USA > New York > Oneida County > History of Oneida County, New York, 1667-1878 > Part 77
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On the occasion of the famous excursion made by six gentlemen from Utica to Albany, and return in eighteen hours, in the winter of 1822-23, he occupied the post of honor and acquitted himself to the complete satisfaction of all coneerned. It was certainly a remarkable performance, for the distance accomplished, as the roads ran, was fully . two hundred miles.t
The year 1820 witnessed a grand celebration upon the opening of a portion of the Erie Canal for traffic, of which an account will be found in Chapter XVI., devoted to in- ternal improvements.
In the year 1821 the sum of $1123.25 was raised for village purposes, of which amount the large sum of $400 was for the support of the poor. The vexatious " market" question was settled this year by the sale of the market- building to Daniel Thomas for $50. Several streets and alleys were opened and improved in the course of the season.
The first publie celebration of St. Patrick's day by the Irish citizens occurred on the 17th of March, and was the occasion of a social and convivial gathering, at which about seventy of the sons of Erin assembled, and enjoyed them selves as only Irishmen ean.
Among the arrivals of 1821 were the somewhat noto- rious Dr. Samuel Tuttle, who afterwards removed to the West ; George Dutton, who at first essayed the practice of medicine, but soon gave it up and pursued the avocation of a teacher in boarding-schools in Philadelphia for four years, and subsequently opened the first regular musie-store in Utiea, and sold the first piano to A. B. Johnson, in 1821, that was sold in the village, and continued the business of
# See Chapter XVI.
t See biography in this work.
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HISTORY OF ONEIDA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
mnsie dealer for twenty years ; Major S. Clark, paymaster of United States Army; the four brothers Thurber, mer- chants and business men ; Robert Jones, also a merchant ; Edward Bright, a brewer and maltster ; Robert R. Rhodes, Henry W. Osburn, James T. Lund, William Conklin, Chester Hyde, Silas Coburn, Henry Vanderlyn, Benjamin Carpenter, A. B. Skinner, and Henry R. Hoisington, the latter afterwards a missionary to India.
In 1822 the board of trustees raised, for all purposes, the sum of $1494. An extensive job of paving was done during this season on Genesee Street, from Whitesboro' Street to the canal. The material used was large cobble or bowlder stone, and the work was said to have been well done. Franklin Street was opened, and Bleecker Street continued westward, and in the course of the season of 1823 opened to its junction with the Whitesboro' road. The portion west of Genesce Street is now known as Fayette Street.
It was also in this year that the eccentric Lorenzo Dow visited Utica, remaining for some time, and ereating the usual furore by his uncouth appearance, and his somewhat peculiar doctrines and style of delivery.
Among the prominent residents or new-comers of this date were Edmund A. Wetmore, a distinguished attorney, and partner with Judge Morris S. Miller, and afterwards with Judge Hiram Denio, for many years ; Thomas Hunt Flandrau, another distinguished member of the bar, and for some years a partner in its practice with Colonel Aaron Burr, in New York; Dr. I. N. Meacham, Augustine G. Dauby, a noted newspaper editor, politician, and writer ; Captain Charles Stuart, the eccentrie principal of the Utica Academy ; and Hiram Greenman, a noted packet captain on the canal, real estate dealer, and prominently interested in steam navigation on Lake Ontario.
In 1823 a large additional amount of paving was done on- Liberty, Catherine, Broad, and Genesee Streets, includ- ing the triangular space known as Bagg Square.
The village seems, at this period, to have arrived at that stage where its future had become assured, and hence- forth its growth in business and importanee was rapid and substantial for many years. The population in 1823 is given as 4017.
It was during this year that the struggle between the Greeks and Turks elicited the sympathies of so many in behalf of the former, who were looked upon as a heroic people struggling with their oppressors for their liberties. This sympathy was genuine and wide-spread in the United States, and the people of Utica were not behind their breth- ren of other portions of the country in their expressions of sympathy and substantial contributions for the rchief of the descendants of the ancient people. The sum of $163.57 was raised and forwarded to the proper authorities.
A lyceum was organized in November of this year for the purpose of encouraging the study and dissemination of a knowledge of the useful sciences. Among those actively engaged in its behalf were Win. H. Maynard, who drafted its constitution ; Jones Platt, its first president; Nathan Williams, Morris S. Miller, Thomas Goodsell, A. B. John- son, Saml. Beardsley, and General Joseph Kirkland.
