USA > New York > Wyoming County > History of Wyoming County, N.Y., with Illustrations, Biographical Sketches and Portraits of Some Pioneers and Prominent Residents > Part 50
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Among the first settlers in the east part of the town were Amos Huntly, about 1815 or 1816; soon after, Barzilla Hurl- burt and Alvin Howes.
Among the early settlers on the Center road, known as the Telegraph road, were Milo Sawyer, Jefferson Metcalf and Richard Slusson. Previous to these, however, Hezekiah Bedee, the first settler on the Telegraph road, settled on lot 12; Daniel Johnston, the next settler, located on lot 20.
The first child born in the town was Alanson Hodges, son of Silas Hodges. The first marriage in the town was that of Mr. Hubbard Starkweather to a Miss Hancock. Among the early marriages were those of Samuel Robinson and a Mr. Conkey.
The first death was that of a Mr. Malory, a traveler from the South, stopping at Amos Huntly's inn. He died of yel- low fever, and was buried in what is now Lyonsburg Ceme- tery, in the east part of the town. His was the first grave in that ground, which was afterward established as a grave- yard. Mr. Huntly soon after lost two children, who were buried there.
Soon after a graveyard was established near the inn of Dan Beach. The first grave in this ground was that of Elijah Hills, son of Adam, who came to his death by an in- jury received while logging.
A few years afterward there was opened north of Hyde- ville a burying ground, which is now known as the Eagle Village Cemetery. The one at Lyonsburg and that at Eagle Village are in a fair condition, with an appropriate number of evergreen and shade trees. . The one near the old Dan Beach stand has been abandoned for years. The first. burial in the Eagle Village graveyard was that of Andrew Jackson, son of Timothy and Lorinda Buckland, in February, 1829. The next burial followed in May, of the same year, that of John Anderson, his brother. The age of the first was ten months; that of the other two years and one month.
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HISTORY OF WYOMING COUNTY, NEW YORK.
Timothy Buckland, whose name has occurred several times, was a successful hunter. He came from Vermont in 1816 to Centerville, Allegany county, for the purpose of hunting. Having lost the sight of his right eye by small-pox at Liverpool (he was a sailor in early life), he shot left handed, and a truer shot never lived in the town. The writer has seen him center a snowball ten rods distant, off hand, when seventy years of age. During his residence in Centerville and in this town (to which he came in 1822), he killed twenty-four bears, seventy-five wolves (on which the bounty amounted to $10 a head), and deer past counting. He also caught a great deal of smaller game by trapping, such as otter, mink, sable, foxes, raccoon, etc. He caught a number of foxes in his wolf traps, setting the traps in a spring. During his voyages at sea he and others would save their rations of whiskey or rum during the week and keep it in a large can until Saturday night, when, if the state of the weather was such that duty was light, they would bring on the can and have a jolly time drinking, telling yarns and sing- ing songs, as Buckland could sing songs all night and not repeat one. This habit became so strong that he practiced it occasionally during his whole life. Each one of these Saturday night cans would last from two to three days. The last day he would be asleep an hour or two, get up and take a drink or two, sing awhile, go out and shin up the sign post to show how the sailors climbed, all this time wearing nothing on him but a shirt.
As a general thing he would tan the skins of the deer he killed. His wife made the skins up into gloves, mittens, oc- casionally a pair of moccasins, and a vest sometimes, when she was working a light, thin skin.
During the residence of Buckland and his wife in Center- ville, two miles from any neighbor, with the wolves howling on every side, Mrs. Buckland would go on horseback two miles through the forest visiting the neighbors, very often alone, and enjoy not only the visit but the ride. The route was where the Rochester and State Line Railroad now runs through the corner of Centerville and into the town of Free- dom. Those she visited resided not far from Freedom Sta- tion on that road. Uncle Tim. had a horse, yet he has often been heard to say that when he set foot on the Holland Purchase he had but eighteen pence and a chew of tobacco. He delighted in playing tricks on the tavern keepers, who were well acquainted with him for miles around. He sent Dan Burrows, then keeping in the town of Castile, a quarter of a wolf for venison. Dan returned his thanks, accompanied with a paper of choice lettuce seed, with particular directions how to prepare the soil and sow the seed. The directions were all carried out, and in due time Uncle Tim. had a fine bed of luxuriant bull thistles.
There was a great amount of very nice black cherry timber in a portion of the town. From 1840 to 1845 it was in good demand for shipping east. A man named Green, as shipper, staid here a portion of the season for three or four years, directing how to manufacture the timber to secure the best market. He would even go into the forest and show how he would like to have the trees cut into logs, etc. A great many thousand feet were cut and shipped from this town, the price ranging according to the width of the lumber; boards thirty inches wide would bring $30; twenty inches wide, $20 per thousand, etc. A great many of the logs were
sawed without squaring, as the lumber would then average wider and bring more per thousand.
