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 44
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Beza Whitman was the pioneer landlord at Rushville, at which place he opened public house about 1800. His wife was Alice Green, who bore him five children : Augustus, Marcus, Henry G., Samuel and Al-
Oliven Anderwood
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TOWN OF POTTER.
ice. Aaron Putney came to what is now Potter in 1814, locating on lot 6, seventh range, where he and his wife died. Their children were Nancy, Julia, Jedediah, Aurelia, Foskett M., Needham M., Martha, Ol- ive, Aaron M. and Milo. In 1809 Lewis M. Bostwick and his then re- cently married wife settled on the York Tract. Their children born in the town were Mary, Nathan, William S., Daniel, Denton, Catharine and Hannah. Sanford Strobridge, the wheelwright, settled north of Potter Center, in 1826. He and his wife had a numerous family, all but one of whom grew to maturity. They were Maria, Susan, Sanford D., Ly- man H., Samuel G., Orville F., Jane E., George W., Charles H., James M. and William M. John S. Underwood, wife and family, part of his children being by a first marriage, located on the Potter farm in 1820, but afterward moved to Jerusalem. The children by his first marriage were Samuel C., Lydia, George, John, Susan and Mary ; by the second marriage : William H., Oliver, Henry, Clarissa, Weeden, George and Benjamin. Ezekiel Gardner succeeded the Underwoods on the Potter farm in 1826. His children were Peleg, John, Elizabeth N., Ezekiel W. and Mary E. Daniel G. Weare, an older resident of Ontario County, came to Potter in 1819. He died at the Center in 1863, his wife sur- viving him several years. Their children were Samuel C., Mary H., Sarah, Caroline, Daniel G., Orrin R. and Delight. Calvin Loomis and Nathan Loomis came to the region about the early years of the present century ; thence Calvin came to Potter and occupied the Dr. Harkness place. By his first marriage his children were Stephen, Laura, Nor- man and Maria; by the second marriage, Erastus, Orrin G. and Luther. George and Harriet (Ross) Hunt, settled on lot I, range three, in 1820, but soon moved to Jerusalem. Samuel Andrews settled on lot I, range three, in 1817. He married Emily Waity Briggs, who bore him these children : Amy, Eunice, Mercy, Polly, Sally, Eliza A., Asa, Peleg, Abby, Thomas Jefferson and Ruth.
Capt. Reuben Carr and his family, accompanied by Gilbert Sherer, the latter a child, located north of Potter Center in 1815. When grown up, Gilbert Sherer married, first Fanny Bordwell ; second Minerva Bord- well; and third, Louisa De Voe. In 1860 Mr. Sherer was elected to the Assembly ; in 1861 was appointed postmaster at Penn Yan. He was colonel of the 103d N. Y. S. Vol. Infantry regiment. Captain Carr, and
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HISTORY OF YATES COUNTY.
his father, Caleb Carr, were both early residents of Potter. The latter was the father of twenty-two children. He had three wives.
In 1797 Rev. William Hobart with his wife and six children came to Potter, where the head of the family died in 1801. His wife survived him fifty years and died in 1851. The descendants of this family are now scattered throughout the county. John and David Stebbins came to Potter in 1814, and although each had a family, the present repre- sentatives of the surname in the town are quite few. Jacob B. Van- Osdol is remembered as having been a tailor in Rushville at an early day ; also he is known to have been elected to the Assembly in 1855. Two years later he died. His wife was Hannah Wilder, by whom he had two daughters, Augusta and Maria.
