History of Wyoming County, N.Y., with Illustrations, Biographical Sketches and Portraits of Some Pioneers and Prominent Residents, Part 15

Author:
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: F.W. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages:

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except Bethany, Genesee county, and Sheldon, Wyoming county; the donors always being allowed to select out of the unsold farming land of each town. In some towns it was all given to one society, in others to two or .nore socie- ties separately, and in a few towns to four different societies of different sects-twenty-five acres to each."

Though at first the policy of the company toward the set- tiers was very generous and lenient, as time went on the relations between them came to be less cordial. Evidence of the disposition on the part of the company to assist the settlers in making their payments was seen in the offer to receive cattle, and in some instances grain, on their con- tracts. Credits of this kind appear on the old books in the office at Batavia. To those greatly in arrears the offer was made to deduct a portion of the money due in case of prompt payment. This was looked upon by those who had met their payments as a sort of premium on the slackness of their thriftless neighbors.

Another measure adopted was that of charging, at the end of ten years, where but little had been paid, " increase of purchase money," or a sum added to what was due. This addition was sometimes greater than the original purchase price. As an example of this, one inan in this county in 1806 purchased 728 acres. at $2 per acre, $1,456, on which he paid $10. In 1816 he was charged "to increase," $1,648 -a total of $3,104. He was not able to pay this, and the land was sold to other parties. Another owed $615, and he was charged "to increase," $642; making $1,257, at-which price the land was sold to others. This was regarded by the settlers as a charge for improvements which they had made, and it gave great umbrage.

It has been stated that the members of the Holland Land Company were compelled to make their original purchases through trustees, because of their alien disabilities. Not only were these disabilities removed by an act of the Legis- lature, but the company was exempted from taxation. The opinion came to prevail that this discrimination in favor of a foreign company was unjust, and that this company, which had grown rich under the protection of the State that had favored them above its own citizens, should contribute something toward the expenses of the government of that State. It was held that the Erie Canal, in the construction of which the company had not aided, had enhanced the value of their property to the amount of some millions; and that the realization of this, and the value of the securities which the company held, were involved in the stability of laws toward the support of which that company contributed nothing. With this feeling prevalent, the Legislature was asked to pass an act repealing this exemption, and such an act was passed in 1833.

Pending the passage of this act the threat was made by one who represented the interest of the company, that if it passed "it might be worse for the settlers." After the act was passed the company, through their agents, served no- tices on delinquents that they must either pay or " satisfac- torily arrange " their indebtedness, or vacate their premises within a specified time (two months). This measure was re- garded as a retaliation on the settlers, and it intensified their hostility toward the company. Articles were published in the newspapers, meetings were held, and measures for resist- ance were discussed. About this time the company sold their interest in portions of the purchase, and the new pro-

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LAND OFFICE HOSTILITIES-PIONEER EXPERIENCE.

prietors announced their policy to be an advance of from one to three dollars per acre on lands the articles for which had expired or should expire with arrearages due on them. The settlers deemed this advance on the prices of their lands unreasonable, and in Chautauqua county their indig- nation found vent on the 6th of February, 1836, in the de- molition of the land office and burning of the books, rec- ords, etc., by a mob of about two hundred and fifty men.

The excitement did not terminate with the demolition of the land office at Mayville. Encouraged, probably, by the success of the raid on that office, the malcontents prepared for an assault upon the one at Batavia. Mr. Evans, who held the keys and was apprised of the meditated attack, took the precaution to send all the books and valuable pa- pers to Rochester, beyond the reach of danger. No hostile movement having been made. for several weeks, the books and papers were brought back to Batavia about the 12th of May; however, it was reported that a large mob from the southeast part of Genesee and Erie counties was gathering, determined to march to this place, and to tear down the land office, and the jail, in which two of their friends were confined.

