USA > New York > Warren County > History of Warren County [N.Y.] with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 64
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The Roman Catholic Church of Chestertown was formed in 1867. The first pastor was the Rev. De Rouch. He was succeeded by Rev. Father Kelly, who remained seven years, and was followed in 'turn by Rev. Father O'Ma- honey, who served two years. The present pastor is Rev. Father Flood, of North Creek. The old Methodist Church was purchased at the time of organ- ization and converted into a Catholic house of worship. The cost of remodel- ing the edifice was about $1,000, and $1,500 has been expended on improve- ments since that time. The present value of the property is estimated at $3,- 500.
The first church trustees were Patrick McAveigh, John McPhillips and Timothy Murphy. The present church trustees are Patrick McAveigh and Timothy Murphy. The membership numbers about thirty families. A Sun- day-school was formed six years ago, Lizzie McAveigh and Anna Cohen act- ing as superintendents.
The Episcopal Church or Mission was formed here in 1876. The first rec- tor was Rev. Aubrey Todrig, the second, Rev. C. B. Flagler, and the third and present, Rev. C. J. Whipple, who came on June 16th, 1882. The first house of worship consisted of the former dwelling house of Charles Fowler, re-mod- eled, and adapted to the purposes of its consecration. The present edifice was consecrated in June, 1884, and cost in erection about $2,500. The entire property is worth about $3,000. A Sunday-school was organized at the time of the formation of the mission, the rectors being the superintendents. At present, however, those duties and the duties of warden are preformed by Ralph Thurman. There are twenty communicants in the mission.
Pottersville. - This village derived its name from Joel F. Potter, the first business man who started the movement which resulted in the building up of the village. In 1839 he built a store (just south of the present hotel), which burned in 1876, and has never been rebuilt. Potter went from this place to Glens Falls years ago. From there he removed to Schroon Lake where he died
1 He became deranged, and is now hopelessly insane.
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547
TOWN OF CHESTER.
three or four years ago. He left no descendants in Pottersville. In 1835 there was nothing on the site of this village except a log house which stood on the ground now covered by Daniel Virgil's house. James Danley owned this log house. His grandson, C. F Kipp, now lives in the village. The principal business in early times was lumbering. All the inhabitants were more or less interested in it.
There never were any extensive mills here. One of the earliest industries here was the old tannery, which formerly stood about ten rods north of the present residence of C. F. Kipp and which was erected by Milton Sawyer, during the infancy of the village. He conducted the business about eight years, and was followed by Fay & Co., of Greene county, who ran the concern ten or fifteen years and then failed. Fraser & Co., of New York, who now own the Mill Brook tannery, were then at the head of the establishment for about ten years. Finally C. F Kipp bought it and converted it into a cider- mill. On the 15th of October, 1882, it burned, and, according to Mr. Kipp, the fire remained in the tanbark which covered the ground several inches deep, for a space of eighteen months.
The hotel was built in about 1845 by Joseph Hotchkiss and Joshua Col- lar. L. H. Jenks, the present postmaster, worked on this, as indeed, he has on almost every building in the village. Hiram Towsley was one of the old- est proprietors ; Isaac Beebe came after him, then Marcus H. Downs came into the house, enlarged it, and kept it from about 1860 to 1869. In the last named year L. R. Locke came into possession and remained until 1879, when his father, R. L. Locke, the present proprietor, became his successor. The house is nicely kept, and does its principal business in providing dinners for guests bound to and from the resorts around Schroon Lake and farther north and west.
The first postmaster here was Joel F. Potter, who received the appointment in 1839. He had the office five or six years, and then gave place to Michael Codman, in whose name the office was conducted, by himself and his daughter, Sarah Ann Codman, until 1860. James Wallace then served until 1865, and was succeeded by William R. Codman. In 1867 William G. Leland was ap- pointed ; Charles Brown then performed the postal functions for Pottersville for a short time, and was followed by Livingston H. Jenks, the politically-mori- bund incumbent of the present day.