The Village of Rushville .- Among the hamlets or small villages of the town of Potter, that called Rushville is of the greater importance, both in point of population and commercial advantage. The village lies partly in this town, while another and possibly a greater part is in the county of Ontario. On the site now occupied by Rushville, south of the line, Elias Gilbert, mentioned on a preceding page, was the first settler, followed soon afterward by the Loomis family. Beza Whitman, whose descendants still live in the town, was the keeper of the first hotel, while Mrs. Seldon Williams figured as the pioneer school-teacher. Will- iam and Cornelius Bassett were the first male teachers. Philander P. Woodworth was the first merchant of the settlement, his place of busi- ness being in the afterward-called Dr. Bryant House. Mr. Woodworth afterward kept store and hotel on the site yet occupied for the latter use. Chester Loomis succeeded Woodworth in 1815. On the west side of the river a tavern was also early started, and near by was the first school, in which, also, were held the first Congregational Church services. Among the early merchants and business men of the village, there can be recalled the names of Raymond & Sprague, Stillman & Gilbert, John Wisewell, Thomas J. Dudley, Grant Barney, John Clark, Charles W. Henry, Wisewell & Henry, Whitman & Green, Randall Whitman, Dudley & Colt, Dudley & Bailey, Hamlin & Hazen (a branch of the large store at Penn Yan), Judson Jones, Flinn & Dwelle, L. C. Wisewell & Co., Hunt & Armsburger, Mortimer Case, J. H. Beerman, William T. Bassett, George Howell & Son, A. & J. Thomas, and others,
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TOWN OF POTTER.
perhaps, whose names have become forgotten. The large and attrac- tive union school building was erected in 1868, at a cost of $16,000. An important adjunct to the business interests of the village and vicin- ity was the large steam and water power grist- mill.
The Congregational Church of Rushville was organized as early as the year 1802, by Rev. Jedediah Chapman, a Presbyterian missionary. The first members were John and Elizabeth Blair, William and Mary Holton, Nathan and Dorcas Loomis, Jabez and Sarah French, Henry Green, Lydia Black, Mrs. Huldah Williams, Sarah Lukore, Sarah Bas- sett, Miss Huldah Williams, and Anna Sawyer. From 1803 to 1813 this church was connected with the Ontario Congregational Association, but in 1814 connected with the Geneva Presbytery, and so continued until 1855. The early meetings of the society were held in the old school-house, and occasionally in other places, and in 1818 the brick church edifice was erected. A plain, substantial building it was and answered the requirements of the congregation for many years without material repair. It was substantially remodeled, however, during the pastorate of Rev. S S. Hughson. The early ministers or pastors of the Rushville church were Jedediah Chapman, Abijah Warren, Reuben Parmalee, Joseph Merrill, David Page, Joseph Brackett, Henry P. Strong, Maltby Geltson, S. S. Hughson, W. A. Smith, Orrin Place, W. Kincaid, and others. The present church membership numbers about 175 persons.
Rushville Methodist Church .- Although Methodist missionary ser- vices and preaching were held in and near Rushville about as early as elsewhere in the north part of the county, it was not until the year 1824 that a society of this denomination was in fact formed. The res- idence of pioneer Michael Pierce appears to have been the home of Methodism in the town, and here the first meetings were generally held. Gideon Lanning and Robert Parker were the first preachers in the locality, while E. Streeter was the first class leader. Later meetings were held in the old school-house and at the home of J. A. Peabody, one of the original members. In 1830 the first church edifice was built, but enlarged a few years later. It was dedicated January 25, 1832, by Rev. John Copeland. Prominent among the early members and found- ers of the church were Mr. Streeter, Samuel Whitman, John A. Pea-
59
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HISTORY OF YATES COUNTY.
body, Philo E. Brown, Jesse C. Boardman and family, Ira Fairbanks, Dr. Buffam Harkness, Job Pierce, John Sanders, Nathaniel Loomis, and G W. Cole. In 1835 the circuit took the name of Rushville and Bethel, and Ira Fairbanks, John Easter, and R. Harrington were the preach- ers. Following them came in succession, Gideon Lanning, Z. J. Buck, J. C. Kingsley, Abner Chase, Orrin Trowbridge, Samuel Parker, Joseph Chapman, Calvin Coates, Philo Brown, David Nutten, Manly Tooker, Robert Parker, J. W. Wilson, M. Wheeler, J. Landreth, E. Wood, A. L. Fillmore, N. N. Beers and others. In February, 1868, the beautiful new church edifice was dedicated by Bishop Simpson. It was com- menced in 1866, and completed during the next year, costing $23,000. The present church membership numbers nearly 250.