The land office was accordingly stored with arms and am- munition. It was occupied by fifty men when, in the morn- ing of the 14th, the hostile party arrived, some 700 strong. more than half of whom carried firearms. They proceeded to the land office, but were afraid to attack it; and on the arrival of Sheriff Townsend with 120 men, armed with mus- kets, they dispersed. Their movement, however, and the prevalence of a hostile spirit represented by it, created so much alarm that the Batavia people procured cannon for their defense, and built and garrisoned two block-houses covering the land office. Apprehending another hostile vis- itation, they induced Governor Marcy to issue a proclama- tion, by which they were provided with additional artillery and ammunition.

On being informed that Captain Norris, of a military com- pany in Bennington, had said that he with his company and gun-a brass three-pounder-were ready at a moment's no- tice to turn out and attack Batavia, the governor directed that Captain Norris be ordered to deliver the gun to the keeper of the arsenal at Batavia forthwith. To this order he at first demurred; but fearing the consequence of disobe- dience, he finally obeyed. These precautionary measures effectually extinguished all hopes on the part of the malcon- tents of obtaining a redress of their grievances by a resort to lawless violence, and allayed the fears of the people of Ba- tavia.

CHAPTER VIII.

PIONEERS FROM NEW ENGLAND; HOW THEY CAME, SETTLED) AND THRIVED.

HE settlement of the region which includes the present county of Wyoming commenced at about the beginning of the present century. Previous to the war of the Revolution the tide of emigra- ·tion had begun to set westward from the New Eng- land States, but during that war it was arrested; for the emissaries of the enemy sought constantly to

arouse and foster a spirit of hostility among the natives, and no one would seek a home in a region where " the merciless Indian savage " might at any time bring destruction on fee- ble settlements, in accordance with his " known rule of war- fare." After the close of this war, and the return of the Revolutionary patriots to their homes, the tide again set in this direction, and at the commencement of this century its foremost wave had reached this region.

The hardy, active and ambitious sons and daughters of the New Englanders left their paternal roofs, and sought homes in the untamed wilderness of what was then the west. They were not the effeminate sons and languid daughters of wealthy parents, who had been reared in the lap of lux- ury. From their infancy they had, by precept and example, been taught the industry and economy which had enabled their fathers to thrive among the rocks and hills of their na- tive country. Some of them started alone, with knapsacks on their backs, rifles on their shoulders, and axes in their hands. Thus accoutred, they bade adieu for a time to the loved ones at home and turned their faces westward, to seek their future homes and fortunes in the wilderness.

For a time they followed the trail of various emigrants, but sooner or later they abandoned this, left the borders of civilization, and struck into the forest. Having selected suitable locations and secured their titles, they commenced their preparations for the future. Shanties for temporary shelter were constructed, clearings were begun, and prepa- rations made for the erection of rude log houses for the shelter of those whom they were to bring with them on their return the next year. While this work was in progress, these solitary laborers procured what supplies they required, beyond the game they killed, from the nearest settlements, several miles away. Their nearest neighbors were those who were making similar preparations at points one or a few miles distant; and with these they occasionally ex- changed visits-to talk of home and to discuss their plans for the future, to anticipate the pleasure which they would derive from such visits the next year, when they would be accompanied by the partners who were to share their for- tunes and their privations.

At times they "changed works " in order to accomplish some of their various tasks with greater facility, and occa- sionally they clubbed together and hired from a distant set- tler a yoke of oxen with which to draw to their building sites the logs which they had cut for their houses, and to "log up " the timber which they desired to burn on their clear- ngs. Thus passed, their first summer in the wilderness. By night they lay in their shanties on their beds of hemlock boughs and dreamed of the homes they had left, or of the future homes which their fancies pictured; or, in their wak- ing intervals, listened to the distant howling of the wolf and the nearer hooting of the owl. Day after day they toiled on sustained and cheered by their hopes of future happiness with their chosen companions and children in the midst of the surroundings which they were creating.

By early autumn their rude houses were erected and par- tially prepared for their reception on their return. Small areas had been burned off, and here they " brushed in " the wheat which they had brought on their backs from some dis- tant settlement. Larger areas had been cut over and made ready for burning and planting next spring. When these preparations were completed they concealed their axes and

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HISTORY OF WYOMING COUNTY, NEW YORK.

few other implements, shouldered their rifles, and with light hearts turned their faces again towards their paternal man- sions. Thus terminated the first summer with many a pio- neer in the wild woods upon the hills of the Holland Pur- chase.