When the timber became rather scarce Colonel G. G. Prey and a brother-in-law went out in search of a few trees. They found an old stub some fifty feet high, the top having been blown off. which had been passed by as good for nothing. They bought and felled it, and got five splendid logs, about four feet in diameter. Two miles south lived Jesse Dutton, who weighed four hundred and forty pounds. It was jocu- larly proposed to "save a few boards out of one of these logs for Uncle Dutton's coffin," and it was but a short time before those same boards were actually so used.
POLITICAL HISTORY.
The first town meeting was held at the house of Seth Wetmore, agreeable to an act of the Legislature, on the 11th of February, 1823. Dan Beach was chosen moderator of the meeting, and the following persons were elected to office: Lorey Buckley, supervisor; Demarkus Rathbone, town clerk; Joseph Crocker, Amos Huntly and Jonathan Wing, assessors; Philip Baker, collector; Daniel Johnston and Barzilla Bedee, overseers of poor; Ralph Graves, Joseph Rawson and Seth Wetmore, commissioners of high- ways; Benjamin Tiffany, Seth Wetmore and Philip Baker, commissioners of common schools; John Pierce and Heze- kiah Bedee, constables.
The following were appointed overseers of the different road districts: No. 1, Daniel McMartin; No. 2, Daniel Johnston; No. 3, Richard Bedee; No. 4, Peter Keyes; No. 5, Stephen Jones; No. 6, Dan Beach; No. 7, Demarkus Rathbone; No. 8, Ira Millin.
The following provisions were carried by vote at this town meeting: That double the amount of money be raised for the support of common schools that was drawn from the State; that $250 be raised for highway purposes, " to be distributed in such a manner that every man may have his share of it if he will do his share of the work"; that hogs are not free commoners; that a bounty of $5 be paid on every wolf caught in the town by an inhabitant thereof; that the meeting be adjourned to the house of Amos Huntly, the following year, the first Tuesday in April.
This first town meeting was a jolly affair. In the room where the votes were polled, good authority says, there was a barrel of whiskey, and on the table where the ballot box sat, and which was surrounded by the official board, were a decanter and glasses.
On the Ist day of July, 1828, was made the first survey of a road after the organization of the town. The record of it is as follows: "Survey of a road, beginning at a cherry stump on a road leading from the forks of the Cattaraugus to Ezekiel Randal's; running thence south 75° west 28 chains; thence south 60° west 20 chains and 50 links; thence south 10° west 11 chains, to intersect a road near the house of Elijah Hyde. Seth Wetmore, Surveyor."
This road was taken up so long ago that hardly a person now remembers it. The same day a road was surveyed by the same party, beginning near Elijah Hyde's saw-mill, run- ning thence north 15° west 35 chains to intersect the old Cattaraugus road east of the house of Timothy Buckland. This Cattaraugus road is now known as the old State road (the survey having been authorized by the Legislature of 1828), running from Fredonia, Chautauqua county, through
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CIVIL AFFAIRS IN EAGLE-EARLY BUSINESS ESTABLISHMENTS.'
the town of Eagle to the transit line at or near the village of Perry.
In the survey of roads through the town Seth Wetmore took a prominent part, be being the Holland Company's surveyor for a number of years, dividing up the lots of the original survey by Joseph Ellicott into parcels as dictated by the company. A. Forbs, Joseph Miller, William A. Perry, Timothy Buckland, I. E. Wheeden, Simeon Capson, D. Smith and V. D. Beach also surveyed some of the roads in the town, in company and assisted by the highway com- missioners.
There are but three bridges in the town worthy the name -one over the stream at Eagle Village,one near the junction at the center of the town, or Bliss, and one over the stream in the east part of the town. Neither of these three is over thirty feet long. There are other cheap structures of from four to ten feet span, the building of which would hardly come under the head of bridging.
On the first of March, 1823, the commissioners of common schools met for the purpose of dividing the towns into school districts. They made seven school districts, as fol- lows: No. I, lots 1, 2, 9, 10, 17, 18, 25, 26, 33, 34; No. 2, lots 3, 4, 11, 12. 19, 20: No. 3, lots 5, 6, 13, 14, 21, 22, 29, 30; No. 4, lots 7, 8, 15, 16; No. 5, lots 41, 42, 49, 50, 57, 58, 59; No. 6, lots 27, 28, 35, 36, 37, 38, 43, 44, 45, 46, 51, 52, 53, 54, 60, 61, 62; No. 7, lots 23, 24, 31, 32, 39, 40, 47, 48, 55, 63, 64.
