History of Tioga, Chemung, Tompkins and Schuyler counties, New York, Part 169

Author: Peirce, H. B. (Henry B.) cn; Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Ensign
Number of Pages: 1112

USA > New York > Chemung County > History of Tioga, Chemung, Tompkins and Schuyler counties, New York > Part 169
USA > New York > Schuyler County > History of Tioga, Chemung, Tompkins and Schuyler counties, New York > Part 169
USA > New York > Tioga County > History of Tioga, Chemung, Tompkins and Schuyler counties, New York > Part 169
USA > New York > Tompkins County > History of Tioga, Chemung, Tompkins and Schuyler counties, New York > Part 169

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).

M. J. Jaquish, in 1823, emigrated from Delaware Co., N. Y., and settled where Augustus Manning lives. He now lives at Burdett. His last wife is Julia, daughter of Jabez Smith. Dr. Henry Fish was born in Vermont, in 1800, and moved, with his father, to Groton; studied medicine with Dr. Mead, of Milan, Cayuga Co. Came to Mecklenburg in 1821, and commenced the practice of his profession. At that time the village was nearly surrounded by forests for many miles, and contained a grist-mill, store, blacksmith-shop, log hotel, and five or six log houses. The principal inhabitants were Calvin and Ashbel Treman, Wil- liam Jaycox, Joshua Morgan, and Zalmon Barker. He was a skillful and judicious physician, enjoyed the confidence of the entire community, both as a physician and a man, and had a large practice. He was called to many offiees of trust and responsibility, and was the first member of Assembly from Schuyler County, and was supervisor many years. He had nine children, one of whom is Dr. Wm. H. Fish, now living at Mecklenburg, and who has served his county and town as member of Assembly and super- visor. Dr. Henry Fish died in 1873, when seventy-three years of age. He was stricken with paralysis in 1869, after which time he was mostly confined to his rooms until his death.

The primitive houses were built, of unhewn logs for walls, the roofs being made of elapboards, held down in tiers by heavy poles, as they used no nails. The floors were made of logs, split and hewn. The battens of the doors were made of ash, and fastened by wooden pins. The window was a hole eut in the side of the house, and frequently eur- tained by a table-cloth, seeured in its place by forks. Their door-latches were of wood, raised by a tow or leather string, which eould drawn in at night. When the lateh-string was out it signified that the family would willingly entertain their eoming guests, thus giving rise to the expression ap- plicd to hospitably-disposed people,-" Their latch-string is always out."

INITIAL EVENTS.

The first settler in this town was one whose name even is unknown. He came from Orange County with his wife and child in the summer of 1790, and built a hut in the loeality where Burdett now stands. He removed to the eastern part of the State in the summer of 1791. The first permanent settler was Wm. Wiekham, who arrived

with his family on the third day of May, 1791, coming down the lake in a canoe to the point on lot No. 40. They climbed the hill, and eommeneed a clearing on Sullivan's Road, and built there the first log house, a few rods south of the present residenee of Mr. M. L. Wickham.

He kept the first tavern at this place. Nov. 2, 1800, he was drowned while erossing the head of a lake, and was buried in about the middle of his farm. Cortwright Mat- thews dug the grave. This was the first death and burial of the white people in the town. Mrs. Wiekham, shortly after his death, built the first frame house in town. It is still standing on lot 40, on the east side of the road, and is oceupied by Mr. K. Foster.

Charles Everts built the first frame barn, near the school- house.

William Wiekham, Jr., is said to have been the first white man to raise peaches on the Lake Road.

The first school-house was built of logs, where Peach Orchard now is, and John Livingston was the first teaeher. He was also a surveyor. The first wedding in the town was at Judge Grover Smith's house. The contraeting parties were Betsey Livingston, daughter of John Living- ston, and Stephen Pratt, a mason. Mr. J. A. Wager, who lives a little west of Logan, is a descendant, his mother, Mary Pratt, being a daughter of Stephen and Betsey Pratt.

The first white male child born in the town was the seventh child of Richard Ely, and who was born Jan. 21, 1796, and was named Hector, in honor of the town. His son, Heetor Ely, lives on the Lake Road, near the old homestead.