In due time he arrived among the scenes of his childhood and wended his way to the old home where parents, broth- ers and sisters welcomed him warmly, and listened with eager attention to the story of his experience in the wilder- ness. He received a still more hearty welcome from an- other, who during his long absence had not ceased to think of him by day and dream of him by night. She listened to the recital of his doings with a deeper interest: for to her and him they were matters of equal importance.

A wedding soon occurred, and the last winter of the pair in their native State was a season of busy preparation for removal to their western home, interspersed with social gatherings and merry-makings among the scenes and com- panions of their childhood. They sat down to their last Thanksgiving dinner with their parents, brothers and sisters; attended their last Christmas and New Year's festivals with their former playmates and school-fellows, and on the ap- proach of spring bade all these scenes and friends a tearful adieu, and departed for their new home, followed by the good wishes of their friends, and the benedictions and pray- ers of their parents.

Their outfit consisted of a yoke of oxen and a canvas- covered wagon, loaded with a few utensils and necessary articles of household furniture. They brought with them a cow or two and a few sheep, the latter to serve as the nucleus of a flock, which, if spared by the wolves, was to furnish wool for their future clothing. Thus equipped they pur- sued their toilsome journey till at length the last settlement was reached. There they left their wagon and went forward with their animals, carrying sufficient blankets to make them

comfortable for a night. As they went, they cleared a path among the trees, over which the husband soon brought their wagon and stores, and they entered at once upon the reali- ties of pioneer life.

Their house was made tenable by the few preparations which pioneers found necessary for their comfort. A small spot was prepared for the garden seeds which they had brought, their corn-field was burned off and planted in due season, and a ·larger area prepared for other wheat and corn-fields. In this the labor of the husband was brightened by the presence and encouraging smiles, and sometimes by the assistance, of his young wife. In their solitude they were sustained by their buoyant hopes of the future, and they ever afterward referred to this summer as the happiest period of their lives.

Their wheat field gave good returns; a few acres which they cleared.and planted with corn yielded abundantly, and early in the winter they secured a sufficient supply of ven- ison. Their wheat and corn were ground in a "pioneer mill "-a mortar hollowed in a stump or in the end of a log. A hovel had been constructed of logs and roofed with brush or straw, for the protection of their animals against the inclemency of the weather and the attacks of wild beasts. No hay was provided for the cattle, but from day to day trees were cut off ground that was to be cleared the next summer, and they lived on the browse which these af- forded. A couple ot pigs and a few fowls were fed each morning at the door of the house with corn from the wife's folded apron. Thus passed their first winter in the woods. The sound of the husband's ax echoed through the forest during the day, and the wife plied "her evening care" in the cheerful glow of the "blazing hearth " at night. Their simple fare and active exercise in the open air gave them robust health, and though their surroundings were quite · different from those in the midst of which they had been

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IMMIGRATION AND IMPROVEMENT.

reared, this was the home which they had made for them- selves, and they were happy in the enjoyment of it. During the summer other settlers had come in, some singly, others in companies with their families; and neighbors were more numerous and less distant, and the monotony of their life was varied by occasional exchanges of evening visits among these. This social intercourse among the pioneers had none of the bad features which characterized that of later times. There were among them no conventionalities, no unmeaning expressions of civility, no unkind criticisms of each other's dress or surroundings, no rivalries and jealousies, and no hypocritical manifestations of interest in each other's wel- fare. Each rejoiced with his neighbor in his prosperity, or sympathized with him in his adversity. These visits were anticipated with pleasure and remembered without regret.

