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 65
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The first church edifice built in town was erected at Weavertown about 1822, by the Dutch Reformed Church, having a membership of ten persons. As the society were unable to procure a pastor, some of its members joined other societies, while others moved away. In 1835 the Baptists finished the church, which had not yet been plastered, and occupied it a few years, but finally, for want of unity among the members, it was abandoned, and recently torn down. The next house of worship was the Methodist Church at Johns- burgh Corners, which was begun in 1838 and completed in 1843. It has been in use since it was repaired in 1879, and is now in good condition. Its value is placed at $2,000. The next edifice - Methodist - was built in the Fourteenth Township, or North River, in about 1847, at an expense of about $1,200, and is yet in use. The fourth is the Free-will Baptist Church of North Creek, which was built in 1853. It cost about $2,000, and is still in use by that de- nomination. The sixth 3 was the Methodist Church built at North Creek in
1 It it a noteworthy fact that Weavertown, North Creek and Creek Center in Stoney Creek, date the origin of their existence as villages immediately subsequent to the erection of the tanneries which now keep them alive.
2 The Weavertown Tannery will be closed in the fall of 1885 because of the scarcity, and distance from headquarters, of bark.
3 See Catholic Church given below.
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TOWN OF JOHNSBURGH.
1879. It cost about $2,500. The seventh is also a Methodist Church, erected in Weavertown in 1879-80, at a cost of $2,500. It is very neat and commo- dious. Its dimensions are thirty-two by forty-eight feet. The Catholic Church of North Creek was organized in 1875, and the edifice erected in the same year at an expense of $2,300. The first pastor and Sunday-school su- perintendent was Rev. J. A. Kelly. Father Lynch followed him, and was followed by Father Green. Next came Father O'Mahoney, now of Warrens- burgh, and in the fall of 1884 the present pastor, Father Flood, was settled as pastor.
Following is a list of the names of the supervisors from 1807, to the pres- ent time, and a list, also, of the present town officers: 1807-17, John Richards (in 1811 he was elected unanimously) ; 1820, '21, John Boyd ; 1822, John Richards; 1823-27, Archibald Noble; 1829-32, Nicholas Rosevelt; 1833, Thomas Somerville; 1834, '35, Jacob Wilcox ; 1836, '37, John D. Dunn; 1838, Thomas Somerville; 1839, David Noble; 1840, '41, John Richards ; 1842, Nicholas Rosevelt ; 1843-46, John Hodgson, 2d ; 1847-50, John Noble, 2d ; 1851, John D. Somerville ; 1852, Nicholas Rosevelt ; 1853, John Hodg- son ; 1854, Hugh Waddell ; 1855-57, Samuel Somerville, jr. ; 1858, John Noble, 2d ; 1859, John Hodgson ; 1860, George P. Wait; 1861, John Hodg- son ; 1862-65, Robert Waddell ; 1866, Charles W. Noble ; 1867,'68, Godfrey R. Martine ; 1870, William Waddell, 1871, '72, Barclay Thomas ; 1873, John Straight ; 1874, Barclay Thomas; 1875-77, James C. Eldridge ; 1878, '79, William Waddell ; 1880, '81, James C. Eldridge ; 1882, A. C. Hall ; 1883, '84, Charles W. Noble ; 1885, Taylor J. Eldridge.
The present town officers are : supervisor, Taylor J. Eldridge ; town clerk, Archibald R. Noble; justices of the peace, Charles W. Noble, William H. Waldron, Samuel Somerville, Thomas Eldridge ; assessors, Seymour C. Arm- strong, John A. Straight, George S. Bennett; commissioner of highways, Harry Richards; overseers of the poor, William Dillon, Samuel Rexford ; collector, Robert T. Armstrong; constables, Robert T. Armstrong, George Wells, William Johnston Luther Waldron ; game constable, Seth T. Thomas ; inspectors of election, district No. I. John T. Somerville, Thomas W. Arm- strong, Delbert Pasco ; district No. 2, William H. Waldron, J. B. Randall, Pat- rick Collins.
