USA > New York > Genesee County > History of the Genesee country (western New York) comprising the counties of Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Chemung, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Ontario, Orleans, Schuyler, Steuben, Wayne, Wyoming and Yates, Volume II > Part 27
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The desire of the Whigs of the county to have an official organ was responsible for the establishment of The Livingston Republi- can, the first number of which was issued September 19, 1837. Samuel P. Allen, a young printer, was prevailed upon to under- take the publication; as he stated: "During the summer of that year (1837), I was called upon at Mount Morris by some of the members of the Whig central committee, and urged to undertake the publication of a Whig journal at Geneseo. The committee
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consisted of William H. Spencer, Charles Colt, John Young, Elias Clark and Gurdon Nowlen. The late William Weed was active in the enterprise, and by personal efforts probably accomplished as much as any other gentleman in securing the necessary funds to purchase a new press, etc." In September, 1837, Allen started for Buffalo, with a small, one-horse wagon, carrying the old type of the Journal-Democrat, which he exchanged, with some money, for new type. A new Washington press arrived at Geneseo from New York in the meantime, and after three days Allen returned from his overland journey, prepared to strike off the first issue. The Whig central committee retained the ownership of the plant until March, 1844, when Allen had acquired sufficient funds to buy it. In 1846 he sold out to John M. Campbell, who disposed of the paper the next year to Joseph Kershner, a Geneseo lawyer. Kershner was succeeded the next year by Charles E. Bronson. On December 27, 1849, the paper passed into the hands of James T. Norton, who issued it until his death, in 1865. Then, for four years, his son, A. Tiffany Norton, published it. On November 25, 1869, the paper was purchased by James W. Clement and Lock- wood L. Doty, but the retirement of the latter at the close of the year on account of ill health terminated the partnership. Clement sold out in 1876 to Samuel P. Allen, and in 1881 the latter took in Allison R. Scott as partner, the firm being Allen & Scott. Allen died in October, 1881, and Scott and Colonel John R. Strang be- came the owners under the name of A. R. Scott & Company. Strang parted with his interest to Scott, and some time after the death of the latter the paper was purchased by a corporation called The Livingston Republican, in which his son, M. Reed Scott, had a substantial interest. Edgar S. Barnes, also a stockholder, was the editor of the paper for several years after. Samuel G. Blythe, a widely known writer, was at one time its editor.
The Dansville Herald was begun May 23, 1850, by E. C. Daugherty and James G. Sprague, under the partnership name of E. C. Daugherty & Company. As a Whig organ, the Herald became one of the best weeklies in the state. In the autumn of 1854 the paper was sold to H. L. and L. H. Rann, who came to Dansville from Buffalo. L. H. Rann retired within a few years, and in January, 1857, H. L. Rann sold the paper to a corporation representing the Know-Nothing party, comprised of Nelson W.
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Green, A. J. Abbott, Dr. B. L. Hovey, C. R. Kern, Orville Tousey and others. E. G. Richardson and Nelson W. Green actively managed the business and editorial departments of the paper. In April, 1857, H. C. Page took charge and ran it until October fol- lowing, when it was sold to George A. Sanders, who changed it to a Republican sheet, and on November 6, 1861, the name was changed to The Dansville Weekly Herald. Sanders sold in Octo- ber, 1865, to Frank J. Robbins and L. D. F. Poore, who imme- diately changed the name to The Dansville Express. Poore re- tired in October, 1870. Robbins enlarged the paper, supported Greeley, and continued the paper as a Democratic sheet. On May 27, 1877, the Express became the property of Oscar Woodruff and A. H. Knapp, which partnership continued until February, 1882, when Knapp retired, and Woodruff continued as sole proprietor and editor, a position he maintained with notable success for over forty years. He associated with himself his brother, Edwin R., in 1921, and in 1924 they sold the paper to Ernest E. Quick, of Dansville. The latter was succeeded by Grant B. Fullmer, and he by Warren S. Morey, the present editor.
The Nunda News, the first newspaper of permanent character in the village, and Republican, was established in October, 1859, by Chauncey K. Sanders. Until the number printed November 19, 1859, the sheet was printed by Mr. Sanders' brother, George A. Sanders, in the office of The Dansville Herald, of which he was then publisher, and where Chauncey K. Sanders had been em- ployed for two years. Prior to that time for a year he had been with The Geneseo Democrat. In December, 1898, Mr. Sanders was succeeded in the proprietorship of The Nunda News by his son, Walter B. Sanders, who continues as owner and editor. The latter was chosen president of the New York State Press Associa- tion for the year 1921.
The Lima Recorder was started October 1, 1869, by Elmer Houser. Houser & Dennis, Dennis & Dennis, and Deal & Drake were proprietors at different times until 1875, when A. Tiffany Norton, formerly owner of The Livingston Republican, bought the paper. He later removed to Rochester, where he died in 1901. Charles Van Gelder was a subsequent publisher of this paper, and was succeeded in the ownership by his son, F. A. Van Gelder. The paper is independent politically.
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The Mount Morris Enterprise, Democratic, was established March 4, 1875, by George M. Shull and A. H. Knapp, under the firm name of Shull & Knapp. The latter retired in May, 1877, and the publication was then continued in a highly successful manner by Mr. Shull until November 12, 1912, when he sold out to Raymond Haywood. Mr. Shull, now retired, was during the decades of active participation in journalistic affairs one of the best known newspaper men in western New York, ranking with Bunnell, Woodruff, Sanders and Alvord in remaining on the firing line through the long years.
The Livonia Gazette was first issued October 1, 1875, by Lewis E. Chapin. In July, 1877, the paper was purchased by Clarence M. Alvord, formerly of Albion, New York, and he retained the ownership and did the editorial work of the paper until his death, when his son succeeded him, and is now in charge. The paper, while nominally Republican, pursues a policy of independence.
The Avon Herald was established as The Livingston County Herald on May 11, 1876, by Elias H. Davis, as a Republican sheet. Davis continued in control until October 5, 1882, when he sold the plant to Florence Van Allen, who had been foreman in the office. The latter retained the paper until July 28, 1887, when, having become innoculated with the Dakota fever, he sold the plant back to Davis and prepared to go to the new states. However, there remained a number of accounts to collect in Avon, and, while engaged with these, he worked for Davis. The latter's health failed and the paper suffered, so Van Allen was induced to take over the paper again, rechristening it The Avon Springs Herald. He replaced the old machinery February 7, 1894, and changed the name to The Avon Herald. On October 21, 1903, he merged The Genesee Valley Courier with the Herald. Associated with him is his son, Allison Church Van Allen.
The Springwater Enterprise, now under the editorship of H. J. Niles, was started January 9, 1879, by Mr. Niles and C. B. Potter. Niles bought out his partner two months later and since has been the sole proprietor. The paper is printed at Wayland, New York, and is independent in politics.
The Dansville Breeze, the only daily newspaper in the county, was established in 1883 by M. H. Fowler and J. W. Burgess, as an independent weekly, the village then having Republican and
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Democratic weeklies. In 1893 they erected a brick block on the corner of Main and Chestnut streets for the accommodation of their plant. In 1900 Fowler bought out the Burgess share in the real estate, and on June 1, 1902, purchased his interest in the newspaper also. Herman W. DeLong was engaged as editor of the sheet and acted as such until 1904. In February, 1904, A. H. Knapp and George R. Brown became the proprietors of the Breeze; in August following Brown retired and Bayard H. Knapp joined his father. In June, 1908, the Breeze was changed to a daily. In March, 1915, the elder Knapp passed away and he was succeeded in the ownership by his son, who has rapidly developed the paper mechanically and editorially. The Breeze is a Repub- lican paper.