Among the early settlers in Potter were several families who favored Universalism. Edward Perry was a leader among theni. Between 1830 and 1840 a society was formed and built a church at Rushville, but after about fifteen years of unfruitful effort the society was dis- banded.
Potter Center, which, as the name indicates, is near the center of the town, westward of Flint Creek, is not more than a hamlet, or conven- ient trading point for residents in the surrounding country. Its busi- ness industries have been but few, there not having been more than one or two stores in operation at any one time, while a single hotel af- fords ample accommodation to the wayfarer. The dwellings in the hamlet proper number not to exceed twenty. But the Center has two prosperous church societies.
The Second Methodist Church of Potter ultimately became the first Methodist Church of Potter Center, being a removal of the Nettle Val- ley society to this point as a place of worship, in 1865. The Nettle Valley class was formed in 1815, numbering among its members, Will- iam Gurnsey and wife, Samuel Wyman and wife, Israel Hobart and wife, Ephraim Kinney and wife, James Hardy and wife, Joseph L. Ho- bart and wife, Potter and Jabez Card, Sarah Hull, Eleanor Parsons, and Thomas, Pardon, Martha and Sophronia Wilson. A legal organization of the society was perfected in April, 1827.
The first meeting- house of the society was built of logs, but in 1838 this gave way to a neat frame church, costing $1,400. Also in 1838 a
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TOWN OF POTTER.
part of the society's grounds were set apart for burial purposes. In 1855 the society purchased the old Baptist meeting-house at the Center, repaired and remodeled it, and occupied it in future. The old church in the Valley was then sold.
There have been two Free Baptist Societies in the town of Potter, the one known as the North Free Baptist Church, which merged into the Free Baptist Church of Potter, the surviving organization. Free Baptist preaching began in the town in December, 1824, and the results of subsequent frequent revivals brought into the membership of the society nearly 400 persons, making it one of the strongest denominations of the township. The North Church united with the First Church in 1860. The first church was built in 1840. The Sunday school of this society was formed in 1825.
The Yatesville Methodist Church of Potter had its origin in the early meetings held in the locality as early as 1817, resulting in the forming of a class, but it was not until October 29, 1832, that the society was organized according to law and duly named Yatesville Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Among the early prominent members of the society can be recalled the names of Asa Brunson and wife, Abel Trask and wife, James Harley and wife, Daniel Harley and wife, Achil- les Comstock, Elnathan Botsford and wife, Israel Arnold and wife, Bax- ter Hobart and wife, Ephraim Wheeler and wife, Webster Winn and wife, Joshua Stoddard and wife, Stephen Wyman and wife, and others. The early meetings were held in a store and shop until the school- house was completed. In 1837 the church edifice was built for the so - ciety. In 1865 the Yatesville Cemetery Association was organized, and thereafter purchased a tract of land just west of the church. Israel Comstock was the first person to be buried in this cemetery.
In the town of Potter and in the towns adjoining have settled a num- ber of Catholic families. To supply their spiritual wants a parish has been organized embracing the region, and the Catholic Church is also to be numbered among the institutions of the township.
Civil History .- Among the pioneers and early settlers in the town prior to its erection as Potter, there may be recalled the names of a number of persons who were appointed or elected to office. Nathan Loomis was justice as early as 1797, followed soon afterward by George
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HISTORY OF YATES COUNTY.
Green. Abiel Thomas held the same office in 1803, and thereafter at various times until 1820. Arnold Potter was likewise justice, and also associate justice of the Ontario County Courts, the latter as early as 1795. John Griffin was justice in 1808, and again in 1811. He also was judge. Jabez French was justice in 1814 and 1816.