The population of the town has been recorded as follows :- 1850, 1,503 ; 1855, 1,983 ; 1860, 2,188 ; 1865, 2,286 ; 1870, 2,599; 1875, 2,577; 1880, 2,742.
Municipal History .- We have departed, for the sake of convenience, from the usual method of writing town histories, and have already included much that might have properly come under another head. We could not adopt a different here without lessening the value of the matter so well compiled by Mr. Noble, and edited by Dr. Holden. There are some sketches, however,
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HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
which we believe we can use better than by inserting them under the head of municipal history.
As has already been indicated the first settlement in the town was in the near vicinity of the site of Johnsburgh Corners. It is now a village of the same proportions that it had gained years ago. The oldest mercantile busi- ness in the place is that now conducted by Mrs E. A. Phillips, whose husband, Henry Phillips, now deceased, started it in the stone store opposite to the pres- ent location, in 1860. He first went into partnership with John Noble. At the expiration of two years this relation terminated. Mr. Phillips bought the building now occupied by his widow, and associated himself with John W. Armstrong. Two years more brought a further change, this time Albert Wills, a brother-in-law of Phillips, succeeding Armstrong. They dissolved in 1871, and Phillips carried on the business alone until his death in 1874, since. which time his widow, Mrs. E. A. Phillips has been her husband's successor.
The building in which she plies her trade was built about 1830, by Hiram Truesdell, and used by him as a store. Charles W. Noble has had a general store here also since the spring of 1879. Before that he was a merchant in Weavertown. In September, 1881, Mrs. S. Martine and E. G. C. Smith, wife- of A. W. Smith entered into partnership and continued on a large scale, a business theretofore carried on by Mrs. Martine alone. They bought the build- ing which they use of William Lackey. A. W. Swith occupies a part of the. building for the purpose of dealing in hardware. William Lackey & Son. (Edmund) opened a store on May Ist, 1885, having purchased the stock of Theodore Barrett, who had run a store in the village for a year before.
Johnsburgh Corners boasts of one hotel, which is said to be sixty-three years of age. Its first proprietor was John Fuller. His successors have been numerous, being in order as follows :- Samuel Morgan, Dr. G. R. Martine, now of Glens Falls, John Loveland, Lorenzo Pasco, O. Hitchcock, - Drake, William Lackey, John A. Rose, William Eldridge, and the present proprietor, Luke Martin, who assumed control May Ist, 1885. The house has a good rep- utation. It will provide for about twenty-guests.
The medical profession alone is represented in this little hamlet by Dr. M .. C. Gill, who finished his medical studies in the Dartmouth Medical College on the 29th of June, 1882, and within two months thereafter displayed his sign to the invalid portion of this neighborhood.
It has already been stated that the first postmaster here, Dr. Martin Gillet,. served from 1817 or 1818 until about 1830. Clark Burdick succeeded him. In 1855 John Noble was in office, but how long he had held it is not positive- ly known. Henry Phillips was appointed in 1862 and retained the office until: 1874. Since then his widow, Mrs. Eunice A. Phillips has been postmistress.
Weavertown began its regular growth as a village immediately after the opening of the tannery in 1833. There are now two hotels and three stores,
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TOWN OF JOHNSBURGH.
besides the tanning interests. The oldest hotel is that now kept by B. Mc- Laughlin, who has been its proprietor since 1860. His predecessor, Ira Rus- sell, built the house some years before and kept it until he took it. J. M. Waddell became proprietor of the other house in 1867, when he succeeded Robert Lee. Lee had been connected with the house since about 1860. It was erected by John Eldridge and John Loveland. Prior to Lee's occupancy it had been used as a tavern and store together.