The Livingston Democrat was started at Geneseo in 1885 by Ed. D. Deming, who continued as proprietor for ten months, when it was sold to Charles F. Wadsworth. John B. Abbott was en- gaged as manager and political editor, and Elliott W. Horton local editor. New equipment was purchased and the circulation mounted. In February, 1899, Abbott and Horton bought the pub- lication from Wadsworth and issued the paper as the firm of E. W. Horton & Company. In 1902 Timothy C. Reagan, who had been foreman for many years, was taken into the firm. In June, 1904, this copartnership was dissolved and the office and paper transferred to a corporation known as The Livingston Democrat, the officers of which were: John B. Abbott, president; Timothy C. Reagan, vice president; and Elliott W. Horton, secretary and treasurer.
The Picket Line Post, of Mount Morris, was first issued on June 16, 1899, by Fred Van Dorn. Mr. Van Dorn died in 1907, and the representative of the estate operated the plant, with John Van Dorn in charge, until February, 1911, when H. M. Rolison took control. In 1918 the paper bought The Mount Morris Union, which had been published by John C. Dickey. The publication is now issued under the title of The Picket Line Post and The Mt. Morris Union, and is Republican in politics.
The Caledonia Era was established in May, 1901, by Roy A. Peck as an independent medium. Mr. Peck merged the old Adver- tiser with his paper in September, 1920, and became sole pro-
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prietor and editor of the new publication, styled The Caledonia Advertiser-Era, and Republican in character.
The Avon News was established October 23, 1907, as a Demo- cratic weekly by Howard R. Gibson.
The Livingston County Farm Bureau News was started at Mount Morris in 1918.
CHAPTER XLI. LIVINGSTON COUNTY : MILITARY.
In the War of 1812, Major-General William Wadsworth was in command of the militia of the division which embraced the county. Colonel Lawrence, of Geneseo, was also an officer in this war. General Wadsworth and his aide, Major William H. Spencer, of York, performed distinguished service at the battle of Queenstown, where he was captured, but afterward exchanged. General Alexander Smyth took command of the American forces on the frontier and issued a preposterous manifesto calling for volunteers to organize for a "short tour" and promised to "plant the American standard in Canada." However, the call brought a quick response. Dansville raised a company of about thirty men, under command of Captain William B. Rochester. The towns of Sparta and Groveland together raised a like company; James Rosebrough was captain, and Timothy Kennedy lieutenant. The men were marched overland to Buffalo, through snow and over ice-covered ground, and were there mustered in as infantry. They were then taken to Black Rock and placed in boats to await the command to cross the river into Canada. However, word soon came that the movement had been abandoned, and the volunteer troops were ordered back. Smyth left the army in disgrace and traveled overland to his home, passing through Groveland and Dansville en route.
In September, 1813, the Independent Artillery Company of Geneseo, under command of Captain John Pierce, composed of about sixty men, volunteered for three months' service. They were ordered to Lewiston Heights and assigned to guard duty in Wadsworth's division. With the exception of one man from Groveland, all the members of this group were from the town and village of Geneseo. John Gray was lieutenant. They were even- tually mustered out, and returned to their homes. In September,
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1814, the company again volunteered as Minute Men and were detailed for garrison duty at Fort George. In December, 1813, it was attacked by a force of Indians and British regulars, during which three men lost their lives, and it was forced to retreat. Privates Hubbard and Jones were reported "missing," while Pri- vate Timothy Orton was killed in action. Orton's father recovered his body and he was buried near Lakeville. This company was engaged at Lundy's Lane and Bridgewater, and fifty of its mem- bers participated in the battle of Chippewa, near Fort Erie. Then followed the destruction of Buffalo and Black Rock and other disasters to American arms. The roads leading eastward from Buffalo and the frontier were filled with refugees, women, chil- dren, household goods piled on wagons, wounded soldiers in sleighs and on litters, all fleeing to safety, encountering hardships aggravated by the rigors of winter. Two brothers from Conesus, Joseph and Jonathan Richardson, hearing of the burning of Buffalo, took their teams to carry soldiers to the front. Joseph was killed at Black Rock, and Jonathan was taken captive.