The first school in the town was taught in Mr. Barzilla Hurlburt's barn on lot 1; Miss Orilla Blackman was the first teacher. The next year a log school-house was erected in the same neighborhood. Mrs. Norman Howes and two of her brothers, Barzilla and Gideon Hurlburt, are survivors of the first school.
At the town meeting held on the 6th of April, 1830, a res- olution was passed changing the day of meeting from April to the first Tuesday in March. The town meeting was held on that day until 1846, when the time was changed to the last Tuesday in February, on which day it has been held ever since.
On the 19th of May, 1846, a special town meeting was held on the question of licensing the sale of spirituous liquors; 107 votes were cast in favor of license and 58 for no license.
Cyril Rawson was the only person who has represented the town in the Legislature. It has furnished one sheriff, Albert Gage, elected in 1874. The supervisors of the town have been as follows:
Lorey Buckley, 1828-96, 1896 ; Benjamin F. Tiffany, 1807-80, 1838, 1834; Jon- athan Wing, 1881, 1882, 1885; Norman Howes, 1886 (to fill vacancy caused by the removal of Mr. Buckley ; votes cast, 49)-41, 1849-51, 1868, 1866, 1867; Cyril Rawson, 1842, 1848 (the election of 1848 resulting in no choice), 1848; Ebeneser Pitee, 1844, 1845 ; Samuel Tucker, 1815, 1847; Oliver Phelps, 1803; William 8. Agett, 1854, 1865 (the only Democrat ever elected); Oliver H. P. Griggs, 1857, 1868; Walter Shay, 1869, 1800; Ira Eastman, 1861, 1802, 1871, 1873; P. D. Lyon, 1883-06; Beckley Howes, 1869, 1809 : Austin N. Richardson, 1870; Albert P. Gage, 1878, 1874 ; Gilbert G. Prey, 1875 ; Marcena Drake, 1876-79.
The State census returns from Eagle for the last fifty years exhibit a slow but uninterrupted growth in population up to 1855, and since then a gradual decline. They are as fol- lows: 1830, 892; 1835, 1,149; 1840, 1,222; 1845, 1,314; 1850, 1,381; 1855, 1,390; 1860, 1,312; 1865, 1,211; 1870, 1,040; 1875, 1,041.
THE DEVELOPMENT AND COURSE OF BUSINESS.
The first flouring-mill was erected by Dexter Brothers, jat what is now Eagle Village, then called Hydeville. These
Dexters were in an early day residents of Centerville, and were among the first carpenters who worked in the town, though they were not residents until 1823 or 1824. James Baker was the first carpenter residing in the town. There were four of the Dexters-Knight, Chauncey, Harrison and Antipas. Their father, Delno Dexter, sometimes worked with them. They came in from Centerville to work at their trade years before they came to live here. Among the first framed buildings erected in the town by the Dexters were the mill, Timothy Buckland's inn, Stephen Jones's dwelling, and one or two dwellings and a store at Hydeville.
Mr. Wart's tavern stand was on lot -45. The house was enclosed when the log house was destroyed by fire, and the family was obliged to move in. Hubbard Thompson, son- in-law of Delno Dexter, worked on the Wart inn in its erec- tion.
The above mentioned mill was operated by different in- dividuals until 1845 or 1846. The last person who oc- cupied it for grinding purposes was Charles H. Denman. A portion of it was purchased by William S. Agett, and moved some twenty rods to the north, an addition put to it, and it has been occupied for different purposes-part of the time for a barn, store-house, paint shop, school-room, town hall-and it is now used as a barn, standing as an ornament to Pearl street, Eagle Village.
The second grist-mill was built by Aaron Sevey, near the east line of the town. It is now occupied by Vernon Win- eger, and is the only flouring-mill in the town. A few years ago Mr. Wineger and his brother were running the mill to- gether. His brother, doing something about the dam at the time of a freshet, was accidentally drowned. Vernon has since worked the mill.
The first saw-mill was built by Amos Huntly, at what is called Lyonsburg, in the eastern part of the town, on the west branch of the Wiscoy. At the same point other manu- factures were carried on at different times, such as turning broom handles, dressing flax, making lath and boring and fitting pump logs, which is now done.
There was another saw-mill built at Hydeville soon after Huntly's by Dexter Brothers, using the old flutter water- wheel. It was worn out and another erected near the same place, which did more or less business until within four or five years, when it was abandoned, and it is now in a dilap- idated condition, leaving a fine little water power wasting away.
