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 29
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It is believed that the first white settlement in what is now Allegany County occurred in the spring of 1795, when Nathaniel Dike, a Connecticut Yankee, settled in the eastern part of the present Wellsville, on what was later called Dike's Creek. Dike had previously lived in the Mohawk Valley and in Pennsylvania ; very little is known of his early life, except that he fought in the Revolutionary war. His wife and two sons accompanied him to his new settlement.
In 1796 there arrived Rev. Andrew Gray, William Gray, Maj. Moses Van Campen, Matthew McHenry and Joseph Rathbun, who settled in Almond. Samuel and Benjamin Van Campen, brothers of Maj. Van Campen, came in 1797. Reverend Gray was a Dutch Reformed minister and conducted the first religious services in the county at his home May 1, 1797. He was a typical exhorter of the period and in the heat of his sermons was likely to exhibit his physical as well as oratorical powers. In 1798 John Cryder settled in Independence; after building a sawmill he suddenly left, nothing of his remaining but the name of the creek upon which he settled. There were, perhaps, other settlers somewhere in the county before the opening of the new century, but if so, their names and records have been lost in the later decades.
Enough has been written in other chapters of this work con-
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cerning the work of the early surveyors in western New York. The Church tract was the largest in Allegany County, embracing nearly 100,000 acres, and taking in all of Amity, Angelica, and Allen, and parts of Scio, Granger and Hume. Moses Van Campen subdivided this tract into lots three-quarters of a mile square in 1810.
Settlement after the beginning of the century was started in 1801 by Capt. Philip Church, who came to look over the large tract which he bought at Canandaigua the year before. He was met at Almond by Major Van Campen, John Gibson, John Lewis and Stephen Price. Evart Van Wickle came in 1802; he was a surveyor and was employed by Church for several years. Van Wickle was empowered to select a site for a village in 1802, which he did, and Captain Church named it Angelica, for his mother, who was a daughter of Gen. Philip Schuyler. Captain Church also established there the first store in the county, with John Gib- son in charge. He also built here the first sawmill in the county. John Gibson bought twenty acres of land within the village in 1802, at $1 per acre. A log house for a land office was erected, and Joseph Taylor opened the first tavern in the county. Silas Ferry and John Ayers opened a road from Angelica to Almond. Ephraim Sanford and Zephaniah Huff the same year settled near Caneadea. "It was as early at least as 1801 or 1802 that the first road was constructed in the county. It followed the stream up from Hornellsville, entering the county at Almond; thence, fol- lowing the Whitney Valley Creek to Alfred, it went on to Andover, where, striking the source of Dike's Creek, it passed down that stream to the Genesee River at Wellsville, thence by way of Marsh, Honeoye and Oswayo creeks to the Allegheny River and on to Olean." Charles Williamson was the person responsible for this road.
In 1803 Benjamin, Elisha, Calvin and David Chamberlain, brothers, from Pennsylvania, settled on the river at Belfast. In 1805 Dr. Ebenezer Hyde, brother of John T. Hyde, settled, and was the first practicing physician of the county. His home was in Angelica. In 1805 Joseph Knight and his son, Silas, settled at the mouth of the creek in Scio. In this same year Moses and Jeremiah Gregory, John Gaddis and Samuel Rodman made their settlement in Burns on the Canaseraga Creek. Roger Mills se-
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lected Hume as his home in 1806; also in this year James Wilson settled in Allen, and Richard Friar in Friendship. In 1807 Clark Randall and Nathan Green came to Alfred, and John Harrison and Simeon and Zebulon Gates settled in Friendship. In No- vember of this year, at Evart Van Wickle's Inn, was convened the first court held in the county. In the spring of 1808 Joseph Maxson made the first settlement at Centerville Center. Joshua Skiff came to Hume in 1809. The year 1810 brought a fresh group of settlers, prominent among whom were Joseph Baker, Joseph Woodruff and Maj. Alanson Burr. A census report for 1810 gave the population of Allegany County as 1,942. This, in brief, is the record of the first settlements in Allegany. The set- tlers as a rule were a thrifty class, and under their hands the county grew apace like other settlements of the Genesee Coun- try. Early industries, such as grist mills, sawmills, tanneries, wool carding establishments and distilleries were necessary ad- juncts to the march of civilization, and were located wherever necessary to provide for the wants of the early communities.