The condition of the vicinity in 1840, in addition to what has already been inferentially described, may be deduced from the fact that the State road, so- called, which John Thurman constructed, was then in good condition .; all the other roads now used about here have been opened since. Among the early resi- dents here may be mentioned C. F. Kipp, L. H. Jenks, Joseph Hotchkiss, B. Van- denthuyzen, Garrett Vandenthuyzen, and Jacob Vandenthuyzen, three broth- ers. Jacob Vandenthuyzen has a number of descendants living here and about here now.
548
HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
Business Interests. - S. B. Morey has had a general store in Pottersville since 1858 or 1860. He began in the same building which he now occupies, though he has enlarged it considerably beyond its original proportions. J. H. Griswold, M. D., began preparing and dispensing drugs and medicine in the village in 1860. He came to the present location in 1880. He was admitted to the practice of medicine in 1845, and has been a licentiate of the Warren County Medical Society since 1876. Silas Daimon has kept a general store here for about twenty years. Edgar Wilcox established his hardware and gro- cery business here in the spring of 1879. He has occupied the buildings he now owns since September, 1883. P. M. Griswold, brother to J. H. Griswold, has been the latter's partner and conducted the dry goods department since 1880. R. S. Pritchard has kept a general store here since the fall of 1881. Frank A. Griswold, son of J. H. Griswold, was licensed to practice pharmacy in December, 1884, by the State Board of Pharmacy, and as dentist in August, 1879, under the act of the Legislature passed on June 20th, of that year.
B. S. Phelps has run the steam saw-mill, planing-mill, and grist-mill in the south part of the village since 1878.
James A. Skiff has practiced law in Pottersville ten or twelve years. His business is done chiefly before the .Departments at Washington.
Dr. E. J. Dunn was graduated from the medical department of the Univer- sity of New York, on March 3d, 1883. He has been practicing medicine in Pottersville for the past seven years, after completing a course of study in the office of Dr. F. L. R. Chapin, of Glens Falls.
Churches .- The oldest church in Pottersville is the Methodist, which was organized in 1810, while all this tract was as yet a thinly peopled and inhos- pitable wilderness. Indeed, the community had been edified by preaching for years before even that date, as tradition and the records concur in saying that the lamented Rev. Richard Jacobs exhorted and preached about here as early as 1796. The first class-leader of the class formed in 1810 was Eli Beebe. A Sunday-school was organized in 1835 by T. S. Burnet. The house of worship was erected in 1847, and repaired and beautified in the interior in 1884. Fol- lowing is the list of pastors: 1811, Lansing Whiting; 1812, Gersham Price ; 1813, Tobias Spicer ; 1814, Gilbert Lyon; 1815, Elijah Hibbard ; 1816, Dan- iel Braton ; 1817, Daniel J. Wright; 1818, Sherman Miner; 1819, Daniel Bra- ton; 1820, Jacob Hall; 1821, C. Silliman; 1822 and 1823, Phineas Doane ; 1824, John Clarke; 1825 and 1826, Roswell Kelley, assisted by Joseph Ames; 1827, Jacob Beeman ; 1828, Nathan Rice and Alexander Hulin.
In 1828 the Luzerne and Warren circuits were divided, leaving a large cir- cuit on the north to be traveled by two preachers. In 1830 and '31 Seymour Coleman and Seth Eyres traveled the circuit; 1832, '33, Joseph McCheney, Henry Coleman, and Chester Chamberlain ; 1834, Reuben Wescott and James Cobet; 1835, Joel Squier and John Fitch ; 1836, William Richards and Horace
549
TOWN OF JOHNSBURGH.