About 1840 Mr. Elisha Whipple built a saw-mill on the east branch of the Wiscoy, about a mile west of the Huntly mill. It continued to run until 1878, when Martin, son of Elisha Whipple, who was then running it, died. Previous to his death for a year or two he had a feed mill attached. Since then it has done but little business, yet it is still in working order.
Mr. Collins Thomas built and has operated a steam saw- mill and planer a little east of Eagle Village for a few years past.
The first clothiery in the town was erected by V. D. Beach and his brother Emmet on lot 59, at the head of Spring glen, in 1834. They worked the factory until 1846 or 1847, and for the last year or two of their occupancy put in and oper- ated machinery for dressing flax. In 1846 or 1847 they disposed of the premises to Mr. Griffith, of Rushford, Alle- gany county. James Thompson carried on the business for
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Griffith, or rented the establishment a few years; became proprietor and carried on the factory until 1853, when he sold to Messrs. John Mitchell and William Taylor. They built a saw- mill with a breast water wheel thirty feet in diam- eter. It stood some twenty rods north of the old factory site. They carried on the mill until 1868. In the mean- time Mr. Taylor sold his share to John G., son of John Mitchell. The firm of Mitchell & Son abandoned the saw- mill, it being nearly worn out, and erected a feed-mill across the road from the old factory site. They operated it in connection with a turning lathe, added to it a cider mill, and are now running all together, the springs around the head of the glen furnishing sufficient water, with but a small res- ervoir, to do considerable business. Hundreds of barrels of cider are made every autumn, besides the grinding of feed and turning of almost every description.
The first wagon maker in the town was Quartus Clark, who came from Freedom, Cattaraugus county, about 1846; located at Eagle Village, and carried on the business until about 1868, when he went to farming, in the town of Arcade.
The first tannery was erected by Samuel Watson and Wal- ter Shay, in 1844 or 1845, at Eagle Village. They ran it in connection with boot and shoe making. Watson attended to the tannery part. They carried on the business in com- pany for a number of years, when Mr. Watson removed to Philipsburg, now Belmont, Allegany county, leaving the en- tire business in the hands of Shay. The latter operated the works a few years. During the war he was appointed gov- ernment assessor. He slackened up in the tanning business, put in a stock of dry goods and groceries, and finally, at the close of the war or soon after, sold out his tannery to James Dempsey and his store to S. N. Naramore, and removed to Castile. Dempsey carried on the tannery until the spring of 1877, when it was destroyed by fire; and also the manu- facture of harnesses. Since the loss of the tannery he has done a large business in boots and shoes and harnesses for a country place, having as good a show of his kind of goods as will be seen outside of the cities. At all of these points the manufacture of sawed shingles has been more or less ex- tensively carried on.
The soil of the town is much better adapted of late years to grazing than grain growing, yet when the country was new and before the soil became exhausted by continued tillage good crops of nearly all grains were realized. Thirty to thirty-five bushels of wheat, fifty to seventy-five bushels of oats, fifty bushels of shelled corn, two hundred to three hun- dred bushels of potatoes, or one and a half to two and a half tons of hay per acre were not an uncommon yield. Good crops of barley, peas and millet were also raised, together with flax.
For a few years before and during the war farmers kept all the cows they could, made and packed butter, and sold it to shippers or shipped it themselves to eastern markets.
In 1865 or 1866 the first cheese factory in the town was built just south of Enigle Village, by Luther Cummins, who worked it one year, when Austin N. Richardson came into possession. He carned it on a few years, working up the milk of about eight hundred cows. In 1871 Asa C. Hub- bard purchased it, and operated it directly or indirectly until 1879, when it was sold to Mr. Lewis Safford, and during the season of 1879 it was carried on by him.
About the time this factory was built one was put in oper- ation on the North road, known as the Hunn factory. After a few years it was removed to the State road, a short dis- tance west of Lyonsburg, enlarged, and has done a large bus- iness each year since. One year this factory made butter and skimmed milk cheese. Since then cheese has been made exclusively.
Mr. Jerome Lewis, of the town of Freedom, Cattaraugus county, an adept at cheese making, a few years since built a factory at Husted's Corners, in the southwest corner of Eagle, and one at Eagle Center. Another has been built on Wing street. near the south line of the town, on the Center road, within the past few years. Two years ago one was built on the North road, about three miles west of the site of the old Hunn factory, making five cheese factories in the town, each working up the milk of from three hundred to five hundred cows, and making from ten to twenty cheese per day during most of the season, each cheese weighing about fifty-six to sixty pounds. Besides these cheese fac- tories, there is a creamery about two miles east of the center of the town, on the old Telegraph road, which makes butter exclusively, feeding the buttermilk to calves and hogs. It has been in operation some three or four years; Mr. Adel- bert Lathrop proprietor. This creamery receives the milk of nearly the same number of cows as one of the cheese factories.
