USA > New York > Yates County > History of Yates County, N.Y. : with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of the prominent men and pioneers > Part 39
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Henry Schenck sold to Teval Swarts the farm now owned by William C. Swarts, one and one-half miles north of Dundee. The farm contains 107 acres, consideration $900. The farm has remained in the Swarts family since its purchase, and is the only farm in the town that has never been incumbered with a mortgage nor has it been bequeathed. When it has changed owners it has been by purchase and sale. Teval sold it to his son Peter for a money consideration. Peter sold to his son, Will- iam C. Swarts, the present owner.
Among the prominent families who came early to the village of Dun- dee, then Harpending's Corners, that of Benjamin B. Beekman deserves particular mention. Mr. Beekman was one of the older citizens. He came from New York city in 1830 and stopped for a few months in Eddytown, moving to Dundee in 1831 with his wife and oldest son, Cornelius. From that time until his death he was a prominent figure in the affairs of the village. He built on contract the first Baptist " meeting- house," and erected for himself three brick blocks of stores and two dwellings, all of which remain the property of the estate except one dwelling. He was for many years a ruling elder of the Presbyte- rian Church, and to him and his neighbor, Baltis Titsworth, is the church indebted for many helps in time of need. Mr. Beekman's busi- ness was originally that of builder or carpenter ; later in life he engaged in the furniture and undertaking business, and was very success- ful. His oldest son, Cornelius, emigrated to California in 1849, and is
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HISTORY OF YATES COUNTY.
now a resident of Jacksonville, Oregon. In 18- he ran for governor, and claims he was fairly elected, but was defrauded of his rights. Of the other sons, Abram and John have made a success of their business in Bath, N. Y., and T. Dewitt, after succeeding his father in the furni- ture business, sold out and is now'one of the firm of F. H. Sayre & Co., hardware merchants of Dundee.
John T. Andrews has for many years been a prominent figure in Dundee, He came to the village sometime in the early forties and has resided here since. The Andrews family originally came from near the Hudson River and settled in the town of Reading in 1812. While a resident of Steuben County he held the office of justice of the peace, was elected sheriff and member of the Twenty-fifth Congress. After coming to Dundee he retired from business until 1866, when he be- came a partner in the firm of Martin Vosburg & Co. until 1874; since then he has not engaged in active business. At the age of eighty-eight years he is active and in appearance has many years of life before him.
Griffin B. Hazard built a saw- mill in 1811, and a grist-mill in 1812 on Big Stream, south of Dundee. The mills, with 600 acres of land, came in possession of his son James P. Hazard, who kept them until his death, which occurred in 1872. James Hazard invested a large amount in the building of a mill that was never finished and was a total loss.
CHAPTER XXIII.
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF JERUSALEM.
ERUSALEM is practically and substantially the mother of towns in Yates County. The district, sometimes called township, of Jerusalem, was organized in 1789, as one of the subdivisions of Ontario County, and included within its limits all that is now Milo, Benton and Torrey, as well as its own original territory. On the erection of Steu- ben County in 1796, the region or district called Bluff Point, or so much of it as lies south of the south line of township seven, was made a part
W.T.Q. ENG. CO.
John T Anchuras
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of the new formation ; but in 1814 an act of the Legislature annexed Bluff Point to Jerusalem, and to which it has since belonged.
In 1803 the town of Jerusalem was definitely erected, embracing township seven, second range, and so much of township seven, first range, as lay westward of Lake Keuka and lot No. 37. At or about the same time the other territory that had previously formed a part of the district of Jerusalem was organized into a town and called Vernon, afterward Snell, and finally Benton.
The town of Jerusalem, as at present constituted, is the largest of the towns of Yates County ; also it is one of the most important towns of the shire. As compared with the eastern towns of the county, Jerusalem may be called quite hilly, and in some places mountainous. Bluff Point, if standing independently, might properly be called a mountain, at least its southern extremity, but with its surroundings becomes not more than a formidable hill, elevated, at its highest point, more than 700 feet above Lake Keuka. Rose Hill in Jerusalem is 572 feet above the lake, while the county poor-house is 634 feet higher than the lake. The highest general elevation in the town is on the west side near Italy, from whence there is a gradual descent as one travels eastward toward the West Branch inlet. Still further east is another though lesser rise of land, the summit of which is about two miles from the lake. It will be seen, therefore, that Jerusalem possesses superior natural drainage advantages. At the same time the town is exceedingly well watered, as it has more lake frontage than any town in the county, not even excepting Milo. A considerable depression in the surface is noticeable in the northeast part of the town, the locality being desig- nated by the name of Shearman's Hollow.