The year 1823 witnessed the arrival in Utica of a large
number of prominent men, or those who afterwards became so. Among them were Samuel Beardsley and Jonas Platt, both of whom occupied high and responsible positions. Mr. Beardsley filled the various offices of District Attorney of Oneida County, State Senator for the Fifth District, United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York, Representative in Congress, Attorney-General of New York, and Justice and Chief-Justice of the Supreme Court of the State. He died May 6, 1860.
Mr. Platt was clerk of Herkimer County from 1791 to 1798, clerk of Oneida County, clerk of Herkimer Common Pleas Court in 1794, a member of the Assembly in 1796, member of Congress in 1799-1801, and in 1810, '11, '12, and '13 was State Senator from the Western District. In 1814 he was appointed judge of the Supreme Court. He dicd at Peru, Clinton Co., N. Y., Feb. 22, 1834 .*
The same year another prominent attorney became a resident of Utica; this was Thomas H. Hubbard, who was the first clerk of the Court of Chancery for this district. He was soon after made clerk of the Supreme Court, which office he held until 1835. In 1816 he had represented the distriet composed of Madison and Herkimer Counties in Congress. He was a trustee of the Utica Academy and presidential elector in 1812, and was subsequently choseu to the same position in 1844 and 1852. He died in Utica, May 21, 1857.
Alfred Munson was another valuable acquisition to the place in 1823. For fifteen years succeeding his arrival in: Utica he carried on the business of manufacturing buhr mill-stones, during which he built up a very extensive busi- ness. He was prominently connected with the passenger traffic of the Erie Canal and the steam-navigation of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, and also with the early railway enterprises from 1834 to 1844.
With the manufacturing interests of Utica he was also prominently connected, and with the water-works, the Acad- emy, the banking institutions, the State Lunatic Asylum, the Pennsylvania coal trade, etc. Mr. Munson was a member of Grace Episcopal Church, and by his will left it the munificent legacy of $15,000. He also left funds of various kinds, amounting in the aggregate to $34,000, to the Utica Orphan Asylum. The sum left by him to Grace Church has been increased by his heirs to $31,500 since his death, which took place May 6, 1854.
Another remarkable man of this date was John Butter- field, who came to Utiea in 1822, and entered into the em- ploy of Mr. Jason Parker, who was then engaged in run- ning lines of post-coaches. Mr. Butterfield was born at Berne, in Albany County, among the Helderberg Monu- tains, Nov. 18, 1801, and when found by Mr. Faxton he was driving a city team in Albany.
He began business as a runner for Parker, and proved competent and very successful. Subsequently he purchased of a traveler a horse and carriage, and opened a small livery-stable, to which he added from time to time as his means permitted. He also, after his marriage, kept a boarding-house. His livery business prospered until it became the leading one in the place, and later he entered
# Notice of both these gentlemen in Chapter XVIII.
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HISTORY OF ONEIDA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
into the staging business, and eventually became the most prominent owner in the State. He was interested in packet-lines on the canal after its completion, and in steam navigation on Lake Ontario. Upon the advent of railways he immediately became interested, and was instrumental in the completion of the Utica and Black River and the two southern roads. At an early day he engaged in the ex- press business, and was a prominent director. In connection with Messrs. Faxton, Wells, Livingston, and others, he was in- strumental in establishing the first lines of telegraph in the State, and in later years was foremost in putting in operation the Overland Mail to the Pacific coast. He was an officer of the State Agricultural Society, and for many years was prominently connected with various business enterprises and institutions in the city where he made his home. Among the commanding monuments of his labors in Utica are the great Butterfield Hotel and the Gardner Block.
Mr. Butterfield was no politician, but such was his prom- inence as a citizen and his extensive interests as a property- holder, that the Republican party placed his name at the head of the city ticket in 1865, and he was elected Mayor of Utica. In the same year he was a candidate on the Democratic ticket for State Senator. He died from the effects of a paralytic stroke Nov. 14, 1869. Mr. Butter- field left a widow and six surviving children,-three sons and three daughters: Theodore F., John, Danie!, Mrs. James B. Van Vorst, Mrs. Alexander Holland, and Mrs. William M. Storrs. Daniel was a distinguished officer during the war of the Rebellion, rising to the rank of major-general, and subsequently filled the office of Assist- tant Treasurer of the United States at New York.