David Noble was a general merchant in Weavertown from 1869 to Janua- ry, 1884, when his son, Archibald R. Noble, succeeded him. It is now prin- cipally a drug store. William Waddell and Robert Waddell, brothers, built in 1865 the store now occupied by the former. Robert Waddell died in 1878. The building which has been used by E. & W. Moston for mercantile pur- poses since May Ist, 1881, had been before that closed about a year. A. B. Humphrey kept store there for two years before the suspension. It had been used as a store for a number of years.
There are no lawyers in Weavertown, and but two physicians, Dr. W. W. Aldrich, who was graduated from the medical department of Dartmouth Col- lege in 1877 and began to practice here in 1878, and Dr. C. J. Logans, who was admitted at Burlington, Vt., in 1871, and came to Weavertown from Ches- tertown in December, 1883.
The first postmaster at Weavertown was John Hodgson, who was appoint- ed before 1850. In 1869 he was succeeded by the present official, David Noble.
North Creek .- This village owes its origin to the introduction of the tan- nery here in 1852. T. J. Converse, who came here in 1854, informs the writer that at that time there was practically no village here. There were a few roughly-constructed boarding-houses, and one store kept by Russell Fuller in the building now occupied by Taylor Eldridge. There was no post-office here, though very soon after that Russell P. Fuller received the appointment.1 In 1857 Mr. Converse was appointed ; in 1860, Moses Ordway ; in 1862, Wheeler Mead ; in 1863, Lyman West; in 1865, Thomas J. Converse again ; in 1870, William H. Waldron ; and in 1872 the present incumbent, Samuel Richardson.
Mr. Converse, in continuation, states that the religious meetings in 1854 were held in the old school-house; that there was no saw-mill, nor grist-mill, nor ashery, nor distillery here.
Mercantile Interests .- The oldest mercantile establishment at North Creek is the one now conducted by T. J. Eldridge, who bought out William Rem- ington in September, 1884. Remington's predecessor was Elihu Janes. James Wilson was the second one in the store and the first was John Straight. P.
1 Mr. Converse states that he was the first postmaster, and that he held the office eleven years. If so, the legislative manuals have been in error. We have followed them.
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HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
Moynehan established a general trade in North Creek in 1877. In May, 1844, he sold out to the present proprietors, M. Crehore & Co. The B. A. Martine Pharmacy was first opened in the fall of 1880 by B. A. Martine. Since his death in 1881 A. A. Skinner carries on the business under the same name.
The North Creek tannery, already mentioned, was erected in 1852 by Mil- ton Sawyer and Wheeler Mead. The partnership between them terminated about 1865, and Milton Sawyer conducted the business alone until 1876, when the present proprietor, John Reed, took possession. William H. Healy, of Boston, had some connection with the business up to 1876. He furnished the money with which to build the tannery and afterwards furnished it with hides. The tannery has been built over twice since 1876. About twenty men are now kept busy in the building and as many more furnish the bark, though they are not always in Mr. Reed's employ. The tannery turns out 30,000 sides of leather per annum.
Hotels .- There are two hotels at North Creek - the American Hotel, kept by John McInerny since May Ist, 1872, when he came here from Ches- tertown and built it. The house will accommodate thirty guests; and the Adirondack House, of which J. J. Lyons has been proprietor for four years. William Waldron was his successor.
Physicians .- J. L. Fuller, M. D., received his degree at Dartmouth Medical College in 1881, and came to North Creek in the summer of 1882. Dr. F. W. Spoor was graduated in medicine at the New York Homeopathic Medical Col- lege, March 15th, 1884, and bought his brother's practice at North Creek in the same spring.
North River. - This is a small hamlet in the north part of the town, con- taining one hotel, of which Danforth Eldridge has been proprietor for nearly fifteen years; and two stores, kept respectively by Mr. Amidon and Samuel Towne.
