History of Ontario Co., New York, Part 75

Author:
Publication date:
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 391

USA > New York > Ontario County > History of Ontario Co., New York > Part 75

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

A church of the Presbyterian denomination was formed in the town as early as 1817. It was received under the care of the presbytery of Geneva on August 13 of the year given. It was reported to consist of eighteen members in 1825, and annually thereafter, until 1831, its name was found on the reports. Later it is lost and forgotten.

THE SCHOOLS OF FARMINGTON have been the subject of considerable atten- tion, and are on a level with those of other towns. The following statistics are illustrative of public interest in this important branch of social culture. The town is divided into fourteen districts, of which all but one have school-houses in this county. Three only of these houses are separated from the highway by a fence. Boarding around is not in practice save in exceptional cases. Six dis- tricts use library funds in payment of teachers' wages. Verified registers are generally kept. The number of children between the ages of eight and fourteen, residents of the town, on September 30, 1875, was two hundred and forty, of whom two hundred and four respectively attended district school at least four- teen weeks of the year. The geographical features of the town are as follows: Location on the north tier of towns, west of the centre. Surface approximately level in the south, but interrupted by drift-ridges varying in height from fifty to one hundred feet above the general surface. Toward the south the slopes of these ridges are gradual, elsewhere they are precipitous declivities. The water-courses are Black brook and Mud and Beaver creeks. A strip of the south part has clay soil, while to the north is a gravelly loam which has been found very productive. For cultivation or grazing the lands are well adapted; and meadow, field, and pasture-grounds exist in fair proportions.

The reader cannot have failed to note several matters connected with the history of Farmington which are remarkable. Where counties have laid claim to en- terprise, growth, and prosperity, and towns have vied in friendly emulation to take the lead, Farmington has presented a direct advance from the felling of the first tree down to the present fine farms with neat buildings and broad fields. The advent of the pioneers was chilled by the ostracism of the society they loved, and in the midst of hardships their minds were set on the future. We see them regain fellowship, and set up a local society. We find them cheerfully submitting to loes of property to vindicate a principle, establishing a school to bring the boon of education within the reach of all, and buying up costly property to ex- clude from their midst the sale of liquors. Almost the whole town was settled by residents of Adams, Massachusetts, and nowhere could better material have been found. First in the purchase of the land in this town, but one of the original proprietors failed to become a permanent citizen and pay for his land. Alone in his forest hut one passed a winter,-a solitary picket on the outpost of civilization ; another journeyed long to find a mill where the first grain could be crushed ; yet others planted the peach- and the plum-pits, and sowed the seeds of the apple; so that in after-times the new settlers from different localities jour- neyed thither for fruit. The apples, cider, and apple-sauce of Farmington were a fine treat to the pioneers in the clearings of the Holland purchase. On some winter's day the keeper of a log tavern would set out in a sleigh and secure a load; and, on his return, the news would circulate far and wide, and on ox-sled and horse sleigh the settlers would gather to the feast and the frolic. Singular

in customs, plain in dress and speech, yet full of energy, the Comstocks and their brethren have left an impress upon the society of Farmington honorable to them- selves and beneficial to the community.

FARMINGTON IN THE REBELLION.

INFANTRY.

One Hundred and Twenty-sixth Regiment, Company H .- Orin J. Herendeen, captain. Enlisted Aug., 1862; taken prisoner at Harper's Ferry in 1862; ex- changed ; killed at battle of Gettysburg.

Simon Anthony, private. Enlisted Aug., 1862.

Francis M. Aldrich. Enlisted Aug., 1862; deserted at Harper's Ferry.

John L. Bullis, Enlisted Aug., 1862; taken prisoner at Gettysburg; wounded; exchanged; re-enlisted 1864; commissioned captain of a colored company.

James M. Carpenter, corporal. Enlisted Aug., 1862; discharged with regi- ment.

Morris Cahill. Enlisted Aug., 1862; deserted at Chicago.