At the first town meeting in Potter these officers were chosen : Su- pervisor, William L. Hobart; town clerk, Ambrose S. Thomas ; jus- tices, Jeremiah Barber, John H. Gleason and Isaac Secor; assessor, James P. Robinson ; commissioners of highways, Alexander Suther- land, David J. McMaster and Orrin Stebbins ; overseers of the poor, Mark Weare and Abraham Reddout; commissioners of schools, Au- gustus Torrey, James P. Robinson, Jesse D. Casey ; inspectors of schools, Noah Robinson, Titus Gilbert, Alexander McDonald ; collector, Hiram Torrey ; constables, Richard Green, John Ansley, Joseph A. Lee; sealer of weights and measures, John Wisewell.
Supervisors of Potter .- William L. Hobart, 1832-35 ; Henry Hus- ted, 1836-37 ; James Hermans, 1838-41; Ambrose S. Thomas, 1842- 43; Gilbert Sherer, 1844-45 ; John Wisewell, 1846-47 ; Ira D. Bryant, 1848-49; Henry Torrey, 1850-51 ; Elnathan R. Hunt, 1852; Isaac Lane, 1853-54; Ambrose S. Thomas, 1855, 1860; George G. Wyman, 1856-57; Ephraim C. Mower, 1858-59; John Halsted, 1861-62 ; Hi- ram Keeney, 1863-64; Whitford B. Wyman, 1865 ; Jareb Bordwell, 1866-67 ; Charles Olmsted, 1868-69; Peter L. Dinturff, 1870-71 ; John Sutherland, 1872 ; George T. Wyman, 1873-74; Timothy M. Blodgett, 1875; James R. Bordwell, 1876-78; John J. Best, 1879; William A. Carson, 1880-81 ; David M. McMaster, 1882-83 ; Jabez F. Hobart, 1884-86; Miner Loomis, 1887-88 ; John R. Gardner, 1889- 90 ; George S. Goodrich, 1891.
Justices of the Peace .- Jeremiah Barber (elected), 1833, '36; John H. Gleason, 1833, '37, '43, '45; Isaac Secor, 1833, '39, '43, '47; Au- gustus Torrey, 1834, '38, '42; Isaac Lane, 1835, '53, '55; John J. Schenck, 1840, '44; Baxter Hobart, 1841 ; Jacob R. Van Osdol, 1846 ; Andrew W. Rector, 1848; Oliver Underwood, 1849 ; John Sayer, 1850, 54, '58, '66, '70 ; John Sutherland, 1851, '69; Jareb D. Bordwell, 1852, '56, '60 ; James Conley, 1853, '57, '61, '67 ; Horace Underwood, 1859; James O. Fanning, 1862; John W. Payne, 1863 ; Chauncey O. Hoyt,
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TOWN OF MIDDLESEX.
1864; James C. Briggs, 1865 ; Milton Shutts, 1867, '68; Sanford D. Strobridge, 1871; F. C. Hobart, 1872; John Voak, 1873 (full term) ; Milton Shutts (vacancy) ; Nathaniel Green, 1874; John Sutherland, 1875 ; Milton Shutts, 1876; James C. Briggs, 1877 ; N. H. Green, 1878, '82; John Voak, 1879 (full term) ; James Conley (vacancy); F. C. Hobart, 1880, '84, '88; L. W. Lane, 1881; James Conley, 1883, '87 ; Lewis M. Rugar, 1885 ; Frank Fairchild, 1886; George R. Ingram, 1889; William S. Hine, 1890; John Voak, 1891.
CHAPTER XXVII.
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF MIDDLESEX.
T HE town of Middlesex as at present constituted occupies a position in the extreme northwest corner of Yates County, and is therefore more remote from the county seat than any other of the county's sub- divisions. Originally this town was a part of the district of Augusta, and as such embraced a much greater area of territory then was com- prehended by Middlesex proper. The district was known as Augusta from 1797 until 1808, and than changed to Middlesex ; but prior to the formation of Augusta the region was a part of the still older district of Canandaigua. This latter creation followed soon after the erection of Ontario County.
