USA > New York > Ontario County > History of Ontario Co., New York > Part 20
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Executive Department .- Governor, Myron H. Clark, of the village of Canan- daigua, held the office of governor during the years 1855-56 .:
Council of Appointment .- The first constitution provided for a council of ap- pointment, which was composed of one senator from each district, openly nomi- nated and appointed by the assembly. The governor was the presiding officer of the council, and had a casting vote. The power and duties of the council are plainly indicated by its name. The following-named senators, residents of On- tario, were duly chosen as members of this body, and served during the years in- dicated : Thomas Morris, 1797 ; Lemuel Chipman, 1802; John Nicholas, 1807 ; Amos Hall, 1810; Philetus Swift, 1811, and Stephen Bates, 1819.
Secretary of State, John C. Spencer, appointed February 4, 1839.
Comptroller, Thomas Hillhouse, elected November 7, 1865.
Canal Commissioners, Myron Holley, appointed April 17, 1816, and William W. Wright, elected November 5, 1861.
Adjutant-Generals, Levi Hubbell and Thomas Hillhouse, appointed, the former June 4, 1833, the latter August 19, 1861.
Bank Commissioner, James Rees, appointed February 1, 1830. Inspector of State's Prison, Jared Wilson, appointed May 10, 1835. State Engineer, Charles B. Stewart, elected November 2, 1847.
Regents of the University, John Greig, appointed January 12, 1825, and William H. Goodwin, appointed June 24, 1865.
Judiciary Department .- Judges of Court of Appeals, Samuel A. Foote, elected April 11, 1851, and Charles J. Folger, elected May 17, 1870 ; Justices of the Supreme Court, Henry W. Taylor, appointed March 27, 1850, vice Maynard, de- ceased; James C. Smith, appointed May 23, 1862, vice Knox, resigned. Mr. Smith has held uninterrupted possession of the office up to the present time, having been twice re-elected to the position. Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court, Jacob Sutherland, appointed January 29, 1823; Circuit Judge, Bowen Whiting, appointed April 7, 1844.
Constitutional Conventions .- The convention of 1801 was organized "to settle the controversy which had arisen regarding the relative powers of the governor and council of appointment respecting nominations for office." Ontario County was represented by Moses Atwater. The convention of 1821 framed the second constitution of the State. To assist in its deliberations, Ontario sent Micah Brooks, John Price, David Sutherland, Philetus Swift, and Joshua Van Fleet. The third State constitution was framed by the convention of 1846. To this body the delegates of this county were Robert C. Nicholas and Alvah Worden.
Once more a convention was called to frame a new constitution. The work of this convention of 1867 was but partially approved by the people, the judiciary article alone being ratified at the polls. Henry O. Chesebro, Angus McDonald, Eldridge G. Lapham, and Charles J. Folger represented this county.
Legislative Department .- State senators. The constitution of 1777 divided the State into four senatorial districts,-the southern, middle, eastern, and western. These districts were varied from time to time as population increased, Ontario being always in the western district. During the period of this constitution the county was represented in the State Assembly by the following-named senators :
Thomas Morris, served from 1797 to 1801; Lemuel Chipman, 1801-5; John Nicholas, 1805-9; Amos Hall, 1809-13; Philetus Swift, 1813-15; Ste- phen Bates, 1815-16; Philetus Swift, 1816-17; Stephen Bates, 1817-19, and Gideon Granger, 1819-21. The constitution of 1821 designated the respective senatorial districts by numbers, and that system has been retained. Since Ontario County has ever been but a part of a senatorial district, we can but name those who, representing the district to which she belonged, were themselves citizens of the county : John C. Spencer, 1825-28; Chester Loomis, 1835-38; Robert C. Nich- olas, 1839-42 : Mark H, Sibley, 1840-41 ; Albert Lester, 1844-47 ; Myron H. Clark, 1854; Wm. H. Goodman, 1855; Thomas Hillhouse, 1860-61; Charles J. Folger, 1862-68 ; Stephen H. Hammond, 1875.