The town of Wellsville was erected November 22, 1855, from parts of Scio, William and Andover. The first town meeting was held at the house of Harmon Van Buren March 4, 1856, when, among other officers, J. Milton Mott was elected supervisor.
The first settlement of the county, that of Nathaniel Dike, at Elm Valley, occurred in the town of Wellsville; a small settlement grew up about Dike's cabin in the forest. Rachel Dike was the first child born in the town; the first death was that of Thomas Brink in 1807; the first school was kept by Ithamar Brookings in 1814. This was fully twenty years before the first settlements were made on the site of Wellsville. In 1816 William and Asa Foster settled at Stannard's Corners. Within the corporation of Wellsville the first settler was a squatter named Job Straite, in 1822. His house was located on the ground later occupied by Farnum's Cemetery. There was a Job Straite, Jr., too, and among the other pioneers of the time were Samuel Warner, Amos Lane, Enda and Johnson, J. Mallory, Valentine Bowen, A. A. Adams, H. and R. Hall, H. Rogers, A. Dunham, R. Wells, Gardi- ner Wells, W. D. Spicer, G. B. Jones, the Rowleys, M. Johnson, Bartholomew Coats, Reuben Kent, Daniel Tuttle, Harmon Van Buren, Silas Hills, Nelson and Cornelius Seeley, Joseph Crowner and John Cline.
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The year 1832 was the real beginning of the village of Wells- ville, when the first tavern, the first schoolhouse, the first mills and the first store were opened. Silas Hills kept the store. The first frame house in the village was erected by Gardiner Wells in 1833. Relative to the naming of the village, Lewis H. Thornton contributed the following to the Minard history of the county : "After building the mills at the foot of present Mill Street, Wells, Kent, Hills, Van Buren and others agreed that the settlement should be named. So in the fall of 1832, on a rainy, dismal night, Silas Hills, Samuel Hills, Robert Wells, Reuben Kent, Daniel Tuttle, Asa Foster, Harmon Van Buren, Anthony Seeley, and perhaps others, met informally at the log schoolhouse. Gardner Wells, the largest landowner, was not present. Quite naturally it was decided to call the place 'Wells' or 'Wellsville' after him. In 1835, when the postoffice was established, the name became formally and officially Wellsville. Notwithstanding the strenuous efforts made in the early seventies to change the name to 'Genesee,' the town, village, railroad station and postoffice came to be each and all Wellsville."
The first tavern keeper in the village was Harmon Van Buren, on the site of the later Fassett House. The first schoolhouse was erected of logs on the northwest corner of State and Main streets, and Hulda Hall was the first teacher therein. It served also as the first place of worship, the homes of the settlers having pre- viously been used.
The Methodist Society had the first church in 1830 with thir- teen members, under Rev. Azel N. Fillmore. In 1834 the Baptist Church was organized and Rev. H. H. Whipple was the first preacher.
The decision to incorporate the village of Wellsville as such was made at an election held at the public house of J. C. Stannard November 26, 1857, and the first officers were chosen in February following. The incorporation became effective March 20, 1858. The first trustees were C. L. Farnum, Hiram York, I. N. Stod- dard, Henry Taylor, Julius Hoyt and Angus Williams. The vil- lage was reincorporated in April, 1871.