Richard Ely built the first tannery, which was a small affair. He had nothing to grind his bark in, and he thrashed it with a flail. The first pair of shoes, probably, made in town were made by him, in 1794, for Amanda, daughter of Reuben Smith, using for an awl a one-tined fork.

Richard Ely Smith, a grandson, and still living at Bur- dett, remembers when he went to school with rags tied on his feet for shoes, and wearing his mother's dress-waist for a coat.

A log saw-mill was built by Reuben Smith in 1795 or '96, on the creek at Peach Orehard. In 1801, Samuel A. Seely ereeted a cloth-mill at Hector Falls, and in 1805 a log grist-mill. The stone that was used is still there, is in the possession of Mr. Mattison, and is about two and a half feet in diameter. Prior to the building of this mill, all grain that was ground, except by that primitive mill, the hollowed-out stump and wooden pestle, was taken by eanoe to Hopetown, on the outlet of Keuka Lake. This mill was built about 1800.

The first store was kept at IIcetor Falls, by John B. Seely.

The first religious gathering, as far as can be learned, was at MeIntyre's Settlement, in 1805. The first church organization was the Presbyterian, and was constituted Sept. 10, 1809, and the first church edifice was erected in 1818, at Peach Orchard, by the Presbyterian Society.

The first post-office was established near what is now Peach Orehard, and was ealled Heetor Post-Office, Jan. 1,

JOHN PROPER.

ALBERT E. PROPER.

PHOTOS. BY J. E. HALE, TRUMANSBURG.

RESIDENCE OF ALBERT E.PROPER, HECTOR, SCHUYLER COUNTY, N. Y.

LITH BY L. I EVERTS, PHILADA

ALEXANDER MORGAN.

MARGARET MORGAN

PHOTOS. BY R.D.CRUM.

RESIDENCE OF ALEXANDER MORGAN, HECTOR, SCHUYLER Cº N.Y.

LITH. BY L. H. EVERTS, PHILADA.

G25

AND SCHUYLER COUNTIES, NEW YORK.

1803, six years before the Elmira office was established. Grover Smith was the first postmaster.

The first earding-machine was put up at Hector Falls, by Wm. Haviland, and was at Decker's mill, Havana, a few years sinee.

In 1823, one month after the completion of the eastern seetion of the Erie Canal, the " Hannah and Mary," a boat of 70 tons, loaded at Heetor Falls by Messrs. Seely & Osborne, arrived at Albany amid general rejoicing, and hier proprietors received a silver eup in token of their enterprise.

The first town tax collected was $300; a man by the name of Wiggins was colleetor, Nathaniel Owen going on his bond as security. Wiggins collected the money and ran away to Canada, leaving Mr. Owen to pay the money. This he did by selling 100 aeres of the land his father gave him to Win. Bodle for $400 to pay the defaleation.

AN INCIDENT.

Alexander Wilson, a name well known among American naturalists and readers of natural history, with two friends of like tastes and pursuits, started one bright autumn morning, in 1804, from the city of Philadelphia for a trip on foot through Western New York. They wished not only to satisfy their tastes in the splendid seenery of that region, but to obtain specimens of the native birds, whose beauty and songs enlivened the solitude of the deep valleys, and cheered the loneliness of the dense woodlands. The party first crossed the Susquehanna River, and went by the way of Newtown (now Elmira) and the Seneca Valley, to Niagara Falls.

Mr. Wilson was not an American by birth, but owned Scotland as his home, and having seen some of the grandest secnery of the old world, naturally wished to view that of the new, and contrast the beauty of both. He looked with astonishment on the wild and picturesque scenery through which he was now traveling, and of this trip wrote a poem entitled, " The Foresters," in which he portrayed its beauty. The abundance of game which he saw was a source of great surprise and delight, and he speaks with pleasure of the game he secured :

"There, on the slaty shore, my spoils I spread, Dueks, plover, teal, the dying and the dead ; Two snowy storks, a erane of tawny hue, Stretched their long necks amid the slaughtered crew. A hawk, whose elaws, white tail, and dappled breast, And eye his royal pedigree eonfest ; Snipes, splendid summer ducks, and divers wild, In one high heap triumphantly I piled ;

Then joining heads that ne'er were joined before, Across my gun the feathering burden bore; . Sought out the path that sealed the mountain's side."