Campbell; 1837, '38, (the circuit was divided in 1837) B. Pomeroy ; 1839, Alonzo Richards; 1840, '41, Ezra Sayre, assisted by William Hull and Reynolds ; 1842, '43, I. D. Burnham, assisted by Ira Holmes and L. S. Mott ; 1844, '45. Joseph Connor, and Warren Fox; 1846, '47, Chester Lyon; 1848, '49, Samuel Hughes ; 1850, '51, G. H. Townsend; 1852, '53, David Noble ; 1854, '55, Daniel Rose ; 1856, '57, A. Stevens; 1858, no record kept; 1859, '69, H. M. Munsee ; 1862, '63, A. Shurtliff; 1864, F. F. Hannah ; 1865, '66, Z. Picket; 1867, '68, G. D. Rose; 1870, '71, '72, R. Campbell; 1873, J. C. Walker; 1874, '75, P. M. Hitchcock ; 1876, '77, J. W. Coons; 1878, '79, E. Comstock ; 1880, R. Patterson ; 1881, H. S. Allen ; 1882, '83, Joel Hall; 1884, '85, R. E. Jenkins.
The Episcopal Church was organized, and the edifice erected soon after the construction of the Methodist house of worship. No services are held here now.
CHAPTER XXX.
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF JOHNSBURGH.
JOHNSBURGH is the northwestern town of Warren county, being bounded on the north by the town of Minerva, in Essex county, on the east, across the Hudson, by Chester, on the south by Thurman, and on the west by the town of Wells, in Hamilton county. Its surface is everywhere broken by lofty and precipitous mountains, composed for the most part of solid rock. The northern and central part is occupied by the Schroon range of mountains, and the south by a spur of the Kayaderosseras. Crane Mountain, the highest peak of the latter range, attains an altitude of 3,289 feet above sea level. Its name is de- rived from the circumstance that a small pond which nestles in a concavity near the summit of the mountain is much frequented by cranes.I J
The greater part of the town is too rough and stony for cultivation, the arable land being thus confined to the narrow valleys formed by the Sacandaga and other small streams which find their devious ways from source to mouth. The soil is a sandy and gravelly loam. Kaolin, serpentine iron ore, and a few other minerals are found in small quantities.
The early history of the town has been so well written by Dr. Holden for the Warrensburgh News, from matter furnished him by David Noble, of Weaver- town, that we cannot refrain from drawing largely from this storehouse in the compilation of this chapter.
' Seen from Warrensburgh, eleven miles away, the mountain presents a remarkable similitude to the profile of the human face.
550
HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
The town was taken from the old town of Thurman on the 6th of April, 1805. The records for the first two years are not to be found. The officers for 1807, however, are given, as it gives a good partial list of the early settlers here: Supervisor, John Richards; assessors, Norris Hopkins, Archibald Noble, Henry Allen ; highway commissioners, Joseph Wilcox, Edward Noble, Nathaniel Trumble; constable and collector, Joseph Hopper ; constable, Lyman Lee ; fence viewers, Andrus Weaver, William Leach ; overseers of the poor, Rob- ert Armstrong, James Parker ; committee to build pound, Joseph Hopper, Lemuel Humphrey, John Thurman; pathmasters, Job Wood, Reynolds Weaver, Joseph Wells, Lemuel Harndon, Charles J. Wetmore, Edward Noble, Samuel Morehouse, David Kibby, Samuel Somerville, Samuel Ross, Samuel Baxter, John Pasco, Richard Stratton, Archibald Washburn, Archibald Noble, Abiram Galusha.