Shearman's Hollow possibly includes historic ground, for it is alleged that in the southeast corner of lot 48, near the school-house site, are the remains of an old fort; and that this fort was neither American, Indian or French in its construction. Therefore, if such allegations are true, the fort, or whatever may have been its character, was undoubtedly of pre historic origin. But there have not been discovered relics to show whether the fortification was the work of the mound-builders or some other ancient race. But as this is a subject of entire speculation, and can only be treated facetiously, it might more properly be passed and remain a mystery.
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Jerusalem, too, contends for whatever of honor attaches from the fact that Red Jacket, the famous Seneca chief, first saw the light of day on the shores of Keuka Lake, at a point near the village of Branchport. But the people of a town in Seneca have very recently, in 1891, erected a monument to the memory of Red Jacket, and on the stone is recorded the fact that the celebrated warrior was born very near the spot on which it stands. It may be said, however, that the claims of Jerusalem to the place of birth of the chief were and are founded on the statements made by himself on the occasion of one of his speeches at Geneva. But even this is not an important question, and whatever may be the truth it will neither benefit or injure the people of Jerusalem one single whit.
Township seven of the second range formed a part of the vast Phelps and Gorham purchase, a full history and description of which may be found among the general chapters of this work. The proprietors, Oliver Phelps and Nathaniel Gorham, sold township seven, second range, to Thomas Hathaway and Benedict Robinson in 1789, but not until the following year was the deed executed. In 1790 the town was surveyed into lots under the direction of Noah Guernsey, and it was found that the measurements, both north and south, overran six miles square.
Hathaway and Robinson purchased this township that it might be made the permanent abiding place of the Public Universal Friend, and that on the lands surrounding her home there might be built up dwelling places and farms for those of her followers who remained faith- ful and true to her leadership and teachings. Such seems to be the understanding of those best informed concerning the Friend's affairs, although at the time the purchase was made she had not been to the vicinity of the New Jerusalem, but was still at and near Philadelphia. If this be true, then the settlement and colony at Hopeton and on Seneca Lake were but temporary. It is not understood, either, that there was as yet any disturbance or dissension in the Friend's society. But whatever motive may have prompted the Friend to cause the pur- chase of the town to be made cannot now be well explained, but from what was done we may suppose that she was looking carefully into the future of herself and her society. At all events it is generally under- stood that the purchase was made at her solicitation and under her ad-
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vice. But the worthy proprietors found themselves unable to pay the consideration money for the whole township, whereupon they recon- veyed to their grantors a strip about two miles in width and extending across the south part of the town. This tract contained some seven thousand acres of land. It passed through a number of ownerships and finally came into the possession of Captain John Beddoc, after which it was ever known as the Beddoe Tract.
On the west side of the town, Hathaway and Robinson conveyed a strip of land extending from the north line of the Beddoe Tract to the north line of the township to William Carter as grantee, but the latter also appears to have defaulted in his payment, as he conveyed back the strip, embracing 4,000 acres, to Phelps and Gorham. This tract, after passing through several owners, was finally sold on foreclosure of mort- gage held by the State of Connecticut. It was bought in by Gidcon Granger, of Canandaigua, who perfected the title to the tract and after- ward, June 30, 1816, sold it to Henry and Oren Green for $12,000, or $4.00 per acre, and this became thenceforth known as the Green Tract. The rest of the lands of the town appear to have been retained by Thomas Hathaway and Benedict Robinson for the use of the Friend and her society. However, it appears that Thomas Hathaway sold or conveyed his interest in the township to his associate, Benedict Robin - son, and the latter appears to have been the principal actor in the mat- ter of after transfers. Commencing in 1792, the Friend made frequent purchases of lots and parcels of land in township seven, so that when her acquisitions were completed she was the possessor of 4,480 acres of land in the town, but not in her own name. According to her belief and holding she could not hold real or other property in her own name and right, or at least she would not do so, and the conveyances were made to one of her trusted lieutenants, generally Sarah Richards, but occasionally Rachel Malin, each of whom held the property in trust for the Friend.
In 1791 the Friend and Sarah Richards made a selection of land in the town upon which should be erected her domicile and other buildings for a permanent residence. They selected a tract in the vale of the Brook Kedron, as they were pleased to term it, and Sarah Richards directed with her own hand the improvements necessary to be made.
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HISTORY OF YATES COUNTY.