In 1789, by a deed executed July 15, Thomas Maxwell sold to Ar- nold Potter all of township eight of the second range (Potter), and all that part of township eight of the third range which lay east of Can- andaigua Lake. The area of territory embraced in this sale was esti- mated at 35,040 acres, but in fact was 42,230 acres. The consideration paid Maxwell was £991, nine shillings, three pence. But there appears to have been some question regarding the validity of Arnold Potter's title from Maxwell, to settle and perfect which Oliver Phelps, in 1798, quit-claimed to Potter the same lands at the express consideration of $10,000 ; but which consideration as a matter of fact is understood as not having been actually paid.
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HISTORY OF YATES COUNTY.
From the time of the purchase by Arnold Potter down to the year 1832, this region was almost exclusively called by the name of " Pot- terstown," in honor of its proprietor. In 1832 the territory was divided, and all of township eight of the second range, except one tier of lots on its west side, one half-mile in width, was erected into a new town by the name of Potter. There was annexed to Potter from Middlesex, in 1856, six lots in the southeast corner of the latter. This was done for the accommodation of the residents in the locality so annexed, they finding it preferable to transact town and other business in the town of Potter.
While Middlesex is perhaps the most remote from the county seat of any of the towns of Yates, it by no means follows that it is a town of small importance. In common with some of the larger and wealthier towns, Middlesex enjoys the benefits of having its entire western bound- ary on the waters of Canandaigua Lake, in which respect it stands alone among the towns of the county. A somewhat facetious remark con- cerning the general character and quality of the land in Middlesex was to the effect that nothing but " eagles and angels " could subsist there, but the changes and improvements of a half century and less have dem- onstrated the fact that this town possesses natural and acquired re- sources far superior to some of the more fortunately situated towns of the county. Vine Valley, so called, is a veritable Eden, prolific in its grape product to a remarkable degree. while along the entire lake front in the town both the fruit of the vine and the abundant yield of the farm mark this as a town of worth and wealth.
The principal elevations of Middlesex are Bare Hill and South Hill, both commanding heights, the former reaching nearly 1,000 feet above the lake, and the latter some 200 feet higher than its companion. Be- tween these marked elevations courses the little stream known as Boat, Brook, and in the valley of the brook is located the rich vineyard lands above referred to. The name Boat Brook is said to have been given this creek by the early surveyors of the town lands, who were in the habit of stationing their boats in its waters near its mouth. The name Bare Hill was given the north elevation by the pioneers from the fact that its summit was nearly or quite destitute of forest growth, while large stones, boulders and rocks were plentiful on every side. But there was a reason for this unusual condition of things, which reason rests in
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TOWN OF MIDDLESEX.
a very pretty and interesting, and possibly thrilling tradition, handed down from old Senecas to their children, and by the latter related to the white pioneer settlers. But the chief beauty and charm of the tra- dition to intelligent persons rests altogether in the absolute unreason- ableness of the story. The myth has often been related and frequently published, but a history of Middlesex without the famous legend of Bare Hill would be faulty indeed. It runs somewhat as follows :
The Seneca tribe of Indians sprang out of the ground at Nundawao, the site of their oldest village near the head of Canandaigua Lake and on a high hill. In the course of time a mighty double-headed snake or serpent made its appearance and extended its body entirely around the hill, threatening the Indians with total destruction. All were killed but two, an Indian warrior and his sister. At length the warrior had a dream, and he was told that if he would fledge his arrow with hair from his sister's head the charm would be secure and would prevail; and that he should shoot the arrow from his bow directly at the heart of the serpent, and have no fear from the two heads and their hissing tongues. He did as he was told, the arrow struck the heart, and the monster, uttering fearful hissing noises, rolled down the hill and into the lake. Here it vomited up all the Indians it had swallowed, and then disap- peared beneath the water's surface never to return. Thereafter the Indian village was abandoned and its people betook themselves to Kan- andesaga (Geneva). The tradition also has it that the trees of the hill were likewise destroyed by the snake, and that the multitude of stones were but the heads of the dead Indians. The Senecas in this extinct village called themselves Nundawao, Nundawagas-People of the Hill. However doubtful may be the truth of the story, the fact admits of no question of an Indian occupancy in this region or on Bare Hill. There are yet discernible straggling evidences of an ancient fortification on the hill, while in the valleys below, and along the shores of the lake have been found abundant proof of the Indian presence ; and it is asserted by well-informed minds that in this town have been discovered evi- dences of pre-historic occupation, by a race of people of characteristics different from the Indian's, and of a higher order of intellect and handi- craft. But this is a subject that cannot be discussed here, for the evi- dences produced during the last half century throw no light upon the discoveries of earlier investigators.