The old town of Thurman included the present Thurman, Bolton, Chester, Warrensburgh, Stony Creek, a part of Caldwell and all of Johnsburgh. It derived its name from John Thurman, the original patentee, who purchased it in about 1778. Its present name was derived from his given name. He made the first clearing in the twelfth township of Totten and Crossfield's Purchase on Elm Hill, one mile southeast of the site of Johnsburgh Corners, in about the year 1790. Mr. Noble says that Mr. Thurman named the place Elm Hill from a large and beautiful elm tree standing on a prominent knoll on this plateau, and that for many years the territory west of the Hudson River and north of Athol was known among the friends in England, Ireland and America as Elm Hill, and letters to the inhabitants here were so addressed. The nearest post- office was Thurman, now Warrensburgh. About the same time, 1790, Thur- man began to clear land on Beaver Brook, nearly a mile west from Elm Hill, and in 1790 or soon after he erected a saw-mill and grist-mill on the falls of of the brook. Settlers then began to move in from England, Scotland, Ire- land and New England. They took up farms varying in size from fifty to one hundred acres. In 1794 Thurman built the first framed barn in town. It extended thirty by forty feet and was laid by Enos Grover, a cooper, by the scribe, or "cut and try " rule, the method of framing buildings in those days. This barn, which has been resilled once and reshingled twice, still stands on the Elm Hill farm, and is in good repair. About this time Thurman also opened a store and put up a distillery to create a market for the large quan- tities of rye which the newly-cleared lands produced. In those days the grain was malted for distillation, hence a store, malt-house and kiln was built for the purpose. It is said that most of the whisky made was used in the town. French's Gazetteer states that in 1795 Thurman erected a woolen factory, which was soon changed to a cotton factory, and that as early as 1797 he erected his calico printing works, the first, it is believed in America. Mr. Noble dif- fers from it in that he does not mention the woolen works, and dates the con-
55I
TOWN OF JOHNSBURGH.
struction of the cotton factory and calico printing factory between 1800 and 1804. These last two stood about thirty rods above his saw and grist-mill. As early as 1800 this mighty pioneer also erected ash works, and made large quantities of potash, which at that time and for thirty years after brought good prices. Farmers were paid one shilling a bushel for ashes, while potash brought from $2.00 to $3.50 per ton.
Thurman had his cotton factory machinery made and put up on the spot by an English machinist named Joseph Holden. The spinning and weaving department was under the superintendence of Daniel McGinnis, an Irishman. The calico printing was done by James Smalley, an Englishman, of enormous height, size and strength. The stones in Thurman's grist-mill were made by Jeremiah Harrington from granite which was found in the vicinity. David Noble well remembers the old man and has often seen those granite mill- stones. John Thurman, the founder and operator of all these industries, was killed at Bolton Landing in September, 1807, by a vicious bull, and was buried on his own premises, on ground now included in the Methodist cemetery at Johnsburgh Corners. So closely identified was he with the business which he conducted that at his death they all, except saw and grist-mills, closed and have never since been operated.
- The first death in town was that of Enos Grover, father of the cooper be- fore mentioned. It occurred in about the year 1795. He was buried in the plot of ground just above described. The attendants at the funeral were his family and four of Thurman's men. The first marriage was that of Calvin Washburn and Elizabeth Waddell, daughter of Robert Waddell. The first white child born in town was Polly, daughter of Robert and Julia (Hodgson) Waddell. Polly was married, when a young lady, to Bishop Carpenter, and was the mother of Jordan Carpenter, now of Chestertown. The first tavern in town was kept by Joseph Hopper, in about the year 1800, at now Johnsburgh Corners. The first post-office was established in 1817 or 1818 in the same neighborhood. The postmaster was Dr. Martin Gillett, who remained in office until about 1830, when he went West, and was succeeded by Clark Burdick.