In 1793, after clearings had been made, some ten or twelve acres of the land were enclosed and a log house erected. But the faithful Sarah never lived to see the completion of her undertaking, for she died dur- ing the latter part of 1793.
During the spring of 1764 the Friend left the Seneca Lake place, and took up her home at the newly- built log house in Jerusalem. She was followed here by many of her former adherents, but was not sub- ject to the intrigues of her enemies until some years later. For the poorer members of her society the Friend provided a home upon her own tract, while those of her society who were able to buy and build for themselves, did so on the lands of the town. Therefore the Univer- sal Friend herself was a pioneer in this town, as were those of her fol- lowers who also made this an abiding place. Many, however, of her society remained at the original settlement near the lake, and never be- came residents of Jerusalem.
The Public Universal Friend, Jemima Wilkinson, was of course a pioneer of this town, the same as she had been in the locality and set- tlement on Seneca Lake. In 1790 she first came to the Genesee country and four years later she established herself permanently in the town of Jerusalem. One of the general chapters of this volume has narrated at length concerning the Friend, her life and works, in view of which nothing further need be said in this place.
Early Settlement in Jerusalem .- So far as they were able and so far as they considered it a prudent measure, the Friend and her followers settled her lands in the town with none but members of her society. Still there were localities which the Friend did not control, and there- fore such sections were settled by whomsoever saw fit to purchase. And even in the Friend's society, after the lapse of not many years, there grew such differences and dissensions, that strangers to her doctrines at last obtained a foothold within the lands she aimed to control in owner- ship and occupancy.
The first settlers in district No. I of the town of Jerusalem were as follows: The Friend and her family, consisting of Rachel, Margaret, and Elijah Malin, Samuel Doolittle, Solomon Ingraham, Mary Hopkins, Mary Bean, and Chloe, a colored woman ; Elnathan Botsford's family consisted of himself and his children, Lucy, Sarah, Benajah, Mary, El-
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nathan, jr., and Ruth; Achilles Comstock, Sarah, his wife, and their children, Alphia, Martha and Israel; Ezekiel Shearman, his wife and children, Isaac, John and Bartleson ; Asahel and Anna Stone, and their children, Aurelia, Mary and Asahel, jr .; Samuel Barnes and wife, and their children, Elizur, Julius, Samuel and Henry ; Parmalee Barnes and wife; Amos Guernsey and John, his son; and Clarissa, his niece ; Castle Dains and wife, and children, Abel, Saloma, Anna and Simeon ; Ephraim Dains and family ; Jonathan Davis and family ; Benjamin Durham and family; Daniel Brown, wife and two sons, Daniel and George; Elizur and Nathaniel Ingraham, and their families; Reuben and Mary Luther, and Susanna Spencer, Phebe Cogswell, Mary Holmes, Elizabeth Kinyon, Lucy Brown, Martha Reynolds, Hannah Baldwin, Patience Allen, Mary and Sarah Briggs, and Ephraim, Isaac and Eliz- abeth Kinney.
One of the prominent members of the Friend's society was Ezekiel Shearman, who, in his zeal to serve his leader, acted as one of the com- mittee to visit the Genesee country in 1786, for the purpose of select- ing a site for a home for the society. Mr. Shearman was a Rhode Islander, and was one of the first to come to the region of the New Jerusalem and there make a home. Soon after coming, or in 1790, he married the widow of John Bartleson, the latter a follower of the Friend from Pennsylvania. In 1794 Mr. Shearman moved to Jerusalem and located on lot 47. He lived and died in the town, dying in 1824, and his wife in 1843. They had three children : Isaac, born in 1792 ; John, who died young ; and Bartleson, born in 1797, who became one of the leading men of the town of Jerusalem, and died at an advanced age.
Daniel and Anna Brown, husband and wife, and their sons, Daniel, George and Russell, were among the pioneers of the Friend's tract. But this family became alienated from the Friend not many years af- terward. They settled on lot 5, then an almost unbroken wilderness, and with no neighbors nearer than two or three miles. By industry, perseverance and energy Daniel Brown and his sons succeeded in build- ing up one of the best farms of the town. Daniel Brown, jr., married Lucretia Coats. He, too, became a prominent man in the town ; was justice of the peace for many years. He kept public house, called " Grandfather's House; " also he built a distillery in the town. The
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HISTORY OF YATES COUNTY.
children of Daniel, jr., and Lucretia Brown were Alfred, Anna and Mary. Alfred was born in 1798, and was sheriff of the county one term ; Anna, born in 1805, married Gideon Wolcott; Mary, born in 1818, became the wife of Mordecai Ogden.
George Brown, son of Daniel, the pioneer, became the owner of 600 acres on the east side of the Beddoe tract, including the site of the vil- lage of Branchport. George Brown was also prominent in the affairs of Jerusalem; was several terms its supervisor. His children were Theda, Harriet and John R. Brown.
Jonathan Davis came to the New Jerusalem in 1792, and died in the County of Yates in 1870. His first residence was at the little settle- ment on Seneca Lake, but after a few years he returned to Philadelphia, and there married, in 1801, Rachel Updegraff. They then returned to this region, living near the lake for a short time, and then locating in Jerusalem, on land purchased from the pioneer, Jacob Wagener. Here the parents lived and died. Their children were Mary, Isaiah, Leah and Lydia.
Thomas Hathaway, for many years a leading and influential member of the Friend's society, and one of the original purchasers of the town of Jerusalem, or No. seven, range two, was a native of Massachusetts, and became a follower of the Friend in 1784. He brought to the New Je- ' rusalem four children : Thomas, Mary, Elizabeth and Gilbert. Thomas Hathaway sold a large share of his interest in the town to William Car- ter. He died in 1798, aged sixty-six years.
Elnathan Botsford was also one of the more influential of the Friend's followers. His wife was Lucy Stone, by whom he had six children : Benajah, Sarah, Mary, Lucy, Ruth and Elnathan. Elnathan Botsford, the pioneer, died in Jerusalem at the age of eighty-eight. Many de- scendants of this respected old family are still residents of the county.
In 1807 John Race and his wife left the eastern part of the State and located in Jerusalem, a few miles up the lake from Penn Yan, on lot 50, now the Purdy place. John Race was known throughout the country as a famous hunter and fisherman; withal he was a good farmer. He had seven children : William, Jonathan, Joseph, Catharine, John H., Phebe and Andrew J.
Samuel Davis, son of Malachi Davis, a pioneer Friend, settled in Je-
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rusalem in 1805, on lot 42. He was the shingle-maker for the locality, and laid the foundation of his success in that calling. His children were Rachel, Rebecca, Joseph, Jesse, Eliza, George W. and Lydia Ann. The surname, Davis, has a number of representatives now in the town.
Benjamin Durham, the millwright, was among the pioneers of Jeru- salem. He was married to Elizabeth Dains, daughter of Castle Dains, by Benedict Robinson. He bought land of Mr. Robinson, on lot 17, and made his home there in 1799. The children of Benjamin and Eliz- abeth Durham were Ann, Rebecca, George, John, James, Joanna, Abel, Albert and Elizabeth. After the death of his wife, Mr. Durham, in 1818, married Mary Bates, of Potter, by whom these children were born : Lucy C., Myron H., Benjamin, Mary C. and Charles M.
Achilles Comstock and his wife Rachel, the daughter of the senior Elnathan Botsford, with their three children, Israel, Apphi and Martha, became residents of Jerusalem in 1799, having previously lived at the settlement near Seneca Lake. The lands bought for them were on the north side of the Friend's estate, and embraced 400 acres. Achilles was a Methodist, while his wife was one of the Friend's society. He died in 1832, and his wife in 1845.
Henry Larzelere was the youngest child of Daniel and Elizabeth Larzelere, and was born in 1798 at Hopeton, in the Friend's settle- ment. He became a resident of Jerusalem by being adopted into the family of Elijah Botsford upon the death of his mother. He became a hotel, or public-house, keeper in 1826, in the locality in which he lived for many years thereafter, and known as Larzelere's Hollow. His wife was Rebecca Durham, who bore him two children, Sarah A., who mar- ried Erastus Cole, and William B., whose wife was Sarah A. Sheppard.
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Elizabeth Kinney was a native of Connecticut. She was a widow at the time of her coming to the New Jerusalem, but her devotion to the Friend caused her to follow here, bringing her children, who were Sam- uel, Isaac, Ephraim, Statira and Mary. They lived for a time near Seneca Lake, but afterward moved to Jerusalem. Samuel, the eldest child, made the first clearing on the site of the Poor-House farm.
Samuel Hartwell married Elizabeth Wilkinson, sister of the Friend. Their settlement was made first in Benton, from whence they moved to Canada, but were obliged to leave the province during the second war
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HISTORY OF YATES COUNTY.
with Great Britain. They came to Jerusalem and lived for a time, and then left the country.