Another summer and winter passed, and changes indica- tive of increasing prosperity were visible. The clearing had been enlarged, and a portion of it fenced; a stick chimney, plastered with mud, filled the hole in the roof; glass had taken the place of greased paper in the window; a plank door swung on wooden hinges where formerly hung the blanket, and some flowering shrubbery was growing at the side of it. A more capacious and comfortable stable had been erected for the animals, and a "worm " fence ap- peared around the house and garden; a log bridge had been built across the stream which ran near the house. Near the edge of the clearing the crackling fire was consuming the logs that the men of a logging bee were piling together for that purpose. The corn, potatoes, pumpkins, etc., which had been planted among the stumps, had attained sufficient growth to be visible from some distance. A calf frolicked at the side of its dam, and a litter of grunting young porkers asserted their right to. "life, liberty," etc. Everything wore an air of thrift. The solitude of the wife was enlivened by the prattle of her first born. Emigrants

had continued to come, and what was a pioneer residence had become part of a frontier settlement.

The tide of immigration-the first wave of which had borne them hither-continued with increasing flow. Set- tlers came more rapidly, the smoke from their hearths curled upward at shorter intervals, and clearings encroached more and more on the surrounding wilderness. The hissing and rushing of the whirlwinds of flame was oftener heard, as the trees that had been felled and had become dry were con- sumed. Small fields of waving corn and here and there a verdant meadow were to be seen. The music of numerous cow-bells was heard by day, and "drowsy tinklings lulled the distant folds," where sheep were herded to protect them from the wolves at night. The merry laughter and shouts of children might be heard as they frolicked in the woods. The frontier settlement was fast becoming a rural neighbor- hood.

Twenty years rolled by and brought with them still great- er changes. The old house was only the wing of a new one, that had been built of squared logs, covered with a shingled roof, lighted by glazed windows, and closed by a paneled door. A lawn appeared in front, tastefully ornamented with flowers, and fruit trees were growing on the former site of the garden. An apiary stood at the margin of the lawn, which was bounded by a straight fence; a commodious framed barn had been built, and where the forest once stood were fields of waving grain. Beyond the grove of sugar maples could be seen the log school-house, where

" In ber noisy mansion, skill'd to rule. The comely mistress taught her little school."

The stream that ran by was spanned by a newer bridge, and the ding-donging of a saw-mill that had been built on its bank could be heard in the distance. Their first born- now grown to be a young man-drove toward the barn with a load of hay drawn by horses, instead of the oxen that for

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HISTORY OF WYOMING COUNTY, NEW YORK.

years had constituted their only team. At the well, which still had its primitive sweep, stood a somewhat portly matron who turned to look with matronly pride at her son as he drove the team along. A middle aged man was walking down the road that came from the mill. It was he who came twenty-three years since with his knapsack, rifle and ax and built his shanty in the howling wilderness. The woman at the well was the young wife who came with him a year later. Their industry and economy had been rewarded. They had acquired an honorable competence. But their sky had not always been unclouded. They had followed the remains of two of their children to the grave.

Another interval of twenty years has passed. An elegant mansion stands on the site of the old log cabin, and all its surroundings show that it is the abode of wealth and re- finement. The stream passes under a stone arch, the old saw-mill has gone to decay, the sugar orchard is no longer to be seen, and only on the distant hills are patches of for- est visible. Spacious fields and elegant farm houses are seen on the extended landscape. A train of cars speeds over the plain, and the tall spire of a church points sky- ward from among the houses of a village near by. A gray haired man is busy with the cattle in the barnyard. A portly woman sits by the stove knitting, while some of the grandchildren are playing on the floor, and others are en- gaged in various kinds of work.

These old people are the ones who left their New England homes more than forty years since and came to this spot. They have deeded their farm to their eldest son and taken the usual life lease. Another of their children has been added to the group in the cemetery, one has settled in an adjoining town, and two have gone to seek their fortunes in the West.

CHAPTER IX.

THE CONDITION OF THE PIONEERS-THEIR WAYS AND MEANS OF LIVING.

HREE quarters of a century have passed since the first settlement of this region, and changing circumstances have brought. with them such changes in many of the customs of the people, that one of the present generation can form only an imperfect conception of what some of those customs were.