The first settlers prior to Thurman's death were Robert Maxham and fam- ily, Samuel Hamden and family, Robert Waddell, son and daughter, Joseph Hopper, first hotel-keeper; Joseph Robinson, William Leach, Timothy John- - son, Reuben Washburn, Archibald Washburn, Samuel Morehouse, a Revolu- tionary soldier, and family. John Pasco, Thomas Morehouse, John Ward, Samuel Ross, David Kibber, Philaster Purney, Nehemiah Grover and Samuel Millington were also all Revolutionary soldiers, and settled here with their families. Others were: John Jones, a Welsh cloth manufacturer, and family ; Samuel Baxter (Welsh) and family, George Hodgson (English) and family, John Armstrong (Irish) and family, Adam Armstrong (Irish) and family, David Noble (Irish) and sons, Archibald, Edward, William and John ; Thomas
552
HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
Somerville (Irish) and sons, John, Samuel, Archibald and Thomas ; John Rich- ards (Welsh surveyor), Assemblyman and Member of Congress from Warren county, and supervisor from Johnsburgh many years; Levi Hitchcock and family, Jeremiah Harrington and family, Calvin Crawford, Ebenezer Fish and family, Lemuel Humphrey and family, Henry Allen and family, John B. Gage, Stephen Scripter, Silas Harrington, Enos Grover, Enos Grover, jr., Daniel Stratton, Benajah Putnam, Silas 'Sheffield, John G. Brewer, Andrew Weaver and family, William Weaver, John Weaver, Jonathan Barney, Archibald Wil- cox, Joseph, Isaiah and Jacob Wilcox, James Parker and family, Daniel Rob- ertson and Alexander Robertson (Scotch), Alexander, Nathaniel and Norman Trumble, Samuel Barber, J. P. ; John Williams, Charles Wilson, Benjamin L. and Charles C. Thomson, Hiram, Elisha and Elijah Ross, Josephus Lee, Jere- miah Bennett, Nathan Raymond and family, John Monell and family, Norris Hopkins and family, Abiram Galusha (a Revolutionary soldier) and family, Job Wood, Nathaniel Barber, Martin Gillett, M. D., the first physician in town.
The first religious societies in town were of the Baptist and Methodist de - nominations, the New England settlers being for the most part Baptists, and the English and Irish portion Methodists. The first Baptist preachers who visited the town were Elder Jehiel Fox, of Chestertown, and Elder Bateman At this time the Baptists were the most numerous denomination in town. Al- though this people for the last seventy years have had most of the time a pas- tor settled here, yet they erected no house of worship until within three years they built a neat little chapel at North River. Their present membership is less than it was forty years ago.
David Noble, a local preacher, and father of the first Methodist family in Johnsburgh, was the son of Archibald Noble, of English descent, and Eleanor (Jamison) Noble, of Scotch extraction, was born in Ireland in December, 1734. The Noble family were Episcopalians, or members of the English Church, as it was then styled. When a young man David Noble was converted under the preaching of John Wesley, who, in his early ministry, often visited Ireland, and together with his sons and daughters united with the Methodist societies. In 1795 he, a widower, and his four sons and three daughters, all adults and unmarried, came to America and settled in the city of New York, where, with his eldest son Archibald, he labored as a stone and brick mason. The family attended the old John street Methodist Church. In 1798, under the persuasive influence of John Thurman,1 he came to the wilderness lands of Thurman Pat- ent, now Johnsburgh, and purchased four hundred acres in a body-one hun- . dred for each son-and, in 1800, moved upon the tract and began to clear the land. He put up log buildings near Beaver Brook, which intersected each of
I The story is told of Thurman that in his efforts to colonize his patent he was in the hahit of ex- hibiting beech nuts to the natives and immigrants in New York and observe that that was the kind of buckwheat that could be raised on Elm hill. Let the reader weigh the probabilities of the story for himself.
553
TOWN OF JOHNSBURGH.
the four parcels. He then inaugurated a series of meetings at his own house and at the mills of Mr. Thurman-now Dunn's mills, near Johnsburgh Corners. The Methodist preachers of Cambridge Circuit immediately followed, and preached at Mr. Noble's house once in six weeks. The first of these preachers were Samuel Howe, Martin Rutter, Elijah Hedding (afterward a bishop), David Brown and Mitchell B. Bull. The members of the first Methodist class in town were David Noble, his sons and daughters, Thomas Somerville, a brother-in-law and an elder in a Presbyterian church in Ireland, and his wife ; William Leach and wife, Adam Armstrong and wife (who afterward lived and died in Albany), Elizabeth Somerville, Elsee Robinson, Rachel Hitchcock, Mrs. Enos Grover, Mrs. A. Edwards, John Armstrong, Rebecca Armstrong, and Dyer Burdick, of Athol. The first class-leaders were David Noble, Adam Armstrong and William Leach (an exhorter). From that time to the present Methodist preaching has continued here without interruption.