Samuel Clark and wife first settled on lot 56, in what was township seven, first range, but which became a part of Jerusalem. His title to the land failed, thus losing him his farm, after which the family located on lot 41. Mr. Clark settled in the town in 1799. His children were Emma, Abigail, Laura, Ezekiel, Aurilla and Sally. Descendants of this family still live in the town.
Sanford Coats and Jerusha (Miner) Coats were natives of Connecti- cut, and came with their five children to Jerusalem in 1817. This fam- ily name is still well represented in the town. The children of Sanford and Jerusha were Gilbert, Anner, Sidney, William S., Susan A., Lu- cretia, John L., Russell and Miner.
Erastus Cole and family settled in Jerusalem at Sabintown, so called, in 1817. He died in 1860, and his wife five years afterward. Their children were Hiram, Wolcott, Elizabeth, Ardelia, Mary, Erastus and Harris. Joseph Cole and his family came to the town at an early day, purchasing lands on the Benedict Robinson tract. The children of Joseph and Hannah Cole were Allen, John, Laura, Lydia, Simeon, Ma- ria, Peleg, Sarah, Thomas and Jane.
The surname Purdy stands not only for pioneership, but for high re- spectability in Jerusalem. The pioneer of the family in the town was John Purdy, a native of this State, and his wife was Esther Barton. They had a large family of children before coming to this locality, but not all the children came to Yates County. John Purdy, his son Fran- cis, and daughter Mary, with their families, located in the southwest part of the town, on the Green Tract, at what was called Lightning Corners. The children of John Purdy, from whom have descended the Purdy families of the town to day, were Abijah, Mary, Elizabeth, Isaac, Joshua, Ann, Francis, Hannah, Abigail and Mariam.
John and Elizabeth Merritt, formerly of Armenia, Dutchess County, and their children came to Jerusalem in 1827. He died there in 1850, and his wife seven years later. Their children were Chauncey, Sarah A., Eliza, Emma J., Rensselaer, John, Alanson and La Fayette.
William Henry Stewart, a Scotch sea captain of many years' experi- ence, and his wife, settled in this town in 1817, on lot 50. The wife
Lafayette Merritt
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TOWN OF JERUSALEM.
died in 1835. Their children were Ann E., Sarah W., Hannah, Abbie, Bethulia, Rachel and Charlotte. For his second wife Captain Merritt married Emma J. Merritt, who bore him six children : John W., Eliza, William; George B., Belle and Saunders C.
Samuel Hartshorn, who was a native of Amherst, Mass., born in 1772, married Sarah Genung, of Otsego County, N. Y., but a native of New Jersey. They came to Yates County in 1817, settling first in Barring- ton, but five years later moving to Jerusalem, on lot 68. Samuel, the pioneer, died in 1854, and his wife in 1863. They had six children, as follows : Hiley, Betsey, Abigail, William W., Isaac W. and James H. Of one of this family of children, Isaac W. Hartshorn, will be found an extended mention in the biographical department of this work.
Jonathan Sisson was the son of George Sisson, the latter a prominent Friend. Jonathan served in Captain Remer's Benton company during a part of the War of 1812-15. In 1827 he and his family became res- idents of Jerusalem. His wife was Catharine Vosbinder. Their chil- dren were William, George, John, David, Harrison and Bethany.
Robert M. Boyd was a native of Pennsylvania, and a pioneer in the Genesee country, having come to Bath in 1799. He was a blacksmith, and worked at his trade in various places, among them at Hopeton. Here he married Rebecca Woodhull, in 1804. In 1824 the family moved to Jerusalem, where, in 1839, Mr. Boyd died. The children of Robert and Rebecca Boyd were Alexander M., Tompkins W., Marga- ret, Robert M., Martha R., Arabella R. and Mary E.
In 1816 Thomas Sutton and family settled in Jerusalem, on lot 56. His wife was Letitia Haines. Their children were Jane, Daniel, John, Thomas C., Lewis, William, Reuben, Albert, Hannah, Ann and Em- eline.
Elljah Townsend was a pioneer in Jerusalem, having made his set- tlement therein as early as 1793, and in the locality that has for many years been known as Kinney's Corners. Mr. Townsend was a black- smith by trade, but found profitable employment in making cow- bells for other settlers before line and division fences kept cattle in bounds. Elijah Townsend had nine children, viz .: Uriah, Hezekiah, Mary, Henry, Isaac, Phebe, Martha, Sarah and Lydia.
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