Deacon Jesse Rowley, a pioneer preacher of the Seventh-day Baptist denomination, came to the vicinity of Wellsville in 1830, and at his residence May 16, 1834, a church society was formed
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with sixteen members. It was later merged with the Scio Society, but another church was formed in Wellsville in 1885. The First Congregational Church of Wellsville was organized in 1841. The Methodist Episcopal Church was established December 12, 1851, although meetings had been held for a number of years pre- viously. The First Baptist Church was organized May 21, 1852. St. John's Episcopal Church was started May 30, 1859. The Broad Street Church of Christ was the outgrowth of revival meet- ing's held in 1886. The Evangelical Lutheran Church (German) was formed about 1865. The Roman Catholic Church of the Im- maculate Conception was organized in the early days at Wellsville.
The first postmaster of Wellsville was Dr. George B. Jones, appointed February 25, 1835. At that time a route from An- gelica was opened, with mail each way once a week.
In the early '50s E. P. Clark started the first banking business of Wellsville in his store on Pearl Street. William A. and Sumner Baldwin established a banking business under the name of the Bank of Wellsville in 1868, but failed in 1894. The Yorke & Chamberlain Bank, established in the early '60s, failed in 1877, The old First National Bank started as the banking business of Hoyt and Lewis in 1856, and so continued until 1883. H. N. Lewis established a private bank in 1886, but failed in 1893. The Citizens National Bank of Wellsville opened in the spring of 1895, with T. P. Otis, president. W. J. Richardson is now presi- dent of this institution. The First Trust Company of Wellsville was established in 1917; George B. Booth, Jr., is president.
The first attorney in Wellsville was Zenas H. Jones, who came in 1841. Richard Burchill and Sheldon Brewster were other early lawyers.
The first physician of the village was Dr. George B. Jones, mentioned before as the first postmaster. Others were Doctors Babcock, Loren Leonard, H. H. Nye, Purple, Whitney (first homeopathist), M. Macken, Pelton, Merriam, Allen, Doty, Fur- man, Gish, Van Antwerp, Witter, Hanks, Coller, Crandall, Koyle and Gena.
The Allegany County Democrat, now published at Wellsville weekly by A. E. Cowles, was established in 1868 by Myron E. Eddy and Charles F. White. Mr. Eddy retired in December, 1872, and Mr. White continued alone until August, 1874, when
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W. W. Nichols bought the property. A. E. Cowles bought a one- half interest June 11, 1882, and under the firm of Nichols & Cowles the sheet was issued until February 2, 1887, when Mr. Cowles became the sole proprietor. The Wellsville Reporter, a daily newspaper, and the Allegany County Reporter, weekly, under the editorship of E. W. and C. M. Barnes, have had a long history. In 1836 there was issued at Angelica a paper called The Angelica Reporter and Allegany Republican, which had been pur- chased that year by William P. Angel. This paper was the suc- cessor of a number of publications of more or less stability reach- ing back to the Allegany Republican of 1820. Samuel C. Wilson soon bought the paper and issued it as the Angelica Reporter until 1856. A number of changes of ownership occurred from this time, and eventually the paper was removed to Belmont, where it remained until 1874, then was brought to Wellsville and united with The Wellsville Times by the stock company owning the lat- ter. The name of the consolidated papers was then changed to The Allegany County Reporter. In 1876 Enos W. Barnes bought a controlling interest and remained in charge until his death in 1888, since which time the paper has been carried on by members of his family; also The Wellsville Reporter, a daily established by him in the year 1880.
The town of Angelica is the oldest in Allegany County. When first created, February 25, 1805, it was twelve miles wide and thirty-four miles long from the Pennsylvania line. It was taken from Leicester and when erected was a part of Genesee County. From the time of the organization of Allegany County in 1806 until March, 1808, the town of Angelica was the only one in the new county. The changes in boundaries of Angelica, caused by reformation of the county itself and the erection of new towns cut from its territory, were many until reduced to its present size and contour. The first town meeting was held in April, 1805, at Joseph Taylor's, and Benjamin Riggs was elected supervisor.