In the spring of 1814 a company of cavalry was recruited for short service from Lima, Bloomfield, Pittsford and Leicester, officered by Captain Enos Stone, of Rochester; Lieutenant Claudius V. Boughton, of Pittsford, and Ensign Abell Parkhurst, of Lima. They encamped at Rochester and became a part of Porter's Volunteer Dragoons and were stationed at the mouth of the Genesee to prevent the redcoats from moving up the river as they threatened. Enemy ships appeared in the offing and fired a few solid shots into the earthworks, but soon drew away. This company, which had entered the service with 162 men, was mus- tered out with only forty-eight; the remainder had been either killed, died of wounds or disease, or had been taken prisoner. In comparison with other sections, Livingston County responded excellently to the call of war. The statement has been made that the town of Avon lost more men than the entire county of Niagara.
The destruction of Fort Sumter awakened Livingston County as it did the whole North. Enlistments immediately began under President Lincoln's first call for volunteers. Mass meetings were held and everywhere the spirit of war was evident. The response of the county throughout the war was unsurpassed anywhere. No demand of the struggle but which found an answer in the county.
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By June, 1861, five companies had been raised in Livingston County and many other recruits had gone to Rochester and other points to join the colors. These five companies and their officers were: Dansville, Carl Stephan, captain ; George Hyland, Jr., first lieutenant; Ralph T. Wood, second lieutenant; Geneseo, Wilson B. Warford, captain; Moses Church, first lieutenant; John Gum- mer, second lieutenant; Lima, James Perkins, captain ; Philo D. Phillips, first lieutenant; H. Seymour Hall, second lieutenant; Mount Morris, Charles E. Martin, captain; Joseph H. Bodine, first lieutenant; Oscar H. Phillips, second lieutenant; Nunda, James M. McNair, captain; George T. Hamilton, first lieutenant ; Henry G. King, second lieutenant. These companies rendezvoused at Elmira. The Dansville men were made Company B of the Thirteenth New York Infantry; Captain Stephan was made lieutenant-colonel of the regiment, and Lieutenant Hyland suc- ceeded to the captaincy. The Lima and Mount Morris companies were made a part of the Twenty-seventh New York Infantry, the former as Company G, and the latter as Company H. The Geneseo and Nunda companies were placed in the Thirty-third New York Infantry, as E and F, respectively. The Eighth New York Cavalry contained many men from the county. In August, 1862, having been commissioned captain, James McNair recruited a large number of men from Groveland and vicinity for Company L of this regiment.
General James S. Wadsworth, while on a visit home in the summer of 1861, expressed the opinion that the struggle was destined to be a long one and hoped that a regiment might be raised in Livingston, a stupendous task in the face of the fact that hundreds of men had just enlisted from the county. He persuaded John Rorbach to allow his name to be presented for a commission to recruit such a regiment, and very soon the com- mission was received. Colonel Rorbach at once plunged into the work of organizing the regiment, which, it was proposed, should be known as the "Wadsworth Guards," in honor of General Wads- worth. A local depot was established by state authorities at Geneseo, and here, September 30, 1861, there arrived the first contingent, composed of sixty men under Captain Henry G. Tut- hill, which afterwards became Company A of the regiment. Three or four days later Company B joined with forty men. Quarters
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were at first obtained in the village hotels, but later barracks were constructed at the camp grounds at the head of North Street. Recruiting continued in this county and in Wyoming until February, 1862. Advertisements appeared exploiting the merits of the different companies, and all carrying the statement that the pay was "$13 to $23 per month and $100 bounty at close of the war." Ten companies were encamped at Camp Union, Geneseo, by February, 1862, totaling 683 enlisted men and twenty com- missioned officers.