Hugh White, the first settler of Whitestown, in 1784, became a citizen of Utica in 1823. He was appointed, by Judge Ezekiel Bacon, agent of the new packet company which was organized in that year, and from that time con- tinued to reside in the place until his death, in 1860 .*
Another new-comer of 1823 was Michael McQuade, long known in Utica as an extensive brewer and as alderman for many years of the First Ward. He is the father of General James McQuade, Thomas R., Patrick, Mrs. Egan, and Mrs. Bulger.
The board of trustees for the year 1824 appropriated the sum of $1837.25 for general expenses, and recommended an additional levy of $400 for the support of the poor ; and the principal of the public schools, Roswell Holcomb, was paid a salary of $350.
Genesee Street was paved during the season from the canal to the office of the clerk of the Supreme Court ; Rome Strect was widened and its name changed, in compliment to the nation's distinguished guest, to Fayette Street ; and various other streets, lancs, and alleys were opened and in- proved. Sewers were also constructed on Genesce, Main, Burnet, Charlotte, and Bleecker Strects, and sidewalks were constructed on Jay, First, and Elizabeth Streets; a lot for a new engine-house was leased on Franklin Street, and steps were taken towards establishing a cemetery. Eight watch- men were also appointed for night service.
A new village surveyor, in the person of Holmes Hut-
chinson, was appointed this year to take the place of Charles C. Brodhead. Mr. Hutchinson had been appointed an engineer on the Erie Canal as carly as 1819, and in 1835 was made chief engineer, which position he occupied until 1841. Among his multitudinous labors were surveys and maps of the Eric and Champlain, the Oswego, the Black River, the Chenango, the Crooked Lake, and the Chemung Canals. He also had charge of the Cumberland and Ox- ford Canal, in Maine, and the Blackstone Canal, in Massa- chusetts and Rhode Island. He did a large amount of surveying in various counties, and was a prominent stock- holder and manager in various railway and banking enter- prises, navigation companies, etc. Dr. Bagg states that " in his office, on Bleecker Street, were drawn up all the plans and specifications for the whole line of the enlarged (Erie) Canal."
It is, perhaps, not generally known that the Mohawk River has been utilized for hydraulic purposes at Utica ; but such is the fact. After the construction of the Erie Canal, the use of the river for transportation purposes was abandoned, and the question of constructing dams and mills began to be discussed. The people of Utica were divided upon the subject ; but in the year 1823 an act was passed by the Legislature authorizing the construction of a dam at Utica, and in September of that year one was built a few rods below the bridge, and a grist-mill put in operation by Parker & Alverson. It was not long before complaints began to be made by parties owning land above, and a suit was brought against the mill-owners, which resulted in their favor; but the feeling against the enterprise increased, and when a second suit was commenced the proprictors aban- doned the business, and the mill and dam were removed.
Among the distinguished men of this period were Judge Greene C. Bronson, the celebrated advocate and jurist ; Benjamin F. Cooper; Samuel D. Dakin, a noted journalist and mechanic; Henry K. Sanger; Elisha Harrington, a teacher, but better known as the compiler of several of the early directories of Utica; Isaiah Tiffany, a bookseller ; Alrick Hubbell, a prominent merchant and civil and mili- tary officer, who died in January, 1877; George S. and James Wilson, printers, and noted for the interest they mani- fested in the Sunday-school cause; Ira Merrell, another printer ; Henry Ivison, a book-binder; and Harry Bushnell, a remarkable singer, exhorter, and class-leader in the Metho- dist Church.
The year 1825 was marked by two great events in the history of Utica,-the visit of General Lafayette and the celebration of the opening of the Erie Canal ; the first in June, and the last in October. The village trustees called a meeting in May, at which a committee of arrangements, consisting of the President, William Clark, Esq., and Messrs. Maynard and Ballou, was appointed to confer with others in arranging an appropriate programme for the re- ceptiou of the distinguished guest of the nation. A com- mittee of citizens was likewise appointed, and every prepara- tion made for a general jubilee. The following account was published in one of the papers of the place, and repub- lished in Dr. Bagg's work, from which we transcribe it :
# See history of Whitestown.
t See Chapter XVIII.