Messrs. Bates, Granger, Clark, Morris, Lester, and Sibley, were from Canan-
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HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY, NEW YORK.
daigua ; Mesers. John and Robert C. Nicholas, Folger, Goodwin, Hillhouse, and Hammond, were from Geneva; Chipman was a resident of the town of Ontario, now in Wayne; Hall was of Palmyra, also of Wayne; Loomis was from Rush- ville, and Swift from Phelps.
Members of Assembly .- In the year 1820, John C. Spencer was speaker of this body. There seems to have been no member from Ontario until 1796. Its ter- ritory was then extensive. The assembly district until 1802 was composed of Ontario and Steuben. Lemuel Chipman served in 1797; Amos Hall, 1798-99; Nathaniel Norton, 1800 ; N. Norton and L. Chipman, 1801; P. B. Porter and Dan. Chapin, 1802. Genesee and Ontario assemblymen were: Thaddeus Chapin and Augustus Porter, in 1803; Nat. M. Howell and Amos Hall, 1804; Amos Hall and Daniel W. Lewis, 1805, and D. W. Lewis, 1806. Allegany, Genesee, and Ontario were represented in the assembly in 1807 by Philetus Swift and Asahel Warner, and in 1808 by Amos Hall, A. Warner, and Philetus Swift.
ONTARIO ASSEMBLYMEN FROM 1809 TO 1876.
1809, Micah Brooks, Samuel Lawrence, Richard Leach, Hugh McNair, and Wm. Rogers; 1810, Valentine Brother, Israel Chapin, Daniel Dorsey, Wm. Markham, and Gideon Pitts; 1811, Septimus Evans, Reuben Hart, Hugh Mo- Nair, Stephen Phelps, and Asahel Warner; 1812, Nathl. Allen, V. Brother, David Sutherland, Joshua Van Fleet, and Ezra Waite; 1813, Abraham Dox, Gilbert Howell, Hugh McNair, D. Sutherland, and A. Warner: 1814, Hugh McNair, Stephen Phelps, D. Sutherland, J. Van Fleet, and A. Warner; 1815, Peter Allen, John Price, Ira Selby, James Roseburgh, and D. Sutherland ; 1816, Peter Allen (brief time), Henry Fellows, I. Chapin, J. Child, M. Holley, A. Kelsey, F. Lee, and R. Sprague; 1817, J. Child, P. Allen, Byron Green, Caleb Hopkins, Joshua Lee, Jas. Roseburgh, and N. Whitney; 1818, Phineas P. Bates, Nathaniel Case, Samuel Lawrence, James Roseburgh, Ira Selby, John Van Topen, and Ezra Waite; 1819, William Billinghurst, Byron Green, Eli Hill, William McCartney, Elijah Spencer, John A. Stevens, and Asahel Warner ; 1820, Byron Green, V. Brother, John Price, John C. Spencer, Elisha B. Strong, John Van Topen, and Matthew Warner; 1821, Claudius V. Boughton, William Cornwall, Oliver Culver, Truman Hart, Myron Holley, J. C. Spencer, and Wm. H. Spencer ; 1822, Birdseye Brooks, Byram Green, Isaac Moore, Aaron. Remer, and David White ; 1823, B. Brooks, Richard Hogarth, Jacob Leach, A. Remer, Ira Selby, and P. Swift; 1824, Daniel Ashley, Gideon Pitts, and Bowen Whiting; 1825, Claudius V. Boughton, G. Pitts, and B. Whiting; 1826, C. V. Boughton, Fr. Granger, and Gideon Pitts; 1827, Fr. Granger, Lemuel Morse, and Nathan Parke; 1828, Fr. Granger, Heman Chapin, and Robert C. Nicholas; 1829, John Dickson, Walter Hubbell, and R. C. Nicholas; 1830, John Dickson, Fr. Granger, and R. C. Nicholas; 1831, Thomas Ottley, Samuel Rawson, and John C. Spencer ; 1832, Francis Granger, Jeremiah