Orders came for the One Hundred Fourth Regiment, as it was officially designated, to move to Albany; and on February 25, 1862, the regiment left Geneseo, a tremendous crowd bidding it farewell. The regiment went into barracks at Albany and there remained until March 20th. On the 4th of March Colonel Ror- bach's men were consolidated into seven companies, lettered from A to G, inclusive. Merged in the One Hundred Fourth was a skeleton regiment from the Troy encampment, under Colonel John J. Viele, with about 300 men. This made a complete regiment of 1,040 men. The officers of this regiment, also of the companies, follow :
John Rorbach, colonel; R. Wells Kenyon, lieutenant-colonel ; Lewis C. Skinner, major ; Frederick T. Vance, adjutant.
Company A: Captain, Henry G. Tuthill; second lieutenant, Albert S. Haver.
Company B: Captain, Lehman H. Day; first lieutenant, Henry A. Wiley ; second lieutenant, Homer M. Stull.
Company C: Captain, Stephen L. Wing; first lieutenant, Henry Runyan ; second lieutenant, Nelson J. Wing.
Company D: Captain, Zophar Simpson; first lieutenant, Jacob H. Stull; second lieutenant, George H. Starr.
Company E: Captain, H. C. Lattimore; first lieutenant, Wil- liam F. Lozier ; second lieutenant, William L. Trembley.
Company F: Captain, Gilbert G. Prey; first lieutenant, Luman F. Dow ; second lieutenant, W. J. Hemstreet.
Company G: Captain, James A. Gault; first lieutenant, John P. Rudd; second lieutenant, John R. Strang.
Company H: Captain, James K. Selleck; first lieutenant, E. B. Wheeler; second lieutenant, Thomas Johnston.
Company I: Captain, John Kelley; first lieutenant, J. J. McCaffrey ; second lieutenant, Charles W. Fisher.
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Company K: Captain, John C. Thompson; first lieutenant, John H. Miller ; second lieutenant, William C. Wilson.
The regiment left Albany on March 20th and, after a night in New York City, arrived at Washington on the 22d. The next day the regiment was taken to barracks at Kalorama Heights, three miles from Washington, and here remained three weeks. Early in April the regiment was attached to General Abram Duryee's brigade and encamped near Alexandria, Virginia, where training occupied about a month. After weeks of changing around from one station to another, the regiment participated in Pope's dis- astrous campaign in the enemy country, ending in a retreat to Washington. It had an active part in the campaign, of which the battle of South Mountain was one of the incidents, and on September 11th the regiment fought brilliantly on the Antietam battlefield. The early part of December found it engaged with customary gallantry at Fredericksburg, and on the 14th it was withdrawn to winter quarters, where it remained until April 28, 1863. Nothing of extraordinary interest followed until Gettys- burg, in which the regiment participated with severe losses. It had an active part in the battles of the Wilderness, Spottsylvania Court House, North Anna River and Bethesda Church. During the latter part of August, in the movement upon the Weldon Rail- road, every commissioned officer and nearly every enlisted man in the regiment then present were captured and sent into the rebel lines. "Nine commissioned officers of the One Hundred Fourth being already prisoners in the hands of the rebels (captured mostly at Gettysburg), the regiment was left absolutely without a single field or line officer present for duty, and so remained dur- ing the whole fall and winter following." The depleted ranks were filled by new recruits, and the regiment was ordered on duty at corps headquarters, where it remained until after Lee's sur- render. On July 17th it was mustered out of the service and ordered to Elmira, there to be finally discharged on the 29th. John R. Strang was colonel of the regiment at the close of the war.
The foregoing brief sketch does scant justice to the heroic "Wadsworth Guards," whose brilliant service in the cause of the Union has been many times recorded in detail.
In the Eighth New York Volunteer Cavalry, recruited at
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Rochester in 1861, there were a number of Livingston County men. This regiment performed valorously throughout the war; during its term of service it lost in killed, wounded and missing, 794 men; participated in over one hundred engagements, and earned its reputation on many a hard-fought field. Two of the officers who met death on the field of battle were from Livingston County: Captain James McNair fell at Nottaway Court House June 23, 1864, and Lieutenant Henry C. Cutler was killed in the fight at Beverly Ford June 9, 1863.
