USA > New York > Monroe County > Rochester > History of Rochester and Monroe county, New York, from the earliest historic times to the beginning of 1907 > Part 53
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*This sketch was prepared by Dr. Henry S. Miller.
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the old Eagle Hotel. Following him came Dr. S. W. Jones, also an itinerant. The first settled dent- ist, probably, was Dr. L. K. Faulkner, who, accord- ing to his advertisement, had an office at number 14 Arcade. I am unable to gather any historical facts relating to dentistry between 1834 and 1840, in which latter year Dr. H. N. Fenn, a graduate in medicine and pharmacy, opened a dental office. In 1844 the following dentists were practising here: Drs. Palmer Babcock, John B. Beers. E. Dunan, David Haines, Daniel Knower, Elijah Pope, Ralph Resseguie, Roswell T. Reynolds, Al- bert Stebbins, Chester L. Straight, Wm. Tichenor and H. C. Wanzer. The first dental advertisement was that of Dr. Faulkner, the next was of Proctor & Allen, who advertised "to extract teeth, with or without pain." In 1847 I find additions to the prior lists as follows: C. Mills, Proctor & Allen. In 1855 there were Drs. Crane and Hoffman, H.
N. Fenn, W. M. Haines, C. R. Hamilton, B. R. McGregor, C. Miles, A. A. Morgan, J. Naramore, D. J. Peer, Proctor & Allen, H. C. Wanzer, B. Wright. Dr. J. Requa opened an office for prac- tice of dentistry in 1858. The list varies but little until we reach the year 1863, when there were Dra. J. Brown, Sluman Crittenden, A. H. Brockway. Samuel A. Haines, Geo. M. Hopkins, H. N. Lowe, Philander Macy, C. Mills, A. A. Morgan, John Naramore, D. J. Peer. Proctor & Allen, J. Requa. H. C. Wanzer and L. D. Walter. Proctor & Allen continued as a firin until the death of Dr. Allen in 1878. The 1905 directory gives the names of 110 dentists, of whom two are ladies. At this present writing Dr. J. Requa is the longest in prac- tice in Rochester, next to him come Drs. F. French and H. S. Miller, who came here at about the same time in 1865. Dr. J. E. Line is probably among the next longest in practice in Rochester.
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CHAPTER XXII
HOW MONROE BECAME A COUNTY.
BY WILLIS K. GILLETTE.
The Ownership of Western New York-Contro- versy between this State and Massachusetts-Its Settlement at Hartford-The Sale to Phelps and Gorham-And to Robert Morris-Early County Divisions-Efforts for the Creation of Monroe-Frantic Opposition from Other Coun- ties-Letter from Colonel Rochester-The Bill Finally Passes- - The First County Officers- County Government - County Civil List - Sketches of the Towns.
Although the narrative of the controversy re- garding this portion of the state, with its subse- quent changes of ownership, has been briefly given in an earlier part of this work, it is deemed advis- able to go somewhat over the same ground again at greater length and with more of technical de- tail, because the purchases and surveys then made became the foundation of all titles in this county. and they are still frequently referred to in title deeds and abstracts of title.
DISPUTED TERRITORY.
Western New York was disputed territory. Hol- land claimed under the discovery of Henry (often called Hendrick) Hudson. In 1664 Charles II. of England, ignoring the rights of Holland, grant- ed the whole of the New Netherlands to his broth- er James, the duke of York and Albany. Under grants from the British king, the commonwealth of Massachusetts and the state of New York both
claimed the ownership of the larger share of the territory lying within the bounds of New York. The matter was finally settled by commissioners, appointed by both states, who met at Hartford, Conn., November 30th, 1786, and, after several conferences, did enter into and execute an agree- ment embracing mutual cessions, grants and re- leases, whereby all of the interfering claims and controveries between the said states, as well in respect of jurisdiction as property, were finally settled and extinguished, and peace and harmony established between them on the most solid foun- dation. By this settlement New York obtained the right of government, sovereignty and jurisdic- tion over all of the lands in dispute ; and to Massa- chusetts was ceded the right of pre-emption of the soil from the native Indians to about 230,400 acres, north of Pennsylvania, between the Owego und Chenango rivers, commonly called the Massa- chusetts Ten Townships; and also to all of the lands in New York, west of a line beginning at the eighty-second milestone, on the north bounds of Pennsylvania, and running on a due meridian north to Lake Ontario, except one mile in width along the Niagara river.
THE LAND IS SOLD.