HISTORY OF YATES COUNTY.
The principal water course of Middlesex is West River, and in fact this is the only stream of importance within the town. It has its source in Ontario County, and enters Middlesex at its northeast corner ; thence flows a generally southwesterly course across the town and into Italy, where it turns abruptly north and discharges into Canandaigua Lake. The village of Middlesex Center lies on West River, and near the geo- graphical center of the township.
Arnold Potter made his purchase of the lands that now comprise Middlesex in 1789; and during the same year the territory was sur- veyed into ranges and farm lots by Perley Howe. The ranges run north and south, and the farm lots east and west. However, on two after occasions the lands of the town were re-surveyed and re-lotted. More than this, large tracts passed into different ownerships, and were surveyed and lotted according to their situation or as best pleased the fancy of their proprietors. 1
The early settlement of the town of Middlesex was not unlike that of other towns of the region. The coming of the Potter family to the vast purchase, and the offering of the lands for sale at exceeding low prices, had the effect of rapidly bringing settlers to the town even before the beginning of the present century ; and although distant as it may have been from the first settled community occupied by the Friends, this lo- cality was taken and improved generally earlier than the more accessi- ble towns now called Barrington, Starkey, Western Milo and Jerusalem. Prominent among the pioneers of Middlesex were the families of John Walford, Benjamin Tibbetts, Michael Pierce.
John Walford was a Rhode Islander, and came to the Potter tract in 1789, and a few years later made his permanent home where now is the hamlet of Middlesex Center. His wife died in 1791, and was the first white person buried in the town. John Walford died in 1813. John, jr., and James Walford were the only children in this pioneer family.
Michael Pierce and his family also came from Rhode Island. He bought 400 acres from Arnold Potter, and both he and his wife died in the town, far advanced in years. Their children were Job, Thomas, Samuel, John, Sally and Lucina. Michael Pierce helped to survey the town.
Warham Williams, a native of Connecticut, was one of the pioneers
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TOWN OF MIDDLESEX.
of the town, settling first on lot 10, farm range four, but afterward moving to the Walford locality on the river. His first wife was Sarah Carr, who bore him three children : Huldah, Betsey and Anna. His second wife was Patty Cone, by whom he had seven children : John W , Oliver S., Lucy, Melinda, Eunice, Valona and Caroline.
The family of John Blair settled on Surveyor Perley Howe's lot, in the seventh range, in 1794. His wife died in 1805, and he in 1814. Their children were John, James, Nathan, Warren, Amy and Sally. John, James and Warren Blair served during the War of 1812-15.
In 1806 William Foster and family located on lot 7, range seven, and there lived to the end of his life. He had thirteen children, seven of whom grew to maturity, viz .: Alanson, William, Julia, John, Ira, Mar- tin and Susan. Also in 1806 came to the town Daniel Hawley and family, and located on lot 8, range six, succeeding a still earlier settler, Henry Farout. They had one son, Daniel, jr., who married Sarah Tay- lor. Of this marriage five children were born, viz .: Charlotte, Daniel, Abigail, Josiah and Thomas H. In the same year, 1806, came from Vermont the family of Asahel Adams and settled on West River. In this family were ten children : Betsey, Chauncey, John, Alta, Cyrus, Polly, Sally, Asa P., Lovell and Cynthia.
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