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HISTORY OF ONEIDA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
" June 9, 1825, the deputations from the general committee of ar- rangements at Utica, of which Ilis Honor, Judge Williams, was chair- man, accompanied hy Colonel Lansing and Ilis Honor Judge Storrs, proceeded to Rome to meet General Lafayette. At Rome they were joined by General Weaver and his suite, on the part of the military deputation. A deputation from the committee at Rome, with Colonel Lansing, Judge Williams, and Judge Storrs, proceeded in a boat some miles up the canal and met the boat of the general. At ten o'clock in the evening, the general, his son, Colonel Lafayette, M. Le Vasseur, his secretary, and another friend, were received into ear- riages and conducted to the arsenal, where they were received by Lieutenant Simonson, the commandant of that post, with a national salute, and the other honors usually paid to a major-general. Ladies and gentlemen were introdneed, and he was then conducted to Starr's Hotel, and an address delivered him by Wheeler Barnes, president of the village. The village was illuminated. At six o'clock on the 10th inst. he visited Colonel Lansing at Oriskany, who was under his command at Yorktown. A committee from the village of Whites- boro' conducted him in a barouche, attended hy a military escort, to tho yard of the lato residence of Judge Platt, where he was intro- duced, and thence to the house of Mr. Berry, where he was received by the general committee of arrangements, and an address delivered him by Judge Williams. Next he visited the widow of Judge White, at whose honse he was entertained in 1784, when he assisted at the treaty with the Indians held at Rome.
" The procession was formed at Whiteshoro'. The general was scated in the barouche, accompanied by Judge Williams, and preceded by an escort of cavalry commanded by General John J. Knox. The general was followed by a carriage conveying his son, Colonel Lafay- ette, Colonel Lansing, Colonel Mappa, and Richard R. Lansing. Next succeeded coaches with his secretary, M. Le Vasseur, the other gentle- men of his suite, and the Utiea committee, Judge Storrs, Lieutenant Simonson, and Captain Wright, of Rome. A large cavalcade of eiti- zens on horseback, riding three abreast, followed, and were succeeded by a squadron of cavalry under Lieutenant Cone. The procession moved rapidly, and increased as it passed, from the accession of citizens. All the way the fenees were lined and the houses thronged with people, manifesting the utmost eagerness to see the favorite and guest of the Nation. When the general arrived at the boundary of the village a salute of twenty-four guns was fired. The procession entered La- fayette Street, where the troops, under the command of Lieutenant- Colonel Ostrom, were drawn up on both sides of the way, and saluted the general as he passed. The procession entered Genesee Street, the crowd of cager spectators accumulating at every step, and passed the bridge over the canal, where a triumphal arch was erected, with a flag prepared by Mr. Vanderlip, labeled ' LAFAYETTE, THE APOSTLE OF LIBERTY, WE HAIL THEE WELCOME!' The procession moved down Genesee Street, the sidewalks, doors, and windows being thronged, and stopped at Shepard's Hotel, where the general was received on the steps at the front door by William Clarke, Esq., president of the vil- lage of Utica, and the corporation, and a speech was delivered by Mr. Clarke, followed by a reply from Lafayette.
" The general breakfasted and dined at Shepard's, and in the inter- val the ceremonies of introduction and the review of the troops were performed. An immense number of gentlemen of the county of Oneida and the vicinity were introduced to the general, and at twelve o'clock the ladies were introduced, which ceremony occupied nearly an hour, so great was the number whom patriotism, respect, and affection called to the interesting seene. The troops passed in review before the general, who received their salute standing uncovered on the steps of Mr. Shepard's front door. At the particular request of General Lafayette, the chiefs of tho Oneidas were invited to meet him; and among them he recognized two whom he knew during the Revolu- tionary war. But one of the most solemn and affecting incidents was the interview hetween the general and the old soldiers of tho Revolu- tionary army. A large number were assembled, some of whom wero with him at the attack on the rodoubts at Yorktown. The deep and keen feelings manifested by these venerahle men on once moro behold- ing their beloved general, and his frequent exclamations, 'Oh, my friond, I know you !' with the impassioned salutations, excited the liveliest sympathies of every heart.
"Over the front door of Mr. Shepard's hotel was placed a splendid transparent painting, by Mr. Vanderlip, on which was inscribed in large letters, ' WELCOME, LAFAYETTE.' After the general had partaken of a cold collation (the only dinner which circumstances would permit),
at which Rev. Mr. Willey eraved the blessing of Providence, the general, by particular request of the President of the United States, visited the family of Alexander B. Johnson, Esq. ( Mrs. Johnson being niece of the President), who, with a few ladies of the village, received him with the cordiality and respect which all feel. On his return he called for a moment at the house of Arthur Breese, Esq , where tho Rev. Mr. Galusha delivered him a neat poetical address. The general then paid his respects to the family of President Clarke, and was con- ducted to the packet-boat ' Governor Clinton,' named for the occasion ' Lafayette,' commandled by Major Swartwout, and which had been fitted in tasteful and elegant style for his accommodation to Schenec- tady. It was drawn by three white horses, which, with their rider, had appropriate decorations. At the moment of embarkation a saluto of twenty-four guns was fired, and when the boat began to move tho citizens congregated on the bridges and banks of the canal rent the air with loud and long-continued cheering, which was repeated at intervals until the general had passed the compact part of the village. At the last bridge, near the residence of the lamented Judge Miller, little boys threw baskets of flowers into the boat as it passed. The general all the time presented himself to the people, and answered their congratulations with bows and expressive gesticulations. Tho committee attended him to the bounds of the county, and a deputation proceeded with him."
The visit of the illustrious compatriot of Washington to America was the greatest event of the kind which the people of the United States have ever been witness to, and he was everywhere received with the liveliest demonstra- tions of gratitude and respect. His journey through the various portions of the country was like the triumphal march of a conqueror, and one continued ovation, amid the ringing of bells, the thunder of artillery, and the acclamations of the populace, which met him at every step. The village of Utica bore an honorable part in the general jubilee, and her older citizens, the few remaining ones who remember the joyful occasion, still speak with pride of the honors shown to him who was the bosom-friend of the " Father of his Country,"-the unselfish patriot who threw his fortune and influence into the seale in favor of the " rights of man.'
The second great event was the celebration of the opening of the grand Erie Canal throughout its entire extent, which commeneed on the 26th of October and continued for several days. Governor Clinton, the officers of the State government, a committee of the Common Council of the city of New York, and numerous delegations of citizens in a flotilla of boats made the passage from Lake Erie to Sandy Hook amid the most enthusiastie demonstrations along the whole route. The people of Utiea were not behind other towns and cities in doing honor to the occasion.
The following gentlemen constituted the Committee of Arrangements appointed by the people of the village to take part in the grand celebration : William Clarke, presi- dent of the corporation, Jonas Platt, Thomas H. Hubbard, Charles C. Broadhead, Richard R. Lansing, and Dr. Alex- ander Coventry.
The Governor and delegations reached Utica on Sunday, and in the afternoon attended divine services at the Pres- byterian Church. On Monday there was a grand reception at the court-house, where Judge Ezekiel Bacon, on behalf of the town, delivered an address, which was feelingly re- sponded to by Governor Clinton, whose far-seeing vision had comprehended the great work, and whose untiring energy and indomitable will had triumphed over the ob- stacles of nature and the scoffs and ridicule of ignorance,
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until he stood vindicated before the world as a profound statesman and the greatest public benefactor of the age .*
The completion of this great work was an important event in the history of Utica, and a very large trade con- centrated here, giving the place an impetus which in the course of five years nearly doubled its population, and which to the present time has undoubtedly been an impor- tant factor in its steady upbuilding. The completion of the Chenango Canal in 1836, connecting the Erie Canal with the waters of the Susquehanna River, was another important event which added to the business and healthy growth of Utica ; and the climax of its good fortune was reached when the railways and the great manufacturing in- dustries subsequently added their crowning influence.
The influence of the Erie Canal upon the increase of the place is best shown by a few figures touching the popula- tion. In 1820, when a portion of the canal was in opera- tion, the number of inhabitants was 2972; in 1823, it liad increased to 4017; in 1825, to 5040; and in 1830, to 8335.
The great steam woolen- and cotton-mills were put in operation in 1846-48, and the railway influence began to be felt as early as 1839, and has been increasing in a steady ratio up to within a very few years by the extension of the great main line and the construction of new ones north and south.
Considerable feeling was aroused again in 1828 for the struggling Greeks, and Utica contributed quite liberally in their behalf.
In 1831 the terrible conflict which the Poles were waging against the gigantic power of Russia awakened a chord of sympathy throughout the civilized world. In the United States the feeling was intense, and public expressions of sympathy were made throughout the land, and substantial contributions in various forms were forwarded to General Lafayette, who had consented to act as agent for the Americans.
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