In July, 1807, David Noble went on horseback to Arlington, Vt., on a visit to his eldest daughter, Jane, wife of Richard Empey. On the 10th day of the month, while attending a Methodist meeting in a school-house, at the conclu- sion of the sermon he delivered an impassioned exhortation, sat down and died without a struggle. He had attained the age of seventy-three years. His last words were : " And may this be our happy lot till Heaven." He was buried at Ash Grove Church - the first Methodist Church erected north of New York city - beside the graves of the Revs. David Brown and Philip Emburg, in the town of Cambridge. In June, 1876, his grandson, David Noble, of Weaver- town (who furnishes much of the information contained in this chapter), ex- humed his remains and re-interred them in the cemetery of the Methodist Church of Johnsburgh. He also removed with the body the marble slab which marked his resting place at Cambridge.1
Following is a list given by Mr. Noble, of aged persons who have died in town : Thomas Somerville, died October 13th, 1815, aged 81 years; Mary Somerville, his wife, died -- 1825, aged 83 years; Elizabeth Somer- ville, a sister, died August 12th, 1837, aged 90 years; Archibald Noble, died August 14th, 1848, aged 78 years; Elisha Ross, died October 3d, 1865, aged 80 years; Hiram Ross, his brother, died October 9th, 1869, aged 88 years ; Elijah Ross, also a brother, died May 9th, 1870, aged 85 years; John Ward a Revolutionary pensioner, died June 3d, 1854, aged 101 years ; Samnel Som- erville, died April, 1872, aged 99 years; Thomas Somerville, died June 2d, 1877, aged 94 years; Edward Noble, died March 12th, 1857, aged 84 years; Mahala Richardson, died - - 1883, aged 92 years; Margaret Hodgson, died May 23d, 1884, aged 92 years.
1 David Noble, now of Weavertown, is a grandson of the subject of the above sketch, son of Archi- bald Noble. He was born July 11th, 1804, about three miles west of his present residence. He first came to Weavertown in 1833, soon after the tannery was built. In 1843 he bought a lot and erected thereon the building in which he now lives and does business. He opened his store in the fall of 1844.
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554
HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
Johnsburgh responded with alacrity to the demand for volunteers during the War of the Rebellion. Her foremost men at once engaged themselves in the work of procuring enlistments, and so well did they do their work, and so patriotic were the sentiments of the inhabitants, that out of a population con- taining perhaps not five hundred men, one hundred and fourteen found their way to the battle-field.
For many years Johnsburgh suffered from great and manifold disadvantages. Being a northern town of the county, and abutting on the Northern Wilderness, no commerce and very little travel passed through it. For years the inhabi- tants carried their grain and butter to Glens Falls and Waterford for sale, in return purchasing and bringing home family supplies, such as tea, tobacco, molasses, rum (for the hay and harvest season), sole leather, cotton and woolen clothing. At times somebody would make a spasmodic effort at keeping a store - falsely so-called - by dealing in small quantities of rum, tobacco, salt, etc. In 1832-33, the Weavertown Tannery was built by William Watson and James Wasson, of Blandford, Mass. The enterprise stimulated the dormant energies of the inhabitants, giving employment to the men, creating a market for bark and farm produce, and awakening hopes of other industries yet to come. Several stores were soon established.1 A few years later a tannery was built at The Glen. It burned not long a after, was rebuilt, operated a few years and abandoned, having proved a source of loss to everybody interested in it. In 1852 Milton Sawyer and Wheeler Mead built the tannery at North Creek. In 1875 a Boston company erected a tannery on the Sacandaga River in the west part of the town, which is still in operation.2
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