With this load, after passing the " birehen thickets," he followed the old path to Burdett, and continued his way until nightfall. After dark, they arrived about five miles below North Hector, iu Lodi, where their guide, Duncan, unexpectedly found relatives in William Duncan and his family, who was an old settler, and whose descendants are still in Seneca and Schuyler Counties. From this point the party erosscd over to Cayuga Lake, and finished their journey by the way of Seneca and Oswego Rivers to Niag- ara Falls, having secured many valuable speeimens of the

feathered tribes for their collection ; descriptions of which Wilson has richly given in his valuable and interesting work on ornithology.

THE TORNADO OF 1876.

The following account of the tornado is taken from the Watkins Express :

" A terrific tornado visited North Hector on last Saturday afternoon. It came from the west, appearing in the neighborhood of Dundee and Altay as a heavy shower, A little east of Dundee it struck the ground, and destroyed several buildings on its way to the lake, unroofing a church and seriously damaging tbe seminary.

" It seemed to strike the east shore of the lake in three divisions. One uprooted several large trees at the steamboat landing, passed directly up the hill, utterly destroying the eider-mill and jelly-factory of Townsend, unroofing the Baptist church and hurling its steeple upon the house of W. Woodford. Then it utterly demolished the barn of Mr. E. Ingersoll, and took the roof of his house, with the chimneys intact, about fifty rods in a northeast direction, where it struck and destroyed the barn of Mr. Richard Ely, and passed about two hundred feet farther before striking the ground ; a large number of shingles were blown from Mr. Ely's residence, and the storm passed on, striking the buildings of Mr. Isaac Gilmore and Mr. Riley Nor- man, nearly a mile farther east, unroofing the wagon-houses and sheds of both. The second division struck the eamp-ground, nearly half a mile farther south, uprooting about twenty-five large trees. Thence, eoutinuing in a southeasterly course, it demolisbed tbe barn and unroofed the dwelling, wagon-house, and sheds of Mr. A. V. Me- Keel, unroofing the barn and sheds and part of the bouse owned by Mr. J. E. Hull, on the old Captain Curry place; it demolishel tbe outbuildings of Aunt Betsey Budd, unroofed the lower barn and part of the old homestead of John Kinan, entirely destroyed the barn of Mr. Albert Smith, tore ont an end aud blew off the roof of R. C. Budd's upper barn, unroofed the barn and tore to atoms tbe large sbed of Mr. A. Cornwall, took off a part of the roof from the barn of Mr. Lamereaux Smith, unroofed Mr. M. Budd's house entirely and his barn partially, and tore off part of the roof from the barn of Mr. A. Snyder, on the Robert Henry place, nearly two miles from the shore of the lake. The third division was nearly a mile fartber south. The principal damage done by it was to the property of Mr. Asa Moore, whose house it unroofed and moved his barn entirely from its foundation, raeking it severely. It also blew off the chimneys of Mr. A. Evert's buildings. On the line of the second division of the storm was a forest of about one hundred acres, stretching along a small stream ; not a tree of this is left standing except a few small saplings. Two-thirds of the orchard of Mr. McKeel was uprooted, anl it is estimated that not less than ten thousand fruit-trees were destroyed in the track of the storm. The rain fell in torrents, and houses that were apparently uninjured were drenched, the water finding its way between the siding and shingles and through the windows. On the level fields the water was estimated at two feet in depth, and the roads and raviues were like rivers. Even after the storm bad passe:l Mr. MeKeel was unable to cross the road from his house to the ruins of his barn. Que stream was swollen so as to carry off nearly thirty rods of fence to the lake.

"The entire damage to buildings, furniture, crops, and orchards was immense, the area of destruction being nearly two miles square."

SECRET SOCIETIES.

Mecklenburg Lodge, No. 609, Sons of Temperance, was organized Aug. 18, 1877, and at present contains 100 members. W. P., S. A. Hovencamp; Seribe, Bennett Grant.