Settlement in the town was begun in 1801 by Philip Church, who, with Evart Van Wickle, John Gibson, Moses Van Campen, Stephen Price and John Lewis, made surveys and subdivisions of the Church tract of 100,000 acres during that year. Much of the early history of this town has been written in the first paragraphs of this chapter. It is recorded that the earliest religious services
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in the town were conducted in 1811 by Rev. Robert Hubbard, a Presbyterian preacher; also that Rev. Samuel Parker, a mission- ary, preached here about the same time. A Presbyterian Church was organized May 6, 1812, by Rev. John Niles of Bath. St. Paul's Episcopal Church Parish was organized in 1827, and the Methodist Episcopal Church came into existence probably in the same year. Angelica Baptist Church was organized July 18, 1834, by members of the Second Church of Allen. The Roman Catholic Church of Angelica started with the early missionary work throughout this section.
The village of Angelica, which for years was the most im- portant center in the county, was incorporated May 2, 1835, after having been in existence since 1801, although not officially laid out until 1805. Either Moses Van Campen or Evart Van Wickle did the surveying. George Miles was the first president of the village.
There have been a number of banking institutions in Angelica. A branch of the old Erie County Bank was the first. Charles d'Autremont did a private business here for a number of years. The old First National Bank existed from 1864 to 1886, when it paid off its depositors and locked the doors. The State Bank of Angelica was incorporated January 1, 1890. The Bank of An- gelica is the only financial institution of the village at present; D. D. Dickson is president.
Angelica has had many newspapers, the history of which is too extensive for this resume. The Angelica Advocate, a Repub- lican weekly now edited by Edwin P. Mills, was established in 1901.
The town of Amity was created February 22, 1830, and was taken from the southern portion of the town of Angelica and a part of Scio. The first town meeting was held in a schoolhouse April 6, 1830; John Simons was elected supervisor.
In 1803 John T. Hyde settled in the town about half a mile south of Belvidere Corners. He was a Vermonter. In 1804 Dr. Ebenezer E. Hyde settled at Belvidere Corners, where he prac- ticed medicine and kept a hotel for many years. Stephen Rogers settled in the town in 1804; he died in 1895 at the age of 102 years. Subsequent settlers in the town were: Amos Goodspeed, Stephen Cole, Nathaniel Goodspeed, Harry Davis, Arnold Hill,
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Jacob Manning, Nathan Wright, John Galt, David Downing, Jeffrey Horne, Abram Aldrich, Levi Simons, Elisha Sortore, Elijah Sortore, Jonathan Sortore, Moses Hood, John Hood, Rich- ord Longcore, Hiram Abbott, Isaac Newton, George W. Horner, Elizur Ingraham, John and Jedediah Holmes, Luke Crandall and Simeon Brown. The first store in the town was opened in 1830 by Alvan E. Parker in the village of Belmont.
Belmont was incorporated as a village February 21, 1853, under the name of Philipsville, and later changed to the present name. Excellent water power facilities were responsible for the location of the village. Philip Church built the first mills here, and the development of mills in later years had much to do with the prosperity and growth of this community.
The first banking business in Belmont was done by Andrew Langdon, who established a bank here about 1862, and continued about three years. John Thompson & Company, C. S. Whitney & Company, C. M. Marvin and M. E. Davis were others who con- ducted a banking business in the early days. The charter of the State Bank of Belmont bears the date of June 25, 1888. Elmore A. Willetts was the first president. N. C. Saunders is now the president.
The Belmont Dispatch, an independent weekly now edited by R. E. Peirson, was established in 1889 by R. R. and F. B. Helme. W. M. Barnum, William E. Smith and C. L. Stillman were among; the early proprietors of this sheet.
Baptists first held services in the town of Amity in 1816. Two years later the church was organized. This church dis- banded, the members going to Friendship to organize, but a sec- ond society was organized in the town of 1832. The Methodist Episcopal Church was organized January 15, 1834, and the Pres- byterian Church January 30, 1832. St. Philip's Episcopal Church started in 1853, and Christ's Episcopal Church at Belvi- dere in 1859. The history of the Catholic parish of Belmont starts about 1840.