In 1855 Schuyler Fuller was postmaster at North River; he was succeeded in 1867 by Lincoln M. Root. In 1861 Henry W. Wilson was appointed; in 1863, James M. Ordway; 1864, Warren W. Gleason ; and in 1866, Danforth Eldridge, the present postmaster.
CHAPTER XXXI.
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF HAGUE.
H AGUE is situated in the northeast corner of the county, along the north- ern shore of Lake George. The surface is mountainous in the extreme, so that not more than one-fourth of it is capable of cultivation. Along the shore
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TOWN OF HAGUE.
of the lake the mountains generally descend much more abruptly to the edge of the water than in Bolton. They are parts of the ridge and spurs of the Kaya- derosseras Mountains, and are separated from each other by the narrow valleys of Trout and Northwest Bay Brooks. In the northwest part of the town lie the Trumbull Mountains, and a little to the south therefrom is Ash Grove Hill rising to an elevation of 2,000 or 2,500 feet above the level of the sea. On the lake shore in the extreme northeast corner of the town and county is Rogers's Slide, a mountain nearly a thousand feet in height, with smooth summit and steep sides. It is said to be singularly rich in minerals, beautiful specimens of garnet having been discovered on its top, and graphite abounding in its bosom. The name is derived from the following historical circumstance : Robert Rogers was sent in the winter of 1757-58, with a small party of followers, to make observa- tions at Ticonderoga and Crown Point, where he met a party of the enemy, and after a sharp skirmish, was defeated. Rogers, pursued by the savages, di- rected his eager footsteps to the summit of this mountain.
" Arrived at the brow of the precipice he threw his 'luggage' down the steep walls, and, reversing himself on his snow-shoes, made his way down through a ravine, at the southwest, to the lake; thence around to the foot of the slide. The savages, following to the edge of the mountain, where the track of the snow-shoes seemed lost in the path made by a falling body, expecting, of course, that whoever had attempted it could not have reached the bottom alive, must have been considerably surprised to see the brave major making off on the ice toward the head of the lake." I They desisted from further pursuit.
Sabbath Day Point is a headland projecting into the lake near the southern border. The soil is a light, sandy loam, and where the surface admits of culti- vation produces average crops of oats, corn, potatoes, and buckwheat. Iron ore . has been found in some parts of the town, but in quantities too slight to en- courage the opening of mines. Black lead exists near the center of the town.
The town of Hague was formed from Bolton, February 28th, 1807, and was at first known as Rochester. Its nanie was changed to Hague on April 6th, 1808. A part of Horicon was taken off in 1838. Settlement was begun here in the latter part of the eighteenth century. Among the first settlers in town were Abel Rising, Abner Briggs, Elijah Bailey, Samuel Cook, Ellis Den- ton, Samuel Patchin, John Holman, Isaac and Uriah Balcom, and Uri Waiste. Probably the most influential family, as a whole, in town, is the Rising family, although their progenitor, Abel Rising, jr., did not come to Hague until 1811. Abel Rising, sr., lived and died in Suffield, Connecticut. He was twice mar- ried, and had five children by his first wife, and one by his second. His second son was Abel Rising, jr., who removed to Hague in March, 1811, and died here in 1822. His wife, formerly Lucinda Kent, of Suffield, died in Hague, in Oc- tober, 1832. They had seven children. One of these seven was Zeno, born in