Burdett Grange, No. 263, was organized November, 1874, and contains 65 members. Jacob Sutherland is the present W. M., and Lewis Smith, Sec.

THE HECTOR TEMPERANCE SOCIETY.

During the winter of 1817-18, at a time of deep interest in religious subjects among the members of the community

626

HISTORY OF TIOGA, CHEMUNG, TOMPKINS,

of the town of Hector, there was a meeting appointed in a distant neighborhood, at which the Rev. Joseph Crawford was to preach. It was an evening service, and a number of those interested went from Hector to attend it, expect- ing to return at its close. A storm arising, they were in- vited to remain all night at the house of Mr. Crawford, and the next morning, before starting for home, the conversa- tion casually turned on the various benevolent enterprises of the time. Among others the subject of temperance was broached, then a comparatively new one, and one which at that time met with great opposition. Mr. Wil- liam Smith was deeply interested, and remarked that "the principle of combined effort for the salvation of men was manifesting itself in so many ways, that he thought some- thing should be done in a similar way to stay the desola- tion of intemperance." The soil, already warmed and mel- lowed by the good influence of the time, eagerly received this one little seed so judiciously sown, and from this earn- estly-spoken word on that winter's morning sprang the germ from which, in later years, burst the far-spreading tree which has since so generously fruited.

March 18, 1828, the first preliminary meeting was held in the bar-room of Richard Ely, Jr. They resolved to form a temperance society, and a committee was appointed, con- sisting of S. A. L. Warner, Richard Smith, and Dr. A. M. G. Comstock, to draw up a constitution. At a second meeting the constitution was adopted, and several signa- tures were obtained. The following clauses in that im- portant document serve to illustrate one of the struggles against an old and long-established custom, that of furnish- ing strong drink to working men on such occasions as har- vestings and raisings : " We also pledge ourselves that when called to visit our neighbors in raising buildings, or any other kind of business, we will not expect to be pro- vided with liquor to drink, nor will we furnish them our- selves when we invite our neighbors to assist us, and we will use our influence to prevent their being provided by others on similar occasions." At the next meeting, April 9, the society was fully organized at the Ely school-house, William Smith being elected President, and S. H. L. War- ner, Secretary. The original members of the society were Ephraim Birge, William Smith, Richard Smith, Caleb Smith, Chauncey W. Smith, Joseph Jewell, Henry Ger- man, A. M. G. Comstock, Augustus Ely, John Lambert, and Charles Everts.

The first cold-water raising was an important event. The Peach Orchard church was erected without ardent spirits. Instead of the usual supply of whisky, a lunch of biscuit, pie, and cake was provided. The builder hesitated to undertake it, but the trustees were firm, and the house was raised.

In February, 1826, the American Temperance Society was organized at Boston. A temperance newspaper had been started, with the motto " Temperate Drinking the Down-hill Road to Intemperance." One step more was taken. Judge Richard Smith, in urging a man to unite, was met by the objection that it did not cover quite enough ground ; that if it prohibited wine he would sign the pledge. The judge replied, " Put down your name, make the amendment, and I'll second it." It was done, and wine

was prohibited. In 1828, the Lansing Temperance So- ciety was organized, and was powerful for good, having for one of its prominent members Benjamin Joy, whose name has been since so closely identified with the cause. In 1829, by a personal canvass, 252 names were obtained, and a young people's society was organized. This year the New York State Temperance Society was constituted, and also that of Connecticut. The fiftieth anniversary of this society was held at Peach Orchard, April 9, 1868, Rev. Joel Jewell delivering the discourse, from which these notes arc gleaned. This is believed to be the oldest existing tem- perance organization in the world, and they never have omitted holding an anniversary. William B. Ely, Presi- dent ; Silas R. Wager, Secretary. ·

In an early day they were called " Mullein beer people."

CEMETERIES.

Mecklenburg Union Cemetery Association was incorpo- rated March 23, 1853. It is situated east of the village, and contains about four acres. Jason Cooper is President ; J. T. Hollenbeck, Secretary. There are cemeteries at the following places : at McIntyre Settlement, east linc of town, on lot 86, Cayutaville, Reynoldsville, two miles south of Reynoldsville, Bennettsburg, Burdett, on the lake-shore, near S. B. Peck, Peach Orchard, North Hector, Searsburg, north line of town, in district No. 10 and in district No. 19, east line of town, in district No. 2, and one near Logan. These are private cemeteries, in which the earlier settlers were buried.