The town of Scio was erected from Angelica January 31, 1823, and, in turn, was subdivided later when Willing and por- tions of Wellsville and Amity, were taken from it. Joseph Knight was a settler in this town in 1805, and was alone with his family in this section until 1808, when Barnabas York and
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his son, Alvah G., came. In 1809 Silas Bellamy and Silas Pal- mer came to Scio village, and from then on an intermittent flow of settlers came into the town, prominent among whom were John Benjamin, John Burrell, John Cook, Nehemiah Clark, Allen Foster, Peter Gordon, Benjamin Millard, Stephen Palmer, Charles Smith, George Sortore and Joseph Clark.
The original Methodist Episcopal class in Scio was formed about 1825. The Seventh-day Baptist Church started in 1834. The Church of Christ was first organized in 1861.
The town of Allen was erected from Angelica January 31, 1823. Birdsall was taken from it in 1829. James Wilson was the first supervisor of the town. It is probable, also, that Wilson made the first settlement in the town in 1806, having come from Ireland two years before. Robert Barr arrived about the same time as Wilson, either before or after. Robert McBride was one of the earliest settlers in the eastern part of the town. About 1815 the Peavey family, consisting of Joshua, Nehemiah, Joseph, Isaac, Ichabod and John, settled in the southwest part; also the Tellers and McCoons were early comers. Others were: Eras- tus Walker, Chester Roach, George Glover, Daniel Baldwin, Asher Miner, Moses and Martin Treat, James and Samuel Will- ison, the Burthwick family, and Joshua Smith. The first relig- ious services in Allen were conducted by Rev. Robert Hubbard in 1821, and in 1826 a Presbyterian Church was organized. A Methodist class was formed in 1844, and a Baptist Church in 1847.
The town of Birdsall was formed from the towns of Allen and Almond May 4, 1829, and Andrew Hull was the first super- visor. The first settlement was made by Josiah Whitman in 1816, followed soon after by William P. Schaack, and J. Van Wormer. James Matthews, William Dey, John I. Dey and his sons, James I. and Lawrence J., John Marlatt, John J. and Wil- liam Davison, Thomas Randolph, Job Southard, Jonathan Jack- son, C. Steteker, G. C. Little, H. B. Camp, J. B. Welch, A. J. Havens, A. C. Hull, D. Bennett, S. Hodgeman, R. Thompson, Thomas Parker and John Riggs were others of the early days to settle in the town. The first religious service was held in the house of William Dey in 1823.
The town of West Almond was created from parts of
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Angelica, Almond and Alfred April 15, 1833; the first town meeting was held March 1, 1836, at the house of Elijah Horton; David Brown was chosen supervisor. The first settler of West Almond was Daniel Atherton, who came in 1816 and in the next year opened a tavern. Successive arrivals in the town were: Jason Bixby, Isaac Ray, Daniel Hooker, John Alfred, Seth Mar- vin, Chester Bennett, John Patterson, Jasper White, Richard Carpenter, David H. and Ellison Carpenter, Abial Weaver, Eli- jah Stevens, Daniel Dean, Joseph, John and Matthias Engle, Alvin Stewart, William and Sether Dean, Joshua and Ira Baker, Sidney Marble, Philip McHenry, Joseph Hodges, Henry Lewis, John Lockhart and Carey Baker. The Baptists formed a society in the town as early as 1824, and another in 1831; the Method- ists organized in 1861.
The town of Granger was set off from Grove as West Grove, and in March, 1839, was changed to Granger. The first settle- ment was made in the town in 1816 by Reuben Smith, his sons, Wilcox and Isaac, and his sons-in-law, Rufus Trumbull and James McCoon; a Mr. Ellis and Elias Smith. Darling Smith, Ira Hopper and William White came before the end of the year. Solomon Rathbun, William Moore, Isaac Hatch, Isaac Van Nos- trand, Thomas Worden, Samuel Horton, Charles Abbott, James Osman, Jonathan Allen, John Wheeler, Curtis Coe, John Brough- ton, Joel Pratt and Ebenezer Balch followed. The first school in the town was taught by Miss Arzivilla Williams in 1819. The first religious services were conducted at the house of Elias Smith by Reverend Hill. A Methodist Episcopal society was organized in 1826. The first Wesleyan Church of Granger was organized in 1843.