The One Hundred Thirtieth New York Volunteer Infantry was raised in Livingston, Wyoming and Allegany counties in the summer of 1862, under Lincoln's call for 300,000 men. The three counties comprised the Thirtieth Senatorial District and were made a regimental district, with the headquarters camp at Geneseo. This, however, was soon moved to Portage. The regi- ment was mustered into the service September 3, 1862. Com- panies B and K were from Livingston; G and I, from Livingston and Allegany; C and D, from Wyoming; E, F and H, from Alle- gany; and A, from Allegany and Wyoming. The officers of the regiment were: William S. Fullerton, colonel; Thomas J. Thorp, lieutenant-colonel; Rufus Scott, major; George R. Cowee, adju- tant; Abram B. Lawrence, quartermaster; and Benjamin T. Kneeland, surgeon. Company B was officered by Howard M. Smith, captain; S. Herbert Lancey, first lieutenant; Samuel C. Culbertson, second lieutenant. Company K had as officers Andrew L. Leach, captain; James O. Slayton, first lieutenant; Edmund Hartman, second lieutenant. Company G's officers were Alanson B. Cornell, captain; Charles L. Brundage, first lieutenant; G. Wiley Wells, second lieutenant. Company I was officered by James Lemen, captain; Russell A. Britton, first lieutenant ; Franklin S. Adams, second lieutenant. Alfred Gibbs succeeded to the colonelcy before the regiment departed. Livingston County was the first of the three to fill its quota for this regiment. In 1863 the regiment was renamed the First Regiment of Dragoons and mounted. It is needless to follow the steps of these intrepid cavalrymen through their months of hard fighting, but the record, written with blood many times, has been preserved. Cavalry was an important factor in the military operations of the Civil war and the dragoons were moved quickly and often to support an
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attack or relieve a hard-pressed command. The regiment par- ticipated in forty-five engagements and lost four officers and 155 men in battle.
After the One Hundred Thirtieth Regiment was recruited, there remained several hundred enlisted men who were not re- quired to complete its roster. Colonel James Wood, Jr., of Geneseo, was authorized to raise another regiment in the same section-the Thirtieth Senatorial District. Within a month all the men were in camp at Portage and there was a further surplus of 400 recruits. The regiment was mustered into service Septem- ber 26, 1862, as the One Hundred Thirty-sixth New York Volun- teer Infantry, and the regimental officers were: James Wood, Jr., colonel; Lester B. Faulkner, lieutenant-colonel; David C. Hartshorn, major; Campbell H. Young, adjutant; John T. Wright, quartermaster; B. L. Hovey, surgeon. The regiment comprised five companies from Livingston County, three from Wyoming, and two from Allegany. The officers of the different companies were as follows: Company A, A. T. Cole, captain ; M. M. Loyden, first lieutenant; John W. Webster, second lieu- tenant. Company B, Edward H. Pratt, captain ; John J. Bailey, first lieutenant ; Nicholas V. Mundy, second lieutenant. Company C, A. A. Hoyt, captain ; Wells Hendershott, first lieutenant; Emer- son J. Hoyt, second lieutenant. Company D, A. Harrington, cap- tain; Myron E. Bartlett, first lieutenant; Russel G. Dudley, sec- ond lieutenant. Company E, H. B. Jenks, captain; James G. Cameron, first lieutenant; Seth P. Buell, second lieutenant. Com- pany F, J. H. Burgess, captain; John Galbraith, first lieutenant; Charles H. Wisner, second lieutenant. Company G, Sidney Ward, captain ; Orange Sackett, Jr., first lieutenant; Kidder M. Scott, second lieutenant. Company H, E. H. Jeffres, captain; Edward Madden, first lieutenant; Anson B. Hall, second lieutenant. Com- pany I, Henry L. Arnold, captain ; Frank Collins, first lieutenant ; George M. Reed, second lieutenant. Company K, A. F. Davis, captain; George H. Eldredge, first lieutenant; George Y. Boss, second lieutenant.
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