While the principal feature in the agriculture of the town for fifteen or twenty years has been butter and cheese making, the raising of fruits, especially apples, has for the past few years taken some of the attention of the farming public. In an early day peaches grew and fruited finely here, but of late years scarcely any have been raised.
The first store in the town was located at Hydesville (now Eagle Village), and kept by Elijah Hyde. In con- nection with his store he manufactured potash, running an ashery containing two potash kettles of one hundred and twenty gallons capacity, keeping a team on the road con- stantly gathering ashes, which were plenty in those days, as the settlers were clearing the land and burning a great deal of timber. He also carded wool and dressed cloth before the Beach brothers operated their clothiery. The mode of trade was barter, almost everything being taken in exchange for goods, from a yoke of cattle to a barrel of soap. Some of the settlers chose to work up their own ashes into "black salts," which passed current for all kinds of goods at a regular price. . Hyde sold goods some six years, commencing about 1818; George W. Knapp suc- ceeded him, being in trade a year or two; Samuel Curtis next carried on the business as much longer; Benjamin Coddington succeeded him, and sold goods about a year. From the time he closed out until 1842 there was no store kept at this place. Henry Martin then opened a store, and sold goods until 1843. 'In that year William S. Agett, a young widower, came as agent for a house in Perry, and took the place of Martin. He became proprietor in a short time, and has continued in business ever since. During a great share of the time he has sold dry goods in connection with groceries and provisions; but for a few years past has given up dry goods, and has been and is now dealing in groceries, provisions, Yankee notions, etc. The trade for a number of years was carried on by barter. The time has been when black salts, ashes and stags were legal tender,
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EARLY BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL MEN OF EAGLE.
the latter at forty dollars a yoke, ten yoke having passed through the hands of Captain Agett at that price in exchange for goods, without a word of banter, more than there would be over a silver dollar or a dollar greenback.
A Mr. Geer sold goods in an early day at Lyonsburg. For a year or two, about 1840, Cyril Rawson kept a store at Lyonsburg, running an ashery in connection. He after- ward turned his attention to the manufacture of wooden articles, such as broom handles and other turned work, lath, etc. At Eagle Village, from about 1847 or r848, a dry goods and grocery store was kept, first by a young man named Rufus Scott, who after a few years went to Michigan. Joseph W. Gledhill followed him, and was in trade until about 1870, when he removed to Castile, leaving his son Albert in the store. The latter, after two or three years, removed from the town. A Mr. Kimble was then the mer- chant for a year. Since then the store has been kept as a hardware establishment. Mr. William W. Merrill is the present occupant and tradesman. Since W. Shay sold to Mr. Naramore the latter has continued in trade, sometimes with a partner, and is now dealing in dry goods, groceries, Yankee notions and clothing. His last partner, Jeff. Bliss, on the dissolution of the firm in the spring of 1879 removed to Bliss Station, on the Rochester and State Line Railroad, and opened a store, and is doing business in the firm of Bliss Bros.
Every person in an early day had to open his house to travelers; the roads were so bad that they were obliged to stop at almost every house, and the people began to pre- pare for entertaining them. The first tavern in the town regularly opened was kept by Dan Beach, who was among the first settlers. It was kept in a log house. He had accommodations for about six or eight persons and stabling for three or four teams. After his death Jacob Wart mar- ried his widow, put up a frame building, and kept tavern until about 1850. In 1822 Timothy Buckland built a frame house on the State road, on the north line of lot 59, and opened a tavern with about the same accommodations as Mr. Beach. He kept the inn until 1848 or 1849, when his son Timothy W. built a more commodious house across the road, and took upon himself to entertain the traveling public. Amos Huntly kept tavern at Lyonsburg at an early day. About 1830 Justice Lyon opened a hotel at Lyonsburg, and a tavern was kept there for fifteen or twenty years thereafter. About 1848 the first genuine hotel at Eagle Village was built by Lyman Scott, who kept it until his death. He dropped dead while playing a game of checkers. Previous to this a tavern was kept a few years by a Mr. Perry on the same site, in an old dwelling fitted up for that purpose by William'S. Agett and rented by Perry. Scott's tavern was continued by John Cole, his son-in-law, until 1864, when he was followed by S. N. Naramore, who kept it until 1867. He then sold to George B. McCraley, who kept the house until 1875, when he died. His widow has kept it from that time to the present.
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