The town of Ward was formed from Alfred and Amity on November 26, 1856. Silas W. Cartwright was the first super- visor, elected at the first town meeting in March of the next year. The first settler in Ward was Abraham Walldorff, who came to Philip's Creek in April, 1817. Stephen Easton, Joseph Good- rich, William Tucker, were others of the early day to take up their residence in Ward. The Philip's Creek Methodist Episco- pal Church was organized in 1850. The Universalist Church started here in 1845.
The town of Grove was incorporated as the Church tract
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March 8, 1827; the territory was taken from Nunda, and became Grove in 1828; Granger was taken from it in 1838; Isaac Van Nostrand was the first supervisor of the town. John White made the first settlement in May, 1818. In his house the first religious services were held in 1821, and the first school was taught by Emily Page in 1826. A small settlement grew up about the White cabin. Other settlers were: Alexander Bailey, James Brewer, Jonathan Parsons, Benjamin Pratt, Elias Alvord, Heman Parker, Riley Parker, John and Henry Grunder, Rev. Frederick Closser, James Ewart, Harry Knight, Daniel Goelzer, Timothy Mabie, George F. Rogers, Sylvester S. Heath, Burton Bentley and Isaac C. Guy. Methodism existed in this town very early and a class was formed in 1821 at White's settlement.
The town of Willing was formed from Independence and Scio November 19, 1851; Alma was withdrawn from it in 1854 and a portion of Wellsville taken in 1855. John A. Foland was the first supervisor of the town. It is believed that the first settle- ment of this town was made by John Ford, who came in 1819, having arrived at Friendship the previous year ; he was a veteran of the Revolution. Elijah Robinson was the next settler, in 1825, followed at intervals by Davis Parks, John Graves, Asa Parks, Seth and Jeremiah Graves, Lot Harris, Henry Hagedorn and others. The first religious services were held by Rev. Seneca Fish in 1834, and the first school was taught by Betsy Lovell in 1836.
The town of Alma was erected from Willing November 23, 1854. Myron Hough and John Longcore were the first settlers in 1833. Azor Hurlbutt came the next year and opened the first tavern in 1837. Later settlers were: William Smith, Samuel B. Stebbins, Rev. Reuben Kent, Myron Allen and Samuel Wyvell. Religious services were first held in Alma in 1838 by Reverend Kent.
The town of Almond was formed from the town of Alfred March 16, 1821. Its territorial extent was reduced in 1829 when a portion of Birdsall was taken from it, and again in 1833 when it contributed to the formation of West Almond. The first settle- ment was made in Karr Valley in 1706 by Rev. Andrew Gray, Moses Van Campen, Henry McHenry and Joseph A. Rathbun. In 1797 another group, consisting of William Gray, Walter Karr,
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Samuel Karr, Joseph Karr, Silas Ferry, Stephen Major, Benja- min Van Campen and George Lockhart settled in the village. The first school in the valley was opened in 1802 by Joseph A. Rathbun. The first town meeting was held at David Crandall's tavern in April, 1821; Silas Stillman was elected supervisor. Whitney Valley was first settled by a Mr. Putnam and his sons, Peter and Jacob, in 1803. Tarbell Whitney and Silas Stillman followed them in 1807. The first settler of North Valley was Solomon David in 1804, and a little later came Elihu Knight, Ardeno Cobb and Wheeler Hinman. Phineas Stevens was the first settler on the site of the village of Almond. The first church organized in what is now the town of Almond was the Dutch Reformed Church about 1799; Rev. Andrew Gray formed the society. He was the first pastor in the county. In 1812 this. society was reorganized into a Presbyterian society. The Bap- tist Church was first established in the town in 1826, and the Methodist Episcopal Church about 1848.
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