Massachusetts soon disposed of the ten town- ships, and on April 1st, 1788, by act of the legis- lature, agreed to sell to Nathaniel Gorham and Oliver Phelps the right of pre-emption from the native Indians to the remainder of the lands em- braced in the cession. for the sum of 300,000 pounds, in three annual installments, payment to
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be made in the consolidated securities of Massa- chusetts. Negotiations were soon held with the Indians, and at a council held at Buffalo ereek a treaty was concluded, July 8th, 1788. by which Phelps and Gorham obtained the Indian title to all of the lands that the Indians would sell, es- tımated at 2,200,000 acres, agreeing to pay there- for five thousand dollars and an anuity of five hun- dred. This Indian grant was confirmed by the legislature of Massachusetts and the purchase thua made was bounded on the north by Lake Ontario, on the east by the line of cession to Massachu- setta, commonly called the pre-emption line; ou the south by Pennsylvania, on the west by a merid- ian line to be run from Pennsylvania to the con- fluence of the Canaseraga creek and the Genesee river, and northerly along the Genesce river to a point two miles north of Avon village, thence west twelve miles, thence northerly and twelve miles distant from the Genesee river to Lake Ontario. This was known as the Genesee tract, and was all of the land that Phelps and Gorham ever procured.
In consequence of the rise in the price of Massa- chusetts paper, which was worth only twenty cents on the dollar at the time of the purchase, and other enuses, they were unable to make the pay- ments required by their contract, and finally cont- promised with Massachusetts, and surrendered their claim to that portion of the territory to which they had not obtained the Indian title, which was afterward sold by Massachusetts to the agent of Robert Morris, the great financier of the American Revolution. Phelps and Gorham soon finding themselves in further financial difficulties, they ap- plied to Robert Morris, and he became the pur- chaser of all of the unsold lands in the Genesee tract, except about 47,000 acres, which Phelps and Gorham retained for their own use.
Phelps held a council with the Senecas in 1788 at Buffalo creck, and with the assistance of the powerful eloquence of Red Jacket, one of the principal sachems of the Senecas, they were per- suaded to agree without much reluctance to sell all of the land from Seneca lake to the Genesee river, but the latter was to be the dividing line, for the land just west of that the Great Spirit told them was to he their home forever, but in some way he induced the Indians to believe that it
would be to their advantage to let him have a large tract on the west side of the river, which was then considered the most desirable locality be- tween the rapids and the lower falls. The story has been already told how Phelps got hold of the reserved piece of land. Having obtained the deed he lost no time in having an official survey made by Hugh Maxwell, and it was so made that it in- cluded more than the twelve miles by twenty-four as agreed upon. This was called the Mill lot. When Robert Morris acquired title he had this tract resurveyed, and in less than a year sold it to three Englishmen-Sir William Pulteney, Wil- liam Hornby and Patrick Colquhoun-and, as title to lands could not be deeded to aliens, Charles Williamson came over from Scotland, and, after he had become naturalized, the property was deeded to him in trust for the real owners, and Morris more than doubled his money, as l'helps and Gorham had doubled theirs.
THE HOLLAND PURCHASE.
Scarcely had the western end of the state, which Phelps had been unable to obtain, been re- linquished to Massachusetts, when that state sold it for $333,000 to Robert Morris, and be in 1791 sold the tract of nearly four million acres, with the exception of a strip on the cast, known as the Mor- ris Reserve, to several Dutchmen, known as the Holland Land company, Morris agreeing to ex- tinguish the Indian claim. In 129; Morris had a council meeting at Big Tree, near Geneseo, with the Senecas, and after a conference which lasted several days, accompanied with much eloquence from Red Jacket and Thomas Morris, and after bribing some of the squawe with trinkets and the principal chiefs with money, the Indian title was relinquished.
The "Holland Land Purchase" is described a8 follows: Embracing all of the territory bounded on the cast by a transit line beginning at a point in the boundary line, between New York and Pennsylvania, and running north to Lake Ontario, at a point near the month of Oak Orchard creek. passing six miles east of Batavia, Genesee county : on the north by Lake Ontario and Lake Erie; on the west by the state Mile Reserve, on Niagara river, and by Lake Erie and the Pennsylvania
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line; on the south by the Pennsylvania line to the place of beginning. The deed was given by Robert Morris to the Holland purchasers, December 31st, 1798, and the land conveyed is estimated at 3,600,- 000 acres. In after surveys west of the Mill lot, the tract struck out of Maxwell's survey by Por- ter was termed the "Triangle."