1 STODDARD'S Lake George, pp. 119, 120.
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HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
Suffield, in 1802, and came here with his parents when he was nine years of age. He first married Roxie Balcom, of Hague, who died in 1846. He after- ward married Cynthia Balcom, who died in 1862. They had nine children, of whom probably the best known here is Joel W. Rising, now proprietor of Ris- ing's Hotel, at Chestertown. The present supervisor from Hague is nephew to Abel Rising, jr., and son to Rufus Rising. Another well-known family are the Balcoms. Isaac Balcom was born in Massachusetts in 1777. He married Sally Green, of his native place, and removed, a little before the beginning of the present century, to a place-about one and a half miles from the lake, in what is now Hague, now being the farm occupied by Mr. Moss. Two of his brothers, Uriah and Caleb, came with him and settled on farms almost adjoin- ing. Mrs. Hosea Remington, the writer's informant, was the youngest of the thirteen children of Isaac Balcom, all but four of whom are now dead. She was born on the 9th of September, 1823. Of the other early settlers named, the following brief statements have been ascertained as true: Elijah Bailey lived until about 1840 or later, at Sabbath Day Point, with Captain Sam Patchin (of whom more will be said). Uriah Balcom lived about two miles south of Hague post-office, where Miles E. Morehouse now lives. Uri Waiste lived about a mile south of the village on Law's Patent, on property now owned by L. Burgess. Rufus Rising lived in the west part of the town, where his son, Rufus Rising, now lives.
A lead mine has been worked for the past ten years about five miles west of Hague village. It is said that the mine was discovered by Samuel Acker- man while he was skidding logs. The mine is owned by New York parties, and superintended by George Hooper, of Ticonderoga.
The richest portion of the town in historic incident is Sabbath Day Point. On this sandy point, in 1756, a party of Provincials, under Generals Putnam and Rogers, defeated a superior force of French and Indians. Here, on the 5th of July, 1758, Abercrombie employed the successful ruse of landing with his army of fifteen thousand men, resting until near midnight, and then moving north - leaving behind a hundred blazing piles to delude the enemy into the belief that they were still there. In September, 1759, General Amherst landed with a force of twelve thousand men and passed the Sabbath with saintly punctilio.I
One of the most important personages who inhabited Sabbath Day Point in early times was Captain Sam Patchin. An anecdote related of him in Mr. S. R. Stoddard's excellent descriptive guide book of Lake George, and verified as thoroughly as may be by ourselves, can be told no better than in Mr. Stod- dard's own language (p. 106 et seq.) :-
" Vicar's Island is just north of the Harbor Islands. Here on its northern
1 Although it is generally believed that this event gave the Point its name, there is really little ground for the belief, as the point is mentioned by that name in Rogers's Journal June 28th, 1758, the preceding season.
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TOWN OF HAGUE.
border an affecting incident transpired once, of which Captain Sam Patchin, who lived at Sabbath Day Point at the time, was the hero. One winter's day he conceived the idea of sailing his grist to Bolton mill on the ice. So, piling the bags of grain into the old cutter, with a pitchfork held firmly in his hands for a rudder, he hoisted sail and sped away before a strong north wind.
" The ice was ' glare ' and the cutter sailed well, remarkably well ; but there was not so much certainty about the satisfactory behavior of the steering ap- paratus. The old man, it is said, was given to spiritual things occasionally, and had, on this occasion, evidently hoisted in rather too much rye in the liq- uid form to conduce to the safe transportation of that in the bags. The craft insisted on heading directly for the island, and could not be diverted from its course -it was of the kind called 'jumper' - a mettlesome old jumper at that, and the captain had a great deal of confidence in its ability to do what- ever it undertook. So he decided to jump the island - he tried it ; it was not, strictly speaking, a success. The cutter reached the shore and hesitated - a part of it. Sam was anxious to get along, and continued on ; then he got discouraged, and paused - in a snow-drift.
" Captain Sam was always dignified, and on this occasion it is said his man- ner of resting on that snow-drift was remarkably impressive. Even the snow felt moved, and the island itself was touched. He felt persuaded that he had made a mistake in leaving his cutter, and attempting the underground route for Bolton, so he came out and set his radiant face homeward-not a Sam of joy or a Sam of thanksgiving exactly, but a Sam abounding in such language as would set a mule-driver up in business, or even do credit to the boss can- vasser of any circus traveling."
The present owner of the house which the hero of the above narration kept is now, and for years past has been, Samuel Westurn.
There is a tradition, supported by more or less equivocal evidence of the nature of records, to the effect that one Samuel Adams lived here as early as 1765. The most authentic evidence is the undeniable fact that, in 1767, a patent of five hundred acres called the Sabbath Day Point Patent, was granted to Samuel Adams. It is said that the road from Bolton to Sabbath Day Point was built by him, in consideration of which he received the patent of five hun- dred acres of land.
Among other patents granted was the Ellice Patent granted to James Cald- well, Robert McClelland and Robert Cochrane. Its date was probably but little later than the one to Adams. It included an extensive tract lying north, west, and south of the site of Hague village, and extended into Essex county. Another parcel, comprising the site of Hague village and about one and a half miles south thereof, eight hundred and fifty acres, was granted to James Cald- well and entitled the J. Caldwell or Law's Patent. The George Trimble Pat- ent included one thousand four hundred and forty acres in the northern part of the town and projected a little into Essex county. 36
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HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
A patent was granted also to George Robinson and others, seven hundred and fifty acres, and to Thomas Ford and others, two hundred and seven and one-half acres, comprising the strip along the valley of the south branch of Beaver Creek. The Hague tract was the most extensive piece, including more than six thousand two hundred and forty-five acres of the western part of the territory forming the town.
The town records of Hague up to 1822 have unhappily been lost, and the writer must therefore content himself with a list of officers elected in that year, and a survey of the history of the community from that time to the present. The officers elected in the spring of 1822 were as follows : -
Supervisor, William Cook; town clerk, Thomas Gaige; assessors, Elijah Bailey, jr., Archibald McMurphy, Noah Woodard ; constable and collector, Calvin Barnard ; overseers of the poor. Amisa Burt, John Holman ; commis- sioners of highways, Nathan Taylor, Titus French, Isaac Balcom ; pound- master, Nathan Taylor ; school commissioners, Nathan Taylor, Nathaniel Gar- field, jr., Leonard Holman ; inspectors of schools, William Cook, Joseph Glazier, Thomas Gaige. The following officers were chosen by the uplifted hand : Overseers of highways: 1, John Patchin; 2, John Holman ; 3, Dillon Stevens ; 4, Isaac Balcom ; 5, Seth Johnson ; 6, William Woodard ; 7, William R. Cleaveland ; 8, Phineas W. Reed ; 9, Uriah Balcom ; 10, Nathan Taylor ; II, Noah Woodard ; 12, Ira Griggs; 13, James Olna.
- These names undoubtedly represent the best families extending throughout the township at the date of the election. Many of them had lived here since the opening of the century, and many others lived here almost until the break- ing out of the Civil War. There has been, indeed, but little change, either of growth or decline, in the population or business interests since 1820 or 1830. In 1835 there was at Hague village one grist-mill, one saw-mill, one store, one tavern and six or eight dwellings. In 1860 there was probably as much busi- ness here as there ever has been. Rufus Rising, sr., then owned a grist-mill up Quaker Brook, about eighty rods west of the store now owned by L. Burgess ; H. H. Harris ran the mill for Mr. Rising. Just above it was a saw- mill run by Charles F. Bevins, and above that, another, run by Newton Wil- cox. The grist-mill and upper saw-mill are now gone, the latter going down in 1862, and the former being torn down about four years ago by Lyman Bruce. The other saw-mill was rebuilt about 1870, and is now owned by Ed- win C. Rand and Oliver Yaw.I
Although the population of the entire town of Hague did not reach the sum of seven hundred at the breaking out of the Rebellion, she furnished one
1 The town of Hague is more rich in history than her neighbor Bolton, and less rich than her northern friend Ty. In addition to the "feats of broil and battle" performed at Sabbath Day Point in colonial days, may be related the burning of the steamer John Jay off Friends' Point, just north of Hague village, on July 29th, 1856. The captain at the time of the fire was J. Gale, and the pilot, Captain E. S. Harris. Six lives were lost.
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