People are usually slow to adopt those modifications in their customs which changes in their environments render desirable, or even almost necessitate. Like the Welshman who persisted in balancing the wheat in one end of his bag by a stone in the other because his father did so, they fol- low the beaten track which their ancestors pursued, and often only turn from it when changed circumstances actu- ally compel them to do so.

The march of improvement and the progress of invention Inake slow advances, except in those cases where necessity compels people to follow the one, or loudly calls for the other.

The rude implements and appliances that were in use "when the country was new " were inventions which grew out of the necessities of the times, and were adapted to the circumstances in which people found themselves. Time wore on, and those circumstances gave place to others. In- ventions followed these changes; but in many cases, as in those of the cast iron plough, the grain-cradle and the horse-

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THE LOG HOUSE AND ITS FURNITURE.

rake, the inventors only lived to see their improved imple- ments scoffed at and derided. Thus have people always done, and thus they will to a greater or less extent continue to do. As in the physical world, however, one condition is evolved from another by the slow process of natural selection, so in these cases the fittest are in the end the survivors.

The first settlers in this region came when the primitive forest was growing, not only here but in the country through which they had passed for many miles. The first roads, which were simply widened Indian trails, were then barely passable. Of course they could bring with them only those articles of household furniture or those agricultural imple- ments that were indispensable.

The first work of ,the pioneer was to prepare a house, or dwelling-place for his family. There were no mills for the manufacture of lumber, and the first houses were necessarily built of logs fastened by notching at the corners. They were usually from fifteen to eighteen feet-square, and about seven feet in height, or high enough to just clear the head of a tall man. Often no floor was at first laid. A fire-place was prepared at one end by erecting a back of stones, laid in mud instead of mortar, and a hole was left in the bark or slab roof for the escape of the smoke. A chimney of sticks plastered with mud was afterward erected in this aperture. A space of a width suitable for a door was cut out on one side, and this was closed first by hanging in it a blanket, and afterward by a door made with split plank and hung on wooden hinges. This door was fastened by a wooden latch, which could be raised from the outside by a string, which passed through a hole above it. When the latch string was "pulled in " the door was effectually fastened. The ex- pression used of a hospitable man-"his latch-string is al- ways out "-had its origin from this primitive method of fastening a log house door. A hole was usually cut in each

side of this house to let in light, and when glazed sash could not be procured greased . paper was used to keep out the blasts and snows of autumn and winter.

Holes were bored at the proper height in the logs at one corner of the room, and into these the ends of poles were fitted, the opposite ends, where they crossed, being sup- ported by a crotch, or a block of the proper height. Across these poles others was laid, and these were covered by a thick matress of hemlock boughs, over which blankets were spread. Thus were " Genesee bedsteads " constructed; and on such a bed many a pioneer couple reposed as sweetly as though " sunk in beds of down." In the absence of chairs, rude seats were made with an ax and auger by boring holes and inserting legs in " puncheons," or planks split from bass- wood logs and hewn smooth on one side. Tables were often made in the same way, and after a time a floor was con- structed of these "puncheons," with a bare space in lieu of a hearth about the fire place. A few necessary pieces of crockery, or sometimes wooden trenchers, were kept on rude shelves, till, after a few years, lumber could be procured of which to make a cupboard.

A dinner pot, a dish kettle, a tea kettle, a frying pan, and a bake kettle constituted the entire stock of iron ware. The bake kettle-a utensil that is now never seen-was a shal- low vessel with legs some six inches in length, so that it could be set over coals on the hearth. It had a cover with edges turned up so that coals could be heaped on it. This was used at first for all the baking of many a pioneer fam- ily. The fire-place had, instead of the iron crane with which it was afterwards furnished, a transverse pole called a lug pole, laid across two others so that it could be moved back- ward and forward at a sufficient height to prevent burning. On this, "trammels," or hooks so constructed that their length could be adjusted, where hung.

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History of Wyoming County, N.Y., with Illustrations, Biographical Sketches and Portraits of Some Pioneers and Prominent Residents, Part 15

Author: Publication date: 1880 Publisher: F.W. Beers & Co. Number of Pages:

Author:
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: F.W. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: