked high. After the close of the Revolution he wrote a lengthy essay upon Indian Mythology, and lent the manuseript to President Dwight ; it was never returned .* Judge Dean died Sept. 10, 1823, in the seventy-sixth year of his age.

Captain John Vaughan, an early settler of this town, died in 1820, aged eighty-seven. He was the father of 14 children, had 134 grandchildren, 236 great-grand- children, and 8 great-great-grandchildren at the time of his death, nearly all of whom were then living.

During the early days of the settlement of this town and county, travel over the old Seneca turnpike was very ex- tensive. Judge Jones relates to us of having seen fifty loads of wheat at onee upon it, en route to market. The wagon wheels were made with broad tires, and the vehicles drawn by six or eight horses, and the judge says they were " sometimes in fleets, fairly."

Occasional relics of the "Stone Age" are found in this town, although no traees have been discovered of any works of defense, such as are common in some parts of Jeffersou County and in many portions of the Union. John L. Dean has in his possession a stone axe, weighing about four pounds, which was found in the vieinity of the Heela Works; its pattern is similar to that of others found in different sections of the country.

The population of the town of Westmoreland has changed to such an extent that very few descendants of the original settlers are now living within its boundaries. In the Dean school distriet there are but two families besides the Deans who were in the locality forty years ago,-these are Ebenezer Fitch and T. J. Olney.

The inhabitants of southern Westmoreland are exten- sively engaged in hop-raising, and those in the northern part have beeome somewhat interested in dairying. A cheese-factory-the first in the town-was established at Lowell, in 1861-62, by H. L. Rose, and is the largest of the six now in existenee. The others are the Westmore- land, the Bartlett, Sehuyler's, John L. Dean's, and a small one ealled " Cloverdale." These factories suspend opera- tions for the winter about the middle of November.

For about three years Mr. John L. Dean has been en- gaged in breeding the famous Holstein cattle, and is the only man in towu in that business. He has two imported eows, and four head (heifer and bulls) that are pure bred. The eows are very fine milkers; one, four years old, was

giving, when the place was visited ( April, 1878), 40 pounds of milk daily, which was remarkable for the season.

SCHOOLS.

The first school in the town of Westmoreland was taught in a log sehool-house which was built as early as 1792, near the present burying-ground, a short distance west of Lairds- ville. The teacher was Calviu Butler, brother of Deaeon Salmon Butler, of Clinton. Rebeeea Pomroy, aunt to Hon. Pomroy Jones, also probably taught in this building.

" In 1793 a log sehool-house was built in Lairdsville, and some time in 1794 a teacher was hired for a year. He was competent, and his pupils advanced rapidly, but after seven or eight months of his year had elapsed it was discovered that he was intemperate, and that ha was occasionally partially intoxicated in school hours. For several days, upon one occasion, he carried about one of his eyes all the hues of the rainbow, received in a drunken brawl at a neighboring public- house. In the spring of 1795, a number of the patrons of the school believing that such examples to their children should be no longer tolerated, a meeting was notified to take the matter into considera- tion. The meeting was a protracted one, part of the distriet strongly advocating the continuance of the school, while the other part were tenacious for dismissing a teacher whose walk before his pupils was so irregular. The arguments pro and con having been exhausted, it was found upon taking the vote upon the motiou for dismissal that there was a tie. The vote not being carried to dismiss the teacher, the advocates for continuing the school moved an adjournment, which was carried, and they dispersed to their homes. Not so with the oppo- nents of the school. Some of the leading spirits passed round the word to their friends to remain after the adjournment. They did so, and, after the teacher's friends had all left and were out of sight, they carried out the books and stationery to a seeure place, and then kin- dled a fire in the building, and did not retire until the destroy- ing element had so far progressed as to preelude all possibility of its being quenched, thus most effectually dismissing the drunken school- teacher.' +

In the winter of 1819-20 school was first taught in the neighborhood of the Friends' settlement,-their meeting- house, completed that fall, being used as a school-house, and the teacher being one of their society,-Abigail Tucker. Daniel Peekham, now living in the vieinity, then nineteen years of age, attended that sehool.

East of this, at " Nicholson's Corners," a school was taught shortly before or soon after ; another had been kept at Bartlett previous to either of these.

In Hampton village a school-house was built between July and Oetober, 1811, which was the second one in the place. It stood " between the meeting-house and the north- west eorner of the green; the north side of said house on the line of James Leeworthy's south fenee, partly standing on the green, remainder on Leeworthy." Nov. 27, 1811, it was "Voted, That Henry J. Davis continue to teach our sehool in this distriet the ensuing winter."}

The town now contains seventeen sehool distriets, with convenient and comfortable buildings generally, and the schools are in good condition.

FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, WESTMORELAND.