Sir William Pulteney dying intestate in 1805, his property descended to his only child, Henrietta Laura, countess of Bath, for whom the town of Henrietta was named, and also Bath, in Steuhen county. Pulteneyville. on the lake shore in Wayne county, was named for Sir William.
EARLY BETTLERS.
New York is the Empire state and the Gene- see valley has become celebrated as her granary. The sons of New England sought their fortunes in Monroe, and found it given as the price of in- dustry. With sinewy stroke and lusty blow the forest fell before them ; their descendants stand to- day upon the vantage ground so nobly won by their progenitors.
A poem written by one of our pioneers, Edwi.1 Scrantom, commemorating the settlement of Ro- chester, is worthy of reproduction, as follows :
"Back on the misty track of time. In memory's Bickering light, I see the scenes of other days, like meteors in the night, The garden with its low huilt fence, with stakes and withes to tie it;
The rude log house, my early home, and one wild maple by It. "Rude were the sports 'round that wild home, when little hands were twined.
And ecboing woods swept back the joy, like voices in the wind; And there gay birds, on bended spray, their wildwood songs have given-
The robin sang at dawn of day, the whip-po-will at even.
"But leaves are scattered not more wild, by autumn's wind upburied,
Than all that group of faces bright, upon the wide, wide world; But still on memory's page, in light which time can ne'er destroy,
Stand out those scenes-that house and tree-a lost but sacred
These were the days of huskings, quiltings, log- gings, raisings, appleparings and other festivities or bees. Furniture in these days was meager and crude. Chairs were represented by sections of a tree. Many of the beds contained no mattress, springs or bed cord, the couch being spread upon the floor, and sleeping apartments made by hang- ing up blankets. Spinning wheels, warming pans, foot stoves, and flag bottomed chairs, not fit to grace our present-day kitchens, were in use. In the log huts of that day Hencher's was thatched with long grass, and Allan's was covered with
bark. The ox-cart was used for transportation over the rough, unbroken roads. Fever and ague abounded in the community. The land between the site of Powers block and the river was marshy. and what is there now is all made land. Some of the hardships of this period are illustrated in the case of George Goodhue, who was the first set- tler at Braddock's bay, coming from Canisteo, in six days by ox-sled in 1802. He reached Rochester and attempted to cross the Genesce on the ice, which was thawed near the bank, a dozen feet or more. He unyoked the cattle and attempted to drive them to land, they broke through the ice and barely escaped drowning. He had left his wife, sleil and furniture upon the ice; while he attempt- ed to make a bridge to rescue Mrs. Goodhue, the ice she was on became detached, and moved toward the Talls. HTe promptly seized a pole and threw it to his wife, who attached it to the sled, a chain was hitched to the other end, and the ice towed ashore by the cattle, where all were landed. A few mo- ments later the ice cake went over the falls.
The town meeting was imported here from New England. In 1789 all of the eastern part of Mon- roe county, except the towns of Rush and Mendon, was organized into the district of Northfield. In 1794 the same territory without change of name was made a town, and the first school was estab- lished in the present town of Pittsford and taught by Mr. Burrows. A school house was built at Irondequoit landing in 1802, and in 1804 little classes were taught by Miss Wiley in the present town of Ogden. The first school in Henrietta was on the Wadsworth road, so-called, near. Steph- en's corners, in a log building, and was taught by Sarah Leggett, in 1807. In 1810 the first school in North Penfield was established and taught by a Scotchman named Wm. Harris, Welcome Garfield of Mendon and Charlotte Cummings of Clarkson were pioneer teachers of those localities; Miss Huldah M. Strong, a sister of Mrs. Abelard Rey- nolde, taught the first school in Rochester. Aaron Skinner taught the next school, old number 1, where the Rochester Free Academy building now stands.
COUNTY LINES.
From 1816 to 1821 Ontario county included the eastern half of what is now Monroe county, all of
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. Wayne and all of present Ontario, the eastern part of Livingston and all of Yates counties. Gene- see county included the western half of Monroe, the western part of Livingston, all of Orleans and of the present Genesee counties. The village of Rochester was situated between the two, partly in Genesee county and partly in Ontario county, be- ing thus divided by the Genesee river. As the settlements along the river and for a dozen miles each side of it increased in population and pros- perity, it was felt to be a great hardship for the inhabitants to be without facilities for transacting business that are provided by the presence of coun- ty officers and conrts. Canandaigua, the connty seat of Ontario connty, on the one side, and Ba- tavia, the county seat of Genesce county, on the other, were each some twenty-five miles away from this region, and in those days, when travel was so difficult and Inborions, it was manifestly unjust to compel the inhabitants of this section to journey all that distance.