William H. Chilson, sergeant. Enlisted Aug., 1862; wounded in battle of Wilderness ; served in the Invalid Corps to close of war.

George Deets. Enlisted Aug., 1862; killed at Petersburg, Va., June 16, 1864.

Hubbard S. Dickson. Enlisted Aug., 1862; lost a leg in the battle at Gettys- burg ; discharged 1865.

John Gorman. Enlisted Aug., 1862 ; taken prisoner at the battle of Reams' Station ; died at Andersonville, Ga.

Peter G. Hopkins. Enlisted Aug., 1862.

Patrick Kanaly. Enlisted Aug., 1862.

Smith B. Ketchum. Enlisted Aug., 1862; taken prisoner at Harper's Ferry ; discharged at Chicago for disability.

Thomas W. Lathrop. Enlisted Aug., 1862.

John McCray. Enlisted Aug., 1862; discharged at close of war.

Sandford B. Mead. Enlisted Aug., 1862; discharged with regiment.

George Nicholson. Enlisted Aug., 1862; killed in the battle of Gettysburg.

Stephen H. Osborn. Enlisted Aug., 1862; killed in intrenchments near Petersburg in the fall of 1864.

M. A. Payne. Enlisted Aug., 1862; deserted and went to Canada.

David Phipps. Enlisted Aug., 1862 ; lost an arm in the battle of Gettysburg ; discharged.

Charles L. Shephard. Enlisted Aug., 1862; discharged at close of war.

David A. Turner. Enlisted Aug., 1862 ; served through the war ; discharged.

James A. Young. Enlisted Aug., 1862 ; discharged with regiment.

Charles D. Stephens. Enlisted Aug., 1862; wounded in the battle of the Wilderness ; lost a leg; discharged.

James Graham. Enlisted Jan. 29, 1864.

Twenty-eighth Regiment, Company E. James McMynn. Enlisted April, 1861 ; re-enlisted Aug., 1863, in 1st N. Y. Cavalry ; died in service.

Chas. F. Beddlecome. Enlisted April, 1861; discharged on account of siok- ness ; drafted in 1863.

Isaac S. Wilson. Enlisted April, 1861 ; served under General Patterson in Virginia ; accidentally wounded ; discharged.

James Taylor. Enlisted April, 1861 ; killed in battle in Virginia.

Edward Payne. Enlisted 1861 ; discharged at expiration of term.

Eighteenth Regiment, Companies H and G .- Charles Bryant. Enlisted April, 1861, in Co. H ; served his time in the Potomac army ; discharged.

George Redfield. Enlisted April 16, 1861, in Co. G; discharged at expira- tion of term.

Willis E. Putnam. Enlisted April 18, 1861, in Co. G; served his time ; dis- charged.

Thirty-third Regiment .- Thomas Bond .. Enlisted April, 1861 ; discharged on account of sickness, Feb., 1863 ; drafted Aug., 1863; served till war closed.

John Cramer. Enlisted April, 1861 ; served his term ; discharged.

Michael .J. Ebert. Enlisted Aug., 1862; wounded in the battle of Chancel- lorsville ; taken prisoner; paroled; discharged with the regiment.

Millard J. Ransom. Enlisted Aug., 1862.

George Johnson. Enlisted Aug., 1862.

One Hundred and Forty-sixth Regiment .- Cassius Chilson. Enlisted Jan. 5, 1864; served to close of war; discharged.

George W. Crocker. Enlisted Jan. 5, 1864; taken prisoner at battle of Wil- derness; died at Andersonville, Ga.

One Hundred and Forty-eighth Regiment .- Lyman Aldrich. Enlisted Jan. 27, 1864 ; did not enter service.

Digitized by Google

196

HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY, NEW YORK.

Orlin C. Power. Enlisted Jan. 23, 1864; discharged at close of war. One Hundred and Ninety-eighth Regiment .- David H. Myers. Enlisted Sept. 21, 1864.

William Lent. Enlisted Sept. 21, 1864.

Eighty-fifth Regiment .- William H. Dillon. Enlisted Jan., 1862; wounded in battle of Williamsburg; discharged; re-enlisted Feb. 10, 1864, at Canandai- gua, in 146th Regiment; taken prisoner at battle of Wilderness; died at Ander- sonville, Ga.

One Hundred and Sixtieth Regiment .- D. Meghan. Enlisted in Aug., 1862. One Hundred and Eleventh Regiment .- George P. McCumber. Enlisted Aug., 1864; served till close of war, and was discharged with the regiment.

The following are known to have enlisted in this regiment, in the year 1864, but full roster cannot be given :

William Aldrich, Ambrose Young, Jacob Swartz, Asa Mason, James Evans, Samuel Lumbard, and Charles H. Williams.

Fiftieth Engineers. John Whalon. Enlisted Jan. 19, 1864.

O. C. Millett. Enlisted Jan. 13, 1864; served to close of war; discharged. Joseph Anderson. Enlisted Jan. 5, 1864; discharged.

CAVALRY.

Eighth Regiment .- Henry Jeffrey. Enlisted Nov., 1861 ; died in Columbia Hospital, D. C., March, 1862, of typhoid fever.

Patrick Hayes. Enlisted Nov., 1861; wounded in battle of Gettysburg ; pro- moted sergeant; taken prisoner to Richmond, Sept. 16, 1864 ; paroled ; discharged Dec., 1864 ; re-enlisted March, 1865.

Oscar B. Mitchell. Enlisted Nov., 1861 ; died in service.

John Gallagher. Enlisted Nov., 1861.

ARTILLERY.

Sixteenth Regiment. Edward J. Cotton. Enlisted Jan. 5, 1864; discharged at close of war.

James B. Estes. Enlisted Jan. 5, 1864; died at Williamsburg, Va. George W. Gardner. Enlisted Jan. 5, 1864; deserted at Elmira.

Alonzo Johnson. Enlisted Jan. 5, 1864; deserted at Elmira; was re-taken, 1865; served to close of war.

Abbott Master. Enlisted Jan. 5, 1864.

John Neustaumer. Enlisted Jan. 5, 1864.

Lyman Odell. Enlisted Jan. 5, 1864.

Henry C. Stephens. Enlisted January 5, 1864 ; died at Elmira, in service.

Alvire Speaker. Enlisted Jan. 5, 1864.

William Stevenson. Enlisted Jan. 5, 1864.

Harris Shaffer. Enlisted Jan. 5, 1864.

Charles Williams. Enlisted Jan. 5, 1864 ; deserted at Elmira, and went to Canada.

Henry Whipple. Enlisted Jan. 5, 1864; served through the war.

George Walker. Enlisted Jan. 19, 1864; discharged with regiment.

Frederick Gearing. Enlisted Dec. 11, 1863.

David H. Bliss. Enlisted Dec. 11, 1863.

Ninth Regiment .- Cornelius Scott. Enlisted Dec. 16, 1864; died in the service.

Fourth Regiment .- T. G. Heton. Enlisted Feb. 26, 1864, at Canandaigua.

David Lake. Enlisted Dec., 1861 ; discharged for disability at Fort Carroll, in spring of 1862; drafted in Wayne county, in 1863; discharged from hospital July, 1865.

Bemis Battery .- Wm. Gorman. Enlisted Sept., 1862; discharged at end of war. Raynolds Knowles. Enlisted Sept., 1862, sergeant ; went home on furlough from New Orleans, and forgot to return.

William Ramish. Enlisted Sept., 1862; discharged on account of sickness, in July, 1863, at New Orleans; re-enlisted Jan. 26, 1864, in 9th Heavy Artillery ; discharged at close of war.

Harry Ensign. Enlisted Sept., 1862; went on Red River expedition under General Banks, and since has not been heard from.

Sixteenth Rifles .- Alexander M. Hudson. Enlisted Ang., 1862.

There were thirty-three (33) enlisted from various places, mostly Pennsylvania, for one year, Sept., 1864, who received one thousand dollars bounty. The record shows fifteen substitutes, who enlisted Oct., 1864, mostly for three years, who also received from the county one thousand dollars bounty. There were also twenty-four (24) enlisted April 3, 1864, for six hundred dollars bounty, paid by the county.

PERSONAL SKETCHES.

DANIEL ARNOLD.

Daniel Arnold was born in the town of Farmington, Ontario County, Decem- ber 22, 1800. His father, Pardon Arnold, removed from Massachusetts 'in February, 1800, and settled on the farm now occupied by Myron Aldrich in said town. The place was then a dense forest, which he cleared, and made all the improvements ever made on it. D. Arnold remained under the paternal roof, working on the farm in the summer, and teaching school in the winter, until he was married, April 29, 1829, to Betsey Peirce, with whom he lived until April 20, 1876, when she departed this life. She possessed in an eminent degree the virtues of industry and economy, piety and benevolence.

D. Arnold held the office of commissioner of common schools the most of the time from 1825 to 1843. When the law creating the office of superintend- ent of common schools was enacted he was appointed to that office, which he held continuously until April, 1853, when he was elected supervisor of the town. He then resigned the office of superintendent of schools, and accepted that of supervisor. He held that office until February, 1860, when, on the written request of the board of supervisors, he resigned said office, and was immediately appointed by said board a county superintendent of the poor, which office he held for four years. He also served his town as assessor for seven years. From 1840 to 1870 he was engaged continuously in settling the estates of deceased persons and acting as guardian for minor children. In politics he was a Whig till the extinction of that party. He is at present a Republican, and has been since the formation of said party. In March, 1832, he united with the Baptist church in Manchester, and has remained a member to the present time. From .1870 he has lived a quiet and retired life, on the farm on which he settled in 1829, ever ready to cross the last river at the bidding of his Divine Master.

ALLEN PAYNE.

The subject of this sketch was born in the town of Farmington, November 22, 1801. His father, John Payne, emigrated from Massachusetts in an early day, and was one of the pioneers of "Old Ontario." Allen attended the district school, where.he acquired a fair education, and laid the foundation for that marked success which attended his subsequent career. In 1823 he married Sophronia Compton, and soon after purchased a small tract of land in Prattsburg, Steuben county, New York, where he remained one year, when, not liking the country, he disposed of his farm at a small advance, and moving to Wayne county, located on the Comstock farm, and at the expiration of two years, through his energy and shrewd management, he had acquired four thousand dollars. He then pur- chased the old homestead in Farmington, where he remained until his death. Mr. Payne and his estimable companion had seven children, four sons and three daughters. One daughter died in infancy, and an other, Amanda, a young lady of much promise, passed away in 1844. Wilson, the eldest son, who possessed much of his father's energy and shrewdness, died in November, 1867, leaving a widow and only daughter to mourn his early demise. David, the second son, lives in Iowa, Judson, in Manchester, and Marvin, the youngest son, resides on the old homestead. The surviving daughter, Mrs. Harriet Brewster, is a widow, and lives on a farm adjoining the homestead. Mrs. Payne, although two years the senior of her husband, still survives. Mr. P. early united with the Baptist church, and remained a consistent member, holding steadfast to the faith.

Allen Payne was one of the representative men of the county. He stepped out into the broad arena of active life, and began the battle of fortune empty- handed; but by energy, perseverance, and shrewdness, coupled with an indomit- able will, he succeeded in amassing an immense property. Always ready to assist those who needed a helping hand, he was honored and esteemed by all, and when, on the 11th day of October, 1875, his spirit took its flight, there were many out- side the pale of relationship who felt the loss of a kind, faithful friend and sound adviser.

Digitized by Google

PLATE LXXI.

RES. of W. G. MASON, FARMINGTON, ONTARIO CO , N.Y

RES. OF WILLIAM H. WARFIELD, FARMINGTON, ONTARIO COUNTY, N. Y.

RES. OF GARDNER L. SHELDON, FARMINGTON, ONTARIO CO, N. Y.

Digitized by Google

PLATE LXXII.

RES. OF P. S. BONESTEEL , VICTOR, ONTARIO CO , N. Y.

TOMPKINS

FARM BUILDINGS & P. S. BONESTEEL, VIcon, OnIamo COUNTY, N. Y.

Digitized by Google

TOWN OF VICTOR.

" Another race the following spring supplies; They fall successive, and successive rise. Bo generations in their course decay ; So flourish these when those have passed away."

IT is common to apply to this continent the term "New World," when the tradi- tions of the Iroquois lead into the remote past, and commingle with another race preceding them, and all is dim, obscure, and uncertain. The stranger visiting the town of Victor will learn from old inhabitants, and find in relics, a confirmation of am ancient occupation of its lands. Not only are the utensils of peaceful industry scattered beneath the surface and exhumed by the plowshare, but the weapons of war, fashioned with skill, and giving evidence of European invasion, rusted and decaying, are likewise upturned, and gathered as souvenirs of a time when the Senecas were a nation hostile to the French invader. Nowhere better than in a record of the self-same tract whose history we consider could come a general answer to the question, "How came those old gun-barrels, curious relics, and ancient swords, to lie imbedded in the soil of Victor?"

The expedition of La Salle among the Senecas goes back to 1669, when that famed and indefatigable traveler visited their chief village on Boughton Hill. The visit was made in August of that year, under Seneca escort, to obtain a guide able to conduct him and his companions through the unknown region lying between their villages and the head-waters of the Ohio. With him came the Jesuit, eager to convert and baptize into the Roman faith these leaders of a con- federacy of warriors, and soften their stern usages by the melting influences of a Christian teaching. The largest of four villages of the tribe, called by De Nouville " Gannagarro," stood on Boughton Hill, south of the railroad, on the property now owned by R. B. Moore. The earliest visit to the village by a white man was in the fall of 1656, by Father Chaumonot, and was of brief duration. The idea of a mission became popular, and the chiefs of the tribe sent an embassy to Montreal in November, 1668, and asked the Jesuits to send them missionaries. The request was gladly accorded, and of those sent, Father Garnier located at "Gannagarro," and under the name of St. James established a mission, which continued till 1683. La Salle found the fathers absent at the time of his visit, and, unable to interpret his wishes, was compelled to relinquish his present design. We offer here an abbreviated extract from a translation by O. H. Marshall, of Buffalo, of a journal by Galinee, the historian of La Salle's expedition among the Senecas :

" After thirty-five days of very difficult navigation we arrived at a small river called by the Indians ' Karontagonat,' by us ' Irondequoit Bay,' on the 26th of August, 1669. We had no sooner arrived than we were- visited by the Indians, who brought presents of corn, pumpkins, blackberries, etc., of which they had an abundance. We made presents in return of knives, awis, and other articles, with which we had come well provided. Our guides urged us to remain until next day, when the chiefs would come at evening and escort us to the vil- lage. With night came a troop of Indians, with women carrying provisions, and encamped near by, and made bread for us of the corn and fruit. To every cabin word was sent in the village to gather all the old men in council to learn the object of the visit. La Salle started for the village with ten Frenchmen and about fifty Indians, who called a halt every league, fearing to fatigue their guests. Half- way another party having provisions was met, and moved on with them to the village. When a league distant, rests became frequent, and accessions to the com- pany continued to increase until we came in sight of the great village, two leagues in circuit, and upon a large plain. In order to reach it we had to ascend a small hill (Boughton Hill), on the edge of which the village is situated. Upon the summit of the ascent we saw a large company of old men seated on the grass waiting for us. A convenient place was left to us in front, and we were invited to sit down. As we did so, an old man, nearly blind, and so infirm that he could hardly support himself, arose and delivered an animated speech, expressing joy at our arrival, desiring mutual brotherly relation, and as such, asking us to their village, where a cabin was ready for us till we should be ready to state the pur- port of our visit. He then led the way to the largest cabin in the village, and gave to the women orders to provide for our wants.