From a sermon delivered in 1852 by Rev. F. A. Spen- eer, then pastor of this ehureh, the following notes are made : Revs. Mr. Bingham and William Bradford, who were probably sent out by the Couneeticut Missionary So-

# Said to be now in the State Library at Albany.

+ Jones' Annals.

į Records of Hampton School District .

607

IIISTORY OF ONEIDA COUNTY, NEW YORK.

ciety, were the first to preach to the white settlers of this town. The latter aided in organizing, on the 5th of Sep- tember, 1791, a " society for the maintenance of the ordi- mances of the gospel," with fifty-five members. The society met Jan. 28, 1792, and elected as trustees Josiah Stillman, Isaac Jones, John Blair, Stephen Brigham, Samuel Col- lins, Silas Phelps, and George Langford. "On the 17th of January, 1793, this constitutional covenant was an- nulled, and a new one adopted in its place. This new eov- enant was subscribed by eighty-one names, among which is the name of Simeon Fillmore, an unele of Millard Fill- more. It is said also that his brother. the father of the President, was residing here at the same time, as a hired man, in the employ of Esquire Parkman."

Owing to a dispute in the society as to the site for a church, two were erected, one at Hampton and the other on " South Street," in the south part of town. The one at Hampton was built in 1798, and the other either the same year or one or two years later. The latter was sold to the Methodists in 1803, and the Hampton Church has since remained in use, having been several times repaired. It was originally erected upon the green.

The First Congregational Church of Westmoreland was organized, Sept. 20, 1792, with fifteen members, Rev. Wil- liam Bradford presiding at its organization.

The pastors of this church have been the following per- sons, viz. : Revs. Joel Bradley, from July 16, 1793, to Aug. 7, 1800; James Eells, July 11, 1804, to February, 1825 ; Abijalı Crane, February, 1825, to June, 1832; Ed- ward Fairchild, July 3, 1833, to 1836; John Ingersoll, 1836 to 1838; Nathaniel Hurd, March, 1838, to 1841 ; Franklin A. Spencer, April, 1841, to May 27, 1853; Leicester A. Sawyer, February, 1855, to September, 1858 ; Jeremiah Petrie, April (?), 1859, to December (?), 1862; Moses E. Dunham, June, 1863, to May, 1867 ; and James Deane, the present pastor, since July 21, 1867. The first deacons were Nathaniel Townsend and Thomas Halbert, chosen October 10, 1793. The membership of this church in April, 1878, was 169, including individuals from some 95 families. The Sunday-school was first organized Feb. 25, 1818, under the joint superintendence of William Newcomb and Reuben Bettis. It has a present member- ship of about 220, a library of nearly 600 volumes, and is superintended by James Bell.

AN INDEPENDENT CONGREGATIONAL CIIURCHI

was formed at Lowell about 1820, and a respectable house of worship erected in 1824. The first pastor was Rev. Mr. Holmes, an English clergyman, who was succeeded after a few years by Rev. Mr. Jackson, of the same nation- ality. This church in a short time began to deeline, and finally became extinet. Its house of worship was sold in 1850, and has since been torn away.

TIIE EPISCOPAL METIIODISTS

formed a class in this town as carly as 1795-98, and ser- vices were occasionally held by itinerant preachers. Until 1803 their gatherings were in private houses, but in that year they purchased the South Street Congregational Church, which was used until 1835, when a church was

built at Hampton and another at Lairdsville. Among the early Methodist preachers in this town were Rev. Messrs. Harvey, Simon, Everdell, Fox, Freeman, Paddock, Foster, Matteson, and Row. The church at Hampton ( Westmore- land Post-Office) numbercd 109 full members and 47 proba- tioners by the report of 1877, and about 140 communicants in the spring of 1878. The Sunday-school has about 140 members, including a class of 15 or 20 members at Coleman's Mills, in Whitestown. A library of about 100 volumes is owned by the school. The present pastor of this church is Rev. A. G. Markham, who holds services also at Coleman's Mills. The church at Lairdsville is occupied as a union church, and is in the same charge with Vernon Centre ; Rev. Mr. Crofoot, pastor. A Sunday-school is supported, with a respectable attendance.

GETIISEMANE EPISCOPAL CHURCH, WESTMORELAND,

was organized about the commencement of the year 1842, and for a time supplied by Rev. Stephen McHugh, of Oriskany. Revs. Staples and Spalding were his success- ors, who also had charge of the " De Laneey Institute," as it was then called,-an academic school near the Westmore- land mineral spring. It was afterwards called the " Williams Collegiate Institute," after its principal, A. G. Williams, A.M., previously principal of the Vernon Academy, and present owner of the institution at this place. The school is not now in operation. The number of families at pres- ent connected with this church is 30; communicants, 41 ; rector, Rev. James S. Lemon, of Clark's Mills, where he also has charge of a church. The frame church edifice now in use at Westmoreland was erected in 1858.

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History of Oneida County, New York, 1667-1878, Part 164

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

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