The first death and burial that occurred in the town was of the first settler, who lics buried on an eminence overlook- ing Seneca Lake, and the following is on his tombstone : " William Wickham, died Nov. 2, 1800, æt. fifty-two years. His wife, Phebe, died May 12, 1828, æt. eighty-one years six months and twenty-four days; is buried near him." The Everts cemetery is west of the turnpike, between Peach Orchard and North Hector, and contains many of the early pioneers of that family. "Daniel Everts, Esq., died Dec. 18, 1833, aged eighty-three years ten months and twenty- five days." " In memory of Polly, wife of Daniel Everts, Esq., died Feb. 27, 1817, in the sixty-third year of her age." " Abigail, wife of Daniel Everts, Esq., died June 13, 1831, aged sixty-one years eleven months and five days." " Aaron K. Matthews, died March 3, 1870, aged ninety-one ycars." He was a native of Sharon, Conn; em- igrated to this county, together with his parents, in 1798, and commenced housekeeping on the same farm that he oc- cupied at his death, it being a period of seventy years. There are cemeteries of the Darling, Sayler, and Clawson families, and others, in different parts of the town.

The following is a list of the first post-offices in the town :

Hector was established Jan. 1, 1803. Grover Smith, Postmaster.

Seneca was established July 1, 1814. D. Burroughs, Postmaster. Discontinued Oct. 30, 1830. Re-established April 15, 1846. Hiram Milliman, Postmaster.

Perry City was established July 31, 1815. Thomas Edgerly, Postmaster.

JANE DARLING.

THOMAS DARLING.

RESIDENCE OF MRS. J. E. DARLING, HECTOR, SCHUYLER COUNTY, N. Y.

LITH BYL H EVERTS, PHILA

JOHN M.CODDINGTON

ELIZABETH CODDINGTON

TENANT HOUSE.

LITH BY L H. EVERTS PHIL

RESIDENCE OF JOHN M. CODDINGTON, HECTOR, SCHUYLER CO., N. Y.

LAVINA KEEP

MARTIN M.KEEP.

RESIDENCE OF MARTIN M. KEEP.

RESIDENCE OF CHAS. M. KEEP .

RESIDENCE OF MARTIN M. KEEP. BENNETSBURG, SCHUYLER CON.Y.

LITH. BY L. H. EVERTS, PHILADA.

627

AND SCHUYLER COUNTIES, NEW YORK.

Burdette was established March 6, 1819. Joseph Car- son, Postmaster.

Reynoldsville was established Jan. 6, 1827. James Reynolds, Postmaster.

Mecklenburg was established June 2, 1826. John Say- ler, Postmaster.

North Hector was established Aug. 14, 1826. John Kinnan, Postmaster.

Logan was established March 15, 1828. Jabez S. Smith, Postmaster.

Searsburg was established March 12, 1830. David Sears, Postmaster.

Cuyutaville was established March 31, 1846. John Beebe, Jr., Postmaster.

Bennettsburg was re-established July 5, 1850. Caleb Keep, Postmaster.

Smith Valley was established Nov. 26, 1858. Robert Hamilton, Postmaster.

MECKLENBURG

is in the eastern part of the town, near the middle of the east line, and lies on one of the branches that forms Tag- hanic Creek. It contains three churches (Baptist, Presby- terian, and Methodist), hotel, post-office, three dry-goods- and grocery-stores, two drug-stores, school-house, hardware- store, harness-shop, furniture-store, three blacksmith-shops, two wagon-shops, one paint-shop, cradle-factory, and foundry, two millinery-stores, grist-mill, saw-will, cooper-shop, two shoe-shops, tailor-shop, meat-market, four physicians, and two lawyers.

REYNOLDSVILLE

is situated in a valley near the centre of the town, and took its name from a family of that name when it was desig- nated as a post-office, and contains a Methodist church, hotel, post-office, school-house, two stores, two blacksmith- shops, two wagon-shops, two shoe-shops, and a harness- shop. Theophilus Tracy, the town clerk, who has filled the position for sixteen years, resides herc.