"This village, like all those of the Indians, is nothing but a collection of cabins, surrounded with palisades a dozen feet high, bound together at the top, and supported at the base behind the palisades by large masses of wood of the height of a man. It is a simple square inclosure, and quite remote from water. The Seneca nation has four villages, two of one hundred cabins each, the others thirty each, and containing above a thousand men capable of carrying arms.

" The land between the lake easternmost of the larger villages consists mostly of fine, large meadows, with rank grass, and where there are woods, oak predom- inates, but scattered so as to permit riding with ease upon horseback. Vast treeless areas are reported towards the south. These lands produce good fruit, and extremely fine Indian corn.

"On August 13, some sixty principal men assembled at our cabin. Their custom on entering is to take places without reference to rank, and light pipes, which never leave their mouths during the council. The servant of Father Fremin was employed as interpreter. Our first present was a pistol. with two barrels; our second gift was of six kettles, six hatchets, and six pounds of glass beads; and our third and last present was two coats, four kettles, and more beads, accompanied by a request for a captive from the "Toagenha" to conduct us to the Ohio. The next day belts of wampum were presented, and a captive promised. The principal food at the feasts in this village is dog. The hair is singed over the coals, the carcass scraped, cut in pieces, and placed in a kettle. When cooked, each guest is served with a three-pound or more piece in a greasy wooden dish, which caused us to feel more desirous of rendering up what was already in our stomachs than of taking into it anything new.

" While waiting the return of a trading-party, some warriors came in with a prisoner, who was placed in a cabin near our own. We went to see him, and found a well-formed young man about twenty years of age. He was uninjured, and we desired him for the guide. At dawn of next day we were told that the captive was to be burned." Galinee "ran to the public place to see him, and found him bound hand and foot to a stake. Irons were in the fire to be used for the torture. . They refused to release him, and presently a relative of one killed in the skirmish at which he was captured applied the red-hot end of a gun-barrel to the top of his feet, and caused the utterance of a loud cry. The hot iron was slowly applied to his feet and legs, and his contortions under the severe heat caused the Iroquois to leap for gladness. La Salle and his party with- drew to the small village for the day to avoid insult."

This village is known as Fort Hill, and is situated on the farm of Thomas Turner, deceased. In the days of early settlement the old ditch was plainly dis- cernible, and for a long time afterward. It is now obliterated. "The poor cap- tive was dreadfully tortured, and finally, after two hours of this diversion, knocked down with a stone, and his body cut in pieces and carried away to be eaten. At evening the cabins were beaten by sticks, making a loud noise to frighten away the soul of the dead." Such were the people, and such the scenes which trans- pired upon the present peaceful lands of Victor in the ancient times.

General reflections present themselves to the mind of the reader, as he stands at this late day and views the ground, rich in historical association. Stand in the street of Victor village and review the past. "Down yonder slope, where flocks and herds are grazing, grain-fields ripening, and fruit growing, came the army of France,-regular, militiaman, and Indian. Yonder highest bluff, at whose base lies the railroad station, was the Seneca capital." There is the " high hill, sur- rounded by three terraces, at the foot of the valley, and opposite other hills." Farther to the right is "Guh-a-you-dok," or Fort Hill, and in the valley, through which flows a small stream, issuing from a cedar swamp, is the " twenty aspens (acres) of land," the battle-field of the French and Senecas. Signs of the con- flict are preserved in lead balls, coin, kettles, gun-barrels, broken swords, and other like relics. The battle has been described. It reflected honor upon the Senecas, and as much tarnished the name of bravery as applied to their invaders. The French, after the battle, encamped on lands northwest of Victor, now owned by Hiram Ladd, Wm. C. Dryer, and Truman Dryer.

Locations and relics are of interest to stranger and resident, and time is weav-

Digitized by Google

197

198

HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY, NEW YORK.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Ontario Co., New York, Part 75

Author: Publication date: Publisher: Number of Pages: 391

Author:
Publication date:
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 391