THE STRUGGLE FOR MONROE.
Ontario and Genesee counties, however, were unwilling to give up any of their territory, and they selfishly opposed the efforts of Colonel Na- thaniel Rochester and Dr. Matthew Brown, jr., who went down to Albany to lay the matter before the legislature in 1816. Colonel Rochester, with different committees, went to Albany before the legislature with petitions in the years 1816, 1818, 1819 and 1820, but met with no success, being op- posed hy John C. Spencer from Ontario and Sam- uel M. Hopkins from Gencsee, and others. The argument contained in these petitions is substan- tially as follows:
That the counties of Ontario and Genesee are extensive in territory, and contain a population of upward of 80,000, that many people are sub- ject to great inconvenience, trouble and expense, in transacting business with the public offices and courts, and that parties, jurors and witnesses are compelled to travel great distances, and that cases are adjourned from term to term, to the perplexity of the courts, the expense of suitors and in many cases to a denial of right. That between many of the towns and the respective seats of justice there is no natural frequency or facility of intercourse.
and that they have no occasion to visit these shire towne, except to transact business at the public of- fices and for attendance upon the courts, whereas they have direct and frequent communications and intercourse on a variety of business with the set- tlements on the Genesee river, to market their produce and look for manufactures and supplies.
The petitions also recite the local advantages: that in the short period of five years a wilderness has been made to retire before the hand of in- dustry and to give place to villages, wealth and the arts. Statistics were also recited as to the amount of business done at Rochester, for comparison with that done at Canandaigua and Batavia; and the export trade from the port at the mouth of the Genesee as appeared from the statement of the collector, consisting of flour, pot and pearl ashes, pork, wheat, cider, lumber, staves, timber, etc., of the value of 8400,000; and that forty-eight ves- sels were engaged in carrying the freight from the port of Genesee. The petitions asked for a county substantially of the dimensions and bounda of the present Monroe, although one of the petitions, seems to ask for a little more than our present ter- ritory, possibly with a view of asking for more than they wanted, in the hope of falling back and getting what they wanted by way of compromise. These petitions were signed by several thousand persons. Petitions in opposition were also circu- lated. receiving a little less than two thousand sig- natures. These petitions for the new county were reported favorably out of the Assembly committee to which they were referred, in some instances, but met with defeat in the Assembly.
Nevertheless the petitioners were not discour- aged by four successive failures, and on August 23d, 1820, at a meeting of citizens, committees were again appointed to push the project, and Na- thaniel Rochester and Elisha B. Strong were ap- pointed to go to Albany. The opponents were equally in earnest, although fewer in number, led by such able generals as John C. Spencer and My- ron Holley, assemblymen from Ontario county, and Samuel M. Hopkins, from Genesee county.
In the legislature of 1821 the bill met with vig- orous opposition from Mesers. Spencer, Holley and Hopkins, who urged that no county should be erected with territory lying on both sides of the river, as it would subject half of the inhabitants to great inconvenience and expense, and that the
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division would only promote the interest of a few lawyers, merchants and tavern keepers residing at the new county seat. They stated that county charges before the division fell lightly upon indi- viduals and that the time, which was a period of serious financial depression, was unpropitious for raising the sums necessary for the erection of expensive buildings.
Besides this the Erie canal was expected to make changes in the distribution of business through the counties of Ontario and Genesee, and it might be found to be most unwise to have made the division when the canal should be completed and the traffic upon it should be fully under way. They also urged that there were many other places better adapted than Shingletown, as they called the village of Rochester, for the seat of justice, and charged that the inhabitants of the region about did not want a new county, but were over- persuaded by a few southern gentlemen who had acquired landed interests, which would be greatly increased in value by the proposed change. = was also stated that in the near future a tier of lake counties along the southern shore of Lake Ontario would certainly be erected and that the erection of Monroe county was an entering wedge for the purpose; that it was better to have as few county clerks' offices as possible, in which deeds and other instruments were to be recorded, as the examination of titles would be more easily con- ducted where the territory of the county was large.
In the meantime their sympathizers were acting vigorously in the two counties to create reasons for the defeat of the bill. The judge of the county court of Ontario county opened his court at sun- rise, and continued the sessions day after day un- til late at night, giving those in attendance scarce- ly time for food or sleep. His calendar was soon exhausted. The people of Canandaigua were high- ly clated and boasted that the evils complained of were only imaginary. and that any court anxious to complete what business was before it could caa- ily do so. The county clerks kept their offices open early and late.
But it was too late to change the results. The advocates of division pressed the argument that Ontario and Genesce counties were too large and that they had exerted undne influence in the coun- sels of the state in many different ways, and that the netitions which had been presented to five sea-
sions of the legislature showed sufficient reason for the passage of the bill.
The feelings of Colonel Rochester at this time can best be portrayed in his own language, as given in a letter from him addressed to Abelard Reyn- olda, the first postmaster of Rochester, which reads as follows:
"ALBANY, 13th February, 1821.
"DEAR SIR: This being the day set apart to take up the bill for the county of Monroe, I did hope there would be no further delay, but when the order of the day was called Mr. J. C. Spen- cer rose and observed that as he was not well enough to go into the discussion of so important a subject, and as his friend from Genesee (Mr. Hopkina) was too unwell to attend the house to- dlay he hoped the house would postpone the dis- cussion of the bill to some future day, and it being customary to indulge members on such occasions Mr. Tracy (the chairman of the standing com- mittee on new counties) moved that the subject he postponed and made the order of the day for Thursday, the 15th instant, which was agreed to.
"Mr. Spencer and Mr. Hopkins have attended the house very regularly each day until now, the latter did not attend to-day and perhaps the former will not on Thursday, as he is (I think from his appearance) really unwell, tho' not so much 80 as to prevent his giving a speech on almost every subject. I fear that we shall not get a final dis- cussion on Thursday. If the gentlemen should be well enough to attend the house they will urge the propriety of delaying the subject until all the applications for new counties and all the re- monstrances are before them, and if they succeed on that project no determination will be had un- til late in March, and by that time they may make such arrangements as to defeat us. Our op- ponents are now turning their attention to take from Monroe the whole of Caledonia and Rush, together with Penfield and Perrinton, so as to destroy our application in that way if they cannot in any other. They urge that as we take the breadth of three towns west of Genesee river we shall have territory enough along the lake without Penfield and Perrinton and that these two towns will be wanted to make a respectable county east of us. Mr. Holley is at the bottom of this project. with a view to making Palmyra a center for such county, where he has a store and contemplates settling (as I am informed) ; he will be supported in this measure by Spencer, Hopkins, the Palmy- rans. &c. Hopkins and Ganson are at the bottom of the other project and will be supported by both the Spencers, Holley, &c.
"Mr. Strong and myself have to contend with a great deal of management and intrigue and what
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will be the result of our application is uncertain. I do not despair, however, of success before the end of the session, notwithstanding the different plans to defeat us. My return is uncertain, but hope it will be some time next week.
"Youra very respectfully,
"N. ROCHESTER. "Please show this to our neighbors."
IT BECOMES A COUNTY.
After much filibustering by Mr. Spencer and his colleagues the bill passed the house by a vote of 73 to 27 soon after this letter was written; the bill was approved and became a law February 23d. 1821, being chapter 57 of the laws of 1821."
PROVISIONS OF THE LAW.
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The bill provided that the towns of Gates, Parma, Ogden, Clarkson, Brighton, Penfield, Per- inton, Pittsford, Mendon, Henrietta, a part of Sweden, and a part of Rush, and a portion of Cale- donia which was newly named the town of Inver- ness, were to be known as Monroe county. In the bill commissioners were appointed to determine the proper site for court-house and gaol, a court of Common Pleas and a court of General Sessiona were provided for, and terms for said courts were fixed. One member of Assembly was apportioned to the new county. Elisha Ely and Levi Ward. jr., of Brighton, N. Y., and James Seymour, of Clarkson, were appointed commissioners to super- intend the building of the court-house and jail and two assessments of $5,000 cach were authoriz- ed to be collected for the expenses of the county buildings and for other expenses of the county. The council of appointment, in whom the power of naming the county officers was vested, on March 5th, 1821. appointed Elisha B. Strong as the first judge of the court of Common Pleas. Timothy Childs as district-attorney and Nathaniel Rochester as county clerk ; on March 7th James Seymour was appointed sheriff and on March 10th Elisha Ely received his commission as surrogate. At the election the same year Nathaniel Rochester waa elected the first member of Assembly; Elisha Ely
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