BENNETTSBURG

is situated on Cranberry Creek, south and west from the centre of the town, and takes its name from Phineas Ben- nett, who purchased three hundred acres in 1828, and built a grist- and saw-mill on the creek. It contains a Baptist church, post-office, school-house, groeery, two blacksmith- shops, wagon-shops, tannery, grist-mill, and saw-mill.

BURDETT

is situated in the southwestern part of the town, and was first settled by William Martin, Joseph Carson, and Mow- bry Owen. Joseph Gillespie held title to land for services in the Revolutionary war, and moved here in 1799. It was originally called Hamburg. One John White kept tavern here in 1815, and on the Fourth of July a pole was raised, and liquor passed round freely, and they called it Tod Pole,-a name that elung to the place for years. In 1819 a post-office was established, and, at the suggestion of the late Richard Woodward, it was named Burdett, after Sir Francis Burdett. It contains three churches (Metho- dist, Presbyterian, and Old-School Baptist), two hotels,

post-office, two school-houses, five dry-goods- and grocery- stores, grist-mill, two blacksmith-shops, two wagon-shops, saw-mill, harness-shop, cooper-shop, meat-market, and three physicians.

PEACH ORCHARD

is situated in the northwest part of the town, about one mile from the lake. It derives its name from the circum- stance that, when the place was first visited by white men, an Indian peach-orchard was found here. It contains thrce churches (Presbyterian, Baptist, and Episcopalian ; the two latter are not in use), post-office, store, blacksmith-shop, school-house, two nurseries, and one physician.

NORTH HECTOR

lies in the northwest corner of the town, and is near Break- neck Creek, and extends to the lake; contains two hotels, two churches (Baptist and Methodist), school-house, post- office, five dry-goods and grocery-stores, two warehouses, grist- and saw-mill, tin-shop, three blacksmith-shops, two wagon-shops, furniture-store, two shoe-shops, harness-shop, cabinet-shop, barber-shop, Jackson's Hall, and two phys- icians. It is also a landing on Seneca Lake for steamers, and one of the hotels is on the bank of the lake.

The North Hector Camp-Meeting Ground, controlled by the Elmira District, is south of the road leading to the lake, and on a finely-wooded level plain to the water's edge.

LOGAN, OR POLKVILLE,

is situated a little south of east from Peach Orchard, and is a hamlet, and contains a Methodist church, post-office, store, school-house, and blacksmith-shop.

STEAMBURG

is situated in the north part of the town, near the centre, and contains a Methodist church, store, school-house, and blacksmith-shop.

SEARSBURG

is situated east of Steamburg two miles, and is also in the north part of the town; was settled first by Thomas and David Sears, from whom it derives its name. It contains a Christian church, post-office, and a blacksmith-shop.

PERRY CITY

is situated on the east line of the town, and in the north part, and contains a meeting-house of the Society of Friends, post-offiee, sehool-house, store, blacksmith-shop, and wagon- shop.

ÇAYUTAVILLE

is situated on the south line of the town, in the east part; contains a Methodist church, hotel, post-office, school house, store, blacksmith-shop.

SCHOOLS.

The following statisties from the report of School Com- missioner Charles T. Andrews, Esq., exhibit the condition of the schools in this town :

Amount of money on hand $148.31

State appropriation ...

4171.62

Tax

3780.64

Local fund

532.44

Other

554.61

Total $9187.67

628

HISTORY OF TIOGA, CHEMUNG, TOMPKINS,

Number of districts, 42; school-houses, 36; teachers, 26 males and 43 females ; 1456 children ; 1226 scholars ; weeks taught, 1109}; volumes in library, 718; value, $164; value of school-houses and sites, $117,765.

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History of Tioga, Chemung, Tompkins and Schuyler counties, New York, Part 169

Author: Peirce, H. B. (Henry B.) cn; Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) Publication date: 1879 Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Ensign Number of Pages: 1112

Author: Peirce, H. B. (Henry B.) cn; Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Ensign
Number of Pages: 1112