Mason, and R. C. Nicholas; 1833, Ephraim W. Cleveland, J. C. Spencer, and James H. Woods; 1834, Peter Mitchell, Oliver Phelps, and Aaron Younglove; 1835, Ariel Hendee, William Hildreth, and Mark H. Sibley ; 1836, Amos Jones, Henry Pardoe, and M. H. Sibley ; 1837, Amos Jones, H. Pardee, and Henry W. Taylor; 1838, Jonathan Buel, David Hudson, H. W. Taylor; 1839, Augustus Sawyer, Z. Barton Stout, H. W. Taylor; 1840, Reynold Peck, Abraham A. Post, H. W. Taylor; 1841, Isaac Mills, Daniel O. Robinson, Alvah Worden ; 1842, Peter M. Dox, Staats Green, Joseph C. Shelton; 1843, Sylvester Austin, James C. Brown, Jedediah Dewey, Jr .; 1844, Lorenzo Clark, Israel Huntington, Henry Pardee; 1845, Timothy Buell, Jr., I. Huntington, Alvah Worden ; 1846, Elias Cost, Joseph C. Shelton, Alvah Worden; 1847, Emory B. Pottle, Ezra Pierce ; 1848, Charles S. Brother, Hiram Ashley ; 1849, Dolphus Stevenson, Josiah Porter ; 1850, John L. Dox, Josiah Porter ; 1851, Thomas J. McLouth, Henry Pardee ; 1852, Wil- liam R. Pettit, Elnathan C. Simmons; 1853, Marcus Parsons, Hiram Ashley ; 1854, Jesse Cost, Stephen V. R. Mallory ; 1855, William H. Lamport, Oliver Case; 1856, Oliver Case, Samuel A. Foot; 1857, Samuel A. Foot, Zoroaster Paul; 1858, Volney Edgerton, Ira R. Peck ; 1859, Ulysses Warner, Shotwell Powell; 1860, Shotwell Powell, Lewis Peck ; 1861, Peter B. Field, Stephen H. Ainsworth; 1862, David Pickett, Francis O. Mason; 1863, Perez H. Field, Lanson Dewey; 1864, Lanson Dewey, Perez H. Field; 1865, Volney Edgerton, Edward Brunson; 1866, Edward Brunson, Hiram Shutt; 1867, Samuel H. Torrey, Hiram Shutt; 1868, Henry Ray, Samuel H. Torrey; 1869, George Cook, Henry Ray; 1870, Henry Ray, David E. Wilson; 1871, David E. Wilson, George W. Nicholas; 1872, Ambrose L. Van Dusen, Cyrille S. Lincoln; 1873, A. L. Van Dusen, C. S. Lincoln; 1874, C. S. Lincoln, Stephen H. Hammond ; 1875, Stephen H. Hammond, C. S. Lincoln ; 1876, Seth Stanley, Hiram Max- field.
Presidential Electors for different electoral colleges have been as follows : Hugh Jamison, 1808; Wm. Burnett, 1812; Nathaniel Rochester, 1816; Philetus Swift, 1820; Micah Brooks, 1824; William Hildreth, 1828; Oliver Phelps,
1832; Jared Willson, 1836; Gideon Lee, 1840 ; John Lapham, 1844; Jedediah Dewey, 1864; William C. Dryer, 1868.
Oficer of Electoral College .- John C. Spencer, Messenger to Washington, 1808.
Postmaster-General .- Francis Granger, 'appointed in 1841, and Gideon Gran- ger, appointed under Thomas Jefferson's administration, and held until the suo- cession of Madison.
Assistant United States Treasurer .- Charles J. Folger and Thomas Hillhouse. United States Commissioners .- Thomas W. Howell and George B. Dusin- berre.
Pension Agent .- L. M. Drury.
United States Deputy Marshals .- George W. Bemis, James M. Palmer, Wil- liam Hildreth, and David V. Benham.
Representatives to Congress.
Thomas Morris .
7th
Congress, 1801-3.
Oliver Phelps
8th
1803-5.
Nathaniel W. Howell .
13th
1813-15.
Micah Brooks
14th
1815-17.
John C. Spencer
15th
1817-19.
Nathaniel Allen
16th
= 1819-21.
John Dickson
22d and 23d
1831-35.
Francis Granger
24th
1835-37.
Mark H. Sibley
25th
1837-39.
Francis Granger, resigned March 3, 1841
26th and 27th
1839-41.
John Greig, elected to fill vacancy,
resigned September 25, 1841 . 27th
1841.
Robert L. Rose .
30th and 31st .
1847-51.
Emory B. Pottle
. 35th and 36th
1857-61.
William H. Lamport
. 42d and 43d
1871-75.
Elbridge G. Lapham
. 44th
1875-77.
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COUNTY JUDGES.
The County judges were appointed by the council from 1777 to 1822; by the governor and senate from 1822 to 1846. One of the number was styled first judge, and the others were known as associates. The pioneer judge of Ontario was Oliver Phelps, who continued in office from May 5, 1789, until October 5, 1793, when Timothy Hosmer was appointed to the office, and held it until June, 1805, when, constitutionally disqualified by age for longer exercise of official duty, he retired to private life. He was succeeded by John Nicholas, appointed Jan- nary 27, 1803, and who retained the office for sixteen years, when he resigned its honors and responsibilities into the hands of Nathaniel W. Howell, who served from the date of his appointment, March 13, 1819, until 1833. The various in- cumbents of the office since the later date have been Oliver Phelps, appointed April 30, 1833; Bowen Whiting, July 17, 1838; Charles J. Folger, May 7, 1844; E. Fitch Smith, February 10, 1845; Mark H. Sibley, elected June, 1847; C. J. Folger, November, 1851 ; Peter M. Dox, November, 1855; John M. Brad- ford, appointed March 18, 1856 ; H. W. Folger, elected November, 1856; George B. Dusinberre, 1857; William H. Smith, 1868, and Francis O. Mason, 1872.
SURROGATES.
Under the first State constitution, surrogates were appointed for unlimited periods. Under this system the office was filled in Ontario by the following, with date of appointment : John Cooper, May 5, 1789; Samuel Mellish, March 22, 1792; Israel Chapin, Jr., March 18, 1795; Amos Hall, February 23, 1796; Dudley Saltonstall, January 25, 1798; Reuben Hart, February 16, 1809; Eli- phalet Taylor, February 13, 1810; Reuben Hart, February 5, 1811; E. Taylor, March 9, 1813; R. Hart, March 17, 1815; Stephen Phelps, April 10, 1817, and Ira Selby, March 5, 1821. Under the second constitution the surrogate's term was four years. The office was filled by appointment by governor and State senate. The following-named were so appointed :
Jared Wilcox, March 31, 1823; Jared Willson, March 31, 1837 ; Orson Ben- jamin, June 29, 1840, and George R. Burburt, April 10, 1844. The constitu- tion of 1846 abolished the office, except in such counties as were possessed of a population exceeding forty thousand. In such counties as were embraced in this exception, the Legislature, at option, might authorize the election of surrogates. When so elected, it was for a term of two years, which has since been increased to four years. Under these provisions, Ontario did not contain sufficient popula- tion until 1851, until which time the duties of the office were filled by the county judge. In 1851, the Legislature authorized the people of Ontario to elect a sur- rogate, and the right has been exercised until the present, as follows: George
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HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY, NEW YORK.
Willson, Jr., November 2, 1851; Orson Benjamin, December 2, 1852; Samuel Salsbury, February 18, 1853; John N. Whiting, November, 1855; O. Benjamin, November, 1857; Elihu M. Morse, appointed October 11, 1861, elected Novem- ber, 1861, and re-elected November, 1865; Isaac R. Purcell, elected 1869; Charles A. Richardson was elected November, 1873, and is the present incumbent. Nathaniel W. Howell was appointed assistant attorney-general on February 9, 1797. Ontario was then part of the sixth of seven districts into which New York was divided. The office is known as district attorney since April 4, 1801. The number of districts was increased to thirteen as new ones were formed. Ontario was connected with the seventh, and then the tenth district. Two citizens of Ontario were honored by appointments to this office during the continuance of this plan,-Daniel W. Lewis, appointed March 9, 1810, and John C. Spencer, February 18, 1815. On April 21, 1818, a law was passed making each county a separate district ; since then the following have been appointed to 1847, and subsequently elected :
John C. Spencer, June 11, 1818. Abraham P. Vosburg, March 31, 1821. Bowen Whiting, January 1, 1823. Henry F. Penfield, May 16, 1832. George W. Clinton, May 19, 1835. Nathan Parke, August 16, 1836. Thomas M. Howell, May 23, 1840. B. Slosson, elected June, 1847.
James C. Brown, August 23, 1849. Stephen R. Mallory, October 2, 1849. Jacob B. Faurot, November, 1850. Thomas O. Perkins, November, 1855. Edwin Hicks, appointed March 7, 1857. Wm. H. Smith, elected November, 1857. Edwin Hicks, November, 1863. Frank Rice, November, 1875.
COUNTY CLERKS.
Since the organization of the county the following have served : Nathaniel Gorham, Jr., May 5, 1789. John Wickham, March 18, 1795. Peter B. Porter, January 20, 1797. Sylvester Tiffany, July 3, 1804. James B. Mower, March 21, 1808. Myron Holley, February 13, 1810. James B. Mower, February 5, 1811. Hugh McNair, March 17, 1815. John Van Fossen, July 3, 1819. Gavin L. Nicholas, March 5, 1821.
W. L. Hicks, November, 1873.
SHERIFFS.
The office of sheriff, probably next to county judge the most important in the county, has had the following succession: Judah Colt, appointed April 7, 1790. | Jonathan Buell, November, 1828. Jonas M. Wheeler, November, 1831. J. Garlinghouse, November, 1834. Myron H. Clark, November, 1837. John Lamport, November, 1840. E. Densmore, November, 1843. Phineas Kent, November, 1846. Wm. H. Lamport, November, 1849. Owen Edmonsten, November, 1852. Henry C. Swift, November, 1855. Wm. Hildreth, November, 1858. Harlow Munson, November, 1861. John Whitwell, November, 1864. Wm. W. Clarke, November, 1867. Nathaniel Norton, June 29, 1794. Roger Sprague, June 23, 1798. Benjamin Barton, February 16, 1802. Stephen Bates, March 13, 1806. James R. Guernsey, March 26, 1807. Stephen Bates, February 8, 1808. James Rees, February 13, 1810. S. Bates, February 5, 1811. Wm. Shepard, February 23, 1813. Nathaniel Allen, March 17, 1816. Phineas P. Bates, February 13, 1819. Samuel Laurence, March 10, 1821. P. P. Bates, elected November, 1822. Joseph Garlinghouse, November, 1825. Darwin Cheney, November, 1870. Nathaniel R. Boswell, November, 1873.
COUNTY TREASURER.
The office was created by the constitution of 1846, is elective, and was filled for the terms indicated by Henry K. Sanger, 1848; Ralph Chapin, 1851; Wm. H. Phelps, 1854; Jacob J. Matteson, 1855; Spencer Gooding, 1858; Charles A. Richardson, 1864 ; George N. Williams, 1870.
SUPERINTENDENTS OF THE POOR.
Thomas Ottley, Edward P. Parrish, and Edward Herendeen were elected in November, 1848. Ottley was re-elected 1849 and 1852, and Herendeen 1850 and 1853; George Rice was elected 1851, 1854; John Q. Groesbeck, 1855; John Lapham, 1856; Simeon R. Wheeler, 1857, 1860, 1863, 1866, 1869, and 1872; Jonathan Pratt, 1858; Daniel Arnold, 1859; Ambrose L. Van Dusen, 1861,
1864, 1867, and 1870 ; Leeman P. Miller, 1863, 1866, 1868; John H. Benham, 1871, 1874; Warren B. Witter, 1873, and Charles E. Shepard, 1875.
SCHOOL COMMISSIONERS.
This office finds records in the county archives in 1857; prior to that date, the duties were filled by town commissioners. Under the present system, each assem- bly district elects a school commissioner for a term of three years. In the first assembly district, Luther B. Antisdale was elected in 1857, and re-elected in 1860. He was succeeded by Jacob A. Wader, who was elected in 1863, and re- elected in 1866; Ezra J. Peck was elected in 1869; Hyland C. Kirk in 1872, and George V. Chapin in 1875. In the second assembly district, William M. Mclaughlin was elected in 1857. Before the expiration of official term, he re- moved from the county, and David E. Wilson was elected to fill the vacancy in 1859, and re-elected for a full term in 1860; Gilbert W. Sutphen was elected in 1863, Henry J. Wemett in 1866, Robert B. Simmons in 1869 and 1872, and Lucius L. Pierce, the present officer, in 1875.
LOAN COMMISSIONERS.
The office was established in 1837. It is filled by appointments made by the governor, and confirmed by the senate. The present incumbents are Messrs. A. L. Dewey and Henry Padelford. The following have filled the office: James Bogart, Oliver Case, Ralph Chapin, Nathaniel K. Cole, Lyman Cummings, Waldo Curtiss, Albert L. Dewey, Jedediah Dewey, Jr., Bolivar Ellis, Scott Hicks, Edgar H. Hurd, John Lapham, Peter Mitchell, John Mosher, Reuben J. Murray, George N. Reed, and Stephen Saxton.
JUSTICE OF SESSIONS.
The office was created in 1846, and the following have been its incumbents to the present : Elkanah Andrews, 1870-71.
Levi C. Aylworth, 1854.
John H. Benham, 1869.
Robert Chapin, 1862.
Lyman Clark, 1853, '54, 1871.
E. W. Cleveland, 1849-50.
Josiah Porter, 1847.
Justus H. Dawley, 1857.
John C. Dox, 1864-65.
B. Ellis, 1863-67.
C. J. Folger, 1849-50.
J. N. Granger, 1847-52.
D. R. Hawks, 1858. Geo. W. Stearns, 1856, '57, 1859, 1861.
Benj. Hicks, 1872.
Henry C. Swift, 1851.
A. Jones, 1855.
S. H. Torrey, 1858.
Ulysses Warner, 1853, 1863, '64, 1866, 1868.
CORONERS.
The official term is three years. Our record is complete from 1843. Jedediah Dewey, 1843, 1846, 1847, 1850, 1853 ; Robert Royce, 1844, 1847, 1850, and 1853; Imly Prescott, 1845; Harvey Jewett, 1845 and 1851; John Q. Howe, 1848, 1856, and 1859 : William Ball and Buell H. Bartlett, 1854; Hiram A. Potter, 1853; R. R. Gregg, 1856; Amos Crandall, 1857 ; D. F. Webster and An- son Wheeler, 1857 and 1860; Carlton H. Wood, 1859, 1866, and 1872; Aaron Young, 1848, 1851, 1854, 1861, and 1863 ; John F. Rogers, 1862, 1865; Hiram Jennings and John N. Dox, 1862; Daniel Durgan and Marcus Perkins, 1863; Hiram N. Eastman, James A. Hawley, and J. W. Palmer, 1866; J. B. Hayes, 1869 and 1872; Henry K. Clark, James F. Draper, and Albert J. Crittenden, 1869; N. Bryant, 1872; Nelson B. Covert, 1872 and 1875; John A. Shannon and Wm. R. Townsend, 1875.
THE INSTITUTION OF SLAVERY,
which for many years had been but a synonym for party strife, was short-lived in New York, and the owners soon gave their attention to freeing themselves from an incumbrance from which there was no profit. All that relates to servitude is become history. It is curious now to read that Dudley Saltonstall offered ten dollars reward " for the return of a mulatto slave girl, named Judith, commonly called Jude, who disguised herself in male apparel and ran away from him." Of a " negro slave named Lindy Moody, aged eighteen, ran away from D. B. Ferguson, in Phelps," and a reward of fifteen dollars was offered for her capture. Looking upon the barbarism as remote and but recently extinct, it seems novel to read from a newspaper of the olden day : " For Sale .- A negro wench with a child
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Isaac R. Parcell, 1862.
Ira Parker, 1868. John W. Parker, 1874-75.
James Parmelee, 1869. Ezra Pierce, 1859-60.
D. L. Covill, 1870.
Jas. M. Pulver, 1855, '56, 1873.
Hiram Shutt, 1861. Wm. Leavy, 1860. Richmond Simmonds, 1865-67. S. W. Smith, 1851-52. John P. Spear, 1874-75.
Wm. H. Warfield, 1872-73.
Charles Crane, November, 1831. John D. Dox, November, 1834. Thomas Hall, November, 1837. Alex. H. Howell, November, 1843. Reuben Murray, Jr., November, 1849. John J. Lyon, November, 1852. Elnathan W. Simmons, Nov., 1858. Jefferson J. Whitney, November, 1861. Nathan J. Milliken, November, 1864. Frederick W. Prince, November, 1867. G. L. Nicholas, elected November, 1822. Walter Marks, November, 1870. Ralph Lester, November, 1825.
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HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY, NEW YORK.
one year old. She is healthy, and capable of doing all kinds of housework. En- quire at this office, May 28, 1810." And again, " A negro girl about fifteen years old for sale. Enquire of the printer, March 3, 1814." In the town records of Canandaigua is found the following in relation to slaves : "Sally, a female child, born of Lin, a negro woman, slave to John Clark, October 10, 1807, re- corded 3d March, 1808. Eliphalet Saylor, Town Clerk." John C. Spencer re- corded his ownership and right to a female child named Sylvia, born of his slave Phobe, on September 27, 1811 ; and, on June 3, 1812, a male child named Wil- liam was born of Vin, the property of Freeman Atwater. His name was received for record April 28, 1813, by Abner Bunnell, town clerk. Phoebe, a colored woman, was a slave to Daniel Dorsey; her children were chattels of her master, though her husband, James Colbert, was free. Lloyd Colbert, born in 1784, was sold, December 7, 1812, to Nathaniel W. Howell. The following relic is of interest in this connection :
" We, Phineas Bates and Ambrose Phelps, overseers of the poor of the town of Canandaigua, County of Ontario, State of New York, do certify that a negro man-slave, named Lloyd Colbert, commonly called Lloyd, now owned by Nathaniel W. Howell, who resides in the said town, appears to be under the age of forty- five years, and of sufficient ability to provide for himself. Given under our hands, at Canandaigua, October 18, 1814.
" PHINEAS BATES, " AMBROSE PHELPS.
Witness, WALTER HUBBELL."
By the 3d section of the act entitled, " An act concerning slaves and servanta," 2d Vol. page 202, Revised Laws, it was the overseer's duty to give such certificate as the above. There was no contest upon this subject of slavery in this State, where involuntary servitude was not remunerative; accordingly, we find a law passed March 31, 1817, for the final and total abolition of slavery in the State, and declared to take place July 4, 1827. All negroes, mulattoes, and mustees within the State, born before that date, were to be free, and all of the same classes born after July 4, 1799, were to be free-males at the age of twenty-three, and females at the age of twenty-five years.
POLITICAL PARTIES.
Ontario, prior to 1875, has been known as a Republican county. The county is very nearly equally divided upon the questions of the day, and the strength of the two great parties is fairly exhibited by the official canvass of 1875 for secretary of state. In the general election held in Ontario, November 2, 1875, John Bigelow, Democrat, received four thousand five hundred and ninety-nine votes; Frederick W. Seward, Republican, four thousand five hundred and seventy- four votes, and G. B. Dusinberre, Prohibition candidate, three hundred and ninety- eight votes, from. a total of nine thousand five hundred and seventy-one votes polled.
POPULATION.
The following tabular statement, given on recurring decades, indicates the pro- gress of the county in that regard. In July, 1790, the census of the county of Ontario, then embracing the entire Genesee country, was taken by General Amos Hall, and there were found 205 families and 1081 persons, of whom 98 families and 451 persons were settled within its present limits. The population in 1800 of present towns was 8466 ; in 1810, 22,088; in 1820, 35,292 ; in 1830, 40,288; in 1840, 43,501 ; in 1850, 43,929; in 1860, 44,563; in 1870, 45,108, and by the census of 1875, 48,031. The population of towns at intervals is thus given :
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